[PP-F11] A Big Fan (Ryo)

[Jomei 0]

The house in Taft that players once came to know as the 'music man's house' sat among others, the only difference in look being the small wooden sign that hung to the side of the door. Passer by's would hear the sound of instruments coming from the large open window as the man worked his profession, creating music to perform and sell to players who needed their buffs. However, as Jomei's inspiration to create music died, the house became silent. Some believed that the man who created the music no longer lived there. Jomei would sit inside his workshop, either a lute in hand or at his piano. The man would only let a single not chime out from time to time before. 

The man, who currently sat at his piano, gave up at trying to write a song, and let his head fall onto the keys, letting out a loud array of unorganized notes as he did so. Once the sound faded, he let out a heavy sigh before picking his head back up and staring at the ceiling above him. As he did so, he heard a knock on the front door to his house. The man raised a curious eyebrow before standing up from the piano's bench and leaving his workshop, and heading to the front door at the end of the hall. Upon opening the door, Jomei saw an older gentleman standing at his front step, dressed in a suit with small glasses upon his face. "Uh.. Hi." Jomei said in a low tone. 

"Ah yes.." the older man said, his voice sounding as if he had come straight from some posh part of England. He cleared his throat, taking a small white envelope out from under his coat and handing it to Jomei with a white-gloved hand. "I have a letter for you, Jomei, from my Master Ryo.. I suggest you make haste with reading. The contents may concern you." Without any further explanation, the gentleman left the front of Jomei's house to return to wherever it was he came from. The ginger slowly opened the letter and began to read. It was, indeed, addressed to him from a man named Ryo, who wished to meet with him at his manor on the same floor. Already, Jomei's suspicions were peaking.. And then he read the last line...

I wish to speak with you about Lowenthal, I knew him just as you did.

Jomei already had many reasons to not give into this Ryo's request..for he truly believed this could be some sort of trap set up by the player killer that almost ended his left. But.. what if it wasn't a trap? What if this man truly knew Lowenthal. Gritting his teeth, Jomei checked the coordinates of Ryo's manor to get directions on where he was headed. He then fully equipped himself in his armor, placed his rapier on his hip, and summoned Adere to his shoulder. Locking his house behind him, Jomei followed his map to see what it was this man wanted to speak about.

@Ryo

 

[Ryo 0]

Pennyworth adjusted his tailcoat, before tighting the gloves around his hands. Master Ryo had already woke and was heading down the stairs, still in his sleepwear. "Busy night sir?" The butler asked. The man yawned, and stretched his arms out above him. "Yeah, spent all night looking over notes. Day, you out to run errands? I've got one more thing for your list." Ryo said, pulling out a sealed envelope. "This goes to Jomei. He frequents his house is on this floor, so it's an easier job than most. Thanks Pennyworth." Ryo said, before shuffling into the dining area to eat breakfast.

Pennyworth held the letter, and placed it into his jacket. Another inventation, he would guess as he stepped outside. Following his master's instructions he came to the house in question. He produced the letter from his jacket, and knocked on the door. Rather quickly came a response in the form of a cracked door. "Good evening sir. A letter, from Master Ryo. He'd like to meet your aquantince." He said before leaving. The butler had many errands to run, and little time to do so.

After errands were ran, Pennyworth came home to Ryo doing dishes. He set the bags on the counter before protesting. "Master Ryos, really there is no need." Ryo chuckled as he put the last dish up. "Really Pennyworth, there was only a few. "Besides, our quest will be arriving shortly." Ryo said swiping through his menu and equipping his jacket.

