[PP-F1] Night Lights (Asteria)

[Jazmyne 0]

During the night Jazmyne certainly couldn't deny how gorgeous the Starting City could be. A lot of players seemed to be tired of the glimmering night lights or calm aura that engulfed the city, but Jazmyne wasn't and wouldn't be for a while, she reckoned. At least through these feelings she could remind herself how humane Sword Art Online truly was. Not that she'd rather be here than in the own bustling city she occupied, that wasn't the case. Jazmyne simply felt pleased with the fact that she could slip away from thoughts of death for even a few short seconds. Every moment she could relax would be well worth it. And she couldn't do anything during the night anyways, that'd be too dangerous to attempt, even more so than when the sun shined on Aincrad. The only time she could slow down for once in her forcefully face-paced life. Thus the night quickly became Jazmyne's favorite time of day. Before she could hardly tell time, always cooped up inside her room in front of a screen instead of enjoying the scenery outside. Jazmyne made a promise to herself only a few hours ago that she'd enjoy the real world more once it came back around. And perhaps she'd even make a few true friends in the process...

This train of thought wouldn't change the fact that Jazmyne generally disliked every person that crossed her path. People were often annoying, awkward, or both. Plus she could care less about anybody other than herself. The situation at hand didn't help much with her opinions. Jazmyne had decided to visit a free inn for people that were young, elderly, or had been in a coma recently and hadn't had time to grow as a player. Just her cup of tea. Not that everyone followed these guidelines. Jazmyne spotted plenty of higher leveled players in the building which derived a scoff from the tan female. Typical. Quite honestly the brunette didn't mind the heavy business seeing as she could go sit outside anytime she pleased and would ultimately have a room to herself. However, when a waitress in the small cafe she found near the back of the inn apologized for having another player sit with Jazmyne due to increased activity, the brunette scowled and cursed underneath her breath. The waitress hadn't even asked for confirmation before seemingly shoving a small, sweet looking female forward towards the two-seater table.

"Hm. You're cute. Well hurry up and sit down before I take the extra chair away and change my mind." Staring at her nails with a bored expression, Jazmyne continued. "Staying the night or forever? You don't look like much of a fighter to me."

Edited May 30, 2016 by Jazmyne

[Aster 0]

Aster weighed a small brown coin pouch in her hand as she strolled along the streets of the Starting City. The girl had stepped out of her cramped alchemy shop as night loomed over the massive, sprawling capital. The air around her was more calm and peaceful than the hustle and bustle of the day, and she appreciated the quiet. After several minutes of aimless wandering, the girl took in a deep breath through her nose, coming to a decision that she needed a destination for the night. Spending her days holed up in her self-proclaimed laboratory was growing tiring, and the only thought on her mind was how she wanted a cup of tea.

Aster had reached the main plaza before giving a quick scan of her surroundings. She recalled a couple of different locations that would be open at this hour, not counting the unpredictable hours of player-run shops. After taking another moment to determine her course, the girl made her way to the closest inn.

'Ugh.' Aster nudged her glasses up as she mentally groaned. She had reached her destination--a simple three-story inn that was much busier than she'd imagined it would be. For a moment she considered turning back and sticking to the usual nightly routine of re-reading her alchemy notes before falling asleep, but a frown pulled the girl's lips down as the thought crossed her mind. Steeling herself for the worst, Aster pulled her feet forward.

Very quickly, the girl found herself in exactly the worst situation. An apologetic NPC (or at least she assumed the workers to all be NPCs at this location) showed her to a table with a single free seat, the one opposite occupied by another girl. A girl with a mouth on her. As the brunette verbally bombarded her, Aster swallowed her any feelings of shyness she might have had left, trying not to let her feelings of annoyance read on her expression. Taking a seat, the orange-haired girl simply gave her tablemate a quick glance up and down. "Neither do you." She said simply, noting the obvious beginner's garb she wore. "I just stopped in for a drink tonight."

