[F01 - PP] <<The Third Lesson>> "A Copper Rose"

[Elora 0]

Potential.

That was a word she hadn't heard in a long time. 

 

Elora remembered when her parents used to tell her she had it. That was before they gave up on her. She had always held a complicated relationship with "potential". It felt like it existed just outside of her grasp, in a place where she could never seize it. As much as she struggled to earn success, her attempts -- or rather, her failures -- were never enough make others proud. With every wasted opportunity, it became increasingly harder for her to build up the confidence to complete, or even begin to overcome new challenges.

Lost in her thoughts again, Elora's eyes fixated upon the metal rose clasped tightly in front of her. Minutes must have passed as she walked alongside Freyd with her stare unwavering, her senses inattentive to the world around her. She hadn't expected for something Freyd mentioned in passing to have caught her this off-guard.

The copper rose he had given her appeared dun, failing to sparkle and gleam in the sunlight like fancy jewelry and trinkets sold in the markets of Aincrad.

However, something about the object seemed to strike a visceral response from her.

 

I've...never won a trophy before...

 

Spoiler

*Consumed* Safeguard Potion

LEVEL - 11

HP - 220

EN - 22

MIT - 0

EVA - 0

DMG - 6 

ACC - 1

KEEN - 1

 

EQUIPPED GEAR

Weapon: [Unnamed] (T1-2HAS, ACC 2)

Armor: Auspicious Gi (T1-LA, L.Momentum 2)

Misc: Justicar’s Vambraces (T1-Trinket, ACC 1, KEEN 1)

 

SKILLS

Non-combat:

Passive:

Combat:

Weapon Skills: 2H Assault Spear R1 (+4 base damage)

     Blast (2 Energy +2 per target hit) - A pair of horizontal sweeping strokes that hits multiple targets.

     Straight (2 Energy) - Begins with the player bending their knees before thrusting forward with a singular powerful strike covering the gap between you and your opponent.

 

Skills: 2H Assault Spear [Rank 3]

Extra Skills: None

Mods: None

Battle Ready Inventory:

     _

     _

     _

     _

     _

Housing Buffs: None

Guild Hall Buffs: None

Scents of the Wild: None

Wedding Ring: None

 

Items: x8 T1 Healing Potions (heals 50 HP), x1 Uncommon DMG Potion (+1 DMG), x1 T1 Overhealth Potion (+50 Overhealth]), 10 Tier 1 Materials 

Edited July 9, 2020 by Elora

[Freyd 0]

Freyd walked silently before her, watching his peripheral vision to ensure that she didn't accidentally walk into a post or something.  It's the sort of thing that would happen to him.  Elora's reaction to his gift was quite unexpected, and touching.  She was feisty, but fragile at the same time.  Observations through their last few quests together suggested that she was very reactive, with volatile tendencies when prodded.  It only made her unusual interest in the rose more interesting to him.  Something about it had struck a chord inside her.  Programs and machines seemed incapable of duplicating such things.  She could be real!  I might not be alone after all...

Since Elora kept walking in a haze, Freyd took it upon himself to lead her to Hannah's grove.  He'd finished this quest not so long ago himself.  It was easy, but would test the young woman's resolve in combat situations.  She needed to master her nerves if she was to survive in the wilds.  Spotting the quest-giver up ahead, Freyd cleared his throat.

"Elora, we're here."  He kinked his head to direct her attention to the NPC.

Spoiler

Name: Freyd
Level: 29
HP: 580/580
EN: 58/58

Stats:
Damage: 14
Mitigation: 41
Evasion: 1
Accuracy: 3
KEEN:1
HLY:2
BLD:12

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Forgiven Disobedience (T1-2HSS, ACC 1, HOLY 1, BLD 1)
Armor: Skirmisher's Garb (T2-LA, MIT 2, EVA 1)
Misc: Assassin's Cowl (T2-Trinket, ACC 2, KEEN 1)

Skills:
2H Straight Sword [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 1]

Extra Skills:
Disguise
Familiar Mastery: Fighter 3
Survival

Mods: none

Battle Ready Inventory:
Starter Healing Potion (50 hp)*3
Teleport Crystals*2
Divinity's Wait (T1 Mit 3)*5
Liquor of Light (T1 DMG 3)*5

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Advanced Training: +2 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll

Guild Hall Buffs: none

Scents of the Wild: none

Wedding Ring: none

 

Edited July 5, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Elora 0]

The announcement didn't seem to jolt Elora from her daze. Instead she quietly lifted her attention from the rose, to Freyd, then toward Hannah. "Oh", she remarked, feeling a little surprised by how quickly their trip across town had seemed. "I'll go talk to her then." 

