[NYL-PP-F11] Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?

[Andromeda 0]

An crouched down and began to scrape some snow together. Dressed in a fluffy brown jacket with a Christmas-colored wool hat tucked over her silver hair, the player hummed to herself cheerfully as she molded a snowball between gloved hands.

She had just finished checking out all of the event stalls. Surprisingly, nothing held her interest for too long; the hot chocolate stand with the free limited stuff, the disc throwing that no one was probably going to win, and the stall with Christmas decorations which she brought a small festive ornament from were the only ones that stood out among the rest. Any other time, the excitable player would have been skipping back down the festival in search of something more... special -- some event feature that players might not see at first glance! -- but right now, she had a yearly tradition of the upmost seriousness to uphold...!

Like every Christmas she spent with her family in the real world, An was going to build a snowman.

[tagging cause you expressed interest: @Randal]

Edited January 3, 2020 by Andromeda

[Alkor 0]

Alkor's last interaction with another Player ended in disaster, but Father Wuotan seemed to want him festive and cheerful in spite of the unhappy events. With that in mind, the swordsman had taken off toward the town with every intention of lifting his own spirits before heading right back into the thick of conflict and the daily grind that was life in Aincrad. Boredom had a way of creeping into the monotony, and things like this that only came on once a year broke through just enough to keep Players engaged.

It was almost like the wheel in a hamster cage: exercise for the mind and body, to prevent the spirit from breaking. A lonely version of captivity, but one kept carefully by a thoughtful overseer.

He stopped when he saw a younger looking woman busying herself in the snow. Was she preparing for a snowball fight, perhaps? Or would it be something less exciting and dubious than that? Alkor stopped and tilted his head, watching to see how things would proceed from there.

Snow wasn't abnormal where he came from, but he almost never went out to play in it. His family was very particular about proper attire and safety, and he thought it best to avoid anything that made him take extra effort simply to go outside- which he generally hated to do, anyway.

"What're you doing?" he asked her, not wanting to stare absently like some kind of weirdo.

@Andromeda

[Randal 0]

Randal sat on a rock, yea a rock, much like the rock that Randal had to break before he could begin his adventure here in sword art online. 

Why was he on a rock you might ask? Well if you looked at his expression it was clearly a look of contemplation.

What was he contemplating you might ask... see Randal really wanted to get people to try the food he had to offer but because based on principle Randal was refusing to make a makeshift stall, people weren’t approaching him.

He was trying to think of a way to get a mascot maybe, but what mascot would encapsulate the the spirit of Christmas.

He thought as he say until he noticed that two people had started gathering nearby, Randal simply shrugged cause he couldn’t really see who they were but he was way too preoccupied to think About it right now.

@Andromeda

Edited December 28, 2019 by Randal

[Andromeda 0]

...from there on, she knew exactly what to do. Set the snowball down, push it forward and roll it into a bigger ball, then two smaller snowballs for the upper body and the head, and... was she decorating it this year? An had forgotten to run to a general store to get the materials for its eyes and nose.

The silver-haired girl molded the snowball between her gloved hands, making sure it was firm enough so it wouldn't fall apart in the midst of rolling. She must have looked a bit weird seated alone in a flat snowy area as it didn't take long for someone to approach her and ask what she was doing.

An gave a small, surprised jolt. She didn't recognize that voice. She peered up at the man who hovered a small distance away and her expression turned friendly when she now had a face to associate with the voice. There was nothing wrong in talking to someone while doing this. An had her mind on the task so it was difficult to overthink five hundred probable scenarios where she could mess up in a social situation.

"I'm building a snowman!" she responded brightly. 

"See?" An finally laid down the snowball in her hands and rolled it forward a few inches, watching as snow from the ground clung onto it. "This'll be the lower body. I think the snow's thick enough for something half my size." Then she paused, resting her gloved hand atop the snowball. "What about you? Enjoying the festivities?"

Edited January 12, 2020 by Andromeda

[Alkor 0]

He tilted his head as she explained. Despite the existence of snow back where he grew up, the man behind Alkor spent most of his hours indoors, or away from people. The snow was beautiful and he enjoyed it, but he had almost always done so from afar.

