[OP-F1] Another Lost Soul of Aincrad

[Kyoko 0]

Trapped.

Kyoko pushed back against the virtual bricks of the nearest building, which left rough indentations in her palms while she stared at the weathered stone tiles beneath her feet. She was on the First Floor, in the Town of Beginnings, more specifically. Dozens after dozens of players were nearby, filling her head with a repetitive, yet heart-breaking, song. Some of the players were crying, others yelling at the top of their lungs. A few were desperately flipping through the menu, searching for an exit to the nightmare they had all become imprisoned within.

Only moments ago, it had been revealed that the "Logout" button was deactivated and thus removed, ultimately capturing every player within the virtual world of Aincrad. All players had been transformed back into their real-life counterparts, and now, it was time to figure out how to live with what happened. Kyoko noticed some of the players splitting off into groups and heading further into the streets, discussing plans and attempting to collectively comprehend what had been done to them. She shook her head at this and pushed off of the side of the building.

Fear swelled up inside of her heart, twisting her stomach and leaving her feeling physically weak; holding onto barely enough strength to remain standing. "This...," she thought to herself. "This is a prank. It has to be. There's no way something like this would actually happen." Another look around at the panicked players told her otherwise and she looked for the Logout button herself.

It was gone...and they were, in fact, trapped within Sword Art Online.

"I can't believe this. What are we supposed to do now?" she silently wondered, still looking at the players who were gathered en masse. "If we die in the game, we die in real life. We can't keep playing the game like we have been. One mistake. That's all its going to take for us...for me...to die."

Kyoko took a deep, hasty breath and wrung her hands nervously. "Monsters, player-killers, the bosses-oh man. This game is a death sentence!" she exclaimed, forcing herself not to cry along with the more distraught players nearby.

Edited March 14, 2017 by Kyoko

[Husky 0]

The first floor holds many memories, as far as Husky could reminisced. It has been over a year. Many events has occurred. The brunette could vividly remembered what happened a year ago. The cloaked figure in the sky, revealed the information about their circumstances; the log-out function removed, and the imminent death await for those who died in game, for they would be killed in real life as well. Many people were devastated, and some still couldn't recover from the shock. Husky had found himself lucky for able to meet all those who have help him get to where he is.

Standing in the square of Town of Beginning, looking toward the direction the Cloaked figure once loomed over, Husky could recalled back to the time when he first log on. How time have changed. That's when he was reminded of an individual. He doesn't know exactly where they are now, but whoever they are was the first player he ever talked to. He couldn't quite recall their name, but he knew that if he saw it, he would remember. "Wait... The Monument of Life." Husky remembered. Not far from the Town of Beginning is the great Plaza named the Monument of Life, once a place where players would respawn if died, now replaced with the list of everyone's name, as the deceased player's name crossed out. Maybe he should search for her there.

-~- Flash Back -~-

The Cloaked figure -seemed to be a powerful enemy, consider its size- loomed over the town square as everyone is summoned to this area. Husky was left confused as to what was happening. He was just about to engage his first fight against a monster, a bell sounded loud, echoed over the field; not long after, he was transported back here. Add to his confusion, whatever floating over the town finally spoke. It speaks of all the information; of the Log-out function's removal; everyone now have one life, and once they die, they will die for good; and ending the speech with a present given to all ten thousand players.

Husky was left speechless. He was bewildered as the hooded figure dissipated to nothingness, leaving the sky a color of dim crimson red. In his inventory was an object simply named Mirror. As chaos around him started exploding, Husky saw what's happening surround him. People being transformed to what seemed to be their real self. Many players even had their gender switched back, either from male back to female and reverse. He was afraid to click to the object; however, his finger seemed almost automated, moved to the button and press equip the Mirror to his hand. Moments later, a small crystal, clear as a mirror landed onto his hand gently. Husky saw in the mirror, the character he had created; then a blinding light, and before he knew what had happened, he saw himself in the mirror -his real self. The scar over his eyes was something he wanted to hide joined this game, but it was there, clearly apparent.

After a while, the brunette had settled his mind and calmed down from the chaotic state that he was left under. Panicking won't help. He must stay vigilance, now more than ever. Husky took a long look surround him. From all direction, everyone was panicking. People couldn't seem to quite believe what's happening. Then, Husky saw a girl. Her hair dark, a light tint shade of brown under the reddened sky. She was alone, unlike most player, and he could see clearly in her eyes, the expression of distraught, and disbelief. Her eyes lingering in tears. The brunette moved almost instinctively. 

