[PP-F21] A new Color... [Complete]

[Aereth 1]

Aereth nodded understandingly. Traps like these were very common on this particular floor, so it only made sense that Teion also got dropped in here by one. It really seemed that the girl managed to calm herself down again by the time they found the handle. 

Aereth only shrugged when Teion started to pull on the handle. He had tried to find other things as well, but in this room there was only this handle, nothing more, nothing less. A slight rumbling sounded and the cave floor under their feet began to shudder and after some tense moments, the big room finally got dimly illuminated by the various arious plantlife--moss, mushrooms, and algae.

"I have no f*cking idea..." Aereth asked in confusion as they eyed the statue in the middle of the room. "Why the hell wasn't I able to see this thing when I scanned the room with my search skill?" he asked himself and re-read the words on the statute.

"But seriously? How should this sh*t get us out of here? Don't tell me that stupid thing has some kind of truth detector running in the background..." Aereth whined, lightly bumping the statue with his fist.

@Teion

[Teion 0]

Teion's hand slowly slid down the cave wall and fell back to her side. The long breath that left her lungs carried much of her fear and anxiety along with it, her vision now able to register most of the large room from the dim light above. She walked up to the ominous statue behind Aereth as his fist bumped lightly against the smooth stone. Her cobalt-blue eyes trailed down the statue from head to toe before her gaze lingered on the plaque resting on the ground. "Confess...?" She repeated the word in a small voice. Her brow narrowed, and the gears in her mind started turning when Aereth made mention of a 'truth detector'.

"I regret buying this game." She spoke up, studying the expressionless statue with a blank stare. The room was filled with silence until Teion shrugged and gave a small scowl. "Well that didn't work..." She mumbled, shifting her weight and looking back down to the plaque. She read the words over for what must have been the third or fourth time now. She couldn't see why the game would give them something like this if they weren't supposed to solve it somehow. But just what did they expect them to do, or say?

[Aereth 1]

Aereth frowned. Today wasn't one of his best days, so was this game trying to see how far it can push him until he looses his sanity completely? He closed his eyes and focused only on his breathing. In..... Out.... This was all he did for a couple of moments. "Don't question the game..." he repeated inside of his mind in order to calm down again.

"F*ck this sh*t." Aereth said as he opened his eyes once more as he prepared his answers. 

He hesitated for a few long moments before he started to speak...

Confess what darkens your heart,
"The injustice of this world, The loss that came from this injustice and the constant thirst of Revenge that cannot be quenched no matter what I do."

What haunts your dreams,
"The thoughts of the past, or better, that one day where I lost everything."

And what falters your step.
"My own weakness, and the fear of having to watch my own sanity slipping away with every passing second..."

With that, the brunette answered all the questions on the statue. It took all of his effort, not to loose his composure again. He was honest with every word he said, but he doubted that he had a pure heart and mind. His heart got ripped out of him the day he lost his love. Only to be replaced by a dark void that grew with every PKer he killed. His dreams always were only about the past. What he could have done, how he could have prevented it. But in the end it was all the same...

Suddenly one eye of the statue began to glow, but nothing else happened. "Seems like this is some kind of partner thing...." Aereth guessed in low voice, doing his best not to sound weak.

@Teion

[Teion 0]

Teion felt a veil of uneasiness hovering over the two of them. She cast a short, sideways glance to Aereth, who held his eyes closed as if he was concentrating. She averted her gaze, passing over the plaque once more before she brought her gaze back up to stare into the face of the statue that stood over them.

Aereth's voice was unexpected, but Teion simply stared at the statue while he spoke, taking in the man's words with morbid curiosity. They were vague, but bitter, and pained. The woman felt a conflict after his confession drew to a close. She hadn't been so naive as to think she could truly understand anyone, let alone the man standing beside her. Just as silence began to overtake the wide room, a flicker of light caught Teion's attention. The statue's left eye took on a soft glow, and Aereth spoke up again in a quieter tone, causing Teion's brow to slightly narrow.

She was surprised anything had even happened. And now she was expected to answer the strange instruction etched into a piece of stone sitting on the ground between them. Confess? What did these words mean to her? She felt as though she could struggle and contemplate the answer for hours. But as her troubled heart continued beating, the words slowly began to leave her.

What darkens your heart,
"My hesitation. My stubbornness. My disgusting sense of pride that's pushed them all away."

