[OP-F4] Return

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki made her way slowly and cautiously back into the starting town of floor four. It had been a while since she had seen it, nearly months in fact. It was busier now than she had remembered, as players of all sorts gathered here and there enjoying the sights and wonders of the snow covered world. She pulled her coat tightly around her blocking out the familiar chills and gave a small smile, she liked it here. This had always been her favorite floor, somehow the snow tipped trees, and roofs seemed to remind her of better times, like Christmas or something of the sort.

The blue haired woman walked slowly trying her best to keep out of sight. She had spent so long now tucked away, hidden from everyone and everything that it was habit. She had been doing well for herself, so she could not immediately explain what had brought her back to society. Odds are by now most of her friends would have believed her to have been killed and had probably moved on, and she was not excited to be around the larger crowds. Still something told her it was time to come back, to contribute and to help get out of here.

Moments later she ha arrived at a familiar place. It was a small tavern located in the northern quadrant of the town. She had been here before during happier times. Without hesitation she slipped inside and found herself a seat next to a fireplace. The NPC bartender greeted her as he did all PC's and then returned to his work. This was ok by her as she wanted to avoid attention at all costs right now. Before sitting down Nikki pulled up her inventory menu, using it to quickly change from her warm outer garments back into the blue dress she had become known for. It had been a while since she had worn this and she struggled now to get the garment down low enough to cover herself, She had forgotten how difficult it was to be discreet with this outfit.

Once seated she pulled up the Tavern menu and ordered herself a warm cider. A smile crossed her lips now as she reclined back. "Now to figure out how to get back into the swing of things"

[Guest]

Keith had been roaming the floor for a while, and the frost definitely bites. He had been searching for a Maverick Player Killer out in the blizzard, and came back with no avail. He walked back into the town with his head hung low. He was known to be a Maverick Player Killer Hunter, but it always did a blemish on his pride when he didn't succeed.

He walked up to a tavern and slowly pushed the door open, cracking his back after walking in. His entire body felt stiff and then some. He shook small, wet snowflakes out of his blue hair and he wiped his boots off at the door mat. The NPC Inn Owner waved and Keith waved back, knowing the NPC didn't care if he did or didn't.

Keith took off his vest/jacket thing and sat on the floor by the fire. "This is gonna be my whole week, isn't it?" He said to himself, as he yawned slightly.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki was inside the tavern on the fourth floor finishing up a hot cup of <>. He took another sip of the warm, sweet substance feeling the sensation of the liquid going down his throat. "My god that tastes amazing. Why don't I come here for this more often I wonder." He said to himself while reading a small leather bound book filled with lore and stories of the world of Aincrad.

Inside the tavern players made their way in and out of the building but Miaki wasn't paying attention to them that much. He was far too soaked into his book and falling into the world within it. He took another swig of the mug in his hand and was saddened to find it empty. "Time for a refill." He told himself as he closed the book and stood up to walk over to the counter for a top off. He was wearing the trench coat and fedora he had taken a liking towards. Fastening the buttons on his coat he walked passed one booth that was near the hearth. He stopped walking and looked up. "Did I just see-" He slowly turned around. "Nikki? NIKKI!" He shouted, full of excitement.

[Trinoko 0]

Trinoko had been resting at the tavern, enjoying a warm bowl of soup at his table with the col he had earned from a nice long hunt on his home floor. The snowy floor reminded him of his home country in a way, so he had a natural love for the snow and rarely wore overly warm jackets when he walked outside. When he noticed the blue haired woman enter the building he looked to her curiously, not recognizing her. Then again, there was a lot of people he did not know.

He was one of the ones who spent the first weeks of the game despairing on the first floor before he got his act together. That left his level lower than he liked, but he was happy with his progress regardless. After hearing her say her few words he hesitated a bit before gulping down the rest of his soup, setting the bowl down on the table only to see Miaki, someone who he only knew in passing at the moment, approach her seemingly with lots of energy. He figured they were friends so he didn't want to interrupt, ordering hot chocolate and sipping it as he exercised his bad habit of eavesdropping.

