[ pp F4]Rise of the winter sun [Natalia] Complete

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

The morning dew had laid a thin layer on the church this day. Every detail of what would of been like in the real world was brought in great detail in this virtual world. The church itself was was abuzz with children doing their morning round of chores that needed to be done. Even the youngest of children had their dusting duties. Before the church bell would ring but now it stayed silent due to the condition of the afflicted.

He was wide awake giving out directions to the children on what needed to be done today. He had already mentioned to them that he was stepping out and that Yumi was in charge. His clothing had already been changed into battle gear and awaited sleeping beauty to get up.

The morning barely broke seven a.m. before he moved to Natalia's door. He knocked gently on it holding a tray of eggs and toast with a glass of water for her to enjoy. " You awake ?" He spoke in a gentle to keep peace among everywhere in the room. He watched a few kids enter the other players room with wash cloths and more blankets. A thumbs up to the children for doing a good job was seen. He would have to bring back something special for them when he had the chance.

[Natalia 0]

Natalia was laying on her bed with her hands over her face when a gentle knock, followed by Kiliua's voice, disturbed her. "Is it really already time to wake up?" She said, though her words would most certainly be unintelligible through the door; she could hardly understand herself. With a yawn, she brushed through her hair with her right hand, and rubbed her eyes with her left. Her legs slid off the bed and her feet searched for the ground. When they found it, she slowly rose out of bed, another yawn following.

Her sight faded back in, and she looked back at the bed. It was still completely made; she had fallen on top of the covers, and, as such, there was an outline of where she had spent the night. Guess I was pretty tired last night after all. She shrugged, and gestured her menu open, equipping the same gear she had worn the past day: a complete set of basic equipment, as well as the yellow ribbon she ran through her hair. At level four, she'd have hoped to have better equipment by this point, but not yet. It would come, maybe even today, as she'd adventure with Kiluia for the second day in a row; something she had looked forward to all night before she had fallen asleep.

When all of her gear had been re-equipped, she opened the door to be greeted by the sight of Kiluia. In his hand was breakfast. "Don't mind if I do." She said, and snatched the tray from his grasp, almost dropping the water in the process, but she managed to save it. While she may not have voiced her thanks, she did give him an appreciative nod.

"So, did you sleep like a rock? Because I sure did."

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

Watching get her gobble up the food almost made him laugh. However, he would stifle the laughter while attempting to speak." I slept fine. I'm glad you did too." He raise the platter higher as a child worked their way in between them and past them heading to the kitchen for their own breakfast." It's not a four star hotel but it does the job I hope."

He took her dishes after she finished and made way to clean them up speaking back to her." We are gonna hit the town portal soon today. My guild doesn't have anything special planned and things are well under way here. We can take our time doing whatever.. touring, training, or simply talking." He placed the dishes in the sink and began washing them.

The church had come a long way. It had originally been occupied by the father and two nuns but after negotiating with them, it was full of people working and tending to others. Kiluia had been here since the beginning of it all so he was considered what most would say a founding father. The other was a teacher who continued to teach the children their afternoon basics.

He finished up the dishes and turned around with a cloth in his hands drying them off. " Well.. what's it going to be?"

[Natalia 0]

The food had tasted good, for the most part. Not anything special, but it definitely tasted better than she would have assumed. "I've stayed at quite a few four star hotels in my time, and let me tell you, the service in this church has been better than most." She gave Kiluia that playful wink she reserved only for use with him. Of course, she was stretching the truth quite a bit. Most four star hotels were fantastic.

She listened closely at her options, and immediately responded: "And what's wrong with doing all three of those things? As we're training, we can talk, as well as tour." Her solution sounded pretty solid to her, though she had never actually been to the fourth floor, so maybe she was a little off with her planning.

"Ooh," She seemed a bit intrigued, "What guild are you in? Any of those top-tier guilds?"

