[PP - F20] A Bit of Backstory

[Beatbox 0]

Nov. 4th 2022 - Friday

4:15 PM

"Big Brother!" James' sister Estelle had called out from the distance, James had looked from the place he had been waiting for his sister to finally get out so they could finally get home... Sunday was the big day... the day Sword Art Online would be released. "Sis, what has taken you so long? Have you been flirting with your crush to see he would notice you finally?" he chuckled as her sister promptly got mad and slammed her foot on the ground and placed her wrists to the ground as she had clamped them together "James you know not to talk about him in front of me in public! It's embarrassing!" she puffed out her cheeks, James had stood up and patted her on her shoulder "I was only kidding you Estelle. There's not that many people out here anyways, lets get home, this weekend is a pretty huge weekend for us anyways." he chuckled and moved forward out of the schoolyard making a 90 degree turn on the sidewalk hearing the cars go past them as they began to walk home.

"Yeah! Sword Art Online is finally coming out! Aren't you excited for it?!" she had smiled out asking if he was excited as she was, James had looked over with a smile and a slight chuckle as he looked back forward "Yeah, I can hardly wait Sis'. A virtual reality where a single blade can take you anywhere... probably one of the greatest concepts I have ever heard... don't you think?". His sister had looked over "Yeah! I can't believe you sold me on wanting to get one of them, I don't even play Video Games." she giggled. James had laughed out "I just thought it would be a perfect game to introduce you to the world of video games, since it feels so real... you know? Plus I got the extra money to buy the game for you, we'll just need to be bright and early in the morning to even get a chance in getting one of the select few copies of the game."

"You're silly you know that James? I would have at least tried to play some of the games with you, if you just asked." she had chuckled as she skipped on the sidewalk as he continued to walk on home. James blew a raspberry "I have. Many of times, you wouldn't just say yes. It was always "I don't know it seems too violent"." he said with a mockery voice. Estelle pulled back and punched him in the shoulder, James had placed his hand on his shoulder with a chuckle as he pushed his glasses upwards back onto his face "Don't you try to mimic me! Have more respect for your sister! It also doesn't help you play first person shooters!" she had yelled out as she puffed out her chest and crossed her arms. James had looked over with a chuckle "I'm sorry... I just like playing those games, it gives me a thrill y'know?" he had a slight smile also a concerned look upon his face, her sister had looked back to James and looked back forward "Whatever. Let's just get home." James had chuckled and looked back forward as he stuffed his hands into his school uniform pockets "A-alright Estelle."

-----

Feb. 14th 2023 - Friday

10:05 PM

That had been so long ago though, two days before the release of this hell... Beatbox had stood at the peak of Inti looking out to the dangerous environments that had laid out before him as he let out a sigh... it had been a long time since he had seen his sister Estelle... he knows that she's at least still out there somewhere, the night grew darker and darker over his head... the boss earlier today was surely a tough one... but it wasn't a lot of what they could not handle. He placed his shoulders out on the bars that stood before him to make sure no one fell off the cliff of the scenery and looked outward to the forest as he had heard the chirping of many birds and the noises of many insects thinking about his sister... hoping that she is at least okay. He sighed... he heard of the many strong creatures out there... and he just wanted to go fight them... he had heard about a Behemoth that guarded a bridge to where players couldn't cross... heck even had said that it would physically destroy the bridge as they had fought... it sounded like a real challenge Beatbox had wanted to partake in... he had smirked as he turned around and took a few steps descending to what could potentially his greatest challenge yet.

@Teion

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Real Life Beatbox:

[Teion 0]

 

Nov. 4th 2022 - Friday

11:48 AM

"Thea, did you get that?"

"Huh?" The brunette blinked to alertness as her head perked up from resting against an open palm. Thea turned her head to the side before her gaze fell upon a familiar pair of emerald eyes staring back at her.

"Geez, were you spacing out again?" Dael grinned at the girl before waving a small stack of papers in front of her. The girl gave a small pout in response before taking them and placing them carelessly on an open section of her desk. As the red-haired man straightened to leave her be, he hesitated a moment and turned back. "Hey, you know that new game that's coming out, right? You gonna play?"

Thea's eyes flickered back to her co-worker as she rested her cheek against her palm once more. "Oh, yeah it seems really cool. I'm not gonna be camping out or anything, but I scraped together the money so I was gonna give it a shot." She had worn a neutral expression before a smirk made its way across her lips. "And I assume you wouldn't miss it for the world?"

"Damn right." Dael chuckled before looking thoughtful for a moment. "I've been bugging Eru to give it a try, but he's such a workaholic." The man seemed to quickly wave off the idea, ruffling Thea's hair as he passed her by. "Anyway, I've got a lunch date so I'll catch you later!"