[chainedplains 0]

Life can be many things: inspiring, beautiful, spontaneous, mysterious, the list goes on and on. There is one thing though, one and only one forbidden word that will never be able to describe life.

Fair.

I can't get any alcohol? Are you kidding me?!? Chain visibly fumed in the corner, the small cup of tea he was having did nothing to quench his rage or apparent thirst for a type of drink he'd never really had before.

I'm 18 years old, now is the time where I'm supposed to be doing nothing but playing video games, pathetically failing to get girls, and drinking. I'm already in the game, i've been failing to get girls for longer than i've even been trying to get girls, but I can't get a drink?

He eyed the NPC bartender from across the room.

Would a fake ID even work on one of these guys?

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki had only been in thought for a few moments before she heard her name being said. Strangely enough it was spoken with a great deal of excitement. She looked up not knowing who she would see. Interestingly enough the person who spotted her had been a man named Miaki. They had met once back on one of the lower levels. She remembered him for his distinct look and his excitement over the snow covered floor that they were now on. She stood up smiling and blushing. "Miaki, I'm surprised that you remember me." She was incredibly flattered by the notion that her memory had stuck with him so long, and that her appearance had generated this kind of excitement.

For a moment she wasn't sure how to proceed, but given the circumstances she decided to throw caution to the wind as she reached out to try and give Miaki a hug. It was then that she noticed another player nearby. He had a hot chocolate in hand and had taken a sip, though it seemed like he was paying extra attention to Miaki and herself. Nikki's time along had made her a little more suspicious of other players, but for now they were in a town, so there was nothing to worry about. She flashed Trinoko a friendly smile before going to sit back down again.

Before she could however she noticed Kieth. He was one of the biggest players in the game, or at least he had been before she disappeared, She could only assume he was still way up there now. What was he doing here she wondered before turning her gaze back to Miaki. "So, How have things been?"

[Trinoko 0]

Trinoko blushed softly as he was discovered and waved to her shyly, trying to save some face as he took another sip of his deliciously hot drink and stood up, moving to sit near Miaki to say "Uh, hi Miaki. We met before, remember?" He smiles to him and to Nikki, using him as his gateway to her in a way. "Who is your friend? You act like you haven't seen her in ages." He chuckles softly, hiding his face in his cup with a sip whenever he got nervous and had to recompose. "In case you forgot, I'm Trinoko." He looks to them both, introducing himself and reminding Miaki in one move.

[Miaki 0]

MIaki hugged Nikki tightly making sure she was very real and not a figment of his imagination. The warm embrace from the lance wielding Ebon Vanguard member was too good to be true but he was certain that the woman named Nikki Styx was there in the tavern with him on the fourth floor. "You can't possibly think that I'd forget someone as sweet as you do you?" He joined Nikki wondering to himself where to begin. He wanted to tell her of all the big things that had happened to him since she last saw him on the first floor but the trouble was where to start. He didn't even know himself when it all exploded. One day he just realized that he was on the upper floors leading in the liberation of floors.

Then another player approached them, someone Miaki had a feint recollection of from a run in somewhere on the first floor he thought. "Trinoko, Trinoko. Yeah, didn't we have a run in on the first floor? Maybe with another player too? I'm sorry I'm a bit lost on the details but I recall seeing you once before." He gestured to Nikki beside him. "This here is Nikki Styx, of the Ebon Vanguard.

After introducing Nikki to Trinoko, Miaki looked back at Nikki making attempt to start somewhere. "Well, I made it to the front lines since we last met and I've joined a guild. Actually, I'm a council member for it. We call ourselves the <>."

