[PP-F1] Virtual Days (Koumori)

[Starrine 0]

Starrine sat in the grass, gaze fixated on the sunrise in the distance. Bu-bump. Bu-bump. Her heart sounded loud and clear in her ears, and she gripped the brim of her dress, breath in her throat. "How did this happen..?" She wondered quietly to herself. She'd been asking herself the same question for the past few days. How? A plain old girl slipping on NerveGear, expecting a brand new, exciting experience. It was that. But it was also terrifying. What was happening to her body every day she sat in this death game? Was she rotting away in a hospital someday? What would her brother and mother think? What if she.. No, push it away. Her face stung with the awful realization of the toll that this would take on her family. All because of her simple mistake of slipping on the NerveGear that day. Why this game in particular? Her early birthday gift.. How ironic, when any day could be the opposite of her birthday.

When did she start thinking such thoughts? "I need to focus.." She mumbled to herself, shaking her head of any thoughts that still lingered in her head. Starrine stood up, dusted herself off, and took a deep breath, looking around. Breakfast? No col. Well, time for the same old, then. Pulling up her menu, she scrolled through her inventory for a moment, before pulling out a pale, stale-looking piece of bread. "I can't wait until I can make my own food.." She chuckled to no one in particular, taking an exaggerated first bite of bread. As she thought about the professions quest, she blinked her eyes open wide, realizing what day it was.

"Ahh, that's right.. Today's my birthday, isn't it?"

[Koumori 0]

Today I decided I'd begin early. I set my internal, and I do mean internal in the most literal sense, alarm to about 5:00. That way if wake up just around sunrise. Just as scheduled my alarm buzzed and I slowly opened my eyes and scratched my head. For the first few minutes after I wake up i usually remain very groggy but after that passes I'm ready to go. That in mind, I got up off the bed and equipped my gear. Skipping breakfast once again I began heading straight out of town. Luckily it didn't take to long to reach the gate as not many people were up this early. It had been awhile (relatively) since I got trapped in SAO and I was slowly beginning to step up my game to reach the top. The thought of going out for another day excited me rather than scared me. As I walked through the bountiful grasslands the morning wind blew through my hair and the fresh dew sparkled in my vision. Today was already shaping up to be a great one. I soaked in my surroundings as I continued to walk through the fields, but then I noticed a girl sitting alone on the ground. Normally I'd continue walking and ignore her but I just happened to pass by near enough to here what she was saying. Apparently today was her birthday. This game was harsh on people considering you couldn't see your friends and family, so I imagined that this was a sad day for her. She could probably use someone wishing her I happy birthday. So I decided that would be me. I walked up behind her and in a soft voice said "Happy Birthday"

[Starrine 0]

Starrine blinked, watching the hazy pink clouds shift over the sun, chewing a mouthful of bread that tasted like nothing. She wondered quietly what she should do for her birthday, and after a couple of minutes, decided she might go out and try to earn some col, or maybe go material hunting.. Both sounded like tedious tasks, but when you're broke, there's not much you can do. Taking the last bite of her bread, she chewed, and swallowed. This was a death game, and a cruel one at that.

Of course, when it's completely silent and you're sitting on a hill alone, you don't expect there to be any noises but nature. However, when a voice sounded quietly behind her, she jumped, practically falling forward in surprise. Had someone heard her? She immediately pushed herself back up, and turned around, still on the ground. Starrine's amber eyes looked upwards, scanning the fellow before her with surprise, but slight curiosity. "Uh.. Thank you," she laughed a bit, rubbing her head and awkwardly pushing herself off of the ground, standing on two legs once more. He was taller than her, but definitely somewhere around her age. "You scared me a bit.. O-oh, uh," she looked down, and lifted her hand in greeting. It would be weird not to offer her name after she'd just been given a happy birthday, "Hi! I'm Starrine."