"Another one?" The girl scowled under her breath once her friend was out of view, idly running her fingers through her long hair to straighten out the mess he'd left behind. She let a small sigh release itself from her lungs as she glanced impatiently at the clock--the sooner she could go home, the sooner she could forget about everything.

-----

Feb. 14th 2023 - Friday

9:55 PM

Thea had no idea how much she would forget and how much she couldn't no matter how hard she tried over the next year. The girl, now calling herself Teion, clenched her teeth as she tried to push away the thoughts of what she now considered her previous life. Even if they cleared the game and were released from this place, there was no going back to the way things were before.

It was unlike her to explore. Teion rarely left her self-proclaimed desert home, but with the unlocking of the 20th floor she found herself rather curious--a nagging feeling that didn't seem to leave her alone until she'd taken the teleport gate to arrive in Inti long after she'd closed her shop for the day. As her vision cleared itself from the fog of teleportation, Teion gave a look around to orient herself before stepping forward.

She took her time exploring the quiet city, idly wondering if it was more lively during the day. That seemed to be the case on most floors, and it was eerie how Aincrad seemed to mimic the real world in such ways, even with the wild fantasy settings it generated. Walking slowly through the settlement, her sweeping gaze would eventually fall upon the back of a familiar blonde. The sight of the player caused the blacksmith to freeze, and she reactively took a step back to hide herself from his view. 'What am I doing?' She thought a moment afterwards, her hands moving on their own to pull up her menus. She instinctively hesitated over the 'Friends List' option before pressing down and three names displayed in front of her. A small note beside the name 'Beatbox' showed her that they shared the same location--Inti, Floor 20. That was him. The violet-haired girl waved to dismiss the interface as she leaned out from the wall she had sought as cover. Her eyes fell upon the blonde swordsman once again just as he seemed to be heading down a path that would lead him out of town. Keeping a generous distance between them, Teion would follow after.

@Beatbox

Thea Asteria:

Spoiler

 

[Beatbox 0]

Nov. 4th 2022 - Friday

4:40 PM

After moments of walking in silence, Estelle and James had finally arrived home... however things were not as normal as it may seem. From down the road, James had saw three figures hanging out in the front of their home. James had gotten a little worried as he looked over to Estelle to ask his sister a question "Hey, Estelle do you know those people hanging by our house?" Estelle froze as she had looked forward to see the three men that stood before the home. She had placed her arms on the book that she was holding across her chest as she had looked down with a grin. "T-those are bullies of mine that wont stop harassing me... I don't know what they want this time..." his sister had said with a frown upon her face... she had even looked like she had even wanted to cry. James had grown a worried yet angered look upon his face as he looked down upon his sister and said to her "Estelle, why didn't you tell me about them?" Estelle had shed a few tears as she had held her book tighter as she froze in place as she had fell to the ground "B-because I didn't want you to be hurt..." she had began to cry and James couldn't help but feel angry. He growled and walked towards the three, Estelle had looked up and said out to him "No! Please don't do anything stupid!"

But it had been too late, when she had said that out the three men had looked over and chuckled as they began to walk over to them at the pace James was walking towards them. James had kept an angered look upon his face as he had walked towards them and they all had a sh*t-eating grin upon their faces, and then they had met in the middle of the distance. Estelle slowly trying to walk behind James hoping that he would distract them from seeing her walk past them. "What the hell do you want from my sister?" he had exclaimed to them, they three had let out a laugh and the "leader" of that group had said out "Siblings? Ahaha! I coulda sworn you looked like a couple from over here." he had taken a step forward and placed a hand onto James' shoulder, James reluctantly had said out "Get your hand off of me and tell me what the f**k you want." he growled. The leader had gained an annoyed look and said with a growl "We're here to get the money we asked of her to get the game. And we're gonna get it." then the leader and threw a punch upon James' face, James had stumbled for a moment... his glasses had fell to the ground... he wasn't terribly blind... he just needed it to read, he placed his hand on his mouth as he stumbled a couple of steps back and looked down... blood... 

His sisters plead of asking them to stop was muffled by anger to James, he looked up and he was clearly angered, he couldn't hear anything that the people had said and tried to laugh about... James had felt like the adrenaline was kicking in... and he was gonna do anything in his power to get these thugs away from his sister. All he saw was red and he had threw a punch in response to them laughing, punching the leader onto the ground. James had slammed his foot against the man's chest and pulled another guy into another punch, the other had left... leaving his "friends" behind. James had looked at one of the guys' face and exclaimed to them with a growl "You will leave my sister alone, you got it? Don't make me see you again, you got it?" the man had nodded his head with a worried sound coming from him, James had let go with a push placing him onto the ground as he had gotten up and ran away. James had looked down to see the leader grabbing onto his leg with an angered look with blood running from down his nose, James didn't like to see his face... all he had saw at this point was red...

