[CLOSED] To Celebrate and to Mourn

[Relsialle]

" Sometimes things are more fun with your life on the line…" ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ notes Relsialle Lv5 The girl reached up to take another sip over her refreshment, seeming to slow down her drinking pace considerably, but appearing much more composed than either of the pair. The Irishwoman nodded at Kyo’s observation, guilds were indeed slowly beginning to form and recruit on the streets of the first floor towns, adding a formal structure to what had only been loose associations of friends and allies. The girl slowly wondered as to her own opinion on these organizations, shrugging off most of the off-hand attempts to recruit her thus far with immediate dismissal. For the most part a good number of these organizations seemed more for social purposes than to accomplish anything really, but still she was hopeful at least one or two of them would prove her wrong in the future. The musician shook her head, “We’ll see about that, all it does is give a name to those roving quest parties that we see around all the time. Only a matter of time before guilds start playing the game of who is bigger and baddest…No thank you.” The thought made the thief cringe slightly, distrusting any organization for the most part. The farce of justice that players began to enforce in the safe zones was revealing of the mindset that the players began to take on as the overall mental health of the server took a nose dive in the weeks before the raid, her fear was…as many others…that guilds might add a bit of teeth to these players that wished to treat this real-life game into a means of gaining power. The pink-haired woman chuckled at Kyo’s suggestion, finally offering a quick nod in acknowledgement, “Hey it’s still better than me trying to keep people in line...” Relsialle answered with a laugh, tapping her full-beverage on the table slightly, “Hell, we could place bets on how fucking terrible that would end up…I barely keep myself alive most of the time. Trouble follows me like a damn magnet.” She added, shaking her head with a grin, her crystal blue eyes flickering to the weapon as he revealed it. “Yeah, I saw you picked up the new blade after we got done with Pentagan…Looks a bit intimidating,” Relsialle answered as Kyo finally pointed out the curious weapon, her eyes admiring the aesthetic of the other two Floor 1 drops that had been spawned out of the chaotic and ultimately depressing final battle. “Hmm, I’m not sure of that…those that remained seemed pretty hardened by the affair, but still the only way we will know is when the call is made again.” The Irishwoman shrugged, her smile disappearing as suddenly as it was created, thinking back to the strong resolve in the remaining players that fought with them until the end. No matter what she knew that in between herself and Kyo they would be able to pass on the lessons learned at least, hopefully giving their next bout better footing once the time came to cast the dice yet again. The philosophical rocker lifted an eyebrow at Angelo’s condition, letting out a soft snicker as he appeared to be pretending to be normal…the sight almost reminiscent of a drunk driver getting out of a citation and arrest. The Kunoichi shook her head, seeming to enjoy the light-hearted blow to the heavy nature of the conversation that had now dominated on the table. “Right…and you do this all the time?” The girl jested, poking at Angelo verbally in bit of fun, turning to Kyo thankful for the subject change. She had no yet fully grasp the inherent significance of her own boss drop…knowing its effect best be suited to dangerous situation, especially considering its unique ability. Knowing her own style, it seemed suited for her, and was quite possibly was the most powerful of the trio of artifacts. Still she best thought the item hidden for now, revealing it when the time was right and they were standing at the door of yet another floor guardian.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Angelo]

Brooding Is Bad..

Broodiug Is Bad..

From the gist of their conversation, Angelo presumed that Kyo and Relsialle got whatever they had from Illfang. Kyo received a sword. The woman? It was something still unknown to all. They left him out of their private conversation, but the mood left everyone a bit sour. The boy simply looked at the both of them and Kyo's hilt. His own equipment was shoddy and poor compared to theirs'. It was pretty difficult to earn Col in Sword Art Online, and the materials needed even harder still. He would probably have to go about trading items with others to get what he needed.

"No. Only when drinking. Brightens up the atmosphere you both have been putting down here." He really wanted to know what exactly happened at Illfang. If he could help them somehow by talking it out and letting everything off their chest, then he would by no means do it. However, several of his attempts for them to open up have ended in failure and Angelo simply gave up on trying to pry in.

