Kiru

Clemon (Clarence X Lemon) There ^^

Shipping Zel with anyone is illegal, it's like an unwritten rule. Same goes with Kiru, queen of le burritos!!

Super cool Cindel! Thanks for this, hope to see you again!

*^* You guys are so BEAUTIFUL. Ok so Astird...you cosplay. Like me. Which means you're already like really cool but you're soo pretty tooo! EVERYONE IS. SAO-RPG SHALL TAKE OVER THE WORLD WITH IT'S HOTNESS.

"Wow..." I thought and stared at the high ceilings above me. They had to be at least five or six stories taller than me. Even if that wasn't an accurate estimate it was still pretty high compared to the other buildings on the lower floors. Unlike the other floors, Floor 11 had a theme that I liked. It reminded me of a Southern European city because of the stone paths and the oddly sized buildings. This floor also had houses, which I had no interest in buying but still looked at them anyways. They were interesting to say the least and I wondered what the inside looked like but buying a house at this point didn't seem fun. I doubted I had enough col anyways. My eyes shifted from the towered height to the stained glass windows. They were beautiful. All the intricate metal workings and colorful patterns dotting every bit of the space they took up. This entire cathedral was relaxing, and empty due to the lack of players brave enough to travel up here. It was peaceful to walk around a lonely town for once than wasn't overpopulated with idiots. I took in a deep breath and finally pushed on the giant metal doors that served as an exit. I had been in there for a good forty minutes, and that was enough to make me feel more than calm. I walked outside and through the town until I reached the edge of the safezone. The entire outside of the town was dense forest, I could barely see inside it was so thick. It seemed dangerous. I smirked and equipped my dagger, stepping out of the town and into the trees. 

I walked for about five minutes before coming across a gaping hole in the middle of the ground. It was peculiar, was it a monster spawn or something? Maybe just a glitch? I leaned in farther to get a better look and saw two red eyes look at me. I backed up immediately and waited for it to come out, whatever it was. It practically jumped out at me, it scared me and made me miss my strike. I clenched my teeth and wiped the small sweat bead on my forehead. "So these are the monsters on the eleventh floor huh? Sneaky..." 

ID: 22211; BD 1 (Miss)

(For some reason I don't like the word "achoo" )

My upturned eyebrow slowly went down and my eyes gave off an "are you serious" look when he began speaking again. "Stop treating me like a child. I am more than capable of taking care of myself. I can do things alone." I said, nearly slamming my cup on the table. All this talk about myself was really getting on my nerves, I hated it when the person I was talking to only focused on my health. Keith did that and it got him hurt, he worried about me way too much. People worried about others so much that they got into trouble, and I personally would prefer to avoid that with the people around me if I could help it. I wasn't the Kiru at the start of the game anymore, I actually cared for my friends now and wanted to create some long lasting relationships between them. I sighed and closed my eyes slowly. "Seriously, don't worry about me, I'm completely fine." I tried, knowing he probably wouldn't dismiss the "issue" so easily. Tristan was only looking out for me like he did before, but this time around as friends it was annoying. I was a whole lot stronger then I was back then, and he should acknowledge that after seeing me for so long, Seriously this guy hadn't seen me since before the holidays, it was crazy.

I leaned back a little and used my hands behind me to steady myself. "If you honestly think I would start a profession this late in the game then you obviously haven't met me. I don't want to greet people or make transactions. I don't want to craft or anything. I think the rest of my days spent here will be on the front lines, murdering things to get to the top floor. I'm not in any rush to get back outside but I want to explore the other floors. Hopefully there's one covered in flowers or something, even I would buy a house there." There was a pause before I began again. Mostly it was to calm down a bit but it was also just for the sake of rethinking. I needed to choose my words a little more carefully right now, I didn't want an argument. 

"I have no issues with myself so that quest is useless to me. But now that I think of it there is something you can do for me: stop worrying about other people. You need to focus on yourself a little mo- achoo!" Out of nowhere, I sneezed. Of course I did it in my elbow but it was still unexpected. I shook my head and rubbed my hand over my forehead.

