[PP-F1] An adventure in town! (Calrex and Teayre) (And a thirdwheel Oikawa!)

[Teayre 0]

After watch Oikawa disappear, Teayre grabs Calrex by the hand and pulls him along to the ice cream shop they were at earlier. Procuring themselves a private booth. Teayre orders a extra large strawberry sundae.

 

"Order what you like, it's on me."

Flashing a small smile as she passed Calrex the menu, she then leans back resting her hands on the table and twiddles her thumbs before asking.

"Is there anywhere you would like to go? I'd like to see what clothes are available to get and maybe see a few monuments in town I heard there are some lovely ones." 

Taking a deep breath after speaking, it was clear that Teayre didn't pause for breath during her rambling obviously nervous about something.

 

"Why am I nervous, why? why? why? This has never happened to me before."

[Calrex 0]

"Dwuh!"

 

Calrex was taken for a second by surprise as Teayre pulled him to the cafe they were at previously with Oikawa. Everything else was a blur for a second and before he could gather his thoughts they were sitting in a booth with an extremely large strawberry sundae in front of Teayre. He could feel a sweatdrop appear on the side of his head as he noticed the size of the dessert.

 

"You sure? I don't want to put you out in any way. I'm not feeling too hungry so..."

 

"I'd better not disrespect the offer, but Teayre's also just starting out, so I shouldn't get too much either. I'm doing fine so far, so just a drink will do."

 

He ordered an iced mocha to drink once the waiter appeared once again. When Teayre mentioned if they could stop by some clothing shops and the monuments he gave a nod, "Yeah those sound perfectly fine. I don't really have anywhere in particular I need or would like to look that, but I'm sure there'll be something to check out while we're walking around."

 

Calrex took note of the fact that Teayre seemed like she said everything in a single breath, which seemed fairly odd, especially since from what he could tell it's not as easy to get winded in Sword Art Online as it would be in the real world.

 

"Is she still tired from the quest? Maybe the swimming?"

 

"Are you feeling alright from the quest? It definitely was something new."

[Teayre 0]

"It's... not a problem... honestly... I... want to treat... you for saving me..." Teayre spurts out between mouthfuls. "The quest... was good... simple and easy... like most... starting quests..." 

Finishing off her sundae, she cleans out the dish it was served in using her spoon after pulling the dish away there's a little bit of ice cream on her cheek. 

"I'm fine from the quest, we both got a weapon each which was good and it was nice having a swim."

 

As the waiter came over, Teayre thanked him and gave him the col to cover the food consumed and a small tip before resting her head on her hands, her eyes glazing over as she looked in Calrex's direction.

 

"I wonder what I should buy... Would you help me pick something out?"

[Calrex 0]

Calrex was once again blown away by the speed that Teayre showed while tearing through her sundae.

 

"I fairly sure I would get at least one brain freeze at some point if I were to do that. She must really like her sweets."

 

He gave a final gulp of his iced mocha before the waiter arrived to retrieve Teayre's dish so that he could easily take both orders at once. When Teayre relaxed and asked if he could help her pick out some clothing Calrex put a hand behind his head, rubbing the back of his head, ruffling his dark blue hair.

 

"Sure, I'd be glad to lend a hand, although I'm not the most versed in terms of clothing so I'm not sure if my advice would be that reliable."

 

"Yeah, Mr. Wears Cargo Pants Every Day If He Could. Although they are very comfy and allow me to carry a lot of stuff."

 

"Was there any particular type of clothing you were thinking about getting?"

[Teayre 0]

Pausing for a moment to think,

"Hmmm, I'm not sure I was mostly going to see what there was around maybe pick up some swim wear or something. Was there anything you wanted at all?"

 

Leaning her head back against the chair and stretching before returning her gaze to Calrex,  

"We might not be able to do the shopping tonight, as it is getting fairly late we may need to go sleep first. Although we could go see the monument of life... I know it's a little morbid, but if we know where our names are then we can... um... Make sure the other one stays alive... "

As she finished speaking Teayre starts to fidget, twisting in her seat like she's trying to hide something.

[Calrex 0]

"Hm...I guess I could probably look for some casual gear as well, although I'm not really sure what I'd like to look at."

 

He took a quick look outside to see the time of day. As Teayre stated, the night life was just starting in the Starting City, "Yeah you're probably right. I mean we could take a look at whatever's going on during the night, but I'm guessing most of the regular shops will be closed."

 

He placed his head on his crossed hands, thinking about the particular monument Teayre was referring to, "...yeah we can check that out. I haven't visited it yet, so if would be useful to find where our names are located, so we can keep track of how everyone's doing."

 

"If we go there I'd best make a mental note of everyone we've met so far and their locations on the slab. It's not the best way to keep track of how they're doing, but then at least we'll know who's alive."

 

His eyes scanned the room casually, as well as observing the situation at hand. "She certainly seems more reserved than earlier, although compared to with Oikawa she's definitely looking this way more often than before. Of course that could be simply because I'm the only one here that she knows. Going from what I remember this kind of behavior usually means something's on her mind, or that she's hiding something...should I ask?..."

