บท 6: Chapter 6 - The Songstress

Three days. That was how long Drifter had been stuck in Sword Art Online. But it might as well have been forever. The first two days felt like an eternity as he was too busy wallowing in self-pity. The third day, when he decided to do something about it, wasn't so bad. He traveled to a new city, one where the air itself wasn't heavy with fear and sadness, and where players walked with a sense of purpose. He also made a new friend.

When he first met Yuna, about fifteen minutes ago, his first impression was that of a pure, gentle young lady. That hadn't changed. But after talking with her for a while and being invited to lunch, he also added another quality to the growing list of adjectives in his head: kind.

The songstress gleefully introduced him to her companion, a young player named Nautilus. He had dirty brown hair and the starts of an immature stubble on his chin. He seemed less than thrilled that Drifter would be joining them, though he raised no objection. His eyes kept darting to Drifter's face as they walked, nervously turning away whenever he turned to him. Drifter didn't need to be a genius to see that Nautilus had very low self-esteem, and was very uncomfortable around others who were not Yuna.

Speaking of the musician, Drifter raised an eyebrow at her and gestured subtly at Nautilus, asking silently if he should leave. His answer was a mischievous wink, which allowed him to know that Yuna was aware of Nautilus's problem, and had invited him in the hopes of getting the boy to open up.

Drifter went along with it. It was the least he could do to repay Yuna after the girl decided to treat him to lunch.

They made some small talk along the way, Nautilus only ever talking when Yuna pulled him into the conversation. Seeing how he relaxed whenever that happened, Drifter guessed the two were old friends in real life.

"Here we are!"

Yuna's cheerful announcement caused more than a few heads to turn when they entered the restaurant, and more than one gaze lingered on her. It was nothing uncommon to see beautiful avatars in other games, but After Kayaba's little mirror stunt, everyone in SAO had their real appearances, meaning Yuna was just as pretty here as she was in real life. Not that anybody was in the mood to flirt these days, especially after seeing she already had company.

The trio sat on one of the tables closer to the small stage at the back of the restaurant, where an NPC was currently playing a merry melody that did not at all fit the mood of most players. Yuna seemed to like it though, and was humming along. Drifter looked inquisitively at Nautilus, as if asking if she always did that, and for the first time the quiet player showed an emotion other than anxiety when facing Drifter. With a small smile, he nodded lightly.

Drifter returned the gesture, then raised his hand to call for a waiter. He intended on putting on his order, but a small hand firmly grasped his wrist, and wrestled his arm down. He glanced at the songstress, who was glaring at him in what she probably thought was a menacing way, but which Drifter could only classify as 'too cute'.

"I invited you. It's my treat."

Her stern tone of voice left no room for refusal, so Drifter could only shake his head helplessly.

"All righty, then. Don't blame me for burning a hole in your wallet though."

Although he said that, Drifter chose one of the cheapest meals on the menu. Like all other players, Yuna didn't have had too much cor at hand, so she didn't insist he got something better. Her frown gone, she happily called the waiter. The way restaurants worked in SAO, the moment you put in your order, you would receive a prompt to pay for the meal, so in this case, the girl had to order for all three of them.

Like always, the food arrived quickly. Since the cooks inside the kitchen were probably just willing it into existence, Drifter didn't understand why they didn't just make it appear on their table directly. An attempt at realism, maybe? Not that he was complaining, it was always better to get your meal delivered to you quickly.

"I have to say, I didn't think I would find someone like you here, Yuna."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Well, you are a musician. No offense, but in a world of sword fighting, that was not what I was expecting. Not that I dislike it, though. That song you were playing was just what I needed after traveling from the Town of Beginnings to Tolbana. I didn't realize how tense I was until I relaxed because of it."

Yuna beamed at the praise, and even Nautilus smiled, as if he had been the one to be complimented. It seemed that anything related to Yuna was reason to make him happy. Drifter silently mused that, while the two young players weren't in a relationship, at least one of them was interested in the other. But it didn't concern him, so he pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind.

