Final Pairings: Haseo/Silabus, Alkaid/Atoli, (more to be decided later)
Summary: After an AIDA attack ruining a perfectly good leveling opportunity, Atoli and Haseo agree that continuing in the area could be dangerous for their normal player friends - Gaspard, Silabus, and Alkaid. However, overhearing their discussion Silabus himself can't help but wonder... what is AIDA, and why hasn't Haseo mentioned it to him?

Leveling up was usually a strangely calming process for him. Get angry, beat the data out of non-existent beings (or PKers, almost the same thing), and feel better about his day after having slaughtered almost every creature in sight (also including PKers, if and when they were available for slaughtering). Yet today, Haseo was finding the process of leveling up to be more… annoying than relieving. Perhaps, though, this was because when he came to the field with his two party members (who felt the need to joke around the whole time) he was in an apologetic mood yet from the looks of it there was no need for such emotions. No one was unhappy, and the two were just laughing away as though everything was right in The World. See, this is exactly why I hate apologizing… his thoughts resounded his irritation, as did his rather silent strikes at the monsters. Just what was he fighting, anyway? As if he was paying attention to any of that. Not that he could concentrate on anything, with those two's incessant chatter overriding the background music.

"…and then she came back the next day with three of her friends! I felt kind of bad though for having to explain to her that parties can only consist of three players…" Silabus trailed, sheathing his blade while Atoli chuckled softly at the story. If there was one topic those two always ended up on, it was assisting fellow players. As a Harvest Cleric, Atoli provided support for various parties and was always ready and willing to help anyone in need of some healing. On the similar end of the spectrum, Silabus was dedicated to the Canard rule of helping out newbies when any were in need. As a result, whenever the two got together their conversation would revolve around how much each enjoyed dutifully assisting other players.

There were times Haseo would just get flat-out sick of these discussions the two would have. Not today though! Instead, he held his tongue and tried to merely help these two level-up. Atoli, because as a Harvest Cleric she was most often ideal prey for wandering PKers - her low defense and hit point stats made her an easy target despite the fact she had healing magic and a high SP gauge. If one was PKed before he or she could heal themselves, what was the point? On the other hand, if she was at a high-enough level they would consider leaving her be. For one, the attacks would still be effective but her chances of survival would be increased, followed by her managing to send out a short mail to the player who obviously helped her reach such statistical heights. In other words, let them know she had friends in high places.

As for Silabus… well… Haseo sighed, and kicked open the treasure chest which revealed the trio had finally gathered all three of the Symbol Fragments to make the Judge's Symbol. The Blade Brandier leveled up very, very slowly. Traveling to low-level areas with beginning players provided a minimal amount of experience so the Adept Rogue would not have been surprised if getting to the next level literally took Silabus days to accomplish. Not that the brunette even seemed to care, as his idea of fun was dealing with little teenyboppers who spoke in both fragmented words and sentences, and had not the faintest idea as to what they were doing. In other words, babysitting. Instead of a journalist, he should really consider being a kindergarten teacher… he thought with a slight smirk.

"What are you thinking about over there?" Atoli piped up, making yet another attempt to drag Haseo back into their conversation.

"I think someone is secretly having fun." Alkaid teased from her party a few ways off. Near her chasing several Chim Chims were both Gaspard and Bo, who had stopped trading Crimson VS secrets the moment the blue little critters were knocked from their tree via a certain Twin Blade's well-placed kick. Initially she had planned on doing her own leveling up with maybe Sirius, but then she received a short mail from Silabus requesting her help. Gaspard and Bo had wanted to come along as well, namely to hang out with Haseo, but neither felt safe going to the types of dungeons aforementioned Adept Rogue tended to choose with the two being the only party members. Naturally, Alkaid could not turn down such a request, and invited the two into her party so she could follow along. She rolled her eyes. Dedicate a day to leveling up, and instead I'm working as a bodyguard for not one, but TWO Shadow Warlocks… and they're both kids! Gaspard was thirteen. Bo was eleven. But, she was willing do it for… but only because Silabus had asked her! There was no ulterior motive when she heard about who else was coming along!

"And I think someone else is being delusional." Haseo growled, the amusement he had a second ago completely having now been completely obliterated. Actions spoke louder than words though - his expression showed annoyance but his body language clearly revealed that Alkaid had been right on the mark: he was annoyed, starting to get cranky, but even so he was enjoying the change of pace. Of the six players only three were aware of AIDA, and those in particular could not think of anything more relaxing than playing the world with normal players who had no idea about the dangers that lurked in such a remarkable fantasy. The whole adventure served as both a reminder of what needed to be protected, but also the original reason all three had been drawn to The World in the first place. To have fun.

