[F2-PP] A Formal Apology (Opal)

[Jomei 0]

Jomei had a lot of things to think about within the past couple of days, and his mind had not been in the right state for quite awhile. The main concerns that ate away at Jomei's thoughts were the decaying state of The Velvet Room and how he was going to break it to the others that he would be closing the guild's doors, his past conversation with Zandra on how she let someone die.. sure he did not seem to be treating Zandra with respect.. but was it so much that he did not deserve his life?.. and on top of that, he just felt like he was not contributing to the efforts of making it out of this game.. that he was too weak to do so. All of these had bugged him for awhile, but were all strengthened during the quest on Floor Twelve to fight the Wyvern in the swamp. He was stupid and let his emotions get the better of him, almost getting his team killed, mostly Opal who shared Jomei's lack of armor ability. After that fight ended, the woman did not react well.. and gave Jomei a stern talking to, claiming he was not of the right mindset to run the guild, among making him feel other things, but mostly sadness. 

He may have thought he was in the right at the time, trying to protect his friends.. but had he acted out of line this time? Did he lose respect from one of those closest to him? Whom he always knew had his back no matter what? As he sat alone in his shop, he let out a heavy sigh. "Maybe I should talk to her about it and apologize.." After taking a deep breath, the man stood up and reached his hand over to the arm of the couch he sat on, grabbing his ragged olive cloak that hung there. He figured since he would keep within the safe zone of this floor, he would have no need to equip his armor. Instead, he wore his usual green sleeveless casual clothes. Lifting his hand upwards, he opened up a message to Opal: 

Quote

TO: Opal
Hey, I know you're probably still mad at me for almost getting us killed on Floor Twelve. I was hoping we could talk, meet me at The Drunken Serpent if you actually want to see me.

FROM: Jomei

After sending out his message, he pulled up the hood of his cloak, the rim around his head slightly torn from being worn and tossed around during battle often. The man then began his stride towards the tavern on the other end of town. 

With a short walk through the dark alley ways of Urbus, Jomei found himself outside of the familiar bar where he and Opal had gone for drinks before. He pushed open the door and walked inside, his apathetic face not taking note of the thug-like men eyeing him down as he made a line for the bar. He then took a seat at one of the stools and ordered an ale, waiting to see if the girl would take him up on the offer to talk. 

[Opal 0]

Opal sat upon a stool not too far off from the doors of the establishment. She had been looking the other way, leaning on her left hand as it held her head gently in her palm. The woman was not what she had normally appeared to be, dressing in casual outfit much like her previous date with Teselmar, but she sported ripped tight jeans at the knees and the same 'Inked' tank top. In her right hand she nursed an amber bottle and a cigarette as it billowed out orange smoke from the smoldering tip. She heard the door open, but did not pay it any attention. Her mind was far, far away from somewhere else. She had received an incoming message and not too long after that she felt the small of her back feel the cold air from the opening of the door. She read the contents and it was from Jomei to whom he wanted to meet up in the very same place she was just in now. 

The woman could only crack a half smile as she turned to look behind her to see who had entered. There was only a wave of a breeze from the passing air as she turned around and noticed the ragged verdant cloak closely hung to the player's body. He didn't recognize her as he entered, his head too low looking down as he made his way a few stools away. The woman sighed and shook her head, brushing the platinum blonde hair from her crystalline white eyes. Lifting her body off the stool and moving a few seats down next to him, the woman turned in her seat, "You should pay more attention..." she said eyeing him with those diamond eyes of hers.

The Vice Commander, although right now she was simply Opal, placed her beer down on the table and flicked the ashes from the orange scented cigarette into a nearby ashtray. She continued to frequent the establishment and they knew her habits even going as far as procuring a few ashtrays from an artisan in the process as to not make a mess everywhere. The woman placed the thin stick down, and looked back up at him.

"You looked surprised that I change my hair color and not wearing my uniform? Even a girl needs to relax every now and then. Listen Jomei, I should be the one to apologize. Much like yourself, I allowed the moment get heated between us. I am sorry for decking you in the face, two wrongs are not going to make things right here. Also, I apologize for the words I said about your guild. They should have never been spoken, I was angry from the situation I was in...and I could have taken it better." The woman had let it out, the words she wanted to say to him. He was not alone in feeling the guilt of that day between them, hopefully they could get past this. 

"Now its your turn to apologize for being an overprotective Asshole." she said taking a swig of her warm beer, a distasteful face breaking through her sweet natured eyes as she rose a hand in the air and clicked her fingers, "A cold one, please."  

[Jomei 0]

He looked down at the amber drink, observing the sides of the glass and trying to see through to the bottom. He remembered Opal's words to always check his drink in a sketchy place like this. As he continued his search, he heard the sound of a familiar female voice. Had he been so out of it that he did not even hear the door behind him open and for her to enter? No, judging by the fact that she already had a drink in hand, she must have been here. He looked up at the girl, only one of his olive green eyes visible, as usual, under the hood of his cloak. "Huh.." he said, taking in the woman's new appearance. Blonde hair? That was definitely different.. He personally liked the dark hair that fell just above her shoulders, but he had to admit it was not a bad look for the girl. He brought his hands up to the sides of his head, pushing the hood backwards to reveal the rest of his unruly ginger hair.

