Intermission - The Best Laid Plans.

February 20th, 2023 - Floor 1 - Town of Beginnings

The unlikely group sat at a table in the Town of Beginnings consisted of a wannabe knight and his older sister, a pariah, a fencer, a wannabe samurai, a responsible adult, a treasure hunter and a swordswoman. Probably the strangest council in history... certainly in Aincrad's history, anyway. Jet began the meeting, with words he rarely used - ''So... We need your help.''

''Our help? Who've you annoyed now, and who are they sending after you?'' - Klein joked, whilst Strea recovered after a spit take. Her brother... asking for help? Had she died, and woke up in a... alright.

''Har bloody har, Klein. No, it's Koharu's birthday in three days, and well...'' - Jet looked awkwardly to the roof.

''You want our help to do something big, right?'' - Agil hit the nail on the head.

''Bingo. It's her eighteenth too, so...''

''Whaddya need, Knight-boy?'' - A familiar hood, and tuft of blonde hair popped up out of nowhere... 25 minutes late, leading to Jet feeling as if he'd just jumped a mile in the vertical direction. Really, it was a shame there wasn't a Surprise skill in this game, as Argo would've mastered it by now...

''Argo, one of these days, you are going to give me a heart attack... but, what we need, is a distraction, and some help setting everything up.''

''Setting what up?''

''I'm planning something for Koharu's birthday, so -'' - If it were possible to see the inner machinations of someone's mind, Jet would've sworn he saw Argo's mind just whirr into life... - ''Consider it done. Me an' Kii-boy'll handle the distraction, you six handle the set up.''

''You will?'' - Jet asked, questioning the change in plan.

''We will!?'' - Kirito asked in surprise, having not been privy to Argo's plan.

''We will.'' - Argo stated, confirming the knight's query, and ignoring the swordsman's interjection.

''Okay then... how much do I owe you for this...'' - Jet - and more importantly, Jet's wallet - asked, fearful of the reply.

''On the house.'' - Jet rubbed his ears, in disbelief at the reply. Had he heard that correctly? Argo doing something out of the kindness of her heart? Had he gone to an alternate dimension... or had Argo been replaced by someone less money grabbing?! He really hoped it was the latter...

''So... uhh, what is the plan?'' - Klein, for once being the voice of reason, and dreading the next sentence, asked...

''So glad you asked...'' - Putting on a very posh British accent, and laying on the RP pronunciation, Jet wore the same smirk he often did, usually when describing a plan that could only be answered with the phrase ''That's insane!''...

February 22nd, 2023 - Floor 7, Volupta

A curious fact about Floor 7. On that floor lay a casino... one where the owners particularly struggled for cash. Of course, given this was an NPC owned establishment, it wasn't like it would ever have to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but it did mean that the owners had taken to renting the place out... for a reasonable price, according to the resident rat. All they'd have to do is ask for the owner, and hopefully that would activate the quest that allowed them to rent the place for Koharu's party...

As Strea, Rain and Agil had chosen to prepare the non perishable elements of the party, and the actual decorations, whilst Phillia took Koharu on a quest on the Tenth Floor, to find some 'treasure', the actual quest duty fell to Jet, Klein and Asuna. As the unlikely trio of a knight wannabe, a fencer and a samurai wannabe approached the building, it was Jet who spoke up first...

''Please tell me I'm not the only one getting Ocean's Eleven vibes from this place...'' - The casino itself was surprisingly large, although nowhere near the scale of the Bellagio that the film was partially set in. Usually, Jet would've claimed it reminded him of something, but he was, in fact 17, and hadn't actually been to a real casino before, so his entire knowledge of them was based on movies, and his sister's often exaggerated stories.

''Well, given we aren't planning on robbing it, Jet... so, no is the answer, I believe.'' - Asuna answered, in the most deadpan way that only she could manage.

Once inside, the trio approached the clerk at the front, a young-ish, probably early twenties at most, boy, looking incredibly anxious. The Ocean's Eleven walk the trio had just done probably hadn't helped on that one either.

''Hi, we're looking to rent this place out, so I don't suppose...'' - Asuna asked the clerk, who, despite being an NPC and therefore, not human, seemed incredibly distracted by the girl in front of him...

