[PP - F22] Stars. Can't Do It. Not Today.

[Lessa 1]

 

Like delicate fingers, the wind rustled the papers hung from the bamboo stalks. They, and the lush green leaves, whispered whimsically as Lessa strung up her final wish. "I think that'll do it," she informed Alkor, turning back to her companion. The breeze also toyed with his long hair, shoving it back from the mask he wore. The inky black stood in stark contrast to the crisp white of the disguise, and as torch-thrown shadows crept across his figure, Lessa sucked in a breath. She could see why some might be intimidated by him. Hell, it was evident why she had been intimidated by him. It was unlikely that she would ever feel entirely at ease with him, but progress was made every time they spoke. Besides, they might grow bored if their friendship became too normal. Like the pyramids, Roanoke, and Jimmy Hoffa, half of the fun came from the mystery. Knowing everything there was to know about Alkor just seemed... unnatural.

With a quick cough, Lessa dropped her gaze, realizing that she'd been staring. "So are we allowed to share what we wished for?" she asked suddenly, and when her eyes found his again, they danced with good humor. "Or will it not come true or something?" She planted her hands on her hips, shrugged, and added, "Because I totally wished for a Red Bull Creme Freeze Smoothie with blackberry and raspberry. Haven't found anything close." It was a lie - well, the wish part; she hadn't succeeded in replicating her favorite frozen drink. But it wasn't worth discussing her actual desires, and potentially sending the conversation into a tailspin. Too much of Lessa and Alkor's story was shrouded in darkness, and all she wanted to do was let the light in.

"Hey," came a sudden thought, "would you want to go down to the lake with me? I'd wanted to look at the lanterns, and it will be more fun with someone else."

Spoiler

Name: Lessa
Level: 56
HP: 1210/1210
EN: 112/112

Stats:
Damage: 19
Mitigation: 126
Evasion: -1
Accuracy: 1
BH:36
THRNS:54
H.M.:1

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Arcturus (T3/Perfect/2HSS): Damage 3
Armor: Galaxy Armor (T3/Perfect/Heavy Armor): Thorns 2, Heavy Momentum 1
Misc: Violet Ribbon (T2/Perfect/Jewelry): Loot Die 3

Skills:
2H Straight Sword [Rank 5]
Heavy Armor [Rank 5]
Howl [Obtained]
Fishing [Obtained]
Parry [Obtained]
Battle Healing [Rank 3]

Extra Skills:
Familiar: Protector
Survival

Mods:
Precision
Ferocity
Athletics
Finesse (Rank 3)
Stonewall

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystal*5

Housing Buffs:
Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Advanced Training: +2 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll

Guild Hall Buffs:
Helping Hand: Lowest-leveled guild member receives +2 bonus SP at the end of the thread. At least half of the thread's participants must be guild members. Limit one use per month, per character. [1/1]

 

[Alkor 0]

They cleared out after she hung her tanabata, a cool breeze ushering them off. The firelight of the festival had secreted away without warning. The feeling of invitation withdrew with it. Alkor peeled away the disguise as they left the other festival goers behind and offered Lessa a softer smile than the grave expression he usually wore. He always considered the way she spoke and carried herself before, but more recently his thoughts were on his own demeanor. What did she see when she looked at him? What kind of person did she think he was, really?

They had never established that. They had never been given a chance, until now. The only impression she had was of the stoic, mechanical monster who focused on nothing but victory and freedom. He broke free from his thoughts when she mentioned an old wives tale about sharing wishes; and he'd heard that, too. But was that culturally applicable in Japan? "Honestly, I think that's only a western tradition," he replied. "The Japanese have stranger taboos, like hospitals skip from third to fifth floor because the Japanese words for Four and Death have the same sound. And people don't eat while walking. Little things like that." Alkor stopped and turned to face her as they descended toward the lake, almost as if he intended to guide her there from the beginning. "They're a bit more pragmatic about wishes. You don't get many, so they're sort of sacrosanct."

He found that amusing, because for most of his life Thom never believed wishes could come true. His time in Aincrad made him yearn for them to be real. If only it meant he could have the things he truly wanted, and live life properly when they returned to it. 

