ROLEPLAY HQ - virtually-in-love

Triggers: Violence, Trauma, Potential NSFW Content

4:16 AM

@All time Jack same with this one fren

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E04kwIiI4GgQM2aUWf2pm2u25rz8NsoR/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107415947789756543848&rtpof=true&sd=true

Virtually in love.docx

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“I told you I was going to do my best to protect you Cho, you're not going to die here. Wolves can’t climb trees so if it comes to it, I’ll give you a leg up and then I’ll climb up to join you.” He called back to her meaning his words fully. The tree looked spindly, twisted and he knew that it would be hard to climb but he had made tougher climbs. Of course, he couldn’t bring any weapons with him but it wasn’t like they should need them up there. Sometimes survival was fighting when you had to fight and running when the time was right.

8:10 AM

He felt just as tired as her, more tired than he was cutting the tree even though he had only swung a couple times. Maybe it was the adrenaline the urgency knowing that playing their cards wrong would get them killed. If this was the healthier him then he probably would have lasted longer before the tiredness kicked in but as it was, he couldn’t help but pant his breathing coming fast and heavy and his knuckles from punching that wolf stung in pain the skin having scratched on the beast's coarse fur. But of course, the pain in his knuckle was quickly forgotten as he was unable to avoid the bite that came for him. He felt sharp teeth dig into his skin, breaking through flesh but it wasn’t a clean cut. He could tell that by the feeling. They said that when working with a knife a sharp blade is safer than a blunt one. He had worked with sharp and blunt blades in the kitchen and he could be clumsy. Sharper blades made cleaner cuts, while blunt ones required more force to cut, and the slices were more jagged. Instead of the skin being cleaned through they were tore through. He felt that with the wolves' bite, he was just lucky that he had managed to get it away quickly. He might be wrong but something told him that the beast would have been able to bite through his arm if he let it. Still in his book he got off well. The bite to his arm bled profusely, blood dripping down to his hand. It hurt. His arm throbbed and twanged in pain each time he moved it. But he could still move it. He could still move it. It was his turn to look at her as he heard the thud and he heard her cry out. He swivelled on his feet and when he saw her pinned down when he heard her gasp and the wolf growl it was as if his heart stopped. He had never seen another person die before. He could accept being killed in this world but he couldn’t accept having to watch another person die. Even if they had only just met.

8:10 AM

Her scream as she was slashed at, the pain clear in her voice was enough to get him to act, he raced forward, his legs forgetting how tired they were as a new surge of adrenaline soared through him. He didn’t have the time to focus on form like she had told him to, or maybe he did but he didn’t think he did. Instead, all he could do was lift up the axe that he had in one hand before he brought it down into the thick body of the wolf. It cut through, ripping through flesh and fur but something told him that it wasn’t enough to kill it. There was a reason why he was practicing with the bigger axe more. Lifting up his left leg he swung it kicking the boot of his foot into the back of the axe that pierced the creatures hide making it push deep and at the same he pushed with the axe trying to get it off of her. “The moment you can move get away from it.” He called out to her the urgency clear in his voice, clear as was the struggle as his muscles strained to push the wolf away from her. He knew he needed to get her up before the other wolves caught up with them. @꒰ shae ꒱ ༉‧₊˚.

Note to self: Wolves have very bad breath. And very very sharp teeth. Cho stared up at the large creature that had her pinned in horror, her body near numb as if she was already about to die. Death. She didn't want to die. Death seemed painful and well rather permanent and part of her feared that if she died here that no one would find her body. Had her parents even noticed her silence yet? Or would they simply accept her silence as normal? Would they find it strange that she hadn't come out for a meal? How long had passed since she had logged into the game? It hadn't even been a full day on their side but there was no knowing how long had passed in real life. Did time work the same way here. STOP Breathe Fuck how are you supposed to breathe as a fucking dire wolf that basically stepped out of game of thrones has you pinned. It barred it's fangs and growled angrily, pushing it's heavy weight onto her shoulders, claws digging into her skin and stinging as they made contact with bone. She gasped out in pain, wincing as she wondered if he would come to help her. Help. She needed help. Tears welled up in her eyes as she tried to bite back the pain as it pulled it's claws from her shoulders and raised a paw up to slash at her. The scream that escaped her lips was loud. Blood curdling even. She saw white for a moment as pain seared through her chest, pain so blinding that she wondered if she would die right there. It was the worst thing she had possibly ever felt. She knew that. She had never felt anything worse and perhaps that was why when he ran towards them, she entirely didn't realize she was being saved. She gagged in pain, her gaze widening as she watched him push the creature off of her. A weak whimper escaped her throat as she pushed her body up off the ground and ran towards the tree, her head dizzy as she nearly dragged her sword back with her. She was bleeding. So was he. She could see the blood dripping down his hand. She felt sick. A kno

4:02 AM

t in her throat as she leaned up against the tree, hoisting the weapon up despite her dizziness. Were they going to die here? On the first day? She was sure they wouldn't be the only ones but somehow that did not make it feel any better. "We can't die..." She clenched her jaw, forcing deep breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth. She needed to breathe if she wanted to fight through this pain, if she wanted to continue this fight. She couldn't be a dead weight to him, she couldn't allow him to protect her on his own. @All time Jack

Things probably could have gone worse. They were hurt yes pretty badly hurt and they needed to stop the bleeding but they still had all their limbs and they were both alive. When he hit the wolf that was pinning her down, he didn’t even realise that they were the last wolf that they had to fight. His eyes looked down at her as he tried to save her knowing that he wouldn’t be able to forget that scream that left her lips any time soon. He didn’t hesitate once the wolf was pushed off of her pulling the wolf off of her before he rushed to the tree with her. His muscles strained exhausted as he almost fell to his knees out of exhaustion. His arms shook too exhausted to hold the axe up any longer not even the lighter axe. He wasn’t able to fight any longer. Then he noticed that all the wolves were dead. He almost didn’t believe it, expecting for another wolf to come but when nothing did come he let out a breath of relief that he didn’t realise that he was holding in. He fell down onto his knees his legs feeling like jelly now that the adrenaline was wearing off taking in deep breaths before he looked back at her when he heard her words carefully pulling himself to his feet. He wobbled slightly as he stepped but he pushed past it to quickly walk over to her. “We’re not going to die.” He promised her still barely processing how they didn’t actually die as he looked at her side, at her chest. He wasn’t looking at her in a lecherous way, or a sexual way. Instead, he was looking at the cut on her body. “The fights over so we should be able to relax, come on we need to stop the bleeding then let's head to a safe zone.” He suggested looking through his inventory to try and find something they could use. Now more than ever he regretted choosing the outfit he did as the pain in his arm was ignored. For now, at least. @꒰ shae ꒱ ༉‧₊˚.