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Feb. 14th 2023 - Friday

10:30 PM

Beatbox had snapped back into reality after that memory... he couldn't have remembered much about what had happened afterwards... all he knew is that he made sure that he would never pick on his sister again, he shook his head as he had placed a hand of his forehead as he continued to move outside the safe zone and onto the trail in which the behemoth had lied. He was ready to take on the challenge, at least he was hoping that he was prepared enough for it...

After moments of walking he had finally had met on the bridge next to a waterfall below a river, in which the rumor had said a behemoth had stood at the other side... and loan behold, the Behemoth was there, it had looked its gaze upon Beatbox as Beatbox had reluctantly had began to move forward upon the bridge moving towards it as he had went to his sword and slowly unsheathed it as he had continued to move forward... this was either his time to succeed... or his time to fail.

@Teion

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Beatbox: 1055/1055 - 104/104

Behemoth: 2000/2000 - DMG: 200 AoE - Paralytic Immunity

Bridge Supporter 1 [H:4] - 600/1000 HP - EVA: -4

Bridge Supporter 2 [H:4] - 800/1000 HP - EVA: -4

[Teion 0]

Nov. 4th 2022 - Friday

5:32 PM

The train lurched as it came to a full stop. Thea stood up from her seat, stepping out onto her usual stop on her way home after work. It was quiet tonight, or at least moreso than normal. Her route wasn't popular as it was, and Fridays she always seemed to find more people heading to cafes, shops, and bars that were plentiful around her workplace, keeping them out longer. Only a handful of other people had shared the ride with her, none of which would exit the train behind her. Paying the lack of surrounding bodies no mind, Thea pulled at the strap of the bag on her shoulder to readjust before starting the walk to her apartment.

It was a ten minute walk from the station to her building, and Thea found little occupying her mind to keep the boredom away. Things were the same as they always were; another day at work, another Friday night she would spend at home, and another weekend she would dedicate to distracting herself with video games. Just as the brunette was about to let a yawn overtake her, two girls appeared wearing panicked expressions after turning a corner. As Thea stopped in her tracks at the sight, one of the strangers hesitated and looked back the way they came. In response, the other girl wordlessly grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to continue running. 'Are they in high school...?' Thea cocked her head with a mixed look of confusion and concern. The brunette twisted around, eyebrows furrowed slightly while she watched the distance between them and herself grow. Thea tightened her grip on the handle of her bag when her gaze shifted to the path they had emerged from. Taking a small breath as her eyebrows came together in concerned curiosity, she pushed herself to move forward.

----

Feb. 14th 2023 - Friday

10:30 PM

'I was so reckless.' Teion scolded herself as that night came back to her. As much as she would have liked, that was one memory that wasn't going to get pushed away anytime soon, no matter how hard she tried. The blacksmith had followed after Beatbox for some time now, at this point feeling unsure if she should continue. Between her absent-mindedness and lingering curiosity, she found herself still trailing behind him at a safe distance. Once they had left town, she grew a bit more wary--for all she knew, the monsters on this floor could strike her down in one hit. She left Lucent Reaver in its sheathe at her back for now, but kept her guard up while she was clearly outside of the safe zone.

Coming to a stop behind some of the plentiful foliage around her, Teion cocked her head. Her eyes followed Beatbox as his pace slowed a bit. He approached a suspension bridge that of course looked rather unstable, but her eyebrows didn't narrow until her gaze landed on the massive behemoth on the land mass opposite the blonde. "What is he doing?" She mumbled under her breath. She wasn't sure what to make of the situation just yet. Beatbox was a far higher level than her, and at this distance she couldn't get a good look at the monster's stats if she tried. He wouldn't do something to get himself in over his head...would he?

@Beatbox

[Beatbox 0]

There wasn't much left for Beatbox to remember at the moment, it would be bad to reminisce about certain memories at the moment, not a day in his life does he want to find himself losing in a given situation, not now... not ever, not in a million years. Meaning, Beatbox had focused upon the Behemoth and moved forward upon the old creaky bridge and critically hit against the boss... however it stood tall... unfazed, like it should, its nearly impossible for one to defeat this boss on their loansome... but Beatbox will prove everybody otherwise, no matter what. The behemoth had jumped up and performed an AoE that just barely missed Beatbox but had hit the two supporters making the bridge shake. Beatbox stumbled backwards onto the bridge as he placed on knee on it to remain his balance, once the bridge was done shaking he stood up once more to fight against the boss once more.

@Teion - I coulda sworn I prepared the past memories, but I can't find em. And I simply cannot remember them either... so sorry...

