[OP-F1] Legends? Maybe...

[Bell 0]

Bell looked around the familiar setting of the Town of Beginnings. A few days earlier he had posted up a small notice in some of the more popular taverns and shops. Bell was hoping he would be joined by some new faces to make friends and go hunting together. Everyone could use the socialization in these tough times, not to mention the EXP and loot that would come if they were able to clear a few field bosses. He thought this would be a good opportunity to get out of the house and get some fighting experience under his belt. The notice told players to join him at the fountain in the town square if they were interested. Now the fun part... waiting. He made his way through the town, passing by many players and NPC's alike. "Any of these people could be on their way to meet with me... I hope at least one or two people show up." He was getting a little anxious that no one would show and he would be embarrassed. He shoved the thought aside as he turned the corner, almost reaching the fountain.

[Kirbs 0]

Kirbs shoved her hands into her pockets as she inspected the papers that lined up the board. She never really fancied going to taverns but it seemed to be her lucky day. Hunting, huh? Shouldn't be too bad.  She looked over at her familiar and sighed as she saw the same unattentive face that Scarfy always had. Rolling her eyes, she decided to try this group hunting thing out. What was the worst thing that could happen? She was more than ready for any battle at the moment, especially one on the first floor. Going through this should be a complete breeze for her. She pushed her way out of the tavern with a ball of ice in her stomach. What if I screw up like I always do? She pressed her lips together and shut her head. Do it for the benefits, goddammit! She looked up and scanned the supposed area where the notice said to go. Oi, where is this guy anyway?

@Bell

[Bell 0]

As bell entered the wide open area surrounding the fountain, his eyes lit up as he saw a girl standing over outside the tavern. He smiled and picked up the pace. She seemed to be looking for him, and he cracked a small grin. He didn't really have any friends, and seeing someone saw his notice excited him. "Hey there! Are you here because of the notice I posted?" he asked as he gave her a little smile. As he got near it became obvious that she was indeed here to meet him. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Bell. I was looking for some new people that might be some good company and tag along for some hunting. I-I'm not really a good fighter so I was hoping some more experienced people would show up and give me some tips and whatnot." He was starting to get a little anxious, realizing he was talking a lot despite never having met this girl.

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo had just recently come back from a gathering trip with her husband, and realized that there was some issues with her rapier at the moment. It seemed to be getting more and more influence over her. Noticing some lower level player posting a notice for gathering Neo decided to go for it. She left her rapier from the event at her shop and only grabbed her weaker one. Her parasol turned back to pink as she swapped the weapon sheathed within it, which was a nice feeling to have. Though she didn't really feel like being a social butterfly, she knew she needed to get away for a time. That and she could hear Sunova in the back of her head telling Neo  to go do something social for once instead of being cloistered like she always was.

Making her way to the first floor, Neo did her best to steer clear of the monument of life. She was here to be lifted away from all of the terrible stuff she was dealing with at the moment. No point wasting time grieving for lost ones. Reaching the tavern, it seemed there was already a pair of people talking. As no one else was really around at the moment, Neo figured that one of these two was the person who posted the event. Sitting over at an edge of the bar, Neo quickly just ordered herself some water from the menu and decided to see if anyone approached her.

[Arabelle 0]

"Come onnn," the small purple-haired girl urged. "Didn't you promise me to go on that gathering trip last Christmas? I mean sure, promise still stands, but when is it happening? I can't farm mobs with you if our level gap's too big, and I'm pretty sure I'm ten levels above you right now!" Oh, man. First time she'd ever said that to someone, and it felt so good. Like she was somehow taller than she was right now (*cough* 4'11" *cough*), and she was looking down on those puny low-leveled noobs. Hehehe... "Anyways, point is, I'm starting to focus more on leveling up right now so you should leave your shop from time to time, too!"

