[PP-NK-F17] Part V: A Faint Rebirth (Helios & Hunie)

[Oikawa 1]

So much time had passed since the incident. The ordeal still leaving the blonde in a state of living that he couldn't fathom. Though he had gotten a lot off his chest, his mind still felt weighed down by the action alone.

Passing through an opening, Oikawa was met with the blinding light of the seventeenth floor. The scenery around him detailing architectural structures remniscent of ancient Greece. Even the greenery was that of the antediluvian times. Sighing, he let his mind shift from his current oppressive thoughts to one of ways to preoccupy himself for the time being.

Setting his sights on the plains ahead, the blonde shifted through his contact list. He shuffled between names he once saw on a semi-regular basis to ones he hasn't seen in months. Pausing on a name he had just recently seen, he sent the player a message to meet up. It had been ages since there last training session, but Oikawa needed a new start. Something to alleviate these issues plaguing his mind. A rebirth...

[Helios 0]

A message from Oikawa was all it took for Helios to head up to the seventeenth floor. Actually, the furthest he'd ever been was the thirteenth floor, seeing as he was a fairly low level. Quickly, the noirette equipped all of the items he needed and headed out to the teleport pad. Upon arrival, he examined the Greek-inspired area and grinned. All his life, Helios had been a huge fan of Greek history and mythology, as you could probably tell from his name, so the thought the design of the town was breathtakingly beautiful.

Suddenly, he realized why he was there. "Right. Oikawa's probably waiting for me. I don't want to be late again." he chuckled, stepping out of the safezone of Athenaia and into the rugged mountain range, in search of his blonde friend. While he walked, the young man decided to send a message to the rapier-wielding swordsman. It said "I'll be there soon, hopefully. Unless I get lost. In that case I'll be there in the next couple of days."

[Hunie 0]

The blonde decided it was a good day as any for her cursory visit to the floor that had been cleared most recently... Seventeen, she thought to herself, it was much higher than her health bar could safely handle, but she had long since stopped caring about that. The girl had a knack for discovering safe paths and generally sticking to the boundaries of the town or remaining within it. Besides her goal was to visit the eateries and grab a bite to eat when she could... The girl admired the old town set up of this floor. It was less depressing than its predecessors. While her eyes roved around, pinning boards of eateries she would return to. Exploring the boundary, the girl noticed the vast expanse in front of her. Also, noticed the orange diamond cursor that sat atop a players head in the distance... Dom, she thought hopefully. Making her way towards the player. Upon noticing blond hair instead of brown, she was about to turn back, for her safety... Instead she walked around keeping a safe distance, out of curiosity... How many of these orange guys were around? 

[Oikawa 1]

After having lost himself in thought, the blonde was truly surprised when the message tone sounded. Nearly startling himself, Oikawa swiped through the air and quickly examined the contents of the message. Chuckling a bit, Oikawa dismissed the PM and went back to staring at the world around him. As he surveyed the area, he caught a small glimpse of another player sulking along the ridge-line. Helios? He pondered. Squinting a bit more, he made out the shape of a female player. Blonde hair was the most notable feature and although he wanted to wave, he knew his cursor would probably keep the interaction between them minimal.

[Helios 0]

Despite not being able to figure out where he was, Helios was still fairly calm. He'd been walking for a while now and he thought he was in the correct area, but he couldn't see his friend anywhere. Suddenly, he glanced over at a shape that was moving in the distance. He was able to make out blonde hair, but that was all. Is that Oikawa? He inquired, climbing down a small ledge. Speeding up, Helios began to jog a bit before he noticed a second player in the distance. Another blonde. "Which one of them is Oikawa..." he sighed, progressing closer towards the players, trying to figure out who was who.