Things could have gone worse. And yet... at the moment it didn't feel like it. Pain seared in her skin as she leaned up against the tree, her heart pounding as she glanced down at the blood that was spilling down her chest. She was notably in poor condition, her shoulders bleeding quite a bit from where the wolf had dug it's claws into her skin and her stomach torn up and dripping blood. She paled as she stared at it, her head feeling dizzy and hard to focus as she wondered whether she was going to die. *"We're not going to die." * She looked up as she watched him walking over her, not having even noticed him having fallen over as his legs forgot how to walk for a mere moment. She seemed pale, dazed even. She didn't do well with blood and that was becoming painfully evident. She couldn't even pretend like she was paying attention, her skin so pale that it would worry people should they see her. She swallowed and looked at him once more, her breaths heavy as she shifted against the tree. "You don't know that.... we've both... lost a lotta blood." She admitted, holding her stomach with one hand before letting her gaze fall to his wound. "You're hurt..." She noted, leaning against the tree as if she would fall if she didn't. Neither of them had armor and it meant their bare skin had been wounded, entirely unprotected to the elements that they had fought. Their HP had lowered incredibly and it seemed that neither had any healing skills yet. They would have to develop and train those by purchasing a proper spell book or studying potions with an NPC. The only thing within their inventory was a kit of first aid products including something to clean the wounds with and to bandage any wounds with. While it wasn't perfect, it would do. After all, they had no choice, unless they wanted to die there. She took a seat and pulled out her inventory, summoning forth the kit before looking at him, pushing back the headache. "Let me do you first... that way... we can get out

5:30 PM

of here faster." She muttered, almost looking like she would pass out from the pain. She wasn't necessarily the toughest and she had never handled pain all that well and that was showing through. @All time Jack

His anxious brain reminding him about how things could have gone worse was a usual thing. Usually, it didn’t really help him but in this case however he felt like it offered some solace. They were alive, and while their wounds looked bad the fact that they were still awake and strong enough to move still was a good sign. If this game system didn’t kick in soon, he was sure that she would be in agony soon enough. Or maybe she was just good at dealing with it like him. Once the adrenaline worse off he was sure that the pain was going to get worse. It was like when the accident first happened the pain wasn’t too bad at first. Then when they started to move him, and the adrenaline was wearing off it felt like his limbs were filled with lava. He had never been more thankful for morphine in his life then that moment. When he heard her admitted words, he simply smiled at her trying to help her calm down. “we’ve still got a lot more blood to lose before our situation becomes irreversible. Right now, you just need to do your best to relax. We don’t want to go into shock.” He explained to her his arm flexing as he made sure that he could still use it. It hurt and it was still bleeding but it seemed like none of the muscles or bones were damaged badly in the bite. “Don’t worry I’ve been hurt way worse than we are right now and as you say I’m still healthy enough to fight wolves.” He told her to try and cheer her up.

6:38 PM

Of course, he omitted the fact that the real him would never be able to do what they just did. On good days he could walk yes but he wouldn’t be able to add an axe into his weight and pull moves like he did. He knew that he was hurt but right now he thought that her wounds were more drastic and even if it wasn’t she seemed like she needed to be treated first because of how she was handling the injuries. If she fainted, then things would become riskier. “No, let me take care of you first. Yours are worse and besides I have experience with first aid.” He told her as he got his own first kit out before he crouched down next to her his hands pulling out the disinfectant first. “This will hurt.” He warned before he attempted to pour some of it over her cuts, going from the top one, to the bottom one. He knew that they were going to need to clean the blood off of her and get it dry before they could bandage her up, his free hand going to her should to and gently guide her into lying on her back. To make things easier. @꒰ shae ꒱ ༉‧₊˚.

She was dying. Or at least that was what her rain was telling her. After all, Cho had never been injured this badly unlike him. She had plenty of emotional injuries but she had never seen herself covered in the amount of blood that she currently was and well while she was trying her best to stay calm, there was part of her that was quite struggling. "Go into shock--?" She questioned, her skin pale as she struggled to hold one hand to the wound on her torso. "Are you--" She frowned and looked at him, "But our HP is low... we might have blood to lose but how quickly does HP go down before we're...." She motioned with one finger across her neck to explain dead. "I don't want to die..." She added once more, as if her panicking was going to help him. She bit her lip as she looked at him, her stomach feeling like it had a giant pit in it that was only growing bigger. She didn't want to panic but it was clear that she wasn't handling this as well as he might've. Most people go into fight or flight when in situations like this and it was clear that she was very much in the flight mode. Or perhaps freeze because it certainly didn't seem like she was thinking all that straight or clearly. Instead, he was going into fight. Not in the angry sense but for the sense of fighting for his life. Which was much more productive than her choice to be honest. She swallowed and looked at him, her gaze softening as he noted that she should be treated first. "Are you sure..." She questioned, forcing herself to take a deep breath as he cracked open the bottle of disinfectant. "Just-- be careful I'm not really--OWWWWWWWWW" She cursed as he poured some of the disinfectant over the wounds, first handling the wounds on her shoulders where the wolf had dug it's claws in. She shuddered in pain, her breaths heavy as she tried her very best to remain tough. Unfortunately for him, Cho wasn't exactly all that tough. She swallowed and took a deep breath, cursing something indistinguishable unde

3:09 AM

r her breath as he continued, lowering her down onto her back. She laid down and looked up at him, her hands shaking just a bit as she attempted to calm down, closing her eyes as he continued. Yet each time he disinfected something she cursed just as loud, whining about the pain as if she were a child. He certainly now had something he could tease her about should he want.

