[F01 - PP] On the wrong side of the wall

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

A long sigh can be heard throughout the large chamber that hosted the ironically named 'Monument of Life', deep inside the Black Iron Palace. At it seemed ironical to the blonde as the reason she and a large percentage of the players that come to this place is to check out if a name of someone they knew is crossed off, meaning that player died. While the large slab of stone holds ten thousand names on it only but a handful interested the blonde so she makes regular trips here to verify if they are crossed off or not. At the moment she was standing in front of the column of names that started with the letter "L" and the sigh heard earlier was one of relief as the person she was looking for still had her name intact.

"Guildmaster... We would sure need you back... I need you to come back... All the rookies are front liners now and doing their best to keep on... but progress is so slow these days... I... miss those times... I miss you..." muttered the blonde under her breath as she gently stroke with her right hand the name 'Lessa', imagining she was speaking with her directly. A little delusion she permitted herself once in a while, a small hope that was still present inside her heart. In times like these she didn't really care if people would hear he talking to herself, maybe it was for the best if she was actually mad.

Without wanting to, her eyes reached a bit lower in the same column, from 'Les' to 'Low'. She gritted her teeth as a name she was familiar with was crossed off, her own name being mentioned in the cause of death. "That was your mistake, not mine." she adds with a bit of resentment in her tone

---

@Teion

[Teion 0]

It had been a while since the violet-haired blacksmith had visited the first floor. A long time since she had even traveled outside of Fortaleza. Every time the thought occurred to her--what she had been doing the last time she went here or there--it simply brought back painful memories. Was she really such a recluse before the blonde swordsman had taken an interest in her? Had she just been returning to the way she was living before Beatbox had stumbled into her life? A knot formed in the pit of Teion's stomach as she approached the Black Iron Palace. It's not as if she needed to come here. She wasn't going to find any closure just by seeing his name crossed out on the Monument of Life. So why did she bother coming at all?

Perhaps she wanted to quell any foolish thoughts she might have had over the past weeks. Thoughts that maybe he was somehow still alive, and this was all part of some stupid agenda he had that involved severing ties with her. Before she began to spiral into a masochistic guessing game or another string of 'what-ifs', Teion filled her lungs and moved her legs to carry her inside of the building.

She stopped upon reaching the clearing that marked the inside of the dimly-lit room. A single figure stood before the stone monument, something that Teion had not expected to encounter. After a brief moment in which she considered turning and heading back the way she came, the woman continued walking forward instead. It didn't matter if another person was here, right? Teion's footsteps created dull echoes in the otherwise empty chamber as she wordlessly approached the monument. Essentially ignoring the blonde woman who would now be standing beside her, Teion gazed at the stone slab with a blank expression. Her cobalt eyes drifted between the mass of names sitting in a tidy list, already focused on the section she was concerned with. Finally she found what she had been looking for. She felt her jaw tighten when she followed the single line that dragged through the name 'Beatbox'.

Now what? Should she turn back and return to her shop on the fifth floor? The woman felt as though her shoes were made of iron that had been welded to the floor. And so, frozen in her loss, Teion stood silently beside a stranger in the Black Iron Palace.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

The blonde continued her inner... mourning? no it wasn't that. She assumed the fact that Lowenthal lost his life by her hand a long time ago, so regret was also out of the question. Then what was she feeling right now? seeing his name crossed. It isn't even for the first time since she had made several visits to this monument after the final duel between them. With a long sigh, she continued to check her mental list of names against the physical etchings on the monument. Her squinted eyes showed more of a angry expression overall as continued to confirm what she had in mind. It wasn't by far a long list, she could count the people she cared for and could confirm their aliveness (not a invented word, I swear) via looking at the cold slab in front of her; she would need a hand and some extra fingers to name them all.

After finishing her task, she exited her weird state where she would pretty much focus just on doing one thing and let out a large and loud sigh while tilting her head back and closing her eyes. Only after opening them again did she noticed that there was another person next to her. 'I need to stay more alert!' she inner scolded herself as she looked at the purple haired girl next to her. 'Did she say something?' was the second though that came through her head after 'Who?'. Of course, one could read these inner turmoils on her face if he or she paid a little attention to her. The blonde was a pretty straightforward individual, that's why she liked to open her mouth more often than properly think things through.

