[IC] Living in Aincrad: a SAO RP

[Little_ninja]

Although Suki looked fine, Umichi could not shake the feeling something was wrong. It was most likely his instinct telling him that there was something wrong. *Sigh* What would Sensei do, I wonder? Interrupting his thoughts, Ayame then decided to call it a night, "Alright. Night Ayame!" he called out to her, before seeing Suki suggested for some fun. Turning to Yui and Timi, he asked, "Well, what will you two do? Sleep or dance and have some fun in with the music?"

Asking the two girls, he got up from his seat and took Suki's hand, walking towards a slightly clearer area of the inn. Turning to the NPC musicians he requested, "Hey, some music please!"



With the music playing, Umichi danced with Suki, assuming she let him. After a few moments, he decided to say a few words in her ear. "No matter where you live, I will come for you in the real world. I am sure we will all meet in the real world. I want to turn our experiences into reality." Smiling, he continued to dance, and noticed Paka enter. "Hey Paka! Welcome back." He called out, continuing to dance with Suki.

[MarshiestMallow]

Timi yawned hugely, as Umichi asked what she and Yui would do. Her eyes were half closed, and it was evident she was struggling to stay awake. "Sleep" She said tiredly, her food, now half forgotten left on the table as she rose. She said goodnight to them, and managed to cimb up the stairs and to her room, She changed to clothes she could sleep in, and climbed into the bed. It wasn't long before she was asleep, sprawled out on the bed.

---

Suki let Umichi take her hand, pull her up, matching his pace to the NPC musicians, requesting music. It was easy to lose herself in the music, the dancing, and Umichi. Moments like these...made her believe everything woud be okay.

"No matter where you live, I will come for you in the real world. I am sure we will all meet in the real world. I want to turn our experiences into reality."

As Umichi whispered in her ear, it was easy to believe that would happen. Simply because she knew Umichi would do so, and wouldn't stop. She nodded, smiled, "I do too" She said softly, while she could hate that they were trapped here by a crazy person, she would be thankful for having met Umichi, and the others. She looked over at Paka, smied and waved, but returned her attention to Umichi.

---

Seeing that most of the others had made their way to bed, Paka debated about doing the same. He nodded at Umichi when he said welcome back, decided not to interfere, and sat down. He sighed softly, once more feeling out of place in the setting, the game.

[Little_ninja]

The night went on, with the two dancing before retiring for the night. Resting well up for tomorrow.

---

Having gotten little sleep, as he had idled in bed for hours, trying to sleep, Umichi woke up shortly after getting about two hours of sleep. It was 0530. Getting out of bed, he saw no-one else from the party was awake yet, at least it seemed. There seemed to be a few nocturnal players going to rooms they had reserved to retire for the morning. Stepping outside, it was cold, the sun yet to rise. There were a few others setting out to train, trying to avoid the rush hours. Looking around, he headed for the Inn of Faith, to get a meal take-away. The NPC Lina welcomed him warmly. He ordered a Nepent fruit and Boar Wrap. It looked very much like a wrap, how it tasted would learned later.

Going out, he left for the Labyrinth. May as well get some training in Umichi thought, running through parts of the Labyrinth. From time to time, he encountered a few Giant Spiders or Ruin Kobold Troopers, but not many, yet. Reaching a few floors with short time, he noticed the chest he found the other day. Approaching to open it again, he found another item. It was the starting dagger. Not very high in stats or anything else. it was just going to be sold for col. So it is randomised, and respawns. I wonder if I got lucky or something. He thought, only to realize it had activated a trap. Blocking off the entrance to the area, he found that there were monsters spawning around him.The cursor indicator was a lightly red color, it seemed they were lower level then himself, but higher than what was out there. Looking at the name, it seemed they were Ruin Kobold Rogues. They were swift, and the dark made them difficult to see. Focusing on the use of <<Detection>> instead of his eyes, Umichi caught glimpses of the enemy's movement. Attacking, he took them down with two regular swings and a simple sword skill, such as <<Horizontal>> or <<Vertical>>. It was difficult to guard or react, leading him to take some damage. However, he was adjusting to their patterns, and was able to dodge the attacks narrowly.

Finally finishing the enemies, he had slain at least 20 or so. Checking his exp bar, it seemed that, in total, he had gained about 25%, including what he had slain while going through the Labyrinth. The attacks had taken Umichi down to about 75% of his health. It was better than what he had expected. It was still early, so he decided he would travel further in, however, he suddenly heard screams. Dashing to the scene, he found some people in need of help. Saving the group of four from the large group of Ruin Kobold Sentinels, Umichi was glad that none of them had died. Since they were low leveled and did not have enough teleportation crystals, they requested him to guide them out. He sighed, escorting them out of the Labyrinth, and back to the town of Tolbana.

Umichi arrived back in town at about 0800.

[MarshiestMallow]

Suki, as habit, despite little sleep, woke at 0400. Unable to stay in her room for any longer, she escaped outside. The night air was cool, and she drew in a few deep breaths, letting herself relax happily. She found her way up to sitting on the top of a building, and stretched out. There was something to be said for the night sky, and it had been reconstructed here in Aincrad exceptionally well. Use to doing things straight from when she woke up, this leisure had unnerved her to begin with. It wasn't so bad now.

As the sky lightened, Suki shifted to watch the sun rise. She let her thoughts flow, but didn't focus on any. They would be facing the floor boss, sooner rather than later, she knew. It still unnerved her. She worried about what would happen. About what they were going to do. And about how they would defeat the boss. And she knew she was just tying herself up in knots over it, and that wasn't going to do any of them any good. So She took another deep breath, and let herself relax once more. It wasn't an act, and she feared it wouldn't last.

She glanced at the time, seeing it was approaching 0700. She started back down, deciding to be waiting and ready for when the others came down. She would choose to cook, but decided against it. She didn't have a high enough cooking level, nor did she think she would make a good breakfast, the way she felt right then. Nervous. Scared. Uneasy. Hopeful. Terrified for her friends. She sighed, and got a drink of juice, sitting down and waiting for the others to join her. She would just have to do her best to make sure they all survived.

Paka was the first to come down, and Suki was grateful for that. She felt that Paka was resentful of how Suki was here,or perhaps worried that she was going to get herself hurt. She wanted to reassure him that everything was going to be okay. Even if she didn't believe it herself. But before she could even begin to speak, Paka had sat down, and said "I'm leaving after we defeat the boss. I'm not needed here, and other people could use my help"

Suki didn't know what to say. .Could she say anything? What could she say, to convince him not to leave? Nothing. Paka was stubborn. Once he put his mind to something, he followed through. She swallowed, and glanced down. "I guess I knew that. Why though?"

Paka sighed heavily, "because if I stay, I'm just holding you back. and you don't need that. And I don't want to know I am. You second guess yourself with me around. You know it's true. You've been sheltered, protected, because of your father and brothers, and that's spilled over to the rest of the family. With me around, you'll always be constantly thinking 'what am I doing?'. I can't do it anymore" he said, rising, "I'm going to go out, see about some more supplies. You can never be too prepared"

He shoved his hands in his pockets, and headed out. Suki watched him go.

---

Paka headed outside, blinking at the light, and glancing about, he saw Umichi, either returning from being out of the safe zone, or just going for a walk. He debated for a moment and then went over to Umichi. Once more, he didn't wait to be greeted, but instead just spoke. "You hurt her, let anything happen to her, and I will make your life a living hell, got it?" Without waiting for a response, Paka headed off towards the market area.

Your watch now.

[FujiwaraPhoenix]

Ayame yawned as she woke up, stretching as she got out of her bed and checked her inventory. Today was going to be a bit more chaotic, what with all the exploration and training and whatnot. Her walk out on the town last night had ended up with her buying enough ingredients to sustain the entire party for the day- more, even- and all of her equipment in top form. Changing out of her nightclothes into her usual garb, Ayame walked out of her room and downstairs. As she was about to move off into the kitchen, she saw Paka having some sort of discussion with Suki. From the bits and pieces she caught wind of, it wasn't exactly the most lighthearted of conversations. Watching Paka walk out the door, Ayame walked over to Suki and took a seat near her.

"Suki... Is there something going on that's bugging you right now?" Ayame asked earnestly. Maybe having someone else to talk to would get the load off her mind.

---

Fujiwara sighed as he woke up, rubbing the back of his head as he got out of the bed. An entire night of mulling over his own mistakes had left him unable to sleep for a lot longer than he'd have liked. What a night to go sleepless... Then again, he had spent a majority of yesterday sleeping, so he wasn't completely dead on his feet. Equipping his usual set of gear, Fujiwara exited his room and walked down the stairs. He noticed Suki and Ayame talking out of the corner of his eye, but in his mind it was probably better not to speak with them for now- stressing himself out more over his mistakes would only make things worse. Instead, he chose to take a seat at a table farther away and check his inventory thoroughly. He had gone through it so many times it was almost as if he didn't need the listing, but to be perfectly honest it was probably better to make sure nothing had gone missing or anything... Just to be safe.

[Lennon79]

Outside the town of Tolbana, a lone figure lounged out by the local stream. In her hand was a fishing pole, little more than a long stick with string attached, the lure bobbing lazily in the stream's clear waters. Breakfast was slow coming today, though the disappointment was diminished by a handful of useful items she had accidently fished up; herbs, sellable junk, even the odd old shoe. Typical in-game fishing rewards, just no damn fish. Eventually the rod began to tip, a tell-tale sign of a bite; hoping against hope that this catch was of the piscean kind, she stood to haul it in. After a minute of frenzied angling her prize leapt from the waters, a magnificent specimen of a... another damn boot. 'Chyort voz'mi!' For all her attentiveness and patience, this morning was a bust. With no kipper for breakfast, she packed up her gear and headed toward the town, instead deciding to flog the chaff and eat at the tavern for once. At least there would be ale there she thought, trying to look on the bright side.

By the time she reached the tavern it was already mid-morning and the streets heaved with players assembling for the upcoming raid-spam. With Tolbana being so close to the Floor Dungeon's entrance it was fast becoming a staging ground for parties; this was the main reason she had travelled so far of course. As a trader and spelunker, one must always be in the thick of it, ready to strike whilst the iron is hot so to speak. These folk often needed materials for potions and armour, something that she had grown to specialise in acquiring. Tolbana was a gold mine for a savvy businesswoman. But the rumbling of her stomach, whether simulated or imagined ensured that the day's work would wait and she filed into one of the less packed taverns, flagging down an NPC maid. Taking her place in one corner of the room, she set about turning her table into a makeshift sales counter, carefully placing stacks of materials out for the other patrons to peruse as she made a start on a small mountain of bacon, humming Katyusha as she worked. A small sign sat before her, specially crafted by an... associate in the Town of Beginnings. Pyotr's Gubbins.

[MarshiestMallow]

Suki looked over when Ayame joined her, and sighed softly when he asked if there was something bothering her, "Got an hour or two?" She said, weary amusement entering her tone. She leaned back, and closed her eyes, pondering what to say, "I'll start with the easiest" She said "Paka's going to leave the group when we defeat the boss. Am I a terrible person, did I push him away? His my cousin, shouldn't I feel bad that he's leaving?" She pressed her palms to her eyes, as if she could keep any tears that might fall back.

She sighed again, "I don't know what I'm doing. I worry, constantly, that I'm going to make a blunder of things, that I'll get everyone killed. I'm scared. Because I don't want to lose anyone"

[FujiwaraPhoenix]

Ayame bit her lip and shifted her gaze towards the ground, unsure of what to say. By no means was this another simple problem that the group could wave away... In fact, it was quite the opposite. Taking a bit to think, Ayame returned her focus to Suki.

"Suki, by no means are you a 'terrible person' or anything of the sort. In fact, you're a big reason as to why this group formed and has stuck together for so long; you and Umichi both. Paka... I honestly think he just needs some time to himself to sort his thoughts out. Sometimes it's easier that way- if we force him to stay against his wishes, he might only end up more miserable. It's not like he's leaving forever, after all." Ayame said before thinking a bit more. Suki's second worry was a bit more difficult to tackle, mainly because finding the right words for the situation was kind of difficult... To say the least. Umichi had tried reassuring Suki earlier, but it seems like that didn't have much of an effect in the end. Taking a deep breath, Ayame began to speak once more.

