[PP/22] Rest and Recovery

[Jinx 0]

Jinx had spent nearly an hour pacing in front of the kitchen of her guild-leaders house, cooking herself a small feast. While she hadn't been able to get cooking be statistically beneficial, the girl found it extremely calming. It had been a series of curries, alongside a steak that she hadn't completely burnt out. She'd been eating, although...it wasn't entirely peaceful. It was stressful. Stryder had told her to protect people, and she had! But she wasn't a total idiot, she knew that there was more bosses and Stryder...He would go after the strongest of them, putting himself in danger. But, his build wasn't anything like hers. She had a massive shield, a lot of mitigation...As Hestia told her, she could win any battle over time. But Stryder was nothing like that. 

"Sometimes i just wish he would...be less reckless...and mean" The girl landed on the couch, another curry in her hands as she started chewing loudly, pouting mostly as she lightly kicked the couch "He's, i dunno...I like him, he is my guild master and everything...But sometimes..." The girl shook her head. There was something, loyalty? It had to be loyalty right? She wasn't sure what other emotions that it could be..."Wait, is loyalty an emotion...? I don't know if that's what i feel..." The girl continued munching away on food as she wondered about it. 

[Stryder 0]

That whole fight, it was hell. What was that? First, he fought through a literal army of zombies, they had battered the absolute hell out of him... His whole body was exhausted, he felt tired, and then right after they had wailed on him... He had the Countess. She was a creepy creature, vampire. He had managed to rake in quite a lot of damage onto her, and he had gotten some rewards that he was guessing were based off it. Either way, she was done. His familiar was exhausted as well, the poor fox having been busy helping him out. He did feel really bad for her, she didn't deserve to have to fight creatures like that.... 

Alisea... He had told her to fight the tier one boss. He wondered how she did... He noticed that it had died rather quickly, but he had been too busy keeping himself alive that he hadn't been able to actually watch her fight. He had no idea how well she did, though she was alive... He had made a point to check his friends list right after beating the boss to make sure. She wasn't anywhere to be found either, so she must have gone back.... To the house? He looked at himself. He needed to wash himself off... He was covered in dirt, the zombies scratching him, he had marks from it all. Absolutely filthy, but, he couldn't really help it... At least he had the shield for her, that was the important thing. He owed her, he had probably hurt her by telling her to leave like he had... Dammit.... Even though she hadn't listened.

"Im sorry Jinx, iv probably been a bad friend to you.." He says to himself as he enters the twenty second floor, his body battered and bruised, but, thankfully, he was alive. His HP was pretty much full also, thanks to the cloak he had gotten from her, but, well, it didn't heal the physical and mental exhaustion, or clean off all the god damn ZOMBIE GUTS! Or the lemons... He had crushed a few lemons..... Now, he was walking over towards his shop, the rain starting to pour softly as he got into view of his shabby shop... He would be there soon.... And maybe he could tell her... Maybe. Anyway, he was at the door now. He was dripping wet, his combat gear covered in mud, blood and, on his shoulder, a zombies jaw still was connected from what it bit him and he had simply punched it and killed it. For some reason, the jaw hadn't disappeared when its body vanished.... Well, time to come in.

"Hey Alisea, I'm home!" He says as he opens the door, sighing as he wipes his feet on the mat. 

[Jinx 0]

Jinx was neck deep in a curry when Stryder came back, that is to say...He'd walk in to the girls entire face being hidden behind a curry bowl and the loud sound of slurping taking over the entire house. It had been a curry Jinx made for a special occasion, and lost within internal turmoil, opted to start eating. 

Jinx lowered the bowl....and nearly dropped it! Stryder looked... "Death..." The girl muttered out loud, tilting her head slightly at her friend. "Stryder...I kept the same, just liked you asked. Did things go well, with your boss?" She had to assume so, after all...he'd come back to the house. But...She stood up from the seat, still holding the half-eaten bowl of food as she frowned a little. 

