Alice Irving

Alice rolled her eyes at Lavay's tone, but practically jumped as she felt his arm around her shoulder. That certainly didn't help the blush that had been on her face. She had no idea how to handle physical contact, and especially in a way that was as...intimate as having someone's arm around your shoulder. The most she'd ever been held before was being moved from her wheelchair to something else, and as she'd gotten used to doing it herself, even that had stopped. It took her a moment to realise she hadn't actually been touched in almost years, and decided to let it keep going. At least for now. It had been years since her last human contact, after all.

The fluffy-haired girl was surprised, and even a little disappointed, at the short length of the contact. However, she hid it by rolling her eyes again. "We totally are! The best team."

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea", Alice said in response to Lavay's first comment, about taking a rest after taking damage. "Again, good idea. If we need to rest, we can just wait outside their aggro range. I think it's pretty small, since we're only on the first floor. Most of 'em actually seem kinda docile, up until we attack them. We should be fine", she finished.

At the continued praise, the spear-wielder smiled. "I um...well, thanks, I guess. And...no, definitely not a gymnast. Far from it", she responded, looking down to the ground once again. "Wish I was capable of that..."

Alice gulped as she held the spear between her and the boar, not taking her eyes from her opponent as Lavay joined her. "Yeah, I'm fine. Didn't take much HP off. I'm...I-I'm fine...", she replied, shaking slightly. The very tip of the spear was visibly trembling.

The damaged girl watched as her partner placed himself in front of her and took a swing at the boar, taking its health down to 2. 'Okay, I can do this...I just gotta hit it before it hits me and...'

Before she could finish her thought, the boar rushed forward, dashing through Lavay's legs towards Alice. Instinctively, she raised her spear to defend herself. The creature leaped, crashing headfirst into her and sending her sprawling across the ground. She landed on her back, weapon fortunately still in hand, as it seemed to be following up its attack. Immediately, she braced the spear against the ground just as it leaped once again and impaled itself on the iron head. For a moment, she thought she'd somehow failed to do enough damage. However, that worry was quickly alleviated as it burst into blue shards, floating into the air.

The fluffy-haired girl gulped once again as she watched the loot flash up on her screen. 30 col. She sighed. "Of...o-of course we wouldn't get any good drops after that...j-just our luck...", she muttered to herself, more than to Lavay. Her voice was shaky, her chest was visibly rising and falling, and her spear was practically jumping in her hands, even as she tried to lighten the mood. 

"L-Let's um...lets take a break", she finished, initiating the trade with Lavay to give him his 15 col.

Action: Attacking Boar 4x1 = 4 damage

ID# 86264

BD: 7 (Hit)

ID# 86265

MD: 10 (Crit, +2 damage)

ID# 86266

LD: 2 (Nothing)

[H:2] Alice Irving 11/20 (0/2)

Boar - HP: 0/10 

Loot: 30 col (15 each)

"Well...okay, if you say so", Alice replied to Lavay, shrugging. A small grin appeared on her face once again. He definitely seemed to be a nice guy. Someone she wouldn't mind spending time with. She was definitely enjoying her time with the brunet so far, that was for certain. He had a confident air around him, one that filled her with a similar amount of confidence, backing up her natural optimism.

At Lavay's continued mention of the 'one boar at a time' path, Alice nodded, hair bouncing as she did so. It wobbled slightly, almost like jelly, as her head stopped moving. However, at the seeming challenge, her eyebrows raised and her eyes widened. A smirk spread across her face. "You're only getting the kills because I'm letting ya! You wouldn't get any XP if you didn't get a hit in, after all", she retorted her, looking up to him with an amused expression.

With the fight finished, the pint-sized player pouted at the lack of extra loot, though it was quickly alleviated by the addition of 15 more col. "Well, I guess it's an excuse to keep fighting more...it's kinda got a rush to it, don't you think? The possibility of dying is still really scary, but...fighting has an exhilarating feeling to it as well, I think", she stated, one finger gently pressed on her ever-so-slightly glossy bottom lip. "Oh, um...thanks for that, by the way. About the knocking over the creature. Getting praise is...kinda nice", she finished, cheeks tinted slightly before she looked around to scout for another boar.