"H...Hey." He approached the girl, his voice spoke out, still slightly staggered by the shocking information. "I'm sorry if I disturb you by any mean... But... Something the matter?" Husky asked. He knew the question was quite idiotic, but at least by letting her explode on him, she might relieved some of her pent up stress, in which could help calming her mind a little. It's worth a shot. 

(OOC: Terribly sorry for the long post, but there's a lot of information to write about.)

Edited March 15, 2017 by Husky

[Airi 0]

Deep, frantic violet eyes stared intently at the faded log-out button. Tap. Nothing happened. Another soft tap. Nothing else happened. In the middle of the plaza where the cloaked figure had appeared, a small girl of only fifteen stood, the main menu open before her, displaying the account settings tab. She closed the main menu, waited for a few seconds and opened it again, giving the log-out button a hard press. Still, she remained in the game world. She gritted her teeth and repeated the process once again. Still no response. Fear began to rise up in her throat, demanding her to scream and cry and let it all out.

Beside her, a player finally realized the gravity of their situation and started screaming: “This isn’t a prank! We’re going to die! We’re all going to die!” The player beside her then proceeded to break down, curling up in a fetal position with shivers racking their body and tears running down their face. The red-haired girl pulled up her hood and stared at them, disgusted at the blatant show of weakness. She gave the log-out button another tap before closing the main menu and swallowing down the bile that had risen up her throat. Then she swiftly turned around and began walking away from the center of the plaza.

Another player, one she didn’t recognize blocked her way and grabbed her shoulders. “You have to help me!” He was calling out to her, but judging from his distant eyes, he weren’t really seeing her. He had probably tricked himself into thinking she were someone else, someone he recognized and wanted to be with. “Please! I want to see my-” The player didn’t get to finish his statement as the girl shoved past him. She turned back long enough to witness him talking to air, and then made her way to the darker corners of the plaza where a large man was attempting to comfort a pretty, shell-shocked girl.

(OOC: Will approach after the next post)

[Kyoko 0]

Kyoko looked towards a young man, who stood only a few paces away. His eyes seemed kind, at least from a distance, and the shakiness of his voice indicated an equally horrified reaction to their new circumstances. It wasn't like Kyoko to talk to other players on a whim; past experiences had left her wary of human interaction. But it was the heart-wrenching fear that compelled her to answer his polite inquiry into her troubles.

"How can you ask that?" Kyoko replied, voice trembling. "Of course something's the matter. We're stuck here. Even twenty steps you take outside of the town, there's something trying to kill you, and if you die in the game..." She shook her head and sat down on the concrete tiles, no longer able to stand in spite of her emotional shock. Looking up to the young man, she allowed a couple of tears to roll down her cheek. "I don't wanna die."

Her eyes fell on a girl at the edge of the panicked crowd. Her face was drenched in the shadow of her hood, but it was obvious she was observing from her distant position. "I must look like the biggest softie in the world," she thought silently to herself and looked at her virtual hands.

Edited March 15, 2017 by Kyoko

[Husky 0]

Husky didn't speak a word. He stood silent, letting the girl explode her troubles upon him. The bitter words wouldn't affect him any way, but at least it would calm her down, even if it's only a tiny bit. "It's alright. I completely understand." The brunette speak out, his voice grew more calm.

"It's all right to be afraid." He took a few step forward, until he stood just an arm length away from the girl. She was sobbing, as he could see tear drops rolling on her cheeks just under the hood she wore. Her hands are trembling, much like his, unbeknownst to him. "At least she doesn't mind the little scar." His mind rambled, worried that she would be scared of him even more, now that she could see the ugly scar over his left eye. Lowered himself to his knee, Husky extended his hand, gently placed it upon her shoulder before continued. "It's horrifying, I know. I'm scared too, just as anyone would. I'm scared to death to think that I will die here, without any chance to see my friend, or my family...."

