[PP|F1] New (Would Be) Habits

[ChaseR 0]

After a long day out in the fields, Chase had decided to try out a habit he'd seen in many of the people he'd met thus far- and series, shows and the like back in the real world too. Mostly there, really. "... I don't think this is for me.", he grumbled as he stepped into some bar in the first, having changed into his vanity clothes and unequipped his weapons and armor for the sake of not sticking out like a sore thumb.

Quietly sitting at one of the stools by the counter, Chase didn't have much to do or say once he ordered one of the would-be alcoholic beverages from the catalogue. It was good that they didn't have alcohol in Aincrad at all, because he wouldn't have been able to handle it. Regardless, his eyes were less so on the drink that he was hesitant to sip from and more so on the people all around- all in groups, pairs or even some drinking alone and trying to talk to others. And in his blue hoodie and black sweatpants, he just sat there quietly sipping his drink like an outcast in some school prom, starting to feel more and more uncomfortable about his decision. So much for trying out something new and instantly regretting it not even minutes later. That was until his eyes caught of someone that seemed to be going through all the same, bar the awkwardness. Even so though, he was too nervous to really open his mouth and talk any, instead giving a silent and somewhat intense stare.

Spoiler

Name: ChaseR
Level: 77
HP: 1570/1570
EN: 154/154

Stats:
Damage: 19
Mitigation: 43
Evasion: 3
Accuracy: 3
BH:78
VAMP DEF:78
PARA:1
HLY:12
HLY BLS:16
LD:5

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: <<Fragmented Blade>> (T3/Perfect/2HSS): PARA I, HOLY II
Armor: <<Azure Overcoat>> (T2/Perfect/Light Armor): V.DEF I, HBS I, MIT I
Misc: <<Chained Bracelet>> (T2/Demonic/Trinket): EVA II, ACC II

Skills:
Two-Handed Straight Sword [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 5]
Battle Healing [Rank 5]
Searching [Rank 4]
Charge [Rank 5]
Hiding [Rank 4]
Parry [Obtained]
Extended Mod Limit [Obtained]
Fighting Spirit [Obtained]
Howl [Obtained]

Extra Skills:
Familiar Mastery: Fighter
Survival
Disguise
Meditation

Mods:
2HSS Finesse [R3]
Precision
Athletics
Sprint & Acrobatics
Ferocity
Focused Howl



Battle Ready Inventory:
Insta-Life ++ (T2/Perfect/HP REC III)*1
Woodland Armor (T3/Perfect) MIT III (1/3)*1
Teleport Crystal [F21]*1
Imugi's Inspiration (Mass HP Recovery)*1
Requires Extended Weight Limit 1
Requires Extended Weight Limit 2
Requires Extended Weight Limit 3
Obtained via Item Stash (Housing)
Obtained via Dimensional Backpack

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two 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)
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
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
Decor [Potted Tanabata Bamboo Tree]: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild:
Kumatetsu Statue: +1 Base Damage for a thread

Wedding Ring: Name: ChaseR
Level: 77
HP: 1570/1570
EN: 154/154

Stats:
Damage: 19
Mitigation: 43
Evasion: 3
Accuracy: 3
BH:78
VAMP DEF:78
PARA:1
HLY:12
HLY BLS:16
LD:5

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: <<Fragmented Blade>> (T3/Perfect/2HSS): PARA I, HOLY II
Armor: <<Azure Overcoat>> (T2/Perfect/Light Armor): V.DEF I, HBS I, MIT I
Misc: <<Chained Bracelet>> (T2/Demonic/Trinket): EVA II, ACC II

Skills:
Two-Handed Straight Sword [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 5]
Battle Healing [Rank 5]
Searching [Rank 4]
Charge [Rank 5]
Hiding [Rank 4]
Parry [Obtained]
Extended Mod Limit [Obtained]
Fighting Spirit [Obtained]
Howl [Obtained]

Extra Skills:
Familiar Mastery: Fighter
Survival
Disguise
Meditation

Mods:
2HSS Finesse [R3]
Precision
Athletics
Sprint & Acrobatics
Ferocity
Focused Howl



Battle Ready Inventory:
Insta-Life ++ (T2/Perfect/HP REC III)*1
Woodland Armor (T3/Perfect) MIT III (1/3)*1
Teleport Crystal [F21]*1
Imugi's Inspiration (Mass HP Recovery)*1
Requires Extended Weight Limit 1
Requires Extended Weight Limit 2
Requires Extended Weight Limit 3
Obtained via Item Stash (Housing)
Obtained via Dimensional Backpack