"I wonder if this is what it's like to be Lord Zelkova?" Gaspard wondered out loud, earning all eyes on him. He 'eeped,' and shyly moved his hand to scratch the back of his head. "W-well… on Apkallu… one of my favourite artists is Fuchu… and once she drew this picture of Lord Kaede finishing off monsters, while Lord Zelkova chased Chim Chims… kind of like Bo and myself right with Alkaid…" The little pink Beast explained sheepishly, and Bo seemed to consider that for a moment.

"Oh… maybe later, after Saku has her turn again, I'll go look Fuchu up on Apkallu…" Bo murmured quietly, contemplating visiting the artist's forum. "So that I know what you're talking about…"

"Or, if you like, I could e-mail the picture to you later on?" Gaspard offered suddenly, before looking back down shyly. "Actually, I could send you the link to another artist as well, Julias… he actually drew some fanart of you, once before. It's really good!" The older Shadow Warlock continued, still acting awkwardly towards the other.

"U-uhm… okay." Bo nodded, giving his consent. From the shy expression he wore as well, along with the faint smile Alkaid quirked a brow over at the two. For a pair who only began talking recently, the two were getting along remarkably well. Must be the similarity in age… she reasoned. Watching from their section, Atoli smiled as she watched the two boys.

"It looks like Bo is really excited to see that picture. I guess I can't blame him, I would be too if someone drew fanart of my character! Well… someone did before, but it was such a gloomy picture…" The blonde sighed, looking down.

"Aww, don't be so downcast Atoli. I'm sure he or she drew it in hopes of making you feel better. You know, showing that they care in their own special way?" Silabus offered, and blinked when noticing Haseo was starting to trudge off towards the temple. "Oh, hey! Wait up!" The Blade Brandier called, hurrying after their party leader with Atoli hurrying after. While those three entered the temple to collect the treasure, outside Alkaid went back to entertaining her charges with more Chim Chims. Personally, she preferred kicking Lucky Animals - there was more of a challenge to it, but whatever made the two kids happy. Taking a moment of silence, she slowly realized that those two had probably reached the max number of Chim Spheres. She placed a hand to her forehead, and released a heavy sigh. Kids…

Opening the door, Haseo stopped to stare with Atoli and Silabus pausing next to him curiously. "Oh… is that a bug?" The brunette inquired curiously, before furrowing his brows. "We should probably report this to CC Corps techs…" He murmured, staring at the pulsating black amorphous blob. Atoli gave a small gasp, and turned to the Adept Rogue.

"Y-yeah… would you mind?" Atoli requested, turning to the brunette who merely nodded. Setting his status as 'busy' he quickly went about typing a bug report, including the location (Θ Graceful Obsessive Phoenix) along with a description of the 'bug.' As he kept busy with his typing, the blonde nodded to Haseo who cast a briefest glare over at the AIDA. He went out of his way to make time to hang with his non-G.U. affiliated friends, and somehow the dirty work landed in his lap anyway. Ever since Gaspard and Silabus had expressed, however subtly, that the two missed going on quests with Haseo he had been feeling, well… guilty. It was a strange, torn feeling. In order to protect them, he had to spend his time ensuring his friend's and the other player's safety… but because he spent his time on that, he had no time to spend with those he protected.

"Come on… come on… I'm right, here! Skeith!" And with his summoning, the Avatar appeared while placing itself, Haseo, and the AIDA on a plane where the two could collide. As Skeith whipped out his scythe to slice relentlessly at the foreign blob, Atoli watched with a slight frown. Ever since her own Epitaph had been stolen, seeing the AIDA brought her a sense of unease. She knew now how to combat the creatures, and that Haseo was rather well-practiced in combat against them… but even so, that dormant fear that resides in anyone who experienced trauma would linger there no matter how many years passed or how brave they became. Finishing up the report, Silabus removed his busy signal only to see Haseo's character seemingly frozen. Is his computer lagging? Wow, haven't seen that happen in The World in a long while… wonder if his virus protection software is running a scan?