3:09 AM

@All time Jack

“Shock is when your blood pressure lowers it’s usually related to blood loss. You're going to be okay you just need to stay calm.” He whispered back to her doing his best to try and comfort her as he listened to her. “Don’t worry I’m sure you’ve played games just as much as me it doesn’t matter how low your health gets so long as you don’t hit zero, you’d be right as rain in time.” He reminded her with a smile. He wished that life was more like that. “We’re not going to die just try and calm down.” He whispered back to her planning to remind her every time she mentioned that she didn’t want to die. He wanted her to know without any doubt that she would be okay. He wasn’t going to let her die. “Yeah, it’s supposed to hurt, that just means that it’s getting cleaned.” He told her softly his hand resting on her stomach that wasn’t holding the disinfectant as he carefully cleaned the wound on her shoulder before he moved down her body careful to keep his hands away from her breasts, away from anywhere that would be private as he cleaned up the cuts on her body before he pressed the bandages against her skin to stop the bleeding. “You're doing such a good job; we are almost done.” He told her softly trying to help her cheer up. Once he pressed enough pressure against her wounds, he started to wrap them up. With how long the cuts where he had to wrap them around her thickly but with how uncomfortable she was about the costume she was wearing he doubted she would be complaining. “Okay that should be enough for now, if you bleed through them tell me and I’ll double wrap them.” He told her. Maybe she needed stiches he had no idea but even if she did well, he had no idea how to. All he could do was wrap up her cuts and hope she healed. @꒰ shae ꒱ ༉‧₊˚.

Calm. Easier said than done. Cho looked up at him with a frown, her eyebrows furrowing as he attempted to remind her that she wasn't going to die. "What if it does hit zero.. from like blood loss or something." She looked up at him, her gaze vulnerable in a way that almost made her seem cute. Earlier it had been almost impossible to imagine she had this kind of side to her, after all, she had seemed cold and confident in a way that had pushed away any thoughts of weakness. Yet now she was showing him a side of herself that she rarely showed anyone. She knew just as well as he did that she wasn't going to die, after all, she had played many videogames and knew that dying wasn't as simple as that in video games. Yet that didn't mean that they entirely understood the mechanics of this game either. After all, it seemed that the majority of the things noted on the back of the box were complete lies. It hadn't told them thaty they were going to potentially die, or that it could shortwire your brain or even that you would feel the pain that you experienced from any damage obtained. She paused and looked at him, heavy breaths escaping her lips as he poured the disinfectant into each wound, being sure to clean each thoroughly no matter how she whined about it. She didn't even seem to be paying attention to the fact that he was touching her. The first male she had allowed to touch her in ages. No, she couldn't focus on anything like that at all, her gaze lost on him as he cleaned and bandages her wounds. "You're pretty good at this...." She noted softly, her gaze locking with his, putting some pressure onto her wounds and wrapping the wounds. "Were you a medic in real life or something?" She asked, her head tilting as he dressed the wounds carefully before tying them off. It almost seemed to provide more protection than her clothing did. As he finished bandaging her, he would achieve a level up in first aid, also giving him a new achievement. She sat up and looked a

3:02 AM

t him, pulling out her own first aid kit before looking at his arm. "I can't promise I'll be as good as you were, but... let me see it, okay?" She asked, taking his arm and lifting it carefully before pulling out her own disinfectant. "It burns... just as much as in real life if not worse." She added, smiling as she undid the lid and poured some on carefully, sure to make sure it was disinfected before she started to pressing the bandages into his arm to stop the bleeding. "Never liked blood growing up... used to pass out at the mere sight of it so... consider yourself lucky that I'm still conscious." She teased, taking slow deep breaths to keep calm as she worked on his arm diligently. @All time Jack

Of course, he knew that it was much harder to calm down then it was to say to calm down, but she helped him when he was panicking, and he wanted to help her. “It won’t you're going to be fine I’m going to make sure of it, and if you don’t believe me then I’m going to prove that I’m right when you're better.” He promised her with a wink trying to lighten the mood as he didn’t like how vulnerable she was right now. Maybe he would have found it cute if the circumstances were better. “Just copy my breathing, breath with me in and out.” He urged her making his breathing over expressed to make it easier for her to follow as he carefully cleaned her wounds his head tilting as he heard her noted words before he smiled back at her when he heard her question simply shaking his head. “If I was a medic, I’m sure I would be doing this better, you might have even got stitches. I used to do rock climbing mostly in groups and usually if you get hurt your pretty far away from a hospital, so we all made sure we knew first aid. It came in use a couple times.” Of course, he was the one that was most seriously injured from the group. They did what they could, but things were too messy. The level up and achievement was ignored for now at least as he finished bandaging her before his hand went to the small of her back to help her sit up. His arm twisting to help her get to where the bite was. It was a pretty nasty wound; the bite was in the thick part of his arm teeth marks were in his bicep and he was still bleeding slowly but he seemed to handle the pain easily.

6:36 PM

When he felt her apply the disinfectant, he bit down on his lower lip, but he didn’t cry out. “It’s okay I’ve had it quite a lot growing up I was always climbing stuff, jumping off stuff and of course falling off stuff so I’ve gotten used to seeing blood.” He explained to her softly leaning his arm into her to help make it easier for her. He remembered the one time he actually got faint seeing blood other than the accident. He remembered having a guy that kept trying to bully him when he was sixteen. He didn’t care about the other kid, and he knew that if he kept getting into fights, he would get in trouble, so he let it go. Then he called his family poor. After that he didn’t really remember much it was like a flash but when it was over his hand was covered in blood. He was told he broke the bully's nose. “You're doing great. Know that if it bleeds through, you're not supposed to remove it your just supposed to add a second bandage over it because removing it can make it start bleeding again.” @꒰ shae ꒱ ༉‧₊˚.

