[OP - F1] The Lonely Loner (Complete)

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

Man... This bites... Ourian thought to himself as he, once again, inspected his inventory. It has been almost a month now since Sword Art Online began and he has yet to receive his Beginner's Package, containing the basic gear to help one start playing, or rather survive, Sword Art Online. Because of this, Ourian has taken to staying in Starting City, believing that there must've been some kind of delay in the arrival of his package. Checking his inventory had become a habit.

Groaning, he closed his inventory and took to wandering around the city. There was also one other problem that he faced; he was lonely. This problem, however, was rather amusing to Ourian. All his life, he was bullied and because of this, he tended to stay away from everyone. Loneliness was never an issue since he preferred to be alone anyway. He trusted no one and had no friends, just the way he liked it. No friends meant no betrayal or heartache.

So why do I feel like this now? He asked himself as he entered the inn. This was the one place he could relax as he sat in the corner, his chair leaned back onto its two back legs, his long black hair tied into a ponytail at the base of his neck that reached his waist swayed lazily as he rocked back and forth in the chair.

(This topic is mostly to get used to RPing. This is my first time RPing and I would greatly appreciate someone to help me out. :) )

[Ethereal 0]

A man in a excellently-tailored suit pushed open the door to the tavern, waving to the innkeeper but knowing the NPC didn't care if he did or didn't. He sighed, sat at the bar and ordered a glass of iced water, appreciating the cool liquid as it quenched his thirst. He had just returned from a long absence of several months and realized how out of the loop he was, leaning back and scrolling through his friends list. Wide-eyed he looked at how many of his closest companions had slipped away..

[Mayonaka 0]

I noticed a rather odd player wave to the NPC Inn keeper then sit down a few chairs away from me. I was at the bar to relieve a little bit of stress. I didn't actually drink anything there, just sat and watched others. My sister was becoming less and less worried about her health in the game. I looked at the NPC bartender flip drinks and mix them, making a concoction. He added sugar around the rim of the glass and a lime for decoration. It was a beautifully colored rose color with specks of blue in it. I returned my attention to the man beside me and started messing with my soft pink hair.

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

After about ten minutes on brooding over this new sense of loneliness, the NPC waitress appears.

"Hello! What can I get for you today, sir?" She asked, smiling.

"I'll just have some water." I reply. As she walked away, I notice a man in a well-made suit up at the bar looking at his menu screen. Judging from his expression, something bad must have happened to him recently. Deciding that having a conversation would be better than sitting by myself, I walk over to the man and tap him on the shoulder.

"Hey, you okay?"

[Ethereal 0]

Ether looked at the man stood behind him. "Hey, you okay?" he hears the man say. Ether takes a second to admire how friendly people trapped in a death game could be. "Considering I've just lost most of my friends while I was away, I'm honestly not the best." he forced a smile, refusing to let the loss get to him. "But I'm putting that behind me tonight." he explained.

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

I couldn't help but feel bad for the man as I took the seat next to him.

"Wow, that's rough... Sorry to hear that." Considering I never had any real friends, I could only imagine what he was going through. Then I though about what he meant by 'putting it all behind him' and had to ask. "So what is it you plan on doing to 'put it all behind you'? Nothing rash, I hope..." The NPC waitress appeared and handed me my drink. Taking a gulp, I awaited the man's response.

[Ethereal 0]

Ether took a sidewards glance at this sympathetic boy that seems genuinely sad at the despair of another. Empathetic. A trait he admired in a person. He swirls his glass casually and replies. "I decided that I'd try to make a few new acquaintances to move on." he took a sip of the glass. "On that note, my name is Ether. Pleased to meet you." he stuck out his hand and nodded his head.

[Mayonaka 0]

I had nothing better to do than to listen to their conversation, nothing unusual since besides the NPCs we were the only ones in the room. When the man of the name Ethereal mentioned his losses I felt a little sad inside. I kept my eye on the busy bartender but spoke to them. I wasn't sure weather to tell them what I lost or introduce myself and hope they thought I wasn't creepy. I decided to introduce myself properly before I had a conversation with these two. I got off of the stool I was on and flipped my pink hair over my shoulder. Hello! I'm Utukashii, I'm also just coming back to town. I offered a smile at them.