A minute more passed before Haseo's character moved again, and he let out a rather disgruntled sound. The brunette had not quite heard anything like it, which made him chuckle slightly and attracted the attention of his two party members. "Sorry… oh, and I sent the report!" He announced, before his eyes traveled to where the 'bug' no longer marred the graphics Piros the 3rd was so vainly proud of. "…wow, I never knew the techs there worked so fast!"

"Heheh… yeah, they're something aren't they?" Atoli laughed nervously, and patted the brunette on the shoulder.

"Oh, and Haseo…" Silabus began, getting crimson eyes to land on him to show he was being listened to. "You should really check up on your computer. The way you sounded, it seems like that isn't the first time you experienced lag." He suggested, smiling brightly at the Adept Rogue as usual. All Haseo could do was stare at the other male, the gears slowly beginning to shift as he realized that was all it looked like to a normal player. A bug and lag. Inform the techs, and everything is all fixed and peachy. An AIDA-infected player just appeared to be a really skilled hacker who wanted to modify his or her character outside of the boundaries CC Corp attempted to set. "Anyway, who wants the treasure? I have a full inventory, so I can't carry anymore…"

"Why is your inventory full?" Atoli asked, mostly to try and ensure the conversation was as far from the supposed lag as possible, if only for Haseo's sake. "Oh, and I'm fine! Thanks to you and Haseo, I can use my Dancing Haze Stave now! See? Equipping now!" She announced, and then clapped her hands together. "I'm perfectly content!"

"That's good to hear! And actually, it's a bit embarrassing… apparently one of the newbies I helped a few days ago is new to the game herself, but her brother had been playing for awhile… so she asked him for some items, and then sent them to me as a gift for helping her. Although, what I don't understand is why she didn't ask her brother for help…" Silabus trailed, his visage reflecting his curiosity as he thought on this unusual scenario. Atoli could not help but giggle a bit at the brunette, as Haseo simply rolled his eyes. How the Blade Brandier never figured it out, Haseo really wanted to know. To live such an oblivious lifestyle at that age (yes, because nineteen is considered old) was beyond his comprehension. Were not college students supposed to be smart and mature?

"I guess that just leaves you, Haseo!" Atoli concluded, looking to their party leader. With a shake of his head, the Adept Rogue made his way over to the treasure chest in order to kick it open. Sometimes, he wondered if he was always the one who ended up getting the treasure because everyone else was so bent on gaining his approval. That had been a problem with Atoli in the beginning, and during his second job change even Silabus refused to answer whether or not he saw Haseo as being 'mad all the time.' The Blade Brandier and Gaspard simply changed the subject before quickly hurrying from the scene. He was not angry all of the time! Although the fact his eye was twitching as he thought this acted as a counter to his own argument. Honestly, he did not need people constantly trying to appease him so he would not start yelling at them. He rarely yelled.

"Hey, Haseo…" Atoli began, taking tentative steps towards him. Once the item was in his inventory, the Adept Rogue glanced briefly back at her. She approached closer, and while Silabus was in the background a bit confused and curious as to why the Harvest Cleric was acting in such a fashion he remained where he stood. No sense in intruding, right? "We should probably gather everyone else outside… and just head back to Town. With AIDA having shown up like that, I would think it to be a good idea to speak with Master Yata about it… I mean, no one else warned us about a signal, did they? It's kind of dangerous to continue…"

Her words merely made him sigh, shoulders slumping. True enough. Make time, and then AIDA went and took it away. Even though Haseo knew that Silabus and Gaspard would not take it personally, and Alkaid would probably be relieved there was still a sense of guilt. He had promised everyone to help them level-up, and now he was going back on that promise. I'm always worried about others betraying me, but lately it just feels like I'm betraying them instead… "All right." He muttered, and turned around to face Silabus who all this while was wondering what in The World was AIDA and who this Master Yata was. Are those talking about a role-play? Haseo never struck me as the type, but I wouldn't be surprised with Atoli… The Blade Brandier thought, his thoughts placing reason when there was none. "Hey, listen… something just came up. I'm sorry I can't help you guys any further."

"Hey, it's no problem Haseo! Things happen. Besides, it's a school night isn't it?" Silabus reminded the other, smiling knowingly when he saw the Adept Rogue's eyes widen in sudden realization. The brunette chuckled, and crossed his arms. "I thought you forgot… you mentioned how you wanted everyone to get up at least ten more levels. You know how long it takes to get there." He continued, and continued smiling away in amusement at now both Atoli and Haseo who seemed to be in more of a rush to leave the temple now. Apparently the seventeen-year old was not the only one who forgot… Wonder if the urgent thing is their RP? Maybe Atoli came up with a new plotline… Aida, huh?