[Hunie 0]

The girl let her sea coloured eyes fall on another approaching player. There seemed to be something familiar about him, the girl could swear she'd seen him around somewhere, but then black hair was not really a rarity on SAO and that's all she could make out clearly. He seemed to be making his way towards the orange player, but Hunie couldn't be sure. Maybe he's making his way towards me? she thought, already wearing the 'who me?' expression. Interested to see where this interaction would lead, she inched forward, wondering maybe she could make a few more friends. Her interaction with the Gemini had left her a slightly weak kneed and brittle spirited. The girl attempted to safely approach the new comer without alerting the player adorned with the orange cursor. But with her armour clanging softly with each step, she doubt she could pull of the stealthy stunt. If she was noticed, Hunie could only hope that the orange player had a sound story and wasn't just out for blood. 

[Oikawa 1]

Oikawa's gaze fell towards the blonde who seemed curious at his presence at first before she changed directions and began heading up a little further. Following her, his sights landed on another player approaching the area. His eyes seemed to widen ever so slightly as he realized who it was. Helios! Keeping his enthusiasm in check, Oikawa rose from his position and began tailing the girl. Though he wanted to make this meet up as un-awkward as possible, the way events were unfolding was making the task seemingly impossible. Making haste, he quickly matched the pace of the lady blonde and introduced himself as he met her stride.

"Don't be too startled lass. It seems we have similar interests in the man up ahead. Though worry not, my cursor is temporary and I certainly don't mean anyone any harm." Offering a slight bow mid walk, Oikawa shook his head as he realized he had yet to introduce himself. "My apologies love, the name is Oikawa. May I have yours?" 

Edited June 14, 2016 by Oikawa

[Helios 0]

If he was any further away, He probably wouldn't have been able to tell which of the two blondes were Oikawa, since the pair were now standing next to each other. Not that they looked alike in any other way, of course. Helios approached the two players and grinned. "Hey there, Oikawa. How have you been. It's been a little while since we last talked." Taking a look at the player beside him. "I didn't realize you would be out here with a woman. Why didn't you introduce me sooner?" the noirette joked, saying something similar to what the blonde had said to him the last time they'd spoken. Looking at the girl next to the man, Helios smiled. "I'm Helios, a friend of Oikawa's."

"So, what have you been up to as of late?"

 

[Hunie 0]

The blonde's frame tightened a little as the player with the orange cursor closed in on her. He must have sensed it, for the first words he spoke were casually reassuring.  "Umm..." She responded when the male blonde assumed that she knew the dark haired player that they were approaching. Hunie had always been overtrusting and naive, so she was inclined to believe the words the man with the orange cursor spoke. He then introduced himself and as per her usual habit, she repeated the name to memorise it and to confirm the pronunciation. "Oikawa. Hmm, I'm Hunie." She said with a pleasant smile and was about to extend her hand for a handshake, but the two blondes had already reached within speaking distance of the player with the dark hair. Hunie was further relieved when the green cursored player spoke to Oikawa with ease. When he mentioned 'with a woman...' Hunie felt heat rise to her face. The girl was easily embarrassed. "Oh no no! We don't really know each other. So nothing like that." She attempted to clear up the situation. Realising that it may sound a bit rude to Oikawa, "Not that I don't like him or anything... So far I mean" She fumbled. The girl was always overly conscious of her social behaviour. That's why she always hung out with NPCs, alas The Gemini had taken her faith away from those interactions. "Er... I'm Hunie, pleased to meet you Helios." she responded to his introduction with a nervous smile and then fell silent, assuming his last question was directed towards the male blonde. 

[Oikawa 1]

The two had quickly stumbled upon Helios. Hunie introducing herself to the blonde moments before Helios introduced himself to her. Borrowing a quip the blonde used last time they met, Oikawa couldn't help but chuckle as Hunie's face changed from normal to rosy as she fumbled over her words. "Helios we've only just become acquainted, so nothing of that sort," explained the blonde as he reinforced what Hunie was trying to say. With introductions cleared up, Oikawa looked over the noirette before responding to his inquiry. "As of late, I have just been training. After the grand explanation, I realized that with frontliners dropping left and right, we would need to fill those gaps quickly. How about you two? What're your plans for today?"