I will be taking this quest with Calrex

The statue's health was now in the red zone. It wasn't hard to believe that we were almost done with this but there was always this feeling at the end of the battle. The feeling of accomplishment and pride. The quest was supposed to be a challenge, yet we defeated it in no time. I guess that was just the pure power of the Azure Brigade. Together we could probably clear an entire floor. But, it wasn't dead just yet. We couldn't celebrate until after this was over. It had at least one more hit left before it died. I repositioned the dagger in my hand and began to focus. I needed to land this hit so we could get this over with, or at least get it down so someone else could kill it. From in front of <Repentance> I could strike a lot easier than before because of everyone's constant attacks from all sides. The monster was already confused due to slashes from behind, stabbings from the front, and gashes along the side of it's body. I took advantage of all the confusion and began forward. I started in a run, then picked up into a sprint until I got closer enough to leap onto the carved creature. I stabbed my dagger into the middle of it's chest and held it there until I knew it was done. The HP mark drained all the way to zero, marking the end of the fight and the cursor change of Zelrius. The <Repentance> statue exploded into millions of pixelated data. I landed on my feet but I had no balance so I fell backwards. It didn't bother me though. I let out a deep breath and stretched out on the ground. I had never gotten the last hit on anything before, and to be honest, it felt great. "If only Keith were here to see the changes..." I whispered quietly and closed my eyes. The moment I said that I realized something strange: none of us talked at all during this battle except for the offhand remarks here and there. We didn't even communicate to align our attacks! I chuckled quietly and smiled, this was the Azure Brigade.

ID: 21631; BD 5+2=8 (+1 base +1 ATH +4 ranks +3 daggers=9 Damage)

I set my mug down for a couple minutes before even touching it again. There was no way that I was going to drink it when it was that hot, otherwise I wouldn't be able to enjoy it. For the moments of silence I waited for my drink to cool my mind wandered a bit. "I wonder what he's been up to nowadays, is he still a lower level than me? It'd be a little embarrassing for him to be a higher level, plus knowing him he would probably find something to worry about. Did he plan to apologize when he saw me, or just did it on a whim that I would accept? I wonder..." I glanced at Tristan to see he was not taking a sip of his tea. Judging by his reaction, it wasn't to hot to consume now. My hands curled around the warm cup and I brought it towards me. The moment I took a sip I closed my eyes. "Now this is good hot chocolate." The liquid wasn't watered down, there wasn't too much chocolate, and it had just the right amount of sugar added. Also the cream tasted better than any I'd had in the past. "Man, this is good. I think I'll come here a lot now." I admitted, now making a mental note of this place. From behind my hot chocolate I looked at Tristan, who was speaking to me now. His question confused me to say the least. I knew what he was asking but I didn't know why he would care. With a sigh I placed my warm and delicious drink on the table. "I'll be blunt here: I hate Inns. They are a waste of col and other people stay there too. If I'm going to sleep I would rather be out of the town and the safezone and away from everyone. Yes, it's dangerous to sleep in the middle of a field but it's nothing that I can't handle." I said, leaving out three very important details. The first was that I was always being attacked in the middle of the night. Second, I usually traveled around the towns during the night, causing me to go to sleep later. And lastly, Keith. Normally I would find a quiet hill and gaze up at the stars, something Keith used to do. He was always on my mind at night. That way I could worry about him with no one else around to fuss about it. All of these things together prove to make me lose sleep. During the day when I try to sleep people always think it's funny to poke me. Plus I have other business to attend to during the day. "Why do you ask? I've seen my reflection, and I know you can't be saying I don't look flawless." I teased and took another sip of my cocoa with a raised eyebrow. There were so many things I kept from everyone, even Zelrius.  

I punched him in the arms slightly for his first and way too soon attempt at flirting. "What do you think I do on my free days?! I am quite the busy person if you can't tell so I barely have time to rest. Do you see these bags under my eyes?" I pointed to the slightly darker skin under my eyes. It looked weird and almost out of place compared to my nearly porcelain skin but there was nothing I could do about it, it wasn't like I liked spending worthless money in an Inn anyways. "You see them, these bags are Prada!" The corners of my mouth began moving up until it was a complete smile. Once again I was laughing at my own joke. I looked back up at Tristan smiled, it was good to be friends with someone again. He wasn't my friend because he had to be, he wasn't there just to mock me, he was here to apologize as friend. Hopefully this time around we wouldn't kill each other though. 