--

As it turned out, disassembling the parties was the best idea to be had. Saku's turn came around, and within seconds the scene was obvious to all who watched that between her and Alkaid nothing would end well. The two girls argued, glared, and expressed an overall disdain for one another. Silabus had to keep a hand clamped over his mouth to stifle a laugh, not wanting to get caught up in the girls rather venomous argument. Atoli raced to cover Gaspard's ears from the string of, ahem, less than savory words that Alkaid was releasing upon the little girl. Not that the 'little girl' seemed to mind very much, as she would merely smirk and toss back an insult with just as much bite but without the usage of cruder language. Onlookers could only assume the restraint on Saku's end was likely because in the real world Bo was probably still in the same room, probably protesting her roughly shoving him off.

"Wow… never realized how alike you two were until now." Haseo smirked, a sardonic expression finding its way onto his face as he watched the two girls fight with text. The two immediately whirled on him, eyes narrowed with looks that clearly stated if he dared to provoke them any further the two would collaborate long enough to PK him, followed by then attempting to PK each other. Suddenly, Haseo decided to stay out of their 'conversation' and look over to Gaspard, the only member of that particular party available to explain what started such ruckus.

"Uhm…" The beast started, before looking between the other three in a silent request that they would protect him on the off-chance that the two women felt he was being biased towards one over the other. Silabus gave him an encouraging nod, now finding his mind distracted from the display of female violence while Haseo sighed and moved closer to provide the little Shadow Warlock a more reassurance presence. "Well… Saku just popped on, and wanted to know why she wasn't in a party with Endrance… and, well… you know how Alkaid gets about Endrance sometimes. That's how it started, but now…" With a pudgy-faced pout, he looked over at the two.

"It digressed to a catfight. Just great." Haseo buried his face in his hand, shaking his head at the ridiculousness of this all. Then, an idea struck him. "Hey, Saku." That was it. Both girls whirled on him a second time, flames in both of their eyes as the two prepared to force the 'Terror of Death' to know the sweet taste of defeat. "I need to contact Endrance. Would you mind joining me?"

"Why, of course!" Saku's tune and face switched faster than a con artist did identities. "Are we going to be leveling up with Master En?" She asked sweetly, looking up to Haseo. But he knew that look. The look clearly stated, 'and by we I mean Master En and myself naturally, you're just deadweight that I am using to get closer to my beloved.' For a little girl, she was frightening. He pitied the fool who felt safe in attacking her. On the other end of the spectrum, Alkaid looked ready to kill. In particular, Haseo. Why was he taking HER side? The little brat's?! Her body shook with a silent rage, and the fact that she and the Adept Rogue were in entirely separate parties made the temptation to strike him down all the more tempting. An afterthought arose, however, as she realized this also meant she would have to fight Silabus and Atoli. Begrudgingly, she took a deep breath to calm herself. There were bigger fish to fry, although in more realistic standards the 'bigger' fish was actually the smallest out of the six players. I bet in the real world she's a ganguro in training…! The redhead could not forgive that child so easily, oh no. She would find a way to make her pay, dearly… but the trick with that was, to make sure when she exacted her revenge it would be against Saku, rather than Bo whose feelings would be deeply wounded.

"Uhm… are you guys going to continue leveling up?" Atoli asked them hesitantly, looking over at Alkaid, Gaspard, and Silabus. The blonde squeaked when receiving a disapproving look from Haseo and she immediately realized her mistake. Someone was in a foul mood because his evening plans had been interrupted, and now Atoli was offering those plans to someone else. She looked down, clasping her hands together by her thighs as a sudden rush of guilt filled her chest. I'm sorry, Haseo…

"Only if those two want, I guess." Alkaid rolled her shoulders in a careless, indifferent shrug. "I know Sirius definitely wants to do some hardcore leveling, so if one or neither wants to join us I don't mind." She continued, and quickly began composing a short mail to the former Holy Palace Emperor. The moment she mentioned 'hardcore leveling' a shiver ran down both Silabus and Gaspard's spine. She grinned, noting the subtle fear between the two best friends who exchanged nervous glances. The way Atoli spoke, Saku and Haseo were not the only ones who would be tracking Endrance down for 'leveling.' That was not it, that much she did know. Inviting Endrance along was just a distraction for the little snot-nosed brat, but the Adept Rogue's true motive was unclear. What was the real reason? Regardless, Alkaid at least understood that Atoli made a mistake suggesting everyone to continue the plans without Haseo, who did not respond well. The redhead had to save the blonde somehow, and what better way than to teasingly scare the brunette and pink-haired beast? Atoli was, after all, her reason for agreeing to such a ridiculous request anyway… teasing the blonde was far more entertaining (and cute) than hanging out with Sirius.

