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

Where was this coming from? she wondered. "No, really. It's okay" Her hands fiddled with themselves. "You guys took me in after the Knights of Blood Oath fell apart. After..." After Opal died... She shook her head to dismiss those words from leaving her. "After I had no place to go. You, Mari, Calrex, and Shield are what keeps me grounded. If I couldn't be of use to you guys I'd still be wondering around trying to go it alone." She paused. "And you can't make it through Aincrad alone." Those final words fell flat. The thought of isolation snaked up her spine

Tyger... The name lingered long after he mentioned it and until they made their way to the stands. She watched him while he looked through the wares and hovered around a particular bamboo rod. He bargained for price and smiled with the NPC. Then, he mosied over to another section where she swore to god he better not grab... he did. >:T She looked to him with a cock of her hips and fist squarely against her side. Joking aside, he may have had a point. He put it away and her mood lightened. Then, he offered to buy her the nicer looking rod compared to his bamboo one. "I me

With the end of the second round, the sun warned against the end of their day. Contestants and observers alike gathered in the main hall where Baldur announced the results and welcomed everyone to partake of the refreshments. He even manned the grill where he toiled away making yakitori for anyone that desired some. Comically, he donned an apron that reminded Snow of the surface world and she shook her head. With the evening falling, her responsibilities also waned. Snow returned to the kitchen where she retired her kettle and china and returned to the festivities. There, she settled herself a

The temperature of her cheeks rose. Her arms retreated upon herself. Her eyes darted to the ground, the pier, anything but Jason. What does that mean? her thoughts ran. Does he like me? Am I-- Okay... okay... yeah. Just the guild. The guild in the same colors. Right. Her quickened heartbeat slowed to a normal pace and she exhaled through pursed lips. He smiled at her with innocence and truth. Chest still a bit tight, she returned it as they stood with the help of his arm. The air between them remained a void as they walked into town. Snow hugged herself to stave off the

Baldur's hands took hers and if helped by some superhero in comics, hefted her out of the water with ease. She plopped herself onto the pier's edge where water cascaded off of her in every direction. Clumps of muck, algae, and leaves clung all over her. What a sight... "Ha. Ha." she bluntly replied to his poke about spear fishing. She shook her head and wet locks of hair stuck to her face. With a wave of her hand, she swept them to the side. Snow ran both hands over her face and through her hair. Thankfully, her partner removed the majority of the junk that decided to get caught in her ha

How long had it been? Alyssa tried to recall. The last time she felt someone's hands on hers blurred into the dissonance of the past. The gentleness of his touch distracted her from her thoughts. Thoughts of her own cowardice. Jason spoke of fear and shame, both of them she knew terribly well. Her first months spent holed up with the others. To this day, Alyssa felt she was still a coward. Her message of defiance to herself was to try and be the shield that would have saved Daire and would save countless lives. She was terrified of her own demise but as reckless as it seemed, she felt the role

"Here you go?! Wha--" And the rod was in her hands. The same force that peppered the two of them in muck and grime now nearly tried to pull Snow into the pond. The rod bent and line snapped taught. In more of a reflex to save herself from a watery embarrassment than to actually reel in the fish, Snow leaned back. Baldur then let go of the rod, always in full control, despite the girl's alternative experience of near death. Firmly in control, Snow wrestled with the might of the fish on the hook. Whatever it was felt stronger than the thing she speared near the shore. The thoughts that mome

Despite the embarrassment worn plainly on her face, Baldur reflected pride and amusement back at her. While she looked onto him, noting her responsibility for also getting him soiled, her worry about his judgement faded. The congratulatory menu appeared between her and him that notified her of an acquired material she could later use at her bar. She dismissed it in time to hear his comment about spear fishing. Her eyes drifted to the weapon in her hands. "Spear fishing is still a thing?" came her vocalized thoughts. Of course it was. Did she not just catch the fish herself with a spear? "

A lone girl sat at the water's edge. In her hand, a worm decorated with a red ribbon held just above the murky water's surface. The scene itself rose many questions that she herself could not readily answer. The moment's pause and sigh from her lips dawned the image upon her and she hung her head in defeat. "Kon'nichiwa, Snow-san." Oh god, Baldur! "Thank you for inviting me---" Her cheeks flushed red and she stood abruptly. She turned to face him and opened her mouth to spill out some reasonable explanation for what he caught her doing but found none. Her arms fell slack to

The blonde looked down to the tin. Again, her face twisted in protest of just how grimy it looked. Regardless of her personal feelings, she needed to use whatever was inside to finish this quest and earn a source of fresh ingredients for her bar. She summed up the courage with a deep breath and lifted the lid off the tin. Curious eyes peered beneath to reveal... "A worm...?" Two words of utter disbelief left her lips. Inside, although as if some kind of joke, was a single earthworm. The only thing that set it apart from any other worm was the little red ribbon tied around the middle