[PP-F1] Dawn Till Dusk (Lessa)

[Shi 0]

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Floor 1
7:13 AM

Crowds bustled in the gigantic Town of Beginnings, increasing the volume of the noise every second as more and more players flowed in. Despite the time of the year, the heat was intense. Any hotter and Shi might have began to sweat. He ran his hand through his charcoal hair, giving a slight sigh as it fell back to his side.

"C'mon man, don't be like that." A blonde kid snickered, a very obviously fake smile plastered onto his face. A small party of three stood behind him. Previously they had announced themselves as Aincrad's "Black Knights", a guild searching for new members for upcoming boss fights and other battles. Each of the group was many levels above him, their leader being the highest at a whopping Level Thirty. Despite this, they were young, ignorant, and unable to take no for an answer.

"Like I said before, I don't roll that way."

"A couple fights won't hurt. Besides, we'll powerlevel you a bit and get you stronger. Whaddaya say? You in?" The blonde man asked again.

What was it he didn't understand? Once again, Shi gave the boy and his group the same answer. "No means no, kid. Go play in the park or something." He responded, feeling a bit of satisfaction from his comeback. Striding away, he gave the boys a wave, the blonde's expression becoming annoyed. He muttered to his "guild", although the lad was audible enough to be heard from Shi's distance, before leaving in the opposite direction. 

There was no reason for the guild to search for a Level One player like himself, especially as an addition to their ranks. It was too good to be true and the noirette wasn't stupid enough to accept the offer. He had heard of unequipped and weak people being brought out of safezones by robin-hood types, only to be slain by hidden PKers in the area.

Shi chuckled. "Black Knights of Aincrad my ass."

Edited October 5, 2017 by Shi

[Lessa 1]

The first floor was prime people-watching territory.

One never quite knew what to expect when they ventured back to the Town of Beginnings, and though Lessa spent most of her time there, she was endlessly surprised and entertained. On this particular morning, the crowd seemed more rambunctious than normal. Their voices rang out, a symphony of shouts, murmurs, and the occasional splattering of laughter. Had her heavy armor not served as a constant reminder of her predicament, Lessa might have imagined that they were anywhere else in the world. She had heard the same chorus of voices leaving a soccer game in Chicago, her lake-side walk home lit by the glow of the skyscrapers. She had heard it in the grass beside the Leaning Tower of Pisa, where watching people strike Power Ranger-esque poses with the structure became her favorite Italian memory. And she had heard it in the parking lot of campus, surrounded by her friends and family as they tailgated another Saturday afternoon football game. Again, the old, haunting lyrics returned to her. But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?

A wry smile twisted her lips, and as she leaned against the bench, draping her arm over the back, she scolded herself for the pessimism. You're stuck here, she reminded herself, and all your moodiness ever gets you is misery and alone-time. She could do so much better. Lost in thought, she hardly realized that she was staring, and not into space, but at a small group of men clustered nearby. Above the din, she could not make out what was being said, but body language told her enough. One sandy-haired boy, flanked by a couple of others, appeared to be taunting another player. On any other occasion, Lessa might have left them to their own devices, considering this was a safe-zone. If a person could not have it out with another in the Town of Beginnings, where else could they go? But once the ex-Guardian recognized that the player in question was a level one, she immediately took to her feet. By the time she moved up alongside him, the guilty party had fled, but she still felt it important to follow up. "Were those guys giving you trouble?"

Edited October 7, 2017 by Lessa

[Shi 0]

Shi was surprised as he turned around to meet the gaze of another stranger. A fairly short woman (shorter than he was, at least) with long and, dare I say it, beautiful blonde hair. Her level was similar to the three teenagers he'd met earlier, however the girl didn't seem to be a member of their "organization," if that'd what you'd call it. Although she had only said a single sentence, the noirette could tell she was different.

"I guess you could say that they did give me a bit of trouble. I don't doubt they'll come back eventually. They tried recruiting me for their guild, but I don't think I trust them." Shi replied, however he wasn't sure why exactly he was explaining himself. It all just came out. Like his previous observation, he decided to simply shrug it off and continue on with his life, focusing on remembering the name of the so called "guild" that the party from earlier had supposedly come from. "Guess I should thank you for checking on me. I'm Shi, nice to meet you."

Though he didn't believe his new acquaintance was an enemy, Shi was still interested in her reason for being on the first floor. She was much, much stronger than any of the monsters in the area, so grinding was likely not the cause. What could it be?