Infiltration, Dancing, and fighting all in one day [Closed]

[Steel]

“I know that Avalon asked me to help her out with combat but I never expected for her to ask me to teach her stealth.” Steel said to himself with a bit of a sigh. “What’s more, she got us on a mission to practice it right off the bat too. My technique technically isn’t even being stealthy. I’m just using misdirection and observation. Then again, my low presence does go into account I guess.” He was specifically helping a girl named Avalon. Luckily, this girl was someone he already knew due to two previous adventures being in the same party as her so there wouldn’t be any awkwardness that was apparent between strangers and he would be relatively more comfortable with her. He walked down the street towards the spot they had agreed to meet at. I wonder whether she’ll be able to notice me in the first place? Steel wondered to himself. It had nothing to do with memory or how close they were, Steel simply put had an extremely low presence. Once in the real world, a person had sat next to him in the cafeteria and didn’t notice him for at least 15 minutes at which point Takeshi spoke up and shocked everyone nearby. It wouldn’t be surprising if she didn’t notice him. In fact, the only time someone would definitely notice him is if his Courtesan skill activated. Steel had reached the meeting spot and decided to sit down on a nearby bench to rest a bit. Earlier, he had spent an hour or two out in the fields hunting so he needed to rest a bit while he waited for Avalon. Also, he actually wanted to see if she would notice him or how long it would take. Even though he generally did get annoyed when people ignored him or forgot he was there due to his low presence, he sometimes liked to tease people with it. After a bit, the girl he had been waiting for had come but it seemed it was as he guessed that he wouldn’t be noticed as she just stood in wait, probably thinking that the Swashbuckler hadn’t arrived yet.

After another minute or two, Steel decided to stop wasting time, make his presence known and move on to the mission. Just as he was about to get up though, a group of three higher level adventurers, all of them seemed to be close to level 60 at least, had walked up to Avalon and tried to flirt/bully her. Players that think that they’re superior just because they have a higher level than a someone else, that type of person I just get pissed off by. Steel thought to himself as he got up, ready to stop the situation. Even though there was the guard system in place, there were certain things that wouldn’t send the guards after them and they probably knew that. Due to their higher level, their physical capabilities were sure to be much higher than the female Assassin’s, which would have made it harder to get out of it. Steel then glanced at their feet and figured out some of their habits. Although he walked up to them, he wasn’t exactly noticed as the main focus was still on Avalon. However, human reflexes would cause a person to quickly glance at something moving towards them and that was enough. The next moment, all three of the foes had fallen on their butts to their complete shock. They didn’t even know how it happened. To explain what Steel did, he used a technique that is known as Ankle Break, which had nothing to do with the ankle breaking or anything like that. By moving in a different direction the moment the three adventurers had started to shift weight from one foot to the other, by reflex, the three of them would follow the movement and lose their balance. “Sorry about that, didn’t think that would actually work.” Steel said making his presence known.

“Where the heck did you come from?” One of them asked in shock.

"That doesn’t really matter does it?” Steel said in response. “Anyway, would you mind stopping here? This girl is under my care today.” The three didn’t seem to want to do this but if they didn’t know what caused them to fall on their butts, it’d just happen again so they left. Steel then turned to Avalon. “Hey Avalon, what’s up?” Steel said in a casual tone as if nothing happened. “Come on then let’s go, We got a mission to do. I wasted enough time wondering how long it would take for you to notice me when I was right behind you.”

Avalon

Words: 784

OOC: I just put in that scene just to show off Ankle Break

[Avalon]

word count;1822

Avalon fiddled with her vibrant lavender kimono with anxiousness in her mind on the mission she impulsively chosen for this evening. With the sun lowering below the horizon with warm hues, she knew time was ticking until the start of the mission. Avalon very much wanted to learn how to become better at being stealthy in combat situations especially that her class as an assassin required such care and precision. She could then strike them down before her enemy knew it was coming. It would be beneficial to become adept at sneaking up on her enemies as she was planning on learning melee weaponry some times in the future. It wasn’t a hard choice on who to pick for her mentor to help her improve her skills as an adventurer. Steel, the swashbuckler. To be perfectly honest with herself, she actually didn’t know many higher leveled adventurers that she was close enough with at the moment. There was Saskia, a pink haired guardian who she easily got along with that one time she went questing with though she easily equally had a bubbly personality like own but her style in combat was much more different than hers. The higher leveled female guardian was elegant and beautiful. But her class made her built for a tank role in combat and hardly similar to her more offense style of fighting in combat. Still, she hoped she would be able to go questing with her again since her style had good synergy with her own. And lastly, there was the other pink haired adventurer, Zyrune who was a higher leveled Druid. She went on a recolonization mission with him and Steel a while and there were some petty arguments between the two adventurers who somehow antagonized each other in some way. She wasn’t sure how since she had rather zoned out most of the negativity between the two young men. He did exceptionally well on crafting items for her and they were beautiful. Still even with his friendly disposition, his more mage styled combat wasn’t similar to hers.

In the end, she had chosen Steel because he seemed to be the more knowledgeable in strategizing and style was more similar to her assassin type class. They were both weaponry specialists. There were just some slight differences but it was enough to have an easier time pondering on the thought of choosing him. She found out that the hard part was the seconds before asking him directly for the favor. Avalon had clammy palms and heart had begun to race. There was another reason why she wanted to ask him specifically. He was just another average japanese young man on the streets. He didn’t have a flawless personality or body. He did seem to get offended by some others easily but his kindness gave her fluttering butterflies in her stomach. It was warmth. Avalon’s eyes glanced up at his tall slender figure with his messy raven black, his clothing seemed too thin for him. She had a good look at the taller adventurer’s eyes, hues of black with specks of metallic silver. It reminded her of the mysterious night, her favorite time of the day. She felt more alive during the night. Somehow that feeling brought her comfort in that moment and got the courage to finally ask him directly. Avalon had stumbled in her words and was embarrassed with light rosy cheeks on her face. Inwardly, she had crossed her fingers in her mind in the hope he would accept her proposition for the favor. She felt like she held her breath in anticipation. It was a breath of relief when he actually agreed, which brought a slow small smile to her face. It was a weight off of her shoulders. Inside, she had a hunch that he would say yes to her but she did have an inkling of a doubt that gave her anxiety over such a small deal. She was still of a lower level and getting used to the strange new world so she guessed it was to be expected in a way.