His emerald-colored eyes stared at a couple of players on the other side of the room. Unlike the two at his table, they were having fun talking and drinking about whatever adventures they had. It seemed that they were not at the boss fight like Angelo was, which would explain the light-hearted mood they had going on. He glanced back at Kyo. The teenager had to continue trying. Maybe words of encouragement were needed instead. He didn't know what to say exactly. Perhaps moral support? 

What could he say? 'Do what you can, where you are, with what you have?' 'Don't focus on what you couldn't do, focus on what you can leave behind?' 'Look for something positive in each day, even if some days you have to look a little harder?' He racked his brain trying to figure out what to say to these lost people. "Sometimes life is hard. People you love and cherish will leave, but you have to be strong and keep moving forward. Keep them in your heart as you continue to bring hope to others in their memory."

As soon as he said that, he knew it sounded corny coming from a stranger. Angelo looked down at his empty plate and mug. "If not us, who?"

[Kyo]

☒ ✐ -- ✉ Kyo Lv.4

Kyo had nodded to Relsialles comments. It was evident that a lot of the guilds were not exactly created for the purpose he had in mind. He still had hopes that someone would be able to lead the front lines so he wouldn't have to. He didn't like the idea of having other peoples lives in his hands.  His eyes rested on Angelo who was now offering words of advice that he didn't entirely understand. "You okay bud'?" asked offering a slight raise in his brow to the boy.  He had thought long about the whole idea. He knew from the beta a few guilds had set the goals of clearing boss fights first, though it wasn't the same here. With lives on the line a lot of the people who were really good were still too afraid to take the helm and steer to victory. He was rather glad the topic had changed so much though. After all, this was a celebration. Kyo tipped back his beer taking in a mouthful of the golden liquid. He wanted to leave the conversation open to Angelo to reply, hoping the topic stayed away from the boss fight.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Relsialle]

" Sometimes things are more fun with your life on the line…" ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ notes Relsialle Lv5 Angelo was persistent, Relsialle would give him that much…the drunken youth still at least able to keep his wits about him to keep with the thief’s sharp tongue. If he was persistent enough in the end she knew the pair would have to tell him as well as any others that came running when yet another vaulted door opened…at least until then she promised she would keep the veil over it. Kyo was right none the less, player morale was high for once. The near jubilant hope seemed endless for the moment as it was spawned as the first teleportation gate was opened, but she couldn’t help but wonder if too much hope would be a bad thing. Her thoughts avoided the monument of life until Zeroth fell, her own experiences with death outside of that battle making her even more familiar with the concept than the others, but still even a free spirit such as her couldn’t let everything slide off of her. Her quest for diversion and fun meant she did her damned-est to avoid seriousness, but it seemed more and more seriousness found her as time went on. The rogue’s brow furrowed as Angelo verbally bit back, offering a measure of unsolicited advice that seemed to speak to her nature. “I’ll drink to that…but it’s a bit high and mighty for someone like me…” The girl grinned, at least entertaining the positive notion for the moment, finally taking yet another sip from her beverage. “Naa…I’m just in it to have as much fun as possible…well…until clearing’s not fun anymore.” The Irish woman added, her accent flavoring her words thickly as she offered the pair of companions a wink in jest. Her philosophy was well known to the black-haired swordsman, a streak of selfishness and hedonism despite their dire circumstances…what a trio they made…Kyo the selfless martyr and Angelo the naïve poet. The line was indeed corny, but thoughtful, and even her own self-serving nature had become lessoned as time went on. She knew full well several people had made their mark on her and those budding friendships seemed to both hinder and better her at the same time. The pink-haired kunoichi mulled in her thoughts for a moment in silence, her grin falling to thoughtful stewing…private thoughts unknown, before looking at the pair once more. “Fuck it…No fun in being a drag anyways. Besides I’m curious what the next floor looks like…” The girl snickered a bit as her outlook improved a measure, seemingly content that her thoughts were directed elsewhere for the time being. Relsialle’s brow perked up slightly as Kyo sounded his concern for the drunken Angelo, the girl turning slightly to check on the youth once again, “Naa…he is just trying to play us off again, but hell…it beats him stumbling around again.” The girl said with a laugh, answering for Angelo in jest once again, her mood improving slightly as turned to target Kyo with her famed bar-room wit, “Besides you’re the responsible one remember…that means you got to babysit him.”