Just as he calmed down, the realization of the harsh truth, that he might die without ever saying goodbye hit him harder than ever. Words seemed to choke in his throat. There was a short pause, before Husky pulled through. "But..." He exclaimed, his voice sounded warm, but reassuring. "You must be vigilance, now, more than ever. We must not give up hope, not until we all pull it through in the end. I know for a fact we can. Man kind have accomplished amazing deeds to stay alive, and I believe you could too." Husky placed his palm onto the girl's trembling hand, brought her face up to his. "I know you could."

Edited March 16, 2017 by Husky

[Lee 0]

Lee continued to walk his usual pathway through the Town of Beginnings. It was a town that one could find almost every person at one point or another. It called all those back for some reason or another, be it something small or large. Though, it always held dark memories for any and all that didn't repress the memories of the fateful day that every single person in SAO had on the very same day.

=-FlashBack-=

The player clad in basic plate armor stood amidst the masses of the player base of SwordArt Online. The players from across the world who were now told that not only were they stuck in the game but it was also given to them the information that if they were to hit zero in terms of health, they would follow shortly after in the land of the living. This was information that Lee wasn't sure he was able to process completely. It was a shock, to say the least but it was a different kind of shock. It was as if being told one won a lottery. It needed to sink in even if this was not the same kind of situation.

Lee would look down to his arm which held a large shield he had received a few days prior from a friend, even the armor he was wearing was a gift. He was already on the right track but everywhere he looked, there were different forms of distress and he couldn't blame anyone. This was nothing less of a death sentence. Though, he had a different look on things though he would dare not voice this aloud. This was something that he had wished for though it was a child's fleeting fantasy. He rose his free arm up to let his hand cover his mouth as if to hold back the shock and fear though in fact, it was a grin that he was forcing back like vomit.

He could hear all those breaking around him and here he was, breaking in similar fashion but in a very different way. He heard the ranting raving of another player close by and his attentions would follow over toward it and he would see a female player brushing off a fanatic and then there were players trying to console others. He had to get himself out of the swirling madness himself as he would keep his hand held over his face as he would try and find a quieter place.

[Bellum 0]

As the news dawned upon her that, yes, they were all indeed trapped inside the game, Annabelle’s face was empty and cold, devoid of emotion. She watched as her character’s skin seemed to melt away into that of her own self, and saw her perspective lower by almost a foot. The mirror showed the truth of things, and the truth was…

 

Liberating…

 

Standing among the masses of other players, Belle was enveloped by the mass hysteria, the outrage, the confusion, the crying, the screaming, all of the mental breakdowns and differing reactions, which all seemed to share one common thread. They were all wrong. Looking up at the hooded figure who told them of their imprisonment, Annabelle’s features changed for the first time. She was grinning.

”I’m not trapped.” She muttered. ”I’m… I’m free.”

 

As she said it, seventeen years of weight seemed to finally be lifted from her shoulders. As others scrambled through their menus and tried to log out, or simply lay on the ground crying, Belle sank to her knees, as she had every day for her entire life to pray. Now, however, her grinning face broke into frantic giggling, her eyes rose to the sky as she roared with laughter.

 

She stayed like that for quite awhile. People moved away from her. Maybe they were scared of her. She didn’t care. She couldn’t help herself.

 

When she finally recovered, she noticed that everyone was still, well, moping about. This fact seemed alien to Annabelle. How could they not be celebrating? Couldn’t they see that they were all free now? Free to spend their days living in this wonderful world, fighting monsters and living out lives as nobody else could. How could they not understand?

 

She spotted a girl, leaning against a wall and crying. Someone was comforting her, or at least attempting to, in a rather handsy manner. Being the good Christian that she was, Bell decided to help comfort this girl, and make sure that there were no shenanigans. Approaching from the side, she reached them about the time that the boy brought their faces close together. Crouching a bit, she levelled her own face to be level with both of theirs, intruding into their personal space and probably ruining the mood.

 

”Hellooooooooo!” Came her singsong voice, rattling through the jagged silence that had fallen over the world. ”Make sure we’re saving room for Jesus here, yeah?” She said, gently pushing the two apart. With a smile, she held out her arms to shake, crossed in front of her, so that her left hand went to Kyoko, who was on her right, and her right hand went to Husky, who was on her left. ”I’m Annabelle, but you can just call me Belle, or Anna if you like.” She jabbered, her voice somewhat uncomfortably pleasant given the circumstances.

