[PP-F1] A Typical Day (Sinful) (Complete)

[Evander 0]

Evander walked out of the inn and looked up at the sky. It was early morning. That was good- his sleep schedule was returning to normal again. All around in the Town of Beginnings, people began to wake up and start their new days. Merchants and vendors had already begun to advertise their goods. Just another normal day, Evander guessed. He walked down the cobblestone roads, his hands in his pockets. It was going to be a fine day. A nice and gentle breeze swept through the city. A butterfly flew in front of Evander's face, reminding him of the start of spring. All of the NPCs were dressed in traditional Japanese garb, likely for the festival that was going on. Oh yeah, he should probably check that out some time, before it ended. Also, perhaps he would get some breakfast today. He had enough money recently to survive, and breakfast didn't sound like a bad idea right now. Evander looked around a little, then decided to go check out a nearby cafe. Maybe he would get a nice meal today to start him off right.

Edited March 8, 2016 by Evander

[Sinful 0]

"Hello! Welcome to the cafe, may I take your order today?" A charming young man asked Evander as he balanced a couple of plates on his head whilst holding out a bear plushie to him. "The customer is always right!" He seemed welcoming to the newcomer, and waited to see what his order was. Deep down in his thought process, he saw a pile of bodies before him, but this was the real world, where he saw a united Aincrad. "Well, you gonna take him or what? C'mon, he's waiting!" Sinful let out a handsome smile and winked at Evander.

OOC: Plushie is rp fluff

[Evander 0]

"Uh, hello." Wow, a player was actually working at an NPC run restaurant. Evander didn't think about doing that for money. And it appeared the guy was really cheerful about his job. Well, that was good, choose a job you enjoy and never work a day in your life and such. The best part was, however, that this guy appeared to have no psychological problems at all! Wait a second. Evander knew this guy. Wasn't it the guy that he talked to yesterday in the fields with that person in the cardboard box? And- oh, it appeared he was being offered a stuffed animal- a bear to be exact. "Oh, I'm fine, I don't need a stuffed animal, though thank you for the offer." Evander sat at one of the empty tables. "Hey, do I know you?" Evander was 99.99% sure that he had met the guy before, but the last time that happened, he was proved horribly wrong. So, it couldn't hurt to ask. "We met the other day, in the fields, right? Also, could I have a menu?"

[Sinful 0]

"Right sir, menu coming right up!" He grabbed the menu and placed it gently at Evander's table with a smile. "Yeah, I think we did meet, sorry if I misunderstood the situation there.
So, could I take your order?" Sinful still held the plushy, but then a child came into the cafe surrounded by three older players. "Leave me alone!" The child shouted fiercely, but the players would simply not back down. The leader came forth and said "We're going to teach you a lesson girly, a lesson to not step on my shoes!" Sinful was getting uncomfortable, so he approached the three players bullying the child and said "She's only a child, I don't think she knows what she did might've been impolite. If anything, you shouldn't really harass her since she doesn't know any better." His calming presence turned the chaotic scene into a diplomatic one as the three players left. "Thank you sir!" The child said. Sinful smile, and handed her the teddy bear, "Stay safe, okay?"

[Evander 0]

The guy- blech, Evander couldn't remember his name right now, put a colorful menu on the table in front of him, and Evander began to read. Well, the traditional breakfast platter looked pretty good, and- whoa, something was happening. Evander stood immediately and turned to survey the situation. It was a group of older players confronting a younger one. Evander sighed. Couldn't these kids see the bigger picture about how all of them were trapped in this together? Sometimes, he just couldn't understand human nature and the idiotic mob mentality. Evander stepped forward to intervene, when it appeared that his waiter had stepped in already and diplomatically broken it up. And he gave the child the teddy bear. Well, that was pretty kind, so this guy was probably a good person, though that could just be a facade. Nah, he was probably being too paranoid here. Just give people the benefit of the doubt, right? Evander sat back down. "Good job back there. Whenever I try to break up any stupid mobs or any idiotic confrontations, I usually end up with a worse situation afterwards." Evander chuckled a little. "Guess I wasn't really built to be a diplomat. I think of myself as more of a philosopher at heart. Also, man, wasn't that kid really young? I can't believe six year olds are in this game. I guess their parents were pretty lenient on the whole talking to strangers online thing with them. I wonder if there are any refuges for those children, run by some caring adult, like semi-orphanages or some other? I hope so. So, anyway, sorry for getting off track, I would like the traditional breakfast platter, with my eggs over-easy, please. Thanks. Oh, and a glass of grape juice on the side. Thanks again."

