[PP-F2] Paranoia <<RGQ>> (Completed)

[Birdie 0]

Urbus' nightlife was in full swing, musical performers adorning the streets with their lively melodies whilst the citizens chanted songs of praise. An entire district of the Kingdom was up in celebration of nothing in particular, other than to congratulate themselves for living through another week of tireless days spent tending to their trades. Out of respect, no drunken patron would make make noise once having left the active part of town, should they risk encountering a patrol of guards that set out to ensure the rest of the citizens could sleep in peace.

For one establishment in particular, Friday nights held a special meaning. A medieval tavern sat as the centre point of activity, its wooden sign outside swinging to and fro as passing NPC drunkards slapped their hands against it. Walking through its doorway would land you in the liveliest part of town; the toasting of mugs and hearty chuckles polluted the air inside, sounds that would make even the most apathetic of souls loose a smile in euphoria . The bartender was praised for his ability to bring the community together, aided by his alcohol and trusty bar staff to deliver only the finest experience to those that wished to join in.

"We 'ave a winner! Best a' luck next time lad!" The barkeep's voice rang through the air, the crowd's cheers booming as a player drunkenly stumbled away from the bar stool. "Who's next to face the champion? Beat this man and earn ye'self his seat!" The contest was simple; chug a drink faster than the NPC or player who was currently crowned champion. If one succeeded, they would earn themselves the title and sit in the proclaimed champion's chair, repeating only until you lost out or forfeited the position.

Sat in one corner of the tavern, a woman watched on as the contest began to unfold. She caught a glance of the man sat in the champion's seat, his thick beard stretching down past his chest with hair as grey as the cloudy night's moon; from appearance alone, she could assume that was Urbus' NPC blacksmith. 'This is so incredibly well programmed, I'm having a hard time believing that this shop isn't run by players..' Her thoughts lingered on the realism of the entire event, sipping on a non-alcoholic drink that she'd brought in with her earlier. Going up to the bar would almost certainly bring unwanted attention, and she'd only wanted to sit down and admire all that the town had to offer without disturbance. All was well thus far, and she gazed towards the bar as a new competitor seemed to emerge from the crowd of patrons..

Edited September 23, 2016 by Birdie

[Ashrah 0]

"You're out of luck," he told his new opponent as the tankards were placed before them with a grim smile.

"Precocious little git, aren't you?" the current champion glowered down at the shorter player, at least a head and a half his size. "You think you can outdrink me?" Laughter burst out through the amassed observers, but the black clad swordsman dismissed his two handed sword and took the seat designated for the challenger. Already inebriated, the hulking man let out a vicious growl. "That's it, get ready to kill your liver for nothing little man."

Arc flashed a winning smile.

"Enough talk!" the overseeing NPC placed a hand between the men to signal for them to get ready. Arc place a hand on the grip of his drink, and the two drunkards locked eyes. "Get ready," the man presiding over them commanded. Arc gave a slight nod. "Drink!"

Cheers erupted through the boisterous crowd as both men hurriedly hefted the pints to their lips. Arc guzzled the pale amber fluid, not his favored rum but good enough swill for this contest. His eyes slid shut as he tasted the bittersweet booze and it filled his gullet. His opponent slammed down his flagon and called for another. They both got their drinks at the same time, but the mercenary placed his flagon down much more gently.

"Thanks," he told the barmaid, who beamed. It was not often someone showed respect or gratitude when the NPCs were doing their job. Most players never bothered to consider them as real people.

He took the second flagon and drained it with gusto. His face burned red already, but the system acknowledged his innate proclivity to the drink. It knew Arc could take more than a beer or two before succumbing to the haze that threatened both men at the end of every ale. He took another, then another, and another...

"That's five," two men nearby whispered. "How many is this gonna take?" There was a flash of doubt and concern in the crowd. These men were inhuman, and the lesser man moreso than the massive one. "He's a demon," one of them asserted in a hiss. "A demon of the bloody drink!"

The larger man belched. "Had enough, tiny?" he jeered. Arc accepted his sixth drink and took a leisurely sip. His vivid green gaze lifted to regard the reigning champ.

"Are you done already?" he asked between sips. "You've stopped drinking."

"You little-!" The man grasped at another drink before the woman could set it on the table. She gasped in surprise, but calmed a bit when Arc placed his flagon down and gestured calmly for another drink.