Seeing how she paid no attention to Ariel, the now unarmed spear wielder let out a satisfied sigh and out of the blue sat down in front of the Monument. Next, her right hand gracefully danced in front of her and as it came to a complete stop a small round plate with two cups and a bottle materialized in front of her; all in a polished ebony color. She wasn't much of a tradition holder, being the love product between a easterner and a westerner but she found this particular Japanese drinking custom somehow relaxing. People might take it as her mourning but as mentioned before, she used the opportunity to collect her thoughts and plan her future.

Taking a quick look at the stone still girl next to her she poured the content of the bottle in the two cups. It was supposed to be a low (15%) alcoholic beverage made from cherry blossoms but after one taste, any average Japanese person would see it as the cheap imitation that it was. Still it tasted good enough, for the blonde, that she decided to stick with it as her third favorite drink. First choice on occasions like this. Eyeing the girl one more time she picked both cups and while the one in her right hand was at her mouth level, the one in her left hand was raised towards the stranger. The blonde cleared her throat before speaking loud enough so that she could get her attention: "Mind joining me? Spending too much time staring at that thing will give you a headache. And I wouldn't mind the company..." shortly after she finished her sentence she took a small sip and tried to avoid direct eye contact, having a neutral facial expression as she was blankly looking towards the monument... doing the thing she warned the girl about.

[Teion 0]

Teion's gaze snapped over to the figure beside her when she made an audible attempt to get her attention, breaking her out of her trance. Her eyes first met the cup in her hand that was filled with a semi-transparent liquid, then trailed down her arm to the bottle resting on the plate on the stone floor between them. Finally, she drifted back up to the woman's face that had looked away from her own. Like most of the game's population, she didn't know this woman--she couldn't even recall seeing her in passing. With a blank expression of her own, Teion resigned herself and took the cup from Ariel's hand. She moved to take a seat as well, bending her knees close to her chest while she held the cup gingerly in front of her chin. Hesitantly, she took a sip.

Teion had drunk before, but she couldn't say she had a diverse profile of favored drinks. She didn't recognize the taste, but she didn't dislike it. It was something new, but for a brief moment she was discouraged that the liquid wouldn't have any real effect on her mind. She hadn't really thought about it before, but the realization made her think that she would like a real drink right about now. "Thanks." She said quietly, not wanting the stranger's gesture to go without a response. Did people do this kind of thing often? It was a new experience for her, but it felt somehow comforting. She took another small sip of the liquid, unsure of what else to do or say. She obviously wasn't one for conversation, but she began to feel a hint of curiosity about the woman beside her.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

Revealing a small smile as the purple haired girl accepted her offer, the blonde reached for the bottle with her now free hand and replenished her cup. Replying with a nod to her word of gratitude, Ariel would suspect that this girl wasn't much of a talker. 'I suppose nobody that come here is in a chatty mood.' she thought to herself as she slightly turned her head and body to face Teion. While her hair color had drawn her attention before, now at a closer look, her blue eyes certainly weren't something couldn't miss even after a first glance. It was one of the first thing this particular blonde looked at when meeting people, their eyes. She was a firm believer that the eyes were a mirror of one's soul and no matter how much one would try to hide behind 'masks', an eye to eye encounter would render them useless. 

It wasn't that she suspected the girl of something but more of a particularity of the blonde's. Ariel having the unordinary silver eye color, most people would react differently when they would see themselves mirrored back at them through her eyes. She wondered what this girl would see, so she stared at her, for a longer period that one would find normal. Realizing that her action would make most people uncomfortable, the blonde gave a fake cough and adverted her gaze towards the cup in her right hand. She was naturally interested on other people, their live stories. Even in real life, as she grew up, she had very little contact with others except a handpicked few so social interactions weren't her forte. Still, she found herself trying harder ever since being trapped in this place.

