Yukiro

Violet laughed as she walked over to Yukiro. "Oh, hush now. You still took it out in one turn." She gave him a pat on the back. Yukiro looked down at her and gave a slight smile. 
"Maybe. But," he pointed to his health gauge, "If I can't even kill a bat without that happening, how can I expect myself to protect people like you from a floor boss?" 

"Oh?" Violet and Yukiro looked at tyhe black cat and saw it holding the gem that she needed. "Ah, thank you, Dahlia," Violet said, taking the gem from the large cat. Violet then turned her attention back to Yukiro. "Anyways, I'm sure any woman would appreciate the power you showed today," she said with a laugh. 
Yukiro tilted his head. He didn't really get what she meant by that, but he decided to accept it as a compliment. 

"So, what now? I suppose I need a shiny rock too," he glanced around, but didn't see any. But, as it turned out, he wasn't the only one who wanted to look around. 
The previously sleeping sugar glider peeked it's head out of Yukiro's pocket, now very awake, looking around at Violet and Dahlia. A small bark, similar to a chihuahua's came from the little guy. 

@Violet Smith

Violet laughed. "Ah, so the prey has an attitude now?" she asked, amused. But soon she was on her feet and coming to meet Yukiro's familiar. 
Well, she was.
A loud roar suddenly echoed through the cave. Yukiro turned to see that Dahlia had... oh, one of the gems. Good job, cat. Oh, and that the cat sat standing on a giant bat. 
Wait. Giant bats are bad. He should take care of that. 
"Get out of the way!" Violet yelled. rushing forward. The big cat moved from atop the bat and--

Yukiro seemed to simply appear behind the bat, no warning, no blur of movement. He'd finally mastered his original technique; he didn't know what to call it still. Speed move? No, that was really dumb. 
Almost within the moment of being next to the bat the thing whipped into the air and tried to bite and claw the man. Yukiro didn't appreciate this. His hand flashed upward and grabbed the bat's head, slamming it down into the ground with enough force to reduce it's health to ze--
Oh, no, wait. It had a sliver of HP left. With a heavy sigh Yukiro thrust his swords tip into the creature, shattering it. 
"Tch, still too weak. That was intended to kill it instantly."

@Violet Smith

"Nothing I guess. Koga isn't talking to me so there is no chance of anything there. I don't know if you want me around really. I was expecting you to just ignore me honestly..."
"..." 
Yukiro had to pause for a moment, just to collect the right words. 
"I want you around," Yukiro told her, "Even if I wanted to, I don't think I could ignore you. And I don't want to. So if Koga won't talk to you," he moved ahead of Tala, walking backwards with a huge grin, "Then come stay with me for a little while." He took a deep breath. "I won't ever abandon you, I promise. Okay?" 

Yukiro watched Tala walk up to the old fisherman and give him the fishing pole. "Hey, I have this from Hannah for you."
"Ah thank you. Now, how about you two get on my boat with me and fish up this beast of a sword fish? He always get's away when I try to get him without help." 
"Guess we are going fishing." Tala told Yukiro with a sigh. 
Yukiro smirked slightly. "I called it." 

Yukiro offered a hand to help Tala into the boat. It looked stable enough, but it was still floating, so he didn't want her to fall into the water. 

@Tala

"Don't drink that. There's probably worm feces in there," Violet laughed.
"Wow, thank you for that warning. I always plan on drinking mysterious glowing liquids I find in caves. Close call." 
Oops. Tala must be rubbing off on Yukiro. He was starting to talk more sarcastically and less... well, less politely lately, though it was rarer than not. 
Yukiro dumped the water out of his hands and back into the pool, but noticed his hands were still glowing. Interesting. Ignoring the strange fact he stood up and walked back over to Violet, who had started to chew on something. Which brought something to mind. Something that tasted good. 
He flicked open his inventory and pulled out one of his many, many dragon fruit smoothies and started to quietly slurp it through the provided straw. He began to walk even further in while his hands glowed and his smoothie tasted amazing. 
And, just as he predicted, he started to hear a surprisingly loud barking noise coming from his pocket. 
"Yumi's gonna be up in a minute if you wanna come say hi," he called out to Violet.

