Azide

"With the system serving as such a heavy crutch, it's not too surprising that the skills most transferable to the real world are the ones where statistics are involved the least. Leadership, organization and diplomacy have inherently higher prospects of being useful once this is all over when compared to, say, alchemy or swordsmanship."

Again, Azide stepped forward, but shot a glance at the man behind him. With a sweep of his hand, he motioned for Calrex to follow his lead along the boardwalk. He was getting tired of standing around in one place; a bit of walking would keep the blood flowing to his head, if nothing else- at least, if the system were sufficiently advanced enough.

As he transversed the wooden walkway, it became apparent that the structure as a whole was a precarious one. Wood was not the best material from which to build a water-bound construct of any sort, and the occasional suspect patch of sickly green only seemed to confirm his suspicions. If it hadn't been for Aincrad's artificial nature, the entire network of piers likely would have rotted away at its critical points years ago at the very latest. Combined with the constant slickness of the surface, it was a wonder that nobody had been reported to slipped and fallen into the surrounding waters. 

His eyes darted once left and once right, before locking on the dimly lit path ahead of them. It was almost paranoid, he realized, to be checking for unwelcome company at this particular time and occasion. Lazaro, being a town, was a safe zone- and both Calrex and himself stood among the elite in terms of combat, even if shenanigans were to somehow ensue. Keeping that in mind, Azide allowed his shoulders to slacken before speaking again. "Even if we were to clear one floor per month, we'd all still be stuck in this place for at least another seven years, and that in itself would be a tall order. I feel as though the further we march on, the more we'll be fighting off weariness, rather than mobs."

Sand, sand, and even more sand- sand as far as the eye could see. Alongside the tenth and the twelfth, this had to be among his least favorite of the floors which had been made available to the masses. It didn't help that the scorching heat of this place was every bit as intense as the biting frigidity of the floor which preceded it; but at least the fourth made up for its unfavorable conditions in its solemn sort of beauty. Indeed, whereas the tundra was a noticeably popular location for shops of all sorts, he had never encountered any shops of note in the desert.

A hand raised to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun, Azide peered around the dusty settlement from his precarious position- a seat atop one of the town's many sandstone domes. The young man wrapped the crook of his arm around a single raised knee, cradling the inwardly tucked leg more closely to his chest while the other stretched out liberally before him. Even with the slight shade afforded by the shadow of his hand, he found himself still squinting as he searched the surrounding area for any signs of red and white. Nothing, so far.

At that moment, Azide couldn't help but feel a little stupid as he craned his neck towards the ceiling. Sure, the sight of a sky full of stars was a breathtaking one- virtually generated or otherwise, and fulling deserve of the gawking that he was giving it. After all, the name of the Starlight Cafe had not been chosen at random; with a flat glass-top roof, the only lights this place made use of at nighttime were of celestial origin. On the other hand, he'd actually been on top of that roof just minutes prior. It seemed like poetry in motion that he hadn't looked upward even once after night had fallen, until he'd left in the dust the building's prime location to do just that.

With Adelyn in the washroom, he walked over to main counter, where he was greeted by a familiar man. Though the two were not exactly on a first name basis, he'd come to recognize the face of the owner, and could only assume that the reverse had taken place over the same span of time. With a generous number of visits in the past, and another one today, Azide had been something of a regular at the establishment. 

A burly and middle-aged man, although not quite as tall as some of the men he'd seen around here; if it weren't for the slight hunch of his back, Azide guessed the man would stand in the neighborhood of a solid one hundred and eighty centimeters. At full mast, such a height was still greater than his own, although it would admittedly fall a bit short when it came to things such as casting long shadows or reaching for the highest shelf in the market. That aside, the man's fuller build stood in contrast to his unexpectedly softer features, which were framed by a pair of round-rimmed glasses.

It was a mystery what a man like this had done before being spirited away into the world of Aincrad, but alas, he was rather successful here. Azide met the man's wide grin with one showing more restraint, and they shot the breeze in the usual way a businessman might engage with his customer. With the tired ritual taken care of, Azide made his way to the door, carrying a half-empty wine bottle in one hand while the other clutched the handle of a bag holding packaged slices of cake. His wallet a thousand and five-hundred col lighter, he smiled as Adelyn appeared from around the corner, and waved with each of his occupied hands. 

"Hey, last chance to back out!" he called, turning a few heads in the process.

"It's not as bad as it used to be," offered Azide, pausing as he closed his eyes for a few moments. The gesture was of little practical significance, owing to just how dark it really was in their little corner of the town. In those seconds of deeper night, his ears twitched as they picked up the crackle of a far off torch, the faint beating of his heart, and the occasional splash of water from a site unseen. But not even a single unwelcome voice crossed his mind. A flash of brown flickered in the darkness, and once again, he saw Calrex standing before him. "After we left Yomi and the tenth floor, they seemed content to leave me in peace- for the most part, anyway." Though he had never gone back to confirm this bit of conjecture, he'd concluded some time ago that their influence seemed to begin and end on the aforementioned floor.

As far as problems went, it was apparent that the young man had his fair share, albeit the one which had been expressed was not unheard of. "If my stamina allowed for it, I'd be off training training 24/7," he remarked, his eyes lacking the sort of twinkle one might expect to accompany such a statement. "I'd be lying if I said it hadn't been my goal to be the best in this world. If it weren't for the insane tediousness of grinding away at skill point thresholds, then that would probably still be the plan to this very day."