The last time she'd seen him, he'd yelled at her to leave, then to protect people...like he didn't want her to be fighting at all. 

[Stryder 0]

Of course, he looked like [censored]. When he walked into the house, he wiped his feet, making sure no mud would be trecked in. He was exhausted, and he was so wet and filthy. When he went into the room, she seemed to basically drop her bowl, and just said one word. Death. He looked at himself, oh wow, he really did look [censored]. He had a zombie jaw hanging on his shoulder... Huh. Okay then. He looked at the girl, smiling at her with a warm and genuine look. She did what he wanted her to do, she got back safe... He was so glad. He was so glad she was safe, and he was back now.

He pulled his hood down, thankfully his hood not being fifthy, just wet. His armor was what got ruined, so he took off the cloak, hanging it up on a coat rack to dry off, and alongside it the the dislocated jaw with it. Then,  He smiled at her, he really was glad to see her alright... He walked over towards the young girl and, despite how he was, he put a hand on her head, and then he pulled her into a hug. He was a bit wet and cold. Thankfully, the Raindeer Coat had been the worst of it, that having literally gotten all the gore on it. Thankfully, his hoodie was just wet, not covered in gore. 

"Yeah, everything went fine, no one was hurt at all" He says to her with a smile after letting her go, or if she didn't let him hug her. Silver would then walk in, and collapse. Not in a bad way, but she would just lay down and then roll onto her side, panting a little from exhaustion.

 

[Jinx 0]

Watching his remove the corpse-riddled armour, the girl found it a little hard to watch. The armour was the one she'd won at a raffle, and now it looked ruined...Even if it was completely useless to her, it had been pretty to look at and now...

Jinx blinked twice, her mind washed blank. She glanced up and spotted the hand now on her head, and the warm sensation bubbling in her chest wasn't just from all the curry she'd consumed. Alisea couldn't explain it, but she'd always enjoyed it when someone played with her hair. It was calming. Although Jinx hadn't expected to be pulled into the hug, and in the moment of forgetfulness, dropped the empty bowl onto the ground as she wrapped her arms around Stryder.

"I managed...to keep the others alive too. The scarecrow was giant, and he...he used his scythe to attack them....But i blocked...." The girl skipped over her words, as always. She made no attempt to break the hug, but... "Your hoodie...it's sticky..." She says softly, runing a hand over...she didnt want to know...

[Stryder 0]

She didn't try to break it, and she actually returned it, which was nice. He was a little taller then her, just tall enough to be able to pull her next to his head, but nearly under his chin. He listened to her talk, and when he heard the curry bowl drop, he internally flinched. Whops... He would clean that one up, that was on him. She kept the others alive, and the scarecrow, she managed to block, she kept people safe, she did what he had asked. He still felt absolutely terrible for yelling at her and telling her to leave in the first place, but... He really wanted to keep her safe... Wait, his hoodie was sticky? Oh... 

"Oh, i'm sorry... Its mostly just from the rain, and i was moving around quite a bit, it might be sweat.... Let me take it off" He said, smiling as he broke off the hug. He pulled it from the bottom off, taking it off his person, and putting it next to the armor. He needed to clean it, it served him well, and really owed her for all she had done for him... Once it was off, he was standing there in a white skin tight singlet and black jeans, a little muddy at the bottom. He knelt down, grabbing the bowl. Lucky it was empty, and he put it on the desk next to them. He was finally home, he was.... actually kind of happy.

"You did amazing Alisea" He said to her with a smile, once again playing with her hair a little. He wanted.... He didn't know.. But... "And you made it back safe, i'm proud of you"

 

[Jinx 0]

Jinx allowed him to step away from her, shifting in her plain shirt and jacket that ensured she was always warm. It was just, rain? The girl frowned, since when was it raining? She hadn't noticed it raining at any point, then again...it did require her to notice something behind herself. She shifted on her feet, right as he picked up her bowl and a flash of guilt passed through her! She'd completely forgotten she even was...