"You know... Suki, you really have to have more confidence in yourself. Everyone here trusts you for a reason- it's natural to feel worried about all the pressure everyone's placing onto your shoulders right now, but that's only natural. We're human, after all. If you get too caught up by your worries, you'll only dig yourself deeper and deeper until we can't pull you out of that hole. Let us trust you to trust in us, alright?" Ayame said, patting Suki on the back. "There's no need to shoulder the burden on your own- we're always here to lend a shoulder, alright?"

[MarshiestMallow]

Everyone here trusts you for a reason

And that was the problem, wasn't it? Suki just didn't understand why they could trust her. It wasn't a matter of confidence, she was sure of that. Was it? She didn't know. She bit her lip, and said softly, "But why? Why do you trust me? I've done nothing to deserve it" She said, clearly torn between believe Ayame, and not. "All I do is provide health potions and the like. And you can buy those. It's not like I stood up in front of a huge crowd and...and...and said something like how we can defeat the 100 levels, how we can survive, and live, if we work together, and over come the challenges in front of us, because we aren't going to let some crack job trap us here, to fulfill some sick fantasy of his or some sort of crap like that, blah blah blah. I just don't understand"

She seemed frustrated, and she ran her hands through her hair, making it stick up, and fuzz. "I just don't understand. I did nothing. Umichi did it all, so how am I here, doing this? I run through ideas, and scenarios and all that stuff, and I just run around in circles, like a hamster on a wheel. No one's ever trusted me, trusted me to not screw up, or really, to even trust me not to hurt myself. So WHY?"

She took three long, deep breaths. She was just running around in circles once more. She sighed, and rubbed her eyes, as if they hurt. She shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be unloading on you, like this. Don't worry. I'll figure it all out" She said, trying a smile, and managing a small one. She smoothed her hair, half-heatedly, and leaned back, letting out another breath, "So. Are you alright with everything?"

[FujiwaraPhoenix]

Ayame was about to respond to Suki's initial outburst began, but decided to let her go on. This was what was burdening her, after all- trying to make her bottle that up was a disaster waiting to happen. As Suki finished off her release of emotions, Ayame smiled softly.

"Yes, everything's been fine... But as I said, you need to be more confident in yourself. We trust you because you're our group's middle ground- the most human one here, I could argue. Umichi's too rational at times, Fujiwara's too impulsive, I'm too naive about worlds like these, Paka's too overbearing, and the others are simply too young. You, you're the middle ground- because you're so rounded, we don't have to worry about our own ideals and flaws clouding up our judgement. That's what I think, though- that's my reason. I'm sure the others have theirs as well- would hearing them out make you feel a bit more at ease?" she responded. Maybe this was the wrong choice to make, but in her mind Ayame thought this to be the best option. Leaving Suki to try to find her own confidence was a risky move, so maybe gaining some elsewhere might speed up the resolution to her dilemma.

[MarshiestMallow]

The middle ground? Well rounded? That outburst didn't seem like the words of a well rounded person. Suki didn't consider herself well rounded. She considered herself someone that freaks out. Like she was doing now. Because she was scared. And that made her worried.

"You think I'm well rounded? You don't think my own ideals and flaws clouding my judgement?" She said softly, "I'm scared every single day that any one of us will die. I Just what everyone to be happy, to be safe" She said, looking down at her hands. "I know, I know, I know I'm suited for this, but...I just...no one's relied on me before. I just don't want to disappoint anyone"

She looked up as Timi came down the stairs, her hair a mess, rubbing her eyes. She yawned, coming over to the table, "M-Moo-Morning" She said sleepily, yawning.She sunk down into a chair

[DELETED7282737]

Yui

Yui also returned to her room short after Timi and Ayame went upstairs, the darkness in her room after having turned out all the candles prevented her from sleeping anymore so she stayed up most of the night till she fell asleep which was around 05:00.

The rest of her party was down in the main room of the inn by now but Yui only just woke up. She stood up from her bed with great difficulties. Her eyes had bags under them and her hair was all messed up but after changing into her usual wear she went straight down to the rest of the party. Yui sat down next to Timi at the table looking around a little at the others what they were up to and began talking Goodmorning everyone, what are the plans for today? she said with a big yawn.