Now, she decided, she’d help cheer some people up. The boy looked okay, especially given his insistence on doing exactly what she was doing now. With a comforting smile, Belle ”Come on now, girl, buck up! Wipe away those tears! There’s no reason to mope!” She cooed, trying to cheer her up. ”You’re safe here, after all. And there’s tons of people out there to keep you safe. They’ll get you out of here, sooner or later. Enjoy it while it lasts.”

Edited March 16, 2017 by Bellum

[Inaba 0]

Inaba had done like everyone else had and opened up his own inventory. Normally he would hate the repetition but he had wanted to see what the object was. A mirror was the last thing he would have expected, but he supposed that was a good thing. He looked into the rectangular mirror and saw only his character's face. It was an odd sensation not seeing his own face but he supposed enveloping light was more likely the cause of that. The light died down and he looked into the mirror with a bored look. He saw his own face which wasn't the most exciting, however the yelling everyone else had been doing was. "Well It's a decent trade off I suppose." Inaba said somehow with a mixture of interest and disinterest.

Unlike the other players, he had seem rather calm for someone who was just told they could die in the video game. Personally he didn't understand why others would care, they could die in real life so what was the problem? While dying would be a bit of a bummer. Inaba had an opportunity to explore the world of Aincrad without having to stop for pointless things like school. If he was supposed to feel trapped the hooded figure had done a poor job.

He spent a few moments watching eveyone's reactions, some were crying, other were just standing in silence, and he could have sworn he heard a laughter that seemed something out of horror film. After he felt like he had a good enough show he naturally had gotten bored and made his way from his current position. Honestly he had no exact direction to go so he supposed he might go towards the direction of the creepy horror giggling. What else could be more interesting than that?

Inaba after sifting through the crowd eventually came across a small group of people, they all looked a bit silly to him but he supposed they would quench his curiosity for the moment. They were an odd bunch, A brown haired guy with some sort of weird scar on his face seemed to be attempting to comfort a panicked looking brown haired girl with the help of a pink haired girl, while a red haired girl watched. He stood by the red haired girl and decided he'd watch what would unfold. "What did I miss?" He asked the red haired girl while he watched what the others would do.

 

Edited March 16, 2017 by Inaba

[Husky 0]

While Husky had his mind occupied with the girl, the sudden appearance of another person startled him slightly. Husky took a step back to prevent him from falling flat on his behind. The strange girl -introduced herself as Annabelle- seemed oddly, cheerful and satisfied. Either by the recent event has finally got to her sanity, or someone with a twisted mind, she's far from normal. However, as the girl continued after her small introduction, the girl averted her attention to the little girl quivering on the ground, consulting her, her tone sugary sweet, somewhat unfitting consider the circumstance.

"Oh deary me... she's completely sane..." Husky let out a sigh, his word flow under his breath, quiet enough not to be heard by others. Whatever's wrong with the pink haired girl, it wasn't from the shock by the information given to them. Her tone isn't shaking, neither does herself. Either way, he shouldn't jump to conclusion just yet. "Excuse me, miss Annabelle." Husky speak out, slowly weaving himself between the two player. "I do believe that she's still in shock at the moment. Maybe we should give her some space to breath." The brunette suggested. Afraid that the girl might lashed out again, after she had calmed down somewhat, his main intention is to drive the cheerful girl away from the stranger he tried to help. Maybe some free space could help her to calm her mind and think.

That was when his attention finally returned to the views surround him. Everyone around them are still in a state of fright and disbelief, but it has gotten less chaotic than before. He also found himself and the girl being watched by two other players. 

[Airi 0]

I don’t wanna die. From a short distance, a girl cried out. Clearly, the man had said the wrong thing. Or something. She didn’t hear the first part of the conversation, so she didn’t know. The red-haired girl leaned on a wall a little ways from them and listened (with slight amusement) to the man giving the sobbing girl comforting words and encouragements which sounded like lines you would typically hear in a movie.

She turned her head away, her hood shadowing her eyes, and opened her menu once again, stopping with her finger hovering over the log-out button. A light tap and the lack of response confirmed all her raging doubts and suspicions. It wasn’t a sadistic game developer’s prank. It was all real. Every bit of HP lost is one step closer to death. Every step outside the safe zone, there’s something waiting to attack you. Airi had to cover her mouth with both hands to suppress a weird, high-pitched, fearful sound that came from her. She felt claustrophobic, like she wasn’t standing in the middle of an open, noisy plaza, but in a small glass box where the air around her was limited and she could barely breathe. It was all in her mind though. There were no walls around her and the air was completely clean and breathable (if they even needed to breathe in-game).