"Oh...My curry..." She mutterd, frowning before remembering her bowl had been empty when Stryder came back. Namely, she'd consumed it all...very quickly. She felt a rumbling within her chest...and part of her was tempted to open her inventory and find another snack she was certain lived in there when he....

Jinx blinked. She did...amazing? As the girl processed what Stryder was saying to her, she took a half-step into his as he played with her hair "I did...well...? But, you told me to leave...I thought i was being a burden to you and...well, everyone..." The girl glanced down, lightly toeing at the ground with her bare foot, her eyes hidden behind her glasses, but staring down at the ground. 

[Stryder 0]

He felt bad, but at least the bowl had been empty. If he had knocked over food.... Well, Silver would have been having a good time,  but he hismelf wouldn't, he would probably have gotten a glare from the adorable little girl in front of him. And when he told her how she did and patted her head, she seemed to move into it. She really liked it huh... He enjoyed doing it, it was calming to do. She thought she was a burden? Wait, what? 

"Y...You thought you were a burden?" He said to her, still smiling. He couldn't not when he saw her. Once again he would put a hand on her back and pulled her into him. He knew she felt like this, well... He suspected he had hurt her when he told her to leave... And it seemed he had...

"You aren't a burden, or useless... I told you to leave, because your important to me. Those things, they were dangerous. I was attracting stronger enemies then you were ever meant to fight there, and they kept hurting you" He said, playing with her hair while having her in his arms. "You have never been a bother or nuisance to me Alisea" He said warmly to her, deciding at that point to fluff up her hair a little before letting her go, if she so wished it.

[Jinx 0]

Jinx didn't react when he pulled her into a tighter hug, and Jinx wrapped her arms around him tightly. Physical affection was...weird, yet it was nice. Jinx couldn't explain it, and yet, it felt too right. Given Stryder was a little taller, the girls head 'tucked' itself on the bottom of his shoulder, and she even closed her eyes warmly enjoying the cuddle.

Burden....That's all she'd ever been in the past. To her family, her friends in the real world. That's why she picked the name Jinx after all...But Mishiro and Stryder.. Neither of them say she was one....But still. She opened her mouth to say her piece, right before it struck deep. He'd sent her away, not because she was slowing him down, but because...he wanted to ensure she was safe? Jinx blinked, and then she noticed it. Her eyes were wet, and there was...tears? When had she...?

"I..I'm not...?" She questioned, although she knew...Stryder wouldn't lie to her...He never had. "I always thought...my mind, was a burden. I just wanted....to not be useless...It was my job to look after you, to take the damage so you didn't have too...And i couldn't even do that properly"

[Stryder 0]

She was crying now... [censored]. He made her cry. That was not what he had wanted to do, but he continued playing with her hair, and holding her tightly in his arms. It was warm, nice... It made him feel, not worthless. He didn't think he deserved to feel happy, or feel this kind of warmth, not after failing to save Katherine.... She deserved better, Katherine had deserved someone better as a friend.... But, he could maybe, atone... No, she wouldn't want that. She wanted him to keep on living.... This, was his first step... Listening to her as she tucked herself on the bottom of his shoulder, he simply puts a thumb on her eyes, one by one, and wiping away the tears that were there gently as he could, making sure not to poke her eyes.

"No, of course your not a burden.... While you were there, you made fighting those things much easier! If you hadn't given me that cloak -" He turned sideways a little, giving them both a clear view of the filthy cloak she had given him. "I don't think i would have made it out of there in one piece. Your job is to be up front, take the hits so those without the armor can support you, yes. But, its my job as your friend, housemate and guild leader" He says to her warmly, still smiling, and if any more tears would show on her face he would wipe those off. "To keep you safe. You weren't useless... I just couldn't risk losing someone who means so much to me Alisea" He said to her, and at this point a tear would form under his eye, he didn't want to lose someone else....

