[PP-F1] A Wanderer (Eira)

[Aoda 0]

The night seemed to be the best time to explore the Town of Beginnings. Although it's streets were not empty, there were slightly less people around, which made it a bit easier to maneuver. As Aoda strolled quietly down a dimly lit street, his dark eyes gazed up to the sky, which would have looked empty if not for the stars. More often than not, the dark-haired player would find himself wandering the Starter City. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, of course, however he could have definitely been putting more effort into leveling and training outside of the safezone. Lucky for him, the inside of the city became quite comfortable after dusk.

It was common for the young man to zone out while staring at the stars. He'd think back to the past, before Aincrad. The good days, when he had his family and friends with him. Now, however, he felt alone. But these were simply memories. He was in a strange world with nothing but some clothes and a sword. The only real way to return to the world he loved was to survive the unknown one.

Easier said than done, right? Aoda thought, stopping for a moment to examining the skies.

@Eira

[Eira 0]

...

Edited March 24, 2017 by Eira

[Aoda 0]

A quiet sigh escaped Aoda's mouth. His goal was to become strong, but he had no idea how to achieve it. If only he knew of a player who was of a high enough level to teach him. However, he wasn't acquainted with anyone of this caliber. He had barely noticed before, but the air had begun to become slightly colder than it had been on previous nights. If he had some place to stay, he would have considered going inside. However, he seemed to be one of the few players who didn't have even a little bit of col to spend. Much like in real life, no money means no house. This was Aoda's reason for being outside so often, although it really wasn't a great excuse. Obtaining a profession couldn't be that hard, could it?

As Aoda looked down from the stars, he continued to walk forward, nearly missing the young girl who had been observing him. When he glanced over, he was a bit surprised. His eyes met her own, making it a bit awkward for the noirette. How long had she been watching him? With a friendly smile, he raised his hand to wave. The trait that shocked the player the most was her appearance. Not in a bad way, of course, but she seemed to be so young. He'd never seen a kid in SAO and he had hoped it would stay that way. Aoda wondered how she was feeling, being separated from her parents and all. 

[Eira 0]

...

Edited March 24, 2017 by Eira

[Aoda 0]

Aoda did not expect the young girl to ask why he wasn't in bed. Of course, children tended to be unpredictable. Giving a warm smile, the man responded. "I guess I just can't sleep. Why aren't you in bed? Aren't you tired?" Although part of him was merely trying to humor the girl, his question was sincere. It wasn't often he saw kids up this late. Then again, he rarely saw them in general. His next question would have easily been 'Where are you parents?' if he didn't know better. Her family was likely in the same place as everybody else's; outside of Aincrad. It was probably best that he didn't bring up anything that the girl might not have wanted to talk about. Aoda wasn't sure what it was, but he had a weird feeling like he needed to protect the child, even though she was a complete stranger. Perhaps it was because he was an only child and never had any younger siblings to look after.

Quickly, the dark-haired swordsman shook off the feeling and took a quick second to look over the young player who sat in front of him. He wondered if she had ever even been out of the safezone. If she hadn't, it was good that she knew better.

Edited February 11, 2017 by Aoda

[Eira 0]

...

Edited March 24, 2017 by Eira

[Aoda 0]

A bench really wasn't the most comfortable sort of bed, however there wasn't much you could do when you had no money. The girl's answer reminded Aoda of himself when he was young. He'd never argue with his parents about going to sleep. "That's true," The young man replied, "But sometimes, when I can't sleep, going for a walk helps me out." That was the entire reason he'd been up, actually. He loved walks. Especially at night, when Aincrad's safezones were so peaceful.

"What do you do when you can't sleep?" He asked the child with a smile. Maybe a conversation would help her fall asleep. It seemed Aoda was only beginning to realize how much he missed being a kid. He couldn't believe that he had gone from disliking early bed times to actually being grateful that his parents had forced them upon him. They were just doing what was best for him.

[Eira 0]

...

Edited March 24, 2017 by Eira

[Aoda 0]

(All good xD)

She was a reader. He wondered if that was common among children. Aoda was never much of a book worm as a kid, although his parents loved books. They even had a fair sized room, which was solely for their books; a library, if you may. The player couldn't even remember a time when he'd stepped inside, if there had ever been one. A little ironic, maybe, because part of it was made for him. I should definitely pay a visit to that room after I get out of here. If I do, that is. He thought.