So, to walk in it now was foreign. It felt like he was a child learning about the cold for the second or third time. His exposure in Aincrad was limited to the time he had been able to spend on the fourth floor. Now, this event made it seem even more special. He could understand the allure of wanting to take advantage of it.

"I see," he muttered as he watched her. It was sweet that she could enjoy the world in such a serene, almost childish manner despite their situation. Perhaps this girl had more wisdom than any of those people who cast aside momentary bliss for efficiency and results. "A snowman, hm? That's pretty cool."

He wore a soft smile as he spoke, hands tucked into his pockets for warmth. "I don't remember ever building one myself," he confessed. When she asked about him, and if he was enjoying the festival and the event, he frowned a bit as he recalled the last few hours.

They had hardly been his favorite.

Then, he managed to smile. Her warm mood was infectious. Alkor didn't want to bring it down. "Yeah, it's been pretty cool to get a little bit of a break," he said. That much at least was honest. "I'm Alkor, by the way," he introduced himself. "It's nice to meet you."

@Andromeda

Edited January 12, 2020 by Alkor

[Andromeda 0]

Pretty cool.

...

An inched her snowball forward and almost failed to contain her snort. It wasn't even funny. What in the bloody hell, Harriette? But this felt a bit like a serious moment. He felt serious. She didn't have the evidence to prove it, it was just a gut feeling; and she had always been the type who had the random urge to burst out laughing at anything she could turn mildly funny in the midst of something like this. Perhaps the urge was stronger now because anything serious just felt out-of-place in the wintry wonderland that was Floor 11's Christmas fair. Embarrassment warmed her cheeks, but fortunately, her long silvery hair and ducked head kept her face mostly obscured from the other player's view.

"Alkor," she repeated, carefully pronouncing the other's name as she learned it. Having recovered from her almost-laughing fit, the girl in the snow raised her head to properly address him. Hardly the awkward position, she was thankful she hadn't budged from her spot -- while she hadn't anticipated he would be extending the conversation, her manners told her it was rude to move away as long as it wasn't formally ended. "My handle's Andromeda, but just call me An. It's nice to meet you too!"

She might not have paid enough attention to notice his frown, but An had heard all about his lack of snowman-building experience. That was a bit -- well, maybe he didn't get the chance to. But he was here now, surrounded by lots and lots of snow, and most importantly, he was right in front of her. 

Back in the real world, she didn't do all the snowman-building alone either.

"Since you're here now, want to help?" An offered. With a small eager smile, she lifted a gloved hand to make a sweeping gesture towards the rest of the untouched snow that softly blanketed their open area. "You can make the upper body. I think I can teach you how."

[tag: @Alkor]

Edited January 12, 2020 by Andromeda

[Alkor 0]

When she started to laugh, Alkor blinked. Had he said something wrong? Done something? His gaze followed the woman to make sure she was alright even as she dexterously handled the ball of snow and formed it in front of her. She seemed to be alright, so he sighed in relief.

"Andromeda," he repeated as she gave her name. After the galaxy, perhaps? Or the name of the goddess from Greek mythology? Either one was a fascinating concept, and spoke to something about the girl for choosing it. He didn't know her well enough to ask about that, though.

Or rather, he supposed that it might be rude to ask someone why they picked their username.

"Oh- uh, alright," he said as she said he could help her. That startled him. Alkor wasn't much good at doing things with other people, or as a group. Anything that involved working as a team... yeah, he was still working on that whole aspect of Sword Art Online.

"If you're okay with it, I suppose I'll try, An," he knelt down a distance away from her, toward the fresh snow she'd indicated. Safe distance. This'll be okay, right? "Okay, so... I start to do this?"

@Andromeda

[Father Wuotan 0]

Father Wuotan was content to simply watch the proceedings for a moment or two. After visiting so many players consumed by fear, loss, and a myriad of other negative emotions, it was a pleasant change to see such innocence. Was there anything so pure and untouched as the building of a snow man?

Finally, the old man strode forward. The cold wind played with his long beard, the single jingle bell that hung there tinging cheerfully. His cloak billowed, and with each crunch of snow under enormous boots, the NPC drew closer. When he finally came to a halt beside the trio, his first greeting was for Alkor.