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two 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)
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
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
Decor [Potted Tanabata Bamboo Tree]: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild:
Kumatetsu Statue: +1 Base Damage for a thread

Wedding Ring:

 

[Lessa 1]

Another slow day in Aincrad. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing. On the contrary, a day without a crazed player killer, or an entire party being wiped out by a mob, was a good one. This was especially true, given the close proximity to the Floor 25 boss battle. Any day now, the Frontliners would go marching up the stairs, through the labyrinth, and into the belly of the beast. One day, maybe she would join them. But for now, Lessa was content to sit atop her bar stool, sipping from her fruity drink, and studying the slow day. The rumor mill, it seemed, had ceased its operations for the time being. There were no announcements, no rare mob sightings, no nearby party invites. Nothing.

With one hand, Lessa flicked a finger through the air, scrolling through her HUD's ever-updating news tab. The other remained cupped around her short cocktail glass, occasionally bringing it to her lips for a quick drink. Read, sip, read, sip - it was a pretty easy rhythm to fall into. In fact, the routine made it easy for Lessa to block out the other patrons in the crowded tavern, many of whom forgot to use their indoor voices while conversing with their tablemates. This particular establishment had excellent drinks, even if the clientele wasn't quite what she would typically choose for herself. She normally found it easiest to simply ignore them, and generally had no problem doing so.

Except for the gaze that bore into her like a hot poker.

Shifting on her stool, Lessa turned to the blue-haired man seated beside her. A gentle smile fell naturally into place, but faint confusion lurked in her blue eyes. "Hey," she began. "Is there something I can help you with?"

 

Spoiler

Name: Lessa
Level: 59
HP: 1270/1270
EN: 118/118

Stats:
Damage: 19
Mitigation: 126
Evasion: -1
Accuracy: 3
BH:38
THRNS:54
H.M.:1
REC:1

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Arcturus (T3/Perfect/2HSS): Damage 3
Armor: Galaxy Armor (T3/Perfect/Heavy Armor): Thorns 2, Heavy Momentum 1
Misc: Neutron Star Necklace (T3/Perfect/Jewelry): Accuracy 2, Recovery 1

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
Requires Extended Weight Limit 1
Requires Extended Weight Limit 2
Requires Extended Weight Limit 3
Obtained via Item Stash (Housing)
Obtained via Dimensional Backpack

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]

 

[ChaseR 0]

Although his first instinctive reaction was to shake his head and quiet down, it would be lying if he tried to act as if everything was alright and he could just keep sitting there on his own, with nobody to talk to and nothing to do other than look awkward. The intense stare kept up for a few minutes even after she had asked, before he broke into an awkward smile and let out a heavy sigh.

"... You don't feel weird any? Sitting here and by yourself, when everybody else has company?", he blurted out and laughed lowly to himself- if not with himself, unsure what else to say. Now that they'd started talking though, there was no way to just let up and go back to being himself all by himself. "You're uh... you probably do this often?", the blueberry's awkward questions kept flying at her, perfectly showing his expertise in communication. It was already enough of a problem in the first place, adding all the stress from being in an unknown environment by himself, it just ended up making him sound like an alien. With his almost child-like demeanor, he just slumped over the counter and took a swig out of whatever he had ordered, looking down at it with a small frown and distressed expression. "It's my first time in a bar, so... It's awkward.", Chase tried to add as he turned his head to Lessa, mustering another smile and holding a hand out while his right leg bobbed up and down on the floor like a pogo stick. "My name's Chase. G-Good to meet you..?".

Despite how composed he tried to seem on the outside, it wasn't hard to tell that on the inside he had completely freaked out. The one chance he got at meeting someone in whatever this hellhole is supposed to be, he completely ruined it by continuously talking over himself and making things more and more awkward as time went on. Definitely not the hill he wanted to die on, but the one he inevitably always ended up trudging. "Way to fuck it up, bucko. Why did I even have to come alone in the first place...", his inner ramblings went on and on, pinning the blame for this happening on himself constantly and as per usual, cutting himself no slack.

[Lessa 1]

The strangeness of the question caught Lessa entirely off-guard. In spite of it all, she gave a short laugh. "Ah, no," she confessed. "I guess I don't really mind eating alone. I do it a lot, and even before SAO, I took most of my meals by myself. The life of a busy college student means a lot of late-night trips to the cafeteria." 