We walked into the rather fancy cafe and my eyes began to sparkle, the decor was amazing. The theme of red stuck out on a floor like this. It was like a fire in the middle of the snow. The wallpapers were a subtle and slightly opaque red while the tables were tinted to the color of blood red. The carpet was chocolate colored and went well with the rest of the shop. I couldn't even pay attention to Tristan paying yet another large amount for us, I could only focus on how beautiful this was. I barely noticed when he started moving, so I stood for about five seconds until I scurried over to where he was and sat down on the cushion. I wasn't used to sitting on a pillow on the floor so it took me a while to find a comfortable position. Even then it wasn't that comfortable so I gave up and stretched my legs out under the table, sticking out the other side. I picked up my cup and began drinking it. I decided to take a giant gulp but I realized that wasn't a good idea, it was way too hot for me to swallow. Painfully to avoid embarrassment I swallowed it and practically burned my throat. I looked up and saw Tristan had the same problem and stifled an awkward laugh.

Upon the impact of another player I pulled out my dagger and pointed it dead at him, glaring with icy eyes. With my dagger pointed at him I looked down to see that he had his sword pointed at me. I raised an eyebrow, as if I were to be warning him. After realization in him set in, he dropped his stance and sheathed his sword. The annoying thing was, it didn't stop there. This kind continued to talk, much like Carmine. He asking me where I was heading and if I'd join him, and then eventually saying that I could have been a Player Killer. This of course got on my nerves, triggering me a little. I cracked my knuckles casually and glared at him again. "Yeah because if I were a Player Killer I would be in a town right now, and totally wouldn't have killed you by now. Idiot...PKs don't have access to towns and you can't physically hurt someone in a town, aka safezone." I said sarcastically, putting my weapon away and looking to my right at his friend, Jomei. Upon fully looking at him, I remember seeing him somewhere. I couldn't remember where so I just gave it up and focused on the annoying on, Kyaba. "You see, you should listen to your friend here, he's smart. Don't point weapons at people, they're dangerous~" My tone turned even more fake at the end to show how much I didn't really want to be talking with him right now. "N. O. I wouldn't like to babysit you two on your little killing spree. You'd probably have to drag me along for me to come. And if you lay a finger on me I'll kill you. So, I am not coming with you." I turned away from the two and began walking in the other direction, towards the exit. 

Actually Cho, we have a lot in common. I watch anime on kissanime, in fact it's the only site I use. I really like pizza (FOOD), and I am above the age of 12. Also I have moved a lot of times too, not thirteen but quite a lot for someone of my age. I am going to start doing volleyball next year, hopefully to be the libero! I draw a lot also, I actually have five different sketchbooks and boxes full of sketches. Yeah so, hi Cho! I'm Kiru and welcome to SAO-RPG. 

Zelrius wasted no time with chit chat, stepping right up to the the statue and initiating the challenge of becoming a green player again. Instead of having an orange crystal above his head he would have a green one. I never really understood why it was orange, maybe it was because it was close to red, but not quite? It was just one of those things that you could never know unless you met the creator himself. Personally, if I met the creator I would be likely to do something violent and possibly kill him. Only, I would get some answers out of him. "Heh, I bet in the real world he- !" My thoughts were suddenly interuppted by the sound of the statue coming to like, and for the first in a long time, I saw Zelrius be attacked. It made me want to laugh but equally it made me want to kill the monster that touched him on the spot. I took out my dagger right away and began forward. Tristan made the second hit, right before me. I focused on the enemy known as <Redemption> and charged forth. My feet carried me until I was a few feet away, then I jumped into the air and flew past the living statue, leaving a gash across the right side. I landed in a somersault and immediately backed up, aware of the mitigation and evasion cancellations. 

