Kooh

The encounter--if you could even call it that--was over in an instant. The snow beast had been prowling around the desolate tundra, as if waiting for the next players who would be so bold as to attack it out in the open like this. Even so, the raven-haired man had reappeared with his blade wedged into the beast's flesh, causing it to cry out in pain before it burst into shards of light. Kooh blinked. "Well, that was quick." She muttered under her breath while she watched Hikoru reach down to obtain the item he must have been looking for. Really, why did he invite anybody out here with him? He wasn't the talkative type, and he certainly didn't need help killing off the monster.

"Hm? Oh, right." Kooh hadn't even noticed the screen hovering in front of her until the man made mention of it. She dismissed the dialogue box, surprised again that the game would even register her as contributing and awarding her experience. Still, she wouldn't be caught complaining. A small smirk grew on her lips as she gave a tiny shrug at his suggestion, and the two would soon start making their way back to town. Though she wasn't much for small talk, something pulled at her curiosity that she just couldn't seem to dismiss. "So hey, how'd you do that?" She asked, casting the player a sideways glance. "Unless my eyes were playing tricks, it looked like you just up and vanished."

The boy gave a nod of his head when Aereth asked about there being more members in his guild. After their exchange, he did what the brunette had told him, kneeling down at their designated hiding spot. When he was alone, he let out a sigh while the words weighed heavily on him. Was there really any hope, for either of them?

Just minutes later, Aereth was pounding on the simple door that block off the hut's entrance. Yelling and shouting, putting on a rather convincing act as he tried to lure the woman out. He hadn't been at it for more than a few seconds when a figure nearly silently dropped down behind him. With swift movements, Leyna clamped one hand over Aereth's mouth and the other held a dagger up to his throat. She spun both herself and the man around so that she was facing the open forest in front of them, her green eyes darting back and forth. "Shut up and don't do anything stupid and I won't have to kill you." She hissed beside the brunette's ear.

If the man didn't try to break free from her hold, Leyna would pull him along as she walked carefully back towards the door of the hut. Pushing it open with her heel, the woman stepped inside before releasing her grip on Aereth, spinning him around and pushing back against his chest to put a short distance between them. She was already brandishing her weapon towards him when she started to speak. Clearly, speed was one thing Leyna excelled at. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" She demanded from him, eyebrows narrowed as she kept her suspicious glare trained on him. Leyna herself fit the description that the new guild leader had given Aereth--tan skin and very short, messy black hair. Her equipment looked fitting for one who lived in a forest known as the Overgrowth--nature-inspired leathercraft that allowed plenty of room for free movement. The blade of the dagger she held was slightly curved, and the what was visible of the handle seemed to be an off-white color, as if it was carved from bone or some kind of bleached wood. Around her neck rested the emerald pendant that was to serve as proof of her death.

Inside of the hut, some sunlight shone in from small gaps in the small ceiling--whether they were only an aesthetic effect or actually reflected the building's poor structure wasn't clear. The only other light source came from a lamp-looking item attached to the wall. There didn't seem to be any other items of interest laying about--a small wooden chest and some bedding were the only eye-catching pieces of 'furniture' around them.

The boy let out a sigh, as if to try and exhale some of the stress that was obviously gripping him through his whole endeavor. He opened his mouth to speak again, but flinched when Aereth locked eyes with him. He stared back at the brunette for a few moments, taking in his words before he averted his gaze to the side. His emotions were on his sleeve like always, a look of guilt mixed into a troubled expression on his face.  "L-look, we can't just leave." He started, a bit of a defensive tone in his voice before he stopped himself and another small sigh escaped him. "It's uhh...a long story. But we had to start working for them if we wanted to live. I-I know we've done bad things since then..." He mumbled out the last part, and continued in a quiet tone. "If we try to run away, we'll just end up like her." The boy moved his spear in front of him slightly, indicating that he was referring to the woman they were tasked with killing. "Besides, uhh... My brother... I don't know." He seemed as though he wanted to keep talking, despite his poor communication skills. He hesitated, ending up shaking his head after a few moments. "I'd uhh...get in big trouble if anyone knew I was even talking about this stuff." He mumbled to try and dismiss the topic.

After some time had passed, the pair found themselves in the middle the Overgrowth outside of the floor's main settlement. The brunette had waved the boy over, and he obeyed, crouching down beside the foliage while Aereth shared his plan. "W-what?!" He asked in hushed exclamation, trying to keep in mind not to be too noisy. He watched as Aereth unequipped his armor, weapon, and anything else that gave him a combat bonus. "I-I can't-- I mean, you'll..." The boy stopped himself before his stuttering got even more out of control. He took in a deep breath, clutching the spear tightly to his chest and giving a sideways glance to where Leyna's hut laid in the distance before looking back to the brunette. "O-okay, if you're sure." He finally agreed, silently hoping that he wouldn't get in trouble for returning with an orange cursor, even if it was temporary. He swallowed, hesitating again before the fear of annoying the man set in. It was his plan after all, so he would just be following orders like he was supposed to, right? After holding another breath, the boy began to follow Aereth's instruction, running the blade of his weapon across the man's body multiple times. It didn't take long to get the man below 30% of his health pool, most likely due to the fact that any of his defensive stats had been removed. The boy obviously hesitated the closer his health crawled to zero, the last strike leaving Aereth just above 15%.

In the shallow cave where Jay and the guild's leader stood guard, Kooh had sat down while she continued to think on the situation. It was hard for her to keep a level head as she weighed her options. Sure, she could wait for Aereth to do whatever task he had been assigned and come back. If the lying murder guild decided to keep their end of the deal, everyone would part ways and they would have an easier time traveling without worrying about someone on their heels. If they were still going to try to kill Kooh and Aereth at some point, things weren't going to be any different even if they had played nice and managed to get out alive. Lastly, if they were the ones that deviated from the plan...well, would that be any different from the last outcome? Only if they found a way to get themselves off of their radar. What would that involve aside from killing off more of their guild members? Could they even take that big guy?