"Hello, Alkor. It is a pleasure to see you again. I trust you've been well?"

Next, he turned to Andromeda, raising his voice so that Randal might also be included in the discussion. "And greetings to you both. As we are not yet acquainted, my name is Father Wuotan. I choose to spend my time roaming Aincrad, giving gifts to unsuspecting folk." He gave a quick wink, then added, "You are my next victims. Is there anything that you might like for Christmas. If it is within my power, I will make it a reality."

@Andromeda @Alkor @Randal

[Randal 0]

Randal saw the pair standing amidst the pale white backdrop as snow had began to cover and creep into every surface it could find. 

Randal note that the pair began bending at the knees with their winter wear and started to roll balls. At first Randal immediately likened this to starting a snow ball fight and instinctively say a little straighter from afar.

Then he noticed that neither of the two seemed to have their game faces on and were instead making their initial snowballs bigger until it became a nice large ball that would eventually form the base of what was clearly a snowman.

Suddenly a man of white appeared and walked towards the two, Randal assumed he was a player and saw them start to talk but he was too far away for the discussion to be audible to him and Randal wasn’t raspy very good at lip reading.

. 

[Andromeda 0]

Her small smile blossomed into a grin. 

An didn't know him very well, but this felt... fine. Christmas was the time for these sorts of pleasures, or so she grew up being told. "First, you get some snow and pack it into a snowball like... this." She didn't want to accidentally ruin the first one she made, so the girl turned to her other side and demonstrated. Holding it up in plain view for the soft-spoken man who had taken his place some ways off to the side, she rolled it between her gloved palms and gradually shaped it into a sphere. "We want something that'll hold, but as the snowball is now, it'll just be crushed if you apply too much pressure. So please make sure to be firm but gentle!"

Eh? An tilted her head. It was a common phrase, but she felt like she hadn't said it right. After a couple moments of failing to grasp where it felt wrong, she continued, "Just handle it with care. When you feel that it's firm enough, keep adding on layers until it gets too big to hold." Once she had finished showing him that step, she lightly tossed the snowball she used for demonstration a slight distance away to earn her some leeway to choose her next words. "Um, I guess I shouldn't dump it all in one go, so I'll explain what to do next after you're done with that step. Call out to me or something."

Had that been enough? She felt like she just blurted everything she knew, and it had felt a touch awkward when she had to take pauses in between to show him the steps. An's face heated up at that thought. Maybe talk while demonstrating. Less dead air. But she wouldn't trust herself to multitask and all of this overthinking was starting to get to her, so for the time being, she returned to rolling her large snowball.

Before either of them could get any further though, an old man in white approached the pair and spoke.

An NPC? An focused on it long enough to see the yellow cursor that floated above its head. It seemed to be familiar with Alkor, and for the moment, she didn't mind that her fellow snowman-builder was preoccupied. There had to be a reason why it took the initiative and approached a player, right? Maybe this was the special part of the event she had been tempted to look for. An was curious!

Then it addressed her, and despite all reservations its status as an NPC caused her, her manners set in and she shot straight up. "H-hello! Merry Christmas!" Consciously, she inched towards Alkor. What was this NPC saying? Anything she might like for Christmas? An looked it up and down and found some resemblance to Santa Claus. It was the hair and the old man beard. Definitely that. She had a strong feeling that this guy could give her something nice -- if she knew what to ask. 

The best way to learn was to progress this conversation.

"What sort of thing can I ask for?" An inquired, the question half-directed at the player whom the NPC had already spoken with. Maybe the extent was a vanity item. Or a common piece of equipment or a single EXP. But An thought a bit more and decided there was probably no harm in asking. "How about... something like light armor?" 

A step up. This was an NPC, there was no need to be ashamed! "Can it be Demonic with Cursed and two slots of MIT?" 

And another. Dear god, this girl was really going for it, wasn't she? "Oooh, how about making the fourth slot a random unique enhancement?"

And she finally thought to cease her requests and wait, crimson eyes shining with excitement.