''Oh! You're here about the - ahem - problem, aren't you?''

''Problem? Oh yes, right, we're here about that problem, aren't we?'' - Asuna stated, still clueless about the actual problem...

''Indeed we are!'' - Jet nodded along, fearing pissing off the fencer if he didn't.

''Excellent, the boss will be very pleased... I must say though, you are remarkably well dressed for where you'll be heading, aren't you?'' - Any residual animosity between Jet and Asuna quickly changed direction... towards Argo.

''Uhh, where are we heading?''

''The sewers, obviously. Those slimes clogging the pipes aren't going to die if you stand here chatting all day.'' - Suddenly, all of the trio decided that Argo was buying every drink from now till eternity for this one. Jet hadn't missed that Asuna had just sent the conveniently forgetful info broker a message, and upon reading it, decided that her English was very good indeed... so good in fact, that many people would've mistaken it for French instead. Well, they'd have told her to mind her French, anyway...

Both Jet and Klein glanced at each other, before taking a breath of the last clean air they'd have for hours... oh, the things Jet did for his girlfriend...

February 22nd, 2023 - 16:18pm. Floor 1, Town of Beginnings

''Hey, you three!'' - Argo was remarkably chipper for a rat that was about to be put in a mouse trap... Asuna having the most subdued, but terrifying response to her, whilst both Klein and Jet wore thousand yard stares at the sights seen in that sewer.

''If it isn't the Rat...'' - Asuna's smile told a very different story to her eyes. Her smile said hello, whilst her eyes were closer to goodbye... the kind of goodbye when you've thrown someone off a cliff.

''No more rats... please...'' - Klein shuddered, whilst Jet put his hands onto his sword, almost in reflex at the sound of the word 'rat'.

''Heh, sorry 'bout that. Umm, Aa-chan, why're ya glarin' at me like that...''

''Be very glad we are doing this for our friend... because if we weren't...'' - The implicit threat had not gone unnoticed, and the retreat that Argo had just made hadn't either...

''Heh heh, anyway... we got what we needed, and the other three should be doing well by now...'' - Jet decided to go check on Rain, as he noticed Argo mouth something towards him... 'Please take me with you!', if his lip reading skills were anywhere near accurate... he just shook his head and grinned back at her. Payback truly was an Asuna.

February 22nd, 2023 - 17:18pm - Floor 2, Hijoni Okinayama

If there was one thing that Jet did know about Rain, it was that she seemed to prefer solitude. Not in the turn down having company way, but more in the... often went off grid way. Whilst she wasn't as bad as he was IRL, he got the feeling she was far more of an introvert who put on the act of an extrovert around others, much as he did when acting as Jet, rather than Michael. So it was no surprise that she'd gone out to the mountain on Floor 2 to get some peace, and to practice her show.

I was biding my time, I was tryin' to hide!

I'll forget what I've done, I'll be redefined...

It's shaking the sky, and I'm following lightning!

I'll recover if you keep me alive!

Don't leave me behind, can't you see me? I'm shining!

And it's you that I've been waiting to find!

''following lightning!'' - Jet sung in his own head, as he quietly tried his hardest not to sing along, and throw her off the beat. Didn't stop him dancing along, however.

''Ahh! Jet! How long have you... sorry if it wasn't good, I'm not...'' - What was it with everyone he knew doubting their own abilities, seriously? After the eighth, ninth and thirteenth floor boss battles, Jet thought she'd have at least gotten some confidence in herself, but...

''Nah, I'd say that was excellent.''

''You know you can be negative about someone's abilities sometimes, right?''

''I do... when they deserve it. You've got a beautiful voice, and that song is one of my favourites too.'' - Rain flushed under the compliments. Whilst she had tried to get over her crush on him, and in her opinion, she'd done a pretty good job of it, she still found it hard to accept compliments off him, and quickly tried to change the subject - ''Can I- uhh, can we run through the list of songs please?''

''Sure, let's take a look, shall we?'' - Jet and Rain sat on the rocks, chatting music for quite a while, at least a few hours, before either of them realised the time - ''I mean, yeah, I know glam rock was all about the look, but a middle aged man in- oh crap! It's nearly 10pm!'' - Jet realised, having glanced at his menu to check his messages.

