[PP-F01]<<Earning a Living>> Fishing for Information

[Snow 0]

Quote

Recipient: @Baldur
Topic: Quest
Body:
Hey, I know this might be out of the blue, but would you be willing to join me on the quest to unlock the fishing skill? I've seen you occasionally fish by yourself at the estate. Maybe you could teach a girl a thing or two? No pressure if you're too busy. I'll be here until around 10:00 am. Okay then. Talk to you later!

~Alyssa

The blonde tapped the icon to send the direct message off to her guild leader. Then, she closed out of all her menus. With a little research earlier in the day, she found out where the NPC that held the quest was located and journeyed off early in the morning. Snow liked to be up before the rest of the guild when she stayed over at Baldur's estate. It usually meant she could ready a kettle of tea or begin the batch of rice they could pull from for the rest of the day. As long as she accomplished something that would benefit someone, Snow felt accomplished. After prepping the tea and rice this morning, she made her way down to the first floor and left the Town of Beginnings for the nearby woods. A few minutes' hike lead her to a small pond surrounded by moss laden trees. At the water's edge stood a small hut and rickety wooden dock barely enough to tie down one small kayak or canoe.

As Snow approached the shack, a figure peeped up from the water's edge partially hidden by the worn wooden supports of the shack. The man, more triangle than human, lifted a hand in greeting. His broad shoulders, build torso, but shockingly underwhelming legs came closer to Snow and he gave her an uncomfortable look over. Then, with a quick bow, he spoke.

"Anthony Gill, at your service," he announced. "Let me guess, you were looking for someone old, with a long white beard, and a pipe?" Waggling his eyebrows, the man added, "Sorry to disappoint. Now, what can I do for you?"

"Um..." Snow began with one step away from the NPC. "I'd like to learn how to fish?"

Anthony flashed that million-watt smile. "I am honored you would come to me for help. Since we're friends, I'll let you in on a little secret." Reaching into his pocket, Anthony drew out a small tin, then offered it to Snow. "This is a special bait, because a local priest prays over it in a top-secret ceremony.  I'm the only one in the world who has it, so don't bother looking for it anywhere else. If you use it, you'll catch the rare any mysterious Rainbow Fish, which you can harvest for Gleaming Scales. Catch the fish, bring me a scale, and you'll know all there is to know about fishing."

Snow held her hands out and he plopped it into the middle of her palm. With both of his hands, he wrapped her fingers over the tin and firmly squeezed. Then, without further ceremony, he nodded and ventured to the hut where he disappeared behind its only door. Snow's hand opened and she pinched the worn tin with a look of disgust. Whether the disgust was for the dirty tin, the man who awkwardly put it in her hand, or both... well it was both.

"Um... What about a pole?" Her voice loudly questioned. Instead she heard snoring from the shack. "Are you kidding me...?"

The blonde let out a long, tired sigh. It was going to be a day, especially if Baldur didn't show.

Spoiler

 

[Snow 0]

Spoiler

ID 204272   BD 1   CD 4   LD 11   MD 9
Nothing.

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 of it. Worse off, it seemed to be alive. The <<Fancy Worm>> wriggled in the grimy tin the moment fresh, cool air hit it.

"I hate this already."

With worm tin in hand, Snow walked down to the water's edge where the murky depths seemed to hide unknown contents. Thick algae clumped near the reeds at the shoreline, further obstructing view. Without a rod, Snow looked to her the bait, then to the water, and back to the bait. How was she supposed to catch a fish? Her bare hands?

With a shrug, Snow reluctantly grabbed the wriggling worm by the red ribbon and held it over the water. To no surprise, nothing seemed to happen.

Edited February 27, 2022 by Snow

[Baldur 0]

Quote

Recipient: @Baldur
Topic: Quest
Body:
Hey, I know this might be out of the blue, but would you be willing to join me on the quest to unlock the fishing skill? I've seen you occasionally fish by yourself at the estate. Maybe you could teach a girl a thing or two? No pressure if you're too busy. I'll be here until around 10:00 am. Okay then. Talk to you later!

~Alyssa

Baldur was surprised to get the message, but it brought a smile to his face. He had dabbled at fishing, even picked up the skill and dropped it when they had the event which actually spawned Jacob's Ladder. Perhaps it would be good to pick it back up again. He would need lots of materials to continue to arm the Frontline, and this was a good way to go about it. Plus, having cooks to make the food they'd need would be helpful. He would be able to help supply Snow and Cord this way.

Pushing himself up from the cushion where he had been reclining, watching over the water of his estate, he went and grabbed his old pole, then pulled a teleport crystal from his pocket and crushed it to teleport to the Town of Beginnings.

---

"Thank you, Anthony-San." Baldur said, accepting the special bait for the quest. This was a bit different from last time, but he didn't mind it. Some skills had changed and he could honestly stand to brush up on it. He could see Snow off just a short ways by the water. For moment, Baldur couldn't move.

Memories passed through his mind, not just of his time with Snow, but with Shield, Mari, Oikawa, and Calrex as they had discussed the potential and the possibility of the guild they were looking to form. It had been a guild attempt many times. Square 1. Spectrum Coalition. Baldur's attempt to bring all the tanks together. Shield's attempt to forge a guild to unify the front. They had all failed until Jacob's Ladder. Unfortunately, it seemed there was only one pillar left at the moment, and Baldur was not doing the greatest job. They had managed, together, to supply the Floor 25 boss fight in a way never seen before, and it was a rousing success in spite of what happened. It would have been entirely different had they not come some prepared. The floor 26 boss fight had been similarly prepared, but he was now at the limited of what he had left over. They would need to resupply before the next floor boss, or just rely entirely on the goodwill of Raidou and Firm Anima. They had a good partnership, but Baldur didn't want the full burden to be on them. All it took was someone going missing, or bad relations, and they could be found without needed supplies. It was also unfair to ask for someone to bear all the burdens on their shoulders alone.

He found himself again a moment later, holding the small package with the worm in it. He then chose his path down from the NPC and towards the water.

"Kon'nichiwa, Snow-san." he picked his way carefully, not wanting to slide where it was wet and muddy.

"Thank you for inviting me---"

He looked over as snow bent over the water among the edge of the reeds, dangling the <<Blessed Bait>> over the water like she were expecting the fish to jump out of the water and take it out of her hand. He stood there, stunned for a moment. He had thought her asking him for tips was a kind way to get him down here, not because she knew literally nothing about fishing. After a heartbeat, the confusion melted away and his eyes returned to being clear, still ponds of water.

"Here, let me help you." He said as he walked out to where she stood, putting the pole in the crook of his arm in a way that it would not get tangled up in her beautiful, sunshine colored hair. He reached out to her, taking the worm from her hands and then grabbing the hook on the string line in his other. "We can probably just hook the ribbon if you don't want to stick the worm on it." He gave her an amused smile, not a teasing one, but enjoying her quirks. Enjoying getting to learn something more about her.