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Angelo]

Using Different Colors

Using Different Colors..

Angelo stood up and went to the bar, feeling a bit uneasy at first because of his jelly leg syndrome, and asked for some apple cider. It was quickly made, which the boy appreciated, and took a quick sip. He exhaled in bliss, feeling the liquid of happiness go down his throat. He thanked the bartender, giving a small tip with the price of the drink itself, and headed back to the table in the corner. The white-haired teen set his beer look-a-like on the table and occasionally took a sip, its refreshing quality showing on his face.

"I don't need babysitting. I'm good now. How about you? You've been drinking quite a lot. Are you sure you're perfectly fine walking?" The day was turning darker, giving the atmosphere inside the building a more rustic feeling. He really missed the feeling of sitting at the computer and watching anime and reading books. You don't really get those kinds of hobbies in this game. All those new releases that were released.. he couldn't get any access to that. Angelo was stuck in Sword Art Online.

[Kyo]

☒ ✐ -- ✉ Kyo Lv.4

Kyo had smiled at Relsialles comments. "I wanna get out too- but- can we learn more about whats lurking on this floor before jumping right to the next? Give it a few days of straggling around at least before heading out. I think I'm just going to sit patiently and not join in the dungeon hunt. Let someone else find it." his statements came out quite happily though it was unusual for him. Just moments before he was talking about not losing momentum in the moral spike, yet he plans to just sit and wait?  Kyo gave Angelo a questioned look at his comment. "Well- Im sure Rel' here could drink me under the table easily- and- well." his mind blanked for a moment before chuckling a bit. "I don't even know about that... I couldn't imagine the nerve gear accounting for actual alcohol tolerance. So perhaps its just a neural thing mixed in with stats determined by age and or body weight." he never had thought about how alcohol worked. It seemed to have a varied effect on people but hen ever understood exactly how the game determined when a player was intoxicated. "I've never been drunk in SAO before. I don't really know how much I can handle" his chuckle returned as he called over a waiter and asked for another beer, with a followup beer when his glass started to look low." he already planned to tip handsomely for the troubles their table was probably causing the staff in the establishment by continually returning for more beer. Relsialles comment gave Kyo a questioning expression. His left eye winced nearly shut but not entirely there. "Right right." he said with a little bit of quickness in his wording "Whos going to take care of me than though?" he said before laughing and taking another large mouthful of his beer. The yellow-brown liquid stopped tasting gross and started just becoming another normal part of his palette as the alcohol began setting in a bit. He wanted to push the system to see how much he was permitted to drink before he became drunk, and if there were different 'tiers' of alcohol impairment.  He didn't actually intend to get drunk, but he wanted to get buzzed to the borderline of full intoxication just to test his own limits for future reference. Than again, maybe the alcohol of each floor would vary in effectiveness anyway.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Relsialle]