[Sinful 0]

"Your order is ready sir!" Sinful balanced a plate on his head and a cup on his arm, making sure not to drop them. He then gently placed them on Evander's table and smiled. "That child was young... I still can't believe they could die any moment in this game... That's why I'm giving out all these plush toys." He saw his bill piling up to negative fourty thousand col, a result of taking everyone's tabs. "We're not all diplomats, we each have our own traits and flaws which make us what we are, human. I guess you can say that those guys were just as good as me, since no matter how kind or evil we are... We're only human...." Sinful stopped thinking of that then put on his charming smile, "I hope you enjoy the food, I cooked it rather well today."

[Evander 0]

Mmm, nothing like a good breakfast. Evander drank a gulp of grape juice and began to dig in. He was talking about the child now. And also his reasons for giving out plush toys. Man, this guy was a pretty altruistic person, wasn't he? But, some wary part of Evander's mind whispered, what if it's all an act? What if this guy is actually insane and sees the world as a great pit of blood, sort of like that other Ranmura girl? Yeah, no, okay? Until he saw any sign of betrayal, Evander would trust this guy. "Well, it's not necessarily true that the children can die at any time. As long as they stay in the safe zones and around trusted adults, they should be okay. I still don't get why their parents would, in their right mind, let a kid go play a game, without supervision, mind you, about killing things with swords in virtual reality and interacting with strangers. That just sounds like a recipe for trouble." And now this guy was talking about how everyone was only human, and that having flaws was fine because we weren't perfect. Well, Evander didn't really agree with that sentiment, he believed that anyone could excise most of their flaws given enough work, but he wasn't here to argue about that. And he was talking about how those guys were just as good as him. Well, that Evander could agree with. Everyone had some good part, some ethical part of their mind, no matter how covered up it was, and these guys weren't even that bad, just bullies that were likely just scared out of their minds about the whole situation. "Yeah, I actually think that those guys were just regular people like anyone else. They were probably just trying to assert their strength to not feel as scared about the whole situation. I can sympathize with them. I can actually probably sympathize with everyone, even the most despicable people out there. Everyone believes that they're doing what is necessary. Or, I mean, they could be insane or something, but those people are just messed up in the head. Everyone has their own reasons and flaws, so we shouldn't hate the evil people or wish for their deaths (though sometimes death is necessary to stop them from committing more evils), we should pray for them and hope they turn into better people, hopefully helping along the way. Or, at least, that's my take on the matter." Yeah, he kind of went off on a tangent there, and Evander wasn't really sure if he even agreed with half of what he said, though some subconscious part of him had to if he was willing to say it. And- Oh, this guy ran the restaurant? How in the world did he get the money to buy an establishment here? Evander thought this place was owned by an NPC! This guy was the chef and the waiter? That was pretty intense. "Wow, good job with the food! It's pretty good. Thanks again." Evander continued to dig into his meal.