What haunts your dreams,
"I'm afraid to let anyone else in. I don't want anyone else getting too close to me. Especially after the last time."

What regret falters your step,
"He was so selfless, but I... I took everything for granted. I didn't pay attention, I didn't--" She faltered, her fists clenching at her sides. Her jaw tightened and she finished her last confession. "I couldn't save him."

Teion's chin had lowered as she struggled to keep her own composure. When silence once again fell over them, the statue's right eye took on an identical glow. Another rumbling sound reached their ears, and the floor beneath them quaked with less intensity than the last. On the far wall, past the sculpture of the angel, the cave's wall crumbled away to reveal the bottom of a dimly-lit staircase.

[Aereth 1]

Aereth took a step back and waited for Teion to speak up.
With every word Teion spoke Aereth managed to understand more about the woman, and as the realization struck, he felt a huge wave of guilt wash over him. His hand was slowly moving up towards her shoulder as she faltered, but he stopped mere centimeters before he touched her. 

"I have no right..." he thought, as his hand hovered over her shoulder for a few seconds, also thinking about earlier how he had pushed her against the wall yelling at her that she wouldn't understand anything. Guilt was washing over him. She only tried to help, but he pushed her away in such a harsh and cruel manner...

Thankfully his thoughts got interrupted by the rumbling sounds and the quaking floor as the wall on one side of the cave crumbled away, revealing a staircase. As none of them moved, Aereth spoke in a low voice, "Let's go. We need to get out of here..." and started to slowly walk towards the dimly lit staircase.

The mood was heavy as they walked up the stairs, and neither Teion, nor Aereth spoke a single word until they finally were able to exit the dungeon through this hidden exit. They could already see Tomoika in the distance as well as the main dungeon entrance some meters away, and Aereth finally decided to break the silence. "If you head this way you should get back to the main settlement without problems..." he paused. "Look... I'm... I'm really sorry for what I said back in the dungeon. And I'm really sorry for attacking you like that, but let me give you an advice. Find somebody who understands you, who you can trust, somebody who's there for you. And talk... Cry... Talk and cry until there is nothing left to say and no more tears left to cry." Another few moments of pause. The words were heavy as stones inside of him, since he knew that what he was going to ask her was almost impossible to accomplish. "And most importantly, forgive yourself..." His hand slowly took hold of his hood and he slowly pulled it over his head. "Or you will one day end up like me..." 

With that he turned around and slowly began to walk towards the dungeon entrance again. He still had to pick up his sword after all...

@Teion

[Teion 0]

When the two arrived in the large open caverns that signaled the main level of the twenty-first floor, Aereth was the one to finally break the silence. His choice of words, however, surprised her. He started by giving her directions back to town, and her brain had just about processed his intention for doing so when he continued on.

Her brow had slightly narrowed on its own. She stood, staring at the man in disbelief with every word he spoke. He told her to find someone. To open her heart to that person, to confide in them. She felt her jaw tighten again, already rejecting his 'advice'. For a fleeting second she felt as though she wanted to punch the brunette standing across from her for such remarks. She hadn't wanted to let anyone in, to let them see her pain and her weakness. She had been intent on holding everyone at arm's length, to get through every miserable day on her own. Beatbox had managed to slip by her defenses. After she had allowed him to do so, she hadn't shown him the same kindness. And in the end, it only resulted in his death.

Teion's eyes widened as the man turned his back to her with his hood pulled over his head. Another spark lit inside of her, and before Aereth had put much distance between them she closed the gap in a few short strides and her hand shot out in front of her. She took hold of his hand again to hold him in place, much like how she had pulled him away from the monsters just an hour before. She felt as though she had to hold her anger in or she might very well begin yelling at the man again. "Where do you think you're going?" She asked in a low voice. "You think I'm going to let you saunter back in there like nothing happened?" She tried to fight the aggressive tone in her voice that steadily slipped out. "I don't regret what I did in there," she started, referring to the first time she had dragged him away from his attempted suicide. "and I'm sure as hell not going to let you die." She growled, and her hold on him loosened until she dropped her hand, only hoping that the man wouldn't chose to continue walking away from her. She lowered her head, unable to look Aereth in his eyes any longer. "Maybe you should take your own advice." Her fingers curled as her fists lightly tightened at her sides. "Until then, I've got no problem being a damn thorn in your side."