''Huh, time does fly when you're having fun... I should've been practicing though, I don't want to disappoint everyone tomorrow.'' - Jet knew that look all too well... it was the one he had when he placed stupidly high expectations on himself, even when no one else held the same level towards him. The idea that everything had to be perfect, and even a slight screw up would mean absolute failure.

''Rain, you know that everyone will just be happy to have live music, right? At this point, a karaoke machine being operated by Klein after 9 pints would probably considered entertainment... or a violation of the Geneva Convention. It's one of the two.''

''I know... but you said it yourself, it's Koharu's big day. You wanted everything to go well...''

''Yeah, but by that, I meant more along the lines of 'no monsters attacking it' not 'the singer holding herself to superhuman standards'. Besides, if you just sing like you were when I got here, you'll do brilliantly. Plus, it's Koharu, she wouldn't ever say you're terrible at something. She's literally the nicest person I've ever met. ''

Rain looked to the rocks below her - ''I had no one around then... no one to be ashamed of me.''

''Huh? Why would we be... Ohh. Sensitive subject, I assume. I won't pry if you don't want me to.''

''Thank you, I will tell you one day, but today isn't that day.''

''It's fine. We all have our demons that we battle.''

''You?'' - Why she looked surprised that the guy with the chronic hero syndrome, who went by the name Jet, had some form of inner demons, he wasn't sure.

''More than you could imagine, Rain. I just... I'd like to think I'm learning to cope with them.'' - Jet admitted, being as bluntly honest as he could, without revealing too much.

''One more thing to look up to you for, good knight...'' - Jet winced at that. He knew she meant well with that, but he absolutely hated being idolised like that. People like Rain didn't need idiots like him to look up to, and he certainly wasn't deserving of being idolised. Still, it was late, and they'd all have a long day ahead of them tomorrow, so heading back probably wasn't a bad idea. ''Probably should get back, lest we get told off... or worse.'' Both of them shuddered at that thought.

February 23rd, 2023, 07:21am - Floor 10, Jamoniwa Town Inn

Beep. Beep. Beep. Oh, how Jet hated alarms... but today's was a necessary one. Jet looked over to see the sleeping form of his girlfriend, smiling at something or another, but looking relatively happy, probably at the extra sleep she was going to get. Somehow, the whole group had managed to keep their knowledge of her birthday secret, despite one or two close calls during Strea's idea of a 'sister-in-law bonding day'. Even Asuna had shown Jet some pity at just the mere idea, let alone see the fiasco that had unfolded... Koharu had been bright red, and almost traumatised went she got back yesterday, according to Phillia, so he perhaps didn't want to know what his sister had actually told her about him...

Still though, this was about the time everyone would've gotten up normally anyway, with the same routine - breakfast, washing, equipment checks, field. It was things like that that had Jet asking himself how a literal life or death situation had become mundane?

Performing some slight gymnastics to escape the grasp of the slightly restless Koharu, and substituting a teddy bear in his place - he really had to thank god no one had asked him exactly why he was skulking around the Town of Beginnings, looking for a tailor, with a load of fluff in hand - the knight got up, and changed into his normal housebound gear, a purple tee shirt and black jeans, before heading downstairs. As for the rest of his little team, and by god did he need an actual name for them, Koharu was still asleep, whilst Rain had headed off to practice for later. How that girl could wake up at half 5, and not be perpetually grumpy, Jet reasoned he'd never understand. All that left was their resident treasure hunter, who'd taken to the sofa, despite having an actual room for herself. Needless to say, as he walked past her, her position did not look comfortable, her legs over the back of the sofa, and her head resting on the floor. For a brief second, the joker side of Jet's mind suggested startling her, just to see exactly how she fell over... but that particular monkey was quickly taken to HR, and given a P45 for his troubles.

Having snuck downstairs with the same grace and stealth of their minor rat infestation, Jet quickly rubbed his hands together and smirked, as he checked his inventory, and selected a recipe to make for breakfast. Koharu had made mention to Jet that she'd never actually tried a full English breakfast before, and Jet had reacted predictably - with shock. He resolved to make her one, one day... and today would be that day, he thought, as he selected the rashers of bacon that had been produced by a player on the first floor.