Edited March 7, 2016 by Evander

[Sinful 0]

Sinful looked at his bill, it went from fourty thousand to one hundred thousand, how was he going to pay that off? By working here of course, he'd cook meals here every day and giving them out for free, but that'd only increase his debt. Might as well wait for a kind patron to pay it off for him, not like anyone would. "I'm happy that you enjoy the food." He put on a smile and went over to collect the finished plates from other tables, washing them quickly and returning to his position. "You've heard of the pushback effect right? Even though you can't die in a safezone, you can still take knockback from attacks. I've... Seen it all happen before... You can even get pushed out of a safezone." Sinful looked a bit disturbed, but changed back into his usual expression, a charming smile. "So what do you think of running a plush toy business? I'm planning to start one to give the children some things to play with." Sinful went back to his altruistic (false) self as he spoke words with great ambition and charm.

[Evander 0]

Evander finished his meal. "It was delicious. My regards to your cooking. Here's the col for the meal." Let's see here, two eggs were probably around... and the oil used to cook, and yeah, that was most of the calculations. Probably. Evander handed over what he thought suitable. "Ah yes, the pushback effect. Well, like I said, if they hang around trusted adults that will protect them, they should be okay. The caretakers should be able to afford decent weapons with all of the starting money and equipment from the children. Oh, and a plush toy business? Sounds interesting, though I don't think it would be very profitable considering the main age-group of people in this game. Speaking of money, you should probably list the costs for the food on the meal. I had to calculate it out by myself with what I remembered of the NPC market price. It's probably not very nice to make your customers do that. Oh yeah, also, where do you get the money to make all of these plushies and buy this restaurant-cafe thing? I've been barely scraping by hunting monsters." Well, that wasn't entirely true, he could afford inn rooms and didn't have to sleep on benches, but that was close enough to the truth. "Oh yeah, before I forget, I don't think we ever introduced ourselves yesterday. I'm Evander, what's your name?"

[Sinful 0]

"My name is Sinful, nice to meet you Evander." Sinful gave Evander a smile before going back into the kitchen to cook and serve some more meals. "I don't exactly own this place, a guy I know said he didn't need the building anymore, so with a couple of days and some recycling, it turned into what it is today." He chuckled and remembered that there was no pricing on the foods, "Well, it's me who pays for all the meals here so that's why I don't list it." Sinful pulled out a plush toy and held it in his hands "Yeah, I guess you're right, but I'm not doing it for profit, I'm doing it to see the smiles on everybody's faces. We're all caught up on beating the game so badly, but why can't we have some fun while doing it?" His optimistic and cheery (fake) personality would surprise many people.

[Evander 0]

Whoa, wait just a second. He paid for all of the food. What!? How in the world did he get all of the money? Why would he even do that? It was nice and all, but people needed to learn to be self-sufficient and pay for their own things. Those who actually needed it could get the free charity. Apparently he got this building from a friend, so he didn't have to pay for it, but still- running it was expensive and time-consuming. And he wasn't doing these things for profit, he was doing these things because he wanted everyone to be happy? Okay, this seemed too good to be true, there was no way anyone in their right minds would do this. "How are you even surviving with all of these expenses? It's nice to help others, but you need to help yourself too. It is nice to see people smile because of what you have done, but," Ah, sometimes Evander wished someone would smile at him out of gratitude, but that was neither here nor there. "There is such a things as taking it too far. You don't want to become dependent on others' charity. All you'll receive then are looks of pity. And, this is just me, but I can't have fun while knowing that people are dying everyday because of stupid reasons, because one megalomaniac decided to stick us all in a game where we could all die. For me, I can't have fun while families are being torn apart, while people are suffering every single day because their loved ones are trapped, or worse, dead. I can't have fun while we are all prisoners. I have to devote myself to getting better, so I can help everyone get out and stay alive. I have to. That's the only thing keeping me going right now, and if I lose sight of that goal, I will fall. I will break. I will give up. And... and that can't happen." Evander began to breathe heavily. He put his head in his hands. He took a few deep breaths, calmed himself, and cleared his mind. "Sorry about that, but that's just me. It's probably different for you, but my first point still stands- sometimes, you have to help yourself so that you even have the ability to help others."

