[PP - F3] The First Reunion (Tristan)

[Lessa 1]

"Can I help you with something?"

Lessa glanced up from the the health potions that she had been examining. A raven-haired player stared back at her, an impossibly wide grin plastered across her face. This must be the shop owner, she determined.

"Ah, no," came her answer, finally. "I'm just browsing, but thank you."

"Are you sure?" the sickly-sweet voice countered, her emerald eyes narrowing. "These are top-of-the-line health potions. All of the front liners shop in my store."

At this, Lessa's eyes widened. She took a step back from the shelf, her hands going to her hips as she rounded on the other woman. "Really?"

The shop's owner nodded. "I am one of the top providers of goods to those who are fighting so bravely to beat this game."

As Lessa had chosen to unequip her gear while shopping in the third floor's small boutiques, the woman would have no idea of her level, or her history with the assault team. What the swordswoman could not hide, however, was her disgust.

"Okay then," she replied tersely. Then, through clenched teeth, "good luck with that." She did not waste another breath on the idiotic stranger, and left the store with her mind on the woman's disgraceful tactics. This is why I don't bother with people anymore.

With her attention elsewhere, she barreled straight into another player as she stepped back into the city street. "Sorry," she grunted automatically, but when she looked into the eyes of her unsuspecting victim, her expression melted from annoyance to surprise. "Whoa, Tristan?"

[Tristan Delaney 0]

Tristan had been casually walking through Floor 3, not really up to much of his own thing. He had some memories of his previous guild, the Guardians of Aincrad. They hadn't done all that much together aside from some frontlining, but that wasn't the main point of concern for them. They were helping out low level players and generally supporting the community. So much so that Tristan has a build all about taking all the damage in place of the team, to ensure the teammates survived.

He thought a bit on Lessa, someone he hadn't seen in quite some time. His original mentor in Sword Art Online and guild leader, they had gone through a lot in this game together, both high and low points abound.

 

What was not expecting was after half a year in Sword Art Online seeing her again on Floor 3, crashing into him no less. Well, it was a surprise for sure. He was wearing only his Twinfire Reflector on his back, a force of habit from when he did medieval fighting reenactment in real life, the rest was unequipped. His eyes slightly widened at seeing her again, saying "Oh, hello there. I've not seen you in...", he counted the months on his fingers, though kind of lost track, his at times ditziness showing "6...7 months? I honestly cannot remember...". He smiled gently at her, happy to see Lessa again.

[Lessa 1]

"A long time, yeah," she replied weakly, not caring to reflect on the actual amount of time. Tristan had taken it upon himself to determine the exact number of months, which made her a bit dizzy. Had it really been that long?

While she had not been actively avoiding old relations, Lessa was more than happy to drop off the map for a while. All she wanted to do was move on, yet the strangest things lingered to remind her. Sometimes, she let those memories motivate her. Other times, she allowed them to anchor her into the darkness she was scrambling to stay just ahead of. Occasionally, she had recognized a familiar face in the crowd, but she had never made a move to greet her old friends. They had moved on, and if she hoped to do the same, she would need to distance herself.

So as she stared up at her former friend and pupil, she offered him a small, uncomfortable smile. "How have you been?" the blonde intoned.

[Tristan Delaney 0]

Tristan grinned and scratched the back of his head with, looking a bit goofy, as was normal for someone like him. "I've been pretty good, it seems the half year break I also took that there has been quite the shuffle of front lining players. Somehow, probably from your good mentoring, I've also become one of the elite Azure Brigade. It's actually really fun and has no one leader, so works out well."

He thought back to when she led a guild herself and smiled a bit, saying in his usual only as loud as necessary (so rather quiet) voice "I'm sure if you wanted to join in, no one would say no. Take your time to get back into things though, I mean, since we've been gone they have gone and taken another floor."

He took a break in his speech, thinking a bit, then spoke again "Hell, maybe we should join in on the next boss raid like we did the last. That though is for the the future..."