ID: 21370; BD 4+2=6 (+1 Base +1 ATH +3 dagger +4 rank= 9 Damage) 

Kiru 61/61 (I don't know how the hate thing works)

Zelrius 73/83 (Hate 2)

Tristan 59/59 (Hate 3)

Rebekah 67/67

Oikawa 77/77

Repentance 73/100 (-9)

After a few droplets of water landed on my head I retreated back under the protection of the building. I crossed my arms and tapped my foot, how long exactly would I have to despise rain, rivers, and water overall? With the exception of drinking it, I hated touching it or being near it. Due to an incident as a child I really didn't enjoy being in water either, so swimming was out of the question. I didn't have a fear of rain, maybe the ocean, but it was understandable. It was awkward to have your clothes soaked and to just swim around in deep water to possibly drown and die. I shuddered at the thought of drowning in an already deadly game and looked to my left, the girl I just hit in the face with a door was still trying to make a conversation with me. I rolled my eyes and leaned against the wall behind me. "I would rather not chat to pass the time. It's pointless to begin something with someone that I'll forget in five minutes when this rain stops." I told the girl curtly looking in the other direction. 

Not even two second after I'd finished speaking, the red haired girl introduced herself as Carmine and waved to me. To make it even better she smiled extremely wide when she did this. "Annoying, preppy, overjoyed player. Just what I need." I thought and stared at her again. Hopefully she could take a hint not to keep talking to me, as she was bugging me immensely. Even after I stared at her, she continued to talk, this time asking about the noises inside. I tilted my head to the side and sighed, deciding to indulge this young woman with a story. "Once upon a time there was a girl who was inside a Tavern for business. When she got there she heard two men talking bad about her missing fiance and her entire guild. So, the girl took action and beat them up. Then, she walked out and met someone who got on her nerves for talking way too much. The end." I said, uncrossing my arms and adjusting my position.

(Sorry about the bad post, couldn't think of anything  really)

"You can only hope that you'll be walking by the end of this..." I muttered under my breath and walked back to my original location. Being angry with Tristan wasn't worth my time right now, especially with Zelrius telling everyone in his usual way to be quiet. I took a deep breath, crossed my arms and focused on Zel. As he explained our mission I looked around the room. Everyone here was more than capable of whatever Zelrius had in store for us, I was sure of it. Calrex seemed like a good fighter, he was compassionate and would probably help out at any given moment. Ariel was like her familiar, she was aggressive when needed and was a powerful lady. Rebekah was mysterious, I knew nothing about her, but I was confident that she was good. Tristan, as much as I hated to admit it, he was one of the best tanks I have met. Then there was me. Nothing too special about me other than my daggers and impulsive fighting style. Together, we could get anything done, probably even the next five boss battles. After Zelrius finished I scoffed a little bit. This task was going to be challenging for us but he could have easily done this all alone with only losing about a fourth of his HP. Maybe I was exaggerating but I was still glad he invited me. I shrugged my shoulders and leaned back on the edge of the chair. The questions would commence now. Calrex was the first to state that we would split into three groups. Then Ariel was next. To my surprise, Ariel wasn't as polite when she asked her question. She even went as far to act sarcastic about it too. I covered my smile with my hand and raised an amused eyebrow at Zelrius. I didn't think Ariel could be like this this. 

The Town of Beginnings was probably one of my least favorite places in Aincrad. Due to it's overcrowded walkways and daily events I could never navigate easily through the crowds of people. I gave a heavily annoyed sigh and stepped out of the Inn I was visiting. I didn't sleep at the Inns, they were a waste of money. I was there on business. Apparently someone saw his friend get murdered by a player killer. Of course the person explaining the incident was afraid and could barely speak but in the end I got enough information out of him. After meeting with the player I could assume that the attacker was like all the others, the hung outside the safezone, waited for low levels to come by, then attacked them without warning. It was cowardly to do so, and that irritated me. There was no pride in killing someone by using sneak attacks. Duels were much better suited for things like that. Unfortunately though, most people didn't realize that. But that's where I came in. My task for today was to look for a player dressed in starter gear, black hair, and a mysterious sword on his back. From what I gathered I could tell that the weak gear was a hoax in case he wanted to lead the player off before killing them. 

After I was outside I headed towards the exit, ready to start this right away. However, just before I reached the gate I turned around to check my back. I always did this for certain reasons. To stay safe mostly but to check the Inn I was just at because sometimes the people I met with would leave the location, endangering themselves. Suddenly, I felt something bump into me. 