Elora veered a ways over to where the young woman was sitting criss-crossed in a small meadow surrounded by trees. The Artisan seemed to be sketching the general shapes of plants and creatures before washing her designs with translucent pigments. The landscapes and portraits she created were nothing short of beautiful. 

Wow, these are so amazing! This is exactly the kind of thing I want to learn how to do! Early on in Elora's journey to becoming an Alchemist, she had decided that being able to document the properties and appearances of different plants she found would be a helpful way to aid her in producing potions. Not only would keeping a field journal allow her to relocate the herbs with ease, it would also serve as a sort of recipe book for creating new concoctions. 

"How do you do that?", she found herself asking the NPC. Hannah patted a spot in the grass next to her to imply that Elora should have a seat if she wanted to listen. The woman briefly described how she preferred to use stylized strokes and shading to imply intricate details in different objects without having to reconstruct to every little observation. She offered a few other tips to Elora about how painters created the illusion of three dimensional space with the appearance of tones, highlights, and shadows. Before long, Hannah had given her a piece of sturdy paper, three small bottles containing paints in the primary colors, and a wide variety of brushes.

Elora looked over to Freyd and nervously scratched her head and chuckled. "It looks like I might have gotten myself a bit deep into this tutorial. Would you like to try painting too?"

Edited July 6, 2020 by Elora

[Freyd 0]

Freyd was both surprised and a bit perplexed by her question.  "Erm.  Art?  Me!?"  The prospect clearly terrified him.  "No, no... that would be a terrible idea, and an apocalyptic embarrassment on my part."  His head and hands were waving off the idea as emphatically as either could manage, almost like they were in a contest competing for which would get him off the hook by shaking the most dramatically.

"You go right ahead.  I'm sure you'll do great... I... no thank... but... okay... yes... Ughhhh.  FINE!"  Grabbing a set of pots, brushes and a slightly crooked canvas, he finally caved and plunked himself down next to the two women looking like a pouting and miserable six year-old.  "But I won't enjoy a minute of it," he muttered under his breath.

Scowling impudently and still mumbling to himself, Freyd set up behind them, his canvas frame serving as an improvised and metaphorical shield.

"Okay, so now what?"

[Elora 0]

Hannah flipped to a fresh page in her sketchbook before using the end of her pencil to gesture to a vague point in the distance. "I would recommend using the horizon line as your point of reference.", she began by dragging the pencil from side to side across her canvas, marking the place where the skyline blended with the ground. "Perspective gives structure to your piece. It allows the landscapes you create to feel more life-like by causing them to appear three-dimensional."

"Feels weird to have a fictional character teach us about how make things realistic, doesn't it?", Elora whispered to Freyd after giving him a subtle nudge with one of her elbows. 

"There's one, two, and three point perspective that can be achieved through the use of different techniques. It's best to begin with one-point perspective." She demonstrated how to create this affect by drawing a triangle, like a stretch of roadway, that got more narrow as it approached a point off in the distance. "You can then have all of the objects in your landscape recede into space by drawing them along similar lines that stretch back to and meet with the vanishing point." Hannah took a moment to regard her diagram from a distance before adding, "The mind can trick us to perceive things differently than how they really are. Humans are designed to make decisions quickly to help them survive. The eyes reduce the amount of information they gather so that the brain can process it more efficiently. It's the reason why we identify parts of an object before we see the complete picture, like the colors and pattern of a tiger's body before it attacks." She leaned forward to erase a small segment of graphite, proceeding to dust off her canvas."This can be a difficult instinct to overcome when making art. Experienced artists know to draw things as they are, not as they think they should be."

By the time Hannah had begun to draw what looked like grids around various fences, light posts, animals, bushes, and buildings, Elora was already beginning to feel overwhelmed. She opted to swivel from her current position to a view that was facing the meadow and a sparse patch of trees. This would probably be easier for her to reference than the large assortment of objects that decorated the city. Elora didn't really feel like using a pencil to map out the entire scenery before she got to painting. So, she promptly disregarded that step and began by mixing her colors. The action was actually kind of soothing, and it was exciting to see what hues she could get from trying out different combinations. She then moved onto applying the paint, somewhat heavy-handedly to different areas of the landscape where she wanted vegetation to occupy.