[chainedplains 0]

Within seconds of entering the tavern, a beautiful female player was already practically surrounded by guys. It was like high school all over again. Times like these Chain was grateful to be a guy in the gamer world. He could do just about anything and no one would really pay attention. The girls on the other hand were so helplessly outnumbered that they couldn't even do something simple like relax at a tavern without being noticed.

It's so great to be able to do whatever because no one cares what i do... The thought suddenly sounded a bit depressing.

Make that a lot depressing.

The ratio! It's the ratio of girls to guys! There just aren't enough girls so all the guys swarm them, I'm already bad with girls to begin with so they won't pay attention to me. The realization was sickening, I was supposed to go to college. That's where guys like me get their first girlfriend, drink, and have fun. But I'm stuck here, probably forever.

The character collapsed into the table, having finally connected the dots. Not only was he going to probably die in this game, he was going to die sober and a virgin

"Another tea please, barkeep." He asked without lifting his head from the bar.

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki blushed as Miaki introduced her to Trinoko. She was impressed he had remembered her guild as well. It seemed he really had been paying attention to her during their first meeting, which might explain why he was here now on the floor that she had spoken so fondly of. She was also incredibly impressed with his progress in such a short time. It seemed he had actually carved himself a niche and was thriving where others could barely stand. "Im so glad to hear that things are still moving foreword. We must be getting closer than ever now."

She turned now to Trinoko and held out a hand for him. "As Miaki said, Im Nikki of the Ebon Vanguard. Ive been away for a while." She stopped for a moment thinking about that statement. It was hard to get away here, its not like she could just leave, yet somehow she had managed to drop off the radar and survive. "I Don't think Ive had the pleasure of meeting you before... Trinoko is it?" Her voice was light and sweet, much like the cider she would be drinking soon. Strangely enough her drink had not arrived yet. An oddity here, though she assume it might just be a bug in the system, no big deal.

She stood up again "Excuse me one moment.. Im just going to grab my drink." With that she walked swiftly to the bar counter to ask about her Cider. It was there she noticed another player ordering a tea. He looked nice enough, too nice to be alone. Perhaps this was a moment to make a new friend. Nikki smiled and moved to stand next to him. "You should order a cider hun. I mean tea is good, but when you are here on this floor, the Cider... Its to die for." She gave him a quick wink. "My name is Nikki, and Im just over there with some friends, if yer lookin fer company come join us." She then took her Cider and with only a moment of hesitation walked back towards her companions and returned to her seat.

"We may have one more join us. I hope that's alright."

[Miaki 0]

Miaki was overjoyed about the days events that were playing out before him. Nikki, after going missing in action for a long time, was resurfacing and looking no worse for wear. After her and Trinoko introduced themselves Nikki went over to the counter and requested a refill and brought over a new guy who was slumped over on the floor. That's when Miaki realized he hadn't gotten a refill yet. Looking over at the counter he caught the owner's attention and pointed at the empty cider in his hands. "Excuse me. Could I possibly get another?" The Innkeeper nodded and Miaki returned a thumbs up. "Thank you!"

Nikki brought over the new player and seated herself in the booth. Miaki joined her and looked to the new guy. "Hello there stranger. I'm Miaki Murakami. What might be your name?" He asked as his hot beverage was being topped off.

[chainedplains 0]

Wait, did she just talk to me?

Everything happened so fast Chain hadn't been able to do much except try not to drool on himself, and he was only pretty sure he'd managed that. A quick check of his shirt quickly confirmed that he hadn't. If anyone asked he'd just say it was spilt tea, that's a totally believable excuse, right?

Drool marks or no, Chain needed to figure out exactly what had just happened. There really wasn't any need for her to come over here. Unless there was some sort of bug in the system, and the chances of that were pretty low, her drink should have been automatically delivered.

So did she come over here just to invite me? Think wasn't, they seemed to be enjoying themselves. Especially with the group going through the 'catching up' phase there wouldn't be much of a need to invite someone like him who... Oh God no.