Not like Mishiro had the option to refuse. Currently, they were heading towards the central plaza of the Town of Beginnings, and Arabelle had an iron grip on her best friend's wrist. Wielding a big, heavy scythe sure had its benefits! "Ah, by the way. I almost forgot. Fortunately - unfortunately - we're not gonna have some quality one-on-one bonding time." Because they would totally end up slacking off. "I noticed a poster in a shop earlier, some guy looking for teammates. So, we're gonna help him and get you a social life in the process." And she came prepared. Arabelle had her usual light armor set, consisted of a Japanese schoolgirl/military uniform with her usual pair of white gloves. Her hair was pulled up into a braided ponytail, held together by a large, red ribbon; and an empty scythe sheath rested at her back. She smiled and pulled out a rolled-up poster from her inventory tossing it to her friend. "Consider it a favor, from the bestest best friend you'll ever have. Also, the meeting place is the central plaza. You can... stay behind, if you want. We'll come get you later."

They parted at the intersection nearest the plaza. Arabelle lingered in the area for a few more moments before she turned and headed for the meeting spot alone.  

As always, there were many players milling about the plaza. Most of them were in groups and some brooding by themselves, but whatever the case, they seemed to have already forgotten that this was the exact place where Kayaba had made that declaration that started their nightmare. Arabelle thought back to the girl she had left behind at the intersection. Giving her a sweet, but resigned smile. She tilted her head up to look at the sky that at some point had been covered in red. "Geez, Shiro-chan. Your and Claude's gloominess is rubbing off on me." And she cupped both of her cheeks and psyched herself up, looking at the people around the town square. One pair, in particular, seemed to be looking out for people, so she approached them. "Oh hey, Kirbs. How're you doing?" She gave a friendly wave to the redhead she'd met in the Christmas event. Thanks to one of her lovely guildmates, there had been a bit of a misunderstanding between them, but it was all cool now. Then she turned to the snowy-haired boy who she could only describe as soft and cute. Like a cinnamon roll with very squishable cheeks. Oh my~. She could think of one person who dug that type and she was waiting outside the plaza. Better hurry this up! "And hello to you too, stranger. My name's Arabelle. Are you the person who put up those requests?" She transitioned to a soldier-like salute, though her playful smile made her seem less of a rigid person. "Level 9 DPS player, at your service!"

[ooc: dragging along the inactive @Mishiro. stats will be posted later, if needed.]

[Mishiro 0]

January 22, 2026

It was a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming. On days like these-- 

kids like you... should be burning in hell.

--Mishiro just wanted to sleep in. She was well aware that she had been... for lack of better word: drifting, these past few days. A whole month had passed since that Christmas festival where she met Arabelle's guild and was pleasantly surprised to find that her best friend and Jinx got along well, spent time with an old friend (client?) of hers, and won an event-limited item which was quickly followed by two different promises. A gathering trip with Roman, and another - a separate one - with Arabelle. She had planned to close the level gap and fulfill the latter (the easier one; the gap between her and Arabelle's levels was significantly smaller than the one between her and Roman's) as soon as she could, and she had all the plans and quests outlined but... - 'Leave, leave, leave!' 'Come join the party.' 'He's in the police's hands now.' 'I don't deserve to be called your friend.' - "I'm feeling a bit tired today."

The person pulling at her hand with a strength that one wouldn't expect from a girl with a waifish figure like hers wouldn't let her have it. "You haven't worked on your player level for a long time either," she argued weakly. Tu quoque. Mishiro didn't say anymore and avoided Arabelle's ashen gaze. She did, however, catch the rolled up poster that her friend tossed her way. Tugging her wrist free from her friend's grip, she unrolled the sheet of paper and quietly read through its contents. Or a thorough lack of.

Quote

Looking for a party to clear mobs with. If interested, meet me by the fountain in the town square.

Time - xx:xx.