[Aereth 1]

Once again he felt a tug on his arm. She still didn't want to let him go. Why... Why for gods sake did she care so much about the life of an orange player that she barely knew. He didn't understand... But if she knew what he had done  would she still want to stop him...

"Why?" he simply asked the purple haired woman. "I know now that we share a similar burden.. But do you even know who I am? What I did?" Aereth paused.

"I'm currently considered as one of the most dangerous players inside of this whole game. The Army wants to see me behind bars or worse and the biggest Red Guild in the game wants my head. Look me in the eyes..." Aereth demanded as he turned around and locked his brown ores with the cobalt ones of Teion.  "My username is Aereth, currently the player with the highest kill count in the game. 12 People Teion. I've take the life of 12 people inside of this game and I'm done, I have no reason to fight, because only my own pathetic little life isn't worth it anymore. I'm tired. I just want to rest..."

After this revelation, would she still want to stop him from resting, or would she stay adamant and stubborn in her attempt to change his mind? He didn't know... But what he did know was, that he was slowly loosing it again. His voice was rising and he could feel how he was slowly starting to shake again...

@Teion

[Teion 0]

Teion should have expected the word to leave his mouth. She should have, and yet she froze in place when he asked her why. The words that followed fueled an uneasiness that festered inside of her. Her brow was narrowed now in confusion instead of anger while the knot in her stomach twisted and tightened as his explanation continued. For a fleeting moment, she wondered what she would do if the man facing away from her was the one person she had told herself she would never forgive. The momentary sense of panic was so strong that she flinched when he turned and his eyes locked with her own. She wasn't sure what she felt when he revealed his username to her. She didn't have time to process any sense of relief that the man standing in front of her wasn't the player whose name caused her to seethe with vengeful anger. Instead, she was overloaded by the darkest pieces of his past, a complicated mixture of emotions swirling in his eyes as he stared at her.

What could she say? What should she say? The man standing across from her was broken, likely far more than she had ever felt herself. All of the burning tears, the overwhelming rage, the crippling depression; everything she had endured up until now felt small and insignificant. He claimed that he was dangerous--the most wanted man in Aincrad--and yet the feeling of his hand as it gingerly took her own in the dark cavern below resurfaced in her memory. If he was a heartless killer, why was she still standing? Why was she the one fighting for his life?

She wanted to drop her gaze, to break the hold his eyes had on her, but she couldn't bring herself to look away. She felt so powerless, but at the same time she felt as though her words and her actions alone would decide the man's fate. All she knew was that she didn't want him to die. Teion grit her teeth, steeling herself for whatever effect her next words might have. "You're going to say that your life doesn't have purpose?" Her hands were once again balled into fists at her sides. She shoved away the worry, anxiety, and fear for one brief moment while she mustered up every ounce of courage she had left. "Then I'll give it one." There was another fire burning in her eyes as she met his gaze. One of determination and that incredible stubbornness that wouldn't allow her to back down. "Let me talk to you. Let me cry in front of you." Her breath shook slightly after she echoed his earlier words. "Let me trust you." The tightness in her chest was almost unbearable. It took everything she had just to keep herself together while she searched his face for any hint, any shred of a second thought in his expression.

[Aereth 1]

Aereth was just about to turn around and leave, as the purple haired female wanted to try and break his gaze. But the something happened. Teion spoke out again, revealing that she would give his life purpose. That she wasn't just going to let him die. Aereth's dedication to finally end his pain was faltering. And then he remembered...

"I couldn't save him."

It was Aereth who dropped his gaze, as he started to think. "What the hell am I doing? Am I really this weak?" he asked himself mentally. The woman in front of him lost somebody very important to her, due to not being able to save him. So it was a male. Either her lover or a close family member. And here he was standing trying to tell her that everything was fine and that he was 'just' going to die? Of course she wouldn't let that happen again. She would do everything to 'save' him just so she wouldn't have to tell herself that she failed again. No matter if friend or stranger. Aereth finally understood why. He frowned, and sighed. "At least I'm able to think straight again..." Aereth thought, the clouds in his mind slowly beginning to clear up again. Not everything in this world was turning around him and his pain.

He almost started to smile when he looked back up at Teion, but seeing her in her current condition made him flinch. Her expression was pained and her body language didn't tell any different story. Her fists were shut tightly and she was almost shaking.

