[PP-F1] Secret Medicine of the Forest

[Alciel 0]

"Ah, man! I can't believe this!" she grumbled dejectedly under her breath as she strode along the beaten path around the outskirts of Starting City.

Each step she took purposely kicked up a thin cloud of grainy brown dirt which seemed to loom in place for a moment before dissipating into the still afternoon breeze. At this, Alciel couldn't help but paused upon feeling it swipe her, now loose hair opposite of her as if it longed to sail along it to lands unknown. Was it even really afternoon? She truthfully wasn't sure anymore. It had been a few days at the very least since she had been in this otherworldly place -- at first, everything was so life like that she truthfully couldn't tell the difference between this and the waking world, but as the days tore by, the glamour seemed to wane replaced by a insipid surrealism that likes of which she had never known. Though it wasn't long before she haphazardly casted the thought aside; now was definitely not the time for a troubled mind, if anything, she needed to be stronger now more than ever. Raising both hands, she lifted them to her in the air before letting out a mighty yowl of empowerment before encouragingly slapping both her cheeks simultaneously.

"Oooooookay! Now's not the time, me! she scolded herself crossly before wiping at her now slightly reddened cheeks, We -- or, err...I have a job to do!"

Even saying this, however, a light melancholic mist seemed to hang over her briefly as her mind flickered to her lost love -- her whole reason for even being in this mess to begin with. She had been particularly careful to memorize the username he would use in this game, but it turned out he never even made a character, and by this time, everyone would know that this game was a death trap and he wouldn't never sign in. She was alone for the first time in her life, but oddly enough, it didn't seem to egg at her as much as she would have thought. Though for now, there was a task at hand which needed doing. Maybe she could find a buddy to help her out along the way? That would surely get her mind off her worries!

[Zauis 0]

Aincrad was shining brighter than it usually was, at least from the looks of it. This was one of it's amazing seasons throughout the entire game. Who would even dare to waste their time in the inn or in a dungeon doing nothing but crap. When instead you can relax on a beautiful grassland with few trees around that provided shade from direct sun contact. This place is really amazing. The young male in all black thought to himself before placing his hands on the ground and sitting up. Stretching his arms out to the light blue sky with a few tears building up from his somewhat tightly closed eyes. Giving one more look up at the sky and the grassland area he was in, the the young male stood up and rubbed the back of his neck while walking outta the area.

He was heading back toward the town to get something to eat though he knew the NPC guards were going to be all over his case. "What a drag this is going to be....if everyone else seems to accept me, why can't they? I'm not a player killer who kills innocent people or even other player killers. It's not my damn fault. Why..." He mumbled angrily before seeing a young female in the range of him who seemed as if she had been thinking about something. Walking a little close to her he suspected she was probably a low leveled player who was maybe trying to take on a quest of some sort. Though he wasn't too sure, just a minor guess. The young male poked the girls soft cheek and gave her a friendly smile.

His attire consists of black pants with a black belt that had a large silver buckle, a black V-necked shirt that was worn underneath a black trench-coat with gray lining going down the sleeves and black boots with silver plates to protect his shins. He has a silver plate worn on his coat, which was on his left side, and a pair of black fingerless gloves.

After he poked the young female he chuckled. "You seem rather lost, maybe? If you need some help then maybe I could be of assistance to you. I'd rather do anything than stay inside an inn. Hahah." He laughed and suddenly his while mood dropped a bit when he looked at her cursor and knew his was different. "Its okay if you don't want to....I understand I'm called a player killer tho I'm really not one...it's a story behind why I gotta hang with this damn guilt over my head. I hate it. Meh....I'll leave town in a few minutes considering the guards are about to spot me since I'm within the safe zone."

[Alciel 0]

(OOC: A gif for some visual representation of her reaction. :3)

In truth, she had been so deep in thought she hadn't even considered that there would have been another person outside of the city other than herself, let alone in her general vicinity. As she trudged along, her mind a blur, she felt a gentle poke at her cheek which caused her to let out a startled yelp before whirling to face the unknown individual. Whipping around to face the person with her eyes half closed, her raised her arms, her hands balled into to tight fists as she swung at the air.

"Argh! Don't think I'm defenseless! I-I know karate, you won't get away from here if...if you think you can-" she cut herself off for a moment before finally opening her eyes and getting a clear view of the man before her and actually registering the words that left his lips. For a moment she merely blinked in stoic awe before her cheeks flushed a darkened scarlet which contrasted radically with her velvety mocha complexion. "Oh, uh....haha, I, um..." she began before clearing her throat and frantically straightening her hair which had been strewn about in her unfounded panic, this time speaking with a more subdued tone. "Uh, lost, right, yes! I am...lost. I recently took on this quest, y'know? It's called Secret Medicine in the Forest. I'm not really too good with this kind of stuff...I've never really been a gaming kind of person."