Now here she was, waiting for her mentor swashbuckler to assist her in this potentially dangerous mission she had chosen right after reading the specifics. Avalon had been informed by a stocky middle aged merchant of a rich man who was in dire need of adventurers and the way he put it nonchalantly only got her more interested in the mission that had little to no information. Then she was told by the man to meet the man in need of help in a dingy looking tavern full of suspiciously hooded figures and drunkards lining the bar counter. Why did she have to meet him here? After feeling lost for a few minutes, a sickly man with slight shoulders dragged in his suit moved carefully and pausing for balance every now and then. There wasn’t a hint of lively hood showing in him like it was sucked out. Even with his lanky body, it seemed he had an air of pride wearing an emblem of authority that was hidden in his coat jacket. She guessed he rather kept the mission under wraps for privacy purposes. It seemed important. Watching him slyly hand her the note, she intently read the contents of the mission with great curiosity. Her eyes widened reading that someone sent letter to the sickly looking man saying that whoever he or she is, would kill some people in the ball he would be hosting and the job was to quietly and swiftly subdue the perpetrator without alerting the people attending the ball. Avalon contemplated whether to take the mission or not since she somewhat had a sense of justice. She actually was in a grey area compared to the overly brave adventurers with their strong sense of justice but she had her self-preservation to keep in mind. Then with a moment’s pause, she remembered that least she had asked Steel to help her out in training her. With that, she had composed herself with a pleasant smile and accepted the mission. After all, she was a better actress than a fighter.

Avalon was beginning to feel anxious and lonely waiting for Steel to arrive at their chosen meeting spot. Where was he? Suddenly, she heard three higher leveled adventurers whistling at her, panthers on the prowl and she was their target. Well, she was going to play. Higher level or not, this was her territory. The stock brown haired adventurer was quieter than the others and seemed to just follow the flow with his friends’ on the lead. The golden haired young man who looked like a model but with a personality of a brute leered at her, “Hey sexy, you wanna have a good time huh?” bringing his body little too close for comfort. “You want to have a good time with me hotshot?” she replied slowly, putting her finger to his lips. “Yuh, didn’t he just say that?” the taller young man with long jet black hair questioned, glancing at her intimidation written all over his eyes. “Well, someone’s getting testy,” Avalon mused out out loud with a sing-song tone of voice. She had to be careful about the long haired young man. He didn’t look like the type who had much patience for non-sense at the moment. His gruff tone of voice and lecherous behavior earlier betrayed his elegant jet black hair flowing in the winds. He seemed more like a gorilla than a human. Avalon glanced at the sun disappearing beneath the horizon, this cold winds sending her chills on her bare skin. She had to get this thing over with and finished up this game that had only begun. Then as if thoughts came true all of a sudden, she felt the warmth of the swashbuckler’s presence. She guessed it was time to make her exit with hopefully his help as well. “As tempting as it sounds,” she started and paused sweetly emphasizing each word, “you’re just not my type,” and swiftly moved out of the way. The three idiots made a motion to grab her but for him, didn’t go exactly as planned. They didn’t get there way this time. At least she was glad that Steel cared for him in some degree or another though it could just be because he wanted to get the mission started already. For those reasons or not, she would rather be in his company than those lecherous young men. Avalon wasn’t sure of what had happened but all in that moment, she was in awe on how he made the three adventurers fall on the asses in a split of a second. How did he do that?

When Steel stated that he didn’t think it would actually work, she stifled out a giggle though closed her mouth, not wanting to make the situation worse. Besides, the three adventurers were levels higher than Steel’s and much more than her own. When he said that she was under his care today, she gave him a moment’s glare. She wasn’t some fragile porcelain doll. Then she realized that it was true in a way, he was to be her teacher for today and that statement was right on the spot. Still, it was a nice feeling that she missed so long ago of someone specifically a guy defending her from trouble. It was usually relying on herself to do it herself so that’s why she was able to be an actress when it came to non-combatant scenarios. Guys she was attracted to, was a whole another story. As the three adventurers made to walk away, she gave him a mocking smirk as if to say ‘that’s what you get for messing with me’ and then turned away. Once they were some distance from her location, she replied to Steel’s question. “Nothing much Steel,” she said though paused with a huff, “I could’ve taken care of them, not in your way of course. But thanks, I appreciate it,” emphasizing the last part of the statement. The thought of him coming to her rescue sent her heart racing. Had he been testing her the whole time? Steel said that he had wondered how long it would take for her to notice his presence. “At least I noticed you right before you attacked…” she weakly defended with a shrug. Coming toward the upper class ballroom, she was wide eyed at how towering the building was, almost like a fortress. She tightened up her obi belt and smoothened out her kimono, waving it as the floral design seemed to be moving with her. “Any specifics plans you have in mind before we head in, Mr. Charisma?” she asked curiously with a small grin. Although he brought fluttering butterflies in her stomach and heart racing, releasing the tension with some bantering made it easier for her.

Steel

CODED BY DUCKIE OF GS

[Steel]

It was only after the three higher leveled adventurers who had tried to flirt with Avalon earlier were out of hearing range that the female Assassin answered the casual question that Steel had asked her earlier in a casual way. Steel wondered why she waited until now to answer him about such a simple question that there was no need to hide. Steel couldn’t think of any reason and thus stopped wondering about it, thinking that it was just something about people he wouldn’t really understand. Throughout his life back in the real world, he was for the most part except for his late friend Kyousuke regarded as an irregular. This was true in both positive and negative ways. Due to his slight mental issues, he thought differently than most everyone else. Because of that, it caused some isolation early on in life but it also evolved into a powerful weapon. He used an irregular style for both kendo and basketball which helped lead both teams to victory. That’s why Steel thought of it as both a blessing and a misfortune at the same time. Kyousuke once told him that he couldn’t do some things that most people were able to do easily but could easily do some things that most people found difficult. It seems that Steel’s train of thought has already deviated from the norms and once he realized that, he was able to catch the rest of what Avalon said to him. She said that she would have been able to take care of it on her own but it had a nicer tone than the other times he’s heard that sort of sentence from people and she even thanked him. Although there was some emphasis on thanking part, something that Steel didn’t quite understand the reason but he decided not to question it. “It was nothing, just something I would do for a friend.” Steel replied with his normal smile. “I’m not the type to just sit back and watch something like that happen if it’s right in front of me, especially if someone I know is involved.”