[Sinful 0]

"Me? Surviving? Evander, I survive by knowing that the people I help are happy, it doesn't matter how much debt I have, or strength that I don't have, that's one of the reasons I joined SAO. In real life, many of us are weaklings, but in here, that changes. In here, we could be anything, we could pursue our dreams, and I even know some people like that." Sinful gave Evander another smile while cleaning his table with a towel. "I know that people die... But maybe if I pay for all their expenses, they would have extra col around for gear, I know that I can't help anyone, I don't even know how to lift up a sword. It sort of feels like I was meant in here, working in taverns and cafes helping the front liners clear this death game." Despite Evander's harsh words, he remained optimistic and kept the same viewpoint he had before.

[Evander 0]

Evander sighed. It seemed he wasn't getting through to the guy. Couldn't he understand that he needed to take care of himself too? By being too selfless, he was harming himself. And if he fell, if he broke under the strain, and everyone broke from strain at some point if they didn't take care of themselves, no one was super-human, how could he continue to help others? The answer was obvious- he couldn't. However, Evander wasn't doing much good just arguing about it, and this guy probably thought of Evander as selfish now. Of course Evander wanted to see everyone happy and safe- that was the whole point of his existence right now. It was just... Evander hated to see someone destroy themselves for being too kind. This world wasn't a utopia. Evander had already learned that lesson when he was younger. Hmm, how to convey that lesson without seeming too harsh, that was the real problem here. Whatever he said, he would probably sound like a jerk, but he was a jerk that wished the best for everyone. Evander didn't mean to sound harsh, but this was just the simple truth. Evander sighed again. Nothing he could ever say would change Sinful's mind- he was already too hard-set in his ways. Nevertheless, Evander would try again anyway. "How are you supposed to pay for their expenses when you lose everything to debt? How can you help anyone when you refuse to help yourself? You have to take care of yourself, because few others will. It is kind to give charity. I am not saying you shouldn't help others, that isn't my point at all. I fully endorse charity. But, you have to look at reality as well. You have to take care of yourself. I can't have another person become wasted away and break under stress. You are helping people- that is good, that is kind, and you should continue to do that. But you have to look after yourself as well, okay? And... wait, you said you didn't know how to use a sword, right? Self-defense is important here in Aincrad. Like you said earlier, the pushback effect can kill you. If you're dead, you can't help anyone, and Aincrad will just be the lesser for your loss. I can teach you how to use a sword, I suppose. I'm not too good at it myself, I just self-taught myself through vigorous training after entering Aincrad, but I can teach you the basics."

Edited March 8, 2016 by Evander

[Sinful 0]

"Evander... I thank you for your kindness, this has been one of the first times someone has looked out for me. This is the reason why I give and not take, to inspire others to show kindness to each other. Here, I know it may not be much, but take it." Sinful smiled while handing his last pieces of col to Evander. "I know you need it more than me, I can tell you're a nice guy, you're kind, you look out for people. You even rephrase your words just to make yourself sound not so harsh. You deserve it." He left the col on Evander's table and went over to the other tables to serve incoming customers. "Four orders coming right up!" Sinful got to work quickly, cooking food and delivering the plates to tables, it seemed like his vast supply of energy was endless.

[Evander 0]

Alright, nope, no, he was not taking this money. He already had more than enough to survive. "Hey man, I'm not taking this money!" Evander took the col and tossed it back onto the counter. "Thanks for all the compliments and stuff, but just being nice doesn't merit a reward. And I don't need the money. You actually need it more than me! I can survive just hunting monsters. I get to sleep in a comfortable inn room every night, I get to eat good food everyday," or, at least, most days, "and I don't have a drop of debt on me." Augh, Sinful was being too altruistic yet again! No matter what he said, it seemed he couldn't convince the guy that he needed to care for himself. Evander guessed that the only way to get this guy to look after himself for even a second was to get his work done for him. "Hey, how about you take a break serving tables and go and just cook? I can serve the customers. I would offer to cook, but I don't think anyone would be leaving here alive if I tried that." Okay, he could probably leave his sword here behind the counter, get one of those black apron things hanging on the wall over there, and done. "See? I look like the epitome of waiters. I can handle the serving. You go and just cook in the back, and if you're tired, just take a break." Darn it, he was going to brute force his point through if it was the last thing he did.