 

[Snow 0]

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 her sides.

"Here, let me help you."

Gently, he took the worm from her hand and busied himself with an old pole. When he spoke about hooking the worm, Snow nodded, face still flushed with embarrassment.

"I didn't have a pole..." she whimpered.

Spoiler

ID 204280   BD 4   CD 10   LD 1    MD 8
1 Material Acquired

As she spoke defeated to Baldur, she heard splashes of water behind her. Right where she knelt over the water's edge, a good sized fish swam about. It's long whiskers breached the surface and skittered through the muck as it looked for food. Perhaps the lucky bait was lucky after all.

"A fish! Baldur!" Snow pointed to the water's edge. She didn't know what to do at this point. Catch it with her hands? It looked slimy. Do they throw the bait and hook at it now or...?

"Uh.. uh..." She stammered. Her hand flicked up and menus appeared. Then Sif's Needle, her trusty spear, materialized in a flash of blue pixelized light. She snatched it from the air, ran to the water's edge, and before the fish could slink into the inky depths, thrust it into the mud. Splashes of water flung mud and algae on her outfit until it stopped.

"Did I get it?" she asked. Lost in the thrill of the hunt and ignorant of the filth on her, Snow crouched down and lifted the tip of her spear. On it's serrated blade the lifeless fish dangled.

"Hey! Hey! Look!" She turned to Baldur and the look of embarrassment was replaced by excitement. Her first fish... with a spear.

Wait...

She looked back to the spear, the fish, and then herself. Now she looked like some neanderthal in a history special spearing fish instead of she didn't know... a normal human being? There it was: embarrassment all over again. What a mess...

Edited February 27, 2022 by Snow

[Baldur 0]

Baldur laughed as Snow looked back at him, half covered in mud and wet with the water she had kicked up in her haste to get to the fish with her spear. The fish flopped a moment on the tip before going still, though the woman's expression shifted from surprise, to triumph, to embarrassment as her face flushed prettily. 

"Well done!" He cheered for her success.

Baldur stood there, no small amount of water and mud strewn across his garb from her enthusiastic spear fishing. A soft laugh in his eyes, not at the antics, but at the rapid change in her emotions written plainly on her face 

"Well you know, I never considered maybe you had an aptitude for spear fishing if not regular fishing." He chuckled and then handed her the small package with his own lucky bait on it.

"Tell you what, I'll show you how to use a rod and bait and cast the line, then you can give it a try. If that doesn't work out, I'll tell you all I know about spear fishing. I've never done it, but one of my cousins used to do it a lot."

With her bait on the hook of the pole he brought, Baldur drew in the line in one hand then held it back before flinging it forward like the worm was the projectile of a trebuchet. Unlike modern fishing poles that had buttons and spooled line. This was a bit more akin to fly fishing, but once the bait hit there water he let it sit there, bobbing with the ripples.

"I did it that way so I could control when the weight of the worm and the bobber flew. It lets me choose the arc and distance and power I want to use."

The line bobbed there for a moment. It felt almost anticlimactic after what she had done. With spear fishing she had gotten an immediate result, rather than having to wait for the fish to come to the bait on the line.

He reached up, and flicked a bit of mud that had gotten on his face.

"I assume you're getting into fishing for your sushi shop?" He played with the line, causing it to bob a little and hopefully attract a fish.

"Did you ever make sushi before coming to Aincrad? I watched someone try to teach themselves and it looked so hard I just never tried it myself." He chuckled softly as he moved to sit down at the end of the pier. 

He patted the bit of pier next to him, indicating for her sit with him.

"Now we wait."

Spoiler

ID#204314 

CD7 LD14

+1 material

 

Edited March 1, 2022 by Baldur

[Snow 0]

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? "Wow..."

It was in that moment, Snow noticed the gunk and water splashes all over her armor and body. Her face twisted in displeasure. How unsightly. She thought of changing her attire all together to clear the filth, but the present company and location would make that all the more inappropriate. Her head hung in defeat. Snow resolved to continue her little quest in the current state. No stranger to hikes or swimming, she tried to tell herself this was the collateral of adventure. It was a poor argument even to herself.

"I'm sorry," she apologized to Baldur for getting him dirty. "I got a little excited. I didn't think the fish would... well..."

She gestured to herself and then a single hand to him as he flung a chunk of mud from his cheek. Despite the guilt, she cracked a smile at the sight of the two. No more than a few seconds together and they were already filthy. Thankfully, Baldur's calm demeanor overcame how Snow expected anyone else to react.

She listened to his proposition to fish and watched him effortlessly flick the bait into the water. It landed far from the water's edge and away from the stagnant algae. Already, his method seemed a lot more refined and... clean. Then came his question and Snow felt conflicted.

Shield, not so gently, taught Snow that talking about the real world was taboo. It dragged up memories of a place and time which may never return. Some suffered in silence, only held together by coping with a new reality -- a fresh start. Just as Shield warned, Snow's mind drifted to another time, another place, and with company she would never see again. In front of their couch, on the coffee table, Alyssa laid out several California rolls to Daire's excited praise. They enjoyed it together over binged episodes on Netflix or Crunchyroll. Alyssa laughed as Daire tried to eat a roll and it picked the perfect time to come undone all over her. She'd flip Alyssa the bird, they laughed, and the warmth of the memory lingered deep in a place Alyssa didn't expect to suddenly recall.

"Yeah..." The word lingered with weight. Snow grinned. "Shield warned me about striking up conversations about the other side."

The girl nodded to herself. Lesson learned. She walked to the edge of the pier where Baldur gestured for her to sit. She lofted her legs over the edge and sat beside him. The thoughts of Daire still lingered, raw, but she felt a sense of relief in Baldur's question. She felt a sense of liberation.

"Me and Daire used to make some. Her favorite was California rolls, you know... because she was from California." Snow cracked a bittersweet smile.

Spoiler

ID 204422    BD 1    CD 11    LD 17    MD 9

That's a Gleaming Scale, folks.

Totals:
+1 Material
+1 Gleaming Scale

As the sentence drifted into obscurity of memory, the bobber on the water's surface plunged into the depths. The plip snapped Snow's cerulean attention to the missing bait.

"Looks like you got one!" The exclamation fell slightly flat. Snow's mind lingered on Daire and Baldur's real name, Jason. She thought of Shield's warning and wondered what her transgressions mustered up for him back in that cavern. Still, despite the thoughts in her mind, she felt a tinge of gratitude and connection. She wanted to talk to Jason more, to learn more about him, not the samurai and front line warrior of Sword Art Online. She wanted to connect with both her and his humanity.