A few minutes later...

For a brief moment, the fizzling of the eggs frying took him back home, and Jet smiled, remembering his parents doing breakfast on a Sunday morning. Sure, it was hectic in that house, and sharing a room with your sisters was very much not in any teenager's interest, but he did miss it. Hell, if he was at all honest, he missed the hectic nature of it, especially. Something about it just kept him on his toes, even if he'd have liked a moment's peace and quiet sometimes. Maybe that explained why he'd jumped at the chance to have Rain and Phillia onboard, back on the seventh and eighth floors respectively, he was just trying to recreate home... Booompphh. Phillia was almost certainly now awake too, if the mumbling told him anything. Taking the eggs off the hob, Jet could see Phillia out the corner of his eye, and decided to annoy her slightly - ''Morning, Indiana.''

Phillia looked over at the four plates laid out, and the sight of the knight... in an apron, and put two and two together. - ''Ohh, that's what the smell was. Smells good. I want some.''

Jet smirked, knowing how inattentive the treasure hunter was after waking up, and without coffee, and decided to see how long he could keep this joke going for - ''Nope, Koharu's birthday. Koharu's breakfast.'' - Had Phillia had her morning coffee, she'd have pointed out the four plates, and made a quip about why he was fattening his girlfriend up. As she hadn't though, she was remarkable easy to wind up - ''So you aren't doing any for the rest of us... worst leader ever.''

A - he wasn't their leader. B - it truly was remarkable how oblivious she was currently, and C - Jet was smirking, and trying not to laugh desperately - ''You forgot crap liar too!'' - Jet erupted into laughter, unable to contain it any longer. ''Of course I'm doing it for everyone, four plates, see?'' - Phillia looked over, and held her head in her hands. ''You think I could give all of that to Koharu, and she'd eat it?''

''She does have a surprising appetite...'' - Phillia mused, forgetting that she wasn't alone.

''You feel brave enough to tell her that?'' - Jet looked quite amused by that.

''Err...'' - Phillia erred on the side of caution, and not wanting to get on Koharu's bad side. Those two really did tell each other everything, and Phillia's armour offered little in the way of 'angry Koharu protection'...

''Right answer, me thinks. Still though, everyone else has done their part, so what are we gonna do for the distraction today?'' - A familiar redhead popped her head round the door, not that Jet or Phillia had noticed.

''There's a quest on the tenth floor, a treasure hunt, and the reward is this really pretty ballgown apparently. Changes style based on the person, from what the Rat was telling Asuna.''

''I would usually say stop eavesdropping on people, Rain, but given it's Argo... well, a taste of her own medicine isn't exactly unwarranted.'' - Jet shrugged, looking back towards Rain, whilst Phillia leant precariously against a doorpost.

''Eggs.'' - The only attentive member of the trio commented.

''Hm?'' sniff. sniff. Eggs! ''That could've gone worse...'' - Luckily, the eggs hadn't burned, and Jet plated them up. ''Thought you'd gone to practice for later?''

''Oh, I did. I took what you said last night onboard, and I think that I've got it now. Can I have some?''

''There's four plates...''

''Aww, so only enough for Koharu and Phillia then...'' - Rain's sad look was betrayed by the look of mirth in her eyes. Unlike Phillia, who was now open mouthed, and glaring daggers at the redhead...

Jet stifled his laughter, and handed Rain a plate of breakfast, whilst Phillia picked one up herself, and began eating it before Jet had even finished plating up the next one...

''Hungry?'' - Jet looked at the treasure hunter, who just shrugged.

''Yeah... where's the coffee?''

''Top shelf. Make it yourself.''

''Idle... but yeah, Rain, that sounds like an idea. I'll take her on that quest, give you guys some breathing room. Sound like a plan?''

''Sure!''

''Fine by me!'' - Jet put his plate into the oven to keep it warm, whilst he headed upstairs with Koharu's on a tray.

