Kiru

For the remainder of the time after signing my name I sat quietly on the fountain with my black Azure cloak. My hood was concealing my most distinct feature so I had no possible way of being recognized by anyone other than Zelrius, Rebekah, or Ssendom. They were the only ones who had seen me wear this before so I had no doubt that I wouldn't be disturbed as I waited. It wasn't a very long wait though, like I thought. The dumb elf then set out the lists and practically disappeared in the crowd. I stood up from the fountain and I pushed through a few players to see the list. My entire face was filled with a long awaited disappointment. I had a persistent feeling that I would get 'Naughty List,' but was kind of hoping that this game would cut me a break. I sighed and checked the other players on my team. "Ssendom and Daeron. At least there's someone I know." I whispered to myself, knowing that if I didn't join a team with them in the next five minutes they would be run over with all the other players. Quickly, I open my messaging system to PM Ssendom but to my surprise there was already a message, from Daeron. I clicked it open and read it without think about sending out another PM yet. "What?" I thought, confused at the wording he used. I quickly sent the following, trying not waste any time. 

For a moment, I fiddled with my new red hair on the left side of my head. It was different from my usual hair color but it didn't feel that different at all to me. I looked up from my hair to notice the door opening slowly. From the outside, Daeron came in. I couldn't pinpoint the exact last time I saw him but I knew it had been awhoelsince our last encounter. It suddenly dawned on me that I hadn't been in contact with anyone other than a select few for the past months. It was clear that this party was necessary. Without it I probably would have forgotten that I had friends other than Azure. Which reminded me, Daeron was now apart of the Brigade again, and was coming over to me. I warmly smiled at him and repeated the same words he had said to me, back to him. I was then greeted with a hug, in which I stood in shock for a moment. It had also been a long time since anyone has hugged me, or even touched me for the matter excluding handshakes. I let out a large breath, not realizing that I was holding it in the first place, and wrapped my arms around him. I then let go and watched him retreat back to a table near the food. "The food!" I thought, noticing that I had totally forgotten to set out the food. It was not Ssendom's job, it was mine. I scurried over to the millions of trays and began to spread them out around the room. I picked up some of the heavier ones and carefully brought them to the other side of the room. On my way over I noticed a rather strange player sitting alone at one of the end chairs. I placed the food out accordingly and looked back at the person. I then saw that it wasn't some random person being antisocial or shy, it was Zelrius in what seemed to be his pajamas. I stared at him for a good ten seconds before walking over to where he was. I had no idea why I was so compulsive, I guess it was because how he was dressed. Maybe it was the way he was seated? I sat down next to him and crossed one leg over the other, staring forward but peeking at him from my right eye. "...hey Zelrius." I breathed out, finding it hard to even speak to him. It seemed like hours had passed by before I dared to say my next words. "Zelrius. I've come to realize that yes Keith is important and I know I said I'd stop looking for him but I won't forget him. However, you are here right now. You're the closest person I've got to family right now other than Tristan. He's got someone now though, so I can't rely on him too much. I guess what I'm trying to say is...I'm sorry." I looked down and opened my menu, retrieving one of the chocolate bars that Ssendom made. I held it out to him with a pained smile. "Happy Holidays Zelrius." 

Rumor had been going around that an event would be held this year for the holidays in SAO. I had only heard of the past ones from the older players but I was pretty interested to see what the prizes were. I wasn't going to lie, I was in it for the col, the gear, and the special gifts at the end. Another reason was I hadn't taken a quest in literally months, let alone slayed a monster. The last boss battle was a complete flop for me, seeing as though an update made everything foreign to me. And being me, I was pretty dense when it came to this kind of stuff. I knew that to join this event I at least needed a weapon, the rest I could figure out later as I went along. I teleported from the 13th Floor, to the First from the guild hall. Another thing I hadn't done in months was teleport to the First Floor. Even though I neglected this floor I still could navigate through it with my eyes closed, after all, I knew the layout by heart. I leisurely walked through the alley ways and climbed over crates and along buildings to avoid crowded areas until I appeared in the middle of the town, near the fountain. I ignored the elf and signed but name under the last person's. I checked the list and recognized Daeron's and Ssendom's. I smirked and hoped to be on a team with one of them.

