[PP-F1] Roots [Seul]

[Nirvana 0]

The worst thing about SAO was that... that there happened to be no music! At least so far Nirvana's demanding ears hadn't picked up the sweet tune of a familiar tune, or even any sound of music at all. Music happened to be her heart and soul, the one thing that Nirvana could constantly depend on being that type of person without any worries. Without the beautiful noise, the most amazing invention in the world, what on Earth (more like Aincrad) would she do?! Her heart ached for a melody to hum along with or perhaps a guitar to strum idly while staring at the sky like she used to back home. Even if music reminded her of rather unpleasant memories it also sent a shooting feeling throughout her whole body that could never be explained sanely, covering up all the imperfections of life with something more meaningful and worth remembering. Without music Nirvana truly believed she'd be non-existent, as if it were the reason her very origin was made. Curse whoever made this game, curse her bad luck, curse everything in the damned universe for allowing her to enter a place so lacking of soul and feelings and love.

Her bad thoughts had put a damper in Nirvana's mood but she wouldn't allow that to stop her from trying to lift her own spirits though she was used to others doing that for her. Being sometime late at night, possibly the darkest hour in Aincrad since all lights outside and outside had been turned off along with the fact that the sky happened to be a pitch black. If not for the natural shine of the moon she knew was only made up of coding, Nirvana would be completely lost and confused as to where she was. She remained in the Starting City, legs pulled up to her chest while she sat on the top of cold, hard, stone stairs that led to a higher level of the usual chaotic city. Nirvana had become accustomed to nights alone, but she wasn't used to seeing such serenity where turmoil and sadness often took over. The feeling was a bliss one full of such tranquility it was impossible not to relax at this very moment. And she might as well now because come break of dawn all of this peace would be shattered once more for another full day, and who knew when a night like this would ever occur again.

Nirvana could sing alright but not in front of people. This is why she played instruments publicly instead, she'd always have stage-fright or feel embarrassed if anyone were to hear her natural voice. The sound was raw and untrained but pleasant to the ears nonetheless. She began:

Judge me, jury if I'm wrong or right
I've got secrets and lies that would blow your mind
You're the one who taught me not to love
I'm the one who taught you to say 'No'

Away I go
Away I go
Away 
I am a ghost

OOC: Song is Witness by 30 Seconds to Mars :)

[Seul 1]

"Stupid kobolds and their stupid luck." Grumbling while he walked, the boy recounted the events that had transpired that day. The kobold-filled cave proved to be too challenging in the end despite his best efforts, which meant his progress over the past week or so had been in vain. Or had it? He might not have been able to fight off a group of the creatures on his own, but he did destroy them in one on one fights. He chalked it up to being a limitation of daggers for only possessing one dreadfully week AoE move. Yeah, it was the dagger's fault for not being better suited for the situation, not his! Whether it was true or not, telling himself that made him feel a million and one times better. The walk from the second floor back to the starting had taken the rest of the afternoon and in that time night had tossed its dark blanket over the first floor. Saying that he was tired would've been an understatement. The wounds he suffered had long since healed during his trek, but the psychological strain that came with fighting would always last in some way or another. All that he had his sights on now was the inn where he called home.

It had to have been late considering the street lamps seemed to have long been extinguished. If the system hadn't prevented unauthorized pvp inside the town he probably would've just taken his chances outside with the wolves that at least didn't pose any threat now. The dark made it hard to know if the paths being taken were indeed correct, but he had travelled them enough to know that the inn was just around the next corner. He practically sprinted now, eager to jump into bed and rest his weary bones, but before he made it something caught his attention. Singing. A girl's voice, and it was extremely close. But why would anyone be out at this time just to sing? He was either dying and the angels had sent someone to whisk him away or this female player had been crazy. Crouching low, he peeked around the corner to find the song's source, confirming that the latter had been true. She was crazy. Maybe she was a siren who lured players away at night to rob them of their hard earned gear and col?! Well he wasn't about to be the next victim! He ducked back behind the wall to contemplate his next course of action. Given the small possibility that she wasn't a siren or crazy he could've just talked to her. Though being approached by a cloaked man outside really late at night probably wouldn't give off the best first impression. The alternative route for reaching the inn was a journey in itself that would've taken him all around the city. So he waited. She couldn't possibly stay there forever and her voice wasn't half bad either. After a while of listening, and without thinking, he produced his ocarina from his inventory and began playing a small tune along to her words.