He then noticed that she looked a little nervous. It wasn’t like last time where she was just tense, it seemed to be something different. Her face was a little red too. “You okay? Your face seems to be a little red.” He asked with a slightly worried tone as he put a hand on her forehead as well as his own, using a Japanese trick to figure out whether someone had a fever or not. Fortunately, Avalon did not have such a fever but her temperature does seem to have gone up a slight bit. Steel then began to think of the possibilities that led up to this. It could be the slight cold today that caused the body to warm up, it could be that she’s embarrassed by wearing the kimono which I just realized she’s wearing, I wonder why she’s like this? Steel thought in his mind but thought that that they didn’t make sense due to the fact that she was completely normal earlier. He thought of another possibility which was that she was nervous being around him. The swashbuckler then remembered that she had shown some signs of that sort of nervousness the last time they were on a mission together, especially around him. She was also quite nervous when she was asking him to accompany her on the mission and was just as red in the face. He had some ideas as to why she was like that but some he shook out of his head because he didn’t think it was the case.

He then remembered Avalon’s facial expression when he caused the three higher leveled adventurers to fall on their butts without even touching them. It was definitely an expression of surprise and he could also sense some awe. He felt that he should probably explain a little. “Based on the expression on your face from earlier after I made those three fall down, you were probably wondering what I did right?” He said before proceeding to explain. “It wasn’t anything too fancy or a skill from the system. It’s actually a skill from the real world back from when I used to play on my school’s basketball team. It’s a technique called Ankle Break. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with breaking ankles but rather using your opponent’s reflexes against them. To be more specific, I just made them move the opposite direction of the foot they began to put weight on, making them lose balance. Although it sounds simple, it’s a really hard to perform technique. Only the captain on my basketball team could do that all the time. That’s why I said that I didn’t expect it to work. My imitation of his skill only had a 20% chance of success.” Steel said this with a tiny bit of bitterness in his tone. He remembered how his teammates had overwhelming talent which left Takeshi in the dust. Sure, Takeshi was more of a kendo specialist but it didn’t change his feelings towards the situation. He still liked them as teammates and as people but there was no way he could reach their level. Because of that, he began observing their skills and tried to copy them so that he would be even a little bit closer to their level. His imitations still could not beat the real thing. “Well, that just shows any knowledge you have, whether you think it’s useless or not can be used in more than one way as you saw earlier when I used a basketball skill to play the knight in shining armor role and cause a few perverts to land on their butts.” He said this in both his usual carefree tone along with a bit of a teaching tone.

The two of them continued onwards towards the ballroom that their mission was going to take place in. For the most part, their conversations were more of everyday stuff. Well, it passed the time as they walked towards the building. The ballroom from close up was towering and it was quite large. Steel wondered why there was the need for such a large building for a ball. The nobility must love being flashy I guess. Not really my style though. Steel thought to himself having no experience in interacting with anyone of the upper classes of society on an official capacity. Well, that would change after tonight and hopefully, he wouldn’t screw up too much in this situation. He already knew that Avalon would do fine due to her talent as an actress. Steel wondered whether she liked theater back in the real world or whether she had to learn how to put on a mask in front of others. Either way, he hoped to someday talk to her without the acting if they haven’t already done so. Steel couldn’t tell at this point. It was then Avalon asked whether he had any plan for this mission and ended it with a joking tone by calling him Mr. Charisma. Her facial expression seemed to go back to its normal color and composure, showing that she was ready. “Mr. Charisma huh? That makes me laugh considering I’m usually the opposite of that.” Steel said with a bit of a laugh towards the name which he felt was unfitting for him. “Well, this sort of mission is something where you have to plan on the go but I do have some initial plans to set everything up.” He then looked up and down Avalon in her kimono and then realized an important thing. They were going to a ball, a formal event and people dressed up for such events. Even Avalon has dressed up but Steel was still wearing his normal attire, a simple black shirt and pants of normal cloth along with a moderately long black leather cloak. He still had his two swords crisscrossed on his back and his gun at his waist for crying out loud! He sighed a little as he did a light face palm. “Well, first I should probably change into something more suited towards the situation.” He said before beginning to access his inventory. A friend of his let him borrow a suit since the Swashbuckler didn’t have a set of formal clothing of his own. He found it in his rather small inventory list and selected it. After a few more actions, he pressed a confirmation button and a flash of light enveloped his body, changing his clothes. When the light faded, Steel was now in a handsome looking black suit with a tie. This is actually more comfortable than I thought it’d be. Steel said after his clothes had been swapped. His weapons were no longer on his body and were in his inventory for now. “By the way, you said to those guys earlier that they weren’t your type. What is your type then?” Steel asked trying to catch her off guard with the sudden question. This was the little revenge for being called ‘Mr. Charisma’ by teasing her a little. There was also another reason. This was to lighten up whatever tension was left in the air before the mission would officially start. After he saw her reaction, Steel just smiled before offering his arm to the female Assassin. “Shall we get going?” He asked. For now at least, they actually had to act as if they were participants for this ball and he had to escort his ‘date’ for the evening in this fashion. They wouldn’t want to stand out too much after all. “By the way, you look good in that kimono.” He said as a compliment.

Avalon

Words: 1629

[Avalon]

word count;1649

He considered her a friend? Avalon thought he just thought of her as a comrade who needed some mentoring. They never even had a chance to bond outside of venturing on missions and quests. She once, had just considered him as just a companion on quests for a while. But over time, he had displayed such qualities of kindness, caring, and confidence that she had not expected him to have. It seemed to her that he had a hidden strength that possibly not many other adventurers would take it into account without noticing him. His low presence might be creepy to others or an advantage to other adventurers if they noticed the positives it posed. His very low presence was one of the reasons why she choose him as a teacher for this one night to hopefully give her a more insight to stealth and its advantages. It fact that he had stated that he had considered her a friend momentarily sent her heart racing and lips parted slightly. His words seemed that it had a larger impact that she realized it would have on her. Avalon was sure that her hands were sweating causing her one hand to twitch in a mere second, an urge to hide them from sight. It wasn't just the tall, dark, and handsome cliche looks that boldly greeted her in view. She had to admit, his exotic natural eastern looks were a new pleasing sight to gaze at any time of the day. And then, his warm genuine yet mysterious ebony eyes--she could get lost in them. It wasn't fair for him to be the only one telling her about caring about her since he considered her a friend.