Coping mechanisms. Cho knew a few. After all, after the incident her parents had insisted that she go see a therapist at least twice a week if not more. She had jested that they should just bring her to an sanatorium if they truly wanted to find out what was wrong with her. They hadn't liked the joke much at all and upped it to three times a week. Mondays. Tuesdays. Fridays. She got used to it after a while, it being nearly the only time she left the house. Her therapist was a stuffy guy with glasses and a scrawny figure. He kept to his checkered shirts and wire rimmed glasses as if they would never go out of style and plastered his blonde hair with so much gel that she wondered how loud the crunch would be if she pet it. She never had. He quickly dismissed the notion when she had her second session and wore a hat from then on. Hats didn't look good on him. He wasn't a baseball looking guy after all. He was a therapist. Cho thoroughly believed he was afraid of her. She still did. After all, she hadn't told him about what happened. Each and every session she came up with more bullshit stories to explain as to why she had become as messed up as she was today. It's because my mom dropped me on my head when I was a baby She would claim, smirking as she elaborated on the story and delved into the details as if she had been there. After a certain point, the therapist began to give up and just started teaching her a long list of coping mechanisms that they believed would help with the anxiety attacks she had. It was this or they would start drugging her up. They chose both eventually. The drugs helped, for the most part, but they brought on symptoms and side effects that only seemed to bring out the worst in her at times. Perhaps that was why she had forgotten her own coping mechanisms. She never remembered them in the face of her own panic, her gaze locking with his as he winked at her goofily, attempting desperately to calm her. She sure was making things har

2:39 AM

d on him. She was well aware of that and that didn't seem to help her calming down either. She paused and looked at him, mimicking him as he over expressed his breathing like a yoga teacher. She paused and nodded, focusing on the in and out of each breath as she began to calm down. "Mmmm sounds fun... I don't like heights." She admitted softly, "I climbed a tree once when I was a kid though." She compared idly as if it was at all similar. "That's how I found out that heights weren't my jam." She laughed, wincing at the pain in her stomach from the laughter. Bright side, she had laughed. Perhaps that meant she was truly calming down at least a little. After a few moments and his finishing of bandaging her, she would shift her attention to him. She seemed unsure about herself, her gaze lifting to him as he explained why he was so used to handling this stuff. "You're pretty tough... you know that...Cooper?" She noted softly, her hands working diligently as she continued to attempt to bandage him. His wound wasn't as bad as hers but it certainly had bled a lot, not giving her an easy time about handling it either. She swallowed and looked down at it, her breaths continuing as she continued. "Gotcha... " She noted, her gaze focused as she finished bandaging. "All set." She noted, lifting her gaze to him. "What do you say we get back to the safe zone?" @All time Jack

Maybe he would have done well with seeing a therapist on top of the physical therapy but by that point he was already living by himself, and he just saw it as a waste of money. It wasn’t like talking about his feelings was going to help him be able to walk again. Maybe if he had accepted therapy things never would have gotten so low for him though. He didn’t blame her for making things difficult, really, he didn’t things were stressful, and he didn’t think he was doing that good a job of calming her down. It was never something he was good at, but he was going to keep doing his best. He seemed to help fix her breathing at least so there was that. “Once you get over a fear of heights usually you learn that it’s never really the height that scares you. It's the fear of falling.” He told her with a soft smile as he enjoyed her laugh not surprised that the movement made her wince but so long as she didn’t try and stetch her belly he was sure that a little laughter wouldn’t be the end of the world. Even if it hurt. When she called him tough, he paused picturing the real him. The one that couldn’t walk, that couldn’t leave the house. “I’m not tough, I’ve just gotten used to handling pain.” He told her quickly with a shake of his head letting her finish bandaging him before he looked around and nodded when he heard her ask him about getting to the safe zone. “I think we should, we’re not in the state to get into any fights really.” He told her putting everything he had in his inventory before he offered her his hand curious whether she would take it. “I’m ready when you are.” @꒰ shae ꒱ ༉‧₊˚.

The safe zone. If the cover of the box hadn't lied, each floor of the island was meant to host several safe zones, each unique to themselves and including different eateries, apartments, and shops for those who had made it to that floor. Within these safe zones, your health would be restored and couldn't be brought down. This meant that while in the safe zone, you were entirely safe from death. That was why so many had permanently locked down on places to live within the first floor safe zone, too afraid of the threat of leaving to truly adventure out. It was only those who had true guts who had ventured out of the safe zone to build their levels. That, or they were dumb. There were quite a few who were dumb, though many of those had already died. After all, nearly 30 players had died in game and out of game so far, their usernames listed as offline in the compendium that all players had access to prior to friending someone. Only those who were offline were assumed to be dead, after all, everyone else remained stuck online whether they liked it or not. Cho let out a soft sigh as he mentioned a fear of heights being a fear of falling, her gaze shifting. "Fuck that hurts." She noted in regards to her laughter, hair slipping in her face as she whined. "I will admit that I am also afraid of falling... reasonably so though..." She noted with a frown, rubbing the back of her neck before letting out a sigh of annoyance at their situation. Her body hurt, and she was sure it would continue to for a few days unless they managed to get some money. They seemingly were able to garner some prizes from their kills, both money and experience points appearing in their inboxes. She paused and looked at him, "Well... someone is modest." She rolled her eyes, continuing to bandage him before she went to stand, her gaze lifting to him, to his hand. Earlier, she would have refused it. Yet in this moment, she smiled softly and took it, accepting his help up before standing entirel

