The Rogue Reaper (Sword Art Online)

Part 3: Fugitive

The city of Algade on the 50th floor was bustling as usual. Players of all sorts browsed the various shops and peddlers, crowding the narrow, winding streets. Some merchants hawked their goods from blankets spread on the ground, selling all manner of things from weapons to armour to home-brewed potions.

Not only smiths and alchemists made their home here; the player-operated restaurants and cafes were filled with adventurers discussing hunting strategies and their latest exploits over cups of coffee and other refreshments.

Taira pushed open the door to his favourite cafe. It was a bit farther from the square than most establishments, but nobody made an iced tea like they did here. It was the perfect drink to wind down from a session of early morning training in the hot sun. The sun warmed the wooden decor, and the smell that emanated contributing to the cozy atmosphere in the little cafe.

The blonde greatsword fighter plunked down on a seat at the bar. "Yo Charz, give me an iced tea. Maybe two, one for each level today," Taira said. "Place is packed today. What did you do? It's working."

The young cafe owner looked pleased. "I didn't do anything. Maybe everyone's finally recognized my genius." Charz tapped a few ingredients on the back counter in a quick, practiced sequence, and turned around with a cold lemon tea in his hand. He placed it on the counter in front of Taira, and crossed his arms as he scanned his cafe that was full of life.

For the next while Taira and Charz exchanged banter. Taira liked to talk, and his friendliness was contagious to the others around him. Charz shared the latest gossip he'd heard from his customers, while Taira bragged about the biggest monster he'd killed this week and the sweet loot he'd found.

Taira was sipping his second drink when he noticed the person drinking an iced tea through a straw beside him had the hood on his cloak up. Although he could have visited the cafe and left without even realizing this person's presence, now that he'd noticed it was hard not to be suspicious of a player who kept his hood up even indoors.
Maybe it's like wearing headphones as a do-not-disturb signal? Taira frowned. His curiosity finally got the better of him and so he leaned over the bar counter for a look under the hood.

The person didn't move, but two dark blue eyes widened and stared sideways back at him from behind black and blue bangs. Taira sensed him tense up. The straw dropped from his mouth, then after a moment: "What do you want?"

Taira jerked back slightly when he recognized the face and the voice. "...Noct? That you, man?" he asked in a lower volume.

"Shh! Not so loud!" Noct hissed. He glanced around, making sure nobody overheard them. "What are you going to do next, call in the PAA on me? It's hard enough laying low without people trying to blow my cover, you know."

Noct's sarcasm didn't faze Taira, but he made sure to speak in a whisper. "What they're saying about you... You didn't really kill a Green, did you?" Noct shook his head with a serious expression. He didn't break eye contact. "I believe you, bro. Y'know, they're not on a full-on manhunt anymore. People don't know what you sound like; I think we can talk normally."

"I'd rather not take chances," muttered Noct. He picked the straw back up and began to drink slowly, until all that was left was slush and ice.

Silence filled the air between the two of them while Noct drank and Taira put his thoughts in order. He noted that he couldn't remember the last time he saw Noct without his distinguishable black cloak, the one adorned with the silver skull on the shoulder and the protruding spikes like some kind of demon's skeleton. He'd switched it for the most common type of brown cloak, and changed his black and white outfit to plain leather shoulder plates, gloves, and boots. With his identity hidden by the hood, Noct kept his breastplate, belt pouch and a lower level but less identifiable straight sword for protection against anyone who would come after his head.