[CLOSED] An Awkward Position

[Athena]

Note: This thread is starting at the edge of the Black Forest. But the majority of the plot will be taking place in Tolbana, so that is why this thread is here.

---

"Do you have a problem for me to solve?" ☒ Elpharae ✐ 001 ✉ I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS. EVEN THOUGH FOR ME IT IS 12 IN THE MORNING, I AM SO READY TO START DOING THIS. (I apologize for the short post, but I'm tired and just wanted to get something down.)

Athena always enjoyed having a good stretch in the morning before she trained. Even though it wasn't important because her body didn't physically need it, it helped Athena to focus before she began training herself with her rapier. She would usually take the majority of the time stretching to focus on her legs, since that was the core aspect of her fighting style. Athena had a style where she relied highly on agility and speed. Her strength wasn't very high, but because she was so quick, she could usually make up for it by dodging attacks. Athena's fighting style was also heavily reliant upon parrying incoming attacks if she couldn't dodge, as well as exploiting the weak points an enemy had. Athena enjoyed her fighting style very much because it spoke volumes about her personality. Athena noticed that about a lot of people's fighting styles, they tended to speak about their personality. Athena was quick, exploiting, and dodging. Athena meant dodging as in, she would dodge any questions about herself. Athena, for some reason, didn't like talking about herself. Athena also, for some reason, couldn't stop thinking about Elpharae, who was originally a random girl she saw at the edge of the Black Forest where she was now stretching. It wasn't a kind of romantic interest... She didn't think. The girl was just interesting to her. She always wore the prettiest clothing, and her personality reminded her of a delicate porcelain doll. Though, there was definitely a tough side to the delicate porcelain doll, which she appreciated. Those who were strong secretly were normally the strongest emotionally. Or... At least, that's the idea that she had drawn from the majority of people that she had met. When is Elpharae coming? She should've been here by now. We were supposed to start our training a little bit ago.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Elpharae]

Elpharae paused in the middle of the streets of The Town of Beginnings, where a small crowd was clustering near a window. Curious, he stepped closer, inquiring what had gotten them so excited. A NPC girl answered, surprisingly, saying automatically that there was the grand opening of the library today. Surprised and a little excited himself, he made his way to the front of the crowd, where several books were on display. He admired the smooth lettering and gilded covers on the serpentine-style books, and lingered for a bit, chatting pleasantly to a group of players about the newer literary works in the game and in the real world both before realizing the time.

If he kept this up, the player would be late. Cursing in French- he seemed to be doing that more lately, come to think of it -he swiped his hand down, opening his menu before selecting the white -and- orange Inventory option, equipping his armor and rapier hurriedly before dashing off, his uncovered feet hitting the cobblestone streets. The unfamiliar feeling of more weight than usual directly on his skin slowed him down by a couple minutes, but he gritted his teeth and pushed on. Athena had offered to teach him what she knew in the field of rapiers, which would be doubtless helpful in the world of SAO, where you skills with a blade determined where you stood in society and in terms of strength.

And strength was the one thing in Sword Art Online that was always in demand. He slowed down, barely, when he could make out the Black Forest in the distance. A flash of yellow caught his eye-it was undoubtedly Athena's light hair, and he headed toward that direction, biting his lip when he slowed to a complete stop. Athena seemed rather idle, probably waiting for him, despite his attempts to not show up late. Pausing, he caught his breath, before giving out a quick apology. "I apologize for my lateness. I got distracted, and forgot my appointment with you."

He flushed pinker when he realized that he had forgotten to stretch, and began to do so immediately, leaning on each side, then plopping down onto the ground, spreading his legs, and then reaching for each one respectively with both hands. Wincing slightly when he missed what he was trying to aim for, he sighed and focused harder. "You can start talking about it if you'd like," Elpharae told Athena, tilting his head curiously. "Unless you're going to teach my by correcting my movements, which I suppose you could do, too."

He closed his eyes, trying to focus. The Black Forest was just as he remembered it-lush, green, and full of noises. He could hear the slow, lazy howl of a Dire Wolf; the tinkling melody of birds chirping cheerily; the quick pitter-patter of unknown footsteps; the inevitable swish of swords cutting through the air. Clearing his mind, he straightened up and stood, waiting for Athena to talk as he straightened up, smoothing out his clothing idly.