[Koumori 0]

As I should've expected, the girl was not expecting to hear my voice. She jumped up and fell forward on her face. Maybe it would've been a better I idea to say it in front of her and not sneak up behind her I thought. As I got ready to assist her in getting up she did all the work for me and practically leaped to her feet and spun like a top to great me. All shreds of surprise gone, she extended her hand and gleefully greeted me. I smiled back at her and reached my hand out to hers and lightly shook it. "I'm Koumori." After I got a good look at her she appeared to be slightly older than me but from what I had seen so far she acted like she was much younger in comparison. "Its no fun spending a birthday alone." I added

[Starrine 0]

Starrine laughed sheepishly, shaking his hand, then removing it and tucking both hands behind her dress. "Koumori.. Nice name," she said with a genuine smile, looking up politely. Now examining him a bit closer, she came to the conclusion that he was probably younger than her. He had strange colored eyes, too. "Oh, uh.. I suppose not. I don't really have many.. friends to spend it with, heh." It was true, though; the closest person she'd been to so far was Hirru, who showed her how to fight, but.. She wasn't sure if he even considered her a friend. "Ah, um.. I hope I don't sound rude, but would you mind, maybe.. U-um, maybe going monster hunting or something..? Ah, I'm sorry, I should just keep to myself, shouldn't I? I just met you, and.." She rambled on, blushing a bit in embarrassment at herself.

[Koumori 0]

Starrine gleefully responded and I could see that she began to size me up as well. She seemed to be satisfied with what she saw as she didn't flee. Suddenly though her demeanor changed. She became a little more...down. She told me she didn't have many friends and didn't have anything to do. Still in her downtrodden state, she asked if I'd go monster hunting with her. That seemed like an odd question to me. I know on my birthday I wouldn't go out and grind, I'd take it easy an relax. Maybe she really just didn't have anyone to spend it with and didn't know what else to do. Well what a predicament for me then. I don't usually go up to players at random and talk to them in the first place, but her I was contemplating spending this girl's birthday with her. After briefly weighing my options, I decided I'd do it. Retaining my smile I responded to Starrine's request "You want to go monster hunting on your birthday? You can't do that. There's got to be something you'd rather do" at this I my smile turned into a nudging one. Maybe my reassurance would help her. Then again, we didn't even know each other. She might think I'm being creepy. 

[Starrine 0]

Starrine blinked, looking up at Koumori with a puzzled expression; he took a couple moments to respond, and she wondered if she'd said something wrong. Perhaps she had been a bit too rude? Hoping she hadn't been, she shuffled her feet awkwardly, relieved when he spoke again. She glanced upwards, laughing a bit. ".. I suppose so, huh? I guess my mind is set in SAO mode right now, haha," she joked, and thought for a moment. "Well.. Hmm.." Starrine thought, her voice a mumble again at this point. With one hand on her chin, she continued thinking. Well, exploring.. maybe; eating something sounded good, but she didn't have any col.. What else was there besides monster hunting?

"Any suggestions?" She asked after a few minutes, her voice hopeful as she stared up at him, smiling brightly.

[Koumori 0]

Starrine seemed to take my suggestion very seriously. By this alone I could tell she didn't really want to go monster hunting. Surprisingly though it took her a few minutes to finally come up with a response, one that I must say was a little underwhelming. I scratched my head as she asked me if I had any suggestions. Well I had wanted her to choose something herself, it being her birthday and all, but it seemed like she was just looking for some adventure. Conveniently enough, I had something that I had been itching to do. Perhaps this was the time to try it out. I returned my hand to my side and looked up "Let's go explore a higher floor. We can stick to the town where it's safe, just to get a change of scenery. How about that?" I asked her with an inviting smile.

[Starrine 0]

Starrine watched him carefully, waiting for a response. He also seemed to think about this for a moment, and scratched his head in thought. If he couldn't come up with anything, she would try to herself, but just being with someone on her birthday in this death game was more than enough. Watching him, he looked like he had an idea, and then continued to speak it. A higher floor? "That sounds fun! What floor should we go to, then?" She asked, gesturing to the nearby teleporter. She'd only been to the second floor before, because of her lower level, but she was itching to go practically anywhere but the first floor. What did they all look like? Her eyes glimmered with an incurable curiosity, and she stood with an excited stance, obviously happy with his suggestion.