Edited July 7, 2020 by Elora

[Freyd 0]

Freyd pretended to listen to Hannah, at first, but was soon afflicted with the same malaise that followed his father's droning lessons on art history and architecture.  How many hours had he lost to being talked at in this manner?  It was too mind-boggling to fathom.  Grabbing a stick of charcoal from the assorted supplies at their disposal, he just started to draw, letting some mysterious muse guide his hands as he scribbled and marked at the canvas with increasing speed and vigor.  A scowl appeared on his face, then his teeth clenched.  Faster and faster he drew until the stick shattered, spraying a dark cloud all around him.  Fingers still moving, he started smearing and smudging the chaotic mass of lines until the shaped of a figure emerged.  Something snapped inside him at the sight of it.

Freyd suddenly and violently thrust the canvas away from himself.  His hands shook, and the edges of his eyes twitched as he gazed angrily at the frame, now laying face down ten feet away.  Elora had never seen him so affected by anything.  That it was triggered by something as benign as a sketch was more than bizarre.  He closed his eyes, breathing heavily until he could steady himself again and calmly turning to her. 

"We should move on."   His voice was devoid of emotion, like he had turned them off for fear of something abhorrent.  Grabbing his things, he stood and headed off in the direction of the cave.

His drawing was left behind, still laying facedown in the gently swaying grass.

Spoiler

 

Edited July 7, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Elora 0]

Elora attempted to create the appearance of leaves and clouds by stippling and wiping her dry paintbrush across the paper. This helped give the landscape some texture, but not really the sense of dimension that she had been hoping to achieve. Hannah was able to imply depth by layering intentional strokes that created clusters of leaves, patches of moss, and wisps of grass. I think I just need to add more colors and find out how to apply the paint in other ways. While she continued to place and smudge gobs of paint uncertainly around the landscape, she could hear Freyd acting increasingly frustrated nearby. With a brief glance in his direction, she noticed that he had grown tense as he began to scribble harder with a piece of compressed charcoal. He must be about as frustrated as me with this whole process. She turned her attention back to the painting and soon found herself criticizing every aspect of its design. This looks so unrealistic, like it was made by a child. I don't know how I'll ever be good enough at this to record the things that I find. Sighing heavily and slumping forward, Elora started cleaning up some of her supplies. I can't believe I thought I could do this.

The sudden sound of something hitting the ground made Elora jump in her seat. She quickly came to a crouching position and spun around, anticipating a fight. To her surprise, Freyd stood shaking and glaring angrily at his canvas, which he had thrown off into the distance. Her stomach immediately knotted in fear, worried that he was going to destroy something else in the outburst. She wanted to help calm him down, but her body felt paralyzed and she was afraid to approach him. Before she had the will to break the daze, Freyd's emotions had already seemed to neutralize. He hurriedly collected his gear and began walking away from her and the NPC. Elora realized if she didn't follow after him with equal haste, he would be lost to her in a matter of heartbeats. Fully coming to her feet, she quickly exchanged the package meant for Hannah in return for the next quest objective. Without the time or the care to pick up her workspace, she ran to catch up with Freyd, leaving her artwork behind. 

 

Spoiler

 

[Freyd 0]

Freyd's pace was brisk, and his strides long, as if he wanted to put as much distance between himself and his sketch as possible.  He led them directly to the quest cave as swiftly as possible, turning his head only to take note of a small creek where he had once devastated a bunch of big stinky skunks while Assassin had the worst stretch of luck imaginable.  Elora caught up while he was distracted by the memory.  His mood was still unreadable, but it was clear that something had affected him beyond just frustration with artistic talent back at Hannah's grove.  

"It's up here, on the right.  The cave is full of gems, but a guardian will spawn the moment you pull it from the cave wall.  It's easy to defeat, but I suggest you take it on yourself."  She needed the practice after the incident with the baby boars.

[Elora 0]

Elora had trouble keeping up with Freyd as he lead them to the next location. Part of her wanted to yell at him to slow down so she could ask what had gotten into him. Another part of her knew that it was better not to test people when they already seemed on-edge. She had had her fair share of experiences with being quiet and learning how to disassociate with her emotions during heated fights. Maybe he was was taking a similar, but more evasive approach. 

By the time she heard him beginning to speak again, Elora could barely understand what he was saying. She picked up her pace until she stood perpendicular to him, where she was able to make out: "It's easy to defeat, but I suggest you take it on yourself." He must have been directing her on how to battle the Cave Guardian. Sh*t, hopefully I didn't miss anything important. No point asking again in case he gets frustrated...