It'd been one thing to climb an academic ladder, but to rise through the level ranks in this game was another thing entirely. At least assignments often required creative input, critical thinking, and could even lead to tangible progress; all he could ever gain from this place was the illusion of progress. All they were was a bunch of numbers that held little significance outside the vacuum of this engine.

"But to answer your question more directly- no. Although I doubt I have to drive to play the catch-up game with players such as yourself, I'll always be looking to improve my numbers, one way or another. After all, guys like us have invested too much time to back out now. It's almost an obligation to keep pressing forward, if for no other reason than to pick up the slack for those who've fallen off by the wayside."

"You could say that it's going to have to be. Because if they don't sort out whatever it is that they're going through by then, then I'll be happy to sort out for them myself, and they'll be free to complain as loud and as much as they'd like on the trip back to town."

There'd been a certain level of tongue-in-cheekiness to his words, but that was not to say that they had been nothing more than friendly banter. Lucifer alone had been missing for long enough; the young, yet business-like girl, had rounded out the founding members of Square One in days past. Alongside Oikawa, X and himself, he could still remember the day they'd all gathered in the Starlight Cafe. But the girl had gone missing, like so many others, and all that existed of her now was her namesake- a green keelback snake which rested in his pockets at that very moment. 

He slid his his hands into the warm folds, feeling the scales of his familiar brush against his skin, and he looked upward. Hanging high above, a yellow light lit a small corner of the sky, blurring through thick clouds which obscured the fullness of its gentle radiance. 

"It's impossible, I realize, because of how this place is designed," he began, without shifting his eyes. "But in the other world, it was a comforting thought- that there was only one moon in the entire sky." He blinked as the haze blew by, revealing the shining crescent for just an instant before it was swallowed back up by a passing cloud. "No matter where you stood, whether it was Amsterdam, Tokyo or Paris, the same sight awaited you every time the sun fell away. You, and everyone else that you'd ever met, provided they were still around. No streaming, no social media, no flippant calls- but you knew that you all shared the same view all the same."

A tap of his boot sent a displaced stone into the swamp with a soft plink, rippling the murky waters once more. He lowered his gaze, but did not not turn to face Calrex just yet. Nor did he pursue that train of thought any further as the man raised the issue of the missing five months. A grimace came to his lips, dressed as a thin and crooked smile. "I might've," he said, lifting the hair from his eyes. "Not planning on testing your theory, are you?"

Having received the go-ahead, Azide warped to the designated floor, wondering what exactly this was all about. Sources had indicated the sudden appearance of a new NPC amidst a field of pumpkins, suggesting a link to a certain pumpkin-prevalent holiday which would soon be upon them. In any case, he soon arrived at the decorated destination, which was shrouded in the familiar feel and tone of dry autumn. A whispered breeze stirred the dying leaves around his feet as he strolled through the site.

As he approached, a pale woman garbed in black danced over to him, leaving the side of a player adorned with the skull of a hydra. It was always a wonder to him why anybody would possibly wish to wear such a gaudy thing, but if it worked for Zelrius, then more power to him. In any case, the young lady stepped almost uncomfortably close to him and began firing off what seemed to be a pre-choreographed script. Azide craned his head over to the left of her as she rambled on, and gawked at the pumpkin-headed scarecrows in the distance that roamed about as an absolute beast of a gourd sat comfortably in the middle of the hoard.

Having enough of the hag, he stepped aside and took his leave as the witch continued to yap away as if nothing had happened. "Rocking the old red and white, I see," remarked Azide, as he came to a stop by Opal's side. Making use of the quill provided, he recorded both his name and signature onto the empty sheet which had been magicked into his hand. Once he'd given his consent, both the utensil and page vanished, eliciting a momentary raise of a brow from the Knight of the Blood. He rolled his neck, followed by his shoulders, and awaited the event's commencement.

The girl certainly had a point- the climb to the hundredth floor was a dizzying one; there was no doubt that it would be a long time before they escaped Kayaba's castle in the sky. While it was always a possibility that they might be able to access the realm of Sword Art Online upon the game's completion, he had a tough time envisioning any future in which he'd actually want to Aincrad. For all intents and purposes, once they finally left this elaborate sham of a world, he would be hard-pressed to actually consider dropping by for a visit So in the meantime, he figured he might as well make the most of his time here and get as much enjoyment out of this place as he could find.

A quick glance was cast to the wind, falling upon the city with a bird's eye view. The last remnants of the sun had slipped away, leaving only the lights of various torches, candles and lanterns to illuminate the nighttime alleys. Even from here, he could tell that not a single street or corner was left unlit in the vast maze below. The sight reminded him of a certain city from the other side, and the memory left him with a quiet smile. "I think I will too," he said, turning back to Adelyn.

As the girl rose, he nodded. "We can go wash up on the first floor." With Adelyn taking the apparent initiative, he beckoned for the serpent to follow as the two made their way over to the stairway. He felt as if he should say something as they left, but with nothing substantial coming to mind, he reconsidered. There would be plenty of time to speak after they took their leave.