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

A messaged popped in front of him as soon as she asked about the guild. He accepted the message and began reading it as a rosy hue surfaced to his face as she winked at him. A simple nod was given as he looked up at her with a tilt of his head." We are The Magical Elements. It is run by Ruri and Haine is in second in command. " His eyes softened up a bit and a smile crossed his face." We would like to extend an invitation to you to join the ranks. "

Awaiting her response, he chimed in a few other answers." Yes we can do more as long as we are careful. And I believe we are a well ranked guild run by some powerful players. Have you heard of us?" He leaned back against a counter top saving the message about recruiting. He would do anything for the guild.

[Natalia 0]

The Magical Elements? Haven't heard of them. Perhaps it was simply because Natalia was oblivious to the large gatherings of the game. "You want me to be in the guild? I don't know what to say." Her head drooped. "Just kidding!" She exclaimed, and brought her had back up, this time with a smile. "Why not? Send me the request!" She couldn't help but seem a little childish in her response. Not that she cared how she appeared to others, but she did bother herself with the way she acted.

"And no, to be honest, I've never heard of your group. Still, it'd be nice to have a constant support system, so just send me the request already so we can go and adventure!"

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

Meh. He nodded and sent an invitation to her from his menu. After that was said and done, he jokingly bowed and extended his right hand to the side." Welcome to the magical elements. " He laughed a bit before heading to the door." Let's get a head start shall we?"

He weaved through the busyness of the church and made it out the door in one piece. Along the way he spoke to her" We will support you in any way possible. So don't hesitate to ask for help. " Crap. He flicked open his menu and sent a message to Haine about the successful recruit. He sighed a bit and sent it. " You can depend on me." He winked at her and smiled.

[Natalia 0]

Natalia didn't even think twice before immediately tapping accept on the invitation that appeared before her, and no sooner than that did she follow him out the door. It was incredibly active outside of her room; it strange, as she had somehow managed to remain fast asleep until minutes before Kiluia's initial knock on her door. "Is it always this busy in the morning?" She found herself asking Kiluia yet another question. Her curiosity was rarely ever truly quenched, and she never grew tired of asking questions. Only the ignorant refrain from asking questions.

Natalia's cheeks turned red as he winked at her. Up until then, it had been the other way around. He's copying my mannerisms! "So, if I'm depending on you, shouldn't the 'we' in 'we will support you' be I?" She referenced his earlier statement. Doing her best to remain her typical, composed outlook, she winked back at him. "It sounds to me like you're just flirting with me, aren't you?" That cheesy, mocking grin had taken its place upon her face once again.

Before he even had a chance to react, she started jogging ahead to the teleport area. "Come on, Kiluia. The more time we have, the better!"

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

His foots steps picked up as he dashed off behind her. Her statement caught him off guard about the whole flirtatious aspect. While his mind being subjugated by these thoughts, his face turned so red that it looked like sun burn. He had clients flirt with him and they were always just friendly. But did he actually know how to flirt back?

The answer to his question was no as they managed to get to the portal. " F..Floor 4." He managed. He tried to push the statement out of his mind as he gazed at her before he vanished into a pure light.

Snow fall..A beautiful array of ice crystals fell from the sky as it washed away any nervousness he had. Of course, she had to of seen that beet red face of his while he made it there. How the hell did he wind up like this ? His composure was completely knocked out of sync.

When she appeared into the area, he spoke." One could say you were flirting too with your winks. " Yes, he did copy her. Yes, he also thought it was friendly. And yes...He had to admit it was a tactic of flirting. But none the less, she didn't have to know that.

Before she could respond, he took off like she did like a game of cat and mouse. His breath was clearly seen as it was heavy gulps of air spewing forth. He couldn't seem to regain his composure with her. They had literally known each other for... 10 hours? Ridiculous. He was in a chess game with himself so to speak to figure out the next move.

