Oscar

It was endless. Whatever had been unleashed when Oscar had found the Boss Room quite literally had taken the combined efforts of the Frontlines to even pretend to keep under control. Those feelings he felt while hunting had, much to his horror, proven to be true. There was something here that wanted out. Oscar didn't have time to kick himself for not listening to his gut. Everything was surging towards the Teleport Platform. It was all he could do to help stem the tide. As he ripped his blade out of one of those strange knights, he heard a chime. He wiped his face with the back of his han

Was she simply trying to make him feel better about his colossal fuck-up? It had been her neck on the line, after all. Oscar didn't much think that he deserved such a sweet reaction after almost getting her killed. But neither would he reject the gesture. He'd rather deal with the guilt than her the rejection. So he played along, but his heart wasn't exactly in it. "I'm glad you did," Oscar said. "Except for that bit right at the end there, it was a very enjoyable day." Her resting her head against his chest came as a shock, but it was a nice surprise. He breathed out a laugh and shook h

Oscar merely allowed her to let it out. This, too, was normal. That first brush. The moment when your health is too low and everything is riding on a single attack. A coin flip that would mean you could see another day or you could go home in tragedy. Oscar never once faulted anyone for not wanting to confront it. People simply wanted to live. There was nothing wrong with that. Simply because courage was needed to fight on the front did not mean that those who didn't were cowards. They were simply normal. "It is," Oscar admitted. "Or was. Back when I first started. I know enough now to kn

"Well like I said, it's only done in Safe Zones." Oscar found himself distracted by the topic at hand once more and noticed that Terra Firma had suddenly decided that Alinta was a far more appealing target. After all, she'd not landed a hit and Oscar had been brutalizing the poor bastard for the past five minutes. It leaped over Oscar's head trying to reach the easier meal. With practiced effort, Oscar decided to put an end to this. His weapon disappeared, replaced in the next moment by <<Divine Rancor>>. Quickly tapping his Battle-Ready Inventory, Oscar activated his Crystal

"You didn't know?" That was surprising. They'd been stuck in the game for a while. He thought it was pretty much just common knowledge at this point. Common knowledge no one ever really spoke of, but common knowledge nonetheless. "It's not visible unless you're in a private area like an inn room or a house. But wait. Does that mean that you've never... you know. Since you got stuck here? I applaud your restraint." He would have continued the conversation, but it was rather difficult to do so when Terra Firma chomped down on his head and slung Oscar over his back into the middle distance.

"Oh Kayaba is an infamous freak, Ali," Oscar said. "Shit, what's it called? Disable Moral Code. It's literally an option in your menu." It was almost funny, but leave it to the mastermind behind the death game to also program in the sex button. He knew what he was doing. Shoving a bunch of horny assholes somewhere they could not physically leave. If the NerveGear didn't get you, the being pent up for years would. Oscar had to pause to duck under the lunging Sand Shark. It sailed through the air over Alinta's head, aiming straight for Oscar like an arrow comprised of fangs and claws. Oscar

He felt the soft caress of her lips upon his cheek. And he knew that it was entirely accidental. He rolled off of her, quickly kicking their almost-forgotten Quest Target away as it went in for another attack. He calmly rose to his feet, grabbing the creature's tail as it whipped around. He reaffirmed his grip, fingers digging into its leathery hide. And with one herculean effort, slung the creature over his shoulder to slam it into the earth. The maneuver seemed to daze the creature. So much the better because Oscar was not even focused on the fight. He found himself distracted by the now bee

Oscar was glad that she was having fun. He'd brought many a low-level Player through either this quest or the other one and they almost always ran into issues. They almost always didn't give Oscar time to establish Hate. Hell, even against a simpler Quest Boss, Abellio had come so close to biting it. So he was happy to see someone actually having fun trying to level themselves up. But it did mean that the tutorial would very much be a slog. But that would be an issue for Alinta's future. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," Oscar said brightly. "Most would be quaking in their sneakers by

Watching Alinta faceplant brought back so many painful memories. It was what tended to happen when you were level 1 and didn't have a spec of Accuracy to your name. But, he had to give her credit where it was due - she absolutely gave it a shot. Maybe not her best shot. But a shot. Which, against a boss that could realistically kill her with the lightest of scrapes, that amounted to more than he could communicate. If she was serious about it, she definitely had the balls to get the job done. Which he found just so insanely attractive. Of course, it was hard to be suave and charming w

"I mean," Oscar began. His voice was level, even as the creature's fangs dug into him. Almost as if he wasn't even in combat at all. At least, nothing that he considered to be combat. Bad as the thing looked and scary as the boss was, it didn't really amount to much in the grand scheme. It barely had enough damage to cut through Oscar's armor. The battle had barely begun and he was already back to full. It felt more like a game of tug-o'-war with a dog than fighting for his life. "Did I not tell you that all you needed to do was stand there and look pretty?" Clearly he hadn't overstated t

Terra Firma didn't take too kindly to being called out of its name. Or maybe it was Oscar's general presence in its vicinity. EIther way, Oscar quickly found the creature's razor-sharp teeth wrapping around his frame. It was a good thing that the leathers were only there for the aesthetic and his actual armor was a bit more substantial. Most of his fleshy bits were well protected against the creature's snapping jaws. It was rather funny, how hard the beast was trying. It bit down, only to have its fangs denied by Oscar's harder-than-usual candy shell. Its tail and limbs whipped about as it fl