"It's a support skill, Musical Instruments. It's in the same category as forging, cooking, carpentry, appraisal, and so on."

"I see. I kinda ignored those in favor of combat skills. Cooking, though... I might pick that one up."

"Oh? Do you like cooking?"

Drifter took a sip of his drink, and nodded to Nautilus, who seemed suddenly interested in the topic.

"Yeah. Always did. Though I only started taking it more seriously after I moved out of my parents' house. After two weeks of only eating instant noodles, I made a point of always having some ingredients at home, so I could have some variety, even if it's just something quick."

"Woah. That's impressive. My dad never let me close to the kitchen. Ei... Naut is a great cook, though! Isn't that right?"

"Err..."

"Really? We will have to test that someday."

Drifter purposely ignored the slight slip of the tongue. He also hadn't told anyone his real name. For as long as he stayed in SAO, he would be just Drifter. Sharing little things like his love of cooking wasn't much, but anything more personal was... Well, personal. No matter how realistic SAO was, it was not the real world. He couldn't forget that. He had the feeling that if he did, he would never get out.

"Still, beautiful as your music is, why are you here in Tolbana?"

"What? Why can't we be here?"

That seemed to rub Yuna the wrong way. She pouted, and, unlike the fake glare from before, this time she was mad for real. Across from Drifter, Nautilus had crossed his arms in an uncharacteristic display of annoyance. There was also some worry hidden in his eyes. And Yuna's too, spotted Drifter when he caught the two of them exchanging glances. Looks like he touched a sore spot.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. It's just... Most of the players here, myself included now, are here because of the labyrinth to the second floor. It's dangerous."

"Humph! And you think we can't take care of ourselves?!"

Drifter knew he should stop before he really pissed them off. He still wanted to listen to her music, after all. But he had already watched two players die in front of him - admittedly, there was nothing he could do in either case, but it didn't make him feel any less useless - and he would do everything in his power to prevent more deaths.

"I know you aren't weak, Yuna, Nautilus. If you were, you would have never reached Tolbana, and would still be stuck in the Town of Beginnings. But you are focusing on a support skill, so your fighting capabilities can't be too strong."

"What about me?! I am a pure fighter! I can protect her!"

Drifter switched his gaze from Yuna to Nautilus, who had forgotten his shyness and slammed the table. The player twitched when Drifter stared at him, but didn't back down. Finally, Drifter sighed, got up, bowed, and prepared to leave.

"I really hope so. I don't want to have another name disappear from my friend list. Thanks for the meal."

The duo stared at him, confusion clear in their expressions, as the implications of what Drifter just said sunk in. He sighed again, and turned around after giving them one last glance. Before he could take two steps, he felt someone grabbing him by the back of the collar of his shirt.

"You haven't added us as friends yet."

Now, Drifter might have understood if Yuna was the one to grudgingly grumble those words. It would be very in character for her. But it came as a big surprise when Nautilus pulled him back and forced him to sear back down.

"What?"

"You haven't added us as friends yet. You won't even know if we d-die if you don't."

Now Drifter was properly befuddled. He had just spoken a lot of harsh words, so why the hell was that their take? Also, was it pity he saw in their eyes?

[ Player Yuna has sent you a friend request. Accept? ]

[ Player Nautilus has sent you a friend request. Accept? ]

Struggling to understand this new development, Drifter looked at his two new acquaintances. Nautilus had reverted back to his nervous manners after the outburst, and Yuna appeared hopeful. Drifter got lost in her warm eyes for a few seconds, his fingers hovering over the 'no' button, until he clicked... 'Yes'.

His first two friends appeared on the list on his menu. Well, Argo should probably be considered his first friend, but it had slipped both of their minds to send a friend request to each other. Drifter corrected that right away. While waiting for her to accept, he turned back to Yuna, who was smiling joyfully.

"Yay!"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Drifter shook his head. How could this girl look so ethereal when playing music, and so endearingly silly and cute at other moments?

"Uhmm... If you don't mind me asking, Drifter, did you... Lose someone? It's all right if you don't want to answer."

