[PP-F4] Fine By Me (Telrenya)

[Aoda 0]

Despite the rather frigid weather, the fourth floor seemed oddly calming to Aoda. He wore his old cloak given to him by Atzo, leader of the Emerald Harbingers. It still had the guild symbol on the back, although he had left the guild a short time prior to this evening. He only wore it because quite cold. Underneath was his basic cloth armor, which was truly in need of an upgrade. It kept him vulnerable while in combat. Not a good thing in a game where every fight meant life or death.

The moon illuminated the already dimly lit town, know to many as Snowfrost. Each snowflake was so visible, it was as if Aoda could count every one of them. As the noirette walked through the peaceful village, he pulled up the hood of his white coat, which had given him the title of the "Pearl Raven" in his previous guild. It was a name he liked, although he was unsure whether or not he deserved it. The lad hadn't actually done anything to earn a title of the sort. It was likely he'd leave it behind with the group of players.

Wandering through towns on the lower floors was something Aoda did quite often. Often enough that he was beginning to get bored of it. It was time for him to branch out, explore the outside regions of the frozen floor. He certainly believed it was full of things he hadn't seen before. The young man's only worry was the fact that some of the things out there could very possibly kill him with little to no effort at all.

"Well, fine by me." He spoke, moving forward towards the exit of the town, which would lead him into a terrain covered in snow and trees.

Edited June 28, 2017 by Aoda

[Telrenya 0]

A commotion was a rather uncommon thing to occur in the main settlements of Aincrad, especially in the calm scenery that made up the city called Snowfrost on the fourth floor. While the blanket of night rested over most of the normally-peaceful area, the booming voice of a player who had been the victim of a very unfair and unjust situation rang out.

"And just how are you going to pay me back for this? Huh?!" Anyone within the vicinity of the teleportation gate just moments earlier might have caught sight of what happened between the two players. A boy with bright blonde hair and sharp amber eyes stood with his arms folded over his chest, an expression of anger and disgust stuck to his features. He stared down at a young woman who was down on her knees, blonde hair spilling over her shoulder and onto the snow piled on the ground as her forehead pressed against the back of her hands.

"I-I'm really sorry!" She spoke up loudly enough for the agitated player in front of her to hear, earning her a scoff in response. Telrenya's eyes--though hidden from view--were squeezed shut, the feelings of guilt and embarrassment squirming around in her stomach.

[Aoda 0]

The atmosphere, which had once been peaceful, quickly shifted as an angered voice emerged nearby. Aoda turned his head to face the player. He was about the same height as Aoda, but with brilliant, golden hair. It didn't take long for the player to realize what that the man was yelling at a seemingly innocent woman. The noirette hadn't yet ran into a situation like this before. Was he supposed to stop it or just let them handle it themselves?

Before he could even think up an answer, Aoda found himself walking towards the two players, unprepared but confident. "Maybe you should calm down a little." He interrupted, bringing the hood of his cloak down from over his head. "Not sure what it is you're so angry about, but is that any way to treat a woman?"

The words came out so fluently, but Aoda honestly had no idea what he was doing. He went on complete autopilot when confronting the man, drowning out any thought that told him to back out. No turning back now.

[Telrenya 0]

Just as the boy had opened his mouth to speak again, he stopped short when another voice caught his attention. "Huh?" He looked as though he was about to snap back at the raven-haired player that had stepped in, but his words failed him at Aoda's last question. A bit flustered, the blonde boy turned his attention to the stranger, his hands still resting on his hips. "Hey, because of her the potion I had was destroyed!" He exclaimed. "It was expensive! She should have to pay me back for it!" The more the boy went on, the more childish his arguments began to sound. Still, his brows were narrowed with a pouting frown on his face, clearly unwilling to let the incident go.

Meanwhile, as curious as Telrenya was when the sound of another player's presence fell on her ears, she dared not lift her head. After the boy had tried to explain himself, the blonde spoke up again to repeat herself. "I'm very sorry! I'll... I can make up for it somehow." She sounded unsure as she tried to find the right words. As much as she appreciated the sound of someone trying to intervene, she didn't want anyone else feeling like they had to involve themselves in her mistakes.

[Aoda 0]

A sigh escaped the lad's mouth as he listened to the irritated man's response. "All this over a potion? How much will it cost you?" Aoda questioned, swiping his hand in front of him to open his menu. He was by no means rich, but he definitely had enough for a single potion, which was probably not nearly as much as the player made it seem. Pathetic was one word to sum up the situation. It was as if the grown male was having a temper tantrum or something.

