Private - Unwanted: Prologue

Even in the absence of light it was easy to tell what time of day it was in Terrasphere thanks to the clock built into every player’s palm menu. It was early and those who decided to log in now were fortunate enough to be greeted with a star-filled sky as the world prepared to face a new day. Stokbon at this hour felt like a paradise. Now if only Alric was more of a morning person. Quiet streets served as the perfect environment for gathering thoughts though, so he was willing to make an exceptions every now and then when it came to sleeping in.

He had only ever been in the game this early a handful of times before and each (to put it mildly) had been an adventure in itself. A gentle sigh escaped the young swordsman's lips as he bent down to pick up a stone. He turned it over a few times in his hand before tossing it aside, as if it was a physical manifestation of the stress induced by recalling past travels. A lot of time had passed since Hide’s journey began and adopted the Alric alias. Hell, he had fought to protect a country before even learning how to properly swing a blade, and survived on top of it? That had to count for something right? Of course it did. But for some reason he just couldn’t seem to catch up to those around him. Many of the people he had met were already leagues above him in terms of skill and that was a bit disheartening. There had to be a secret to their success, but if that were true such information would have made its way to the public long ago.

“Even if I’m near the bottom, that just means the only way I can go is up.”

---

While adjusting his cowl, the man kept a slow and steady pace as he strolled through the city. He didn't have any particular destination in mind, but never stopped for too long in one place. Not until the snow started falling. With winter being in full force now, he should have come to expect weather like this. Still mother nature managed to catch him off guard as the flakes began to accumulate and block his path. He didn't feel like freezing to death so getting somewhere warm would have to be a top priority. Thankfully, he knew just the place...

With a creak the tavern door open revealing the familiar inside. The owner and bartender stood at his usual spot behind the counter and with a grin Alric offered a wave as he made a rush for a seat closest to the fireplace.

“I see it's as busy in here as always.”

A quick glance around the single room that made up the ground floor of the establishment showed that the player had been the only one their and naturally the NPC scowled at the sarcastic remark.

“You're lucky I have a heart kid, or I would have thrown you out by now.” Horace replied in a usual flat tone without sparing a glance away from the glass he was drying with that tattered old rag of his.

 

Stokbon happened to be a place that Comet visited far too often and knew far too well. From the slums to the depths of the city's business, she'd managed to make her way inside and out of every crease that make Stokbon what it's known for. Yet each time her feet touched the city's ground a new experience would drive her goal of the day elsewhere. Whether it be a spontaneous quest or person or situation, the pink-haired woman accepted the changes graciously as if expecting them to be a worthy opportunity if not a chance to make more allies. Though this term, used quite a bit in the outside world, tended to become confused with the word "friend" when connections were made and ties formed. Comet couldn't help but feel close to and grateful for many players met thus far: hardly a feeling felt before by the young, socially deprived woman. Virtual reality held the realest words and people versus the real world where the groups that flocked around her might as well be life-sized dolls. This shocked Comet, but slowly she began to accept Terrasphere as an escape for more than just herself.

The rest of the young woman's day would consist of events planned for her and her only by parents who "cared" too much for their daughter to let her miss them. Gaming had absorbed her life, they noticed, and it was high time to begin to drift away from its control over such a fragile heart. Comet accepted this fate without fighting back though a small ounce of her begged to protest. Soon, she knew the moving out would be the only option but a difficult one all the same. She awoke early to start her day as pleasantly as possible before facing reality. Before becoming Violet once more. As much as she despised Violet they were undeniably similar. Too similar for her to be able to laugh at or ignore or understand. If only she could do what Comet could do... A thought that plagued a mind in constant action, unable to defend as if useless aside from various amount of knowledge stored. Never forgotten.

This so-called knowledge aided the pink-haired woman by carrying her longs legs towards a tavern she hadn't been able to visit yet; Which was rare seeing as all the time she spent traversing the city's lengths. Fortunately the inside provided a warmth that drew a sigh from her tired lungs. Shaky limbs embraced the fireplace, Comet wondering how satisfying it'd be to simply throw herself into its flames. Her hands never changed from their iceberg state but the rest of her thin, uncovered body thanked her decision and begged for a change in attire as soon as possible. Leather armor felt unnatural and unfashionable therefore she stuck with the skimpy, beginning cloth provided upon starting the game.

"He seems like a loyal customer. I would keep 'em." she commented lightly before sliding into a seat. Blue eyes scanned the room, and then the stranger next to her that had her pink lips pulled into a friendly grin as she nodded in his direction as a form of greeting. "Can I... maybe buy you something?" Comet questioned with an unsureness that coated her voice. The appearance of the strange male had her wondering if he had enough gold, or if he began not too long ago, or if she'd possibly had seen him and forgot and would be embarrassed by this possible mistake. It being a gesture of kindness, her gold in abundance, this one time a sociable attitude surprisingly surpassed a lazy greed.