Unease seemed to roll off the man in waves. Were he not confined to his bar stool, Lessa suspected he might take to absently pacing. Or, just as likely, he might bolt for the door. Instead, the player's foot bounced restlessly, and questions burst from his lips like birds freed from a cage. She was mixed parts concerned for him and amused by him. Something in the nervousness was oddly endearing. After so many years spent in Aincrad, most had grown accustomed to all of the experiences the world had to offer. As a result, very few of Lessa's interactions involved such real, genuine nervousness. While she was hardly pleased the man was struggling, she felt her guard drop a bit as a result.

With a practiced flick of her wrist, Lessa dismissed her reading with a twinkle of bells. Without anything else to focus on, she turned her full attention on Chase. "Lessa," she supplied helpfully, when his voice trailed. "My name is Lessa. It's great to meet you, Chase." She pressed her hand to his, squeezed, shook. Then, letting go, she turned a bit to survey their surroundings. "I wouldn't form your entire opinion of bars around this place. The drinks are pretty good, but the crowd is..." her voice trailed, and she twirled a finger in the air as if trying to find the write adjective. When riotous laughter erupted only feet from where they sat, she waved that finger toward the sound. "A lot. The crowd is a lot. Kind of overwhelming, really. They're not all like this."

[ChaseR 0]

"... G-Great to meet me..? Ah, that's what it is... She thinks I'm a child, doesn't she.", he concluded inside of his head, knowing that this was the same way Mari, now dubbed as Ma, had been treating him. Well... Whichever the case, he still had questions that wouldn't help his position if that's how she felt about him right now. "Er... Don't people go to bars for the... you know, noise?"

Chase let his head rotate around the room, before realising he still hadn't pulled his hand back; which he quietly did and stuffed in his pocket, sighing. "... I'm horrible with new people, sorry.", he quickly apologised and went back to looking around the bar again. "I thought people went to places like this cause they wanted more crowd, people around them. Why would you go to a crowded place alone?", he continued to ponder on his own, but out loud where Lessa could hear it and give feedback to his questions all the same. While waiting for an answer though, he turned to look at Lessa again with the same confused expression, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes scanning her form really quickly. Incredibly casual clothing, but she definitely didn't seem to just be a college student. She seemed way, way older, maybe... more like a graduate? The bluehead would have become a college student if they hadn't gotten trapped in Aincrad, but even he seemed way less mature than the blonde. Maybe it was in the way she expressed herself, her clothes or her overall looks. She just didn't seem to be around his age. Not that he'd say that of course, being bad at talking and being blunt isn't the same... necessarily.

 

Edited November 21, 2020 by ChaseR

[Lessa 1]

Lessa shook her head, waving a hand dismissively. "You've got nothing to be sorry for," she informed him. "Everyone had their strengths. Mine just happens to be talking. I've always been something of a people person." Communication had always been her weapon of choice. Of course, years spent in Aincrad had dulled that blade. It was only within the past year or so that she had been able to work on sharpening it again. Grabbing her drink again, she brought it to her lips. Then, like a distant sound through the roar of the crowd, an old memory returned to her. A wide-eyed, half-crazed swordsman sitting on her when he hadn't been able to find the words to express himself. Her lips curved against the rim of the glass.

"I will let you know," she began, after taking a sip, "that some of the best people I know aren't people... people. Persons." Twirling her finger through the air, she concluded with, "They aren't so great with the communication stuff. So you're certainly not alone."

At the man's follow-up question, she tilted her head slightly. "Ah, no," she replied, "I don't think so. At least, not in my case. I don't come for the noise, or the crowd. I come for the drinks, and the food. It's convenient, especially when I'm already on the first floor. Plus, no risk of burning my house down." With a mischievous sideways glance toward Chase, she added, "There aren't any fire alarms in here, but if there were, I'd have set them off dozens of times."

[ChaseR 0]

While she thought about whatever she did, Chase looked at her quietly with the same blank and relatively lost stare. "... I can't tell if she's trying to compliment me or talk about one of her actual friends.", he concluded in the back of his mind, looking over towards the crowd before back at her. "... Isn't cooking in Aincrad different than cooking in the real world? You just uh... Click click and eat.", the blueberry proceeded to explain what he'd become familiarized with. Now, the issue was that he was still that bad at cooking and didn't even want to try and see whatever horrible results he would produce- that was Sven's job, not his own.