"You won... I won't go back." he said, closing the distance between them and gently moved his hands up to hug her. If she would feel uncomfortable she could easily stop him, since he wouldn't try and force something onto her without her consent. He just wanted to let her know that she managed to touch him. "Thank you." He whispered in case she didn't refuse the hug.

For all of the time he had been hunting down PKers. Saving other people who couldn't save themselves. And for the fist time since he entered Aincrad.... it was him who had been saved.

@Teion

 

[Teion 0]

The thick tension looming in the air between them was almost suffocating. He seemed to be deep in thought when he looked away from her, and Teion simply stared back at the man's hooded form with apprehension further building in her heart. What had she said? Did she really think she was capable of making promises like that? Was this going to be just another stupid mistake that would only cause her more pain and regret? Doubt and uncertainty filled her thoughts and mixed with the heavy weight that was pushing down on her heart, inching it lower and lower into her stomach.

He finally looked back up to her, but she couldn't read his expression. Her eyes searched his face again, wanting desperately to know what the man across from her was thinking. He seemed to be taking her in his own eyes this time, examining her frame for a short moment before he opened his mouth to speak. For a second, she almost wasn't able to register his answer. 'It's over?' The thought rang in her mind with disbelief. His body was moving forward, closer, and after a few short strides she felt as his arms wrapped around her shoulders in an embrace.

Teion was stunned by the turn of events. She froze in his arms, the feeling almost alien to her. The last time she had felt any such sensation, Shield had simply given her a literal shoulder to cry on. Before that? The vague memories of Beatbox's affection were all she could manage in that moment. As her mind struggled to come to terms with the situation, the closeness of his face allowed his whispered thanks to reach her ear, and she slowly began to comprehend. Before the sting of hot tears could reach the corners of her eyes, Teion let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Her shoulders fell as the air spilled from her lungs and brushed against Aereth's armor. She felt as though she wanted to cry, but quickly denied herself of the release. Just because she said she would let him see her tears didn't mean she had to start doing so right away.

She allowed them to stay like that for a few long moments, although she couldn't bring herself to return his hold. After a short time they would part, and the woman would suddenly feel very drained. The day had taken a much larger toll on her than she would have ever expected, and she was simply lost as to what would--or what should--happen from here. With a bit of space between their bodies, Teion slowly brought up a hand to run through her long hair, pushing her bangs away from her forehead as her fingers passed through them, only for the locks to quickly fall back into place. Her blue eyes flickered to the bottom-left of her vision, glancing at Aincrad's local time as she realized how late it was. With the cave ceiling hanging over their heads and no sunlight to speak of, the players were left with very little sense of time on the frontline floor.

Teion was beyond lost for words, but the silence that grew between them had gone on long enough. "Well..." She started in a quiet voice, her mind just managing to catch up with all that had happened. She almost felt as though she couldn't relax yet, the anxiety still tight in her chest like it wasn't really over. The blacksmith averted her gaze from the brunette, her awkward nature for social situations quickly flaring up after the defusal. "Are there any inns on this floor that we don't have to go through traps and puzzles to get to...I guess?" Her sentence was worded strangely, as if she had tried to ask for his opinion and give a suggestion all in one question. The hand that had ran through her purple strands now rested on the nape her neck, and her eyes were still avoiding the man, fixated instead on the rocky cavern walls beside them.

[Aereth 1]

Aereth enjoyed the few moments of peace as he just stood there embracing Teion. Somehow that girl managed to lift some of the built up weight from his shoulders. He felt lighter, able to start moving again for now, but the weight still did its damage. The ability to think straight again was definitely a step up from his mental state just a couple of minutes ago where he just couldn't think about anything else than resting, not even caring that he demanded something impossible like just leaving him to die from a woman who had lost somebody precious to her because she wasn't able to save him. Blind, stupid and cruel were the words he found to fit him.

They broke the embrace and Teion started to avert Aereth's gaze. He felt guilty as he looked at the purple haired woman while she asked him if he knew of some inns where they wouldn't encounter any traps on the way. 

"Well, first we need to go head over to the settlement. From there I have to try and sneak past the guards, and then we can start finding an in..." he said with a dry chuckle as he removed his unique armor, leaving him only with some simple but sturdy leather arm guards, accuracy and searching ring on each hand, casual clothes and his black hoodie.

