[PP-F1] Fault Line (Creius) -COMPLETED-

[Jazmyne 0]

Jazmyne hadn't quite wrapped her head around such a complex gaming system yet. She suffered from the inability to ask for help in fear of seeming weak which rendered her useless in terms of equipping a weapon or checking to see how much money she had. If only those friends, the same ones who promised to be there for her, had been around to teach her how things worked! The gamers of the small group decided to teach the newbies, Jazmyne being one of them, who exactly games of this sort worked out. The basics, cheats, mechanisms, skills and combat. But where were they now? Probably dead or frightened to the bone, she concluded, or else the few people she had to call friends would've been around to assist her already.

At least she had an excuse. Jazmyne had been knocked out pretty cold early in the game and eventually woke up. Eventually as in yesterday. Now she held a permanent scowl as a facial expression and stomped her feet on the ground with every step. At the moment she could easily be compared to a young child throwing a temper tantrum. Pushing and shoving through a busy crowd, honestly having no where to be but seeming as if she were late for something, Jazmyne continuously made her way through Sword Art Online similar to how she survived city life. Continuous moving onward, especially because there wasn't anyone or anywhere else to go to.

Unfortunately a force that couldn't be avoided unleashed one of her worst faults. One accidental shove and Jazmyne stumbled backwards, falling onto other players who in return pushed the light-weight brunette forwards. The motions made her sick, but too much anger coursed through her already boiling veins for said sickness to even gain the chance to shine through. A tanned limb stretches out to grab the hem of the stranger's shirt, pulling him close to her twisted face. Something dangerous came to life behind those sweet, dull brown eyes. Something that could scare a grown man if truly wanted. 

"Ay, little man, shove me again why don't ya? It's rude to hit a girl... Real rude. Why'd you do it? Don't leave me without answers, bub, I'm a lot stronger than I look and it wouldn't take much to shove you out into one of those fields full of monsters that'll eat you up in a heartbeat. C'mon. Talk already!"

Funny how she would call someone much taller "little man". Even funnier how she wasn't even that angry at this poor stranger. Jazmyne just wanted to go home like everyone else. Soon enough this hatred would burn out. But first she had to get rid of it through any source possible. The crowd moved around the two which made it seem as if time had stopped and continued only on the outside of their tiny personal circle. 

Edited July 24, 2016 by Jazmyne

[Creius 0]

Nathan had simply been walking with the crowd through the Town of Beginnings, heading on his way to his shop just to check if any requests had come in. He felt a lot better recently, he had grown a lot in a really short amount of time. A lot farther than he had been after he had recovered from his months long stall. He was by no means a weak little teenager who had been swallowed by the death trap. He was growing stronger with each step and with each step he grew more determined to survive. Though, these steps were becoming hard to take as the crowd inhibited him. He was not entirely comfortable with all these people around him, even in a safe zone. He had never really dealt with large populations before, having ended up in the suburbs of a large city after the move. He was growing used to the mindless mob though as time went on and he grew accustomed to the journey he had to make through it to get to the market district. It was just another nice little routine of his which he could count on for the day. Just another day, another walk when something quickly interrupted him.

He was not entirely sure what had happened, one moment he had been walking down the streets and the next he was being yelled out by a woman who was a few inches shorter than he and a seemingly still beginner level. Sure, he had felt the impact when he ran into her or she ran into him, it was hard to tell who the real culprit was in such a large crowd. What was obvious was that this woman was insane. She appeared to think that whatever muscle she had would help her in this game or that she was some strong hotshot who did not need any sort of advancement to beat the system. Nathan just simply sighed and looked down the dark side street next to the road and brought his eyes back to her. "I hope you do not mind but we will deal with this not in the middle of the street." With that he grabbed this woman by the arm and drug her through the crowd and off the street, into the side street where they would not be interrupting the travelling of others.

Once they were off the street Nathan turned around and looked at the irritated woman. "You really need to cool down, ma'am. It would be a shame if you had run into someone else. Some people here might have slapped you into reality. First, look at me. Now, look at you. No matter how strong you might be you are not going to beat the system unless you play it. I would venture to guess you have not even left the Town of Beginnings. How would you feel if I just picked you up and took you with me into those fields and we would see who got eaten by those angry monsters first?" He held her gaze, hopping his point got across. "Now, it was an accident and surely you know that. If you do not mind I will be on my way. I would recommend getting your act together before it gets you killed. That would be one major failure, dying without getting past level one." With that said Nathan left the heated girl in the side street, passing by her as he approached the street. He really did not want to deal with this kind of trouble today, especially trouble that interrupted the one constant routine he had..