Edited March 1, 2022 by Snow

[Baldur 0]

The gaijin samurai smiled up at Snow as she sat down beside him and opened his mouth to speak, when she pointed out he got a bite. The line tugged at his pole, causing the tip to bend towards the water, and he gave a delighted laugh.

"Alright, here you go!"

Baldur held out the fishing pole to the suddenly surprised girl. She said some words of protest, but Baldur held the rod, more than a bit awkwardly at this angle, in front of her until she took the pole from him. He made sure she had a good hand on it before he let go.

"So the system takes care of most of the hard work, but in the real world, you'd want to give a tug to the line, that really helps set the hook and keep the fish from getting away. Now that you've got it, you should see some prompts, however, the game also responds to physical queues instead. So pull back on the rod when the fish struggles. There's elasticity to the rod, so each time you pull back, you're graining ground on the fish, and then finally when it's close, you pull really hard, counter to the fish, so that when it finally is exhausted, the rod resets back to straight, and it pulls the fish right out of the water."

It was a motion that needed to be practiced, but Snow was quick to get a handle of it. It was even the rainbow scaled fish they were looking for.

"Woah! Congratulations." He helped her stow the fish, and then took another lucky worm out, and reset it on the string.

"Alright, now you try casting this line. Remember, you want some slack on the line and let it go just before the hook hits that 45 degree angle so that the hook acts as the weight and carries it through the air." He smiled and chuckled, never meanly, as she tried a few practice casts until she got it right. Once the bait was out in the water, they sat back down together to wait.

The silence linged for a moment, his face giving phantom pains from smiling so much. It felt like it had been a while since he had smiled for this long. Now that his says were without smiling, but they were moments of the day.

"Shield gave you good advice. We don't talk about the other side here. It's painful, it's private, there are as many reasons as there are people." He stole a sideways glance at her, and then bumped her with his shoulder.

"But to you, Alyssa, alone like this, I am Jason." He hoped that feel went two ways, but he would not assume on her behalf. The threshold for giving one's name was different from everyone. They couldn't all be Batman and just give their secret identity to every cute girl that smiled at him.

"You know, " He said with a playful smirk that touched his eyes, "I spent a lot of time in California as well. Though I didn't realize they called stuff 'California rolls,' or 'California burgers' because it had avocado in it. I thought maybe they were just rolls that were popular in California." His voice chuckled, it came from a place deep in his belly, but was not loud enough to carry beyond the little pier around them.

Daire. She must be the one whom she lost. The one she fought Calrex over.

He didn't know much more than that that was how the two met. He didn't remember anyone named Last_Chance, but Calrex would know better than Baldur. Azide's death had affected the wanna-be samurai greatly, and he had taken a step back from the fighting until he was ready and not a liability. But Alyssa had given him something of hers, and he should do the same for her. But what? Perhaps the joke about the roll, but this Daire was something deep for her. What deep down was he willing to share? It had been so long since he had looked, he didn't even know what to say.

"I... may be a bit more talk than substance on the subject of speaking about the other world though. It will take me time to air out those closest, if you will. I haven't done any spring cleaning in a long time." He tried to play off his nervousness and uncomfortableness with a laugh, but he found that he was desperate. Desperate to hear her say his name. To feel that connection.

He felt he owed her an apology, even if it was a poor one. He was the person everyone came to for answers. He knew the steps he needed to walk, he just needed to walk them. The truth was, however, that sometimes Baldur felt more real than Jason. Not in the sense of an alternate persona, but in the sense that Baldur was more true to who he was as a person than Jason was. Jason had always had to conform to society, but Baldur sometimes felt like the true expression. Ther person he had chosen to be. But that... that was a different conversation, for a much, mucher later date.

"Alyssa..." he said her name, barely louder than a whisper which could be stolen by the afternoon breeze, "I'm afraid there's more samurai left than man."

Spoiler

Fishing roll: ID# 204424 CD: 5 (nothing caught)

 

Edited March 1, 2022 by Baldur

[Snow 0]

"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 momentarily plagued her mind drowned out from the rush of uncertainty. Baldur continued to provide tips, but the blonde heard maybe half of them. Her eyes zeroed in on the splashing and sputtering at the end of the line. The fish pulled hard. Snow pulled harder to the sound of strained wood.

"Is it going to break?!" left the panicked words. Then, the line grew a little slack, just like Baldur described. Confidence began to settle in to her shaky understanding of fishing. Much of the details he spoke of went clean over her head. What Snow retained, just hold onto the rod, fight against the pull, then go with the pull, rinse and repeat until the pulling stops. The tug of war continued for several moments until the rod straightened. Their catch ran out of stamina.

"This is it!" One last tug.

From the water emerged a rainbow colored fish. Gills and fins moved slowly, just like Snow trying to wrestle the covers back over herself for another few minutes of sleep in the morning. A pop up announced the acquisition of one <<Gleaming Scale>>, the object necessary for the quest. Snow accepted the prompt and the fish vanished into a shower of pixelated sparks.

"We did it Baldur!" she said with a smile. "That was much easier than I thought." Her racing heart argued against her lie.

The samurai pulled another bait from his own inventory and re'hooked it on the line. Then, he gave her some instructions on casting. Snow watched carefully as her adrenaline settled, mimicking his hands with her own. There was a 45 degree angle, some weight, a little--

"Ow!" The hook pricked her finger. Little red pixels erupted and the force of habit placed her thumb against her lips. Snow's brows nearly touched together in frustration, but Baldur assured her to try again. After a couple more attempts and one run in with hooks and her hair, Snow finally landed the bait in the middle of the pond.

"And now we wait," she repeated with a crass smile.

Still air settled between them for a moment before he returned to their conversation. He remarked on how Shield gave correct advice. The real world was taboo. Then, he gently nudged her shoulder. Snow gave him her attention to again hear her name. Then, he said his. Their real names.

As if to interject the weight of the topic, he lightened it with some facts about foods named after California. Snow had no idea that's where the name came from. She assumed California rolls were a specialty roll enjoyed through California. The way Daire talked about them, they were, but to think that all it took was a bit of avocado to call something California food was amusing. Snow giggled at the thought of her morning breakfast.

California toast.

Then, something Snow didn't expect happened. Baldur receded. She could hear the unease in his tone. She looked to where his eyes should be but instead, he looked off and away from her. A different person sat next to her. This wasn't Baldur. Was this the same person who hugged her? Who unleashed the dam of confined emotions as tears? He went on to say he was more samurai than man. He eluded to a disconnection to the surface world. Did he not remember? Did he not want to remember?

Snow looked out over the water. She searched its still surface for the words to return to him.

"I don't believe that." She shook her head. "I refuse to believe that."

She turned back to him with the faint scowl.