[Jazmyne 0]

Huffing loudly, slouching lazily on the wooden chair she currently occupied, Jazmyne pulled a frown onto her face before averting her gaze elsewhere. "Just woke up from some kind of nightmare about 2 days ago. Ain't much I could do the past 48 hours." At least, Jazmyne thought, she had an excuse for appearing weak. "And I meant by appearance not by gear." Jazmyne had muscle. She was naturally intimidating and took immense pride in this. When someone attempted, even if not on purpose, to ruin this special feeling for her? Jazmyne would deny and verbally retaliate, naturally. The brunette slowly turned her head, tongue brushing against the inside of her mouth as she scanned the female sitting in front of her. Suddenly Jazmyne's eyes shifted from a dull, disrespectful glare into a far more welcoming, warm, relieved twinkle hidden behind a dark brown hue. No longer did the teenager feel quite so threatened or annoyed. This girl had fought back in the first place, after all, which deserved respect. Plus whoever this was happened to be undeniably aesthetically adorable, an unfortunate soft spot that Jazmyne had.

"You don't seem happy, but maybe that's just because you also didn't want to sit with someone else. Maybe we were supposed to make friends. Like fate and whatever, y'know?" Tilting her head curiously, the brunette continued after further analyzing the stranger with slightly squinted eyes, that returned to normal once she'd finished. "I'm Jazmyne. Might as well tell me your username too since we'll be stuck together for a while. If you're willing to stay long, I mean." 

If Jazmyne had been making "friends" for as long as she'd been awake in Sword Art Online, then she certainly wouldn't stop the streak now or anytime soon. Hopefully this girl could handle an insult or two. Honesty, Jazmyne called it.

[Aster 0]

((OOC: Whew! Sorry I took so long xD))

The evening had gotten off to a great start as the two girls were already exchanging quips. Aster shifted uncomfortably as the brunette only became defensive after her comment. The mood soon shifted, however, as the strange girl seemed to take on a sudden change in attitude towards her, speaking up about making friends and sticking together. Aster couldn't help her eyebrow arching as she studied Jazmyne, taking a long moment to register her side of the conversation. The amber-haired girl ignored the initial jab at her frail appearance, taking the possible bait of the change in topic.

"Aster." She responded simply with her name, a lingering expression of skepticism holding onto her. Before she could speak again, the NPC had circled back to their table and quickly asked if the girls would like anything. Bringing a curled hand up to her mouth, Aster gave a small clear of her throat before politely asking the waitress for a cup of black tea. Once the waitress had looked over to Jazmyne and left to fetch their items, Aster would speak up again, turning her attention back to the brunette, "I wouldn't say I do 'friends' well," she started rather bluntly, quickly scanning the girl across from her a final time, "but I suppose we're unavoidably acquaintances now." She offered the other teen a half-smile.

[Jazmyne 0]

"Heh, Aster. Pretty weird but it definitely fits you, I think." Jazmyne eyed Aster, both hands propped up under her chin, elbows placed on the table. Shooing the waitress away with the wave of a hand, but only after ordering an orange soda, the brunette flipped her hair and mumbled incoherent words in annoyance before returning her gaze to Aster. "I hate NPCs." She explained with a roll of the eyes, thin arms crossing over her chest after a large huff emitted from between her thick lips. "You seem like a tea person. I only like it when I'm sick and it has to be flavored, otherwise I'm pretty grossed out by tea in general. Especially that green stuff." Jazmyne made a gagging sign with her mouth and finger, before returning the smile that Aster had given her. Things were going well between the two, considering the slightly rough start of one grumpy teen, another ever-so annoyed teen thrown into the mix. 

"That makes two of us. Congrats." Jazmyne shrugged, leaning forward a bit, holding her hand out for shaking. "Unavoidable Acquaintances, then?" She joked, chuckling lowly a bit while awaiting a response. Whether or not Aster responded, Jazmyne would return to her relaxed position before speaking again. "So tell me about yourself. Let's start with age, shall we? I'm interested and you've got the time."

