Yuanfen [KING]

Whoa dude. It was this place again. Finding himself in familiar territory, King was wandering around for any quests he could pick up. It had been a while since the game started up, but he was already falling in love with the game again. The all too familiar feeling of awe encapsulated him, most of his journey being spent gazing on at the scenery around him.

Before heading back to the little girl, a voice called out for him. It wasn't some NPC that was hollering his name, but some taller fellow whose stature towered over everyone - even King.

"Oh, hey it's..."

'Think, brain. What was it again? Casper...? Caster...? No, it was like Areto? No. Come on, think. Think.'

A metaphorical drop of sweat rolled down his forehead. His virtual beat in his chest, filling his ears with a steady drumming.

"Castiel!" King wore a smile, expressing the joy he found in remembering the lad's name. "Yeah, man. Long time no see."

"How ya been?" With a firm hand, he slapped the man's back, letting out a loud thud. "Excited about the release?"

Castiel

Returning the sentiment, Castiel laid into King with a fist to his shoulder. Albeit, the punch was welcomed, the weak impact it had on him was not. It was unlike men to be so restrained when it came to this stuff. It was odd, but he just shook it off, thinking Castiel was more considerate than anything else.

"That's good. I've been alright. Just got off my shift so I'm trying to get a few levels in before going to bed." Little did he know of the fate he had signed.

"Sure," he said, a smile curved across his lips. Companionship was a commodity around these parts. Someone with kind intentions was even rarer among the internet folks. Going out of one's way to help someone else seemed to be something people did out in the real world; the internet was a different beast.

Naturally, he lifted his hand into the air, waiting for the prompt to show itself.

"Is this the little locket girl one?" It was a quest he had left out to dry before. Completing it was rather high on his to-do list for the night before he crashed in his bed.

Castiel

«CASTIEL» has invited you to a party.
YES | NO

A quick tab and King pressed the Yes button. Bang, another bar of green showed up beside his. Castiel. It was an interesting name, one he'd have to probe later to find out what it meant. There was always meaning behind a name. For him, Jeong Ho selected King because he wasn't really a king. He didn't possess any kingly qualities. He was just a regular guy.

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired so if we could get this show on the road and finish up quickly, that'd be great." A computerized yawn bellowed from the back of his throat. The man covered the view of his open mouth before he stretched and rested his hands behind his head, clasping his fingers together.

"So Castiel, you find anything interesting since you've been on all day? Any major changes or stuff like that?" The raven-haired male postured himself to let his taller comrade lead the way.

Castiel

The talk of stronger monsters made King a bit uneasy. That meant more work for him and more work meant more exertion. He was already running on E. There was nothing left in the tank. Mentally tasking, this whole Sword Art Online thing seemed like it was going to be a drag.

"Just your imagination? I doubt it. Probably wanted us to get as far as possible during the beta so they could work out the bugs," he shrugged his shoulders. That was just his thinking.

Following alongside his buddy, ol' pal, King lowered his arms back to his side. Their swings became coordinated as they slowly got into step with one another. Similar strides extending over 24 inches meant a greater distance was traveled in less time. He was grateful for having someone by his side who didn't mind the quickened pace of taller folk.

"Yeah, definitely. I'll try not t-" It hadn't been a few seconds before King let out another yawn. This time, though, he didn't give the courtesy of covering his mouth. "Woo! Sorry, work was pretty crazy if you know what I mean."

Castiel

As carefree as carefree could get, the man clasped his hands behind his head, leaning the back of his skull against the pseudo-hammock. It wasn't his fault he was worn out. That was the price he had to pay in order to be someone revered and respected. A doctor's life was a tasking one. If he couldn't do it himself, how can he expect others to do it? That was a value he lived by and surely it was something he was going to stick by until he day he died.

"Oh really?" King was pinged by the talk of work and evidence and all that. It was cool to meet someone who was in a career other than medicine or something of the sort. "What do you do, if you don't mind me asking?"

The idea of small talk was always a stepping stone to a much deeper relationship. The desire to want to know more was a human thing. Built into our genetics was this unwavering want for more. More, more, more. It came as no surprise to him that there were people who used this sort of curiosity to drive them to be the best at things such as video games. That made Jeong Ho sigh in disappointment internally. There was so much they could be doing yet they drove themselves to the summit in a virtual world.

"You must be some sort of lawyer or something. Evidence and all that. You catch any bad guys? What's your total count?"

Castiel

Castiel seemed like a smart fellow. Pursuing something you'd spend most of your life in debt for was probably a mistake. King nodded his head as he followed suit, wading into the waters, boots on and everything.

As his companion went on about themselves, it was revealed to King that Castiel was a detective. A rookie one, too. That was cool. Jeong Ho could see the taller guy being all aggressive with his suspects, pinning them against the ground, shoving their faces into the gravel. That seemed a lot more exciting than his own job.

"That's cool. Didn't really pick you out for a detective guy at first, but I can see it now."

King jabbed at the water, his eyes catching the glimmer of something in the stream. His hands caught nothing but a tiny little fish, not bigger than the width of his palm.

"I'm actually a doctor. I was pretty broke too but scholarships and all that paid for school." Just the talk of his profession made his back hurt. The countless hours spent on his feet did nothing but harm the man's lumbar. "So yeah, what's a detective life like? Do you get to arrest the crooks? Interrogate them and all that stuff they do on TV?"

Castiel

"Surgeon." Jeong Ho straightened out his virtual avatar, pressing the top of his hand against his lower back. "Though sometimes I wish I had picked something simpler." To have the blessing he had and the talent gifted to him, he couldn't waste it doing nothing. Spending the rest of his life behind a counter, making bread, didn't seem like the dream job but he always imagined a life outside of medicine. Would he be happier?

Castiel went on to talk about being holed up in a van for long hours. He could relate with extensive study sessions drooped over an open book. King remembered those warm spring afternoons spent inside his dorm. Looking back on it, it was rather sad but now that he was a licensed surgeon, he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. It was weird how this conversation made him question his decisions.

Ramen he could also relate to. The bitter taste of chicken broth in his mouth stained his taste buds. He could remember every single time he went to the market to buy the superfluous loads of the noodle product. Wonderful memories, but painful ones all in the same.

"That's pretty awesome." He laughed, before leaning back into the water again, trying to catch what seemed like another sliver of silver flowing in the stream.

"Shot anyone befo-"?It was at this time, though, when a bright light took over his body, sending him into the virtual space of Aincrad and completely at the mercy of the world's creator.

Castiel