Basuke

Just as the phanlax soldier ahead of him started to rear back for a shield-based attack, a massive blast from above seared into the construct's form and smeared its pieces to the wind. Success! ... But not from Basuke. The boy whirled around as his smile was drawn from his face, sharp eyes searching the darkness out of curiosity than surprise. The blonde-haired girl?

--Well, whoever she was, at least she was playing well as a support.

"Clean up nice!"

And so they finally cleared the way to the goal! A giant, inanimate wooden structure left poorly defended against the elements (read: players). Some of the other raiders started their way towards the trebuchet, and Basuke watched the group swarm the tower, striking against its base with all their might.

The boy hummed, thumb under his chin as he started to circle its foundation, trying to find a good way in. How many of these were out on the battlefield? Surely there couldn't be just one. The war machine was basically an artifact made new straight out of his textbooks-- though the boy wasn't about to pause just to think about its weaknesses in the heat of the moment. After some sight-seeing, the kid grumbled and took a few steps backwards, making sure to angle his footwork just right.

"Hyaaaaaa---!!!!"

One leap, and his mind went blank. Thankfully Cardinal could remember, the greater system working his body through the motions of his intended sword art for him, poor bastard manipulated one way then the other. Basuke's blade had nearly missed the trebuchet itself, but the result of a tinge of health bulking downwards was more than enough for the boy to feel like he'd done his part.

In reality, Basuke wouldn't have landed upon the floor with his hand stretched out, bouncing off of the dirt with a somersault as though he were an acrobat. But this was Aincrad, so he did exactly that. When he finally stabilized, his eyes scanned through the party. How were his friends-- err, only friend doing?

It was almost in his nature to show of. Almost, of course, because if Basuke had really been trying, he would’ve failed in a manner so spectacular that his remains would be the highlight of the event, scattered through the air in some magnificent manner.

But fate had other plans for this hero. Grand ones, with the little caveat of supplying Basuke with the means of his lordship, the fervor he’d so desperately wanted to gain, to highlight himself. With another rising slash, he’d struck the phanlax soldier ahead of him, that sear tearing through its shield all the way across its vertical, bouncing off its helmet once the needle began to lose its momentum. Another bit of hang time in the air gave him the ability to scour the soldiers; so many, once, but they were quickly dwindling given time and the numbers they had.

Were they really so capable? The thoughts failed to race through his head as the capture of his fading white picked away at his attention instead. A dive downwards. He willed it this time, despite Cardinal’s desperate attempts to shove him back on the ground – and he wailed viscerally, point tilted towards the helmet of the enemy.

–Only to have them face back towards him with a malice unforetold.

He faltered. Withdrew his strike and swapped it for a backhanded swipe once more. With his last-second decision to give way to his enemy, so too did his attack cede to eliminate it.

The phanlax soldier stood with a staggering one (1) health point left. And though Basuke knew they weren’t real, he swore he could hear the pounding in its heart as it pierced daggers into his chest.

Wait, that was him.

The boy wore a crooked smile, hunched over, still raving and high on adrenaline.

He finally breathed, letting a growl pass through his gnashed, edged teeth. “What are you looking at…?”

Hah! Funny. The moment their opponents (oh, so they were fighting something) revealed themselves from the shadows, the synchronized pounding of their banded line must've sent Basuke in a frenzy, though the boy hadn't realized it just yet. With one finger, he pointed over to the Phanlax, glancing over to their little gathering of players. "Oi, you guys see that...? Looks like from movie..."

But of course their peace didn't last long. At the sight of their foes, so too did the other tier 1 players march onwards, weapons drawn and out into the battle field. Basuke whipped around and watched them go, mouth agape and still in shock over the sudden revelation. There were so many of them -- how exactly were they going to beat them all into submission?!

With a scurry, he pulled out his needle, too. The blade felt foreign in his hands as it had every right to be, but somehow all three years of missing combat experience came back rushing to him the moment he started to launch a sword art. Imagine pulling off one of the most powerful abilities in his tool kit for the time being by sheer, complete accident. That was how the boy got by on things, and by the stars' will he took out one of the members completely with a sick kick-flip off the ground (completely system-guided), pummeling them from on-high edge downwards and cutting through their protected form. His target's armor was nothing to the might of the system, and it faltered, collapsing, before exploding into nothing but bits.