This much was very true. She had been out earlier looking for the forest she was supposed to go to in order to complete her objective, but she had lost her way in a manner of minutes, blindly straying from place to place before somehow circling back to where she started. She had never been good at following directions to locations outside in the real world, and based of the turns of events so far, the same was very true in games too. She let out a slight sigh before folding her arms before her chest and tipping her head to one side and she finally decided to really take in the individual before her. He certainly wasn't unattractive, she gave him that and based of that little exchange that gave her the shock of the hour it was safe to say he was generally friendly, especially considering his openness in approaching her. She could almost feel her cheeks heating up once more before she swiftly tucked the feeling away -- this would need more evaluation before that happens, she conceded. Though one thing he said seemed to catch her ear, causing her to tip her head to one side, her hair swaying in time with the movement like a pendulum on a string, the vast array of hair strands reaching desperately for the ground as if to escape her.

"Player killer? What's that?"

[Zauis 0]

(OOC: That's a cute gif. ^^)

Once he poked her cheek, she seemed to react slightly surprised or frightened. Her fist balled into a fist in which gave the young male a slight surprised facial expression. The young female then started spouting about how she new karate and that she wasn't defenseless, though that was some tough talk from a level one. "W-woah. I wasn't really expecting that from someone like you. I didn't mean to give you the wrong idea or anything. I'm sorry about that..." He apologized to the mocha colored female. It was an unusual encounter, and then she started to act even more strange and the pretty girls face turned red as if she was either blushing because of the young male, or because of how embarrassing she was just acting.

"I could kinda tell you were already lost. It's not really a big deal or anything. You won't have to worry about being lost anymore, I'll be your light and guide you for a while. Secret Medicine of the Forest, huh? Yeah, I've heard of that quest. It's actually the easier quest you'll probably ever do in this game. But no time to talk right now....the guards are bound to show up so let's take a walk before I take you on this quest, if you don't mind." He stated casually before grabbing the girls hand and walking outta the town of beginnings. The young male couldn't contain the fact that the young female didn't know what a player killer was. I mean it's basically in the two words itself. Player killer. Maybe this is her first MMO or something. Guess I have no use but to tell her. "Alright, a player killer is another player who kills another player which they then obtain this red cursor like myself. I know what your probably thinking, oh this guy is a bad person and yeah. I didn't want to ever be a player killer....just thinking about it haunts me. A group of player killers tried to kill a good friend of mine so I stood up for her and killed their leader, though it wasn't my intentions to be honest. But they were trying to harm her and she didn't deserve it... That's my pathetic story of becoming a player killer. I don't just go around killing like the other player killers. That disgusts me. I just wanna free everyone from this game."

The determined look in the boys eyes was outstanding. People saw him differently because he dressed in all black and had a red cursor, but in reality he was just a caring, calm and collected kinda guy. The young male stopped as they weren't too far from the town. Still holding her hands he reached for her other hand and looked the female into her eyes. "Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I guess that was sorta lame and rude. Any who, my name is Kirito. And I'm not sure if you know this or not but your a really beautiful girl. Hahah." He laughed after his statement before turning slightly red. "I'd love to help you with this quest. So can I please help you?"

[Alciel 0]

She couldn't help bet only give a sheepish smirk, digging her shoes into the dirt as the boy apologized to her despite him obviously not being in the wrong. It kind of made her feel bad in a way seeing as her reaction was definitely uncalled for in its own right. After her had said his piece, she casually lifted her head to face him before smiling slightly as if more an attempt to reassure herself than him, "Hey, it's alright. It wasn't your fault, I'm just easily startled is all."

Despite this, part of her was stifling a chuckle at what he had said: "I'll be your light and guide you"? It sounded so cheesy, she couldn't help but snicker, though she had to admit, it had a nice ring to it so she could understand why he might have said it. However, it wasn't long before the boy snaked his hand into hers and took hold, causing her eyes to widen and let out a soft "eep!" of surprise before her eyes shakily came to rest on where their hands connected, scarcely aware that they had taken flight across the dirt road as he lead her away from the outskirts of town.

H-hold on a minute, this is...this is going a bit fast! I-I-I-I don't know how to handle this! she bumbled inwardly to herself, her mind a foggy haze as her legs moved like flexible rubber in sync with his movements. No, no, it's okay...this can't mean anything, right? He's probably just in a hurry -- yeah, that had to be it. Nothing going here at all! she fervently repeated to herself as she listened to his explanation of Player Killers. Come to think of it, that should have been pretty obvious and she wasn't sure why she didn't realize that from the name itself; it was pretty self explanatory. Though she couldn't help but feel a wave of awe as the boy spouted his wishes to save all whom were trapped in this malevolent game just as they were. Her eyes sparkled a brilliant sheen like that of blissful starlight reflecting off the a calm ocean in twilight, captivated by such passion which rocked the very foundation of her being. Just what was this boy? She would be lying if she said she wasn't interested. Though the deal was effectively sealed once they had finally stopped and he had introduced himself, coupling it with something she had always wanted to have said to her; all while looking her in the eye.