"Thanks again," he told the woman. She smiled again, turned, and he brought the ale to his lips. "Must be feeling it by now, eh?" he asked. "The preset alcoholic tolerance?"

He could practically smell booze draining through the man's pores. Arc's gaze flashed with amusement. "You weren't much of a drinker outside Aincrad, were ya?"

The man's face turned a dark shade of crimson. "S-shut up!" he commanded. "Shut up and drink!"

Arc waggled his emptied flagon comically. "Been doing that," he replied in a bout of nonchalance. "And I'm ready for another. How about you?"

The eighth set of drinks came to the table, and the other man's features drained of color. Arc gestured toward the drink. "Or are you done already?" He lifted his own flagon, gestured a toast to his adversary's health, then brought it to his lips. The tall man gripped his drink with unsteady hands. He fought against himself to raise it. When he lifted it to his lips, his eyes rolled backward. Arc watched the man slump to the floor, snoring loudly.

Tobias snorted a laugh as he finished off his ale. The crowd let out a fanatical cheer, unlike anything the first floor had heard since the floor boss was cleared. "Who's up next?" he asked with subdued laughs slipping into his words.

"We're running low on supply," the barmaid said with folded fingers and a bemused smile. "I'm afraid we weren't expecting any of the rounds to go that long." Arc shook his head.

"Gotta stay prepared for things like this," he chided gently. His eyes moved to an NPC that appeared to have a quest symbol bobbing overhead. His eyes narrowed a bit. As the woman apologized lightheartedly, Arc tilted his head. That's interesting. I ought to check it out...

"Make way for the night's champion!" the bartender grabbed Arc by the arm suddenly, and he let out a gasp of surprise. The cheers resumed, louder than ever. "Arc, the King of Drunks!"

"That's really not a flattering title," he grumbled.

[Birdie 0]

Birdied weaved through the rowdy crowd of patrons, her eyes still unbelieving of what they'd seen moments before. The man whom she knew to be Arc, who'd so graciously assisted her through a quest only days before, had beaten the far sturdier male in a contest that truly tested the limits of the human gut.

Perhaps the biggest shock was even seeing him on the second floor in the first place, much less the settlement that provided the weakest of the floor's monsters outside its borders. It was befitting to bump into him once more in a tavern however, their first meeting having gone down an almost identical way.

"Arc, the King of Drunks!' she heard from afar, the crowd's thunderous applause following in the wake of those words. The phrase was met with a roll of the eyes from Birdie. It wasn't a title she'd think to name him by when they next greeted, though it would always be something she could use a conversation starter; sooner rather than later, it seemed.

The crowd thinned out, allowing Birdie to emerge between two farmhand NPCs that grumbled something inaudibly at the passing girl. As if there was any lingering doubts in her mind, the man who had his back to her was certainly the one from the other day; partly so, she thought, the affects of alcohol no doubt dulling his senses at least a smidgen.

"Would the 'Slayer of Yetis' serve you better?" She approached the cloaked man once his congratulation ceremony had come to an end, her lips curling into a calm smile as she met the man's eyes with her own.

[Ashrah 0]

Absently, he glanced into the emptied out cask of alcohol. Arc considered what the ramifications of his drunken state might be on combat, but he knew better than to test it. He rose slowly, but the game allowed him to keep his feet. The only real difference he felt was his ability to make snap decisions and an impairment to his stats. That was far better than a hangover, he wagered. As he stretched out his back, he heard someone speak to him from behind. Another come to congratulate him on his victory?

No. He remembered her as soon as her voice moved over his ears, and his gaze found her. His lips pricked upward in a smile. "It's a bit heavy handed," he replied, "but it's not quite as bad as 'King of Drunks." They really make me out to be some kind of deviant like that."

His face was reddened by the alcohol, but he maintained grip of his sanity and wits. The amount he'd consumed was stunningly less than he was used to in the real world, where his friends had taken to their roles as the heaviest drinkers in their city. It was not something he took great pride in. The mercenary reached up and peeled back his hood, whereupon his dark locks fell to their natural position.

"You're Birdie," he said with recognition of the woman he had helped on the fourth floor some days beforehand. "I'm not nearly drunk enough to forget something like that, I should think." It was an admission that a more sober Arc would certainly not have made. He almost blushed at the way it sounded after he'd said it. "It's good to see you again."