Edited May 29, 2016 by Creius

[Jazmyne 0]

Taken by surprise, Jazmyne hadn't expected to be touched in such a way that mimicked her own actions, let alone dragged into an alley. She didn't begin screaming or protesting with "get off me"s or "you can do that"'s until the two were already in the darkened place between two buildings. Fear enveloped Jazmyne's fear and mind entirely. Here anything could happen, just like the real world. Here she had been rendered defenseless as well as paralyzed by her own emotions. Death, naturally, happened to be the one thing that fought past her tough mental barrier that usually stood tall, making her a powerful force to reckon with. If she couldn't think straight in this situation than any others would be far too dangerous to experience. Deadly, even. Though in her stiff state Jazmyne heard every word that shook her from doing nothing to feeling something.

Realization hit like a freight train, and too soon.

"I can't be strong if I don't have anybody!" She yanked the stranger's arm once more, though immediately let go and backed away as if disgusted with herself, the world, and especially the male who'd bumped into her in the first place. Who "messed" with her mind and made the poor girl think about what she'd been avoiding all along. "How was I 'sposed to become strong anyways? I just woke up yesterday! And who cares if I get killed? My friends couldn't even bother to check on me! My entire life, not just this stupid game!" 

Jazmyne punched the nearest wall. Once. Twice. Repeatedly until she became blinded by rage and couldn't stop herself. "I shoulda just moved on like I always have to." She mumbled as tears spilled down her cheeks. She was weak. Crying out of shame and fear at once. Crying because she missed home much more than she let on. "Those days I was knocked out all I saw or heard were memories. Don't go tellin' a girl she needs to "get her act together" when so much bullshit is happening."

Those fists wouldn't stop themselves and she wouldn't stop this stranger if he truly wanted to leave her alone. He'd be the same as everyone else, anyways.

[Creius 0]

Nathan was just passing when there was a strong pull on his arm, causing him to turn around and look at the woman as she started to break down. He did not feel pity for her nor anger at her having interrupted his day. He just stared at her blankly, a look that betrayed no emotion and one that he wore almost all the time. She was most definitely not the first person to have been broken by the game nor would she be the last. He watched as she threw a tantrum and punched the wall repeatedly a little coldly. "From my experience you do not need anyone to get strong. Also, from my experience, you do not get strong by crying and beating up a wall. Generally you get strong by taking a step forward and willing yourself to be stronger. If you are incapable of forcing yourself forward then you might as well already be dead. It does not matter if it has been one day or one year, you have obviously not been taking any steps forward. If you think you are some sort of pity case then let me tell you otherwise. There have been thousands of deaths in this game most likely and quite a few of those very well might be suicide. Everyone feels abandoned here and everyone is seeking some sort of solace to appease that. For some people that solace was finding strength in death and for some it was progressing. Either way, you can not stop moving forward or you will drown in sorrow. Now, if you truly want to get stronger, I recommend you stop hitting that wall and find something to do." He sighed and looked up at the sky, trying to gauge what time it was. Already he was a bit behind schedule. "Tell me, what are you going to do?" He did not know if he cared either way but it would be a shame to see another death. Though, he cared little what she did to herself. He would not stop her if she truly decided to kill herself but that was just a waste in his opinion. He turned his gaze back to her and stared at her, waiting for her decision.

[Jazmyne 0]

Oh how Jazmyne despised this stranger for making her feel. Who didn't care a bit about her, she could tell by the way he acted, or about the danger she imposed on herself. And now he wanted her to work?! To actually go out and fight all alone. Who would carry her? Who would tell her what to do and how to do it and when? Who would be there when she needed food or a shoulder to cry on? Nobody. And without a somebody she was automatically a nobody. Jazmyne, being quite the narcissist, could hardly believe the words pouring with ease from the boy's mouth. With such ease it sent a shiver down her spine at the thought of how little she mattered to him. Everyone in Jazmyne's life had cared for her so much before... Everyone. Now things were different and she wasn't exactly what you would call "ready" to accept this fact. Such a brutal, unwanted fact.