 

"Everything alright? You seem kind of on edge for some reason."

[Teayre 0]

((OC: Sorry for some short RP posts, trying to put what I can into them but completely nackered recently))

Jumping in surprise.

"Me? No nothing on my mind... Just... um..."
Her fidgeting became worse, deep shade of crimson covered her cheeks, whilst her eyes widened beyond reason.

 

"Let's go and see the monument then if we don't hurry... um something might happen."

 

Standing up she moves a bit too quickly and trips as she reaches for Calrex's hand, falling towards him.

[Calrex 0]

OOC: Lol no worries XD

 

Calrex was listening to Teayre attentively, preparing to get up as Teayre did as well. As she tripped he immediately responded, stepping forward and catching her by the shoulder. Since he managed to catch her before the fall began to build momentum, the catch didn't slip through his fingers.

 

"Whoah you sure you alright?"

 

He helped her straighten up before stepping a half-step back, putting a hand in his pocket, "Yeah, something's definitely off. Her eyes went wide, her face is flush...uh...did I just miss something completely obvious? Ok...I'm definitely dense if it's true, but I don't want to jump to that assumption just yet. I mean, she might just be really worn out that she's trying to cover it up."

 

"If you need a hand maybe we can go to the shop and visit the monument tomorrow if you're not feeling up for it." 

[Teayre 0]

"Thank you, It's... It's okay... I think I might just be a bit shaken... You know from where I got frozen in front of that plant because of the cooldown thing... If you're okay with it, could I hold on to your arm... just... just for support nothing else."

 

Turning her head down towards the latter part of her question, her ears looked as if they could give off steam.

 

"Did he... did he just catch me... What am I saying asking to hold on to his arm? It'd be nice..."

 

"I've heard the monument has the names of all the players on it, have you heard anything else about it at all?"

[Calrex 0]

"Hold my arm, yeah that'd be perfectly fine."

 

Calrex nodded and moved the closer of his arms out for Teayre to hold onto.

 

"The monument...I haven't even begun to explore half of the city. I've definitely heard people make mention of the monument, but nothing that really stood out about it."

 

"The most I know from overhearing people is that the monument has record of all the players within SAO. It's fairly large and stands almost like a gravestone from what some others have said. If a player dies within the game their name ends up getting a slash through it to mark the status of the person. So far there's been a significant amount of people whose names have been crossed off the stone. That's about all I've gathered."

 

He led Teayre outside of the cafe, looking left and right, "Which way is it from here?"

[Teayre 0]

Slipping her arm around Calrex's she followed him as he led they way, a smile permanently on her face.

"Uh... I think it's this way but I'm not sure, let's head that way and see what happens."

Tugging gently on his arm Teayre pulls him to the right and they find their way to the square where they first met.

 

"Perhaps it'll be around here?"

 

Squeezing Cal's arm gently Teayre lets out a small sigh, before resting her head against his shoulder her eyes flicking up towards his. 

"So warm..."

 

Losing focus as to where they were going she trips on a step and falls to the floor bringing Calrex with her, landing on her back she let's out a small yelp of pain.

[Calrex 0]

Calrex nodded as he let Teayre lead him in the direction supposedly of the monument, keeping his eyes peeled around the city, observing the different players that walked by, making note of anything that seemed to stand out for him.

 

As they arrived in the square where the large gathering occurred when Calrex first arrived he recognized, looking around, "It certainly looks different at nights than it did during the day. I wonder how everyone else is doing..."

 

His thoughts were quickly disrupted when he felt his balance get pulled downwards. Apparently Teayre had tripped on the staircase, and since she was holding onto him he got taken down as well. His instincts kicked in and before he hit the ground he stuck his hands out try and catch himself...at least that was what was intended. Instead his face hit the stone staircase in an almost comedic faceplant.

 

"Well...that certainly wasn't expected...I think..."

 

He rolled to the side before sitting up, rubbing the areas of his face that hit the ground, "Ouch...you alright Teayre?"

[Teayre 0]

OC: Gonna be the last one for tonight, I've got work early tomorrow

 

"Cal!? Oh goodness I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to pull you down! Are you alright?"

 

Sitting up as well, she gives Calrex a quick hug before stopping and muttering just loud enough to be audible.

"Idiot, getting hurt like that. Made me worry."

 

Pushing herself to her feet, she offers her hand out to Calrex whilst brushing her hair back behind her ears with the other one. Once she'd pulled Calrex to his feet, she looks round the square and seeing it lit up in a variety of different colours makes her gasp.

 

"Wow... It's so pretty, so colourful. Hmmm... In the morning I'm going to look at getting a battle dress like that, or maybe I should take up a profession..."

[Calrex 0]

OOC: No worries lol, have a good night.

 

"Ugh...yeah I'm fine. Just a small faceplant that's all, heh."

 

Calrex shook his head for a quick second before accepting Teayre's hand, getting to his feet, looking around at the square as well.