[Nirvana 0]

Jesus save me, I'm in love with this hell

Murder, madness, can't escape from my-

Her voice croaked and trailed off once Nirvana's ears, that'd been fixated on the sound of her own voice, picked up the sound of an instrument playing in the distance. Usually she'd continue singing without a care in the world, but this one had been playing along with her and only stopped when she had. This scared her so much, the fact that someone was listening to her without permission, that she became infuriated due to being so hot-headed naturally. "Who... Ugh!" She stomped on the ground more than once and stood from her spot on the concrete steps, cracking her knuckles. "Who is hiding in the [censored] dark!? Come out right now or I'll go hunting myself!" Nirvana's ugly mood turned for the worse, the young woman prepared to commit something heinous, forgetting she walk among the safe-zone where nobody could get hurt unless willing. Though the sound had been very appealing, oh so sweet and lovely to the ears, she was too angry to notice her heart yearned to know the player, and more so the instrument they'd played. What was that? ...A very familiar noise... the answer on the tip of her tongue, yet she failed to find the word. Sighing loudly, she paced back and forth hastily before adding, "If you come out now and show me what you were playing... maybe I'll spare you... Maybe." Remembering her counseling for anger issues Nirvana began deep inhaling and exhaling, but man oh man she really wanted to see the face behind the melody, and that thought calmed her down deep inside, even if she didn't want to believe that.

[Seul 1]

Well, things certainly had gone from zero to a hundred at a lightning fast pace. The girl's once magically, captivating voice was now coated with anger. Anger that was directed at Seul nonetheless. Maybe playing along wasn't such a good idea, but he hadn't used the small flute since he completed the quest to get it. It would've been a crime not to have played along. Still, now he had to deal with this. The girl obviously knew he was there and even went so far as to lace her words with threats. Running away seemed like the most plausible option considering he'd have at least a good couple of seconds on her if he just bolted at full speed. Her throwing in the bit about 'hunting' though broke any chance of that happening though. Playing an all night game of hide and seek would've been fun on any other night, but having only arrived back in town after a day of his own hunting he really wasn't in the mood for it. Repressing his laughter at her threats proved to be difficult as even the lowest level players knew that the starting city was a safe zone. At any rate, he probably could've just walked past her without saying anything and not suffer any major consequences but he decided to go for the creepy approach. He made sure the hood on his cloak was raised before slowly emerging from around the wall  in the ghostliest way he knew how. "Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! I am the ghost that haunts this city! Leave now or suffer my cuuuuuurse~! Ooooooooooooo!"

[Nirvana 0]

Sapphire eyes ablaze, she quickly spun to meet the mystery player face-to-face. Gritting her teeth while flashing the pearly whites, Nirvana paced towards him and relentless poked the player in the chest roughly. "Don't play games with me! Why are you spying on me? Didn't ya learn in school not to peep on girls or do I need to teach you a lesson or two myself?" She'd leaned in so close that the two of their heads nearly touched, fists clenched and steam only seconds away from blowing out of her ears. Boy, oh boy, was she ready to give a beating... but not to this person, whomever they were. She didn't have the heart to harm someone who could play an instrument so wonderfully, and rise from the shadows only to have a sense of humor. There wouldn't be a fight on this night, it seemed, so Nirvana instead hooked her thumbs inside the folds of her short-shorts and sent a death glare in the stranger's direction. "I'm this close to hanging you by your underwear on a shop sign or somethin'. Can I see what you were playing earlier? You're lucky, ya know." The last sentence was simply the anger still inside of Nirvana that'd ceased to leave, it lingered and tainted her thoughts with violent ones but she'd learned to control the feelings, even if just a tiny bit, over the years.