"U-uhm… we're good. Th-thanks for the offer though, Alkaid!" Silabus stammered, making an awkward smile over at her. He knew she meant well, but what kind of leveling was she thinking of? A ping resounded, simultaneously between Alkaid and Haseo showing each received a short mail response.

"Too bad! See you!" Alkaid provided a careless wave to accompany her words. With a quick flick of her wrist she removed both Gaspard and Saku from her party as she hurried towards the Warp Gate. In the matter of a sound effect and blue rings, her character was whisked away to town. Haseo merely rolled his eyes at her, before releasing his monopoly on Silabus and Atoli.

"Come on Atoli, Saku." Haseo motioned for the two to follow, and the two girls hurried after him to meet up with Endrance.

Hey Atoli… could you send a short mail to Pi and Kuhn? I'll be sending a short mail to Yata so he knows we're coming, and one to Saku so she's a bit more informed.

The short mail sent off to the blonde, she jumped hearing the pink announcing the quick arrival of The World's instant messaging system. Instant indeed. Far more accurate to the word than, for example, instant noodles. The noodles were not instant. One had to boil the water first, at least, before one could eat them. Hence, the claim those noodles were instant was a blatant lie. Much like the cake. Only, the cake was not as obvious with its lying. Digressions aside, Atoli breezed through before nodding. A moment later Saku quirked an irritated brow at the short mail she received. Blowing out an annoyed sigh, she rolled her eyes. After a quick Warp to Δ Mac Anu, Haseo quickly added Saku into his party followed by Endrance, of whom he received a short mail from informing everyone he was waiting in front of the HOME's doors.

"I was wondering what came up." Saku suddenly spoke up, walking purposefully in front of Haseo and Atoli. "You NEVER just leave Silabus like that. Too afraid of Kuhn coming after you." She continued, and gave a sly grin over at the Adept Rogue who merely scowled at her statement. "Well, Gaspard too… but more so Silabus. I got it!" She snapped her fingers, and gave the evilest grin ever to be seen on such an adorable face. "You suck in literature, so you bum off a college student for free tutoring! Hah! I knew you were an idiot Haseo, but really!" As she continued, Haseo's frown deepened as his red orbs stared at her while imagining Saku spontaneously combusting. Boom. No more grating little girl, only a sweet little Bo who meant well to anyone and everyone. But then… who would protect Bo when Haseo was not around? That was Saku's most redeeming feature: despite her bully-like personality, she was very protective of Bo… in her own, weird sort of way. The girl was selfish, and completely obsessed with Endrance. Yet, she was also a good sister whenever Bo needed her.

"I don't think that's the reason Saku…" Atoli started, her tone quiet. The guilt was still there from earlier, completely unable to let it go even though Haseo already seemed over it. She sighed, shaking her head. Probably because Alkaid turned down the offer. The blonde was unsure if she should be grateful or angry with the redhead. Depends on whether she meant to save my skin or not, I guess… the blonde reasoned silently.

"Oh? Then how else would you explain such a phenomenon?" Saku asked the Harvest Cleric slyly, a smirk slowly creeping up her childish face. The wider that smirk became, the more ill-at-ease Atoli found herself, all the while wondering if Saku was the embodiment of bad karma. Do something wrong, and suddenly the girl was there and doing everything in her cute little power to make a good day go bad. "Unless you think…"

"Oh, Haseo…" Endrance interrupted in his usual, breathless voice as he approached the group. As usual, the Adept Rogue ignored the fashion he was most often addressed by this particular Blade Brandier and merely pretended Endrance reacted this way to everyone. Atoli merely flushed, strongly due to embarrassment for the former Demon Palace Emperor rather than the fact one man was so blatantly expressing his romantic feelings for another. Saku, on the other hand, began fuming immediately. "I've been waiting for you…" The Blade Brandier continued, smiling affectionately at the silver-haired man who continued to somehow ignore such an expression. He's an NPC, he's an NPC, he's NPC… Haseo probably could have formulated a better tactic for being able to adjust to the blunette's interest.