[Sinful 0]

"Huh? Really? That'd be great! I could use an extra waiter, that way I could get plates full of food to tables faster! Thanks Evander, I owe you one." With a burst of speed, Sinful began cooking quickly and served the customers with great ease. "I hope you can keep up at my pace!" It was alarming at how fast he could go, was this guy power lifting weights on his legs while running as fast as Usain Bolt? It couldn't be, he's only human. "So if you don't need the col, I'll give it to whoever else needs it, that okay with you?" Even with his money, he was still asking Evander consent to give it away. This guy was either the kindest man on earth, or the greatest actor on earth.

[Evander 0]

Evander picked up a writing pad and began to take down orders. "Hello, nice day out, isn't it? What can I get you to drink?" Evander went from table to table, taking down orders, at a slightly above average pace. But this guy right here, he was a demon. Sinful practically flew across the room. And he also wanted to give away the money. "No, actually, I'm not okay with you giving away the money. I want you to keep it. You need it just as much as these other people." Hmm, to actually noticeably decrease Sinful's workload, they needed more workers. It was impossible for Evander to keep up- he had never worked in any restaurant before. Well, Evander had no idea where they would get more workers, so that idea was a bust. "Hello ma'am, so, to confirm, you wanted a Eggs Benedict, with a glass of orange juice on the side, right?" Blech, all Evander could do was work faster and hopefully be able to keep up. Evander could feel his motions and conversation growing more fluid, natural, as he got used to the work. Perhaps he could do this after all.

[Sinful 0]

After fourteen hours, Sinful had already served every single table, cleaned all the dishes, and taken all the orders. In a matter of seconds, all the customers were gone and thanked Sinful for the delicious meals before leaving off into the night. "Well, that was one heck of an ordeal back there, you did good Evander." Despite working for two hours straight at S@N1C SP33D! he wasn't tired because SAO just didn't allow that to happen. "Say Evander, do you want to get payed? I just can't give a worker words for just them helping me." Sinful suggested that he take the col as the sack was in his hand.

Edited March 8, 2016 by Sinful

[Evander 0]

Greet customer, take order, relay back, take food to table, rinse and repeat. The day began to blend together into one large indistinct blob. Alright, the day was finally over, and the restaurant was finally closed. Evander collapsed back into one of the chairs. He didn't even know that there were that many people in Aincrad that visited this restaurant. And now Sinful was asking him if he wanted to be paid. "No thanks, buddy. I have enough col to last me for days." Evander put up the apron thing on the hanger and set the writing pad down at the cash register. The pad was almost empty. Man, how long did they work for? Evander strapped on his sword and peered outside for a quick check. It was night time. It was actually night. He could see the moon. He wasn't hallucinating. All of the work of the past hours crashed down on Evander. He yawned. "That was a really long day of work. I can barely even survive one day of this job, how do you survive this every single day, doing all of the work by yourself?" Evander reached out his hand. "It was nice working with you Sinful. At least try to take some of my words into consideration, okay? See you around."

[Sinful 0]

"Thanks again for the help Evander, c'ya. Oh, and in case you wanted to know how I ran this place, I get help from volunteers like you, after all, I can't take all the credit for running this place." Sinful gave Evander one last smile and close down the shop. "Pheww... That was one loooong day I just had. Should take a rest, can't be late for tomorrow!" Soon after saying that, he fell asleep in his own store on the counter. "Man, what a life." He said happily in his sleep. 'Wow, wonder how much more information I can get tomorrow, with all these recorders around I can reel in some good stuff.' This was the only thought on his mind now, getting information through this method.