"Hey, what's taking so long?" Kooh finally spoke up. Her cheek rested against her palm, a dull and bored expression on her face as she looked over at the two men. In quick response, Jay snapped back at her. "Quit your whining, it's up to him how long he wants you to stay here." Kooh simply frowned in response, moreso because she hadn't gotten any of the information she had hoped for. Maybe she could switch her angle. "So once he's done, you're really gonna just walk away like nothing happened?" Her tone was both casual and skeptical. As Jay opened his mouth to speak again, he stopped himself when a low chuckle came from the sandy-haired player opposite him. "You're not a very good hostage, are you?" He asked without turning to face her. "Not really, no. I do all the stupid stuff like question my captors' mercy and stick my nose where it doesn't belong." She answered, wearing a small smirk.

It must have been a full ten minutes or so after Aereth and the blonde player were out of sight when the group's leader finally gave a short, "Come on." Jay moved to follow the man, pulling Kooh along without any resistance. The girl had remained silent ever since the door to the inn had swung open, and didn't plan to open her mouth anytime soon. It didn't take them long to reach what seemed to be their destination, which was a shallow cave nestled into the side of one of the large mountains on the island. The sandy-haired player leaned back against the rocky wall near the entrance while Jay nudged Kooh past both of them. The girl was surprised when his grasp on her arm vanished, but seeing both of the men standing between her and the cave's exit quickly explained that she was still being held in place. The blonde simply frowned, shoving her hands into her pockets while their waiting game began.

"Huh?" The blonde boy that followed closely after Aereth flinched slightly when he was addressed. "Oh, uhh..." Naturally, he hesitated to answer the brunette's questions, even giving a nervous glance over his shoulder, even though they had traveled several minutes out already. Finally, as if the weight of such a simple question was too much for him, the boy began talking. "We got mixed up with these guys a while ago. My brother and I." He started in a quiet voice. "Of course I don't like it, but..." He hesitated again. "There's nothing I can do." The boy seemed like he wanted to say more, but shook his head lightly before addressing Aereth's questions about his target. "I didn't hear what all he told you, but uhh... Her name is Leyna. I think she's level thirty-two, or at least she was about two months ago." His grip on his spear tightened slightly when he continued. "She ran away from the guild after she found out uhh... what it was all about. The uhh...old leader and Kree--err, that guy have been tracking her ever since." His stuttering seemed to get worse the more he went on about everything, but the boy swallowed as he continued. "She's clever. She knows all of our names and faces, so that's probably why Kr--err, he wants you to do it. But uhh, she's probably been on the defensive all this time. Even if she doesn't recognize you, she won't trust you. I should uhh...probably hide when we get close so I don't screw it up." He mumbled out the last part.

Meanwhile, Kooh did her best to keep herself calm. On the outside, the blonde appeared more bored than anything else, earning her a scoff and an occasional annoyed glance from Jay, as if it bothered him that the girl wasn't visibly worried or scared about her situation. In fact, those emotions were very faint compared to the mixture of emotions that festered inside of her. Frustrated with herself for getting caught and putting both of them into this situation. Furious with these damned guild members for, at this point, even existing. Worried about the situation that Aereth had been forced into. Whatever the brutish commander had instructed him to do, it wasn't going to be good.

With tensions high, Aereth had agreed to go along with the PKers' demand. Kooh gave the brunette half a smirk when he looked at her with a reassuring gaze, as if to tell him she'd be fine. When Aereth had stepped past the trio and the flames surrounding his armor had died down, the leader relaxed the arm that threatened to strike the blonde. He moved the girl, practically lifting her off the ground as he did so, passing her over to the dagger-wielder named Jay. 'Of course he's gonna have the loudmouth watching me. Great.' Kooh thought with annoyed sarcasm. The black-haired player had taken her by the arm, his smaller frame unable to mimic the strength that his leader had displayed. Besides, even though she had the potential to get away now, she knew it would be a bad move if she tried to pull anything. There was no telling if they had ways to stun them, or if they would just kill them on the spot if she didn't obey. Even if she managed to get away from the area, Aereth might not be so lucky. As much as she could tell he wanted to kill them all, Kooh didn't think this was a three-on-one fight he could survive.

Brandishing same ornate dagger Kooh had seen on him just yesterday, Jay tugged at her arm to keep her close. Who she assumed was the younger brother--the more timid-looking blonde boy--held his spear in both hands, standing in between the two pairs of other players. The leader spoke quietly and briefly with Aereth, giving him the only details he needed to complete the job he wanted done. As he described it, there was a single hut on the other side of the island in the middle of a large and dense forest known as the Overgrowth near the capital city on the sixteenth floor. Aereth was to locate a kill the hut's owner, a woman with tanned skin and short black hair called Leyna. For proof, he was to bring back the emerald amulet she wore around her neck.

Out of earshot, Kooh waited impatiently for their conversation to end. Her mind began to consider whether or not she should really just wait for Aereth's return from whatever task they were making him do. If she found an opportunity to run, should she do it? Or would that be the stupidest decision she made in this entire situation? The girl wordlessly glanced between the player at her side and the blonde a few paces away. The former talked a big game, and she was willing to bet she could rile him up with only a few sentences. The blonde boy, on the other hand, looked afraid of almost everyone around him, even his own brother at times. Kooh almost felt bad for the poor kid. Still, if she played her cards right she could be left with two useless lackeys. Her gaze fell back on the man with amber eyes. He practically gave off an aura of intimidation, and she already knew there was nothing she could do about him. If she was going to plan anything, he would be her biggest obstacle.