"Right now you are not Baldur. You're Jason. You're the man inside the samurai. That never went anywhere and won't go anywhere." Snow placed her hand on his muddied shoulder. She took a moment, still struggling for what to say. Her own thoughts reflected toward herself. To the girl moments after getting the news about the death game. To the months she spent tucked away behind the walls of the First City. She looked back on that girl and her hand slid off Baldur's shoulder.

"We just have to change is all..." The words drifted along with her gaze. "I know what you mean though..."

"I uh..." She paused and looked away from him. "I'm not proud of who I was the first few days of Aincrad."

Out of embarrassment, she omitted the months in favor of days. She lingered on the facts. She thought about the refugee camps, of the children she came to know, of the matronly older players who took it upon themselves to console the despaired, and of her lack of role in the early months. She thought of the arguments she had with Daire about getting involved, about Daire's safety trying to fight for their freedom, and about what would happen if she died. She thought about the reason she left the Town of Beginnings and the only reason she sat here with Baldur in the first place.

"You're still you," she continued, voice timid as a mouse. "It's just easier to not be sometimes. To be someone else who's... braver... more courageous... who-- who cares about others more than themselves."

The words meant for him were wielded as a doubled edge.

Spoiler

ID 204428    BD 9    CD 2    LD 20    MD 9

No dice.

Totals:
+1 Material
+1 Gleaming Scale

"I guess for me, I used to be someone I'm not and now..." She attempted to smile. "I guess I'm just me now. With a pole and a good friend."

Edited March 2, 2022 by Snow

[Baldur 0]

 

Quote

"I don't believe that." She shook her head. "I refuse to believe that."

She turned back to him with the faint scowl.

"Right now you are not Baldur. You're Jason. You're the man inside the samurai. That never went anywhere and won't go anywhere."

He had expected feel something different when she finally said his name, but instead the tone was different. She wasn't admonishing him, she was reminding him.

She was right. Jason never did go anywhere, he grew, he blossomed in the adversity he had found here. He had lost branches along the way, and become different than who he was. They were all shaped by the circumstances they found themselves in. To not change was to die. He wasn't lesser, he was just different.

Her hand slipped from his shoulder, and with it the warmth her hand brought.

He appreciated her words. A pole and a good friend, but for some reason he felt a hollowness. They were mirroring. Sometimes it was a defense mechanism, sometimes they were true feelings. He didn't get any deception out of Snow, but he needed to show vulnerability to forge that human connection they were both seeking out.

"I think some part of me was scared. Or ashamed. I wasn't scared when it happened. I wasn't scared of what happened. I mourned the deaths. I was scared for others. I was scared for my family, my friends I came here with and their family. Getting word of what happened. I felt responsible for their lives..."

Baldur dipped a toe into the water and it made ripple.

"But I felt purpose. It was clear to me what I needed to do to help in a way that it just never was obvious in the world outside. I can't pick up a katana and hit the problem until it's better in the real world, but I can here. Having a direct, solvable problem was almost liberating to me, who had been a wage slave office worker."

Jason looked at Alyssa then, his eyes warring back and forth from still ponds to rough ocean waters, searching for something in her eyes.

He reached out, taking Alyssa's hand that was resting between them and then placed it back on the fishing pole, though his hands lingered a moment, encircling hers with his own much larger hands.

"Courage isn't something you feel. Fear is a feeling. Courage is something you do. Empathy, helping others, these are actions you take. Real ways you help people."

He patted her hands on the pole.

"And there's no one else I'd want to be seated next to right now."

He looked back over the water.

Spoiler

Fishing ID#204432 CD10 LD15 gleaming scale success!

 

"Ope! Looks like we got one, hold onto the pole and give it a jerk to set the hook, and then bring it in just like last time."

Baldur jumped to his feet and made sure Snow didn't fall in either as she fought the fish to standing up. It was a big fish and a big fight. When she got it close, the fish was so large the pole was bending close to breaking. It looks like the durability of the pole was about to give it. He reached over to help her with it.

"I think the pole is about to fail. Are you still game for some spear fishing? You might need to jump in and get it with your spear!" 

He laughed light heatedly at the joke. She could hit it from the end of the dock if the pole lasted long enough.

Edited March 2, 2022 by Baldur

[Snow 0]

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 of tank was the only way to prove to herself, to Daire, and to others that she wasn't a coward. Not anymore.

"Jason..." The name lilted off her tongue.

Quote

"Ope! Looks like we got one, hold onto the pole and give it a jerk to set the hook, and then bring it in just like last time."

He leapt up from his seat on the pier and pulled her in tow against the weight of a new assailant. This one proved stronger than the last. The pole strained, line groaned, and water frothed from its desperate attempt to escape an untimely demise. Snow's mind struggled to focus, her cheeks red from previous thoughts. To the left, then the right, Snow wrangled the pole as cracks sounded. Baldur interjected, his hands gripped the rod. He shot her what sounded like a joke about spear fishing, but she only heard directions. Spear. Fish. Go now.

Snow let her hands off the rod, the sounds of the struggle in the background of her focus as her eyes settled on Sif's Needle propped against the dock. She swept it up in her grasp and just as he commented and without much thought, she jumped off the pier with the tip of the spear singing for where line vanished underwater.

KerSPLASH!

A deluge washed over Baldur and Snow sunk to her chest in the dark green waters. The pole snapped clear in twine from the force of her spear and the abuse the two had put it through. With the blonde nearly submerged, all that could be clearly seen was the shaking, ivory shaft of Sif's Needle. Locks of damp hair fell into her face as she struggled with the death throes of their quarry until, finally, the waters came to rest. Chest heaving, Snow spit out the bit of pond scum that threatened to invade her mouth. She looked to Baldur, the absolute mess that she was, and saw him completely drenched. Her eyes widened.

"Oh. My. God." She shook her head and stared at the point where spear became pond.

What a klutz! GET IT TOGETHER, ALYSSA!

In a way, she was thankful to the cool water for snapping her out of her own thoughts, but she didn't want to share the mess with Baldur. Why did she actually jump in?!

"I am so sorry!" she shouted at the water. Fish. The fish.

"The fish," she repeated as thoughts turned into words. Her spear hefted the beast near the water's surface where Snow struggled to breach.

"Help me!" She cried out, still up to her chest in the pond. Baldur reached down and together they beached a rainbow fish nearly twice the size of the one she caught only moments ago.

Spoiler

ID 204454    BD 7    CD 10    LD 12    MD 9

Another feesh!

Totals:
+2 Materials
+1 Gleaming Scale

Not only that, but on the very tip of her spear flopped yet another bottom feeder. Two for one!

Edited March 3, 2022 by Snow

[Baldur 0]

KerSPLASH!

Baldur laughed at the situation they found themselves in as Snow jumped into the water, spear in hand, to save their catched. As she drove herself and the spear into the water where the fish was, the pole finally gave, and shattered into luminous polygons swept up by the gentle breeze of the first floor. Water drenched the gaijin samurai, but his good humor could not be quenched.  He wasn't sure if the water was deeper or more shallow than she had expected, but the look on Alyssa's face as she looked up at him sent the man into another fit of laughter.