She clutched at her chest, pulling her hood off as if it would help with her problem, and reminded herself of those facts. It was all in her head. Her real body was completely unconscious, hooked to machines that would keep her alive. She wouldn’t die from anything, not if she stayed in the safe zone. And you wouldn’t want to look weak in front of others, right? A voice in her head chided.

Pitiful thing, let me take over.

A boy, a bit older than her, with weird floofy blue-grey hair (that was honestly the only thing she could come up with when it came to his hair) approached her and gestured to the group she had been unconsciously looking at, asking her what he missed. There were three now, joined by a girl with a sugary smile who talked in a voice all too happy for the current situation. Airi looked up at him, a pleasant expression already smoothened out on her face and shook her head in slight confusion. “I wasn’t really listening, but it seems the pink-haired one just arrived,” she informed him. She felt the only man from the group notice her and the stranger’s presence and she turned around, starting to walk towards them in the most non-threatening way possible. Airi looked over her shoulder long enough to tell the boy: “Might as well talk, since we were spotted watching.”

[Lee 0]

The plate wearing man would find himself moving through the crowd but there were simply too many people flipping their minds inside out for him to even think. He could only see the masses of different people with different reactions. It was something he had never witnessed before on such a scale and it would be even more scary to think if he had. The man would come to a sudden stop at the words that just did not fit the overall commotion of the current on goings. It seemed to be that of almost...joy?

His attentions would fall onto a small group of three. A man whom had what looked to have a scar over his right side of his face, a distraught brown haired girl and the one that had caught his attentions, a pink haired female that was seemingly looking at the more positive side of the situation that seemed almost non-existent. This was odd but odd enough to at least distract the woes after a death game from those around. It was also good that in his aim to try and find some place quieter, he had come within a few feet of the small group himself, himself starring.

[Kyoko 0]

The noise from the panicked crowd, in combination with the boy's reassuring comments, filled Kyoko's mind with a maelstrom of confusion and disorientation. Uncertainty and horror crawled forward from the darkness of her subconscious like sibling monsters, seeking to drag her down into a fit of hysteria. Unable to absorb the trauma emotionally, after what all had happened in the real world prior to SAO, Kyoko surrendered herself to the imminent psychotic break that loomed at the edge of her mind.

Then, a new arrival appeared between herself and the brown-haired boy who had been trying to comfort her. She seemed...gone...as if she had suffered the same mental break, but was somehow in a remarkable state of control over her emotions, at least to the point of which she could spread joy in the midst of this situation. "Buck up. Wipe away those tears. They'll get you out of here sooner or later."

Buck up. Easy enough. Looking at the red-haired girl at the edge of the crowd, now standing next to a fluffy steel-blue-haired boy, Kyoko realised she had become far too much of a public spectacle. One thing she had learned from living on the streets for two years was the importance of appearances. If you come across as weak, the other kids will want what you have. So, it was time to follow her second piece of advice.

Wipe away those tears. Kyoko rubbed her hand across her cheek and sniffled a little, forcing herself to regain control over her emotions. She realised she had less to fear than she had originally assumed, being stuck in SAO. Being killed outright upon failure to complete the game wasn't the set of rules she'd have chosen to play by, but she knew she could level up, just as you were meant to in this game, and she could survive despite the danger.

That led her to the pink-haired girl's last comment. "They'll get you out of here sooner or later." Kyoko shook her head in refusal of this idea. She didn't want to return to the real world; being trapped here didn't bother her in the slightest; in fact, that was hands-down the greatest thing about her situation. The real world, as far as she had come to know, was dark, cold, and cruel. Aincrad was bright, beautiful, and full of diversity...putting it in higher graces with Kyoko then her own planet Earth.

Pulling herself to her feet, she placed her hand on the brown-haired boy's shoulder in a more friendly and appreciative manner. "Thanks for the encouragement. I'm better now, I think. Good luck out there in the field," Kyoko said and turned to the pink-haired girl, who hadn't appeared to have lost any bit of her overly-optimistic demeanour. She shook the girl's hand with a kind smile, also appreciative of her efforts, and offered a gently personal smile. "Are you going anywhere in particular? If you are...would you mind a little company?"