"If she behaves, she won't get hurt." The leader said flatly after he had given Aereth the last of the information he needed. "He'll go with you." The man jerked his head towards the blonde boy. "When you're done, send a message to your girlfriend and he'll get the coordinates to where we meet up." He then closed the gap between himself and the young spear-wielder to inform him of his part of the plan. The blonde gave a quick, nervous glance towards Jay before simply nodding and walking cautiously towards Aereth. The leader simply watched the two of them, waiting to relocate until the brunette had left.

Despite the turn of events, Kooh simply glared up at the man that held on to her. The balls of her feet were still on the ground, but the player held most of her weight with what seemed like little effort, removing her ability to try and slip away from his grasp. She didn't seem frightened or intimidated by the player, even with the orange cursor over his head, the curled fist hovering in front of her, or the look of twisted excitement on his face. Instead, she simply looked annoyed with him, but the player paid her dirty looks no attention.

"To think that he lost to a brat like you..." The man's expression scowled as the words left him in a mutter. It was unclear whether he was more angry towards Aereth or disappointed in his former guild leader for the outcome of their battle. Aereth spoke up, his words causing the man to smirk again before a low chuckle escaped him. "Ah, yeah. You were really loud and annoying about it, so I came to make you apologize for being so rude." His tone was a mixture of condescending and amused. He jerked his arm back and forth a couple of times, causing the girl in his grip to involuntarily sway with his movement. "Seems like you actually give a damn about what happens to her, so we'll make this real easy."

'Tch...' No matter how much Kooh wracked her brain, she couldn't think of a way out of the situation. These weren't the type of people that would be easily distracted with words. At least, the guy holding her up by the collar didn't seem that way. The girl had thought about struggling, fighting back, and even tried to come up with words that would distract the man. Every time she ran through the scene in her head, it simply resulted in a worse outcome than what they were currently stuck with. Before she could try to come up with another plan, the man continued speaking to Aereth. Noticing how the brunette was seething at this point, he frowned and shifted his weight impatiently. "Don't get any stupid ideas, or you and your girlfriend will just wind up dead faster." He warned before getting back to his point. "I want you to say sorry for killing Tallas by doing a little job for me." He started, waiting a few moments to gauge Aereth's reaction before he would continue.

"Nope." Kooh gave a flat response when Aereth asked if she would believe that one would get used to life outside of the cities. She still wore half a smirk while rolling her ankles one at a time. "Have fun when we get to floor seventy and you can't use teleportation gates." She teased before moving to the inn's front entrance. Just before she could push against the heavy wooden door to lead their way outside when it swung open in front of her without her touch. The girl stopped short, surprised by the sudden movement, when a figure on the other side of the inn's entrance caught her attention. Her head tilted up as the man in front of her was slightly taller, sandy brown hair and piercing amber eyes. The player already looked irritated before she felt his eyes lock with hers. The presence of others behind the man had her glancing over his shoulder where two familiar faces stood. Kooh had just tensed in reaction to seeing the faces of the brothers that had started this whole thing when a sudden force yanked her forward. The player in front of her had a fistful of her dress, holding the girl in place by the collar in the middle of the doorway.

"No way this chick took out Tallas." The man mumbled while his eyes drifted to spot Aereth behind her. "No... It was you, huh?" He asked, a wicked grin crawling over his already sharp features. Not expecting or waiting for an answer, his grip on Kooh's clothing tightened and his other hand raised in a fist aimed at the girl's head. A pair of fingerless metal gauntlets were strapped to his wrists, indicating the man was most likely a martial arts user. "Think you can kill me before her health would hit zero?" He addressed the brunette again, as if to serve as a warning that he would strike if Aereth attacked them. The two players behind the man--the same younger green players that had approached Kooh at the beach on the seventeenth floor--had taken up defensive stances as the tension in the air peaked.

Kooh was a bit surprised when Aereth offered for them to stay on the sixteenth floor after hearing her story. He reasoned that it would be a riskier choice, reminding her of the players they had been running away from in the first place. The blonde had her doubts that they had even bothered to chase after them past the labyrinth, but saved her reservations for now. The girl crossed her legs, still leaning back in her seat. She let out a chuckle when Aereth admitted his fear of spiders, giving a small nod. "I'll keep that in mind. Hmm?" She mused at his last statement. "Quirks, huh?" She wasn't sure what the man meant by that, but made a mental note to pester him about it if the opportunity presented itself.

"So, is this what you do?" After a few moments, Kooh changed the subject. "Wander around between floors, constantly on the lookout from people after your head?" Despite the subject matter, the girl held a small smirk. "I don't think I could get used to it." She added on. Even though some of her ideals might have changed a bit lately, she still didn't want to think of Sword Art Online as anything more than a game. Ever since she became 'trapped', she had spent her time as she pleased, doing whatever she liked and simply having her own fun in what so many others called a prison. Giving Aereth some time to finish his own drink, respond to her question and collect his thoughts, Kooh stood up and stretched her legs. "Better to keep moving, right?" She prompted, slipping her hands into her pockets and waiting for the brunette to take the lead.

Once it was placed in front of her, Kooh brought the glass of juice to her lips. When she set it back down on the table, the girl held the item between both hands and tapped lightly on the cool surface. "Yeah. A very specific one, actually." She responded to his question, giving a small chuckle at how satisfied the man seemed to be with his hot chocolate. She leaned forward slightly, her forearms pressing against the wooden tabletop while she stared at the glass in her hands.

"When I was a kid...maybe six, or seven?" She started, her brows narrowing thoughtfully for a second as she recalled the details. "I went to the beach with some family. Believe it or not, I was a handful back then. My parents said I was really reckless and acted out all the time." She looked a bit melancholic for a moment as she spoke about her childhood. "Anyway, even though I didn't know how to swim, I wanted to play in the ocean. So I did." The blonde girl took in a small breath, bringing up her shoulders slightly as she shifted her position in her seat. "I went too far out. As soon as I lost my footing, an undertow pulled me even farther."