[Jomei 0]

According to the coordinates given to him by Ryo, as well as his own in-game map, Jomei was able to determine that this mansion he was going to was outside of the safe zone. The cautious man took in a sharp breath and lifted the hood of his cloak up over his head before stepping out of the safe zone. Off in the distance from where he stood, he saw a large mansion sitting on a hill. According to the directions, that most likely was where Jomei was headed. Jomei was unsure of the whole ordeal.. not many players unknown to him knew of Lowenthal. The fact that this man wanted to speak with Jomei alone about his late friend did not sit right in his mind. The last time he had set foot outside of Taft's safe zone, he was met with the man he now knew as Death Adder, who wielded not only the skill Zelrius once possessed, but the almighty blades he once carried as well. It worried Jomei that this could be another trap set up by the man, in case Death Adder did not think that Jomei heard his message loud and clear enough. 

He swallowed down the fear and continued forward, arriving at the large front door of the elegant mansion. Jomei shot a quick look to the owl on his shoulder, before making sure that his rapier was loose enough to yank from its scabbard at a moments notice. Slowly, he raised his hand to the large knocker in the center of the door. His fingers wrapped around the cold metal ring before he let it bang against the door, creating an echo of the knock inside so that Ryo, or that butler, would know that he had arrived. 

[Ryo 0]

The door knocked once before opening, Pennyworth quickly answering. "Ah, Sir Jomei. A pleasure to meet your aquantince again. We've been expecting you." The butler said, motioning for Jomei to enter. "Your cloak sir?" Pennyworth asked, offering to hang it up beside the door. "Master Ryos is in the living room. Right this way please." Pennyworth said, leading Jomei across the hall. Pennyworth knocked before entering, and announced that guests have arrived. "Sir Jomei has arrived, Master Ryo." Pennyworth said. "I'll have the tea started, post haste." He said, before excusing himself and leaving to the kitchen.

 

The Raven haired man stood from his leather seat, the book he was reading clasping shut with an audible thump. "Jomei. I must say, I am a big fan." Ryo took a step back to admire the Jade warrior in full. "And Nick, can I call you Nick? I know, a lot of things. Things that Lowenthal shared with me." He said, opening his inventory and pulling out a small Manilla folder. "Such things like a girl named 'Ahti' who's last sighting was somewhere in floor 5. I believe you and Lowenthal had a small crush on the girl. Am I correct?" Ryo asked, his eyes darting up to Jomei.

[Jomei 0]

After the first knock, Jomei brought back the metal handle to let it bang against the door once more. Before he could do so, the door creaked open, the older looking gentleman standing in the doorway. He stepped out of the way for the Emerald Duelist to enter, making sure to mention that they had been expecting him. Well.. you just saw me about 15 minutes ago to give me that letter.. so I'd think so, he thought to himself, trying to hide a small smirk. Once inside, the butler offered to take Jomei's cloak from him, his arm extended and palm facing up. Jomei's olive gaze looked at the gloved hand for a moment before removing the cloak from his shoulders and placing it on the man's arm, leaving him still his new Baran's Breech Cloth armor. With a nod, the butler then led Jomei through the extravagant house and into the living room.

In the room was a dark haired man, who sat in a large chair with a book in his hands. The butler excused himself, leaving the two there alone. Jomei's gaze followed the butler until he was out of his peripherals, before they shot back to the man whom he assumed was Ryo. The man took notice of the ginger before standing, calling himself a 'big fan' of Jomei. The duelist raised a curious eyebrow, wondering just what Ryo knew about him. His referring to Jomei by his real life name completely took him by surprise. The Irishman's green eyes went wide as he took a step back himself, his left hand slightly hovering over the sheath of his rapier. The mysterious man even went to mention Ahti, the girl both Lowenthal and Jomei had feelings for, for a short while. Lowenthal apparently had given him this information. Jomei's hand drifted from his rapier, though his gaze was still sharp. "I'm not sure how I feel about you knowing my life.. so what  exactly is it that you want?" Jomei's slight hostility was not normal of him.. but these were troubled times for Jomei. His trust was testy, knowing that there were player killers out and about that knew much about the Irishman and his friends as well.