[Helios 0]

A chuckle escaped Helios' mouth. "I see. I apologize for assuming such things. It's good too meet you too Hunie." he smiled. As he listened to Oikawa speak, the dark-haired young man realized he didn't really have any plans for the day, other than to meet with the blonde. "I suppose I should probably get some training done at some point today. But other than that, I don't really know what I'll be doing today. I need to start grinding again, because of the lack of frontliners." His hands slipped into his pockets. For a while now, Helios hadn't been focusing on leveling or making his way to the frontlines. He had always assumed there wouldn't be room for him up there. However, now people were dropping like flies and it seemed like they were in need of more players. Unfortunately, the noirette still had a long way to go before he was strong enough.

[Hunie 0]

It became apparent that the dark haired man, called Helios and the other blonde player, were already well acquainted. Hunie had just awkwardly slipped herself between two players who probably had plans to catch up and grind together. The blonde herself, had no such grand plans. She considered leaving, but she had to find a crevice in the conversation, to make her polite exit. At the moment, such an opening did not exist as the three were in the midst of exchanging pleasantries. Oikawa said something about a grand explanation, but before Hunie could interrupt and inquire about it, he'd gone on to talk about, as suspected... Training. Helios' plans seemed promising, but then he too mentioned that he needed to grind and even added the part about lack of Frontliners. Hunie's flush deepened. She murmured softly, "I have nothing much planned..." wondering if she should lie and pretend that she too is the brave aspiring Frontliner.  But her mind barely had the chance to form the lie and the truth was alread spilling... "I was just going to walk around the main city and scout good places to eat, I like the food here, or rather the virtual taste of it." she blurted, her chagrin deepening. 

[Oikawa 1]

A chuckle sounded from Oikawa as he listened to the two of them speak. Nods quickly following their statements as they both finished. "Well Hunie, I know of a place on the first floor which has some pretty amazing food for a virtual cafe. Helios you may recall it as well, but the Starlight Cafe is certainly the best delicacy in Aincrad thus far. They also specialize in pastries haha." Turning more so to face the open expansion of land the floor had to offer, the blonde continued. "As for training, if either of you are feeling up to, I can attempt to find us a small dungeon to poke around if you'd like, otherwise, we can go visit the cafe. What are you guys feeling?" The blonde despite having only known Hunie for at most fifteen to twenty minutes, he wanted to make her comfortable in the sense that she should be more social. The best way to progress in this game is to get to know people you could trust. Though given his cursor, he could imagine that those who knew, didn't have him at the top of the trust list.

[Helios 0]

Helios listened to his blonde friend for a moment. "I have heard of the Starlight Cafe, although I've never been there myself. I've heard it's got some incredible food." He grinned. "Personally, I don't mind what we do, whether we head down to the First Floor or find ourselves a dungeon to clear. I do need to get some training done, however some food would be nice. The dark-haired man had almost completely forgot that the blonde woman beside them had only been there for a little while. "Sorry about putting you on the spot like this, Hunie, but what would you like to do?" To be honest, Helios was just happy to be around friends. It didn't really matter what they were going to do. He hadn't seen Oikawa in a while and Hunie seemed like a fairly nice person to be around.

[Hunie 0]

"The starlight cafe!" Hunie repeated with some excitement. "Of course I've been there. Its my go to place, when all else fails." The girl responded, surprised that she was at ease so quickly, just because the orange player mentioned a cafe she'd been too. Food unites us all. Helios mentioned how he'd heard that its got great food, which drew a spontaneous and furious nod from Hunie. "It does! It does!" She exclaimed. "I think once I met some people there, but mostly I go there alone for hot drinks and, yes soft sweet pastries!" she said nodding, in agreement with the other blonde, sharing her verdict and past experiences. Then talk of training and dungeons began again. Hunie was a little crestfallen, but the two did seem keen on making a little progress and she didn't want to be the lazy foodie in the group already. It was nice to make her feel so included despite not knowing her too well. To top that off, they'd also asked for her to choose. The blonde didn't want to make the wrong choice. "Well... gee..." She said pausing to consider making a commitment to a dungeon run. "I'm a bit of a low level for a dungeon run, but maybe with all three of us, it shouldn't be that bad." She said with a soft smile. "And once we're done maybe then we could go to the cafe for to celebrate." she suggested, her smile widening.