"Honestly, I've never had anything like that. Vodka red bulls, but those taste like vomit and leave you somewhere between dazed and hyperactive. I grew up in a city on the beach. Lots of drinking, lots of parties, even if you weren't the social type you learned to drink because that's how people socialize. I think your drink sounds much nicer."

Alkor thumbed over his shoulder toward the body of water that grew more visible as the gentle moonlight reflected off the surface and painted the two a pale color. Illuminated by the light massive full moon, Alkor caught a better glimpse of Lessa. While her avatar hadn't changed much, the wear of experience and difficulty were evident in how she carried herself. Somehow, he could tell she'd grown every time he let himself notice.

"Yeah," he replied. "I thought it might be nice to step away from the crowd, and the lake seemed as good a place as any."

Alkor Level 31

640/640 HP 62 Energy

DMG: 10 | MIT: 48 | ACC: 4 | EVA: 2 | Blight: 1

Blightsteel: T2 Demonic Curved Sword [Cursed | DMG | DMG | Blight]

Nightmare Bomber: T2 Perfect Light Armor [MIT | MIT | EVA]

[T1E3] Eye of Horus Enamel Pin (1)
-- [ Accuracy III | +3 ACC. ]

Rank 5 Curved Sword | Rank 3 Light Armor | Athletics Mod | Precision Mod

 

Edited August 28, 2020 by Alkor

[Lessa 1]

She nodded along as he spoke, intrigued by the topic of conversation. Of course, a part of her mind was reserved for appreciating the ease in which they communicated. Even before Alkor's death, and certainly before his Jesus-tier resurrection, the space between them had been muddled with hurt feelings and misunderstandings. Like ships in storm seas, the two had drifted apart in a way that Lessa had deemed irreparable. His slaughter at the hands of the Hydra had been the literal sever of ties, but the rope had grown frayed months before the boss fight.

Now? Well, perhaps they weren't as hopeless as she had originally thought.

"Doesn't sound any stranger than what we have," she contributed, then clarified, "the skipping floor four thing, I mean. Reminds me of the skyscrapers that skip floor thirteen. The eating while walking thing though?" She held up her hands, let them drop again. "That one's pretty weird. I practically mastered the art of eating on the go while I lived on campus. I'd have wasted so much time if I'd had to sit down every time I picked up a gas station doughnut or something."

Then, because she knew he would have the answer, she cast her friend a quick glance. "What's the Japanese word for four, anyway? And death? I'm curious if they really do sound alike."

The pair picked their way down the path, now sloping gently as it ushered them toward the lake. The mirror-like lake gave the impression of a twin moon, two enormous spheres of dazzling white. Though some distance still lay between them and the water, Lessa could pick out the pin-pricks of flickering light sailing smoothly across the surface.

"I was so not a partier," she informed him. Then, with a laugh, she added, "I'm sure that comes as no surprise. But even at college, when I was surrounded by them, I never saw the appeal. I hardly drank at all, and I really hadn't found anything I liked before SAO came along. I definitely wouldn't have liked your vodka Red Bulls."

[Alkor 0]

He paused for a moment to reflect. Did they do that in skyscrapers in the States? He had never been in a skyscraper, nor had he lived anywhere near one. The thought didn't seem too farfetched, because Americans were so caught up with the idea of bad luck and not stepping too far off the beaten path. That much he could say for sure from his limited experience. "They do that...?" he pondered aloud. "I guess I never had a reason to think they would. Superstitions really do remain relevant, huh?"

Alkor scratched his head at the idea of a gas station doughnut, though. He was sure he'd seen them, especially where convenience stores were prominent, but they largely remained untouched. Trucker food, or for people in a rush to get to work several minutes late. It sounded like Lessa lived a pretty exciting college student life.

"Huh?" he seemed surprised for a moment when she asked, but it made sense. She was an American, and the translation settings probably allowed for her to hear even the initial speech about the death game in her native tongue. "You've probably seen the symbols for both and never thought anything of it," he gestured in the air, drawing out the Kanji first for Four, and then for Death."And with no shortage of Japanese nationals, you've probably even heard them used. Shi, is the word. For both, actually. Ichi, ni, san, shi..." he counted quickly, then, "and 'shine!" he vocalized, very harshly. "The Japanese actually use shi and yon interchangeably for the number four, just in case there's a situation that might be relevant. They also interchange Ku and Kyu for nine- like you'd say "kyusai" for 'nine years old' because 'kusai' means something stinks. Imagine talking to a kid and saying 'you're smelly?' instead of 'you're nine?' It can get pretty confusing."