[Athena]

"Do you have a problem for me to solve?" ☒ Elpharae ✐ --- ✉ YAY I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS. SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG FOR ME TO GET TYPE UP MY REPLY.

Athena waited a bit longer for the girl to arrive. Though, surprisingly, she wasn't getting impatient. In this moment of normal human feeling, Athena found herself dumb-founded by her actions. Hold on. Why aren't I getting mad? I should be mad at Elpharae for being late... Yet... I'm not. Why aren't I getting mad? This is really odd... I can't focus on anything when I'm around her, I even experience NORMAL HUMAN EMOTION. WHAT DOES THIS GIRL DO TO MY MIND??? Athena had a small internal battle with herself, as she tried to form a hypothesis as to why she was acting the way she was. She ran so many different reasons in her head, but she never came up with a definite answer.      Athena calmed herself down by the time that Elpharae had arrived. By that time, Athena was done stretching and running over a few of the poses that she had taught herself, and now currently teaching Elpharae. Athena watched closely as Elpharae did stretches, making sure that she bent down far enough, reached far enough, and stretched her muscles out as much as possible. Athena knew herself that stretching actually had no benefit to your fighting, but it was good way of learning to focus. Focus was key in Athena's style of fighting because she relied on her speed to dodge attacks and make sure she didn't take too many hits. Athena thought her style of fighting was unique, in the way that she would only try and conduct swift attacks against her enemies. Strong attacks weren't something that she had a characteristic of. Rapiers themselves weren't very helpful with extremely strong attacks either because rapiers were piercing weapons, which meant that they were meant to inflict damage to specific areas of an enemy, rather than just trying to inflict damage to any area of an enemy. Piercing weapons were almost meant to inflict critical damage, but Athena didn't have a very high critical rate, so she didn't rely on the chance that she would ever inflict critical damage. Athena continued to watch Elpharae closely, even as she finished her stretching.      Athena smirked because she had a fun idea instead of making Elpharae practice the same stances and forms of attack as they always did. "Elpharae... How about we try something a bit more fun this time?" Athena pulled out her rapier and pointed it at Elpharae. "We're going to do a bit of sparring. Are you up for it?" As a means to get Elpharae more intrigued to battle her, she lowered her rapier a little bit and looked away from Elpharae. "Or... Maybe we could just do the same normal, boring things we usually do. Or... Maybe you're too afraid to take me on?" She winked in the direction of Elpharae. Athena was hoping that Elpharae would at least take her on for a short amount of time. Sparring was a good way to practice your skills, especially when they had a similar fighting style than you. Athena put her rapier back in the original position she was holding it and stood towards Ekpharae in a battle ready stance.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Elpharae]

As Elpharae finished, he felt Athena's eyes on him, and was about to cock a curious eyebrow when she forged on, talking. Pulling his dark hair into a braid while his deft fingers pulled it through the band, he cocked an eyebrow challengingly, competitive streak flaring up like a match set on fire. "Afraid? Sure, you're a level two, but I'm far from afraid, hmm? At least...I'm not going down without a fight. And you do so love to fight, don't you?" He murmured absently after those lines, running careful fingers over his rapier. Smooth at the bottom, sharp at the tip. Something expressly made for piercing and stabbing.

"Alright, then, my goddess, Pallas Athene," He murmured, dark eyes lighting up as he shifted into an equal stance, analyzing her as much as he could, onyx-colored irises shifting to a gold-tinted smoky quartz. "Here are my terms. No damage after your health reaches 20 points. Whoever concedes first or reaches that amount first looses. No lasting damage-no cutting off limbs, taking out eyes, that sort of thing. No leaving this meadow. Other than that, it's all...up to us. The gods play funny games, don't you think?"

He breathed calmly, eyes seeking escape routes and places to conveniently disappear. "One. Two. Three. Go."

Elpharae attacked first with a quick thrust, trying to graze the edge of her calf with a sort of leaping-running position, which brought him past her back, and he used that distance to duck behind a bush. He may have been fast, but Athena was faster. She relied on her legs, one of her most striking features, heavily. So if he could somehow take that away...his eyes narrowed as he quietly hid behind a tree, eyes focusing on Athena's blonde hair, then scaled down back as quietly as he could, steadying himself on the ground...and returning to open light. His rapier cut cleanly through the air, and he twisted his wrist with his other hand, aiming for her foreleg, but cursing when he remembered that he was mostly vulnerable right now. If this hit landed, however...