Even though it might not mean much to him, she wanted to convey feelings and move on from them. Back to her easy-going self, not a guy that sent her emotions into a mushy pile in her mind. With a steady eye contact and soft expression, she had an unexpected radiant glow and replied to her mentor. "I'll help you out too. I consider you a good friend," she said, giving him a small smile. Even though she felt like she couldn't do much she was a lower level than he was, she would do her darn best to what she could do. Any friend she trusted, she considered those people precious to her and didn't want to lose them. Suddenly, he inquired if she was feeling alright and her body froze up in place. Was she still blushing right in front of him? This was not a good sign. Unexpectedly, the swashbuckler placed his callous palm on her forehead most likely checking if she was sick or not. Avalon felt a tingling jolt from his touch and it was pleasantly a warm feeling. It felt nice. There was distance that closed in and she felt his body warmth he gave off. Through the silent dusk of the night, the chilly winds turned into a warmth sensation. She didn't want to be too indulgent nor selfish so she decided to end this, as much as didn't want to. "Steel, I'm doing fine promise," she assured him, hoping that her flushed appearance would go away soon. She didn't want to fall for someone so easily and fast. Besides, this was merely a game right?

Inwardly, she was relieved that the swashbuckler had changed the subject. In doing so, it released some of the turmoil over feelings and thoughts that were running in her mind. He then went on to ask her about the move he used on the higher leveled adventurers, which saved her the trouble of dealing with them longer than she should. Avalon couldn't even keep up with that move that sent the adventurers clumsily stumbling straight to the group. It was amusing though she didn't want to say that out loud. That move Ankle Break, was just too rapid and swift for her eyes. Interestingly enough, the move's name had nothing to do with the move executed. It seemed like it used the opponents' own power against themselves. She listened to him intently with the image of him playing basketball in his school back home. She actually could imagine it easily. His height towering over her and slim fit built with some muscle accents--fit a basketball player's image. She slightly wondered if his position was a shooter since he was taller than most Asian young men that she had met back in the real world. Or it could be that he increased his avatar height to compensate for a shorter height. Either way she didn't mind. After explaining to her that any knowledge a person had would be helpful in one way or another, she paused in thought putting that lesson in the back of her mind. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks for the information," she responded thankfully since every little lesson helped and then laughed, "You got those pervs real good. I probably won't be able to forget their reactions," cocking her head to the side.

When he had commented that was no Mr. Charisma, she gave him a foxy grin and replied, "Well, I think it suits you anyway. I'm sure you'll grow into it," with determination. Avalon had asked him if he had any strategizes for the infiltration and subduing mission. He then soundly replied that planning would be more on the go though it left her in anticipation. Afterwards, he took a moment to access his inventory to change into something that would help him blend in the ballroom than his adventuring armor. Her eyes widened noticing his full form of an ebony suit and tie. Avalon didn't want to say it out loud but he was stunning. It didn't seem like it was something he would normally wear, maybe inwardly he felt a little awkward in it though it suited him very well and looked even more attractive to her. Unexpectedly, he asked her about her telling the perverted adventurers that they were not her type. She paused for a moment in surprised and her body stiffened. She wished there was a random box nearby that she could hide herself in. He was staring right at her. She cleared her throat and gave a nervous laughter, "Oh that? I was just joking around about that. I don't even know my type," as she slightly looked to the side. She hoped that was enough and maybe avoided a slip-up. He then smiled and took her arm, making her head skip a beat. She replied to him saying for them to get going, "Yes we shall kind sir," with a quiet confidence. He complimented saying that she looked good in the kimono she was wearing causing her to focus herself enough and responded lightly, "I think you look stunning. You wear it well."

Even though they weren't true nobility people of the land where adventurers explored so far, the guests did their best to make it seem like they were of aristocracy. She noticed that the guests were donning mostly Victorian styled clothing and their etiquette was polished. She would be the one who stood out amongst her and Steel with her eastern styled clothing that would catch most likely many of the landers' eyes. It wouldn't prove well if she attracted too much attention. Out of everyone she saw entering, she fortunately saw a woman donning an elegant solid red kimono though walking daintily, British like. She wondered if the woman was adventurer but it turned out that she was a lander. Avalon breathed a sigh of relief at the sight. "I was worried there for a second. I thought I was going to stand out," she said gratefully. Noticing every single movement of the landers, she realized that to perfectly blend in with the guests was to make sure they presented proper etiquette in front of everyone. Avalon hoped she would not offend Steel but she wanted to at least find out if he knew anything about Bristish Etiquette, like it had been drilled into her since she was a young child. She hated to lessons and they were utterly boorish but she guessed it served a purpose especially in this time of need.

The colossal Victorian building came into full view and she gazed at it in awe of the intricate designs and spectacular scenery that greeted her eyes. The last time she had attended such an event was during the last year of schooling but not this large. She wondered if she and Steel would be able to locate the culprit in time. She carefully fished out a letter of invitation with a gold emblem on the front of it and passed it to him. "Since you're the escort, you're the one presenting the invitation instead. Make sure you are the one who takes the lead and attend to my needs," she said and grinned, "And I'm the dainty young lady. Okay?" as she prepared herself mentally for the first part of the mission. She continued swiftly, "Even if you're not comfortable, ask me and other women to dance with at least once," she said breathily, not liking the thought of that but it as something she had to deal with in the mission, "Some men would be asking me to dance so there is a definite possibility of us being separated for a while but maybe that's a good thing so we can gain information." She felt more confident in herself, feeling that she had an edge in collecting information. Hearing aptitude would be helpful as well. Soon, they came to the bright two door entrance guarded by a old polished looking man with a refined glance at them. "Should we head inside Mr. Steel?" she inquired quietly and also as confirmation just in case Steel wanted to say something else before entering.


Steel

CODED BY DUCKIE OF GS

[Steel]

Did I say something wrong? Steel thought to himself with slight confusion when he saw Avalon’s reaction to him saying that he always wanted to help his friends which was unexpected to Steel. It was true, he was always willing to help a friend out, especially in situations like the one from earlier. Avalon seemed to become quite impacted by these words as she seemed to become a bit more nervous and her mouth opened a little as if in shock. For Steel who was used to noticing little movements and twitches due to his training in kendo, it was quite obvious to him that one of her hands twitched a little which confirmed his assumption about her being nervous or something of the sort. What did I say to cause this? Steel wondered in his mind with slight confusion towards the situation. After a short bit, Avalon looked him in the eye and had a soft expression on her face. He wondered what she would say now. Surprisingly, she had a bit of a glow on her as she said that she would help as well and that she thought of him as a good friend. “I’m glad to hear that, that you think of me as a good friend.” Steel said with a smile. “Well then, I’ll be counting on you partner.”