Kooh took on a wry smile as her story came to an end. "Basically, it was a miracle I even survived. I was too stubborn to ever learn how to swim, though, even years later." Half a smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. She rolled her shoulders, leaning back in her chair now. "That's all for my story time. Is it your turn to share some weird, personal bit now?" The girl joked, finishing off her juice and allowing the empty glass to dematerialize once she set it back down and pulled her hand away.

Kooh leaned over the table, staring down at the knotted wood of its surface when a familiar voice roused her from her thoughts. Looking up at Aereth, her mind drew the memory of the lifeless expression she had seen on the man's face for a split second, causing her to tense. Still, she willed a small grin on her face in response to his greeting while her body slowly relaxed itself afterwards. "Yo. Good as it could be, I guess." She offered a small shrug. The brunette waved the innkeeper over to them, and following their short exchange Kooh let out a small scoff. "Yeah, didn't you know? You can only order tough-guy stuff, like rusty nails with raw eggs." She chuckled to herself before catching a glance of the innkeeper's unamused expression. "Orange juice." She said simply afterwards. The burly man simply raised an eyebrow before turning away to fetch their drinks, perhaps a bit impatient to excuse himself from their odd company.

The blonde would have ordered herself a coffee, if only Aincrad hadn't taken away the effects of caffeine. To her knowledge--and probably for good reason--the game couldn't recreate the chemical compound, meaning she had to adjust to life without it early on. With how the game allowed her brain to rest during her and her avatar's sleep, it generally wasn't a problem. After a night like the last, however, she would have appreciated the drink.

"So, any exciting plans for today?" She spoke up to make conversation with the brunette, a small smirk on her face to match her sarcasm. Their trip to the main island had been tiring, but also surprisingly uneventful, causing Kooh to wonder if the open water on this floor was relatively safe on its own. After all, if there were no sea-dwelling monsters programmed into the game, the only thing they had to worry about was treading water. Even if that could somehow be confirmed, Kooh was most definitely not looking forward to their next trip in the water, regardless of Aereth's help in keeping her from drowning.

How long had Kooh been staring up at the ceiling of her room before she fell asleep? She had so much too think about and too few answers for herself that eventually it was the exhaustion that caused her eyelids to feel heavy. With little choice but to give in, the girl slowly drifted off.

'Where...am I?' Kooh felt her legs moving rapidly beneath her. She was running, but her torso was leaning forward unnaturally. Her eyes followed down the length of her arm until she reached the hand that was clasped around her own. 'Huh?' The blonde registered the taller male figure in front of her with short brown hair pulling her along. Why wasn't she stopping? Pulling her hand away and demanding to know where Aereth was taking her? While her body refused to listen, she instead tried to make sense of her surroundings. They were in a forest? It was so dark she could hardly make out the path in front of them. Before Kooh could try to urge her vocal chords to work again, she felt a sudden surge of movement and the shock of her back making contact with the bark of a large tree. Her legs had stopped moving, and a strong presence now loomed in front of her. Aereth's frame was nearly pressed up against her own, and as she felt her mouth finally open as if to protest, a hand swiftly covered it to stifle her speech. Kooh's eyes flickered up towards the man's face only to see his attention was directed elsewhere. His brown eyes gave off the soft glow she vaguely remembered from before while he seemed to be looking for something. After a few long seconds, the brunette turned to face her, causing the girl to freeze up when his eyes met her own. The hand clasped over her mouth moved until he held an index finger over her lips, and all Kooh could do was feel her heart begin to pound in her chest. Her mind felt blank and her body continued to ignore whatever action she tried to mentally call out. It was the sudden mixed expression of shock and pain displayed on Aereth's face that caused Kooh's eyes to widen. The faint glow of his irises faded away as the life drained from his eyes. The man collapsed before her, a single blade protruding from his back.

With a small gasp, Kooh's eyes flew open to reveal a vaguely familiar dark oak ceiling. The girl blinked a few times, her breaths shallow while she sat up in the inn's bed and tried to make sense of not only her current surroundings, but also the scene that had played out in her mind just moments ago. Had she dreamt before, since being trapped in Aincrad? She couldn't remember. Her head swiveled as she looked towards the room's window. What time was it? Sunlight streamed through the glass panes, so the night had most certainly come and gone. Kooh swung her legs over the side of the bed, leaning over with her arms resting against her knees as she waited to slowly regain her composure. If today was the same as any other--if she was waking up in her room in Halcyon's Keep--she would have rolled over and tried her best to sleep in. But after a dream like that, the only thing she could do was pull herself to her feet. 'No... More like a nightmare.' The girl ran a hand through her hair as she moved to the other side of the room. She pulled on the pieces of clothing that she had discarded on the inn floor the night before and opened the door to her room, peering cautiously down either end of the hall before slipping outside.

Not in the mood for a scolding, Kooh decided to wait downstairs, in the small tavern-like common area the inn provided for drinking and dining. Compared to the previous night, the open space was like a ghost town, leading Kooh to really wonder just how early she had woken. Regardless, she refused to stay put in her room. The blonde would have preferred to go outside and roam around until her head felt more leveled, but she didn't dare stray outside of the inn's walls. So, with her arms crossed and resting on the table in front of her, Kooh took a seat and reserved herself to wait for their journey to continue.

As she began to push the busy thoughts to the corner of her mind, urging herself to save them for a later time so that she wouldn't find herself braindead, the sound of Aereth's laugh caused Kooh to let out a small chuckle of her own. She blinked in surprise at his counter to her statement, once again bringing up the man to whom she had given a very forceful request to shut up and go away. "If I didn't know any better, it almost sounds like I impressed you or something." She retorted with another small smirk. "Guess I'll have to be extra careful not to run into any more a**holes. Wouldn't want to have you falling for me." She began to felt as though they were competing, and Kooh was simply refusing to let the brunette outdo her charm.

