[F01-PP] Wander With Me <<Feeding Your Enemy>>

[Bistro 0]

Feeding Your Enemy

Today's the day, Bistro. C'mon. Let's go.

I know, I know...

From the heart of the Cintimani, a woman exhaled, two hands gripping the side of her counter, arms spread wide apart. In front of her, five items were laid bare, their multi-coloured forms reflected upon its polished surface. Three of them were collected from various sources (and by various sources, she meant a friend fetched these items for her). One was hand made, a personal craft of the alchemist present, while the last was from an old lady who'd stopped by earlier today, right by the alley beside her store. The gypsy (Was she one? The player had assumed) had handed her a box of creature feed, each of the bits within looking like scones but drier, on the condition it be returned to her when the would-be tamer was done with her search.

It was a little lonely with Estienne missing, and some help about her shop would be nice. So Bistro had finally made time and aligned her schedule right with the quest giver for one familiar to accompany her in her shop.

Now if only it wasn't raining outside.

Littered around her desk now were even more items, Bistro deciding to take extra time to prepare. An umbrella, for one, in bright red. She'd thought it was a decent colour. A iron lantern -- an adventuring staple, and for her own use when it started to get too dark out. A poncho, to keep herself dry from the rain, because when it stormed too hard a shelter could only do so much. What else, what else...

You're stalling again...

Another sigh to herself, Bistro straightening out her back, fingers sliding off the counter surface. Fair enough. It was better to get it over with than to put the journey off for a time that would never come to fruition. One swig of the potion told her it wasn't meant to be drunk, despite its purposes for being so. Her salve was applied upon her shirt, the cotton feeling heavy for a moment with the application of dense paste. And the performer's song, set on loop, tucked into her back pocket. The soft melody was perhaps too quiet to hear now, drowned out by the patter of the rain, but it was no matter to the adventurer herself. The system would come through for her, she believed.

Rain gear donned, Bistro changed into a set of boots from her worn out slippers of absolute comfort. With a push through the door, her home's bell jingling, the woman was finally resolute on setting out on her aimless journey. Whatever it was that might be out to find and greet her, she was well equipped enough to beckon it forth.

So the question now was: whatever could it be?

@Yuurei

Spoiler

BISTRO | HP: 100/100 | EN: 10/10 | ACC: 0 | DMG: 1 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 0 | LD: 7 (5, +2)

>> Equipment

1. [T1E2] Golden Earring | Trinket | Expertise
2. [T1E0] Casual Clothes
3. [T1E3] Bien S'en Tirer | Jewelry | Loot Die III
   "A collection of beads, feathers and a sewn cloth charm hooked onto a leather strap. It’s colorful, yet clutterfully serene at the same time."

>> Skills

1. Searching | Passive | RANK 2/5 (1, +1)
2. - - -

>> Battle-Ready Inventory

1. << | Spyglass (1) | [Charges: 3/3] | Reduce number of posts required to search for dungeon or familiar by 5 posts.
2. << | Lucky Lotion Potion (1) | +2 LD  >> Empty Slot
3. << | Les Collines d'Anacapri (1) | Familiar Sight  >> Empty Slot
4. << | The Stars Collide (1) | Phermones  >> Empty Slot
5. - - -

>> Misc.

• - - -

[Yuurei 0]

The girl wiped the sweat off her- She's not sweating this world is digital. The rain was present and she had no gear to protect her from the weather, but this was a last attempt. If she could just learn to do this maybe... Just maybe getting stronger wouldn't be so hard. The boar was she was fighting had no remorse and she had missed it so many times that she had easily lost count. Looking up at her health bar hurt. This thing could only do one damage a hit and she was letting it push her around. Was this how it was meant to be?

A tear streamed down her cheek as the boar came in for another round of pummeling. She did her best to move out of the way, stepping around the boar. It didn't let her, the tusks on it's face rammed her in her stomach as it made a rough turn and plowed into her. She was sent to the ground face first, she sword rolling across the wet grass. She coughed uncontrollably into the dirt.

Was that... the sound of music? Was someone coming? She didn't want anyone to see her in this state, but her voice called out on its own. She coughed with almost every word. "Someone help! Please!"

