Catching up

Aaron stared at his hand. It'd been a while since he was last in this world, in this body. The body so close to his own, yet it wasn't. It wasn't a real body, just numbers, 0s and 1s on some computer server somewhere... right? What had been happening to it while he was gone? He sighed. He'd left because he was starting to have issues telling the real world apart from the game world, and his time apart hadn't seemed to help that at all. Things seemed so different, though, when he had logged into the town. So many faces he didn't recognize, and it seemed there were even players who were the elves now. He needed to get caught up on things, and more importantly, he wanted to see his friends again.

Pulling open his messenger, he sent a message to ABC. "Hey, I've been a way for a while. We should meet up, I need some help getting back into the swing of the game, figured I'd like to do it with friends." He sent the message off and looked around, forcing a smile to his face. Time to get into character, to be the person he created for himself to be. The person he wanted to be. He cleared his throat. "There is no need to worry, I am here," he said, his voice deep and dramatic. Immediately afterward, he cringed. "Nope," he said in his normal voice. He shook his head and laughed at himself. "Ah, come on, Aaron. Just be yourself. That's all you need." He smiled, for real this time. Suddenly his eyes widened. "Ah, I forgot to tell her where I was!"

He opened up his menu once again, and sent off a second message. "Uh, I'm in Brisshal, by the way."

@Alphabet Chocolate @Blithe Bombón

 

Alphabet Chocolate

o em geeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

this is the best omg ee-ewjewjotdfsjtpogert gotta tag every1 online now omgerd

@Blithe Bombón ITS AARON like not the other aaron but the aaron aaron u no?!?!? 2 BRISSHAL WE GO!!! @Aaron Marone

To be honest, Alpha hadn't expected the blonde-haired knight to return after his sudden and long absence from this world. So many people just upped and disappeared like Merkaba and Nalani and she pretty much lost all hope that anyone would return; so, she had simply focused on her own self for awhile. Seeing Aaron message her was not only a pleasant surprise but a wake-up slap to the face as vigor and energy pulsed through her. Although she'd had her fair share of intense, positively gleeful moments after their disappearance, she hadn't had this roar of pure euphoria since her early days of exploring the world. Now it was just all work and fight after fight. It was about time that a social reunion hour came up along her busy schedule.

Speaking of which, she looked down at the dagger in her hand. It was, by no means, a recent acquisition but she wanted something a tad bit more nostalgic. Without another thought, and with a light shrug, she opened up her inventory and equipped her oldest outfit in the game. A hodgepodge assortment consisting of a wooden training spear, a pair of trousers, a blouse, and some boots. And, finally, she watched as Luna reappeared. It had been a long while since she had last seen the lunar hare (she'd promptly abandoned having animal companions since Terry's death and Hector was just a recent, accidental acquisition that she had no interest in bonding with). As to be expected, the hare's eyes were bright and excited and brimming with life and happiness. It stretched its little paws to engulf Alpha's ankle in a tearful hug.

Okay. She was ready. She's got this.

And then she stepped out of the corner from where she was hiding and preparing and winced as the sunlight revealed her position by the side of Aaron. "Boo!" she jumped, raising her hands up wide and apart and curled at the fingers in the mocking impersonation of some grotesque childhood creature. Within seconds of her surprise attack, Luna jumped out from the shadows and replicated Alpha exactly with a sniff. "It's me, the great Alphabet Chocolate!"

Her introduction was stellar. Perfect, she thought proudly. Unfortunately, it had to be ruined by the sudden onslaught of tears rolling down her face like a waterfall. Her voice cracked. Her demeanor shifted. She hadn't expected herself to react this way but she did; naturally, she clung onto Aaron for dear life. "I missed you."

 

{Remember, Nalani never existed ;) Blithe is essentially Nalani, just her and Alphabet have a different kind of friendship}

Blithe was pleasantly surprised when she received the small ping on her ui, bringing it up to inspect the message from someone she hadn't seen in a while: Alphabet Chocolate. Alphabet had been someone she had went through CotMW with. Although the adventure had been kind of a haze, she remembered her being almost exactly like her until her poor pupper had died. Poor pupper...

And then there was Aaron, the paladin, whom had also been on this journey. He had been a man of justice, always trying to save them from who knows what. He was a very sweet man, and kinda cute, which was all Blithe could really remember about it. After the raid ended, she left for health reasons. He wasn't the only one whom had returned after a long time, and she understood the weird feeling, even if she acted much different about it.