 

“Oh, uh…”

With his attention being ripped away from crackling flames Alric’s gaze shifted toward the woman who entered the scene. Her presence had caught him off guard as even during the day the tavern was mostly void of customers. Then again, this wouldn't be the first time he'd meet someone here when traffic in the game should have been low. This was already going far better than that encounter and unlike Vivian, this woman wasn't trying to steal his money.

Horace cleared his throat in an attempt to get the pair’s attention before throwing in his own comments on the interaction. “Kid, you’re supposed to pay for her; not the other way around! Don't you have any sense?”

“You’re NOT helping!”

The swordsman could feel a migraine starting to set in, but wore a smile anyway as he decided to ignore the tavern owner entirely now as he spoke with the pink-haired girl.

“...You can buy me something if you let me buy you something.”

No thanks to Horace’s nagging, Alric didn't want her to get the wrong impression of him. That and he didn't want to feel indebted to someone he had only just met for any reason if avoidable. But seeing as how the weather didn't seem like it was going to improve any time soon, maybe this was the world's way of telling him to try and make a new friend.

“My name's Alric by the way.”

 

Thin brows raised as the young woman bit the insides of her cheeks. "Alric... Yeah," she sat down, managing to get a clear view of the other's face. His body and voice matched the image in her head of the same player who's head had been wiped clean off of his shoulders. A disgusting, horrible sight that, until now, Comet had been able to push back to the depths of her head where similar things lurked but never attempted to surface. She pushed locks of hair behind an ear shyly without much words to say to him anymore. It'd been easy before when they didn't know one another. Strangers could form history and friendship with ease. But, the battle scarred her mind with a multitude of various forms of pain not quite felt until then. A shiver crawled down her spine. It chilled her bones that ignored the nearby crackling flames of a long-lasting fire. The tavern seemed more quiet now, and odd but at least she wasn't lonely. They had something in common. And - possibly - a few words left unsaid in the literal heat of the moment. Of course dying hardly gave time for a teammate to wish you farewell or apologize for mistakes made or offer a solution.

"I'm Comet," she paused to gaze around the room before settling softened, emerald eyes on the unique pair next to her. "We fought together not too long ago. Do you remember? It was crazy. Too much for a newbie like me at least... You were really brave and I wanted to save you real bad, I promise. Maybe being leader isn't good for me? If I can't save anyone but myself and Mags still has to haul my ass around. I dunno," she shrugged before nodding. "I'd like that a lot. But I'm not a cheap date." winking in Alric's direction, she flipped her hair and turned her body more comfortably towards him so they could speak to one another with ease. If he was willing, of course. Stirring up memories that caused intense trauma - mental or physical or both - may not have been the best way to begin things between them. However, the ramble that allowed a tight chest to expand once again as if freed meant that Alric could save Comet from herself. Hopefully progress would be made between the two or else she had little hope for being large and in charge in the near future.

 

Huh, so that's why he thought she looked familiar. You'd think it'd be harder to forget someone who was there to see you die, but with their lack of interaction since then it was easy for Alric to move on. He had wanted to put the ordeal behind him, but hearing Comet’s words it was obvious that wasn't possible. Very few people would actually understand their struggle, so to deny her the chance to talk about it wouldn't sit right with him.

“Oh yeah… That. Don’t worry about any of it now. We were definitely in over our heads, but at least it all worked out somehow and those people are safe now.”

The words were as much for himself as they were for her. He couldn't even survive till the end of the battle after all. When his team needed him for healing he had managed to get cornered and picked off by the enemy with ease. Thinking about it now, he would have cursed at his own weakness had Comet not been there. The glaring truth that he still had a long way to go to be considered strong in this world.

Before he could continue with the self deprecation, the mood had lightened once more with the mention of her being a “date”. That wasn't what this was right?! No, of course not. It wasn't like she was being serious. He was just being paranoid! They didn't even know each other and pretty girls don't just randomly go on dates with people.

“I-I don't mind buying something for you. We're probably gonna be stuck here for a while anyway so order what you want.”

It also wasn't exactly common for him to sit around like this. Usually he'd be out getting into trouble somewhere, but to just stay inside and talk to someone… It reminded Alric of why he started playing Terrasphere in the first place.

“So, why did you decide to play this game?”