Elora took a deep breath and hesitantly crept deeper into the cave. I'm sure I'll be just fine, so long as I keep my guard up.

 

 

[Freyd 0]

"I'll be right here," he added, summoning his white blade and planting it firmly in the ground, halfway to the hilt.  The force behind his thrust sent a gust outward that caused nearby trees to sway away from the impact and scattered birds into the sky amidst cacophonous twitter.  Seating himself on a nearby rock he threaded his fingers together , planting his elbows on either knee, then resting his chin on his hands.  His eyes closed and Elora saw the tension go out of his face and hands.  "Just keep your wits about you and you'll be fine."  His eyes remained closed but it was as if he could sense her presence by other means.  

"But, you can always call if you need me."  His voice cracked awkwardly with the last statement. The perils of a youthful avatar, perhaps?  She could see his fingers clench together.  Something was gnawing at his still.

[Elora 0]

"Don't worry!", remarked Elora as she stood taller and puffed up her chest, "I'm gonna kick this thing's ass before it even knows it has one!" And with that, she charged into the cave, brandishing her spear enthusiastically. Now here's to hoping I can actually find wherever the hell I need to go. Darkness quickly draped around her as she descended into the azure canyon. It's floor was composed from segments of smooth stone whose surface rippled with striations, like sand from an ancient riverbed that had settled and solidified over time. Small crustaceans scuttled to hide beneath scattered pebbles upon hearing the sound of her footsteps. 

She took a sharp right turn at the next bend to find a narrow tunnel flooded with a fine, almost iridescent white sand. "Oh" At the base of a few different areas along the wall ahead, she could see clusters of cerulean crystals emanating a steady light throughout the cavern. Guess this is how you can tell it's a level 1 quest. The game doesn't even TRY to make the items difficult to find. Elora approached one of the gemstones and gently began to stab it with the point of her spear. Huh, seems a bit stubborn. New tactic -- As she had started to rotate her spear so she could instead hit the gemstone with the butt of the weapon, a force behind her began to rumble. "Guess it's showtime" Spinning to meet her foe, Elora took a second before she proceeded to look UP to meet the eyes of the Cave Guardian. "O-oh, you're uh -- kind of gigantic"

At this point, Elora couldn't tell if it was the creature causing her surroundings to shake, or just her own legs.

 

Spoiler

Cave Guardian: 20 HP, 50 DMG

Edited July 9, 2020 by Elora

[Freyd 0]

Unfurling his hands, Freyd stared at them, with his fingers splayed wide.  They still shook.  He wasn't able to shake the deeply disturbing dread that had risen within him as his hands drew the figure of the boy he had once maimed.  Twenty years, and the incident still haunted him.

"Even here?!"  He clenched his eyes tight, willing his fingers to obey his commands, but they clung to the revivified memory of the darkest day in his life.  He needed something else to help him focus.  Pursing his pale lips, he reached into his storage with purpose, summoning items he'd placed there without knowing why.

A roar echoed from the cave - possibly drowning out a feminine scream - he couldn't quite tell.  She'll be fine.  She's more capable than she looks, or knows.  Trust her to discover that.

"Come on, Elora," he whispered to himself.  "Slay this beast."

Another canvas laid out before him, he set to work; as he did, the shaking stopped.

Edited July 9, 2020 by Freyd - The Whisper in Shadows

[Elora 0]

 

There was no time to waste. Elora needed to attack the beast swiftly before it had the chance to hurt her. She ran a short distance before jumping high into the air ready to impale the Guardian's che -- the monolith quickly maneuvered to evade her attack. The tip of her spear found its way into the colossus's back, lodging snugly between a series of interlocking shale plates. Without her strike causing any actual damage, Elora clung to her weapon's staff, hanging a good ten feet off from the ground. 

Sh*t 

Without warning, the golem began sprinting, well, hurriedly hobbling, deeper into the grotto. Elora yelled as the thing swatted at her from over its shoulders, trying desperately to squish her like she was some sort of nasty parasite. Her legs flailed beneath her as she struggled to hoist them and find footing somewhere in the monster's back. It was impossible to focus on anything as sporadic fractals of light danced between her vision and every object around her. At a loss for what to do next, Elora clung to her weapon and hoped that an opportunity would present itself to her.