Her grey gaze sharpened. No player name and subsequently no way to contact them to ask questions, no physical description to make it easier to find them in case there was more than one player in the location they specified, and nothing on how the loot should be divided if there was any (that was just her being a nitpick at this part; players normally went with 'you keep what you get' in these types of hastily-formed parties). She rolled up the poster and held onto it as she sped up to walk beside her friend. "Just this once," she relented. They were halfway to their destination already, she couldn't just say 'no' and leave now. And... these past few days, she hadn't been spending enough time with her best friend. She was sure the girl would have noticed at some point, hence her somewhat forceful attitude this time around. Mishiro hung her head and breathed out a sigh. If even Arabelle was showing that much concern - "Next time, please inform me a day before so I can organize my schedule accordingly."

Like she would ever do that.

Within a few minutes of walking, they reached the last intersection before the plaza. Mishiro inhaled deeply and took a few more steps forward before she stopped. The two buildings that sat at the edge of the town square were already visible - and the blue sky she once admired turned red and blood seeped through its cracks, pooling at a point in the sky and taking the shape of a man dressed like a god - Mishiro found herself reaching out to grab her friend's hand. She took the time to calm her erratic breathing before she spoke. "This... this is close enough." Then she let go and stepped back, giving her friend a weak, reassuring smile. "You dragged me here in the first place, so don't get carried away by the cute boys. I'll stop giving you friend discounts for a month if you make me wait for more than an hour."

And she waved Arabelle a temporary goodbye. Left alone to her devices, Mishiro looked down at the poster in her hand then at her immediate surroundings. She saw no sense in keeping it to herself, so she approached the nearest establishment and neatly taped the request on the outside wall. Then, quietly ducking into a nearby deserted alley, she brought up her inventory and changed out of her casual clothing to a more combat-suited attire consisted of dark, iron plates held together with cloth and mesh of the same color. For a player with a tank build, it would've been considered a bit impractical; the heavy armor she had chosen for herself only covered her upper body and her hips. But, for a DPS player who happened to favor damage output (subsequently, speed) over protection? She tossed her long, black hair over her shoulder and strapped on her combat boots. While it looked altogether indecent, this was the most optimal armor she could think of. 

The girl tugged one of Roman's larger coats over her form and stepped back out into the main road.

[ooc: it wasn't stated, so i had to assume what bell wrote in that notice. also, for ic reasons, skip me in the post order until you guys leave the plaza. i'll join you then.]

Edited January 22, 2019 by Mishiro

[Kirbs 0]

Kirbs tilted her head but gave the white-haired boy a small smile. "Yeah, actually. Yeah, my name is Kirbs." She scratched the back of her neck nervously. "Ah, I see. Well, I'm here now! No need to worry anymore." She cracked a small grin and looked around for anyone else who had managed to find the notice. Turning back to the other player, she gave a shrug. "I'm not that experienced but I can deal a bit of damage to a couple of mobs," she finished. This situation honestly is freaking her out a bit, so she did the most rational thing she could think of at the moment-- calla friend over so she wouldn't have to do any of the talking. She glanced at Bell from the corner of her eye before opening her menu and scrolling own her friend list.  Let's see... How about that Ptolemy dude. He seems social enough to distract people. She sent him a quick message before releasing a sigh of relief. 

@Ptolemy

Hearing a familiar voice, she spun around and was greeted by a familiar mop of purple hair. "Oh, hello Arabelle." She gave the girl a small smile. "How have you been since the Christmas party? Good, hopefully?" She asked, feeling just a tad bit better since someone she knew was finally here. Facepalming herself, she let out an inaudible groan. I guess messaging Ptolemy is useless now. Bah, it's too late to take it back now. She sighed to herself but shrugged it off. 

@Arabelle

[Bell 0]