[Athena]

"Do you have a problem for me to solve?" ☒ Elpharae ✐ --- ✉ OH HO HO ELPHA GET READY~

Athena watched as the girl quickly replied to her request, with a little more sass than Athena was expecting. This girl was something else. She pushed her buttons just enough to get her motivated to do tasks which she wouldn't normally do with anyone else. Athena wouldn't normally battle other people, especially after training them. Athena didn't want one of her 'students' getting used to her style of fighting because each person should have their own unique style, instead of adopting someone else's. Each person who battled had their own strengths and weaknesses, and just because someone was close in strengths and weaknesses to Athena, that didn't mean that they needed to adopt her style of fighting. It also made it hard for Athena to battle someone later if they became an enemy. Athena knew that it was unlikely for someone to suddenly switch to her enemy in the game, but she never wanted to take that risk because it would put her at a significant disadvantage. Athena whispered to herself, "I really do love fighting. That means she should know that I won't lose to my own apprentice."      Athena listened as the girl started her next phrase. The words 'my goddess' especially caught her hearing. Wait. What? Did she just... She called me her goddess?! Wh-What the hell?! Wh-Why would she say that?! I mean... I guess... I guess I have been teaching her some things, but being called her goddess isn't something she should say! I mean... I am good at fighting... And I am named after a Greek goddess... But... But that doesn't mean that she should call me her goddess! I don't belong to Elpharae! At least... I don't think I do... Wait! What am I saying?! I DON'T BELONG TO ELPHARAE. I AM MY OWN PERSON. Athena lightly shook her head as she caught the rest of the girl's conditions despite her internal fight. Athena lightly smiled at the girl, which made her get into a readying stance. Then, as the girl said that the gods play funny games, she laughed. "Indeed. They do."      Athena was ready when the girl charged at her. Elpharae was a little bit more transparent than she probably thought she was. Athena knew that her speed was the one thing that made her a formidable opponent, and Elpharae definitely knew this too. Elpharae had seen Athena fight monsters many times, but the thing Elpharae probably didn't know is that Athena herself was watching Elpharae as much as Elpharae was watching her. Athena smirked. "You should really try for an approach catered more to my weaknesses." Athena let Elpharae scrape against her calf. Athena took a small amount of damage, since Athena was expecting this blow. Elpharae dashed behind Athena, which made Athena quickly turn around. Elpharae tried to cut her leg again, which was her mistake. "Elpharae... You should really know that I put most of my defense in my legs, since they're my most precious asset when fighting." Athena quickly side-stepped the girl's thrust toward her and quickly kicked her in the stomach as she flew by. "I also don't play very nice. Don't think I'll be going easy on you." Athena was planning to thrust toward Elpharae as soon as she got up. She wanted to give Elpharae a fighting chance against her. It would be a learning experience, for both Athena and for Elpharae.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Elpharae]

"Oh, then?" Elpharae murmured, rolling over and protecting herself with a defensive stance that blocked Athena's thrust with a quick screech. His dark eyes gleamed. How interesting. Athena was definitely more analytical then he'd given her credit for, and so...perhaps it was time to overestimate his opponent. He kept his eyes open, observing Athena as she doubtless was observing him, searching for weak points. Athena...didn't have Acrobatics, if he remembered correctly. So that was an advantage, perhaps. Feinting a left, then a right, and finally just making a split-second decision to kick her in the abdomen, using that momentum to launch himself into a handy tree.

Athena placed most of her defense on her legs, hmm? How interesting. He took out his sword. Athena was wickedly clever, fast, and talented with her sword. Her defenses went on her legs, because she knew without them, she would lose...so what was his lucky feature? He didn't really have one, come to think of it, but he would need to rely on his size and weight for much of this, as well as his Acrobatics skill. Sighing, he focused on Athena, making sure he wasn't detectable to someone, at least to his greatest ability. Twisting his wrist, Jyun activated, making him point the sword away from Athena, the golden light blending in nicely with the sunlight.