It didn't take Alice long to find their third opponent for the day, and she tapped her spear against the ground once more. "Third boar, coming up! Let's see if we can't get a tusk from this one!", she cried, before once again sprinting towards her newfound foe. With her body low to the ground, the spear-wielder held her weapon out to the side. Once within reach, she swung horizontally, passing the tip over its face. The beast stumbled to the side momentarily, face marred by the red gash, before it swung its tusks at its attacker. This time, the attack finally connected, and Alice felt a tingle run up her body as she had her own wounds put into her. 'Well at least it doesn't hurt...', she thought as she hopped backwards, the spear preventing the boar from charging her. 

Action: Attacking Boar 4x1 = 4 damage.

ID# 86222

BD: 7 (Hit)

ID# 86223

MD: 8 (Hit)

[H:1] Alice Irving 17/20 (0/2)

Boar - HP: 6/10

"Yep, one boar at a time! And eh, who cares about old lives? If we judged eachother here based off what we used to be, then I wouldn't be next to ya", Alice responded, tapping the wooden haft of her spear against the floor while looking up to Lavay. "And if we end up in a guild, it'll be the best in every way! Name, strength, all of it. Just watch", she finished.

Alice hadn't said anything in response to the comment on magic, but did smirk in response to his jab about him killing it first. "Yeah, we'll see. Don't get your hopes up though, just because I'm small doesn't mean I can't hard", she retorted, stilling grinning.

Another grin broke out at the encouragement that the fluffy-haired girl received from her greatsword-wielding companion. It was nice to receive encouragement from someone on her capabilities. While she did wonder whether she had done a good job, even with that amazing swing, Lavay's encouragement backed her up on it. Turning around just in time to see the boar burst into blue shards, she grinned at the mention of the 80 col. That was certainly a decent amount, though her face dropped as she checked her inventory to find...nothing.

And then a trade request.

Gleefully accepting the request, Alice confirmed the trade before looking to her inventory once again. She beamed at the sight of it. Though it wasn't much, it was something. It was progress. She was glad to finally see some. No boar tusk just yet, but at least she had some col now. She wondered when she'd finally be able to buy a perfect weapon. "Thanks! Although maybe you should've kept a bit more, since, y'know, you're helping me with this quest."

At Lavay's question, Alice shook her head, hair bouncing and swaying hypnotically as she did so. "Nope, not yet! But that just means more boars to kill, more col to get, and more XP to get! And more time to get to know eachother, too!", she replied, sticking her tongue out and raising a finger on her free hand, as the base of the haft met the earth once again.

"Now, we're both undamaged, so let's find another one...", the spear-wielder started, looking around the plains once again, eyes squinting against the sun. "There!", she called, pointing out yet another foe. Although she couldn't start off with a Heft this time, she still had some amount of confidence. After all, it was two versus one!

This time, Alice decided to try putting some technique into her strike. Sprinting towards the next enemy, she held her spear with the tip slightly to the side, and pointed to the ground. As soon as she got within range, she swept it to the side, taking the boar's legs out from under it. As it tipped to the side, she swung back again, putting a lovely red mark on its underside. "All yours, Lavay!"

Action: Attack Boar 4x1 = 4 damage

ID# 86196

BD: 6 (Hit)

ID# 86197

MD: 1 (Crit fail. Again)

[H:1] Alice Irving 20/20 (0/2)

Boar - HP: 6/10 - DMG: 3

Alice was both surprised and pleased to find a message popping up in front of her. On the one hand, she wasn't sure whether someone would actually take her up on her request. On the other, she was practically bouncing with excitement to find someone willing to join...wait, nevermind, they were too high level for the quest. 'Well...no matter, they did still offer help! Although I might have to put that notice up again, if they took it down...', she thought to herself, before shrugging, and hitting the button to reply to this 'X'.

Quote

Re: <<Seeking Assistance>>

That'd be awesome! I'd love to have some help. I uh, don't wanna die after all. Getting some more levels and SP should help with that goal! Where do ya wanna meet? I'm still in the Town of Beginnings, so it'd probably have to be somewhere there, I think. Thanks for offering to help! And no problem about the name, you probably didn't expect to be changing it to that.

Alice Irving

After a quick proofread to make sure she hadn't typoed something on her first message, the fluffy-haired player hit the send button, and quickly started getting ready for her meeting with this guy. 'Hopefully he was as good as he said. Though if he did co-lead a guild at some point, then he definitely should be...unless it was a bad guild...optimism, Alice! I bet he's great!'