Before he had a chance to speak, and apologize, Opal had beat him to it. He could not deny that it came as a shock to him that Opal was apologizing. What did she have to be sorry for? It was, in fact, Jomei's fault all of that happened. She felt that she may have spoken out of line, and also acted out of line by sucker punching him in the face. As the memory came back to him, his tongue moved along the line of his teeth, stopping on one of the molars at the back of his mouth that Opal had originally knocked out, but thanks to the regenerative properties of SAO, it was back in his mouth where it belonged. No hillbilly mouth for Jomei this time. 

He let out a quick scoff, shaking his head. "I really didn't think you had anything to apologize for." his tone was soft, but not cheery as it usually was, accompanied with a slight raspiness. "You're right. I was a complete arsehole." he brought the ale up to his mouth and took a long sip, "I had let me emotions get the better of me and I lashed out ... I've.. just been under a lot of stress lately. I should not have acted that way.. and it obviously almost put the whole mission at risk, almost getting us all killed.. though Zandra and Calrex seemed safe with their armor, so it was more so the two of us. Like I said though.. It was partly with protecting you all in mind. But.. I'm sorry." He turned in the stool to face her a little bit more, looking the girl in her amber eyes as he sincerely apologized. 

[Opal 0]

Smoke billowed from her nostrils as she exhaled the citrus smoke, the woman nodded to the barkeeper as he placed a cold refreshing bottle of amber by her and taking the other as it fizzled out of existence, "Me and you both, Sug. I got so many mental problems it's difficult to keep track of them all. I understand you wanting to protect us, but running into the boss by yourself is something different all together. Protection comes two sided, how do you protect the people you care for when you throw yourself into a dangerous situation. But the blame can be placed all over...and we can complain at one another about the stupid things we do in the heat of the moment. It is what makes us human after all..." the woman picked up her bottle, swung the bottle back as she took a rather large dose of the cool liquid. She exhaled softly as she licked her lips from the bland taste it left in her mouth.

Jomei had continued on about the stress he had been having, personal issues no doubt. Ones she could probably relate to as well, but he had to open up a bit more, "Well, if you want to talk about it, I am pretty wasted right now. I probably won't remember half the [censored] we talk about tomorrow, so if it's personal...you can let it unwind on me. There is a booth in the back if you wanna go somewhere more private. If I keep drinking too I might end up getting some stuff off my chest. So we can share our problems to one another..." 

 Opal got up from her seat, taking her beer with her in one hand, cigarette in the other. The woman shifted her crystalline gaze back to Jomei and gestured for him to follow. The woman's hips fell into a back and forth sway as she walked, moving towards the back of the Drunken Serpent and finding a booth that was close away from ears and the noise at the bar. She slid comfortably inside and placed her drink of the table as it dropped cold beads, an ashtray she had commandeered from another table and she was set to go. 

"Who is spilling their guts first?" 

[Jomei 0]

The smell of Opal's cigarette filled Jomei's nostrils. In the real world, he could not stand smoking. He was always the one in the group that tried to get any of his friends to quit, and the smell.. He could not stand it. However, Opal crafted her own cigarettes that gave off the smell of pleasant things, citrus smells mostly. In this case, Jomei did not mind in the slightest. Definitely took away from the dirty, musky smell that engulfed the bar around them. Opal had opened up the floor for him to spill his feelings to the girl and talk about what had been bothering her. She even knew of a more secluded booth the two could sit at in the corner of the bar, just so curious ears could not eavesdrop on their conversation. He did not have much to talk about, for the things that stressed him were not so much personal. He figured it for the best though, that the two remove themselves from the peering eyes Jomei had already felt staring him down from the moment he walked into the facility. "That sounds like a good idea." Jomei said, taking the glass container that housed his ale in his hand and following the girl to the booth at the back of the tavern.

The man sat across from the no-longer ebony haired woman, still piecing together how different she looked with such light hair. It was quite the contrast. "I guess I'll go first. I am the one who invited you out here and all." He brought the ale up to his face and looked into the drink for a moment before putting the cup to his lips and tilting it backwards. With a quick exhale after swallowing the alcohol, he began to speak. "Like I said, its pretty much just a bunch of stress and guilt. The one you already know of is my guild. I feel like, ever since Lowenthal left, the guild has gone down hill.. Most people left, guild activities slowed to a halt.. and I feel like its my fault. Like I have not been doing much. Yes, I know.. guilds don't really matter in the long run because we are all here to do the same thing; clear the game. But... Velvet Room had a sense of family to it, not saying KoB does not.. its just that.. Lowenthal and I started the guild with all of our best friends.. Him, Piera, Carmine and I as the founding members. But now I'm the only one left. All of my friends are gone.. I even have not spoken to Lownthal since he handed the title over to me... And I'm scared to face him again to tell him I let him down and let the guild die. I mean, he's still my best friend." He took another long sip of his drink. He looked up at Opal from his glass, thinking if he should talk to her about the other thing that had been bugging him. Not only was the alcohol slowly getting to him, but he also trusted Opal with his life. He knew that her words would help him out. "And.. I've also had this other thing bothering me, that I don't know how to react now... Well..you remember, on that quest we all went on, Zandra seemed.. off. Silent. Well.. I finally managed to get her to tell me what was wrong. Apparently... she was trying to help out a player who was new to venturing out into the wilds.. so fresh from the Town of Beginnings that a boar would get the best of him.. Anyway, he was apparently so.. rude and judgmental of Zandra.. the one who was going out of her way to help him fight off a single boar.. that she did nothing to stop the small beast from ending his life. I.. I don't know if I should just be happy she was not the one who plunged the knife into his chest... or worried that she was able to hate so much that she let him die. When I reacted, I told her I was just happy she did not murder him.. but.. I don't know now... S-Sorry.. I didn't mean to dump that on you." 