Nearly ten minutes after sitting down I was greeted by the sound of the guild door opening. My eyes opened slowly as the player walked inside. Judging from the way they entered they were either way too comfortable with the hall or it was an Azure Brigade member, I guessed the latter. I stood up to clearly see a face, it was Ssendom, whom I got chocolate from less than four hours ago. "Hey, thanks for coming on such a short notice." I smiled and followed him into the kitchen I didn't know we had. When I stepped inside the room he was already pulling ingredients out of the refrigerator. "I uh, I guess you can make food if you like. You seem pretty excited so I'll let you get to that. When Rebekah comes I'll let her come make her special cake for the guests." I said as he carried on with preparing what seemed to be breakfast. Even though it was getting late in the evening it was still a good idea to make this kind of food for everyone. Personally I didn't eat breakfast because I slept in so this was a treat for me. For the next hour I was mesmerized by his skills. He made several dishes at once and pumped out over five in less than seventy minutes. I paid close attention to everything he was doing because if I was going to do any profession, cooking would be my first choice. He added special ingredients to the eggs, made two types of bacon, and even squeezed orange juice. I made a mental note to visit his store again sometime and peeked outside of the kitchen just in time to see an unfamiliar player wander in. As he walked up to me I smiled politely, I didn't want to be rude to my first guest not from Azure Brigade. "You see that tree over there?" I pointed to the end of the large hall to where the ginormous tree was. "You can put it under there. Thank you for coming." I stated and walked over to my chair. "Oh and hey? There's hats if you'd like one!" I said loudly and pointed again to a fourth box on the stairs labelled "santa hats, take one". I took a seat directly by the door. 

After speaking with the new player Ssendom appeared from the kitchen and came to sit by me. In front of his was probably the biggest gift I'd seen since I was little. I stared at it for a few moments, pondering of what he could have possibly put inside before actually communicating. "You can put it under the tree....or beside it since it's too large to fit under. Mind telling me what's inside there?" I asked, knowing that he probably would like to keep it a secret. I stood up from my seat and saw another person walk in. This one didn't introduce themselves however, they simply walked inside and placed their gift on the table. I chuckled a little to myself, the player reminded me of myself. I lifted up the box that they had left on a table and placed it under the tree. 

I heard the door open yet again, this time it was someone I knew. My eyes filled with excitement as the blonde walked over to me. "Hey Ariel, I like the outfit." I said and watched her place her presents underneath the tree. "Oh that reminds me..." I opened my inventory and found the gifts I wanted to give. It wasn't a cute item or something to be worn, it was a useful one that could mean the difference between life and death. And at this time of the year I thought it would be fitting to give the gift of five extra health points, especially if any players in the lower levels came to this event. I pulled them both and placed them gently below the green mass. While I had my menu open I selected my hair potion. I took the lid off the crystal bottle and drank the entire thing. I imagined what I wanted my hair to look like and opened my eyes. I grabbed a strand from each side of my head and nodded. Then, I grabbed my Christmas hat and put it over my now half black, half red hair. 

Potion used: 

(OOC- Santa hats will be provided upon request. Please remember the only requirement is but a simple gift. And yes you can give a pair of socks.)

A loud beeping rang in my ears for about two minutes before I grumbled and shut it off with my menu. Normally I didn't set an alarm for anything, and judging from the lack of light outside I knew it was way before the time I usually woke up. I rubbed my eyes and yawned. Thinking that my bed was somehow bigger I rolled to the right and was met with the edge. I held onto my sheets for dear life but inevitably fell onto the floor. I laid on the floor for a moment, thinking if getting up this early was really worth the cause. In the end I knew I had to do this, even if I didn't feel like it anymore because the invites were already out. I got up from the wooden floor and threw my light blue covers back onto my bed. I neglected that messed up sheets and walked to the other side of my room to my two chests. I opened the inventory for the first one and equipped my usual boots, tights, and dress. Over the top I put on the scarf Keith gave to me last Christmas. It was nostalgic to me, wearing a gift and throwing another party. There were differences, big and small, but overall there were still some things the same. I scrolled up and down until my eyes met with a certain potion I bought from Mari. I smirked, remembering what I did last year to my hair with this potion. I clicked on the description and nodded to myself, knowing exactly what I was going to do with it. I closed my menu, shut my chest, and walked outside of my room quietly. It was still very early in the morning so I tried my best to maneuver through the halls without waking anyone, especially the other commandants. Every commandant had a room on the second floor while the rest of the guild had rooms above us. I liked only having to walk so far up the stairs to my room but I didn't know who lived beside me. There were only six others so it was down to Zelrius, Tristan, Rebekah, Ssendom, Shark, and Zero. I felt lucky to have a high ranking position in the guild, even after slacking off for such a long time. Everyone worked so hard to buy the guild so staying here all the time made me feel a tad guilty. I didn't contribute a dime to the purchase of it, and that wasn't okay with me. I didn't like participating in team events or anything like that but when it came to boss fights, friends, and Azure I didn't screw around. Therefore, I would one day repay them, 