[tag: @Alkor]

Edited January 16, 2020 by Andromeda

[Alkor 0]

He listened intently, carefully to what she told him. She seemed to really place a lot of importance on the method and Alkor didn't want to screw things up. He nodded, golden eyes flickering over the snow as he shaped it in both hands. Was that right?

Firm, but gentle? Had he ever done anything quite like that? He found himself doubting his ability to follow those instructions solely based on the wording, even if the snowball did seem to be taking shape.

She looked like she was getting colder, though. Reddened face, increased movement, rapid speech... he wondered if she had been out too long? Not that it was incredibly dangerous in this area, to his knowledge. There were zones where the weather had the potential to be hazardous.

Still, he felt a bit concerned. Against his hesitant nature, the urge to help others always seemed to win out. He tilted his head. "Are you cold?" he asked. "I've got an extra cloak in my inventory, if you need another layer."

Then, he heard a familiar voice. Father Wuotan approached, and he greeted Alkor before moving toward the other Player... Players? Was there anyone else there? "I'm well, Father," Alkor returned the greeting warmly. "I hope you are, too."

He then set about packing and rolling the snowball, the way An had instructed. She was getting her Christmas present! It was important not to interrupt, after all.

@Andromeda 

[Father Wuotan 0]

Father Wuotan nodded thoughtfully as Andromeda made her request, his muted eyes pitching upward as though in thought. After a moment, his gaze returned to the young lady, and a smile spread across his cheeks. "Yes. I think I can do something like that for you. Please wait just a moment." He ran his bony fingers through the airs whimsically, the surrounding frost that hung in the air coalescing into a slim figure. It grew, then glowed, then settled into the form of a small ticket. he handed it to the small woman, wearing the same smile as before. "I believe this will help you in that endeavor. Be warned, however, that whatever it produces cannot be undone."

The then turned his head to Alkor. Then down a nearby trail. Father Wuotan had been expecting one more traveler, but it seemed as though they'd gotten lost somewhere. Pity.

"Unfortunately, that is all of the time that I have for now. Please enjoy your holiday. You know where to find me if you need me." 

With a small wave, he departed from the duo, a wisp of snow masking his figure for only a moment before he disappeared altogether.

Spoiler

Andromeda receives the following:
Voucher for Demonic Light Armor
Cursed / MIT / MIT / Random Unique Enhancement
This item is bound to Andromeda, and cannot be traded for any reason. This voucher is to be used in an evaluation thread. Roll LD based on the Merchant Unique Enhancement identification table in order to determine the final slot.

 

[Andromeda 0]

"Heh? Cold?" She had to wonder how he came to that conclusion, but for now, the player politely shook her head at Alkor's offer and smiled. "Mm... I'm kind of used to this sort of cold. It snows a lot in Floor 1, too!"

How did that one saying go again...? Ask and you shall receive. Because damn-- did this girl ask and receive.

An watched, crimson eyes shimmering with childish awe, as the smiling NPC seemed to perform some magic trick. No, it looked like real magic! In SAO? Once more, she would wave off the slight confusion in favor of the delicate whirlwind of snowy particles that soon clumped together to form the figure of her desired item.

--Or the voucher for it, anyway. But it was just as amazing! An had asked for a lot of outrageous things before and gotten what she wanted most of the time, but with her entry into SAO, that experience had been largely confined to the real world of her past. Today, it was almost... foreign. She could barely bring herself to grasp the small slip between her fingers for fear of accidentally tearing it up at first. Reading through the plain lettering, An was quick to dip her head in a bow and express her sincere gratitude to the NPC. "This is exactly what I wanted! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mister Santa!"

Aaand her excitement to her snowman-building partner as soon as Father Wuotan left. "Did you see what he gave me?" the silver-haired player gushed. Then she realized she had not, in fact, shown it to him. She crouched down near Alkor, cheeks flushed in equal parts excitement and embarrassment, and flipped the voucher so he could read. "Here, have a looksie! I can't believe he actually gave me the entire thing, I mean--" Pulling her hand back after a while, An dropped the slip into her inventory. "--I was hoping for it, but after I asked, the idea just suddenly sounded bonkers, you know? And for the equipment build I had in mind-- ah!"