@Violet Smith

"I think I can walk from here Yukiro. But can I carry Yumi still?" Tala asked. 
Yukiro smiled. "Of course you can. Yumi really likes you, so I think I can trust you to carry him," he finished with a gentle laugh. He started to walk down the hill. He was glad he'd been able to let go of what Tala had done. Really, he hadn't been completely sure if he was going to be able to. But he did, and that was what mattered for now. 
"So, I know I always ask, but what are your plans for when you're done with this quest? If I may ask, of course," he followed up. He wasn't sure if she wanted to tell him anything at this point. And he couldn't blame her if she did. She wasn't the only one who'd lost their cool that day. He'd also lashed out pretty heavily, and completely disregarded who might be in the crossfire. 

@Tala

Yukiro bent over so Violet could peek into his pocket. There was a small gasp before she whispered, "It's so cute," and pulled away, continuing on their path towards the cave. 
Smiling Yukiro nodded and kept walking. He knew the little climber would be up and about soon enough. 

It was a while before they reached the cave, but they made it in good time. 
"Hey, watch your step. You don't know what could be inside here," Violet cautioned Yukiro as she slowly walked into the cave. Around them were glowing pools of water, stalactites and stalagmites, and some glowing... things that gave only just enough lighting to see a bit. Yukiro had no idea what the glowing things were. 
"Wow," Violet gasped. She looked completely stunned. And really, Yukiro was too. Last time he'd been here it was pitch black, no light whatsoever. It felt a little unfair. 
Yukiro walked in a little deeper and kneeled at one of the pools, sticking his hands in and picking up some water in his cupped hands. 

@Violet Smith

It felt like an eternity before Bahr-- er, Apollo spoke. 

"Don't bow like that, weirdo," he said calmly, "It's not like it's your fault, you have no control over what they do. Besides..." 

Yukiro stood up straighter and looked at B-- Apollo. There was a strange look in his eyes that Yuki didn't recognize. "It's you who needs the emotional support right now. And while I might not be great at that, I do know a place with good comfort food. Come on, I'll show you."

Yukiro stood there stunned for a moment as Ba-- as Apollo turned and started to make his way towards the mysterious place. But the moment passed soon, and he quickly seized his sword and sheathed it at the same moment as his older brother before jogging to catch up. 

It wasn't long before the pair reached an only vaguely familiar restaurant. It took Yukiro's mind a few moments to process where they were. He turned his head roughly one third to the side and looked at... Bah-- Apollo's shop, the name of which was still completely illegible to Yukiro. Not that he'd admit that.

Turning his attention to the place Bahr... 
Turning his attention to the place Apollo had brought him, Yukiro read the sign. Oscar's Hot Dog Stand. That was an... odd name. What did dogs have to do with food? 

"This is the place. You ever been around here before?" Apollo asked. Yukiro shook his head. 

"Er... no, I've only seen it from out here. Honestly I was always... confused by it's name." 

What, exactly, was a hot dog supposed to be?

@Bahr

"Even if I was to apologize to them, I highly doubt that they would forgive me at this point. But you..." she paused for a moment, "I'm sorry Yukiro. I dragged you into it..." 

Tala started to rub Yumi's head. The sugar glider eyes slowly closed again and laid his head down as he snuggled up on Tala's chest. A barely audible purring came from Yumi's body. Tala smiled softly. "Thank you Yuki. You know, I really don't deserve your kindness..."
Yukiro smiled as he started to climb a hill. "I don't think that's true. And if it was, then I still want to give it to you." 
He neared the top of the tall hill when he heard Yumi make a sound he hadn't heard before. What was that? A... hiccup? 
Sure enough, the tiny animal bounced with his next hiccup. And again with the next. And again. Even Yukiro had to admit that it was cute. 

Once he'd crested the hill a massive, shining blue lake could be seen. A small house was next to the water, and an even smaller dock near that. 

