[PP-F24] Enmity <<Date NIGHT>>

[Hidden 1]

Her question was awarded with a small frown. 'There isn't any winning with this one, is there.' She though to herself. Sliding another one of the fries into her mouth, she would think on the girls words. As she finished, Hidden swallowed her food and began. 

"I met Yuki I think at a quest named Deforestation. At the time, she was far lower leveled than me and tried to clear it before getting the strength to actually clear it herself. Luckily for her, I happened to stumble along hoping to do the quest myself." The Pink-haired Paladin's recklessness was matched by none. "As for Crow, he tagged along when I was doing that Return of the Queen quest." Her eyes darkened a bit recalling that adventure. Crozeph proved that he wasn't reliable when needed most. 

With Yuki supposedly not coming, she supposed there wasn't any reason to be around NIGHT. In fact, it would have been far safer to stay away. She never could get a read on the woman, but it was at least clear to tell that she didn't like her. "So..." she started, her eyes trained at the table. She was terrible at starting conversations. "What are your current plans? I mean, what do you want to do? You don't seem like the type to have aspired to be one those frontliners, but you're here anyway. What for?" Her eyes traced up the side of the table until they met the woman's eyes again. 

[NIGHT 0]

How strange. She looked like she didn't want to be there, especially after the revelation that Yuki was most likely a no-show. And yet she was still staying out of her comfort zone, fielding to ask questions?

When Hidden had fired away, NIGHT was ready to have taken a moment of pause, on the verge of guessing her itinerary for the rest of the day. Except, the specific inquiry about her future in general... was unprecedented.

Her eyes shifted away from blank space, sights falling upon the assassin's figure. She chewed slowly on the bite in her mouth, shooting a suspicious look to her quarry.

Truly -- what a stupid question.

"To get out of here," NIGHT replied, once she'd gulped down her portion. "Out of Aincrad. There's nothing else to it." Was there even a single player who didn't happen to want to leave? A flash of ire passed her gaze, the woman barely entertaining the thought, before two fingers pinched and rubbed against a slip of a clean napkin nearby.

She was almost done with her food. Only a tiny nibblet was left sandwiched in her right hand.

With her left, the back of her hand pushed back upon locks, buried between her neck and hair. "How do you tell if anyone's got the 'aspiration' to be a frontliner in the first place, anyway? Have you seen them?" A wave of her pincer. NIGHT scoffed, and cocked an eyebrow. "No one looks the type to be there. Not even you. Not even me."

The tiger-like stare shot her company's way was stuffed filled with vitriol, flambeed with amusement. "And I suppose you're waiting for your 'sentence' to have 'passed judgement' then. Isn't that right?"

[Hidden 1]

A look of suspicion was all too familiar, even coming from NIGHT. It was a look she received almost on the daily. 

To get out of here. Out of Aincrad. There's nothing else to it." A small chuckle radiated from the snow-haired girl's figure. "Yes. Out." Violet eyes cast over to NIGHT with a glazed appearance. "You know, I'm pretty sure I've only told this to one other person but..." She sat back all the way in her seat, her eyes meeting NIGHT's and with a serious tone she spoke the words, 

"...I don't want to leave." 

A moment of silence would ensue before she continued to speak. "Of course, I am willing to help those that mean something accomplish that goal. The real world is just scarier than the real world. At least here... I can fight back." In the real world, she couldn't fight against her abusive drunk of a father. She couldn't fight the hunger that constantly gnawed at her stomach. "I mean, what's the point in going back if there isn't anything to go back to?" Her thoughts passed to the faces of those she surrounded herself with. "It might be hard here with everyone hating me all the time, but now I have a few faces to look forward to seeing. Even if I am bad at expressing it." 

 

Of course, the ever so cold NIGHT would question her words. "You don't see them? The frontliner types? Those that want to be the strongest, the best of the best? The wannabe heroes? The so called 'Paragons of Justice?'. Haven't seen her for a while, but people like Hestia. Itzal." There was venom in her voice when she spoke those names showing her clear disdain for them. 

 "And I suppose you're waiting for your 'sentence' to have 'passed judgement' then. Isn't that right?"

"I'm not just waiting. I've gotten some help from a friend recently and she's been helping me try to get my name off the bounty lists and learn how to be liked." She spoke the last part as a whisper. Mari went through much the same she had, and was trying to help before things got worse. 

[NIGHT 0]

"...I don't want to leave." 

Her brows only furrowed at Hidden's revelation.

"The real world is just scarier than the real world."

(--And the real world didn't have creatures ready to devour and slaughter them, poised to strike at any moment, either. It didn't have beastly enemies with large gaping maws, claws and fangs and hide, a foul scent and a venom secreted with nothing of value left to lose. It didn't have a health bar that, once in the red would pulsate and match with the incredulous beating of both the victim's heart rate and its overarching system notifying the player that they were about to die.)

(It definitely, definitely didn't have manifestations of one's psyche haunt their every foot step, a literal demon given physical form.)

NIGHT had to restrain herself not to laugh.

"At least here... I can fight back. I mean, what's the point in going back if there isn't anything to go back to?"

The player huffed instead.