She skipped along her way to Brishal, a little basket swinging as it hung onto her arm. She had baked them both some delicious sweets and packed a blanket for a nice little picnic!~ Wouldn't they love it? However, as she approached the scene, her eyes rested on a Alpha clingy straight onto Aaron, tears rushing down her small little face. And as soon as Blithe saw the two of them too, the basket she had been holding dropped to the ground as she hands balled into fists, sniffles erupting from her.

She herself was crying. Why was she crying? Well, seeing too friends even if you may have not been super close but having gone through all those adventures together... That really was something for her. She ran forward and clung to the other side of Aaron, burying her into the sleeve of his arm, When she tried to speak, all the came out was a simple line in french, "Ça m'a blessée plus que je ne croyais."

Crying Blithe Gif
@Aaron Marone @Alphabet Chocolate​

 

Aaron's own eyes watered a bit as Alphabet's did. "How's it going, ABC?" he asked, trying to keep his voice level. As she clung to him, he put his arms around her, like an older brother giving a protective hug. "Hey now, if you keep crying like this I'm gonna cry, too. I'm a sympathetic crier, I can't help it!" He laughed a bit, but his cheeks were getting wet from his own tears. "I missed you, too. It's good to be back." It was then that he noticed the rabbit. He gave a sad smile at the sight. He was glad that Alphabet still had pets, that what happened with Terry hadn't turned her away from that completely, it seemed.

It wasn't until Blithe arrived that Aaron would try to end the hug, and even then it was hesitantly, unless, of course, ABC had tried to end it sooner. He vaguely recognized the girl, and as he watched the basket fall to the ground, he wasn't entirely sure why she had dropped it until she started sniffling as well. "Oh, damn it. I'm gonna sympathy cry again," he said, smiling at the girl. His mind raced for her name. He'd worked with her before, on that whole business with the blood witches. The event that had convinced him to leave. "Uh... I'm sorry, I don't know if I remember your name 100%.... Blake?" he asked, cringing as he did so, the suspicion strong that he remembered incorrectly. He moved toward her to pick up the basket she'd dropped.

He was completely blindsided by the French, however. "Uh..." he blinked. "I'm really sorry. Uh... Je sui.... uh, Jesus Aaron," he said, pointing at himself as he offered her the basket. "No, that's not how you say it, is it?" he mumbled. He glanced at Alphabet. "Help."

(@Alphabet Chocolate @Blithe Bombón )

 

Alpha stood erect, chest puffed up and chin held high with confidence as she recited the little French she knew: "Day-sole-lay jay nee parlor pass frances! Parlay vew angle-lays?" She didn't exactly remember what those words meant other than that it relayed something about her ability to speak the language but, well, whatever made her look cool in front of Aaron and Blithe seemed like a pretty good idea to her. It was silent for a moment before her brain stirred yet again and, with the snap of her fingers, she proudly spouted off her next set of words. "Si, mis amigos! Me gusta el perro!"

She looked back and forth between Aaron and Blithe for any sign of praise or approval, a wide, reassured grin on her face. After a while, regardless of the response, she shrugged and moved to attach herself to Blithe's side (having been thrown off by Aaron moments earlier into their tearful reunion) with arms like velcro wrapping around the thin girl's torso. She nuzzled her head onto Blithe's shoulder as tears of adoration and joy continued to flow down her cheeks.

"I missed you guys," she cried before detaching herself from Blithe to instead wrap her arms around Aaron. She continued to move back and forth between the two in a sequence of cuddles; it seemed to be as if she didn't know who to hug more. She loved the both of them, after all! "Aaron! Blithe! Aaron! Blithe!"

@Aaron Marone
@Blithe Bombón

 

She honestly wasn't surprised that he didn't remember her, but it didn't offend her either as the little lollipop grinned up at the man, laughing at his attempt at french, "Actually, you were pretty close for someone who doesn't speak French~ Tres bon!" Alphabet was equally as bad, making Blithe laugh even harder at her broken french- And then Spanish? That was the wrong language in a whole, but it wasn't like Blithe even cared about that.

She wrapped her arms around the other small girl and nuzzled into her head with happiness, sniffling gently as she did so, before watching her go back and forth between her and Aaron, grinning with joy as she watched her before grabbed her slightly smaller companion to stop her, "As much as I love hugs, it's alright Alphabet!~ We're here now, that's all that matters." She managed to keep the french out for her two friends, just for their sake.

It was almost as if a lightbulb popped over her head as she remembered her basket, letting go instantly of Alphabet and rushing over with outstretched arms, reaching under the folded blanket to pull out some sugar sparkling pastries, and then turning to wave them in front of their faces in a teasing manner, "I brought some sweets, by the way~ Oh, and the names Blithe!"​