"Hey Master En!" Saku spoke up brightly, attempting her most dazzling smile up at the tall character. Personally, Atoli found herself a bit relieved that Endrance expressed so little interest in Saku. From what she understood, the player behind Endrance was around twenty which made him easily nine years older than Saku. While an interest in shouta was questionable, the blonde knew that the man was at least not interested in loli. "It's been awhile, hasn't it? Haseo was talking about us going to level up afterwards, right Haseo?" She continued, and in-between her gracious smile offered up to Endrance she shot a glare over at the Adept Rogue. Rather than be intimidated, instead he smirked which confused the girl.

"Well, maybe if it isn't too late… although, by the time we're done even if we do have enough leftover to go adventuring…" Haseo's smirk turned malicious. "I'm pretty sure it'll be Bo's turn on the computer. Won't it?" He asked, and could only widen his expression watching the girl seethe as she realized how easily he had tricked her. Ping!

You can bet I'll make you regret doing this to me in front of Master En later! No, in fact… YOU CAN COUNT ON IT YOU MALISCIOUS, DECEITFUL ROGUE! Such slime is not worthy of Master En's affections! …

Around that point Haseo ceased reading, as her short mail to him was… not short. In fact, the mail was surprisingly long and mostly full of name calling he was just not in the mood to read. Maybe later, for the lulz. "…Haseo?" Atoli called, watching the Adept Rogue carefully. He snapped up, realizing he had ignored everyone else due to the distraction. Saku tossed him a smug look, obviously pleased with herself even though Haseo had the sneaking suspicion that was not the revenge she had intended and her threat still remained. Stupid little girl…

"Sorry. Nothing left to do, but go in… right?" Haseo inquired, and headed into the HOME with everyone else. Maybe… maybe tomorrow, we can try leveling up again…

--

"Hey, Gaspard…" Silabus began, standing next to the pink beast with his arms crossed over his chest. A few players passing by offered waves, and the brunette returned their waves along with a soft smile. The players consisted of three girls, all of which visited quite often. In fact, they had never visited the shop until the trio learned the shop was owned by the legendary Terror of Death. The girls assumed this meant Haseo probably tossed all of his older weapons into the shop once he was on a high-enough level to use a newer one, or had too large of a collection due to taking down so many PKers. On the former, the girls were correct. The latter, not so much. Actually, Silabus had not heard about 'the Terror of Death' prowling around specifically for any PKers in months. He smiled softly to himself. True, Haseo still fought with PKers, but as of late the reasons usually were because the PKers attacked the Adept Rogue first or a low-leveled character needed assistance against a PKer. Actually, he could remember a couple of times when he was helping a few newbies learn the basics of Field Areas when a few Player Killers hiding inside the Beast Temple jumped them. Silabus sent out a quick short mail to Haseo, requesting assistance if the other was not too busy. If the brunette had one complaint about The World, it was the fact that one could not logout while in a dungeon of any type which left the three players at the complete mercy of their relentless attackers.

In no time flat, there arrived Haseo crashing through the Battle Barrier with Twin Blades at the ready and saving the three-person party from the Player Killers. At the recollection, Silabus could not help but smile softly to himself. Haseo… actually, one of the times the Adept Rogue brought Atoli along so she could heal everyone while Haseo took care of their problem. You really are a great Guild Master for Canard… How much had the seventeen-year old grown since Silabus first met him? The Haseo he knew now was almost like an entirely different person, with often the clearest sign that the Haseo now and the Haseo then were the same with the random bouts of a bad temper. Even that was fading though, as the Adept Rogue matured further each and everyday. The brunette was both proud of him, and a bit sad… because even though Haseo was growing more responsible and maturing, it also felt like the other was drifting further away. There was a time when Haseo was reluctant to join a Quest because he felt Gaspard and Silabus would slow him down, rather than hesitant to join because of whatever reason that kept the silver-haired player s busy as of late.