"Your friends and family, for one." 'Nothing to go back' to was an exaggeration in its totality. Every one of them stuck in Aincrad had ties and obligations that linked back to reality in some manner, in some form. And still her associate was ready to waive off her responsibility to escape Aincrad in earnest? Only in the narrowing of her eyes, the slight emphasis of her grimace did her dissatisfaction show, barely enough to reveal her disrespect to the assassin. "You talk as if you won't be able to meet anyone in here when this is over. And if everyone hates you, as you'd said, then what's the point of sticking around?"

Right as Hidden had mentioned something about 'Paragons of Justice', NIGHT rolled her eyes, fighting back a growl as she lowered her last bite from her lips. What were they, twelve? "Never heard of them," she admitted. Wannabe-heroes, 'best-of-the-best'; it sure sounded like a paladin they both knew of, but it was the only source of earnest determination that the player found herself aware of.

When her mind sifted through the bodies amongst Skalaugh's body from the other day, she could barely remember any motivations, drives nor faces that stood out. All she could recall was noise.

NIGHT winced.

"They're all loud and obnoxious, though," the woman dryly added, popping the bite into her mouth. Between chews, she was able to push out a muffled sentence. "At least you've got that right."

For once, the woman had finally caught wind of someone's mumble, an insight that occurred once in a blue moon. She kept her silence, however.

Learning how to be liked?

Hidden's arrogance could've fooled her.

[Hidden 1]

"Your friends and family, for one."

This sentence was followed with a huff. Alright. Now Hidden was annoyed. This emotion reflected in her eyes as NIGHT continued to speak. 

 "You talk as if you won't be able to meet anyone in here when this is over. And if everyone hates you, as you'd said, then what's the point of sticking around?"

Her eyes darkened. "Okay, I think you've made your point." Her voice further revealed her anger. "You are just here make fun of me aren't you? Or are you just trying to get rid of me? You must think I'm a danger to Yuki or something to try this hard." NIGHT might've been stronger. NIGHT might be Yuki's best friend. NIGHT might make Hidden's existence entirely meaningless when it came to helping Yuki. 

"This entire time you've just been scoffing at everything I've said. I figured if I opened up more to you than you'd understand me. That you would understand why I am here. Apparently that is meaningless to you." Her voice had begun to raise, earning the attention of the shop-owner who stood onlooking the scene unfold.

"Friends and Family? You must've lived a good life before coming here. My mother died when I was young, I watched it happen. I watched as the vehicle took her life. My dad became an alcoholic that blamed me for my mom's death. You want me to just go back to that?"

She turned away, back towards the door. "I get it NIGHT. You don't want me around. I must look like a haughty witch in your eyes. Next time, just don't even bother pretending to give a shit." 

She turned her head, looking at NIGHT through the corner of her vision. "Thanks for the meal. I hope you enjoyed snickering at me while I attempted to open up." 

 

[NIGHT 0]

A danger to Yuki? Hidden would've been anything but. NIGHT folded her arms once she had the allowance, leaning back into her seat. A danger to Yuki was sitting right ahead of the assassin as she spoke, a fact that the player sourly entertained, before pushing it into the recess of her mind. For a moment, she wondered which one of them was the one trying too hard.

"I figured if I opened up more to you than you'd understand me. That you would understand why I am here. Apparently that is meaningless to you."

-- So she was expected to do all the work?

The orange player was right about one thing; Hidden's presence was nothing but a bother to her. The annoyance was only emphasized further once she'd reveal her oh-so-tragic backstory to the stranger.

"My mother died when I was young, I watched it happen. I watched as the vehicle took her life. My dad became an alcoholic that blamed me for my mom's death. You want me to just go back to that?"

With a deep breath, NIGHT--

("--You think you're the only one that has it rough...?")

-- only seethed with fury, expelling a small puff that ended in silence.

Curt and authoritative. "We all have a duty to go back there," she finally mentioned, right as the assassin started to rise from her seat across the table. "Plain and simple."

"I get it NIGHT. You don't want me around. I must look like a haughty witch in your eyes. Next time, just don't even bother pretending to give a shit." 

"Neither of us ever needed to look the part." A whispered breath, barely heard by the woman in passing. NIGHT spared not a glance to the hag in her roil.

"Thanks for the meal. I hope you enjoyed snickering at me while I attempted to open up." 

She thought about their efforts today for a beat more as Hidden took her leave. The hand around the shirt past her jacket was locked tight with cloth, the spaces in-between her digits overflowing with wrinkled fabric.

It only receded after a moment, at the first sight of the shopkeeper at the corner of her vision. Her pointer swam across air, dancing upon in light patterns across her interface. The pouch of col sank onto the table's surface slowly and steadily, and the player started to rise from the booth with a scowl.

"Sorry for the trouble."

NIGHT didn't let herself hear any objections, questions nor comments that were directed her way in the seconds directly after. What was initially a payment worth double had slightly been incremented by a fraction (10%), if only to make up for the awkwardness rendered by their discussion from earlier. When the door closed behind the player as she left the establishment, about two minutes had passed since Hidden's exit.

The breath she'd expelled into the briny ocean air was salty, yet arid. Stretching backwards, her gaze fell upon the white sands ahead.

She'd let her footsteps sort out her emotions in earnest afterwards.

[Hidden 1]

Roleplay Completed
Each Player recieves:
2 SP (1 Thread, 1 Event)