Oh, this is bad, this is bad... she bumbled once more, her throat growing slightly dry as she twiddled a lock of hair which hung indifferently near her hands. Hardly thinking, the words had left her mouth before she had time to consider them. "Ho'ole...aloha au ka manawa e hiki ana ia 'oe!" She had slipped into her habit of falling back to her Hawaiian native language when left dumbstruck before she had come to realize it. Steadying herself, she looked back to him before answering properly, though hardly containing her own blush which didn't match her usual confident and quirky voice. "Hmph, if you're so set on it, I'll let you. Since you've startled me quite a few times already, you will have to help me in order to make things right! Scaring girls isn't nice, you know. But, it's...uhm, it's nice to meet someone like you -- or, I mean, uh, nice to meet you, yeah, nice to meet you, Kirito. Alo-- I mean Alciel's my name! Alciel, I promise that's what it is!"

Aaaaaaand she has once again, successfully made herself look like an idiot. Nice job.

(OOC: I may just start including gifs or pictures in my posts for more immersion and clearer reactions just because. Also, that Hawaiian is accurate (I think) because of my OCD making me look up a Hawaiian dictionary just to make that sentence, haha.)

[Zauis 0]

(OOC: It's fine with me! I love them! ^^)

"No worries. Besides, it's too late now. I've already apologized. Heheh." After leading her away from the town and introducing himself, the female before him was turning bright red a lot. It happened so often that even Kirito would blush. He knew it was probably because of his lame quote and the the way he held both of her hands. Though it wasn't so weird in Kirito's eyes. He found the mocha colored girl very attractive and actually wished to for her to spend more time with him do they could get to know each other better. Maybe even marry her.

The awkwardness was still lingering around, until the girl decided to speak but Kirito didn't understand a word the girl said. Was she really this nervous that she couldn't even say it in English? Or is she playing some kinda joke on me? Kirito was lost in thought until the female finally spoke, and in English this time. Kirito, still focusing on the girls blush and not being able to contain his own, the girls words didn't match her facial expression. It was as if her facial expression found something interesting, yet her words seem blunt.

Kirito, still holding on to the females hands while giving her a bright smile, almost like his teeth were the sun. "Uh, I guess your right. Scaring girls isn't nice, huh? Then maybe you girls should stop being scaredy cats." Teasing the girl for a moment before giving her hands a little squeeze. "I'm just kidding around, Alciel right? That's a really pretty name for a beautiful young female like yourself. Heh" Kirito gave a slight chuckle which swiftly switched into a smirk once he looked Alciel in the eyes.

Letting one of her hands go and still holding onto one of her hands. Looking down at their hands he decided it was time to show her how he actually felt. Kirito entwined their fingers together and he started to walk with her alongside him while their hands swung back and forth. "I think we've wasted enough time. We should start on this quest. Just follow this path. It'll take a while so let's get to know each other, okay? And maybe after this quest we can have a picnic or something in the grasslands by a beautiful lake."

[Alciel 0]

So it beings... once his fingers had intertwined with hers, the deed had been done and she thought she could just make out Cupids arrow as it took to the air with a deafening whistle before tagging her in the back with a mighty thump -- or it could have just been her wildly beating heart, she truthfully wasn't sure. She couldn't help but chuckle a bit before nodding at his suggestion to continue on the quest, with a promise of a nice treat afterwards which appealed to her greatly. The concept of being on a picnic with someone like Kirito who effortlessly made her knees into jello within the brief span in which they'd come to know each other seemed to set her mood in overdrive as she tightly gripped onto his hand before balling her free hand into a fist, save her index finger which she point off into the wild blue yonder which was the general direction of their destination which he had motioned her towards earlier.

"Yeeeeeeeah!" she shouted with a mighty, hot blooded roar of brightly brimming confidence. "We'll take this quest on and finish it in no time flat! It'll be easy!" Her magenta eyes gave off an deviant glint which seemed to catch the Aincradian sun, further bolstering their innocent, yet somehow devious intent. One could tell she honestly didn't care too much that her spontaneous partner was a player killer -- that, or she really didn't understand what it entailed despite having had it explained to her. Without warning, she made off in a daring dash, bolting along the road with her hand still tightly clinging to Kirito's with the intent of dragging him along for her overzealous sprint, on his feet or otherwise. Truth be told, her excitement and anticipation had taken hold of her to such an extent, she really hadn't considered that fact of whether he was ready for her sudden hurtle. As she continued her dash for a sizable distance, they had just reached the entrance of the Forest when she stopped just short of it on the road, bending over with her hands on her knees as she panted fiercely. Who knew one could tire like that inside of a video game. But more importantly she had just realized something as she caught her breath.

Turning back towards Kirito, she had on a rather silly expression which seemed almost like a mixture of sheepishness combined with epiphanic realization. "I have no idea what I'm doing, or where I'm going. I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but I'm not a gaming person...in fact, this is kind of my first game ever outside of Tetris and Snake..." Having finally said this, she let out a self-conscious chuckle, lifting her free hand and rubbing at the back of her head as if to further emphasize: Oops, I screwed up...

[Zauis 0]

Once he had intertwined their hands together he knew what he was getting himself into, though in this case he wanted to be in a situation like this. Continuing to look down at their hands and back up at Alciel who seemed to be deemed with happiness, maybe? Either way seeing her like this made him feel sorta warm and happy himself. His dull look on his face didn't help the problem but if she knew what he really thought about all of this, would she be happy or feel awkward? I don't think I've ever been this happy before. She's very special to me. He couldn't help but over think the situation that seemed to be love.

