The floors of Aincrad were huge, so I couldn't expect someone to remember every little detail of their surroundings. But no matter how overwhelming somethings are, there are always details that stick and are never forgotten. Safe zones were so important to players, any that were found would be remembered. As far as I could tell Opal had been on this floor for a while. She had partied with people, hunted the surrounding countryside and generally got around. She said she had explored quite a bit of it, enough to know her way around it, in any case. So why would she forget important details?

I don't know why I was being so paranoid, maybe the stress and nervousness were getting to me. I couldn't dwell on every little thing that came up, if I did I'd go crazy. I had to let it go, it wasn't as if I was going to figure it out just standing around, anyway. After all I had other things to think about. I switched out of my armour into a basic shirt and pants. I also put away my battle axe. I passed my hand through my hair in an attempt to comb it, which was pointless as the system kept the players hair in place. Apart from changing it's colour, you could only change it if you found a NPC with hairstyling skills.

I headed to the little food shop that Opal had mentioned. It had a couple of tables outside, each sporting two chairs facing each other. From the tables you had a good view of the main square; a good spot to watch people go by. It surprised me that the tables were not already occupied until I glanced at the menus high prices. No wonder players stay away. I waited outside the shop for Opal to show up.

"Have you been waiting long?" Opal asked. I turned to answer then stopped as I saw her. She was wearing a short sleeved black dress that stopped just above the knees. Her left shoulder was decorated with a floral frill that trailed all the way to her waist. She swayed right and left. "You like it?" Opal asked seeing me stare at her apparel. I looked down and saw that she still had the same boots she was wearing when we went hunting that afternoon.

"I couldn't afford the shoes." Opal said sheepishly. We stood there in front of each other for a moment. I shook my head "It's fine. You look great. Well we won't stand around all evening worrying about shoes. Shall we?" I said as I offered her to sit at one of the tables. She nodded and sat down. I sat in front of her and a waitress came soon after to take our order. At this point I was going to just enjoy the evening.

The conversation was pleasant and friendly, and revolved around the game and its dynamics. We steered away from its horrors and the risks involved everyday we spent in it. We focused on our good days, our most brilliant successes, and the cool stuff we'd managed to acquire. I let the effect of the virtual alcohol relax me and let the stories carry me where they may. It was like a moment of peace, where I could forget and simply exist. I would have been happy just existing in this illusion, I wasn't hard to abandon myself to it. I listened to Opal talk about her adventures, letting my imagination fill in the blanks in her story.

Until she started talking about this floor. "... I had hitched a ride with a bunch of guys who wanted to hunt away from the river. We totally lost track of time and had to spend the night at a small village." Opal rambled. "How many were you?" I interrupted. "Six, I think." Opal replied. "Sleeping in the street must have been no fun." I said. "We didn't sleep outside. We spent the night at the nearest inn. There was plenty of rooms available." Opal said laughing. I fixed my eyes on hers. She stopped laughing, and stared at me in shock.

"Plenty of rooms at the inn? I thought you said there wasn't an inn in that village." I asked defiantly. Her face screwed up "I ... well I ... I just thought it would be better at the cottage." Opal stuttered as she tried to explain. "You told me that we had no choice, that there was nowhere else to go. But there obviously was another option, wasn't there? Why did you even need to lie about that?" I asked.

"I ... I have my ... reasons." Opal said in a low voice. "They better be good ones, because if you're not playing fair, someone's going to get hurt in all this." I said. I took a deep breath and looked at Opal straight in the eyes "Opal, you've been giving me a lot of attention, and I admit, it does wonders for my ego. But somethings have not felt quite right since the beginning. I wasn't sure before, but now I realize you're not being completely straight with me. You have my attention, so what's this all about?" I asked

"Because I don't! I don't have all your attention, you still have, well, other things on your mind!" Opal yelled. I was taken aback by her abruptness. Opal sighed before continuing. "Other players can't even be bothered by someone like me. A lot of people have not even tried to be civil. One guy even tried to kill me, I got so scared, that I had to hide for days. Why do people have to be so mean? What did I do to them? It's not my fault we're stuck in here." Opal said.

"Then you came along. You helped me out asking for nothing in return. No one had done that in a long time and I liked it. I didn't want to let my chance go, so I followed you. You nearly spotted me in the market place because I was being careless. I had to find a way to spend time with you, so I invited you to come with me. I was happy when you accepted and I was relieved that you were coming alone. Every moment I spent with you, during that day, made me feel great, and I wanted more. That's when I came up with the idea that there was only one room at the cottage. You would have to spend the night with me, we could get even closer." Opal said.

"But it didn't work, and nothing changed, and the next morning you were in a rush to get back. My mind was racing, I spent the whole trip back trying to find a way to make you MY partner. When we got to the edge of town, and I saw her waiting for you, I freaked out." Opal said, her face screwed up in bitterness. She looked more angry at being found out than upset at what she'd done. I gasped "You knew she was there. You saw her." I said indignantly.

"You kissed me simply for show?"