Zeke

On the same episode as me. lol Welcome to the site. ^^

Not just himself but everyone looked towards the girl whistling as loud as she could. It was unusual to hear anyone attempt long distance communication through any other way than messaging through the menu system. In her moment of pure attention from everyone around, Zeke had easily been taken notice to her at the sound. It wasn't often anyone ever called for him and when it seemed to happen before, the person being yelled for was another player that was walking nearby him. (Yeah right, like an attractive girl would be talking to a stranger like me.) Though an unreasonable excuse to keep himself from defying his comfort zone, it made sense to him somehow.

Continuing on across a still wooden bridge into the next part of town, his collar choked him at the grasp of something touching the back of his long sleeved shirt. *Gulp* His throat reacted normally to the lack of space around itself. Turning to face this female again at a closer view, her shy nature and polite ability to ask for a party had him lost in mind to knowing where he was right then. A silence had come over him now more than what he was already experience a few moments ago. Letting his finger do the talking, he clicked to add her into the two person group before giving a nervous smile to her. "Are you ready or do you you need some time before we go?" All of his speech sounded held back and questionable to whether or not he was wanting to speak.

Up in the trees of the first most unique town of sword art online, a round tavern mixed with a questing headquarters rested high off the ground of the jungle floor. This was floor number six. With a considered insanity in terms of height, a town hung in the air suspended by giant vines and wood work foundation given by the trees surrounding the civilization. It was inside this tavern, that a male player was having trouble deciding on what task he should do next. Everything from the outer walls inward of this place slowly went down in circular hub that hosted both the tables and activities of anyone willing to check out the place.

(If I go for this one, I might not be a high enough level to finish it. But everyone wants it and I have the first pick for it.. Why does it feel like everyone is staring at me?) A line had formed behind him, consisting of fellow SAO players who wanted to get a job done. Since each quest was automatically generated to meet the high demand of pursuers, a quest rare enough to be worth a huge benefit was never something someone wanted to pass up. Each minute more notices flashed on the board but disappeared from being accepted in another city by other players.

Shaking his head in his indecision to pick, Zeke turned around and shouted to the line behind him for anyone that wanted to join. "I apologize for taking too long! I have a quest here that will reward greatly for it's level recommendation. I'm accepting one person to go on it with me if they are willing!?" When no one answered back immediately, he hid his face under the dark shadow coming from his brown hair. A quick accept and he was off towards the doors in silence. (I'll have it all to myself then.) Zeke thought.

Why hi there, great seeing you on the site :)

Thank you Clarence. We mostly see each other on skype though. lol

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When I get bored, this is one of the things I like to do. As some of you might be able to see, this is my skype profile image with a little touch up.

Zeke walked past the new friend, walking toward the fork ahead in the road. Each path led you to many other avenues of the city and within them were many different places needed to be. "Depends but is very unlikely that I can find a reliable guild that I want to join. I don't trust others that far enough to handle a bunch of players and be considered trust worthy. Connections with people always end up sour in the end. It's not going to change in a life or death situation. I'll see you around, but thanks for the offer anyway." He took himself towards the marketplace.

His face laid in awe at Ferrah when she grabbed his hands and looked directly at him. They had never looked so directly into each other like they had at that moment. Even back when bumping into each other, Zeke didn't allow himself this close to her. In reaction, he too had also grown a bit of embarrassment from that moment. Looking away to the left slightly and giving a nervous but honest laugh from the inside, Zeke felt more ready for the upcoming fight than ever with the cheesy movie lines out of the way.

"Let's celebrate our wins after!" Both of his thumbs rubbed the air where her hands had been, trying to feel if she was still there even if only a little. Being overtaken by the same forces that had left him there alone, Zeke flashed out of visibility before laying his eyes upon the tournament battlefield once again. "Hello? Who's there?" A call out to the opponent not yet seen, was an indication of how Zeke had learned from his previous encounter. Katana at the ready and then a figure started to walk forward into the light of the torches.

Hello Keke and good tidings! I hope to form a relationship with you. Perhaps we will become great friends, or maybe we shall become enemy's! Hopefully you post often, and join or skype chat! Have fun!

oooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh, snap.

I didn't have enough time to reply fully to all that you have said, but I hope you have a great time here. I'm sure you will, everyone will be friends with you in no time. I'll edit this again later when I am not busy. *Waves* ^^

Edit: Yes! Close enough to answering my question, thank you so much Kira!

its always nice to meet a new person, the Gm says hi

I don't qualify this spam as a reply.

I also forgot to mention I like to play World of Warcraft and that I like almost any type of music except for country.

Welcome to the site Daeron. I hope you get settled in just fine. About the WOW MMO also, I have always wondered how many people were playing since the beginning of it's release and still are. That game would be like their own personal world on an entirely different level. Always interested me. ^^

I don't really want any specific name. We're supposed to be named for our characters anyway. Also having someone named one of the few preset characters you can have as your avatar, would just make it seem a little awkward as well for me.

