Those Who Wish To Be Caught (Open)

[Shoichi]

(( Feel free to sit and talk and humor an old man  ))

Shoichi walked along the grasses path the light shone down on his bare head. Whipping the sweat from his forehead he took a little break on a near by fallen tree. Putting down the fishing rod and a box he found for the fish, he sat back and took in his surrounds. The birds were chirping and the air had a the sweet sent of greenery that reminded him of his home. Breathing in deeply he sighed as he fluffed his brown kimono trying to cool himself off. "This heat will be the death of me".

Standing up after his small break he pick up his fishing gear and continued walk. His feet crunched the grass as he walked unhindered. If there was one good thing that came out of the whole mess, was that he could move without pain or restriction. " The nice young lady said that there was an open fishing spot around here somewhere". Shoichi smiled as he remembered the mother and daughter that told him of this spot, even if they were not real the makers of this game went to great lengths to make them as real as people. Rustling through the light forested area he was met with a small river that flowed down. It was crystal clear, he could see the fish swimming around.

Filling the box he found with some water he would place it down beside him. Crossing his legs he sat down and held his fishing rod, slowly placing the straight hook into the water as not to scare the fish. The river lightly trickled down tickling the man's ears with the sound of it's song, the cicadas hummed adding their own music to the piece. Shoichi, would hum along with the sounds, his voice was rough from all his years of teaching, but it was a soft rough.

[Elpharae]

There was a worn path at the edge of Tolbana that Elpharae liked to take when the town was bustling with people to relax and clear his mind.

At the edges of the worn earth were patches of flowering plants, bright and vibrant. It seemed that there was no lacking in variety of different flowers, and Elpharae basked in the warm sun before realizing where he was and continuing on, an embarrassed flush coloring on his pale skin. At any rate, there was the pleasant, airy-sweet smell of dry grass and the twittering chatter of birds, and that alone was enough to make him flush happily. Sword Art Online was a death game, yes, but there was something to be said about the sheer tranquility of the place, able to soothe and calm the soul. His bare feet caused little puffs of dry dirt to fly up after him.

He paused at the stream, tying his sleeves into neat bows at his elbows, sitting on the bank. His fingers trailed against the water as he sat, marveling at the crystal-clear waters and the shimmering silver of needle thin fish that darted around the shallow waters, nipping at his fingers when they were still and flashing away. His ears caught the sound of a near-silent voice, and he drew away, listening thoughtfully. It wasn't unpleasant, actually, but rather calming, and he felt the urge to find out where that voice came from. Withdrawing his hand, he followed the sound, before noticing a much older man fishing, humming along with the sounds around him. When he paused, Elpharae did a sort of half-bow, the sort of greeting he had been taught to give to his elders. "Good evening, sir," He said shyly, tucking a strand of dark hair behind his ear. "That was a very pretty melody that you just hummed."

[Shoichi]

Shoichi pauses from his humming and turns to look over at the person, who complemented him. They had pale white skin and silky black hair. They where wearing a beautiful dress and that contrasted well with his hair and skin colour. Shoichi smiled at the boy, "Thank you it's the beat to a song I use to sing to my son, you picked the right clothing to out go with today I should have been my aware of the weather". He did not want use sex specific words as he did not want to offend the boy.

Looking back to the clear river his hook remained untouched, not letting it bother him he would pat a spot near by with his hand. " I have nothing to offer at the moment, but my voice and company. However when one of the fish decide that it's his time I will cook us up a meal for us to share". Putting his hand back on his fishing rod he would begin to hum again.

[Elpharae]

Elpharae took a seat nearby his newfound companion, murmuring a demure thank you in reply to his comments. His eyes watched him and he made a small noise of interest as the older man talked, raising an eyebrow in curiousity. It wasn’t that unusual to have a son at his supposed age. There was a beat of silence when the man just hummed and Elpharae listened to the rough, lilting music. There was a charm to this type of companionship, quiet and subdued.

He much preferred this currently to the bustling, ever cheerful atmosphere he got around his other companions, not that it wasn't pleasant, but the brunette needed time to pause occasionally. He plucked a dandelion gently from the ground, and twirled it thoughtfully between his fingers, rubbing the stem. In one smooth movement, he blew, letting most of the seeds fly away, except one, which stubbornly stuck to the weed, making a small, wry smile bloom on his face.

Setting the plant down, the brunette paused and sent a curious glance to the man. He was fishing-quite obviously, if he were blunt-and seemed rather peaceful. Peace, hmm? Elpharae returned his gaze to the water, admiring the smooth pebbles in all colors, placing his hand in to withdraw a smooth, peach-colored stone before dropping it back in.