Arc shifted to one side, and his eyes moved from hers for a moment. "What brings you out this way?" he asked.

[Birdie 0]

"It's nice to know I've not been forgotten," she replied to him, her smile unwavering. She might've taken those words differently if they weren't spoken by a player under the effects of an alcohol debuff, regardless of the fact that his tolerance seemed to serve him well. "Yeah, you too." Her words squeaked out as a group stumbled by, stepping back to allow them passage.

Her eyes dropped to the floor for a moment, the answer to his question was one she couldn't quite explain. "I'm not so sure myself, actually.. I've been travelling the settlements recently to get an idea of the communities built into the game. It turns out Urbus knows how to party, huh?" Her lips flickered into a grin as a strikingly quiet giggle escaped her lips, before calming once more.

"And how about you? I certainly hope you don't plan on returning to the fields after that.. display of gut resiliency." She didn't want to mention it outright as a contest for only the most drunk of patrons, the fear of coming across as rude running true within her mind. She could've probably guessed why he was here; a break from training, a usual Friday night, a test of will. Either way, she thought it best to hear from the man rather than draw conclusions.

[Ashrah 0]

"They sure do," he replied in earnest to her joke about Urbus being a party house. His face was riddled with amusement for a moment, then that drained away when she asked about why he was there in the first place.

"It, ah," he fumbled over his words for a moment, not sure how to say it without actually saying it. "It reminds me of my friends," he said quietly. "They were all fiercely loyal to their booze and liked a good ruckus. They make me look like an amateur when it comes to the beast, though." The way he called the drink "the beast" had been a machination of his friend Alex, who called it such because his father was turned into a monster every time he drank the stuff. It had taken among their ranks and become a sarcastic descriptor for their favorite pastime. "And I've had them on my mind a lot, lately."

His thoughts turned to Thom for a moment, his best friend and another player who had lost his life during a battle with one of the floor bosses of Aincrad. The event had been traumatic for Arc, despite that he had not witnessed it himself. Sight of the name on the monument was more than enough to send him into a depressive spiral of loneliness, angst, and rage. As he stood there in front of Birdie more than a little drunk, part of him decided it would not be so bad to tell her the truth. It was more than he did for most of the people he came across. She was a nice girl, and he remembered that about her.

"One of my friends, his name was Alkor in the game..." Arc spoke in the past tense, enough to warn someone that the person was no longer an active player. Everyone in SAO knew what that meant. "He... was fighting the ninth floor boss. It snatched him up and that was all it took." He recalled the explanation of how it happened, and the flames that took Thom burned just as hot in Arc's gut as the day they scattered the man's ashes. "So sometimes, I take a break from fighting my way to the Frontlines. When it gets rough, it's nice to... y'know... think about home. The good times."

He wondered absently if the woman would think him insane for the admission, or laugh at him for something so silly. Part of him just assumed that would be the standard response. Most people thought talking about the real world was something you just didn't do, unless you knew someone in real life beforehand. Arc generally didn't do it, but at this time, he just didn't care. It was nice to get it off his chest.

"I never used to drink all that much."

[Birdie 0]

Birdie had listened to the man's words as intently as was possible in the loud, excitable setting they'd found themselves in. She was a sucker when it came to conversations about the real world, less so when it came to describing the thing's they'd left behind. Friends, family, culture - whatever it may be, everybody paid a price for springing SAO's trap, and it was their responsibility to earn back the freedom that was so unjustly taken from them in the first place.

Her thoughts hadn't ever considered an actual player's death. The concept had plagued her mind plenty, the idea that a person from the real world would perish should they fall pray to the dangers lurking every corner, yet word of it happening hadn't reached Birdie's untainted ears. So, once Arc mentioned one of his own friends in the past tense, all expression warped from the woman's face. The smile disappeared in favour of a frown, as subtle as the shaking of her fingers that refused to stop.

"I-I see.." The woman's words trembled, her mind wrapping around Arc's description of his loses. Death in-game was arguably worse than it was in the real world; you watch as the body of the one you once knew shatters, each section of their anatomy crumbling into thousands of tiny fragments. The memories and experiences, good times and bad times, gone in an instant. "The good times are all we have left to keep us going..." In truth, she wouldn't know what to make of his admission. It was unlikely she'd be ever able to know how he felt, not until such a traumatic event affected her on a personal level. Even then, she never wished to experience such a loss.