With the quick and casual way that Aereth had removed his shirt and laid down on his bed, Kooh found herself caught off guard once more. Not only that, but his string of comments, ranging from sincere to flirtatious, had continued to take her aback. She found herself staring back at the man's face as her mind went blank. It wasn't until she felt the heat on her cheeks that the girl came to her senses, turning towards the door with a quick, "Goodnight." Closing the door behind her, Kooh held her breath for a few long moments as her back leaned against the heavy wood. Exhaling slowly, she pulled her hood back up and headed to the narrow staircase leading back down to the main floor.

A short time later, Kooh let out the air in her lungs with a heavy sigh. She was in her own room now, having locked her door and set the room to deny anyone but herself entry. She pulled off her cardigan and boots with frustrated motions, leaving the clothing items strewn on the floor. She paced back and forth across the length of the small bedroom for a few minutes while her mind repeatedly played back their conversation. After a while, the girl forced herself to lay down on her back, pulling up her left arm to rest against her forehead. The blonde stared up at the ceiling with a small, frustrated scowl, her cheeks involuntarily taking on a pink hue. "Come on Luna, why are you letting him get to you?" She scolded herself in a quiet voice. While her mind was busy thinking about anything but sleep, night would soon overtake them.

Kooh stared back at Aereth while she listened to his advice. The girl brought a hand up to run her fingers through her hair as a small sigh escaped her. Her head turned and tilted downward while her hand rested at the back of her neck, carefully considering his words. What did that mean? It sounded as though he was describing their current situation--he hadn't judged her after she explained herself, and he spoke honestly with her in return. His choice of words, however, left her head spinning. 'Aughhh, what does he want?!' She resisted the urge to ruffle her hair with both hands.

Despite her internal debate, Kooh still held onto plenty of doubt. While part of her thought that he might be very right--that she needed to truly open up to people in order to survive this world and remain mentally intact--what he was asking her to do was going against everything she had lived by up to this point. When something wasn't useful to her, she should discard it. If someone tried to get close to her, she should push them away. When the familiar feeling of loneliness would begin to creep up on her, she should distract herself and simply wait for her troublesome emotions to pass.

Her mind was growing weary, unable to process all of the information swirling around. For the first time in a while, she felt completely directionless. Despite Aereth's advice and request, she couldn't bring herself to accept  it. 'What time is it...?' Of all times, she found her gaze drifting idly towards the single window in the room, trying to gauge if the sun had set outside. "Mm, is that a bad thing?" Referring to his comment on his own advice sounding like that of a life coach's, another half-smirk instinctively pulled at her, though her eyes looked rather dull in contrast.

His further explanation pulled at her attention, giving her something to focus on for a moment. "It'd just be a shame to see a sweet guy like you give in to that bloodlust." Another small smile forced its way to her face. Kooh took in a sharp breath before dropping her arm, uncrossing her legs and standing herself up with a long stretch. The girl leaned forward to take the empty tray, intending to head back downstairs to return it before she would go back to her own room. She began to walk towards the door, but lingered in the event that Aereth would continue their conversation.

In the silence that allowed Aereth to compose his own thoughts, Kooh forced herself to finish her meal, leaning forward to place her empty bowl back on the tray once she was done. As with all objects in this world, the game registered its durability as depleted and it shattered, light particles vanishing into thin air after her hand had pulled away.

He had brushed off her doubt as if her behavior was completely normal. Aereth's words had caused her to blink in surprise, staring back at the man while he spoke. When he admitted his curiosity and spoke about her trust in others, the corner of her mouth twitched into a wry half-smile. She leaned back in her seat again, crossing her legs once again as she stared at the empty tray sitting on the table."I dunno... Does this count?" She asked, not expecting an answer from the brunette. "How I manage...?" She echoed his words, for a moment wondering what the answer was herself. Without offering an explanation aloud, Kooh simply crossed her arms over her stomach, tilting her head back to stare up at the ceiling again and letting the silence wash over them.

Her eyes flickered over to meet Aereth's face when he spoke again, telling her that he expected their conversation to remain private. "Cross my heart." A small grin took over her features, and the girl wondered for a moment if she was forcing her typical carefree attitude. 'Typical', at least before she met Aereth. How many masks had she cycled through, trying to disguise her feelings and intentions? After their haphazard journey had begun, she felt as though she had put up a wall between the two of them. After only two days, however, that wall had started to wear away and holes formed. 'Does this count?' The question returned to her. Before she had the time to dwell on it, Aereth had continued speaking, the tone of his voice grabbing her attention.

Kooh sat in silence after his explanation, staring blankly as she tried to form some sort of response. What was it like to value someone else's life more than your own? To lose it, or have it taken from you? She felt herself swallow, and she finally tore her gaze away from Aereth's face to tilt her chin back towards the ceiling. "You want to avenge her, right?" Kooh's voice finally cut through the silence. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I think it's stupid to blame yourself for something like that." A small frown made its way to her face. "I mean, it's not like you were okay with it. Not being able to control a situation doesn't make you weak. And it doesn't leave you at fault." Kooh closed her eyes before letting out a small, frustrated sigh. 'Of all times that I don't know the right thing to say...'

Her bottom lip stiffened its frown for a moment before Kooh opened her eyes again. She faced Aereth now, shifting her expression into as genuine of a smile as she could manage. "Besides, it seems like you care about her a lot. It's not like I knew her, but I bet she wouldn't want you to keep beating yourself up about it like this."

'Ah--' Again, the brunette wasn't phased by her teasing or flirtatious comments, throwing her off guard for a brief second. In fact, he returned her quip with one of his own, causing the girl to lean forward, uncrossing her legs while her arms now rested against her knees. She looked down now, staring into the half-finished bowl of soup in her hands and trying to subdue her own flustered feelings.

