Thread: Sword Art Online: The Frontier Chronicles

As his short sword pierced the neck of a yellow Mountain Cougar, Shinn thought he was glad the girl didn't misunderstood him that greatly, and happened to see past his seemingly clumsy attempt of flirting and catch a glimpse of his real intentions a simple get together, something good to eat and friendly conversation so they could get to know someone both of them agreed to spend their time with, in a somewhat long term. Usually, it was that clumsy way of blurting out what came to his head, and the even more damaging attempts to explain himself, the greatest cause for him to seek comfort in the virtual world. There, he could be anybody, do anything. He could interact with anyone normally, full of confidence, and even if something was misunderstood, he could simple apologize and calmly walk way, with little to no consequence. But SAO had broken the rules, shattered every mask and now he felt as if he was in his every day life, in the real world. That brought back his lack of confidence and overall awkwardness when dealing with people. No, girls. He could handle other male players just as well as before. But girls? Completely out of his skill set. Something he would have to learn little by little, and hoped the time spent with his new partner would help. The ammount of XP gained by the fight was almost disposable, but as he roamed through the loot, a standard item quickly caught his attention. Cougar Flank, a deliciously looking piece of meat on the icon. Shinn smiled. He had some herbs and spices in his inventory, and honey he bought before leaving town, so dinner could be really good. Satisfied with it, he kept going his way, collecting as much Marble Leafs as he could. Kamiki should be pretty happy with the outcome as well. Contented, the boy looked at the setting sun and decided it was enough for one day. He felt tired as well, and if he hadn't promissed to bring the leafs, he would have returned with his new found partner. It was time to go back to the camp. Night had already fallen when he finally step back into camp, swiping the sweat from his forehead. A bonfire was lit in the middle of camp, providing enough light for him to find Tsuki, and the boy quickly made his way over to her. The place was rather loud that night, everyone sharing heroic acts and stories, screaming them loudly as if each one was trying to impress the others more than the previous. It was clear for him that most players there, if not all of them, were ogling Tsuki, measuring her every reaction to each story told, and he finally understood the reason for such an loud night. He couldn't help but smile at the scene. Well, boys would always be boys, he guessed. Good evening, Tsuki-san. - he smiled friendly at her, chosing an empty space close to where she stood, and quickly summoned his Tent. He couldn't wait for the time to hop in and sleep to his heart's content. They both deserved it, after such an afternoon. - Got some rest? - asked the raven haired boy, looking at the girl as he sit across her. - While I was gathering the Leafs, I fought a Mountain Cougar, and it dropped some fairly good meat. I think it will do well for dinner... - He trailed off as the noise on camp was slowly dying out. He looked around a bit, and noticed everyone's eyes were upon him, and they didn't seemed very friendly. Shinn was a bit confused. He knew most of those guys from camp, and while he wasn't friends with any of them except for Kamiki, they had at least a pretty neighborly relation. Shinn quickly turned to his party member, a little confused. Er... Did you mentioned something about what I said before, to anyone? - asked the boy concerning his confession of being a beater, but his tone clearly showed he didn't actually think she had done it. - Everyone is staring at me pretty strangely...