If only one could catch his smile. It was immediately eclipsed by the army huddling together even closer during his motion delay, hence closing the divide in the gap. "Really?! But I just did that! I was so cool and all!"

"Aren't you going to give me cool points for that?!"

What they were capable of? What Basuke was capable of was getting lost and tripping over himself.

--But the discussion was more than welcome. Even if all that clued him on was the idea that they were going to be fighting soon. What, could the blonde peer into the dark or something? How many enemies would they be coming up against, then; could she tell?

What about the fireworks? He wondered to himself, a small pout forming as one of their merry band began introducing their capabilities. It would be awful to miss out on them for what might've been his third time in Aincrad. The boy's gaze swept over the other players present. Did anyone else believe the festivities had any chance of continuing whenever they got out of here?

...

How would they get out of here...?

First things first though -- when he finally spotted An, the expression on his face lit up. Almost as though his wish for being in company of familiar faces had been answered. Although, he couldn't quite recall what the player was capable of.

“I-I can do everything but healing, but since I don’t have enough levels, none of the things I do are actually effective!”

Ah, so she was a theoretical swiss army knife! A Jack-of-all-Trades; wasn't that the best thing to be? Basuke was nearly caught by surprise by her capabilities; meanwhile, all he had to offer was a poking stick with which to inflict his enemies with ailments. He held out to the group -- for inspection? More so for demonstration. "One-hand sword; but haven't fought in a while..."

How long was he out of Aincrad's scene for?

"Um... loss of experience... three years?"

Oh, come on. What mook didn't have their battle equipment ready in the middle of an easy-going festival while in the midst of a black iron castle of death?

Everyone?

Including Basuke?

Oh. Oh okay. Never mind then. Zoom in on the poor boy who'd accidentally fallen in the lake the moment the fireworks started and struggled to get himself out of the water during the exploding interim. Then the sudden rise of the arm that threatened to slay any who had been within its death reach did so much as to flood the banks right where Basuke was standing--

-- and then topple the poor boy, for the second time that night.

He wouldn't escape fate today; the writhing, squealing babe, fearful for his own life. The player was soon dragged underneath the familiar sights of Floor 22, to welcome the clear, disturbed sight of the Lake of Reflection's bed, before finally feeling his back give way to the air below him, the boy tumbling through space with a howl and a scream to signify his presence.

Thank his lucky stars that the gods above had heard him. His descent, along with the other players' had been slow, almost setting him down upon his feet on purpose. This gave the kid time to swap his gear (keep it on next time, you airhead!) and begin to examine his new, subterranean dwelling.

What the hell was happening?

It was with the sudden rush of players that Basuke found himself getting swept through the crowd the moment he entered the main streets of the festival once again. This time, the stream of people carried him over to a more deserted part of town, one that greeted him with an empty cage and a peeping of birds by its side.

"You look lost."

The woman with the guitar stopped her strumming, looking over to the boy behind a low desk. Basuke couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head with a hand.

"It happens for me sometimes! Don't worry, I stay on my feet." He looked towards the back of the tent, tilting his head at the enclosure of birds. "What's this about?"

"Grandpa's magpies. We usually take them out for show during Tanabata events, but a few people have decided to drop us suggestions on running our booth this time. It's going pretty well." She glances to her magpies, before setting down her guitar, giving Basuke a tilt of her head. "Interested in giving it a shot?"

The boy was too busy being head over heels about getting closer to the birds just to observe them. The storeowner snorted at the glimmer in the player's eyes, pushing back her seat and beckoning him to follow.

He did so.

At the end of the meet and greet session, his heart must've grown several times larger.

"There," he'd announced, pulling the coloured pencils away from his paper, an artist holding up a colorful work of art. Not that his handwriting was anything pretty to look at, of course; the scrawlings were too big for the paper, for one, and the glyphs were in a language that most players in Aincrad probably weren't used to. Still, each tanzaku he'd written out had been heartfelt, and to that the boy hoped his wishes would resonate with the people around him.