 

[Ryo 0]

Ryo raised his hands in a matter of self-defense. "I'm not looking for trouble Jomei. I just felt like I needed some kind of proof to convince you that I actually was good friends with the man." He said, turning and walking back to his seat. "I just want to know more about Lowenthal." He sat down, motioning for Jomei to sit. Now that he finally got this chance with Jomei, Ryo would have to choose his questions, and words carefully. Ryo waited for Jomei to take his seat before beginning. "I'll begin with a little bit about myself." The raven-haired player offered. "My name is Ryo, and I'm going to be the hero of the frontlines. Lowenthal filled a crucial role that filled people with joy when he was near, he had an aura. An aura that calmed people and made them feel like they were gonna be okay. I aim to fill that role." Ryo said. His numbers were lacking, as he wasn't even tiered two yet. But all great things started small. "And to properly fill that role, I need to know what he did, how thought and acted, everything that he did to become the way he was," Ryo said, his tone shifting to becoming more serious. "I'll start easy, with my questions." He said.

"First, what was he like when you first met? This was before the frontlines weren't it?" Ryo asked, curious as for how to two first felt about each other when they had first met. He had little information about how Lowenthal was before his frontline activities, but he needed to know what he could. And every little bit helped.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei was starting to read that this man meant him no harm, and merely wanted to know exactly what he had asked; more about Lowenthal. As the curious man returned to his own leather chair, he gestured with his hand for Jomei to do the same in the chair near him. Olive orbs looked at the chair, and then back at Ryo, who was patiently waiting for Jomei to sit in the seat. Releasing a breath of air from his nostrils, as well as expelling some of the tension he held inside of him, the ginger sat down. Just like the rest of the mansion, the chairs were just as elegant, as well as comfortable. Jomei situated himself in the chair before crossing his arms and looking at Ryo, waiting for the man to shoot questions at him. 

The mysterious man began with a story of himself, immediately claiming himself to be the future hero of the frontlines. Jomei's brow rose at the statement, for it was quite a bold thing to start with, but more so.. he may be in for a world of trouble if he want around telling everyone that. Death Adder, as he came to know him, punished Jomei severely for being a "hero" of sorts. If Ryo was going around telling people that thats what he was planning to be, he may be in danger. It seemed that, in his mind, in order to achieve this goal, he would need to know all about Lowenthal. A strange request, being Lowenthal was not necessarily known as the 'hero of Aincrad'  He was strong, and had many leadership qualities, but there were those stronger than Lowe he served the hero role a bit more.

Finally, the man asked his first question. What was Lowenthal like before the front lines. Jomei sighed, "It's.. been so long." he sat in silence, thinking with his eyes closed. "Lowe was always kind, and would always put the needs of others before him. He revealed that to me a lot during our friendship. I feel that.. towards the end, many of his characteristics were still in play from when I met him. But he turned into a strong leader."

[Ryo 0]

So, that was Lowe's quirk. He never thought of himself but thought of others. Jomei was a wealth of information. "And how did his attitude change, after the frontlines? Something must or, otherwise, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to duel Ariel." Ryo asked. Lowenthal was supposed to be a bright light, a hero for all to see and believe in. But now that he was dead, someone needed to take that mantle. "And how did your friendship pan out? Were you two rivals in any way, or were you more akin to drinking buddies?And how does," Ryo shifted through his notes. "Piera, play into all this as well?" Ryo asked, looking at the initial guild roster of the Velvet Room. He already had his suspicions, but he needed to confirm them. And Jomei being the font of knowledge that he was, he was sure to tell him.

[Jomei 0]

Ryo's questions continued to Lowenthal's attitude after the front lines. Jomei looked at the man, rummaging through the thoughts in his mind, trying to find what to tell the man. When he could not find anything on the matter, his gaze dropped to his lap. "I... don't remember.. or I don't know really.." His gaze returned to Ryo after a trying to wash away the guilt of not knowing what was going on with his friend. "I remember him retiring from the front lines with Shizuka.. and living off with her somewhere. I really didn't see him much during that time. But I kept fighting on the front lines until I.." Jomei stopped himself for a moment, "I.. ran into a bit of trouble that kept me away for a.. few months." Jomei let out another heavy sigh, shaking his head. "By the time I finally escaped.. He was gone. So I really do not know what drove him to try and fight Ariel." 

