[PP-F2] The Meeting of the Cloaks (Jomei)

[Hikoru 0]

Soon after their encounter with the stronger version of the Queen, Hikoru sheathed his dagger and looked back at the troubled Jomei. He had spoken with him earlier about a player that had peaked his interest. He turned to him and crossed his arms, his movements being able to be seen easily. He gave a sigh and looked at him with eyes full of curiosity, adventure, and a look of worry for his friend. He had never really seen him troubled, and he knew that he needed to intervene and find out everything he could.

"Now that the Queen is out of the way..." He said with a slight click of the tongue, trying to find the right words. "We now have the time to talk about... What we were earlier, if you don't have a problem with that..." He said as he pressed accept on the window that popped up for the quest being complete. The Col put into his inventory, he gave a small sigh and came ever closer, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But first, lets go and grab a drink to calm your nerves. I'm sure the adrenaline is kicking in and tiring you out immensely..." He said with a chuckle. "I always am whenever I used Sha- I mean, my sword arts." He said, catching himself. He started to walk towards town, hoping that Jomei was in tow behind him

@Jomei

[Jomei 0]

Jomei nodded his head with a small smirk, "I agree." Following suit with Hikoru, Jomei tapped on the small screen in front of him, accepting the mission's completion, and any rewards and experience gained from taking out the larger Queen. One that was said and done, Hikoru began to lead Jomei back into Urbus, to one of the many pubs the floor held within the city's walls. Jomei stopped for a moment, looking at the back of Hikoru's cloaked head in curiosity. "Wait are... are you even old enough to drink?" Jomei said with a chuckle, stepping a bit faster to catch up with Hikoru. As he slowed his step aside Hikrou, the man rose a hand to rub the nape of his neck, "Thanks again Hik.. for stopping me and joining me on that quest. I was getting a bit reckless, and probably would have gotten myself killed.." he turned to the man and smiled, "Your drinks are on me tonight lad." 

Soon, the two players found themselves entering the walls of the stony city of Urbus once again. Jomei turned to Hikoru with his arms crossed, "So, which pub did you have in mind?" 

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru gave a low chuckle as he asked if he was the right age, and he chose to ignore it for now. He was a few years shy, about two or three, he couldn't remember as he slowly made their way to the walls. He thanked him for helping him with the quest and how he was being reckless. He just chuckled and waved it off for now. He did it for a friend, he didn't need anything, but when he offered to pay for their drinks, he felt a smile creep on his lips

"Well, if your paying I won't deny..." He said with a chuckle. "So yes, drinks are on you, and i've come to enjoy the taste of beer so the tab may be high..." He said with a louder, more hardy laugh. He gave a sigh then opened his Map, zooming in on the area as he highlighted his favorite bar on the floor. "It's a place called the Rusty Dagger...For no unbiased reason." He said as he closed the map in front of him. He looked to his right to see where the indicator is, and he made his way, entering the shabby little place with a smell of rememberance. He turned to Jomei, holding his hood higher. "This is the place where I usually find my info. A lot of Info Broker's and thieves show up here... The accomodations may be..." He looked around "Unique, but the beer is strong and tasteful." He said, taking a seat at the bar. He turned to the NPC behind the counter. "Rex, a round for us please." He said, and the bartender gave a nod

[Jomei 0]

Jomei merely shrugged off Hikoru's comment about the tab being hefty for his newfound love for beer. It was no worry for Jomei he had the col to spare, for he had mostly everything he could want.. with a couple of plans to buy a certain item and upgrade a room or two in his house within the next year hopefully. As they entered the city, Hikrou marked his favorite pub on his map, leading the ginger to the location. As they continued to walk, Jomei began to recognize his surroundings all too well. He had visited this corner of Urbus a couple of times, usually to visit his usual Information Broker. The man took a quick look back and forth before lifting his hood, hoping he would not be recognized that easily. Then again... Hikoru easily recognized him by his unique green cloak.. what was the use of even having a hood if he couldn't hide from the public. 