Right. Snowman. He was here doing his part and her own snowball was left neglected. Sheepish, An cleared her throat and smiled. "I'll get back to work. Get to yours, too!" And she made a strategic retreat, trying and failing to hide her eager grin. She stopped, looked over her shoulder at Alkor's snowball, then gave an approving nod. "Doing good so far."

An crouched down in front of her snowball and started to roll it forward.

[tag: @Alkor]

[Alkor 0]

Alkor glanced at the voucher she had received when she came to show it to him with a soft smile. It was nice to hear someone excited about something in Aincrad. Whenever it happened, however rare or not it might be it was a euphoric feeling. Infectious, even.

"That's really great, An," he said, calling her by the shortened version of her name the way she'd asked him to. "That'll be really useful for when you're doing quests or fighting tough mobs." He was reminded of the blade at his hip, similarly given him by Father Wuotan- but he didn't want to seem like he was trying to one up the girl. This was her moment. It was for her to enjoy.

He sat down in the next few moments, ignoring the cold sensation that crept across his body. She started back to work on her part of the snowman, and he continued as she instructed. When she praised him, he glanced her way and offered a short thumbs up. 

"So now what, we roll them until they get bigger?" he asked, recalling what he knew about the process. The golden eyed player recalled the fourth floor, and the way that he and his friends used to spend so much time there. Time had torn them apart. Now, he was a solo player again, and despite reuniting with Lessa... they hadn't really done much, beyond a few quests and things were still awkward.

Maybe, he'd find a friend in Andromeda? That would be nice. They might even be able to do quests together.

@Andromeda

[Andromeda 0]

“Yeah!” A smile grew on her face as she thought, once again, of how well her voucher would fit into her equipment pieces. Maybe, this would make her feel strong. Maybe, she would start on the road to paying that pretty girl back for the huge favor she did her back then. “After this,” she mused. “I’ll finally – definitely – go on more quests. An actual quest. Every floor I’ve gone to so far was just for sightseeing.”

She rolled her snowball forward; her voice drifting away from her unlikely companion’s hearing in her effort to finish the snow construct’s base. “Do you think Aincrad still has more secrets left to be discovered? Even after all these years?” she asked, genuinely curious. An stopped periodically, patting the snowball down on all sides to ensure it remained firm, then changed her direction slightly and resumed her pushing. “I think it would be good if we learned as much as we can about this place we’re all stuck in, you know? Like… what if there’s a mechanic we missed because we weren’t looking hard enough? I-I mean…!” She shot up, face flushed red, looking over her shoulder to face Alkor as she quickly clarified. “Not saying any of the stronger players are ignoring this kind of stuff on purpose, I just want to know if–”

An pushed her snowball back to where Alkor was.

“If Aincrad has more to it than what we currently know.”

Right on time. To his question, An took a short moment to appraise the snowy sphere in front of the man. “A little more,” she concluded. “Around two-thirds of this–” she gave her own a gentle pat. “–and remember to pack the snow together so it holds firm. After that, um…”

She visualized a scenario where she would try to lift the snowman’s upper body herself, then topple over – in a manner entirely similar to the disasters she ran into while rearranging her shop. It wasn’t just her snowman now that Alkor was helping; there was much more to lose.

“Carefully lift it up and put it on top of mine.” Her decision voiced, she walked a step away from her snowball and plopped down on the snowy ground with a soft puff. Unexpectedly tiring; was it all the talking they did or was it SAO’s system lowering her stamina to an average? There was a mechanic like that… taught to her by someone her mind currently failed to recall. Instead of chasing the fleeing memory any further, An turned her head and filled in the silence with an inquiry that had been on her mind since the NPC appeared before them. “That Father Wuotan guy acted like he’d already met you. What gift did he give you?”

[Alkor 0]

While Aincrad was a dangerous world, it was their world now. Whether or not they wanted it, they had become denizens of this reality as much if not more than their original. It was sensible to want to seek the beauty and knowledge that it had to offer them. There was more to life than staying safe. 