Aida… Silabus furrowed his brows. Is that what's been keeping him busy? The role-play with Atoli…? But he never mentioned it to me… "Uhm… Gaspard?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah?" The beast jolted from his own thoughts, and straightened himself before turning to look his best friend in the eye. "Is there something you need? There's a few Blades here, if you want first dibs." Gaspard gave the other wink, a sign this was a 'special shop discount.' And by special shop discount, this meant a total freebie. If one knew how expensive these items were usually sold as, anyone would jump at the chance. Instead, the brunette gave his usual kind smile and declined the offer. Of the blades, Haseo gave Endrance and Silabus first picks and then tossed the rest to the shop so there was no point in even looking through. Plus, considering he worked at the shop the free item would end up right back where it started.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something…" Silabus started, before hesitating briefly. Was there even any point? If Haseo had not even bothered mentioning it to him, why would he talk to Gaspard about the role-play? Not that there was anything wrong with Gaspard! Just… Silabus and the beast were almost joined at the hip, and if Gaspard knew anything about the reason behind Haseo's busy schedule surely the pink beast would have shared the information with the brunette? Instead, he changed the course of the conversation to another question he was just as curious about. "What are you thinking about? You're so spaced out…" He chuckled, and patted the thirteen-year old fondly on the head.

"Oh! Uhm… well…" Gaspard's face quickly went from pink to red. This surprised Silabus, causing his brows to shoot straight up. What got the other so worked up? He knew he could tell anything to the brunette, and not have to worry about being judged. Then… what was up with the sudden shy exterior? "Y-you see… about earlier today…"

"Yes?" Silabus nodded, gently nudging the other to continue whenever he was ready. Gaspard took a deep breath and then released it,

"IfoundmyselfthinkinghowcuteBowasandnowIcannotstopthinkingabouthimand OOOHHhhhhhh Silabus what do I do?" Moaning, the beast clutched his head while his face turned a darker shade of red and Silabus stood trying to comprehend what exactly the other had just said. All he got was 'Bo' and 'I' and the last part of the sentence with enough of a pause between words to understand.

"Well… I would love to tell you, but I have no idea what you just told me." Silabus laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head awkwardly as the beast continued to bemoan over whatever had him distracted. No… wait… it couldn't be, could it…? "No… uhm… Gaspard, are you… trying to tell me you think you might like Bo?" Surprised? Yes. Disgusted? Not really. How the brunette figured it, Gaspard was at that age where everything was incredibly confusing. Whether what he felt was real or not, the brunette did not and personally did not care. If liking Bo was indeed the case, Silabus decided to offer the other his full support. The young teen had helped Silabus through his hard times, and it was only natural he was there for the other.

"…y-yes…" Gaspard sniffled, and buried his face into his hands as he felt the shame.

"W-well… what about Yayoi?" Silabus inquired, gently as he could. Easier to help the other sort out what was going on, while also placing a comforting and reassuring hand on the other's back.

"Sh-she turned me down…" Gaspard continued to sniffle, and wiped his snout with his arm. As large tears welled up in his eyes, he looked to the brunette. "D-do you think… I just like Bo b-because he was there… a-after she turned me down?" He whimpered.

"It is possible… but you could just merely be attracted to Bo." Silabus told the beast softly, and rubbed Gaspard's back. "This is one of those things you should probably examine over a period of time, rather than jump to conclusions early on… if you like though, I can take you and Bo out on Quests together." He offered, smiling down at the other. "Bo is usually happy to do quests, and he's always excited to join Haseo's parties…"

"D-do you really think so…? Oh, you're the best!" Gaspard cheered, and immediately jumped up to hug his taller friend around the waist. "We'll figure it out, together!"

"It's a deal then!" Silabus laughed. Although… I can't help but wonder. Is Gaspard ruling Saku into any of this?

Disclaimer: Jedi-like wave of hand Hyper Pegasus does not, in any way, claim ownership of the dotHack series. She is not affiliated with it, however much her desire to someday work with such wonderful character designers who provide men with sexy, child-bearing hips. The dotHack series belongs to Bandai-Namco.
Writer's Comments: Poses Why hello there ducklings! Officially, this takes place during .hack//G.U. Vol.2//Reminisce, shortly after the Holy Palace Tournament (and before crazy catman contacts you). HOWEVER! Holds a finger up I have made a few alterations. If you have any questions about them, or an explanation as to why I will be more than happy to oblige. Essentially, this entire story was inspired when Kuhn was all like, "Hey. Haseo. Come help me beat up this AIDA. BTW BRING A THIRD PERSON OF YOUR CHOICE!" So like the deranged fangirl I was, I dragged Silabus along. And then, Haseo and Kuhn talked so openly about AIDA in front of him, and NO ONE CARED.