Alciel suddenly shouted and with Kirito's free hand he placed it over his chest and squinted at her. "That wasn't funny! You almost scared the hell outta me. Hahah. But yeah, this quest will be somewhat of a joke it's so pathetic. Although the weapon you get is pretty amazing. The Anneal blade." Thinking about the blade that was good for any beginners and elites, it made the young male almost drool. Containing the drool he looked up at the beautiful sky and his eyes didn't seem like they wanted to stray away from it. Then surprisingly Alciel got excited I guess and started sprinting really fast. Dragging Kirito along with her who looked like he needed to catch his breathe. He shrugged and grabbed Alciel's hand again and pulled her into his arms and looked down at her.

"Of course you don't know where your going. This isn't even the right area. I told you it'll take a while to get there. You can't expect to just find it like that. And I can tell you weren't a gamer. So...." with those words the boy leaned toward her and kissed her on the forehead and smiled. "Lets get going Alciel. We've got quite the journey ahead of us. Not really but ya know. Hahah"

[Alciel 0]

She hardly expected the movement, and before she knew it, she was comfortably bound by his arms. Though it was a caring gesture, she couldn't help but feel it had a bit a of a scolding after tone to it which dulled the fact that she was essentially being hugged and instead, made her look down like that of a child being scolded by a parent or teacher for doing something careless. Though she would have been lying if she said it wasn't to be expected, after all, she did pretty much dash off without an semblance of where she was going or what she would do once she actually got there and she really didn't know what to expect out of Sword Art Online as she never really did much but stayed in the safety of the town prior to this day like many others had done in order to protect themselves. Truthfully, her only reason for having left and taking this quest which Kirito described as pathetically simplistic was born from the various tales of others braving the 'front lines' with valor and gallant bravery which rivaled that of a god that happened to circulate about town from time to time. Word of mouth was a powerful thing, after all.

"Well, I guess you're right..." she muttered dejectedly, staring down slightly with a pouting expression looming about her face before she sighed. "I just figured the faster it gets done, the better and all...heh, guess I was wrong since I was going the wrong way...oops."

Just as she had resigned herself to her fate, she felt a warmth at her forehead which seemed to spread throughout the rest of her body before she looked up, registering what had just happened. She let out a small cough, pulling away from him in an embarrassed panic before placing her hands on her hips, nodding with her eyes closed though it doing little to hide her crimson tinged cheeks as she spoke with a sanguine exclamation which once again, didn't match her expression. "Alright! Lead the way, Kirito! I'm pinning my hopes on you, m'kay? she chirped before turning to him with a tender expression, You're my light that's going to guide me, after all, right?"

[Zauis 0]

"Of course I'm right. But you weren't really wrong either. I'd live to finish this quickly, but dashing off to get to the destination quicker doesn't allow us to get a better understanding of each other rather than when we walk and talk." He seemed to notice she was quiet after he planted that kiss on her forehead. Staring down slightly, not knowing if she just didn't like the kiss or was it weird. Maybe he should've waited until after the quest to do things like that. But Kirito has always been some what of a confident guy. He was for sure that'd make her happy.

This time, without knowing if she didn't mind the kiss or disliked it, she finally started to speak but her words didn't match her facial expression at all. I'm not even totally sure what's happening anymore. "Yeah, sure I'll lead the way. You don't need to pin your hopes on me. Don't you remember that this is your quest? I'm just doing my best to make sure you can do it!" Then she stated the same quote he had said to her earlier. Now hearing it for myself practically it sounded really cheesy and lame. Damn.

"Thats totally right! I'll be your light forever. Even if I die within the game just know that my dying wish would be to have you freed from the game at all costs. That's all I want. I'm kinda getting side tracked, huh? We should be heading this way so let's get a move on. Besides, I'm ready to get back because I'm starving like crazy." Starting his comment off emotional and ending it with humor was always the best option to go with. At least he thought so. He pointed toward the direction and started to walk and looked back to see if she was keeping up with him. The temperature started to feel a lot cooler. The trees looked rather dull... Just a little more beyond this point and we'll be there.

[Alciel 0]

With a light chuckle, she briefly began to spin in place in a happy-go-lucky twirl which made her starter character clothes flutter in the wind before trailing behind him with a satisfied smirk. She had to say, in the brief span she had come to know him, she was oddly satisfied. It was quite the unexpected turn of events for her first time out of town, but certainly not an unwelcome one. As she trudged behind him, she couldn't help the need to pull out a small teasingly snide comment given how comically lame his sentence was before they had started walking. Poking her head just over his shoulder as they strode along, she hissed into his ear as her deep chestnut hair tickled playfully at his neck and cheek.

"Haha, you do realize how lame that sounded right?" she snickered jovially, her voice bubbling with amicability. She simply couldn't resist dishing out the lone playful jab before retreating back and zooming ahead slightly so they were only a few yards apart, striding along with her fingers interlaced with one another behind her back, busily passing glances at the foliage and wildlife that was near as they continued along.

