[PP-F2] The Acquaintance Challenge

[Zelrius 0]

Zelrius was bored out of his mind sitting up in Floor 9 like he had been doing the past few days. It just seemed that the same monsters and the same damned temperature for a lengthy time period was too much for someone who could change their entire setting at a few words. The Blood Buccaneer sighed as he found himself back in the Mountain range of Floor 2. Zelrius disliked most other floors that weren't 2,5, or 9. And there were complications with going to the two latter.

The first being Floor 5 he had left behind with his PKing Career. And Floor 9... well that was why he was here now. To NOT be there. So now the Blonde haired boy was wandering in a small mountainous village about two Kilometers from the spawn point of the Field boss, <>. Zelrius decided to hang out at an inn and unwind a bit before heading off to kill the Field Boss.

[Natalia 0]

Tired of the constant crowding of floor one, as well as just not feeling up to remaining locked up in her shop on floor four, Setsuko found herself in the dining area within the confines of a second floor inn. Held in her hand was a small tea cup, filled with a yellow/green liquid. It had a taste comparable to green tea in the real world, though it was more watery than how she would have prepared it in the real world. She blew on it, took a sip, and gently placed it on the plate it was served upon, avoiding the clattering sound that followed when too much pressure was used. Her finger continuously circled the rim of the glass. This floor isn't all too bad, I suppose.

An NPC waitress approached the black-haired girl. "Would you like another glass, madam?" Setsuko simply shook her head. "Alright, miss. If you need anything, feel free to call." The NPC walked away to serve one of the few other people lingering around. There were only a few other players wandering around, maybe three or four, but NPCs outnumbered them about 2-1. It was strange how many people were on the first floor, but how little were on the second. Are they too lazy, or too afraid to travel? Setsuko was just glad she wasn't either.

[Zelrius 0]

Zelrius was with a group of NPCs who were gambling and telling jokes. Much like in the real world at a local casino or even a neighbor's basement. He drank the dark liquid in his cup that would resemble a simple glass of soda in the real world. He looked about and decided it was time to stop talking to NPCs and find someone "Real" to talk to. As his gaze went from place to place, Starting from the bar area, Moving over to his own Gambling area and then to the Dining area. Only a few people around the bar had gave him any interest. The blood Buccaneer always had an air of arrogance about him. The way he looked at people and spoke to them would often give the hint that he thought he was superior to them.

Zelrius stood up and walked to a table with a girl at it. It seemed the waitress was rather busy, So Zelrius didn't order another cup of his drink. He stood a few feet away from the table and straightened his mogul tuxedo a bit before introducing himself. Then, parting his arrogant smile to speak he said;

"Greetings, Player of Aincrad. I am Zelrius, the one the only. Do you mind if I have a seat and we may chat a little?"

[Natalia 0]

A sound disturbed Setsuko as she sat within her corner booth. That sound came from her left, with the source being another player. Her eyes met his, though she couldn't help but notice the cocky curving of his lips that persisted even as the words left his mouth. Hell, this player brought an uncomfortable and unwelcome aura with him as he stepped closer towards her. Well, you must feel pretty highly of yourself, approaching a random stranger. Especially with that yellow cursor above your head. Of course, those weren't the words that left her mouth; she had a better choice in mind.

"The one and only, you say?" Her words weren't emotionless, but they certainly came out sounding as if she was already bored with him. "If you can convince me that you're not just another arrogant idiot, by all means, take a seat. Otherwise you're better suited chatting with an NPC." This man was the second person to approach her in the past week. She came to appreciate the first, however. I don't think you can dig your way out of an introduction like that.

[Zelrius 0]

Zelrius noted her disgust. This left him with two options: He could either do what he had done many times in the past. That being continue playing his normal self role and simply piss off this person to the point of the cold Shoulder. Or he could prove he wasn't just a normal High level player. Of course, That would mean pretending. Zelrius wasn't one to pretend. No, He was above that. So that left the boy in a rut. This girl before him seemed interesting enough, yet she also seemed like she could throw up just at the sight of him.