@Bistro

Spoiler

General
Level: 1 | HP:  20/20 | Energy: 2/2

Stats
DMG: 2 | EVA: 0 | MIT: 0 | ACC: 0 

Skills
Curved Sword I

Equipment(In use)
Vanity Curved Sword
Lautus | HM I

Consumables
None

 

Edited May 17, 2020 by Yuurei

[Bistro 0]

[ ♫ ]

Who else was out in the rain, and also stuck in the middle of combat at that? It had been pouring ever since the quest giver had rolled up near her store, and Bistro was certain she'd taken her time with getting her necessities together. Had they been trying to fend off a horde of enemies the entire time, and perhaps were just on their last legs?

If only the fight had been so climactic. No, unfortunately not. When the broker squinted through the shower, passing through an exit of town, all she could spy in the midst of the wetted field was a woman collapsed upon the grass. A glimpse of steel peeked through from the tufts -- disarmed, she guessed, and one measly boar stood upright and above it all.

Measly should've been a description reserved for a player of a higher caliber, though. Bistro knew she hadn't any sword arts nor combat proficiency herself herself.

Still, being the sole witness to such a sorry sight, the responsibility of taking action to help fell onto her and her alone. With a slip of an "--Oi!", Bistro's first instinct was to close her umbrella shut. Her makeshift sword.

She gunned towards the boar, knowing full well to be careful with how she tread upon slippery grass. Never mind the way her hair matted in the rain; if this was a scenario of life and death (she couldn't see either entity's health bars) then surely she would've had to be urgent. The bovine's front hoof clawed at the grass in front of the fallen player, ready to charge once more, but its attention was soon stolen by an awful thwack that the interloper unleashed upon its thick hide. Now visible, Bistro could tell that its health bar ticked forward none, but what she was pulling off was definitely a distraction, even if the disturbance was only for a second. It should've been enough time for the victim to slide out of harm's way.

For caution's sake, the woman continued taking a few casual smacks more, pacing about it in a circle. She could never be too careful. After all, it might lunge at her when she'd least expected it.

@Yuurei

[Yuurei 0]

Wet hair stuck to her face, she couldn't see the other woman clearly enough through the rain and strands of pink. She could hear the sound of thwacking, like she was pummeling the boar. Yuu wasted no time, grabbing her sword and scrambling to her feet carefully as not to fall over again. Her sword clutched in her hand, Yuu made the best attacks she could. Another person's life could be at stake not just her own, even if she was wanting to end it all. Her blade cleaved the boar in half, Heavy Momentum activating after all the misses she had thrown completely drained the boars health. It shattered into nothing, leaving nothing behind.

With the threat gone, she looked up at her health bar. It was red. Her vision blurred and a faint weariness in her muscles now descending upon her, the girl slumped over under a tree, where the rain was less likely to pelt her. "Th-Thank you." She rested her back against the wet tree trunk and breathed heavily, a reaction to being close to death she assumed.

@Bistro

[Bistro 0]

One strike was all it took for the stranger to wipe out the boar. A yelp and a low whine as the boar was whipped with a lashing of her blade, and all that was left of the creature was an array of data fragments that faded away pitifully against the world's muted colors.

Bistro pondered on the likelihood of saving a new player as she wrestled with spreading her umbrella once again. The stranger's performance seemed to suggest expertise in damage, and their immediate strike begged the question of how exactly had they'd failed to land their hits earlier. Was there an enhancement that could've done that? Mayhaps only a warrior would know. The realm of combat felt a mystery to the non-combatant, and though it wasn't necessary in her day-to-day activities, her lack of information on the subject nagged at her in the moment.

Her head turned to follow the other woman's movements, the latter heading towards a nearby tree in a stagger. Exhaustion? Most likely -- it was reinforced by her deep pants and callous lean. The stranger uttered a word of thanks, as Bistro finally managed to wrangle her umbrella into submission, shifting its shelter over her head.

A shake of her hair, and a few gentle brushes, Bistro checking if her hair had been completely matted from the rain. "No problem," she replied, looking up towards the skies for a beat. No signs of the skies letting up on the downpour, it seemed. Tearing her sights away from the dreary greys above, Bistro looked to the other player in curiosity, the length of her umbrella leaning against her own shoulder in a slant. "Shouldn't you be taking cover back at town though? I'm sure combat doesn't come as easy when there's water and mud everywhere."

@Yuurei

[Yuurei 0]

How could she break it to this player that the reason she was actually here was for nothing more than to kill herself, but got scared half way through and tried to fight back. Should she even tell her her true intentions? What other excuse would she even use? No... There was nothing to lose.

"Hey... I uh... I'm-" She sighed in defeat. "I really came out here to... commit suicide. I... I got scared. My health bar went down slowly... I saw it hit the yellow and I.. Well I guess that my mind made up that I want this to end, but my body wouldn't accept it. I tried to kill it, but I missed a lot. The only reason I killed it so easily when I did is because there's an enhancement that makes me stronger with ever miss."