[Shoichi]

He would look at him with the corner of his eye, still keeping his calm smile, " No I should be the one thanking you, it's nice to have time along, but being along can be lonely". He chuckled at his words they went the wisest nor the most well put together, but nothing he said was false.

He went back to his humming as he looked back to the water. The area and time may be peaceful, but they were in a gilded cage. It was saddening that people so young were exposed to such things. Looking to his companion, he was twirling a dandelion. In a smooth breath he blew on the seeds, they slowly drifted off and danced as the air took them away. " Sad isn't it, but even if you are the last remaining seed you can remember all the good times you had together with the others. Then one day leave to make roots of your own".

The boy would set the plant down and look at him curiously. Shoichi would look back at the boy's expression with a awkward expression, "What you don't believe me"? he would look away from him and back to the pebbles. Shoichi looked at the boy, he seemed to be enjoying the time here, but he looked sad. " Come now no need to look so down, I am not that bad as company am I"? he asked in a more joking tone to liven the boy's sprites. Until it had dawned on him that he had never asked his name, his smile grew smaller and spoke with a more apologetic but kind tone." I guess I am I did not even introduce myself. I am Shoichi", looking at the boy with a smile he wanted to make some of the bad turn to good, even if it is for a fleeting moment.

His line would twitch as a fish tug on the line turning his attention back to the water. The man's eyes widened with excitement, his face wrinkled as he pulled the line. " Looks like I got one already". Shoichi would stand up and yank the line grunting as the fish fought against him. Give the line some slack the jerking back the fish would fly out of the water, the fish would detach from the straightened hook and smack the man in the face. Flopping off the mans face and onto the ground, Shoichi would put his rod down and carefully scoop the fish up and place it in the box filled with water.

He would turn to his company a red mark covered his face from when the fish made contact with him just a moment age. Smiling at them with slight embarrassment he stood up rubbing his face. " If your looking to learn how to fish I would not learn from me", he laughed heartily his guff voice was calm and carefree. " Now, that we have ourselves something to eat would you like to help me gather the items for a fire"?

[Elpharae]

"Roots of my own, hmm? That's a nice thought." Elpharae murmured absently, a small, pleasant smile playing on his lips. It was hard not to be calm in this environment. But what if you're not strong enough to make roots of your own? What if you're just doomed to be alone and die? Those were definitely not nice thoughts, though, and he shook them off easily enough, turning his attention back onto the older player, watching him curiously.

"Oh, you're not bad company," The brunette reassured him, his grin widening a bit as he turned back to the man. When he introduced himself as Shoichi, something that Elpharae had guessed, seeing his health bar and name hovering above his head, Elpharae had assumed it was mere pleasantry and bowed his head politely. "There's no need to apologize. I refrained from introducing myself as well. My name here is Elpharae."

When the man turned back, seemingly having caught a fish, the player watched on in avid interest. So that was how fishing worked in Sword Art Online, hmm? His eyes narrowed in intrigue and he watched a fish leap out, still glistening with water. It had an iridescent light shine on its scales, and he briefly admired it before it hit the man's face. In a mix of mortification and amusement, Elpharae raised both of his hands to his mouth, and then headed towards him, smiling in a concerned fashion.

"Are you alright, Shoichi?" He asked. When the elder merely rubbed his face and made a joking statement about how the brunette should never learn to fish from him, Elpharae let out a quiet laugh in relief, listening to his next question. "Of course. You don't have to cook for me, though. There's really no need." With quiet movements, he backed away, heading for the nearby trees, which were sparse and neatly spread around.

When he finished, gathering an armful of kindling and dry wood, he carefully deposited it on the earth not far away from Shoichi, a little curious. One hand brushed his bangs back, eyes focusing on the green player. "Here you go. Will that be sufficient, or should I get more wood or kindling?"

[Shoichi]

Shoichi smiled and laughed with the boy at the amusing display. As Elpharae kindly refused his offer Shoichi spoke with his usual kind tone."Nonsense what kind of host would i be if i did not feed you, a young man needs plenty of nourishment".