"Azure is back?" I sat with my hands clasped together and a serious expression upon my face. To my right were two players who had been drinking just a little bit too much of the alcohol kept here. Normally this wouldn't interest me, if anything I would get annoyed by the ruckus, but they were talking about The Azure Brigade. I closed my eyes and focused on their conversation for now. "Yeah apparently they're back...stupid kids think that they have a place. Calling themselves number one? Who was the former leader again, Keith was it?" At this point I became completely taken by the simple gossip they had. First talking about Azure, now Keith? I reminded myself to remain calm until he finished and continued to eavesdrop. "Keith Yudai, strong player killer. He uh, he killed so many people but he got what was coming to him. I hear he's dead, that's why there's a dumb blonde kid running it now. Geez I'd hate to be-" There was a sudden crash, caused by me of course. He drew the line and went far over it, insulting the entire guild and singling out Zel and Keith. Out of nowhere, the shopkeeper came out. What he saw was a girl with black and white hair standing over two men on the ground with a broken glass on the ground. His face became red and he walked over to me with great speed, following that he asked me what was going on. I shifted my weight to my left foot and crossed my arms. "Well these two idiots decided to talk about my guild. The Azure Brigade wouldn't be happy knowing that I just let them trash out reputation so, I punched one of them. Unfortunately he knocked into the other guy and and took a cup of yours down with him while trying to stable himself." I stated, staring blankly. The owner shook his head and brushed past me to scold the two on the floor. I smirked and walked to the door, my work here was done. "Well then, bye bye friends, see you later!" I glared at the owner and kicked the door to the Tavern, sending it flying open. I gave the keep a peace sign before walking out. The moment I stepped foot outdoors I heard a groan, strange. I pursed my lips and closed the door behind me. To my surprise an older girl stood where the door was, groaning in pain. "Don't stand behind doors, you'll get hurt. Again." I warned and gave her a glare as I walked into the rain. "What the..." I muttered, not remembering that  it would rain today, i hated rain.

"It worked." I thought, smiling a little. My intentions weren't to cheer myself up, they were to make Tristan stop crying. By making him laugh and pushing my feelings aside I could make him quit being so emotional. When he felt better then surely I would too. Though after seeing him break like that, the pit in my stomach only grew larger. He made me feel angry and guilt and just dark whenever I saw him, especially with his odd expression and tears in his eyes. Of course the laugh at the scared waitress was genuine but mostly I felt something strange, like I owed Tristan; and that confused me. I didn't know why I cared either. Mostly I would ignore anyone's wishes and do what I wanted. But that wasn't the case here. After not seeing him for so long I guess you could say I resented him but missed him. I pushed all that aside and had one goal: make Tristan not feel guilty, become friends again. Also enjoy the experience.  

I tilted my head so my cheek was touching the table and smirked. "Hm, the benefit is taking care of royalty, you will have exactly zero days of leave, and you are responsible for your own health. If a weapon is raised at me I expect you to step in the way of it. Die for me is your first order. Serve me until you die!" I exclaimed, a look of fake arrogance completing the act. "For I am a spoiled princess who has ticked off many players with orange crystals above their head. You must be alert and aware that one could kill me at any moment!~"I practically sang with sarcasm. The part about PKers hunting me was also true, which wasn't even scary to me. I was scared of losing everyone, everyone dying. Unlike the Kiru that started the game, I actually cared for a few people. 

"Okay, the drinks better be good." As Tristan moved out of the seat without letting go of my hand I stood up as well. I walked behind him, allowing someone to guide me for once. I stared at our hands locked together and frowned. It felt wrong. I tried to gently slip my hand our of his but we made a sudden turn and my chance was lost. I sighed again and walked, holding hands, until we stopped in front of the place Tristan apparently thought was more fitting. I took one look at the name of the building and glared at him. The last and first time he brought me somewhere, it also had a funny name. 