12:16 PM

y. She was sure he was just as sore, both of them having worked muscles that they were not used to using as well as their lack of experience making. She smiled and pulled him forward ever so slightly, only letting her hand slide from his after doing such. After walking for about 15 minutes, the two of them found themselves walking through a large arch which marked the edge of the safe zone. Once inside, their HP slowly would begin to restore, though it would take about 24 hours to reach max health once more. After all, they considered proper rests to be 24 hours within this world, at least if you were as low of health as they were. As they stepped inside, several gasped and looked towards them, some muttering things about this being why you shouldn't leave. It was a young NPC who caught Cho's eye though, her hands raised in the air as she bounced up and down, yelling out something about renting rooms at an inn. "Should we rent a room or two?" She asked, thinking it was their best bet to find a place to rest. @All time Jack

There was a lot they didn’t know about the game a lot that he had to worry about the game and one of the bigger reasons for why he was going to work to try and get out of this game was because they had no idea what was going on with their bodies. How long could they last in this place before their bodies needed to eat, to drink. It felt as if their bodies were put into comas but usually, you’d be in a hospital when that happened being given nutrition through an IV. Of course, there wasn’t much they could do to prevent muscle decay from lack of use to his knowledge at least but at least they wouldn’t starve. Unless his family decided to visit early it would be a week before someone goes to check in on him. How long would his body be able to hold out? And what would happen if there was a power cut. What would happen if someone else tried to take off their headset for them? Would they die? No in his mind while you were safe from threats from the game in the safe zone, he wasn’t sure if they were safe from the outside world's interference, and how could a game keep them fed? Maybe he was worrying for nothing, maybe everything would work out. eyes looked into hers as he heard her sigh not missing the way her gaze shifted and he heard her say it hurt. His reply was simply to raise a brow and smile, of course it hurt a claw had swiped at her not missing how annoyed she seemed to be. He was tempted to tell her why she didn’t really have to worry about falling too much, if she took the right steps but then he remembered that sometimes being careful wasn’t enough and he stopped himself.

7:42 PM

The notifications in their inventory were looked at quickly as he sighed. Really with how hard they worked to not be killed by those wolves if they didn’t level up or get rewards. he would have wanted to throw something. “It’s just nothing to really boast about, anyone can get used to pain if there’s nothing, they can do to stop it.” growing up he had heard about chronic pain, and as a teen he thought that it was just something people used to try and complain and get out of things. After the accident the pain got so much that he couldn’t sleep, he couldn’t eat. It was agony but then over time he started to get used to it. Feeling pain felt better then feeling nothing in his mind. It was why he struggled to stay still in this body. It was as if he was just expecting his limbs to just stop working. When she took his hand, he smiled back at her softly, she was definitely being less standoffish compared to when they first met. That probably came from almost dying together. Then again, he didn’t introduce himself in the best way.

7:42 PM

He was a little surprised as she pulled him forward lightly quickly being less surprised when she then let go off his hand, she didn’t seem like the type to be too interested in physical contact. At least not with strangers, he was just glad that she allowed him to touch her to give her medical attention. His eyes looked up as he saw the large arch already feeling better as they got inside. Yes, they weren't going to be fully healed straight away but already he was starting to feel better and when he heard the NPC yelling about renting rooms he sighed in relief. For now, he ignored the other players as he looked over at Cho quickly nodding. “I think we should, but do you think we’ll have enough gold to rent two rooms? We might want to buy food as well and save our rations. Maybe if your comfortable we can see about getting a room with two beds if it’s cheaper.” He pointed out to her not sure if she would agree with sharing a room or not. @꒰ shae ꒱ ༉‧₊˚.

Aerius Online. They said it would break the internet. It took the world by storm in all rights, the videogame that everyone had wanted to get their hands on. It was state of the art technology, the most high tech virtual reality headset that the world had seen. It was meant to transport you into a different reality, entirely scanning your entire body so that it could simulate the world all the way down to feeling the wind blowing through your hair. For the most part, very few understood the level of technology that it took to trick your brain into accepting a different reality. Not only did it take manipulation in the brain and understanding of physical sciences, but it also required a high level of graphics that could entirely replicate a world that didn't exist. No one had questioned the level of control and danger that the game could pose to a human, entirely distorting their sense of self and the world as it virtually reimagined them. The game had been sold out within hours. Cho had camped out in order to get the gear needed, it having been one of the first times she had left her room in months for anything other than therapy. She needed it. There had been nothing she wanted more than to see a world that was different than her own, one where she was entirely safe from the threats of their world. She and many people sat outside of game stores as they desperately hoped they could get the first version of the game that would break the internet. Yet when it came down to it, none of them knew anything about the mechanics. It had nearly been a day and very few had come to understand the true threat that they had been put in. The danger that laid await to them should they wander into a situation too recklessly. Cho hadn't even thought about the concept of food in this world. What would happen to their bodies if they were unable to log out, their minds wandering the internet while their bodied began to waste away. She paled at the thought, wondering whether

6:04 AM

the threat of death outside of the game was just as worrying as inside the game. Cho glanced towards the safe zoners, as she was calling them, well understanding that while cowardly, they were making a smart decision. There were pros and cons of course, but in reality, taking the safe route wasn't entirely wrong. It just wouldn't get them out of this hell hole either. She frowned and ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head slightly. "Sounds edgy." She noted to his pain comment, "You shouldn't get too used to pain. Mental or physical. That's what my therapist says at least." She added, smirking at the therapist addition. She often mocked going to therapy, reluctant despite the fact that she was aware of it's improvements. Everyone went to therapy now a days. Everyone and their mom. Not their dad. Only if they were really fucked up did Dad's attend therapy. "I guess we lucked out though. I figured all the rooms were going to be booked." She smiled, attempting to look on the bright side. Looking around her it was evident that most people probably couldn't afford much. Unless they had spent their money on starting the game with extra money, they were practically broke. Without working a few jobs or side quests, they would all remain broke if they kept to the safe zone. "Mmm..." She frowned, "Let's just see what they say." She agreed, hoping that the rooms were affordable enough for them to be able to get one each. She ran forwards towards the young NPC and in through the door, weaving through the crowd until they were in a lively inn. Inside a few NPCs stood behind a counter muttering to one another about the crowds, a larger man laughing proudly about his inn making the best money it's seen in years. "How can we help ya?" He asked, his hearty grin welcoming as he looked towards the pair with a welcome smile. He was a larger man with striking red hair. One would assume he was dwarven if not for his height, his appearance much resembling the Celts.