Quote

"Oh. My. God. I am so sorry!"

He moved slowly back up to the edge of the dock and knelt down, picking up the spear with two fish on the end as Snow handed it to him, noticing that one of them was the rainbow scale that he also needed to complete the quest and reclaim his fishing skill.

"That's a reel big fish!" He joked after setting it aside, noting that the window for completing his quest had popped up.

He then turned to offer a hand down to Snow and help pull her out of the water. He took one of her hands, and then then other and heaved her up until she could sit on the edge of the pier. It was an incongruity of SAO. There is no way Baldur could have performed such a feat in the real world, even with how small Snow was beside him, but his level and his stats did give him a physical power that manifest in the game. His build was in such an array, that he could probably come close to leaping onto the roof of a house. He wasn't the lithe, fast, agile build of some glass canons, but he was also not the slower, stouter build of some tanks. Baldur was all lean power. He could take a hit, and dish out damage with the best of them. He walked a road that meant he got the best of both worlds, without necessarily getting the absolute advantage of taking either to the extreme. But Baldur had taken hits from the toughest of quest mobs and floor bosses alike, and he had seen people die to both. He would not suffer the same fate.

As Alyssa got herself, drenched as she was, settled on the pier, Jason gave her a bemused smile at her state. He reached up, pulling bits of reed and algae from her shoulders and the top of her head where she couldn't see without a mirror.

"I was right. Spear fishing seems to come naturally to you." The smile he gave her touched his eyes, revealing laugh lines, not necessarily from age, but from a lifetime spent smiling.

"I will never call you timid, Alyssa." mischief twinkled for a moment in Jason's eyes as he knelt down and picked up her spear. The scale moved into this inventory so that they both had one, and then the fish into hers. Without thinking about the sheer absurdity of what he was doing, he reacted on instinct. He removed his blue and white haori, and slipped it around Alyssa's shoulders in case she was cold. The coat was wet with pond water, and had no small amount of algae on it, but around the girl's shoulders it went, and he fastened the haori himo over her chest. Unlike a traditional one, made of rope and those dated puffy cord ends, his was made of metal and natural stone beads. Perhaps it was his love for western style coat clasps, but it was a vanity he took to personalize the appearance.

A breeze blue past them, making the bits of his flesh feel a bit cool. It also seemed to clear a bit of the air that the two of them had felt, getting lost in memories of times gone by.

"Well, since we have completed the quest, and my fishing pole is broken, I can cheer you on for some more spear fishing, or would you like to accompany me into town to buy a new fishing line, and maybe one for yourself as well?"

He offered her his arm.

[Snow 0]

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 hair like a net. The blonde then gathered up all of her strands and rung them out the best she could.

"You said--" He knew what he said. She exhaled sharply. "I just went for it. I completely regret it, look at me..."

A few more clumps of green and a smattering of mud and Snow may as well of been classified as a floor boss named <<Swamp Thing>>. She busied herself trying to remove as much of the gunk as possible until she felt a weight around her shoulders. He placed his trademark haori over her shoulders. Although wet in itself, it was significantly more dry than herself and stole the chill away from the breeze. When he clasped it over her, she felt warmth invade her cheeks. Quietly, she picked at herself, removing what little pieces of filth she could. It was trademark. It felt just like the movies and the books. She didn't know what to say. Thank you sounded just too easy. With a faint chuckle, she looked up to Baldur.

"How do I look, now?" she mused. "Just like a Guild Leader, am I right?"

She stretched out her arms in the haori that was much more loose on her than Baldur. Blue of the sky met against the white flames near the hem, matching her eyes and fair skin. She smiled, cheeks rosy, and damp from head to toe. Her heart beat with sheer embarrassment but at this point, how much worse could it get? Thankfully, he seemed to be having a good time even after she broke his pole and drenched him. She was grateful. She was happy.

"I think I've had enough of spear fishing for the day," she replied to his query. "I think we've both had enough of my 'spear fishing'."

Her hands made air quotes. Baldur offered her his arm and Snow hesitated for a brief moment. His hands on hers, helping her from the water, and his haori over her shoulder, Snow noticed how close they seemed to  be. The hesitation waned and she took his arm to help her up. Then, she took a step back and nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds good." She remarked. Something sounded off in her tone. "I should probably switch into something not entirely soaked when we make it to town. But first..."

And as if on cue, out came Anthony from his hut, arms wide, and approached the two of them.

"I knew you could do it!" He smacked them companionably on the back and gave the two of them a quick wink. "I knew there was something special about you from the moment I saw you. As a gift from me to you, you should keep the scales. Just don't go giving it away now, because the next time you want one, you'll have to fish without my special bait." 

A notification popped up detracting the bait from their inventory and awarding them the fishing skill. Anthony then nodded toward his fishing shack.

"If you're ever in the area again, don't be afraid to visit. You know you're always welcome."

As quick as he came, he left. This time to the boat tied to his pier. He busied away with the rope and pushed off the dock with salute then a wave. What a strange man.

"Well, now that that is out of the way, let's get going. I'd like to get out of these clothes as soon as possible." Again her arms stretched out, little droplets of water scattering into the damp soil at their feet.

Edited March 3, 2022 by Snow

[Baldur 0]

Quote

"How do I look, now? Just like a Guild Leader, am I right?"

She had blushed when he put the haori on her. Had he been inappropriate? It was certainly not something someone in Asia would do so blithely, but she was of European descent, and her voice didn't have the accent of someone who had grown up in Japan. He assumed she was a transplant, like he was. The last thing he wanted to do was make her uncomfortable, but it struck Jason that it was something he did too often, by overestimating comfort levels and familiarity. Just because he had let her in so much, didn't mean she had let him in as much. Connection wasn't symmetrical.

But she asked how she looked, and so he took a half step back, a playful smile on his face, and he looked.

It fit her surprisingly well, he noticed at first blush. The blue of his haori was not so different from the blue of her own outfit she wore that day. The white flames at the bottom hem and the sleeves  were much lower on her as she almost swam in his haori, but her own outfit had white trim, though it was a little less white after the pond. The blue of her eyes were more noticeable with the sky blue wrapped around her as well, though she didn't seem to quite meet his as she played with getting some of the blonde strands  off of her heart shaped face. She was only a hands span shorter than he was, but the coat which came down to her knees then came down further on her legs. She had a shyness to her, a... hesitance he couldn't quite understand, but she also seemed vibant in his eyes. She seemed cheerful, happy even in that moment in spite of her distress at her appearance. Still, notes of her words, her body language, what bits of her history he had gathered made her feel like a person who was folded in on herself, and he just wanted to help her unfold. To spread her wings, and let the world feel the full accounting of her warmth and her passion. She was, he realized, someone he would like to help grow. She was in the right place in her journey of self actualization. Unfortunately, his usual approach of teaching someone the katana wouldn't work here, but there were other ways he could work around that.

