[INCOMPLETE] A Party for the Players

[Janeiro]

Availability: Janeiro, Angelo, Sora, Novakid
Location: A sunny day in the middle of Tolbana

Once again Janeiro had returned from the dungeon to the near town of Tolbana for a few days of rest. It was not healthy to try hard every day, just barely escaping the grim reaper every few hours because of another kobold ambush or a trap installed to roast, crush or slice up the players.

She was sitting on a bench facing one of the gorgeous fountains for which Tolbana was known. Water shot out of the tip splashing back into the pool, with a few ducks taking that opportunity to take a bath. Two geese, standing a few feet away in the shade of a large and old chestnut tree seemed to disapprove of such behavior, debating the matter by quacking vigorously.

„Madame.“

Janeiro forced herself to look away from the parley of the plumed and up to the female who had approached her. It was a girl not much older than Janeiro, standing straight up, feet closely together, in a brown dress with puffy shoulders and a white corset. Her blonde hair was tied into long twintails at the back of her head and Janeiro had a short chance to meet the girl's green, unsettling cold eyes before she bowed deeply with almost mechanical movements, handing Janeiro an envelope closed with a wax seal, her character name written on it in beautiful calligraphy.
„My master, Basilius Reinhart, wishes to invite you to a dinner and subsequent celebration of your and your comrades' heroic deeds as well as the progress in driving back the kobolds, an enemy who has troubled us for a long time. Please consider attending.“ The servant's voice was without any emotion, just delivering the words she was supposed to say. After Janeiro took the letter with both hands the strange girl stood up again and removed herself.

The black-haired teenager looked at the letter. Was that a trick? Why would one send such a cold person? Worrying about it would not change anything. She was curious what this was about. In real life one rarely got invitations like that, so why not. Turning around the letter Janeiro saw the imprinted seal used to close the envelope, a stylized symmetrical dragon in a fortress gate holding a sword in each claw. The amount of detail in the picture which only had a diameter of roughly an inch was impressive, even the scales of the dragon being indicated by a few fine lines.

Slowly she opened it, seperating the wax from the thick paper, trying not to rip through the seal. Inside was a single page, folded horizontally two times. It did not have much more information on it than what the Reinhart house's servant had already said, only giving exact time and place and adding that formal attire can be provided if necessary.
Right, it was a formal dinner. They wouldn't be able to attend in casual clothes and their armor would be out of the question, too. The letter said that they could borrow clothes, but Janeiro had not taken Tailoring as a talent without reason. The dinner would take place at 8 pm in three days in his mansion, and those invited should wear a Camellia flower. Definitely enough time to prepare oneself.

Another priority for her was finding out who else was invited and what their thoughts were about it. Without a global chat the best place to ask would be the Tolbana billboard, which was already filled with trading requests, advertisements and desperate notes of NPCs looking for help.
For a moment she hesitated, wondering how to phrase it.

'Will the Camellia open doors for you? I'm interested in meeting you. Ask for me in the Larch Avenue Inn. Janeiro'

She paid the fee to use the official board and went on walking through Tolbana's streets. The thought of going alone made her nervous. Hopefully somebody would respond. But her work for today was not done. In a store she carefully selected and bought large sheets of fabric as well as some other materials, before returning to the room she rented in the inn. Excited to finally use her third skill she started to work.


[altogether -100 Col]

[Angelo]

Setting: After the Wolf Den Quest was completed.

With great risk to his life, Angelo and another player completed the quest to kill twenty wolves threatening Tolbana. This story starts just after those events.

The white-haired teen just finished organizing his rewards in his inventory for easier access. Swiping away his menu, Angelo stretched his limbs as he gazed at a fountain near the center of Tolbana. He was wearing custom-made clothes from a tailor. Predominantly black, green notes accented his clothing. At first glance, people would notice the white hair on his head and the stylistically unique clothes he wore. Upon closer look, they would see his emerald green eyes and the word 'Free' tattooed on the side of his neck.