 

 

Edited March 18, 2017 by Kyoko

[Bellum 0]

(OOC: Posting order seems to have become skewed due to new people joining. I've discussed with a few people and concluded that the new order shall be: (Starting from me since I've just posted) Bellum, Inaba, Husky, Airi, Lee, Kyoko.)

As Husky retreated from Annabelle’s offered handshake, her expression changed to that of a puppy who’d just been kicked. She had absolutely no idea why he’d opted to back away from her instead of accept her hospitality, but the look of pained sadness, the kind that shows in your eyes and reveals a window into years of familial neglect, flickered across her features for a moment. And then, turning to the girl, who’d actually acknowledged her, the pain in her eyes vanished immediately, and the bubbly, sugary sweetness of Belle returned to the surface.

 

Noticing her wiping the tears away, Belle smiled brightly, positively glowing at her newfound friend.

”That’s the spirit, girl!” She said, her expression immediately turning sour once more as the big guy weaseled his way in between them again, insisting that she give the other girl room to breath. This sentiment would elicit a laugh from Bellum, long and loud, and eerily similar to the first one she’d let out upon learning of their entrapment.

 

”You’re one to talk about personal space. You’ve never met this girl before, and already you’re getting all handsy with her.” She snorted, her laughter finally subsiding. ”Why don’t you let her speak for herself?” She pressed, her tone surprisingly icy for one so peppy. Hell hath no fury like a Belle scorned.

 

Her tone and demeanor shifted almost immediately once again when Kyoko asked to tag along with her. With a smile that could melt even the coldest of hearts, she wormed her way around Husky to face her new friend directly. ”Absolutely!” She sang. ”I was just thinking, we should go grind for levels quick, before everyone gets their act together and beats us to it!”

 

The excitement in her voice was matched only by the cheery expression on her face. She noticed that they’d become something of a spectacle now, her head pivoting around to take in her surroundings for the first time. Three people were watching her, and two were talking, though she couldn’t hear what was being said. Raising her hand high and waving excitedly, she greeted them.

”Helloooooooo!”

[Inaba 0]

(It's probably the best way to describe the Hairstyle)

A smile was unexpected when the red haired girl looked back to him. It caught him off guard as he thought most people should have been breaking down. Though he knew he shouldn't judge as it would have made him a hypocrite. So he had just offered his own smile back. "That's a shame." Inaba said with a disappointed tone after being told that the red haired girl hadn't been listening. It was some missing information, but he was sure that he wouldn't have to much trouble figuring it out. "Should be fun." He responded to the red haired when the girl had walked towards the group and followed as a sign of his agreement.

Apparently they had picked the right time to get closer. Inaba noticed that scar guy had stepped away from where he originally was. He had missed the earlier parts but whatever happened the brunette seemed a bit more cheerful. The pink haired girl had seem slightly more terrifying up close, but that could just have been the familiar laughter. He found the laughter to be more amusing than horrifying though and the amusement he had gotten from the pink haired girl had only increased. Inaba had to stifle a chuckle at the pink girl's words. He thought it was a shame he missed whatever had been said earlier but this would make up for it.

The pinked haired girl that was mentioned earlier had given a long hello, Inaba was not one to be shy from a greeting of a complete stranger. "Hellooooooo." With his normal smile he mimicked back to the pink haired girl. "My name is Inari Yuba, but please call me Inaba." He wasn't very fond of using his real name but if he was going to learn about the others it was the best bait to use.

[Husky 0]

Seeing that the girl he's trying to comfort has recovered from the trauma attack, Husky relaxed. She seemed calm, compared to her previous state few moments ago. Husky simply nodded to the girl's appreciation. Looking over to her talking to the other pink-haired girl, he saw the two seemingly getting along. Maybe he has misjudged her. When he first met her, he had thought that she would be a complete nut case. Seemed like Husky was wrong. The girl seemed like a friendly person, even making friends along the way in time like this.

