[PP-F2]<<Let There Be Light>> (Lawfer)

[Snow 0]

There exists no bond stronger than a mother and her child, and there exists no fear stronger than of the unknown.

Snow found herself standing at the mouth of a pitch back cave, facing the culmination of both. Snow remembered the mother, hysterical and in tears as she clutched onto her armor moments ago. Her daughter, adventurous as all children are, ventured too far into the forest with a local friend of hers. The day dragged on and tensions grew. When the sun kissed the horizon, only one child returned. Monsters had attacked them both, and while one returned with a few scrapes and bruises, the daughter was no where to be found.

Snow comforted the NPC mother and gathered as much information as she could. A cavern, about a mile out of town and a few yards off the main road was the last place she was seen.

And there Snow stood, staring into he dark abyss. The hairs on her neck stood on end and armor softly chattered against itself.

"They wouldn't have quests this low that would put you in danger, right?" Snow asked herself. She bit her lip in worry.

"I'm sure nothing is in there. I mean, the girl probably his and the monsters took off. Yeah, that's it. It's just a silly cave."

Snow took a deep breath and stepped forward. That moment, a rock loosed from the cavern's mouth and clattered noisily against the stone floor.

Snow took a step back.

"Come on Lawfer..." she panicked mentally. "Hurry up..." 

He had answered her PM. So, it was only a matter of time, but faced with the void of the unknown, the young Valkyrie needed a pillar of support.

Spoiler

Snow will be using her Heavy Set for this thread.

 

Edited April 8, 2016 by Snow

[Lawfer 0]

"Now where did she go..." the golden haired dragoon asked himself as he continued to push forward through the second floor. He had mad a promise to Snow that he would find her, and help with a quest that had eluded him for some time. Turning his head, back and forth, he tried the find the cave that the valkyrie had pinged on his map. Pushing aside some shrubbery, his eyes locked onto the foreboding cave. "So that's where it is..." He commented as a slight smirk, danced across his face. "Now where is Snow...." 

A sound echoed from the mouth of the cave, raising a flag in Lawfer's mind. 'I hope she didn't head in there all by herself.' he thought to himself as he chuckled slightly. Thoughts of sneaking in and scaring the woman rushed to the front of his head, however, the backlash could prove to be worse then the momentary amusement.

Walking past the shrubbery and into the mouth of the cave, the dimly lit cavern impaired the spearman's vision. Reaching back over his shoulder, the spearman grasped the pommel of his spear just to be safe. Moving further and further away from the light, the dark silhouette of a woman's back standing in the dark, became more and more clear.

Placing his hand on her shoulder lightly as not to alarm her, he smiled. "Well Hello Pretty Lady." Escaped from Lawfer's lips, as well as a wink that was all but disguised by the darkness. "Fancy running into you down here." He jested, as he removed his hand. 

 

[Snow 0]

"Footsteps? Are those footsteps?" Snow mentally panicked. Part of her felt hope her partner had arrive while another held a deep dread the something wicked this way came.

She felt the touch on her shoulder and her whole body tensed. A prickle of goosebumps washed over her and forced a shiver into her spine. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped her spear.

"Well, hello pretty lady," she heard in a very familiar voice.

Anxiety and fear melted away like frost on a warm spring morning. Her vice like grip loosened on her weapon and the teen let out a deep sigh of relief. Just as quickly as his comforting presence warmed her bones, a creeping chill of anger crawled through her veins. Brow scrunched together and teeth clenched, Snow spun around and delivered a quick jab to Lawfer's shoulder.

"What took you so long?!" she exclaimed and had amplified by cavernous echoes. While showing an expression of anger, a careful eye could see the unease in her eyes. However, in this darkness, the obvious became far more uncertain.

Forgetting that this time she donned heavy armor, Snow quickly realized that her sudden punch may have packed a more potent wallop. While still frustrated for him not being quicker to arrive and make her feel that much more safe, the blonde placed her hand gently where she had hit him.

"I'm sorry..." she apologized, "I just... I mean, you shouldn't keep a girl waiting in a dark cave filled with monsters. It's not very gentlemanly."

She removed her hand and looked away from his silhouette. She didn't want to openly admit her fear, especially in light of being accepted to join the Knights of the Blood. She had to fight now -- for Daire. She had to try and face her fears. 