Koharu, for her many worries, was pretty good at waking up. She had to be, really, else she'd never have had time to do everything she had to do. Admittedly, she'd started to slip a little in Aincrad, and now often woke up at 7, rather than 6 as she had done IRL. Still, she could usually be up and ready in less than thirty minutes, so it hadn't bothered her as much as it would've her father. Waking up, Koharu looked at her HUD - 2022/02/23. She wasn't a child anymore, Koharu Honda was an adult now... so why didn't it feel like anything had changed in that regards? She still felt like a little girl, playing the hero that she wasn't, and just skating along on her better comrades tails. If she was honest, she hated that feeling, and she knew that if any of them knew how she felt, they'd have told her exactly what they thought about it - 'you aren't a liability' - 'you're one of the best, don't act like that voice has any power over you!' - 'Just remember how far you've come...'

Still, she looked over to her... boyfriend? Who was now a giant teddy bear? Okay, if she was dreaming, this was a very weird dream, even by her standards... all she needed now was Jet to waltz in, dressed like some form of waiter, with her breakfast, and she'd have been convinced she was still asleep and dreaming...

Which was exactly what happened. Koharu let out a soft laugh, as Jet looked mildly confused. - ''Morning? What's so... I've still got this on, that's why.''

If this was a dream, then... a thought raced through Koharu's mind, and she spoke, unusually forcefully for her - ''No, keep it on. It's my dream after all...'' - The lecherous smile she now had gave Jet a cause for concern. What exactly had he walked into...

''Okay then...'' Jet looked more than a little unnerved at the very uncharacteristic behaviour of his girlfriend, but carried on ''I kind of thought you'd want a lie in, after... yesterday, and well, you deserved a little something, so...''

''Wait... I'm not dreaming?'' - Koharu suddenly snapped to her senses, and flushed red.

''I don't think so, unless we're all hallucinating too?'' - Jet partly stated, and partly asked, in complete confusion at the question.

'Heh, I'm an idiot... I thought I was dreaming, and you were about to...'' - Koharu was laughing, but it was evident she was laughing at herself more than anything else. It was Jet's turn to go bright red, as he realised the implication of Koharu's last comment.

''Umm... we can, but I will warn you, Rain and Phillia are downstairs, and these walls aren't soundproofed.''

''Please don't let them know about this...'' - Koharu looked mortified at the realisation of what she'd just said and done.

''Don't worry. Everyone says and does stuff they regret when tired. Mom's the word.'' - Jet put the tray down, and mimed a zip over his mouth.

''Thank you... but why today though?'' - She knew it was her birthday, but he didn't!

''I thought you needed a break. Which is why Phillia's taking you on a girl's day out later... well, it's a quest, but...'' - Jet halfheartedly held his hands up in a 'what can you do' gesture, whilst Koharu giggled slightly, taking a bite of her breakfast

''This -mmpphh - is really good! Thank you!'' - Jet looked genuinely happy at being told that. ''Though, one question? What's with the teddy?''

''Told you, it's a little something...'' - Jet smiled towards Koharu, who looked a little confused.

''Little?'' - That bear was almost the same height she was!

''Well, I kind of figured that... you know how you hug me for dear life, and...'' - Jet trailed off, clearly struggling with his own train of thought. ''Well, I figured it'd be something to have when I'm not there. I guess. Maybe.''

''You don't sound so sure... but it's adorable, so, I'll let you off on that one.''

February 23rd, 2023, 18:54pm - Floor 7, Volupta Grand Casino

The day itself passed by relatively quickly once they'd all gotten out of the Inn. Nothing much of any real relevance happened, other than Strea nearly dropping a table onto someone, and Klein, ever the DIY type, had nearly fried himself trying to jury rig a sound system. Maybe they should've asked Kirito to stay, after all...

The piece de resistance though, was the outfits that had been chosen. Initially, most of them had seemed pretty antsy about it, but after some allaying of fears, everyone agreed to it...

Exactly how, Jet wasn't sure he'd ever know, but Argo and Kirito had really pulled off a coup de grace in obtaining formal wear for everyone. Jet looked nervously in the mirror, dreading his own reflection, remembering his suit back home. IRL, he absolutely hated wearing anything overly formal, and as a result, only had a single suit - a blue pinstripe suit, with a red tie, that he'd actually bought for a costume party, but had somehow become his only formal attire. This one though... well, it represented a true change in Jet's attitude towards formal attire. Without inflating his ego, he felt something he hadn't in a while... pride in his own appearance. A proper black tuxedo, with a crisp white shirt, fitted perfectly, which was an achievement, given Jet's... somewhat larger height. Combined with a dark grey waistcoat, and a dark blue tie to complete the look, Jet gave a smile, glad his sisters weren't here, as they'd be clambering all over him, trying to make their own... adjustments. Regardless, he felt that he looked the part... hopefully, not the part that was currently being squeezed by his trousers, though.