"It certainly wouldn't be the first time the system's failed us, considering how we ended up in this mess in the first place," he quipped, reminded of a certain day when a cloaked and hooded man appeared before a mass of ten-thousand players and sent the entire crowd in hysterics with nothing more than a handful of sentences. To be fair, he'd later found out that the lack of a log out option had been a feature, rather than some unintended glitch. Still, he wondered what Kayaba gained from this sort of petty trickery- the mechanics which stopped him from tracking either Oikawa or Xanatos at this very moment. Had it not been enough that he had caged them all within this over-glorified ant farm of a world?

He halted his steps as Calrex brought his own insights to the table, expressing the possibility that perhaps their companions did not wish to be discovered. Although he could see the need to retreat to one's room after a heated discussion, or perhaps even taking a day off in order to cool one's head, the idea of hiding away for months on end in isolation seemed completely and utterly insane. On the surface, an opinion like that might have sounded absurd, considering the unannounced leave of absence which hung over his own head. But there was an important distinction there to be made- namely, Azide in his current state would have never wanted all of that time alone. It'd been nothing less than complete and utter insanity which had goaded him on. 

A downward glance brought his eyes to linger upon the ground as he weighed in on the man's musings. Calrex had come here in the dark of night on nothing more than a vague message- solely because it'd been asked of him. With that in mind, Azide dragged his attention back to the piercing gaze of the man in blue. "I'll give them another month- maybe two. But after that, the gloves will have to come off. And when that time comes, you can bet on another message from me." Silently, he wondered to himself if the swordsman had it in him to drag those delinquents back to town kicking and screaming, if that was what it would take.

To tell the truth, he had not really cared who it was that would end up with the bottle at the end of the night; what had really mattered was removing the temptation without dropping his usual niceties, and that had been accomplished. There was nothing quite like telling someone that they'd had enough to drink- a gesture that was often met by drunken rhetoric and bad feelings all around. Luckily enough, Adelyn had not resisted- though that in itself had done little to quell his concerns. In fact, she seemed resigned about it all, even as she finished the last of the scraps which remained on her plate. It reminded him of how children pushed around uneaten vegetables at the end of a meal, staring blankly at their plates until their parents would finally excuse them for lack of patience.

Regardless of whether or not she were aware of it herself, the girl's hesitation did not go unnoticed by the watchful eyes of Azide as she answered his question. Not only was it considered standard to think about one's answers before speaking- it was even recommended; yet in hindsight, Adelyn's slight pause could be interpreted not as the consideration of her response, but the consideration of whether or not she should even give a response. Most people did not need to take time to mull over nothing, after all.

Bringing the last morsel of fish to his mouth, Azide chewed the portion thoroughly before downing another round of icy water. While he had absolutely no doubt that she she'd shared was not the end of it, he also recognized a compromise when he saw one. If she wished to share any more than what she had, then surely she would have then and there. He wiped his lips with the napkin, before setting the piece of cloth back down. "We can only ever make one choice at a time," said Azide, looking past the girl in front of him. A sliver of a rising moon peeked out from the verge of darkness, and he guessed that nighttime would soon be fully upon them. "So I can only imagine that we're all left with a handful of regrets at the end of the day. But sometimes, you just have to take what you can get and keep moving on."

Lifting the bottle by the neck, he pulled it closer, so as to allow him to re-position his hold closer towards the base. "Hope I'm not rushing you," he said, clearing his throat. A smile returned to his face as he rose from his chair, the half-finished Chardonnay clutched in-hand. "But I've never roamed the city at night before, so I'm a little antsy."

Catching the gist of the man's words, Azide unfurled a single hand in order to access the in-game menu. After a swift series of swipes and taps, a translucent screen hovered just in front of his face, lighting the weary eyes that stared with an artificial glow. Grayed out were the names of those he'd hoped to trace; this in itself was no surprise, being the obvious approach to tracking down those who'd gone missing- naturally, it'd been the first thing he'd consulted along the way.

"It's a shame that this thing tends to fail in the most inconvenient situations," observed Azide, as he tapped repeatedly at the greyed out options, bringing about little to no change by the end of it. He exited from the pop up which had branched out from the main interface, before swatting the entire panel away with a sharp flick of his wrist. The ghostly screen flew back a handful of meters, speeding somewhere to the right of the blue-haired man for a short while before fading altogether. 

His fingers felt inclined to curl inward even as he drew back the hasty hand, and he left the arm to hang limply at his side as he lifted himself away from the straw-lined wall of the wooden hut. "Nobody even makes an effort," he said, pacing forward, eliciting muffled groans and murmurs from the aging floorboards underneath. "When these people go- people like Oikawa and Xanatos, am I not wrong in saying that not even a single finger is lifted to find them?" he asked. Somewhere underneath the red and white jacket, he could feel his heart beating faster as the blood rushed through him. 

"Even if there are limits- these floors are far from endless, and we both know that. They're still out there, and even if they may not want to be found, I doubt that that they could run forever. And I'm sure you must be hurting, Calrex; I know that more than a few of them were your friends just as well. They're already lost, as far as the rest of us are concerned. But I'm sure we could find them." He marveled at the way the man's eyes caught the light, and how it seemed to permeate them as a whole. In the night, they were stars against a backdrop of black.

"Anyone," said Azide, looking Calrex in the eye- a pair of crystal blues which seemed to luminesce in the darkness like the slitted orbs of a feline on the prowl. He glanced over his shoulder, looking past the crumbling hut in an effort to pierce the veil of night, but found little recourse. "Anything," he said, as curled fingers tightened around the arm of his sleeve. There were too many names to count, and too many which counted. while it was true that the majority consisted of names unfamiliar to himself, there was much to be learned from the sheer amount of players whom had gone missing without a trace. But of the ones which he had recognized without hesitation, he found in those phantom mantles a menagerie of both men and women- all of them good, and all of them gone.