She wouldn't give him her sympathies, seeing as it would only add more salt to the wound. The way their conversation contrasted to the tavern's positivity struck her as incredibly unsettling, the man's words not doing much to calm the feeling. "You should really be careful - if the NPCs hadn't dragged that man upstairs to a safe room for the night, other players could've use his hand to bring up his menu. They could've stolen items, or, worse.." She didn't need to finish her sentence, the mention of player death still lingering in the air around them, Her lips pressed into a frown, "There's some terrible people out there.. please, don't find yourself in that position."

 

 

[Ashrah 0]

"Hey," he said quietly as he placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "Thanks for listening, yeah?"

He knew that his words had rattled the girl because her body telegraphed the response. His eyes had moved to her hand, and his lips frowned a bit. "Don't go down that road, though," he told her. "If you can help it, don't drown in the sadness that death brings in this game. I've been doing that for so long that I'm only just now starting to break out and do something about any of it. It'll cripple you if you let it."

Arc pulled his hand away quickly, not wanting to impose on her personal space for any longer than was necessary. He was glad in a way for not watching Thom die, but another part of him kept nagging him that he could have done something about it. He had to quell that bit, lest it take command on him and drive him mad. The mercenary folded both his hands in contemplation as the woman spoke about him being careful, and he smiled softly.

"Ain't no one ever worried over me like that before," he muttered, "leastways, no one but my family. I appreciate it, Miss Birdie." His gaze was soft as he considered her, the kindest words he'd been given in this game for a long time more meaningful than she might know. "You don't have to worry about me," he told her. "I'm not going to go down like that, without a brawl. You've seen me fight. It'll take more than a few brews to take that out of me." He grinned with a hint of laughter trickling through his words, but he could see that she didn't find the humor in it.

All the jokes aside, he couldn't quite dispel the dark air that he'd unwittingly created. He sighed. "But if it makes you feel better, then I promise I'll be careful."

[Birdie 0]

Her eyes rose as she felt the touch of a hand on her shoulder, prompting her frown to dispel in place a short-lived smile. The advice was solid, gaining a thoughtful nod from the woman as Arc pulled his hand away. It was a depressing topic to even consider, and although she'd remember his words like a tape recording that she could play at any moment, she hoped to never need to recall them.

To hear that the man was truly appreciative of her words was rewarding, even if she'd spoke them out of genuine angst for his safety. "Mom always did say I worry too much.." she mumbled, her eyes pulled down to the corner of her vision. Her ears caught everything he'd said, from his insistence on not going out without to the mention of his sturdiness as a fighter, yet the words weren't quite as calming to Birdie as the man perhaps intended. The hint of laughter caused her to gaze up at the man, loosing the faintest of smiles as he made a promise. Maybe her worrying was unwarranted; it wouldn't stop her from caring.

"Good, you're not leaving this world until I say goodbye after the final boss." The woman's frown wiped from her face, becoming a lasting smile as the eerie topic of player death seemed to faze out completely. The woman turned to face the bar, holding off on any alcoholic drink and instead ordering a glass of water in its place. She'd opened her mouth to say something but found herself silenced, a peculiar sight catching her attention from the corner of her eye. A quest marker hovering above the head of a distraught looking NPC, peculiarly sat far from the excitement that the tavern was heralded for. 

Her curiosity piqued, she spared Arc a glance for a moment. "Have you checked out that NPC by the bar?" To see a quest giver out this late in the day was strange, though the boisterous tavern certainly provided the best conditions of encountering one. "He looks so sad.." Her eyebrows pulled together, looking to Arc once more.

Edited September 12, 2016 by Birdie

[Ashrah 0]

When she said that he wasn't leaving til the final boss went down, Arc cracked a smile. Now I feel better, how about that. Looks like she ended up cheering me up, instead. The dark haired player lifted a hand and rubbed the back of his head in amusement. "Yeah," he laughed softly. "That goes double for you, miss. Better not do anything crazy without me." He gave a wink and glanced toward the last few players as they filtered out of the establishment and left them with only NPCs.