'Oh- oh wow' Bell thought to himself as the two players gathered around him. He hoped to god he wasn't blushing... they were both cute girls. This was something he had a problem with, simply because he was a shy mess around cute girls. But isn't that the reason why he had posted the notice? To meet new people? He took a deep breath in and squared his shoulders, forcing himself to push any anxiety or shyness aside. This was his chance to make friends. "Hi Arabelle! My names Bell coincidentally." He let out a small laugh, feeling more confident with each second passing. "I was hoping we could hit the fields and kill some mobs, I don't know about you but I could really use the experience... it's been a long time since I got out and did any hunting." He slid his finger downward through the air, opening the floating menu, and equipped his light body armor and the leather pants <<Evasive Feature>> he had received from his old friend Takneil. He hadn't seen Tak in a long time and sometimes wondered what had happened. His dagger materialized onto his hip, and he was ready for adventure. "Did either of you see anyone else that seemed interested?" he asked as he beckoned them to follow him into the tavern for a drink before the hunt. He figured they could use some warming up to each other before going out hunting together. He sat down by the bar and ordered an ale to ease himself into conversation. Bell noticed a girl with interesting colored hair sitting at the edge of the bar, drinking a water and looking rather gloomy all by herself. 'She looks lonely... maybe I should invite her to tag along!' he thought. "H-hey there, I'm Bell. This is Kirbs and Arabelle. We're going hunting after a drink or two, would you like to join?" Bell smiled and extended a hand to the lonely looking girl.

 

[ooc: I know my HP sig says I'm level 1 but I am actually level two. Msg me if anyone knows who can fix that for me]

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo continued to sit at the bar and drink at her water slowly. She didn't really feel like joining the other players, but it sounded like they were going to go hunting. It was possible that they could get in over their heads, so Neo decided it would be best to just wait on the sidelines. If they ended up coming over to her, so be it. Otherwise, she would likely blend into the shadows of the floor and let them go on their merry way. As she finished her drink, her cobalt pseudodragon familiar flew through the door and past a couple of the players. Coming over to Neo's shoulder, it rubbed its cold head against her cheek.  Reaching her hand to pet the little dragon, she could feel it send waves of comfort her way. It was still a strange way of communicating, but Neo had gotten used to it. At the very least it means she never had to use words to communicate what she needed to it.

[Arabelle 0]

"How have you been?" Arabelle parroted back with a playful smile. "I asked that same question a moment ago, but you didn't answer it. You seemed a bit distracted. Were you perhaps thinking about something? Or someone?" She stepped back and brought a gloved hand up, pretending to search the area. "Or was I looking a bit too far? Maybe... right beside you?" The small girl subtly quirked an eyebrow at their snowy-haired companion. When it came to deciding whether boys were cute or not, Arabelle was always the best judge! "Ahahaha. I don't blame you in any way, Kirbs~."

 

Her short skirt flared as she spun around and took a few steps back, hiding her hands behind her back once again. "To answer your question, I've been good. I started 2026, with, like. A. Literal. Bang." - *cough* that tavern party that quickly devolved into chaos, courtesy of her wonderful social skills (used in, like, the worst way possible) and a cute couple who should totally f*ck each other instead of releasing their romantic tension through destructive bar fights. - "Ah, yeah. If you ever come across a guy named Outlander, report it to the police or something. It's probably just an edgy teen with anger issues, but he's openly declared his intentions of starting a crime guild a few times already." She dislodged a pebble from the pavement and after letting that serious note float up in the air for a moment, it was back to a more lighthearted topic. "Anyways, time for you to answer my question. How have you been?"

 

The boy introduced himself to her, and as he spoke, Arabelle found her attention being drawn to his snowy white hair. Eeeeeee! So soft and fluffy~. From his stiff shoulders and the slight red that dusted his cheeks, he seemed to be a bit tense, but he nervously laughed it off and gave her an explanation of the request he posted. The intention of introducing him to Mishiro and nudging the two together quickly evaporated in her mind. "Nice to meet you. My friends normally end up calling me 'Belle,' but since you're also 'Bell'..." She stepped forward and offered him her hand, along with her sweetest smile. "Call me Ara instead. I don't mind. Special nickname for a special situation!"

 

One and a half minute! What was her time record with Stryder again? Satisfied with herself, she hummed a bright little tune as she followed Bell into a nearby - oh, boy - tavern. He turned to ask them a question and then she was, suddenly and painfully, reminded of Mishiro's existence. One month without friend discounts! "I have a friend who's waiting outside the plaza," she explained quickly. "Sorry if you were planning to stay longer, but she can't exactly come here and I -" want to keep eating free dessert in Cafe Myosotis this month - "don't want to keep her waiting, so let's try to meet her in less than half an hour, okay?" Arabelle claimed the seat beside Bell and clapped her hands together in a pleading gesture with a somewhat sheepish smile. "Bartender! Orange juice for me."

