The Crimson Hunter. SAO X Reader. [DRAFT].

●Chapter 17: Negotations.

3 March 2024.
1:00 PM.
Floor 55.
Knights of The Blood Headquarters.
Current Level: 70.

Lavira: I don't like this...

U/N: I know.

Lavira: This could be a trap.

U/N(slightly agitated): I know.

Lavira: And we have no real plan to escape if it is.

U/N(agitated): I know, Lavira.

Arnier: This was a bad idea.

U/N(very agitated): *to Arnier* I'm AWARE Arnier.

Natsu: SKRAW!

U/N: *to Natsu* Oh don't even start featherhead. You're not helping!

You, Lavira, Arnier and Natsu were all standing in front of a closed iron door. The three of you waiting for the woman known as 'The Fox' to open it from the other side, so you can discuss terms of negotiation on this so called "alliance" with who was essentially the leader of The Assault Team. Heathcliff.

Initially it felt like a trap to you, everything she said sounded like a lie, but for some reason you agreed to this. You wondered how the negotiations would go, you didn't have any hopes for whether or not it would be equal for you, or fair for that matter, but it could lead to the possibility of getting rid of Erca-Tor faster, or that's what she said anyway. But it was something you agreed with, so you were willing to trust this.

Lavira: I can't even start to think why he'd want to talk to us. I don't even want to believe it's to talk.

U/N: I'd feel a bit more at ease if you weren't so pessimistic.

Lavira: I'll stop when something like this doesnt seem dodgy as fuck. Come on (U/N)! Did you really believe anything that girl said?

U/N: Not all of it, but yeah...I do.

Lavira turns to you fully, giving you a rather tired and upset look.

Lavira: So your skeptical about this too then?

U/N: I didn't say that, i just said that it seemed that she wasn't lying.

Lavira: So you don't believe that she and Heathcliff could be planning something up ahead?

You didn't answer, and that didn't help her concerns.

Arnier: I'm gonna be honest now, this does seem like a trap. Whether she spoke the truth or not, this still reeks of trouble for us.

U/N: I know. But I'm pretty sure she was telling the truth. There may be a catch, but I am positive that she wasn't lying.

Lavira: How could you tell?

That was a good question, why did you trust her? Was it her tone of voice? The way she was at ease back in the forests? There was something about her that put you at ease but you couldn't tell what it was. But whatever it was, it didn't give out the impression of being dangerous to you.

It felt....sympathetic, understanding even. Like she wanted to find you, but for a different reason. You thought that was a better analogy of her character, ever since what happened back in august you've started to closely watch every detail of anyone you talked to, usually for trust reasons. You learned to observe their posture, facial details when speaking and their tones of voice to discover any lies or secret intentions. You became good at it, it helped when working with Kirito. And it helps to find people who might use you.