[Natalia 0]

[OOC ~ And now I'm beginning to laugh IRL. Oh, boy, this is going to get funny]

Natalia couldn't help but let out a laugh or three at the sight of Kiluia, who had remained as composed as she had, if not more so, turning redder than a beet. "Cat got your tongue?" She teased at his slight, yet noticeable stutter before light overcame his avatar as he traveled to the fourth floor of Aincrad. Now this is going to be an interesting day out.

"Teleport, floor four!" She said, and was enveloped within the light as Kiluia had been. The light surrounded her for a few seconds, before dissipating once her body was loaded into the area. Her dark eyes fluttered to life and instantaneously found themselves entranced by a vision just short of heavenly: snow, and it was everywhere. Although the teleport circle she stood upon was mostly clear of the flawless white substance, outside of it was covered by a blanket of, what she'd call, perfection. Outside of SAO, she had only seen snow on visits to America, and, very rarely, in Tokyo. Regardless, she held a love for the frozen beauty.

Her attention returned back to Kiluia when he. "Maybe I was flirting, is that such a bad thing?" She asked, though she made sure not to bluntly say she was. She wouldn't admit to anything, especially when she didn't know herself how she felt towards him. There was little information to go off of, considering the amount of time they had spent together so far.

Like she did before him, Kiluia raced off without her. "Copying me once again. Damn, Kiluia, you must be really fond of me with all this mimicking." She whispered to herself, knowing he was well out of hearing range. As of right now, they were at war. A war she didn't intend on losing.

"Kiluia, you idiot!" She shouted, hoping he wasn't too far at this point. "I don't know where we're headed!"

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

[ Little bit of humor never hurt lol]

He didn't have to race far past all of the snow. The edge of town came quickly as he stopped making sure he was in range of this new adversary of his. She was dangerous he thought. This place was heaven in his eyes. In the real world, he had grown up in snowy mountain tops and wooded areas. He was most comfortable here than any where else he had visited.

But he did catch her remark about her flirting. He waited til she caught up to him before be spoke to her." No. It's not a bad thing at all. Just a bit new. " He cleared his throat a bit. Kiluia had no idea how deep this was gonna get but he didn't intend on losing either. He watched as the calm snow kept falling down before them.

" This place is where I love to go..." He admitted to her. His eyes gazed upwards allowing the virtual ice to land on his glasses as he stared." If I ever needed to go be some place.. it'd be here." He looked back at her. " Welcome to floor 4... Where not a lot of monsters appear and it's safer. There are a few monsters out though so be careful. "

His face wasn't so red when she caught up. Red...but not as red. She certainly had a distinct advantage over him when it came to flirting but he would try his best." So.. wanna go or did you wanna look around first?"

[Natalia 0]

[AANDDDDD RESSURECTED]

Upon reaching the fleeing Kiluia, Natalia slapped his back with a force between playful and mad. "Don't you ever leave me like that again!" Identifying whether or not she was pissed or simply messing with the light-haired teenager was a matter only few would succeed in; even though she mostly never held back from revealing her true feelings, she was quite adept at masking them. No need to always where your heart on your sleeve, she figured. It was a quite useful tool, knowing how to manipulate emotions; she made notice of how Kiluia seemed to struggle with the matter, at least around her.

Like the boy, no, the young man beside her, her gaze also tilted upwards. Tiny soft frozen bits of snow took refuge upon her yellow hair-ribbon before slowly melting away. "Already taking me to your favorite places, ah?" She chuckled, though her voice was no longer the forceful, powerful voice it usually was. Instead, she spoke with a certain softness that was almost equivalent to a louder whisper. The smile upon her face was unusually soft in a manner similar to her voice. "It's beautiful. You've got great taste."