"I saw that," he replied when she mentioned the Quest NPC. "I briefly considered going over to check it out, but you surprised me." He gestured in that direction. "Want to check it out together?" Arc asked the girl.

It was better to take on these quests in a group, he'd learned. He didn't mind taking Birdie, either. "Am I wrong, or have you gotten stronger?" he asked suddenly. He hoped he hadn't missed the mark. As he headed for the questgiver, Arc cycled through his own skills and considered the points he'd poured into increasing his defense. So many players went for their attack first, but he knew that to survive in Aincrad, you needed to be able to endure. That was his reasoning, at least.

That, and there was a grayed out "Skill Mod" that displayed the Criteria "Light Armor Rank 3." He was curious as to what it did. He considered asking the other player what she intended to do with her skills, but thought better of it. If she wanted to discuss things like that, she would initiate the conversation with him. Arc dismissed the window and glanced toward the NPC again.

"You want to do the honors?" he asked Birdie.

[Birdie 0]

Birdie felt a calm heat warm her cheeks, thankfully masked under the light of the lanterns lining the taverns walls. 'I'll try not to', she thought, the words not properly formulating in her mouth. Her gaze shifted to the source of the footsteps as players began to disperse through the streets of Urbus, no doubt stumbling over themselves in search of an inn for the night.

Learning that she'd interrupted Arc's inspection of the quest tugged at her, the woman feeling as if she was being more of a hindrance than anything. The offer of checking out the quest was met with a thankful nod, followed by a sharp turn of her neck as she considered examining the NPC from afar. Before she could do so though, Arc had asked about her strength since their last encounter. "Oh, uhm, I think so. I was level 4, right? I came across an.. interesting.. quest." She didn't want to spare the details, her recollection of the fight hazy and unpleasant. She noticed his health bar, "Looks who's talking? The Frontlines will have a brand new member if you keep this up." Shooting him one final smile, her gaze shifted to the NPC.

"Sure - hang on, let me send you a party request." She brushed her fingers through the air and navigated through the digital menu, selecting the party tab as she turned on proximity.search. The fact that they were the only players left in the tavern made it easy to find the man's name, and she invited him to the party in an instant. "Did you get it?"

Birdie picked up her glass and drank what she felt was necessary, leaving the bartender with a smile as she told him she'd finished. Aincrad or not, she wasn't going to inconvenience anyone with bad manners, not even an NPC. Her legs touched the floor as she jumped down from the bar stool, stretching her arms as she took the first few steps towards 'The Broken Man'. That was the name displayed above his head, anyway.

'Talk about a downer..' she thought, the woman stopping promptly as the quest giver's gaze shifted to her and Arc. It was clear the man'd been crying, the distraught look in his eye leaving nothing up to the imagination. 

"You two.. wouldn't spare a man a minute, would ye'?"

[Ashrah 0]

"Yeah," he laughed, "that's the idea, isn't it? We're aiming to catch up to them."

He did not ask about the quest she'd found- it sounded almost like she didn't want to broach the topic. Arc could understand that. There was at least one terrifying quest he'd done that he would rather forget. This game was unkind at best, and cruel at its worst.

Arc glanced at her party invite as she asked if he'd received it, and he nodded as he accepted. "Here, let me..." he shifted his menu over to the 'Friends' tab and sent the request.

Quote

Arc would like to be your friend.

Do you accept?

Yes/No

"That ought to make things easier on you when we're trying to form a party," he said. "I can safely say we'll probably end up in this predicament again in the future if we don't resolve it right now." His words were lighthearted and teasing, but in the spirit of camaraderie. Arc added, "if there are no objections to the arrangement, I mean. You're more than free to say no, Miss Birdie."

Markedly, it was the first time Arc had actively added someone to his friends. Generally, people added him so that he would be a quick contact for his Mercenary business. The thought crossed his mind briefly. He looked to the NPC and silently hoped she'd accept the request. Well, this fella looks ominous. He quirked a brow in the next moment, and his arms folded across his chest.

"Of course," Arc chimed in. "What can we do for you, sir?" His enthusiasm for these sorts of scenarios came off as a bit humorous, if you weren't a roleplayer. Knowing that the NPCs weren't real people, most people chose to treat them like parts of the game and without respect, or in a hurry to be rid of them. Tobias actively enjoyed the experience- it was one of the few parts of the game that made it seem more tolerable.

