Sword Art Online: Eclipse

Chapter Three: PALS FOR LIFE

I didn't go out much anymore. Magenta told me that people would forget, but I had a hard time believing that. Even when I went out to get food I would still get weird looks.

Surprisingly people weren't too shocked when I came back as the only member of my party. The only thing that people really tripped over was when I whispered the fact that the map for the new dungeon and info on the 'Brutal' boss was lost. Some people cursed at me, others to the sky, and some melted back into the shadows. Some questioned why I was the only one left, but I didn't reply. I heard that other parties had tried to approach the boss room, but since everyone on «Floor One» was mostly between the levels five and eight they didn't even make into the woods before retreating.

I told Magenta most of what happened, I decided to exclude the part where I left a person behind. The only reason why she had come after me was because she saw that Niner and Taco had been deleted from her «Friends List» so she had gotten worried. Other than that, she remained light and bouncy as usual but calmed down when I had a hard time playing off of her humor. I only went outside if she went with me and sometimes even that was hard to do. Really, paying the rent was the only thing that motivated me to go out and hunt.

"Teal," Magenta's voice called from outside of our room, "can you come unlock the door please?"

I sat up from my bed and let Magenta enter. She walked in, her hands filled with «Black Bread» and her expression filled with a grin.

"You won't guess what happened at the market today." She said perkily as she dropped the stale wheat on the table.

"You ran out of inventory space?" I guessed.

"Well that too, but I saw a cute guy at the bakery. I think he likes me." She tilted her head, placed her finger under her chin delicately, and looked at me.

"How many people are you gonna tease before you actually settle for someone?" I commented as I flopped back on my bed.

"I don't know. How long are you gonna stay in here?" Her voice lost her joking attitude, replaced with a tone of sincerity.

I replied by pulling my pillow over my head and losing tension my shoulders. We had gone over this before. I will admit, having Magenta around helped a lot with stages of grief. Maybe that's stupid, considering that I barely knew the people I lost.

"You can't stay in here forever Teal."

"You don't know that. I can surprise you." I muffled through my pillow. She walked over and tore the pillow from my grip.

"This isn't fair, your level twenty-one so your strength stat is higher," I complained, not making eye contact.

"Yup. So the only thing that's stopping me from pulling you outside with me is generosity." She put the pillow back above my head.

"Don't be mean." I retorted, not knowing what else to say.

"I am serious Teal. You need to go outside again."

"And enjoy the dark gray sunlight? Frolick with the stupid murder animals? Or be shunned by everyone around me? No thanks."

"Teal, people aren't even as disgusted with you as you think they are."

Again, I didn't reply I dragged my vision away from her judging green eyes.

"You didn't run away from your party. You tried to help them, I know you did."

I turned away from her. She sighed and plopped down on her bed.

"It's only a game, it's not like it matters," I replied lamely, trying to convince myself more than her.