Kiluia asked on whether or not she desired to look around, or go immediately. She raised her right arm above and began to stretch it forward. When she felt comfortable again, she repeated the action, only with the left arm this time. A yawn followed. "Let's go ahead and go through with our initial plan of adventuring first, and then, come sunset or nightfall, we can return and do a bit of starry sightseeing." Her voice had returned to its typical state. "But that's just my opinion; in the end, it's up to you, and I'm okay as long as I'm with you." Natalia hadn't meant for it to sound so cheesy, but she sure as hell wouldn't give him the faintest sign of her intentions.

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

[Huzzah]

He reached behind and rubbed the area of his back that she hit and winced a bit. It stung a bit and felt annoying like someone pinching you. He looked over at her" Ouch..that stung.." Her actions were just as confusing as ever. Whether or not he could determine the truth would be a simple matter. Her words were even more confusing until she softened up a bit.

Truly, the game developer should be applauded for his ingenuity. This place came straight from a fairy tale. He spoke in a soft tone to her." Yeah.. I did." He said admitting the fact. He met a lot of people here that influenced him into becoming a better person. " Thanks for the compliment, Natalia." He grinned a bit and started sliding down the hill with his feet.

" This place can do both. We can train and or stargaze anywhere really. I mean, why not? " Though he was a stargazer, he wanted to show her that he would do whatever with her. Just to spend a bit more time with her. " Keep up, okay? Funs about to start." As he was closing in on a few penguins.

[Natalia 0]

[unsure as to whether or not these penguins are considered monsters, or domesticated animals, so I've got no idea where you're going with this. xD Also, shorter post, so soz.]

"The world needs more compliments now adays. People here are such downers." Natalia's eyes shot towards her companion, and a lighthearted grin crept upon her face. "Most people, that is." A familiar wink was directed towards Kiluia. She generally enjoyed companionship, but Kiluia's companionship was more than just that. He balanced her, so to speak; at least that's how she felt as of yet, but did she truly know him already?

She crept behind Kiluia, following him, but slowly enough to prevent the penguins from fleeing. "So, what exactly are we going to do with these penguins?" They didn't exactly seem aggressive to her, though she had also never been to the fourth floor.

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

[Lmao. Penguin sledding..jk]

" Figured since we were in the area.." He crouched down and pulled out from his inventory a fish. He watched as the penguins made their squawking noise. Their hobble and movement made him grin from ear to ear." They're just for show....beyond here is gonna be a small battle." He looked over at her and winked at her. " We might as well try and enjoy ourselves while we can right ?"

Things could change at a drop of a hat. But he figured he'd enjoy the moment with her first before getting dirty in the field. Hand extended to her to join him for a brief few moments. Had she known him? For the most part..yeah. did he know her? No. But mystery always played a part in relationships.

" They don't bite. . I promise. " He smiled up at her. The two would get to know each other in due time and it's what the two had plenty of...time. He was hoping that she was enjoying herself as much as he enjoyed it.

[Natalia 0]

Natalia couldn't help but smile at the look of amusement Kiluia had on his face as the two watched the penguins waddle along. Oh, Kiluia, you seem so childish right now. Of course, that wasn't something she was bothered by; she was glad that he wasn't a hyper serious nutcase. That wasn't the type of person she wanted to be around; she enjoyed the people who didn't take themselves too seriously. What was the fun of never enjoying the little things in life? Even if those little things were virtual, SAO had become their lives. There wasn't the slightest reason to ease up.

Her eyelids lowered and her smile softened the longer her gaze was upon Kiluia. The hands at her sides slightly tightened, before the pressure was released. She crossed her arms, and began tapping her heel to the ground. I'm so confused. Nothing and everything made sense to her. A tingle started in her heart. "I think I'm falling for you." She vocally said, but in nothing more than a faint whisper that was swiftly stolen by the snow-carrying wind.