Approaching the girl with pink hair, Husky speak out. "Excuse me... It seems like we started off on a bad note. Apologized for my irrational behaviors. I could only assume the situation got the better of me. I hope you could understand." The brunette extended his hand forward, "Please to meet you, Miss Annabelle. You can call me by my username, Husky." he introduced himself, his face relaxed, a friendly smile grew on his lips. It was wrong of him to automatically assuming things without even the slightest knowledge of the situation. Apologizing was the right thing to do. 

Quietly accompanied the two players, Husky made his way to another party of two players. Greeted by the boy with the red haired girl quietly standing behind him, Husky simply nodded, waving back. Maybe after this, he'll need sometime to rest and recollect himself. 

[Airi 0]

"Hellooooo!" The cheerful girl had apparently sensed their approach and was now waving at them, a natural (and a very unsettling) excitement glinting in her round eyes. Airi remembered the manic laughter she had heard just a few seconds ago, when the girl had addressed the man who had said something that seemed displeasing to her, and fell behind the floofy-haired boy in hesitation. She had definitely snapped under the weight of the game maker's announcement. She slowed her pace a little more and heard the boy call out his name, like he wasn't bothered by the girl's obvious insanity.

The man with brown hair then waved at the both of them in a friendly manner. He looked normal enough and he was comforting another player, but Airi found herself doubting his sanity as well. They did say that birds of the same feather flocked together. Would she want to be around them? Tick tock, the time for your thinking is up; she thought to herself like she always did when she felt like she had been taking no action for too long. She walked towards them, her posture slightly tensed, and raised her hand to give a shy wave. She spoke as she neared the small group. "Hello," she greeted, dropping her hand as she came to a stop. The girl dressed in red and black then dropped into a small ladylike curtsy. "My name's Airi. Pleased to meet you all."

[Lee 0]

((Bellum, Inaba, Husky, Airi, Lee, Kyoko))

The entire debacle that was unfolding around the red headed girl had grabbed quite a number of individuals. The plate armored player would stop to listen to the small bit of conversation that he was able to catch but overall, it seemed that the pink haired girls rather odd and positive demeanor was slowly infesting its way into the others. This would surely leave things to a far better outcome than the frantic presence that was starting to die off around them but there were still the lingering effects of panic and just all round mind collapse.

As each player would seemingly introduce themselves, Inaba was the first that he had heard whilst being there. Belle was someone he had heard pronounce herself prior. Husky was the name of the scared individual whom was with the red head to whom she soon named herself as Airi. Lee would make himself known by raising a hand in a simple greeting "The name's Lee and its a pleasure to meet the people that aren't turning into scrambled eggs." He would then then look toward each of the individual and nod his head in greeting to each person there.

[Beatbox 0]

[Current Day] Mar. 19th 2024

Floor 1, it had seemed to be rather... quiet as of the recent, it had been roughly almost two years being stuck in this damned game... this game had felt like a human game of chess on the scale of dark souls, as time had passed and many have been lost... he couldn't help but to think about the times on the day of being trapped... honestly, he chuckled at how naive he used to be, so full of hope... so full of happiness despite the situation he was in. Now look at him, claiming to be the Star of Aincrad wearing a mask when he's out and about disguising the fact that he is in fact that star everyone needs in the dark times of need.

 [Flashback to] Nov. 6th 2022

Beatbox had grabbed his beginner sword as he looked at his own reflection within it, he had exclaimed a smile from it as he was excited to get out there and gain levels, take down mobs, defeat bosses and get fat loot! Despite the fact that he was indeed trapped in a game, he just needs to stay true to his own mindset, stay true to what he believes is right. Beatbox had then decided to run out onwards on the streets of the Town of Beginnings. As he had ran down the streets he couldn't help but spot a group of players hanging out with the lingering effect of fear hanging above many heads. Beatbox had looked down, he knew that he wouldn't make it if he had didn't meet players at all, meaning... he thought to himself to go up to them to say hi. "Uh. Good evening all, you all doin' alright?"

[Kyoko 0]

Kyoko looked over to Belle for a moment with a smile. The pink-haired girl had undoubtedly been the one to break her free of the emotional agony that was dragging her closer to the edge of hysteria, and knowing she had someone to travel with made Kyoko feel considerably better about her chances of survival. Now looking at Beatbox, Inaba, Lee, and Airi, she gave a sheepish smile and offered an apologetic bow. "H-hello, everyone. I'm Kyoko," she said. "Sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances...and please, forgive me for freaking out a moment ago. I promise I'm not usually this much of a wreck."