"We were close.. Friendly rivals at times.. but only in a way for us to better each other. Neither of us seemed to see another as a higher up, though I saw him as a mentor as sorts for awhile. But I saw him as more of a friend.. he was family. A brother that I never had." Jomei's lips had slowly formed into a smile as he spoke of his friend, thinking of all the good times they had shared. Though, his smile faded and turned to one more cautious when Ryo asked about Piera. This meeting was about discussing Lowenthal... that was one thing.. But he was not going to reveal much about Piera, especially if she was still alive, and could possibly put her and Lee in danger. "It was the three of us. All of us.. best friends." 

[Ryo 0]

So, Jomei didn't know either. Was anyone around during that time. But he did give that name again, Shizuka. Perhaps she was the key to it all. Perhaps she knew more, but she had disappeared from the face of Aincrad. She was basically a ghost. "So, both you and Teion don't know what happened." But Ryo's face scrunched up when he mentioned that he was held captive. Hence the wording of escape. "You, escaped? Who held you captive?" Ryo asked, already knowing he would dread the answer. He was part of a group that specialized in kidnapping people and forcing them to work. And frankly, Ryo thought that his group was the only one. "Uhm, forget that I asked." Ryo said, dodging his own question. "Point being is. That both you, and Peira. His closest friends, his family disappeared without a trace, and without so much as a warning.Perhaps he saw that he was being abandoned, and thought that there was nothing left to lose." Ryo said grimly.

 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei looked at Ryo with a confused look when he mentioned another player who, Jomei assumed, he had interviewed about the same topic-- Teion. It was a name he had never heard before, and only made Jomei more curious of how she had known Lowenthal. "Teion? I don't think I've ever heard of that name before.. how did they know Lowe?" Jomei decided to push his curiosity a little bit more, wanting to find a bit about more about his friend as well, and what he went through while Jomei was being held captive. Even if she was apparently just as clueless as Jomei, it would still be nice to know what she knew.

Ryo for a moment seemed disturbed by Jomei's choice of words, asking him who had held him captive. A puzzled brow rose over Jomei's eye as he sat back in his chair. He knew that he had mentioned escaping.. but that could have meant anything. From constant trouble with a single player, to finding himself trapped in a dungeon. Jomei never explicitly mentioned that he had been held captive by a group of player-slavers. 

Despite Ryo going on about his own suspicions for Lowenthal's daring duel against Ariel, Jomei was stuck on his prior comment. Slowly, Jomei sat forward, an elbow on his knee, another hand on the arm of the chair. His olive eyes glared into Ryo's for a moment, as if trying to read true intentions that he was unaware of. "I.. did not say anything about being held captive." Shifting his feet and sliding himself farther forward on his chair, as if preparing himself to spring upwards, he leaned in closer. "How the hell do you know about that?" 

[Ryo 0]