-----

ID: 80148 - BD: 10 - MD: 8

Sword Art Used: Meteor Break [14+5+2=21*11=231]

Beatbox [H: 2] : 1055/1055 - 104/104

Behemoth: 1769/2000 - DMG: 200 AoE - Paralytic Immunity

Bridge Supporter 1 [H:5] - 400/1000 HP - EVA: -4

Bridge Supporter 2 [H:5] - 600/1000 HP - EVA: -4

[Teion 0]

Nov. 4th 2022 - Friday
5:58 PM

Thea walked down what ended up being an alleyway, dimly lit as the sky had been slowly turning a deeper orange during her trip home with the gradual sunset. Her blue eyes scanned around while she took more hesitant steps forward. 'What had them so freaked out?' When the thought came to mind, another single, short scream cut through the silence to answer her. Thea stiffened as her movement faltered for a moment, but just as quickly as she had stopped the brunette broke into a run. After only a few seconds she approached a bend, and the girl halted again before continuing past the corner when her gaze fell upon two figures less than twenty feet away. A raven-haired girl that couldn't be older than fifteen stood with tears in her eyes, a frightened look upon her face as her eyes shifted to meet Thea's. At the same time, the man holding a firm grip on the girl's arm turned to face her as well, giving Thea a scowl at her presence.

"What's the big idea?" His tone was aggressive, but exaggerated. Giving a roll of his shoulders, he opened his mouth to speak again when Thea promptly cut him off.

 

"Let go of her." The brunette straightened herself as she spoke in a clear, demanding voice. 'Stay calm, Thea. You can do this.' She tried to mentally reassure herself. 'Just tell him off and show him you're not scared, he'll just give up.' Her brave face was on, and her chest puffed slightly as if she showed no sign of backing down.

 

"Hey now, pretty lady. Don't be such a buzzkill!" The man let his grip on the young girl drop, as if he had forgotten about her entirely. Instead, his attention was turned to Thea now and he slowly closed the gap between them with clumsy steps. "Unless you're here to have some fun?" A sickening grin crawled over his features with the words.

 

Thea didn't realize she was holding her breath until he was close enough that the smell of alcohol finally hit her. "Ugh, you reek." The words left her without a second thought, but she immediately regretted them when she felt a firm, uncomfortable grip around her left wrist. The man shifted even closer, pulling on her arm while she instinctively flinched and leaned away from him. The raven-haired girl's face caught Thea's attention again, and the brunette couldn't help but scowl at her. "Come on, get out of here!" Thea called with annoyance in her voice. The girl gave a small jump in reaction, but took a hesitant step backwards before turning and running away.

----

Feb. 14th 2023 - Friday
10:32 PM

Teion gave a strong shake of her head. She didn't need to be distracted by thoughts and unwanted memories right now. The woman's eyes flickered back and forth between the blonde and the massive monster standing tall on the other side of the bridge. Teion moved cautiously to get herself in a closer position to continue watching over the man, keeping herself concealed behind all the foliage. Despite the fact that he wouldn't be looking around for anyone tailing him, the blacksmith felt the need to keep herself hidden. He had unsheathed his sword, weapon shining brightly as he moved quickly to attack the behemoth. Teion squinted once his attack concluded; she couldn't see the health bars next to the monster no matter how hard she strained her vision. The woman let out a small sigh of frustration as she slowly moved among the brush and lowered herself closer to the base of the mountain.

A roar shook the trees around her, causing Teion to flinch as her attention snapped back to the scene before her. She nearly had to place a hand against a tree beside her to keep her own balance as the behemoth's massive hooves crashed against the ground. The bridge before it swayed, and Teion's eyes quickly scanned for the blonde swordsman, calming only slightly when she spotted Beatbox recovering his balance in the middle of the bridge. "Just be careful." The words left her in a whisper.

[Beatbox 0]

Beatbox had taken a deep breath and stood back up to fight once more, he took a moment to think to himself for just a tad moment, he darted to the behemoth's HP and the damage he could potentially do along to the decaying Bridge Supporters... they we're running low on HP... surely if Beatbox hadn't done anything he would lose and fall to the waters below, he doesn't think the fall would kill him... but this is still a battle he doesn't want to lose none the less. Beatbox shook his head and moved forward striking it with his best sword art he could use Meteor Break, hit after hit, slice after slice, he managed to to hit the behemoth hard... but not hard enough to take him down, the Behemoth roared out and hit the ground once more dealing more damage to the bridge supporters sending Beatbox onto the ground, he shook his head and stood back up to fight once more like the fool he is.