Still, looking the part was only one bit of the plan. The rest was now completely out of his hands, and relied solely on both Argo and Asuna's acting skills... why he felt a cold shiver run down his spine at that thought, he wasn't sure. Though after yesterday, he wasn't entirely sure it wasn't just leftover slime...

As he signalled everyone to take their positions, Jet felt two things - his heartbeat suddenly increase dramatically, and his cheeks start flushing. Now all they were waiting on was the signal from Argo...

From: Argo (Rattus Rattus)
To: Jet

We're here, Knight-boy. Code word is 'Up'

Showtime, he thought, closing the menu. From their elevated position, they could see the three girls walk in, and if Jet thought he looked good, his partner was on another level. Jet admitted that she was by far and above the looks of their partnership... and the brains, and the heart, and... wait, was he anything? Oh yeah, brawn. Anyway, she looked absolutely amazing - the green dress that the girls had picked for her made her look like some form of princess, and suited her to a tee. Asuna looked... well, she was Asuna, she always looked good. Often to a level that Jet believed it was actually some form of skill in game. Much to his surprise, even Argo had ended up in some form of formal attire... despite her reservations. Most of which began with the letter F, S or C, ended with the letters K or T, and were definitely not allowed on telly before 9pm. Or possibly at all, in one of the cases.

''Why's it so dark in here?'' - Koharu asked, pawing at the wall, just to make sure she wasn't about to fall over.

''Oh, you know how it is, just waiting on them to set it up now'' - The code word had been used, it really was showtime now! Jet gave a gesture to Klein, who was waiting by the lights, and quickly, but quietly, snuck around the girls to grab two flutes of the drink that Agil had reassured them was practically champagne... not that Jet actually knew what champagne tasted like anyway. The lights came up to reveal the birthday girl's friends, bar Jet, all stood there for all of a split second, before yelling... ''SURPRISE!''

Walking up from behind them, with a surprisingly dignified air, Jet went to hand Koharu a drink, as she began to tear up. Without any warning, and wordlessly, Koharu launched herself into a hug with Jet, who did his best not to spill anything. ''Thank you...'' - she held her face into Jet's chest, mumbling as she fought back tears at the surprise. Jet hugged her back, trying his best to hide his fluster. - ''You deserved it, anyway. Big day, and all that, the big one-eight. Very big day.''

''Doesn't feel it.'' - Had it not been for this, her eighteenth would've been just another day in Aincrad.

''Maybe it doesn't have to.'' - Jet handed Koharu her drink - ''Here. According to our resident bartender, this is pretty much champagne. Thought it appropriate for a big day.'' - Jet held his flute up, and Koharu hers, before the traditional clink of glasses - ''To the birthday girl!'' - Everyone shouted, as both took a swig of their drinks... and almost immediately regretted it, if their expressions afterwards were anything to go by. Note, I'll stick to cider in future...

Jet really had to be incredibly thankful to his friends now, as most of them had volunteered at least some skills towards this party - the chief amongst them being Argo and Asuna, and the fact that both were absurdly good at planning things... or he was just absurdly bad at it. The truth was probably somewhere in the middle there, but the other one to be thankful for was Rain, who'd agreed to sing for everyone. That took some guts, even if everyone there were friendly, just being up on stage was stressful as it were.

The girl had just finished her set to thunderous applause, and was now bowing gracefully out to her adoring audience. It hadn't escaped anyone's attention that quite a few people were calling for an encore either. ''Rain really is a good singer, isn't she?''

''Yeah, yes she is...'' - Jet looked on in pride towards her, as she bowed out off the stage and made a note to talk to her later, and thank her for everything - ''Anyway, now for the best bit of a party in my opinion...'' - Jet grinned towards his girlfriend...

''Hmm?''

Jet walked backstage, and came out with a cake shaped into an 18, with as many candles - ''Cake!''