Hikoru warned Jomei of the clientele and environment of the pub before entering. Most of the players that sat around in the bar seemed to be the rouge type, many still wearing their hoods, as Jomei and Hikoru had, others watching each passer-by with glares like daggers. Not many people spoke too loudly, except for the booming redhead who sat in the corner, with a couple of scantly clad women by his side. Jomei's nose scrunched, "Fun looking group." he said sarcastically before following Hikoru to the bar, where a round of beers were ordered for the two. 

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru just chuckled as he complimented his group of people. He gave a small sigh as the drinks appeared, giving a nod to the bartender as he did. "Oh don't mind Erin over there, he gets loud and a bit flirty when he gets drunk. He'll fight boars all day but i've never seen the man leave this floor. My guess just by his gear is he's about level 15 or 16, barely having a fourth rank into his sword art." He said with a notion towards him. The man raised his glass and took a large chug, cheering and breaking the glass on the ground. Hikoru shook his head with a sigh.

"And that's the twenty-sixth glass he's broken in the times i've been here..." He said, and looked at an irritated Rex, and he sighed. "I'm with ya...." He turned to Jomei. "So, tell me everything that's happened thus far-" Then he looked over his shoulder to a small player wincing and looking away. Hikoru stood up and came over to the visibly shaking player. "My my, do we have an upcoming little Info Broker?..." He cooed. The player gulped and nodded, his brown robes greasy-looking. Hikoru sighed. "Well, sad to say but there's no info here for living players... Only the dead one's get to know the info I know." The player let out a squeak and sprinted out of the bar. He sighed and came back over, Rex stifling a chuckle as he sent another glass over to Erin. He sighed. "I noticed him following earlier, apologies..." He said. "Now, anyways, go ahead and tell me what happened."

[Jomei 0]

Jomei looked back over to the other redhead and chuckled, "He seems... charming." Jomei continued with his sarcastic remarks. It would not be the first time that Jomei saw someone as such, who was all bark and no bite. Turning back to the bar, shaking his head from side to side, Jomei wrapped his fingers around the stein of amber ale placed in front of him, the froth pouring over the sides of the wooden cup. He rose the drink to hips lips, his eyes on Hikoru as he asked about everything that had caused Jomei's reckless attitude to emerge and go off to fight a powerful boss on his own. Swallowing down the alcohol he had poured into his mouth, he opened his lips again to speak, but the two were interrupted by a younger looking boy in a ragged brown hood, an information broker by the looks of it. By the look in his eyes, he was looking to get information from Hikoru. But the cloaked dagger user was quick with his words, scaring the Broker off, without revealing a bit of what he know. 

The question went back to Jomei, who let out a single chuckle with a tilt of his head, raising the stein to his lips once again. "Alright. Guess I'll start from the beginning." With another, long swig of his drink, the ginger placed the cup back down and turned to look at Hikoru. "I never knew Beatbox much.. but I know what happened to him. Killed by that guy calling himself Death Adder.. Well.. about a month or so ago, I met a girl named Telrenya who was looking for her brother." his shoulders shrugged, "I think you can figure out just who that brother is.... Anyway. We started a guild with a couple of other players and we.. well we are seeing each other a lot more now." a warm smile spread across his face, his features softening from the stress he expressed earlier as the thought of the woman crossed his mind. ".. Right.. where was I... Oh. Well.. one day I was helping her and another friend train, when we were drawn into a trap by a group of masked men.. one of them revealing to be Death Adder.. and.. well.. trying to defend Telrenya.. and the rest of my guild, I stepped up to face him...It was then that we found out that he.. somehow.. has Dual Blades, and not only that, but Zel's old swords as well." Jomei shuddered at the thought, imagining everything that had happened that day. "He beat me down within an inch of my life, and revealed to Telrenya Beatbox's fate.. how he had murdered him. He made a fool out of all of us." Jomei let out a heavy sigh. "So.. I decided to try and level up on my own, without anyone else knowing.. so I could face him..." he sucked his teeth, "But now I know, it won't be enough.. and I'll only get myself killed." 