It wasn't long before their beaten path that they had been following passed along a lake, just close enough for her to see her own reflection in its brilliantly pristine surface which flickered with each gently lapping wave that reflected the sun. It all felt and looked so real it nearly chilled her to the bone, despite the pleasantly warm season. Part of her had begun to hardly be able to differentiate anymore aside from the conscious knowledge that this was all an illusion. As she passed by it, she casually fixed her appearance though making sure not to break stride. It was about this point that she turned about to him, tipping her head to one side as she walked backwards along the path before beginning her inquiry.

"So, what exactly does this quest involve anyway? I'm still getting the hang of this weird holographic interfacey... thingy." as if to emphasize her point, she swiped down her hand allowing the translucent UI to swiftly materialize and drop down before her fingertips. "Something about an ingredient, no?" Continuing her careless backwards striding she chirped on another addition, though much less relevant. "Aaaaand, I guess not really on topic, but where are you from anyway? You seem like you're a bit older than I am too..." growing slightly closer to him, she sized him up before freeing a hand from behind her back, flattening it before placing it to the top of her forehead and tracing it up to his own. "Taller too! How old are you? 18? 19, maybe?"

[Zauis 0]

The day seemed to be growing weary for the young boy. This day has been filled with happiness, gratitude and even affection. Instead of worrying about what he was gonna do later, he was too busy enjoying the time he had with Alciel. Being tired didn't really mean anything at this point. He'd walk forever if she had the stamina to, even if he didn't. She was very important to him and he'd do anything for her. Turning back to look at Alciel, he noticed she seemed to be acting a bit childish like. Considering she just called my little comment lame. That was so uncool of her to do. Her dark hair tickled the back of his neck. He sighs happily while shaking his head outta his thoughts.

"Well that wasn't cool at all Alciel. I said it because I....I..." The boy trailed off and acted as if it was because of the lake they are walking by. Pointing towards the lake with a smile. Sticking both of his hands in his pockets while listening to Alciel ramble on and on. It was almost like Kirito was the guy to ask questions to. Even though he sorta was considering he is the highest leveled player. "Uh....did you bit read the quest you took up you knucklehead. We are trying to retrieve the Nepent flower which is suppose to be some sort of medicine. If I'm not mistaken, once we retrieve it you...e-erm we can take it to a lady near the forest because she's ill. Once that's complete then you'll have yourself the Anneal blade." Explaining it very direct so she'll understand it quicker and effectively.

Kirito looked at Alciel who was now walking backwards and asking a personal question followed by an unusual age question. Then she grew closer to him which made Kirito's eyes widened a bit which made him chuckle slightly at the female. "Give me time to answer the question at least. Geez. What a drag females are. I'm from Georgia....meh it's an okay place I suppose. I'm only seventeen years old. And I don't think I'm that much taller than you. I'm only five foot nine inches. Nothing to really brag about....I'm rather short for a guy... But, where are you from? What do you like to do? I'm a basketball player so that's pretty much it. Hahah." The conversation seemed to spark at every word that came outta their mouths. Still wondering around the lake when suddenly a huge gust of wind blew by. The temperature got even colder than before. As they kept moving forward they suddenly saw a bit off snow falling. Kirito looked over at Alciel in her starter equipment and he smiled. Un-equipping his long black trench coat and putting it over Alciel's shoulders to keep her warm. He was use to the weather since he's traveled down here plenty of times.

[Alciel 0]

Cocking an eyebrow, she puffed out her cheeks resentfully before placing her hands on her hips, stopping in place before leaning forward a bit. "Bully! I'm no drag, I'm just unique!" Ending her sentence she promptly closed one eye before sticking out her tongue in a playful fashion, proving her display of disapproval from mere moments ago to have been nothing more than a foolhardy charade. "Joooooooking!" It wasn't long however before she began to circle around him as the walked like that of a shark surveying its prey, her expression dubious as she sized him up. "Huh? 17? Are you suuuuuure? You seem older than I am, I could have sworn. I'm actually 17 myself, but only recently so...by like a few weeks. And Georgia, is it? Never been there -- though I hear there isn't much to look at. I'm actually from Hawaii, though I'm a rather complicated case....probably. I am a Hawaiian native and lived there for the first ten years of my life, but I'm not really there now. I'm actually in Japan right now-" she paused for a moment before glancing about her surroundings before shrugging, inwardly noting that Aincrad was technically not Japan, but it was where her waking body was. "Technically speaking, anyway... As for my hobbies, I wasn't really into sports or any of that...though I did swim a lot back in Hawaii. But in Japan, I was a part timer at a pet store; the owner would let me play my ocarina outside for advertisement sometimes, too!"

It hadn't been long before the chill of the air had begun to bite at her flesh. She had hardly noticed up until now, but what forcefully brought her attention to the matter was the lone flake of pure white which fell on the tip of her nose, causing her eyes to flutter unexpectedly. The weight of Kirito's jacket as he placed it around her shoulders made her cheeks grow hot once more as she gripped at the openings before tugging them around her and snuggling into it with a dreamy expression. After a moment of savoring the moment, she glances up towards the sky as snow loftily trickled its way down from the cerulean heavens before clinging steadfast to her hair, dotting her head like ashen sprinkles before sizzling away with her body heat. "We should probably keep on moving as we talk...we might get sick...can we get sick in here, I wonder?"