Ryo leaned back, a bead of sweat appering on his brows as Jomei began to question him. "I mean, the wording you gave." Ryo said. "You said that you escaped, I only put two and two together. You only escape from something if you're held captive by something." Ryo said doing his best to hold his compsure. He was unsure as to what Jomei would do I he found out that Ryo had ties to that kind of group. "But I'll be honest, I've had a run with a group like that before. I believe them to be held up somewhere on the fourth floor." Ryo said, spinning the truth. "And when I grow stronger, I plan to go there and break that gang up for good." He said, only half lying. Ryo did want to go there and break up the gang, but he would have to start with it's leader, and he didn't know who that was. He answered to someone, who answered to someone else, who in turn answered to someone else. Just a ling chain of command. "And as for Teion, she was close to Beatbox another player who has recently been murdered and another matter I'm investigating. I checked simply to see if they connected in some way, and it doesn't look like it." Ryo said, not wanting to admit that he had been thinking of Teion just then and had gotten her and Pieras names confused in a second.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei leaned back in the chair once more, not able to shake the current suspicions that had been growing about this Ryo character. He decided to let the topic slide for now, especially with stating the fact he once had a previous run in with a group on Floor Four that resorted to the same tactics of slavery, most likely the exact same ones Jomei had escaped from, and the ones Lowenthal and Jomei had saved Piera and Lee from prior. "Alright." Jomei simply said, he currently was not sure what to think of this, and was still working to piece all of the information together.. but for now, he felt he had nothing to truly worry about with this Ryo. Jomei knew that if he was in any danger, he should be able to defend himself. Switching topics back to Jomei's first question, it seemed that Teion was unrelated to any of the topics that had to do with Lowenthal. However, apparently she was close with Beatbox.. Telrenya's brother. Sentences began to form in Jomei's head to speak of the incidents of Beatbox's death, however he decided to keep quiet. The last thing he wanted was to drag Telrenya into this.. for if Ryo's intentions were truly malicious, he wanted to keep Tel as far away as possible from any other problems, especially after only just learning of Beatbox's death to Death Adder.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo let out a sigh of relief as Jomei backed away, the beads of sweat fading away. Thank goodness he didn't pressure further. Ryo wasn't sure if he could keep his composure around  Jomei if he kept pressing the situation. He didn't know how strong Jomei currently was, but there was no need to find out how strong. At least for now. "Right, so this is the part where I would say 'back to my questions' but I'm afraid that was all of them really." Ryo said, admitting the truth. "But if you have any for me I'm more than willing to answer your questions." Ryo said to Jomei leaning back into his own chair. It was a courtesy to answer Jomeis questions as best he could, after all, Jomei did answer his. And he was sure that Jomei would just be asking about how he knew this or how he knew that, which were all easily answered.

[Jomei 0]

Ryo was done with his questions for Jomei, which was a bit of relief to Jomei. Though he liked talking about Lowenthal and his other friends that had fallen, he was not sure how he liked it in this context.. speaking with a complete stranger who had all of this information about them already. Jomei had half a mind to just leave the situation, leave Ryo to the information he had gathered. However.. there were still things about this man that troubled Jomei. For one, he said that Lowenthal shared his name with him.. his real world name. Yes, he had told Lowenthal and Piera his name, as well as Zandra and now Telrenya. However, that was usually something that was kept sacred, a sign of absolute trust. Did Lowenthal trust this man, or was there more to it. 

The expression on Jomei's face looked just as puzzled as all of the thoughts jumbled together in his mind. His olive eyes finally rose to meet Ryo's, staring sternly behind the dark bangs that just barely fell over his eyes, as if trying to look behind a mask of some sort. "I don't think you told me.. How did you and Lowenthal know eachother? How close were you? Apparently he must have trusted you a lot more than myself to have given away so much information like my name." 

[Ryo 0]