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru listened and gave a nod as he talked about Beatbox. He gave a small sigh as the memories came back, as he heard from a Info Broker of Beat's passing. He shook off the feelings and listened as he was ambushed. This intrigued his imagination, and he pocketed the question for when he was finished. He saw his face soften as he talked about a young woman, the sister of Beatbox and he raised his eyebrow a bit. He wouldn't ask but he knew that same look, it was the one he wore when he thought and talked about Vale. For now he would keep quiet about her and his relationship, but he knew how he felt. He listened and with a sigh he shook his head.

"Just by how you explain him, not even I, maybe not even Calrex could beat him..." He said with a sigh. "That Unique Skill is overly powered... Not one just person could beat it.... Even if I got a critical hit on him from stealth, he would deal double that damage any day..." He sighed again and took a large chug of the drink. "He's a formidable foe.... And possibly a good ally..." He said with a chuckle. "But i'm sure he'd never want to meet me, or anyone to be honest. As far as i've heard he's a Psycho killer, with no other reason to live but to kill others... No clue how he was given the Unique Skill, and especially under even my nose..." He looked at Jomei. "I've talked and met every good info broker in this game, but none of them even heard of him until he killed Beatbox..." He took another swig and set down the empty mug and tapped the brim, Rex coming over and taking the glass to refill. "It's.... strange, honestly..."

[Jomei 0]

Jomei shook his head. "I don't want to think about what would happen if we all tried to fight him.. Which is why I'm going to tell you now." Jomei turned to look at Hikoru with a stern look. He knew the man was stronger than him, despite Jomei being there when Hikoru was still a lower leveled player. Despite Hikoru's mysterious strengths, he knew what the outcome would be. "I know James.. Beatbox.. was your friend, and your guild mate. But stay the hell away from this guy. Don't. Test him. Hes merciless, and he has a team to back him up.. I don't know how strong they are.. but even if all of the frontliners went to fight just him alone.. he would probably take out half of us before we took him down. We already lost Beatbox.. and I don't even want to think about who else that monster has killed.. I don't want to lose any other friends.." Jomei's shaky hand took his drink again and rose it to his lips, the image of Death_Adder ramming Beatbox's blade through Telrenya's before tossing her aside like some ragdoll. The more he thought about it, and the pleased look in the man's piercing blue eyes as he stared Jomei in the eyes caused the fire inside of him to burn brighter, his hand squeezing harder and harder around the stein. By the time all of the beer had been depleted, the Irishman slammed the cup into the bar, the bottom of the cup breaking. After a moment of silence, the loud Erin in the corner laughed, knowing he wasn't the only one to break a glass. Jomei glared over at him before looking to Rex, the bartender, slipping him a couple of extra Col for his troubled. "S-Sorry..." he let out a heavy exhale. "but you see.. perfect example of.. why I can't be reckless and go to face this guy.. I don't want to say we should just give up and let him have his way but... I can't stand to see anyone else getting killed." 

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru listened for a few moments as Jomei told him to avoid him. He slammed his drink on the counter. Loud enough for Jomei to hear but not loud enough to bring attention to them. "I have no plan to fight him amidst combat." He said simply, giving Jomei an eye in which was full of rage. "Plus if I did, I wouldn't be foolish as some to blindly go in without gathering every bit of information about him..." He said. Then took a sip of his drink, staring right at the bar ahead of him.

"More than anything, I want answers from him. If I could find a way to sit down and chat, figure out why he works like that, I would..." He looked at Jomei. "But I can never kill another player, no matter how evil they may be..." He looked at Jomei. "I will tell you this and only this.... I am a pacifist now.... I met, Zandra, at her home after the incident..." He said, looking him in the eye. "I brought her health down, I trapped her within her own home to kill her, but when I was about to finish the job I... Couldn't do it..." He said with a sigh, his grip tightening on the glass. "She had this look, and after everything, after Ari and everything those two stood for... They were still, people..." He said with a sigh. "People who are just trying to survive here... I'm sure Adder may be cruel and evil to you, but to me he's a player that I want to figure out..." He took one look around before finishing. "And if I did meet him, I would find out the reason he killed Beatbox, and.... Why he killed Takao...." 