[Oikawa 1]

Sub-Dungeon ID: 61862 LD: 15 (7+8)

"It's settled then! Dungeon then cafe on me," exclaimed the blonde as the choice left all three parties satisfied. Should he even find a dungeon that is. Scanning the area around them, he let his gaze take on a golden hue as he activated his <Reveal> skill. He filtered through fields , trees, and rubble ridden buildings before settling back onto the two players before him. "Well, I though I was going to get some higher level training done today but it seems unless we want to traverse farther than normal, there are no close by dungeons. That said, food instead then?"

 

Edited June 19, 2016 by Oikawa

[Helios 0]

Hunie's expression quickly changed as the Starlight Cafe was mentioned. Suddenly, she seemed quite excited. Helios was a bit sad that Oikawa wasn't able to come across any dungeons hidden around them, but he didn't mind too much. "So, since I've never been to the cafe, what on the menu would you to recommend trying?" he asked, curiously. He was always fond of the virtual food found in Sword Art Online. The pastries, cakes, pies. He loved them all! The only part about it he disliked was deciding what he should eat. Usually, he'd roll a dice to figure it out, however, today he thought he'd allow his friends to give their favorite choices.

[Hunie 0]

The girl's sea green eyes had been scanning the area, although her detection stats were not nearly as high, she was looking around to veil her anxiety about a dungeon run with two virtual strangers. Hunie had long since stopped discriminating against orange players, but she was learning to be wary again, this acceptance of sudden friendship was probably a set back on that. The girl saw nothing, but she waited for Oikawa to seal the deal. Once it was announced there was no dungeon to be found, the blonde girl was positively relieved, though her lips assumed a brief downward curve. But within seconds, once Oikawa stated that the visit to Starlight cafe had earned prioritisation, thanks to the lack of  dungeon in the vicinity, her sea green eyes betrayed excitement. A gleam returned to her face. This would give her a chance to get to know these two players better and perhaps then, a dungeon run would be more appropriate. Helios was definitely far more dismayed than she, despite that, he feigned a cheery disposition just as she was trying to fake disappointment. The dark haired player asked inquired about the menu. "Oh where to start, from Creme Brulees to the simpler cream puffs, their deserts are so palatable and balanced." She said as though she was a critique on a cooking show. "What do you like best Oikawa?" She said, inclusively. The girl could gush on about food and had to work on reigning herself in.  

[Oikawa 1]

Both of the players surrounding him conveyed mixed feelings about the news regarding the lack of nearby dungeons. They amused the blonde. His crimson gaze setting on the both of them, he exhausted a slight chuckle. "Well don't hide your emotions haha. Helios, I'll make good on our training session but for now, lets indulge the miss here in delicacies from my favorite cafe." Turning to Hunie, he offered a slight wink before continuing. "And to answer your question love, my favorite is the simple yet decadent Strawberry Creme Pie. Simple in design yet complex in flavor. It baffles me really," he explained with a shrug. "Well if it's all settled, lets go."

[Helios 0]

"Alright then. I suppose I'll take a look at the menu when we arrive at the cafe." he chuckled, following the blonde male. Helios didn't have a clue where the Starlight Cafe was, other than the floor it was located on. Floor 1. The young man had become tired of travelling back and forth from that floor, since he had spent most of his time living there. However, he had never had the chance to eat at the cafe mentioned previously, so he decided it would be fun. The noirette was always a fan of sweets. "So, how often do you two go to the cafe?" he inquired, assuming they only went once in a while. This was probably assumed because Helios was like that. He rarely went to cafe's and restaurants. I believe trying the food there will change that completely, however.