He just hoped they weren't too personal to relate to.

The experience had been invigorating, the activity to clear his head. As he rose from his spot, picking up his things, Basuke jogged over to the bamboo forest, tags and their strings ready in his hands to be hung. A smile graced the boy's face as he looped them each around a branch, and a surge of pride accompanied it as it welled through the boy's chest, looking over his row of work. Now he had to return the left over crafting materials, and all would be well in the world.

[Basuke hangs his Tanzaku.]

He'd settled on reading only the few at the edge of the forest in awe, before getting too excited and unpacking the small kit in his hands, a grin plastered across his scrunched up face. Deft fingers slipped the band over the papers -- he'd picked up the plainest one first to examine it over. Because it was most likely to be discarded, so better get its contents out of the way before he'd set it aside for disposal.

Oh, a prompt sheet? From the writing (and it was, thankfully, translated), he could tell that the instructions provided to him was to answer accordingly to these questions if he didn't have any idea for what to jot down.

Well, Basuke was always one up for a challenge! That, and his head empty, one braincell. He'd looked over the page's back to ensure that it was empty and that he hadn't missed out on any more crucial information, before he unpicked the metal case in his other hand.

He'd fished out a few coloured pencils (dark blue, bright green, blood red) before taking a seat by a larger stalk, beginning to go through the list's contents.

"Holy hell...!"

Those were the only words the young boy had for himself whenever he cast his gaze upon the large sea of people and festivities. The whole area was set in a blanket of crimson and ruby glows, aside from the occasional yellow from the lanterns, and blues from the oft missed sapphire decorations. Basuke walked the streets with a grin widening across his face. Hands in pockets, eyes sparkling with curiosity, he followed the wave of players from one end of the road to the other.

--And ended up at a somewhat-dense forest entrance, the most of which was packed with small groups of players looking over what seemed like colourful papers.

"Tanzaku," the NPC echoed to him, when he'd accidentally entered said woman's vicinity. The little booth she'd set up was nearly missable in the dark -- thank goodness the boy hadn't accidentally ran into the clutter of stationary and boxes set to the side. "If you're in the area to celebrate Tanabata, why not write out some wishes of your own?"

"It's a wish making event?" He asked with a look of awe.

"That's right! It's a Japanese custom." The lady fanned out a small cluster of papers in her hand, waving it around. "You answer a few prompts here, and then hang them on one of the bamboo stalks over yonder."

"That's so cool...!"

"Isn't it?" The two stars seemed to exchange beams with each other, Basuke bouncing on his heels a little. "If you're up for it--"

"-- I am!"

"That's great!" A small case was offered to him -- the papers splayed in a variety of colours on top, attached with a tiny red rubber band. "Then, here you go! Take your time with them!"

With two hands did the player receive the kit, his heart swelling with indomitable pride. A giant bow, and a "Thank you very much!", Basuke made his way over to the bamboo stalks, wanting to check out how other players might've participated in the event.

[Tanzaku received.]

"Oh no." The words rolled off Basuke's tongue, the boy in visible dismay. As he approached Andromeda's side, his hands were tucked snugly in his hoodie's pockets as he examined the area with a sweeping gaze, excitement glittering in his eyes. The boy held a tinge of admiration for the view; the little garden plants and the lake were both a lovely touch to the cafe. Having an establishment was already a wondrous work in itself to behold. But, obviously, the glaring flaw that stood out to him was--

"--They builded the house the wrong way?"

To Basuke, he had assumed that the realization must've been the biggest disappointing news to the owners of the shop, and he hoped that whoever ran the business found themselves nonetheless unperturbed by its error. It's okay, the boy thought to himself. The sight wasn't entirely ruined just because of one little mishap. He turned around to Andromeda with a somber smile, already bubbling with words of soft encouragement. 

"Sometimes its happen to me in Fortnite too."

... In his defense, they were never meant to be choice words.