Alice laughed once again at Lavay's words, a small grin forming on her face once again. "I dunno, can't have done that bad if you could actually afford SAO! And the Nervegear, too. But yeah, I imagine a lot of people have gotten a do-over here...", she stated, trailing off somewhat wistfully at the end. 'I know I have.'

At the next words to come from her newest friend, the fluffy-haired player smirked. "Grand adventure indeed! This is how all protagonists start though, y'know? Maybe we'll end up being the ones to get us to the top floor and escape! Gotta start somewhere, after all, and if you're just starting then of course it's small!", she responded, a spring returning to her step. "But yeah, it'll be nice to have someone to progress with. Who knows, maybe we'll end up in a guild!"

Alice was halfway pleased that the brunet hadn't noticed. At least then she didn't have to deal with potentially making him feel guilty for bringing it up. "Yeah, we should be able to do all sorts of awesome stuff! No magic though, so probably not much chance of that. Although I'd already have to be pulled out of this anyway", she agreed, looking up to him. "Definitely unique...and yep! Can't wait to kill my first enemy!"

With the first time stepping out of the walls of the Town of Beginnings, Alice's eyes widened. She hadn't seen it before, but stretching out over the horizon was vast grasslands, populated with everything from Boars to Dire Wolves to the insect-type monsters she would rather stay away from. Pulling her spear from her back, Alice looked down to it, and her cloth armour. She needed to be careful. She took a deep breath, then let it go, before looking up at Jim. "I'll hit first, okay? I'll start with a Heft. If I hit, use a normal attack. If not, use your strongest Sword Art."

With the strategy set, Alice pointed out a boar within running distance. With another deep breath, she sprinted towards the creature, spear held diagonally across her so she could transition into her Sword Art as early as possible. And she did. The moment she got close enough, the spear-wielder felt her body carried through the movements, the tip of her spear rising across the creature and leaving a wonderful red grid across it, marking where she had struck. She saw its health-bar rapidly transition from the 10-health it previously had down to 2. Wonderful!

And lucky for the girl, her strike had thrown the creature off balance, causing it to tumble to the ground as it came rushing towards her, skidding past almost comically towards Lavay. As she saw it go careening past, Alice let out a breath. She was glad she had managed to land a hit, but just as happy that she had managed to avoid getting hurt. She didn't even know if you could feel pain in SAO, but she didn't particularly want to find out.

Action: Heft 4x2 = 8 damage

Roll ID# 86178

BD: 7 (Hit)

Roll ID# 86180

MD: 1 (Crit fail)

[H:1] Alice Irving: 20/20 (0/2)

Boar - HP: 2/10

Alice nodded quietly at Jim's mention of the creator's courtesy. She was glad he was smiling. It showed that he did not, in fact, hate her. The offer to assist her with the quest told her that too, but a smile always helped. She nodded again, this time a small giggle escaping, at how you couldn't swing a sword around in real life without getting arrested. "Well, I suppose that depends on where you do it. Things like HEMA clubs have swinging swords around as the whole point, after all!", she responded, a brighter grin spreading on her face.

A stuck-out tongue came in reply to Lavay's wink. "And I'll keep to it! No point making promises if you can't keep them, after all! Plus, it's not like I have anything to pay you with, so my help is kinda all I can offer, really", Alice explained, her cheerfulness quite clearly dominating her image. 

Alice pushed herself up onto tiptoes as Lavay moved his hand behind his back to pat the blade. "Ooooooooh...I um...I couldn't see it from down here...", she replied sheepishly, looking down to the ground with a small, embarrassed smile. However, she quickly bounced back at his words, making her way to the gate alongside the taller man.

While she had been expecting the journey to the gate to have some chatter, Alice certainly hadn't expected the question that Lavay posed first. She gulped, almost audibly, and looked down to the ground once again. "I uh...like I said, there's things I can do here that I...can't do in real life. More than the usual stuff. I love the whole living-in-a-fantasy-world part, but...there are other things about it I like more."

Alice gave a tiny "Eep!", of half-fear at the hand that was extended to her, before realising it was an offer to help her up. "Ah, profession? That would actually be...a great idea to think about!", she responded.

Placing one hand on Lavay's wrist and one in his hand itself, the spear-wielder pulled herself up. Now that she was standing, she could see that she indeed barely reached this player's shoulders. He was tall. Were people usually this tall? Even her father was only 5'10". Was this man one of the fabled '6 foot tall men'? She had no clue. At his flub, a couple notes of laughter left her, before she took her standing position, both hands behind her back and one leg crossed over the other.