It was not an unfamiliar feeling, to say the least. At least several times before, he had considered the phenomena which seemed to be the status quo in this world; everything here seemed to come in go, often with little warning or notice. And yet it wasn't just their bodies and minds which tended to disappear in tandem with their absence, but also the countless hours of progress which they represented. It was exhausting and disheartening to see those in whom he'd confided, or those in which he'd invested- seeing them vanish, making a mockery of all they had worked for.

Again, he stared into the glowing gaze of his company, his own muddled by the thoughts flew in and out of his conscious at a rate left unchecked. "It was you who found me back then," he continued, with a weary sigh. Azide almost seemed to shrink back at his own mention of the events which had transpired on the tenth floor, but he bit his tongue and carried on. "You found me, even in the depths and darkness of the underground cavern. You and those eyes of yours." He paused for a moment, coughing into his sleeve as the wind brought with it remnants of hazy smoke. "If it came down to it, could you do it all again?"

From under the cloak of darkness, a lone figure approached in the distance; from the way the man waved at him, Azide guessed this to be Calrex even before a voice called out to remove all doubt. Without missing a beat, Azide lifted his hands to the level of his eye. "I'm not holding up anything," he said, shaking each cuff in quick succession. The red-and-white sleeves slipped down just far enough to expose the ends of his arms, his modesty being saved thanks to a timely return to crossed arms.

The thin line which had been his lips took a slight upward curl as he nodded once to acknowledge the other player's presence. "But it's good to see you as well." He squinted, struggling to make out very much in the way of detail- he wondered if the blue-haired man in front of him was even aware of just how dark it was to those who did not possess the passive ability of Night Vision. But technicalities aside, he had not summoned Calrex here to gawk at him, so much as he had to speak with him.

Not for even a moment would he pretend that a certain extended hiatus had not thrown him off of his game; during the span of lost time time, familiar faces had come and gone, while newer ones awaited him on every corner. Square One had dissolved, and both the Squire of Minos nor Seijuro were anywhere to be found. Even X and Crozeph were among those that he had not seen in quite some time. But here was Calrex, the now-famous Ultramarine Knight- the man rumored to be the strongest in all of Aincrad. Times had changed, and the pace of its flow only seemed to grow more relentless and impatient by the hour.

"Calrex," he began, as he drummed his fingers lightly against his arm. "Can you find them?" he asked, peering into eyes that he could not find. Azide found his fingers slowing their steady taps, until coming to show more interest in affirming their grip than in lending to a consistent rhythm. "You have the eyes, don't you?"

The thick musk of the stilted settlement was the first thing to greet him as he stepped forward, rushing into his lungs as if it were air; in a place like this, that sort of comparison wasn't exactly far off, and he found himself wishing for a cup of water to purge the swampy taste from his mouth. His eyes creaked open, more out of formality than anything- it was dark, and there had been no doubt as to where he'd landed from the very moment he'd touched down. Wisps of smoke scattered briefly in the face of a half-hearted breeze, before regrouping to continue their journeys to the cloudy skies above. At the heart of the smoke, faint flames flickered in the open air, but did not burn as brightly as one might expect- as if their true colors remained smothered by the stubborn humidity of the foggy bayou. Where there should've been the smolder and crackle of withered wood set aflame, he heard instead the hushed hoo's and whispering wings of owls unseen. 

The damp wooden slats creaked underfoot as he shifted himself to lean against a ratty hut which seemed devoid of any occupants. Azide held his arms folded across his chest as he gazed out over the open moonlit waters, which rippled on occasion as small specks of debris disturbed an otherwise unbroken surface. Lazaro was far from his first choice of locale- and yet, he figured that he might as well acclimate himself the muddy environment, lest a lack of preparedness catch up to him during their showdown with a certain winged croc.

Calrex was a name he was beginning to see with increasing frequency as of late- and in fact, the blue-haired man had been the very first to cross his path upon his tumultuous return. Friend to Oikawa and Xanatos, and witness to the disappearance of Noctis, the bluenette served as a common link between between them all. It seemed as if the swordsman lay at the very heart of Aincrad- a friendly face to all, and subsequently positioned to perpetually be in the know.

He wondered if the young man might find it odd, to be meeting here like this in the dead of night. In fact, he couldn't even be sure that Calrex had been awake when he'd received his message- this little rendezvous would not be nearly as deliberate as his usual encounters, having risen more from impatient curiosity than anything. In any case, all there was to do was wait; with both Reveal and Night Vision under his belt, it was Calrex who would be be coming to him, rather than the other way around.

It didn't take an in-depth knowledge of the human psyche to understand that tears were generally a sign that something was, in fact, wrong. Of course, there also existed the possibility that Adelyn was expressing joy, although that particular option did not seem quite as likely. In any case, he made a move for the wine bottle- and once it was in cradled within his hands, proceeded to wedge the stopper loosely into the opening before setting the whole thing aside. There were plenty of reasons to drink- but for Azide, three categories would suffice in summing up the vast majority.