Nodding, Zelrius sat down across from her. Putting his hand in his lap, Zelrius said

"Thank you for allowing me into your... space? My name is Zelrius. Anyhow. I will not lie here. I am very arrogant. I am what is known as a Narcissist. However, I'd like to inform you; I've had my fair share of low self esteem and sand kicked in my face. As of right now, I have very good reason to be who I am. If you'd be willing, I would be glad to tell you why I walk around with the attitude that I do."

Zelrius was sastified with his answer. There was only one foopaw in his words: Her name. At this point, it may be too late and he may have already lost her. Now the arrogance dropped, only for a second, to show remorse, Then quickly reverted.

"Excuse my manners, I forgot to ask your name. Would you share it?"

[Natalia 0]

Setsuko leaned back against her slightly cushioned seat and crossed her arms across her chest. Her legs crossed as well. Whoever this man was, he knew exactly how to piss her off: first by approaching her to begin with, second by continuing to speak to her even after her initial insulting of his personality. He was almost certainly going to further piss her off by attempting to justify his actions, proven by the fact that he said so himself. Still, she still intended on hearing him out, at the very least to criticize him at the end of his story, if his plan failed.

"My name will only be important to you if you successfully prove your point." Unlike his arrogance, which seemed to come and go, her cold remarks didn't falter in the slightest. "Until then, good luck, Zelrius." Though she didn't give any sign of it, Setsuko was actually rather curious as to what he had to say. Her darkened amber eyes stared intently into his as she began to tap the heel of her foot on the ground slowly, but in a constant rhythm, like a metronome: one... two... three... four... Thankfully, she was able to focus on him. The attention of anyone else would have sparked her social anxiety.

Hurry this up.

[Zelrius 0]

Zelrius didn't know if he had any progress. What the boy did know was that she wasn't screaming at him to get away. Her foot tapping droned on in his thoughts. She was clearly losing patience in him. Zelrius noticed his early mistake when he dropped his arrogance. The curve that made up his lips grew only slightly. Zelrius will continue to speak, up untill he gets one of two reactions. Either of which will ends this little ramble session.

"Very well, I'd prefer if you gave me your name since I had handed mine to you, But some people are just untrusting I suppose. Why am I justified with such high self thinking? Number one Isn't any real reason and needs no explanation: I am a frontliner with one of the Highest DPS. Pretty simple. Number two, I've crushed every enemy in my path thus far. None has stood in my, not even a few players."

He stopped and smirked a bit at that. That should certainly coax a reaction out of this lady. The final answer was the real reason why, Though he didn't one to show this.

"Number 3 being In the real world I am a 'nerd'. So the fact that here, I am looked up to is quite empowering. "

[Natalia 0]

Unlike she expected Setsuko was a little surprised by how Zelrius justified himself to her. Instead of giving her a, 'woe is me, I'm actually deeply depressed within,' argument, he was straight-forward with her. Although it didn't completely make up for the fact that he approached her like a haughty ass, she appreciated his lack of a tragic background. Him having been a nerd in the real world wasn't exactly a tragedy, after all, she was relatively nerdy herself. Way to go, Zelrius. Maybe you aren't as much of a square as I thought you initially appeared.

There was a bit of intentional silence after he spoke; Setsuko didn't want him to feel he'd easily changed her mind about him, because he didn't. She was, however, willing to give him a second chance. "Setsuko." She gave him her name. "Your insuperable strength matters little to me. Beats an overly dramatic story, though." A faint smile took form on her face for a moment, but was quickly withdrawn. "Don't believe that you've won me over. I'll talk for a little while, though." There wasn't a hint of weakness within the girl's words. She spoke as she typically did: calm and composed.

[Zelrius 0]

Zelrius watched this girl'\s expression. It flashed it either amusement or happiness, only for a second, then back to her original state. Setsuko, was the name she had given. This gave Zelrius a little clue on what had just happened. Zelrius had managed to get somewhere, but clearly not very far as she was still in that bored and emotionless expression. He agreed with her on the point that Dramatic stories and tragedies in life were far too common in the world of SAO. This boy was glad he had nothing to do with that group.

"Well then, Setsuko. Enough about me. If you're up to it, Let us talk about you. I want to hear your story thus far. Of course, You can decline and I can ramble on about myself."

Now interest appeared in Zelrius's expression. He was hoping to learn more about this person, and not to recount himself.