As I crept down the stairs I remembered the conversation I had with Tristan about a month or two ago. He suggested I get a profession. At the time it was a little crazy but now the proposition didn't seem like such a bad idea considering I was going to pay back the guild somehow. When I reached the main hall I turned the lights on and began to set up. Zelrius had already taken his stuff down so I had no cleaning up to do. The giant tree was already in the hall, but not where I wanted it. I practically hugged the tree and began pushing it back towards the end of the hall. I didn't want everyone coming inside to run into, that would be hazardous. Satisfied with my placement, I opened the three boxes in one of the corner I had set out the night before. The first had lights, which of course were tangled. I sighed while untangling the string. It took me nearly forty minutes to get them sorted out since it was supposed to cover the massive tree that went almost halfway to the ceiling. I wrapped the tree with white lights all the way to the top by throwing most of them, literally. The next box was tinsel. I quickly put them all around the tree, using a chair carefully to bring them all the way to the top. Finally, the lat one was full of different shaped, colored, and textured ornaments. To avoid my mistake from last time I used an actual stool to put them each on the branches so I wouldn't fall. When I finished with each of the boxes I threw them into the meeting room and turned off the lights again. I looked back upstairs to see if anyone's light was on. I couldn't see anything so I assumed I was quiet enough and left the guild.

When I stepped outside the sun was just about to be in the center of the sky. I knew had to hurry up so I practically ran to Ssendom's shop. I hoped he was there instead of sleeping in his room at the guild. I would feel so dumb for wasting my time if he wasn't at his shop. (I posted in the actual shop so...cut scene?) Luckily he was there and I ended up getting twelve chocolate bars, free of charge. I ran back to the guild hall, bag full of chocolate in hand. I placed eight of the twelve bars into my inventory and put the rest of them onto one of the tables. Along the walls were rectangular shaped table adorned with red table cloth I had put on the night before with the boxes and tree. Since there were only three chocolate bars left I opened them and split them into thirds so more people could enjoy them. The remaining tables were dismal, bare, and required food. I was getting worried but I also had faith that Rebekah would come soon with the food. If she didn't come I always had Ssendom, who generously offered to cater as he had materials laying around and wanted to help. I didn't even speak to him for more than ten minutes and he offered to help me in any way possible, which was nice because I had only thrown one party at a much smaller scale. I took one last glance around the room before realizing that I needed chairs. There was nothing worse than having nowhere to sit at a larger event. I sprinted to the meeting room and grabbed two chairs, one in each arm. I placed them on the walls just a little bit away from the tables and ran back for more. This continued until I had gotten every chair from that room into place. I looked at the two rows of chairs and frowned, it was asymmetrical. The left side of the room had one more chair than the other. I contemplated whether or not to just removed it but I remembered that the last chair was behind the tree from a few days ago. I placed the last one on the opposite side and smiled, this was gonna be great. I had never planned something so exciting before. And though I probably wouldn't tell anyone, I was really excited for this. However there was a con to this...I was completely worn out from so much running around all day. The time had gone by pretty quick, as it was about to begin in a few hours after the sun set. I collapsed in the nearest chair and leaned my head against the wall with my eyes closed. The party would start in about a few hours, so I had some time to kill-- to think. 

I focused on Ssendom as he appeared through a doorway to where I was. I shook his hand and gave a smile. "Yeah, I'll need them all for the Azure party I'm hosting tonight. I happen to have been procrastinating and forgot that I had nothing to give. How much for all of them?" I asked, pulling out my col bag full with the money Keith gave me over four months ago. I looked up from the pouch and remembered that Ssendom was part of Azure. "Surely you'll come too right?" If there was anyone besides my normal crowd that I wanted to come, it would be Ssendom even though I didn't know him personally. It was because he was close to Zelrius and Zelrius needed a friend right now since I was too chicken to actually speak to him after multiple incidents. 

I looked down at my gloved hand as I pressed open the door to Ssendom's shop. As I recalled, he and I have never properly met before but have seen enough of each other to recognize the face. I paused in the doorway and cringed at the fact that the last time he saw me was when Zel and I were in a disagreement of the sorts. That was the most violent in a non-combat situation that I've ever been with Zelrius and to be honest, it scared me. If I had done that to him about a year ago he might have cut me down, and how I was I would've fought back. I took in a deep breath and closed to door behind me. "Hello?" I called, walking towards the back. "I'm here for literally all your milk chocolate, it's Kiru!" I yelled, crossing my arms and searching the area for him. 