The crowd grew seemingly louder and Kyoko's heart dropped as she watched a girl curl up on the ground, holding her knees against her chest and mumbling to herself. Her eyes stared out into virtual nothingness, as if she was watching an invisible movie, and Kyoko shuddered at the thought of having been so very close to ending up like her. The girl's mumbling grew louder with the crowd, but her eyes were still transfixed on an unknown point. It became obvious that she wasn't truly conscious; only letting her shattered mind operate her body on auto-pilot. The lights were on, but no one was home.

"Who would do this to thousands of people?" Kyoko asked out loud, knees trembling and ultimately failing to break eye contact with the girl on the ground.

Edited March 20, 2017 by Kyoko

[Bellum 0]

The icy glare that Bellum shot at Husky would likely reflect that the girl was one inclined to holding grudges. He tried to offer the excuse of being shocked by the situation, but he’d seemed quite calm upon arriving, and really, what was there to fuss about? She would ignore his words entirely, not turning away from Kyoko as she spoke to her newfound friend.

 

As the boy held out his hand to shake with Belle, she still turned to face the others, thus facing him, but Bellum looked right through him, not paying him any mind and instead looking at the new arrivals. She was merely acting as if the boy did not exist. Thankfully, he seemed to have lost interest in her, or perhaps realized that he was better off strategically retreating from the hole he’d dug himself.

 

As Inaba echoed back her trademarked greeting, Belle would giggle madly and grin brightly.

”Helloooooooooo!” She echoed back, as if they were in a game of simon says or repeat after me. ”It’s lovely to meet you, Iniba!” She said, greeting him first, quite enthusiastically. It was clear that she was delighted to find somebody that shared in her enthusiasm. ”I’m Annabelle! You can call me Belle! Or Anna! Or Bella! Or Bellum! Or anything really, I’m not picky.” She chimed, reciting each of her many shortened names as if she just came up with each one the moment she said them. She was quite fond of changing her name on a moment’s notice.Then came Airi, who introduced herself simply and offered a graceful curtsey. As a lady of refinement, Belle respected this greatly. To show this, she too would drop into a curtsey, greeting the girl with a smile. ”Hello there, Airi! Pleased to meet you!” She sang.

 

The man named Lee arrived, saying something about being turned into scrambled eggs, and suddenly, Belle was aware that she was quite hungry. She did not understand the joke, which was likely obvious to the others present, as she had barely been paying attention when the hooded man informed them that their brains would be fried should their gear be manually removed. Even still, she smiled appreciatively to him as well. ”Hello, Lee!” Said Belle, waving warmly at him.

 

The newest arrival didn’t introduce himself by name, but Belle waved at him all the same, repeating her greeting almost verbatim, as if she hadn’t just spouted it to everybody else. It would become apparent that she said this quite a lot. ”Hellloooooooooo! I am doing absolutely wonderful today, thanks for asking!” She said, the raw sweetness in her voice threatening to induce diabetes in any who were exposed

”I’m Annabelle! You can call me Belle! Or Anna! Or Bella! Or Bellum!” She chattered, with the same enthusiasm she’d displayed before. Mercifully, she’d forgotten to mention that she didn’t really care what she was called this time around.

Throughout all of her introductions, she would remain by her new friend, whom she was afraid of leaving alone at the moment. When Kyoko shakily introduced herself, Bella thought that maybe things were improving for her, but her empty stare out into space made it clear that she wasn’t really there. Moving closer, she’d wrap an arm around the girl, pulling her into a side hug, squeezing her a bit more tightly than she probably would have liked. Even so, the pressure would likely bring her back to earth. ”I don’t know who did this, but I’d like to meet him!” She said, smiling brightly. Her words could easily be misconstrued as a threat, or a promise of revenge, which is likely what the others would make of them, but Bellum meant them quite literally; She was so happy that she was trapped here that she’d like to shake their captor’s hand. ”Come on, girl, stay with us. All these nice people want to meet you. You’ve already got yourself a fan club!” She bubbled, squeezing Kyoko affectionately. The crowd that had gathered was quite large, but Belle didn’t mind one bit; She loved all of the attention they were getting, and all the new people they were meeting.