The moment Steel asked whether Avalon was okay after seeing her go a bit red, the female Assassin stiffened up and seemed to get slightly more embarrassed for some reason. This was even more apparent from her reddening face when he put her hand on her forehead to check on her temperature. Although she seemed to be embarrassed by it, she seemed to be rather comfortable from it which Steel could tell from her facial expression. It appeared that Avalon was in her own little world as she seemed to just enjoy this and sort of forget about everything else temporarily. Do normal people enjoy being touched on the forehead? Steel wondered to himself as he just kept his hand on her forehead. It was then he realized he was in close proximity to a girl probably around his age. This made the Swashbuckler become a little embarrassed himself but it wasn’t so apparent on his face. It was weird how that worked. Some emotions would be obvious to see on Steel/Takeshi but other emotions were quite difficult to see. It was around then that Avalon snapped out of whatever trance she was in, this time one that had nothing to do with his Courtesan subclass skill for once, and said that she was fine in a tone that said that Steel didn’t need to keep his hand on her head. Steel also got the feeling that Avalon had feelings of reluctance about it. As he took his hand off of her forehead, Steel began to wonder again whether normal people liked being touched on the forehead. The redness on Avalon’s face didn’t seem to show any signs of fading away for now though.

Steel noticed how Avalon showed relief when he started talking a bit about basketball. At this point, he just didn’t want to focus on that and just continued. She seemed to be quite interested in the technique that he had used on the earlier perverts. It was probably because it wasn’t easy to figure out and sometimes it was difficult to find out what happened. Such a technique was done at a fast speed after all. As he spoke about it, it seemed that the girl was really getting into it and Steel could even infer that she was probably imagining about something due to the slightly blank look on her face that still showed she was paying attention. Based on the situation, Steel was guessing that she was imagining him play basketball. “If you’re wondering about the position I played on the team, that’d actually be sort of hard to explain.” Steel said just taking a guess about it. Those books on psychology that he read so that he could learn to read people better in the real world were helping him out right now. “Believe it or not, even the coach and my teammates couldn’t figure that out and just labeled my position with a question mark. You see, my abilities don’t really fit in with any of the positions. Despite my height which is the same here, I wasn’t the best at shooting nor did I have the physical strength and endurance needed to be a center. In terms of basketball style, I’m an irregular. As an easier way to describe how I played, I’d compare it to an Enchanter in this world. For a lot of things, I couldn’t do anything on my own, something that’s the exact opposite of the concept for basketball, a sport for players who can do everything. Instead, my style of play focused on using my lack of presence and observation skills to enhance the abilities and talent of my teammates. Well, if anything though, my height helped with defense.” He said this with a bit of a sheepish smile.

After he had said that the nickname Avalon used didn’t suit him, Avalon had apparently thought otherwise and said that she thought that it suited him and that he’d grow into it. “And how does such a nickname suit me in the first place?” Steel asked out of curiosity. “Wouldn’t that fit someone who can actually attract the attention of others more? You should already know that I don’t exactly have the highest amount of presence right? Isn’t that why you asked me to teach you?” Not that having a lack of presence can just be taught. Steel thought to himself afterwards as he remembered that what he was really going to show her the ropes for was observation skills and possibly misdirection.

The moment he had asked that question, he just realized that sort of question would make most people get nervous about it. As expected, Avalon looked very embarrassed about the whole issue and her body stiffened once more. After a few seconds of awkward silence, the female Assassin cleared her throat and gave a nervous laugh which Steel could easily see through. In fact, most people could see through a laugh like that. She then began to say that she was just joking around and that she didn’t know what her type was before nervously looking towards the side. “Never mind, you don’t have to answer that.” Steel said as he did a light face palm towards what he asked of her. “Sorry about that, it must have been a question too personal to answer. Back in the real world, my little sister always said that I lacked delicacy. Looks like I still need to work on that.” He then gave his own little nervous laugh although this one was more out of embarrassment rather than trying to hide something.

When Steel offered his arm to Avalon, she held onto it and seemed to get a little nervous about it. To Steel, he was guessing that she hasn’t had much experience with the opposite gender either. With the two of them looking like a proper escort and lady, Avalon said that she was ready to go and they began to walk. As they began on their way, Steel complimented her on how she looked good in a kimono and Avalon replied saying that he looked just as good and it suited him. “Thanks, I don’t wear this sort of thing very often so I didn’t really know how I looked in these clothes.” He said in response with a small smile.
As the two of them neared the building where the ball was being held, they could see other guests walking the same way. Many of them were wearing Victorian styled clothing which Steel found somewhat odd as he was more used to seeing people in combat clothing due to spending a lot of his time hunting, on non-infiltration quests, and other such things that didn’t require such clothing. Avalon seemed to be worried about standing out in her kimono which was completely different from everyone else. It wasn’t until they saw another woman wearing a kimono that Avalon relaxed a little. She said that she was afraid about standing out, confirming Steel’s guess. “Don’t worry, there’s at least 5 other women wearing kimonos so you won’t stand out like a sore thumb. Besides, they wouldn’t find Japanese clothing strange here anyway. Think about it, people around here must have gotten used to seeing Samurai and all that.” He then noticed something about the two of them. “I just realized this, the two of us are wearing the clothing from the other person’s home country.” He said to lessen the tension and the fact this was something he just noticed. This was true, Steel was wearing a European suit and Avalon was wearing a Japanese kimono.

As they near the actual front of the building, it became a lot larger. Steel has never been to such a large building since Japan focused a bit more on the efficiency side. This would make searching for the potential culprit more difficult but Steel liked a challenge and this would put him to the test. There was also another reason, the larger the area, the less likely they’d be noticed when doing their mission. He heard Avalon take something out and he turned back to look at her. She handed him a letter which was probably the invitation to the ball and explained that since he was the escort, he’d be the one to present the invitation. She also instructed him to take the lead and basically act like a gentleman for a beautiful young lady. Steel nodded in confirmation, ready to do all of that. “As you wish my lady.” He said with his attempt to impersonate the English gentlemen he saw on TV shows. He then just gave her a confident smile to signal to her that he’d do his best.