And then came the remark about the fire alarm. "You'd have set them off..? Way to be a peoples person.", he said with a fading chuckle, starting to scratch the back of his head. He wanted to apologize just in case she'd taken it as an insult but she probably knew better. If she talked with others a lot, that meant she must know how to read them, right? "So... What level are you?", he tried to start up a conversation as he tapped his fingers quietly on the counter, as well as bobbed his knee up and down on the stool he sat, trying to bounce it off the ground with his toes while making as little noise as possible. His nervousness was fairly apparent, and to be fair, this was the first time he did try to talk to someone random he just met of his own volition.

With being trapped in Aincrad for so long, it was hard to think of something other than SAO to talk about. God, this game really had ruined them. Not that... he'd know what to talk about back in the real world. "... I'm sure Lily would be happy if I kept trying... Uugh... It'll do me good too, probably..."

Edited December 26, 2020 by ChaseR

[Lessa 1]

Her blue eyes widened at his question, and she regarded him with a surprised amusement. "So forward," she commented back. Then, remembering who it was she was talking to, the woman cast him a quick smile. "I'm teasing. But it's been a very, very long time since someone asked me my level. I figure, at this point, it's probably on the same level as asking a person's age." Her own statement gave her pause, and after a second's hesitation, Lessa laughed softly. "Not that giving you my age would be easy or anything. I have no idea how we're actually aging in this damn castle."

"Anyway." With a flick of her wrist, she swatted away the distracting line of thought. "I'm teetering on the edge of level sixty. I'd like to get there in the next couple of weeks, but who knows how that's going to play out. It's snowing where I live now, and that usually makes me want to stay in bed all day. How about you? What level?"

Before Chase had the opportunity, to answer, the blonde spoke again. "Hey, do you want anything to eat? I'm probably going to order something."

[ChaseR 0]

At first, Chase was tense too. But with her laughter, followed his, a laugh of relief more than anything else. He didn't want to answer on his level as much as make a comment about the fact she lived over in the perfect fourth floor, but he was bombarded with another question before he could even open his mouth. "I- Er... Get me whatever you order too.", he anxiously followed up with a nod, giving a sheepish smile before looking to the side.

"Yeah, no clue how old I am anymore either... I was talking with someone and he said it's been two years... Can't have been, right?", he quietly mumbled as he turned his head back to Lessa, giving a small frown before he realised just how moody he was being. Almost immediately, he decided to get back to the topic on hand, coughing and shaking his head. "Uh, level seventy seven. I'm almost done with all quests, but I want to keep moving on before I give myself any rest. Even then, I don't know if I'll be strong enough to protect everybody I'm friends with. So I might just have to keep on going.", the boy quietly nodded to himself as he spoke, his tension having been lifted for once. His leg wasn't jumping up and down, and neither were his nails tapping the counter now. 

Edited December 26, 2020 by ChaseR

[Lessa 1]

"Seventy seven?" Lessa nearly choked on the words, and had to fight to regain her composure. "That's, uh, impressive," she finally managed, pausing to shove her blonde hair back from her increasingly reddening face. "I haven't met too many people who are that high up there, so you should feel pretty good about where you're at." Dragging the short glass to her lips, she downed the last of the cocktail, and nearly choked again on an ice cube. As quietly and politely as possible, she chomped it into manageable pieces, then swallowed. "Kind of makes me feel bad," she admitted once she'd replaced the empty cup. "I've watched people go shooting by me in terms of level. I know that isn't the only thing that's important, but it's something I still think about, y'know?" Shifting on her barstool, she considered the other things her new acquaintance had said. "And nearly done with the quests? That's crazy. I've, uh, only done a few myself. They've just never really been to high on my to-do list, with everything else going on."

Somewhat distracted now, she flagged the bartender with a wave of her hand and a quick smile. "Grilled peanut butter and jelly please," she ordered, then caught herself. "Er, make that two. Thanks so much."

[ChaseR 0]

Lessa's order didn't enthuse Chase all that much, but he didn't say anything. It was all done with good intentions, so he'd take it- better enjoy the meeting than try to rain on her parade more. The whole levels matter seemed to have filled in for that as much as anything else he could say wrong. "... Yeah. Levels aren't the most important thing, but you can't rely on others all the time. I'm not strong enough to do a floor raid no matter my level, so it's not enough."