@Tala

"Familiar? Where!" Violet asked excitedly. She walked up to Yukiro and started hopping at his pocket, but failing to see into it. The big kitten-- er, Dahlia also walked up and started to sniff around his legs. 
Yukiro sighed and looked Violet in her glittering eyes. "I'll show you. But you have to promise to be quiet. He sleeps during the day, so it's midnight for him."

"I see you got a lot done since we last saw each other. And you've leveled as well. Good. Less likely for anyone to take you out." 
Yukiro smiled at the compliment, but shook his head. "I'm stronger, but not nearly strong enough. Though either way I don't plan on being taken out." 
"Come on. Let's head out. I want to get back before dinner. Then maybe we can sit down and eat together." Violet turned and started to lead Yukiro out of town, grinning back at him. Yukiro smiled a bit and started to walk to catch up. 
"Yeah, that sounds nice."

@Violet Smith

Tala made a tiny squeak when Yukiro picked her up. It softened Yukiro's heart, just a bit. Yeah, this was still the Tala he knew and... wait, what was he just about to think?
The small girl looked up at Yukiro and nodded. "I... went too far yesterday didn't I?" 
Yukiro nodded. "Being blunt, you said some very horrible things. I wasn't even a victim of your words and they still shook me to my core." That was true. But still... 
"Even so," he started, without looking down at her, "I know it's not worth much, but I forgive you. And I hope you can find it in your heart to apologize one day." 
There was a small shifting in Yukiro's front pocket, which gave him an idea. He stopped and kneeled down, resting Tala's leg's on his knee so he could reach into his pocket and scoop out Yumi, the little sugar glider. Yumi sleepily looked up at Yukiro and then at Tala. Yukiro placed the little guy on Tala's chest and lifted her back up. 
"He likes to sleep in the sun on occasion. And maybe cuddling the little guy will make you feel better." 

@Tala

"Yeah," Tala nodded. 
It was a few moments before either of them moved, but when they did, Tala moved first. She started to walk at a brisk pace towards the lake, but she ended up slowing down and eventually stopping again. Yukiro watched her do it without moving from his place. 
With a heavy sigh Yukiro walked up to Tala. 
"Sorry, pardon my not asking again." 
Yukiro bent down and easily lifted Tala in his arms, walking forward while carrying her. 
"If you can't walk, let me carry you. If you can't fight, let me fight for you. And, Tala, if you're feeling down," he smiled brightly at her, "Let me help you feel better. I promised to always be there for you, didn't I?" 
He held her close, not that he could do much else while carrying her, and kept his eyes ahead, trying to spot the lake they were supposed to be headed to. 
And now, an insight into the mind of Yukiro;
What am I doing she hates me right now she hates this this is a really bad idea stop doing what you're doing it's just going to get her mad at you she's gonna want to try and kill you...

@Tala

"So, owl, how much longer you gonna be using my brother? Or do you plan on just using him until the end to break his heart hm?" 
"Jesus H. Christ. Tala, would you give it a rest, please?"
"Give what a rest? What in the hell is going on?" 
Yukiro had no idea what to do or, if he was being honest, what was going on. But he did know one thing. He had to step in. And he had to do it now. 
"Tala. That was uncalled for. You wanted to duel them? So be it. But at least spare them the overly cruel words." 
Without hesitating for even a moment Yukiro, who was still partied with Tala, sent a duel request to Koga's party. His eyes turned to Tala. They weren't red anymore; his eyes had turned an icy blue. 
"If you have something to say, say it with your sword," he commanded, "It's more effective, trust me. I've been doing since I was born." 
Yukiro turned to Noctua and Koga, his eyes reverting to their usual crimson shade. "You have my apologies. Please indulge us this one time. It wasn't our intention to be that rude."
His simultaneously cold and apologetic gave focused on the entire group. "Please accept my apologies." 

