[PP - F1] The Beginning of Many <<DHA: 1>>

[Beatbox 0]

Beatbox had placed a hand onto his chin as he tried to envision who this person could be... he was really tall, used two handed axes... wait, was she talking about Mack? He didn't really know anyone who had used two handed axes other that frankly, Mack and Zandra, now Teion now that he had saw that she had used a two handed axe bestowed onto her. "The only guy that I am aware that's tall and use two handed axes is Mack, are you talking about him by any chance? Because then he must've wanted you to join KoB or the old guild." he placed a hand on his chin but then shrugged it off, and clasped his hands together as he had placed them in front of him onto the table, looking upon her looking through the menu, she was... taking an awfully long time picking out something that she had wanted, he only just wanted her to experience what S class food tastes like, even just to show an act of kindness. He didn't want to rush her though, he figured to just keep her thinking upon what she had wanted to eat as he sat back in his seat looking around the restaurant.

@Teion

[Teion 0]

When Beatbox offered a name, Teion seemed unsure. She wracked her brain, wanting to figure it out, and only now cursing herself for trying to rid herself of her memories in Aincrad despite still being trapped here. "Crimson...?" She mumbled again, but ended the thought with another shake of her head. "I shouldn't be dwelling on it, sorry." She was frustrated with herself, but realized she shouldn't be derailing the conversation. "Oh," She gave a small nod, "I'm ready if you are." She referred to the menu now resting on the table.

When the waitress would come back to them, she had decided on an apple-glazed pork dish. It sounded simple, but she was positive anything here would impress her given her lack of culinary skills and naivete to cooking in Sword Art Online in general. Not only that, but they weren't hanging around in some cheap tavern for drinks and greasy food.

[Beatbox 0]

Beatbox had perfectly waited for Teion and when she had that realization that she had been dozing off in her own thoughts he had let out a chuckle, "It's okay, you were in no rush to figure out what you wanted, I'm glad that you found something though." he chuckled then looked over to the the waitress and called out to her notifying that they were ready to order, Beatbox had wanted a beef stew as he was honestly craving it in the past few days, and he had heard that she had wanted a apple glazed pork dish... huh, he never really tried that kind of food before, maybe he should try it out next time... the waitress gave them the okay and told them to give them a minute as they prepared the food. Beatbox gave the waitress a smile and a thanks sending her off to do her work, Beatbox sighed... it was quite strange that people in this world would be so real... just like what you would find in the real world... it was so... bizarre, however Beatbox had shook off his thoughts and continued to chat with Teion "I don't judge for you not being in a part of a guild. Personally, I don't want to be in one... at least with any of the established ones at least... just, the right guild is hard to come by... and some even call my beliefs stupid... I can't bare deal with the minds of others right now that dare try to be evil or defy me of my logic." he grasped his hand tighter and tighter before closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath, he exhaled "I'm sorry... I got a little overworked there."

@Teion

[Teion 0]

Teion tilted her head slightly before giving the boy a small smile. Though he apologized for it, he had taken a moment from being formal and accomodating. A flicker of other emotions showed themselves, and the blacksmith gave a small shake of her head after his last comment. "Not at all. It's refreshing, as weird as that sounds." For months now, Teion wondered how many of the smiles and rehearsed greetings in her shop were masks that players were wearing just to get them through another day here. Of course, she didn't want to be so pessimistic, but it was difficult trying to take on life in Aincrad alone. Then again, finding another group of players who shared your goals, your interests, and that you could get along with... Well, she had come to the conclusion that it was far more work than she had time for. Still, she didn't know if this was the time or the place for either of them to have an impromptu discussion about life.

[Beatbox 0]

Beatbox had chuckled when she had said that it was refreshing, as odd as it sounded... he shook his head "I guess it is, I guess sometimes its just better to just talk to someone about it." he looked down upon the table onto his hands thinking about what to talk about next, but his mind had just drawn a blank, he had no real honest idea why it was... but it was. Not a moment later their food had arrived and the waitress placed it in front of them and gave the bill to Beatbox, he gave her a warm smile and a thanks and decided to pay for it now so he didn't have to worry about it later... it was what it would seem to be a hefty amount, but he didn't really necessarily care. Before he had started eating he had figured to say something first "Um... Teion." he looked down to his food then looked back up "do you want to complete the rest of the quest line with me? it shouldn't take us that long. I can only assume that it gets challenging as quests go on and on."

@Teion

-----

-10000 Col

[Teion 0]

"Ah." The table had fallen silent, but as if on cue their waitress soon returned with their orders. "Oh, thanks..." Teion mumbled with a tinge of embarrassment as he paid for them both. Both her frugality and pride had grown with her time in Aincrad, so she still felt a bit awkward allowing a near stranger to pay for an expensive meal for her. 'Am I really not supposed to be interpreting this as a date...?' She thought skeptically.

Still, she tried to enjoy being out of the shop and away from the desert for a day. A change of scenery was good every now and again, right? The blonde caught her attention again when he said her name, wearing an expression as if he had something on his mind. He asked if she wanted to continue with the rest of the questline together, and the blacksmith wasn't sure how to react. The thought of parting ways had crossed her mind several times, but she wasn't sure if her reasoning was justified. The violet-haired player shifted her gaze off to the side to avoid looking directly at Beatbox. A few long moments of silence hung in the air after his offer before she responded. "I don't know exactly what your level is, but it's clear that you're much stronger than I am." She quickly felt anxious as the words left her. She didn't have the time to carefully construct her sentences. "I'm not sure why you want me along," she didn't fully expect an answer to it, and continued, "but it's hard to accept the offer of being carried."