It sounded like a far fetched request, and it really was. He knew no progress would ever get him that far. "I'm just looking to be able to control what's going on around me. Kill monsters with no trouble and keep people safe. And from killing me or others. It's scary that there's killers here. Even now.", he ranted slightly more before sighing, looking down at the counter and remembering about that night terror in his house, when he'd thought someone broke in and couldn't do anything. Even waking up from that nightmare was horrible. "I've been on my own, few friends here. Stuck to doing quests as a distraction, so now I'm feeling pretty... alone? Done? Not sure how to say it."

[Lessa 1]

Not strong enough to do a floor raid, at that level? Lessa opened her mouth to protest, then paused while Chase continued. Oh, that makes sense. "I've only fought in one floor raid," she admitted after a moment. The woman studied her empty cocktail glass for a beat, then continued. "I won't lie to you, it was horrifying. In the beginning, things were actually going better than I'd expected. Then the boss acted unpredictably, and I watched it 'eat' my best friend." With the word eat, she motioned with two fingers. "Air quotes because it was actually a weird teleportation glitch, and he ended up living through it. But god, if that's not the definition of chaotic, I don't know what is. Total loss of control."

After another few seconds, she concluded, "So I can understand why you might not want to join the Frontliners. I haven't been back since. But I've started considering it, personally. After all this time, I'm starting to think that maybe lack of control is a small price to pay for getting out of here, y'know?"

A couple of raised voices from down the bar caused a natural pause in their conversation. Only when the men had quieted, their short-lived argument satisfied, did Lessa speak again. "I understand, though. The being lonely, and the looking for distractions. I only have a couple of friends, too." Her voice grew softer as she said, "Even then, some days are harder than others."

[ChaseR 0]

He seemed to have jumbled up his wording or something when trying to explain his point. "No, that's- I'm going to the frontlines. Only when the raid is up. Then I'm going back to my friends. I won't stick around more than I have to, I'm bad with people.", he sighed and simmered down again, until Lessa mentioned the story that he'd already heard once. But this time, from a different perspective. It wasn't from the one being swallowed up before everyone's eyes; this time, it was the opposite.

"You mean Alkor? He's the one that Hydra or something ate up. We've quested now lately, went fishing too. Does he know you're still here? You're best friends, so you can meet up, right?", he asked her with a small smile, hopeful that he hadn't misunderstood and who Lessa was talking about was a completely different person. Although it would be very worrysome if whatever that glitch had taken place more than once in a floor raid. And then came the shouts of two from further into the bar, getting a glare from Chase before he turned back to Lessa. "... Yeah. All my past days have been tougher now lately. We're trapped together but still working against one another or something like that.", the blue boy tried to go deep with the conversation but didn't feel it too much, so he shrugged and perked up only when he saw their meals come. His stomach did growl too, so... liked it or not, food was food, and he was going to have some. 

[Lessa 1]

"You know Alkor?" She heard herself saying the words before she realized what was happening. Why had that fact surprised her so much? It wasn't as if Alkor didn't interact with other people. She just... had never met anyone else who knew him. Aincrad was getting smaller and smaller every day, it seemed.

So she schooled her expression into something more nonchalant, then slid her plate closer after the bartender dropped it off. "Questing and fishing, huh?" she asked casually, gently tearing the crust off of her grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She folded it into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed before commenting, "I guess it sounds like you guys have spent a lot of time together. That's-" What was it, exactly? Nice? Surprising? Fun? "-good. I'm glad he's getting out there and spending time with people."

Lessa shifted to the next side of the sandwich, absently tearing at the crust as she thought on her words. Then, carefully, she asked, "Did he seem okay to you? I mean, as okay as someone can be in this place. Things have been sort of weird between us, though I think we're slowly working on it. I guess, well, I just wanted to make sure he was doing okay."

[ChaseR 0]

A nod to Lessa's question, before he looked at her as though she'd just killed a man. "What the fuck is she doing to the sandwich.", he almost screamed in the back of his mind, shivering whole and looking over at his own. He wasn't going to violate it the very same way that Lessa had just now. Man of god or not, some sins were to just not be practiced outside of 'wouldn't that be funny' moments. This was one of them.