He never really had to have many conversations like this outside the game. His parents were native speakers, and none of his small retinue of friends cared to learn. Still, it was something he'd done his best to learn because he'd loved the culture- even if he'd never thought he'd be able to use it practically. It was nice that someone expressed interest, even if she actually wasn't. 

For a moment, Thom understood the merits of small talk.

He hadn't been a partier, either. Nor had he gone on to college, like so many of his peers from childhood. Success stories were prominent across social media feeds, which he maintained largely because it was the rage. Before Sword Art, he'd weighed heavily the option of deleting everything and disappearing from the lives of everyone he'd known as a kid. It never really occurred to him what that meant. Now, when he thought of people being erased, he thought of the Hydra.

There was so, so much more to life than he ever took the time to consider.

"Yeah, I never really liked those either," he admitted. While glancing out over the water, he thought he saw a boat somewhere. It was a bit late for a fishing excursion,  wasn't it? "Got to a point where I'd drink anything, long as I didn't have to think about what was going on around me. I guess that's why I haven't kicked the habit in Aincrad. Even a fake buzz is something."

[Lessa 1]

The surprise came to Alkor's face slowly, more like an unfurling flower than an exploding firework. She found that small fact oddly endearing. Everything about the man was slow, calculated, deliberate, even down to the expressions he wore. Had that been a source of their earlier frustrations? Whereas he moved through moods like a smooth Vinyasa flow, she switched like flipping television channels. If she had expected immediate reactions, instant gratification, she would not have found that with the Black Swordsman.

"Uh huh," she answered finally, drawing herself back from her thoughts. "My family took a trip to Chicago for my cousin, Jillian's, wedding. We stayed on the fourteenth floor, so it was pretty easy to notice the missing thirteen button in the elevator." The woman gave a small shrug, added, "My dad's traveled a lot more than I have, so I asked him about it. He said it's actually pretty common." In the darkness, Lessa's blue eyes lit as she turned them on him. "Are you a Stephen King fan by any chance? One of my favorite movies by him is called 1408, and it's based on his short story. It's based around a haunted hotel room, one that drives its occupants mad until they kill themselves. The movie has John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson. Anyways, the hotel room is number 1408. Not only is it technically on the thirteenth floor, because the hotel skips that one in the elevator, the numbers add up to thirteen. Superstitions everywhere. It's so good."

Realizing she'd been rambling, Lessa shook her head, gave a quick laugh. "Sorry, got a little carried away. I'd sort of forgotten about that movie after all these years. Sometimes weird things from the outside world just come back to me. I wonder if it's even relevant six years later." She paused, pursing her lips in thought, then added, "I wonder if Samuel L. Jackson is even still alive. He was kind of getting up there in age."

Got to a point where I'd drink anything, long as I didn't have to think about what was going on around me.

They were only a short distance from the water's edge now, and voices carried from the handful of players and NPCs milling about. It seemed she and Alkor weren't the only ones who thought to escape the loud festivities for the solitude of the lake. Accented by the soft lap of the lake on the shore, and the hushed murmur of voices, his words seemed to hang heavy in the warm air. She hurt for him, but knew better than to jump into 'save him' mode. That had never worked well in the past.

So she settled on a different topic. "Thanks for the lesson in Japanese. I always like learning new things, but that's been a little tough since getting stuck in here." Dipping her head shyly, Lessa added, "Maybe you could teach me a bit more? About the language, but also the culture? All I know is what I needed for the Japan unit in seventh grade Eastern Hemisphere. Needless to say, I know next to nothing."

[Alkor 0]

It was true, the outside sometimes crept back in after all that time. Alkor's own gilded gaze shone a cool and radiant iridescent color as the light reflected off it. He seemed almost ethereal, pale and quiet as he considered her words and gently shook his head. "I've seen movies and read books he authored under pen name, but his work doesn't evoke much for me. Horror is abstract in a different way from Fantasy; one wants the imagination to create and cultivate the impossible into new, beautiful things. The other wants to tap another part of the imagination, the one that's linked to fear, and draw out the things we tell ourselves aren't real. Or the things we hope aren't. Some people like that feeling. Sometimes, I'll admit, a little fear is a good motivator, but I've never liked to dive deep and drown in it."