[Koumori 0]

Upon hearing my suggestion, Starrine's eyes began sparkling. She practically jumped at the idea of venturing to a higher floor, any higher floor, anything besides floor one. I watched her as she giggled with joy and thought of the best floor to go. Not many stood out to me as particularly amazing based on what I heard. However, floor four I was sure would appeal to this girl. It was supposed to be a wonderland, a place shrouded in eternal winter. I have even been looking forward to seeing it myself. "Well I've heard that the fourth floor is supposed to always be covered in snow. How's that sound?" The amount of excitement I presented in my speech didn't nearly come close to that which Starrine exuded, I may have seemed cool and calm to her but I really was pumped inside. 

[Starrine 0]

The black-haired girl held her breath, wondering what lied in wait for them on the floors above. It was strange to be that excited over going up a floor in a video game, but to Starrine, this was her reality. For now, at least. She was scared of this game, and she did want to go back to the real world. But.. If she was going to be here for a while, she might as well make it last. And making it last meant exploring to her heart's content and doing her best to survive. Coming back to reality as Koumori spoke again, she lifted her brows, the excitement firing up in her eyes once more; she was like a child being offered a bag of candy. When she was curious, nothing would stop her until it was quenched. "Snow.." She breathed in awe. "Let's go!" Starrine said happily, her eyes two sparkling amber orbs. Snow was one of her favorite things; everything about it she loved. Well, except for when it turned into slush. Then, not so much.

She looked quickly in her menus for something, and after finding it, she closed it out, and turned to Koumori. "Alright, found it!" Starrine stepped onto the nearby teleporter, gesturing for him to come to the spot next to her. "Uh.. T-teleport, Snowfrost Town!" And then, with a flash, she disappeared.

[Koumori 0]

I was really striking gold right now. I couldn't remember a time when the things that I said were so well conceived so many consecutive times. If it was even possible, Starrine got even more excited at the mention of the word snow. She hastily agreed with my suggestion and then swiped the air with two fingers of her right hand, bringing up her menu. As it was in privacy mode I couldn't see what she was entering but she finished fairly quickly and ran over to the teleport gate. With modest hesitation she said the words to teleport to Snowfrost Town. I figured then that she had simply been looking up the name of the town so that she could actually use the teleport gate...wait, she was so excited she left without me. I hadn't even reached the gate by the time she teleported out so I was left standing their by myself like a dork. Bringing my hand to cover my face I laughed to myself for a second. Boy this girl was something else I thought. After I regained my composure I entered the gate and echoed her words, "Teleport, Snowfrost Town." With that the teleportation animation enveloped me and a mere second later it swiftly vanished. I stepped out of the gate and approached Starrine "Hey you could've waited forrrrrr......woah" I cut myself off mid sentence as I began taking in the town around me. Everything I had heard was certainly correct. Everything was covered in a thick layer of glistening white snow. The small cottage like buildings of the town emitted through their chimneys the only color on the landscape that contrasted the frozen wonderland. I couldn't help stand with my mouth agape as I took it in for the first time. 

[Starrine 0]

Starrine was already staring in awe, eyes wide as she stared around. She lifted a hand, catching a few snowflakes as they fell gently to the ground. She turned to look at Koumori, who had just arrived in a flash of light, the remains of an entertained expression fading from his face. She didn't even bother thinking about what he had been thinking about, but squatted down to the ground, a shiver making its way up her spine as she dug a gloved hand into the snow. Throwing the snow up into the air, she allowed a carefree, honestly happy laugh to escape her jaws and echo around the nearly empty streets. As Koumori stopped midsentence, seemingly awestruck by the winter wonderland.

