Heart Stitches ([SAO] Alice x [Female] Reader]

Chapter 15: Masquerader

"Who was that?"

"No one knows, he goes by 'Masquerader' though"

"'Masquerader'?"

"Like a mask, he can cover up anything with ease by leaving behind hints of another situation as a diversion that matches up perfectly with the actual one. They say he follows players that he would somehow know would need help, in this case, you guys. I met him in the plaza when he called out to me, somehow knowing I have a relation to you guys, and convinced me to follow him to you"

"And did you see anything on him that looks familiarly shady?"

"Not really, aside from the hood and masquerade mask, although I swear he had a flute around his neck"

Alice recalls that small conversation with Asuna out of curiosity, the answer a bit vague when she said that no one knows a thing about him, not even his real name.

In any case, people would've been suspicious of him if he would just pop out of nowhere to assist total strangers, but somehow they all ignore that fact from the appreciation and relief flooding out of them because of him.

More or less, that doesn't mean he always pops up. Like now, when she and Kirito went back to a previous floor after the rumors that orange players would gather to do the killing with the help of a green player leading them on.

So they went to investigate that rumor after they immediately step foot on that floor. Eugeo would've went with them, but he stayed back to help Asuna with another task.

Which is cheering up Klein when the girl they helped the other day already had a boyfriend which she mentioned for him to meet so they could thank him properly. It was a bit ridiculous, but hey, Eugeo's kindness has no limits when it cam to this small task in his hands.

That said, they bumped into someone on the long way towards completing their task. A young girl about to be finished by monsters that surrounded her, made Kirito literally leap into action, away from Alice's side so suddenly that she let out a loud "eh?!".

Before Alice knew it, she saw nothing but pixels surrounding him, standing in front of the little girl holding something in her arms with teary eyes. Alice walks up to Kirito, who also walked backwards towards her as well.

"You take over, I'm not good with kids"

Alice had an annoyed smile on her face, hearing his footsteps stepping behind her as he looked at trees that suddenly became interesting. She sighs, turning back to the girl who's tears are almost dry.

Alice pulls out her handkerchief, kneeling down at her with a soft smile.

"Here, no more crying, you're safe now"

She takes the handkerchief with a trembling hand, wiping her a slightly puffy eyes with it before returning it to Alice's open palm. She places it back into a pocket, looking back at the girl who had a face now with slight awe mixed with sadness.

"I'm Alice, we saw that you were alone here, why?"

Alice asks in her most gentle voice she could muster to not possibly scare the girl, but she looks more relaxed and comfortable when they arrived than how they saw her backed up to a tree.

"My name is S-Silica.. a-and I had a companion t-that.."

She stumbled with her words, Alice not understanding her when she let out small hiccups and slight sobs that made her sentence chopped up. But Silica pulls her hands away from her chest, showing a small, glowing feather.