[PP-F7] "So How's Life?" (Keith)

[Haine 0]

Haine sighed as she rested against a shady tree, focusing on her gaze at the clear sky above her. Her wide eyed expression was soon replaced as the sun blinded her sight, causing her eyes to squint in response. Today, she was on the seventh floor of Aincrad, for the heck of it. It'd been just another one of those days where she'd laze around, switching the floor numbers every now and then evenly. It was the same old step by step process to achieving strength, but in a more subtle and stress free way. She happened to visit the seventh today, for a breath of fresh air and a lovely scenery. Of course it wasn't all that amazing since the floor had it's fair share of downs as well, but it was peaceful overall. She'd sigh contently, inhaling the fresh air as a soft smile would grace her lips. "It's too peaceful, I feel like falling asleep here, but I can't do that. I'm afraid that I'd be getting attacked while off guard. Maybe I should just..." She stepped away from the tree she was resting on, turning to face it. "Then all I'd need to do is rest up there! A-At least I can assure a good rest, since I've done a little grinding earlier this day." 

 

The bluenette nodded before making her way to the sturdy tree and climbing up it, to rest on a high but convenient height away from ground level. That way she'd be safe unless some gigantic bird knocked her out of the way... which she assumed would occur on a worst case scenario. She'd lay against a branch and blink a few times, her eyes starting to close momentarily. But she couldn't help opening them back up quickly as a rustle was heard nearby. What was it? She had to admit, her own movements were making just as much as noises as she could hear, since leaves and thickets were around her. "What's that? A yellow cursor...?" Her head tilted curiously but she'd cautiously move her way down the tree, to one of the lowest branches that could keep her up. 

 

The thing that caught Haine off guard however, was something of a bright blue that caught her gaze, but was quickly hidden when it disappeared behind some blocking bushes. Unaware of how much she was leaning forward, she'd find herself in contact with the ground as a loud thud was heard. It wasn't exactly painful because of the way the game had been built, but of course she'd react as if it was real. A small squeak escaped her lips as she'd rub her elbow nervously, realizing that the ruckus she made had blown her cover completely. All she could do was mutter under her breath quietly while 'calmly' walking off. "Now what? I'll have to deal with this issue... but I hope not." When glancing backwards... Haine would see...

[Guest]

...Her older brother Keith! Of all the places! Keith had his sword pointed at Haine and his eyes trained on her. "Ha! Gotcha, Maverick! No- Oh... Wait a sec..." Keith put his sword away and stepped forward, squinting slightly. He blinked a few times and then stepped back again. "...Haine?" He said, crossing his arms and smiling. "Holy cow! It really is you! Long time no see!" Keith said, chuckling slightly as he pat the younger Yudai on the head. Being the oldest meant that Keith had the most responsibility in the family. Though, he tend to let Haine fend for herself most the time. And naturally, most results came out alright. "Yeesh... It really has been a long time... Hasn't it?"

 

Naturally, Keith had a knack for forgetting things like this. With his impatient attitude and severe ADHD to boot, he only focused on one major goal at a time. Though, that trait was natural for the family. The common traits were a blue color palette, explosive and energetic personality, and the same consistent interest with outer space. 

[Haine 0]

Haine's eyes widened as she blinked a few times as well, tilting her head as she tried to process what she had just seen. Was it some illusion or anything corny like that? She jumped in her tracks as he exclaimed enthusiastically, his sword pointing out at her. But after realizing that it'd been Haine, he put away his blade to greet her. Momentarily, a wide smile formed on her face as she ran towards him, practically tackling him with a warm hug. "Keith! No you must be an imposter..." she frowned and pinched his cheeks suspiciously, before shaking her head and laughing it off. "So... it really has been a long time, hasn't it? We have so much to catch up on!" Her previously dumfounded look was replaced with an ecstatic expression as she'd nod, composing her energy to try being 'calm', although so many questions were floating around in her head. Of course, patience and staying calm was common, and she had been trying to take upon a set of new virtues, so it was obviously clear that she had been holding back her excitement.

 

"So tell me, where do we start, hmm?" she'd trail off into thoughts, waiting for him to respond to her words. The last thing she wanted to do was talk on and on and leave him struggling to answer everything. "I guess, I didn't have to join the front lines again to see Keith... I was hesitating on the risk. But just maybe, I've gotten that luck card!" The bluenette placed her arms behind her back whilst thinking intently.