Oscar needed no further invitation. Quick as a flash, he had scooped Alinta into his harms and broke off into a sprint. He shot out like an arrow from a bow, leaving a trail of dust and sand in his wake. Oscar faulted nimbly over crates and wagons - even a building or two when he couldn't bother to move around them. The wind whipped up by his speedy forward dash was oddly soothing in the desert heat. Which was helpful as they left the safe environs of Fortaleza and struck out into the open desert. Oscar was moving based off of memory, surging through the sands until he found the tell-tale

"Yeah, I can totally see why the A-Cups would be jealous," Oscar said with a laugh. It was a stark reminder that modeling was always a cutthroat business. And how catty women could be, but Oscar really didn't need a reminder about that. He was plenty catty himself. He didn't have time to travel down that road too far before Alinta began to vocalize her dissent. Floor Five was definitely cause for trepidation for someone who hadn't even cleared the tutorial. Oscar had his own reasons for not going. But as she continued to have her moment, Oscar was swiping through his menus. He quickly tapped s

"I appreciate the vote of confidence," Oscar said with a smile. "But comparatively speaking, you got it way more than I do. Besides, I couldn't handle the pressure. I like to keep it low key." Not entirely accurate, now that he thought about it. But it was close enough. He was plenty confident but somehow he didn't think he would be comfortable strutting his stuff on stage. It was definitely a learning skill - one that he didn't have the inclination (or frankly the courage) to pick up. As the conversation continued, he had to stifle the knee-jerk E-girl response. Somehow, he knew tha

"Oh shit, you're actually a model?" Oscar probably should have picked up on that. The confident stride and the attention to her appearance. It was lost in translation somewhere between innuendo number one and euphemism number three. Looking at her in that lens made it relatively obvious. Her clothing was fashionable - casual. He tilted his head as she strode toward the door. He tried not to *leer* but a thorough examination could easily be confused. And were this out in the street without them having met, he was quite certain that the intensity of his gaze would be entirely misunderstood.

"A shame, indeed," Oscar agreed. "Though, I think I'd be best suited to do the poking, no?" Her second question earned her a bark of laughter in response. Oscar hadn't engaged with his own profession since he'd got stuck here. Sure, he'd been the confidant and he gave advice as best he could. But he'd never busted out his rate clock. And he wasn't really about to start now. Besides. "I don't think I'd charge, but my methods would be as physical as they are unethical. Definitely more fun than soul searching and head shrinking, though." In the real world, Oscar would never have dr

A masterful riposte. Few could hope to land a hit on him and, when they did, it scarcely had any effect. And yet, here was this level one newbie shooting him straight in the heart with her adorable gesture. Oscar chuckled again, bringing his thumb up to his cheek to swipe away the leftover condiments. He brought the digit to his mouth, his tongue flicking out to clean it of the sauces as he kept eye contact with Alinta. Just because she had mounted a successful counterattack didn't mean that he didn't have more in his own arsenal. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Ali. I love a girl wh

Oscar could only laugh at her reaction. It was clear that the outward persona was just veneer. Not that he considered that to be any sort of negative thing. It was cute, the juxtaposition of her outward persona with her inner thoughts. She pivoted, doing her best to recover from Oscar's perfectly timed jab. She was failing, of course. That was rather the point. His laughter eventually ebbed away, mellowing into small giggles as she took several swigs of her soda. "I appreciate the compliment, Ali," Oscar said. He lingered on her name again in a teasing inflection. Three letters drawn out

Oscar exhaled a slight laugh as he realized that his joke had gone completely over her head. He considered, for a moment, calling attention to it. But he would wait for his moment. She'd all but inhaled the first dog. Clearly her hunger had not been overstated. There was a certain pleasure that he - or any Cook for that matter - took in watching people enjoy their food. It was a pleasure that was singularly theirs. It was almost intoxicating, the jubilation of watching someone gush over the food you so painstakingly prepared for them. A warm half-smile played at his face as he stepped behind t

“I know, I know,” Oscar said. “But appearances can be deceiving. Never know when you’ll find a hidden gem.” Truth be told, no one had ever called his establishment cute. Oscar didn’t dislike it, but he wasn’t sold on it either. Still, he had the good sense to keep his mouth shut when someone was enjoying themselves. Far be it from him to ruin her fun. He did enjoy the fact that routine hadn’t made him entirely dull. He was still getting his sea legs, every synapse screaming to be his normal charming, witty self. But he was so out of practice, it was very much out of his reach. But it was

"Of course," Oscar agreed. His voice was calm, reassuring. "I'm quite certain you were about to go boots-to-asses. But call me old-fashioned, but I don't believe that women should have to be the ones to smear their unwanted admirers across the cobblestones." She was nervous. Rightfully so. Her words came out lacking sureity. Given her recently-resolved predicament, that was nothing to be surprised over. Oscar wouldn't add insult to injury by calling her on it. He merely offered her a slight smile, nodding gently. Oscar would not mention how her hand lingered too long on his. Or how he cou

Routine was the enemy of adaptability. It was a comfortable trap, one that beckoned you in with honeyed words and kept you safe and insulated from the outside world. Incredibly easy to fall victim to and Oscar found himself inadvertently swaddled in its warm embrace. Wake up, cook for the orphans, go home. Unto infinity. The days would blend together. The city streets would fuse into an amalgam of rough cobblestone set upon a beige void. His shop, with its black and white checkers and the bright red seats would become the only novelty in that ocean of drab. But life also came in phases. R

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