"You look like a dream come true." He didn't realize how much it meant to him, seeing her in the haori. It had been a selfish dream. A vain dream. A private dream. He had always wanted to depart with a group of his people, the guild all together, wearing that very same haori. To him, wearing that as a group represented a certain bond, a certain connection, and a level of acceptance he never dreamed he would find. That wasn't why she was wearing the coat. She wore it, because Jason forgot that you don't get sick in SAO, and that her clothes would dry off before they got back to town anyways. This was a game, not real life, but he had acted on instinct as Jason, caught up in the moment, rather than the methodical, always controlled, calculation of Baldur.

Perhaps Snow was right, perhaps they weren't different people, but different mindsets. Jason treated this like it was real, because the game could fool the senses, especially after so many years. He could forget that this wasn't how it was outside of SAO. Baldur never forgot. Baldur was always ready. Baldur was always precise and in control.

"I've always dreamed of some day seeing the guild walking about in my haori." The same he gave her was earnest, and true, and from a place in the heart that surprised him. He had never spoken about it to anyone.

When it was time to go, and he offered her his arm, she hesitated a moment. Jason almost fled, and would have withdrawn his arm, but just before he could settle on a course of action, she took it. But only for a moment as she stepped away when they moved towards the NPC.

Quote

"Well, now that that is out of the way, let's get going. I'd like to get out of these clothes as soon as possible."

As they walked along the path towards the Town of Beginnings in companionable silence, Jason opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. He was about to call her by her name again, Alyssa, but he wasn't sure if that's what he should do. He was suddenly self-conscious of it. Addressing someone by their name without an honorific was incredibly... meaningful. Game names, such as Baldur and Snow, had an added respectful distance that the Japanese would appreciate. So by using her real name, without an honorific so much, was that being forward? What was their relationship now? He had called her Snow-san when he had arrived, because he had previously called her Snow-chan, and he wanted to show the level of respect that they now shared, but he had also already called her Alyssa several times. But should he call her Alyssa-san, or Alyssa-chan? He was still her guild leader, and her senior if he had a guess. But no, he had asked her to call him Jason, and she had given her name.

"Alyssa."

He said the name out-loud and without context. He was trying out the name consciously, but when she looked up at him with a slight raise of an eyebrow, still damp from the water left in her hair, he scrambled to think of how to save himself.

"I used to be able to sell ambition tools, but I ran out of stock a long time ago. We'll have to go to an NPC vendor to replace my pole... should I see if I can get you an Ambition spear? To help with your fishing exp?"

The look she gave him was enough for him to know that he had perhaps taken that particular joke too far. Though he would love to see her swimming beneath the waves with her spear in hand. He had loved free diving when he was on the outside. He suddenly wondered why he hadn't tried that here.

Their journey back to the The of Beginnings wasn't long. This was a started quest, for new players, and so was not far from the safe zone of the city. It also just so happened that his old shop was not far from the entrance. He had been the first merchant, and as such had had a commanding location back when the Town of Beginnings had been even more the main hub of activity.

"You may be dry already, but if you'd like to change, my shop is nearby. It's been closed for some time now, so you'll have privacy."

She looked shy, standing before the gates of the city, Marv standing to one side, looking at the two of them without a shred of judgement in his eyes, and he saw her pull the haori tighter about herself as if it were some kind of a shield, or perhaps armor. It had often felt that way to him. Other than when they had gone on their pilgrimage, this was the longest Baldur had gone without the haori. He did not miss the familiar weight of it, but its absence was more noticeable, like when you forgot your fitbit at home.

As they walked into the shop so she could change, it was immediately obvious Baldur had not been here in a long time. The sign above the door said 'Catfish Blacksmith and Sundries." Tyger's forge lay forgotten and abandoned. It was tidy, as Baldur had continued to run the shop long after Tyger was gone, it was an indelible part of the shop where he had once lived. The rest of it, the sundries part, was all shelves and boxes. Bits of old gear, and even a glass case for weapons and trinkets, though all empty and covered in dust. Immediately, Jason regretted taking her here. It was a different kind of silence. This was a silence of an abandoned home. Of painful memories, of what-ifs, and different paths. Ghosts lived here. It was and cavernous to Jason. But in the back, was a changing room for when he had sold people armor and clothing. This portion of the shop hadn't been neatly cleaned and stored away; it had been abandoned.

"I'll... wait outside." Baldur said, after letting her in and turning on the lights, and then fled to the outside.

What are you doing? Baldur wondered, as he cast his steel blue eyes up to the sky.

[Snow 0]

Quote

"You look like a dream come true."

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--

Quote

"I've always dreamed of some day seeing the guild walking about in my haori."

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 cold and spent most of the journey looking to the road. Her mind spun with mixed signals. She thought of his hand on hers, the haori around her shoulders, the comment about his dreams for the guild. How much did she really know him? Why was he opening up to her? Did he just trust her or was there something else? No, he didn't seem the malicious type. He was calm, collected, precise.

Always look out for the quiet ones, she heard Daire warn from a conversation long ago.

Her name broke the silence of their walk. She looked to him with a crooked brow and a moment of panic settled in. She trusted him, right? Of course. He was their guild leader, Baldur. He was the samurai who put a stop to many floor bosses and mediated the conflicts in the guild.

He mentioned the spear joke again and her thoughts of worry and panic melted into a look befitting of the dead horse who kept getting kicked. Still, joke or not, it eased the tension between them. The rest of the walk remained quiet, but Snow instead spent her time fiddling with her hair and helping it dry. Her thoughts lingered on her present company, but more so on wanting to learn more. Instead of worry, she thought about what it might be like to have a confidant beyond the numbers of SAO. He knew her name and she his. They shared a little about one another, about the player trapped in the headset.

As they breached the city walls and past the guards, Snow became conscious about her appearance and pulled his haori over her the caked mud and algae all over her. She felt as though eyes were upon her even if they weren't. As they arrived to an old shop not far from the gate, Snow couldn't help but notice the strange name of the place. It seemed so... boring. Baldur opened the door and let the two of them in where a scene of time laid out before them.

She felt like she entered a place neglected and lost. Dust covered everything. Old pieces of gear that even dated the lower level hand me downs she wore hung on the walls and in glass cases. Even the trinkets inside the cases collected a thin film. Snow's eyes drifted to the rafters where strands of web hung low from beam to beam. The lights came on and the motes of dust from their entrance danced in the air.

Her brows furrowed. How did this become so neglected? She ran her hand along one of the cases, a streak of translucency in its wake along the glass.

Quote

"I'll... wait outside."