She inspected the umbrella in the other players hand. "You aren't much of a fighter are you?"

@Bistro

Edited May 18, 2020 by Yuurei

[Bistro 0]

Suicide? Her eyes darted over to the stranger's face in alarm. It was one of the most unnerving claims -- not many players trod upon that precipice, daring to walk on thin ice while breaching combat. Bistro herself hadn't even heard the term in a while, an emphasis of just how much better life in Aincrad had gotten within the handful of years they'd resided in it. Still, its implication upon the woman she'd just met continued to stick in her mind. The casual player stayed silent as the failing warrior spoke, her hands continuing to rifle through her dark locks with slow, delicate fingers.

An enhancement. The broker should've known, judging by how many of them there were out there scattered across Aincrad. She'd shoe that detail in at the back of her mind.

"So you could tell." Bistro's comment came with a light smile, the briefest glimpse of mischief twinkling in her eyes. There was still a tension in the air, she could tell, and in turn was then hesitant to speak lightly to her conversationalist. Suicide was not such a light topic that one would drop upon any passing figure without reason. For the other woman to do so...

... They must've been incredibly desperate.

"Combat's not my day job," she elaborated, twirling the umbrella in her hands. "There's a lot more to be done than just fighting." Bistro gave her conversationalist a loose tilt of her head, towards the path beyond them. Her mismatched eyes met the stranger's pair, emerald optic glinting a hint blue, its lens catching most of the overcast light. "Care to postpone your departure for a spell? Maybe a walk would do you some good."

@Yuurei

[Yuurei 0]

The hetero-chromatic eyes that looked down on her were difficult to look into. So much pride had been drained from the girl that she could barely find the will to move on in life. Her mind trailed looking at the falling rain around them. Was she just taking the easy way out? Did she really need to die? Perhaps another person's outlook on life, or a simple talk would help. Her golden yellow pupils looked up at the other girl as she pulled her half-lifeless body up from the muddy ground.

"A-Alright, fine. If anything, you could probably use someone with an actual weapon to protect you with... whatever you're doing out here. Why are you out of the safe zone when you can't even fight? Do you have a death wish like me or something?" Her hand gestured forward, letting Bistro take the lead while her sword hand returned the blade to it's proper place at her side. "So, if you don't take part in any fighting, what do you do? Also, my name is Yuurei, but you can just call me Yuu or Rei. Makes it simple."

@Bistro

[Bistro 0]

"A stroll's a stroll."

With a hand, Bistro ushered the lady underneath her umbrella before taking her steps forward. It was, thankfully, large enough for the two of them to walk comfortably side by side, though it was at the wind's discretion to decide if either of them were pelted with water or otherwise. For a split second Bistro contemplated handing over her poncho, before withdrawing her sentiment. Easier to shelter the stranger better with a turn of her 'blade's length than to trade over her items arbitrarily.

Upon the dirt road, their feet sunk in fast into the wet dirt. Markings trailed behind them as they traversed downhill, the gentle slope ahead of them quickly leading the two into a dense forest. Bistro grinned at her companion's question -- especially when she'd tacked on a snide remark. "Not everyone is so woe-ridden to find themselves as such," she clarified, glancing at the pink-haired woman. "Likewise, not every spot in Aincrad is teeming with monsters. I take the safer roads any chance I get, and all it takes to stay out of danger is to be vigilant, watching out for yellow cursors in the dark."

She pulled out a gold cylinder from her pocket, a metal construct that unfurled into a spyglass with a hard flick of her wrist. "Searching," Bistro mentioned, a thumb tapping the side of her eyes in jest before she set the item's eyepiece to her red optic and looked out towards the view with a half-hearted huff. Through the lens, she felt as though nothing was visible, her vision affected by a silver haze from the rain. But the effects of the item were in swing, indicated by the buff acknowledgment at the corner of her sights.

"I'm an Informant," the woman added, turning to Yuurei as she shuttered the spyglass against her pants. "I deal with intel relating to quests and field bosses, or note down events and their happenings when I have time. And when I'm free, I run a distillery's storefront. Keeps the hand and mind busy, all of them."

"Rei, then," Bistro decided, offering to shake her hand. "Nice to meet you in your last moments." A morbid joke, offered with another light smile. She hadn't the foggiest clue on talking someone down from their darkest thoughts. All she had to offer was her company. And yet, should even a single moment pass them by for Rei to change her mind on the fatal attempt, it would be enough.