[Jomei 0]

Jomei listened to Hikoru's story about becoming a pacifist as another ale was poured for him, this time in a sturdy metal stein. His eyes widened a bit at his exact reasoning, and just who was responsible for the change of heart; Zandra, the woman he one was planned to marry. Apparently, Hikoru had plans to kill the woman.. possibly for the same reasons Jomei had ended their relationship. Though in the end, realization of a human behind the heavy armor and axe, as well as behind Ariel, caused him to sheathe his dagger and lay up on the attack. Jomei let out a small exhale of relief, knowing that he had not, in fact, killed the berserk healer. Though not spoken, Jomei had come to the same terms about the two women.. that they were still people, and if they truly had done wrong, they would face the consequences of such on their own. Lowenthal's death.. Jomei would never be able to get over.. but he would not be seeking revenge himself, merely to avoid facing the same fate as his gone friend. 

With his mind off of the past, he turned back to Hikoru, who wished he could merely speak with Death Adder to find out his reasoning behind the deaths of Beatbox, and now Takao. Jomei's eyes widened, "T-Takao is dead too... and by Death Adder?" Jomei could not believe that another of his friends was killed by the same man. The Emerald Duelist shook his head, "Dammit..." With another sigh, Jomei took another long drink. 

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru gave a sigh and nodded. It was a difficult thing to comprehend, but it explains why nothing could be heard about the character. He gave a sigh and another drink. It was a difficult thing to comprehend. One of the highest leveled players in the game was easily snuffed out... Death Adder was a threat to everyone on the frontlines, and even though he didn't know his face, he was sure he would know how to tell him from a crowd. Arrogance he was sure he had, to fight both players and defeat them can be quite the boastful thing to talk about, but that's all he could tell. Boastfulness and two swords, that's all he could go off of. He gave a sigh.

"Yes... It would explain why nobody heard from him..." He said with a sigh. "Like I said, I have a good network of Info Brokers.... I guess you could call me a Info Broker yourself." He said with a chuckle. "I help to train Info Brokers from time to time with stealth and listening... Hence why that encounter." He said earlier. "That young man is someone who's aspiring to be like the 'Master of Shadows'.... I told him to not dream that but he wouldn't argue." He said with a sigh. "Poor kid doesn't know how the loneliness gets to you at times..." He took another small swig of his drink.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei shook his head, he had no idea that Takao had even been killed. He had not even noticed his name scratched off on the Monument of Life last time he was there.. was he just not looking? He took his drink in his hand and rose it to his lips, letting the amber liquid pour down his throat, his eyes closing with a satisfaction the coolness and taste brought to him as it warmed his belly. Hikoru went on to talk about how he knew this information from a network of Brokers, ones that he admitted to helping train from time to time, most likely in their stealthy abilities. He wondered if his own usual Broker, Argo, was one of the ones Hikoru had trained. Jomei chuckled, taking another sip of his drink, "Guess they look up to you.. you know, being the new Master of Shadows and all." The man gave Hikoru a sidelong glance with a smirk, knowing he was never truly open about the stealthy unique skill he held. "Oh come on, Lowenthal was my best friend, so I know a bit about the skill.. especially the sword arts with the dagger." he gave the blue cloaked man a quick pat on the back, "But no worries, your secret is safe with me." he said, his voice in a hushed tone. 

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru gave a chuckle as he said they looked up to him, he felt a small smile form on his lips, thinking of the multiple info brokers that came to him whenever he was on their floor, asking for his tips and tricks that he had learned over the months of training within the shadows and learning every nook and cranny that he could find and how to hide and listen. His thoughts were cut short as he called him the Master of Shadows. He gagged a bit on his drink as his eyes grew wide, hid hand instictively going for his dagger in defense, then stopped as he knew this was Jomei, and he hadn't done anything to be on his bad side.