Slowly she moved away from the wall, shoving hardly sore fists into the pockets of her cloth pants. They were almost as soft as her mother's sewn clothing. Almost. Roughly wiping tears away from her puffy, red face, Jazmyne cleared her throat and turned to finally make eye contact with the boy who'd given her completely honest advice. The little ounce of her not feeling immense emotions were glad that she could hear this so soon. So quickly and bluntly that she respected the words and the one who spoke them. Okay, she didn't like the player standing before her, in fact she hated him. But that was a step up from despite, right? Her feelings took a sharp turn, heart burning as her chest heaved, mouth open as she breathed deeply.

"I'll find my solace. You wouldn't understand but I need someone there for me or I'l never have any motivation. Not that I would expect someone as shallow as you to even have friends in order to actually know what I'm going through... But I'll try to fight. Okay? And I'll calm down, too. Well, actually, no promises there but I won't be that crazy lady in the street anymore- ah, [censored]." The brunette tugged at the strands of her hair, moving hands from her pockets to thick, brown locks. She furrowed her brows as she shook her head. "I let myself go. I really messed up." Knowing that she let fear and the thought of death take over, Jazmyne had refrained from being her usual discrete self. What if this happened every time someone exposed a raw truth? Every time someone brought up the game and its affects on her life? "This is your fault. I blame you. I'm not supposed to do this..."

Smacking her forehead, Jazmyne lifted her eyes to meet the boy's. Might as well try this whole "friend" thing out if she already exposed her emotions to him. Quite pathetically, she had to admit, and there wasn't a doubt in Jazmyne's mind that she'd feel far too much shame and guilt that night to sleep. 

"What's your name?... Little man." Choking out the last part, Jazmyne covers her mouth as her eyes twinkle and heart beat slows to a relaxed pace, awaiting an expected answer. Her mood had a tendency to change rather quickly. Obvious proof that she was indeed a female.

[Creius 0]

Nathan watched as something seemed to snap inside the woman as his words hit her. When she turned to him he could see that she did not like what he had said but it had been necessary. She had obviously been pampered all her life if she truly expected people to just be there to carry her along. She needed to hear all that and was glad to see that there was some sort of acceptance in it as she walked away from the wall and stared at him, anger in her eyes. It might not be the most preferred reaction but at least she did not seem like she was going to kill herself. At the very least she was going to fight on and that was all he could really care about. His work had been done though and he felt it was time to go soon. He stuck around to listen though, knowing that an emotional reaction would be imminent. He stood there, similar to a rock, and simply waited for the waves of emotion, which he was most certain the woman was about to release, to roll over him.

Nathan watched as the woman reacted to his words, glad to see a bit of that fury still in her eyes. At the very least what contempt she held for him might make her push on, to spite him at least. He listened as she spoke, also glad to hear that she was not going to just give up like he had seen others. He listened as she let vent her emotions a bit, all of this outburst not really affecting him at all. The truth had greatly affected her and he was glad for that, though he hoped his callous manner had not put her off too much. He knew he had people issues and he embraced them readily. Her guess that he did not have friends was accurate and he was fine with that. But by no means did he consider himself shallow, if anything he was more defined then this woman. He could sense the narcissism within her, the thought that she was above everyone else. It was obvious from the fact that she considered everyone ought to take care of her and that she needed someone in order to feel real. He held the gaze coolly though, not commenting at all on her venting. He was not one to point out flaws to others; he felt they had to find those themselves. Instead Nathan looked calmly at her red face and replied to her question. "I go by Creius in this game." He was deliberately choosing to ignore the little man part. It did not affect him though insulting truly would get her nowhere. If she really needed someone it would be prudent to drop the insulting in his opinion. What did he know though? He never really partied up with others so he might be wrong. "And you? What is your name?" He held no true interest in becoming too friendly with this person but he would play along for a bit if necessary. He just did not enjoy other's company all that much and he doubted she would be an exception. There was also the fact that she seemed somewhat volatile. He was not entirely sure if he could trust her with a weapon out in the fields behind his back, which was where he was sure she would end up.

[Jazmyne 0]

Jazmyne really, really wanted to see this emote. In an way possible would be fine with her, yet he continued to stand still with no feeling embedded in that nonchalant expression and matching posture. Even his voice somehow managed to be annoyingly plain. Squinting her eyes, moving forward, Jazmyne moved to stand on her toes as she stretched out a tanned limb that would eventually meet with Creius' forehead. "Well duh, I don't know anybody that would go by such a weird name in real life." She moved her wandering finger to his cheek and pokes the pudgy flesh. Repeatedly. Jazmyne awaited reaction towards her childish actions, thin brows furrowed and smirk stretching wider with each touch. Moving back down to stand flat on her feet, Jazmyne flipped her hair, twirling the thick strand with one hand while the other rested comfortably on the protruding side of her hips. "It's Jazmyne." 