It was also why he'd dropped the game entirely, and went back to a familiar safe space with cutesy slimes and hopping mushrooms. "But the drink and the-- err... novelty can keep people coming back, right?" Basuke thumbed at his cheek as he posed his query, hoping it would alleviate pressure from their first impressions. The thought of luxury goods from the real world was already more than enough to have drawn him in, and the slightest oversight wasn't going to put him off from getting his frappuchinos. Hell, in a show of good faith, he'd even forwarded today's invitation to one of the other interested patrons of the franchise he'd registered onto his friends list... though all he received from Xin's end was radio silence.

The boy tilted sideways from where he stood, trying to catch a glance of the building's entrance on either sides of its frame. Some stores had their doors tucked away at the side; mayhaps this store's design was about to be of similar vanity? Once more, he focused on examining the field beyond, and-- 

Oh.

The traces of a dirt path finally clued him in on the crux of the issue.

(;;・x・)

@Zajcica @Crozeph @Andromeda

If the divine had left, it must've been to sheer second-hand embarrassment upon watching Basuke make a fool of himself -- again. Once his familiar had left him, he'd turned his back upon their visage, chasing the worm through the crowd only a few steps away.

When he returned to An's side -- if she was still there, of course -- they were gone.

Oh my gosh. Did his vlog act actually work?

"Hah!" The boy grinned, hugging his tsuchinoko close to his form. "Had it planned all along!" He did not, in fact, know anything of the bosses. But Basuke was happy nonetheless, almost bouncing on his feet and ready to take on another day.

Except it was lunch time. Actually, slightly past lunch time. The boy was incredibly hungry by now, when he'd paid attention to his tummy's rumblings, and in turn his familiar did scree. He'd look over to Andromeda, perhaps, if his friend had still remained, and cocked his head to the side with an uneasy smile. "You think stores still open for food?"

Worst case scenario, he'd find that he'd have to starve. Best case scenario: an outing for food, and traded excitement with a new friend.

Basuke out.

If it hadn't been apparent to nearly everyone in the foray that Basuke was in absolutely no shape to command, or lead, or to even think of ideas, perhaps now would be the time to highlight and underline it for the future. Just for reference.

The abominations seemed to have taken their leave. Gob-Gob seemed particularly taken by their absence, before it'd resumed flexing its perfect, masculine aptitude on the raving player base of Aincrad. And the way they'd jammed to the heartfelt songs and performances of the masses at hand -- perhaps it was best to bare their souls to their gods? Maybe show them what the best of them could offer the world of artistry...!

But where to begin? Oh, Basuke knew how. Obviously. He'd totally been training for this. He has a Youtube channel, you know? The dance videos had sucked, because he hadn't the poise or the flexibility to keep up with his trainers, but if there was anything he'd learned from the craft, it was this.

Vlog videos were still going viral.

His face beamed with an excited >:3 as he slowly fished out his worm. For once he'd disrupted his familiar's peaceful sleep. The tiny wriggling thing only reveled in the divine's light by sinking its edged teeth into Basuke's open hand, and he'd jumped at the shock and pain.

"Oof-- ow...!"

Okay, maybe not the best idea. He cut a square into Rain Minion #12's legs, figuring the swine wouldn't exactly be interested in his shenanigans, and the goblin's skin apparently being too perfect to have his sword driven into its hide right now. Whatever, one make shift camera would do.

"Andromeda, come here!" He'd ushered his accomplice over with a big grin stuck on his face, before holding up his pet short-snake up for the seared window to see.

"Hello! Uh, welcome back to Basuke's life in Aincrad!" He did a little jazz wave here with his free hand. "So anyway we- are- in- a... apocalypse? World ending scene --- world ending scenario, is that what we call it?" He glanced at his friend just to make sure his English was on point, before continuing on with a smile. "But before I go bye bye, I wanted to show off my newest pet...! Ow-- it's very nippy -- oi--! -- It's a striped worm, something called a Tsuchinoko?"

At some point. Smiggle Crocs V decided to hop off its owner and waddle away, leaving a flustered Basuke bouncing his gaze back and forth towards the fading marks of his sword art and his party member. "Uhh, anyway like and subscribe, okay? Yes yes, bye--!! Aaand outro music here! Yay!"

