Misai Kotoba and Junpei Fujimoto
Misai sits on a rock and sobs quietly. Her usual upbeat personality was seemingly gone. The initial shock of the news had hit her pretty hard and she just didn't know how to deal with it. Her shoulders moved quickly up and down with her cries and she held her face in her hands, hiding her tear-stained face. Junpei, being the young man he is, goes to her side and kneels in front of her. He gently puts his hands on her shoulders. Misai does not protest, even though she feels the desire to shake any human contact off of her. However, she knows she truly needs comfort at this moment and will not turn it away. Junpei was her best friend. He had seen her at her worst, so she knew he didn't truly mind.
Junpei gently shakes her shoulders and sighs as he looks up at her from the grass.
"Misai...everything will be alright. Trust me, okay?"
Through her cries, Misai speaks, "How could someone do this?! What kind of monster would create a game like this!? If you die here, you die in real life! How could he?! How could anyone!? I don't understand Junpei-kun! I don't understand!"
Junpei sighs. He pauses for a few moments before he speaks again, choosing his words carefully, "I don't know, Misa-chan. I don't understand either. But we have to get through this. We'll do it together, okay?"
"You know I'm no good at this Junpei! I've never played a game like this before. I just thought it would be fun! Why did you talk me into this?!"
"I didn't talk you into anything! I told you about the game and that I played it and that made you want it!"
"You're right...I'm sorry Junpei...It's just, I'm so scared! What if I die? What if you die? What if we both die?! I'll never see my mom again...or my friends! And what if they pull our helmets off?!"
"They won't, okay? The GM already said that the news channels have put it out there that the helmets can't be removed. It will all be okay, Misai! I promise. I'll get us out of here. I will protect you. Neither one of us is going to die, you hear me? I swear to you." With that, Misai throws her arms around his neck and hugs him. He puts his arms around her back and pulls her in.
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Kaede Araki
Kaede smiled for the first time in what seemed like forever. She fell onto the grass and felt it beneath her with her fingers. She stared at the sky above her, a sight she had not seen in years. Tears of happiness brimmed in her eyes, though she quickly shook them away. Slowly she stood, taking in everything around her. The sights, the smells, the feelings. This was a dream come true! Never again would she have to go back to the real world. Never again would she see the home where there was so much loss, never again would she have to live in darkness. It was a miracle, just for her. How could anyone want to leave a place like this anyway? She thought, maybe, they had families and friends to return to. How foolish, she thought. Everyone leaves you at one point or another, so why even try to make nice. Why even try for companions?
The blonde girl continued to walk the grassy plains and look around, when she noticed a couple sitting by a rock, embracing. She could hear the sobs of the girl and the consoling words of the boy. She kept her distance, not wanting to associate with the drivel. Obviously, the two wanted to leave, and Kaede had no time for people like that. She was here to stay; whether she lives here or dies here. It didn't much matter to her which side she took. As long as she could escape the world she left behind, everything was wonderful. Once she got far away from the "lovebirds," she began to walk backward, viewing everything there was to see. Eventually she made it to an Inn. Taking interest in this, as she had never been inside one, she walked in, turning as she took in the interior. Suddenly, she bumped into something, no, someone. A silver-haired man in very heavy armor. Instinctively, her walls went up.
"Watch it!" she snapped.