NIGHT LIGHTS [Q/C]

It took him a while, but Domino had finally managed to accept the circumstance of what he had been given, and completed with his own personal preparations to deal with the challenges he would inevitably face ahead. He had been one of the many that had joined the game on opening day, being quite a fan of competitive MMOs like these, especially when the experience of game play emulated reality through the Nervegear. He had so much expectations for his experience here to be unforgettable, and in ways that Domino never expected to, it was just that. The announcement of the game's nature was an image that would forever be etched in Domino's mind. Unlike a large number of the players, Domino had opted to remain in the Town of Beginnings, not because he was scared of the circumstances, but because he was cautious of it. He familiarized himself with the game mechanics as much as he could, and how certain aspects of his livelihood would change in regards to the game. And now, he had finally set out. He was late behind others, of course, but he was focused more on surviving, than making it to the top.

Getting to the top still had its appeals, though.

Whatever the case, Domino embarked in his first quest, knowing that this was the backbone of the game, and the main method of progressing through the levels of the game's system. Higher levels meant better stats, and better stats meant higher chances of survival. Besides, Domino himself could not deny still that Aincrad was still an interesting place. It was a whole new world, offering entirely new and different experiences. No harm in trying to gain as much of them as he could while he was here, right? Starting small, of course, would be a given, and that was why he was here in this town, at that very evening, wandering down the eerily empty street, staring up at the unlit lamp posts.

His task was simple, and that was simply to activate the lamp posts to provide illumination on the path before him. And it seemed that he wasn't alone in the task. As soon as he had activated one, he caught hint of another doing just the same thing, to the lamppost adjacent to his own. He blinked, golden eyes staring at the smaller female. Was she doing the exact same quest?

Well, this was a rather awkward scene, wasn't it? For a good few seconds, the two simply eyed each other. Domino pondered whether he should say something, or simply move on and continue with what he was doing, but she spoke up then, completely throwing that plan out the window. "Do you need matches?" Domino blinked, golden eyes rolling down to gaze at the small box for a moment, before shaking his head. Reaching into his pocket then, he pulled out his own set of matches, holding it up lightly to show it to her. "Uhm, I already have them," he replied. Of course he would. He had already activated the quest marker earlier, and was already in the process of completing it. Or at least, he had just started to. Well, it did seem that they were doing the same quest together, hm?

She would continue then, talking about the elevated height of the lanterns they were supposed to light. He blinked, before raising his own chin to look up at the lantern. Could he even reach it on his own? He frowned, gritting his teeth behind closed lips as he contemplated reaching up to test. It would certainly be embarrassing for him if he couldn't. It looked as if he could reach it, but barely. Even then, that was just the bottom of the lantern. How was he supposed to reach the lantern itself to light it? He tilted his head lightly "What the hel--" he paused mid-curse as he realized something, before turning back to the girl beside him. He frowned slightly, and averted his gaze as he cleared his throat.

"Do you wanna work together?" he inquired, before bringing his hand up, pointing at the lanterns in indication to what he was referring to. And right after, he would pat his shoulder, a gesture that he believed sufficient in explaining his proposed method in getting the lanterns lit.

august

“I have no idea why they’re so high tonight. Usually these lanterns aren’t this much of a fuss,”

Domino blinked, before simply reacting with a light shrug. "I wouldn't know," he replied, suggesting that this was his first night in this town. That was the truth of it, the man only having recently left the safety of the Town of Beginnings after familiarizing himself fully with the game's systems -- as long as that took. He looked up at the lanterns again, before down at the girl before him. Whatever the case, it seemed that their little ordeal had done nothing to faze her confidence, as she gave him a grin and a declaration of war against their challenge. That challenge being, of course, their lack of height.

Following his suggestion, then, she would simply stare at him, and squint her eyes. He blinked, before cocking an eyebrow as he stared back. What was with that expression? Did she really not understand what he was trying to suggest? Her words that followed after confirmed his fear, and he released a light sigh, pulling his lips to the corner for a bit, before straightening himself. "If you climb or sit upon my shoulder, it shouldn't be a problem for you reaching the lanterns," he explained once more, verbally this time, as he raised his right hand once again to point at the lanterns. "We'd be able to clear the 10 lanterns quickly then."

In his mind, it seemed to be the perfect plan. It was easy, did not require much skills in play, quick and convenient. She looked light enough for him to carry easily, and their combined height would definitely be more than good enough to reach the lanterns.

august

She agreed with the idea, and Domino would give an acknowledging nod of his head. Well, at least there would be no need to convince her as to how sound his suggestion was. That certainly saved him a lot of time and trouble, a consequence that Domino rathered not be dealt to him. She began to glance around, then, before approaching the lamppost. Was she going to use it as a step to elevate herself onto her shoulders? If that was her plan, then Domino would have to adjust to just that, wouldn't he? Walking over as well, he would turn himself so that his back faced the lamp post.

Then, sliding his left leg in front, Domino would bend both of his knees to lower himself. His hands would slowly come up, waiting at his sides for her to mount his shoulders so that he could grab onto her legs, for better security of position. It did not take her long to do as such, as Domino felt the pressure of her weight on his shoulder. The respective hand snapped up, placing itself upon her shin and pulling it back, half-tucking it under his arm. The other leg came, and he repeated the process, and as soon as it felt as if the girl had managed to secure a position on his shoulder, he would straighten himself up.

He allowed himself then to get used to her weight, remaining still for a brief moment and making minor adjustments to his arms so that his shoulders were at a comfortable posture, before walking closer to the nearest lantern. Raising his chin slightly, he looked up and was relieved to see that they had indeed managed to reach the lantern, with excess height too. And finally, she lit the lantern, clearing that off of their required numbers for the quest. And then, she quipped a bout accidentally burning his hair, to which he could only scoff and frown at.

"I'd burn you if you did," he quipped back, before releasing a sigh. Once she was done, Domino would proceed to carefully trudge over towards the next lantern, believing himself capable enough to carry her throughout the mission instead of having to mount and dismount at every single one of the ten lanterns.

"Wouldn't the same be applicable for you if you burn me?" he quipped back almost immediately, as he cocked his eyebrows. He leaned his head back to look up at her, this conversation going in a direction that was far from comfortable for the young man who valued his hair quite considerably. Who in their right mind, in fact, would like to have their hair being burned? The girl would then call out after the initial movement, asking for him to be more careful. He flinched for a moment, before releasing a sigh. Well, it wasn't like he could help it. He just wanted to get this over and done with, so of course he would act a little bit impatient. But he would concede, knowing as well that he wouldn't be able to finish this as easily as they were doing at that moment, if she hadn't co-operated. He simply nodded his head. "Fine, fine."

Reaching the next lantern, Domino would take his time to glance around. It was getting darker now, and Domino was depending more now on the light of the already lit-lanterns to find the next target, instead of the light of the almost-invisible Sun. Once it was completely down, he wondered just how dark it would become. Would they be able to make it to the next lantern easily? He tried to make out a few more, memorizing their locations then to aid him further on. With the 2nd lantern lit, Domino would nod his head. And this time, with a more careful step, he made his way towards the third.

As he did, he realized something rather odd about their relationship here, and he scoffed, tilting his head lightly in disbelief. Was she really so gullible that she'd trust someone she had never met before, much less knew the name of, to not drop her? She looked the part, for sure. "I never got your name."