@Teion

-----

ID: 80397 - BD: 7+4=11 - MD: 4+4=8

Sword Art Used: Meteor Break [14*11=154]

Beatbox [H: 2] : 1055/1055 - 83/104

Behemoth: 1615/2000 - DMG: 200 AoE - Paralytic Immunity

Bridge Supporter 1 [H:5] - 200/1000 HP - EVA: -4

Bridge Supporter 2 [H:5] - 400/1000 HP - EVA: -4

[Teion 0]

Nov. 4th 2022 - Friday
6:00 PM

 

"Hey, hey!" The man yelled in response, twisting around as he realized his initial target had gotten away. His movement pulled Thea's arm with him, but she took to opportunity to break his grasp and yank her wrist back to her chest. The man stumbled slightly before turning his attention back to the remaining soul in the alleyway. "Lookit what you did! Now I'm mad, what're you gonna do to make up for it, huh?" His volume increased and Thea took a small step back. He was taller than her, and she didn't know how to fight. 'God, why does he have to be wasted?' She inwardly complained before mustering up another small bout of courage. "Just go home, you'll get arrested if you keep it up."

 

"Oh yeah? What're you, a cop?!" He shouted back, bringing his hands up to Thea's shoulders as he shoved forward to knock the girl back. Her shoulderblades collided with the hard concrete of a wall, and the brunette yelped in surprise at the sudden pain. Her brave face was gone now as the man seemed to tower over her, a strange combination of frustration and confusion on his face.

 

"L-look, I don't--" Thea's words were cut off as she felt another overwhelming grip on her upper arm followed by a force that pulled her until she stumbled forward to keep her balance. The drunken man had grabbed her again, this time dragging her along back the path she'd taken from her normal walk home. "What are you--?!" Her words got her a forceful yank forward, and despite her efforts to plant her feet or pull against his force, she winced as the vice on her arm only got stronger. As her mind raced to determine what was happening and where he was trying to take her, they hadn't gotten far down the main street when a feminine voice called out from behind them.

 

"There! That guy!" Thea whipped around to find the source of the voice, and her eyes quickly landed on the raven-haired teen pointing an accusing finger at the drunken man. Beside her stood a pair of police officers who wasted no time in closing the distance between them. Thea suddenly felt herself in control of her body again as her assailant quickly abandoned her in favor of an attempted escape. The brunette, however, quickly felt the tears welling up at the corners of her eyes. Without thinking, she began running herself; all the way home where she could lock the doors and allow herself to let out the emotions that swirled rapidly inside of her.

 

----

 

Feb. 14th 2023 - Friday
10:33 PM

 

"Aah!" Teion let out a small yelp as the sole of her boot slipped out from under her. "Ugh..." The woman muttered as she propped herself up to her knees. She used the edge of her palm to hurriedly rub at the corners of her eyes to wipe away the tears that had begun to form. "Get it together, Thea." She scolded herself as she turned her attention back to the scene at the bridge. She braced herself just in time as the behemoth's hooves crashed against the ground once more, sending a tremor along the suspension bridge as well as the surrounding cliffs. She had kept her balance, but the bridge trembled again as if it was threatening to give way to the monster's strikes. Teion shook her head lightly and squinted. She scanned the area once more until something caught her eye. "The bridge has health...?" She questioned aloud, noting the yellow and red health bars hovering beside each of the bridge's support beams.

[Beatbox 0]

Beatbox had shook his head, theres no need to lay here and do nothing, he needs to stand up and fight! His familiar came up to him and tried to jump at him for motivation, but it had been too late... the behemoth had jumped up and hit the bridge supporter... and with a snap it had broke, as Beatbox had stood up he violently moved to the right as he then fell off the side, without a second thought with his eyes darted open he quickly grabbed onto the rope of the bridge and looked down to see that his sword had fallen to the water below "Sh*t." he said with a growl... but he couldn't waste anytime... he needed to get out of here. He had shook his head and started to climb up the rope to get a grip onto the wood of the bridge so he could make his escape... but it has been proving to be a task just to get back up onto the bridge. "Shoot shoot shoot! I won't make it in time! Let's hope I have enough HP to survive the drop..." he thought in his head as he looked at the behemoth with an angered look.

@Teion

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Beatbox [H: 2] : 1055/1055 - 83/104

Behemoth: 1615/2000 - DMG: 200 AoE - Paralytic Immunity

Bridge Supporter 1 [H:5] - 0/1000 HP - EVA: -4

Bridge Supporter 2 [H:5] - 200/1000 HP - EVA: -4

[Teion 0]

"Urgh..." The ground rumbled yet again. Beatbox hadn't taken a second swing at the monster, yet its strikes kept coming. Teion's shoulder was pushed up against the smooth bark of a large tree, her eyebrows furrowing as she tried to gauge the bridge's health bars after the behemoth's last attack. She spotted the flash of yellow dropping into the red and her eyes darted to the other support just as it burst into shards of light and disappeared. The bridge, as a result, lurched and gave way on one side, the sound of rope snapping reaching even her ears. The woman's eyes widened as she spotted a brief reflection of light--the polished blade of the steel straight sword that fell out of sight. When Teion looked back to the blonde fighting to remain on the bridge, she found her legs moving her forward. Gritting her teeth, she broke into a run and darted through the brush to the base of the mountain.