 

She received her drink and turned to see Bell talking to a woman with two-toned hair. Was that...? Arabelle had only seen her once and never talked to her, but the quiet woman had been the center of attention because it was a wedding and her hair color made her stick out in a large crowd. She leaned forward on the bar so she was visible. "Hey. Neopolitan, right?" she offered the woman a friendly smile. This was a nice coincidence. She had thought to herself a few times that she wanted to meet Haz's wife but never really acted on it. And then the opportunity practically lands itself on her lap! "I'm Arabelle, a friend of Haz. I was at your wedding a few months ago. Remember me?"

[Huginn 0]

Shiro was hiding in a tavern trying to keep to himself because that’s what he does. Hoping no one will talk to him or bump into him or anything, and to do that, drawing attention was the last thing he wanted to do, so having a glowing blue familiar unlike any other was a bad idea, but Huginn loves his little Felli, just not everything she did. He had heard a familiar voice and was fighting the urge to look behind him to see who it was, but he was curious about who it was. Why does that voice sound so familiar? I’ve never done anything with anyone more than once. But before he could talk himself into turning around and looking his blue ball of glowing whatever it was made of floated away towards the girl with purple hair, son of a gun, why’d it have to be her? He calmly stands up and walks over to his familiar who is checking everyone out at the little group. Come on Felli, don’t do this, spare me the trouble and just execute me instead. His emotionless face drops into a slight frown for a moment as he reaches the side of the room with the small group. “Excuse me, could you hand me that glowy ball of annoyance?” He asks the girl who had done the tutorial quests with the boy.

[Runa 0]

I was having a great day at the bazaar, as many of the NPCs seemed to have a special offer for cute little ones like me. I was already chewing on some sweets when an old man looked at me and said that he had a few special candy canes in his shop and that I could have one for free. I followed the guy, even though I wasn't sure if it was a good idea. I was within the savezone, so he shouldn't be able to harm me, but still I drew my huge candy cane axe just in case he would try anything on me. As soon as we arrived at his shop I was relieved, as it was one I knew already. I had been there a few times and the younger man who was behind the counter greeted me. "Hey there. The Defender of sweets is back. Look at this cool weapon i got" I greeted him, smiling and showed him the weapon. I quickly choose a few of the candies he had and left the place to go and wander around some more. When I came towards the central plaza I noticed a girl posting a note on some tavern before she stepped back and disappeared into a close by alley. I wondered what it was, so I walked over there and had a look. Quickly reading it I found out, that she was looking for others to go hunting and gathering with her. 
I didn't knew if I'd be a big help, as I was still level one, but I could at least try. Reading the note again, it said the meeting point was at the plaza, but as I had seen her, I could just follow her and ask her if I could tag along. I walked towards the alley, the bunny ears of my jacked slightly bounced up and down as I was kind of jumping. As I arrived a player who could have been the girl exited the alley with a huge coat tugged around her and I wondered if she was the one. The best way to find out would be to simply ask, so I stepped towards her, a big smile on my face and said: "Hello you there. Are you the one who left this poster right there? I'm Runa, the defender of sweets and if you are the one, I'd really like to come with you." 

@Mishiro

[Neopolitan 0]

Neo was. About to leave the taavern and wait aat the edge of the party when a slightly familiar face. Came up to her. As they intrroduced themselves, Neo realized. Who they were. She didn't know the purple haired girl that well, but she did know she wasn't lying when saying sshe was a friend of Haz. Nodding to the girl in confirmation of what she asked, Neo got up from her stool at the bar to see aa slightly blueish flame moving towards them. Roman was very cautious of it, probably because fire didn't mix well with his ice, but Neo could tell it meant no harm. Besides, they were in a safe zone. There was no possible way she could die unless she accepteed a duel. And as she wasn't asleep at the moment, she would be well aware if she had accepted a duekl recently. Bending down to inspect the flame, she began to look for its owner. She had a feeling she might know just who is the owner of this little creature. They had both won things at the same event anyways.

