I always preferred staying in the starting zone. It wasn't my place to move to other floors or out to the fields, so I just kind of started my own little trading center in town.
I had a few customers now and then. Nothing too much, and some days were pretty slow and relaxing. Now, today was rather slow compared to usual. It was kind of a mixture between "Damn this is relaxing" and "Damn this is boring", so I generally gave up on trying to conjure up a summary of my feelings. Then I heard a ding from the shop door.
I sprang up so fast, that when the impending danger of my sudden falling back down to the ground face-first came to my realization…. I had already fallen and taken an entire shelf of items with me.
Springing up again, carefully this time, I faced my customer. Though, he wasn't a customer. I had a sinking feeling when I found that it was simply my supplier ready to drop off his little haul of the week in exchange for a bit of coin, then he would be off. Like usual.
In retrospect, my sudden downtrodden nature after finding out it was only him at my door must have hurt his feelings… but at that particular moment, it didn't even slip through my mind.
"Heya, Bazzo. Just set the items on the counter. I'll go grab your Col."
I know you don't have to keep money and items in chests in SAO, but frankly I couldn't help it. In the days I used to play RPGs, there was always a carry limit, and I just couldn't stand the idea of holding too much stuff at one time.
I went into my little back room and gathered 10,000 Col out of a chest. Making my way back out to the front room of my shop, I spotted him glancing through the shelves. He had brought most every item the shop had.
The point of the shop was that people could buy things, or they could trade me other items of they didn't have enough Col. As a player rather than an NPC, it's a lot easier to just make up your own rules. It was a rare sight if anybody ever bought anything from NPCs anymore.
"So, Raspen…"
My eyes shot up as I heard him say my name. He never says my name. It's always "Razz".
"Yeah, Bazzo? What is it?"
He laughs and kicks at the ground a little bit. He's acting… strange. Like, stranger than usual at least. "Can you…" He seemed to be hesitating to say something.
He stared me directly in the eye and smiled slightly, his cheeks red. "Can I ask you something personal?"
Oh god. That right there is the question everyone warns you about. When that question happens. RUN. but… For some reason, it was a bit… Cute.
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Have you met anyone special here yet?"
The question shocked me a little bit. I guess I could have expected it. To be honest I'd never thought of being with a guy before. Not much anyway. I'd gone out with a few girls here and there, of course, but it just didn't cross my mind to ask out another guy.
"No," I replied hastily. More hastily than I even expected myself.
He looks aside for a moment before picking up his Col and leaving the shop, smiling.
The door bell tinkle behind him as he left.
I shuddered and stepped into the back room again, neglecting to sort out the new stock.
A thin smile started to spread across my lips. "Shit…"