The girl turned around, her shy smile widening a bit as she giggled. "Ah, sorry about that.. I get really excited about snow; where I live, it doesn't snow much in real life." She paused, looked at her feet for a moment, and as the cold air chilled her skin, she glanced back up, her face suddenly very calm. The edges of her lips moved upwards, and she tilted her head, exhaling a soft, visible breath. "Thank you so much for staying with me and taking me here, Koumori. I wasn't sure if I could have a normal birthday, but.. I'm really, really happy," she said, her voice practically liquid hope.

Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her air, she cleared her throat, straightened her posture, and tucked her hands behind her back. "Where should we go?" Starrine asked him, twirling in the snow-filled air with a carefree expression; even if it was only a game, this was beautiful. But.. was this virtual world real at all? What would happen to all of the people she met when she woke up, if she ever even did?

[Koumori 0]

Starrine was equally as awestruck as me. I watched as she played around in the snow like a child. She really did love snow. Anyway, I was really glad. I was happy that I could help her enjoy her first birthday inside Aincrad, her first birthday away from her family. If I hadn't come along she very well could have continued sulking around the first floor, trying to forget what this day actually was. Maybe it was good to talk to people every once in a while. I brought my attention back to her just in time to hear her ask me what we should do next. This one didn't take nearly as long to answer as I thought there was only one clear answer. "I bet there are a lot of shops here. How about we check them out?" I said smiling as I idly walked around, still absorbing my wintery surroundings. I should've brought gloves.

(sorry for the delay. Autocorrect was wreaking havoc on me with this one)

[Starrine 0]

Starrine shivered, and brought her hands to her mouth to blow warm air on them. Aftewards, she rubbed her arms, giggling a bit. "Hmm.. I guess it would've been better if we'd brought some warm clothes, huh?" She laughed, pushing away any bad thoughts. Today was her birthday; she was going to do whatever she could to enjoy it, even if it meant killing her. Well, not really. Dying on your birthday probably wasn't fun. With her laughter trailing off, she followed him as he walked. "I don't have any col, but I think it'd be fun to look around!" She admitted, eyes brightening. She wondered what she would have done if Koumori hadn't approached her. Would she have continued to sit in that spot the whole day? Or gone out to grind some levels? Speaking of which.. "Hey, Koumori? You don't have to answer if you don't want, but.. Would it be alright if I asked what level you are?" She asked, a curious look on her face. Starrine assumed he wasn't too high a level, since they'd met on the first floor, but then again, it wasn't super uncommon to find higher leveled players scattered around here and there.

As they walked, many little buildings caught her eye, but none of them looked like shops.The first actual shop that caught her eye was a blacksmith's shop, a small building at the end of the road they were walking down. She pointed it out with a finger pointed towards it, and glanced at her new friend. "Wanna check it out?" She asked, smiling softly.

[[ Haha, I don't mind. Take your time. c: ]]

Edited August 11, 2015 by Starrine

[Koumori 0]

It seemed Starrine was beginning to think the same thing as she started to rub her hands together then made a side comment about needing to bring warmer clothes. While the weather was cold, it certainly wasn't unbearable and it definitely didn't detract from the beauty of the place. In any case, she followed me ask I began to walk down the streets but she quickly threw in that she had no col to buy anything. I had some and it was the girls birthday so it's wouldn't hurt..."I've got some, not much, but if you like something just speak up. Think of it as a birthday gift" I said with a grin as I goofily pointed my index finger in the air. I didn't know if she'd accept my offer or not but I felt I should at least put it out there. Starrine seemed to get lost in thought after that. I wondered what she was thinking about. Could it have something to do with anxiety about today? Eventually, however, she broke the silence and asked about my level. "Oh I don't mind, it's nothing to brag about. 10" I said honesty. That truly was my level. I should probably do some quests I thought to myself. Eventually we reached what appeared to be a blacksmith shop, the first store that caught Starrine's eye. She turned to be and joyously asked if I wanted to go in. With a nod I went to the door and held it open so she could enter.