I stood on my tip toes and practically threw the glittery material up onto the tall branches. The tree was too tall, so I wouldn't be able to cover the entire thing but I could try.All I needed was a chair. I walked to the box of decorations again and jumped in front of the tree, successfully getting the tinsel higher and higher as I went. After the third was put up I peeked around the tree at Zelrius. He hadn't called me by my name this time, he simply stated my rank. I frowned and retreated back to the box, grabbing a few ornaments. "I want things to go back to normal, sir." I said flatly. I knew what I had just said was a tad cold but I couldn't help but get angry at him for being cold to me as well. I stomped away from the tree and into the meeting room to grab a chair. I picked up the end chair from the dark room and turned back. I held it out in front of me and walked back to the room where Zelrius was. I dropped the chair behind the tree. It made a loud noise but I ignored it and stood on top of it, placing the smalls shiny balls on the tree. I leaned forward to put one towards the top but it slipped from my hand and fell. Luckily it only fell onto a branch and not on the floor. I leaned even farther trying to retrieve it but I just couldn't reach it. I breathed out with annoyance and leaned so far that I was balancing on my feet. My fingertips touched the ornament but it slipped. In attempt to grab it as it went farther down I lost balance slipped off the chair. "Zel- " I said instinctively and fell backwards, watching the tree get smaller and smaller. I closed my eyes and covered the back of my head to protect myself. I felt onto the hard tile floor, creating yet another loud noise. For a moment after the impact I just laid there with my eyes closed, thinking about how stupid I must look right here. 

While looking the other way I coughed softly and closed my eyes. "You know what? I really do have interest in becoming a cook or something but I just don't have the time or energy to do so. I'm always busy with Azure and getting a shop would be a little much. I already have col but I guess I could deposit my earnings into the guild inventory..." I sighed and lazily opened my eyes towards Tristan. He was always there for everyone, I guess that's why he was a tank. Tanks took the damage of others and stacked it on themselves. If someone told me that the first time I met him I would have laughed. A red haired male, who seemed to be falling for every girl he saw, was going to be tanking for the highest guild with me? Total joke back then but now? The man serenading me with a guitar was gone and a defender was here in front of me. Tristan grew up in the past months, I didn't. I sighed and moved the drink to the side of the table. "Hey, since you offered to take care of me I'm gonna take the opportunity to sleep now. Watch over me, and don't wake me even if the world is ending." I said and rested my head on my arms on the table. I closed my eyes and breathed steady. "Thank you..." I said quietly before falling asleep. 

Keith and I ran through the field of flowers with smiles on our faces, not a care in the world. Suddenly, he stopped and looked me in the eye. He frowned, picked up a flowers from the ground and began to weave them into my hair. I laughed as he looked so concentrated. When he had first made me a crown I rejected it and ran away, but he caught me-- literally, from behind and carried me back. Once he was done he told me to close my eyes and count to three. I did so, but when I opened my eyes my smile faded and a look of horror filled my face. Keith stood in front of me with white hair, his ragged clothes and lots of wounds with a crooked smile and a tilted head. He asked, "Why aren't you looking for me?" I screamed and put my hands over my head, not really sure if that part was reality or part of the dream.

At that moment my eyes opened and I bolted up. I clutched the blanket tightly and breathed. I looked down at the blue bed covers and noticed my vision was getting blurry, and the blanket was starting to get drops, almost as if it rained in my room. I sniffled quietly and wiped my face in my sheets before getting up. I looked down at my black shorts at white t-shirt and shrugged. I didn't even bother to get dressed at I walked out of my room on the second floor of the Azure Brigade Guild Hall. I wandered around for about five minutes before walking to the main hall, where Zelrius was standing. Immediately I felt obligated to turn around and go back to sleep but there was a feeling of guilt in my stomach. I yelled at him, and he deserved it all, but I was still angry at him. I needed his help with something, a tracking mission that surely wouldn't end well for my cursor. He didn't help me at all. But, he wasn't like that right now. I kind of laughed when I saw him, all alone decorating a tree, but I also felt saddened to see him in such a sorry state. I softened my unintentional glare at the back of his head and walked towards him. I picked up a string of tinsel and began quietly wrapping it around the tree. I didn't know who bought the decorations but I didn't really care. I looked over at the blonde haired boy. "You know it's almost been a year since I joined Azure." I said, picking up another string and wrapping it where the other one stopped. 