"Ready?" he asked in a quiet voice waiting for her to also start moving towards the town.

It took them about half an hour to get a good sight of the town gates. The walk to the main settlement went quiet and, thankfully, uneventful. Aereth tried to give Teion as much space and time she needed, but now it was time to get past the guards. Aereth sighed.

"You go ahead inside. I need to try and think about getting past the guards without them noticing me. I'll meet you at the town center in the close area of the teleport gate. Don't worry I'll find you..."

@Teion

[Teion 0]

While they spent most of the walk back to Tomoika in silence, Teion was left lost to her own thoughts. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get her earlier words out of her head. Was it really that simple? No, of course not. Someone in Aereth's state doesn't just change their mind after something sappy like that. He wanted to end his life, and what was her solution? Becoming his friend? She had to hold in a sigh before it could escape her lungs. She wasn't sure what it felt like to be 'friends' with someone anymore. She didn't know how to speak honestly, how to confide in someone, or how to trust. Even if she did, what would that solve? How in all of Aincrad would depending on this man actually help him?

She had far more questions swirling around in her head than she could find answers for. So much so that she felt as though they would start to give her a headache should they continue dominating her headspace. As if on cue, Aereth's own sigh pulled her back to reality and the mining town that now stood before them. He asked her to enter ahead of him, and the suggestion immediately cause a tightness in her chest. She shot a stare at the brunette, her cobalt eyes accusatory and suspicious.

He followed with a reassuring statement, telling her not to worry and that he would, in fact, meet up with her. Teion held her gaze on his face for a moment before urging herself to give up, letting out a tiny sigh while she turned to face forward. "Alright, fine." She mumbled in simple agreement.

The violet-haired woman walked into town normally, the green cursor floating above her head causing no fuss from the few guards that wandered around among the other NPCs and players. It took her a couple of minutes to reach the center of town where the teleport gate rested, though the path was fairly straightforward. She had looked around as she went, trying to familiarize herself with the town as she hadn't taken the time to do so before. From the corner of her eye, Teion seemed to spot the building that served as the main inn for the settlement: a three-story building made primarily of a wooden framework. She made note of the location so they could get there quickly when Aereth would manage to meet up with her. The woman stopped a few meters away from the teleport plaza, turning back to face the path she'd taken to reach it and shifting her weight to one leg while her arms crossed over her chest. The knot in her stomach was a dull annoyance, but an annoyance nonetheless while her cobalt eyes kept watch on the area for the brunette's frame.

[Aereth 1]

Nodding as Teion agreed and went to head into the town via the town gates, Aereth started to work on a plan. These guards were much more aware of what happened around them than the simple ones on the first couple of floors. But one thing Aereth learned in the last couple of weeks was, that if he was able to hide from the Laughing Coffin, he could without a problem hide from simple NPC guards. Now it was his chance to vanish and never come back again. He turned his head around and looked towards into the opposite direction of the town. No. He couldn't do it. He told her that he would come. 

The brunette pulled his hood deeper into his face and activated his hiding skill while he sneaked from rock to rock in order to get closer to the gates. As he fas finally close enough to execute his plans, he took a small rock, triggered his throwing skill, and threw the stone directly at the head of one of the two guards.

The stone connected with the helmet of the NPC guard with a loud "Kling" and both guards immediately started to focus on the direction the stone came from. Thankfully, and due to Aereth's incredible speed, he was able to change hiding spots while the stone was still flying. From there Aereth activated his <<Charge>> skill and stormed past the distracted guards. Immediately after he entered the safe zone, the guards got alarmed and started to follow him. 

They chased him until he entered a dark side ally that lead to many more side allies. From there it was game for Aereth. His hiding skill activated he pressed himself into a small gap in between two houses and waited.

A few moments later the guards rounded the corner and stormed past the hidden Aereth, which made him smirk. "Now I need to find her...." he thought opening his town map to find a safe way towards the teleport gate. Main roads were out. He needed to stay in the side allies in order to stay hidden or the guards would simply throw him out....

After some tense minutes filled with two guard encounters and the resulting chase through the side allies, Aereth finally made it to the main plaza. The brunette peeked out of, who would have wondered, a side ally and searched for the very distinctive color of Teion's hair. 