@Tala

Tala looked up at Yukiro with a terrible attempt at a smile. That was it. Something was seriously wrong. 
She nodded her head. "Yeah, the saxophone seems to be the only real thing that the crystals like too." 
Yeah, something was very, very wrong. She wasn't smiling. She wasn't talking more than she was breathing. This somber attitude was even worse than when they were in the cave. Yukiro had to do something. He had to. 
"Tala..." 
What can I do... What can I do... 
One thing popped into his mind. If he waited for a better one then he might miss any chance he had. So he just did it. 
Yukiro stopped, turned, and wrapped his arms around Tala, hugging her tightly. 
"You said I didn't have to ask anymore," he reminded her, just in case it caught her off guard. 
He released her the girl shortly. "Once we're done here, would you take me to your studio and sing for me?" 

@Tala

"I'll come running to you Yukiro." 
That warmed Yukiro's heart, just a little. It was good to know that she would come to him when she was ready. 

"Honestly, I have no clue. I just know that this needs to be delivered to Ol' Pete," Tala said quietly. She turned and started off, probably expecting Yukiro to follow along. Which he did. Yukiro quickly caught up with Tala and walked at her side, though not as close as he did yesterday. He wasn't sure he should. Even if he wanted to. 
What is going on in your head, Tala? 

Yukiro cleared his throat. "So. Um..." he realized he had nothing to ask her anymore. Come on, think... "Oh! How's your shop been doing, Tala? I noticed you opened one! A performer, right? I remembered you liked to sing and play... uh... saxophone?" 
He really hoped he remembered that correctly. He never dropped by there did he? He needed to do that sometime. 

@Tala

Tala's eyes opened when Yukiro spoke. She got a small smile. "Truthfully, no. But it's probably best to just not talk on it, I think. I don't know anymore. It's complicated."
She glanced up at him for just a moment before looking away again. 
Yukiro looked at her for a moment. Something was clearly still wrong, but he didn't want to pry if he didn't have to. So he'd wait, for a little bit at least. 
"Alright, I won't as then. But if you want to talk, about anything at all," Yukiro tried to speak softly, "I'll listen."
"Now then," he continued without waiting for a response, "This time it's the fourth lesson, right? I haven't done this one before, so let me know what I'm in for on the way, alright?" 
It took a bit of effort, but Yukiro gave Tala the best smile he could manage. "Though I have a few ideas based on the fishing pole. Are we getting to go fishing?" 
Brilliant observation Yukiro. Fishing poles are, in fact, used for fishing. 

@Tala

Yukiro was laying on a roof. Why was he laying on a roof? Because he was feeling kinda down. Why wasn't he on his bench? Because some arrogant jerk in golden armor was already there. He was trying not to think of these things when he heard a ding that told him he had gotten a message. He checked it. Oh, it was from Tala. Yeah, that was why he was down in the first place. 

Quote

To: Yukiro
Hey Yukiro, I don't know if you want to join me, but I am going to do the final beginner quest. I'll wait for you at the town's entrance if you want to join.
From: Tala

The fourth lesson, huh... He had to admit, he was a little mad at her. Tala had said some really nasty things the other day, things that she had clearly not been sorry for. 
Sitting up Yukiro closed his menu and rubbed his back. Yeah, even if she'd done something wrong, it was still Tala. He stood up and meandered to the edge of the roof, being careful when he hopped off. He didn't wanna end up doing what Apollo did. 
Eventually he ended up at the town's entrance. Tala was still waiting, just like she'd said. 
"Hey. Are you doing alright? After yesterday?" 
He just wanted to make sure whatever was eating at her wasn't still doing so. 

@Tala

”Hey, I’m going to get deep for a second.”
Oh? What's this? Cordelia had always seemed to be the fun-loving kind of person, so this came as a surprise. 
She turned to face Yukiro completely. “Do you really want to get out of here? Out of Aincrad?” 

...
Yukiro had never considered that. Did he really want to leave Aincrad? To go back to the real world? Did he really? 
Do I have anything to go back to? 