@Arabelle@Huginn

[Jomei 0]

((OOC: Hope you guys don't mind me joining the party. Won't participate in the fighting though so that you guys can actually get something out of it))

After the fall of the 23rd floor boss and the unlocking of the newest level of Aincrad, things had been relatively quiet. The scouting party, which Jomei never wished to be a part of, was taking their time.. so any news of another boss raid being organized was not something that lingered in his mind. Not that it mattered anyway, after the sh*t show that was the last boss fight, the ginger decided it may be best to step back for awhile and focus on starting his life with Telrenya.. maybe retiring indefinitely this time. However, with the woman's current project of actually furnishing and starting up her artisan shop in the town of Delilah, Jomei found himself sitting at home on his own, staring at an off white ceiling. "I need to get out and do something, what do you say?" the Irishman motioned to the tawny owl perched on the back of the couch, just to the right of his shoulder. Her head turned to look at the man with large, black orbs for eyes, letting out a small coo in agreement. "Right" returning a small smirk, the man took his foot off of the coffee table in front of him and rose to his feet, donning his boots and staple of a long green cloak. 

It had been awhile since he ventured to the Town of Beginnings. The various pubs and taverns were once the daily spot for the man, before he had decided that sitting on his arse and drinking all day would not do him any good. Jomei also enjoyed getting a fresh look at some of the players who took to a late start as well, either seeing if they need assistance, or simply people-watching, basking in memories of when he was a lower leveled lad as well. Eventually, the player's pointless wandering brought him to an old watering hole of his, a simple tavern near one of the Town's large fountains. 

Opening the oak door, the smell of various foods, backed by the strong smell of beer and other alcohols rushed past him, filling his nostrils, and probably anyone else on the street just behind the building. Moving past the various tables filled with players and NPC,s the ginger found that the bar had mostly been filled as well, leaving a single seat open to the right of a female an interesting mane of pinks and brows. With a small shrug of his shoulders, the man slipped around the stool and sat, letting out a tiny sigh of relaxation, his rapier tapping against the legs of the stool as it adjusted to its owner's new position. Catching the bartender's eye, the man raised a single finger, ordering an ale for himself, and a small plates amount of uncooked meat for his companion that rested on his shoulder. As the ginger sat and awaited his drink, he swiped a free hand upwards to summon his menus, killing time by organizing his items. 

Edited January 23, 2019 by Jomei

[Bell 0]

"Alright!" Bell let out a satisfied sigh and a smile as he downed his beverage. He was settling into the socialization and was glad to not be alone for the moment. He did a small headcount of the people he knew were joining in the party. That was... 1... 2... 3.... ok 3 so far? Maybe? He was a little tipsy from guzzling his drink so fast. "Does aaaannyyone else wanna join our party?!" He scanned the room. "Ara, you said you had someone who might wanna tag along??" He looked over at the girl with the yummy looking hair and at that moment a man came stumbling after a glowing ball of something. Bell had no fricken clue. He watched as the girl tensed up while the glowing ball floated closer to her. "And what is that? Someone gotta tell me whats going on" He shook his snow white hair around, ruffling it up a bit as he opened his menu, making sure he was prepared for battle. He ordered another drink.

((ooc: sorry for the late post guys life is crazy)) 

Edited January 25, 2019 by Bell

[Mishiro 0]

Mishiro was never the sort of person who was satisfied with sitting around idly. She tucked a few strands of black hair behind her ear and flicked open her menu, tapping the first item stored in her inventory. In front of her, data shards blinked into existence and gathered together to form a sketchpad with a plain brown cover. She scrolled down and tapped another item then promptly dismissed her inventory with a wave of one hand while twirling a newly-manifested ink pen between the fingers of the other.