[Zauis 0]

Eyes opening widely, eyebrows cocked and a somewhat playful remark was handed to the girl. "Im not a bully you crybaby." by the time those words came outta his mouth, Alciel quickly stated she was joking but it was too late for Kirito to take back his playful remark at her. Hoping she wouldn't kill him for that lead him to move a little bit further from her just to have a safe distance. Right as he moved away from her, Alciel suddenly caught up and began walking around Kirito in circles, almost like she was a puppy that was rather fond of his/her owner. Kirito smiled once she started to talk, he didn't mind listening to her because she was the type of person that could keep Kirito entertained.

"Your seventeen? You look like you'd be a little younger than that. And, if you just turned seventeen a few weeks ago, your older than me. I barely turned seventeen maybe a few days ago. Meh... Hawaii, huh? That looks like a pretty cool place to be. Japan is pretty cool to considering that's where I am also. I was born in Georgia, but my parents wanted to go to japan for a while. I only thought you were asking where I was from, not where I am now. Hahah maybe once we clear this game we'll be able to hang out together. You play Ocarina? Sounds legit. Too bad you don't really play sports. I love basketball." The rambling on and on of the two echoed throughout the area they were in. Usually Kirito is quiet and likes taking in the nature but this girl was far more better than nature to him. He didn't understand why but they kinda just clicked, like peanut butter and jelly.

After Kirito placed his trench coat over Alciel, it left him coat-less and all he was wearing was his v neck shirt. He wasn't the type to get cold so easily so he was fine. Turning to face Alciel and nodding at her statement with a confused look. "I'm not do sure about that myself, but if there is medicine in the hand then it's more than likely you'll be able to get sick. Weird. You ever thought about getting a unique skill? I hear there so freaking rare that the chances you'll get one are close to zip. But, if you ever did get one, I wonder would it would possibly be? Meh....I'd be fine with whatever I guess. Heh. Also, have you tried fishing yet? It's pretty fun but I can't catch a damn thing. I've been trying to catch nice size fish but I rarely even get the small ones. Oh yeah? What kinda profession do you want to have? It's sorta like a job. It's a ton of them." Making more small talk so the conversation would flow as is.

[Alciel 0]

As she walked along beside him, wrapping the coat around her shoulders, she could feel the blissful white snow crunching underfoot and it wasn't long before their breath was unfurling in the chill nipped air. The realization of the temperature made her lift her hands as Kirito spoke, billowing her warm breath into her petite hands periodically before rubbing them together despite her not really being all that cold. As she listened to him talk, she couldn't help but wonder just how far off this forest actually was...surely by now they would at least be closer -- if not, then almost there? His prompted questions swiftly snapped her back into reality as she lifted a still breath warmed hand, using it to neatly tuck a snow pepper strand of hair behind her ear, by this time of course, her nose had begun to redden ever so lightly as she spoke; more than likely from the temperature settling in.

"I used to net fish from time to time with my kupuna -- or, erm, sorry, I slipped back into an old habit again. My grandpa is what I meant to say. I've heard a bit about professions and I got interested in Tailoring since lots of shop keepers make so many pretty things, I can't take it~!

Though soon enough, something that Kirito happened to mention earlier of her appearance being that of one younger despite her apparently being older by a few weeks registered. Stopping dead in her tracks with her brow furrowed and lips pursed, it was rather clear that she was in a state of distress. "I...I don't look that young..." she muttered with childish disheartening before staring down at her rather meager chest from behind the safety of the trench coat she had been borrowing, her voice dropping even lower as she began commenting on her own body to the point of being barely audible. "I know I'm not really all that impressive, but I'm still growing...it'll fill in! I know it will!" Wasting no time, she devotedly locked her arms tightly in a criss cross before her chest as if to hide it before squatting in the snow and plucking a half frozen stick off the ground and using it to draw doodles in the vast canvas of white which now spread across as far as the eye could see. So very childish indeed, even down to her displays of misunderstanding on the scale of which she had.

[Zauis 0]

"Net fish? Kupuna? That means grandpa? Kinda weird to be honest. I thought it would at least remotely sound similar to the word but I guess all languages aren't like that. Still cool though. So your really interested in Tailoring? That actually fits you, maybe you should try your best to become one. I'll give you all the support you need. In my eyes, professions suck. I'm not really to fond of them so I don't have one, and I probably will never get one. But who knows...? My mind could change but I doubt that'll happen."

Seems like their conversation continued perfectly and it was a well nice talk they were having. Though Kirito not having a profession could be a problem for Alciel if they ever got married. They would need to make money and having a professions seems like the most logical way. Kirito, lost in thought about the whole profession and Alciel thing made him feel a little dizzy when he snapped outta it.