"The name's Bistro. Let me know if you've got a message to pass onto your next of kin -- I'll make sure it gets delivered as best as I can. Or you could relay your burdens to me right now, that works too. Don't worry, Rei." She paused to smirk. "I'm not the type to kiss and tell."

@Yuurei

Spoiler

In Battle-Ready Inventory: Spyglass (1) | [Charges: 2/3] (-1) | Reduce number of posts required to search for dungeon or familiar by 5 posts.

[Yuurei 0]

Yuurei watches the girl place a scope of some kind over her eye and start to scan the area for whatever it was she was looking for. She talked a lot compared to the emerald clad samurai. Yuu hadn't much social skills and wasn't really in the best state of mind to be talking a lot. A lot of people found solace in sharing their feelings when they were going through tough life issues. Yuurei on the other hand, was not. For now she would keep her past to herself.

"An info broker? I see. That's interesting. I thought only NPC players were info brokers." The pink haired katana user questioned. She attempted to follow the spyglass to where Bistro was looking. Though without aid, it was difficult to see through the rain and pin point exactly what she was looking at. "Are you looking for something? What could be so important out here?

@Bistro

[Bistro 0]

Her offer was dodged. Intriguing. With how most people liked to talk about themselves, she'd shoehorned her companion into the same archetype, allowing them the freedom to speak had she so needed to. Instead, the avoidance of speaking about herself only netted a grin on Bistro's face. Fair enough -- she'd figured Rei's story must've been a downer's, and with the rain doing more than enough moping for the skies and the player herself, Bistro wouldn't be one to pry.

"And what sort of information would you get from them? Tell me, Rei." What more could Cardinal constructs provide? The description of a locale was usually the most one could get out of NPCs, alongside the rumors of a field boss that was want to make a village their hunting grounds. Maybe some leads for quests, if questioning players were lucky when the townsfolk found themselves keen on talking about someone they knew who might've been in need.

"Only a tidbit of information gets past the system," Bistro explained, after a brief silence to let her companion mull over her query posed. "And everything else along that path is our fruitful pursuit. -- Or, as fruitful as it could be. We work together with other adventuring players to try our best and make it so."

"It's easy that way; they get the experience and the spoils of war, and we get to hoard information and spread it to the public. It's a symbiotic relationship, like ravens and wolves if you've heard about it."

The thundering of rain against the roof of her umbrella began to slow into a mild pattering as the two shifted scenery from the fields into the forest. There, the endless downpour still made its way through the treetops, though it was less intense now, much more lenient in its bearing. Leaves from its arboreal residents sheltered the woodland floor and re-funneled the falling water towards the bushes, sloughing away loose dirt from the underbrush and lending some life back to the flora of the favelas.

"I'm looking... for a familiar," Bistro added, her eyes growing cloudy and distant as she ruminated. "It has to be today, or my schedule with my clients would be thrown off." The woman added an exhale to the end of her sentence, her gaze returning to the skies. "Awful, isn't it Rei? The one day I have to myself, and the rain manages to chase all my targets away. It almost feels like I wasn't meant to get any work done today." Bistro snorted, before she turned to face the warrior with a playful grin. "Unless you happen to count as one yourself. How about it? I'll pay you in dog treats if you want to stay in my care. Otherwise, I'd just let you go after the familiar quest is done."

@Yuurei

Spoiler

ID: 150244 | LD: 14 (5, +7+2) | Searching for a familiar... Nothing found.

[Yuurei 0]

The familiar quest. Wow. It had been so long she had almost forgot when she undertook this quest herself with Shield. Whoa, Shield. She almost forgot that he even existed. Some nostalgia smacked her right up the head. She opened her menu momentarily to check her friends list, something she hadn't done in like a year. Only one name was there - Shield. So he was still alive. Cheeky bastard is still as tough to kill as she remembers. She would have to send him a message at some point.

"Unless you happen to count as one yourself. How about it? I'll pay you in dog treats if you want to stay in my care. Otherwise, I'd just let you go after the familiar quest is done." She was drawn back in with Bistro's question. Closing her menu she smiles back at the hetero-chromatic info broker. "A flattering offer for sure, but I bite way too much. Even if I'm a ghost, doesn't mean I have the same properties as a familiar." She laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her head through pink strands of hair.