As he had earlier alluded, some drank for reasons of health- for the benefits afforded specifically through red wine. Not excessively, of course, and more so a glass or two served with dinner. This was the sort with which he was most familiar- although admittedly, his selection of Chardonnay taste pairing than cardiovascular maintenance... However, the led to the second reason: fun. From fraternity brothers chugging foaming glasses, to old moneybags sipping on champagne, alcohol certainly played a role in many a people's' idea of a good time. The third and final reason was quite frankly not nearly as pleasant, and in fact, was rather the opposite.

"I'm glad that I ended up picking out a decent wine after all," said Azide, with a nod and a faint smile. He slid the bottle to his side of the table, then picked up his fork and continued to work on his meal- which by now was nearing its course. "Actually, I'll be happy to let you take home what's left of the bottle- my treat. But white wine really tastes best when it's cold, so it'd be a waste to choke it down after it's gone lukewarm. So in the meantime, I think we could go for a couple of ice cold waters while we finish up." His eyes darted down to the serpent lying in wait at his side, and nodded once as the creature met his gaze unblinkingly. Rather promptly, Lucifer set out yet again on the increasingly familiar journey.

But just as the creature prepared to descend down the steps, a man poked his head out from below, nearly stumbling all the way back down as he caught sight of the familiar. A short while later, a man with a build nearly wire-thin made his way over to the table, setting down two glasses filled to the brim with chunks of ice. From a misty pitcher, he filled each one to the brink, before retrieving his tray. "My sincerest apologies, sir and madame. Our policy is send complimentary waters to all of our diners at the earliest convenience, but obviously, there was an oversight this time around." The man gave a slight tug at the collar of his shirt, his eyes darting left and right before turning back to the guests. "For your patience, we'd like to offer you two slices of chocolate cake- made in-house, of course, as our treat." 

Azide flicked his eyes over to the stairway, meeting the steady gaze of his familiar, and gestured for the creature to return. "That's no problem at all," he said, turning to face the server. "But I'd like to ask that you box those slices up for us, and we'll pick them up on our way out." He palmed the closest of the freshly filled glasses and took a long sip, not once surrendering eye contact. As the server nodded and muttered a few more apologies and very-well-sir's, he pushed the remaining glass toward Adelyn. 

Frozen and translucent cubes dances in the swirling liquid as the young man stirred away with his straw. "Come on," he started, stopping to take another sip. "I've probably said the same thing in the same situation at least a few thousand times in my life." He lowered his hands to the sides of his seat and gripped the edges of the wooden frame, scooting the chair closer as he lifted himself up. Azide set his arms casually against the table, letting them overlap each other as he leaned forward just a bit. "What's on your mind?"

So, this was how the fearsome Yamato had measured up? Taken down nothing more than a handful of people, no more difficult than a resilient mob in the field. From the sound of things, he had not been the only no-show in the already-small party; neither the names of Daeron or RyujinSealord had been mentioned by the blonde. And while it might normally be difficult to tell whether her rhetoric was earnest or just talk, he felt as if he could take Rebekah of all people at face value when she claimed that half of the final party had not even been a necessity. In the end, there had been nothing to worry about- all of this had come about for nothing. 

Quantum Slicer glimmered as it caught a trace of faint light, and he heard the metallic blade scrape lightly against the floor as it was lifted from the ground. Soon, Azide found himself leaning against Calrex once again as he shuffled alongside the fellow swordsman. "Admittedly, not among my prouder moments. Reminiscing about X and his antics, that is," he added, a slight curl of his lips hinting towards a thin smile that was not quite there.

Echoing the sentiments of his former guildmate, Calrex continued, seconding the idea that he should simply look towards the future. As a whole, the words had held a certain pragmatism- a rationality that he could get behind, rather than teary-eyed expressions of forgiveness. He had not known exactly what to expect, but their reactions were acceptable- the apologies had been more for himself than anything. Azide nodded solemnly, wondering if either of the two could even see the gesture, but he decided that it wasn't really important.

He took a deep breath as Calrex lowered him onto large rock, flicking weary eyes over his shoulder to catch sight of the muffled lights in the distance. Not finished just yet, he set his sights back to the glinting rapier in his hands, its slender length splayed out across open palms. Azide stared blankly at the object as he tilted it up and down, making the blade shine for just a brief instant as it caught the light. After some time, he sent the sword to his inventory, and rested the flats of his hands against his knees. 

"It's good to be back. But it looks like I'm back to square one," he remarked, catching his first clear glimpse of the two around him. His eyes lingered as they crossed an emblem which floated by the girl's name; it was a blue shield he'd spotted many times before- the insignia of the Azure Brigade. Turning to Calrex, he gave a measured nod of his head. "Once we get going again, I think I'll be good to make it back the rest of the way on my own power." He felt his hands scrunch against the fabric of his trousers as they gripped his knees a little tighter. "But thanks for all of the help- really."

Straight-faced, self aware and tongue in cheek- all three were among the words that Azide might draw from if asked to describe his dry sense of humor. The main drawback of deadpan delivery was, of course, its tendency to be taken at face value. In any case, Adelyn delivered her answer all the same- and from the sound of it, the topic had been one she'd given consideration to before today. Taking a page from the girl's book, he rested his forearm tableside, but refrained from situation his head atop his hand; instead, he leaned forward in his seat as the blonde-haired girl spoke.