I breathed slower to try and calm myself down, this was not the time or place to be letting out my feelings. A coffee shop with Tristan was not the ideal place to think about this either. I needed to leave before I made a bigger fool of myself. Though, just as I was about to leave I felt a hand clasp gently onto mine. I was a bit surprised to say the least, I didn't expect him to try and comfort me. I peeked at Tristan through my bangs that shielded my eyes, he still look upset but he looked a lot calmer than he was before. I nodded slightly at his words. "I'll definitely take you up on that offer." I muttered quietly and looked back at my hand under his. It was different then Keith's way of calming me but it sufficed. I needed a touch from someone else to let me know that I was there.  I took in a deep breath and lifted my head slightly whilst sniffling. I rested my chin on the table so only my eyes were visible due to my arm blocking the view. "I didn't say I forgave you yet." From behind my arm I smiled mischievously.  "Joking, and you aren't going to be a close friend. I refuse to have people taller than me be my friend. You could be my servant if you like?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Surely now things would go a little smoother. My eyes drifted around the room, we were being quite the performers. I glared at the NPC, who was staring directly at us. She nearly dropped the pot of boiling water and scurried away. I sat up and laughed at her reaction and couldn't help but smile, a weight had been lifted from my chest. I turned to Tristan with an evil look in my still red eyes. "So, my disgusting hot chocolate is now cold. I think for taking my precious time set aside for being lazy you should buy me a new one, from a better shop of course." 

Even with flushed cheeks and red eyes, I still maintained eyes contact. I made the decision to stare him straight in the eye, Tristan however did not choose the same thing. The red haired male tried to hide the fact that he was crying but it was painfully obvious that he was. His response wasn't really one I had anticipated. I thought of Tristan as a strong and unfazed leader who served for the purpose of the people. But that wasn't what he displayed with his behavior. He was sitting there, regretting something he did, crying, and breaking down in front of me. The feeling of guilt came again as he continued to sob in his arms. It wasn't something I enjoyed watching either, I hated it when people cried. It was a sign of weakness to me. The only other time I witnessed something like this was when Keith began crying out of nowhere. He just suddenly began to hug me like I was dying and bawled on my shoulder. I didn't know what to do then and I didn't know what to do now. I guess the only thing I knew for certain was that everyone's emotions are malleable. With that in mind, I proceeded with caution.

I leaned across the table and placed my right hand on his head. I thought it was odd but I saw other people do it to comfort someone. I took a deep breath, as this was embarrassing for me, and closed my eyes. Slowly, guilt formed a pit in my stomach. He was to blame for this but even so I felt like this was my fault. "You did. You screwed up big time. So, never do it again." I paused for a moment in attempt to find the correct words, "move on." I said finally slid back into my seat. I had no idea what I was doing, at this point I just said whatever was on my mind. I owed him at least that much. "I don't know if you've heard but Keith is gone. He's been missing for over a month and people have proclaimed him to be dead. People say Vile murdered him, that he was kidnapped. Others say that PKers were looking for me but killed him instead. I don't know what to do about that either. In ways, we're the same. I feel guilty for not being by his side but I'm here aren't I? I'm sitting in front of Tristan Delaney, the guy who has the nerve to cry in front of a lady." I chuckled slightly but those tiny laughs turned unstable. My shoulders began to shake slightly. I tried my hardest not to cry right now, how pathetic would that be? Two people in a cafe crying? "So, just move on, you know?...." I buried my face in my arms on the table and began to sob, like Tristan. 

Zelrius had an odd request of not only me, but The Azure Brigade. He wanted to take the Redemption quest, granting him a green crystal and access to towns again. This was a weird thing for him to want. I would imagine that he liked being secluded. If anything I thought he enjoyed being titled "PKer" and having that menacing orange crystal above his head. The best deduction I could come up with was that he was tired of it. I thought of Zelrius to be the kind of person who grew bored of things easily. There was also the matter of him changing personality slightly. I could tell for awhile that every time I met up with him that he was different. It was difficult to explain but I wouldn't spend too much time thinking of it. If Zelrius was asking for a favor then I would be more than happy to oblige. 

I walked towards the meeting place Zelrius had set up, dagger in hand. I rubbed my thumb over the smooth part and clenched the handle as I got closer to my destination. Standing there were already two players. Each I could easily distinguish the two players. One was obviously Zel and the other was Tristan. I frowned slightly and without paying attention I accidentally touched the sharp side. I winced at my mistake and wiped the small amount of blood on my clothes. Once I was in front of the two I stopped. "Hey. I don't think this will take more than thirty minutes to complete seeing as though Azure is only the best." I said and nodded at Tristan. He and I talked but there was still part of me that didn't like him. 

ITS SO GOOD AHHH I CAN'T DO DIGITAL ART. I SUCK AT COMPUTER ART. 