Afterwards, she said that Steel should ask herself and other women to dance and she would do the same except with the opposite gender in order to gain more information although it seemed that she was really uncomfortable about it for some reason. Maybe she doesn’t like dancing with guys she doesn’t know? Steel thought to himself, wondering why she felt that way. That same idea from earlier popped into his mind once again but Steel once again rejected it, thinking that it wasn’t possible. Avalon them seemed to become confident once again as they got to the entrance. I don’t understand girls at all, they can switch moods so quickly. Steel thought to himself with a bit of a mental sweat drop. Avalon then asked whether he was ready to go in. Steel nodded and led her towards the entrance like a gentleman. He showed the invitation to the man at the door who nodded and welcomed the two of them before opening the door for them. Steel thanked the man and led Avalon inside. To Steel, the inside was perhaps a bit too overwhelming due to not being used it but he had to admit that he was very impressed by how much detail went into everything. It didn’t seem the ball itself hadn’t officially started and the people already here were primarily conversing with one another. “Shall we find a seat before the opening ceremony or whatever starts the ball begins?” He suggested before leading the two of them to a small table for two people. Mimicking the gentleman in his mind, he pulled out the chair for Avalon and helped her get settled in her seat before sitting down himself at the seat across from her. For Steel, what worried him was not whether he would blend in or not, it was whether he could keep up this copy. This was something he’s had to learn in basketball to even start to catch up to his teammate’s skills. He would copy their skills and add a bit of his own personality to it. Strangely enough, when he did this, he also acted a bit like the original skill’s user. Ever since then, he’s done the same with copying personalities like the gentleman in his mind. It was a little tiring though. “Would you like to dance together with me for the first few songs before we go off and gather information? It would lessen the tension and we’d get used to the feel of the ball. I also had the idea of dancing the last song or two together when we’re all done with this mission to wind down. We should also think of a way to reconvene and share information that we’ve found.”


Words: 2138

Avalon

[Avalon]

tagged:Steel words: 1958 armor: ouroboros [32] weapon: archangel [40] notes: --

"I used to watch basketball every now and then. It sounds like a point guard position." she stated with nod and continued, "They were in charge of opportunities for the other players as support. Much like the Enchanter class like you described." She remembered that her ex-boyfriend used to play basketball in school and she used to go to his practices after school and watch his games all the time. After a few months of dating, they broke up even though they had many good times memories than bad ones. They hardly had any arguments that led others in school to believe that they would last even after high school. The break up wasn't anything dramatic such as someone cheating on the other or just plainly falling in love with someone else. After petty arguments during the last weeks of dating, they realized that had grown distant from each other. That was all it was. Still, it took a long while for them to become just friends again. But she didn't have to Steel that, now wasn't the time to reminisce on the past--they had a mission to concentrate on and for her to move on. Was he offended by the nickname she gave him? He probably attracted more than attention than he realized he did. Besides, his obsidian slanted eyes with silvery specks--a girl could get lost in them. She wondered if it was because of his Courtesan ability that had caused this feeling for him. Avalon mouth curved downwards when he was questioning her. She just teasing him! But he seemed to take it much too seriously even mentioning about his low presence that he was going to teach her in this mission. Unexpectedly, he laid his palm on his forehead and she couldn't help but she grinned in the comical display that reminded her of some funny comical cartoon she used to watch as a young child. Inwardly, she breathed out a sigh of relief when he apologized for questioning her earlier. A bit too harshly, she thought. He mentioned that he had a sister back home and she seemed like his sister gave him good advice indeed. If his sister did not give him that advice, she would have thought he was uncaring and too nonchalant and would not enjoy this mission with him. "For a good reason, women are sensitive to these things. Just you wait until you get a girlfriend," she chirped up, loosening up her body position. Her lips twitched and eyes sparkled in the reassurance that he had displayed to her and nodded to him in agreement. "That's true, never thought about that fact. Haven't met much samurai class adventurers lately so completely forgot about that," she stated with eyes crinkled in thought. Or more like she didn't want to think about anything relating to the guild she was formerly in and the the guild leader that just up and abandoned her on that mission. Even though she wanted them to come back and explain why they disbanded occurred, she still had not been able to get that chance. She didn't even know where her former guild master was located. It was like he disappeared from the face of the world, maybe he managed to enter another server. But now she was in House of Crowns, where the members seemed to really genuinely care about each other and the mysterious leader who kept everything in the guild all together. That guild that had been disbanded was now in the past and she was looking forward to new memories with the House of Crowns. "You're welcome," she said with a dignified smile, resisting the urge to give him a brilliant pearly white goofy smile on her face. She had to thank her boorish lessons for teaching her how to control her expressions during such events like this. She never thought she would have to use in a game. His boyish grin he displayed in thanks to her compliment sent fluttering butterflies in her stomach. It was impossible to not become happy over a genuine smile of his. It was she was conversing with an old friend. "I didn't realize it," she giggled at him and recomposing herself, "Don't you dare laugh but I used to watch anime and that got me interested in the Japanese culture. I began learning more about it, thought the traditional clothing was beautiful so I got my friend to make it for me," admiring her friend's tailoring skills. Her mouth slightly curved upwards as she lightly rose her eyebrows above in a quizzical, joy eye. It just sounded odd coming out of his mouth with a prim and proper accent. Avalon could remember all those times she had been introduced to those snobbish upper class acquaintances of her grandmother. She had realized over the years that almost each one of them had such a subtle way of insulting the other and manipulative motives in their pleasantries. Because her mother had run off with her lover of a lower class than her, her overly traditional grandmother was sorely not happy with her daughter's decision. Thus, her grandmother had settled and poured all her energy on Avalon on her attempt to create a young woman worthy enough to be considered and mingle easily with the high class aristocratic society. She abhorred what her grandmother was trying to do her. The young men she was introduced to when she went to the parties and outings had their noses pointed too upward and thought they were gods, better than everyone else. Still, there were some that were gentle like the soft flowing breeze but they rarely came since they eventually found solace in some other activity were of age leaving her behind to deal with the annoying facade parade. Avalon’s eyes sparkled and mouth twisted in amusement in his attempt to sound like an English gentlemen though the impersonation reminded of those movies with American men trying to imitate a British accent, it was comical at it’s best but the handsome actors made up for the acting. “It still needs work but you’ll eventually blend in. That Courtesan ability would help but would that attract too much attention or it’ll be fine? I want to stay low key as possible,” she stated, humming in thought. At least the boyish grin of his that seemed to give off a hidden confidence in her mind can make up for his lack of properly spoken upper accent needed to blend in. His smile he displayed reassured her that he’ll be just fine. She was more hopefully on the outcome after that. Steel had said that there was a possibility that there were some adventurers in the party especially since there was a woman she saw donning an elegant kimono that had to been made by some high level tailor class adventurer. The material looked too much of a high quality to have been by a lander but she could be wrong. Entering into the grand intricate carved entrance door, she felt a wave of nostalgia and awe of how this feeling felt oh so familiar of her first ever debut into high class society. She was pushed and pulled everywhere she went during that night to have her familiarize herself with the names to help her move up in society. It was her coming of age and a night she spent greeting many others she didn’t even have clue who they were at all. She would bet they wanted just to become part of something so grand and promote their house surname. But now, it was her time to shine and do things on her own terms. Being led by a handsome young man she was growing to feel close to, a new friend was the best feeling she had felt in a long time. Instead of feeling like a lost damsel in distress, she now a princess about to be swept away in the brilliantness of the night. The inside of the ballroom was a tremendous spectacle of elegance and luxurious beauty. A dove white chandelier of crystalline was a beckon to the all the guests arriving into the majesty of a room. Overly done embellishments were hung neatly place on the painted artwork walling. The classical music that resembled the Moonlight Sonata, came to a dramatic crescendo and back to a vibrance atmosphere. The beige grand staircase for all to see on new arrivals was a spotlight and signal, she could already imagine the people of the land in hush tone on who these strangers that were invited. So the obvious whisperings and judging of characters is the same in the this world as well. It was gratifying that somethings never changed even here. Avalon supposed that Steel wasn’t used to this type of ostentatious grand event since she figured from reading that these type of events did not usually occur where he came from. She gave him reassuring smile so hopefully that would help him a little and said, “We will be fine,” though others would be judging there presence constantly without exactly knowing who they were. From experience, she easily chose to ignore their vulture stares. Steel asked her for them to find some seats and she said, “Yes, we shall kind sir,” with a courtly matter as she lifted her hand for Steel, the handsome gentleman to take. Steel was doing well in acting the gentleman that she was hoping that he would be in this first part of the mission as he pushed in the well polished wooden chair for her to sit on. As careful as an upper class woman should display in public, she delicately held onto her kimono so that it wouldn't be pushed upward as every single movement was important and noticed more than a man’s actions were. They were seated on a wooden table of a decorated design with beautiful roses aligned graciously around them. Then, he made a suggestion for them to dance together for the first few songs to get used to the feel of the ball and the last dances so they can give each other the information they had collected in the end. “That’s what I was thinking as well. In that way, we wouldn’t look too suspicious,” she responded with a slight nod of agreement. With her hearing aptitude active, she heard whisperings of snobbish yet dainty looking women from a few tables away saying things about them expected. Avalon felt they had their noses pointed too upward to the sky. “It looks some people don’t like us being here,” she spoke with a glimmer of amusement at their antics, “Some things never change,” chuckling softly. She continued when she drew a breath recomposing herself, “I don’t hear anything suspicious yet,” though smiled refinery when a older man with a black suit passed by. “That sounds lovely doesn’t it?” she said with a polished manner as if they were chatting casually. It seemed like he was checking up on her and Steel as if trying to size them up somehow. He strolled by their table too close and too slowly for comfort. Fortunately the old man left their presence, she continued on her former conversation about the mission. It didn’t seem like the ball was going to start as of yet anyway. The signal for the ball to commence was when the host announced the start and orchestra began playing music more suited for waltzing than the haunting classical music playing softly in the background. “Is there something specific I should look out for?” she asked curiously. She wanted to do her best in completing the mission so every information was helpful to her.