I'm so pathetically lonely looking that it's obvious.

That didn't stop him from wandering over and introducing himself, it wasn't every day a beautiful girl talked to him. Well, there weren't any days besides this one really.

"Hello there stranger. I'm Miaki Murakami. What might be your name?"

"Nice to meet you Miaki. I've been going by Chain since getting stuck in here, so you can call me that if you want." The blonde put on his best, 'I swear I'm not just a creepy guy in the tavern' face.

Not one to excel at social situations, Chain simply nodded and waved to the rest of the group. I wonder how long it's going to take before this gets extremely awkward...

His best guess was five minutes ago.

"So what's so special about this cider?"

[Trinoko 0]

Trinoko listened curiously as they exchanged words, taking mental notes until she turned her attention to him, a smile crossing his face as he responded to her sweet words "No, we haven't met before. But I still wanted to say hello! If I am being a pest just say." He scratches the back of his head nervously. He watches her go off for another drink and he turns to his hot chocolate, taking a nice long sip. Something about hot thing always rubbed him wrong here. For one, he couldn't feel the pain, but his mind still set off alarms if things were burning hot.

When Nikki returned saying there was a new member to their randomly made gathering he shrugged and said "I have no issue with that." He looked over to see who i would be. When he had introduced himself he said "Hey, Chain. I'm Trinoko. Nice to meet you." He smiles to him and pats a seat in invitation if he wanted to sit. "The cider is great, try it, though personally I prefer the taste of cocoa when I don't want the alcoholic kind." He winks

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki was enjoying the amount of company now. Given that she had been alone for some time it was nice to have people to talk to and she wouldn't waste a moment of it. She took a sip from her Cider, enjoying the way the warm liquid tasted and felt, Certainly better than the <> She had been eating for so long. a smile crossed her lips and she closed her eyes returning the cup to her lips for one more quick sip. This one was much slower, almost as if she were indulging some fantasy. After a moment of bliss she opened her eyes and returned her gaze to her companions.

Nikki was up to date on Miaki, or at least had the basics, though she might get a drink with him later for a more in depth catch up, But now she wanted to hear about these other two. Both Chain and Trinoko were player that she had never met, so she wanted to hear about both of them. "So Chain, Trinoko... Tell me about yerselves. I mean what do you do?" She continued to smile pleasantly as she looked between the pair. It was always exciting to meet new people, even more so because the population that existed here was isolated, no one new ever entered, and if someone left it was for good.

[Trinoko 0]

He smiled, glad that she wasn't disapproving of his presence, and in fact was asking to know more! After a moment he says to her "Hm... Well, I am an Artisan. I like working with shiny things especially." He chuckles nervously, it made him sound a bit airheaded when he said it out loud. "In combat, I use light metal armor and a two handed spear... Well, I would use light metal armor. Still trying to sort out the details on actually getting the armor crafted." He chuckled softly and shrugs "I hope to one day take part in a boss, but... well, I am nowhere near ready!"

[chainedplains 0]

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In this case the action was the question, "...Tell me about yerselves. I mean what do you do?"

Chain's reaction was to completely forget anything and everything he could use to accurately describe himself. Luckily the other character, Trinoko, took the initiative and answered first. The blessing of an opportunity gave Chain roughly 30 seconds to think of something to say.

What does she even mean by 'what do i do'? Is she asking for my occupation or about my hobbies? Since he really hadn't done anything interesting game combat wise, Chain decided to talk more about unrelated topics. As soon as he could think of one that is.

Books, do i like books? I think I might like books. At the very least i would like it if i liked books, and that should count for something.

"Im just trying to make the most of our time here." The words slipped out, completely bypassing his normal filter. "I spend a lot of time exploring the towns; I'd always wanted to travel so it kind of worked out i guess. Plus you'd be surprised how much work went into the creation of this pace; we may be stuck in a game to the death but at least it's an finely detailed one."