'Damn it...' She frowned again when Aereth poked holes through her flimsy response. She was silent for a while, unsure of how to respond to him. Finally, just when the air around them might have grown uncomfortable, the blonde girl spoke up. "Y'know, I've never had to think about it so hard before. Why I act the way I do." There was a faint bitterness that lingered in her voice. "At first, I just wanted people to like me." She thought back to her life in the real world. In school, she could easily win people over; she was the popular girl who didn't act full of herself. She knew how to read other kids and how to manipulate their delicate feelings, and she did so without hesitation. "I just got too greedy after that. When people like you, they're more willing to sacrifice for you." She was only here, playing this 'game', because she could sweet-talk the right people who had it at their disposal. 'You can just let me try it for a little bit, right? I'll be careful with it, promise!' Her own sugar-coated words rang clearly in her head.

"It's different here." She said, her tone falling flat. "A hundred-floor playground where I can do anything I want." Despite her choice of tense, Kooh spoke as if her earlier time in Aincrad was just a fond memory. "The people here are weird, though." A light scoff escaped her. "Sure, not everyone is so righteous. But some will sacrifice almost everything for only the satisfaction of knowing that they 'helped' someone." For a moment she considered making a light-hearted comment about their current situation, but the desire for playful words had faded away a while ago. The girl stayed silent for a while longer, nearly losing track of herself and her thoughts.

Kooh took in a deep breath, finally pushing herself to sit upright and leaning back in her chair. Her eyes still lingered on the bowl in her hands while she tried to come up with a point to her rambling. Some take-away or reason for her saying everything she had. "So yeah, there's usually a reason. Just a really shallow one." A forced smirk rested on her face while she looked back at Aereth, a bit curious if the man was still wearing his same calm expression.

The blonde stared back at Aereth while his attention was locked onto her. For a fleeting moment she was afraid her words would annoy him or he would simply dismiss the topic. His reaction was different, however: very honest, but seemingly very difficult to put into words. "Hmm... You think so?" She asked quietly, not expecting an answer in return. Her shoulders lifted up in a tiny shrug as her gaze drifted to the side, running along the dark wooden paneling that lined the humble room. "That seems like what you're going for." She stated in response to how she 'really' saw him. "At least, it doesn't seem to me like you're trying to be a monster." Her eyes flickered back to the man's face with a small, almost sympathetic smirk. The expression was quickly replaced with a frown when his thoughts seemed to trail off for a moment. "Oh~? And why can't you?" She prodded his dismissive statement in an innocent manner, but didn't press him for a response.

Instead, the girl took in a deep breath through her nose. She finally acknowledged the seat Aereth had offered, deciding to accept it and leaning back while she also finally began to eat some of her own meal. "I'll take that as a compliment." Kooh teased at his mention of her 'finesse'. The blonde crossed one leg over the other, tilting her head backwards to stare at the ceiling for a few long moments. "What about me?" She repeated his question in a small voice, as if wondering where to start. Silence hung over them for a short time, when suddenly another playful smirk took over her features. The girl's eyes drifted back over to Aereth, her chin still tilted up as she turned her attention back to him. "What, you want to know more about me~?" She teased the brunette another moment before pulling her gaze away again.

"I'm just pretty good at telling people what they want to hear, that's all." The smirk continued to rest lightly on her lips. "I don't have some special story, or goal I want to achieve." She admitted.

The door cracked open to reveal a portion of Aereth's face, his eyes registering Kooh's presence before he allowed her to enter. She did so quietly, spotting the sheathed dagger from the corner of her eye after he had set it down again. Once again, she began to wonder if she was the weird one for not being so defensive and cautious all the time. Did that make her irresponsible? Reckless? Or maybe she just didn't value her own life as highly as Aereth did his--or both of theirs, really. 'Hmm, maybe all of the above.' She wordlessly answered herself.

The sound of growling brought back her attention. Once Kooh realized the noise had come from the brunette's stomach, her blank expression gave way to a small chuckle. "It's my turn." She said simply with a small smirk, referring to the meal he'd provided her the night before.  When she spoke, the girl held the tray out to him, as if urging the man to take the food and start eating. After Aereth would accept the offering, Kooh set the tray down on a small end table and picked up her own soup, simply holding the warm bowl in both hands. "Yeah," She was late answering his earlier question, her amused smirk fading back to a neutral expression. "I think I stand out a bit, but everybody's minding their own business down there."

She lifted a hand to pull down her hood, the thin fabric dropping to her shoulders. Truly, her choice of clothing was very casual given their surroundings. The weapons that she often forgot about, the black greaves with with a faint, fiery red pattern running up their lengths, were still strapped to the shins of her boots. Even so, she hardly looked armed or intimidating--an appearance she didn't plan to change. Fighting was a chore that she never cared for participating in, regardless of whatever the game systems did to make combat appealing to other players. Pushing the thought aside, Kooh looked down to the item in her hands. She had thought about just going back to her room. Why hadn't she?

"Are you okay with all this?" The question had lingered in her mind until it practically burned a hole through her. "It's none of my business," She admitted before continuing, "but I bet you could live a lot easier without that." Her gaze finally flickered up, past his face, to where his cursor would be. She stopped a moment before averting her eyes to the side with a wry smile. "I'm sure you know that." She mumbled, as if criticizing her own choice of words. She thought carefully for a few moments, sifting through her thoughts. Finally, she spoke up again with another question. "Can't you be a hero without all the self-sacrifice?"

Kooh figured they were going to head straight inside, but before they did so Aereth had gotten the girl's attention with a serious expression on his face. She was a bit surprised at his tone, but simply nodded in understanding before they continued on. She knew Aincrad had its share of unfriendly players, but there didn't seem to be an end to being on edge on this journey. If this was the norm for an orange player, Kooh was amazed anyone would intentionally change their cursor color.