Spoiler

 

OOC:

That's okay!~ Take your time ;)

 

 

Edited June 7, 2016 by Jazmyne

[Aster 0]

Aster couldn't help an amused smile from playing on her lips. The girl crossed her legs under the table they shared, taking a more relaxed position as she listened to the brunette speak so matter-of-factly. They certainly had plenty of differences--from the very obvious way in which they carried themselves to the few likes and dislikes they've made known so far. Yet despite their personalities, the pair seemed to not only tolerate each other, but get along with one another, at least so far. The girl couldn't help but admire Jazmyne's blunt and opinionated statements, something she rarely found in herself. Aster was beginning to feel an actual weight behind the saying "opposites attract". 

As the brunette before her continued getting straight to the point, Aster felt herself sharing details about herself that she hadn't with any other player in Aincrad. Simple stuff, really, nothing out of the ordinary. Still, the realization came as a bit jarring to her. Perhaps this was one of the most "normal" conversations she'd had in quite a long time. "Seventeen; my birthday's in winter. And you?" She bounced back the question with a small addition. If they would play the "get to know each other" game this evening, she wouldn't shy herself away from asking her own silly questions.

[Jazmyne 0]

Honestly, Jazmyne had, for a split-second, forgotten her birthday, parting thick lips before closing them again, date on the tip of her tongue though not quite forming words until a few moments later. "Same age." She grinned whilst scanning Asteria once more. "I'm surprised. I'll turn this coming July, actually." Mentioning her own birthday had actually been a bit startling. It was so very soon yet the game will obviously still be going on, and for once in her life Jazmyne wouldn't be spoiled silly on the day she considered the most important out of the whole year. A disappointing thought, really, and she wondered what her parents would be doing instead. What she could be doing. And during the moment Jazmyne finally decided that she wouldn't be forgotten. Aincrad would know her birthday one way or another.

The numerous amount of troubling thoughts entering Jazmyne's head had her thinking for a bit, leaving Asteria in the dust as she traveled to another plane of existence. Though upon realizing her bit of silence Jazmyne returned to Earth, perking up in her sit as if made aware of her surroundings for the first time. Noticing the young features of Asteria, the very reason why she thought the other seemed weak in the first place, Jazmyne began desiring such soft looks at an age where puberty wasn't quite finished with its job. "I just noticed you're not that bad looking." The brunette commented, twirling her hair while staring at the thick strands held between her fingers, as light as air. "Now ask me something. Isn't that how this works? We'll just ask whatever and play along." Hopefully Jazmyne had the whole "friend" concept correct.

[Aster 0]

Aster frowned slightly in reaction to the brunette's compliment. She wasn't used to praise from others her age, typically only hearing those kinds of words from her parents, teachers, or other figures of authority who wanted her to "keep up the good work". Unsure whether she should say 'thank you', or try to say something nice about Jazmyne in return, Aster perked up slightly when she spoke again.

"Oh, hmm," She mumbled, bringing a finger to her chin in thought. She wasn't used to really getting to know someone, now that she was in such a situation. The girl wracked her brain for a suitable question, something simple but not too personal, as she overthought it. "Well..." She started, buying a couple more seconds in the silence. "What do you like to do?" The question left her more broad than she had intended. She supposed she could have added on something like 'in your free time' or 'for fun' to elaborate, but decided against correcting herself.

[Jazmyne 0]

Pulling a hand to her mouth Jazmyne faked a long yawn to truly express how she felt while awaiting a question for Aster. It wasn't that hard for her so it shouldn't be for the other, right? The brunette could easily talk about herself, multiple paragraphs if need be even. All it would take is one measly question and Jazmyne could kick-start the conversation. Seriously. She wondered if Aster would actually turn out to be one of those boring types? Like a nerd or know-it-all or just someone who couldn't hold conversation. She wondered if the girl wanted to even know about her at all. Though after a few moments of lame silence Aster eventually spoke up much to Jazmyne's relief. "Well I sing and play video games, but that last one's pretty obvious... Then I read magazines and design outfits since most of those people don't know what they're doing. I was gonna get into modelling and stuff like that cause I used to do pageants but then y'know I kinda got stuck here." Jazmyne spoke fondly of herself, prideful smile resting on her face, though she seemed reluctant to cease speaking of herself and even became dull before asking, "What're your hobbies?"