At least she felt better. More whole and much more strong as a woman. Maybe she'd make it out with a little importance held to her name. Maybe. Or she'd break down eventually and not be able to go on. Or she'd die. But, of course, Jazmyne told herself she was too amazing to be able to possibly get hurt let alone die. Anyone who fell victim to her wrath or whip would perish so long as she wished. Soon enough. Until then she needed to accompany herself with the mechanics of Sword Art Online. "Uh..." Asking for help... That couldn't possibly work... But she found a way around this, naturally. "Maybe you could show me just how good you are at this game, what you know and all that junk. Just so I know for sure you ain't a liar or somethin'." This way she didn't sound or seem as weak. This way she could get what she wanted without falling to her knees and begging. "Start with... Working that inventory. Yeah. Know how to do that or are you actually dumber than I thought?"

[Creius 0]

His eyes grew a little wider as her arm approached him and he kept an eye on it until it touched his forehead. He had no idea why she was touching him but he was not entirely sure that he liked it. Then she began poking his cheek... Nathan sighed slightly at the touching. He really was not a fan of people and this girl was quickly becoming a bother. Her saying that his name was weird; it was a username after all, there were funkier ones out there. It did not bother him terribly since he understood what reasoning he had behind the name and that was all that mattered to him. The touching though, that bothered him slightly. More like a buzzing fly annoyance that anger inducing annoyance. He just kept consoling himself with the fact that soon enough he would be back at his shop and relaxing. He nodded slightly as she said her name, "Since we never had a true introduction, nice to meet you Ms. Jazmyne." 

He frowned slightly as she seemed to deliberate over something, feeling that a question was coming. He really did not feel like teaching anyone how to play this game. He felt that if he could do it then other's should be able to as well. Finally, she opened her mouth and started with, "Uh," always a good start. He stood there patiently as he listened to her calling him out on being good at this game. Sure, he was by no means a front liner but he was quickly growing in power and expected to keep doing so. He wondered what sort of Herculean task she was going to assign him, maintaining his emotionless stare as she seemed to take forever to get the words out. When the task turned out to be inventory he raised his eyebrows. "The inventory? Really? You have no clue how to open the inventory?" As much as she may have been trying to hide it this was obviously an attempt at getting to know the game. However, he thought that this was too much. Maybe explaining some more complex things would make sense and he might consider it but the inventory? He smirked slightly, "Sure, I can open my inventory." He usually kept Bloodletter unequipped in the town since it was useless without the ability to damage so equipping it was reason enough to open his inventory. Holding his stare into her eyes he quickly swiped his hand down and tabbed over to his inventory and selected Bloodletter and Bloodletter materialized into existence on his belt. The entire process took around one seconds and Bloodletter sat on his belt as a testament to the fact that he had indeed accessed his inventory. "See?" He waited expectantly, wondering if he had actually moved fast enough to where she could not have seen what he did. If so then the complaints were about to come rolling in. It was a test of sorts, to see if she would react as he thought she would.

[Jazmyne 0]

Eyebrows raised, Jazmyne rolled her eyes, wondering why Creius spoke so formally and stoically. This guy was weird, no doubt, but she had plenty of love-hate emotions rushing through her body when taking him into consideration. Maybe she enjoyed exploring the unknown. Or maybe she was attracted to unique characters. Whatever the feeling, Jazmyne wanted to know more about Creius yet hated his oh-so annoying face at the same time. "Goddamn you're so weird, I swear." She mused, words contesting her delighted tone of voice. "But it really is nice to meet you. You're my-uh first friend." Jazmyne admitted, cheeks tinted a light pink as she averted her gaze elsewhere. Her ego wouldn't allow her to feel anything other than embarrassment at the thought of being so very unknown, but she certainly wouldn't lie about her popularity. 

"I just woke up yesterday. Weren't you listening?" Crossing her thin arms in protest, Jazmyne scowled and stuck her thick, pink bottom lip out in protest, stomping a foot on the ground in order to further express her annoyance towards the question at hand. "There hasn't been time for anything. All I could do was think. All I had was myself." With each word Jazmyne unknowingly became quiet, voice hoarse and choppy. As her eyes lowered towards the ground, body slumping and mouth turning into a frown, Jazmyne suddenly caught notice of her actions and immediately fixed her mistakes. "You wouldn't understand." Clearing her throat as if nothing had happened, Jazmyne stared attentively as Creius agreed to showing her a basic necessity in-game. Perfect. "Everyone should follow my orders as quickly as you di-" Suspicious arose as Creius smirked, seeing as he hardly made expressions, or at least hadn't since their unintentional, rather emotional meeting.