Tristan cracked his neck, which was often stiff. He thought it would be fun to do something with Lessa now they were together again. "Hey um, Would you like to do a quest together? I mean, I know you're capable and I got still quests to do. And I know you're more than capable." He threw out the last line chuckling.

[Lessa 1]

She neglected to react to his compliment, as his mention of the new guild interested her far more. "Azure Brigade?" she repeated, gaze dropping to the street before her as she racked her brain. Where do I know that name from? Of course, the Brigade was a hot topic, and players could often be heard murmuring about one great feat or another. It was a group of some of Aincrad's finest, the highest-level players all in one place. It was no surprise that they were one of the game's most influential guilds. But the guild seemed more familiar to her than rumors shared too loudly between strangers. What made this so personal to her?

"Zelrius," Lessa muttered suddenly, her blue eyes moving back up to meet Tristan's. "Zelrius is in that guild, right?" She hadn't thought of that name in quite some time. Her interactions with the Blood Buccaneer had been brief, limited to a half-assed duel in a cave and the uncomfortable exchange that followed. But she did recall his boasting about belonging to the prestigious guild, and she imagined that was were the strange deja vu stemmed from.

At the mention of her joining the guild, her barriers immediately built themselves back up. Her jaw clenched, and she turned to study a small cluster of young players. "I don't plan to join a guild," she informed him in a voice that closed the issue to debate. "I'm fine working alone." And as for the matter of joining the front lines again, she ignored his comment entirely.

"I'm not looking to quest right now," she replied finally. "But I was going to grind a bit this afternoon. You can come, if you want."

[Tristan Delaney 0]

Tristan chuckled at it being recognised. "Yes, the rather arrogant, though powerful, Zelrius is in Azure Brigade as one of the Commandants, same as I am. Kiru, Oikawa and Rebekah are too, so its interesting to have already a fellow previously ex guild mate there." He commented. With Azure being so selective about who it had in their ranks, their force was indeed to be reckoned with.

He raised an eyebrow at her rather...lonesome reaction to the invitation. She seemed somewhat distant, he scratched the side of his face with a finger in thought. "Well, if that suits you. Just don't fall off the face of Aincrad again." He added the last part with a light chuckle.

"And sure, you know I'd happily grind with you." He spoke with a smile.

[Lessa 1]

At his mention of previous guildmates, the faintest traces of a smile flickered across her lips. Good for them, she thought to herself. She had hoped that her Guardians would go on to make names for themselves, and find like-minded people to join forces with. That, it seemed, was precisely what had happened. She was proud of them for what they had managed to do while she was away. She was proud of them for pushing forward when she had been too weak. But I won't be weak much longer.

Lessa blinked a few times when he mentioned falling off the face of Aincrad, but she chose not to discuss the matter further. Of course, it was only meant to be a figure of speech, but she had come very close to doing just that, in a very literal way. Silently replaying the scene in her mind, she shuddered. She had nearly thrown herself off the edge of the world. She had almost killed herself. That had been the lowest point of her entire life.

"Great," she replied simply. She looked the boy up and down, finally assessing Tristan for the first time in six months. His equipment had changed, as had his overall demeanor. He was much more confident than he had been when he first met her. He had to have met, or even exceeded her level now. There would be no more low-leveled mobs for the pair. "I know there are some bigger boars lurking at the far end of the dandelion field. Let's start there." With a curt nod, Lessa led Tristan outside of the safe zone.

[Tristan Delaney 0]

Tristan himself glanced at Lessa for a quick assessment, but not much was necessary as she looked as well equipped as ever, as expected from a blacksmith. It would be a rather odd running irony otherwise if the case were different. Tristan threw that thought out of his head and cast his look to outside the city.

"Well let's go outside then where there are some actual enemies. The gates just over there if I remember rightly." He said, starting his walk, but ensuring that Lessa was close beside him and he wasn't just walking off without her. He was quiet as he walked, seeing if Lessa had anything else to say and if not, enjoyed the light him of the city in movement.