(Haha. I see you made a new avatar. Nice)

Edited August 11, 2015 by Koumori

[Starrine 0]

Wringing her hands together and exhaling a puff of breath into the cold air, Starrine looked over at him, moving one foot in front of the other. The crunching of the snow set her at ease for some strange reason, and with every tread she felt more calm. Colder, of course, but at peace. It was strange how one could feel so calm, even in a game set out to kill people. She blinked in surprise as he offered to get her something. "It's enough just to have you by my side," Starrine laughed, not realizing how cheesey she sounded until she actually thought about what she'd said. With her cheeks slightly pink, she turned her brightly colored gaze to him. "Wow, level 10 already? I'm only 4," she said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head with a giggle.

"Thank you," she murmured towards him as he held the door open for her. Slipping inside the little shop with ease, she allowed herself to look around, expression a bit surprised at she looked around. Along the walls laid weapons of all kinds; swords, axes, spears, rapiers, etc, etc. Her eyes glimmered with amazement, and she ran her fingers along the blade of a sharp-looking sword. "Wow, the blacksmith must be amazing! I've never seen so many beautiful weapons in one place." Her hand rested on the sheathe of her curved sword, still a beginning level; she planned on having Mack make her a new weapon sometime soon. Turning to Koumori, she spoke with a thoughtful grin, "Anywhere you want to go after this?"

[[ I did! Thank you! >u< ]]

Edited August 11, 2015 by Starrine

[Koumori 0]

Starrine's cheeks were a little red after that first comment. If I didn't know better I'd say it was from the cold, but i decided I wouldn't say anything about it and just played it off. "You're the boss." She said thank you as I held the door open for her. We both made our way inside and began examining the apparently empty shop. Various types of weapons adored the walls for our viewing pleasure. Most of them seemed very well made. I casually looked around while Starrine ran around like a kid in a candy shop, eying up every blade she saw. At one point she placed her hand on her own sheathed blade, undoubtably considering the need to get a new one. I myself was in the same boat, but a little further along. I had already purchased a new sword and was only waiting for the blacksmith to finish forging it. A long wait to get a sword that actually had a name, one besides "starter blade" or something equally as bland. Anyway, Starrine finished looking around rather quickly and came to stand next to me once more and asked where I'd like to go. I put my finger up to my lip as I thought. The going through shops thing didn't seem to be working too well. It wasn't like it was in the real world. You couldn't just go into a random store and buy random stuff. It was different here. Wait, bingo! "Well, we could..." I formed a sly grin "...build a snowman" I finished looking directly at her. As someone who loved snow I was sure she would love this. 

[Starrine 0]

Starrine turned to her new friend with expectant eyes, only to be distracted by the now-heavily falling snow outside the window. She walked up to it, and peered outside, itching to go out and enjoy the snow. She glanced back at him, wondering what he was thinking as he appeared to stand there for a few moments longer. Lifting her brows as a sly grin grew on his face, she practically glowed with eagerness. "A snowman.." she breathed, nodding her head in agreement.

The girl smiled, and opened the door once more, waiting for Koumori until she stepped out. Exhaling a sigh of relief as her feet hit the crunching snow, she stretched her arms up into the cold air, pleased with the falling snow that hit her hands. "What kind of snowman should we build? A big one, or a little one?" Starrine asked, innocently rocking on her heels as she turned to look up at him. She was, essentially, easy to please, but when it came to snow, it was like she was in immediate paradise.

[Koumori 0]

Starrine practically flung herself at the door at the mention of the word snowman. She waited for me to approach before she jumped back out into the wonderland, brimming with anticipation. I was happy to see her like this. I knew I was helping her in someway and that was good enough for me. I followed her out, although in a much more subdued manner, and watched her walk around. She wanted to know what kind of snowman we should make. Obviously there was only one answer. I slowly rolled up my sleeves as I approached her, a grin appearing yet again on my face, "big" I said. There was no one to be seen in this area of the town, which seemed strange, but that meant we could do our business right here without any disgusted looks. As such, I dropped down and began collecting some snow.