"Hey!" Jazmyne yelled, jumping to shove Creius against the brick wall standing behind him. He'd moved much too quickly for her to be able to take in the information of how to do what he'd done. "You went too fast! On purpose I bet!" Shoving the male once again she angrily kept both hands clinging to his shoulders. "I won't let go of you until you swear you'll show me. I. Don't. Tolerate. Liars." Gritting her teeth, Jazmyne lifted her head to stare at Creius in retaliation, heart slumping and grip weak as she felt betrayed. The twinkle in her eyes disappeared and had been turned into rage. But more so they glimmered sadly as her expression read "why would you do this to me".

[Creius 0]

Nathan listened as the woman, once again, explained how she had just woken up. He cared little about when she woke up, she was awake now and that was all that mattered. When she mentioned how he would not know what it meant to be on one's own he instantly cast that aside. That sort of sad story was least effective on him, if anything his stoic look became ever so stoic. He had been alone all his life. His family, always distant. Other students, always distant. Every single one he had kept at a distance as protection. His entire life had been centered on loneliness since the moment of his birth. That was the type of loneliness that very few understood and fewer could say they had been through. He doubted this woman knew true loneliness. Her definition of loneliness was probably just a sense of sadness whenever there was no one to care for her, and part of him found that absolutely despicable.

When she mentioned how he was a good little grunt for so quickly following her orders the smirk only grew slightly more, knowing full well she was not going to enjoy what he was about to do. As soon as the deed was done he saw her fly at him. He was caught off-guard and slammed into the wall as her full weight came against him. He was in a bit of a daze, hearing her call him out. Then his head hit the wall again and his vision blurred again. He heard her ask him to show her how to open the inventory then proceeded to call him a liar, or so it seemed to him. After taking a few moments and having recollected himself, he looked down at her broken face. He could see the betrayal in the woman's eyes and any trace of the smirk was gone, replaced by the usual emotionless look in his eyes. It amazed him how much of a brat this woman was. She reacted to everything like a child, the way that she had stuck her lip out and stomped her foot, the way that she had thrown herself at him in a tantrum, the way that she looked so broken and abandoned at such a small event, it all betrayed how childish she truly was to him. "I am not a liar. I never said I would show you how, just that I would open the inventory. I will show you now that you have asked me to." No more messing with her, she obviously could not deal with such matters at the moment. He slipped his arms between them and gently pushed the woman off of him, breaking the weak grip she had him. He raised his hand slowly and then brought it down, the menu system opening in front of him. "After that, I am sure you can read." The instruction was terse, but it was a rather simple mechanic that did not require much instruction.

[Jazmyne 0]

"Okay." Jazmyne huffed, crossing her arms as she stepped away from Creius, who seemed to be annoyed with her actions, pushing Jazmyne off of his body. She hadn't meant to ask the question at hand since doing so always made her feel weak, and it deflated her ego as well, but the request had been an accident that happened during the fuss, and now Jazmyne could only watch and listen as Creius taught a simple command. One that she could, honestly, perform during slumber if needed. The boy wasn't wrong, he never promised anything, yet she still felt somewhat hurt. Most likely because her emotions had been pulled into a thin strip only a few minutes ago. Emotions that Jazmyne finally decided to reflect upon rather than push down, yet she still felt empty inside without that "solace" to find comfort in. Would she ever find someone? Probably. There had to still be thousands of players in Aincrad, surely, and at least one of them would fit the picture Jazmyne had in mind for the perfect role model to lean on.

"Yeah..." The brunette replied, swiping open the inventory, jumping backwards a bit as a screen, matching Creius' own, appeared before her figure. Idly playing around with the icons, Jazmyne continued to switch her gaze from Creius to the screen pop-up, before finally resting dark brown eyes on the male. With the flick of a finger she closed her HUD menu, taking in a deep breath before asking, "So what's your solace? You're a pretty mysterious guy..." Jazmye felt as if it were her duty to figure Creius out herself since nobody else would, or so she believed. That and curiosity took over.