[Natalia 0]

Setsuko couldn't help but smugly chuckle at his desire to get to know her. As if that's going to happen. Leaning forward, she placed her elbows on the table and clasped her hands together. Her legs were straightened out again, having uncrossed them, and both of her feet were firmly on the ground. "I've met a girl, I've opened a shop, and I've traveled around." A sigh left Setsuko. "That's the extent of my story thus far." There was an enormous lack of detail in her tale. It's not like the details matter, especially to a stranger.

With her story told, she reverted to her original position of leaned back, legs crossed, and arms crossed. The only difference was her head, which was turned slightly away from Zelrius and peering out the window to her right. Judging by the light, the day was still surprisingly young; she estimated it was about halfway through. A second sigh left Setsuko. "To go further into my story was to break my rule. I'd tell an overly dramatic tragedy."

[Zelrius 0]

Zelrius let out a small breathy laugh at her "Story" and how too much detail would make it too cliche. He sighed. What to do what to do? This person in front of Zelrius was clearly not the most trusting person in the world. He would offer her to come kill a wasp with him, But his Orange Cursor being present might make convincing her a bit more difficult. Zelrius ruled out the request for hunting. Sighing he noticed her gaze no longer looking toward him. This was rude, and Zelrius was about to say something but then remembered his own rude appearance.

"Very interesting story." Zelrius said in a sarcastic tone. Then continued

"Sorry this sounds Melodramatic, But on the frontlines we do not do much more then kill a monster. I mean sure, It looks scary, but all in all no one has died in a boss fight thus far. Everyone makes it seem heroic, But it is just a group of grinders who happen upon good gear. " He stopped and waited for a change in her expression or atleast for her to glance his way.

[Natalia 0]

Setsuko shook her head at the sarcastic tone coming from Zelrius. "I could have told you nothing; you should be proud of the fact that you've lasted this long with me." It was true. She blew off most people like they were worthless, and, to her, most of them were. Everyone was too busy being emotional and self-absorbed to entertain her. At least she hid it behind a look of composure, and at least Zelrius was straight-forward.

Upon Zelrius' explanation of what front-liners 'truly' were, Setsuko shook her head. "As much as I hate speaking kindly of others, I disagree." Her words seemed to be filled with all of the passion she had, which still amounted to only a slightly warmer voice than before. "A third of the players are still cowering on the first floor. At least the front-liners are attempting to get something done." Having used too much emotion, she got quiet again after speaking. As much as I hate to admit it, even you're trying to get something done.

[Zelrius 0]

Now Zelrius had ground. The voice change she made was slight, and He didn't recgonize at first until the near end of her say. He got a topic that he knew she would talk about. This was his standing point, time to get some actual coversation going. He laughed a bit and replied rather sarcastically again.

"You Honestly believe they are doing that 'To get something done'? Hell no they aren't. I mean sure, some people are in it to clear the game for those who are not physically and/or emtionally strong enough to do it themselves. But all in all, Most of them up there are in it for the Glory and 'heroism' that comes with doing the job."

Zelrius leaned back. He was hoping this would draw something out. Maybe, just maybe, Zelrius might get an actual response out of this reclusive girl.

[Natalia 0]

Setsuko shook her head once more. "You're awfully cynical, aren't you?" She scoffed at Zelrius' response. "Or are you speaking solely based on your own beliefs, not accounting for what others stand for?" Her words were fiery and passionate to a level higher than they had been prior; if he was attempting to get her worked up, it was working flawlessly. Her fists clenched, and she began to slightly shake, as if she was refraining from flat-out punching the man, who she knew was levels higher than her, but in a safe zone, it didn't matter.

Before she continued on, she took a deep breath and her shaking ceased. "Get your head out of your ass. Even if in their mind they're only fighting to free themselves from this death trap, they're still getting something done." Over the course of her rant, she had leaned forward again, but upon finishing, she leaned slightly back and placed her hands on her lap. A few deep breaths later, she said: ""How does a girl like me have more faith in others than you?" She sighed in disappointment. Somehow, this man had managed to trigger an emotional reaction from her; her heart was racing in anger.