 

With a nod of the head she admired Alric being both realistic and caring. They definitely weren't the best group to go to the Fort. However, with perseverance and quick decisions a few of them made it through. A shiver ran down her spine. Trembles began to take over her hands, thumbs twiddling. Going back for Rugome Fort would be too devastating. In fact, just the thought of such an awful place with a dark history sent her mind searching for other things to think about instead. Emerald eyes landed on Alric's form before drifting up to meet his gaze. If, that is, he would look at her with an equal focus. He appeared a shy type, she thought, before creating a million different conversation pieces within her brain to prepare for possible silence. The pink-haired woman aimed to please her company, after all. His small stutter amused her. A dull smile now shining bright white lit up the dim room and created another layer of warmth that surrounded her and Alric. It felt friendly and comfortable and welcoming inside the building despite such freezing temperatures remaining low outside. Or so she believed in the moment.

"You're sure?" she'd ask once more in case the boy really couldn't afford anything for the two of them. Greediness urged Comet to get an expensive drink or two, but sympathy derailed this growing train of thought. His undeserved death at the fort and now kindness alongside politeness wouldn't allow the young woman to treat Alric anything less than someone worthy of her attention. Or affection. Or even simple companionship whenever he got lonely. She'd be there for the healer for the benefits, but also as a guardian of sorts. To make up for the past. Not without selfish reasoning and not without hidden compassion to soothe her demanding soul, of course. "As long as you promise," Comet turned her head to the bartender, Horace. The pink-haired woman waved in his direction briefly. "I'm sorta in a hot chocolate mood. If you have it? Thank you," she turned to Alric once again. The drink didn't matter as much as their talk.

"Oh..." her tone softened, as did the light in her eyes. Chewing a thick bottom lip in thought the pink-haired woman decided to tell a brief truth while avoiding a more elaborate answer. One that would leave her emotionally vulnerable and pathetically full of sorrow and longing for the past to change so the present could be different. "I've always loved gaming! It's a pastime of mine whenever I'm not too busy. What about you?" quickly, the mood shifted again. Comet didn't want Alric to see her in a weak state. The confident demeanor took over. Positive thoughts - of a nice time spent with a new friend and ally - temporarily blocked the negative ones.

 

“I’ll also have a hot chocolate.”

With that the aged man behind the counter left the pair alone to go prepare their drinks. Alric’s gaze had never left her though. Comet’s answer to his question had been a simple one, but enough to satisfy his curiosity. Her reasons for playing were similar to his own in that way and he couldn't help but smile as the questioned was returned.

“Playing games is one of the few things I'm actually good at… Despite how bad I might have looked at the fort. So I couldn't really pass up the chance to play a weird ungrounded MMO. I also figured since I don't get out much it'd be a good way to meet people.”

By the time he finished talking the drinks had been slid across the counter before each of them. Alric placed the gold down but the man just shook his head at the gesture. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he listened to their conversation.

“Keep it,” Horace started before turning to the pink-haired player. “Try to go easy on the kid. I'm starting to think the only woman he's ever spoken with before was his mother.”

Blood boiled beneath the healer’s skin. Had he been any less sensible he would have had a few choice words for the bartender but rather than cause a scene he picked up the mug and drowned his anger with the warm drink. His eyes shifted away from Horace and back to Comet as if to ask that she just ignore the man from this point forward.

 

"It is..." she nodded, thinking of all the real friends she'd been acquainted with so far. Or at least what promising faces were presented since the start. It seemed they had more in talent than expected, and that irked Comet a bit. She wasn't one that wanted to get too close to anyone out of a looming fear that reality as Violet Palfrey would keep her apart from them; as if everything in Terrasphere meant absolutely nothing. "I've played games for a long time. They're nice for getting away, yeah, but more temporarily. I'm trying Terrasphere out for now then letting it go when things go wrong. That's how it works for me," she shrugged - wondering when the day of expected disappointment would come - before grabbing a hot chocolate. The brown liquid served as a sense of comfort among the flurry of negative thoughts swirling about within her mind regarding the game.

They'd only talked a minute but seconds were all she happened to need. Seconds to kick-start anxiety, grab hold of tension, and create a worry hardly plausible and improper in friendly company. "That's good enough practice in my book. Mothers are a pain in the ass." Comet twirled a thin lock of hair playfully. She giggled, and retained a bright smile while nodding towards Alric. A silent promise not to mess with the poor boy too much. In a way she believed the reaction to be something sweet. Pure. The sudden sound of her own amusement wiped away what negativity had begun to drown her soul.

Alric's ability to pull her out of deep, dark waters that resembled her tormenting judgement brought gratefulness as well as surprise. An odd mixture not yet found in anyone before other than Mags. Shimmering, emerald eyes like gems settled on the male before her as if confused. A bit helpless, perhaps. For she couldn't understand what could make anyone special in a game meant for escaping the real world. Real emotion. Real conversations. "Don't get so flustered. Girls are as easy as boys. Probably. I don't always understand my own gender, actually."