[Opal 0]

Opal picked up her beer bottle and pointed at the verdant rogue with bit of a tipsy state, "First of all...Lowenthal turned his back on you and your guild leaving you to fix the problems he could not fix himself. You call that a friend?" she asked, the bottle was placed back down on the table and shook her head, "That boy is negligible, out for his own power. Why else would he drop something he fought so hard to make and call it a family, just to leave because he was invited somewhere else? Do you honestly think that is something a leader who boasted so much of his guild should do? He saw that his guild was going down hill, then he threw the responsibility on to you...So HE didn't have to deal with the failure." 

Opal was speaking her mind, perhaps it was due to the alcohol, perhaps it was [censored] she needed to get off her chest as well. But she would not keep anything back from Jomei, intoxicated or not, things would be said tonight that he needed to hear. Sound of mind or not, "You might be his best friend...but does he really consider you to be his? How many times has he done something questionable, something that was shifty or shady in the past that didn't settle well with you for one reason or another? He's a parasite, Jomei. Feeding off the strong only to sate his own selfish desires. Which is fine...survival of the fittest right? Anything goes in this world..." the woman picked up the amber bottle and chugged a good bit of the contents, swallowing hard as she burned another centimeter off her cigarette. The smoke escaping her red lush lips as the citrus smoke billowed around her head as she blew upwards. 

"Perhaps it is time for The Velvet Room to be put to sleep. That is not my call, you are the leader now, Jomei. Not Lowenthal. He made it into his image, but it is now in your hands. Don't think his failures as a leader should be placed upon you. He is to blame for that, no one else. If you want to do something, then do something about it. Take time to re-evaluate what you are fighting for, what it means to you. Family right? You still have Zandra...She adores you, I know this, I see it in her eyes when she looks at you. It was a look I once gave you, so I know the familiar gaze of it. Speaking of her..." 

Opal had already taken in much of what the rogue in front of her had said about Zandra's story, "It is a shame that she was met with such an atrocity from an ill mannered player. We can't all be saints, Jomei. This world is vicious and in turn sometimes we need to have a callous heart. I have no opinion on the matter, I think whoever the player was got what they deserved out of it, and the guilt, if she feels any...is what she deserves out of it. I killed a woman..." Opal said, starring into Jomei's eyes, she said it without hesitation and without remorse or emotion attached to it. Her look was glassy, but she seemed rather sober from saying it.

"And to be honest...In the future...I might have to kill again. The woman I killed...she was immature and brash, she was doing things that would made me sick to my stomach. And one night...I came upon her and killed her, I would not tolerate it anymore. The woman I speak of...is myself. She died in that room at the Temple and I took her place. I experienced much, Jomei. Too much...and how horrible this world can be and how horrible people can be. What we do... and what we hold on...Sometimes death is a necessity for us to grow. One day, you might be faced with a situation. And you will need to decide on your own..." 

She looked away, and blinked a few times, taking back the amber glass of the alcohol, "If you love Zandra...Then love her with all your heart and never let go. Passion, Jomei! From the heart, do everything from the heart. And don't second guess yourself with her. She did what she had to do, what she thought was right. You should trust in that." 

 

[Jomei 0]

Opal seemed pretty quick to go on a rant about Lowenthal and his actions, both with Velvet Room and outside of the guild. Here she was, criticizing the man that Jomei had called his best friend, hell, even his brother at times since almost the start of the game. And the worst part about it all? He could not say anything to disagree. He felt his already upset looking expression drop even more, his olive eyes shifting from Opal's gaze to the table they sat at. He stared at the worn wooden table, profane words and sketches carved into the surface. She was right.. Velvet was a dying guild, and Lowenthal left for the better guild as soon as [censored] his the fan. As much as he tried to pay attention, his mind was stuck on "but does he really consider you to be his." What if she was right? What if he really did not see Jomei as the friend he saw Lowenthal as. In fact, he had seen him once or twice without the man going out of his way at all to greet Jomei. His fingers twitched as they curled into fists on the table top, taking in a long breath of air through his nostrils, only to exhale it loudly through his mouth once Opal had finished speaking. He grabbed his ale, watching his hand slowly move, and brought it up to his lips, chugging the rest of the drink until the cup was empty. Slamming the glass container back on the table, he sighed again before looking back up at Opal, his expression now quite apathetic. "Alright, so I spilled my guts.. Whats been bugging you?" His voice was stern, but not demanding. He did want to know why the girl was lashing out more than usual, and wanted to maybe help her feel better, but of course he would not force her tongue. 