"Uuuh... I needed a partner to do quests so I asked him to give me information on his skills in exchange for my help. We both hadn't done them yet.", he explained and took a bite of his own sandwich, focusing on the flavor of the crust more than the rest of the PB&J. "... Yeah, he seems fine. He'd told me about a friend he doesn't... talk with anymore. Not you, right?", he muttered lowly with a small pause before his question followed, turning his head to look at the side as he took another bite. "I don't know him well enough, but... he's a 'bro' guy. You can trust him and- he's your best friend, you know him. He also sucks at speaking as much as I do.", he commented before ending off to give her some space to talk again, chuckling lowly and swallowing the mouthful at last. "The food here is... good? Not my favorite but. I like it."

[Lessa 1]

The woman gave a slow, thoughtful nod. Helping someone else, especially if it meant obtaining information he didn't already have? "Yeah," she confirmed softly. "I guess that does sound like him." But to work with a complete stranger? She hadn't really known him to be so sociable. Perhaps he truly was changing. 

"I've never heard him described as a 'bro' anything," she mused aloud, amusement dancing in her blue eyes. "But I'm glad you found that you could come to depend on him. He's-" her jaw worked as she once again found herself at a loss for words. Why was it that she found discussing Alkor so incredibly difficult? "-A pretty good guy. I do like to think that I can trust him." The lighthearted laughter was gone from her gaze now, and she dropped the crust that she had been tearing at. "I'm not sure if I'm the friend," she confessed. "I guess I could be. There's a lot of stuff about him that I don't know."

At his final comment, she offered a weak smile. "Yeah," she confirmed. "It's just a sandwich. Like I said, I come here for the drinks."

[ChaseR 0]

Chase wasn't a people guy. That much had become apparent if his declaration prior didn't make it so already. But he could tell just how awkward Lessa was with the topic from how she spoke about it- something about it hitting too close to the way blue himself acted. He sighed and took another bite, scratching the back of his head with his other hand. If Alkor was their only common 'person of interest' (or topic at all) and it was awkward, there wasn't much he himself could think about to bring up.

"Drinks? Did you uh. Drink? In real life. Alcohol.", he awkwardly tried to help the conversation keep going, offering an equally weak smile as he tried to put a distance between the current topic and Alkor. The conversation just seemed to be making Lessa queasy. "I didn't do much with others but drinking I never got into. Alcohol hits too easy.", he admitted before taking another bite, resting one hand on the counter and tapping his fingers on it quietly, at a very gentle rhythm- probably some song or melody stuck in the back of his mind. "Actually what did you even do to kill time in the real world? I know we went over it but I'm dry out of stuff. To talk about. Sorry."

[Lessa 1]

"Yeah, I drank a bit," she admitted, a weight lifting from her chest with the sudden topic change. Either he had realized he was making her uncomfortable, or he was tired of listening to her trudge through a discussion about Alkor. Or perhaps a little both. But Lessa wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Not nearly as much as most college kids. That's probably because I wasn't a huge partier. But my older roommates normally shared their wine coolers with me, and I'd have a glass of wine with my family for special occasions." She poked at her sandwich again, but realizing her appetite was truly gone, shoved the plate further away. "You know, Christmas and stuff. But I can understand why a person wouldn't want to get into it, too. I've seen it lead to some pretty messed up situations."

"I kept pretty busy in the real world," she told him, shifting seamlessly into his next question. "Taking classes, doing my internship, spending time with my family, going to meetings for a few different student-led clubs. I actually didn't have time for much gaming anymore, which is why this whole 'trapped in a game' thing is sort of laughable." Even as she spoke the words, she didn't smile. But she did glance over toward Chase, and ask, "What about you? What did you do?"

[ChaseR 0]

The whole mention of gaming got the boy to quietly lower his head, look at the counter and give it a bit of thinking. So she did 'game' on her free time to an extent, unlike him. Funny enough, unlike just him, everyone else here seemed to have had more ingrained experiences with other MMOs or whatever these games were called. "Ah, I see. I'm- uh... I only hung out with another person, Lily, so we didn't do that much. Went to school, came back and then just kinda sat together and went for walks in the park, or played together or we just talked. Kind of boring."

"I don't think I needed anything else though. I felt like I was having fun and it was okay. We saw the whole NerveGear thing and got very excited cause it seemed like a nice entry point for games. We were going to switch accounts and have a house or something, she was big on decoration as much as she was in the whole 'fighting' aspect. Then this happened.", he tried his best to not stutter and relieve his own 'trapped in a game' stress, feeling the tension start to lift at last. "I kinda kept more pre-occupied with studies and stuff. Not big on people. Didn't talk to many, few companies, and I was quiet. Kinda had to change that in here. I'm still choppy with speaking though."