"You did your job amazing Alisea..." He said to her afterwards, being silent for a few moments, he really cared about this girl... She was... something about her was so...

Special.

[Jinx 0]

Jinx blinked a few times as Stryder spoke to her, and the girl put effort into hearing his words, not letting them escape her like what usually happens. Despite it all, the girl kept her arms wrapped tightly around her friend and her eyes-shut. She felt weak. Her entire role within the game was to take damage, to hold people...And Stryder knew it. He reminded her of it, reminded her of her failure. Her weakness....Her Burden to everyone. She'd always be like, this! A useless idiot who no one cared about, an idiot who...

Her thoughts came crashing down as the girl tightened her hugging. He...didnt' think she was useless? She, meant something to him? But, how...? Surely, he was...No, he wouldn't hurt her intentionally. He had let her live here after all.

"I mean....a lot..?" The girl asks, somewhat confused on what her friend was saying to her "But, if i was stronger...If i wasn't so weak, i could...I could protect you. I just want to...protect the people who care about me..." The girl breathed in heavily as her arms tightened around STryder, but her legs almost seemed to weakn as she leaned into him more as he gave her a final compliment, and the girl smiled softly. "I did...my job....I kept, my friend, safe..." 

[Stryder 0]

She started hugging him tighter, and he responded by pulling her in tighter. She really was warm... It was so much nicer then being out there in the cold of the night, fighting swarms of zombies, fighting that crazy witch of a vampire countess, and walking back through rain, covered in zombie guts. It really was a pleasant feeling having her in his arms.... She seemed to really be down that she hadn't been strong enough to protect him. Though, it seemed something he said had clicked in her, she sunk into him as she.... Smiled? Sky felt a few more tears slipping down his face, splashing onto the floor. 

"You did... You did your job, and i did mine" He said to her, smiling. He didn't really know what else to say or do.... "You are plenty strong, and you will continue to get stronger" He says, playing with her hair continually. He was really enjoying playing with her pink hair, it was adorable and very calming...somehow. He felt more of her weight fall onto him, though he had no problem keeping himself up. He had a massive strength stat, and he was used to fighting against monsters a lot heavier then she was, they had nothing but meat on them...Terrifying. If she felt her legs give out, he would support her, making sure she wouldn't collapse. He loved that smile on her face...

"You should smile more often, it's really cute" He says softly and sweetly to her. Silver on the ground looked up at them, before standing up and walking over to the couch, jumping up on it and falling asleep, her wet fur and mud slowly seeping onto it...

 

[Jinx 0]

Jinx nodded her head. In a way, he was right. She was getting stronger, all it took was a glance at her stats to know that fact. But still, despite the power she possessed in game. It still lingered on the back of her mind. Her as a burden, something that simply held those around her back. It had been her life for years, the constant reminder flashing in the back of her mind that whatever she did....she was a weakness, a crutch, to those who stood beside...No, those who lifted her up. 

"You, think my smile is cute...?" The girl broke the hug, taking a step back and looking down, spotting Silver move onto the couch and sitting next to the familiar, gently stroking her fur. She looked up at her friend, and with her other hand, adjusted her glasses slightly "I want to smile, but sometimes...I just feel so...useless. In fights, i can...use my stats. But beyond that, even if we escape this game. In the real world, there are no...stats that make me useful. And i remember hearing my parents, worry, about me, all the time. The said....that i'd be a burden on them till the day they die..." 

The girl went silent. She didn't talk about home often, how could she...It was filled with memories that made the girl question if her survival was honestly worth it at all. 