 

Spoiler

Elora Attacks with "Mighty Charge" HP 220  //  EN 22  18  //  DMG  6  //  ACC  1

Elora: ID#: 158304 BD1 + 1ACC  Critical Fail >> Cave Guardian

 

Cave Guardian 20 HP //  50 DMG

Cave Guardian: IID#: 158304 BD1 Critical Fail 

Edited July 10, 2020 by Elora

[Freyd 0]

Freyd busied himself with his sketching while sounds of battle emanated from the cave.  Working from memory was tricky, but the image was vivid.  He clung to it as a means to banish the darker thoughts that threatened to swallow whole his soul. 

Damn, I hate that I can't shake this.  It's always there, just below the surface, haunting my every waking moment. 

The anger inside him wanted to break out and stab the darkness in his head with the pen, as if it could somehow be destroyed with such a simple implement.  The rational part, took charge instead.  It always saved him - keeping the dark and emotions from overwhelming.  Ironically, it protected his humanity, where the more volatile aspects of his persona strove to tear it apart.  

How the hell can being cold and calculating somehow preserve the very thing it denies?!  My mind makes no sense!

An awkward silence echoed from inside the cave while Elora hung from her spear.  Freyd continued to draw.  His lines were smooth and steady now.  A few stray droplets fell on the canvas as he did, and he turned his face skyward to watch the sporadic drizzle of a sun shower fall.

How come the sky can cry, when I cannot?  It's not fair.

The droplets blurred the lines on his page, giving them a water-colour like quality.  He put it away to protect it. Then turned his attention to where it truly belonged.

"Elora?  Is everything alright?"

[Elora 0]

The golem finally lowered its arms, repositioning them to haul a large boulder from the ground. At least, that was what Elora inferred was happening from hearing the course grating sound that resounded throughout the cavern, rattling its passageways. The unpleasant sound did nothing but amplify her fear regarding the situation. I need to figure something out! Eyes darting and struggling to perceive anything in the dim light, Elora resorted to relying on her sense of touch. Based on the reverberations, she could guess that they were still occupying a narrow corridor of the tunnel. She began to kick her legs back and forth until they may contact with stone. Elora tightened her core and leveraged her momentum to run up the side of a nearby wall. Swinging into and coming out of an overhead arc, her weight broke the spear from the Cave Guardian's back, causing both her and the weapon to fall onto the ground. 

"ha-HAH!", she exclaimed before remembering that the battle wasn't over yet. In a moment's notice the colossus was facing her once again, but this time, it was carrying a weapon of its own. Elora shot up to her feet and charged the monster without a second thought. Just as it started to unwind a throw, she lifted her spear upwards and into its gemstone heart. The shattered centerpiece exploded in an array of light, sending the monster crumbling under the pressure of its own weight. 

"AHH!", screamed Elora, crossing her arms in front of her as the gigantic stone came sailing down on top of her. Thankfully, the game had registered that the boss had been defeated. This caused the boulder to phase through her body, leaving it unharmed. 

 CAVE GUARDIAN DEFEATED. RETURN TO HANNAH TO COMPLETE THE QUEST.

 

Spoiler

Elora Attacks with "Mighty Charge" HP 220  //  EN 22  17  //  DMG  6  //  ACC  1

Elora: ID#: 158316 BD10 + 1ACC  Critical Success >> Cave Guardian 

(6 + 2 = 8) (8 x 3 = 24) -24 HP

 

Cave Guardian 20 HP //  50 DMG

Cave Guardian: ID#: 158316 BD6  Success

 

(Cave Guardian Defeated, Objective Complete)

Edited July 11, 2020 by Elora

[Freyd 0]

Emerging from the shadows just as Elora dealt the killing blow, Freyd proudly watched her defeat the beast.  Forgiven Disobedience rested in his right hand, looking like it should be awkwardly unbalanced due to its size.

"Excellent!  Nice use of footwork and recovery.  Nice move, too."  He spared a wry grin before letting the blade sink back into oblivion.  It wasn't needed after all, to his considerable relief.  Freyd looked genuinely relieved and impressed to find her victorious so quickly, especially after the mishap with the boar pups.

His reddish-brown eyes actually showed signs of warmth and happiness for the first time since Elora had met him.  It was a drastic change from mere moments ago.

"Come on," he said, throwing a thumb over his should to point the way out.  "Let's go back to Hannah, and get you on to your last lesson.  After that display, I'd say that you're just about ready for the big leagues."

[Elora 0]

Elora turned to him, smiling brightly once again. Since the two of them were still enveloped in darkness, he wouldn't be able to see the patches of dirt that matted her hair, face, and arms.