His eyes moved to Birdie for a moment as the man began to respond. He gave her a slight nod.

[Birdie 0]

Birdie stared wide-eyed at the notification in front of her, the friends list being a tab in her menu she hadn't opened since the first day. Her gaze fell upon Arc as he justified the benefit of the request, the woman in full agreement as she nodded toward him. "No objections - this'll be super useful the next time we randomly bump into each other at a bar." A light smile spread across her lips, looking to the window once more. She tapped on the 'Yes' button, Arc's name now listed under the tab 'Friends' along with his status and last known location. 'They give you that information? I guess you really need to trust who you befriend in this game..'

The walk to the NPC was short-lived, the man's words halting both her and Arc. She glanced up to Arc as he spoke up, a subtle eyebrow raising as she caught his newfound enthusiasm. Just then, the man spoke once more:

"I wont trouble you pair for long, folks like you don't tend to stick around long. See, it's about me wife.. she's been out of the house most nights, doing God knows what and who knows where. I love the woman to bits, but it's tearin' away at me insides to thnk about what she's doin' out there." The NPCs eyes lowered to his drink briefly, "Got word from an ol friend that he'd saw her sneakin' off into the barn last night - the only one who has the keys to that building is the young farmer that tends it.." As he gazed back up to the two, the betrayed look in his eye was enough for anyone to guess what he was thinking. "I ain't askin' much, but could ye investigate? A man like me has no business in there, but you two wouldn't look none suspicious if you wandered in there." He looked down to his glass, a small popping up in front of both Arc and Birdie.

Quote

Quest: Paranoia

Accept/Decline

 "I understand if ye' want no involvement.." 

Edited September 13, 2016 by Birdie

[Ashrah 0]

"Sounds like a fine flavor of suspicious to me," the mercenary muttered. "Sure," he replied as he tapped the "accept" button and the quest popped up in his log. "We'll help you out, bud. I can't imagine going through something like that, so I know I'd feel better having some answers." He glanced to Birdie in a way that said 'hey, might as well have a conversation, right?' His viridian gaze buzzed with humor just before he looked back to the NPC. There were words of thanks, then farewell. He took a step away from the man and gave his back to him as he spoke.

"Don't know if this'll turn ugly, or it's going to be something else entirely. Either way," he opened his status bar for a moment and saw that the drunkenness debuff had begun to wear off. "I'm good to go, so long as this doesn't take us outside the town. It shouldn't, from what he's told us." He equipped his weapon for safety purposes and pulled his hood overhead. The darker look suited him when he was on the job, he felt.

"What do you think of it?" he asked. Tobias' parents had always been fairly loving in his childhood, but his mother turned to more depraved acts toward the end of their marriage. As a result, he did not take kindly to infidelity or unfaithfulness. He resented his mother for the way she broke the family apart, but when it came down to it, she had been more tolerant of his proclivity toward anti-social behavior and allowed him to do what he loved.

His father was grieved by the boy's lack of enthusiasm and an outgoing nature. They were almost complete opposites. It was sad, because Tobias wanted to be more like him.

"Gonna be what we're expecting, or will the system throw us a curveball?" Part of him hoped that it would be something else. The other part half expected it to be exactly that. "Ah, well, either way- let's go give this quest what for."

He pressed the door open and held it for her.

 

[Birdie 0]

Birdie could only gaze at the NPC, her mouth not quite able to formulate a response. 'This is.. an interesting one..' She was thankful that Arc had taken the quest into his hands, accepting for the both of them as he had his little talk with the NPC. Simply rolling her eyes, she bid the man farewell and received one in rerturn, the NPC taking another sip of his drink as the two players left him.

"What do I think? Well.." Her experience with unfaithful relationships was bar none, having never experienced one like it herself. Birdie's parents were always incredibly loving toward one another, right up until the end. She sighed, "I don't know - I mean, it kinda sounds like she's cheating on him, but I doubt the game would throw us such a.. blunt?~ quest." Her gaze shifted to the man, his mention of the game throwing them a curveball gaining a nod from the woman. "Hey, it's a quest where we don't have to fight any monsters, I'm all for it."