As he finally found her, he used the other NPC's and players as a cover and made his way over to Teion. Thanks to his hiding skill, the NPC's ignored him while the players that noticed his cursor shot him glares of disapproval and disgust. But Aereth didn't care. Not now, at least. He needed to get to Teion...

"Hey Purple..." Aereth whispered over her shoulder as he finally reached her. "Here I am."

ID# 89927 results:
Loot: 10+7 = 17, Hiding successful

@Teion

[Teion 0]

Teion couldn't remember the last time she felt so fidgety. Almost as soon as she had come to a stop near the teleport plaza, her eyes couldn't seem to focus on a single area, and her fingers couldn't stop twisting the ends of her violet hair between them while she waited. Without anything else to occupy her mind, she felt anxious, worrying that the man would never appear.

Before she had reached the point of marching back to the edge of town, a soft whisper behind her ear nearly caused the woman to jump. Teion gave a start, spinning around to look up at the brunette with a teasing smirk on his face. The surprise quickly vanished from her face, replaced with a half-amused smile as a wave of relief washed over her. The blacksmith reached her hand out, grabbing his once again before pulling the man along behind her. Not having realized her actions at first, she idly wondered if the interaction was one that would become a habit. "Finally." She teased him lightly. "Come on, I found an inn on the way here."

She let go of Aereth's hand once they had reached the front doors of the inn. Once the two players had entered, she didn't waste any time approaching the counter that the stout NPC innkeeper stood behind. The bearded man, almost akin to a typical fantasy game's dwarf, greeted them in a usual, recited manner. Teion asked for two rooms, pressing down on the confirmation screen that appeared before her avatar to complete the transaction. Once she was finished, she turned back to Aereth and handed the man a small card--one that indicated the room upstairs that he had been registered to.

[Aereth 1]

Aereth watched as surprise warped into relief on the expression of the purple haired woman as he finally met up with her again. Suddenly however, he felt a very familiar feeling as he was fighting for his balance. Teion was pulling him along once more. Looks like this was their thing now. 

Only a slightly sarcastic "Yes master..." emerged from Aereth's mouth as he got dragged to the fancy looking inn. Finally he had his freedom again and started to look around in awe at the big inn. Usually he slept hidden in the trees, or in shabby inns outside of the safe zones, so this was slightly new to him. He didn't even notice how Teion bought two rooms until she waved his keycard in front of his face. 

"W-Wait. You already paid? That must have been freaking expensive..." Aereth said in a confused manner as he grabbed the card and put it in his pocked. "Thank you. Let me at least invite you to some food." he then added and gestured to the restaurant of the inn. 

They quickly found a place and the NPC waiter quickly appeared, asking them what they wanted. Some moments of thinking later, Aereth said. "I'll take some ale and some of that meatloaf." After Teion also finished her order, Aereth paid and they waited for the waiter to return. 

Around them the other players finally seemed to notice his orange cursor. "What is something like THIS doing in here?"

He already barely endured the sharp glares and the spiteful comments about him in the streets today. 

"I don't even know how he got past the guards... These useless NPC's are here to protect us from them after all.."

Whispers, whispers everywhere. Usually Aereth would just shrug them off, but today was different. Today they managed to get to him. He seemed to get smaller, more and more unsure and uncomfortable with every hateful whisper he managed to hear. As the waiter finally showed up with their food, Aereth quickly stored it away into his inventory and stood up. "I'm sorry... But you know what? I think I'll head upstairs and eat later. I'm pretty beat up..." he said with a fake smile as he apologized.

After that he left the restaurant section and quickly rushed to his room on the first floor, shutting the door behind him...

Hiding Successful! (Stealth Modifier + 1(Worst case roll) > Guard Stealth detection)

@Teion

[Teion 0]

Teion was about to shrug off his comment on the price of the rooms. 'It's not like I'm spending it anywhere else.' She thought, but before she opened her mouth to make comment, he offered to buy her a meal. Teion's bottom lip stiffened a bit, but she gave in before she could push herself to decline. With an inward sigh, she followed the brunette into the restaurant and took a seat across from him.

She had never been comfortable in places like this. The last time she recalled having her order taken for a meal, she was stumbling over small-talk with Beatbox. She quickly fell quiet and kept to herself, although that didn't stop the souring atmosphere of the restaurant from reaching her ears as well. Teion held back a scowl as the whispered insults began to fill the air. Was this the norm for him? For all players with an orange cursor? 'Should I say something...?' Despite how much she didn't want to force a normal conversation between them, she wanted to dispel the negative aura that seemed to radiate from all corners of the room, centered on their table.