Edited December 8, 2019 by Jinx

[Stryder 0]

She finally broke off the hug, and he was a little upst to feel her warmth leave his arms. It was selfish, but it was really nice to feel. Though he didn't stop her, he watched as she broke it and moved next to his familiar, who was so tired it was pretty much snoring on the couch. Poor thing had been up all night, it had to be sometime in the AM's by now, he was just to tuckered himself to check his menu. She... really worried about being useless, didn't she? It seemed he had to do something to show her how much she meant to him... Show her how useful she actually is to him.... Well, how useful she was.... He walked over to the table near the door when she went to the couch, though he could hear her fine. Listening to everything she said as he took off his armored gauntlets, and wiped his gloves off... These stupid gloves, he couldn't take them off... After removing the last part of his armor, he walked back to Alisea, sitting on the arm of the couch right next to her. Silver would manage to stay asleep when Jinx stroked her. She was too tired to wake or care in reality, though not like she would anyway.

"You rarely talk about your family..." He says to her, and if she tried to lean on him, or do anything he wouldn't stop her, though he wouldn't make any motion to try and pull her into him again. "Alisea, i have never thought you were useless, and i never will. I'l always worry about you as well, but not because i think your usless... I'l always worry because, your amazing. Your someone i feel safe around, and i want to get you home..." At this point he would put a hand on her head, smiling. "And i'l need your help. Your not useless, and you never will be..." He said to her... It seemed she really was down, she.... she didn't know if she was worth living through this maybe? She kept calling herself a burden.... And thensaid that her parents told her she would be one till she died... 

[Jinx 0]

Aliea often didn't like to think about home, about the world that surrounded her before Sword Art Online happened to her, for a wide range of reasons. It had been a prison, a cage without an escape. Suffering to all those around her. Her parents, they fought so hard for her, only for her to be useless idiot. Giving up so much in their lives because "We'd be humiliated" if they gave up on her. "Our friends would never talk to us again". And how could Jinx forget "The government is paying us a ton for her disability from the lawsuit". The girl KNEW that, while her home life had been different, so conflicted...She'd mastered language after language, showed off to everyone...only to be hated at the end of the day. She'd tried but...Only those who lacked her blood seemed to love her. The street-gang who...

"Home...was never mine. The family i made, we lacked blood...But they, they saved me. They are my family, but...Even here i don't...thank them enough" She said. Home wasn't those who gave birth and gave her life, but rather, those who made the life she had worth living. The street gang that...The girl smiled warmly thinking about them, they had given her a life worth surviving in. Without them...She wouldn't be the girl she was today, and while she had no 'choice', she'd hate not to be herself. This, who she was now, was how she wanted to be.

"If you need my help Stryder...Then i promise, you'll have it. You've been a good friend to me, and...It is the least i can do. I mean...I've basically lived in your house forever now..." The girl saw him so close and rested her head againts him, once again closing her eyes and lightly grabbing onto his arm with her own, holding him lightly. 

[Stryder 0]

Home, never hers? So... She didn't enjoy being with her family, well, her blood family. She was like he was here, he had made a new family in the guild, those people he had come to enjoy being around, supported him, and he supported them. She... She was now part of that too. He just listened to her talk, letting her say what she wanted, and at no point would he interject. He knew how hard it could be for her to actually stay active.... And he wasn't going to ruin this. She offered to help him, no matter what, and because he had been there for her... A good friend... And because she had lived here forever..

Huh, it just clicked that she had been living in his house.... Around a year now, maybe a little less. Coming up on it though... Huh. He really hadn't thought about it that much, and for most of that she had been living in his bed. Recently, he had gotten her a bed, and made a soundproof addition to the house so she could have somewhere quiet to be, as his room wasn't exactly the quietest place. Though, it was peaceful.

"The same goes for you ms cute smile, if you ever need me, i'm only a message away...." He said as she leaned onto him, grabbing his arm slightly and holding him... He wondered... No, it wasn't good to ask. "Alisea, when i get you out of this game.... I'm gunna find you... Your too important to lose" He half whispered under his breath. She might have heard it, though she might not have. Either way, his arm would stay still, not moving from her grasp, or moving in the fear of making her uncomfortable.