That wasn't what he told another Player, though. It was only through meeting other people and learning about their experiences and feelings that Alkor had realized his point of view was narrow and fixated. He wouldn't bring himself to apologize for prioritizing people's safety, but he was content to be far less vocal about it.

So, in response to An's desire to do quests and interest in Aincrad, Alkor had to consider for a moment. What did he think?

"Of course," he replied as he labored over the snowball, careful to keep it almost like a precious treasure. "There are still many floors left to open and uncertainty surrounding all of them. And who's to say we know everything there is to know about the ones we already have seen?" he said with a grin.

There was something about the wanderlust and adventurousness of a wide-eyed, energetic youth that made him not want to be the monster of pure logic he always was. But then... he wasn't really connecting, he was just listening.

It was easy to say something nice. What did it mean to be himself, and offer his own thoughts? The worst that could happen was her disagreeing with him, and even then... he could probably live with that, right? Or did he have a fragile ego?

Time to find out.

"No, you're probably right," Alkor said. "Even on the Frontlines, people are always finding new dangers to learn about and adapt to, and brushing with death." He looked up at her with his amber gaze and a kind smile as she came closer. "That's a very prudent way of thinking. No one should ever assume he knows everything."

He listened as she gave further instructions, and moved to lift the snowball as she sat herself down. She must have been exhausted from all the work she was doing, and the cold couldn't be helping with that. Some things about this game were just too realistic.

Especially the dying part.

So, once his snowball was on top of hers, Alkor looked to Andromeda for approval. Then she commented about Father Wuotan, and asked what he had received. "Oh," Alkor patted the weapon at his hip. "I got a great new sword," he explained. "It's going to come in handy for a while, I think. Stronger than what I was using before at least."

He didn't want to presume to draw a weapon in front of her, lest it be construed as violent. That kind of miscommunication had happened before. 

@Andromeda

 

[Andromeda 0]

“Yeah…” the girl said – her voice lowering to a softer tone. She trusted Alkor wouldn’t have much trouble with his task; she leaned back and propped herself on her hands, palms sinking into the snow behind her. “That’s a good way to put it!” –And it also sounded pretty smart. The type of smart that made her feel that if she spoke without thinking, her words would be codswallop in comparison to his. “In the first floors though? With every player that’s started their journey, the areas nearest the safe zones would probably have been explored dry, then with other higher-leveled players coming down to assist, that probably covers the farther areas… with that in mind, I’d think it’d be hard to find ‘something nobody else has seen.’”

There was nothing that frustrated her more than a pointless effort, but now that someone had given quite a bit of an affirmation to her thoughts, she had a little more confidence than she had before. “But I know something’s out there. I don’t have anything to support that. It’s just a really strong gut feeling, I guess?” Her ramble ended with a sheepish laugh.

‘Death’ and ‘the frontlines.’ 

He was at least acquainted with the latter. For her part though, they were very distant concepts. She was too weak to even think about contributing to the clearing effort, she was lucky no one close to her had died yet, and for every painless wound she sustained in the brief trips she took to the outer zones, she found it hard to imagine it was her own quantified lifeline ticking down with every damage taken. But it was still real. Very real. Much of the gloom had faded over the years, but she still saw it in people’s faces every day.

An turned her head to see their snowman was now two-thirds of the way to completion. Good! Now before it melted and fell apart, they had to work fast.

“I’ll roll the last one and you’ll lift it up again?” she offered.

The snow-haired girl was already moving though. With a small huff, she walked to a thick patch of snow in the area and started packing the snow together. “That’s nice. This event really is generous, isn’t it? I heard we only had raffles in the previous years.” As she talked, she picked up her pace, rolling the last snowball around in a speedier fashion. It was finished in no time, and after waving Alkor over to pick it up, she scrutinized their almost-finished snowman. There was something… missing…

“Oh!” An suddenly exclaimed. She opened her inventory without giving an explanation at first, and if Alkor was curious enough to take a look, he would find her scrolling down a very long list of items with her eyes squinted. Before she set out, she’d definitely procured the necessary items, but… she had no idea where they were now. “The stuff for its arms and face!” the girl huffed, a pale hue of embarrassment rising up to her cheeks. An dismissed her inventory windows with a pout. “This is a Christmas fair though. Maybe if I look around, I’ll find a stall selling it.”