[Creius 0]

Nathan watched the brunette play around with the inventory a bit then close it up and, honestly, was shocked by her question. This shock was momentarily betrayed by his face but quickly covered over with a contemplative look as he considered her question.  What was his solace? He was not entirely sure that he had found one himself. He just kept moving forward and made sure that each step was useful. He felt comfortable with that, even if he were alone amongst the thousands of people in the game. He did not need anyone to baby him along the way. With a shrug, he replied, "...My solace is the fact that one day I will be stronger than this game. Systems can be beaten as long as the time and thought is taken to do so. I am getting out of here. That is my solace. Do not worry about my solace, worry about yours." It was a bold statement, but it was as close to the truth as Nathan felt like sharing with a stranger. In fact, this was probably the most he had spoken to someone in quite a long time. That came as a bit of a shock to him as well, but not one that showed on his face. The calm and unemotional look had finally come back and stared into her brown eyes. "So, do you have any other questions you need answered? Or will that be all today? I really should be at my shop by now. Hector is probably getting lonely..." Nathan began quietly musing to himself, something he did because he generally did not have too much company with him, and it almost seemed like he were ignoring the Jazmyne at this point. He was listening, of course, but just seemed distracted as he worried over various things that he had planned for the day before this woman had interrupted his plans.

[Jazmyne 0]

"People are gonna beat you to that." Jazmyne stated, not caring that she might've discouraged Creius in the least. "And for a second there you seemed pretty unsure. Maybe you aren't as strong on the inside as you think." She did worry about her own solace, and would for a long, long time until that special someone was found. He didn't seem to understand or know this, which at the realization of this, received an eye roll. Creius seemed, to Jazmyne, a lonely guy with nobody to treat him well. Or at all. Which was unfortunate but Jazmyne told herself she didn't care. And she didn't, but the mysteriousness and suspicious mixed together made it seem as if she did with every question, expression, and movement of the body. Yawning, rather bored from having to listen to Creius, despite the fact that she had asked him a question in the first place, Jazmyne watched the male player's figure with raised brows. He had begun speaking to himself, from what she gathered, and the scene alone caused a few giggles to rise from her stomach, echoing against the close walls of the buildings of either side of the two.

"I'll come." The brunette piped up excitedly, not exactly having been in a shop before. "On the way you can impress me with your gaming prowess, and then I can look at your shop and tell you everything wrong with it... Then I'll meet Hector! If he's lonely then of course someone as fun as me should be there to make him happy. It's only common sense." She mapped out their journey in a split-second, pounding a fist into the palm of her other hand as if to make her plans official. Holding out a hand for a high-five, Jazmyne flashed her bright with teeth in a goofy smile, awaiting Creius' answer. Perhaps she could snoop around his shop or get things out of him that she couldn't now. It would all come together eventually. Not to mention the boy happened to be growing on her, but Jazmyne would never admit that to herself.

[Creius 0]

Nathan paid no mind to her saying others would beat him. He trusted himself to reach the frontlines before the end of the game. He was certain he would be one of the stronger players of Aincrad eventually, maybe not until another ten or twenty floors had been cleared but he would eventually reach the top. He would fight his way up there with the persistence that always kept him going. As for her comments on his strength, they struck true. He knew he was weak in some aspects, everyone was in some way. He just hoped his strength to be able to stand on his own would never give out. All he wished for was the ability to stay independent and not have to rely on the fickle nature of man for his strength. 

Nathan looked up at Jazmyne's comment on how she would be joining him. He frowned a bit, wondering how he could kindly reject her company. Though, she already seemed hell-bent on going to the shop and meeting Hector. He looked at her hand, outstretched towards him in an offer for a high five. Nathan sighed and nodded slightly, "Okay, you can come. Just... Try not to touch anything unless you want to pay for it. It is my workplace, please keep that in mind. As for Hector... Be careful around him as well." He was not entirely sure that he wanted this woman walking around his shop but he had no conceivable reason to tell her no, especially since potential customers were always nice. He did not reach out and give her the high five she requested, instead he looked at her goofy face with his unemotional stare and turned around towards the street. "Come on, no point in wasting any time. As for this gaming prowess, what exactly do you wish to know?" As they approached the street he quickly flitted through his menus and accessed his inventory, unequipping Bloodletter so that he could walk through the streets with ease.