"Beatbox!" Teion heard herself call out as she reached the edge of the bridge. She placed a hand against one of the two supports that stood untouched, glancing across the chasm to the behemoth standing tall on the other side. The woman froze for a moment, intimidated by the large monster before she quickly shook her head and looked back to the swordsman. Teion filled her lungs with air before taking a step onto the wooden planks on the bridge that remained stable. Forcing herself to ignore the fear, she hurried to the center of the crumbling bridge. She only slowed again when the wood began to tilt beneath her feet, and she hesitated to trust her footing. 'Dammit, Thea!' The axe-wielder pushed herself forward. By the time she was within reach of the blonde, movement on the other end of the bridge caught Teion's eye and caused her to look back to the behemoth. It had already begun to rear back onto its hind legs, threatening to crash down once more and cause another shockwave of damage. Teion clenched her teeth, reaching out to the man with one hand while the other gripped the still-suspended rope tightly. "Come on!" She called over the roar of the waterfall.

[Beatbox 0]

Beatbox as he still attempted to climb up the rope noticed a familiar figure call out his name, Beatbox had darted over to see that it was Teion, "How in the world is she even here? Doesn't she know its far above her level range?" then he had noticed that she had begun to take steps towards him upon the bridge, he shook his head and yelled out "Teion no! It's not safe!" but it had already been too late, the behemoth had jumped up and made the final blow on the other supporter causing for the bridge to collapse on itself, forcing Teion and himself to fall. "Damnit!" he said to himself as he moved to grab onto Teion's arm "Gotcha! Hold on close! I'll take most of the damage." he then pulled Teion close essentially hugging her as he then moved himself that he would hit the water first, "Brace for impact!" he had said before...

Splash!

Beatbox had hit the water first in the river, and man... did it bring down his HP a lot, dang near almost close to his red area, he darted over to Teion's HP which had not lowered too much, she was still in the green. Beatbox then with one arm around her swam to the surface and swam his way to a part of land that was below. Placing Teion first upon the land he then placed himself looking up breathing heavily. The bridge had fallen over and leaned against the cliff in which it had tried to cross. He wiped his forehead as he then removed his shoulder guards along with his cape "That wasn't safe of you Thea." he sighed, "I know, I know. It wasn't safe for me either to take upon that challenge either, hell... I knew I would lose." he took a moment to think for a moment before speaking:

"Look, I wanted to prove to myself something. Recently, I have been seeing my stats get higher, and my damage outputs to be exponentially high, hell I thought I could take on anything I wished." he shook his head as he placed a smile upon his head "I needed to prove to myself that I wasn't as strong as I had thought, and well... go back to my old self. Which you helped me accomplish Thea." he chuckled as he sat up "Our time together so far in the Quest's and the Dance had made me remember that there was more to this game than getting stronger and progress... there was also the sights to see, the people to see, and the emotions in which we all can feel all over again." he chuckled once more as he looked up upon the moon. "Thank you Teion or Thea, whichever you prefer." he chuckled more.

[Teion 0]

A small scream escaped Teion as the bridge shook violently. The behemoth had crashed down once more, letting out a deep roar that made the woman wince. A split second later, the rope that she held on to so tightly suddenly gave way. The bridge itself was collapsing as the second support beam dissipated with another loud snap. She felt what was left of the bridge give out under her feet, and the sensation of falling quickly set in before the panic overtook her.

Teion felt a tightness in her chest before she found herself propped up on her hands and knees, coughing as water escaped her lungs. The woman breathed heavily, giving a quick look around her before her eyes fell on the blonde just as he spoke up. As she struggled to regain her composure herself, Teion shifted slightly to a sitting position on the grassy riverbank. She pulled off the yellow scarf that lay drenched on her shoulders and held her tongue while she allowed him to speak. Despite the tightness that returned to her chest--which was more of an anxious feeling now--her head was too fuzzy to form the right words, so she suppressed the urge to ramble on without thought.

By the time he had thanked her, looking up to the sky with a smile, Teion still didn't know what to say. She simply stared at the man for a moment before pulling her knees close to her, shifting her gaze to look over them and stare at the rushing water. Her eyebrows came together in frustration--she really wasn't any good with words. "Next time you want to realize you aren't invincible, do something a little less life-threatening." She mumbled loudly enough for him to hear her over the sounds of the river. She had wrapped her arms around her legs, ignoring the cold feeling of the night air against her wet clothes and hair. She simply let out a small breath through her nose, pressing her chin against her forearms before adding on. "It's okay for you to call me Thea, when it's just us."