[Guest]

Keith whistled and ran a hand through his blue hair, ruffling it up slightly as he thought back to some events in the past few months. â€‹"Well... There's quite a lot to go over. Mavericks are at an all-time high, and Vile has really been giving no breaks for Hunters. There's another player who has me worried... But... It's nothing I can't handle. Some more things happened after that, yadda yadda yadda, so on and so forth..." Keith said, brushing some hair out of his eyes with his thumb. "But, I'm glad I ran into you when I did. There's been a lot of tension among players recently. More so than that, it's been between guilds. And right now, one guild in particular is taking aim at Azure. I don't want any violence. There's enough of that in this game as it is. But... I want to know if you would like to join up. Before another guild tries to confront you."

 

Keith had opened his menu and sent a guild request to Haine, notifying her to join the Azure Brigade. Haine was remarkably strong in her own right. Lots of players knew that, and wouldn't hesitate to try and get her in their guild for her stats. Keith wanted her to keep her safe, and because as a family, they had to always be on the same side. "But anyway, what's new with you?"

[Haine 0]

Haine's expression immediately changed when the she'd heard about maverick activity. Honestly, she wanted to be one of those bystanders, since it was a little too much for her to handle... all the drama with 'half' of Aincrad consisting of serial killers. "Man... It got that bad? These people never know when to quit, do they? A-And I'm not that sure... about this, being caught up in drama isn't my thing. But - if it's for the best, I'll join with the Brigade. I'll support you with all I got, okay?" she'd assure softly, scanning through the popup message that requested for her to join the guild. "Alrightie, I guess." She tapped the confirm button shortly after a brief moment of silence, nodding as a confirmation window noted the accepted guild request.

 

Keith's next question caused the bluenette to ponder on how to word her thoughts out, but she didn't want to hide anything. He was her brother right? It wasn't shameful to act 'weak' in any way. "Well, quite a lot has happened for me. I'm not sure how to simply word this either. I'm probably crazy for saying this, but I kind of opted out of everything. I'm just, taking it one step at a time. This game. I've felt as if, all this maverick or front lining business was too much for me to handle, so I started living a neutral - standby life here. I temporarily quit the front lines, and I'll probably join once I strengthen my defense skills. I don't know what happened to everyone over my long hiatus, but I've also made new acquaintances on the way. But I'm totally fine, don't get me wrong!" After her long speech, Haine would start to catch her breath before looking up at Keith and whispering in a hushed voice. "That's what happened with me. Hope I didn't bore you with that!" she'd shrug, quickly reverting to her usual cheeriness.

[Guest]

Keith whistled and rolled his eyes. "Heh. Yup, you're still my little sister alright." He said with a smirk, ruffling up Haine's hair. "Well, I would ask if you would want to go hang out or get some lunch, but..." Keith sighed and pointed up to his crystal. "...Frankly, the game says I'm a no good scumbag who doesn't deserve to be in towns." He said again, mumbling a little. Sleeping in trees and limited shop options was one thing Keith could take about being yellow. But when the game takes away all the amazing restaurants with the all you can eat buffets, that's when Keith got a little angsty. "That aside, I came out here today on note of a Maverick on this Floor. Main goal is to jail him, not to kill. I would really appreciate someone watching my back.." Keith said, crossing his arms behind his head and winking at Haine.

 

The Yudai kids had always had a knack for sticking together. Keith was cocky, impatient, and sometimes, he could just really be a little snot. But when it came to taking care of his younger sisters, he always pulled through. Sure, they bummed rides off him, took his Pockey, and insisted on touching everything in his room when he was out with friends or at a track meet, but in the end, they all still got along better than most siblings did. This was mostly on account of their father's massive absence growing up. He always worked and never seemed to give much mind for what his children did. He often wondered how mom and dad were doing in the real world... 

[Haine 0]

"A-Ah..." Haine mumbled with a saddened expression as he mentioned all the things he'd wanted to do, but couldn't because of his cursor being cursed with that certain color. Her eyes would widen on cue as something about a maverick was mentioned. Her wide eyed gaze was soon turned normal as she'd relax, realizing it wasn't something that necessarily dealt with death. "A maverick around here...? This peaceful place? Well it'll be my first time really dealing with one of those troublemakers in all honesty, but I'll try my best!" Haine would shoot him an assuring grin, whilst thinking about those mavericks... "Floor seven is probably the most unexpected, since it's kind of like a beautiful relaxation stop. But knowingly, these things probably have a knack for ruining peace. I've never really been of use, but I'm kind of curious how Keith does this hunting thing! I'm in."