The same voice he had heard this morning, the one that didn't belong to a programmed character, had spoken to him. "Hey there!" Zeke's own blend of quiet and excitement spoke out to his friend who had chose to sneak up on him once again. Propping his legs on the booth and then sliding over to the other side beside Ferrah, he stood in front of her and brought up the HUD. Zeke's scarf and jacket were sent to her inventory as quick as he could push the buttons. "You don't need to wear them unless you want, but I'm going to try this battle out with less things equipped. I have a feeling I'll do better without the extra clothing getting in the way. You can use them whenever you want to. No need to return them. Unless of course, you buy your own warm clothing or you need the space or something like that."

Not giving her the chance to say anything in reply just yet, Zeke walked forward and hugged her with his eyes looking away the entire time. The hug was quicker than a normal one would have taken, but this was a leap for someone like him to even try hugging a girl. "Only three more minutes now. Let's show them how strong our fate is in these battles." An extended hand reached and waited for hers. (That felt like a really cheesy line from a movie. I guess this game is like a fantasy come true.)

Immediately as his equipment was returned, Zeke dove into his inventory menu and clicked to place both of the items on. The scarf was wrapped around his nose and mouth and looped down over his chest before being covered by the zipper on his jacket. "You're welcome and thank you as well Ferrah. I'll be expecting to see a level up by the time the tournament resumes." A small laugh went through his scarf because of the small goal he gave her, but he wasn't entirely serious to put a time limit on her like that. "See you later." With a nod and goodbye, he walked towards the city gates before disappearing past the point of visibility.

<>

Using one of his spare teleportation crystals that was given to him on a quest earlier, Zeke appeared from a blue glow in the middle of the town's main center. (I should have been doing quests sooner.) The thought repeated itself within his head. Col would be making a clinking sound in his pockets if they weren't already sent directly to his inventory system. On his walk to the event booth, other players from this morning were there once again. Assuming no one needed to sign up again, Zeke followed the same idea and waited by sitting up on the desk at the booth.

Cold temperature'd air returned but felt more chilling than freezing.

"Seven fifty.. Ten minutes and I still have no better idea for this fight than I did this morning."

"Thanks, it was nice to talk to you as well. I usually don't find many players like you." (It didn't last very long though.) Zeke nodded to agree with his own thought. It was probably for the best now, that he found some quests in the city where it was safer. He had heard Ren's question with confusion. It felt like the previous confession Zeke had made was already more than enough to let this Man know where he stood on the real life/game life debate.

"This digital world may be fake, but it's better than what I had before I logged in the first time. Death was coming for us all anyway and I want to have mine happen here. If the game does get cleared, I'll hire someone to do the job for me in a fight." His face still in the plain expression. Every word he spoke, was the truth.

By the time Zeke noticed how late he was, his hands were still filled with eating utensils and the Cake was still there. (Crap!) Both hands were placed on something and he started shoveling the meal and water down quickly. A small obstacle when the cold water started to choke him in the rush but a couple of hard hits to his chest and it calmed down a little enough for him to continue. With the food out of the way, he left more than enough Col and escaped the diner in a hurry down the street. "Wait a minute..." His feet stopped to a halt and he had recalled the NPC's message from last night. "The same time as you arrived today.." A quick check to make sure from the time he received the event message and he had confirmed that he wasn't late. It wasn't until PM that the next battles would be starting.

All of the tournament participants that remained in the finals, were waiting with Ferrah around the event booth with determined looks on their faces. None of them were expected to be seen actually there but Zeke had to walk by this place for the shortest route to the fields. To avoid calling them all out on the blunder, Zeke approached only Ferrah and whispered to her. "It doesn't start until tonight. It's supposed to begin at the same time as yesterday." He showed her the message in his inbox and the time it was sent. If the NPC did tell her the same time, then she would be able to piece together the mistake. "I'm going to go see if I can find any quests in the meantime. Do you still want to keep my jacket and scarf?" He kept whispering for no obvious reason but was prepared to walk away instead of confronting all of the players waiting.

"Oh, okay.. Good luck with the venom searching then." He gave a single wave bye to her even if she couldn't see it. Almost near the top, his Katana's sheathe started to get loosened from the strap around his waist and slip out. With one hand holding on to the rope, his other fought to try and tighten it and instead accidentally loosened it more instead of tightening it. "Come here.." When it started to fall towards the ground, he knew right then and there that the fall wouldn't cause any pain to him, but it was the best way to catch his item in time. (Oh god!) A throw into the air and his body went flying towards the ground where he once stood. "Watch out! Move out of the way!!" One warning was all he could give to the blur he saw standing the same spot the girl was, it only took putting two and two together to realize it was the same person he had just seen.

OOC: Never mind, I left the topic.

"Thank you." He spoke the message directly instead of putting in the words and sending it. His eyes looked up with the strain obvious across the lines under each socket. Cracking his neck then and there followed by a couple of slaps to his cheeks and he was ready to take on the road before him. This road lead him to the Cafe in mind which also occupied his friend Ferrah. Unable to turn back now due to the hunger he felt in this fake world, he opened the front door and found a seat at a booth in the corner away from any windows. Sitting away from the view that would have him looking at her, Zeke could pay attention without wanting to go over and interrupt her meal.