The semi-transparent windows disappeared to reveal a young girl dressed in a bright orange jacket with a large... candy cane? at her back. The bunny ears attached to her drawn hood bounced as she smiled brightly and requested to tag along.

If she wasn't one of those players with modified avatars, the girl couldn't be any older than twelve.

"I'm Mishiro." She wrapped a hand around her sketchpad and quickly checked the vicinity. Was she alone? Even if this was a safe zone, someone as small as her shouldn't be. She was aware of these cases - Roman had spoken to her about it in passing - of players below the recommended age left to fend for themselves. But most of the time, player-made orphanages took them in. Guess they missed one. Mishiro looked back down at Runa and considered her options. It would be safest to have her tag along, so she could have a party of trustworthy players looking after her. "I put the poster up but I'm not the one who made that request, so whether you can join or not is ultimately up to their discretion." 

The girl bent down slightly and held a hand out to Runa. "But they didn't specify any qualifications, so I think you could come along. They should be arriving in maybe half an hour at most, so we'll have to wait for a bit." Clutching her sketchpad in one hand, she turned around and nodded to a nearby bench, situated conveniently along the side of the road. "If you don't mind waiting, that is."

[ooc: tag @Runa.]

[Arabelle 0]

"Mm?" Arabelle spun around on her bar seat to face the source of a familiar, toneless voice: one she'd heard maybe just a few days ago and didn't really expect to hear from so soon. Huginn. What a neat coincidence. Just when she was about to introduce someone nice to Mishiro. Unfriendly tsundere personality or not, maybe those two were really made for each other! She still remembered the way they smiled at each other last Christmas, after all~. The small purple-haired girl propped one elbow on the counter with a sweet smile. "Oh, you mean this guy?" Carefully, she reached out to the glowing ball of blue light that was hovering curiously before her and cupped it in her gloved hands, drawing it close. A pleasant sort of warmth spread through her palms as she gave it a gentle push towards the boy. "There you go. So, what brings you here? And..." She leaned to the side to check. "Alone? You know, if you're looking for company, you could always give a certain someone a call. Wink, wink."

Yes, she actually said that last part out loud. Arabelle giggled and spun around to face the bar once again. "Oh, also. Neo, Huginn. We're doing this kind of experience farming thing. Right, Bell?" She nudged the boy seated beside her with an expression that basically said: 'you better take the guy in, too. I got lots of shipping to do,' then looked over her shoulder at Huginn. "A bunch of people are going, and I can say that most of them seem trustworthy. Also, Shiro-chan's coming along. She's waiting at the first main intersection south from here, sooo..." 

She didn't finish that thought and instead returned to lazily swirling her plastic straw around her drink.

Meanwhile, the cute boy beside her was downing his drink like it wasn't 10 in the morning. Arabelle drank from her orange juice (it was never alcohol, hard drinks didn't suit her cute and innocent appearance) and watched him order another with an amused smile. Already, he was starting to come a bit... loose, speaking in a louder tone and asking Arabelle about something she'd spoken to him about literally a minute earlier. "Yeah. Her name's Mishiro. She can't come to the plaza but she should be somewhere around the first intersection, south from here." 

[Huginn 0]

Huginn’s ball of blue inconvenience comes drifting back towards him as he stands nervously around two players he had already met, one he was fairly certain was a maniac, the other was a true lady from what he could tell. “I’m just here for a drink.” He answers quietly and then hears her statement about a “Shiro-Chan” hmm, wonder who that is. It’s one of 10,000 names so it could be anyone. Except for the people in this little watering hole of course, but let’s not get into philosophy. His hands encapsulate the familiar as he hold it close, almost like it’s protecting him instead of him protecting it. Like the security blanket of a little child, he holds that glow close to him. He throws his hand up towards the person who stands behind the bar and asks for a water. “Who is Shiro-Chan and what do they have to do with me?” He asks himself quietly.