A moment passed before she stood up and stepped away from the table. "I'm going to the fields. If you're coming, get up." Setsuko said, her composure slowly fading back into her voice. With that, she stepped away from the table and out the inn's door.

[Zelrius 0]

A smile played out on Zelrius's lips as the girl stormed out. Now that was certainly something interesting. Thus far it had worked, even f it was negativity, Zelrius still got more then monotone words out of this girl. And though some would see it as failure, Zelrius saw it as success. Zelrius's arrogant smile re appeared as he glanced around the room and got a few looks thrown his way. Then he sat and thought about the question Setsuko had given him. How could she throw trust into the Frontliners if one such person was standing here telling her himself that they were just arrogant greedy idiots.

He stood, Politely leaving behind a tip, thought it was not necessary for the NPC waitress. Then walked out the door and followed behind the girls foot steps.

[Natalia 0]

Against the wall just outside the inn's door, Setsuko waited for Zelrius. I knew you'd come along. You seem relatively desperate for my attention. She shook her head. Perhaps he was simply desperate for any sort of attention, though she wasn't exactly sure why he chose her. Perhaps he sees me as a challenge to conquer. It wouldn't surprise her. There were many who looked at her as a person they could 'fix.' I suppose that's just my curse.

When she knew Zelrius was following her, Setsuko stepped down the stairs leading up to the inn and rocky ground beneath her. "Got any ideas on what to do?"

[Zelrius 0]

Zelrius was glad Setsuko had asked him that very question. Of course he had something to do, Zelrius was never out of things to do unless he truly wanted to be. The Blood Buccaneer nodded and signaled her to follow. Without check if she was or wasn't, He walked off to the spot the Field Boss.

"Let's see just how good you are with your sword there." Zelrius remarked, Not as an insult but as a way of challenging her to impress him. Zelrius was now trying a different approach since clearly had not worked at all, or if they did; Certainly not nearly enough.

There she was, The <> Pretty simple monster for a high level like Zelrius, However now he was here to see if a certain teenager could be of any use anywhere on a battle field. Zelrius decided it would be best if he made the first attack, in which he drew his sword with his left hand, ran toward the boss and swung.

Zelrius 61/61

Setsuko 13/13

Wasp 30/30 (2 Damage)

(--OOC Do you want to post for the Wasp or do you want me to?)

[Natalia 0]

[OOC ~ If you could. xD Also, we're off to a great start with these battle dice.]

"No promises." Setsuko said as she dashed towards the <> with Zelrius, her rapier gripped tightly in her right-hand. Based on its title, she knew it was going to be a relatively higher-leveled monster, but she had a front-liner with her. As long as he doesn't leave me to die, I should be relatively safe. At least that's what she hoped as she found herself thrusting the tip of her blade towards the overgrown wasp.

PLAYERS

Setsuko: 13/13

Zelrius: 61/61

BD: 4

DMG: 0 (Miss)

ENEMY

Wasp Queen: 30/30

[Zelrius 0]

(--OOC Yeah, These roll are just the greatest ever, You got a WHOLE 4. Oh look at that Wasp Roll, Jesus christ)

If this overgrown bee had laughing programmed into its AI, It certainly would be doing so. However, Instead of laughing in which it had no capabilty of doing, The wasp merely attacked The first person to attack it. This being because he had failed the most and maybe left an opening for an attack right on the spot. The wasp bent its abdomen, Now making the stinger stick forward, and Charged directly to Zelrius. Unfortunately, Zelrius had left an opening. A giant one at that and the Stinger met the boys chest, Knocking him back a little. That was certainly going to leave a mark on the high leveled boy.

Zelrius 57/61

Setsuko 13/13

Wasp 30/30

[Zelrius 0]

Zelrius managed to stay on his feet after that Stinger made impact. This battle was already off to a bad start. He wasn't sure about Setsuko, but Zelrius knew he couldn't lose since he could just activate his Battle Healing Skill to bring himself back up to speed. Zelrius wasn't at that point yet, But the option was there if the boy needed it. Zelrius gripped Sange, his sword, a little tighter now and ran forth at the wasp to attack and hopefully hurt the wasp.

(--OOC I apologize for the short post. There is not a whole lot to RP about in Battle.)

Zelrius 57/61

Setsuko 13/13

Wasp 30/30