[Steel]

“Is that so?” Steel said in response to what Avalon said. “I guess that’d make me some sort of secondary point guard… Oh wait, we already had a second point guard who played center at the same time.” He had a teammate who was unusual in his own way. While they had a normal point guard on the team, the team’s center somehow found a way to be both a point guard and a center underneath the basket. While most people found this arrangement to be weird, it wasn’t against the rules as there are technically no official positions in basketball that people need to fill in and it helped when there were two separate minds reading the situation and making their own decisions which tended to confuse the opposing team. “Well, if I had to choose out of the 5 normal positions in basketball, I’d say that I’m more a small forward with the analysis abilities of a point guard. It’s just that my play style doesn’t work so well when I’m the center of attention.” He said this with a sheepish grin.

He noticed the frown that was appearing on Avalon’s face when he began questioning the reasoning behind her nickname for him and he began to mentally panic as he did not want to leave bad impressions on people nor ruin relationships with people he knew. He remembered how that almost happened due to an over possessive Guardian hitting him upside the head with his shield with the skill Shield Smash because the Swashbuckler was talking to the girl the Guardian liked, said girl being a friend of Steel’s. It got really complicated from there and it almost got really ugly. Steel made a mental reminder to himself to get back at that guy someday. Anyway, he began to explain a little. “You were probably teasing me right? Sorry about that, I’m not all that good at figuring out whether or not what’s being said is a joke.” He said in an apologetic and slightly embarrassed tone. “I’m probably also just not used to it. Back in the real world, I was always known as a shadow. Well, in a good way of course. My play style in basketball for example, focuses on me staying away from being the center of attention while assisting my teammates by helping them score more easily. So hearing someone say the opposite just surprised me and didn’t really know how to properly react.”


When the Swashbuckler apologized for asking the questions which were originally asked out of both curiosity and slight teasing, Avalon breathed out a sigh which sounded like she was relieved. Steel believed that this was due to relief of not having to answer such awkward questions. The female Assassin then started saying stuff about how women were sensitive to those sorts of things and how he’d need to know all that when he got a girlfriend. “I’ll be sure to keep note of that for future reference.” He said with a small smile at how Avalon had loosened up a bit more. He was also glad that the mood between them had gotten better and it wasn’t as stiff as earlier.

As the two of them got into the topic of samurais and how Japanese culture could be seen as normal among the people of the land because of it, Steel noticed a bit of sadness in her eyes. It was pretty obvious that it didn’t directly have anything to do with samurai but Steel didn’t really feel like asking about it as it would make things tense again and he didn’t want to invade her privacy. “Well, if you ever went to Japan, you’d see Samurai players everywhere. There are even some people that don’t have the Samurai main class try to look like Samurai, myself included. Back on the Japanese server, I played an Assassin called Tetsu and always wore a kendogi and had a katana equipped. Samurai’s are just really popular there I guess. I have no idea why even though I did it myself.” He said this in his normal carefree tone.