@Bistro

[Bistro 0]

"A ghost?" Bistro hummed in interest, keeping her eyes on the path ahead of her. It seemed as though Rei's mind was busy elsewhere, pulling up a menu. She wasn't nosy enough to check, but sufficiently curious to wonder about the warrior's perception of herself. Given a guess, the broker might've imagined the woman to have invested into hiding -- barring that, remaining a lone wolf or staying on the down low. But most players of that caliber were either much stronger, or their indicator crystal much warmer of a hue. "Intriguing allegory you've got there, Rei. What makes you say that?"

"-- Though, I doubt you could ever bite too much. Do you stim or something? We could get you a chew toy if you're keen on it. And a pet bed..." She laughed, hiding her grin behind a fist, her fingers twirling the umbrella for a beat. "Sorry-- I'm joking, of course! I'll drop it -- it's not very polite of me to say these types of things to someone I'd just met." But still her smile remained, gaze growing distant once again as she looked out into the rain.

"It sure would be nice to find something interesting out here..."

When Bistro had recovered, she placed her thumb under her chin, glancing up towards her umbrella's roof in recall. "Most players would ideally want a familiar who can fight in battle or lend them strength, right? Wouldn't a second player be a well-fitting match for that position? --Quests aside, of course. Player count is somewhat important in those."

@Yuurei

[Yuurei 0]

Yuurei was beginning to worry if this girl's motive was to adopt her like she was a puppy with all this talk of making her a familiar. Does she stim? Stim as in bite her thumb or play with her hair a lot? What a weird question to ask a complete stranger. "I-I don't stim. It's just a joke." She quickly turned her head to the side, trying to hide flushed cheeks behind the curtain of pastel pinked hair.

"Sorry-- I'm joking, of course! I'll drop it -- it's not very polite of me to say these types of things to someone I'd just met." Thankfully, that was the end of that, though still the embarrassed blush painted her face. "It sure would be nice to find something interesting out here..."

"We'll find you a nice pet out here for sure. I'll do what I can to help, but I can't remember the exact functions of finding a familiar. I know that they can be pretty rare to come by and are difficult to train as well."

@Bistro

[Bistro 0]

"So I've heard, too."

Bistro had been firm on her research before heading out on the quest, asking her clientele about the different kinds of creatures and journeys each of them had been on. The result: countless types, and countless adventures. It had given the broker a headache trying to plan for the result of her own outing, and when she'd finally come round to the idea, she'd all but given up on trying to fit her familiar into a mold. Cardinal would be the arbiter of their destinies, she decided.

"But lots of players go through the effort of finding one, don't they? Some benefits they must provide, then." Come to think of it, almost all of the warriors she'd spoken to had an ally or two by their sides when she'd spoken to them. And yet... "I'd barely seen a pet in someone else's shop before... but I imagine their boons must be phenomenal." They must be, she mused. Bistro's eyes swept the brush around the forest floor, keeping watch for any markers that might indicate a furry animal on the lookout. She, too, had to be a hunter today.

After a moment of quiet, the woman cleared her throat, looking over to Rei with a smile. "Well, since you're not that keen on being a pet, how about staying an owner? You ever think about keeping a familiar around before?" The other player must've had some interest at some point, Bistro reckoned -- not recalling the quest's functions meant that at some point its information must have had remained in her memory. Whether it had been for Rei herself or for someone else she knew was only something the warrior would know, and if the informant had to guess, would remain silent about.

@Yuurei

[Yuurei 0]

Yuurei sighed and looked off to the other side. The last time she tried to get a familiar, she had wussed out and went back to the town of beginnings. She hadn't wanted to get killed out in the field trying to get stronger, and no she was here trying to get herself killed specifically. What was she going to do with herself?

"I tried. I wanted a little wisp pet. I was going to name it Myon. However, I eventually gave up on the idea of trying to get stronger. The world out here scared me a lot." Yuu turned her attention back to the other woman. "Maybe I should give it one more try. Getting stronger and trying to learn how to protect myself. If I did that, I wouldn't have anything to be scared about, hunh?"

An awkward smile crossed her lips through the wet curtain of pink hair. This was a weird experience for her.

@Bistro

[Bistro 0]

Talk about any semblance of hope. How long ago was it since Rei's attempt at finding company, since death was one of the last things on her mind? The warrior had spoken about the digital realms scaring her a lot -- a sentiment that Bistro was sure a lot of other players could relate to, which felt reasonable for a beat. But when the broker's gaze met Rei's as the two women exchanged smiles, for a moment, a flicker of sadness swept over Bistro's eyes. What followed was an unwarranted spill, a burning question the woman had toyed with for a majority of her time in Aincrad--

"Why do it in the first place if you weren't exactly comfortable with it?"