Drifter gave a comforting grin to Nautilus, though it didn't reach his eyes, and both of his table companions noticed it. The ash-brown-haired player stuttered, probably readying an apology, but Drifter stopped him.

"You could say so, but also not. It was on the first day, before Kayaba's announcement and everything that followed. I was in a party with this girl. We had just completed a quest, and she was celebrating. And then she just disappeared. Someone on the other side forcefully disconnected her."

Drifter knew that was the case, because he had looked for and found Meowlen's name in the Memorial of Life. The memories weren't pleasant, and not for the first time since getting trapped in SAO, Drifter wished the NPCs sold something stronger than juice.

His depressing mood must have shown, because Drifter felt a hand on top of his. He looked up from the stain on the table he had been intently staring at, and saw Yuna smiling at him. She didn't try to fake the fact that it was forced, and she also didn't try to comfort him. Instead, the songstress picked up her flute, and walked towards the stage.

After a short few hushed words with the musician, the NPC let Yuna take his place. Her eyes never leaving his, she brought the flute up to her lips, and started playing. A soft, calming melody left the instrument. It started quietly, but seemed to gain strength the more she played, and soon everyone in the restaurant had turned to listen.

Yuna swayed lightly to her own music, while Drifter watched unblinking. The melody was at the same time sad but captivating, and Drifter, and not just a few other players, clenched their hands and tried, in a futile effort, to stop their tears from falling. Yuna was also crying as she played.

When she ended the song, a last melancholic note echoing gravely in the silent restaurant, there was no applause. Yuna seemed to be in a stupor, and only broke out when a system message popped up in front of her. Her eyes widened as she read, before she rapidly typed something. Only then she turned to the ten-odd customers who were looking at her. In their eyes, she saw reflected her own emotions.

"This song is called 'Rest'. It is a promise to all who couldn't make it, now and after. May they rest finally in peace, because we will live on. They will be with us, their memories the force that drives us to beat this game and escape this prison. Thank you."

Yuna bowed, and stepped down the stage. She received several nods of acknowledgment in return, and Drifter knew that was better than any applause. He himself nodded resolutely, and gave her hand a light squeeze when she returned to the table. Meanwhile, Nautilus handed Yuna a handkerchief he got from who knows where.

"Don't worry, Yun'. We will survive this. I will make sure of it."

"I trust you, Naut. And you too, Drifter. It wasn't your fault, and you know that."

"Hmm. Yeah... Doesn't make it any less upsetting, though. But your song, it helped. You were right. We will beat this game, and get out of this hell."

Yuna smiled, then, seemingly remembering something, pulled up her menu. Neither Drifter nor Nautilus could see what she was doing thanks to the privacy setting, but she seemed to be looking for something. And she found it.

"This!"

"What happened?"

"When I finished the song, there was a prompt for me to name it. Apparently, now it is part of my repertoire. Kinda like a skill. It's under Musical Instruments."

Drifter and Nautilus exchanged glances. The younger boy couldn't help but question her.

"Like a skill? Then what are it's effects?"

"Er... Healing. Whenever I play it, anyone in my party will get a passive health regeneration effect. It doesn't say how much it actually heals, though."

"Hiss! We have to test that. And also, we can't let anyone find out about it. I know a certain rat who would pay a fortune for that information. And would also sell it for a fortune."

Drifter and Nautilus both seemed to have the same idea, because they sneakily peered at the other clients, worried someone would overhear their conversation.

"Drifter is right, Yuna. In a world where the only way to heal is through potions, you are basically a health restoring machine. I can't even imagine what people would do to get you in their parties if they discovered that. You can't tell anyone, got it?"

To his credit, Nautilus didn't throw even one suspicious or distrustful glance at Drifter. It seemed the boy had already accepted him as part of their little group. Drifter would do everything in his power to honor that trust.

"Hmm, I understand. Then... Shall we test it? Drifter?"

Readily accepting the party invite she sent him, Drifter smiled at his friends.

"I can't wait."