Another thing that surprised the blonde were the reactions of the handful of other players after they had entered. Kooh kept a blank, disinterested expression on her face as she glanced between looks of awe, fear, and those who seemed to want nothing to do with them. There was no need to advertise herself as an innocent--that would only draw the wrong kind of attention here. Her garnet eyes eventually drifted back to the back of Aereth's head as he stopped at the front counter and spoke with the inn keeper. While a small scowl rested on her face as the brunette didn't seem to expect her to pay any col of her own, she couldn't help wonder what it was that warranted so many different expressions cast their way. If Aereth was really such a kind soul, going above and beyond to "help people", why were these other players looking at him the way they did.

Snapping her back to reality, the man in question had leaned in closer and explained what she should do now that they were here. Her gaze idly drifted towards the innkeeper while Aereth spoke, the older muscular man standing behind the counter giving her a small nod when their eyes briefly met, as if to tell her he was watching out for her. "Mm. Alright." The blonde murmured an acknowledgement at Aereth's instructions. He didn't linger once he had finished speaking, disappearing upstairs shortly after. The atmosphere around her shifted slightly, perhaps returning to what it had been before the pair had entered. There was a lack of bloodlust and cruel intent in the air, perhaps something that Kooh wasn't sure if she should expect in this kind of company.

"So Missy," A gruff voice pulled her from her thoughts. The innkeeper was leaning over the wooden counter that separated them now, looking towards her while his body remained open towards the rest of the small tavern. Kooh looked at him cautiously and expectantly before he continued, "S'a rare sight ta see someone like you 'round here." He grinned, his expression neither innocent nor malicious. Kooh still wasn't sure if she could trust the man, and perhaps her impatient stare in response was what prompted him to clear his throat and shift his weight before speaking up again. "So, what'll it be? You eatin' anythin' tonight?" He asked in a more serious tone. Kooh eyes only drifted upwards for a brief moment, glancing towards the corridor that Aereth had disappeared behind. Taking a step and a half towards the edge of the counter, she took only a few moments before asking the man for two portions of soup and bread.

Kooh wasn't sure how long it had been since Aereth disappeared upstairs. The dialogue box hovering beside the door in front of her indicated that the room belonged to him. Standing still for a couple of minutes now, the girl was holding a small tray of food and drinks. She gave a glance to the next door to the left--her own room. She hadn't taken the time to enter it yet, having waited downstairs and offered the innkeeper little in the way of conversation while she paid for the food. Letting out a breath through her nose, the girl lightly swung her foot forward, giving the door a knock with the toe of her boot.

Kooh's fingers wrapped around her arms, looking away from Aereth and back out over the ocean with a small frown. She wasn't used to feeling guilty, and didn't much care for it after the past two days' events. The girl was about to sit herself down on the beach and wait patiently for as long as the brunette wanted to rest, but before she could do so the man was already pushing himself up to his feet and telling her they needed to find an inn sooner rather than later. Pulling up her own inventory, Kooh's own clothing replaced itself. Her knee-high boots returned, paired with black leggings that wrapped around her skin. A plain-looking white dress fell down to the middle of her thighs, and her signature hooded cardigan appeared to complete the monochrome look.

Slipping her hands into its pockets, Kooh would quietly follow Aereth's lead. They traveled across the island floor at a decent pace for a while without interruption. The girl assumed that the players from yesterday had given up on finding them by now. At least, she hoped they wouldn't have kept trying to chase them all this way. 'Are our lives really worth that much trouble?' She wondered, giving a small shake of her head to dismiss the thoughts of their possible pursuers.

It must have been mid-afternoon when the pair came across a lone building that rested in a generous clearing, otherwise surrounded by sparse trees and other foliage. A fair distance behind the structure, rocky slopes ran up to a small stretch of mountains. Kooh came to a stop when the inn came into view, identified only by a small sign posted beside the main entrance. The building itself was primarily wooden with bits of metal visible around the supports, but overall it hardly looked like it could be called an inn. Wondering just how many rooms its size could allow for, Kooh cast a sideways glance toward Aereth as if to wordless ask if this was what he was looking for.

'Mm?' Aereth's dramatic and sudden shift in tone gave Kooh a distraction to focus on, her curious mind wondering what he could be thinking about that wiped the smile from his face.

The blonde's chest remained tight nearly the entire way to the main island, despite the uneventful journey. She only let go of the brunette's shoulders once she was sure her feet would reach the sloped land that led to shore. Once she had done so, the girl carefully waded through the water on her own, eventually reaching the edge of a beach that was very different from the one she had wanted to lounge on just yesterday on the floor above. The air around them felt more humid, and the stretch of sand that met the trees sprouting from the ground was much shorter. Rather than another forest, the foliage that was laid out in front of them felt more like a wild jungle, causing Kooh to frown as she gazed as far as she could through the thick foliage in the distance.

She assumed Aereth would spend some time to rest. As mentally taxing as the trip had been for her, she could only imagine the man would be exhausted at this point, especially having foregone sleep the night before. The blonde resisted the urge to grimace as the uncomfortable feeling of her wet clothes and hair washed over her. She was suddenly grateful for the game's programming that would allow her appearance to return to normal after some time had passed. Though she would prefer to avoid it entirely, dealing with the discomfort caused by a mussed appearance was bearable if it would end up reverting as though nothing had happened.

"So," Kooh eventually chose to break the silence, glancing over her shoulder at Aereth. "Now you know. If you ever want to get rid of me, just shove me in the ocean." She casually joked. She had thought for a moment about asking the man if he had any fears to tell her about in return. Holding her tongue, she doubted he would be so willing to tell her something so personal even if he did. Not only that, but Kooh quickly reminded herself that she shouldn't be concerned with such topics. Once the cursor above her head switched back to green, she could finally forget about this mess and go back to how things used to be. '...Right?' She wondered, beginning to question her plans.