6:04 AM

@All time Jack

Her note just made him pause as he looked back at her. “That’s true, I didn’t really mean it in an edgy way.” He told her softly. He had only meant it because he had learned that living in pain was easier than leaving without any sensation. After the accident he had spent long in that hospital bed while his legs were still healing. Too numb on medication to be able to feel anything, too weak to even get up. It was hell to him. “Your therapist s probably smart, I only ever had a physical therapist.” He admitted to her as they walked before he heard her smile as she said she lucked out while he quickly smiled back at her. “I guess it’s a good thing we fought those wolves it should be enough rent some rooms.” He told her glad that they had some spending money before he followed her into the lively inn his head lifting as he saw quite how many people there were. Luckily, they didn’t have to wait too long to be seen too as he heard the man's voice. When he saw how welcoming the man was, he relaxed smiling softly. Of course, it made sense why the guy was so happy and welcoming. His business is booming and if he was standoffish then with his size, he might put people off otherwise. Before he spoke, he looked up and noticed that the prices of the rooms were put up on a board behind the till and as his eyes read it, he hummed before he leaned in close to Cho. “It looks like if we get our own rooms we’ll be completely out of money after for just two nights, but if we share it looks like we’ll have money left still.” He told her waiting to hear her response before he would place down money. If they were sharing a room, he would be able to have enough money to pay for the two nights himself but if they were having separate rooms then he would need for her to help pay.

5:53 PM

@꒰ shae ꒱ ༉‧₊˚.

Trauma. As she stepped into the inn with him, Cho could feel her heart begin to pound. She felt as if she couldn't move another step further. As if her limbs had stiffened at every joint so that she couldn't take even another step forward. She felt weak in a way that she hated. She hated the way her body froze up despite the fact that she believed herself in no danger at all. Her body reacting despite her mind reminding herself that she was safe. She didn't think Cooper would hurt her. No. She hadn't thought he was going to hurt her either. She looked down at her feet as he turned to speak to the larger man at the counter. Despite the man's voice booming over the crowd inside, Cho felt as if her hearing had entirely vanished. Each word sounded fuzzy and far away, her gaze falling to the ground as she stared at her feet. She felt sick. An endless pit growing deeper and deeper within her stomach. Even her skin had paled, her gaze lost as she froze idly behind her. It was only when Cooper turned and spoke directly to her that she even lifted her attention back towards him. She swallowed and looked at him, her skin as white as a bed sheet. She looked as if she had seen a ghost. Even despite his words, she seemed as if she were staring right through him, as if she hadn't heard him at all. She paused and looked down, rubbing the back of her neck before offering a wary smile, "R-right... makes sense." She nodded, taking a deep shaky breath before nodding, "That's fine... we... we'll be fine to share.." She spoke quietly, her voice almost inaudible in the crowd. @All time Jack

They were strangers and he didn’t think that he was the best at reading people, at least not anymore but she was pretty easy to read. Or at least it was pretty easy to tell that she was upset. That she wasn’t doing well. He could tell the moment that he turned to face her. While she was pale when they first met, she looked as if all the blood had been drained from her now. His eyes were full of care as he looked at her his eyes looking into hers even as she seemed to look through him before he noticed the way she seemed to take control of herself again not missing the smile before she spoke. Glad that she was able to still smile at least as he listened to her words before he stepped closer to her trying to gently take her hand into his. “Cho, I promise I won’t give you a single reason to regret trusting me with this. We're a team now and I'm never going to harm you or do anything to you without your permission. I would even be willing to sleep on the floor if it makes you feel better.” He told her softly his eyes looking into hers to try and convey to her that he was being honest before he looked at the man serving them his hand not pulling away from Cho’s if she didn’t pull away. If she let him hold her hand. “Would we be able to get some food to take into our room. We've had a long day and I would like to get out of this crowd.” He asked the man sure that Cho would want the same thing. @꒰ shae ꒱ ༉‧₊˚.

Strangers. Was that all they were? They had known one another for less than a day in reality. Not even a full 24 hours. Something more like 8 maybe and probably less than that. While he had ultimately saved her ass, Cho couldn't help the anxiety that was crawling up her body, rendering her entirely unable to move. In this moment, she couldn't ignore the fact that he was a strange. Perhaps a kind stranger, but a stranger nonetheless. She didn't even know simple things like his middle name, how many siblings he had or even his favorite color. Could she really trust his word to not bring any harm to her? Could she trust that he wouldn't grow overly curious the moment that she was cornered, that he wouldn't lose a battle to his senses and ultimately end up in the same situation that had gotten her here in the first place? After all, she had known him for over a year before he had lost control. They said that many of those who committed such acts didn't mind waiting. Sometimes it was about the waiting that made it so enjoyable for them. That was what her therapist said. Said that they were twisted and it was their fault and not her own. People at school had said otherwise. After all, they liked him more than her and she couldn't entirely blame them. Would that happen here too? She swallowed and looked at him, her gaze following his hand as he grasped her own. She stiffened at his touch, her gaze falling back down to her feet. She wanted to trust him. Yet she couldn't. I promise. She smiled weakly at his words and nodded, "I know... I know." She swallowed and glanced towards the man who had handed them their key once they had paid. "You don't need to sleep on the ground..." She muttered, her voice nearly inaudible in the noise of the crowd. "Course you can." The celt responded in response to Cooper's question, motioning him over to a young lady behind the counter. "Leanna handles the cooking. She can get you guys situated with dinner. After all, Breakfast and D

10:50 AM

inner are included in your stay. Lunch is on you guys." He gave a wink before moving to help his next customer, smiling and repeating the same basic dialogue that he had said to them once more. After all, he was just an NPC, right? No one yet knew whether they had their own wills or not, whether they were simply programmed to say the same thing over and over again or whether they had wills of their own. @All time Jack