[Jazmyne 0]

Upon hearing those words of caution, Jazmyne planned to touch every single bit of Creius' shop just to witness the satisfying look of annoyance on his face. That would take a lot to get out of the stoic looking boy, luckily Jazmyne was a tiny fireball who couldn't be put out unless completely ended. "Geez you sound like an old man. Lighten up. I'm here, after all!" What would be even more amusing than seeing Creius emote would be to see him laugh. Or smile, even. And after attempting to visualize what that'd look like to no avail, Jazmyne wondered if he was born with that plain, boring face, or if he'd ever smiled in his life. All this time she'd been staring at Creius' face, squinting hardly, though shook her head and returned her gaze to the view before the two who were now walking side-by-side in sync. "So is Hector your boyfriend?" The brunette asked with a smirk plastered onto her face, eyebrows waggling as to suggest a hidden romance of sorts. 

"Oh, um... Is learning to use your weapon hard? Like, do you actually know how to use it or does everything seem to... be just right out there?" After asking the question, Jazmyne grabbed Creius' closest hand before lifting it in the air, smacking his forced-open palm. "Hah! Got you now!" She mused, dropping the boy's hand as not to shove any mixed feelings towards him. Though she did stick her tongue out before striding forward once more. It sure was fun messing with this guy, or so that's what Jazmyne had begun believing by now.

[Creius 0]

Nathan looked at her blankly as she told him to lighten up and mentioned how she was there with him since that was definitely a cause for joy. For all he knew she was going to do her best to antagonize him just for the fun of it, it seemed to be that way thus far at least. Though she was tiring, he was kind of stuck with her it seemed so he would tolerate it for now. He had been kind of hoping that his emotionless staring would steer her away, it usually kept most people away, but she stayed. He noticed her staring at his face intently, even going so far as to squint at him. He had no idea what she was looking at but whatever it was she seemed to discard the thought. Then she asked the most ridiculous question ever and she got a look that told her so. He was not exactly dating material and he realized that, it was hard for him to connect with others so he just stayed away. "No, Hector is my scorpion," he said succinctly and kept walking on.

Nathan opened his mouth to reply when Jazmyne grabbed his hand and pulled it up and proceeded to slap it. He looked at her in bewilderment as he took his hand back and saw her sticking her tongue out at him. This woman really did seem to enjoy messing with him. All the more reason to not react then, no point in fueling the fire. "Okay... I do not believe that was entirely necessary. As for your question, that is difficult to answer." He looked up a bit, contemplating the best answer. "You do not need to worry about how you use the weapon, the system takes care of it for you, especially the sword arts which are entirely system. You just... Attack and the system compensates so that it is a fair enough attack. It takes time though to get more proficient with the weapon so that it deals more damage." He swiped his hand down and moved through his menus to his skills. He indicated his weapon skill, which said Apprentice next to it and then indicated other skills in the list. "If you look, there is a ranking system in the game for skills, much like any MMO. So, to get better with your weapon you have to work at it but as for the basics, they are covered by the system. You just provide an input." He closed up his menus and looked over at her, wondering if that answered her question.

[Jazmyne 0]

"Phew," Jazmyne huffed, whistling while slapping Creius' back, though more so in an affectionate mannerism than rude. As if they were close pals. "dating a scorpion must be tough. You're one crazy guy." She knew what he had meant but decided to keep the fun going. Creius seemed to have a lot on his mind, how else could someone be so boring? Jazmyne jumped to conclusion once more and officially decided to give Creius the most entertaining days of his life as long as the two lived in Aincrad. Getting him to accept her friend request, though, that would be whole other problem and overall obstacle along with many more to come in the near future. Jazmyne would have her ways of finding him if things went wrong... So there were no worries in her head on that part. "Uh, yeah it was "absolutely necessary" because you wouldn't give me a high-five. Even my grandma would know how to give one and she's got both feet in the grave. You should really learn to lighten up." After imitating the boy's voice, Jazmyne sighed before poking one of his sides, giggling all the while, determination set within her eyes ablaze with passion. A passion to annoy.

"Ah, okay." Jazmyne nodded, leaning close to the boy's form, taking a good look at his screen in order to obtain information before it was swiped away. "So just swing and hope the skill works. Got it." She hadn't moved away, but instead touched shoulders with Creius as they walked, eyeing his closest hand once more with a mischievous smirk carved onto her face. "Ay, you ever hold hands with a girl? Maybe you should try just once since well.. you're into guys and all." Jazmyne teased, slipping her own hand into the other's, wrapping thin fingers around the foreign skin before squeezing tightly in order to secure her grip. "You like?"