It still didn't mean it would be any less difficult.

Snow took a deep breath. 

"You ready?" she asked, keeping her eyes off her partner and sheepishly toward the ground.

[Lawfer 0]

The blonde couldn't help but chuckle after receiving the woman's jab to the shoulder. It was a heavy one, that much was sure especially since the spearman had opted out of wearing his armor until he had gotten to the cave. "Well I would have found you sooner, If a certain pretty spearwoman had waited outside the cave..." He joked back, he could hear the uneasiness in the woman's voice. 

"I'm sorry for being late... This is one of the quests I haven't completed yet, so finding it was a little more difficult then I thought it would be. But I'm here now so everything is alright. Besides, I would never keep you waiting on me if I had the choice..." He replied in a sincere voice, as he placed his hand on her shoulder once more. He could feel the slight trembling of the Valkyrie as she tried to keep up her strong front. 

Taking a moment, to allow his words to set in. Lawfer took a deep breath to recompose himself, he too was not a fan of dimly lit area's, he was not afraid, it just made it a bit harder to keep track of all the unknown variables. He motioned forward with his head. "I'm ready when you are pretty one." 

Shifting his hand from her shoulder, he traced her arm down to her small delicate hand and held it delicately. He was aware that there was plenty of other ways to make sure they didn't lose each other but this seemed the most fitting. "This way I dont' lose you in here." He commented, as he began walking slowly into the cave. 

[Snow 0]

"I did wait outside for you," Snow whimpered. "You took so long. I thought you just stood me up!"

She tried to make eye contact, barely able to make out the whites of his sclera in the cavern. She tried to be angry with him, but anger wasn't something the blonde did well. Frustrated, maybe, but she had yet to understand the meaning of true anger.

"It's fine," he stated flatly trying to balance her frustration with her anxiety and nervousness. "Let's just get this over with. I don't like this place..."

Almost as if that gave him the green light, she felt his hand trace down her arm, over her plate armor, and grip her armored hand. Heat rushed into her cheeks and turned them a rosy hue, unseen in the dusk of their surroundings. 

"W-what're you?!" she stammered, cut off by his own words.

"This way I don't lose you in here."

"O-oh, right. G-good idea." With hesitation and regard for being gentle, she gripped his hand. He stepped forward and she met him in stride. The warmth still remained on her cheeks despite the chilling bite of the damp cavern. Instead of unease and caution, she found herself looking at their hands. Before all this, Snow hadn't given relationships the time of day. She had school, work, and last of all, the men in Kyoto weren't quite her type. Things were so very different here.

"So, um, I know I don't know you very well..." she began, "but, um... Do you remember before this? Before, SAO?"

[Lawfer 0]

Turning his head slightly, he noticed the fair skinned beauty looking down at their hands. It was a common reaction, but it was more interesting that she hadn't withdrawn her hand. A slight smirk danced across his face, then a smile. As the two continued to push on the silence was broken by her question. 

"but, um... Do you remember before this? Before, SAO?" she asked.

"Yeah, I remember everything... My mind won't let me forget anything, some of it is hazy but I miss it." He paused as he looked back and smiled at Snow. Trying to look into her eyes in the dim light made it difficult, but he still was able to find the slight reflection of light that bounced off of her baby blues. "I don't really have much of a family back home, but there are times that I miss them. But I think I miss meeting random people the most... Don't get me wrong, I meet new people every once in awhile here. But on the higher floors, its typically the same people you run into." Looking down at the ground, he noticed a slight silhouette of a large stone a few meters ahead that would be troublesome in the darkness.

Tugging her arm lightly to move her out of the way of the large stone. Drawing the woman in close, he shuffled around the stone and motioned for her to do the same. "Sorry about that... Didn't want you falling down for no good reason." He stated with a smile, as he tripped over another stone that he hadn't seen. Letting her hand go for a moment, the Dragoon tried not to drag her down as he caught his balance. "I guess that's what i get for trying to act chivalrous. But anyways..." He commented as he let out a slight chuckle, reaching back once more Lawfer grasped her hand again. "What about you, Snow? Do you remember anything about the real world before SAO?"