"Lowenthal and I go back a good while." Ryo began. Jomei had asked how he had come to such information, and how close Lowenthal and himself were. "It was the first floor. And I had run into him in the Town of Beginnings near his original shop before he had moved to the eleventh floor. Well, we had just made it outside of the gates and into the wilderness, on our way to grind out some materials and would you have it, we were ambushed by a group of bandits." Ryo admitted, using partial truth. "Lowenthal aimed to take them on as I was to make my escape, but I couldn't just leave him there. So I stayed and fought with him. We were heavily outnumbered, so we ran." Ryo said, losing eye contact, thinking back on the day. "We ran so far, the way back to town was cut off so we had no choice but to head towards the second floor. Trying to lose them in the maze between floors." Ryo explained, his weight shifting. "Lowe and I triggered a trap, and had fallen into a dark crevice, none of us with night vision we couldn't see, it was only by sheer luck that Lowe found that switch otherwise we'd still be there," Ryo said. "The passage opened up into another maze, and it took us so long to get out. We spent two weeks inside that maze, but it felt so much longer. Lowenthal and I thought that we were going to die in there. So to keep our hopes up Lowe talked about the things he was fighting for. You, Piera, the memory of Velvet Room. Everything." Ryo said his eyes watering. "I didn't have anything to fight for other than myself, and Lowenthal told me that I could be so much more if I tried. Someone like me, who had nothing did nothing, and was nothing could be someone in his eyes." Ryo said, looking back at Jomei.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's arms crossed at his chest, his eyes remaining locked on Ryo's as he spoke about himself and Lowenthal's meeting. The first words, of how the two of them went back a long time, caused Jomei's brows to rise. If this man had meant that much to Lowenthal, how come Jomei had never met him before? Then again, there probably many things the two did not share.. Jomei knew for sure he kept a couple of things from the man. The story went on, and slowly but surely, Jomei's stern facial expressions softened. The tale seemed solid, for the most part, backed with enough information that seemed true. Two players, trapped in a dungeon together for two weeks, depending on each other to escape. He could understand if the two developed a swift relationship, sharing information about their lives. After Ryo had ended, Jomei let out a heavy sigh, before looking up to Ryo with a softer expression. "Thank you for telling me that Ryo." his voice matched the expression on his face, "I'm.. sorry for the rash attitude.. I had a near death experience earlier this week by another player. I've been very on edge about protecting my friends and the woman I care for." he chuckled, "The man seemed to know a bit about me as well.. so the whole situation just seemed suspicious to me, but I think I can see your intentions are not as malicious as this other man's." 

[Ryo 0]

Ryo rubbed his eyes free of the water that had built up, remembering the day that he was saved and when he became a different person. "You're a good man Jomei." But his attention perked up when Jomei mentioned that he was targeted by another player. "Near death? By who?" Ryo asked, grabbing his notepad. If there was someone targeting frontliners, or just high levels players in total he had to know. Takao was slain, as well as Beatbox. And now Jomei had a near death experience. It was all to much of a coincidence. "Please Jomei, I need to know." Ryo said, wanting to pressure the situation.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei felt some sweat form on the back of his neck as his teeth grit under his lips. Giving all of the other information about himself he was fine with, but did he want to give any other information about Death Adder? On one hand.. revealing more about the man could start a larger revolt against him, possibly enough players to end his murdering ways. But on the other hand, what if Ryo decided to try and learn more about the man, possibly getting himself killed. Jomei bit his lower lips before letting out a sigh and finally speaking up. "He calls himself Death Adder.. at least, thats his username that I saw on the Monument of Life.." the man's head shook from side to side, his eyes clamping shut for a moment as the images of the blades of Michael and Lucifer piercing through his body, nearly leaving him for dead.. Seeing another sword pierce through Telrenya's chest. His fingers seemed to tremble before he finally let out another sigh, "He's the same man who killed Beatbox.."

[Ryo 0]

Ryo let out a sigh as he leaned back into his chair, the leather creaking as he did. "Of course it's him." Ryo said, placing his head into his hand, leaning on the arm of the chair. It was Death Adder running around making trouble for the frontliners. Killing Takao, then Beatbox, now targeting Jomei. He probably wouldn't stop until he was bored with Jomei, and then eventually kill him. Ryo sighed again. More questions were asked, and answers were being given just not the right ones. Why was Death Adder showing himself now? Why was he doing this? Why was he targeting Jomei and his friends? He rubbed his temple. "This makes no sense. Why is he doing this? Just for fun?" Ryo said, starting to get frustrated. He sighed. "Besides, I thank you for the help. And answering my questions." Ryo said, looking at Jomei. "Did you have anything else you wanted to ask me?" Ryo asked.