[Lessa 1]

"Yeah, this way," Lessa confirmed, nodding gently. She had spent quite a bit of time on the third floor, which surprised her a bit. When she had been a newcomer to Aincrad, she had spent very little time on the third floor. The first floor had been a safe haven, and the second had been her attempt at standing on her own. While she had trembled and fallen that day, her first steps like that of a newborn foal, Lessa had finally begun to truly learn the mechanics of the game. When she was first whisked away to the fourth floor, she fell in love immediately. The third floor, as a result, had been somehow lost in the shuffle.

But over the past few months, as she began to find more joy in mentoring others, Lessa found herself constantly returning to this place. It held no memories for her; the beauty of the dandelion fields was untainted by the darkness that lingered on the fringes of everything she did. This provided her some solace when she needed it the most.

These thoughts consumed her as long strides carried her across the field. She paid little attention to Tristan, but he did not complain, and so she did not bother worrying about it. It was not until she spotted a newly spawned mob that she spoke. "Here we are. I'll go first."

But as she drew her sword, the three wolves that they faced off against scattered. "Damn," she muttered. "These guys are quick."

{[23481] BD: 1. Lessa's attack misses.}

Lessa: 58/58 (+1 dmg for next turn)

Tristan: 59/59

Wolf 1: 30/30

Wolf 2: 30/30

Wolf 3: 30/30

(To make this exciting, do we want to have each wolf deal 3-5 base damage that ignores damage mit? We could write all three wolves in one post if you want.)

[Tristan Delaney 0]

Tristan wasn't actually that often on Floor 3 at all, seemingly preferring the rocky hills of Floor 2 where he spent many of his early days, or the snowy plains of Floor 4 where he nearly died, along with helping a great number of players in their journey. That as well as his shop on Floor 2 which was also where he lived, so his most visited Floor. For some reason though the Floor between just got ignored for the most part.

 

Tristan grinned to see three wolves. They appeared to be considerably stronger than usual ones on this floor as well, as their teeth shimmered a bright silver. Sure wouldn't be fun to be bitten by that. "But I wonder if they are faster than themself." he chuckled and ran forward, shimmering into the forms of the wolf and biting them, which greatly confused the wolves.

 

<<Disguise>> activated, +1 BD, -1 MD for enemy for 1 turn
[23713] BD: 5+1=6 6dmg

Lessa: 58/58 (+1 dmg for next turn)
Tristan: 59/59 Disguise 12/12

Wolf 1: 14/20
Wolf 2: 20/20
Wolf 3: 20/20

4dmg phase

[Lessa 1]

Wolves

Confused by the human's sudden transformation, the three wolves all experienced moments of complete and utter confusion. Though they were only bits of data inside of a virtual world, the disguise skill was enough to throw them off, and their reaction times were greatly impaired. Two of the wolves lunged at Tristan, but their uncertainty caused their attacks to go wide. The beasts landed helplessly behind the disguised human, before circling back around.

The injured wolf, however, allowed his fury to drive his attack. That thing that stood before him had dealt him damage once, and he would be quick to return the favor. His sharp, silver teeth dug into Tristan, ripping and tearing, and only letting go when the thorns and fire thorns came into effect.

Lessa: 58/58 (+1 dmg for next turn)

Tristan: 55/59 Disguise 11/12

Wolf 1: 20/30 {[24370] BD: 7 - 1 = 6. Deals 4 dmg to Tristan. Takes 4 dmg from thorns and fire thorns.}

Wolf 2: 30/30 {[24371] BD: 2 - 1 = 1. Attack misses.}

Wolf 3: 30/30 {[24372] BD: 1. Attack misses.}

4dmg phase (ignoring blocking skills and damage mit)

[Lessa 1]

Before her eyes, Tristan's tall, lanky form began to shimmer. He seemed to shrink, but it was not until some of the colors subsided that she recognized what exactly was happening. A soft gasp slipped past her lips. When had he learned to do that? Lessa had never seen another player use such an interesting skill, and for a moment, she was frozen to the spot. How much did I miss while I was hiding away on the fourth floor?