Birdie gave the man a quiet "Thanks" as she passed through the doorway. The once busy streets of Urbus had calmed down considerably, now only a few late-night questing groups and the odd NPC lurking around. She glanced to Arc, stopping just beside the road. "We wont be walking in on anything, the game's not rated high enough for that." Her attention then shifted to the road ahead, taking a calm breath before she walked out onto it. "So, what have you been up to these past few days? Not slaying Yetis without me, I hope." She let out a quiet laugh, so as to not disturb the people nearby.

[Ashrah 0]

"Yeah, that's about what I thought, too," he muttered quietly when she mentioned the NPC might be cheating on her husband. His words were not laced with malice, rather introdspective and inexorably linked to some deep seated thought, far away.  "You're right though," his voice climbed back to its usual, not-quite-cheery norm. "I don't think the game would do something so... blatant?" He recalled that Cardinal sometimes drew from the memories of a player when crafting one of its unique quests. This may have been cultivated in part from his own experience. That was what bothered him the most. "Not fighting will definitely be a good change of pace," he added.

When she said that they wouldn't be walking in on anything, his face burned a deep shade of crimson. "Woah, that's not what I meant!" he sputtered defensively, hands held up in a warding gesture. "I just thought that they might be kissing or talking about something, or... uh... whatever it is... couples do...?"

Tobias had no experience with women whatsoever, and that was made even more apparent by his ignorance of the societal practices and culutual normalities associated with dating. He did not match her gaze as he spoke, though he did his best to mask his unease. 

Her next comment was welcome, because it took them away from what could have potentially been a very comical conversation for the girl- not so much for Tobias. Her comment about Yetis elicited a chuckle.

"Nah," he said, "just been helping players with low level quests, making some gold in the mercenary business. You know how it goes." She probably didn't. He was one of the few players who called himself a mercenary. Maybe even the only one. "Got to pick up some handy skills and a boatload of experience along the way. That was helpful. How about you, Miss Birdie? What have you been up to?"

[Birdie 0]

Birdie caught onto the man's beet red face from the corner of her eye, a sight that she tried to desperately not give away she'd seen. She raised a hand to her lips, masking the chuckle with a well-timed deceitful cough. "Couples do a lot of kissing and talking, yes - mainly the former, out of~ uh.." Blink, cough. ".. let's hold that thought for now. Anyway, if the woman does have another partner, I don't see this quest ending happily ever after." Birdie considered all the possibilities, the same conclusion arising each time - unless the wife is disappearing every night to bake a cake, or something of a similar innocent nature, the husband's going to end up better off.

"It's good to see you're making progress, 'Frontlines in no time', right?" She followed up her sentence, "I've been.. slacking off a little." The woman's cheeks grew a light shade of pink embarrassed to have a admitted the fact. "Mostly enjoying the low level life while I still can. I know it might sound silly, keep wasting time like this and the Frontlines will beat this game before I'm up there with them." A smile flashed on her face for a moment, dying down into a neutral expression a second later. Her thoughts turned to memories of home and the life she'd led in the real world - did she want to dive into such a topic with someone around?

"A.. as much as I hate to admit, I think I'll miss Aincrad once this is all over." She looked up to him, the hint of a smile spreading across her lips. "Life is simple in this world, it's almost too easy. Not having to worry about work or, financial stress, coming home.." Her eyes slowly moved away from Arc, surveying the path ahead of them instead. "I'm still debating whether the developer has done us a favour or a misdeed..."

[Ashrah 0]

When she started talking about couples kissing, even briefly, Arc's eyes widened and he stared intently at the ground. Don't make eye contact, don't make eye contact, don't make eye contact... 

He didn't want to make her angry, or worse- uncomfortable. When she swiftly changed the subject, he let out an audible sigh of relief. "I think that's probably going to be what we find," he assessed. "A situation where the husband learns the truth, and is better off for it."

She commented on his progress, and Arc matched her gaze intently. "No need to push yourself too hard," he told her (somewhat hypocritically, since he was burning the candle at both ends.) "It's nice to be able to relax, sometimes. Even in a world like this one- no, maybe even especially in this world." He caught himself, and blinked. "Not... that I'd know, I suppose."

Arc shook his head and dismissed the thought. "There are so many things I've thought about going home, and how it won't be the same. I think I've started to learn more about myself because of SAO. Things I never considered, and didn't expect." He looked up toward the starlight sky and smiled. "I decided I want to travel to new places and meet new people. I only had my small group of friends back home. I've always been a loner, and not very good with others. This world has given me the chance to change that."