All in all, he gathered that the gist of what she looked for was in essence a man of the traditional sort- tough, hard-working and ambitious. It was not surprising, as these were traits he knew to be desirable among most women, as well as characteristics associated with masculinity as a whole. He wasn't about to pick his mind about the ramifications of such traits, or recall the evolutionary theory behind this sort of selectiveness, but thoughts of doing so had come across his mind as a matter of principle. 

But to be fair, weaved into this collection of traits which might describe a man's man, the latter half of what she described hinted at a need for a more sensitive side. A careless, giving man, in-touch with the emotional needs of others. Once again, he couldn't help but think that all of these things fell into line with evolutionary psychology, but that was a rather impersonal way of looking at things. Yet ultimately, what she seemed to want at heart was a strong man who could provide.

"Brown hair and blue eyes?" he repeated, not exactly unaware of the combination's relative rarity. "Guess I'd better take off these contacts," continued Azide, moving his fingers towards his eyes, falling just short of making contact. With a shake of his head and a smile, he lowered the hand. "Sorry, no blue eyes here." 

He blinked, noticing only then that Adelyn's gaze was downcast. What's more, a tear trailed down from her eyes, and he shifted in his seat. "What's wrong?" he asked, wishing a more reassuring set of words had found their way to his lips.

Azide smiled as his eyes caught sight of a hand reaching out toward him, and moved his own to meet it with a firm clasp. "If you really wish to thank someone for the duel, then I'm sure Heathcliff would be more than happy to accept your gratitude," he remarked, a curl of his lips sending one corner upward while the other remained in place. He wondered if Opal had caught the twinkle in his eye, which hinted at the playfulness behind his words. Of course he had understood her sentiments- that she was being courteous and respectful with her comments, but he enjoyed being able to catch people off guard by taking those courtesies at face value.

Their hands shook once, but that was enough. Besides, that was one more shake than there had been when they'd initially met- when the young lady had been more about business than pleasantries. "Then again, I have yet to meet a businessman who doesn't shake hands..." he thought briefly, before casting the thought aside. There had been a change in the woman somewhere within walls of this empty arena, and within a much smaller window of time than he could have expected. Whatever it was that she had found here today was beyond his knowledge, but the fact that she had found it showed in her eyes. The colors were the same, yet different; what had once been the gold of a dying day was now the gold of one peeking just over the horizon.

"I have no recording crystals on me today, but I'll be holding you to those words all the same," spoke Azide, drawing his hand away. "In the meantime, I have a feeling that Heathcliff will not keep us waiting for long, so it'd be a waste of a goodbye to use one here. So instead, I think I'll just go with, 'See you soon.'" He weaved the freed hand to his temple in a two-fingered farewell, before turning towards the exit. A swish of green as a light breeze tugged at his coat, and he was off.

Topic Complete
+200 col to Azide and Opal

+1 SP to Azide and Opal

In the end, what he'd said had not been much, considering all of the effort he'd poured into it; even then, he was glad to see that it had at least done the job. He wasn't quite sure of how much further he'd be able to dig around in there, and so it came as a relief that that the handful of traits he'd produced had seemed to satisfy Adelyn for the time being. And yet, a part of him wondered just how accurate his responses had been. True, he hadn't lied- the answers were genuine, but it could not be denied that they were also grossly untested. No longer was he that little boy, even if his taste in colors had remained constant; things were different now. Weren't they?

The girl's comments did, in fact, sound awfully familiar to what he'd heard with the guys. Her words were a lot less colorful than theirs, however, but that was probably for the better. In the end, he supposed he was really only interested in whatever it was that would give him reason to stick around for the long haul; he had a feeling that most relationships built on aesthetics alone didn't exactly have the best long-term prospects. It wasn't about morality, or even faith, but rather time and effort- if he was going to invest both these things into something into something else, it was definitely going to be something which he wanted to last.

Noticing that Adelyn's glass had been finished, Azide grabbed the uncorked Chardonnay and lined its neck up against the rim of the empty wineglass, before tipping it ever so gently. Slowly, the light-colored liquid poured down the sides of the glass until it filled roughly two thirds of the cup's capacity. "Try not to be too shocked when I ask you this," he said, setting the bottle aside. Azide looked the girl in the eye. "But what's your ideal type of guy?" he asked, showing no shame for having chosen the most obvious question available.

The rim of the warm mug was pressed gingerly to his lips as Opal thanked him for his words; the best he could manage to dart his eyes to the young lady in acknowledgement as the rich liquid spilt over the edge and into his awaiting mouth. Opal held promise- that was for sure; not just because she had performed admirably in combat, but seemed to also possess a certain something about her. Perhaps it was loyalty, or dedication. Yes, she had left the Crimson Blades, but even that had been out of loyalty to herself. Opal was not her fallen guildmate, the nameless Crimson Blader from whom she'd adopted the red mantle- rather, she was Opal. If she had found herself, or were finding herself now, then it would only make sense that he give her a nudge in the appropriate direction.

It came as no surprise that his drink was an intensely bitter one, although one tended to get used to the fact when drinking black coffee on even a semi-regular basis. Nonetheless, the coffee warmed him all the same, putting him at ease in the company of his Commander and peer. Azide furrowed his brow as the woman spoke of her major in chemistry- but this hardly seemed like either the time or place to chime in with a chipper, "Wow, you too?" Although he couldn't help but wonder if she too had decided to go into alchemy as a result.