[Beatbox 0]

Beatbox sighed after hearing her words, he never thought being a certain level would affect ones outlook on things... he never really agreed that because of ones level it can sway ones decision... he knew he should have just asked for the next quest. He looked towards Teion and said "I am level 50, and I guess I got a little ahead of myself asking you on every quest, but..." he leaned back into his seat and looked down upon his hands that laid in front of him on the table "I feel as though these quests will only get progressively harder and harder and well... I don't want to see someone die, knowing that I could have been there to help." he sighed once more and shook his head before grabbing the spoon that laid next to his meal "I guess we can just do baby steps then, maybe we can just do the next quest and see how things go out... would you like to?" he asked her when he should have asked that question first instead of all of the quests.

@Teion

[Teion 0]

As Beatbox continued his explaination and rephrased his question, something was still nagging at the back of Teion's mind. She couldn't wrap her head around it. She looked back at him now as he spoke, and when the blonde asked her again she immediately shot back. "But why--" Teion abruptly stopped herself from finishing her question. She averted her gaze again as she held her tongue, letting out a small breath. I'm not opposed to doing quests with you," She admitted in a small voice before glancing back towards him. "but if this is a quest chain that increases in difficulty, I hope you don't think I would blindly overwhelm myself." She frowned, almost as if giving a small pout. Her hands figeted a bit more amongst themselves as she closed her eyes and let out another small puff of air. "I just don't understand why you're okay with me dragging you down. I'm sure you'd be better off taking them on your own, or with other players closer to your level and skill."

[Beatbox 0]

Beatbox had listened to her words, he didn't really know how to describe this... he just wanted to help her gain the levels that she had needed... but he assumed that there was much more to it and he just wasn't grasping to what he wanted to say, he looked from side to side and thought to himself for a moment. He tried to gather his thoughts and he looked forward to Teion "Because I don't want to know that someone had died knowing that I could have helped them. I want to see players grow stronger, not myself." he placed the spoon down next his bowl of stew and looked down "I can't afford to sit down like this to see players just die due to my absence... I just can't not again.." he placed his hands in front of him looking away from Teion with closed eyes fighting the tears of the fall of his old guild disappearing without a trace... it was unfair... it was unfair that they had gone and disappeared just like that... he couldn't bare to see it anymore.

@Teion

[Teion 0]

Teion closed her eyes for a moment. As the swordsman tried to explain himself further he grew more distressed. His voice trailed off, and Teion looked to him with a gentle smile. "It's okay." She untangled her fingers to run her hands idly over the fabric of her pants to smooth it out. "I'll do the quests with you." She gave a small nod towards his bowl as she picked up her own fork. "Now eat. You'll need energy if we're going to start the next one anytime soon."

She wasn't sure what the man had been through, but by now they'd all had their fair share of inner demons. Aincrad seemed to exist to put people into impossible situations--to give them hope of teamwork and survival only to tear it away from them. She often considered paying visits to the first floor more often to visit the Monument of Life. She always stopped herself, however; the thought of obsessively searching for names, whether or not they would be crossed out...it seemed more bearable to leave herself wondering.

[Beatbox 0]

Beatbox had listened to Teion and he gave a slight smile, he looked down and picked up his spoon once more... she had agreed to go on the quests with him... yet, he feel like he guilt tripped her into doing it... he didn't want to put out as forcing her to do anything... yet she had said it calmly and without hesitation... he wanted to believe that she wasn't entirely upset at him or upset at doing the quests with him "O-okay Teion... thank you..." he then went to eating his stew... it had tasted very great... it was S class food which he had only eaten once before... at it was always refreshing to be able to stay alive long enough to eat this sort of food, once they had finished their food, Beatbox had looked forward to Teion and gave her a slight smile with a chuckle "I know you might not want to... but this would make messaging to get the quests done easier..." he opened his menu's and gave Teion a friend request and looked over to the side "However you don't need to if you dont want to... we can just establish a time to do it." he leaned back in his seat leaving the spoon in the bowl.

@Teion

[Teion 0]

As the two finally ate their meal, Teion blinked in surprise as she took her first bite. The taste was surprisingly good, and quickly exceeded her expectations. It made her feel like she was spoiling herself, and she feared the taste of bread would start to feel lacking after today. 'Ahh, I don't know if I've even had anything in the real world that was this good...'

As the pair finished their meals, Teion felt incredibly content. She'd forgotten what enjoying a good meal was like, and she resisted a small pout as she realized she wouldn't be able to indulge like this all the time. "Ah, thank you." She spoke up, wanting to thank Beatbox once again for treating her. He then mentioned completing the other quests, and then a menu appeared before her--a friend request. Teion hesitated a moment, but gave a small shake of her head and tapped on the blue circle to accept. It'd been quite some time since she had added someone to that list, and she didn't think she was going to be doing it again for ever longer. "No, that's okay. I don't spend much time outside of my shop," She wasn't sure if she felt embarrassed or prideful with that kind of a statement. "so any time you want to do the next ones would be fine with me."

---

Thread Complete

Spoiler

• Beatbox:
  • +2 SP
  • 450 col
  • <Rhaegal’s Emerald>
• Teion:
  • +2 SP
  • +450 col