All participants receive 1 SP and 200 col (400 per page, 6 people)

My concentration on Zelrius faded for a moment as I looked from left to right. Rebekah was now here along with Ssendom, someone I didn't know personally. The one thing I knew about him was that he was in Azure. The impression I was giving him probably wasn't the best, but nothing could be done now. Most likely this situation would be confusing for him and Rebekah but I didn't care very much. This was necessary if I was going to ever work with Zelrius again. I returned my attention back to Zelrius and for once I listened to what he was saying without interjecting. Throughout his speech my face gradually became less intense towards him. By the end of it I had more of a frown than a scowl. Deep, deep, deep down I knew that he was right but I didn't want to believe it. Another thing was I saw Keith with my own two eyes just a few days ago. But that was the problem too, that I saw him. Seeing him brought back everything, causing me to not perform duties of the Azure Brigade, miss events, and even get behind a few levels. I eased up on his collar and rubbed my pointer fingers on my temples. "I understand....I just...I know I need to move on I just....I...." I sniffled and stared up at the virtual sky. "I saw him you know? I saw him...I saw him Zelrius. His hair was a different colors and his health, it was nearly at zero. His clothes were torn and he looked so scared. Keith looked terrified of everything." I admitted, knowing I neglecting telling specific details to Zelrius before the boss battle. This wouldn't change his mind much, I knew that, but I just felt a need to do it. "I know..okay" I looked down at my feet and then directly into Zelrius's eyes. "I'm going to stop searching for him. There's one thing that I'm going to do though, I'm going to confront the person supposedly behind all of this. After that if I don't see Keith I will move on...for the sake of everyone else and for me." It hurt to say it but Zelrius had a point. I felt something stain my cheek. "Sorry." I muttered and wiped furiously at my eyes.  

(short post bewareeEeEEe)

My running pace decreased bit by bit, then slowly into a walk when I saw Zelrius. He was standing with Ssendom near a group of what seemed to be sailors with a "Quest" banner marked above them. I looked from him, to the group and narrowed my eyes. I connected two and two and sighed just a little. Even after fighting a boss in less than ten minutes he still could not pass up the opportunity to get stronger, or wealthier than he already was. Zelrius wasn't going to be satisfied with just clearing a floor, no, he wanted more. Therefore, he would most likely be waiting at that point just in case anyone would have followed him, aka the commandants. It was like he predicted that I would come after him. "Tch." I walked forward, my cape slightly waving as I did, towards the group of two. As I got closer my intentions of figuring out what his deal was faded, now the only thing I wanted to do was let out my complete anger at him for neglecting someone that was like family to him. I focused on Zelrius and when I got close enough I spread my arms from under my cloak and shoved him hard backwards. Following that, I grabbed him by the collar. By now my hood had fallen off and my facial expression was visible; anger. My cheeks were red and the hand at my side was shaking. I clenched my teeth and stared at him, not that I could find his eyes. "Too busy huh? Explain to me...why you said that earlier. Especially before the fight, you knew that it wouldn't sit well to leave it at that!"  My volume grew louder towards the end and I continued to stare. Just stare at the blonde boy.   

signing up for this even though I am not even close to meeting level 25 req ;) please dont let me die 

I looked at him, confused for a moment. Was he truly unaware of the rumor or was he playing dumb? I furrowed my eyebrows and stared at him, searching for any signs that he was lying. Overall he seemed like a very energetic person but I couldn't put my full trust in him just yet. So instead I decided to go with the flow for now and temporarily place my faith in this unknown player. Maybe it was his personality, maybe it was the hair. I interlocked my fingers and raised them over my head and leaning back in a stretching motion. "Well since I don't think you have the ability to deceive me I guess I can give you the bare minimum of the rumor I've collected from the info brokers." I stated and yawned, blinking a few times before continuing. "You get a rare salve or something that can me applied to any weapon to give an additional +1 damage to it. Of course it's super rare an the chances of it being true is low...but what if it was true? Only I would have it, making it a unique." I said, giving off a sort of serious vibe; this wasn't something I would simply joke about. I really did want that extra +1 damage. I was excited about this but the player in front of me however was not; all he cared for was the "fantasy of it" and the meat. "A dragon roast huh? I hate to admit it but I would love to try that. Oh well, If you get the roast and I get that +1 then I'm okay." I then thought about how it might taste. Like steak maybe? Or perhaps it tasted like the rare rabbit meat? Either way I was sure that it wouldn't simply be plain if cooked correctly by the correct person. Which rose a question in my head. "By the way...you wouldn't happen to be a cook would you?" I asked, hoping he was because anyone that knew me knew of my love for fine cooking and dining. 