Kirito noticed he didn't hear Alciel's footsteps and he quickly turned around and saw her just standing there, until a comment came from her lips that spoke with a bitterness. Then after a while she stated something about how she's still "growing". Kirito got the feeling he knew what she meant and he covered his face with his hand while Alciel stated down at her chest, even though Kirito couldn't see her chest he was still a little uncomfortable, causing him to blush. Quickly waving his hands from side to side while looking towards Alciel. "N-no wait....that's not what I meant. I'm so sorry Alciel. I just kinda meant....well forget it. I'll take the blame for what I said....I'm sorry." he stated with an emotional tone considering he decided to take the blame about her getting sad because of her "size". Though Kirito knew he only meant height wise.

Looking down at his hands which had fingerless gloves over them, his breathe beaming down over them as he walked toward Alciel and crouched down in front of her and lifted her head up and gave her a kiss on the lips without even realizing it himself. "U-uh...... I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. Like my mom always told me, never hurt the ones you love. Therefore I won't try to hurt you anymore....it kinda broke my heart to see you reacting this way. So get up, the forest is really close." he stood up and smiled down at her with his hand reaching out to her.

[Alciel 0]

Her eyes widened unexpectedly as Kirito's face suddenly grew closer to hers out of the blue. Having been facing the snow as she doodled in depression, his actions had taken her totally by surprise. It seemed to end just as quickly as it had come once they broke apart, him looming over with an expectantly outstretched hand but it felt as if she were petrified in place; the gears in her mind still clanking and grinding to process what had just happened. With the stifled clearing of her through which she often did to camouflage her flustered expressions, she gingerly placed her dainty russet hand in his, allowing him to lift her to her feet. Though what he had said seemed to ring in her mind like a strange afterthought.

"The one's you... love?" the words had left her mouth before she could catch her tongue, having been thinking aloud with raised eyebrows. That almost made it sound like -- no, in fat, that DID make it sound like he...loved her! But, they had only just met not even an hour or so ago...could that even be? It was an undeniable fact that she did harbor feelings for this boy but was it something that she could so readily label love given the span they had known each other? Her mind wandered for what seemed like an insurmountable span of time which was probably no more than a mere second or two as a free hand wandered to her lips where the two had made contact, making her repeat the word once more under her own breath. "Love..."

Biting on her lower lip slightly as if to steady herself. She tipped her head to one side while facing him before flashing him a radiant simper which threatened to melt the very snow at their feet, only further bolstered in intensity by the negligent swaths of snow which whizzed by, still clinging to her breeze ruffled hair in mass. "Ding, ding! Right once again -- you're just full of the right answers aren't you?" Taking a step forward she quickly snaked her arms around one of his before forcing him to trudge in stride with her, "Come on, come on! At this rate we'll never get there, yeah? You said so yourself, we're close!"

It wasn't long before the entrance of their destination was in view, the various coos and caws of wildlife resounding from inside the dense cropping of seemingly sugar dusted pine canopies. What waited inside was something Alciel could only imagine, making her suddenly a lot more conscious of her gratitude for having a more experienced individual along with her...

(OOC: It alright if we skip ahead to actually getting to the forest? Wanna get to the actual quest part. :P)

[Zauis 0]

Realizing he just kissed the young lady he just met not too long ago was rather shocking. Kirito was at a lost on why he even did it. Maybe he couldn't contain his feelings anymore and so the kiss was destined. After the kiss was placed upon the females lips, Kirito's eyebrows stood upward, his eyes were as wide as they could get and his mouth was so wide he could catch over a hundred flying insects in his mouth. Then he faintly heard the girl repeat "The ones you love"? Acting as if he didn't hear it so it wouldn't be awkward or anything the female softly said the word love again.

Panting a bit, his heart throbbing and his face turning slightly red made him feel uncomfortable. Though Alciel seemed to be taking it fine, Kirito had his left hands index finger in his v neck shirt while tugging it outward and in acting as if it was hot or something. Being quiet for some time now, Alciel decided to make the first move to start the conversation. Then she wrapped her arm around his trying to make if to the forest fairly quickly. "I'm not really full of answers.... Yeah, I know we'll never get there at this rate. I'm sorry for wasting time..."

The young male sighs right before he noticed he had stepped into the forest. Traveling throughout the weird looking forest they finally found a somewhat small yet wide area. In the corner of Kirito's eyes he saw the Nepent they needed to get in order to complete the quest. He already knew a small boss was guarding it but Alciel could take it out with like two hits. Since it's floor one his health is rather low. Three at the most. Kirito unlocked their arms and pushed Alciel forward into the spot by the Nepent Flower. "The boss is about to show up. It's easier than anything you'll fight in your life... Just a few hits and you'll take care of it. Meh..." Explaining in a rather dull and dense tone he awaited for the girl to finish off a huge plant that appeared before her. If she's about to get hurt I'll jump in before it touches her. But I've got faith in her. She'll definitely defeat it. Hmph

(OOC: Yeah it's whatever. We won't use the dice thing for this so you can just say you defeated him and what not. It's not really a real boss so yeah. And I was only delaying the forest because you need twenty posts before your role play is complete. That's a whole page.)

