[PP/F1] Arsenal of Flowers <<Earning A Living>>

[Aeolus 0]

Spoiler

 

The masses of the public, NPC and player alike were always strewn and littering the first floor. To everyone's own expectations, the players that never worked a day in their life out in the fields would take refuge in this city. How they made their own living, doing just that was unseen by those that worked each and every day. It took one that experienced the same thing as those choosing to live out their lives in this very city of beginnings for one to truly understand the struggle it was to live day by day in the taverns and inns that dotted each street. Aeolus was definitely not one of the people that would not have worked a day in their own lives.

He would never mix himself with the people that sat by day by day, indoors, away from the dangers of the outside world, no.. Aeolus actually spent almost every day up on floor four.. At least he had gone to that floor every day after the masses of the front lines had cleared the boss that had taken up its domain on that very floor. The Crimson Dragon had put up a fight, but thanks to the likes of Asen, Shark and Zelrius the floor had been cleared. What a small party to have taken out a boss, these days we have more than a dozen.. At least that's what the rumors say.. 

Aeolus had to admit he was pretty much the same as everyone that stuck in the starting town of floor one, minus the fact that he didn't actually stick to the starting town. He stayed in the Starglades. It wasn't too far from Frostbite Lake which made it easiest for him to go back and forth. He always spent his time skating on the ice, with some handy shoes he had a blacksmith make for him. His days were well spent, practicing for when he got back to the real world.. Two years had passed, and Aeolus knew that his competitive seasons were over. A figure skater's body only lasted for a bit.. At least in the game, he could practice without feeling worn out or tired. Lots of Non Player Characters would stop by and offer him some extra Col for performing for them. 

That was how Aeolus had started the ice skating performance that he held once a month, the same day every month. It was how he kept track of how long it had been since the launch of the game. Despite how much he loved ice skating, Aeolus figured that it was about time for him to take on the track of ranking up in the levels to help beat the game that Kayaba had created, for god knows why. That was why he was back on floor one. His player handbook that was near-impossible to read, due to the condition it was in, in his hands. He was making his way over to the merchant NPC that would teach them their trades. Merchant sounds nice enough.. After this I can go out and do those tutorial quests i've been meaning to do.

[Waffles 0]

Alex makes his way to the bench his father had told him about a while ago. He climbs up and sits, kicking his feet and waiting. His father always said, “If I’m not there when the sun is highest, go about your day, but always stay in the town.” Alex had no idea what he meant, but he knew he could do whatever he wanted, for his dad wasn’t nearby. “I’m gonna go get me some cannies.” He says, standing on the bench, running and jumping off the edge. He runs through the town, avoiding the bug scary players and back alleys because his dad wasn’t there to protect him, and he made it to the sweets shop.

Alex spots a man with white hair, and he smiles really big. “Hey mister, wanna get me some cannies?” He asks the man, tugging on his shirt repeatedly. Hoping the man would say yes, Alex smiles up at him brightly as he can. He was gonna get him some candies after all.

[Aeolus 0]

Aeolus bent down to scoop up one of the many flowers in the bed in front of him. A soft pink daisy now being twiddled around in his fingertips as a young boy approached him. "Hey mister, wanna get me some cannies?" Aeolus glanced downwards as the child was quite shorter than himself. Aeolus smiled warmly at the child, "You want some candies?" His gaze now returning up as he scanned the area surrounding him, seeking out a shop that would sell the very sweets that the child craved. Once his eyes landed on a shop, he nodded his head in that direction, "What's your name kid?" Aeolus figured he might as well get to know the kid that had been blunt enough to ask a stranger for some candies.

Aeolus also wanted to know what a kid such as (Waffles) was doing alone out on the streets, I know floor one is safe, but really? Unattended? He doesn't look like he leaves the town either... Aeolus grinned, ruffling his left hand in the kid's rusty brown mane of a hair. "My name is Aeolus. That's pronounced A-O-Lus." He continued to play with the pink tinted daisy in his right hand.

Edited August 17, 2019 by Aeolus

[Waffles 0]

The man agreed, and Alex smiled walking next to the man, before he asks his name. “I’m Waffles...” He says with a childish excitement, “the best breakfast food out there.” He smiles proudly. The man kneels down and pats Alex on the head, making the kid angry. His face turns a deep red and his cheeks puff out like those pufferfish. He looks at his new overseer tilting his head and laughs again. “That’s a funny name mister. What was it again?” He asks, having already forgotten how to say the name. “Ay-luss?” He wonders for a moment, before pushing it to the back of his mind.

He starts skipping ahead, barely in front of the man following him. He was gonna get some cannies and he was gonna be the happiest Waffle on the planet. His smile just keeps growing while he moves across the area, seeing the candies inside the shop and staring longingly into the window. “I waaaaaaaant... that one... and that one... aaaaand... that one.” He says, pointing out the candies he was picking.

[Aeolus 0]

Aeolus couldn't help but chuckle at the kid, "Nice to meet you Waffles." As he listened to the kid try and say his name he grinned, "It's A-O-Lus, but if you can't pronounce it, that's okay." He watched as the kid skipped ahead to the window of the sweets shop, "How about this, you can pick out ten kinds of your choice." Aeolus didn't think he'd be babysitting today, not that he minded at all, the kid was rather cute and made Aeolus remember how he was when he was a kid. 

"What about that one?" He pointed to a very sweet looking candy, before opening the door to allow the kid to go and fill his arms with candy. I wonder where his parents are and if they came into Aincrad with him.. I'll be sure to ask later, for now.. Let's get some candy. Aeolus himself went over to his own favorite candy, no matter what they ate here in Aincrad, they never gained weight. Something he was happy about. He filled a small brown paper bag with the sweet hard candies that he had taken a liking to and watched Waffles roam around the shop.

[Waffles 0]

Waffles watches the man walk into the candy store, and he says the boy can grab what he wants. He walks over to the man, looking at a sucker on the counter. His eyes light up as he runs over and jumps, his arm reaching over the edge to try and find the sucker, but instead coming up empty. He reaches up with is other hand and stands on his tip toes, looking just over the top of the counter. His other arm comes up and reaches over the edge to grab the candy, but his arm is just a little too short. “AY-LUSS! I CAN’T REACH!” He shouts, trying to get the help of the man. “I want the sucker.” He says, still holding himself up to see over the counter.

If Aeolus grabbed the sucker, Waffles would give him a great big hug. Grabbing the candy from the man and sitting on the ground, he unwrapped it and started eating right away.

[Aeolus 0]

Once Aeolus was done with his bag of sweets he watched as Waffles reached fora  sucker up on the counter. Aeolus let out a soft chuckle as Waffles continued to reach, "It's okay." He ruffled the hair of Waffles once more before grabbing the sucker for Waffles. His eyes widened as Waffles hugged him. He hugged the kid back, chuckling as Waffles sat down, instantly placing his mouth around the lollipop. Sucking on it and enjoying the taste.

 

Aeolus walked up to the counter, keeping one eye on Waffles at all times. He placed some col on the counter, "To pay for this bag and that lollipop." Then he walked back to waffles, "Let's move back outside, best not sit in the middle of the shop." He would then proceed to hold out a hand for Waffles to take so they could head back outside together. Aeolus couldn't deny the charm that Waffles had, being a kid sucking on a lollipop and all.