"Please work," He whispered quietly under his breath, and then letting his weapon fly towards Athena, hitting her abdomen. As she (hopefully) was momentarily distracted, Elpharae crouched and sent himself through the air, gravity adding more pressure onto his fall...on Athena, his elbow hitting her on her wounded side as he rolled and pulled out his sword, disappearing into the shadows of the meadow's edge, wincing. Yes, that hit had probably wounded Athena, but now she knew Elpharae's tactic for now-attacking from above. His paralyzation didn't even work, so there was that. Also, his health had dropped by ten points total so far.

Well, he wasn't giving up. Elpharae retreated to the treetops, where it seemed relatively safe, relying on his Acrobatics skill to help him twist from tree to tree, each branch sturdy and strong. Was it an Sword Art Online thing? He wondered lightly, his eyes zeroing in on Athena. What would her next move be?

[Athena]

"Do you have a problem for me to solve?" ☒ Elpharae ✐ --- ✉ YAY!!! BATTLE WHERE ATHENA WILL GET ALL PISSED BECAUSE SHE GOT INJURED!!!

Athena heard Elpharae's reply to her hint as to how to injure Athena. Athena smirked because she was ready for Elpharae to really give it her all. Athena stood where she was, as she was ready to rush towards the girl, but was surprised when she leaped towards her. Athena quickly saw the girl's feet heading toward her stomach, but it was too late for Athena to dodge the blow. Athena put her hand on her stomach before Elpharae used her stomach as a trampoline to get to a tree. Athena took a small amount of damage for the kick, but her hand hurt like hell. Athena quickly surveyed the trees to try and find the small girl, but she couldn't find her no matter where she looked.      By the time that Elpharae's Sword Art had activated, Athena noticed the light being emanated from her sword. Athena got ready for a blow that would spell all kinds of trouble for her. From what Athena remembered, Elpharae's Sword Art was a physical blow, which was usually highly effective. Athena also happened to remember that Elpharae's attack was half of her defense, so she hoped that Elpharae wouldn't be able to inflict too much damage. As the small girl came towards her, she readied herself for the blow. Athena wanted Elpharae to feel comfortable in the trees for now. Elpharae obviously knew that Athena didn't have the Acrobatics skill, but there was a skill that Athena had never used when in front of Elpharae because Athena almost never faced enemies in the Black Forest with Elpharae watching. Stealth was going to be the element of surprise in this battle, and Athena thrived in the Black Forest, more than Elpharae would've realized. Athena felt the rapier stab through her and she held in a scream. To make the blow that much worse, the girl jabbed her elbow into her side. Athena saw Elpharae head back into the trees. Athena knew Elpharae would still be watching her, but Elpharae made a large mistake not taking advantage of Athena's wound.      Athena looked towards the trees and squared herself towards the general vicinity of where she thought Elpharae was. She placed her rapier in the middle of her 'magic circle' tattoo on her right palm and quickly swished her rapier in an 'X' motion. A radiant light emitted from her rapier and Athena hoped that she had inflicted blindness on Elpharae. Athena didn't care to stay behind after her Sword Art, 'Blinding Beam' was done. Her plan required her to be in the forest, lie in wait for Elpharae to fall out of a tree, then attack her continuously from the forest while using her stealth skill. Athena ran quickly into the forest after she Sword Art was done. Athena would adjust her strategy if Elpharae wasn't inflicted with blindess. Athena used her stealth skill as she disappeared inside a number of the many tree's shadows. Elpharae needs to learn that the more information she knows about her opponent, the better off she is. But even if she doesn't know everything, she needs to learn how to adjust based on her circumstances. Athena looked at her health bar. She had just about 30 HP left on her health bar. If I take two more hits, I lose. But Elpharae won't be able to beat me. Not in the forest. Athena picked up a rock and slipped it inside of her pocket. Blindness causes you to rely on other senses. If I can confuse Elpharae enough with excess sound, then I can inflict a number of injuries to her. Athena smirked while she was invisible to Elpharae. I WILL win. I will not allow myself to lose to Elpharae.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Elpharae]

When a bright flash went off, Elpharae flinched and closed his eyes, but not fast enough. His vision was blurry, so he kept his eyes closed. Athena was clever, yes, leaving him to depend on his other senses, but didn't she know? He relied quite heavily on his hearing, something...that she knew, didn't she? Was it a trap, the gentle chuff-chuff of her shoes against the forest floor that he could hear if he used Detection? But what if it wasn't? He listened to the gentle rustling of leaves, and as quietly as he could, he clumsily made it over to a throwing distance away from the noise.