"I don't know if you ever tried it but this is but a effortless imitation compared to the real thing." she began to realize that small talk like this was almost given when meeting new people. So despite how much she personally disliked it, she had started to do it as a way to break the ice before dwelling into the stuff she really wanted to know. 

[Teion 0]

It was hard not to feel Ariel's eyes on her. The blacksmith stared at the cup in her hands for a few moments before her gaze flickered to the side to meet the blonde's. Ariel had decided to look away, and made a small comment about their drinks after refilling her own. "Mm... I've never had it. I knew somebody who liked this stuff, though." She responded in a quiet voice. The large room easily carried the sounds from their vocal chords, and she almost felt the need to whisper in the otherwise silent atmosphere. The woman frowned, looking back to her drink before she finished off what was left in the cup. "I don't drink much. Not at all since being here." She admitted, realizing the fact as she did. Everything felt so different from reality, it was as if her normal life had been washed away. Old routines, habits, and even her personality had drastically changed. Much more so than when one would think that people just naturally change over time.

"A mixed rum or whiskey is what I'd go for, if I could choose." She continued. "Something fruity or sweet always works for me." It was strange hearing herself go on. She hadn't expected to be having a drink with a stranger. That wasn't the purpose of coming here. But still, it felt almost like natural conversation. Is this what happened when someone mourned? They would talk with others to distract themselves? Everybody had their own way of coping, surely, but Teion wondered if this was what she had actually wanted for the past month, something she needed: a drink and another person.

[Ariel - The Crowned Lion 0]

The blonde let out a soft chuckle "Somehow I can see you with one of those multicolored drinks and a umbrella on top." It was nice to have a casual chat about stuff not really related to SAO. Was this how conversations usually went between people in real life? the blonde wouldn't really know since most of her social events have been work related and friends in that domain were... a extremely rare sight; there everybody is competing against each other and social interactions are a mere facade.

"People often said it was a very good that I didn't smoke or drink... but I would see it as something obvious, considering my profession. Like why would people want to poison themselves like that?" she asked with with a honest and innocent expression on her face. It seemed unusual for someone of her age, to appear oblivious to the reality of the circumstances that lead people into those habits. Realizing that Teion might've been one of those people the blonde tried to save face by saying: "I mean... it depends on if you like doing I guess... Its not like I hate those people or something..." at the realization that she might've screwed up their little chat, the blonde looked to the side and gently scratched her cheek while trying to distract herself.  

She would get the small bottle and offer to refill Teion's cup, having plenty of serving etiquette experience from spending time with her father and his guests. It was a custom she had grown into since little, so her movements were refined and graceful. Giving the blonde some degree of charm and appeal similar to a geisha's, even without wearing a traditional kimono and makeup. 

All the time, it stood on the tip of her tongue to ask if that 'somebody who liked this stuff' was the reason she was here but even the blonde would realize that would be too intrusive, at least in this moment. For the time she would continue the small talk as it seemed that her drinking companion had become more accustomed to her presence.

[Teion 0]

Teion cracked a small smile as she sensed the woman backtracking. She accepted Ariel's offer and took a small sip from her cup after it was refilled. Lowering her hands to hover in front of her chest afterwards, she gave a small shake of her head. "I only drink if I have a good reason to. And for me, partying doesn't really cut it." She admitted, pulling her gaze up to trail along the dark polished marble of the walls surrounding them. "So, if you're offering, this seems like a good enough reason to me." She hoped that she made it clear enough that she hadn't been offended by the woman's comments.

For a moment she wondered where there conversation was going. Right now they were lingering with idle chit-chat, topics unrelated to what was weighing down on either of their minds. Teion stole a sideways glance at the blonde beside her. She was unused to friendly interactions. Though the stranger had a bit of a professional air around her, Teion hardly considered this to be a formal interaction. For a brief moment, she thought back to the day in her shop, when the reality of Beatbox's death had been thrust upon her. And so, the memory of a different voice rang out in her head. 'Everybody needs people.'

"Are you visiting someone?" She tried to word the sudden question in a kind way, and was sure to keep her vision facing forward. She had thought about adding on some other words, like saying she didn't need to answer if she didn't want to. But Teion let the question hang with the attempt to shift the topic.