”Actually, forget it,” Cordelia said abruptly, making Yukiro jump a bit. He looked over to see her small smile. ”You’re almost my level, right? Let’s have a duel soon. . . Okay?” she asked. She looked excited, her eyes even seemed to sparkle for a moment. "I’m sure it’ll be fun,” she murmured, turning her head away again. 
A duel? Like... a fight? Could Yukiro even approach that level of skill yet? 
"...I have to admit, it'll be my first player fight in game. But... Yeah, sure! It sounds fun!" 
Yukiro felt the snow around him crack a bit and continued in a more serious tone as he started to struggle a bit more. 
"As for leaving Aincrad. I... If I'm being completely honest, no. I want to stay. I've found something for myself here. A place to belong, almost. In the real world... I'm isolated from others. To keep me pure, free of 'sins', as they called it."

@Cordelia

Noctua took his hand (Yukiro had to try very hard to suppress a blush) stood up once more. "I'm good. Between the armor and Athena, it wasn't as much as it probably seemed. Though it did take the wind from me that much is for sure," she laughed and shook her head, "No need to apologize. I offered we come up remember. Yukiro, please. I'm trying to break out of the old habit of being...scared of everything. I know that some things have true fear, but right now, I need to break the fear of being somewhere where things might actually hurt."
She paused. Yukiro considered her words. "But, if you wish to leave we can." 
The pursuit of escaping her fear. That... that was a noble pursuit. Yukiro could respect that. The desire to get stronger, emotionally and physically. Because that was his own pursuit. 
But at the same time... 
"I think it's best that we call it a day. But," he stopped himself for a moment, "If you ever want me to come and help you, with anything, feel free to do so." 

NET REWARDS

Alright. They were done. That's it. Troll's done. Noctua's done. Yukiro was done. It was time to end that and leave. 
That was Yukiro's decision the moment he saw the troll hit Noctua with it's club. If this was going to be dangerous for Noctua then it wasn't going to happen. 
Yukiro didn't bother with any theatrics this time. He stood up. He walked over to the troll. He raised his sword and he slashed it down through the troll's side. The troll bellowed as it's HP reduced to zero. And the mob shattered into fragments. 
Yukiro sheathed his sword and went to Noctua's side. "Are you alright? That was a major hit there," he asked as he offered the girl a hand to help her up. 
"My apologies. I didn't think it would be all that dangerous, and you got hurt," he gave a slight bow, "I have enough for now. I'm ready to leave when you are."

@Noctua

Yukiro heard Cordelia sigh. "I should really start paying more attention to Pacco, here," she said softly, chuckling a bit, "I don't want to be those kinds of people who only stick around with their familiars for the buff."
Right, she had a familiar. He'd forgotten about the crow that was always around her. Perhaps he should pay more attention to people's familiars as well. It would be a good practice to learn. 
"So. Do you have a familiar?" she asked, turning her head to face Yukiro. "Or are you planning on getting one soon?" 
Yukiro shook his head, starting to wiggle and shift inside the snowball. If she wasn't going to get him out, then by all means, he was going to get himself out. 
"I don't have one, no. And I haven't really thought about getting one lately. I've mostly been focused on fighting and leveling up. Actually," he stopped wiggling to think for a moment, "Leveling and helping new players is all I do at all. I usually just eat and sleep in between training and helping out lower levels. Yeah that sums up my life right now." 

@Cordelia

Yukiro heard Noctua say, "Keep me alive Athena." to her owl. He had to wonder what it did. Ah, no matter. There was an owl noise, and then Yukiro heard Noctua activate a sword art and dash past him. She thrust he rapier into the Troll's limbs once each, making the thing bellow. It apparently didn't like being stabbed in all four limbs. The thing's stun must have worn off, it had been more than long enough to for it to do so. 
Yukiro stepped forward again. He should be trying to hit this thing. 
But he tripped. And fell plat on his face. Because he just did for some reason. He blamed the system. It must be the game's system. 
Now, before the troll attacked again. 
"Noctua! Switch!" 
Yukiro decided if he couldn't deal damage, he should at least be trying to tank it. Noctua didn't have the HP to take to many hits, but he did. 