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

"My name's Ourian. I wish I could tell you more, however, that's all I can say about myself... I never even got that beginner pack that everyone told me about... So I've been kinda stuck here." I told him, scratching the back of my head in embarrassment.

I then turned my attention to the pink-haired girl that introduced herself and nodded my head in greeting.

[Ethereal 0]

Ether nodded inwardly, two new friends is a good start. "It's great to meet you guys." he said. "So what brings you two to this tavern?" he asked casually, brushing off his shirt.

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

"Well... Like I said, I'm kinda stuck here since I don't have any equipment... And I don't know how to access my funds to even buy any." I admit, taking another gulp of water. "That's why I'm glad the water's free. How about yourself? What brings you two here?"

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

Taking their silence as an answer, I get out of my chair.

"Well, I guess I'll be on my way then... It's getting kinda late anyway and I'm tired." I tell them as I leave the tavern and start walking around the square where Akihiko Kaiyaba informed us all of being trapped in Sword Art Online.

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

After about five minutes of wandering around, that feeling of loneliness comes back. Maybe I was a bit too hasty about leaving... I thought, cursing my judgmental instincts as I walked back into the tavern to find them still sitting at the bar.

"Hey, I'm sorry... I'm not used to having a friendly conversation with someone... I just kinda got uncomfortable..." I admit, sitting back down and ordering another glass of water.

[Ethereal 0]

"It's alright man, I was about to do the same myself." he shrugged and sipped from his glass. "So you don't have a weapon, eh? I might be able to help there." he stated, opening his inventory and presenting two daggers. "They're only daggers but you can borrow them for as long as you like."

Dragon Claw: +1 damage

Dragon Tooth: Poison on BD 10, fire resistance

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

I couldn't help but feel shocked as Ether offered me two daggers. The stats on them seemed pretty good as well.

"Are you sure it's okay?! These look like they're hard to come by."

[Ethereal 0]

"It's alright. I ordered them long ago, and as I now wield a greatsword.. Let's say they don't fit my playstyle too well." he winked and waved at them. "Take one or both. Now you can get out there and start levelling up. Who says you need a beginners' pack anyway?" he nodded, and pushed them closer to his friend.

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

As Ether pushed the daggers closer to me, I couldn't help but shed a tear.

"Thanks, Ether." I tell him, accepting the weapons while wiping the tears from my face. "I'm sorry... I'm just not used to people being so nice to me... Back in the real world... I'm constantly picked on, bullied, and even mugged... To find that there are still nice people around is a nice change of pace." I admit, offering my hand out by means of making our friendship official.

[Ethereal 0]

"Hey, we have to look out for each other in this world. Plus, if you don't want to be picked on, do something about it, I just gave you the tools to get stronger." he said, shaking the offered hand. "I hope to meet you again sometime, Ourian." was the last thing he said, as he took his leave. He waved behind him as he left, tailcoat swishing as he closed the door and left.

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

"Likewise." I tell him as he gets up and walks out of the tavern. Once he was gone, I look at the two daggers he gave me. I don't know what it was about these daggers, but there was something about them that kept my attention fixed on them. Even as I left the tavern I continued to stare at them. Finally, I figured out why they were so interesting to me...

"My first gift... Ever..." I whisper to myself, smiling as I equipped the two daggers and wandered the streets of Starting City, only now I felt as if my new friend walked with me wherever I went as long as I have these daggers.

[Ourian Clemmens 0]

Results

Loot Obtained

Ourian

Dragon Claw: +1 Damage (Gift from Ethereal)

Dragon Tooth: Poison on BD 10, Fire Resistance (Gift from Ethereal)

Each Player has obtained 200 col (Utukashii abandoned the topic)

Each player has earned 1 Skill Point

Ourian has trained 2 Skill Points in Leather Equipment, upgrading Skill to Novice Level