"I recommend bringing a light with you as well, it gets pretty dark here at night, also bring extra food and make sure you have potions." I interjected, not really paying attention to the fact that this person didn't know me, and I didn't know him. I only began to focus when he asked me how much I was going to give him for my floor map data. "That's a thing?" Honestly, I didn't know what it was, probably the places I've been. "How about five hundred million col?" I smirked, knowing that not even Zelrius had that much, and it was way too crazy of a price to pay for a simple thing. 

"Our dragon?" I scoffed, uncrossing my arms and taking a step closer with a threatening look. "Get this through your head: If you're after the rumor then I have no interest in sharing anything else I know about the dragon than I already have. I will not share the reward of slaying the dragon with you." I was not about to simply allow this red haired fellow take my earnings, even if he did help me. Things like this weren't meant to be shared, not even the slightest. It was practically the equivalent of letting someone else take the last hit in a boss fight. That person would get the last kill and a rare item only them could get. I looked the guy in front of and smirked. He reminded me if Tristan with his red hair and expression. The difference was, Tristan and I were friends and I didn't know the person in front of me. So sadly, I was not obligated to help him out in any way.

However, there was a tiny nagging in the back of my mind telling me to be nice, to give info. To help him, even though it wasn't a duty of mine. I sighed. "I have no idea where I was when I crossed paths with the creature. All I remember was a giant opening, sort of like a crater. At the top was a run down building with it's front blown out." 

I tapped the bottom of my chin and thought about his statement about the skill he needed. Night vision was already at the top of my list after grandmastering my dagger. I only needed one more rank until I could deal the most possible damage I could with the weapon. With the dragon scales I could do even more damage and could possibly become one the highest damage dealers other than Zelrius. 

I, Kiru, am not the ocean and therefore shall not be salty at anyone other than myself for any amount of col won or lost by anyone. 

Life 200 col
Azide 100 col
Lowenthal 100 col
Rebekah 200 col
Calrex 500 col

-1100 col

please win because i rarely bet pls DO IT for me

Clearly irritated at my current situation I began to bite the insides of my cheeks, something I did when I was anxious. This floor was somewhat familiar to me but when it came to finding an unknown creature I was clueless. The last time I was on this floor was when I was just exploring, and also happened to meet Zelrius. I was screwing around with jelly blobs when suddenly somebody ruined my fun. This boy was the most arrogant person I'd met at the time, but that was different now. Zelrius didn't race me in the fields for fun, nor did he steal my kills. Now he had no free time and it always seemed like something weighed on his mind. Looking back, it was a little sad. The both of us were so carefree and basically had the same personalities but ever since we got Azure back into action tings have changed, people matured, and no one remained the same. Tristan, for example, was once a guy who sat in the backs of bars and sang to women. He tried to serenade me once, it ended in me punching him but slowly that flourished into a type of romantic relationship of the sorts. Obviously that still wasn't the same, especially since he quit playing his guitar for people and tanked for them instead. When I first started the game I had no control over myself. I fought anyone and everyone who challenged me and made lots of enemies since I needed no friends. But, this wasn't the beginning of the game. This was a long time after that and by now I should know where a stupid dragon is. 

Suddenly, a voice cut through my deep thoughts. I glared at the player who interuppted my nostalgic memories and crossed my arms over my chest. "Nope." I replied when he asked me if I was headed to a field. I was hoping this would stop him from asking any more questions but apparently he had more to say. "I don't know of any monsters on this floor other than jelly blobs. Those have about eight HP so even you could maybe handle those." I said, continuing to listen to this player. Then, he mentioned a dragon. I gave him all my attention, hoping he would tell me where it was. Unfortunately he too was looking for it. "I'm trying to find a dragon too but I don't know where it is." I stated, but then remembered that I actually did see one once. It was the night where I stabbed Arekkusu because I didn't know it was him and also the night when we both had the bright idea that using his "charge" skill on me would illuminate the night and give him enough light to kill it. That ended up in me losing HP and the two of us running away in terror. I laughed a little to myself. "Actually...I do remember seeing a dragon, but it was dark so I didn't even try to fight it. It was by a broken down building. I don't think it sleeps during the night though so it might be nocturnal." 