"Thanks! It really wasn't so hard to get into the rhythm of things when I felt like I was about to die. That helped add some urgency to my decision-making." The only thing better than pulling off something awesome was doing so when other people could witness it and praise her for her success. Victories came rarely to her in the past, and she felt more inclined to attempt overcoming new obstacles after receiving validation from others. It'll feel so rewarding once I become even better at battling and crafting. Every day will be a celebration of what I've accomplished" 

She walked out of the cave with him, looking even prouder than she did after her previous battle. The Sun had finally passed the apex of its arc in the sky and now began to drift downward into the afternoon. "Guess we'll probably have to hurry on to the next quest. Hopefully it's short and we won't get stuck outside of the city at night. I've heard it can be dangerous then, especially if there are any player killers around."

Elora paused for a moment before reinforcing the point of discussion, "Besides, I want to make it back to the town in time to have a drink!" She didn't want Freyd to think she was worried or scared of the possibility.

Edited July 11, 2020 by Elora

[Freyd 0]

His ruddy eyes softened at her suggestion to have a drink and celebrate.  He'd never really seen Elora come out of her shell like this.  It was nice.

"That sounds like a great idea.  Let's get back to Hannah, then find a place to toast your newfound prowess and courage."  He handed her a small rolled up piece of parchment - the same one he'd been scrawling on while she was facing her fears inside the cave.  A brief glimpse of conflicting embarrassment and relief crossed his face.  He avoided her eyes, which wasn't like him at all.  Freyd had never been one to avoid facing anything in a cool and collected manner.   Kil had once joked that he could beat statues in staring contests, yet here he was desperately searching for anywhere else to direct his gaze.

"I apologize for my behaviour earlier.  Something came out in that sketch that I wasn't ready for, and may never be.  But I don't give up easily.  I just needed to find some inspiration."  He looked at the scroll he'd given her.  "Thanks for that."

Spoiler

 

(Meant to be his take on Elora)

 

[Elora 0]

"Something came out in that sketch that I wasn't ready for, and may never be." No kidding, I wasn't expecting to be such a sh*t artist either, she thought as he handed her the furled sheet. Confused about what he meant in regards to finding inspiration, she began to open the scroll. The brittle paper seemed like it had gotten wet at some point, which had also caused it to roll up. It was difficult to keep its edges from folding in around the drawing of...a woman? Is this supposed to be me? She began to study the figure's features to see if it contained any similar characteristics to that of her own face. There were some faint wrinkles beneath the eyes, but aside from that, she looked beautiful -- flawless even. Nebulous watercolor smudges surrounding her were the only imperfections inflicting her profile. It was annoying how they concealed further details, like a suffocating smog that veiled the artwork, preventing it from breathing life and becoming a true masterpiece. 

"Wow, this is really good", she said as she marveled at the design, "You're a much better artist than I am" Surprisingly, the admission didn't seem to phase her. It was typical of Elora to downplay the amount of skill required to do things she wasn't able to accomplish herself. Usually this would come at an equal expense to her self-esteem and to the feelings of the person she mocked. Even if, deep-down, she envied his abilities and the fact that they didn't come easily to her, she couldn't bring herself to project that animosity onto Freyd. He's done so much to help me recently, and maybe...maybe it's ok for him to know some things that I don't. The paper began to rapidly rebound upon being released from her now trembling hands. I'll have time to learn. Then, someday, I'll have the chance to teach these lessons to someone else. 

She quickly brushed past him, accidentally knocking her shoulder against his own. The clumsy gesture probably revealed that the true intent of her action wasn't to instigate aggression, but to evade his gaze in return. 

"Let's head back.", she directed abruptly, quickly raising a hand to wipe her eyes before he would have the chance to notice. "I'll take the lead"

[Freyd 0]

"I'll take the lead."

Good.  We've done what was necessary and you're on your way to the future that you desperately needed - the one that lies above.  Freyd's eyes were turning upward to look at the sky that was really a ceiling, realizing that its barrier would soon drop and offer Elora a future.  His shifting gaze paused as she brushed past him, catching a glimpse of her hand rising to her face.  He would never mention having seen it, and hoped that it was a sign of growth.  Fate was too cruel for him to believe that she would be spared the pain that so often accompanied such moments.  He was proud of her for it, but saying aloud would undo her fragile progress.

"Hey!  Wait up!  We still need to go to Pete's place after this and get you a swordfish!"  He stayed a step behind her to serve as moral support without the burden of expectations.  It was his place - to whisper from the shadows.  At least, this time, he could do so with words and deeds of encouragement.