Unbelievable...

The girl's next statement proved that she was honest and willing to repay the man for her mistake, however Aoda wasn't interested in allowing her to do such a thing. "I'd like to pay for it, if that's alright with you. I don't see the need of taking col from a clearly innocent girl, who you've been needlessly yelling at." The lad frowned, part of him wanting to scold the stranger, while the other part wanted to stop speaking to the immature player completely. He wasn't fond of people who did things like this.

[Telrenya 0]

As Aoda continued to involve himself in the situation, the blonde boy grew more and more flustered. He seemed taken aback that the raven-haired player was offering to pay him for the potion that had been destroyed, his cheeks tinting red with embarrassment as he was called out for his actions. Perhaps the player had a particularly short temper. Perhaps he had never really learned much about etiquette and basic manners. Perhapps he simply chose to be a rude and irritable person. Whether any or all of these possibilities were true, he quickly began backtracking when the third party insisted on stepping in. The boy scowled, as if finally admitting defeat. "N-nevermind, keep it! Just be more careful!" He growled, feeling the need to tack on some unnecessary order. As if he wanted nothing to do with Aoda after he had stepped in, the blonde kid turned and hurried away.

A few moments passed before Telrenya raised her forehead from the ground. She let out a small breath of relief at the realization that the aggressive player was gone. Her cheeks were a deep shade of red, her brown eyes drifting to the stranger. "U-um, thanks..." She stammered out, clearly embarrassed by the earlier exchange.

@Aoda

Edited July 24, 2017 by Telrenya

[Aoda 0]

To his relief, the angered player turned and left the scene where Aoda and Telrenya were positioned. A sigh escaped the lad's mouth as he reached out his hand to help the woman stand. "No need to thank me, just be more careful next time." He responded, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. Much like Aoda, the girl was under-equipped. Probably a low level player, like himself. "I had planned on touring the town. Care to join me?" He inquired, knowing it wouldn't hurt to make a friend in the cruel world they were forced to live in.

For the most part, he hadn't seen much of this floor. It was almost completely unknown to him, except for the few shops he had explored. It wouldn't hurt to familiarize the landscape for the future. And it was likely the blonde didn't know the area well either. It could be good for the two of them to take a look around the place together.

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya's face was still flushed when she shyly took the hand Aoda offered. Her mind swirled with the thoughts of her embarrassment and the shameful situation she had found herself in. 'A lot like the real world...' Telrenya nearly let out a sigh when the thought entered her mind. She was always rather spineless when it came to being bullied. She thought it would be different now that she was in Aincrad, far away from the people that went out of their way to give her a hard time.

The blonde cleared her throat--perhaps a bit more forcefully than needed--in an attempt to compose herself once she was standing. Her spine straightened, and the redness in her cheeks slowly began to fade as she placed her right hand over her heart and offered the raven-haired player a her usual bow in greeting. "I'm sorry for the trouble. My name is Telrenya." She tried to be extra polite to the man that had gone out of his way to help her. It was then that he had offered for her to join him in exploring the town, which took the woman aback for a moment. As with all of her emotions, the surprise was clearly displayed in her features. "O-oh! Um..." She seemed to think about her answer for a brief moment. After finding no harm in accompanying the player, Telrenya offered him a friendly smile. "Sure! It's my first time here, so I needed to explore the town."

[Aoda 0]

It was clear how shy and uncomfortable the young woman was in this situation. Her face was only just returning to it's normal colour and she seemed to be unsure of whether or not it was a good idea to explore with Aoda. He understood, of course. They didn't know each other, not really.

When she gave her answer, Aoda returned a charming smile, hoping to loosen up the the tension around them. Awkward conversations were generally not for him.

"Great," the man began, "I've been told that this town has some really good cafés, so we could start there if you'd like. Or we could go explore outside the safezone, if you're up to it."

Actually, he wasn't sure leaving the safezone was a reasonable idea. Aoda wasn't so much concerned for his own safety as he was for Telrenya's. He wasn't interested in another life on his hands. The noirette also had to factor in that she likely did not trust him 100 percent and he thought his appearance did look similar to a player killer's, as bad as that might sound.

"So, what do you say?"

(thought i'd do some good for the world)

@Telrenya