He thought that she was nice, and he thought that she was pretty but yes, they were strangers right now. So, he understood why she was worried. He felt her stiffen when he took her hand in his gently, but he didn’t let go, he wanted to come across as consistent to her. He wanted to help her trust him. He wanted her to get used to him. When he saw her weak smile, he let his eyes look into hers listening to her words patiently as he smiled back at her before he heard her muttered words making him hum. He would double check with her later. He had made the other with full intention of following through if that was what she wished after all. “Thank you.” He told the NPC, trying to hide his surprise when he saw how quickly the man seemed to forget about them while speaking to others s if this really was just what they were designed to do, but he could think about that more later as he made sure to pay before he slipped the key into his inventory his hand not letting go off Cho’s instead giving her hand a gentle squeeze before his grip loosened allowing her to pull away if that was what she wanted. “Come on let's get some food and then we can head up to our room.” He told her looking over at Leanna. “Could we get something to eat? We've had a long day, I’m sorry if I’m overstepping but you look like you can use this Cho.” He said before he stepped in closer to Cho and opened his arms in an attempt to pull his partner into a soft hug his grip gently enough that she would be able to push him away if she wanted to slow enough that she could step away if she wanted to. @꒰ shae ꒱ ༉‧₊˚.

He thought that she was nice, and pretty but yes, they were strangers right now. So, he understood why she was worried. He felt her stiffen when he took her hand in his gently, but he didn’t let go, he wanted to come across as consistent to her. He wanted to help her trust him. He wanted her to get used to him. When he saw her weak smile, he let his eyes look into hers listening to her words patiently as he smiled back at her before he heard her muttered words making him hum. He would double check with her later if she was really okay with sharing a room. He had made the other with full intention of following through if that was what she wished after all.

3:20 PM

“Thank you.” He told the NPC, trying to hide his surprise when he saw how quickly the man seemed to forget about them while speaking to others s if this really was just what they were designed to do, but he could think about that more later as he made sure to pay before he slipped the key into his inventory his hand not letting go off Cho’s instead giving her hand a gentle squeeze before his grip loosened allowing her to pull away if that was what she wanted. “Come on let's get some food and then we can head up to our room.” He told her looking over at Leanna. “Could we get something to eat? We've had a long day, I’m sorry if I’m overstepping but you look like you can use this Cho.” He said before he stepped in closer to Cho and opened his arms in an attempt to pull his partner into a soft hug his grip gently enough that she would be able to push him away if she wanted to slow enough that she could step away if she wanted to.

3:20 PM

So long as she accepted the hug he would have let his arms gently wrap around her hips pulling her against his chest as he held her body close to his own his chin resting against her temple. “Partners remember Cho, we are going to finish this game together and get out of here. “As a gesture of the truth I’m going to be placing in you if you’d like when we retire for the night we could figure out a way for you to restrain me. It's not like you could hurt me after all. We're in a safe zone.” He reminded her whispering the words into her ear before he gently pulled away from her. “I know we didn’t get off on the right foot with the way I stared, but I want you to know that I would never do anything to you without your permission. We're in a game, maybe to prove it we could create some kind of pact or a zone of truth.” He suggested his hands resting on her shoulders before he remembered that they were being watched still making him pause. “but maybe we should get some food first.” @꒰ shae ꒱ ༉‧₊˚.

Partners. A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as business partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. In their case, the mutual interests they had was survival. It wouldn't be easy to achieve such a goal of defeating this game, but both Cho and Cooper were well aware that they couldn't give up without giving it their best shot. But being partners didn't mean they were friends. They simply shared a similar goal. One that many others shared with them as well. Cho could only assume that most were pondering ways to escape already, wondering whether they could wait it out or if someone on the outside had recognized their predicament yet. "I know." She smiled softly, taking a deep breath before allowing him to pull her into a soft hug. "Partners." She reconfirmed as she softened into his hug, relaxing at least a little bit so she didn't seem to be so on edge. She knew he wanted the best for her. She could see it in his gaze, in the way he looked at her with such concern. She could feel it in the soft squeeze of her hand and in the gentle embrace that he was taking her into as if he was reminding her that she was not alone at all. After his suggestion, Cho shook her head. "No no no..." She shook her head, "There's no need for that..." She glanced down and pulled from the hug, her gaze shifting up towards him. "You're right. We may have gotten off on the wrong foot... but... I know you wouldn't do that to me..." She let out a sigh, "Sometimes... it's hard to push away those kinds of thoughts though." Cho admitted softly before looking towards the woman who had been pointed out as the waitress. "Let's order." She prompted him, picking up a paper menu and looking what was on it. The menu was rather sparse. It seemed that they didn't have very many options on the first floor. The menu included a beef stew over noodles for an entree, bread, and sandwiches. While they smelled decent, the looks on the other player's faces seemed to not

4:00 AM

to be too impressed. Cho even overheard one person mentioning that the food no flavor at all. "I'll take the... stew please." She nodded, handing over what money it costed before looking at him, "What're you going to get?" She asked, wondering if it truly didn't taste of anything at all as they claimed. @All time Jack

When he said partners, he didn't mean it so informally, he had tried to cheer her up with his words. It was just that if he had said friends maybe that would of came across as too personal. It was at least what he was worried about, but maybe saying partners suggested a distance that he didn’t want to grow between them. He didn’t want to only be with her because of mutual interests. He wanted to trust her with his life. He wanted the both of them to care about each other. But maybe he was just over thinking things. He didn’t miss the deep breath she let out, the soft smile on her face. The way she softened in his arms as he hugged her. His arms stayed wrapped around her body gently as he patted her back holding her body close to his own. Careful to make sure that his hands didn’t touch her in any way that would make her feel uncomfortable. That would make her feel scared. “I wouldn’t mind sleeping on the floor really, but I won’t lie and say that I wouldn’t prefer to sleep on the bed.” He admitted to her with a soft smile letting her pull away from him to break their hug. “That’s more than fair, really it is. I think that you are beautiful Cho you really are, but I promise that when we go to sleep, you’ll only need to worry about being able to fall asleep with my snoring.” He told her with a playful wink before he nodded leaning in close to her so that he could read the menu as well listening to her order before he smiled. “I’ll just get the same as you.” He told her with a smile. “The beef stew please.” He said raising his voice a little so that the server could hear a soft smile on his face, and once it was all ordered he paid for his food and smiled gently taking her hand into his own. His thumb rubbed gentle circles into her knuckles.