Tristan dealt his damage, and moved out of the way to allow her an opening for a second attempt. There was no time to dwell on the magic she had just witnessed; three very powerful wolves were circling the pair, and she would have to act quickly. Gritting her teeth, she leapt toward the weakest of the wolves.

Her claymore ripped through the monster's side with a force that shook her. With a satisfied grunt, she watched the wolf's health bar plummet.

{[24385] BD: 8. Lessa deals 9 damage (8 + 1 heavy momentum).}

Lessa: 58/58

Tristan: 55/59 Disguise 10/12

Wolf 1: 11/30

Wolf 2: 30/30

Wolf 3: 30/30

[Tristan Delaney 0]

Tristan noticed Lessa strike the enemy strongly, dealing considerable damage. Then again, she was far more suited to dealing damage than he was, who was a tank. These enemies themselves though were also rather strong for something on Floor 3. "Sheesh you found something strong for us to fight." he said in a light hearted tone, surprised these foes hit even harder than the Snow Beast. At how they were, these foes were probably together stronger than the Snow Beast was, which was the kind of challenge he expected from Lessa to avoid her being bored.

He activated parry to avoid receiving considerable damage again, in case they did hit.

 

(H:1) Lessa: 58/58
(H:2) Tristan: 55/59 Disguise 11/12

ID 24425 BD 1 CD 1

<<Parry>> activated, half damage received.

Wolf 1: 13/30 Fire Thorns 2/2 (1 damage each turn)
Wolf 2: 30/30
Wolf 3: 30/30 

[Lessa 1]

Spoiler

Combat is being abandoned due to ancient thread and outdated mechanics.

Lessa jolted awake with a noisy gasp for air. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she brought the living room into blurry focus. No forest, no wolves, no Tristan. Just her familiar furniture, the midday sun streaming through the window, and... oh crap.

”Erm, sorry,” she grumbled, swiping the drool from her lips and the side of her cheek. The dark patch on Bahr’s shoulder betrayed just where she had fallen asleep. Apparently, she’d passed out while they sar on the couch together. Crimson crept up her neck like a crawling plant, blooming hot across her face. With a sheepish smile, she added, “And sorry about, uh, your shirt.”

Drawing away from him, Lessa scrubbed both hands roughly across her face, then slapped both cheeks lightly. Then she raked her fingers through her knitted blonde hair, shoving it back and letting it cascade down her back. “I don’t even remember falling asleep.” She glanced around, attempting to discern an approximate time of day. “Was I out long?”

[Bahr 0]

Years of diligence and practice had led to this. After such a long time, you'd think the man may have lost the zeal he originally held for the endeavor. You'd be wrong. Bahr was a loyal man, to both the people in his life and the goals he set for himself. It wasn't every day someone had the opportunity to do something like this. 

He gazed down at the Olympic swimming pool. Viscous, amber-colored liquid filled it up to the rim. He squatted, dipped his finger within the mysterious goop, then plopped that finger into his mouth. Aunt Jemima may not have been around to witness what was about to happen, but she was there in spirit. Nobody in the history of mankind had ever managed to swim a full lap in a pool full of syrup before. Nobody. 

But Bahr would. Bahr would show them all. 

"Erm, sorry."

Then his eyes snapped open. He felt... wet. Had he done it? Had we swum the lap?

Wait, no. That was slobber. Lessa slobber. Oh. It was a dream. Bahr was only slightly disappointed. "Uhh, not sure," he admitted in response to her inquiry. "Think I fell asleep too. Can't imagine that a pool of..." Realizing how ridiculous he was about to sound, Bahr stopped himself and left his eyes drift toward Lessa. "You, uh  sleep well?"