And he left her alone in the harrowing silence of his time capsule. Snow's eyes drifted around as she spent a few moments just taking in the sights. Either he brought her here to trap her inside and never be seen again or he brought her here as a tie to something more man than samurai. Inside didn't even exude an eastern feel. It seemed so... plain. Is this what he forgot? Is this the part overwritten by the flair of blooming sakura, curved steel, and tatami mats?

Behind the counter, atop a pedestal, Snow caught a glimpse of something that seemed to stand out against the grey, a scale. It was ornate and showed signs of extensive use. Despite the neglect of the rest of the shop, it nearly seemed as if the dust did not want to settle on this scale. It stayed in balance, tuned for whatever weight it might bare. Snow put her finger on one side and smooth as silk it tilted to one side. Her finger left it and it quickly found its balance.

She snickered. Of course he would use a scale. A man of calm, who acted as though everything had its balance. Yet, at the same time, he seemed tilted to one side. The Baldur she knew now told her of Jason, a man he seemed to forget. The scales tilted and leaned to a side of digital numbers and data. She looked again at the store in its frozen state of the past. Perhaps he just needed a reminder-- something to tilt the scales back into balance. Was that her?

"I should get dressed," She reminded herself with a shake of her head.

Snow walked to the back where an old door lead to a changing room for customers. Small, but enough room to change, Snow hung his haori on a series of knobs and began to fiddle with her menus. Dirty clothes vanished; clean clothes appeared. Now, feeling as refreshed as she could without a shower, she emerged and made for the front door with his haori draped over her arm.

"All set," she commented to a distracted samurai outside his own store. "You alright?" she asked.  

Edited March 5, 2022 by Snow

[Baldur 0]

The moments he had left her inside seemed to stretch on forever. Why had he brought her here? The condition of the shop was embarrassing. He hadn't even used it himself in a long time, and it had been a dozen floors or more since he had last been open to the public, let alone busy. He really should just sell the location. It was a great location for shop, not a mausoleum of his failures.

"Pull yourself together, Baldur. You've shared a moment together that was special to you both, but you're making a terrible second impression."

It wasn't really the 'second' impression. Baldur and Snow had existed together side by side in the guild and on his island for a while now, but there was always the distance of Guild Master and Guild Member, almost a boss and employee distance. Snow had always been quiet, content to help out in her own way. She had made herself invaluable to him over the last couple floors, though he didn't think he ever mentioned it to her. He had taken her for granted, just letting her contribute in the way she felt she wanted to contribute. She had been a timid, watchful presence over the guild. Helping in all the thankless ways every home or guild or business needed help. He should change that.

A moment later, he heard the door squeak open and she emerged, looking much more like a woman about the city. She looked like she would fit in perfectly in an urban center, with the most fashionable of young woman going about town. It somehow seemed to fit more with the setting they found themselves in than he did. 

Quote

"All set, You alright?" she asked.

The gaijin samurai hesitated a moment. He had the opportunity to close up, and move forward, or to let her in. He needed to make the choice to let her in.

Do I? Is she the one?

He supposed, even if she weren't the one to be let in, he had to start with someone.

"I... sorry. It bears some uncomfortable memories for me. I really need to just sell the place... I... have been thinking of switching from Merchant to Performer. I like the music better than the crafting, and there's something healing about playing the flute for me."

Baldur accepted the haori back from her, and whirled it over his shoulders in a movement obviously practiced thousands of times, causing the haori to flare around him like a dramatic cape or the skirts of a dancer. It's familiar weight settled onto him.

"I.... came into the game with a friend from the outside. Her name was Tyger and I... was responsible for her." He opened his mouth to say more, and took a deep breath, his eyes warring from ocean to steel. "Sorry, it's not something I'm ready to talk about much. It's one of the many regrets I carry." he tried to force a smile and some levity, "I wasn't always the amazing hero of the frontlines and man among men you see before you." There was some truth to the humor in that self deprecating smirk. It hinted at a hidden, cheshire like grin.

"Sorry, why don't we head over to the market. The NPCs there have all kinds of tools for all of the crafting we could want."

He gestured with his head and began to walk that way.

"I know you know this already, but the ponds on the island are specially stocked. Well, rather, they're the specific kinds of pond that give bonus to fishing. You're always welcome to them. I've always enjoyed the thought of fishing there."

It was only another street over before they found themselves on another active and busy street, with dozens upon dozens of stalls and booths lining the path. Food interspersed with fabric and clothing and tools of all kind. Baldur lead the way through the crowd of NPC and player alike, until they came to a shop selling rods. He immediately found one that matched his last one, a bamboo fishing rod.

"It's mostly vanity... you can buy whichever kind feels comfortable to you, but the ones that say <<Ambition>> will give you bonus EXP when you fish." Baldur paid for his and let it disappear into his inventory. He looked through the long racks of them and then came back to Snow with a bit of a sassy smile on face.

"I'd recommend one of these two."

In one hand was something that looked a bit more modern, though still matching the fantasy setting of Aincrad, and the other looked almost harpoonish. A fishing spear. It was much more slender than hers, as it was meant to be wielded under water. Once he had gotten the reaction from her he desired, he chuckled and put the spear away.

"May I get this for you? As my way of saying thank you for the other day?"

[Snow 0]

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 mean," she began with a little sass in her tone. "After all those spear fishing prods, I'd say you owe it to me. I did spear your fish after all."

"And snapped the rod I lent you since, you know... you didn't have one," he replied in riposte.

Finger up, mouth open, Snow fell flat for return fire.

"Not to mention my poor haori..."

Brows dropped low and arms crossed.

"Fine, you win..."

Baldur let out a laugh and turned to the merchant to finish his trade. Snow, defeated in their little volley, wandered over to the harpoon he had not seconds ago. She pulled it from the rack and held it in her hands. The thought of the fish, his brash comment turned into instructions, and her adrenaline as she flung herself into the water with Sif's needle. A smile crept across her lips.

"I'll take this too," she interjected beside Baldur and held out the spear to the merchant. She turned to him and stuck out her tongue.

"For the memories," she added with a soft chuckle. "Don't you go expecting to find me in the ponds at the Guild Hall with this thing!"

[Baldur 0]

Baldur could hardly suppress his laugher and a smile when she grabbed the spear and told the merchant she wanted it, sticking her tongue out at him. 

Quote

"I'll take this too, For the memories," she added with a soft chuckle. "Don't you go expecting to find me in the ponds at the Guild Hall with this thing!"

Suddenly, this was all Jason could want to see. Alyssa jumping into the ponds in the morning with her spear in hand, harpooning fish. It would be quite the sight to wake up to, he could only imagine the surprise on Hirru and Calrex's faces when they saw the new Lady of the Lake.

His laughed rung out loud and true, coming from somewhere deep in the gut as only earnest laughter could.