Basuke proceeded to pump his fists into the air like the absolute lunatic he was. Mission... maybe a success.

"Let me help!" He'd said aloud.

"Nyek nyek nyek--" Came his reply.

Basuke tore his attention away from the gun for enough time to realize that they'd been surrounded. By cultists. Robed, obscured, nameless players, some of them carrying candles, others simply advancing towards their gods, hands kept in their loose sleeves. Under the light of the dying sun, it was almost impossible for the boy to have kept his focus on their original opponents themselves, Basuke too distracted by literally every other feature bug chaos factor that buzzed about the crowd. It was almost like making hotpot with unintended ingredients. Like, you add a horseshoe crab in, some turnip, vinegar and sea weed, maybe a little bit of pork broth and squid with ink and noodles (because that's how you drench the noodles with squid ink, right?), and suddenly the whole concoction just turns out to be a mess. And you dip some pumpkin in it, and eat it.

And then promptly throw up your lunch.

What was the point again? Oh, right. Eldritch horrors that weren't rightfully being prayed to, and divine deities that refused to budge on cutting their health bars in half. Right.

The boy turned to Andromeda with wide, curious eyes -- the kind that hollowed out in round circles with white inside them, very anime-ish if he did say so himself. The moment he noticed the rip in time and space, he shrugged and put on a wry look, Rhona's Needle idly resting in his hands. He wouldn't have thought leaving was ever an option, though there had to be some reason he was compelled to stay. What was it again? A lost cause? Very likely, the situation they found themselves in was most likely just that, and still people stuck around too.

Um... Basuke wasn't a psychologist, nor was he smart. So he decided to thrust it upon literally anyone else to figure out the term for him. He wasn't going to live long enough to find out what it was, anyway. Maybe they might. Maybe they'd be smarter for it.

“So any ideas?”

"Was just about to pop a crystal, just to try. Anything could work by now, right?"

No. Not really.

Oh, but with the crowd's idea of flexing, it gave him some ideas. Some of them danced, some of them had posed so hard that it struck fear into his core -- and maybe the gods too, if the boy had an inkling on how reality worked (he didn't). While Andromeda headed back towards safety, so did Basuke, keeping his own sword in its hold. Instead of flexing like his companion, however, he knew exactly what he should do.

He dabbed.

Look, it wasn't very effective,

It was okay. As 'Basket' ran, the wind kinda blew away the welling tears from his face.

-- Just kidding. Well, maybe. It hurt the boy a little, but he wasn't going to show it off. Basuke let Andromeda take the lead, the two of them racing through and against the crowd. It'd taken him a few jumps and there were a handful of moments where he'd sworn he'd lost sight of his friend, but they'd made it out of the pack eventually, finding themselves closer to the mythic beings.

The moment Basuke had space to do so, he'd toppled over, hands and knees to the ground as he breathed. Just in time for his health bar to be cleaved in two, actually; it dipped into the orange before it returned to the green. Was that a bug or maybe a glitch? Did Aincrad have one of those auto-healing settings on for his familiar? The tsuchinoko he carried didn't seem too fussed about the noise outside, and when he'd slid the chubby snake out its pocket, the boy discovered Smiggle Crocs V to be sleeping soundly, emitting faint growls in the place of snores.

So, that probably wasn't it.

When he got onto his knees, he'd noticed Andromeda already taking a few swings at one of the trio. Even if they were resting on the lower echelons of the ladder, she'd still have to courage to face off against some Supreme beings? Basuke's eyes seemed to light up at the idea, checking the party around him for any signs of stragglers, damaged by the fight. When he was confident there weren't any, he set his focus back on the gods, pulling Rhona's Needle from its sheathe.

"Let me help!"

Ditzy, clumsy Basuke. He'd entirely missed the boar, ducked underneath the goblin, and-- oh, he'd hit something. The fishman king? Eh, it was better than nothing at least! Twelve measly points of damage, but-- wait.