 

A brief moment of silence would follow as she'd stretch slightly, tucking a strand of her blue hair behind her ear. She hadn't had an idea of what to say next, oddly enough. Usually there was an endless list of things she'd ramble on about, but it ended up scaring others away. "So, how do you track them down? The mavericks I mean. I've heard that some of them like to hide themselves in the maps, makes me kinda curious!"

[Guest]

Keith groaned and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, there's the bad part of the job... It takes forever to find these guys! Like- 20 minutes! Sometimes even 25!" Keith said, clearly annoyed by the tiny amount of time it took. He was always very impatient. Most the time, this is what made him mess things up so frequently. A second unproductive was a second wasted. Though, even if it was productive, just about anything he found boring or slow was just useless to Keith. Frankly, this was something that really made him screw things up a lot. "Alright, the sooner we find him, the sooner we get to go around and goof off." He said, sending a party request to Haine and starting to look around.

 

He then remembered something. Kiru. Haine hadn't even heard about her yet. Well, she might have. In the real world, Kiru went to the same high school as he and Haine. Since she was uber-popular, she may know. "Oh... Um... Also... I'm getting married... No big deal.." Keith mumbled out, climbing over a stump and continuing to look.

[Haine 0]

Haine cringed slightly as he mentioned how long it took to spot the culprits down. A fact given, Haine was horrible with being patient. Things had to go on her pace, or else she'll do something unexpected. But she was working on that now. But trying to be 'cool' was torture, honestly. "Dang... at least it's not half a day!" she grinned enthusiastically. She noticed Keith hurrying up a little, sending her a party request so she would be able to tag along. Haine read the screen over a couple of times, slowly tapping away at that nice blue button on the bottom corner. "Alrightie! Let's get going, I wanna spend the day with you. then again, it's been ages." she'd move to start walking ahead on her path, stopping in her tracks immediately once he mentioned getting married. Then, that ghostly pale look formed on her face. "M-Married.... getting married... wait why?! Weren't you married to Cicila? What happened...?" the bluenette asked in a concerned yet surprised tone. Yes of course, Haine was down right clueless about what happened while she'd been gone.

 

"Hmm, I think I've seen the fiancee. Kiru eh? She has a horrendous ego! I mean I don't think we could ever get along but... -" Haine's eyes would twitch as she'd recall seeing her on the rooftops of a blacksmith's shop, floor nine. While being caught up in a group argument, her eyes would land on a beautiful two toned hair girl who pretty much 'insulted' her 'fans'. The looks were kind of promising until she opened her mouth. Being usually cheerful when first meeting someone, this was kinda odd she had to admit. "Congratulations, regardless. If you ever do have a ceremony, I'll be glad to help out. I mean look at your friends list, I bet it's huge!"

[Guest]

When Cicila was brought up, Keith turned pale. The whole air felt cold and he felt like he couldn't breath. He looked to the ground and shook his head. "Sh-She... She died... It happened a few months ago when I wasn't around..." Keith said, folding his hands and gripping them until his knuckles turned white. It truly wasn't something he liked to reflect on. He shook his head and ran one hand through his blue hair. "But... I've moved on..." Keith said, breathing again. "And about help with the wedding, well, I need all the help I can get sorting it out." Keith said with a little laugh, trying to veer out of the topic beforehand. "Well... It's a long story about how it all happened. Me and Kiru just so happened to be in the same area, and some NPC guards handcuffed me because I was yellow. They thought Kiru was an accomplice so we got handcuffed together actually. We bickered, argued, and fought a lot. But by the end, we tolerated each other."

 

Keith crossed his arms and cocked his head slightly, having stopped looking to talk to Haine. "After that, we more or less became partners. She knew my fighting style, and I knew her's. We did just about everything together during that time. Training, Maverick Hunting, boss fighting, etc. Then we just... Fell in love. I have no clue how. I really can't explain why I feel like this for her." He shrugged and smirked. "And she doesn't know why she feels the same way for me."

[Haine 0]

"Oh my god... I-I'm so sorry..." Haine gasped in horror, in a quiet voice. Death, when it was mentioned... it frightened her. And the look on Keith's face was horrible, pale. The bluenette regretted asking such a question. Maybe she was being a bit too snoopy for doing so. Haine would solemnly look away, her arms folded behind her back. After the uneasy silence, she'd look back at her elder brother, intently listening to his next words. So he had moved on, and explained his meeting with Kiru, and how they fell in love. Of course, the bluenette would focus on his words as much as possible, still trying to block out the bitter reality. "W-Wow... that was unusual. Ya' know, why does your life always have to be so interesting? Like an anime?" Haine would question, with an almost childish expression on her face. With a slight laugh, her eyes would glow in amusement. "Really? That's amazing! Unexpected couples usually tend to be the most interesting after all."