ALL OF IT IS AMAHHHZING DUDE!~

I cupped the mug of hot chocolate delicately and brought it slowly towards my mouth. Compared to the rough and edgy cup, my porcelain and fragile hands looked out of place. As I sipped the hot liquid I noted that none of the wallpapers matched the design either. This place was supposed to be the best yet it had a poor decor. I was severely let down when I finally got a taste of the cocoa, it wasn't as good as it claimed to be. It didn't have the right amount of chocolate and it wasn't fully dissolve, leaving a chalky texture. The whip cream was fine but overall it wasn't the best. Disappointed with it, I set it aside and pretended to care what Tristan was saying. My eyes were trained on a single strand of red hair that stuck out, cascading down the side of his shoulder instead of neatly in place like the others. 

He was currently on the topic of the party. He claimed that Celes mixed a bravery potion into his alcoholic drink, with a different intent. He was apparently supposed to confess to me. If this wasn't a serious conversation I would have laughed and left at the mention of love. But this wasn't a joke. I pursed my lips and thought about it for a moment. Tristan always was drinking something alcoholic, potions from Celes were common, it all made sense except for one thing. Lessa. If the potion had a certain affect of attraction then if he liked her more than me then naturally he would go to her. It wasn't hard to tell by the way he swept her off her feet that he liked her, even if it was just a small tinge. I could believe him, end this now, but something was stopping me and I didn't know what. From the way he went out of his way to apologize, anyone could see that he meant it, so why? 

After he finished talking I leaned forward in my chair, placing my elbows on the table and resting my head on my clasped hands. The tone of voice he used I couldn't tell whether he was holding his emotions in or crying in front of me. I felt a slight pang of guilt for a split second and said the following in a hollowed voice: "Are you crying? Of the two of us, why would you be crying? It's not like you got hurt." I looked down at the table, then him again. He was asking for forgiveness. For a split second I thought I could forgive him, leave and move on. But I was also an extremely stubborn person. So, being me I decided to dig deeper, with the nerve to be smirking slightly. "If you'll indulge me...what are you sorry for? Sorry for making me socially unstable, embarrassing me? Sorry for making me think that you actually liked me? Are you sorry for literally making me feel like I could trust anyone or even show my face again? Or are you sorry that you made me think I could trust with my secrets, my feelings, and my life? Tell me Tristan, what could you possibly be sorry for?" The moment I stopped talking I felt my cheeks warm and my breath become uneven. My eyes began to water but I refused to cry right now. I had no real explanation for being so emotional. I guess it was just all the pressure of Tristan, the guilt, Keith, death, everything. Instead of covering my face however I stared him right in the eye. "It hurt me more than you could ever think. As you said, I have a wall. Unfortunately you tore it down entirely and it took a turn for the worst." 

When the door opened, my attention was drawn from the nighttime snowfall to the player that walked through the door. At first I merely glanced at the player, ready to continue my wait, but something was wrong about the appearance of him. It was way too familiar. His red and tall stature was enough to make me certain that he who just entered was none other than Tristan Delaney. He walked to the front and ordered a tea from the NPC waitress, who poured it right away. I scowled at how fast he was served and glared at him from afar. I stared at him the entire time he waited, practically burning a hole through the back of his head. Once he was handed his drink and was about to leave he was stopped again and handed another mug. The waitress pointed directly at me and scurried away to make more beverages. I could tell by the whipped cream and the delicate chocolate drizzle on top that the drink was mine. He was holding my drink. For a moment I contemplated whether or not to get it from him, did I really want to confront him right now? Obviously I wanted it and was angry about it but did I really want to waste my time bantering with him? I pursed my lips and sat back in my chair, he was suddenly coming over. As Tristan walked towards me another player opened the door to the shop. This player however didn't close the door, leaving it open and letting the cold air rush into the space. The cold air filled the room before the startled NPC ran over to the door to close it. I leaned forward, glaring at Tristan as he placed my hot chocolate on the table and sat down. "Why-" I was cut off by his sudden hand movement, telling me to let him speak before becoming violent. This one statement from him got me so upset for no reason. I hadn't seen him in awhile and that's the first thing he says? Though I would be a lot more careless I would have at least said a greeting. I slapped at his hand, still telling me not to speak and kicked my foot under the table as hard as I could. "Actions speak louder than words. And since you don't want me to speak, I'll act." I gave him a hard look, not even smirking at my clever speech.