[Seul 1]

"Well, you're cute when you're angry, I'll give you that." It was true, despite the tough demeanor she displayed. He was just thankful that it was dark as he was certain that his cheeks would've been redder than cherries as she got closer to him. He never did have any luck when it came to dealing with girls, at least not in the real world anyway. Most conversations would end with him clamming up somehow or acting extremely awkward. But for some reason he didn't feel as scared now. "As far as spying goes, school is where I learned to peep on girls. A-And I wasn't even spying, just passing through!" At the mention of his playing he smirked and simply shrugged in response to her question. "Threatening me reeeeeeeeeeally doesn't make me feel inclined to show you anything."  He teased. It's not like it would've been a big deal to remove the small flute from his inventory, but he was having fun and was curious as to just how far he could push her buttons before she really did try to attack him.

[Nirvana 0]

"Whaa-" She raised a brow at the compliment, suddenly feeling a familiar heat cross her cheeks though she wouldn't let that happen and pushed the blush back with pure anger. There was no way in all of Aincrad that she'd allow a male so daring to tease her, to cause her to stutter or show any signs of weakness for that matter. Not tonight. "Who're you calling cute? That's totally not even related to what I'm talking about! Ugh, you're so dumb..." She paced back and forth on the heels of her feet, about ready to pounce like a panther with sharpened claws. As far as she was concerned, this strange boy was the prey and she happened to be the predator at the moment, but alas she was falling weak as her violent thoughts clashed with her soft feelings. "If you were passing through than you should've just kept on going. And how am I supposed to believe you weren't spying after saying something idiotic like that? What were you thinking I'd take off my top or something?! You're really pissing me off, buddy." Her tone laced with hatred, Nirvana wondered why she didn't just beat this fool into oblivion by now. Oh yeah, she wanted to hear that damned beloved instrument. If only he'd just allow her!

She moved forward to grasp the front of his cloak, and would shove him into a wall roughly if given a change. If he slipped away, however, then Nirvana would simply push one fist into her other palm, an obvious warning sign. "Then I'll make you show me something." A whisper, hoarse but harsh, emitted from the back of her throat. Nirvana needed to calm down or else she'd explode.

OOC: I didn't want to control your character, so I gave you choices at the end. I'm nice like that~

[Seul 1]

He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something but after a moment of consideration he figured it was probably better to not comment on the chest of a girl who seemed ready to murder him. Instead, he drove the conversation in a different direction. A less 'get himself stabbed' direction. "I-I was going to just go by, but there was some beautiful singing that distracted me." The girl had grabbed his cloak now but rather than struggle he allowed himself to suffer through any wrath she might have had planned. Sometimes fateful encounters happened when one least expected it and he felt that this had been no exception. He gazed down at her from just below the rim of his cloak's hood with curiosity brimming in his eyes. Just what had it been about his playing that made her want to see the instrument? "Why do you want to see my ocarina so badly? It's not like it's anything special."

OOC: So kind, so kind.~ (\(owo)/)

[Nirvana 0]

"Y-You uh... I'm good?" Her grip on the cloak had slipped slightly, but she only clung tighter a few moments after she'd regained her will and reason to even be in this position. Nobody, not anybody but her parents, had said she was a talented singer and of course parents always tell you what you want to hear... How was she supposed to believe them? Not even the members of her band had commented on the fact. Hearing this come from a stranger above all people made her angry that nobody had the guts to let her know this before, but she appreciated that he'd told her something so very personal that'd managed to touch her heart, even if only for a split-second. "Are you just telling me what I want to hear?" Cheeks flushed, hands trembling, Nirvana awaited his answer before sighing and releasing the fine cloth beneath her soft skin. Running a trembling hand through tasseled hair, Nirvana felt her face burn so much that it almost hurt her due to intense blushing.

Snapping a finger, she smiled and nodded quickly now satisfied with at least one of the male's answers. "Gah~ Right! The ocarina! Like the little dumb elf boy used to play. Oh, I love the songs played on those so much~ Um..." She paused before leaning forward to hug the stranger, deciding that she could care less about what'd happened before. Her chest pressed against his, arms wrapped around his neck, Nirvana grinned lopsidedly. "An apology. I'm not sorry for what I did, I'm sorry that you're a wimp. Got it?" Letting go, she backed up a few spaces to give the male some room. She wasn't bipolar, her heart had simply been softening over the few comments they shared. Yes she was hot-headed and could kill if pushed too far, but Nirvana wasn't the type to remain mad for long periods of time if the reason wasn't a good one.

OOC: The kindest-est  _/(OwO)\_

[Seul 1]

His original assumption was proving to be more true with each passing minute; the girl was off her rocker. Within a matter of minutes she her foul mood had come and gone like the tide. Running away didn't seem like a viable option anymore and to be honest, he was somewhat enjoying her company. Though her apologies could've used a little work. Hiding the sight of him still fidgeting from the hug was easy with the cloak equipped. The voice was a completely different matter. "I-I'm not a wimp!" He managed to stutter out in protest. Wimps wouldn't go out late at night and confront women in the street or fight off swarms of monsters with only the most basic of gear! No, he was a hero! A legend in the making! He was going to get strong and help free everyone from the cursed game. He was a man. The manliest of men! There was no quitting until he proved it to her. He cleared his throat before deepening his usually higher pitched voice and put on the coolest act he could muster. Leaning onto an imaginary jukebox, he began. "I mean. I'm not a wimp. I'm a man; the manliest of men actually. Just to prove it, wimps can't ask girls on dates, and that's what I'm doing. Like right now. So I can't be a wimp." It was brilliant. Smooth as can be; another glorious win for logic!

Edited October 12, 2015 by Seul

[Nirvana 0]

The male's outburst sent tears to form in the corner of Nirvana's sapphire eyes, this certainly was a show for her. She held her bare stomach, laughing out of reaction to his high-pitched voice during the claim that'd sounded much like a girly squeal. Of course his voice must've just cracked but the sound of it was still laughable. Once her laughter had ceased, he spoke once more but sounded much more like his gender this time around. Must be luck, Nirvana thought, since the whole time his voice had been higher than that. Her head tilted in confusion, finger tapping on her chin until she'd realized what he meant. Both eyebrows raised in surprise, Nirvana smirked like a mad-woman. "I don't do romance, or date. Especially wimps. But... since I put you through Hell than I'll make an exception." This person, he wasn't her type... or so it seemed... and she hardly enjoyed dating anyhow. He was, however, extremely funny and easy to mess with. So why not go along for a ride? Who knows what'll happen.

 "You'll have to play your ocarina, and take off that stupid cloak, then tell me your username. Maybe that'll get you somewhere~" Her face lingered dangerous close to the shadowed one across from her's, thin fingers trailing from his shoulders to around the hems of the hood of the cloak she'd mentioned before. "I wanna see your faaaaace. Please?"

[Seul 1]

"I hope you don't expect me to do all of those at once-" He said, letting his façade go as his voice shifted back to its normal pitch. Figuring there wouldn't have been any harm with fulfilling her requests, with a slight sigh he brought up his hands to coil around her fingers and pulled back the hood of his cloak. He kept a calm expression and allowing his gray eyes to scan her in the darkness, he moved on to the next matter she had addressed: His username. There were a couple of ways he could have and has responded in the past. Most times he'd take it as a chance to put on a huge production that would grab the attention of any passing players. Though seeing a s how they were the only ones there, and it had been a long day, he decided against it. "My name's Seul. Thanks for exposing my secret identity." Delusions of grandeur aside, he realized he still hadn't learned her name and was only addressing her as 'that crazy girl who wanted to kill me' until now. Just as he was about to reach retrieve his instrument, he paused with a wicked smile overtaking his face.  "Alright, two of your three wishes were granted. I don't feel like going back into my bottle yet, so it's your turn to share!"

[Nirvana 0]

Nirvana immediately noticed the change in tone which made her smile. He'd deepened his voice, that much was obvious, but Nirvana didn't really believe the male would let it go so soon. "That'd sure be impressive. Might even get you a prize~" She teased as his hands touched her own, making her flesh warm up in nearly an instant which she didn't like so much. No, in her mind she was completely content, but her body reacted in multiple different ways in which she'd wish it'd rather not. Upon the revealing of his face, Nirvana diverted her eyes and backed up, releasing herself from the odd grip around the other. From what she could make out in the darkness he surely was cute. Not handsome, like Kalesh, but good-looking nonetheless. Underneath a cloak, there's millions of different faces out there. Why did this one have to be even the least bit of attractive? She cleared her throat awkwardly. "You look better than I thought you would... Seul." Nirvana tasted his username on her tongue and it had rolled off smoothly much to her liking. "Hmph, no problemo. You can't hide secrets from me for very long, especially if I want to know them." 

Nearly unable to contain her excitement, Nirvana rubbed her hands together and smile with her teeth genuinely. She loved music and this time the tunes would be specially for her. There had to be a way to pay Seul back for playing his ocarina for her, mayb- Wait a second. "Huh?" Nirvana tilted her head curiously, wondering what Seul had just said. She'd been lost in thought until now. "You've gotta be kidding me." She furrowed her brows and stuck her bottom lip out in frustration. "That's low. I don't think I want to be here anymore..." Her tone of voice dropped due to disappointment, but mostly because she was whining. "My username is Nirvana. Can you play the freaking music now? Please? I'll even give you a kiss, whatever you want, I just really wanna hear something."

[Seul 1]

Despite all that he felt somewhat hollow from her words and debated just putting the hood back on all together. She was definitely unique to put it nicely, but most of the players he had encountered had something that made them memorable. "Yeesh... Your compliments need some work." He mumbled while giving her an exasperated look. In all honesty he didn't see what the big deal was with the music. It wasn't like he had any actual ability to play one of the flutes in the real world and the only reason he could here was because the game assisted him thanks to him having the performer profession. At the time there didn't seem to be that many performers, so naturally opening a shop that supplies assistance songs would've been a lucrative endeavor. Although what he can make as of now is somewhat limited and the quality of the music is completely up to chance. He was about ready to dismiss the whole thing when he physically staggered backwards as if wounded by the later mention of a kiss. The last thing he wanted was for her to see him blushing so he quickly turned on his heel and withdrew the small instrument after fumbling through his inventory. "N-No that's alright; I'll just play my thing now!" It would've been his first as he never actually paid attention to such things in the real world. Well, not enough to actually pursue any potential relationships. Bringing the ocarina to his lips, he closed his eyes and began to play a small tune he remembered from somewhere on the instrument.

[Nirvana 0]

"I'm trying my best. You're a little sensitive to be honest." This was a true statement. Nirvana hadn't realized that not everybody was like Kalesh, who took sarcastic comments or petty insults as compliments. Maybe nobody would ever be like that again... she needed to work on the way her words affected others, the way they came out of her mouth. It'd take work, but she wasn't against at least thinking about fixing this little flaw of her's. This music, maybe nobody would quite understand but she just had to hear it. Nirvana wouldn't be able to live another night without hearing even the simplest of tunes played. Music had always been her life back in the real world, always. Well, ever since High School, that is. But the way melodies moved her and induced bliss feelings happened to be indescribable to those who couldn't understand. Seul may have an instrument, but he clearly didn't feel the same way about music. Or so she thought he gave the impression of thus far.

"If you say so. The chance is always out there~" Nirvana shrugged, blowing a kiss in his direction. She'd willingly give him one if he hadn't objected, Nirvana wouldn't mind a bit. A kiss was a kiss, and it'd mean nothing whatsoever. Unless Seul was a good kisser. Then it'd definitely mean something. His little reaction was quite amusing, though, and he earned a laugh from Nirvana afterwards. Once the sound hit her ears, however, she silenced and the lids of her eyes seemed to close all by themselves. It was a tad dreary, hardly uplifting like she'd expected from such a male even after shortly meeting him, but satisfying nonetheless. She hummed along upon grasping the melody and patterns, body still. Even after Seul would finish she continued, stopping only when realization hit her.