He'd stopped smiling when he thought he spotted something that caused him a great deal of distress.

Was that a gun?

"Mmm, delicious."

"Very good."

As Basuke raised his head from the women to meet the shopkeeper's gaze, he accepted the cup of coffee he was offered. Presentation aside, when the brew met his lips, it was a pleasant mix of mild sweetness and frothy cream. Plus, the crumbs on top of his drink was a nice touch, giving the sip he took a crunchy touch. On their host's servings could the boy concur to his patron's approval. There wasn't an exact science to dalgona, but if there was, this cup would definitely have been in the right direction.

The boy was ecstatic as he let out an exhale, before shooting the man a thumbs up and a toothy grin. "Nice, boss!"

And hey! How could he have forgotten his cookies, too? Basuke dug in to the snacks, listening in on Snow's explanation of her restaurant. It sounded lovely in between his munches, and the boy nodded back with vigor, just thinking about the lovely variants of sushi in his mind. "Rad...! Already want some, and I have cookies!"

The rest of the afternoon trickled by in a slow, relaxed manner, as the players conversed and enjoyed their meal before taking their leave one by one. When the chef finally found the sun setting, it was all but him who'd already stepped outside. Alone in his shop, what else was left to do, but to enjoy the comfort and quiet in the red glows of the evening light?

All in a good day's work.

Thread Summary

Quote

[Total]
+ 2SP
+ 100col

Oh, okay. The pushing had finally stopped. During the moment of silence as electricity seemed to pulse in the air, the poor boy hadn't exactly noticed it, still shifting about in his player-locked spot within the mass of people. Cap adjusted, hair pushed back, he'd only managed a second's breather to catch a glimpse of their formidable overlords before he was jostled from all sides once again--

"Oi! Crap! Hey, watch it!"

--from the crowd beginning to flee.

This was, inherently, one of the worst days of his Aincradian life. It wouldn't beat the rock punching, but it was definitely up there.

"Grrrrraaaaaaahhhh!!! EXCUSE ME---!!!!"

With two hands and a resentment that could kill, he'd shoved himself free from his jail, nearly toppling over a line of other players as he did so. Instead they pushed back, and as short as he was, the boy tumbled out of the crowd in a roll after he'd dropped to the floor. Somehow he'd made it out alive and in one piece. Jeez, that was hectic. "Good riddance!!"

Basuke had nearly hit his back on the sides of a few cardboard boxes when he rose. There was barely enough space to squeeze past the wave of people leaving to hide himself back into an alley. This was dumb. He'd just needed to get close to the bosses himself. Hell, out of all people, he should've been the most worried. He hadn't even seen how they'd looked like yet!

--Why even show up if you weren't planning on fighting the bosses, anyway?!

Just as he was grumbling to himself, looking up towards the roof tops and other winding passageways in his vicinity, his eyes settled on a familiar figure against the harsh weaving shadows and the drowned warm sunlight. Where'd he seen them before? Tall, white hair, that hat-- oh!

"Hey!"

The boy ran over to her side in excitement. "Andromeda?" Had she turned around, Basuke would've been able to identify her. A familiar face, finally! "Fire gathering, late night! Do you remember?" Either way, he'd sent the acquaintance a party invite, an offer to join him had she been eager to participate in the battle as well. "I have healing crystals," he clarified, taking the opportunity to look around the alleyway. "So can help. Need to get out of here first though. Any idea?"

@Andromeda #tagging because character interaction!

There were just. So. Many. People here. Who would've thought it?

Well, whoever they were, they probably weren't Basuke. And also, most likely way smarter than the boy getting shoved around in the crowd of people. Where were all the familiar faces he'd expected to see? He only remembered the message from a week ago, and then silence on his end -- not given much the ability to communicate with others, his help lines ended up getting shot into the water. Talk about oof. He really should've tried harder to reach out to anyone, though.

But the day was finally here! The day... something was about to happen. And absolutely who knew what was going to happen. Basuke wasn't sure, but it was all in or all out for the boy. Easier to go big and go home, than hold back and maybe falter in battle.