[Alciel 0]

Soon enough they entered the confides of the forest, the tall and bizarre flora and fauna looming on their side of them as if consciously attempting to shut out any thought of wandering off the path in which they traveled. For such a place like this which was meant to be easy for new comers to seem so eerie, even despite the presence of the personable snow was something she had to say she was not a fan of. It wasn't long before they came across a small clearing before coming to a halt, a curiously conspicuous specimen of flower seemed to stick out midst the rest as if begging to be seen. It was only logical to assume that this was her objective for this quest. The «Little Nepent's Ovule» is she remembered correctly.

With a gentle shove, she was forced into the middle of the clearing which caused her to look back sharply with an unsure expression. "Wait...what am I supposed to do?" she questioned as her brow furrowed. After his brief, yet vague explanation which she surmised as 'get in, beat it up, get out' she shrugged her shoulders before swiping down at the air with the flick of her wrist causing the well known User Interface to let out small jingle before materializing before her eyes. With careful movements she eventually managed to get into her inventory list before equipping her starter One-Handed Attack Spear.

Readying it in hand she crept forward a feet with a cautious air as her eyes zoomed and zipped to and fro while her mind was abuzz. If that flower was her objective and it was guarded, then whatever was guarding it should be around here somewhere...right? If that was the case, then where was it? The clearing seemed utterly deserted save Kirito and herself. As the seconds shaved on, her wariness seemed to drop in its entirety as she shrugged once more. "Hmph, guess it's just a lucky day. Nobody home!" Without a second thought, she casually strolled up to the flower with the intent of collecting it and being on her way. Just as she neared it, the snow layered ground around it seemed to rumble and crumble before a pair of limb like leaves bursted from the ground, used as leverage to haul the rest of the mysterious beings form from the ground.

Looming before her was a pale, mottled monstrosity with the scarlet flower crowning its malformed head. Seemingly eyeless, the creature brandished a sickening smile as it faced in her general direction. Despite the sudden dramatic arrival, Alciel seemed astonishingly collected. Her eyes narrowed, a calculating glimmer sparking off in them as she ducked out of the way of rummaged dirt and snow that the creature had lifted, causing a light layer of dust around the area. Just like I thought... she mused inwardly, far too quiet and obvious...couldn't have possibly been more telegraphed!

Without so much as letting the creature get its first movement in, she stepped to the right before lunging her basic hand spear into the creatures side, allowing it to quickly sink into its soft, fruit like flesh. The creature bellowed a blood curdling yowl as she yanked out her weapon, leaving a digitized red gash where she had struck as if a reminder that this were all fake. The beasts health bar materialized above its head before shrinking down a considerable amount. Suddenly, with lightning precision, its appendage like leaf arm shot forward directly towards her. Hardly expecting it, she just managed to hop out of the way making use of her «Acrobatics» skill but even that wasn't enough to prevent a red gash from appearing on her leg where the razor-esque leaf had diced her causing her own health bar to appear over her head reading 8/9. The exchange of blows continued between the two as Alciel struck and dodged to the best of her low ranking ability given her level, the quest and even Kirito being placed to the back of her mind. It wasn't long before the final blow was finally given as Alciel batted away and approaching leaf arm with her spear before finally sinking the tip deep into the monsters midsection causing it to bellow a final ear shattering moan before tumbling over and shattering into thousands of shards of light blue data before evaporating as if never having been there to begin with, the «Little Nepent's Ovule» laying in place of where her opponent had just been. With a nod, she scouped it up before turning back to Kirito and showing it off with a childish grin. "That was fun! We should do it again!!"

[Zauis 0]

Kirito shrugged when he saw Alciel actually acting like the boss wasn't near. Reaching for the flower the huge weird "Little" Nepent appeared before our very eyes. No one was sure why it was called little, because the thing was as tall as some of the trees around us. It was standing at a meter and a half tall maybe. The monster had countless of roots, vibe arms and it's mouth was very huge. It even grinned and had big pearly white teeth, lips lined in a cherry red. It also had some type of liquid dripping from it's mouth like it was drool from a nap. Though obviously, that wasn't the case in this situation.

The fight had finally began between Alciel and the Little Nepent. The Nepent swung his vine toward Alciel who successfully ducked and then she used a skilled that was fairly nice and well executed. After the fights still been going on, Alciel finally gets struck by the Little Nepent. Kirito's eyes widen and his facial expression changed, reaching for his sword with a killer like intent. Right as he was about to join in the fight and end it, Alciel managed to land the final blow into the Little Nepent's midsection. Letting out a sigh at her victorious words he smiled and gave her a high five. Though his hands were shaking a bit because he thought Alciel was gonna get hurt even worse. He couldn't bear the pain if her getting killed.

Trying not to show any distress from Alciel getting hit, he tried to make conversation about her first victory. "That was your first real battle, huh? You did an amazing job. Not bad for a rookie." He through in a little joke to make himself feel better. He pointed to the right of them where a cabin was seen in the distance. "That's where you need to turn in the Nepent ovule at. It's where the old lady is. Meh, looks like this quest was an success. Great job. I guess this is where we part our ways, maybe?" He sighs sadly, looking away from Alciel with a fake smile on his face. He was going to meet up with her again later but he wanted to stay with her. Kirito was just being a wimp and he knew it. Turning to face Alciel once more. "Well get going already. The cabins right there."