[Jinx 0]

The girl couldn't NOT frown at what Stryder was saying. Find her, outside of the game...? She went completely silent, confusion and many many questions running through her mind. What the...She had heard it, even with a dulled mind, those words ran through her mind and the girl couldn't escape it. Eventually, she found the words that were floating around in her mind. 

"What do you mean, find me?" She frowned, not fully understanding why Stryder wanted to... "E-even if we escape this world...Even if we can, i'm...me. I'm more useless there then..." She let out a deep breath "In this world, sometimes...i forget it is fake. Because i feel, more useful...More alive. In this game, i'm more of a person than i was normally..." Alisea leaned back against the couch, shifting her place quite a bit.

"I don't...talk about home much, and...well. My parents, my life was...hard. At least here, in this place...I can forget about them. I can live my life however i want, without worrying...about them"

[Stryder 0]

There she went again, thinking she was useless.... She really didn't understand did she? She really thinks she is just, a hinderance, that she shouldn't be able to escape... She didn't deserve it or something? Something about.... She just didn't think she was worth anything... He wanted to find her, he was going to make it a point... He was going to prove she wasn't... He was going to show her she meant something. Though, it was obvious... Her parents, she really did think...

"What do you think i mean by find you? I'l repeat it for you.... When we get out of this game, i'm going to track you down and meet you in the real world" He said to her, smiling to her as she shifted into place, leaning back into the couch. "Alisea.... This world isn't fake.... Sure, by definition it is, but..." He said before grabbing her hand, and putting it against his chest, if she let him, and hopefully she would feel a heart beat. 

"Sure, it might just be simulated... But were both alive here.... That makes this world real" He says, hoping to reassure her... Somehow. "Your not useless Alisea...You really are an amazing person... And i really care about you... Your parents do as well" He added at the end, hoping it wouldn't to far. He would then put a hand on her head, softly playing with her hair.

 

[Jinx 0]

The girl shook her head slightly. There was so much about this world that was real, so much of it that the girl WISHED it was real...But even if she prayed, somethings were nothing more than dreams to fade away upon awakening. This world was one of those things. A world she didn't even create, a fake one, was more of a home to her than one where she was made of flesh and blood...

"My parents, they loved me at first...But more and more, i grew into trouble. They couldn't work, they had to...care for me. I once, nearly died, because i cut my hand and didn't notice it for three days while my parents were working. So many things that made their lives harder, because...I nearly died when i was born..." The girl let out a sigh as she brought her knees up close to her chest. "Even if people care, you and...the guild...Once we escape this world, even if you find me...Even if we are like we are in the game i....I don't..." The girl curled up tigher slightly...The stress of the fights tonight, and now talking about her past it...It reminded her of home and...She couldn't....

[Stryder 0]

She was curling up.... Poor thing, her real life really seemed to affect her.... She wasn't happy in the real world, she really just seemed to believe she was nothing but.... A problem. He had no idea why, or what had happened... She just said she had nearly died at birth, but he didn't know why or how. Poor thing. She was a genius, he knew that much from seeing her when she wasn't turned off, and she really didn't give herself enough credit.

"Alisea, don't worry about anything like that..... You, are you. I didn't decide to help you on the first day this game launched because I thought you were a bother.... Even now, I didn't let you live here because i thought you were helplesss on  your own.... This game, who you are here, is who you reallly are... A saying i like... It goes 'Someones true colours show when they are faced with death'. Its a little dark, but,  everyone here is faced with death on a daily basis..... That means everyone is showing who they really are" He says, moving from the arm of the chair to put an arm around her, allowing her to sink into him if she felt the need. "What that means... Is i don't care how you are in the real world.... This is you, the cute, kind girl i know.... Outside of this place, or inside... And i don't want to lose you after this world is gone...." He said, smiling at her after he finished his little speech, really hoping to cheer her up a little.