"A slice of cheesecake and some water please." The waitress took his order to the back, while he held his left cheek in the appropriate hand and waited. (I can go up to floor four today. I want to make sure I don't push any further than I assume I can handle, the experience from the enemies there will be more than enough for me to get a level in a day at the least. Since I haven't moved from this floor for battles, I might be able to get Col for a room tonight. It couldn't hurt to try it out for once. Healing crystals are needed, only one left on me and I have to use it to get more Col in the first place.) Once his cake and water had arrived, he planned out some ideas he might benefit from later in the tournament. His fork was the test dummy for this imaginary battlefield.

"This is a very neat little benefit still.. No rats or other things that hide in dark places like this to worry about. The stars are still there for me as well. I've seen them over one hundred times more here than I did locked up in my room back home." Zeke would have preferred to prop himself against the walls that made the alley up but there wasn't enough room to achieve his familiar position. Eventually he found comfort on his side, with his head resting on his bent arm. It had seemed like hours of wiggling around in positions before he could start to place his mind and thoughts around Ferrah. Each one making him feel safer tonight than any other night he spent on a bench or floor. (There's no use in keeping myself awake thinking about her. Let's just do this like we always have before.)

Erasing his mind with ease from practice, his eyes closed and his consciousness wiped itself from awareness quickly.

Eight in the morning was the hour of sounding bells and singing animals. Whether the ambiance was programmed in or not, it always had the best way of letting Zeke know it was time to pick himself up and head out to the fields. With small pushes and nudges from his tired muscles, he pushed himself up onto his feet with the morning requirement of a long yawn. (Still level six.. I've been here for almost a month I think. I've only recently received my Katana and still not enough Col to buy a stay at an Inn. I should get an award for laziest player to log in.) A buildup of small memories from the day before and he remembered a friend he had seen off last night to an Inn he had to pass up. A quick moment to send her a good morning message and he was off towards a cafe. He could afford at least two small things there.

With his face in doubt, he followed behind the girl on her way past, trying to find the right time to ask her another question, hesitant to do so in belief she wasn't one to be bothered. "You pointed up and I saw what you were looking at, but it's still the same thing as looking in the jungle if the answer is visible from where I am standing right now. Are you saying I should go up there, in the trees?" The thought of thinking in riddles made his head hurt and his only remedy was to smack himself on the head. It wasn't until halfway into the question, that he realized his question had already been answered and there was nothing else to give her.

Standing in silence as he examined his first look at the menu brought up in front of Ferrah, the price was confirmed as it said on the sign and the amount she had was enough for her to get a room. It was a nervous anticipation for him to think of which method he could use to tell her he didn't have enough himself. Her confirmation on the transaction had went through and soon enough she was looking back at him right when his eyes instinctively trailed off like he was focused on painting nearby the entire time he was standing in wait.

"I wasn't planning on getting one, I've been sleeping in any ole' spot around town. It's a safe zone, so no one can even kill me or find me as long as I find a good spot to hide in. You can keep the jacket and scarf for as long as you need, I enjoy the cold anyway. I know that doesn't make sense but I also like fluffy jackets too. Message my inbox if you want to talk sometime and have sleep well, good night." With a nod and smile, Zeke left through the door and moved on down the street in search for a bench or alleyway that he could box himself into with boxes or waste bins.

"I'm a player and I'm lost, I didn't think you needed anymore information than that." He pointed to the green cursor above his head and quickly dropped the hand. "My name is Zeke, don't know what good it'll do for you to know that though. You can have both if you're to be messing around with poisons. Don't want to pass up on a cure if you accidentally poison someone you don't want to." Looking at the girl, she seemed serious about protecting herself. Zeke's right hand reached for shake in understanding, maybe she would trust him a little more then. "Please answer my question now."

"So it was Mikoro you fought against.. I had the pleasure of fighting Itsumo. That kid was creepy at first but I understood his frustration." *Chuckles* "I was down to two HP and got the surprise over on Itsumo. It kind of felt like he gave up at the end, it bothers me some to think about but I know he'll be fine. His Axe was huge and did around three damage a hit! I was seriously lucky." Out of his peripheral, could be seen the way she wore the scarf in the same manner as himself. The smile on his face continued to stay with the moment he could feel, it was like each thing they passed by wasn't just something from a game but from another planet.

"There's one." Zeke pointed to the sign with three golden letters that spelled out Inn from the front door. The building blended so well with the one's it kept company, the sign was the only safeguard for those who did not want to pass it up by mistake. "I pictured it a bit more secluded than right in the middle of a busy road." He opened the door for Ferrah to go in first. Passing the doorway in, a sign read out how every room available only suited one person and the price was eighty Col a night. Zeke's body stood in place as Ferrah went on to the front desk at which stood an NPC dressed mainly white, the designs on the shirt along with the glasses made the Man look like someone from the Victorian era.