Alkor paused briefly and reached back behind himself, scratching at the nape of his neck. It was a matter of brief discomfort, something to do with remembering the world outside. It was never far from his thoughts. Sometimes he felt like he was a traitor to it because he allowed himself to live on inside Aincrad.  Meeting Lessa, getting to know people, and not having his Grandmother around to be proud of him made him feel guilty. One day, perhaps, he'd be able to introduce them all. 

Maybe, laughably, he'd be able to joke about being a hero.

When the finally reached the shoreline, he crouched and dipped his fingers into the water. It was cool to the touch, and he traced the surface with the pad of his palm. A moment later, he squeezed his fingers into a fist and let the liquid drip between them and back to the lake below.

"I grew up with a fixation on Japanese culture," he admitted. "For a while, my parents thought it was great that I cared about history and tradition, but once I got to high school and signed up to take coursework, they tried to dissuade me and said that I would never use it. When the option came between that and things they liked even less, though, they relented. So, I know a fair bit about the culture." 

He slowly nodded as he rose to his feet once more and returned his gaze to her. "Maybe I know something that might be useful to you, so sure. I'd be glad to."

[Lessa 1]

"Yeahhhh," Lessa drawled in response, "his work doesn't scare me that much." She slanted him a quick glance, then added, "And that's not just me tooting my own horn or being big brave or anything. His horror has a really heavy fantasy element to it, and his writing style is super distinct. It takes a lot to buy into it, and emerge yourself in it completely. I think his ideas are interesting, but they wouldn't keep me up at night. That's saying something, too, because I really don't like scary stuff. I used to be such a huge fan. My best friend from high school and I used to eat that stuff up, and watched all the scary movies we could get our hands on. Now?" With a wry smile, she concluded, "I've got enough scary shit in my life."

Without a sound, Alkor crouched to drag his fingertips through the water. Lessa observed just as silently, studying the ripples as they grew. Surely, there was some symbolism there - the briefest touch expanding outward - but she'd already spent a lot of time being philosophical. Writing her wishes had required Lessa to dig deep, and reflect on the pros and cons of her current situation. Sometimes, she felt a bit suffocated by it all.

So she closed her eyes, breathed in deeply through her nose. The warm air carried the faint scent of fair food, an aroma that rocketed Lessa back to 4H, horse shows, and living off gatorade and elephant ears. Talk about the past finding it's way into the game. But something about the old reminder worked to settle her.

"Hey," Lessa began suddenly, "weird question, but would you want to go for a swim? I honestly can't remember the last time I went swimming, and it seems like a nice night for it."

[Alkor 0]

"I've just found in life, more and more I'm less interested in things that scare me or stoke my anxiety because I already have enough things to do that." He laughed in agreement with her, a bright and carefree laugh that contrasted his generic demeanor. Alkor didn't understand what it meant to "be himself," but that didn't mean he was incapable of nailing it on the head from time to time. "Horror as a genre is for those people who live bland lives day to day and have nothing to keep them interested. When every day is an adventure, there's no need for excess adrenaline. Desk jobs are easy to come by, but Tank or DPS in SAO? Hah, we only had what, ten thousand slots?"

It was darker than intended, but good humor didn't always have to be the most cheerful thing. When people could laugh about their problems, those problems became easier to face. They didn't seem so dangerous when he dehumanized them down to sidelong quips.

Not until she asked about swimming did Alkor find pause. He glanced out over the lake, and his mind went somewhere far away. He remembered a face he hadn't thought of in many years, and the cool vastness of the Ocean stretched as far as he could see. He remembered what it felt like to breach the water for the first time in a year, and to swim out until the lifeguards blew their whistles. He still remembered what it felt like to fight against the undertow, and to be tossed by mighty, rolling waves until he was swept ashore.

The lake was nothing like the Atlantic, but it held a certain beauty.

"Sure," he replied in a soft voice. "I don't mind that."