 

"Hmm? Ah, the wedding. To be honest, I kind of have no planning experience whatsoever, but I can try my best! Whatever help you need, hit me a message and I'll get to it. You got my back!" with an assuring nod, a wide grin would grow on her face. Haine would then think of Kiru, the confident and strong maverick hunter. It was a shame that they weren't exactly acquainted or let alone on the right foot, but the stubborn player would only hope that'd change. Probably because she'd be a wedding planner later on in the future. But anyways, she shook her head and brought herself back to earth.

[Guest]

Keith sighed, thinking of Kiru. She was beautiful. And dangerous. Like a peacock with a bazooka. However, she was his peacock with a bazooka. â€‹"Yeah... You should've seen us when we first met. He were about ready to strangle each other. Then we became partners in taking down Mavericks, and then... We just fell in love. It was kind of an instant thing. Like how mom and dad met." Keith said, nodding to Kiru as he leaned against a tree. Keith didn't speak about the parents a whole lot, though, Haine knew what he meant. When dad was at work, mom told them why she loved him the way she did.

 

"He just always seemed so... Sad. I guess trying to cheer him up is what made me fall in love with him. It's odd, though. How such a serious man makes video games. Married for twenty years and there's still some things I don't know about him."  

 

Keith nodded to Haine when she mentioned the wedding. "Thanks, sis. I really appreciate it. Frankly... Neither of us have a clue what to do when it comes to trying to set up the wedding." Keith said with a chuckle, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb. "My life? Exciting? Heh, well, when you're living in the fast lane, things have a tendency to try and speed ahead!"

[Haine 0]

"Yeah, you're right. Mom and dad were a weird pairing but, I like it... because I was born. I can't wait to really talk to Kiru, I need to really see what she's like in person. I had a chance last time, but - you could say she brewed up an argument with players around her...?" the bluenette cringed, rubbing the back of her neck as she'd shake her head. "But I'm happy for you! May you have many ch-" she'd cut herself off, clamming her lips together to prevent a big grin from spreading across her face. Obviously, she knew that wasn't even possible in the game, but used it to tease Keith anyhow. "Hahaa! Sorry about that~" Haine let out a sigh and popped her knuckles for a second, averting her attention back to him. "And now I'm outta topic ideas for a relevant subject. Should we like... find the maverick you were talking about? We can talk more on the way too, if it doesn't distract ya!" Haine immediately thought about that maverick hunting task Keith was on, right after she teased him about Kiru. "So, I know a little bit now... but this maverick task? Mavericks, I hope nothing bad happens here. They mean trouble, but I've never seen a pker attack, or been around a maverick before. What am I supposed to do? Ah, jailing them doesn't sound thaaat bad! It shouldn't be a heart attack situation. Whatever, thinking is so exhausting. I just need to suck it up."

[Guest]

Keith's face turned red when Haine said that last sentence about him and Kiru. "Wha-!? No! She's- I'm- Not until I'm eighteen!" He said with a huff, crossing his arms and looking at the ground, tapping his foot rapidly. He knew Haine was just teasing, but the idea of him and Kiru doing anything of that nature seemed very far from his mind. Under-age sex was a big 'No-no' in his book. [The Cicila stuff is non-canon. No way I'm exposing my character to that.] "Yeah, let's get a move o- Gah!" Keith said, taking only one step. Beneath him, leaves moved rapidly and he was hoisted up in a net, dangling from above. Keith looked at Haine as he was huddled up. "...As much as I like hanging out, do me a solid and cut me down."

[Haine 0]

Haine would snicker as she placed a hand over her mouth, enjoying the beet red look on Keith's face. She didn't exactly get why it was funny enough to make her burst out - but ya know... girl habits are the excuse. After that good moment of laughter she'd look back at Keith as he stepped ahead of her, insisting that they best get a move on it. She jumped back in shock as he was scooped up into some sort of nasty net trap, before he could completely finish what he was saying. "W-Woah!" Haine wasn't exactly sure what to say in a moment like that. But, the chances were more likely that the troublemaker had set these distractions up. Haine quickly reached back and unsheathed her katana, glancing back at the small net. With a sigh, she swung the blade over the top part, freeing the ensnared player. Haine would look down at the trap mumbling under her breath. "Well that was... - a lovely present."