As Shoichi put his fishing rod down and turned to help collect wood and tinder, the sound of wood and dried plant caught his ears' attention. Looking he would see Elpharae and a pile of wood and tinder near himself. Elpharae focused on him and asked if it was enough. Shoichi would cough in surprise at how fast he gathered the items, " Yes this is more than enough. I must be getting slow in my old age you already did all the work now". He would laugh at himself as he began to set up the fire pit. Moving over to a clear area, he would begin to pile the wood. Placing the bigger pieces of wood on the bottom and center creating a study foundation he would lay the smaller pieces around around the foundation. Sticking the bushy tinder in the bottom of the wood pile the wood leave a piece of tinder out to light the fire. Lighting the tinder with some flint and a rock, Shoichi placed it into the bottom where the rest of the tinder lay. Bending over he would slowly blow on the fire causing it to increase in volume and start catching the wood. The fire rose and the orange and red of the flame would flicker and spark, with yellows sprinkling off as the fire snap.

Moving back from the fire Shoichi would fan himself with his hand, beads of sweat rolled down his head. Smiling at Elpharae he would speak jokingly, " It's hot enough as it is and the fire is not helping". Whipping away the sweat with his sleeve, he moved to get the fish. Taking out his small cooking knife and prepare the fish. He let out a sigh out as he touched the fish with the knife. In a instant the fish would be gutted and skinned. " Makes the work easy, but they take the feeling of personal satisfaction of doing the work yourself". Putting a stick through the fish Shoichi jabbed the bottom of the stick into the ground angled near the fire.

Moving back to the river he changed his hook to a normal one and slowly lowered it into the water. " Need to gather enough to be able to feed many people. Everyone's troubles fade away as the gather to sit and eat with each other". As timed passed the smell of cooked fish scented the air. Placing his fishing rod down and moving over to the fire, the fish on a stick would look fluffy and white. Steam fumed off the cooked meat, taking the stick out of the ground he made hand it to Elpharae with a smile. " It isn't gourmet, but it's fresh right from the waters".

The fish became more frequent and soon the box would be filled to the brim with fish, their scales would reflect the sun's light. Reeling the line to the top of the rod and picking up the box of fish Shoichi would turn to the younger boy still with his smile and kind tone. "Looks like i am done for the day, are you staying or would you like to accompany an old man down the road to town"? He was sad that was done fishing, he wanted to stay and spend more time with the troubled young man.

[Elpharae]

He's very good at this, noted Elpharae, who watched the man prepare a fire. It was awfully pretty, for one, a flickering orange that could be seen as red, streaks of bright blue in the flame and shimmering yellow as a sort of outline. It burned rather well, actually, not taking up too much of the kindling. When the older man commented on the heat, Elpharae gave a small smile and nodded. "Indeed. It's a trifle too warm, but not overly so, though, for me. It must be your clothes."

Sending a small smile with his words, Elpharae watched him prepare the fish, realizing that he had the Provisioning skill. Taking the offered food with a demure word of thanks, the brunette took a small bite. It was savory, like expected, and soft, the white fish breaking under gentle pressure. The outside was a little rougher, a little thicker, and was darker in color, brown and crisp. Overall, it was good-really good, in fact, and the green player stated as such as he finished. 

The box the man had brought with him filled much more quickly after his first catch, and Elpharae watched in avid interest as he caught each one, watching water drip onto the previously dry riverbank. It would have made for a pretty picture-a girl sitting on the riverbank near an older man, watching him catch fish. The sky was a golden-orange that shone with pink, clouds pearly and fluffy as they sailed past. Picturesque. Completely picture-perfect, he thought with a small, private giggle.

Normally, he would doubtless expect something to break this tranquility, by today, it seemed different. The air was filled with contentment, warming him to the core, and like misery, happiness seemed infectious. A small, lilting lullaby came out of his parted lips, himself unaware, and when Shoichi had deemed himself finished, standing and picking up the fish, Elpharae hesitated at his question. Elpharae did love the outdoors, and sunset was one of the best times to watch the nature, but he wasn't a fool-going back to town was probably the safest option.

"I'll accompany you, if you don't mind," Elpharae decided after a brief moment of deliberation. "There's not much to do here without company or a purpose like fishing, anyways." He finished up with a quiet, subdued laugh, and walked beside him, watching the grass sway, enjoying the quiet lull that came with the absence of conversation. There was something to be said about the charm of a silent companionship.

[[GM] Julie]

Thread closed with spring cleaning. One participants active, One rewards distributed.

[[GM] John]

Thread closed due to spring cleaning. This is a flat reward, no bonuses will be added. I apologize in advance for the cut taken to your hard work of the past, however full credit cannot be issued due to the nature the thread ended in. You will be rewarded similarly to how solo threads do just without the cap, enjoy the xp from dead threads

The following players were credited for their posting: Elph

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