[Opal 0]

Her words rattled the cage, it wasn't that she hated Lowenthal, but she came to dislike the man and what he had done to his guild. Jomei was a friend, and to see someone throw their mess onto him, that was a betrayal of another kind, "Me?" The woman asked, stubbing her cigarette into the ashtray as it just dissolved into pixels. A small stream of orange escaped her nose and she shook her head, "I have just as many problems as any other person in Aincrad. I recently met up with the former Vice Commander of the guild, Azide. I am not sure if you know him at all or not. We were not really close people, but I looked up to him a lot. I don't know if it was me or him, but a lot of people have been pissing me off lately. I could blame it on being female and hormones, but I don't think it's that. I tend to have problems with people and leaving me. I expect so much out of people that once they disappear I end up...holding a certain grudge against them. I guess it is only fare though, I did disappear from a lot of people to go train in the mountains. So I can understand the necessity of it all..."

The woman laughed, bringing her bottle back to her hands and looking at it, "The worst thing of it all though...I'm a major hypocrite. And I know I am. I expect so much from other people, but when it comes down to me I am sorely selfish. Its a 'do as I say, not as I do,' sort of thing with me. I don't feel as though I have this urgent need to be power hungry. I let the guild pretty much do what they want so long as they are abiding by the laws I have set within the guild. On their days off...they can do what they want."

Her red lips peeled apart as she drank from her warm bottle once again, the contents becoming empty. She lifted her arm and the bottle up in the air, waved it for a moment and not talking to anyone in particular, "Another one!" she let the bottle down on the table and sighed, "I get irritated with people that don't give as much as I do, I guess. That's my problem though," she gave Jomei a sheepish look, her eyes were only half open, her cheeks rosy in color from the amount she had drunk. It might have been her...seventh beer of the night, or something like that? She lost count after a while, and she knew the more she drank, the better off she was feeling. But she was also feeling angry and sad, tortured inside. She burned for something...but she didn't know what.  

"So. In short...people bug me...to no ends. And I am pretty sure--Thanks, Love." The woman stopped her sentence when a cold brew was set down next to her and the waitress left, but she picked up where she left off as soon as she had gone, "I am pretty sure I am turning into an alcoholic in this game. Did you know...I tremble a lot? I can't stand the touch and feel of men on me. So when I am with Teselmar, it takes a lot not to vomit when he touches me. Its sweet what he does and I am trying to do everything I can to open my heart to him...So...because of my little...incident, in order to not feel that way when he touches me, I've been taking potions that dulls memories and feelings. Jomei...I've been taking an Opium like substance for the past month." 

Her crystal like eyes shot up at him, waiting to hear all the sort of bad things people do while under the influence of drugs and she was the Vice Commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath, her dirty little secret revealed to him, "But for the woman I need to be for him, I have to keep using it. Those nightmares have never once stopped flooding my dreams. They have taken everything from me. Everything. I enjoy being kissed, I enjoy being in his arms...but it is hard without drugs to keep those other feelings deep within. I wanna get close as I can to him...maybe one day I won't need to use it, but right now...Its got a hold on me and I can't quit. I tremble and get sick when I am not on it now. That's my personal hell right now...Isn't life grand?" 

[Jomei 0]

It was now Opal's turn to talk, for he had pushed the metaphorical pressure of the question onto her and off of his own shoulders. He had his time to take Opal's words to heart and was pretty much over it. Once he heard the girl address herself and smash her orange cigarette into the ashtray, his olive-green eyes shifted up and looked into her honey colored ones. He knew Opal had been through a lot, especially during her training, so he expected the girl to either say quite a bit, or nothing at all. The man nodded his head when Opal made mention of Azide, for it had really been awhile since he had seen the man. that strange man who had randomly showed up during his friendly duel with Lowenthal... he had no idea he was the Vice Commander of KoB. It took him as a shock really. she had revealed what she thought was the reason for her sudden mood swings; the disappearance of those close to her. Jomei immediately knew just how the girl felt... seeing pretty much all of his best friends disappearing. From Skylar and Ahti.. all the way to Carmine and Piera. "I know how you feel... You know that I know how you feel.. People going off and disappearing from our lives seems.. like a pretty normal thing here. Its sad, especially since most of the time.. its worst case scenario."

All he could do after that was listen. But he was not staring down at the wooden table as he was last time. No, this time he gave the woman his full attention. He wanted to let her know that despite how busy both are, their small encounter the last time they had met, and they shaky past.. he would be there for her. As the waitress holding Opal's new beer reached their table, Jomei put his hand up from the table and spoke to her, "Another ale for me too, please... maybe one thats a little stronger if you have it." He smirked and handed the woman his empty glass. He then returned his attention to Opal as she continued her sentence. She almost seemed to lay everything out about how she felt in one swift sentence.. how she felt about people, her possible alcoholism, her trembling, and, finally, not being able to feel the touch of a man.. more specifically, Teselmar, without wanting to be sick. In response to all of this, she had been crafting potions that would help quell the horrors, mostly ones coming from the incident that happened during her training. Jomei felt a wave of sadness hit him, wishing he truly could have been there for the girl to help her. And, honestly, at the time... he would have done anything to be there for her. But he was not. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted, just as Opal was, by the waitress placing a glass, much larger than his previous one, in front of him filled with a dark liquid. "Thanks." he said quietly up to the woman, before wrapping his fingers around the cold cup and pouring a large portion of the ale into his mouth. 