Soon afterwards, Avalon began talking about how she got interested into Japanese culture through anime. “Don’t worry, I won’t laugh at that, I used to watch anime myself back in our world. In fact, I was watching an anime right while I first logged onto the UK server of Elder Tale. But then I got transported to this world.” Avalon then talked about the kimono she had on and how a friend of hers made it. “This friend of yours is Zyrune isn’t it? I could tell by the style. The guy’s annoying as heck and I don’t like how he thinks but I gotta admit he’s a good tailor.” He then decided to explain a little about his opinion based on how people normally reacted to that sort of thing. “You were probably wondering why Zyrune and I couldn’t get along at all during that mission in the miasma realms right? If I had to come up with an answer, I’d say it’s because the way we think is the complete opposite. Well, I’m not saying a difference in opinion is always bad but I just didn’t like his idea of how a team should work. You probably weren’t there to hear it but during one of our conversations, Zyrune was basically saying that because I didn’t act the way he wanted me to act towards him, he was willing to let the party’s formation fall apart by not properly doing his job as a healer just so he could he try to prove that he’s the most important person on the team and that we should think of him as superior. I just can’t stand such an arrogant and selfish way of thinking, especially since lives were on the line.” Just thinking of the Druid made the Swashbuckler feel pissed off as he clenched his fists a little. He then realized he sort of rambled a bit of his negative feelings. Once he realized this, he began to calm down. “Sorry about that, I guess I got a bit too carried away there and got way too negative about it.” He said in a more relaxed tone, wanting to forget all of that at least for tonight.

As Steel attempted to impersonate a British gentleman and was probably failing, Avalon appeared amused at this and perhaps was trying to hold in a laugh at his silliness. “Did it not sound British enough?” Steel said while still maintaining the fake accent out of fun. Avalon had responded by saying that it needed work but he would blend in at some point. She then suggested using the Courtesan skill but then began to wonder whether or not that would help. “Well, unless you want the whole ballroom to be focused on us, I’d rather not activate the skill, it’d attract way too much attention.” He said in response now having switched back to his normal voice. “Well, I think I can blend in well enough without the accent. There’s already a good deal of people without that around here and players from other countries isn’t exactly rare either. I think we’ll be fine just the way we are now.” He said this with confidence.

A few moments after the two of them entered the (in Steel’s opinion) overly decorated ballroom, Steel could tell that they were already the center of attention, probably due to the fact that they were adventurers. Well, they wasn’t the only adventurers attending but it was a fact that the People of the land guests were the vast majority of the population of the building. Relations between adventurers and People of the Land were still generally shaky at best. Steel himself had already met a few People of the Land whom were nice but a majority of them weren’t so easy to get along with, especially the ones back in Londonium but for that situation, it was partially Steel’s fault anyway so he wouldn’t really count that. At this time, Avalon gave him a reassuring smile and said that they would be fine. Steel couldn’t help but smile back, feeling comforted by her. “Thanks for the encouragement Avalon.” Steel said with a warm smile.

Avalon had offered her hand for Steel to take and he did, trying to keep up the act of a gentleman at least in actions if not with that terrible faked accent of his. After the two of them had taken their seats at a table, Steel had suggested on dancing together and Avalon had agreed to it. This made Steel somewhat relieved. It meant he didn’t have to start out dancing with a total stranger. Also, he didn’t know how to dance as he was always too focused on other stuff to try to learn how to dance. Due to that, he decided to ask the girl in front of him to help him out in this regard so that he wouldn’t look like an idiot out there and attract too much attention. “Hey Avalon, to be honest, I don’t really know how to dance. I never really had the time to try to learn.” He said this in a slightly embarrassed tone and a small sheepish grin. “Do you mind teaching me a little, at least the basics, when we dance together?”

While they continued to sit together, Steel noticed how Avalon glanced towards a table with a few snobby and dainty looking women were sitting. It appeared that Avalon was listening in on them. Due to the distance and the surrounding noise, a normal person would have much trouble in figuring out the contents of the women’s conversation which led Steel to assume that Avalon had the Hearing Aptitude skill. For Steel, he didn’t need to hear what they were saying to get the basic idea. He was more adept at figuring out clues from body language and such anyway. The women were looking towards them with looks of disdain and they had rather arrogant smiles on their faces as they talked to each other and glanced at the two of them. It was rather obvious that they were making fun of them or they thought of themselves as superior in rank. Avalon, the girl who could actually hear their conversations confirmed this when she said how the women and most likely a good deal of the People of the Land here didn’t like adventurers like them being here. She chuckled a little about how this sort of thing wouldn’t change. “Agreed, that sort of thing will be somewhere no matter what country or world we’re in.” He said in agreement.

After talking for a bit more, an older man with a somewhat bulky build, wearing a black suit had begun to walk past them. Normally, this wouldn’t really mean anything but this man had specifically walked right next to Steel and Avalon’s table at a slow pace. In order to make them not look suspicious, Avalon began acting as if they were just chatting casually. “Indeed, it does.” Eugene said in response, playing along. When the man’s back was to them, Steel quickly checked the man’s status screen. He’s a level 50 monk and more importantly an adventurer. Steel thought to himself. Definitely a suspect needed to be observed. Steel put this man in his mental list to watch out for. A bit after he left hearing range, the host of the ball had announced the start of the ball and the orchestra began to play waltz styled music. It was then Avalon had asked about anything she should look out for. Steel thought for a short bit before answering. “Well, the enemy is more likely to be a group of adventurers than People of the Land due to the enemies’ target and the People of the Land’s level. As for class, technically any class could be a potential foe. However, it’s less likely for the enemy to be of the Healing classes or classes that rely on armor or weapons, the former because Healing classes don’t have many offensive capabilities for killing and the latter due to the fact that they would stand out. That means the most likely candidates are of the Monk class, the Assassin class, the Bard class, the Sorcerer class, and the Summoner class. Well, if they’re smart, they might have one or two healers as well.” He then got up out of his chair. He then walked over to Avalon and bowed slightly while offering a hand to her. “Since the ball has started, shall we dance?” He said with a warm smile. While he did want to finish the mission, he wanted to have fun with it as well.

Avalon
Words: 2136

OOC: Sorry for the wait! It's been a while huh?