[Aster 0]

When Jazmyne began her side of the conversation a plain white cup and saucer was placed on the table in front of Aster, followed by a glass of bubbling orange liquid before the brunette. The healer's amber eyes followed the hand attached to the items to the NPC waitress that had passed by earlier. She had wordlessly given them a bow before leaving the table so as not to interrupt the two. Turning her gaze back to Jazmyne, Aster listened patiently as she spoke, reaching a hand out to take the cup of tea and hold it close in front of her with both hands. The dull warmth of the porcelain cup against her palms brought a familiar comfortableness, and she seemed to grow more relaxed listening to the girl talk about herself. Aster was surprised that the teen seemed to have so many talents. With her frame and general air of toughness she would have assumed her to be an athlete or a typical tomboy, but when Jazmyne uttered the word 'modeling' Aster couldn't help but notice her prominent features--flawless complexion, beautiful facial structure, and Aster only imagined the rest of her body fit well for the position as well.

Leaving that to her imagination, Aster pried her eyes away from the brunette's face to stare at the dark liquid in the cup she held in front of her. Jazmyne finished speaking and turned the question around to her, sounding less interested when she did so. The girl couldn't help a small frown as her thoughts mirrored the tone. She never thought herself particularly interesting, and her only talents in the real world became null and void in Aincrad. Not wanting to leave an awkward silence, Aster spoke up in response before dwelling any longer on the thought. "Oh, just reading, really." She kept her eyes on the drink in her hands, finally bringing it up to her lips to take a small sip. "I guess you can just call me a book nerd," She smiled wryly, finding the term she had normally considered a childish insult to be rather fitting. "Otherwise," She drew in a breath as she added on, "I'm a really boring person. School was the most important thing, but that's kind of out the window now." She was painfully aware of the past tense, but forced a smile as she came up with a different topic. "Alright, so if you like singing and modeling, do you have a profession here? If not, I've heard of something called a Performer that sounds right up your alley." The girl asked, her expression shifting to a smirk.

[Jazmyne 0]

A book nerd is what Jazmyne would've considered Aster regardless of what the other female revealed to do or find interest in. The name simply fit the other's look though that wasn't to say Aster wasn't attractive. It was more so the fact that she held the appearance and aura of someone you'd expect to be or call a "nerd". Maybe intelligent or shy or both. Jazmyne knew now that the stereotype didn't fit Aster perfectly social-wise but so far all other things about the girl applied. "All wok and no play makes Jack a dull boy." Jazmyne commented, feeling as if Aster hadn't exactly been one to let loose. Ever. Of course Jazmyne could show her table companion a few things about mischief or show Aster a good time. Maybe one day. "Maybe it was good you got to experience this in a way." The brunette shrugged, taking a sip of her drink before responding once more with, "All the performers I've seen are boring or useless or both. No way I'd take that job it's just not the same as the real world. Mostly I did those things out of the passion anyways... Even without the money I could get anything I wanted so rewards were never really important." She replied surprisingly seriously, seeming to be greatly affected by talk of her hobbies. Feeling as if the mood would go sour if the conversation was left there, Jazmyne did return Aster's smirk will leaning back in her chair, front two wooden legs leaving the ground. "I'm gonna do something for me and me only. Maybe a Cook or somethin' so I can always have myself a nice meal instead of buying served crud. A maid or two would be nice actually..."

[Aster 0]

((Someday we'll finish this thread xD))

Aster resisted the urge to strongly disagree with the brunette's initial reply. Though she went through life in Aincrad as normally as possible, she felt her old life growing farther and farther away with each virtual sunset. Settling for a small sigh as she exhaled through her nose, the girl instead took in her next words as Jazmyne quickly turned down the idea of being a Performer. Aster was a bit surprised at her disinterest, but the more the brunette spoke the more she understood why the teen was so against it.

Letting out a small chuckle at her talk of cooks and maids, Aster considered moving the conversation along on the topic of professions, at least a moment longer. "Mm, I have an Alchemist shop on this floor myself," She gave a wry smile, almost embarrassed at her next words. "Feels almost like a chemistry lab, making weird potions and all that." She smiled softly, bringing the warm mug to her lips.