3:57 PM

He was always a physical person, affectionate, he liked to touch the people he was talking with, the people he was close with. But after the accident he found it very difficult to continue to do. His hands still worked fine so really; he could still touch people physically at least but secluded in his room he didn’t get the chance to anymore. It was why he was being so touchy with her, as if trying to make up for lost time. Because their food was already made in advance just needing to be heated up it didn’t take long to be ready, and while it was going to be tasteless the portion sizes were more than generous. Letting go off her hand to pick up both bowls of food. “Now how about we find our rooms and retire for the night. I'm guessing we won’t go to bed for a bit still, but it will be nice to relax on an actual bed.” @꒰ shae ꒱ ༉‧₊˚.

Closeness. It had been so long since she had felt such closeness to another being. Cho used to love her mother's hugs. It felt as if they could melt away all stress. They could kiss away any worries and carry off all regrets. Most importantly, they could wash away all fear. They had grown powerless in the light of Cho's trauma. Powerless. Entirely unable to wash away the deep pain that had dug into Cho's core. She pushed them away. Just like she did everyone. Cho softened into his arms as he held her, her body still tense and yet relaxing ever so slightly. A deep breath through her nose and out through her mouth. She closed her eyes as he patted his back, almost forgetting that she had once pushed away any attempt at physical contact. Physical closeness. She almost longed for it. Longed for her mother's hugs and warmth. For the comfort which it brought with it. Gently shaking her head, she lifted her gaze towards him. "No...really." She confirmed, "I don't want you to sleep on the ground..." She swallowed and looked at him, cracking a soft smile at his joke about preferring the bed any day. She didn't blame him. After all, she hadn't offered to sleep on the ground either. "You'll only need to worry about being able to fall asleep with my snoring." It was reassuring. Something about the way he spoke to her washed away her worries and made her feel safe. Like she truly could trust that he wouldn't betray her or let her down. She softened and nodded, rubbing the back of her neck as she pulled out of the hug. "Guess I'll have to deal with that." She chuckled softly, a slight insecurity flickering her eyes as she glanced down shyly. It was as if she had been hiding another side of herself and finally was allowing him to see it. Quietly, she found a seat with him as they waited for their food, her gaze shifting around the busy lobby of the inn. It seemed that they truly had gotten their money's worth with the start of the game. She was sure that no inn was

7:30 AM

going to be empty tonight. Perhaps not for a while. At least until the players budgets began to run thin. After all, those who didn't wish to risk their lives were going to find it hard to pay after a while. She grew silent as she people watched, hardly recognizing the way that his fingers trailed against her knuckles, rubbing soft circles into them. She seemingly had forgotten that he was holding her hand, her gaze idle on the crowd. It was only when he let go that she noticed. Her gaze softened as she looked down at her hand and stood up, almost disappointed in a way that she didn't entirely understand. She swallowed and followed him back up to the counter before nodding at him. "Right... good idea." She smiled and took a deep breath before heading up the stairs to search for their room. Each room was numbered. There were about three floors of rooms, the cheapest being the top floor rooms. They were on the second floor, their room having a 2 in front of it. 2-c. She hummed idly as she walked, her gaze flickering along the doors until she saw room 2-c. Gently, she slid the key into it's place before turning it. "Here we go." She pushed it open with a creak and took a few steps inside. Though dark, it had one large bed and a few commodities including a few apples and bananas, fresh water, clean towels, showers, and even comfy bathrobes. "Not bad... is it." She shrugged and walked over to the bed, gently pushing down on it to see how soft it was before taking a seat. "Suppose they wouldn't be happy if we got blood on their sheets huh..."

7:31 AM

@All time Jack

He liked holding her close to him. He liked hugging her. He hugged her because he wanted to cheer her up. To make her feel more secure, and yet he couldn’t deny as he hugged her that it felt good. It felt nice holding her close to him. He didn’t want to let go off her. He felt the way she started to relax, he felt her breath in his arms and as she continued to talk, he looked down at her so that he could see her face smiling back at her when she lifted her gaze enough to see him. Silently he listened to her speak smiling as she said she wanted him to share the bed with her. Or at least she didn’t want him to sleep on the floor. “I’m sure it won’t be any harder to deal with then those wolves.” He told her with a smile finding it cute the way she glanced down shyly. “You know your laugh is pretty cute.” He told her with a playful grin before he led her upstairs. The only reason he didn’t take her hand into his was because he had his hands full. He couldn’t hold her hand, he couldn’t even open it himself. Instead, he had to get her to open it. He stepped through not far behind her carefully placing the two bowels down onto the table while he listened to her words.

4:49 PM

His eyes searched around the same way that she did glad to see that the bed was large at least. If it was small, he felt like things would have been much more difficult. The fruit and fresh water were nice but what he was really surprised about was the shower that was in their room. He really wasn’t expecting them to be able to get into a shower so soon, part of him was worried that this new world was going to be lacking in those pleasures. But clearly it did. The lack of a shower curtain though was another surprise. It made him flush lightly looking away from her as he took a seat next to her feeling his knee brush against hers. “How about we eat and then we can figure out the shower thing, I could keep my head buried in a pillow to make sure I don’t see anything, or I can rest outside.” He spoke seriously at first then he turned to face her again playfully winking at her. “Or we could always share, you wash my back I’ll wash yours.” He told her playfully his hands reaching for the two bowels of food before he held one out for her to take. @꒰ shae ꒱ ༉‧₊˚.