He could not blame the woman for using unconventional means to loosen the grip her issues had around her throat. Especially since, in the first couple months of the game.. he hoped to just sit safely in the pub on Floor One and just drink until the game cleared. Nowadays, seeing just how long he had been in the game, he was happy he had not done that. His sadness was slowly fading as she spoke more about her situation. His sadness being replaced with anger. How could anyone treat someone like that... especially a woman like Opal. As she finished her sentence, he leaned forward and reached across the table, placing a hand on her shoulder. He knew what she had just said, about a man's touch. But this was not merely the touch of a man's hand. It was the touch of a friend. "Opal. You are one of the strongest people I know. Truly. You are. What you have been through... I couldn't imagine many people reacting the same. I can only think they'd do much worse to themselves. But look at you now. You're alive.. one of the strongest in SAO.. you help run one of the largest guilds in the game..." he scoffed, ".. and you even have a boyfriend, despite seeing the dark side of some men. Even though, when we first met, it was more so you that looked up to me.. I can only say that I wish I could be as strong willed as you." He fell back in his chair and let out an exhale, grabbing his drink yet again and taking another large gulp. 

[Opal 0]

"Am I really that strong, Jomei?" she asked looking into his eyes, and she shook her head 'no.' "I can never be strong enough. I have fallen into vices that are required as much as lungs need air to breath. So when you say 'I am still alive.' I may be a live, but I am just an empty vessel pretending to be so. I killed myself, Jomei, a long time ago-No! no!" the woman put her finger to him as if pointing, "I know what you are gonna say! And it's not true! I know...for a fact you were about to tell me I AM alive, but I am not! I am not! A person that is a live does not see what I see, what I feel. A person alive is able to experience happiness, emotion...a flicker of light in their soul. I already know what I am, Jomei. And that is not it." the woman shook her head, her words were not to be taken as anger or pained, just an outreach to get her point across. Everyone showed sympathy, those eyes...of pity. She had seen them on her, that disgraceful glare from others. She was a woman of vice, not virtue parading around in white with red crosses etched upon her armor. 

"I'm a horrible person, Jomei. And I know I am. And I will continue being a horrible person. Because...There are things that a nice person will do, a person who is alive...will do. When I came off that [censored] mountain, you wanna know one of the first people I saw? Lowenthal without his Orange Curse mark. I was still weak then compared to him, I thought I could do the quest alone...but he fucked up my plans so badly...so much. I knew nothing but anger and rage, and yet...through all of that he was still able to help me. Then there was Sensui's men...a trap set up for us, for me." the woman shook her head nodding almost laughing at the horrible position she fell victim to. "I was almost kidnapped again...But when we interrogated one of the players...I just...lost it. From that day on I knew I had it in me...I knew what horrible things I could do to people..while they were still alive. I knew...what to take from them to make them bleed. You tell me, Jomei. Am I still a nice person? Am I still alive?" the woman barely bat a lash at him while she spoke and shook the stark white hair with her right hand, slicking the tendrils of snow colored locks from her eyes. 

"Judgement has already passed for me, Jomei. For the souls I forsake, I am going to Hell and I don't plan on repenting. I can't...I don't deserve it. And I don't want it. I need you to make me a promise now, Jomei. If I ever hurt anyone you love, I need you to come find me...and do what is necessary. Because when that day happens, you will know what sort of person I truly am and what I am capable of. I won't ask for forgiveness, I won't ask for redemption...I will do. What I will need to do. And you better, I swear it you better do what you need to do as well." The woman lifted her bottle and drank heavily from it, before placing it down on the table. 

 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei closed his eyes and his brows lowered and furrowed, letting a heavy sigh pass by his lips. He had listened to Opal go on and on about how horrible of a person she believed she was and everything she had been through. Yes, he agreed, what she went through.. was horrid on all accounts and would change anyone, no matter how strong willed. Even he would be an entirely different man. So he could not blame her for sometimes thinking they way she did. But to think herself of a horrible person all the time, when the real devils were the ones that made her like this. Jomei grabbed his glass and downed the contents rather quickly, looking back at Opal with a serious look. "Look... the terrible people are the ones that did this to you. That made you this way. Sure.. you've done some things you're not proud of, and maybe some others aren't proud of. But do people care about you? Do people call you their friend? Yes. And you know me.. I don't associate myself with people I find terrible." 

Jomei had his fists clenched and pressing against the table, his olive eyes looking past Opal to see if he could get the waitress' attention to give him a refill. "Just cut yourself some slack lass.." he said, his voice calming down, his brows pinching together with a caring look. "If you really feel like you are a horrible person.. and you hate yourself for that.. Do something about it." he crossed his arms. "You have the power to change you. No matter what anyone tells you or what you think." The waitress had come back over to the table, handing Jomei another dark drink. He gave her a nod and looked back at Opal. "You're just going to end up being in this slump for the rest of your life if you continue to think the way you do. Yes.. I know what those guys did to you.. really is life changing." He pointed his finger at her, "But I know you can get past it. I know you can." He grabbed his drink and brought it to his lips, "Opal.. I really care about you.. you know that?" he tipped the glass, pouring some of the liquid into his mouth. "I'm not as close to many people as I am to you.. aside from Zandra.. and maybe Lowenthal and Piera at a time.. but nonetheless. I am here for you. If you need anything, or if you feel talking about this would help to put it behind you. Please, do not hesitate to ask me." 