Her gaze had been lingering elsewhere: the dark oak of the table between them, the ice cubes floating in her water, the lacquered smoothstone littered with small reflective flakes of more precious stones that served as the restaurant's flooring. It wasn't until the motion of Aereth standing to his feet caught her attention that she snapped to attention, her eyes looking up to the man as he hastily excused himself. As he hurried out of the common area, Teion's eyes followed his frame in confusion.

"Thank God." "Now I can eat in peace." "I wonder if he even paid?" "I hope he's not staying in a room here."

The whispers turned into murmurs, and the murmurs turned into open conversation until their obnoxious comments were paired with malicious sneers and haughty laughter. Teion could feel her jaw growing tighter and tighter, and her fingers curled against her legs under the table.

"Do you think that poor girl is in trouble? Should we talk to her?"

Teion shot to her feet so quickly that the chair she had been sitting on clattered to the ground behind her. The gloved palms of her open hands crashed down onto the table, the sound of the dinnerware clanging against each other ringing throughout the room. In that instant, the room fell silent and the air suddenly stilled, dripping with the fury that Teion exuded. Only the NPCs, programmed to continue shuffling about between tables and through the kitchen, continued moving. She had thought about shouting. Condemning the players in the room for their behavior in the same way that they had condemned Aereth for the cursor spinning above his head. Her chin was lowered as she stared down at the wooden surface, letting a few long seconds pass before she shoved against the table and stormed away. The furniture wobbled slightly, and the other diners simply watched in stunned silence as she exited the restaurant.

It didn't take long for the hushed voices to return and fill the heavy air, but Teion was already walking towards the hall where she would find the door to her own room. It swung open, and she had to resist the overwhelming urge to slam it shut behind her. The woman was seething as she paced back and forth across her room. She ripped the tawny gloves from her hands, throwing them one-by-one towards the floor and at the small desk that was pushed up against the wall. She was only mildly grateful that her clothing and items wouldn't break from hitting the ground on the inn room, though even if they had she probably would have been too furious to notice.

Towards the end of her somewhat silent venting session, Teion had pulled a green knit half-sweater from her inventory, swapping out her leather bodice for the casual clothing. She ran her hands through her long hair several times, pulling the violet locks over her shoulder and going through the familiar motions to form a loose braid. She fastened it in place with a deep blue ribbon that she also pulled from her inventory. Once she had changed and the roaring fire inside of her had dulled to a flickering flame, the woman's back fell against the mattress of the single bed resting in the corner of the room. Her back of her hand was pulled up, laying across her forehead while she stared at the ceiling of her room and released a heavy breath from her lungs.

[Aereth 1]

After closing the door, Aereth leaned with his back against the door and sank to the ground. Since when did Aereth give a f*ck about what the others, the sheep, were saying? He was a wolf. A wolf doesn't care about the sheep. But why did HE run then? If the same players would have met him outside of a safe zone THEY would have ran away. So why did he run, when they couldn't hurt him just as much as he couldn't hurt them.

Aereth frowned. He might be able to think clearly again, but it seems his self confidence and mental strength still weren't as strong as they used to be. With just a couple of swipes with his left hand, he removed his armor, accuracy and searching ring, as well as his shoes and shirt, leaving him with bare upper body the silver ballet shoe pendant around his neck and his pants. 

The more he thought about it, the more he felt the room starting to press down on him, so he just pulled one leg towards him to rest his arm on it while he closed his eyes and waited till sleep claimed him...

@Teion

[Teion 0]

Teion had thought she was over the restless nights. Her eyes flickered down to the time display of her HUD before she let out another small sigh. Two hours had passed since she had retired to her room, and although exhaustion had set in, sleep continued to elude her. She gave a glance upward, looking to the wall separating her and Aereth's rooms. She caught herself wondering if it was wrong to worry that the man might leave the inn during the night. After the disaster in the restaurant, she would almost be impressed if he stayed.