"How did you-" His words were cut short as the Ginger-haired man explained that he learned from Lowenthal, his mentor and the passer of Shadowed Path. His shoulders slumped in relaxation as he bent over the bar. The stress of having to keep that secret was left off his shoulders, at least for a little while, and a small smile formed on his lips as he said his secret was safe. "It's not much of a secret to the info brokers or you... and i'm sure that people in my guild connected the dots by now, as well as the frontliners..." He said with a sigh. "But thank you... and I hold you to that promise." He said as he held his drink up. "To Lowe.... Even though things... may not have gone how we may have wished, his spirit lives on in our hearts and memories... May he never be forgotten." He said with a warm smile, the strain of the thought within his eyes, his cowl hiding them the best he can.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei wore a small smile on his face as Hikoru rose his mug of ale to their late friend, Lowenthal. The sandy haired man played a big part in serving as mentor to both of the players, as well as a good friend. Olive eyes shifted back over to Hikoru, noticing the small bit of sadness in his eyes before he had the chance to completely hide them with his cloak. Without a word about it, Jomei tapped the rim of his stein against Hikoru's before taking a long drink. Jomei thought he had it bad with Lowenthal's death.. Though they may have been best friends for a long time, and he had lost his fiance because she 'supported' Ariel, Hikoru honestly had it much worse.. and it was apparent it still ate at the man. It was his own future wife that had murdered their friend, causing the split up between the two. Jomei could not imagine the guilt Hikoru must feel, and how big of an impact Lowe's death played on him. With a quick sigh, Jomei knew it would be best to change the subject, "So. You and Vale. How are things going? I have not seen her around.. I'm hoping everything is okay."

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru smiled as he tipped the rim of his glass against his, and they both took a long swig of his drink. He looked and saw that his had run out yet again, and he set it down and tapped the glass on the top. Rex looked a bit surprised as he asked for a third glass, then he noticed the shadowed players eyes and body posture and without a word, he filled the glass to the prim. He nodded a thanks toward Rex and they he gave a sigh, and he felt a blush form as Jomei asked about Vale.

"O-oh V-vale? She's f-fine.... She's off training, and I leave her to that on her own.... I don't want to be a distraction." He said with a small chuckle, a small smile on his lips thinking about the purple-haired girl he had come to know very well... In more ways than one. He shook his head and coughed, getting his mind off her and back to the conversation. "By now she's probably leveled up a few times, heck as far as I could know she's my level..." He gave a chuckle. "Either way I do miss her..." He looked at Jomei. "How about you and that girl we talked about earlier?"

[Jomei 0]

Jomei smiled softly at Hikoru’s reaction to mentioning the purplette, Vale. Jomei did not have many opportunities to see the two together, or even ask the two about their relationship together, he had gotten bits and pieces of their relationship before. Especially after what he went through with Ariel, Vale was someone Hikoru needed in his life. 

The question was soon thrown back at him, with his relationship with Beatbox’s sister. Jomei smiled brightly, “Telrenya is her name, and.. things are great.” He could not hold in the small laugh that came out with the fluttering feeling in his stomach at the thought of her. “We haven’t been together for very long but...” he shook his head, before turning to look at Hikoru, “I’ve never been happier, and feel like i actually have a purpose.... S-sorry.. got lost in thought there” he said, rubbing the nape of his neck bashfully.

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru felt a small smile form on his lips as the irishman spoke of the girl with fondness. He was happy that after everything that happened between him and Zandra that things had worked out in the end. He chuckled as he apologized for getting lost in thought, and he just waved a hand. "It's not a problem. I promise." He said with another chuckle, then sighed and leaned on the bar a little harder. A realization came to him in that moment, and he just smiled as a breath went through his nose.

"We really got messed up after Lowe died huh?.... You and Zandra, me and Ariel... It was... Rough, huh?..." He said quietly. He felt the tears start to form and did his best to hold them back. "I wish... Lowe was here, he was usually good with quarrels... He knew how to knock some sense into me... Especially after I snapped when he helped me on the First Night of the Arabian Nights quest line...." He felt a shudder go through him as a few stray tears fell into his glass. "Do you... Think, i'm living up to his expectations?..." He said, his eyes closing shut as he grit his teeth, his body visibly shaking. "Did I even come close to what he wanted me to become when he gave me that skill?.... Or did I let him down, Like I have so many times before...." He looked at Jomei, the pain thoroughly seen through the tear streaks, the red face and his eyes, which looked like they screamed for help.

