Snow

"Crozeph," Snow repeated with a smile. "Pleasure to meet you formally." She watched him take her plate of food and begin to eat. It was nice to see the boy eat something more refined than a raw potato. After his comment of stew, she thought perhaps that was his reasoning for trying to eat the root vegetable. "Baldur is a very wise man," Snow continued, returning to her food preparation. "He has much to teach and there is plenty to learn. For someone close to our age, it is hard to believe he can have so much to part with." Her hands busied with the last of the fish they had avai

Why did he always say these things with such conviction? She met his eyes with hers as he spoke about treasuring her life. The uncertainty and caution that embodied her fears almost melted away and that same heat warmed her cheeks into a rosy hue. His words continued on to elaborate more about their part in Jacob's Ladder, their guild, and Snow swallowed the ball of unknown emotions that welled at the back of her throat. She breathed a tempered sigh of relief. Right, the guild. Jacob's Ladder. This is about everyone. Still, her cheeks remained warmed by his words and actions. When he

Good?! She shot her eyes up at him with intent to strike burning in her eyes. Snow harbored so much frustration and worthlessness that any outlet would do. Would striking him accomplish anything other than a moment of catharsis? Would she even be able to after what she knew and witnessed he was capable of? She stared into those steeled eyes of his and balled her fists. He continued. His words came out blunt, almost unfeeling. Until, that was, he mentioned the death of a former comrade. Her mind simmered to a different mental image. She saw him kneeling in front of the Monument of Lif

Two voiced broke out from behind Snow as she tended to a particularly messy table with a spilled drink and signs of a picky eater who rather removed the food they didn't like from the plate all together. A bit of relief settled in to the girl and she called out in reply. "I tried to help out so there wasn't as much for you to--" Snow's sentence cut short when she turned around, arms full of dirty dinnerware and trash. These two weren't Baldur's students nor were they members of Jacob's ladder. For a moment, she struggled to find the words. As her pause lingered, one of the two girls alrea

Snow bit at her lip from the failure to execute her sword art. She tried to cut herself some slack in the heat of a fight. What did she expect? Unleash her rank five attack for the first time when she could barely focus on keeping the enemy's attention? For only a moment, Snow closed her eyes and tried to forgive herself. At the moment her eyes opened, she witnessed the roots of a tree barreling at her. There was no time. The improvised weapon bludgeoned into her with such force, her lithe frame shot into the woods like a thrown rag doll. Her body hit brush, sapling, and tree alike until it ha

The chill of the evening fell over the Baldur estate. The last rays of light washed the far horizon in a deep red and purple as their guild leader's voice boomed through the still air. From her spot at the table where Baldur took his notes for the entirety of the tournament, Snow looked outward over a quiet arena. The last of Baldur's words rang out and with three claps, the dim light of the evening ignited into a blaze of orange. Stone lanterns light with flame and from unknown positions around the grounds, paper lanterns took to the sky. Dim orange and red filtered into the estate from the e

The moment of distraction only broke the tension between ape and man for a moment. In this small fraction of time, Sewallus took his opportunity. The Florenthian snapped his attention back to the Monkey King and with no ceremony or flair, slammed the length of his blade into the dead center of the King's chest. Were this any other reality, the beast would have reeled back, maybe coughed a final breath, and dropped. Here, in the virtual world of the game, the King only returned the critical blow with a fierce gaze. A boulder of a paw rose high and swung for Sewallus. The knight disengaged and p

What just happened? thought the girl as what she could have sworn was a flash of lighting struck the King in the stomach, doubling him over. The culprit, awash in his blue haori, rushed to join Snow. Meanwhile, she caught a glimpse of moving rubble where Cpt. Sewallus moved a chunk of tree off his body. The plan... the plan... WHAT PLAN?! The only plan solidly formed in her mind was to catch her breath and get back to her feet. All the conversations from earlier seemed a distant whisper compared to the pounding of her heart and ringing in her ears. Shock gripped her strongly.

Costco-san? Snow thought to herself at the name. Why does that sound both familiar and strange? Regardless of the name, Snow learned about the guild's affiliation to Firm Anima. She also learned her leader's plan to yet again spoil her with goods. The weight of repayment weighed at the back of her mind. For Snow, gifts never came free and accepting them always proved difficult. Someway or another, she needed to justify the gift or think of ways to repay the giver. It became a poor habit of the girl in a desperate attempt to avoid being a burden on another's way of life. She felt she neede

Snow let Baldur and his student talk while she occupied herself with putting the various training weapons back in their places. A place for everything and everything in its place they always said. While she placed the last of the tools away, her ears caught wind of the conversation regarding combat and different styles. If she heard correctly, Baldur's student struggled in a match against an unarmed combatant. The discussion triggered a faint memory of the tournament. Snow's brows furrowed as she considered her own knowledge of combat, which she admitted was sorely lacking. If someone could b

Combat. The word shook a nerve deep down in her bones. Her last experience with combat involved a sand worm that knocked the wind out of her and nearly zeroed her. Thankfully, Lessa and Alkor arrived just in time to brunt the attack. It was in that experience she saw what she could be and what drove her to the state she existed in today. Lessa, with a single swing of her massive blade, cleaved the monster in twain as Alkor's deft footwork danced around the beast. Even his blade carved shaped into the monster's hide but it was the confidence of Lessa on the battlefield that lit and ideal in Sno

Snow giggled and blushed. She needed the compliment after such a heavy morning and it lifted her spirits. The fact the young man also saw her fight with Calrex amused her. She remembered now. Back then, he had darker hair and his large eyes with each movement of the fight showed how much he needed Snow to win for the larger payout. Snow nodded. "Yes, that was me and @Calrex." She shook her head, the memory and embarrassment of the event felt so distant now. "You were the guy clutching an empty bag of coins. I hope you won. That day was a bit of a blur." As Snow spoke, she walked furt

In her morning routine of walking the grounds, Snow found herself in the dojo where every so often, she came upon a sight of scattered weapons, tatami stands, and other various forms of dishevelment. With a sigh, she busied herself with moving the tatami stands back in the storage room where Hirru sometimes still slept. Other times, he woke early enough to catch a few fish before the sun fully crested the horizon. After finishing with the stands, she returned to the dojo to pick up the scattered practice weapons. This time, a familiar face greeted her. "Oh! Hello! You're up and about earl

Snow sipped at her cold tea and watched all of the guests enjoy Baldur's grounds. In the distance, she could still hear the clatter of wooden swords slamming into one another. With a smile, she imagined Calrex found himself a sparring partner and they were having a good match. Meanwhile, the sun sunk below the horizon and the sky became a sea of colors. The waters around the estate reflected the colored sky like new paint over the buildings. Soon, the stars would emerge and the twin moons would appear. Snow let out a soft yawn. Even the air began to cool. She wondered how many of the gues

Snow held the blue and white patterned haori in her hands and stared at it while Baldur pointed to some other designs on display. His words about picking something special to her made her rethink her choice. In a way, this haori would be special to her but after seeing his face like that, she questioned how he might act if she persisted. Snow nodded. "Alright," she replied. "I understand." She kept her eyes low as she turned to the stand. Snow returned the haori to where she found it and paused in front of the selection. What to pick now? Should she even impose further? The blon