My pale hand swept the bead of seat rolling down my forehead with a harsh and ninja-like movement. "Jeez, could it get ANY HOTTER?" I practically shouted, quite annoyed with myself for coming here in the first place and for the heat that dared to test my patience. This floor was by far my least favorite because of the heat. Knowing exactly how hot it was I still continued to find myself returning at least once a month for the most random reasons. This time I was on unofficial business and I was following a rumor about a dragon or something. I normally didn't listen to brokers but this one actually seemed just a little more interesting than the others. Apparently upon slaying a dragon you would a get a rare type of scale that could be fused with any weapon you owned to add an additional damage. IF this rumor turned out to be true then I could get stronger in no time and basically skip all the work. It would technically be cheating to gain this but I didn't care, this was a rare opportunity. And obviously the creator of the game wasn't above cheating so it was probable. The only problem with this was that I had no clue where it was, I didn't even know where to begin on this floor. 

Only seconds after I missed my attack the boss suddenly burst into millions of pixels and the notorious "Congratulations" banner appeared in the center of the room. "Hardest boss heh, that was less than five minutes." I scoffed and reluctantly put away my dagger. "That was the most unexciting thing I've ever experienced in this game so far." Disappointed with missing one and only attack, I turned around to see that a certain blonde wasn't staying to celebrate. As soon as the boss was down he exploded through the door. I narrowed my eyes into a glare as his silhouette completely disappeared from the room. I told him that I was going to search for the player behind Keith's incident directly after the battle but..there was something stopping me from doing so. It wasn't like I didn't want to, it was just that I felt like I needed to figure out what was his deal before I completely let him go after saying words as poisonous as those he said. Plus it would be pretty awkward if we had to do guild activities together. So, putting my death hunt on hold, I too flipped up my black hood and left everyone in the boss room behind. 

The moment my foot made impact on the new floor I was met with a new terrain and a totally different climate. I was glad I had my cloak now, as I hated the rain. For a moment I looked around the area. Mosses covered the ground and lots of ponds surrounded the area. Most likely inside of them were monster invisible to players until it was too late. I made a mental note to stay away from those and continued. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of gold, it was definitely Zelrius. Without hesitation I sprinted towards the general direction of the flash. About ten seconds later I came into contact with a worn down fence. Having no time for this obstacle I jumped over it and ran further into what seemed like a town. It was quite gloomy but it was strangely peaceful. Maybe if I wasn't chasing Zelrius I could've enjoyed it a little more. 

Someone find one for Kiru pls

Haha ok 

1. Kuudere

2. Kamidere

3. Kuudere 

My eyes focused solely on the boss door. I intended to stand here beside Tristan and study the door for the remaining time we had left before the fight. However there was an interruption from another player calling my name. I stayed facing towards the door but turned my head slightly to see who exactly was calling me, as I didn't recognize the voice. The player's face was instantly remembered but sadly his name wasn't. The only thing from the male addressing me was that we had an altercation or battle of some sorts, and that I didn't remember finishing it. Still, I gave him my full attention and pushed the unfinished memories to the back of my mind. I needed to hear what he was saying because from the looks of it he would be in the same group as I was; there would be no other reason to talk to me. 

I expected him to say "good luck" or something like that and leave but he didn't. He explained that he had reviewed plans with Zelrius and that I would be leading this group. "Is that so..." I mumbled, now facing towards him fully. Zelrius knew what happened last time I led a group, so why did he do it again? Only two possibilities filled my mind. Either he wanted me to become stronger by making up for my mistake in the past or he was doing this because of the fear I had while leading a group again. I mean it wasn't like I enjoyed marching my team into their deaths but I was pretty sure I made it clear that I wasn't ready again to lead. It was what, my third boss battle? I wasn't frightened the first time I showed up for a boss fight and I sure wasn't scared now. I wasn't scared my first time because I was an arrogant girl who didn't care about anything other than getting last hit and the boss drop. The only thing about that first fight was that I wielded a sword because it was gift from Daeron and at the time it happened to deal more damage than a starter dagger by one. This time I had my strongest dagger, boss drop item equipped on my back, and a totally different mindset. It seemed that there was no changing Zelrius' decision now. The only thing to do now was lead. 