After their transaction was complete, Baldur handed her the fishing pole to the young woman, a wry smile on his face struggling not to become more mirthful. He may have won the argument, but she got the best of him in the exchange.

"I must admit, when it comes to finding good guildies, you're quite the.... catch."

Snow's groan was all the revenge he needed.

He bumped her with his shoulder, and then lead her further into the crowd of people, walking through the market stalls.

"You know, I've never thanked you for all you do around the house." He didn't want the levity to die, but it seemed time to say something, "I mean, I say Arigatou gozaimasu and that means thank you, so really it's the same thing." His ocean blue eyes danced with a bit of a mischievous light.

"But I mean it, thank you. I've been on the island for a while alone, but having everyone move in with me the last couple floors has been... wonderful. Your help has been a big part of that, making sure everyone finds it feeling like a home. Everyone pitching in. It feels more like a family home than just a guild hall with some guests."

Baldur wandered over to a stall and selected some ornate chopsticks, and some dishes that caught his eye. Then they continued to bounce around, with Baldur buying an assortment of things, though it perhaps took a few shops to realize he was buying them all from Player artisans, even if it was more expensive than what he could have gotten from the NPCs. In fact, he seemed to be going out of his way to spend more money than he needed to. A fan here, a paper or stone lantern there. It would have overloaded both of them if the items didn't go into his inventory.

"You know." He said after one of his latests purchases, "if you'd like a haori of your own, we can make that happen."

The smile was back on his face.

---

Baldur transfers 1 <<Custom Ambition Tool>> (Fishing Pole) to Snow.

[Snow 0]

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 and bit at the back of her neck. Fear slipped into her veins slow and steady, reaching to the core of her being. Whatever it took to not be alone again. To not have more loved ones vanish into obscurity...

"Anyway," she interrupted with a half hearted smile. "Let's check out the rest of the market."

So they did. Baldur ventured from stall to stall, whisking up nearly every eastern themed item he could find. It was endearing to Snow. He embraced his new self so wholly while she still clutched to a time before the game. Her idea of a new self barely stood on its own-- a protector. Snow laughed and giggled, but her mind lingered on the past where as his lingered on the present and the future.

Quote

"You know." He said after one of his latest purchases, "if you'd like a haori of your own, we can make that happen."

"U-uh..." She took a moment to ponder. "Sure!"

Snow looked beyond him into the shop at the several designs, colors, and styles of haori. She walked through them, taking her time to search. Then, after looking back to Baldur, she turned back to the selection with a purpose in her hunt. After a moment, Snow returned to Baldur with a haori in her hands:

"How about this one?!" She said with a genuine smile.

Edited March 5, 2022 by Snow

[Baldur 0]

Snow had come back with one of the Shinsengumi haori, it was as close to a match of his as you could find without making something custom. The gesture of it was touching. It was, in fact, exactly what he had secretly hoped she would come back with, but it drug up some deep guilt inside of him, and the words she had given him. You can't make it through Aincrad alone. His face was a genuine smile, the joy of her choice, which she already knew of, reflected on him. He took it in hand and held it up for her to try on. She hesitated a moment, and then let him help her, before she once again dazzled him with her smile and some sort of innate sense of how to pose in a fashionable way.

"What do you think?" She asked him as she looked at herself in a mirror that the shop had. He stood behind her, a head taller than she was so he could look over her form at her reflection while wearing his own haori.

"Snow I-"

"I know, it doesn't quite go with this particular outfit."

"No I-"

She turned back to look at him. He couldn't quite read the expression on her face. Confusion? Concern?

He plans his hands lightly on her shoulders to pause her in trying to anticipate his thoughts.

"I... "He still couldn't find the words he was searching for, "I love it, but I don't - " His jaw flexed as he struggled with the words. Not with the emotion, but trying to put the words and emotions together in his own mind was difficult.

"I don't want you to feel pressured to get this one." He finally let out a breath and calm seemed to settle over him once more. His ocean blue eyes smiled at her along with his lips.

"I appreciate you choosing it, knowing how much it means to me, but I want you to get something that speaks to you. You will have a home with Jacob's Ladder as long as you want it, and you will always have my friendship and appreciation for the kindness and service you have shown me and the guild. But please, find something that is meaningful to you. It will be more meaningful to me if you pick something that is special to you. Just having a haori, or a kimono to wear  - when people do that when they come to the island, it feels like they are meeting me half way, they are welcoming me and acknowledging my own quirks and accepting me for who I am. I love it. I want you to find something that is meaningful and special to you as well."

He smiled down at her.

"Though thank you for letting me see this, us standing side by side in these. Perhaps some day I'll be able to convince the guild to wear them."

He turned away from her, taking a moment to set aside his disappointment at his own words, and then pointed at a few other things.

"There's some lovely kimono over here. I noticed you seem to share my favorite color of blue, and there's a nice one over here with some furs for cold nights. There's also a cute white one over here with some flowers...."

[Snow 0]

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 blonde drew in a long breath and exhaled through puffed cheeks.

Alright then. Well, I still like blue anyway. So...

Snow thumbed through a few more designs. Pink, purple, black...

Maybe I shouldn't have given him my name after all? Maybe this is just too much... He seems... He seems so alone, though...

Her fingers sifted through a section of blues: navy, pastel, royal...

I shouldn't pry anymore today. I think he's tried to open up enough. It just seems so painful for him...

She stopped on one design and pulled it from the rest. Held up to herself, she imagined what it might look like in an outfit different than her own.

It was a gentle design, mostly white with a hem of light blue, almost like seafoam. From it, stretched a simple pattern of clouds. It looked like the inverted image of Baldur's. From aggressive flames to soft clouds, from deep blues to pure whites. Snow, instead of returning to Baldur, spoke directly to the merchant. With a curt bow of her head, the transaction completed and she returned to her companion with the new armful of fabric.

"This one then," she stated definitively. "But I bought it myself. You already got me a pole today. So, let me get this haori to wear around the estate. When you're ready, you can give us all one to wear that looks like yours. I'm certain the guild would appreciate it."

She paused and gave him a lighthearted, concerned smile.

"When you're ready."

As if to prevent him from any objection, Snow accessed her menus and settled the garment into her storage so it vanished from sight. She dismissed the UI and snatched his hand rather assertively.

"Now, there's one stand I want you to try since you've given me such a hard time about my spear fishing skills. It's time you put your skills to the test. Have you ever played the festival game with the baby koi fish and the paper circle? Here, come on. I know a stand that does it year round. The kids used to love watching me try for them."

No pause given, she pulled him into the direction of town's center. Near the refugee housing she used to live, a small market filled with shops themed from the real world existed. Player merchants and NPCs seemed to try an alleviate the stress of the transition. It was where she first bought her current outfit. Despite not wanting to open old wounds, perhaps a harmless festival game would rejuvenate his spirits.