NIGHT had given him something before this; a lead to an alchemist and a sword that felt oddly reminiscent of imminent disaster. Meanwhile, out of his own volition, he'd taken up on some player's offer to unleash a number of consumables when he'd found the time. It was easier than to dive right into the thick of things when he could help out even from the back lines. On the last resort (or if other creatures were summoned en masse), he would pick up his new needle and head into the fray. But for now, the boy found himself hanging back, resting against one of the many storefronts' walls on the sidelines...

... Uh. If he could get to them first, anyway.

Was this the place? Basuke had only seen the name in that one group chat, but if it was...

"Thank you! Um... I will do my best--!"

received.

Basuke chuckled -- it was nice to hear that he wasn't the only one longing for something as simple yet reminiscent of the outside. "That is what I heard. Had a talk with them and some red tea at night; ru-roibos?" His face scrunched up at the pronunciation, head raised to the ceiling for a beat as he tried to recall. "... Something like that. Am keeping an eye out for the store. Wonder if they have frappe."

To Snow, he nodded, interest peaking at her profession. A chef! He'd contemplated the idea of picking that up for his side job at some point, but still found himself hesitant to commit, unable to decide fully for himself. Floor 4 meant he was going to need a jacket or two for the winter, though, but it was thematically fitting for the woman he spoke to. "If am in the mood for food," he reassured the player. "What kind do you serve?"

With quick finger work, the boy pulled up his friends list, sending friend requests to the two patrons at once. "To let you know of the Starbucks, if find it," he said to Xin, before turning to Snow. "And to remember to visit food shop." A grin, and he turned over to the owner in pleasant interest now, watching the man work his culinary magic. "Oi boss, come join us when you done! If not for share present, for chit chat. Sure we want to know you better too."

@GetComfy

At Xin's offering of a hand shake, the boy took the woman's hand with his own. "Basuke," he replied, grip firm, before withdrawing quickly. "Here for snack, craving something." He'd raised a curved finger and waved it in a gesture, trying to recall. "Heard about Starbucks from another player. Can't find on first floor... So maybe is elsewhere?" Maybe he should track down the girl he was speaking to another day for more information. Local brew would make do for now -- at worst, they'd match chain institutions (he'd hoped). At best, he'd find a new place to frequent and delicacies to indulge himself in.

Basuke took a seat on a pillow at another table, sitting next to the two women as he waited patiently for his order to arrive. He'd some curiosity as to what other players were out and about doing as well, given his leave from the Town of Beginnings for such an extended period of time. With a cock of his head after he'd listened to Xin's answer, he turned to Snow with a question himself. "Snow, bag earlier of food -- you know owner? Good friends?"

Preference? Basuke hadn't thought this far. The boy glanced behind the counter, checking to see what sort of equipment the cafe had. Most likely, the shop owner wouldn't have the chilled dessert in a cup he was dying for, but with any luck the man would have a blender and some sweeteners. His best bet for the moment. "Dalgona," Basuke relayed, as he stepped towards the counter to offer his col. "Do you know it? Was trendy a few years ago." Through his menus, he materialized his payment in a purple pouch, handing it over to the barista. "Honey, crumbs, cinnamon. Thank you very much."

His gaze fell over the other patrons of the shop, one of them speaking aloud to the room with a cheerful disposition. How curious. And here he'd thought he was being rude by being loud. Maybe since he hadn't made his intentions clear, it would've been -- here, the woman speaking was being friendly with the other players. Basuke shot back a smile as he hovered over the counter, hands digging back into his hoodie's pocket. "Doing alright!! You?"

-- Wait, the woman ordered cookies?

The kid materialized what was left of his allowance and set it upon the counter, wide-eyed and excited. "Can you make drink crumbs cookie? And another plate for me too! Appreciate it!"

Whoops. The idea of having Starbucks just the other night with the group of adventurers round that campfire just made Basuke interested in the idea of grabbing a nice drink to enjoy today. But for some reason, despite Andromeda's mentioning of a store like that being open, he couldn't find it on Floor 1 for the life of him! Maybe he was misremembering a crucial detail somewhere. Either way, to satisfy his craving, Basuke would have to make do.