At the extension of Kiluia's hand, Natalia easily grabbed it and lowered herself into a crouched position similar to Kiluia's. Her eyes were fixated on the flightless birds that were attracted to the fish in her companion's hand. "I'll be taking that." She made sure to lower her voice to avoid spooking the fish. In a single, swift motion, Natalia grabbed the fish by the tail and pulled it from Kiluia's grasp. Slowly, she stepped closer to the penguin, making sure to hang the fish by its tail within her hand slightly below her chin. She extended her arm towards the bird. "Come here, buddy." She said in a manner similar to how one would address their dog.

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

He gently smiled as she was beside him feeding the penguins. The squawked at the two together and he simply let out a small laugh at the situation. Penguin vs. Natalia. Of course it was over the fish and the penguin remained sketchy. His gaze fell over to her. He didn't know why but the more time spent with her the more he felt a connection. He looked away after realizing he had been staring a bit too long.

She's a stranger. She has no ties to him. But he wanted to be tied to her. Oddly, he felt comfortable. Her jokes, her laugh, her hits, and her movement felt like a lifetime he could deal with. He sat down in the snow and watched her with his knees slightly bent. A breeze brushed his face and exposed his eyes completely after the wind blew his hair back. He wanted to be with her.

He chuckled a bit and realized the notion was improbable. Women were completely complex in nature and that randomly falling for someone was a fairy tale. But he hoped anyway. It was just a fools dream as people would say."Can't believe I did it again..." He whispered.

[Natalia 0]

Although Natalia's gaze was stolen by the penguins in front of her, she couldn't help but hear Kiluia whispering something. It was mostly inaudible, but she did manage to get the word 'believe' out of it; whatever that meant. She had no intention of asking. There must have been a reason for the fact that he was intentionally whispering, and despite her desires to know if it had anything to do with her, she wouldn't pry. Regardless, she remained hopeful that he was referencing her. Maybe we're both feeling like this. So confused, so bizarre.

After a few minutes had passed, Natalia's gaze shot up. Just a bit further, a duo of what appeared to be goblins gathered. Not the typical generally accepted green goblins, however. Their skin was a pale blue, almost gray. Like the other monsters she had encountered, their eyes glowed red, which was what brought her attention to them to begin with. "Kiluia." She raised to her feet. "We've got company. Wanna strike first? I mean, you are the stronger one here." Her voice took on a more serious tone than the smile on her face would have suggested. They were clearly out of the range of aggression, but she hadn't the faintest clue as to whether or not they were passive creatures. By the fact that they're goblins, she'd assume they weren't.

PLAYERS

Natalia - 13/13

Kiluia - 21/21

ENEMIES

Goblin #1 - 11/11

Goblin #2 - 11/11

[Kiluia Seiko 0]

H e responded a lot faster than she probably anticipated. Menu opened and in mere seconds he was adorned in full battle gear. Blackened vest of darkness absorbed all light, a shield that danced with the snow cutting it to shreds before the snow even hit the shield and that beautiful white dagger.

One foot pressed forward and off he went with a push off. Dagger raised high into the air as he swarmed the left goblin. He swung and missed as the goblin jumped back. His fist plowed into the snow causing a chaos of snow to fly into the air. " Tsk..." He said as he looked at the goblin."

Kiluia 21/21

Natalia 13/13

Goblin 11/11

Goblin 11/11

[Natalia 0]

Natalia grunted in shock of Kiluia's miss. I've got your back, Kiluia!" She exclaimed and pushed off the ground with her left foot, leaping towards the creature. The battle had yet to truly begin, but the teenage girl could already feel her heart beginning to race. Not out of fear: of excitement. When she was about a yard away from the creature, she lifted her blade to her left-shoulder. Now! With a burst of speed, she moved her blade diagonally across the chest of the creature, leaving the red mark of combat damage upon it. As usual, her successful attack was followed by a smirk.

"Switch!"

PLAYERS

Natalia: 13/13

Kiluia: 21/21

BD: 7

DMG: 1 (Hit) + 1 (OHS: R1) = 2

ENEMIES

Goblin #1: 9/11

Goblin #2: 11/11