''Where did you get that from?'' - It was certainly unlike any other cake she'd seen in the game, though she'd not actually seen all that many birthday cakes in this world, all things considered.

''Made it myself. I kind of levelled up my cooking as best I could again. Believe me, the 18 is also how many tries it took...'' - Koharu decided to wait until her partner had set the cake down before hugging him again, to save them both from wearing the cake instead of eating it. - ''I take it you like it then?''

Koharu gave him a peck on the cheek, just after he'd set the cake down. ''It's amazing, thank you!'' - This system has stopped working. Would you like to send an error report? - ''You're welcome'' - Jet returned to the land of the living, and re-joined the party...

Hours into the party, and everyone was still happily enjoying themselves, the party having split into three distinct groups - Kirito, Asuna, Lisbeth and Yuuki were all sat over one side of the ballroom, chatting away, Klein and Strea dancing around like the world wasn't watching them, whilst Koharu and Phillia were over with the Black Cats, who were listening to Sachi sing. That just left Agil, Rain, Jet and Argo, the first two having taken to serving everyone, whilst Jet was currently sat on the other side of the room, enjoying the music, and drawing out the scene for prosperity... which left Argo, who'd taken to watching over Jet's shoulder...

''Argo, can you not, please...'' - Jet didn't even spare a glance at the surprise appearance of the girl.

''Aww, why?'' - She teased, hoping to illicit some form of response...

''I don't mind you sitting with me, but I don't like people watching over my shoulder whilst I draw.''

''Ahh, right. Fair enough, I s'pose. Never had ya down as the arty type though...''

''It's not like we have TV here, so I have to find something to do... plus, I've always been like this. Nice way to take in what you're seeing, just sitting somewhere with a pad and pen, and drawing what you see.''

''What're ya drawin', anyway?'' - Jet scribbled away at the page, with some haste...

''Just what I see.'' - Jet held a hastily drawn picture of a dog of some form, with a giant grin on his face, and a small chuckle, whilst Argo momentarily jumped, before her face dropped, the cunning stunt (appropriately, if you reverse the c and st, what she was currently thinking of the knight as...) earning the knight a scowl from the girl...

''Little uncalled for there, don't 'cha think?''

''Sorry, couldn't let that opportunity pass me by. You want to see what I was actually drawing?''

''It ain't a dog again, is it?'' - Argo asked, apprehensively...

''Nah. Well, unless you're calling Asuna a dog... which is both true and untrue simultaneously.'' - Jet muttered the last part, as he flipped the page to reveal an incomplete sketch of the casino's dance floor, complete with everyone on it...

''Yer actually good at this, ain't ya?''

''Eh, I'm not an artist. Just someone with a pen and too much time on their hands.''

''Yer never know tho', maybe someone will ask ya to draw stuff for 'em... someone who wants to be a writer, maybe...''

''Ha, fat chance. I'm not very good anyway, I can only really do scenes and landscapes. This-'' - Jet opened his pad to a number of drawings of his girlfriend's face, which looked surprisingly accurate, considering how poor Jet claimed he was. - ''-was the last person I drew, and I thought it came out awfully.''

''I wouldn't say that, looks like Ko, anyway, which is more than some artists can say!''

''You want something, don't you?''

''Why'd ya think that, Knight-boy?!''

''You're being nice to me... which usually means you have a request.''

''Nah, not this time... but she might.'' - Argo pointed to Koharu, who was now coming over to them... quickly. Very quickly, in fact. So quickly, that Argo leaped out of the way before the green missile took her out... - ''Jet! You're dancing!''

''Yeah, alright, I'm- wait, what... YEEARGH!?'' - The knight yelped, as he was dragged along by the birthday girl.

Argo decided that the next bit would make for the best blackmail material she could find, and so... she pulled out a Record Crystal, and filmed as Jet danced along to Waiting for a Star to Fall. Yeah, this was definitely going in the blackmail bank, she thought... even if he wasn't as clumsy on the dance floor as he looked... ''Turns out Knight-boy has some moves!''

As the night grew older, and everyone else grew increasingly weary, both the birthday girl and the knight found themselves in a quieter corner of the casino...