Heathcliff made clear as to what he ought to do upon finding suitable recruits, and Azide nodded in agreement. Combat ability was a given when it came to front-line involvement, but good leadership all the way down would be the key to a flourishing guild. However, he tried not to let his disappoint show as Heathcliff expressed that the time was not right for him to join them; instead, Azide bowed his head. "I understand, Commander. I'll do everything in my power to grow the Knights, so that all of Aincrad might meet the man behind them all."

As the Crimson-dressed man gestured for them to commence, Azide was admittedly a bit taken back- he had not expected for their meeting to come to an end just quite yet. After all, not a single one of them had even touched any of the dishes on the table. Sure, food didn't really expire here in Aincrad, but still... In any case, he nodded a second time, then shot a look at Opal before rising. "Of course, Commander. I think I can speak for both Opal and I when I say that we will aim to make you proud."

"Sure, I could probably manage it if I wished- running away at the very sight of you, that is," said Azide, the smile on his own face remaining slight in the face of the morbid discussion. "But then I could hardly call myself a proper Vice Commander. Besides, we're both Knights of the Blood as of today, and you know what they say about blood." He straightened his jacket, eliciting a soft hiss from the verdant snake nestled somewhere within its folds. "Blood runs thicker than any water. So if a thicker skin is necessary for me to stay alive, rather than outright throwing a fellow Knight overboard, I'll gladly step up to the challenge." He hadn't died thus far, and if he did, he could hardly imagine the coroner attributing the cause to something which amounted to nothing more than a string of bad luck.

Opal's talk of questionable nighttime activities, cleaning up the streets, and old scores to settle with vagrants hinted at a life that was distinctly different from his own, unless 'cleaning up the streets' was meant to be taken literally. But somehow, he doubted that jumping from roof to roof was a necessary skill for a bit of late night community service. "Somehow, I think you're right about that one," he answered, scratching at his head. 

Flattening his palms against the stone cold bench, Azide lifted himself from his seated position and dusted himself off once he had risen. The young man returned the woman's bow with a slight bow of his own, before tapping lightly at the virtual panel which had appeared before him. Opal's name flickered into his list of friends a moment later, and he dismissed the screen with a swipe of his empty palm once the entry had been confirmed. "Of course- we wouldn't want to appear before the Commander at anything less than our very best. And as long as you don't spam my inbox with ads, then I'm sure we'll naturally be keeping in touch," he added, with a smile and a shrug of his shoulders.

ID: 35745 | CD: 10 (Not blown back)
BD: 6 + 3 (ACC) - 1 (Low light) = 8 (Hit)

Once again, it was within the realm of possibility that Ziz was to be stricken by his own hand- or rather, the dagger within its clutches. Managing to escape the creature's long and raking claws for yet another time, Azide began to wonder if the bird was capable of actually doing anything that didn't include slowing them down. From the looks of it, Rebekah had also managed to escape the futile strike by a healthy margin, as not a speck or scratch was to be found on her armor. Calrex, of course, had escaped by virtue of being out of range until after the attack's conclusion.

Azide adjusted his grip on the knife, nodding once when Rebekah voiced her first words of the day. "Fair enough," he answered, before taking flight, in a manner of speaking. 

Shooting through the air like a dolphin out of water, Azide approached the creature at an angle, so as to zip by Ziz's left flank when all was said and done. The slate blade took on its usual crimson glow as the bird came within reach, and his spun through the air a total of four revolutions, running the knife through the beast an equivalent amount of times in the process. 

He'd managed to successfully cross the great beast, only for the current of air to reverse his progress, until he stood shoulder to shoulder once more with his two companions. "I'm just about at limit in terms of energy. So, I leave the rest to you," he said, eyeing the others.

Eternal Cyclone (4x4) (10) = 160 
160 - 60 (MIT) = 100 DMG

HP List
Calrex: 177/177 | Front
   Energy: 23/43
Rebekah: 126/126 | Front
   Energy: 14/29
Azide: 129/129 | Front
   Energy: 1/31 (+1)(-16)

Enemies:
Ziz: 72/500 (-100)

What else? He had just racked his brain for even one thing, and now he was supposed to pull something else from out of thin air. Azide tried his best not to look too surprised, but he wasn't sure how successful that particular effort was at the moment. Again, this was another situation that could be resolved rather easily with a generic, canned response. But once again, he found himself not settling for the first thing to spring into his mind- that it would be too easy, too impersonal for him not to at least try to give a more genuine answer.

Again, he revisited the scene. Still dressed in green, even at the ripe old age of about ten, give or take a year; his hair was just as long and brown even then as it was now. The nuns had given him trouble for refusing to comb it, but he'd never seen the point- it would just get messed up again anyway. Having snuck away from the daily evening meal, he watched as the young boy crept through the hallways until coming to the agreed upon room. The boy twisted and turned the doorknob quietly, with a motion that might've passed for an attempt at playing foosball. He tugged at the collar of his shirt as the door creaked open, his eyes darting left and right around the hall, but catching nothing aside from the dust which floated in the pale light that filtered through stained and streaky glass. Like a church mouse, he tiptoed inside, his heart dropping upon finding nobody inside. Had it been another one of their tricks?

Azide watched as his younger self jumped nearly a half a meter off the ground as a hand pressed against the blade of his shoulder, but the fear died quickly as he snapped his head around to meet the gaze of his pursuer. It was a young girl, roughly the same age as himself. 