[Lessa 1]

Gaze now free of sleep gunk, Lessa studied Bahr’s face properly. Oh yep, there it was, the telltale signs of sleep. His Christmas eyes were just a tad dreamy, and the red splotch on his cheek showed where he’d rest it on her head. So they’d both fallen asleep together? That was a whole lot less embarrassing, and even kind of cute, assuming she hadn’t snored. Oh god, had she snored?

Shoving the horrifying notion aside, Lessa reached out, snagged Bahr’s hand. Casually, she interlocked fingers with him, and let their joined hands rest in her lap. “I did, yeah.” Her head tilted slightly, brain fighting to hold the fleeting memory in place. “Really weird dream, though. I actually dreamed that I was back in the first couple years of Sword Art. I was probably a level ten? And fighting with a guy I haven’t seen in years. I haven’t even thought of him in about as long. We were fighting a pack of wolves.”

[Bahr 0]

Bahr didn't resist when Lessa reached for his hand, instead offering it happily. As their fingers laced together, he let his neck go lax and rested the back of his head into the plush cushion of the couch. They'd decided to have a lazy day, but Bahr wasn't expecting it to be this lazy. He hadn't taken a nap in the middle of the day in ages. It was... nice. 

"Wolves," Bahr echoed absently, still having not woke up entirely. "What would Riker think? Bajesus always gives me a dirty look when I talk about fighting boars." Noticing the absence of the animals, Bahr's eyes scanned the living room for any sign of them. "Where are they, anyway? They couldn't have scampered too far, I hope. Not sure how long we were zonked out..."

As naturally as checking a watch, Bahr summoned his menu with his free hand to the tune of a light jingle. Five thirty in the afternoon. Oops. 

"Oh, crap. The last thing I remember is lunch. We were really out that long?"

[Lessa 1]

Lessa paused to yawn, long and slow. “Uh, yeah, I’m not sure where they went.” Like Bahr, the woman gave the space a quick search. When it turned up nothing, she loosed a shrug. “I’ve caught them curled up on the bed a couple of times,” she informed him. Her thumb absently stroked his hand, an action that had become so natural that she didn’t realize she was doing it. “They might be in there. That’s where we should have been.” Reaching her free hand back, Lessa’s fingers kneaded the kink the impromptu couch nap had caused. Exactly what angle had her neck been at?

At Bahr’s exclamation, she leaned over to check the time for herself. “Oh geeze,” she breathed, shaking her head slowly. “Yeah, I can’t believe we slept that long.” Then she gave him a soft, mushy smile. “At least we didn’t have anything planned for today.”

[Bahr 0]

"Yup, that's right," Bahr affirmed, dismissing the window and giving her hand a light squeeze. "Just a lazy day with my favorite person. Can't complain about an impromptu nap, even if my neck might." He peered at her out of the corner of his eye, wry grin stretching his cheeks. "It's not too late, you know. To head to the bed. Just not sure how much sleep we're gonna get." Anticipating how red her face would get at the presumption, he nudged her ribs with his elbow. 

"You know. On account of the long nap, and all that."

He knew that he needed to get up and get their dinner started soon, but he couldn't will his body to move. It was still half asleep, and who wants to move when they're cuddled up on a comfy couch with their girlfriend, anyway? He was content, if not marginally hungry. 

"Ww should do this more often."

[Lessa 1]

She had just opened her mouth to protest when he jabbed his elbow into her ribs. Her lips slapped together in a scowl, then parted again on a long sigh. Lessa was no prude, and actually had a bit of an inappropriate streak. Sexual innuendos amused her endlessly, and were it anyone else, she’d have had a witty comeback. At the very least, she’d have waggled her eyebrows, maybe batted her lashes suggestively.

But not with Bahr. At some point, she’d gone from being a borderline pervert to being flustered by anything even remotely sexual. Why, damn it? It was just so goofy.

But instead of dwelling, Lessa closed her eyes, leaned into him. “We should definitely do it more often,” she agreed. “How about right now? I wouldn’t mind another hour or so.”

Thread Completed!

Tristan, Lessa, Bahr all earn the following: 2 SP, 133 col.