''You know you never had to do all of this, right? I wasn't even expecting anything at all, if I'm honest...'' - Jet smiled at her earnesty, but if there was one thing he was good at... it was remembering birthdays. 8 siblings, parents, grandparents and 6 cousins had drilled that skill into him.

''Didn't have to, sure. Was it ever in doubt that we would? Nah.'' - Koharu just gave a soft laugh at the knight's smirk after that.

''How'd you do it though? I mean, this must've taken ages to plan...''

''A few days. We did have an Argo on our side, after all...'' - Jet suddenly had a realisation, halfway through his sentence - ''...who I now owe a massive debt to, so... yeah.'' - Jet just chuckled to himself.

''How massive...''

''Eh, nothing a few, umm, years of working off won't solve. Probably. Absolutely worth it though.'' - Koharu rolled her eyes at her partner - ''I meant to say earlier, but... you look stunning, by the way.'' - Jet tried his best not to blush again, as those words exited his mouth. The look of happiness on his partner's face at the sincere compliment made it all worth it though.

''You too, should dress up more often, I think.'' - Looking down at his suit, he actually agreed. Why he'd hated wearing suits, he wasn't actually sure, but he definitely didn't now.

''Heh, maybe. Suppose now I've got it, I may as well use it.'' - Jet stood up, and offered his hand to his partner - ''On that note... fancy a dance, mi' lady?''.

Koharu took his hand, and stood up, as the duo walked to the dance floor - ''My knight in shining armour...''

The jury rigged crystal system that they'd been using to play music decided to change to a very specific song as they did though...

Wise men say... only fools rush in...

But I can't help... falling in love, with you...

''Who'd have thought it... Kayaba, a fan of UB40? Or Morrissey... actually, no, yeah. That one makes sense.'' - Koharu tried not to giggle. If the music player was anything to go by, Kayaba's music tastes were... eclectic. The switch from Evacuate the Dancefloor, to Panic earlier had been quite something, to say the least. It was a good job there wasn't a DJ there, else they might have taken their leave at that point...

''Who'd have thought you know how to slow dance?'' - Koharu teased her partner, as he dipped her, eliciting a slight yelp.

''Eh, guess we're all full of surprises...'' - Jet had an undeniable grin on his face as she came back up.

''You realise that you've set me a challenge for your birthday, right?''

''Please don't... I'd much rather an evening in, and a nice meal, than I would a party. Besides, you have no idea when my 18th is...'' - Jet smirked, knowing he'd be safe from that as long as Koharu never figured it out...

''July 7th, 2023.'' - Koharu recited, without even pausing to think.

''How?! I never even mentioned what part of the year my birthday is...''

''One word... Strea.''

''Oh yeah, of course.'' - Naturally, his sister was the last person you told a secret to. Unless you wanted that secret plastered everywhere...

''Thank you though... I doubt my parents would've gone for anything like this. My dad wouldn't, anyway.'' - Jet noticed Koharu look noticeably saddened at mentioning her parents. He couldn't say he knew much about her life at home, other than that most of the things Koharu mentioned about it were to do with her mom, and he'd never actually heard her even mention her father before now.

''I'd be a shitty boyfriend if I didn't do all of this...''

''You really wouldn't. You're a pretty amazing one, most of the time anyway.'' - Jet blushed under the praise, and began trying to stutter out a response, but failed. Koharu simply shook her head, and laughed at her boyfriend, and his less put on side.

''I've just realised something I haven't actually said so far today...'' - Jet looked at his girlfriend with a smile, having had a realisation...

''Hmm?''

''Happy birthday, Koharu...''

{Author's Comments}

Funny thing about these one shots, they've usually been written before the main story. This was no exception, and somehow, I think this is the longest chapter I've written yet.

For context, this is probably set sometime around F13/14, hence a lot of events mentioned haven't happened yet. Call it a very extended 'next time' trailer?

Anyone interested, the song Rain sings is Shine, by Years & Years. I thought the lyrics were relevant, even if a little on the nose. Also a few musical jokes. Before anyone asks, I actually don't mind The Smiths, but... eh, Morrissey is a bit on the (how to write this without committing libel...) weird side.

As normal, leave a comment, send me a message or add a review, and thanks for reading!

Signing off, Midland 2541.