[Creius 0]

Jazmyne received a small. uncaring glance as she slapped Nathan on the back, not really accustomed to friendly mannerisms. He had no idea why she had slapped him on the back in such a jovial way, it hadn't hurt but it was a tad annoying. What he did understand was that she was truly trying her best to annoy him. While she was secretly resolving herself to pestering, or at least what he saw as pestering, him for the day, Nathan was resolving not to betray any annoyance and fuel her fires. Now it was a contest around whose resolve was stronger. Thus, he did not rise up to her saying that he was dating scorpions and left it at no comment. He simply gave her a withering look that indicated at the stupidity of such a remark. "No one dates scorpions, simple as that. Now stop acting like an idiot," almost seemed to be conveyed by the look. When she moved on to his lack of returning the high five he listened as she mentioned how his dead mother was more skilled at the social interaction than he was which, sadly, was probably true. He turned his head to look at her and noticed the lit up eyes that indicated a passion and, considering her previous words, that passion was directed towards his annoyance. "I'm sorry that I was incapable of returning your gesture," he said simply and moved on.

After showing her how the skill system worked and closing the character info windows he realized just how close she was to him. He looked at her suspiciously as she pressed herself against his side. A mischievous look came across her face and instantly he began thinking about what she could possibly be doing. It didn't take long for him to figure out as she outright told him. Nathan sighed softly at her question and further comment on his liking of guys. He truly had no idea where she got that idea but no point in trying to refute it, she would most likely just persist. He shook his head slightly to her question. He was pretty sure his mother did not count as an answer to that question so he did not even bother. Then he felt her smooth, thin fingers slip into his hands and tightly squeeze his hand. He could feel her warmth as their hands were clasped together, binding them for that moment. And he felt nothing. "Um... Not particularly. Not that I have anything against you but... Am I supposed to like it?" He looked at her blankly as they walked down the street, still hand in hand.

[Jazmyne 0]

"I wouldn't say that to someone with a scorpion fetish... I hear if you turn on one person the whole community comes lashing back at ya." She honestly had no idea what they were talking about anymore, Jazmyne simply strove to complete her goal and would seek in until the end of completion. Because winning surely is a lovely thing. Creius had to be one of those types that really got freaky when they let loose. Or maybe he was a hermit crab destined to be a grumpy old man who sold watches in the future. Maybe even a butcher who murdered to danced ballet to let all of their emotions fly free. "Ah man, uh," Jazmyne turned red and instantly let go, creating plenty of distance between the two before slipping both disappointed hands into the depth of the pockets of her pants. How disappointing, she really did was Creius to feel something. Even if it was a tiny ounce of platonic love as a sign of possible future friendship. Everyone, well almost everyone, that Jazmyne flirted with before had reacted in their own special way. But Creius was simply... there. And maybe he felt nothing but she surely felt something more than annoyance. "no I guess not I mean it was just a joke so... Yep." She sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck before coughing, finally speaking up to clear the awkward air. "Just more proof of that guy love y'know? Nothing serious." With that she poked his side though it wasn't nearly as passionate as before.

[Creius 0]

The bright red blush on her cheeks was easily seen by Nathan and the disappointment was obvious in her stance and the way that she hid her hands. He cast a glance down at the hand she had been holding, a small frown coming upon his face. He truly had not felt anything but obviously that had been the wrong answer. Bringing his eyes back up to her almost immediately he grasped at what to say. This was one of his failing points, socialization. He could chat politely with a guest or associate but this was not such a circumstance and this situation seemed to be calling for some delicate care. His interactions with this woman had gone well beyond what he was used to, maybe he had just as much to learn from being with her for however brief just as much as she had matters to learn from him. This was an issue to him, though. He was used to being able to tackle problems and resolve them easily but this was an area that he was just now realizing how woefully lacking he was. The awkwardness built up for a few moments, her quietly muttering how it had just been a jest. Surely she did not take him for an idiot because it obviously did matter on some level and if he were not so unskilled socially he was sure he would be able to figure out what the problem was. After those few moments she once again picked up on the jests and even poked him in the side, but it was obvious that she was disturbed in some way. He frowned slightly as he looked at her. "Are you sure it is nothing serious? I am truly sorry if I said something wrong." His frown developed a bit more as he tried to figure out what he could say that might alleviate the situation. "Um... Your hands were soft, they were pleasant enough to hold." His best hope was a compliment, in his previous experience everyone enjoyed being told something about them was nice. That was the only solution he could come up with, though.

Edited July 10, 2016 by Creius