Water shot up into the air and sprinkled tiny droplets everywhere. With the light reflecting off the droplets of water, it kind of looked like rays of light shown in every direction. Sighing, Angelo began looking around his area. NPCs were busy doing NPC-like things: walking, selling, talking, etc. It was nice how SAO made these non-playable characters interactable and "life-like". It was always good to have the aesthetics and realism in a game to be spot-on. However, when 'attempting' to break objects like walls or tables, it quickly breaks the illusion of the game when the purple <Immortal Object> pops up suddenly.

The sun was still high in the sky when he decided to leave Tolbana to go back to the Town of Beginnings in search of his sister. He began walking when he noticed a rather asocial woman passed by him and accidentally drop a small white envelope. Before he could call out to her, the almost mechanical human/NPC? was lost in a suddenly appearing crowd. Frowning, he took a few steps and picked up what was actually a letter sealed in some extravagant red wax. His sense of morality almost prevented him from opening it and instead find the woman who dropped it, but something from outside the fourth wall told him to open it. So Angelo did.

Breaking the wax on the small letter, the white-haired teen perused through the note inside. A time, a location, what to where, and some other unnecessary words. This was an invitation to a party to the Reinhart mansion. Another look at the envelope revealed the person this was intended for: a Señor John.

Sorry for taking this invitation from you, John. The name was rather common in the western world and parts of Europe, at least that's what Kou read when he was looking up names on the internet. Señor seems like a title from Hispanic origin..

Angelo turned around to go sit back at the fountain when he saw something familiar. Long, flowing black hair appeared at the side of his vision. He turned to see the very same female walking towards the center of town. Cautiously, he followed her to the billboard. He awkwardly stared at her back from behind a building. The teen didn't imagine he would see her again soo soon, and his thoughts were again filled with steam and hot things.

This would be borderline stalking.. I don't want to give the wrong impression and mess up her's and my relationship with everyone else..

Angelo turned away and headed back towards the gate that led towards Town of Beginnings. However, something tugged at the back of his mind. The letter, the black-haired beauty, the person controlling Angelo.. His mind not able to take any more, the boy turned back around and headed to the billboard. When he got there, the female was gone, the only thing left behind from her on the board itself. He took a few steps forward to see the note she left behind. Camellia, check. Location, check. Name, Janeiro. A rather unique name for the girl he saw.

Janeiro..

Angelo looked for the inn named Larch Avenue amongst the buildings close by. It was only after about half an hour when he saw the large larch tree outside of a certain establishment that he found the inn. He hesitated in front of the door, his hand hovering over the handle as he decided what he should do. He simply picked up this letter that was dropped. He had no right going to this party or celebration that he did not earn. However, he strongly wanted to know who she was. Steeling his nerves, Angelo grabbed hold of the handle and gently pulled on it, opening the door. Inside was a rather rustic atmosphere, with sturdy wooden tables and chairs and a bar straight ahead. To his right were stairs that led to the rooms upstairs. Rather than ask for Janeiro, Angelo just sat down next to the bar and asked for a few drinks.

[altogether -10 Col]

[Sora]

What is the meaning of this? Sora was sitting upon a bench out in town. Within his hands a letter. He understood completely what was being asked in the letter. Though the thing that confused him was, why him? He wasn't known to anybody. Just a grain of sand on the beach. But alas, he received a letter, and so that must mean he is the chosen one! The one foretold among the prophecy! The prophecy thus said...

In a world, overrun by kobold. Villages destroyed, pillaged, kingdoms ravaged! There is only one who could stop him. And that was the Legendary warrior we all know and love... Err the name is scratched out and unreadable on this stone tablet... Carrying on. He went and single handedly slaughtered masses of Kobold! Eventually he slayed the King of the Kobold. This was a crippling blow to the army. The army went back into hiding after that. When 5 years later the Prince stepped to the throne. For 5 years, that son planned and planned. And eventually, he laid the trap on our hero. One night, our hero was drinking away, when he took a stroll out of a village, they struck. He was surrounded by armies of kobold. He was unarmed. But he wasn't some bum who couldn't defend himself. He was a legend. Disarming the first kobold he fought and fought slaying down the masses! But, him being drunk got to him. He stumbled and made a mistake, an arrow hitting him in the knee. He was no adventurer anymore. He fell onto his knee and was impaled through the back by many swords. He still stood and wiped them out. He fought, to his last breath. But was overwhelmed and killed. The kobold took a heavy wound as well. And returned to hiding once more. 20 years later. They return as they hear about the legendary warrior was reincarnated. Into a boy named Sora. Sora is the one who will rise from the many faces out there, and become a hero to all!