"Well, maybe. But it definitely feels real! That's great, I think. I'd hate to be here if it felt fake", the poofy-haired player replied. Her eyes followed the sand as it drifted through his fingers. Everything about it looked exactly the same as real life. 'How much money did they even put into this...?', she wondered, before her thoughts were cut off by Lavay's musing. "O-Oh, well, I'm...actually kinda enjoying it here, if I'm honest. There's...plenty of things I can do here, that I can't do in real life, after all!"

'Like walk.'

Alice shook the thought out of her head. This was her world now. Here, she could walk. She could dance and run and jump and walk and everything else involving the use of legs. 

Once again, Alice's thoughts were cut off by the tall brunet. "Oh, well, it's um...it's actually related to professions. Earning a Living is the quest name, I think. I'm planning on becoming an Artisan, you see, and the one teaching me has sent me out to kill boars until I get a tusk. Then I'm gonna make a ring from it! Um...I guess if you help me out with mine, I can help you out with yours when you decide?", she offered, looking up to Lavay. 

"A-Anyway, how do you fight? I'm...only level 1, unfortunately. But I can still hit pretty hard! I do 4 damage, right now. And 8 if I use Heft! I use a Two-Handed Assault Spear. How about you? Let's start walking to the gate, too.", the spear-wielder stated, turning on her heel and practically bouncing towards the gate. 'I have a friend! This is wonderful!'

Alice sighed. With the amount of people with various professions she had seen about, she had decided to finally attempt to get her own. Weighing her options, she eventually decided on becoming an Artisan. She had quite enjoyed trinket-making and various other creative pursuits in her old life, and so decided to do the same in this life. While the were many new things she wished to try, which she most certainly couldn't before, she did wish to keep some of her hobbies from back then, and so decided to make a job of it.

Unfortunately, Alice's attempts to find a teacher for an, in her mind, adorable artisan-in-waiting, had proven fruitless. Slumping somewhat, she looked around, until her eyes finally rested on yet another Artisan's shop, and she quickly made her way towards it. Surely someone would be willing to teach her, it was just a case of not giving up...right?

A bell chimed at the opening of the door, and before the shopkeeper could even greet her, the aspiring Artisan launched into how she desired a teacher, and whether he would teach her, and everything else even tangentially related. A few moments later, she was hurried out of the door with a quest to return with the tusk of a boar to create a ring. It took the fluffy-haired girl a moment to process what had happened, that she had actually succeeded, before hopping on the spot and letting out a squeal. A couple of passing players turned towards her with a raised eyebrow, but she paid no heed to them. Instead, she immediately started wondering whether being an Artisan was the right option for her. Blacksmiths could make their own weapons after all, and tailors could make armour. All Artisans could do were make trinkets to boost people somewhat, but they weren't as useful as-

Alice fell to the ground. Without even realising it, Alice had started walking as she mumbled to herself, on auto-pilot to one of the notice-boards. She was scared to take on foes by herself. After all, she was only level 1! Her body had started heading towards somewhere she could put up a notice, to recruit another's assistance in the wholesale slaughter of random mobs in hope of looting one of their tusks, until she found herself on the floor. Groaning somewhat, she looked up to what she had walked into. Another player. Tall, with short brown hair and what looked like green eyes from the ground. She wondered if she would even reach his shoulders.

The girl stammered for a moment when she realised she had walked into him, and immediately placed faith in him to be nice. "U-Um...would you...perhaps like to um, go on a quest with me? Sorry for bumping into you by the way! I was just um, not really looking where I was going and uh...yeah...I'm Alice! Um...w-what's your name?", she questioned, a sheepish look and a nervous grin on her face as she looked everywhere but at the player she had walked into. "Th-The um...the starter town is...very pretty, isn't it?", Alice continued, attempting to deflect from her clumsiness. 'Please don't hate me, please don't hate me, please don't hate me...'

Alice struggled, standing on her tiptoes, to pin the poster she had drawn up onto the billboard. With a furrowed brow and a stuck-out tongue, she finally gave an "Aha!" at the feeling of the pin finally sinking in. She didn't want to put it down low. In that case, nobody would see it! And while getting it high enough may have been a struggle, she was certain it would end up getting seen by more players. Though whether they would actually take her up on her quest she was uncertain. Still, the girl had faith in at least someone to come forward and help her.