Okay. He couldn't throw his rapier when blinded-though, it was beginning to lift a little bit. Like, 20%-so he would need something else. He felt among the trees until he reached a strong, sturdy branch, blindly took his rapier, and sawed it off silently, hissing when he accidentally shaved two points off his health...with his own sword. When he had collected two of them, he made his way above the sound, and when it continued, he took a deep breath and threw the stick down. Now, in reality, it would just make a very, very light thunk sound, but in SAO, it made the sound a little louder, so if Athena was there, he would be able to hear it hitting her armor if he used his Detection skill again.

Nothing. Just...silence.

He sat back on his heels, thinking as his vision cleared just the tiniest bit more, half of it restored. He could make out fuzzy images and colors, but didn't really trust himself with anything else. Athena was really clever, as expected. So what would he do? It wasn't like he could just keep on throwing sticks, because while it might have hit her, she would know where he was. Elpharae sighed, rubbing on his temples. Well played, Athena. Well played. He conceded, and fingered his rapier. If she could set off traps, why couldn't he? A light smirk spread on his lips, and he quietly let out a little laugh.

Moments later, he was trying to get back, cursing a little more loudly than his mind wanted to as he slid from one tree to another unsteadier branch, almost slipping onto the ground. His vision had cleared, and while he was rather happy about that fact...was there any other tricks Athena had up her sleeve? He let out a small giggle as he viewed the ground from the upmost branches of the tree that could support his weight, raising a dark brow. Athena had Stealth, if he remembered correctly, which meant that he could disappear. Still, even she couldn't get up here without Acrobatics.

A smile played on his mouth as he played with his sword. Well, he had underestimated Athena for so long. It was time to overestimate her, for once. He watched carefully as he stayed in the tree nearby to the one he had made the noise with, rapier poised to shoot behind the foliage. As soon as she stepped in, he would send his rapier hurtling towards her.

[Athena]

"Do you have a problem for me to solve?" ☒ Elpharae ✐ --- ✉ You're not making this easy for me...

Athena cursed herself when she didn't hear Elpharae falling out of a tree. Even though she was blinded, she didn't fall out of the tree. Damn it! I thought this was going to work, but I guess not. I'll have to come up with something else. I still have no idea where Elpharae is and I'm no closer to damaging him... Unless... Athena looked at the nearest tree she could see. Even though she didn't have the Acrobatics skill, she could still climb a tree. No... That wouldn't work. While she'd be climbing the tree, she'd expose herself because her stealth skill wouldn't work because she didn't have the Acrobatics skill too. Athena cursed herself for not also getting the Acrobatics skill, but it wouldn't be long until she'd be able to get a talent point to spend on a new skill. Athena would be able to get the Acrobatics skill later, but now... It wasn't the time to be thinking about things that would come later after she leveled. I need something to d- Athena's thought was cut off as she saw two branches fall from a tree that was very close to her. Elpharae had found where she was? Or... At least close to it. But now Elpharae gave away her position.      Athena started trying to run scenarios in her head, but nothing was working. Athena then decided that she was going to stall Elpharae. If she didn't know exactly where she was, that meant that she couldn't damage her if she stayed where she was. Athena didn't think Elpharae was nearly as patient as Athena herself was, but this was the ultimate test of patience now. Who would strike first? Athena wouldn't allow herself to move until she identified where Elpharae was. Athena could take a good guess as to where she could be, but making noise was the most of her worries. Athena shouldn't move and shouldn't breathe too loudly. Athena could hear her own heart pounding. What could Elpharae possibly have in store for her?      After about ten seconds of her silence, she lost her balance for a second, but still made no noise surprisingly. In that time, the rock that Athena had kept in her pocket had brought pressure on her thigh. Oh! That's right! I put this in my pocket to distract Elpharae... But how do I make sure that I distract her effectively? Athena thought on this for a moment before it struck her. The pile of leaves. If the leaves moved in any way, Elpharae would be sure to strike out of adrenaline. Elpharae probably wouldn't be expecting a rock, and she probably wouldn't think of that if she thought Athena was a sitting duck. And maybe she was, but Athena wanted to ensure that she could get a small distance from Elpharae. Or so that she could expose Elpharae and strike her before she could hide again and wait for her Sword Art to finish its cooldown. I will win. I will win. I can't lose.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Elpharae]

(OOC: You think I was going to let you win that easily? Pish posh. Aphrodite triumphed over Athena with the golden apple of Discord; she can do it again.)