Yes... He was surely the one in the prophecy.. By the time he imagined this, his walk was over and he was by the boards, when something caught his eye... It seemed someone else had a letter like him.. Perhaps he should find this person, as it DOES say they want to meet him. It was some guy named Janeiro. Kind of a different name, but he wasn't one to judge some other dude's name. Larch Avenue Inn huh? Well it seemed he knew where to go. At that he strolled out and began traversing his way there. Though... Who exactly was he supposed to ask? He figured possibly the bartender.

Sora decided that he didn't think it'd be appropriate to wear his beginners armor, so he opened up his menu while walking, and selected his casual clothing. In a flash, it was there. It merely consisted of a black, pullover, short sleeved jacket. It also had a collar that went up to just half an inch under his ear. At the front, the collar dropped down on both sides and connected into a V-neck on his chest. This revealed a whore shirt underneath. He also wore black sports/sweatpants below. He ten arrived at the inn, opening the door and walking up to the bartender rather nonchalantly, hands in his pockets. " So... I'm looking for a man named Janeiro... Know anything? "

[Novakid]

Exploration had been set on the back burner since Takao-- or rather, "Novakid" as his username stated-- had decided to delve into the daily grind of leveling. His efforts hadn't been terribly fruitful thus far, only a handful of notches in his sword and a miniscule amount of experience under his belt. The realization that progress would not be something easily attained was a bit depressing, especially when one considered the stakes of their digital imprisonment, but the young ash-haired teen was not one to be deterred by a challenge. In the journey for progress, Nova had made the long trek from the Town of Beginnings and across the lush, rolling fields of the First Floor to the settlement of Tolbana.

The town was surrounded by large castle walls, perhaps rivaling even the Town of Beginning's in size. He passed through the gates and was greeted with an entirely different atmosphere. It was populated, but not overcrowded. The mixture of players and NPCs was just enough to make the settlement feel alive. Even if it wasn't quite as expansive as the city he'd journeyed from, Tolbana was a wonder in its own right. Or perhaps Nova was just easily impressed. If history was of any indication, the latter was more likely to be correct.

The jade eyed teen set about wandering the town for some time. He spoke to a plethora of NPCs as he gallivanted around, curiously browsing the wares they sold but staving off the desire to make any purchases. Money was tight in this virtual prison of his, after all. The selection of NPC merchants wasn't what drew him to Tolbana, however. The prospect of quests and experience had brought him so far from his rented inn room. Tolbana was a new frontier with fresh opportunities to be taken advantage of, and Nova wasn't about to shy away from the chance to make some progress. His wandering had brought him to a town square of sorts. Lush green grass and a few trimmed bushes and other shrubbery surrounded a beautiful fountain, which spewed water from its peak down into the deep blue pool below. If only the water of Sword Art Online hadn't felt so fake, he might've been able to convince himself to hop in and scare the birds. He lingered for a moment, making a mental note to return to the fountain and relax at some point before moving on.

Nova wandered over to a conspicuous looking message board not far from the fountain. It seemed to be the most logical place to look for something of interest, but the notes and messages and requests all seemed to meld together in a blur. Desperate pleas for help from NPCs, item requests from players that Nova didn't have even the first clue how to go about... Nothing of interest. It was only just as he stared to turn away that a vaguely enigmatic message was caught in the corner of his eye.

"Will the Camellia open doors for you? I'm interested in meeting you. Ask for me in the Larch Avenue Inn. Janeiro"

One could call it cryptic, but it did pique Nova's curiousity. The way it was worded seemed a bit odd to him, and even more so when he'd noticed it was a player's request. Nova quickly trotted off in some random direction, and with the aid of a few helpful players to help him along, he managed to find the aforementioned "Larch Avenue Inn". As luck would have it, a player had arrived just moments before him, as he'd overheard the stranger ask the bartender about the same name he himself was searching for.