Kooh's shoulders occasionally tensed up as the icy winds brushed against her, biting along her limbs before they died down only momentarily. She was never given more than a few seconds' reprieve before the chilled air whipped up around them again.

When Hikoru turned, the blonde stopped abruptly, her eyes traveling from his hand hovering in the air to his partially-concealed face. She listened to his instructions before giving a simple "'Kay." and a small nod in response. The girl would have liked to sit or lean against something while she waited, but the snowy plain offered her no trees or other pieces of environment that wasn't coated with snow to accommodate her. She shifted her weight, taking the man at his word that the fight would be over with quickly, again sparking the question in her mind of what she was even doing there. And once again, she shrugged it off, accepting the free experience that the man was offering up.

Her garnet eyes followed Hikoru while he turned back towards the quest target, but soon found her brows narrowing and she blinked a few times while scanning the landscape ahead of her. Resisting the urge to rub her eyes, a feeling as if her sight was failing nagged at her. The man seemingly vanished, although Kooh thought she could catch glimpses of a dark blade against the white blanket of snow.

@Hikoru

Kooh stared back at the man, reluctant to loosen her grip from the rocky cliff side that kept her anchored to land. Despite his reassuring words, the girl still waited a few long moments before a breath escaped her lungs in a sigh. 'Already made it this far...' The blonde was a bit surprised by how calm the man was in the situation--then again, she was likely overreacting compared to the average person. Of all the outlandish obstacles they had to deal with, of course swimming across an ocean would be right out of the gate.

"Sure," She forced a quiet response to his rhetorical question. She tried her best to ignore the vast stretch of open water laid out before them as she extended an arm towards the brunette. With both of the players in the water, Kooh gingerly brushed her right hand over his bare shoulder before allowing herself to shift the weight of keeping herself afloat. Pulling her body over to Aereth's through the water, her torso pressed up against his back while she held onto his shoulders. An awkward feeling quickly washed over her, from both her unavoidable dependency and the closeness of their bodies.

She only hoped that Aereth wasn't being overconfident. With something--or in this case, someone--to hold onto, Kooh could allow the water itself to carry some of her weight, but she couldn't comprehend how anyone could manage to swim with another person in their way. Still, she tried her best not to worry herself over it and just tried to allow herself to be useless for a bit, as much as it irked her.

"Mm." Kooh simply agreed with a mumble and a nod, trudging ahead through the snow to follow after the man. Each time she exhaled, the air around her mouth condensed and the wind dispersed it quickly afterward. Normally, she didn't mind the cold. At least not when her physical body had the chance to adapt to the weather. Cardinal, however, would shoot the tingling sensations that equated to cold throughout her avatar's limbs and bite against her skin often, leaving her with a distaste for the fourth floor.

Despite passing up on involvement in the combat, Kooh had equipped her greaves before she had even left the shop on the eleventh floor. The lightweight metal rested over the shins of her boots, providing her with a slight boost to her damage stat. Kooh's eyes drifted over to the cloaked man as they walked, unable to see much besides the heavy clothing and hood that covered him. He didn't seem much for conversation, which didn't bother her. If anything, it just left her a bit more curious as to why he had called a random player out here. At least if he was more outgoing she could assume it was for the sake of company. Regardless of his reasoning, Kooh realized she wasn't going to figure anything out by starting at the back of the man's head.

'Straight to the point.' Kooh mentally noted, although she hardly thought of it as a bad thing. She was a bit surprised by his question, beginning to wonder what Hikoru's reason was for inviting her out here in the first place, especially if he was prepared for her not to contribute in fighting the quest's monster. The game wouldn't tell her his level or stats, so the girl could only assume that he was capable of soloing the objective without issue. She gave a small shrug in response to his question, hands still tucked into her pockets. "All yours." She replied simply, indicating that she wouldn't get in the way of his fighting. Normally, the blonde would have gone out of her way to win the player over. Going off of the assumption that he was significantly higher leveled, she could possibly gain something by him taking an interest in her. Even if her stats weren't up to par, there seemed to be plenty of players who admired ambition, her white-haired roommate included. Despite all that, Kooh felt incredibly unmotivated, even more than usual today. The allure of a strong ally and the respect of high-leveled players just didn't have the same appeal that it normally would.

(OOC: Since the thread where she's gone orange is still ongoing, I'd like this to take place before that, if you don't mind. So Kooh's cursor will be green.)

"Mm~?" Kooh hummed as the sound of a notification in her menus caught her attention. The blonde girl had been sitting with her back propped up against a wall, staring out of the window of her humble bedroom inside of Halcyon's Keep. Her white-haired roommate was absent, leaving her in solitude for the afternoon. While she had looked forward to an uneventful day, scrolling through her menus and pulling up her messages delivered an invitation to a quest on the fourth floor. Cocking an eyebrow, Kooh studied the sender's name for a brief moment before deciding they were a complete stranger. Still, against her better judgement, the girl swung her legs over the side of the bed and picked herself up.

Later that day, Kooh had arrived in Snowfrost in her normal casual outfit. Her black-and-white hooded cardigan left open and revealing a sandy top. A light pair of denim shorts that hugged her thighs, and black knee-high combat boots. The only addition that she had deemed necessary was a pair of black leggings that clung to her legs. The chill that ran up Kooh's spine indicated that she still very much wasn't dressed appropriately for the floor's weather, but forced herself to ignore the discomfort as she started walking.

Approaching the meeting place designated in the message, Kooh's hands rested in her pockets while her garnet eyes fell upon a single player. The hooded figure seemed to be waiting, so she only assumed it was the person named Hikoru. "Yo." Kooh called a casual greeting once she was within earshot. "Are you the one with the mystery quest invite?"