Acanthus

Zackariah gestured to the back of his shop, where a large pot was bubbling. Haru was able to pick out the smell of… cheese? “I know in your care, the orders are as good as filled. But I’d like to offer you some assistance. I have here a fondue that is guaranteed to help you find what you’re looking for!” Haru paled slightly. She wasn’t sure why, but it seemed like every meal in Aincrad disagreed with her palate. Everything tasted… fake. She couldn’t describe it any other way. It was like trying to eat things wrapped in plastic, or seasoned with a faint tingling sensation. Zackariah notice

Zackariah continued on, unaware of Haru’s thoughts. “Would you gather a few materials for me? Flowers, herbs, rare woods, whatever you can find outside the city walls. I promise I’ll help you fill your order as soon as you return. In fact, I would be willing to show you how to do it yourself.” Haru nodded and bowed reflexively. She felt her cheeks burn as she chided herself. This is a video game, not some live-action roleplay. She heard Zackariah’s gentle laughter. “My, what manners from a lovely young lady! I’m not sure that I caught your name, miss…?” "Nice to meet you, my name is H–" S

Zackariah's Shop Haru marveled at the tiniest details in Zackariah’s shop. The way only some of the floorboards groaned as she stepped inside. The mismatched shelves sagging under the weight of a menagerie of potions and salves, no two alike. The shop bombarded Haru with a dozen different smells that she could not identify, all tied together by a soft bubbling sound emanating from the back. Zackariah’s voice reached her from the back of the shop. "Are you here to order something? I’m sorry, but I am currently swamped with orders, and I’m running out of supplies.” Haru took her time as she

Dorian eventually wound down. Haru lazily opened her menu to check the quest objective: “Enter Zackariah’s shop.” Simple enough. Haru began to scan Tolbana for any signs of her objective. She was shocked when Dorian began to offer directions. “That’s impressive. I suppose Cardinal picks up on body language as well as verbal prompts.” A brief beat, followed by another “My dear, I’m not sure I follow!” Cardinal must have a harder time responding to meta commentary. She had directions from Dorian, so there was no need to linger. So Haru turned and left without saying a word. It was rude to n

"I’m here for the introductory quest." Haru stated. Dorian quickly picked up on her language and began. "My name is Dorian, and I am the mayor of this town. As part of those mayoral duties, I issued a small loan to a member of the community a few months ago. Well, the time to collect had come around and I-" Dorian systematically ran his fingers over his perfect mustache while Haru’s mind began to wander. She’d seen this quest offered to a hundred different players. Each time, the same words, the same fingers through the same mustache. "You see, I've forgotten who it was I loaned–" I

"You're not real." The denial fell from her lips almost involuntarily. To her, it was like saying the day of the week, or the weather outside. It was not a question, or a point to be made. It was simply a fact. "None of this is real." But Dorian seemed real enough. His mustache was large and bristly, and his eyebrows conveyed more emotion than Haru did with her whole body. He was tall—taller than her boss in the real world. His robe and ascot (and monocle!) clashed horrendously, yet made perfect sense, in the strange way only a fantasy game could pull off. In the few seconds of

Profile Username: Acanthus Real name: Haru Masuda Age: 28 Gender: Female Height: 180cm Country: Japan Link to Character Spreadsheet Background Before Sword Art Online, Haru Masuda was nobody in particular, and that was just how she liked it. The eldest daughter of a doctor, Haru lived through a quiet childhood, both literally and figuratively. There were no major traumatic events in her childhood to speak of, and the house was silent during her f