The girl was quiet. Perhaps she was shy. Or, possibly, she was just tired. Either way, it was likely she wasn't interested in talking with a stranger. "That's good, book are great. My name's Aoda." He told the girl, not expecting her to reveal her own identity. Upon saying that, he sat down on the ground. Aoda didn't think there was any harm in doing so, as there were only a few other people around. It didn't seem like he was in anybody's way.

[Yuurei 0]

Aida was wrong. It was late night - Yuurei was anything but a day-dweller you see - and Yuurei was out on a walk. The need to clear one’s mind and think about pleasant things was prevalent in situations like this. The girl found herself passing through the Town of Beginnings, lost in her thoughts and generally zoned out. Her eyes were zoned in on the sky. Even though this world was completely digital, everything felt so real. It was wonderful and devastating all at the same time and believe it or not, she loved that.

Her happy scene was interrupted rather abruptly when she found her foot caught against a stranger. She face planted into the ground, not a very graceful landing. Once her senses had come back to her, she rubbed her head and looked back at the dude she'd tripped over. “Ouch...I’m sorry about that sir.” She said trying to massage the pain from her fall.

[Aoda 0]

The conversation between Aoda and the kid was abruptly interrupted, due to a strange girl tripping over him. His fault for sitting in the middle of the street, probably. Aoda stood up quickly, in order to help the girl back on her feet. "You alright?" The lad asked, reaching out his dominant hand to assist the unknown player. It was odd that neither of the two had noticed each other. He normally had decent awareness of his surroundings. I guess I'm just tired.

As he looked to his left, where the young girl had been only moments ago, he noticed that there was nobody sitting there. Not even the blankets that Eira had with her were there. Must have ran off. Kids, right? The swordsman thought, looking back to the player who was, surprisingly, still there. "Sorry about sitting where I was. I didn't see you coming." He apologized, scratching the back of his head.

[Yuurei 0]

The young girl took Aoda’s hand and lifted herself up with his help. He was apologizing for being tripped over, that was a bit weird. It was her fault, not his.

“Oh no, don't apologize. I'm to blame. I should have stopped to admire the stars instead of walking at the same time.” She explained dusting off her emerald-coloured skirt and fixing her hair. “I'm so sorry for having fallen over you. I'm kind of new to the whole virtual reality thing and I can't help but admire the real-world likeness Aincrad offers. It sort of feels like I'm still home...only without all the beasts and monsters and lingering death you know?”

For someone so anti-social, Yuurei seemed to want to just talk and talk. She was alone in this world and couldn’t help splurging her thoughts at the given chance. Hopefully, the boy didn't mind her short-winded rant.

[Aoda 0]

"No worries. I feel the same way about the whole VR thing. We'd might as well enjoy our time here while it lasts, right?" Aoda responded, burying his hands in the depths of his pant pockets. "My name's Aoda, by the way. It's nice to meet you." It was definitely the most interesting way the raven-haired man had encountered a player. She seems nice enough. A conversation's never killed anybody, right? He thought, happy there was someone around to chat with, even if it was only for a little while.

"If you don't mind me asking, have you left the city yet? Or have you been in here the whole time?" Aoda inquired, although he knew it was unlikely that the girl had ever exited the safe haven known as the Town of Beginnings. From what he could tell, it was rare for a player to want to begin combat at such an early point, especially without a teammate. Aoda was no exception. 

[Yuurei 0]

Yuurei scratches the back of her head awkwardly at the question she's been asked. She choked nervously as she spoke. “I-I haven't left the Town of Beginnings yet no. I'm not too good at making friends really. You can see how good my social skills are as I practically just tripped over you.” She seems a bit frantic, like anxiety is welling up inside her. Aoda could probably tell she's not very comfortable with just talking.

“I'm sorry if I've wasted your time Aoda, my name is K- I mean Yuurei.” She had to stop herself from giving out her real name. She wasn't ready to give a random stranger that kind of information. “Yurrei is Japanese for, ‘The Ghost’. It has a bit of contextual meaning at home but I guess it's also pretty ominous to someone who isn't in on the joke.” The silver haired female turns away, feeling a bit awkward. She's not exactly sure to handle these social interactions.