[Jomei 0]

The Irishman chuckled and shook his head, "Yeah.. things really did get rough after all of that. Lost a lot of friends while I was in captivity.. Lowe, Opal, Takao, Helios.. And then Zandra and Ariel just... I don't even know how to explain what happened to them. I guess they just.. snapped under the pressure." the man turned to look at Hikoru, a small smirk as he placed his hand on the man's shoulder, "Guess their wills weren't as strong as ours." The ginger could not help but frown as Hikoru trailed back on Lowenthal's death, wishing the man was still here to help them through all of this. Once the man finally looked past his hood into Jomei's olive green eyes, Jomei could see the pain that Hikoru was going through. Taking in a breath through his nostrils, Jomei's fingers squeezed around Hikoru's shoulder, letting him know that he was there for him.

"Hik.. Lowenthal trusted you with that skill." he said in a soft voice. "There was a time that he did not trust many people.. sometimes I thought he did not even trust me, or Piera. He saw what you could do.. he trusted you with Shadowed Path. And you know what? You've done nothing but improved on it, made it stronger from when Lowe had it. I promise you.. he would be proud of the man you have become." His lips curved into a small, confident smirk. "Hey. Lowe helped us both out with a lot of things.. but we also helped him with a lot. I can't tell you how many times I've had to beat some sense into him. But in the end.. we have both grown. And as much as I loved him like a brother, and wish he was here.. We don't need him." Jomei turned in his stool to face Hikoru, one hand still on his shoulder, poking the other one into his chest. "We can only all be here for each other now.. And for everyone. You, me, Cal, the rest of the front liners. People look up to us, especially now with the number of attendees at the raids going down. Soon, you're gonna know how Lowe feels when someone looks up to you." 

[Hikoru 0]

Hikoru wiped away the tears as Jomei spoke to him. He listened to every word as it helped to uplift him. As the irishman finished he took in a deep breath, letting it out as the last tear rolled down his cheek. Rex, the barkeeper kept an eye on them and made sure that others weren't staring their heartlfelt moment, or were trying to pickpocket them of their items. Hikoru took another deep breath, pulling himself together with a small nod.

"T-thank you... I needed that..." He said with a small sigh. "It's just... It's a hard thought for me... It makes it very difficult for me to keep fighting some days. I say i'm trying to defend the names of my fallen comrades... But what if i'm not doing what they would want me to do? Becoming stronger in the wrong way... It's a heavy thought that comes every time I use Shadowed Path... But hopefully this can put me at ease..." He said, and gave a small chuckle. "And the day I become someone's master is the day you get a kid in this game... I tried that with Hidden and it backfired a bit, and now I have a rival instead of an ally." He said with a shake of his head. "I'm not a very good mentor, nor would I be." He took a long sip of his drink, finishing a quarter of it. The red-haired player shattered another glass, bringing back to the realization that they were still in the Rusty Dagger. He felt a small blush on his face as he pulled his cowl a bit farther onto his face. "Well... Thanks. I needed this.."

[Jomei 0]

"Hik.." Jomei said in a soft voice with a chuckle, his head shaking from side to side. His hand found his nearly empty stein of beer yet again, raising the cup to his lips and downing the rest of the liquid. Once empty, he passed it forward to be refilled yet again. In the meantime, Jomei turned his body to face Hikrou yet again. "Like I said, we are fighting for all of Aincrad... For those that don't have the skills or the courage to join the front lines. We all have the same mission; getting the hell out of here. Well.. at least most of us want that." he said with a chuckle. "Its what they fought for.. its what we are fighting for.. It's what they wanted. And you're doing it in their name." As his beer was passed back over to him, Jomei took another hefty sip before looking to Hikoru with another small laugh, "I honestly don't know how it feels.. to have that skill of yours. So I don't know the weight of holding onto a Unique skill.. yet." The yet was more hopeful, rather then letting on that he knew anything about it. Jomei leaned towards Hikoru one last time after he thanked him for the talk, giving him another encouraging pat on the back, "Of course. You're strong Hik.. a lot stronger than I am. And I remember meeting you when you were a lot lower level than me.." He took his beer yet again and tapped the rim of the cup against Hikoru's again, "I think you've convinced me... to come back to the front lines. I know we were holding our own for a bit after Zel and Dom were killed.. but now that Opal, Lowe, and Takao are gone too.. you guys could use all the help you can get."