[Beatbox 0]

Beatbox had chuckled, it was probably a better idea to do something a little less life threatening than to fight something he knew he couldn't beat, it almost had placed a frown upon his face... but he remained a slight smile upon his face. He had taken a deep breath, he looked back at Teion and smiled, he could only remind himself on how stunning she had looked earlier today at the dance, she looked very attractive. He looked back forward at the rushing water and back up at the moon... he had a temptation come to his mind to ask her out... but what had stopped him? Was it the fact that he had gone through so many break ups in this world that he was scared about another? His heart would not stop pounding, but the worst thing that could possibly happen is well... she'd say no. He'd never know if he wouldn't ask... he shifted gaze back at Teion and said out to her "Hey... Thea... I know I can be an idiot sometimes risking my life fighting dangerous bosses and such... but, well... there's no easy way of asking this..." he took a moment to get the words back together before he sighed as he shifted his body towards her "Would you like to go out sometime? Like... on a date?"

@Teion

[Teion 0]

While a silence settled over them for several long moments, Teion used a hand to pull her long violet hair to one side. She squeezed lightly to allow some more water to drip to the ground. Her clothes felt like a lost cause, the damp cloth and leather material clinging to her body. She vaguely wondered if the system what would happen over the next few hours--how long it took the system to "dry out" their clothing, and what would the transition feel like compared to the real world? Beatbox's voice pulled Teion from her idle thoughts, causing the blacksmith to look over at him while he spoke. The woman cocked her head to the side ever so slightly while his words sounded a bit hesitant. A long pause had her shift slightly, and she found her fingers twirling themselves loosely around the ends of her hair.

"W-wha?" Teion stammered out in response to his question. She could feel herself stiffen up, but when she soon became aware of the hot feeling on her cheeks as well, the blacksmith turned her head away to stare out at the rushing water of the river. She pulled her knees just a bit closer to her chest as her expression shifted from shock to an odd mixture of embarrassment and thoughtfulness. She resisted the urge to blurt out the first word that came to mind--not an answer, but a question of her own. She felt as though she wanted to ask him why. Why did he want to go out with her. No, asking something like that wouldn't only be rude, but also completely out of place. She gave a sideways glance at the blonde beside her before staring back to the riverbank. She could feel her fingers fidgeting with themselves between the tangled ends of her hair. She should instead be asking herself why it was so difficult to find her voice. Teion gave a small clear of her throat, as if she was trying to clear away her nerves at the same time. "That...sounds nice." She felt like she was nearly going to choke on the words as they left her. Trying her best to ignore the knot in her stomach, Teion gave a small nod. "Sure."

[Beatbox 0]

After the first response that she had given out to him, he then thought that it was a terrible time to even ask a question like that, which then gave him a moment to think for himself... "Man, I'm such an idiot to ask right away like that, she's a stunning looking girl... but maybe I went a little too quick on thi-" then she had said that it had sounded nice and that she had agreed to go on a date with him, his cheeks had heated up and a smile had grew upon his face... however as much as he would like to be on a date with her right now... that would be impossible, not only are they wet from the fall into the river, but it was night time around this time. Beatbox had stood up after being as dry as he ever would and offered her another hand to get up "As much as I would want to now, that would be a bad idea due to the current situation we're in. Howa'bout tomorrow? I got something cool planned." he said with a smile. After she would eventually got up he would escort her back to the main town before saying goodnight to the new female he would spent his time with. 

The Next Day...

Floor 2 - High Fields of Crossing

It was around noon when he had arrived at the High Fields of Crossing, a wonderful area filled with flowers serving as a safe zone and to relax... yes, this was a perfect spot for a date to be sure especially one that he had planned for earlier today. He had worn the same attire he had yesterday the same suit and behind him he had carried something for today... something rather old to do, but sweet at the same time.

@Teion

[Teion 0]

"Tomorrow?" Teion echoed with slight surprise, looking back at the man as he stood. She looked thoughtful for a moment before giving another small nod. "Mm, okay." She agreed before taking his hand to help pull herself up to her feet. It was late at night, and Teion was beginning to feel exactly how tired both her mind and body was after everything that had happened in a single day. The girl couldn't help a yawn from escaping her as they traveled back to Inti.