Elpharae stilled when a heavy object hit a pile of leaves, and glanced down, his vision perfectly clear, but Athena hopefully didn't know that. He glanced down at where the sound had come from, and readied his rapier, getting ready to let it fly, shifting into an easier position and to get a focus on his target. When he caught a snatch of motion, his instincts flared and his hands pushed, only to hit nothingness. His eyes widened. A trap. And he had walked right into it. Well played, Pallas Athene. Well played. But he wasn't done yet. Tilting his head, the brunette angled his body, tensed, and threw himself back onto the ground, hitting Athena's side with a solid kick, rolling off and striking again, his arm angling as to send a hit on Athena as he landed on the ground again, skidding hard.

He rolled off, breathing hard, and kicked himself mentally when noticing that Athena had his rapier. Of course. But she couldn't use both at once, so...Elpharae pulled back, keeping a defensive stance. The bad thing about rapiers that along the side, they were smooth, with a paper-thin edge. So if he could just tug on one or block it with his hand...he should be fine. Elpharae went in again, making sure that he was protected before hissing when his health dropped down. Struggling to pin her down, Elpharae finally got into a comfortable position, making sure her legs were pinned down securely, so she couldn't escape, and pinning her arms down. Well, now that his body was taken up wholly, the bad side of being so tiny, they were at a draw. Athena couldn't attack (at least, he hoped so) and neither could he, no part of him able to move without running the risk of her being able to escape.

27/65, his health bar proclaimed, a dangerous red-orange shade. His eyes shifted to Athena, feeling every shift of her muscles against his limbs, wondering who would win this round.

My apologies, Athena, he sighed mentally. Nike seems to be conflicted today.

[Athena]

"Do you have a problem for me to solve?" ☒ Elpharae ✐ --- ✉ Very true, but that doesn't mean she's actually going to let Aphrodite beat her again. Though, she probably will give it up to Aphrodite.

Athena waited until Elpharae struck, then quickly moved to the pile. But she had moved too quickly. Elpharae hadn't jumped down onto the pile of leaves, which was something that Athena wasn't expecting. Shit! How could I let myself move before I actually saw Elpharae?! I just have to hurry and make sure that Elpharae doesn't- Athena felt her own weight shift significantly as her health bar went down again. Athena quickly looked towards Elpharae who had jumped off of her again. Are you fucking serious?! You kicked me again?! Athena could feel herself getting hot with anger, turning her face bright red. Then, another blow came flying at her and she got hit in the side again. Now she's gonna get it! Athena was about to strike with her hand when she saw that Elpharae's health had dropped down into a region where, if she gave Elpharae one hit with her rapier, then she would win against Elpharae.      Athena was ready to strike with her rapier when she suddenly found herself being tackled by Elpharae. Athena fought Elpharae, but Athena wasn't very strong, so she knew that she would probably end up losing to the small girl. Despite her small size, she was surprisingly strong. Athena then felt herself get pinned down and she tried to wiggle out, but nothing was working. The thing that Athena knew was advantageous to herself was that she knew that Elpharae couldn't move either, otherwise, she would get hit by Athena's rapier and lose against her. Athena's face was still red because she was angry and as she moved around, she felt the girl's body all over her own. Athena started to feel strange as the girl kept holding her down and Athena didn't enjoy the feeling. She wanted to get out of this awkward position and beat Elpharae already. "G-Get off of me!" Athena looked into Elpharae's eyes and noticed just how dark they were. What kinds of things am I thinking about right now?! I AM SUPPOSED TO BEAT ELPHARAE IN THIS BATTLE. I NEED TO STOP THINKING ABOUT WHATEVER I'M THINKING OF AND- Athena suddenly had an image of Elpharae sleeping on top of her and now she just got embarrassed, but angry with herself. "El-Elpharae... P-Please g-get off of me... Ri-Right now..." Athena didn't say this very loudly because she was afraid that Elpharae might be able to tell what she was thinking. STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS. CLOSE YOUR EYES. FOCUS ON YOUR BATTLE STRATEGY. Athena closed her eyes tightly as she tried not to think of more embarrassing things.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Elpharae]

"El-Elpharae... P-Please g-get off of me... Ri-Right now..."