@Noctua

Noctua looked up at Yukiro for a moment, "Couldn't you have it moved? Perhaps come and join Koga and myself over in that area?" 
Eh? Move his shop? Could he even do that? Was that a thing you could do? Just pack up and change locations all of a sudden? Huh, if he could do that it would save him a lot of stress at his shop. "I will keep that in mind. It's worth considering." 

Once the troll was stunned, Noctua unleashed a sword art on it. An appreciated move, Yukiro decided. Reduced the damage he'd have to do. The troll was slowly but surely starting to recover enough to attack though, so Yukiro stepped forward to deal the final blow and...
And the troll moved its log in the way. That was disappointing. Yukiro's sword art fueled attack was blocked by the thick trunk, causing Yukiro to deal an incredible zero damage before the Troll completely recovered from its stun. 

@Noctua

Violet turned around and smiled at Yukiro. "Ah, so you finally made it. Go ahead and pick up-" 
Life seemed to really want to ruin Yukiro's good mood. 
Before Violet even finished her sentence a large black cat slammed into Yukiro's chest and knocked him backwards to the ground. It stared Yukiro dead in the eyes, fangs bared and still growling. 
Yukiro looked at it, seeming kinda bored. He'd just fought a massive sand whale thing, so this didn't seem quite as bad. Maybe it wanted a dragon fruit smoothie. 
"Dahlia, down!" Violet said loudly. The miracle-growth kitten restlessly returned to her side. "Yukiro is a friend," she explained to the cat (presumably Dahlia) as she pet it's head. Violet turned back toward Yukiro, blushing. Blushing? That was rare. "Um, sorry about that. She's still protective. You know, we're just two killers walking about. We're used to not trusting others," she laughed, "But anyways, go and grab the quest. Then we can head out." 
Yukiro sat up and rubbed the back of his head. "It's fine. I seem to have things jump on me more than you'd think." 
As he said it though, a shockingly loud, raspy noise similar to a cicada came from his chest. Yukiro jumped a bit at the sudden noise and checked his pocket. Yumi, the sugar glider, was apparently not happy to be woken from his nap. "Sorry, sorry. Go back to sleep if you're not happy," he mumbled into his chest pocket. 
Finally standing up Yukiro accepted the quest and sent a party invitation to Violet. "Sorry about that. My familiar isn't a morning person."

@Violet Smith

Noctua gave Yukiro a glare. 
"No one is picking me up unless it's to help me to my feet. I'm not weak I can freaking walk here people!"
No, no you can't. You have a broken foot. That one of the only ways people lose the ability to walk. 
Sure enough, when Noctua tried to stand up sh immediately started to speak very violently in a foreign language. What was it, French? Italian? Spanish? He didn't know languages all that well. 
"...fine, someone can carry me..."
"Koga can do it," NIGHT immediately called out with a smug look. Yukiro had to wonder who else would do it, seeing that the two were dating, but he didn't point it out. Without waiting NIGHT turned away and started off towards town. 
She must have plans. 
"So you guys have any other plans after this?" NIGHT called back. She turned to walk backwards. 
Yukiro gave it some thought. "I don't personally. Probably go out and fight something. Maybe I'll come back and take this quest myself." 
He didn't really plan on coming back. But it was an option he'd leave open just in case. 

@Koga

Quote

Meet me inside the grove of trees. Hannah should be there.

-Violet Delta Smith

Huh. Guess Delta is her middle name? Interesting. 
Yukiro was in a good mood lately, because reasons. His rapidly increasing level and stats helped too. So he had no issues with going to help Violet out today. He stood up from his chair just outside a diner and equipped his coat, boots, and sword. It was safe to say they were going to have to do the third lesson; go deep into a system of caves that was completely pitch black, find some glowing rocks, fight some devil bats, and find their way back out. No stress at all. Lovely day. 
A small something started to shift around in Yukiro's pocket. He checked inside; Yumi was just shifting in his sleep. He decided it would be best to let him do so. 
After a moment of walking he found the grove and entered inside it. Violet was already there, just finishing up her conversation with Hannah. 
"Hey. How are you?" 

@Violet Smith