The next day, Teion dragged herself out of bed with just enough time to get herself ready. Stretching her arms over her head, the blacksmith opened her menus and scanned over a few items before she found what she was looking for. With a few taps against her interface, the clothing materialized over her body and took form: a pair of dark brown boots pulled over black leggings, a pleated cobalt skirt, and white button-up shirt with short sleeves. She fixed a ribbon that matched both her skirt and eyes in color under the collar of her shirt, tying a bow that rested in place above her chest. The woman took in a deep breath as she finished examining her outfit. She shifted nervously as she debated whether or not she was happy--not to mention comfortable--in it. 'If I wore a dress yesterday, I can do this!' She finally declared to herself with a decisive nod. She pulled open her menus once more, her eyes widening slightly as they glanced over the time display. "Aah, I'm gonna be late!"

Teion struggled to catch her breath as she arrived at the High Fields of Crossing. She had rushed the whole way from Fortaleza to Armadillo, and then again from Urbus to their meeting spot once she had used the teleport gate. 'I'm still five minutes late...' She scolded herself, taking a couple of deep breaths as she looked around for the man she agreed to meet. Her gaze soon fell upon the blonde, dressed in the same formal wear as when they had run into each other at the dance yesterday. Teion froze up a moment--should she have picked out something different to wear? She quickly shook her head, telling herself there was no sense in worrying about that now. She walked over to close the gap between the two, calling out the swordsman's username and giving a small wave as she approached.

[Beatbox 0]

Beatbox had looked over to see that Teion had arrived rather fashionably late, 5 minutes... it wasn't something to worry about, especially since the climb up here isn't the simplest. Beatbox had offered her a warm smile as he had revealed the item that had been behind him: a picnic basket. "Hey Thea, you look rather cute today." he chuckled as he opened the picnic basket to pull out the blanket "I hope you like a picnic, I didn't really know what to do at the moment, so I only assumed that something like this would be good enough." and then laid the blanket out on the grass next to a patch of flowers that had been near. Beatbox had sat down on the blanket and patted a spot next to him for her to sit with a smile "Hope ya don't mind the fact that we'll be on the ground today." he chuckled as he then went to get some food to place like if it was a dinner table yet for a picnic. In all honesty he never had been on a picnic before, but this was a good chance to try it out it had seemed.

@Teion

[Teion 0]

Teion's cheeks took on a pink hue as Beatbox greeted her with a compliment. The girl brought up a loose fist before her mouth and gave a small cough in an attempt to calm both her nerves and the slight embarrassment. It really had been a long time since she had been on a date. She blinked in surprise as the blonde revealed a basket from behind him with a smile, causing her to let out a small chuckle. "This is certainly a fitting location." She looked around briefly at the field of flowers before taking a seat beside him. She smoothed her skirt over her legs, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth at his next comment. "I think I prefer the ground, to be honest." She thought back to just hours ago when the two had put themselves into quite a dangerous position, but gave a small shake of her head to quickly dismiss the memory. Near-death experiences weren't something she wanted to dwell on right now.

A silence began to loom over them while Teion thought of something else to say. The two players knew so little about each other, save for their real names. Wasn't that the point of dates? To get to know each other better? Teion avoided looking directly at Beatbox as she tried to settle on an appropriate topic, allowing her to think a bit more freely without his smile leaving her distracted. "So... What's your favorite color?" She asked. Such a simple, almost childish question felt rather silly to ask, but right now she wanted to start small.

@Beatbox

[Beatbox 0]

Beatbox had smiled and chuckled when he had heard from Teion that this was a fitting location and that she prefers to be on the ground, taking a seat next to him he had continued to set up the food on the sheet that was spread out in front of them, Beatbox had looked down when he had everything out... he didn't really know what to do now, should he eat first? Or should he just have a little bit of idle chatter first? He blanked out for a moment trying to think of something to do, however the silence was broken when Teion had asked him a simple question, Beatbox had looked over and with a smile he had said "Blue, its a good color I believe. I'm not too entirely sure why I like the color so much, but I do. Even though I feel like I know the answer already..." he said with a chuckle "...What is your favorite color?" he sat up and looked at her with a warm smile and look. 

@Teion

[Teion 0]

"You got me," A shy smile grew on her face as she idly ran a hand through her long violet hair. "I really like the color purple." The girl's eyes wandered over the food that Beatbox had laid out, her memory taking her back to the dinner they had together. She vividly recalled the taste of the food, nearly fooling her into believing it was real. The blonde seemed hesitant to start eating anything, so once Teion spotted spotted a grape resting against a variety of other fruits the girl reached out to take it before popping it into her mouth. "Alright," She mumbled after she had taken a moment to chew. "You ask me something." She allowed a smile to rest on her face. Now that she was settled, feeling the soft breeze against her cheeks and speaking casually with the temptation of food and snacks laid out before her, Teion felt more at ease. She chose not to focus on her outfit, the events of the last twenty-four hours, or other things that would leave her mind nervous or troubled. For now, she just wanted to focus on the present.