Quote

<<Seeking Assistance>>

Hi! I'm looking for someone to accompany me through the <<The First Few Lessons Are Free>> quest, as well as any others that happen to pop up! I'm new, so I don't really have any rewards to offer, but I'm happy to be friends with someone! I guess I can help you with farming or grinding or something at some point, if you need it. For reference, I'm level 1 still. 

Alice Irving

With her poster now up, Alice quickly returned to the inn where she was staying, sincerely hoping someone would take her up on her offer. She could use a friend here, even if she was one of the few who were actually enjoying their time in this world.

Profile
Username: Alice Irving
Real name: Alice Irving
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Height: 5'2"

About: History/personality

In the real world, Alice was born in Ipswich, England, as a sickly girl, prone to illness, and without the use of her legs. Due to being unable to do so many things, she took solace in various other activities, such as books, cooking and tailoring. Her greatest home was video games, however, especially MMOs due to being able to meet and make friends in these virtual worlds, which she was incapable of doing in real life. Her parents, feeling pity for their daughter, were quite happy to enable this, figuring it being better than anything self-destructive. Of course, when Sword Art Online was released, Alice's parents leaped on the chance to buy this virtual reality game for their daughter, so she could experience life as a normal person.

Personality-wise, Alice is a generally nice person. She's kind-hearted and caring, with a maternal streak, and with a strong desire for friendship. One of her greatest desires, however, is to be, and feel, useful. She cannot stand simply sitting by and watching others, and is quite happy to (metaphorically) leap into action. Of course, this makes her quite a hard worker. However, she is often uncertain of her actions and capabilities, not quite believing herself to be good enough. She can also be somewhat clingy, due to not getting to make many friends in the real world. As for things she likes, she absolutely adores nature, as well as creative pursuits such as art, tailoring and metallurgy.

Unlike many others in SAO, Alice is actually happy about the situation. To her, it means she can finally live as a normal girl, rather than escaping to be one for a few hours every day. Many of her real-world traits carry over, such as not being able to stand by while watching another fight. Both because of her caring personality, as well as the desire to make a friend out of them. However, she is also somewhat cowardly. Mostly because, understandably, she doesn't want to die. But Alice cares more about living in Aincrad than in the real world, due to her ability to go out and live a relatively normal life, albeit in a fantasy world. In Aincrad, Alice desperately wants to make a name for herself. She wants to be somebody that people know, rather than the unknown shut-in her real self is. She is also surprisingly more optimistic than she is in real life.

Virtues:

Alice is greatly caring. She desperately desires to protect and assist others, and will absolutely not stand by to watch another get hurt. She will leap into combat beside anyone, provided they're not a player-killer. And even then, if they are truly in dire straits, than she may join them, if only because she does not wish to have stood by while she may have been able to save someone from death.

Although sometimes uncertain about her own actions, Alice is incredibly optimistic. She is quite good at raising the morale of those around her due to her personality. Whether it be by believing that there is a way to get through things in a dark situation, or simply because of caring for other members of the party, she is capable of keeping others happy, and their moods from dipping. 

Due to her lack of friends in real life, Alice is incredibly friendly. She is always eager to talk to and make friends of other players, and sees practically everyone as a potential friend. Of course, Player Killers still earn some ire from her, but it is possible for her to be convinced that what they did was justified. Provided it actually was, of course.

Flaws:

While optimistic, Alice is often uncertain of her own actions. She can be paralyzed by indecision and multiple choices, and is never quite sure about whether she made the best choice. Unless, of course, there is solid, hard evidence of it, like a person living because of what she did. 

Alice's caring nature has a downside to it. Namely, the fact that she is unable to stand by while another needs her help. Unless she would undoubtedly die as a result of it, she will always rush to another's aid, and would take a long time to get over it if she in fact did not. This mostly comes from the fact that she's afraid of the possibility of someone getting severely injured, or even dying, because she decided not to help them.

Although bold, Alice can also be somewhat cowardly. She desperately doesn't want to die, and if it looks like things are turning sour, she will turn tail and run, or use a teleport crystal if incapable of running. She can be convinced into staying, through either guilting her with the possibility of someone dying, or appealing to her desire to build a reputation, however this would require someone to be close enough to know that those things would actually work.

Profession: N/A

Skills

SP Spent/Earned: 5/5

Inventory
Col spent/owned: 0/0

Roleplays
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