[Opal 0]

Opal brushed the lingering taste of her dark drink with her thumb sweeping over her crimson lips. She was attempting to identify with what the emerald cloaked wanderer had been saying, but as he talked his words were getting lost in front of her sounding more and more like murmurs to her ears. She blinked, his voice becoming warped within her mind. Her vision had shifted from clear to fuzz and then all at once back again catching the tail end of his speech.

"Thank you, Jomei. But I have made up my mind long ago on what path needs to be taken. Perhaps it is not the right one, but it is the necessary one." The woman slumped a bit in her seat, leaning forward as she squished her boobs towards the edge of the table, and plowed her head into her arms. Her body was still a moment before she turned her head over and looked out into the humdrum crowd of people walking to and from the bar. Her eyes scanning for nothing in particular and she grunted as she erected her form once more as she slouched in her seat and leaned back, the tank top hiking upwards as she shifted in her seat and pulled the cold drink to her mouth. Her eyes once more fell on Jomei.

"I remember the last time we were here, I attempted to get under your skin with some sexual advances. You were not having any of that," the woman laughed and shook her head feeling somewhat embarrassed from it, "but you were nice enough to help me out of that state. I was weak and vulnerable, going from one guy to another just to fill that void in my heart. Really all I needed was just a good hard--" 

"Another drink, Miss?" The woman cleared the table of Opal's warm beverage and placed a fresh brew in front of her. Smiling, the woman nodded thanks as she left and sipped at her new ale. She exhaled slowly and slumped over, "Anyways...I'm glad we are able to move forward. I don't need the drama of men in my life that much anymore and path I am carving for the Knights will soon be complete. Just a few more phases to go before it is all over," the woman drank heavily once more from her brew and back down on the table, sweeping her hand over the table with the back of her hand feeling the cold drops of sweat that leaked from her glass. 

"With the Velvet Room gone, do you plan on soloing out your career here?" 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei chuckled at Opal's reminiscing of their last time at this bar. Opal had tried to make a move on Jomei, asking if he would be interested in taking body shots off of her. Of course, on one hand, Jomei still had some feelings for Carmine that kept him from partaking in the events, but also his complete respect for women.. he could not. Especially to a girl he had only just met not too long ago. He chuckled, "Aye. I remember. It was a fun night." He smiled across the table at Opal, sitting back in his chair. "Now.. I didn't want you to think I was some sort of prude or anything.. Its just that I had just met you and all. I couldn't do that with someone I just met. I mean, If I knew you more then-" jomei explained to her, confused as to why he needed to justify just as to why. He shook his head, it was definitely the alcohol hitting him fast. She was appreciative though that he had helped her to move past all of that.. which he honestly did not think he had that much of an effect on her. He rubbed the back of his neck, a slight pinkness to his cheeks. "Well, I'm just happy I could have helped is all." He raised up his glass haphazardly, droplets of ale pouring over the edge as it splashed, before bringing it to his lips and drinking once more. It had been awhile since he had drank like he was tonight.. was he getting drunk? He hadn't gotten like this since that night with Dom and Calrex. Honestly, he barely even remembers that night after Dom dropped all that Col for Cal and himself to finish off. 

Jomei shrugged his shoulders and looked at his drink when Opal asked about becoming solo or not, "Eh, I'm not sure. Most likely for now at least. I can't really see myself joining up with Azure, or KoB.. No offense."  He brought the ale up to his lips and took a sip, not breaking eye contact with Opal as he did so. 

[Opal 0]

"Having no affiliation can be worthwhile I suppose at times. When you are in a guild, there is a certain decorum you need to go by while dressed in the colors. Take me for example, I would not get [censored] faced drunk as I am now while wearing the red and white. No sir. But many of the people in here already know who I am and with to whom my guild symbol belongs to. They are a rough lot of people, but they care more about drinking than knowing the members of the K.o.B." Opal licked her lips as she leveled off the frothy foam of her mug as she licked her finger clean of it. 

"Oh and no offense taken! Besides I think the Azure Brigade has a much more strict membership policy than we do. If a person shows promise, I might ask them if they are willing to join. But KoB is pretty open guild. The Commander would like to keep things small to an elite strike force, but really we need more man power. I might overstep my abilities as Vice Commander time from time, but I am doing it not only for the guild but for Aincrad as well. One day...everyone will know who the Knights of the Blood Oath are, and one day, everyone will bear witness to our greatness." Opal got all that out without slurring her words, she laughed lightly bringing the mug to her lips taking a pull from her beverage. 

"It's a bit odd though Lowenthal hasn't pulled some strings to get you guys inside the guild yet. You'd think he'd care about his former guild members instead of just dumping the load on you. Not to sound like a cunt or anything, but he could have done something to help you all. If he was such a demanded member of the Azure Brigade, surely those who fought beside him would have worth as well to join them." Opal shrugged, causing the thin fabric of her tank top to roll off her milky shoulder. She consciously rolled it back over her flesh and puffed her cheeks in annoyance of having to do that once in awhile. 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei shrugged his shoulders and took another drink, "Well, I'm pretty sure Lowe fit the mold more for Azure more.. thats why he was a bit more demanded and took the spot. But its not like I haven't been asked.. Multiple times." he smirked, feeling a bit cocky that he had been invited to join Aincrad's coveted guild of elitists multiple times, "But Azure is not my type of guid. Where I know I'd probably fit in among people of similar level to me like that.. I could not possibly join. I kept my loyalties to Velvet Room for as long as I could and stuck with it until the end. But I cannot blame Lowenthal for leaving, I told him to go in the first place. I don't think he really wanted to at first.. but I told him to take it." He chuckled and took another big sip of his ale, "Ya know.. us in Velvet.. we resented Azure for awhile. Thinking they were all a bunch of.. stuck up arses, bent on trying to rule everyone or something.." he went on his drunken banter, slurring some words, "But.. I think we came to give up on that, since we are all in this [censored] show together.. so we could use those stuck up arses to get out of here and get stronger." 