Why was he telling her all of this? He didn't like people to get close to him, let alone learn things about him. What happened to that fear? Had it dissolved? "But that doesn't mean this whole set up wasn't wrong," he murmured. "In a backward way, it did some good... but I wouldn't go thanking a bankrobber for putting a gun to my head, you know?"

[Birdie 0]

"I've always been a loner,"  she heard him say, prompting an eyebrow to shift upwards in light of the revelation. 'I never would've thought of him as anything but a fairly popular guy... I hear you on that one, though,' the woman kept to herself in thought, nodding in acknowledgement as the man continued. His point about Aincrad and SAO giving him the opportunity to change his old ways was equally as intriguing, Birdie having never considered it as such. Nobody knows who/what another player was back in the real world, granted they weren't accomplices pre-SAO, so it was incredibly possible for the quieter population to escape their shell and renovate themselves entirely.

"Oh, I didn't mean to say Kayaba's philosophy isn't twisted - he wanted to create a world where he could play God, trapping thousand of players in Aincrad in order to achieve it. It's sick.." She glanced up to Arc, "It's like you said, this place is the land of opportunities now. I don't think I can remember a time in the real world when I woke up and thought about just.. walking. There's too much to consider - do I have work, did I make arrangements, when is mother expecting me home? Out here, I only have to worry about the skin on my back.. and that's only becoming less of a problem as time goes on."

Birdie sighed, taking in a large breath as she finished her impromptu speech. The fact that she could comfortably talk about this kind of thing with a relatively new friend was odd, yet it also felt great to get it off her chest. As the quest popped back into memory, the woman took a moment check on its status. She looked to the quest marker on the minimap, noticing that the path would lead them all around to the other side of town, the farm sitting just outside the safe zone's borders. "Does this quest feel.. strange to you?" She glanced to Arc, "It feels so out of place, I mean - we're in a world where sword play is its literal namesake, we're inside a town investigating like a pair of detectives." Thinking of it that way put a goofy little smile on her face, though she tried to hide it with a curious expression.

[Ashrah 0]

"The thing that's got me hung is how much like real life it really is," he pondered aloud. "Well, not the life we're used to, at least. If you go back a few hundred years, give or take the thirteen, fourteen hundreds, people did make their living as mercenaries, tailors, blacksmiths- this stuff is rooted in history that people take for granted." Arc considered a conversation he'd had with his best friend at one point about how the game was even more exciting because it took elements of different periods of history and their cultures, blended them together, and presented them in a form far easier to digest. One of Thom's greatest laments had been how his peers lacked the enthusiasm and passion for history that he and their small group had. Tobias echoed the sentiment to a much less fanatical degree, but listening to him, Birdie might not be able to distinguish him from some other history nut.

"It's stripped down to a basic level, but all of it essentially requires the same investment of time, study, practice, and dedication. If you think about it-" he stopped short with the realization that he was rambling. "Err, nevermind," he mumbled as she asked if something seemed strange. He stopped moving and glanced around. Their surroundings were far too unfamiliar- he had never taken the time to learn Urbus to this degree, since few people ever wandered to this area of it. More than that, though, Birdie was right. In a game where Swordsmanship was tantamount to livelihood, the concept of a quest that did not involve it seemed quite odd.

He did not speak in response, however. He peered toward the farm and looked to see if he could spy anything out of the ordinary.

For a moment, Arc was deathly silent. His eyes shifted one way, then another, and he turned his gaze back to Birdie. "I think the quest is one that's going to require some discretion," he explained. "There are several types of swordsmanship where stealth and caution are focal points. They include those of the Assassin and Thief, and generally involve daggers or long knives." He held up his hands and made several gestures to punctuate his words. "They're not limited to that, obviously. There are plenty of people who prefer those weapons for the dexterity and swiftness, who don't have malefic intent. Sword Art Online has a stealth mechanic for people who want to go that route."

He gestured toward the barn. "I think this quest is going to allow us to try that out, to some degree. There are times when fighting is not always the best answer. I think Cardinal is trying to force us to think."

Arc realized quickly that he tended to take things a bit too seriously, and when he was sure she wasn't looking, he grimaced at himself. Way to bore her to tears, Tobes.

Edited September 17, 2016 by Arc