 

"The makers of this game certainly made it very pretty to look at. It's got even more super realism than even the top games out on other consoles so far."

 

He put both hands in his pockets as he took a calming breath.

 

"From what I know you'd need to take up a tailor profession in order to make dresses or any type of combat outfit, but there might be something tomorrow as well."

 

"A profession...never even thought about taking up one at the moment. I mean it would be nice to make things I need, but there's already a lot of people doing those jobs that somehow I feel I'd be better off helping get through the game than to provide the tools."

 

He took a quick glance down at Teayre before continuing to look around, "It's definitely a nice moment to relax, especially in light of the more grueling trials to come. Although I wonder what's going through her head right now. Probably a lot going from what I can gather."

[Teayre 0]

"Well, we can look at the tomorrow if that's okay with you? Anyway, let's continue our walk, I'll try not to fall over again."

Linking her arm through Calrex's again, Teayre slowly begins to walk around the square noticing a giant ornate opening at the back within it a black wall looms over everything.

Pointing this out to Calrex she asks

"Do you think it might be in there Cal?"

 

Giving his arm a gentle squeeze she looks up at him, her bottom lip trembling before returning her gaze to the wall.

 

"Shall... Shall.. we go and find out?"

[Calrex 0]

Calrex looked over in the direction that Teayre pointed, seeing the giant wall that loomed over the city, "Yeah that looks to be it."

"It looks a lot bigger than I was thinking it originally was. I wonder how many players are written on it...and how many are already crossed out."

When Teayre asked if they should go to it he nodded, "Yeah, let's go." He let out a calming breath before heading through the opening.

"It might been intended like this, but the feel of the entire setup feels a lot like a funeral or the entrance to a graveyard. I guess this stands as a solemn reminder of our current dilemma."

"You doing alright Teayre?"

[Teayre 0]

"Yeah... It's just a lot to take in, I don't know why I wanted to come to this, this grim place."

 

Walking into the vast open air space, she looks through the names, noting they're in alphabetical order Teayre finds Calrex's name and points it out to him, then finds Oikawa's and does the same.

 

"There are a lot of crossed out ones already... It's... It's scary Cal."

 

A tear begins to roll down Teayre's cheek, as she began to read through the crossed out names, 

 

Turning to face Calrex, Teayre buries herself in his chest pounding it with his fist.

 

"Cal, don't you -ever- and I mean -ever- get your name crossed through you understand me? If you do, I... I..."

 

Her sentence trailing off at the end, Teayre sinks to her knees hanging her head as droplets form a small puddle on the ground beneath her.

[Calrex 0]

As Teayre began searching for their names Calrex also searched for the additional people they had met earlier in the day, making note of all their locations as well.

"All of you... stay alive."

He nodded when Teayre pointed out his and Oikawa's names, pointing out her name as well.

When she noted the amount of people already crossed out Calrex responded with a solemn nod, remaining quiet at Teayre's request for a split second when he thought about his response.

" Unless I go recklessly rushing into combat, death is unfortunately it off my hands. Everyone at some point wants to feel like they're in control of the time they die, and I guess in the game we do have more command of our fate. I'm not going to lie to her, but I will do the best I can to stay alive"

"Don't worry. This game's gonna need to throw everything it's got to get rid of me. Just don't go dying yourself alright? "

While he spoke he gave a calming smile as he rubbed the top of Teayre's head.

[Teayre 0]

Feeling Calrex's hand rubbing her head, Teayre looks up her eyes glistening, a glimmer of hope shining in them.

"Cal... Do... Do I really mean that much to you?"

 

Standing slowly she raises her hand to hold Cal's on her head, her lips twitching into a smile.

 

"I must mean something if he doesn't want me to die... He always seem so carefree, I wonder if this is just an internet persona or who he really is.... "

 

"Shall we.... shall we make our way to an Inn for the night? It's going to be getting cold soon and I think we could both use some sleep after today."

[Calrex 0]

"Does she really mean that much to me?...certainly not the exact reaction I was expecting...was what I suspected right?"

 

"Of course, I don't want any of the people we've met so far to die in this game."

 

When Teayre reached her hand up to keep his hand on her hand, he looked down for a quick second. Since she had just cried a few seconds ago they were still partially wet, the light reflecting off the small drops that were still attached to the edges of her eyes. As she slowly smiled Calrex gave a smile back, his eyes trying to calmly observe her appearance.

 

"Kind of odd to say in the moment, but the whole look makes her appear like one of those people in a drama...of course those were probably for the most part replicated with single eye drops."

 

It might have been because he was looking for longer than he expected, or something he wasn't aware of, he felt a tinge of redness rush to his face. Immediately recognizing it he responded to Teayre's while bringing up his other hand, cupped in a fist, to his mouth, trying to replicate a cough to break his train of thought.

 

"Yeah, definitely...I think if we head back in the direction of the cafe there should be some inns nearby. Although..."

 

Calrex tried counting something on his free hand, a slight look of confusion going across his face, "...do you know how much it costs?"