"Janeiro sounds kind of feminine to be a man's name, don't you think?" Nova said as he moved to Sora's side, hands held behind his back. "I'm also lookin' for 'em though. I guess you saw that message thing on the board out there too?"

[Janeiro]

Janeiro had used her Tailoring skill only a few times before, and always to craft standard items. One selected the materials necessary, confirmed the action and almost instantly all the materials merged and transformed into a new object. At least it was this way on the lower levels, it could take longer later on. Creating a new item from scratch was entirely different. Rather than using the sewing skill one had in real life, there was a complex menu floating in the air with tons of options, much like a elaborate character creator in a videogame. Many options were still locked by her low skill level and the available raw materials which were not the best on Floor 1, but the amount of variety and choices to be made was still almost overwhelming. Janeiro sat at a desk in her room, the menu in front of her, changing lengths, patterns and seams, then looking at the preview and thinking for a bit while rotating the semi-transparent image before often scratching a big part she just spent several minutes designing. When she had finally decided a step, helping lines appeared on the fabric and as she started sewing her movements automated much like when she used a sword art, ensuring that her vision was made reality without any mistakes based on her own sewing experience as a player. Thankfully there was also an UNDO button, a feature Janeiro used frequently if she still wanted to change something.

Except for a few scattered people the inn was empty. Some guy at the bar appeared to be sleeping, a small party of players celebrated finishing a quest in the corner cheerfully. The bartender was a big man, definitely strong and muscular but with some fat as cushion, his bald head shining in the light. His face looked a little grim, but not unfriendly. Usually he served people without saying a word, putting some beer in front of Angelo. There were no laws for virtual realities yet, so being underage did not matter. Not that everything else happening in and with SAO was legal.
Being asked directly the man had to break his silence. "Yeh she upstairs. Room- never mind, there she is." With the wooden steps creaking a little under her shoes, Janeiro came down the stairs, surprised to see a group of other players already here since she just wanted to ask for some food. She did not feel entirely comfortable with all these eyes on her, but advanced towards the bar. Her eyes examined everyone, recognizing the boy who had looked for his sister in the hot spring. "Are you here because of the notice? Let's sit down." She said to the group, nodding towards an empty table.

[Angelo]

An hour passed since he sat at the bar, requesting another drink so as to not upset the silent bartender in front of him. Slowly becoming inebriated, although completely capable of walking in a straight line and talking very normally, Angelo waited until a boy slightly younger than him came up to the bar and asked for Janeiro. His ears twitched at the name and a small smile spread across his face.

A man? Oh how you can be soo wrong.

Another kid replied to the first, this time saying that Janeiro was more of a girl name rather than a boy name.

Uhh.. is it? All I can think of is Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. If it was a name, it would probably be a last name instead of a first name. I wonder how she thought of her name.

When the portly bartender corrected himself and said that she was here, Angelo froze momentarily. Standing behind him was the one he came here to see. Hopefully she did not recognize him as he eavesdropped on their conversation from the bar. The white-haired teen ordered a meal from the bartender as he positioned himself in a way so that he could hear clearly from the table while looking inconspicuous. Sadly, to his not soo clear mind, he didn't realize that it was painfully clear that he was trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.

I don't belong in that meeting anyways. I only picked this up from someone else. I do wonder if I am able to get into this party with this invitation.. Could I pull off being a Señor John? Only time will tell.

Or when they notice him eavesdropping and mention it to Angelo.

[altogether -40 Col]

[Sora]

As he spoke to the bartender another boy came up and began to talk to him. Janeiro being a girl? Well... It is possible but.. He doubted it. He turned his gaze to the boy before speaking. " Ah, well it ends in an 'I' so I figured it'd be a dude. But I may be wrong. " though then after the bartender himself began to speak, he realized he was wrong. It truly was a she due to the pronoun he used. Only then, he said she just arrived. And so, the easy on eyes looking teen turned to find her. Here because of the notice? H right! The whole reason he's here! The notice he saw on the board. " Indeed I am, you must be Janeiro. " he spoke while simultaneously moving to a table. He grabbed his chair and spun it around backwards as imhd sat on it. Arms resting in the back of the chair which his back would be resting on if he were sitting on it correctly.