Elpharae paused, a little surprised. Was Athena alright? He looked down at the girl, a little confused, and sent her a questioning look, dark hair falling into his face. Lifting a hand, he placed a slender limb on her forehead. "You're a little hot," He noted, brushing her hair aside to get a better view of the girl and shifting his body. When she closed her eyes, Elpharae frowned. Was she really not feeling that well? "You didn't have to force yourself to come if you didn't feel well," He chided. "Are you sure you're fine? I'm not sure I've seen another player with a fever, but you never know..."

He brought his legs over, fitting Athena's body better, so he could pin her down and check her temperature. After he withdrew, he realized, with a rather sharp jolt, that he was practically straddling the other player. With a furious, pink-tinged blush, he rolled off, but not before stealing his rapier back and keeping the blade at her neck while he kept her legs pinned. "I'm sorry for that. It was a rather compromising position, and..." Elpharae shook it off, the rapier he held glinting with the sunlight, dark eyes narrowing. He kept Athena down, at least now in a less embarrassing position.

"Concede," Elpharae murmured, unconsciously leaning closer so Athena could hear him, light breath touching the nape of her neck. His dark eyes focused on her, watching her every move, ready to defend himself if she acted against him and attacked. "We can stay like this all day, never wavering, locked in battle, neither of us giving up, or we can finish and move on. Concede, and you will lose, yes, but we will not wage another fruitless battle. It should be very, very logical and requires almost no thought. Choose, Pallas Athene, daughter of Zeus, the king of kings. What will it be?"

Waiting for an answer, he pressed the tiniest bit harder on her throat, keeping her legs comfortably pinned underneath his, struggling to continue doing so, though he didn't show it. Cocking another dark eyebrow, he silently asked for her reply, waiting patiently-or sort of patiently, he wasn't so sure anymore-for her surrender, or her attack.

[Athena]

"Do you have a problem for me to solve?" ☒ Elpharae ✐ --- ✉ You just had to make him become serious, didn't you? *Sighs heavily* Release the kraken.

Athena kept her eyes tightly shut as she quickly heard Elpharae say that she didn't have to come if she wasn't feeling well. Athena was shocked by how innocent the girl was, she was also shocked because the girl was completely unaware that their bodies were touching too much for comfort. Elpharae... How could you be so naïve? Why can't you see what you're doing... Being on top of me... It's making me... I don't know! I just want it to be over! Athena opened her eyes shortly after Elpharae checked her forehead again to make sure that she didn't have a fever. Elpharae still hadn't noticed why she was acting the way she was. Athena felt Elpharae adjust her position on her body, and it made her flinch because she wasn't expecting it to happen. WHAT IS SHE DOING?! WHY HASN'T SHE NOTICED YET?!?!      Athena suddenly saw Elpharae roll off of her and then suddenly point her rapier at her neck. What the hell was she doing?! Elpharae apologized for the 'compromising position' that she had Athena in. No kidding! Jeez! I'm... I'm so shaken up about it now! Elpharae kept posing questions to her and the stress inside of Athena just kept building up. All Athena could hear was Elpharae saying the word 'concede' and then suddenly, it went away and Athena found her vision getting blurry as something hot and wet slid down her face. Athena pushed Elpharae off of her and she didn't care at this point whether she won or not. Athena looked Elpharae in the eyes and nearly screamed at him. "Are you kidding me?! You humiliate me by putting myself in that awkward position and then you try and stab me?! Wh-What do you think I am?! A fucking robot?! I HAVE FEELINGS. I'M STILL A WOMAN. AND SO ARE YOU, SO YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND." Athena just slid her face into her hands as she tried to forget about the humiliating events that had just unfolded. She put her knees close to her body and just sulked as tears streamed down her face. This was the first time that Athena had cried in the game. It was something entirely new to her. Athena didn't like being vulnerable, but once she was, she couldn't help but continue being vulnerable until she just wasn't vulnerable anymore. It didn't follow any logic, but for some reason, it made sense to Athena. She had hoped that she wouldn't be emotionally vulnerable for very long because it probably made her look weak to Elpharae.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Elpharae]