[Opal 0]

Opla nodded, it was clear the effects of the drinks they had been consuming were becoming one with their speech. Opal had given Jomei her 'bedroom eyes' to him as he spoke, her red lips curving into a smile and occasionally she would nod her head as he listed reasons off about the Azure Brigade. It was a sight for the both of them, only they were both in respectable relationships and thus nothing more than drinking with a friend would pass the line here. 

"Ya know? I thought I was the only one who thought the Azure were a bunch of stuck of up pricks when I first head about them. But ya have to admit they carry their game, right? I mean they are the elite so you know that cocky attitude is just going to spill over. I don't honestly blame them though, if that is the way they wanna roll, that's the way they wanna roll." 

Opal had shifted in her seat, almost spilling her beer over as she was attempting to draw open her inventory for another smoke. Eyes darted to her wobbling bottle before she stopped it from crashing over, "Oh that would have been a tragedy," she said clenching the bottle and a small orange stick appearing between two dainty fingers. Taking in a full, thick drag of the citrus smoke the woman held the calming contents in her mouth and smiled at Jomei, he mouth released orange 'O's into the air and then blew a steady stream in three collective rings.

"That's real talent right there!" she said above her normal talking voice, the woman cleared her throat and adjusted the fallen strap of her tank top and produced and pull from her bottle. The woman chugged the contents and placed the bottle down giving a small burp in the process. 

"But I am happy they still fight for Aincrad. Aincrad needs those strong fellows in the front lines or else we might have more difficulty cutting the meat without sharp knives in those boss battles. I probably shouldn't [censored] with the lives of people and their decisions. Lowenthal being one of them, sure he is shifty at times but that's why he is more of a rogue class character right? It suits him though." 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei scoffed when Opal agreed with his feelings about the guild. He could not complain about any of its members, for some were his friends, and he had no personal problems with any of them. But anyone could admit that, being some of the strongest players around with a stockpile of unique weapons and abilities, a cocky cloud would surround them. "Aye, they really do. Probably wouldn't be where we are today without some of those guys.. 'specially Zel. He knows how to hit 'em. And throw 'im together with Tristan, who will just...eat up all that damage like its nothin'... you got yourself.. an unstoppable force." The man laughed and grabbed his flagon of ale and brought it to his lips, which curved into a frown when he realized he was empty. He raised the empty cup into air, signaling to the waitress to bring him another drink. As he brought the cup back down to the table with a thud, the man slid in his seat and slouched with a heavy sigh, his long legs extending under the table, his knees pressing into Opal's without realizing it. 

Jomei's eyes went from his empty glass to Opal, who had been watching him with a half-eye closed look and soft smile. He could not help but look away from the girl after a moment, back at his empty glass, a little bit more red to his cheeks than the alcohol already added. Jomei, despite how much he tried to deny it in the past, could not escape the fact that the look on her face was one he had taken a liking to, just before her leaving for training. His eyes looked back up to her for a moment before shutting briefly, and reopening with a smirk. He was in a relationship now, and so was she.. he could not go having any thought like that. Most likely the mass amounts of alcohol he had consumed. Speaking of which, he heard the sound of the bar maid returning, placing a full glass of ale in front of Jomei, a smile on her lips. By Opal, she had gone into her inventory, avoided knocking her beer over, and taken out one of her orange cigarette sticks. Placing the dainty stick in her mouth, she inhaled for a moment before blowing out a ring of smoke. Jomei watched Opal's smoke show in awe. Despite not being a fan of smoking, he always found these smoke tricks to get be cool. Hell, its not like the cigarettes here had the same effect as the outside world. Jomei chuckled, "Now you're just showin' off."

Jomei nodded his head, "Aye. Thats just the guy Lowe is. May be a sneaky man.. but he is the Master of Shadows after all. Plus, he's never had any bad intentions an' all.." He sat up in his seat after a moment and looked to Opal with a smile, "I'm happy that.. despite all we go through out there on the front lines.. and all the training and quests and fights.. that you and I can still get the time to hang out, grab a pint like this. Definitely takes the mind off things.."

[Opal 0]

"You got that right, Sug. Hell, I'll even drink to that." the woman lifted her bottle and clinked it against his flagon as they both drank to his earlier comment about finding time out of their front line schedule to catch up as they were doing now. It had been a long journey so far for the both of them, each one had ups and downs in this world. The woman knew all too well of the bads, but there were many goods as well if not more. The meeting of such friends like Jomei was an experience she would never trade in for any world. Perhaps this place was a so called prison, but she didn't feel like a trapped bird in a cage. Instead she felt more like a regular bird, flying endlessly in this massive world and with so many floors to go, the unveiling beauty and darkness of this place was only going to become more intense. 