" Sometimes things are more fun with your life on the line…" ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ notes Relsialle Lv5 Relsialle nodded at Angelo’s comment, knowing well her ability to pace herself, a result of long nights solving the world’s problems with her friends and bandmates in the pubs of Europe. Occasionally she would over indulge from time to time, as many of her comrades did in those times but they did well to take care of each other…the babysitting that the pink-haired rogue described. Still in those days her favorite part of the night was the fun reserved for after those shows, the drinking until they were kicked out, the long walk to breakfast, and the indulgence in greasy diner-food that had a way of sobering everyone up enough to get home safely. It was those times she missed the most and times like these in-game that replicated the experience, the warm embrace of familiarity that kept her going when she missed the outside world. “Yeah, I’m game for a short break too…with everyone whipped up in the good energy I’m certain we can take a break for a bit at least until that dungeon is located,” Relsialle answered turning to Kyo prying her out of her trip down memory lane. “Still not exactly your standard persuasion…I thought you were all for saving everyone anyways…not like you to laze-around in town and let everyone do your work for you…I’m not influencing you too much am I?” The pink-haired kunoichi teased with a grin, questioning her sudden change of heart and behavior. The girl showed a high level of intuitiveness, turning to Angelo knowing that he was one of the one’s eager to get started on the floor’s clearing. The girl nursed her beverage slowly, knowing the darker liquids had a much more stronger content then the softer light-ales of the first floor…silently resigned to taking care of both of the males if she would have to…or at least giving the tavern-owners enough coins to put them up for the night if they were to get out of hand. The girl chuckled as Kyo ordered himself another, the punk-rocker shaking her head, “I’m certain the waitress won’t have any trouble shoving you two under a blanket somewhere to sleep it off!” The thief answered with a deep laugh, her crystal-blue eyes growing brighter as the sour mood lifted further. Still the black-haired swordsman was right, she didn’t know how well the alcohol worked in game…the brain chemistry somehow governing its effects, her high tolerance somehow built in perhaps?

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Angelo]

Time To Celebrate!

Time To Celebrate!..

"I'll take care of you Kyo!"

The apple cider was just too delicious not to drink slowly. With a smile, the young boy raised his mug to his lips and drank the fizzy beverage. He looked over to Kyo and Relsialle and asked if he could add them to his friend's list. Still a bit inebriated, he didn't think the idea to be a bad one, nor would he ever think it would be. Having people close by to talk to is one of life's luxuries that is rather underrated in today's world.

With his fingers, Angelo fiddled with the menu and took quite a while to finally get to the friend's sub-menu and sent a request to both Relsialle and Kyo. He glanced up past the screen in front of him and gave them both a pearly smile. The white-haired boy took another swig of his drink before placing it back on the table.

[Kyo]

☒ ✐ -- ✉ Kyo Lv.4

Kyo broke out into laughter of Relsialles comments on him needing to save people and clear floors. "I might try to be the hero at times, but I need a break too right?" he said letting out a huff. He was glad the topic entirely left the prior discussion of the boss fight now. He was still holding his alcohol quite well but slight signs of intoxication began slipping through. For one, he would start to seem at least genuinely happy compared to the stressed focused persona he normally would exhume.  Angelo had offered to take care of Kyo, which cause Kyo to begin chuckling at the thought before a hiccup came out followed by a grin. "Thats alright bud'" he would say before taking another sip of his beer. He began feeling slightly light headed, thinking it would be time to slow down a bit before he made a fool of himself. As soon as the friend request popped up Kyo would accept it, offering a smile back. "Can never have too many friends I s'pose. Though you certain you wanna be friends with a grump like myself" he would say before laughing.  He looked down to his nearly empty beer and went into a deep thought, trying to decide whether or not he wanted to chance another one. He held off at the moment, again trying to not become a laughing stock or letting anything slip that he might not want to say.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Relsialle]

" Sometimes things are more fun with your life on the line…" ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ notes Relsialle Lv5 Relsialle lifted an eyebrow before bursting out laughing once more at her two companions, “Aye, and so the bro-mance starts!” The girl giggled, her accent seeming to come alive the more she prodded and teased the pair of boys. At least the pair were responsible enough to know where they were limited, she wouldn’t doubt, especially given the younger age of the majority of the player base there were already burgeoning alcoholics amongst the even little known players…who knew how many were relying on these things for their bravery outside of safe-zones or at least to cope with the loss that the floors inevitably lost…a mirror to their own situation at present. The pink-haired rocker blinked as a friend request popped up on her GUI, yet another prompt that served to remind her that this was not a pub in the real world…despite all of her desire that it was. The kunoichi swiped on the accept button almost off-handedly, her reservations seemingly taken away given the light-hearted conversation that the group had now taken…thankfully away from the depressing topic that haunted them only minutes before. Still the group couldn’t help remind her of the late nights that she had spent being social in the bars and clubs of her home town, sometimes forced to be the motherly one that escorted her sick friends home after a night’s diversion…other times being the one that had to be hidden from a police presence that she no-doubt caused by her outlandish drunken antics. The girl looked up at Angelo to pull herself from her musings, noticing the lad had bounced back rather quickly and seemed at least to be well-enough to handle himself for now, the sun long since disappearing from the window as the lateness of the hour had become present. The Irishwoman turned to Kyo with a laugh as he defended himself, “Naa! There is no break for good especially when there are so many criminals like me running around, yeah!” The girl exaggerated with a deep laugh, puffing up her chest slightly as she pretended to be the criminal mastermind that she clearly wasn’t. The girl turned to Angelo not skipping a beat as Kyo made a quick jab at himself, “I’d be careful there Angelo…this guy is about as emo as it gets…” The girl added with a wink to her dark haired friend, long since remembering their first encounter in the dungeon together.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Angelo]

