[PP-F3] The Reunion (with Lessa)

[Lotharian 0]

Asagi had been working hard to raise his levels, even though it had been going relatively well it seemed he was getting nowhere with obtaining new gear.  It was disconcerting to walk around this game nearly naked for all intensive purposes but he wasn't going to let that stop him.  In his current state he was comfortable enough to go explore Floor 3, he had been quite excited about it in fact and decided upon it a few levels prior that it would be his goal.  Floor 3 was said to be an elven themed part of the game, with cities and NPCs almost entirely being of the race.  Asagi secretly had been partial to the race in other MMO and had to admit a little bit of disappointment when seeing this game did not allow for them as a playable race.  Since all the vacades of avatars had been stripped away in the disaster that followed it did not make much of a difference in retrospect.  Regardless of that fact as he entered the floor's capital city of Delilah he was astounded by the beauty and detail.  Elven architecture was much more eloquently built, somehow with class far beyond the brick and mortar buildings of the human communities which felt drab in comparison.  One thing he wanted to do right away was sit down and taste the cuisine he had heard about from this floor.  As different as the architecture was he had also heard that the food was quite different as well, and in a very good way.  Making his way towards the restaurant district Asagi confronted one of the local elven NPCs.

 

"Hello there, Im new to the city and was wondering if you could direct me to a good place to taste the local delicacies?"

 

"Why certainly adventurer, you can find "The Charming Charcuterie" about four storefronts down once you have entered into the district."

 

The city map popped up in front of Asagi and a marker appeared where he assumed the eatery would be located.  Closing out of the map after figuring out a good route to get there he turned back to the NPC.

 

"Thank you kindly"

 

As he turned to leave he almost couldn't believe it.  His heart lept a little bit at a very welcome sight.  Alyssa was wandering around the assorted streets here in Delilah as well.  Picking up his pace Asagi went straight over to his old acquaintence.

 

"Alyssa!  Hey I never imagine I would see you here.  What have you been up to?  I haven't seen you since the awkward assemblage at the tavern."

[Lessa 1]

The young woman was in a fantastic mood. She had splurged a bit, spending a few too many col on a tasty meal. But it had been so worth it. The pasta had reminded her of the delicacies back home, and compared to the sandwiches she normally ate in SAO, they were a real treat. She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and sighed. When she opened her eyes again, they seemed to shimmer. Her stomach was full, and she was ready to curl up somewhere for a nap. The morning had been spent grinding, and she had crafted a perfect item earlier that afternoon. She had visited the third floor to celebrate, and now, she was ready to sleep.

When she spotted Asagi, her stomach plummeted, and the color drained from her face.

Truly, it was not that she hated him. In fact, she had been thinking about him a lot since their last meeting. But every time she saw him, and every time that they were around each other, she felt strange. He added a strange sense of nostalgia to the game, one that she was not used to. She did her best to keep her voice from cracking as she replied to him.

"Hi Asagi." She gave him a small smile. "Not much. How about you?"

[Lotharian 0]

Alyssa seemed a little awkward towards Asagi, it was strange for her and he couldn't completely place the cause behind it.  Was it seeing him in this setting?  Was it the events that transpired the last time they had met?  Either way that didn't matter all that much at the moment, since it was always a good thing to see her around.  She simply inquired about what he had been doing since their last meeting.  There had been a lot but somehow he imagined her adventures were a little more exciting then his hum-drum early leveling.  Despite that he was glad to oblige her questions, maybe they would finally get to sit and talk like he had meant for previously.

 

"I have been practicing my sword style and already reached level 4 at the moment Alyssa.  Im trying my best to join you front liners and beat this damn game.  I can't imagine how much we are missing in our old lives by being stuck here, so Im adamant about doing my part.  You probably already knew that though, I never was one to give up on victory.  As for what Im doing here I had heard that Delilah had some of the best food on the currently unlocked floors.  I figured I would come see for myself.  You seem like you were on your way somewhere though, am I interrupting?  If you did have some time I would love to catch up as I had wanted to before.  Not to mention I would make all the other players jealous walking around with such a ravishing beauty has yourself."

 

Asagi just gave one of his playful smiles after his last sentence.  Alyssa was always quite an attractive girl, somehow unlike other girls though it wasn't all about looks with her which was refreshing to say the least.  Hopefully they could have an enjoyable time before she was dragged away by one of her new in game fans.

[Lessa 1]

She shoved her hands deep in the pockets of her blue jeans as he spoke. One of the first things that she had done when she accumulated some col was have a pair made for her. They were all she wore back home, and it made her feel more at ease to wear them during her down-time. As she had planned to stay in the safe zone all evening, there had been no reason to wear anything else. The blonde sported fitted, faded blue jeans, and a pink blouse. In fact, it was probably similar to what Asagi was used to seeing her in.

"Nice job reaching level four," she told him, genuinely impressed by his progress. She knew how much grinding was required to level up, and she admitted that he must have been working pretty hard. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet. "I don't think about home as much as I used to." She dropped her gaze to her boots. "I mean, I always remember my family. They motivate me to beat this game. But I've found if I miss the real world too much, I can't focus on what I'm doing here. Its hard though. But I'm managing." Lessa looked back up at Asagi, and said, "I'm making a place for myself here. I have new friends, and a new purpose. I even have my own guild. Who would have guessed, huh?"

Her cheeks flushed at his compliment, but she chose not to speak to it. Instead, she answered his question. "I really don't have anywhere I have to be. We can talk, if you'd like."

[Lotharian 0]

As he spoke Alyssa noticeably less tense, although it still seemed like her mind was going a mile a minute.  She looked good in a casual outfit, he wondered what type of gear she had aquired so far, Asagi must have looked absolutely silly to her in his beginner gear.  The girl from his hometown was indeed an impressive one, even more than he had realized in the real world.  It appeared that the girl down the street was a powerful and respected guild leader in this world.  Asagi couldn't help but smile, she seemed very content with this life.  Though he worried about her comment about not remembering the real world as much anymore.  They hadn't even been trapped for a dramatic amount of time and she was already losing touch with the outside world.  Asagi couldn't do that, he used the real world as his goal, a reason to fight so very hard.  No matter what his real body was waiting and he would get back to it, he just wouldn't let himself break from these events.

 

"I am so impressed with you Alyssa, to imagine that you have come so far already is amazing.  I would love to talk with you then since your offering, its been too long.  Listen to me, too long, I guess in this game time just doesn't seem the same either.  A day can stretch on much longer in your mind than when your physical body tells you it is ending.  There is one thing I do have to say though before we talk further."

 

Asagi reached out his hand towards Alyssa's cheek.

 

"Missing the real world can give you the goal and the strenght to keep on.  You have done so many impressive things already in this world.  Just don't forget, even in the real world I thought you were pretty special."

 

His hand withdrew, not wanting to make it any more awkward for her than it probably was.  It was true though, who we were in here and who we are in the outside world are no different.  Maybe it just took this situation for Alyssa to realize she was a lot better than she thought.

 

"Either way, your the veteran here my dear, so lead on!  I seriously don't know much about this floor just yet so you might have to inform me a bit."

 

He laughed to lighten the mood and motioned with his arm for her to lead the way.

[Lessa 1]

He reached out a hand, and she closed her eyes, waiting for the impact. Her skin could practically feel his hand upon it. When was the last time someone had touched her like that? Alkor. The girl closed her eyes tighter, and turned her face away just a bit. The words that he spoke to her were beautiful, but they seemed foreign coming from him. Who was he? She knew him better than anyone else in the game, as they had known each other for many years. But he seemed out of place here. It was like he had been plucked from one reality and shoved into another, and that made him a stranger to her.

"Asagi," she began, her voice strained. Her blue eyes fluttered open, and she met and held his gaze. "Let me say something too." She paused for a few seconds, searching desperately for the words. When she finally felt she had found them, she proceeded cautiously. "A lot has changed. I know it has not been very long, but I feel like I am an entirely different person now." Worrying that she was coming on too strong, she added, "I am grateful to have someone from home with me, but our past seems like it was in another lifetime now. My goals, and my purpose, have changed." Her hands clenched and unclenched into fists nervously at her side. "I've changed," she concluded. "Please, just... just keep that in mind, alright?"

With that out of the way, she gave a small sigh. Lessa snaked her arm into his, and let him hold onto her. "Honestly, I don't know this floor too well," she confessed. "But I think that there is a little park area not too far from here. We could visit that, if you'd like."

[Lotharian 0]

It was obvious the time inside this game had been pretty rough on Alyssa.  She explained her feelings about her life now, how she felt about herself.  It was sweet of her, obviously not everything about her was different in that respect.  I don't know if she was trying to convince herself, or convince him that she had changed.  She asked him to keep in mind that she had changed, Asagi understood how this place could change people.  How life and death situations can change people as well.  He wanted to comfort her but wasn't sure how at the moment.

 

"Alyssa, life changes people in general, whether it be here or in the real world.  People are a collection of their experiences for better or worse but that does not have to change the basics of who they are.  So don't you dare worry about me not accepting what you have to do to survive in here.  In the end its still you, and I wouldn't ever fault you for it.  If anything I feel like you have really come into yourself and realized what your capable of."

 

Soon Alyssa wrapped her arm through his and got closer.  It seemed the initial fears of hers whatever they may have been were disolving a bit.  Pressed up against Asagi she felt warm and it was a pleasant feeling he had almost forgot since coming in here.  The warmth of human interaction was less and less common in this virtual world.  It was then she mentioned a part down the way, sounded like a good idea to him.  A nice calming place to sit and talk and enjoy the scenery.  The beautiful scenery was after all one of the reasons he had been so keen to come up to Floor 3 in the first place.

 

"Sound good to me, lets go.  This place is so much different from the other cities Im fairly excited to see more of it anyway."

[Lessa 1]

The young woman gave a small nod, but remained silent. For the most part, she was satisfied with his response. She had spoken her mind, and, at the very least, given him a warning. If he did not like what she had turned into, it was not her fault. Lessa had prepared him, and he now knew what he was getting himself into if he chose to stick around her.

They walked quietly, arm in arm, as other players bustled around them. The city was busy that evening, and everyone seemed to have some place to be. Their destination was only a short walk away. It was a small park, littered with tall trees, trimmed shrubs, and small, wooden benches. Most were already occupied, but Lessa spotted one empty bench. It stood off on its own, at the base of a large tree. She led Asagi there, and took a seat after the pair reached it.

"So," she finally started softly. "I'm glad to see that you're getting along so well here."

[Lotharian 0]

As the two wandered over to the park that Alyssa had suggested it became apparent that it was a very popular spot.  Players and NPCs alike were hustling and bustling under the beautfully decorated lamps and trees all around them.  It was absolutely breathtaking just as he had anticipated.  The one thing that he noticed fairly quickly as well is that most of the individuals here were couples, some were merely talking, some were well within eachothers embrace, while a few were even more busy locking lips.  It was a strange sight to see in this games relatively dark atmosphere due to the circumstances.  Though at the same time there seemed to be much less shame in acting this way in a virtual world.  Suddenly Alyssa led them to one of the only open benches sitting below a large tree.  As they sat and made themselves comfortable she started to speak, it seemed she was still surprised at how well he was taking the circumstances they had been thrust into.

 

"Well I don't believe I have much of a choice in the matter honestly Alyssa.  No matter how much someone wants to escape its not an option right at this moment.  With that in mind I realized that whatever I was going to do keeping my head about the situation had to come first.  I was never one to break down and run away in our world, and I suppose that hasn't much changed now that we are here."

 

With a quick smirk he looked into Alyssa's eyes as he said his next words carefully.

 

"Of course it is not all bad either, I could think of much worse fates to befall me.  It was comforting knowing that I had someone in here to talk with as well, that was all I needed to know in order to carry on with what must be done to get out of here."

[Lessa 1]

She still felt strange hearing someone address her as Alyssa. She had only been in the game for a couple of months, but that had been long enough for her to get used to Lessa. Again, she had that lingering feeling of her two worlds merging. It was a strange sensation.

 

"Strangely enough," she began, shifting on the bench so that she could cross her legs at the knees, "I was never much of a fighter in the real world. I've had to teach myself that here." Her fingers picked absentmindedly at the seam of her jeans as she continued. "Not that I was some sort of giant coward back home, but... well, like I said, I've had to change a bit. I'm learning I can't be quite as trusting as I used to be." The blonde gave a small, humorless laugh, and added, "that has been the hardest part. But I'm very fortunate to have made a couple of friends who look out for me. I owe everything to them."

 

As he spoke of being trapped in the game with her, she blushed. Dropping her gaze away from his, she answered, "truthfully, I was incredibly angry when I found out you were here." Then, quickly, "but don't get me wrong, its not that I dislike you or anything. Its just that, well, I suppose I had naively thought that this would be a Hell I would have to survive on my own. I had hoped that the people that I left behind would be safely waiting for me when I returned. It really bothered me to learn that the situation is so much more complex than that." Her voice softened, and she added, "I am still bothered by it, to be honest with you."

[Lotharian 0]

As the two sat and talked Alyssa opened up about how she felt, about how she had been dealing with life within this death game they were all trapped in.  He felt bad that she had suffered so much in the short time they had been in here.  It was obvious that a lot of people had a difficult time adapting.  Though unlike her he had embraced the fact that someone from the real world was here.

 

"Alyssa, I can understand doing anything you can, thinking anything you can to handle a situation like this.  Don't think that I would believe anything harsh of you for it.  As for not being comfortable with me being here I just will have to hope that this feeling does not linger.  When I knew you were here and alive I felt a great relief.  In a virtual world such as this I realize that keeping those connections is important to keep yourself stable.  If I had nothing in this world that connected me, as you had to deal with for awhile it seems, I would have had to figure out a new way of thinking as well.  Knowing your around though reminds me that I need to try as hard as I can, not just to survive but to win.  The whole outside world is waiting for us to return to them, I for one think heavily on that fact."

 

Asagi realized he was beginning to ramble a bit as he sometimes did.  Stopping he looked over to Alyssa staring into her eyes.  Gently putting a hand on top of hers he told her finally how he really felt.

 

"Alyssa its because I reunited in here that you are very important to me now.  You are one of the things that I can see and remember what my true goal is.  So.........so be careful out there, because if anything happened to you I would lose a part of myself as well."

 

Removing his hand from hers he didn't know if the words that he used were too strong.  More than that would Alyssa truly understand the meaning behind them at the moment.  No matter what he had to say them regardless of the outcome.

[Lessa 1]

The woman nodded after Asagi fell silent. "I am very glad that I can provide that motivation for you," she responded. "We need all the motivation that we can get if we are to beat this wretched game." Then, her voice softened. "I find that I am forgetting the world we left behind though. I hate to admit it, but I'm forgetting the sounds of voices, and the scents I used to hold dear. Its been months, Asagi." Her emotion was clear on her face as she spoke. "You can't fault me for forgetting after all this time. I try so hard to remember, but things are beginning to slip away."

Lessa wrapped her arms around her torso, her own touch bringing her a bit of comfort. "I find that much of my motivation now comes from the things in-game. My guild is the source of much of my strength. They are good people, and they care about me. And I care about them. When I think of them, and how much I want them to live, I fight harder."

She offered him a small smile. "You'd lose a part of yourself?" She repeated. "I know the feeling. The same thing would happen if I lost a member of my guild. They're my family now."

[Lotharian 0]

"It's important, now more than ever before to have something or someone who can ground us Alyssa, its good that you have your guild.  I don't know all that many people yet I can even call acquaintances within this world."

 

He shifted in his seat to look at her more directly, the lamps of the city shone beautifully along her figure.  The environment was indeed intoxicating in this virtual realm.  Asagi wanted to see more and more, adventure forth and pave a path for himself and rise to where she was now.  It would be difficult and it would take time but at that time he could see it happening.  The motivation he had spoken of reared itself from deep within him and he couldn't help but speak out with it backing his words.

 

"Alyssa, I am going to work hard and make it to where you are, I want to be of help if I can.  I will make myself worthy of calling myself an equal to the front liners and pave the way with you all.  I hope that together we can break through this world's boundaries and return once again to our world.  You have your guild, you have the things that are important to you in here, but remember that you also now have me.  Both in this world and in the real world please let me lend you what power I can.  I promise I will do whatever I can to reach the heights you have soared to."

 

As he spoke he had a mix of excitement and admiration for his old friend.  He hoped that she would accept his help in the future, he didn't know why but he felt like no matter what he would use all the power within him to make sure both of them got back.  Both would once again stand in their hometown and breath the real air, and that thought would inspire him here on out."

[Lessa 1]

At his small outburst, Lessa could only offer a small smile. Back home, they had not been especially close. But his fighting spirit inspired her, and she would have to be heartless not to feel for the man. Reaching out a single hand, she placed it lightly over his. It was a simple gesture, but the feeling of skin on skin always brought forth a strange feeling in her. She wondered if the same was true for Asagi.

"I appreciate everything that you have said, Asagi," Lessa replied, honestly. "And I will do my best to help you reach these heights you so desire. Because I knew you before the game, you are already a part of my family. That will never change. And my guild will take care of you, just as I do, should you wish it." She tilted her head slightly, blonde bangs falling into her blue eyes. She paid them no mind as she said, "if you ever find yourself in need of a guild, please come to me first."

It was so odd to her, talking to him like this. It felt so out of place. He felt out of place. She knew that, one day, this feeling would fade. But for now, it still made her a bit light-headed.