Quickly, I wiped the uneasy look off my face and smiled, rubbing the back of my neck. "I look forward to leading my group out of this boss room alive, so there's no need to worry. No one will die today, I promise. I mean, if anything I'll be the one to receive the most damage!" I laughed and placed a hand on my hip. To my right, another player stood. This time I knew the name. "Hello Mack, nice to have you in my group. Also, no thanks; I don't like the taste of that stuff." I said, redirecting myself to face the two of them. "I don't know who the last member of our team is but I'm sure they're great. Now, together we can get through this because let's face it, we have the strongest players here today and millions of healing crystals even if you mess up. So just worry about landing attacks simultaneous and we'll be fine. Good luck guys." And with that, the blue haired tank burst through the door and officially began the battle. The first group went in and dealt critical damage, nearly killing the boss. Now it was our turn. I took a deep breath and ran into the room. I pulled out my dagger to land an attack but completely missed. I frowned and began to get flustered; missing my first hit wasn't a great start.

ID: 34365; Miss        

Energy (13/15) -2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
Kiru 60/60

Ssendom 106/106

Mack 96/96

Azide 117/117

*note I am currently having the item tailored but I will post the official item and give it to Zelrius at a later date. 

October 8th. Today was a special day for a friend I considered to be close. This friend was none other than Zelrius, someone whom I had laughed with and at, gone through tough times with, and went on missions with. So, to me this day was important. It was just October 8th to everyone else but to me it was Zelrius' big day. I was sent an invite earlier in the day but I had something to attend to, something important for today. I spent a little while at Ariel's shop to not only order my Azure Brigade cloak that I'd neglected to get but to have an item specially made for me, and that item just happened to be with me right now. In my hands was a white box wrapped with a gold bow. I had delicately placed my fingers around the slim box so it wouldn't dent and the item inside wouldn't crease. I smiled, knowing he would love it simply because it was something he could wear. Inside was a black suit with hems made of golden thread. On the inside pocket of the coat was a small embroidered "Z" for Zelrius. I didn't normally get anyone gifts but if anything this seemed like the correct time to get one, a perfect one for only the best in Aincrad. 

I stood in front of the location the invite told me to go and took a deep breath. From the inside I could hear that there were already a lot of players here. As per usual I was late. This time however I wasn't disappointed in myself. I didn't want to be early to an event like this simply because I wouldn't be staying very long and I didn't like socializing. Besides, if I was hanging around Zelrius the whole night then he wouldn't be able to spend his time with his other friends. So, being fashionably late I pushed the door open with my shoulder and was immediately met with an overwhelming amount of people that had shown up. Instead of my normal clothes I wore a pair of black leggings, my normal boots, and a giant black and white color block sweater that stopped right above my knees. I shut the door behind me and made my way through the mass of players, recognizing a few as I walked. I was careful not to allow the box to dent. Once I spotted Zelrius I relaxed myself and slowly yet surely made my way over. "Zelrius!"  

Once in front of him I handed his present to him and smiled, waiting for him to open it. "Happy Birthday Zelrius, I apologize for arriving so late, I was busy getting a certain something." I said, smiling a little bit wider. "I have to get going so...happy birthday and enjoy the gift." With that, I turned around and left.

"Zelrius..." I began, not sure what to even say, he gave me a reaction I never thought I would receive. The happiness and ease I felt while talking with Zelrius slowly faded, as did my smile and excitement to be here and fight alongside Zelrius. Anything I usually felt while talking to him just stopped. It was like blowing out all the candles on a birthday cake, except the cake was my mentality and the candles were the flames of passion that drove me to continue searching for Keith. Zelrius was the one who lit them for me in the first place and unfortunately the one whom had blown them out as well. Zelrius had built up any hope I had at finding him when Keith first went missing. However in this very moment he was striking all of that down, as if he were trying to say that I didn't see him. As I searched his eyes my confusion and sadness turned into anger by each passing moment. I knew he was self centered and didn't care much about feelings sometimes but I knew how much Keith meant to him. Zelrius wouldn't just throw him away like that, he wouldn't just abandon him like that would he? "Zelrius." I hissed, clenching my fists at my side as glaring at him. "Don't give me that crap."  I said, lowering my head with a small smile, a couple tears began to fall from my face and onto the ground. "That can't be true...you were one of his best friends. You couldn't just not care about him could you? What would you do if I was the one who went missing and Keith was the one seeking your guidance?" I asked, wiping my face and looking him dead in the eye. For a second I could have sworn I saw tears building up in his eyes but he put on his helmet before I could look long enough. "After this battle I'll leave straight away, this invite is still extended to you and only you." I said in a lower tone as he walked away from me, leaving behind him a trail of confusion and disappointment. 

I sniffled once and took in a deep breath before checking my equipment and proceeding towards the group. I needed to get his words out of my head right now or else I'd be off my game in the fight. I walked over to Tristan. Just his presence made me the slightest bit happier. "Good luck today." I said to him and set my eyes towards the doors.