Elpharae paused in shock, his rapier clattering to the ground with a pronounced clang that seemed to travel through him and past him.His dark eyes widened, and he hesitated before switching to his normal clothes. What was it about him that made him seem so much like a woman to others? It wasn't like he was that feminine...was he? He had considered himself a rather girly guy, but...still somewhat masculine. It seemed not. He bit his tongue, shaking it off. That was not the type of thing to think right now. He approached the blonde a little cautiously, seating himself next to her, waiting for her sobs to subside. He gently placed an arm around her, and rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"I'm sorry," He murmured softly, unsure of how to act. Was there a certain code of acting around a crying person? He didn't think so, but he kept a relative distance, making sure not to crowd the other too much. Lightly stroking her hair, he repeated the apology over and over again quietly, hoping it would reach her. Elpharae contemplated telling her his real gender for a moment, but decided against it, figuring that the girl would be much too distressed to deal with that information right now. She was probably dealing with the humiliation and mortification that came from crying in front of another person right now, though he didn't think any less of her for it. To him, Athena wasn't invincible-she was just another player, just more cunning, ambitious, and prideful that others. Something drew him to her.

On impulse, his arms gently encircled around the girl, and he pressed his temple to her shoulder in a warm hug. "I'm sorry," He said again, making sure she was mostly alright before silently withdrawing, keeping an arm behind her loosely. Turning away, respecting her space after most of the sounds subsided, he sat next to her, not making a sound. His dark eyes were averted from her frame, but once in a while, he snuck in a glance, checking on the girl.

When he was confident that she was at least halfway better, Elpharae gently nudged her, trying to subtly catch her attention. "Hey," He said quietly, his tone a little solemn, but otherwise the same as it would have always been. His eyes locked on hers. "You okay, Athena?"

[Athena]

"Do you have a problem for me to solve?" ☒ Elpharae ✐ --- ✉ YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES

All Athena could think about while she was crying was how horribly humiliating it was to be crying in front of someone else. Why was she crying in front of someone else? Why couldn't she just have been a normal person and have conceded to the battle? Why did she have to start crying so hard and become so embarrassed? Athena wished she was a robot because it would save her the pain of being humiliated in front of someone else. It would also save her the pain of crying and being embarrassed. Athena didn't enjoy crying, though she knew that it had to happen every once in a while. This whole situation was a hard one to be in. It was stressful. You were essentially fighting to keep living every single day. Athena was sure that she could just live comfortably in the town in the game, but she would never be able to see her family again if she did that. Athena would never be able to physically feel how hot a piece of bread is after her mom just baked it in the oven for her. Athena would never know exactly how sweet cookies tasted with friends that grew very close to her ever since she was a young girl. Athena wouldn't know how she would feel when she would get her first kiss from a boy who genuinely liked her. At least, she was expecting the kiss to come from a boy, but she didn't really care about their gender as long as they liked her. Athena suddenly envisioned Elpharae and she turned bright red, which made her feel a bit better for a second. Why had that calmed her down? Athena wasn't sure, but she suddenly realized that she was being comforted by Elpharae.      Athena could feel Elpharae's hand on her back and it was very soothing. Athena was still crying, but now she didn't have such depressing feelings filling her mind anymore. Athena started to feel better when Elpharae kept saying that she was sorry over and over and over again. Then, Athena kind of started to feel bad because it wasn't Elpharae's fault. She didn't know what she was doing and Athena just lashed out at her for no reason. When Elpharae asked her if she was doing okay, Athena kept hiding her head. At this point, she was only sniffling now, not crying. Athena hid her head because she was afraid that she would look strange with teary eyes, puffy eyes, and her face all wet from her tears. "I'm fine..."      Athena waited for a moment before she hugged Elpharae tightly. "I'm sorry. I lashed out at you for no reason and you didn't deserve to be yelled at. If anything, I'm the one that needs to be apologizing. You didn't deserve any of that. I'm really sorry. Please forgive me." Athena hid her face in Elpharae's small shoulder and felt really sorry about what she had done. A few seconds later, in an attempt to make herself feel better, she said something else to Elpharae. "And... For the record, you won that battle. I would've been toast if I was your enemy. It was a nice touch to try and make me concede though." Athena laughed at her own comment. She started to feel better the second after she laughed, but she didn't move from Elpharae's shoulder.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS