[PP-F4] Dinner For 2 (Lessa)

[Daeron 1]

Daeron had invited a previous player he had met to dinner. Lessa to be specific. She was beautiful for him and her blue eyes were easily able to get lost in. Having arranged a dinner date for 2, he was waiting outside of the Frostbite Inn, where he was actually wearing a presentable outfit. Wearing a black suit with a black tie. Now come to think of it, date was a big word for this. It wasn't nearly a date. Was it? Trying not to think about it, he waited for Lessa in a mannerly fashion and he was truly looking forward to seeing her again.

[Lessa 1]

Lessa approached the meeting spot, her hands shoved deep in the pockets of her black slacks. She wore a black dress coat over her pink blouse, and the thick fabric did a nice job of keeping the bitter cold out. The tailor she had asked to craft the jacket for her had done an excellent job. The belt was cinched tightly around her waist, and the snowflakes clung like diamonds to the black cotton. The sparkling snow also dotted her golden hair, making it shimmer even more beneath every light she passed under. The woman had chosen to dress up a bit, simply because this was the first player to invite her to dinner. She was unsure what his intentions were, but she could at least give him a chance.

"Daeron, hi," she greeted, slowing to a halt beside him.

[Daeron 1]

Daeron's jaw dropped open when he had seen how amazing she looked. Realizing he was staring, he closed his mouth into a smile. When she finally got next to him, with her hair shining, and her eyes as blue as ice, yet they gave him a feeling of warmth inside. "You look absolutely amazing." he said as he neared the door of th inn. "Shall we go in to get out of the cold?" he suggested, opening the door for her.

 

As she entered, he followed behind her and cut in front of her to pull out the seat for her. Once she sat down, he moved to the other end of the table to sit in a seat across from her.

[Lessa 1]

"Thank you," she replied, giving him an appreciative nod. "And you look very sharp, though you make me feel a bit underdressed." Had she known he would be sporting a suit, perhaps she would have invested in a dress instead. But it was too late for that now. Besides, bare legs and arms in these temperatures would not be the best idea.

The woman followed him into the restaurant, a blast of warm air greeting her as she stepped inside. She felt it wash over her, and gave a content sigh as the cold melted away. It was true that the forth floor was her favorite, but she was certainly thankful to be out of the cold.

Lessa thanked Daeron as he pulled her chair out for her, and she was once again startled by his manners. Even back home, most men were not this chivalrous. It was certainly an interesting, though welcome, change. The woman shrugged out of her jacket, and let it fall over the back of her chair.

"This is a really nice place," she commented, gaze sweeping over the room.

[Daeron 1]

Giving a look around the room quickly caused him to agree, "It's my favorite place on this floor. As for my suit... don't mind that. It was the only non-combat clothing I had that has longer sleeves." he said. Returning his view to Lessa, caused him to smile. It had been a while since he enjoyed socializing with another player out of combat. Waving his hand for one of the NPC waiters to come over, he then stopped to return his focus.

 

"Well, let's start with this: You can ask me anything you want because it seems like you're still suspicious of me." he offered Lessa. He liked her a lot so far. He would hate it if she didn't trust him to not kill her.

[Lessa 1]

At his request for questions, Lessa's face immediately flushed. She glanced down at her hands, which were folded lightly in her lap. Then, she lifted her gaze to Daeron's, a sheepish expression on her face. "I'm sorry that I come across as so hesitant," she told him, her words genuine. He would be able to tell she truly was embarrassed by the way she acted. "Please understand, I'm just cautious. I have people to live for, both here and in the real world. People who depend on me. And so I get a bit nervous around people with orange names." Her face hardened slightly. "And I suppose I just cannot fathom why anyone would take another player's life, especially in a world as cruel as this. The odds are already stacked against us, so we should be helping each other, not cutting each other down." Her mind wandered a bit, and she recalled Alkor saying something very similar the last time they had spoken. At least he shared her feelings on the matter.

Lessa sighed. "So, I suppose I'm just curious what happened. What would drive you to do something like that?"

[Daeron 1]

Daeron knew how she is feeling. Scared. He once too had that same opinion. "Well. I could lie and say it was to save myself. In all actuality though, who am I really trying to convince here right?" Daeron said giving a quick scared chuckle. "I honestly wish I could tell you what made me do it. In fact, to this day, I'm still figuring that out- I'm truly terrified of this world. I'm afraid that if I close my eyes or let my guard down for one moment, just to rest even, that I won't live to see another day. On the other hand though, it's what lets me grow strong, lets me keep fighting." Daeron said looking into his lap.

 

Returning his attention to her, he got up and walked next to her. When he was beside her, he reached out his hand. "I want to show you something." he said smiling at her.

[Lessa 1]

His answer did nothing to satisfy or reassure her. She frowned without realizing it. It was nice that the man was being honest with her, but this only made her more nervous about him. If he had not killed to protect himself, why had he killed at all? And he was scared? So was she! Every day, she feared for herself and those she cared about. But that did not drive her to kill. Just the thought of it caused the girl to shudder. Perhaps she was still naive, and the game had not warped her enough yet. But she could not kill another player.

She flinched as he stood and moved around the table. And when he extended his hand, she hesitated. But that smile - it was difficult to turn him down, despite her own reservations. Could he really smile at me like that, just to kill me? Or was he serious when he told me he had changed? The ever-trusting Lessa finally sighed, and put her hand in his. "Alright."

[Daeron 1]

Daeron led her outside of the inn, of course by holding the door open for her, and then followed behind her. He continued to hold her hand. In fact, he hadn't realized that the snow had lightened and it was actually peaceful out now. Daeron then gave her a look and assured her he would do nothing to hurt her. "I think you'll love the surprise I have in mind for you. Very few people have the honor of sharing this same secret." Daeron said as he led her beyond the city walls.

 

Knowing that he was scaring her, leading her outside of a safe zone, he had no intentions of causing harm to anyone or anything right now. After walking down a path, there were now two ways to go: left and right. Choosing to go right, there were a series of trees that seemed to encircle something that seemed to be in the center. Entering past the trees, he said, "Close your eyes. It'll be more special this way." Daeron said as he waited for her to close her eyes.

 

After she had closed them, he continued to lead the two through the path in the woods. Finally reaching the end of the path, he stopped, but continued to hold on to her hand. "Alright... open them." Daeron said, revealing to her an area that looked like a giant frozen lake. On the ice were a few skate marks, but no people actually around. "This is my favorite place in all of Aincrad. It's the nicest safe zone you can find." he said smiling at her. Turning towards her, he once again, gave a gentleman's smile. "Do you know how to skate on ice?" Daeron asked her as he stepped on the ice slowly sliding away from her, but still close enough to keep her fingertips in his hand.

[Lessa 1]

As he led her along, goosebumps rose up and down arm. She could not remember the last time someone had held her hand. Though she was sure this was only his way of being polite, it still had quite the impact on her. Lessa focused on this as she pulled her coat on and followed him outside of the inn. Again, they were in the safe zone. What was the worst that could happen?

But when they reached the edge of the safe zone, and he made to lead her over the line, she hesitated. Chewing on her lower lip, the girl regarded Daeron carefully. He had brought her this far, and now he was encouraging her to close her eyes. This could very easily be a trap, and he was literally leading her right to it. Would she go on with him, and possibly face an equally literal stab in the back?

You're normally a good judge of character, a little voice reminded her. And you let him into the Guardians without much fight. Do you think you did that because he is actually a good guy? The blonde thought on this for a brief second. Then, she closed her eyes, and allowed him to lead her out of the safe zone.

When she opened her eyes again, the young woman gasped. The frozen lake that lay before her was breathtaking. "Its beautiful," she stammered, her blue eyes wide and dancing. And its a safe zone. That was certainly reassuring.

"I do know how to skate, yeah," came her reply as she shuffled her way onto the ice. "I used to play a lot of hockey back home."

[Daeron 1]

Daeron smiled at Lessa, but he was glad that she had some trust in him. He was able to tell she still had her suspicions. Who could blame her though. Taking Lessa's hand and holding it above her hand for to twirl on the ice, he was amazed at the amount of elegance he was witnessing. After she finished her twirl, Daeron pulled her close to him while she was still have spinning. When she neared him, he brough his arm around her waist so that they were almost face to face now.

 

Looking into her eyes, he leaned in for a kiss, but pulled away before he might regret something. Starting to scate away from her slowly, he gave her a grin and winked at her. "I'll be honest, dove. I constantly get lost in your eyes and I can't resist looking at them. That's why I didn't make eye contact." he said as he formed a pile of light snow and blew it through the air to create a crystalized wind, raining tiny diamonds into Lessa's hair lightly.

[Lessa 1]

Lessa let out a soft peal of laughter as the young man spun her. But her laughter was interrupted by a surprised gasp as he caught her, and brought her body close to his. His face moved closer to hers, and her blue eyes widened. Too fast. She pulled back slightly, but not before Daeron did the same. He skated away from her, commenting on her eyes. It was something that a number of men had told her outside of SAO. Her eyes, she figured, were her best physical feature. They were beautiful, but they also revealed every hint of emotion she experienced; they were so expressive.

As the flakes dusted her hair, she turned to him and gave him a small smile. "This is beautiful, Daeron," she told him. "Thank you."

[Daeron 1]

Daeron was glad she liked it. "I have one more surprise for you, but we need to wait until night for it." he said, skating around on the ice. He skated next to her to hold her hand again. He then slowed his speed so he could remain beside her. "Alright. So what else would you like to know about me?" he asked her looking into her blue eyes.

 

Once again, he had gotten so lost in them that he didn't see the snowbank up ahead that he had fallen into. Not bothering to get up, he looked at the sky as if he were staring up at his ceiling while laying in bed. Though it was technically still day, the sun was now nearing the horizon of the snowy mountains in the distance.

[Lessa 1]

He grabbed her hand again, which Lessa figured was alright. It was a simple enough gesture, and though she was still slightly uneasy from the near-kiss, she figured it was appropriate for the moment. She did, however, let go as Daeron went tumbling into the snowback. It had not been intentional; she had been startled by his body's sudden movement, and she had let go without thinking about it. But now she stood above him, looking down as he rest in the snow. She thought to ask if he was alright, but he seemed perfectly content in the drift. So she shoved her hands deep in her pockets, and looked up at the sky. Night was falling.

"I don't mind waiting," came her reply. "I do quite like how this floor looks at night." Then, she dropped her gaze back to the boy in the snow. "Well," she began, doing her best to come up with a question. "You're a pretty high level. You have a lot of experience. Though I appreciate your joining us, and I'm glad to have you, I do wonder what made you want to be a Guardian."

[Daeron 1]

Hearing her ask about his reason to join the guild, he thought for a moment. "Three reasons really. One, I hate large guilds. Two, I like helping lower leveled players like yourself, no offense. Three-" he stopped short of his sentence and looked at her. He got himself back up and brushed the snow off.

 

Taking her hand again, he kept eye contact unlike other times, and smiled. "You." he said finishing off his sentence. With the scenery now getting dark, the sky now had a dark blue tint. "Here's that last surprise." Daeron said as the ice looked sleeker and the sky filled with many colors waving in the sky like an Aurora Borealis.

[Lessa 1]

His answer surprised her. "Me?" she repeated softly, just under her breath. A confused expression crossed her face, but she held his gaze all the while. Why me? Selecting a guild was an enormous decision, and she could not understand why a person would join a guild for another player. We hardly know each other. Daeron baffled her, but she figured she would be seeing a lot of him in the near future. She would have plenty of time to get to know him better.

She broke the hold his gaze had on her when she looked up to the sky. Her blonde hair fell back from her face, and the snowflakes clung to her eyelashes and dotted her pink cheeks. She inhaled deeply, then blew the air out in a puff that hung in the air. "It really is something," she mumbled. "We do not have skies like this back home."

[Daeron 1]

Looking into the sky himself, he had seen this image many times, yet it was still a breathtaking view for him. "Look. I know that we hardly know each other, but something about you seems... different. I always liked people who are unique. I know I look like a bad guy, but I really am kind and genuíne." he said. He knows he will have to work hard to win her over, but he knows it will be worth it in the end.

 

Daeron had no words until the lights had faded away. He didn't know what to say at first, but suddenly he had the idea to humor her with a cheesy pickup line. "So. Do you have a map? It seems I got lost in your eyes again." he said with a smile, making eye contact once more.

[Lessa 1]

The girl chuckled, shaking her head. His pickup line was cheesy, but she knew that his heart was in the right place, so she did not bother to comment on it. Instead, she let go of his hand, pulling hers free and resting it gently on his shoulder. "Look, Daeron," she began slowly. "I really do appreciate all of this. I can tell you put a lot of thought into this whole evening, and it was very sweet of you." She continued without missing a beat, her voice never changing pitch. She did not hesitate, because she knew it needed to be said. "However, I do not need you to tell me how kind and genuine you are. I just need you to show me. That is what is really important." She gave the man a sad smile, then added, "in a game like this, words can be pretty meaningless."

Then, she withdrew her hand and took a step back from him. "I do hope that you and I can become great friends. You have so much experience that you can pass on to myself and the other Guardians. And your sense of humor isn't bad either, though your pick-up lines may suggest otherwise," she gave him a wink, unable to resist the jab any longer. But her blue eyes danced with laughter, demonstrating that her comment had been made in good humor.

[Daeron 1]

Daeron knew exactly what she meant by words being rather meaningless and all. Though he knew how to mask himself with a smile, he had no idea how he could show her how he felt. He never expected to get far at all with one night alone. Daeron gave a slight chuckle to her comment on his pickup lines. "Alright." he said, "What do you reckon is a way to show you. I never really was good at showing affection and care towards someone." he said as he gave her a smile while reaching for some snow and forming into a sphere with his hands. Throwing it up and down with his hands, he waited.

[Lessa 1]

At his question, the blonde shrugged. "That's really up to you," she replied. Then, she tilted her head. "I'm not trying to make things more complicated for you. But if I may be frank, there are a lot of players that like to scoop up unsuspecting females, take them out to a nice dinner, and then expect all sorts of things in return." Lessa's face hardened a bit, and she watched Daeron's snowball move up and down. "I guess I'm just not like that." A humorless smile flickered on her lips, before dying again. "As you've already pointed out, I'm different."

"And please don't think that I'm accusing you of anything," she added, still fixated on his snowball. "I'm just cautious. And right now, the most important thing to me is my guild. Relationships are not a priority right now." She sighed softly. "I hope this make sense."