"Sorry if I gave you a scare," whispered the girl, with a hushed giggle that poured out through her lips like bubbling brook. She raised a finger and pressed it lightly to those rosy lips, now closed, glancing over her shoulder before ushering the two of them safely inside. As the door closed, the memory melted like a dream, and once more he found himself staring at Adelyn.

He held a finger to his lower lip, while his thumb grazed the bridge of his chin. "Somebody that would round me out," he said finally, not knowing how long it taken for him to answer. "She'd be optimistic, and maybe even a bit whimsical. A girl who knows where her heart is, without any hesitation."

The second blade which Oikawa had forged for him was no more- shattered in a fit of recklessness, and in an act of pointless defiance; the void seemed to care about his thrown sword about as much as a whale might care about the beating of a fly's wings against its back. But the first still remained, lying lifelessly against the cold floor. "You don't know the half of it..." he mumbled to the blue-haired man, his vision fading in and out as he looked at the grounded rapier. He reached out at the blade he had dropped in the previous scuffle, but to no avail- it lay too far beyond his range. "Do me a favor, Calrex?" he asked, his gaze faltering as he gestured to Quantum Slicer. 

Already, he was too weak to stand even on his own two legs- it was despicable; and now, he couldn't even pick up his own sword. Loathe was the word to describe the feeling- the one that came from needing to ask for more of his comrade's assistance. Already, Calrex supported him very literally, and he had the nerve to ask him for another favor. And yet, if it were true that Oikawa had disappeared, then the object now held its own sentimentality.

Wishing he were already back in the old laboratory, he glanced sidelong at Rebekah through the veil of darkness. "It's hard to put it into words, but I guess it would be easiest for me just to say that I'm glad you're safe," said Azide in a low voice, unable to glimpse her expression in the faint light. He blew away the wispy strands of hair which had drooped over his eyes, before continuing. "I haven't had the heart to check my friendlist lately, knowing how grim the situation with Yamato looked- even before my disappearance." Azide rubbed at his neck, feeling as if the words had choked him on their way up. 

He looked away, hanging his head as the hand at his side rolled into a feeble fist. "There wasn't a day that went by where I hadn't thought about you and Crozeph, knowing what you were up against." The participation rate of the last raid had not exactly inspired confidence in him- in fact, they'd done more to inspire just the opposite. "Five months leaves a lot of time to miss a bunch; you, Crozeph, and Oikawa, for starters. Xanatos, with all of his righteous justice... hell, I even thought of X..."

Another unexpected question, for which he had no immediate answer. "Uh- I suppose that I'm into girls, mhm," he said, scratching his head. After all, he had never felt anything beyond comradery with any guy he'd ever run across; so he supposed he was either among the majority, or perhaps he was simply asexual altogether. But to be fair, he had reason to believe that the latter could not be quite right- to claim that would be to claim that he had never, even for a moment, felt any degree of attraction to anybody. And that seemed a bold claim to make, all things considered.

"But what kind of girls?" he mumbled, cradling his chin between the tips of his fingers. That in itself was a considerably tougher question, with no innately intuitive answer. He could still remember those occasions in which he had gone out with the guys on those rare days where everything for the next week or so had been taken care of; the others had a habit of muttering amongst each other what they thought of the girls passing by, or even girls from their various classes. It was always girls, girls, girls with them- he wondered how much room was left over in the end for study. After being pestered so many times for his own input, Azide had ended up resorting to a default answer along the lines of, "She's alright, I guess," or when a number was needed, "Seven." A seven out of ten, of course, being the de-facto average in the standard grading bell-curve. 

Needless to say, none of these things really helped him answer the question. So instead, he thought back, further than before. He scrunched his eyes shut as the scene came to mind, taking a moment to play through events long past. Finally, brown eyes revealed themselves again, and he blinked as he looked to Adelyn. "Well," he said, clearing his throat. "I guess for starters, ones with nice smiles," he offered.

"Usually," started Azide, pausing to work on the piece of fish at the end of his fork. "Relation is indicated by surnames, and not given names," he continued, as he sliced off another corner from the tender fillet. His eyes glinted as a flash of their more usual brightness flickered from somewhere inside, and the drooping curve of his lip leveled out. "But maybe it's different down there in the States; it wouldn't be the first time that the Americans innovated on an established system." It did not escape him that Adelyn was simply making an attempt to console him, but it was difficult to resist the opportunity for a snappy remark. By the end of it, the frown on his face had been traded up for another wry grin.

Again, Azide found himself caught off guard by his company's question. He opened his mouth almost reflexively, in hopes that a bit of quick wit would step in to fill the void of silence, only nothing of the sort ever came. Instead, he closed it again, and decided to give the issue the proper contemplation it deserved.

On one hand, he had never chased anyone before in that way- not that he had never been curious about what it might be like; rather, there had just never been time. He could still recall the ragging he'd gotten from his mates for turning down a somewhat bolder young lady as she'd asked him to one of the final dances of their high school years; it hadn't been personal, but would it really have been any better to have led her on?

And in a game like this, he was something more akin to a soldier than a man of science, in spite of his designation as an alchemist. There was no telling when he would be on call, or if he could even expect to return from a raid. Sure, it was relatively safer at the moment, with the front-liners riding on a wave of momentum following the fall of the eleventh floor boss- and yet, how long could he expect that safety to last? Had he not been able to protect even Noctis- a young man who'd seemed perfectly capable even on his own?

In the end, all he could offer was a simple, "I think it's possible."