Many had their justifications for heading out into the field, throwing themselves at the starter boars, key murderers in wiping out a portion of a brave population, players that had decided to take their destinies into their own hands. To do it for others, to do it for themselves. To get out of Aincrad, to explore, to live their life to the fullest. Their reasons were personal, some more so than others, but the most important function they'd served was to keep the adventurers she'd become familiar and fond with running day by day.

On the other hand, if they had ever reached Rei's level of despair...

"..."

Bistro let herself dwell on the silence, turning to the drenched road ahead of them with a feigned interest, readjusting the grip of her umbrella in her hands. "-- You know," she reminded her companion, after the moment had passed them by, "there's still a lot to be done back at base camp that doesn't require you putting yourself in danger all the time. I'm a broker for exactly that sort of reason. I'm sure I could find some place to put your talents to, if you want."

Half of it was a lie, but the offer still remained genuine.

@Yuurei

[Yuurei 0]

"Are you asking why would want to jump into the danger of this world in the first place and no just wait it out?" She asked, making sure that was what she was trying to get out of her. A good question to be honest: Why was she trying? She gained nothing from just trying to become stronger.

"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure why I would want to put myself through the torture that is this game. When I first put the Nervegear on my head, it was actually a gift from my friend. I was close to... y'know back in the real world. They thought that if I could do something to take my mind off those thoughts, that they would soon fade away. So why do I want to continue playing a death game like this, instead of just waiting at home for everything to be over? I guess I'd rather live all the way up to the moment I die. I'm scared with every step I take away from town, but I won't truly be living for anything if I just sit around like a coward, hunh? If I die out in the field, maybe I was meant to die. However, if I can survive this game and keep up my will to live, maybe I can regain some confidence to continue living in the real world. This... This is my final stand. Everything is on the line in SAO for me."

@Bistro

[Bistro 0]

"Are you asking why would want to jump into the danger of this world in the first place and no just wait it out?"

"Now, I wouldn't call it waiting it out..."

But before Bistro could say any more, Rei seemed to had cracked her past open, spilling a waterfall of information right in front of the broker without warning. In the monologue sea, it was all the woman could do to stay afloat in the rushing waters, listening into her companions woes as she tried her best not to drown. This outcome, of course, was what she had originally planned for. The delay just made it a surprise.

Like any good detective, she'd looked into the nuances of her subject's words. There was a trail of discontentment Rei seemed to have left behind, the hints of tragedy almost begging to be unveiled. So her disappointment wasn't simply recent, Bistro realized. And as with any form of escapism, Rei was part of the numbers who would use it as a form of empowerment.

If only it wasn't doubling as an ultimatum for their own life's worth. Chilling proposition, that, as Bistro nodded to Rei's final words, a mix of conviction and loss. She daren't turn around to address her companion directly with her heavy words still looming over the two of them. Instead, all the woman afforded the warrior was a wistful, "So that's how it is," before keeping her mouth shut, continuing to trek down the path ahead of them.

After a moment, Bistro found her voice. She spared Rei a glance, though it seemed to meet the ground the woman walked on rather than fall upon her form directly.

"How exactly do you define living, again? Fighting and risking death; for the thrill of adrenaline?"

Her questions might've seemed cutting, in contrast with the broker's calm delivery, but Bistro's lack of change in her casual demeanor could've given away her indifference to what Rei was about to respond with next.

@Yuurei

[Yuurei 0]

"I'm not sure you could say I'm really fit for defining what it means to live, considering I nearly just took my own life." She argued back and shrugged. Whatever Bistro was trying to get out of her, she had no idea how to respond most of the time. What was she trying to look for? Casual conversation?

"I guess, if I were to try and define what it means to be alive, I would say it's something of a hell. A hell of emotions that play your heart. However, I believe you really only give into that hell if you allow it to eat you alive. I guess there are somethings on my mind I can't let go just yet, that are telling me that I'm worth something to this petty world, so maybe it isn't my time just yet. I don't think I can keep myself locked in a safe zone anymore though. If it's a choice between being trapped in here until I make it out just so I can lose my mind in the real world and kill myself, or learn to be brave and fight my own way out, then I would prefer the latter. If I die on the way, then maybe it was my time."

Yuu was talking more than she normally would. Maybe it happened to be because she didn't know this person in real life and it was easier to open up to someone like this.