Karaoke Time!!

Karaoke Time!!..

"I'm pretty sure," he said in response to Kyo's response, his pearly white teeth showing as he gave a light-hearted laugh. Angelo wanted the mood to be even higher and more crazy. Taking his mug of apple cider, he downed it all and exhaled with a satisfying 'Ahh' before placing it down in front of him.

Using the cup and his other hand, the white-haired boy began thumping a familiar beat, using the cup for the lower sounds and his palm and fingers for the mid and high range sounds. After a few seconds, he began singing out loud, not giving a care if others around him were annoyed or cheering him on.

"Let's get down to business
To defeat the Huns
Did they send me daughters, when I asked for sons?

He continued on until the chorus, where Angelo began to sing with more gusto and expression.

We must be swift as a coursing river
With all the force of a great typhoon
With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon"

The teenager hoped the others would know the song as well and sing along with him.

[Kyo]

☒ ✐ -- ✉ Kyo Lv.4

Kyo chuckled as the pink-haired rocker pumped out her chest acting tough. "You a criminal?" asked questioning as his laughter broke through in what was clearly in a joking manor. Even though she had once attempted to rob him, he never thought of her as anything of the likes. He more or less assumed that was the role she wanted to play starting this whole mess and than once it became life her morals began taking over quite a bit of that devious life style. She had always offered him a warm smile and a fun adventure every time they met. He even managed to talk her into taking the heroes side of a quest line that was rather morally conflicting. "Alright Mrs. criminal. Does that mean I have to apprehend you?" he said with a chuckle. "I'll have to bring ya' in for questioning just to find out the last several things on your list of criminal activities probably involved helping others" his chuckle persisted and a grin widened. This was nice. He had escaped the mayhem of the game for just one blissful moment losing all sense of reality, or perhaps virtual reality, seeing as these were two very real people beside him, even though they were nothing more than pixels here.  "Oh emo am I?" his laughter continued when thinking about their first two meetings and the emotional side of him he let out so easily to Relsialle. He never really understood why he did that, but perhaps that is part of the reason they have their bond today. He felt more emotionally grounded than when the whole scenario began though. It was an emotional roller coaster coming into the miss they now call life, but he surely has gotten used to the ups and downs and by now had grown to accept it regardless of how hard it had been.  Angelo had started breaking into song and Kyo's laughter continued. He began tapping the beat along side Angelo, being ever-so-slightly off time due to the alcohols effects on him. He hadn't known the tune, but he joined in never the less. It sounded faintly familiar, something he's probably seen in a movie or heard on the radio, but never actually listened to as a song itself by choice. He still merrily tapped along, taking another swig of his drink in efforts to kill the feelings he had only hours prior.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Relsialle]