The other player, the one he didn’t recognize, asked another question, something about who all is coming along and Shiro draws in his brows, tilts his head then looks up at the ceiling. He couldn’t decide, last time he fought with the colorful girl he had a decent time, but the other girl was loud and the boy drinking at such an early time, sad, was shaping up to follow the latter. Then he hears a name he recognized. A name that would make this trip more worth while than before. Mishiro will be there? Gotta wait do you don’t seem... “I’ll go.” 

The words are followed by a look of surprise from the boy. He didn’t usually make such impulsive decisions like this, but he had no idea what he was doing anyways. It’s not about Mishiro, is it? No. It couldn’t be. No girl is gonna change my decision, especially not her. She’s gross. He shakes his head and grabs his water, sitting down and drinking it like if he finished it that second he’d wake up in his bed the next morening and this awkward situation would just be a horrible dream.

@Bell @Arabelle

[Jomei 0]

The larger man who stood behind the bar, sporting friendly smile under his burly handlebar mustache, placed an amber filled glass in front of the ginger, gently pushing it forward with three fingers to it sat closer to the player. "Thank you kindly" Jomei replied, his Irish descent clearly intertwining with his words as he spoke. Aside the glass, a small plate of some sort of a meat, cut into three thin slices was set down. With another kind smile, Jomei tapped the circle on the small, grey box that had appeared in front of him, which indicated how much he owed the establishment for the drink and small plate. Olive eyes looked into the amber liquid made tiny movement back and forth in the glass after being pushed forward by the bartender. It had been awhile since the man had enjoyed an ale on an off day, let alone sat in one of these first floor taverns where this would be his entire day. Wrapping his slender fingers around the glass, he rose it to his lips and took a small sip of the drink, enjoying the bitter yet somewhat fruity taste. 

The pub at this point seemed to be getting a little louder, which was a bit strange for a time as early as this. Turning his head to look past the woman with hair that reminded him of an ice cream sundae, he looked to a small conglomeration of players, who were most likely discussing their plans for the day. One character in particular who stood out to him was a slightly younger looking boy with strikingly red eyes and white hair [ @Bell ]. His voice carried over the rest of them in slurred speech, indicating that he was a bit drunk... or at least would be if the game allowed it. With a small smirk, the man, keeping his eyes on the group of players, swiped a savory piece of meat from the plate and brought it up to his shoulder, where his avian friend would grab it with her beak, lifting her head and chewing on it as it slowly lowered down her throat. With another sip of his drink, Jomei slightly turned in his chair to address the player, who was standing close enough to him so he need not raise his voice. "Now, I'm no one to judge a lad by his drink" he said, his voice friendly as he spoke, "But you know that Cardinal made it so that you can't get drunk, right?" he chuckled, eyeing his drink and raising it to his lips once again, "Trust me, I've tried." His green eyes flickered to the other players around the white haired boy for a moment, "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt anything. Just making a bit of friendly conversation." 

[Bell 0]

As the bartender passed him another drink, Bell nodded to Neopolitan and Huggin. "That settles it then, well be heading out shortly and we'll pickup Mishiro on our way out of town. Thats a pretty good sized party!" He eyed the drink as it was pushed toward him across the bar. He always liked the taste of beer, but the harder stuff he couldn't get into. He knew how much of a lightweight he was and steered clear. Come to think of it, he hadn't actually tried the alcohol in SAO since he got here. He swiveled his head around as he was dressed by a slightly older player, by the looks of it someone who was probably a much higher level. His words brought a slight blush to Bell's already flushed cheeks. "I- I can't be drunk? Why did no one say that before?!? So it must be a placebo sort of thing... "  Honestly, he was a little embarrassed. He let out a deep sigh. "That kind of sucks, I really enjoy a good beer,, and not just for the flavor." Still, he was not anxious by the people and conversation anymore. That was a relief. "Oh well. Are you joining us on our trip? Should be a good time." He stood up from the bar and stretched his legs and arms, knowing today would be a long day. Even though the alcohol had no effect, he still finished his second drink, paying more attention to the taste than before. "Oh also, Ara, why cant Mishiro come to the plaza?" He asked as he looked over to the girl beside him.