"Yo--!"

Here came the bull in the china shop. With a hearty push of the door into the cafe, what greeted the young boy was the idea of serenity and comfort, and immediately the youth felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. Especially since there were a handful of players present in the store whose attention he might've grabbed just from his entrance alone. Mouth agape, his sights traveled through each person present, ending on looking at the homeless-looking man behind the counter. A hand traveled to the back of his head as he scratched it, shutting the door gently behind him.

"Oops. Sorry. Bad habit. Um... Coffee?"

Halloween event? Of course they'd be centered around the different occasions celebrated around the world, though Basuke never had the opportunity to dress up and visit door-to-door for treats before. Aincrad wouldn't afford him the chance either, he found out that much as he listened in to Andromeda's words. A zombie invasion sounded much more pleasing to the rowdy kid, and had he been there, he surely would've had a blast watching the fights take place all at once, or beating up a good few ghouls of his own.

Kind of funny to call someone 'Starbucks' girl though. A grin graced his face as he ruminated on the thought. But it's nice being known for something.

It didn't occur to Basuke that the question might be turned on him eventually -- all he had was two years of cold brutality and loneliness, and just as many contacts to make up for it. "Ahh-- l-long story!" The boy waved with a hand, sweat drops nearly visible from his panicky, frantic disposition. At the same time, it felt cheap to chicken out of sharing his own, while another member of the crew had already confidently shared their own. With an exhale, the kid rubbed at an itch at the back of his neck, choosing to look back into the light of the campfire. "Um... No laugh, okay?"

Everyone in the floating castle had a story to tell -- maybe his would, perchance, happen to be normal rather than not, contrary to he'd expected. One sip of his tea, the boy quenching his thirst and drowning his anxieties. "Floor 2. Urbus." The town's name came out of him in a drawl, as though he was speaking of an ancient demon's curse. "There is one rock quest. Big stone. Must beat with two hands."

His cup was set to the grass by now, only a quarter filled with red liquid. His right hand held the other, thumb pressing upon its palm, rubbing in circles around the folds of his flesh. The flame's glow continued to linger, brazenly burning bright, puppeteering the dancing of shadows all around the group in the midst of the forest and fields. "Not very good at rock fight. Mistake to go to Urbus -- did not know how to come back to Floor 1. Stuck for long time. Then two people, friends show me way out."

"A few... bats though. Explore cave adventure with them. Was nice, fun time." Basuke let out a chuckle, before he looked back up to Andromeda, smirking. "Think your story is better. I mean, at least no one end up hurt, right?"

Everyone is important?

Basuke titled his head, silently raising a brow. What a strange turn of phrase. He understood, of course, each player's individual quality to provide for each other, to take care of one another in these trying times... but what might've prompted that turn of phrase?

He'd file that tender quality of Mari's at the back of his mind. Perhaps he'd find out one day. Most likely not. Connections with people was tough, and if the woman was as important as he thought she might've been, maybe they wouldn't even be here on the first floor most of the time.

He continued drinking the tea Andromeda provided them, mulling over the information. Work with others, take breaks. It sounded like pacing oneself was one of the more important qualities of life in Aincrad nowadays. That was fair -- he'd been pacing himself too, even during the two years it'd taken him to crush some dumb old rock. There was a method to the madness of being trapped in some isekai world, that much was obvious. And now he had confirmation of its practice.

Good for him! A light smile graced on the boy's face.

And events, of course. The public sure loved its timed parties. Any special goods might come into play to help aid them in the future -- at least, if the events Mari was speaking of something akin to the one game he'd played in the past.

"People" he began, working on drumming up another question to pose the troupe. "You find... friends, that is your... key?" He swished the cup in his hands, watching the liquid swirl around gently. "Isolation... You mean you were lonely? Or lost? I can understand, too. Friends important." Basuke recounted how he got out of his extraordinary predicament. "With friends, safe."

"... How you meet yours?" With a glance to Andromeda, he added, "You got story too?"

@Mari@HoaxDemon@Tanoshi@Andromeda