[Alkor 0]

"That's the hope," he agreed. There were so many unknowns in Aincrad that the people who were trapped there wanted to believe in something constant. The lower floors, that safe and comfortable sensation that nothing new or dangerous might creep up from behind them, all of those thoughts culminated to lull the Players into a state where their sense of security was questionable...

...yet they clung to it for dear life.

Alkor learned, early on in his adventure, that death was a very real consequence. He'd brushed with it, and even learned that coming close alone was cause for concern. It still burned him, the way that the Twinfire Phoenix had, and that the Hydra did. The heat smoldered inside of him and his tenacity burned bright.

That was at odds with the placid expression he offered to An, though. Humans were a strange mix of every type of emotion. Calm like still water, but raging like wildfire inside. It was a beautiful, chaotic reality. Just as real as the world outside. At their core, they were all still human.

"Yeah, I've got it!" he called as she rolled the snowball and he lifted it carefully into place. He watched as she fumbled through her inventory, and the darkly dressed swordsman smiled just a bit as she said she didn't have the finishing touches on hand.

"Yeah, there might just be something," he agreed. Even if she couldn't find something in the market, they could probably make due. Either way, he was content- he'd never come this far with a snowman before, after all. "Don't worry, we'll figure it out. Did you want me to help you look?"

 

@Andromeda

[Andromeda 0]

She was close. So close. This was something An absolutely could not leave unfinished.

And though they'd gotten pretty far, a snowman was just a... random stack of snowballs unless it had a face. But if she and Alkor ran off to poke around the nearby shops for the materials she'd left behind, their unfinished snowman would be left completely alone and she wasn't sure if--

Wait.

"Oh, um, I think it's better if you stay!" She always felt a little nervous about turning down offers; An made a completely unrelated gesture of clapping her fist to her other hand as she spun around to face he other player, already bouncing on her heels. "So you can guard it. You know, save someone from an accident that might end up with them knocking it down?" Like her on any bad day. A sheepish smile formed on her face at that, and she would speed off as soon as he began to respond, assuming the tone of his question earlier implied he was at least up to sticking around to complete it. An waved her hand and called out over her shoulder, "Thanks, and sorry for the trouble!"

Disaster averted. As she walked up and down a street, she idly thought she couldn't have done this had someone not been present to stay with their work.

An found the nearest general stall and slammed her hands down on the counter's surface, doing her best impression of an important person who was running on a short schedule... instead of being an absolute nobody... who also happened to be running on a short schedule.

"I need a whole bunch of stuff!" Her gaze roamed over the displayed wares. "...um. Do stores even sell these?"

Look, she wasn't very good at it--

 

 

Minutes later, she ran up to Alkor with her purchases bundled in her hands. "S-sorry to keep you waiting. You probably know what snowmen look like when they're done, right? And which ones go where?" Grinning, she unloaded a top hat, a scarf, and a carrot and two sticks onto him, leaving her with a small bag of coal. "You can do those. Don't worry, it's easy!"
 

[Alkor 0]

He watched her leave with a quizzical look. It was fine that she didn't need help, but the worry that something might happen to the snowman? She seemed like someone who carried a lot on her mind. He only nodded just before she rushed off, and he made it his duty to be sure nothing befell the inanimate, frigid man. Something about ensuring that they finished and she got a smile out of their little winter excursion went a long way-

Alkor didn't have many memories of snow, especially with other people. This would be one of the few special ones he had in Sword Art Online. "Don't even think about falling over on me," he chided the snowman beneath his breath. A second later, he blinked. "I just talked to a snowman."

Yep. You're finally losing it, Thom.

When she finally returned, he reached out both hands to help her rifle through everything she had brought back with her. "I've seen pictures," he agreed, "I think I can live up to the expectations, at least this once." He offered a silly grin as he took the sticks and gave their frosty friend a pair of arms. Then, he wreathed him in the scarf, plopped the carrot into place, and topped it all off with the necessary hat.

That left the duty of completing the face to her, since it was her snowman, after all.

Alkor felt pretty good about his first snowman, all told.