The blonde absently received his cider drink from the bartender, force of habit helped him to still say thanks as he accepted the steaming clay cup.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki had his drink topped off as he listened to Trinoko talk about himself to a degree. He saw some good potential in the player based solely on his enthusiasm and will. While listening to the guy who couldn't be much younger than himself, Miaki causally drank from his pint and remained quiet. When Trinoko was finished, the one who introduced himself as Chained started talking.

"Well Trinoko, maybe I'll see you in one of the boss fights someday soon. I fight along the front lines and organize the boss raids for my guild called the <>." He pointed to an armband wrapped around him with a blue emblem on it. "See this here? It reflects my position as a member of the <>. Trust me, if you keep your wits about you I'm sure you'll be ready. In fact you might be more ready than you think. Remember not everything is based on your level. Levels are just numbers. But willpower is immeasurable."

He then looked over and addressed. "Sounds like we have a fellow explorer among us. If you haven't visited the sixth floor yet, you might want to check it out. It's a jungle or amazon themed floor with tons to explore. I haven't seen even remotely most of what the floor has to offer but it is on my list." Leaning back in his chair Miaki added, "Far as favorite floors so far this one here and the sixth floor are my two favorites. I love the snow and six offers alot to see. That is if you can stand the humidity."

[Nikki Styx 0]

When Trinoko mentioned he was a spear wielder Nikki's attention immediately peaked. Despite that fact that he was a two handed spear user, it was still something they shared in common. It was nice to see more people using weapons that had some range rather than relying on the classic and over played hack and slash sword types. "Ya know I am a spear user too, though Im spear and shield so my technique is one handed." She raised her hand to open her menu's, but stopped. There was no point in pulling out her spear here, instead she would wait to show off her gear. Instead she took another sip and returned her gaze to Chain.

He had surprised her, He spoke of the details in the game in a rather fond way. While it was true that there was so much beauty here, she herself had never really stopped to experience it for all that it was worth. While she thought on that Miaki went on about floor 6, and Nikkis thoughts changed again. The last time she had been on floor 6 was when she had fought the shadowed version of her self during her <> quest. In her hurry to find and complete it she had actually missed much of what that floor had to offer. She would have to go back soon and explore. "That's a great way to look at it Chain. I have to say I haven't thought about it too much, but you are right, there is a lot here to see, and a lot of beauty to be discovered."

She turned back to Miaki, taking another sip of her cider before speaking. "Miaki, are the Ebon Vanguard and the Azure Brigade on good terms? Im afraid that I am not up to date with current guild politics."

[Miaki 0]

Miaki put his pint of <> down on the table and rubbed his chin in thought. "Well honestly I haven't heard much out of the Ebon Vanguard myself but I'd like to say they are. Soon we plan on having someone be in charge of Guild relations. Someone who is basically public relations. Right now Keith is kind of handling that until we settle on appointing someone to that role." He picked back up his drink and took a large swig of it now that it had cooled off. "If you'd like I could try and bring you up to date with everything that has happened since I last saw you."

Looking at the other two players with them Miaki asked them, "How are things on the other floors? I don't frequent them as much as I used to. I've been focusing more on the floors above four.

[Clarence 0]

I slowly approach the tavern on the Fourth Floor, glad to have found an inviting place to hide from the storm. I shiver a bit more and run into the tavern, drawing looks when I burst through the doors, shivering. I ignore the other players and motion to a bartender."A hot Chocolate please! And make it VERY hot." I ask the bartender and walk over to a opened table, not noticing the group of people in the bar.

It has been way to long since I've been on this floor. It's cold but just so peaceful. I think to myself and lean back, closing my eyes for a moment. I open my eyes and look up to see the bartender coming to bring me my hot chocolate."Thanks." I say with a smile as I take my steaming cup and start drinking the hot liquid, enjoying the taste. I open my eyes again, forgetting I closed them and move to a bar stool, so I can get something else to drink easier.