Teion lifted herself from her bed, keeping her footsteps hushed while she crossed the room to her door. She felt the knot that rested in her stomach--a persistent feeling that seemed intent on plaguing her often ever since her excursion to the frontline floor had begun. She gingerly took hold of the door's handle, opening slowly and leaning outside of the door's frame to survey the hallway of rooms. The whole building was quiet, as night had already fallen and most players had vacated or retired to their own rooms for the night. The woman slipped out into the hall, carefully closing the door behind her back.

She had taken a seat in front of the room beside hers--Aereth's room--with her back pressed up against the wooden door. Her knees were pulled into her chest, and her arms wrapped around her legs while she rested her chin into her forearms. 'What am I doing?' She thought to herself more than once while she sat there. As if keeping guard over his room would bring her some kind of ease, she began to think herself silly for doing so. And yet, she stayed. As time passed, her lids began to fall, and eventually sleep would finally overtake her.

[Aereth 1]

It was early in the morning when Aereth woke up again. About 0330AM, but every day after waking up there were those tiny little moments where everything seems to be ok. No problems no, Aincrad no pain. Aereth came to treasure these moments of confusion and peace. Only problem: These were only moments while he had to deal with all of his real problems for the rest of the freaking day. And a day was long if you usually didn't sleep longer than just a couple of hours every night.

With a sigh the brunette pulled himself to his feet and stretched his limbs, while he looked at the clock of his HUD. So early. He might get in some moments of peace and calmness if he would take a small walk around town. While it was always dark on the frontline floor, in the night the lights were not as bright as when it was day and the streets were almost empty, save for some of those NPCs and guards. 

So he quickly equipped his normal clothes and cloak before slowly opening the door. But he didn't expect what greeted him when he opened the door. Teion flopped inside of his room. Aereth was confused. "Did she..." he thought.

"No she didn't...." then he took a look at her still sleepy face.

"Oh yes she did...."

"Purple... What the actual hell are you doing here?" he asked in a low voice, careful not to alarm any other guests of what was going on inside of his room.

@Teion

[Teion 0]

The sensation of falling, followed promptly by the back of her head colliding with the hardwood floor quickly served to jolt Teion awake. Her eyes flew open while her hand moved to her head, as if to nurse the tingling sensation that served to punish her for the fall. She blinked a few times, and her vision was immediately met by a newly-familiar face staring down at her. Her mind lagged, wondering herself why exactly she lay with her feet planted in the hallway and her upper body sprawled across the entryway to Aereth's inn room. Suddenly the memories of a short number of hours ago came flooding back to her, and she came to realization that she had, in fact, fallen asleep with her back pressed against the man's door.

As the gears clicked into place in her mind, Aereth's voice called her to attention. 'Purple'. It seemed to be his new nickname for the woman: simple, but accurate. She couldn't mask the tinge of pink that crawled over her cheeks, but she quickly lifted her body to sit up, facing away from the man before pushing herself up to her feet. "N-nothing." She stammered out dismissively. The woman instinctively ran her hands along the bottom of her sweater and down the front of her pants as if to brush off non-existent debris. She lifted a hand to run her fingers over her braid, lightly dragging it back to rest over her shoulder. "I'll be in my room." She broke the silence that had started to creep over them in a low voice, taking the few short strides back to her door and slipping inside without looking back to him.

Once inside, Teion shut the door behind her and pressed her back up against it. Now alone, the blush on her cheeks deepened as she was overcome with embarrassment. 'What the actual hell was I doing there?' Her thoughts echoed Aereth's words. She only stood against her door wallowing for a few short moments before she pushed off the support, gathering the few things she had left around the room and sitting herself on the bed. 'Should I change? Go outside? Aauuugh...' She leaned over and rested her forearms against her knees as a sigh slipped out of her mouth. This whole situation--along with their strange, abnormal relationship--was going to drive her crazy. And she'd only known the guy for a day now. She stared at the floor, losing herself in her thoughts.

When she was around him she felt a weird uneasiness, as if the responsibility of her promise to him was nagging at her. The unfamiliarity of company, friendship, and trust loomed over her alongside the strange feeling of obligation. And yet when they were apart, the uneasiness increased and paired itself with an unsettling worry. Not only a fear of failure, but the constant uncertainty of what another person was thinking, feeling, and wanting. Her elbows dug into her legs while her hands raised to either side of her head. Her fingers slipped between the strands and ruffled her violet hair as she tried to make sense of all the thoughts polluting her mind.