" Sometimes things are more fun with your life on the line…" ☒ @tagged ✐ 000 ✉ notes Relsialle Lv5 Relsialle lifted an eyebrow at the unfamiliar song, defiantly not being of her particular style and preferred flavor when it came to music. Most music encountered in-game for the most part followed this same pattern, either tunes that were gleaned from the international popular culture that the players had brought in with them to this world…mixing with the ambient medieval and historical tunes that the programmers wished to provide atmosphere their creation. Regardless the thief seemed deaf to both, giving them both the cold shoulder for the most part preferring the own songs in her head that came from her own performances or those artists that influenced her. The pink-haired ninja shook her head at Angelo, once more writing him off as the energetic drunk that he was now portraying himself as, but at least the dreary mood had lifted…the girl giving the white-haired teen credit for that, but now it seemed grating to her. Hell, he at least should know some classic American tunes…the Ramones and the old New York scene was still pretty famous she thought... The girl chuckled as the teen seemed to go from serious to drunk and back, forcing her to hold her hand over her eyes a moment before putting her slender fingers around the emptying cup. She turned her attentions to Kyo’s jokes as Angelo piped up, the song easily tuned out for the time being. “Oh no! Don’t even joke about that! I have a reputation to maintain…if people think I’m helpful than I’ll never be left alone!” The Irishwoman scoffed, her eyebrow dropping slightly in an exaggerated reaction…her sharpened features appearing like an angry kitten. “Keep up that kind of talk and I’ll be sure to tip off my sister where you are hiding!” Relsialle added, sticking out her tongue in jest, her accent growing thicker as time went on. Regardless the pair had come a long way since her attempted robbery, but still the self-serving morality that she had cultivated did appear every so often, but still something kept her on the ‘green’ path even when Kyo himself had faltered…strange really how she, one of the more criminally inclined amongst them stuck to a honor and unseen ethic when she had been the most vocal in favor of mayhem and anarchy. Perhaps she needed a push, something to jar her in the opposite direction. However, one thing was certain, she once knew that survival had to be a priority regardless of morals, but it seemed that lately the two were inseparable for now.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS

[Angelo]

No One Wants Me.

No One Wants Me...

And they didn't know the song he was singing. Great. It was a Disney classic, yet these two supposed human beings did not know Mulan's 'I'll Make A Man Out Of You'. Disgraceful. He stopped singing more out of anger rather than embarrassment and stood back up, went to the bartender, and got another refill of apple cider.

Angelo began chatting up with all the other denizens of the bar, having no success at having fun with them. They all seemed to think Angelo was off-putting and the boy just sat down morosely in front of Kyo and Relsialle. The night was getting old and there wasn't much Angelo could do here. He simply drank his cider in peace, not saying a word.

[Kyo]

☒ ✐ -- ✉ Kyo Lv.4

Kyo burst into hysterics at Relsialles comment, as he watched Angelo get up and leave the table. "Haha! You'd sick Rue on me? How dare ya?" his banter clearly seemed to be fuel by alcohol at this point. A slur began to intertwine with every word. Not enough to inhibit one from understanding him, but enough for one to guess he'd drank a bit more than he should have. The thought seemed quite hilarious to him. He thought maybe one day he'd possibly be out fighting a giant when out of nowhere Rue would show up with Relsialle behind having a grand time laughing. His thoughts were entertaining to say the least. His views on Rue changed slightly knowing how high favor Relisalle had towards her. He still didn't like her methods but perhaps if he got to know her on the other side of the sword things would be different. Perhaps he could even schedule a meeting for the two of them to talk it out and than even possibly get their sparring match they spoke of. "Ya' know something. I'm really glad I met you." at this point he just started sounding giddy and stupid. It came from the heart, but the deep dark heart of the man was being raised from its chamber in the sheer volume of the alcohol that surrounded it. "It means a lot'" he paused for a moment to get his composure back. "It means a lot to have a real friend in all of this." the mans face had turned rather red, an unusual hue for the tanned skin he already possessed. Perhaps the alcohol had some kind of delayed effectiveness, or perhaps hes just been resisting its effectiveness over the course of the drinks. Either way, it started to hit him, fast and hard. Angelo had returned to the table with a cider looked less than his normal cheery self that Kyo had only seen thus far. "Whatsa' wrong. Are ya' drink?". he asked waving his hands through the air as he spoke as if he were Italian.

MADE BY ★MEULK OF GS