[centre][b]'Players, I wish you the best of luck.'[/b][/centre]

The screams. The voices raised in fear and anger. A stampede of panicked feet. None of it mattered, none of it even registered. From his position on the floor, all he saw was the shining outline of a pair of panties, their terrified owner silhouetted against the backdrop of the evening sky. Nothing else mattered, for here was Nirvana. He took another swig of rotgut and passed out.

________________________

[b]'Roll me over lay me down and do it again,
Roll me over in the clover, roll me over lay me down,
And do it again!'[/b]

A dozen fists pounded their tables to the beat of a classic song, bastardised and perverted for their amusement. The singer paused a moment, chugging half his tankard in a few mouthfuls before breaking into the next verse. Over the last twelve hours he had sung, drunk and sweet talked his way through three taverns, bringing inebriated joy where there had been only gloom and fear before; that said, he had only meant to have one or two pints to begin with... Such was the new life of Torvald, Aincrad's very first town drunk. It amazed even him that he sobered up for long enough to earn his due, before pouring it over the counter of the nearest bar. But it was nights like this (or at least he thought it was night... time and space got a little uncertain after a dozen or so ales) made it all worthwhile. Meeting new people, getting wasted and molesting barmaids was the pinnacle of what Sword Art Online had to offer, never mind all that fighting lark.

[b]'... This is number three hundred and ten,
And he's started once again!
Roll me over, lay me down,
And do it...... Again!'[/b]

By the time he finished, half of his new drinking buddies had passed out or gone home... [i]Might be worth... shortening that one...[/i] he mused while staggering toward the door. [i]No more than thirty verses next time.[/i] Torvald flinched as he emerged into the bright sunlight, instinctively shading his eyes and checking his status bar. The <Drunk> status would wear off in about an hour if he stopped drinking now, which was probably worthwhile considering how much his coffers had shrunk after that last binge... Today was a good day to fish, he decided and took off in a meandering path toward the nearest river. The village was far off to the west of the Town of Beginnings but had excellent access to beginner gathering areas, making it the ideal place for a work hard, play hard kind of person to settle down. As he passed through the village high street, he noted something new in his otherwise familiar stomping grounds. An orange crystal, hanging above a young woman cloaked in green; a criminal, a PKer. If he were sober, Torvald would liked nothing better than to leave the area ASAP, but in his heavily inebriated state, he felt the desire to flirt with danger. [b]'Hey, you there, little girl and all that...'[/b] He stopped few foot before the girl and gave his best leery grin. [b]'What brings a murderer to this side of town, eh?'[/b] His eyes roamed, initially taking note of her weapon and armour but then looking at her... other assets. After a moment his gaze snapped back up to hers. [b]'Sorry girl, but I've got to ask... Did whoever you murder deserve it..? Really?'[/b]