With a tired left hand, the woman swept her hand through her hair brushing it from the front to the back, as the cigarette dangled from her crimson lips. She leaned on one side of her face with the other hand as the stray crimson highlights drifted once more back in place in front of her white stunning eyes. She clamped her fingers around the stick once more and allowed her bottom lip to jut out, blowing the smoke upwards instead of in her friends face, though the smell was pleasing, it was still rude to do that. She exhaled softly and felt under the table the knees of the ginger. They bumped once or twice knee against knee under the table, "Hey, you're invading my space here, I need that leg room..." she said using her knees to bat away his own. The woman laughed lightly, looking into the colored pools of his eyes, as teeth slowly sank into her bottom lip as she looked away from him. 

There was the sound of her sandal dropping to the floor as the woman hooked her thumb around the strap of her tank top and pulling it back over her shoulder, "So..." she said, her foot gliding towards Jomei beneath the table, yet he was unaware of her actions below the table. Her slender leg reached out, her smooth skin brushed against his pant leg and rose to between his legs where she instantly raised a single eyebrow with a big grin on her face, "Oh really?" she laughed, her toes feeling around that area and then playfully laughing before stopping and dropping it back to the ground and sliding her foot back into the sandal. She flicked the ashes off her cigarette into the wind and shook her head, "I guess that's as close as I'll ever get to it. Zandra is quite the lucky woman..." 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei blinked when he felt Opal's knee crash into his a couple of times playfully, the woman telling him she needed her personal space. "O-oh sorry. Didn' even notice." he said with a sheepish chuckle, placing his hands on the seat of the booth next to him and lifting himself up out of his slouching position. Once he was sitting correctly again, he reached his hand out in front of him and grabbed for his drink, which he raised to his lips with a smile. As Jomei took small sips of his drink, he heard the sound of something hit the floor. His eyes darted to the left and right at the other patrons to see just what it was, but came to the conclusion that it was nothing important. Seconds later, he felt something gently rub against his leg and slowly move upwards. He almost choked on his ale when he felt it, and shooting across at Opal, he knew just what it was. He felt her bare foot move slowly up the inside of his calf, to his thigh, until she was at the point where she was suddenly getting to know him a bit better. Jomei's cheeks were a bright pink as he felt her around the inside of his thighs.. Part of him wanted to push her foot away, they were both in relationships with other people for God's sake. But he didn't. He let it happen. Something like this.. never happened to him before. Even in his relationship. It did not take long for Opal to pull away, that same flirty smile on her lips. She stated Zandra was a lucky woman, and Jomei had a feeling she knew exactly why she was saying that. Jomei chuckled and brought his drink quickly to his lips, "Actually, she wouldn' know." He froze. "I-I mean.." he placed his hand on his face with a sigh. It was not like him to reveal.. private things as such. 

[Opal 0]

A thin, dark brow raised from above her right eye as she looked to Jomei with an almost an astonished look to her gaze, "Oh...really?" her grin widened. That was certainly a surprise from her ears. But then she thought about it, Jomei, the man sitting in front of her was as much as a gentlemen as anyone could get. The very air he breathed was that of chivalry, the makings of a true knight. And Zandra, his girlfriend, although it was just one night, she knew the woman was sweet and caring and she had a great deal of feelings to the one she was with. So their mixed innocence had created this sort of separation between the two. 

That was a lot to deal with, Jomei might have been a gentleman, but he was still a man. And Zandra was a woman, and Opal...she looked at her empty beer bottle, the time of the game clock and her burning cigarette. Yep, she had the motivation. 

Clearing her throat, she sank into her last drag and billowed out the contents from her mouth one final time before stubbing it out in the small ashtray nearby. She got up from her seat, a curious set of eyes upon her as she moved up. The strap of her tank top rolling off her milky shoulder once more as she moved into the seat next to Jomei. She smiled, her crystalline diamond eyes half closed, her chest rising and falling as she squared up next to him closing the distance. She turned her body a quarter to look at him, one long slender leg running up and over his knee as she let it fall gently down. Her left arm bent as she placed her head on her open palm while her chest steadily rose and fell as she breathed. The air around them filling around them from her citrus like scent. Eyes on him once more as she moved closer, her head leaning towards his ear, a hand brushing over his lap and lips pressing to whisper. As she spoke the hot breath seemingly tickled his flesh as she spoke, "Well, then maybe its not Zandra who the lucky woman is, now is it?" her whisper was hot and coded with a subtle riddle, "I have done this to you before, I know...and I apologized once for it, but we keep letting this happen. It can't simply be a coincidence, we are drawn together like moths to a flame. One night, Jomei...let us not intervene with fate..." she pressed her damp lips to his neck, "I have a room waiting for me at this location..." she lifted her hand and went through the standard motions and sent him the coordinates of the Inn she was staying at in Urbus, "Come to room 3, knock twice and then enter...I'll be waiting for you..." 

The woman let the last word linger as she ran the tip of her tongue up the side of his neck before moving away from him. Both her scent and her warmth moved away from him quickly. She didn't look back either as she left him there as well, only taking a moment to pay out her tab and then she was gone at the intended destination.