[PP-F22] Idle Chit-chat <<Training your friend>> [Freyd and Mina]

[tricolor_mina 0]

Violet carefully double-checked her inventory, making sure that everything she was supposed to bring with her was in order. Since she was going to be training her familiar, she'd figured that the best way to make the most of the (more than likely several) failures that she was probably going to get. Thus, she'd ordered a wonderful, shiny fishing kit, and had picked out a popular fishing hole over on Floor 22 to get this done.

Akame, the exciteable little lady that she was, was chirping away, dancing around her shoulders as she peered at quite literally everything that she could see. Violet gently brushed her fingers over her friend's feathers, the tiny dragon headbutting her hand excitedly. It was almost as though her AI noticed that she was going to be giving it some extra love and attention today.

"Maa... someone's certainly excited, aren't they?" she chided, hefting the bag of tackle and bait over her shoulder. Something about carrying the items by hand instead of just allowing the system to shove everything into her inventory made it feel just a little bit more real. She could even feel the weight dragging the cloth against her arm, brushing against the virtual skin of her avatar. "Don't worry, we'll be there soon. And then, we can catch lots of yummy fish, and maybe have us a nice dinner after everything is over~"

The delighted Chirp from Akame was all she needed to hear to know that she had been right on the money coming here. Food was an excellent motivator after all.

"Alright! We can set up here, lil' lady~" Violet cheered, stretching her arms after she set down all of her gear. Her rapier, Lament, hung from her hip, her hand lazily brushing against its hilt as she sat down to relax for a moment. "It's definitely a good day for this, isn't it? Nice and sunny, not a raincloud in sight~ I wonder if I can share screenshots of catches once we finally get out of here, I'd love to be able to show my family..."

Violet set out to finish putting together her gear - and by putting it together, that just meant pressing a few buttons, and equipping some of the bait that she'd purchased to the rod itself, which took a matter of seconds. everything was almost painfully simple here, even the things that would normally take hours to do. Cooking took mere minutes, even for the most complex of dishes, and fishing was simply just a small wait timer before the Cardinal system spawned a fish for the players to catch, and allowed you to pull it from the water and into your inventory with a few quick motions.

in a way, it was almost painfully dull.

* Violet consumes a gelato (purchased from HERE) and offers one to Freyd (3 Left)

Tricolor_Mina | HP: 720/720 | EN: 106/106 | DMG: 21 | MIT: 78 | ACC: 5 | LD: 3 | BLGT: 32 | BRN: 56 | FRSTB: 40 | V.D.: 72

Spoiler

Tricolor_Mina, The Guiding Light
Level: 32
Paragon Level: 11
HP: 720/720
EN: 106/106

Stats:
Damage: 21
Mitigation: 78
Accuracy: 5
Loot Dice: 3
BLGT: 32
BRN: 56
FRSTB: 40
V.D.: 72

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Jack's Burned Lament
Armor: Mask of Rose
Misc: Queen's Gambit

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Saber R5 (Combat Shift -> AoE)
Light Armor R5
Charge
Energist

Active Mods:
Meticulous
Purify

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Focus
Resolve
Precision
Field Medic

Active Extra Skills:
First Aid R5
Parry

Inactive Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:

5x Field Rations (Purchased from HERE)

5x Silver Keys (Purchesed from HERE)

5x Silver Keys (Purchased from HERE)

5x Silver Keys (Purchased from HERE)

Housing Buffs:
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
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Angler: +1 material gained when fishing
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild:

Wedding Ring:

Quest. . .

Spoiler

 

Edited August 11, 2023 by tricolor_mina

[Freyd 0]

"Ugh... thank goodness for a little peace and quiet, Montjoy.  @Freya had it right suggesting that I should get some rest before the raid.  Not that I could admit it, of course.  She becomes insufferable if I agree with her."  It was difficult to be sure, his shadow being nothing but a silhouette, but Freyd imagines that even his stodgy, conscientious counterpart had smiled at that one.  The Whisper, meanwhile, was anything but the spitting image of pure edge donned and cultivated purely for the purpose of meeting expectations.  Gone was all the emo-wear, replaced by a pair of plain khaki shorts, ruddy red Hawaiian shirt with multi-colour flower prints, Gilligan-style sweat-stained white bucket hat and pair of shades that looked suspiciously like a pair of @Raidou's glasses that had somehow had a mirror tint added for extra privacy.  

A stick of something smokey and scented stuck in his mouth, the Whisper sat with a small bucket of bait at his side, legs dangling off the edge of a small abandoned dock along the edge of the Lake of Reflections.  He'd found it in the late hours of the Tanabata festival while searching for Yori, a boy who'd gone missing from the village.  Though tragic, the event had been among the earliest kindlings of humanity in an otherwise withered soul.  He'd always had a soft spot for kids without knowing why.  There were no siblings in his life, and none that could justifiably be called friends through the gauntlet of his youth.  Colleagues seemed the closest he could manage.  'How much that has changed,' he admitted to himself with sublime serenity.  Even love had become possible.

A tender flick of his wrist re-cast the oddly shaped fishing rod in his hands, with the eyes of the green-headed mallard at the base of its grip cast downward to the water with hopeful expectation.  The thing was gaudy beyond compare, looking like it belonged in the discount bin of a tackle shop in up-state New York during the 1950s.  He had come to appreciate its kitsch nature and innate nostalgia. 

A woman's voice roused him from his daydream as someone approached. The pitch was familiar.  Turning to look, his brow raised in a mix of consternation and unexpected surprise, especially when he saw her sporting gear that might force him to share his hideaway.  

"Uh.. Mina?"  Head tilting low, the curious blue orbs behind glanced over top of the lenses to scan her from stem to stern.  "I like the new look, but isn't booba more useful to catch men over fish?"

***

Freyd | HP: 1160/1160 | EN: 150/150 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 78 | EVA: 0 | ACC: 2 | BH: 63 | LD: 12 | QLTY: 1 | FLN: 16 | HLY: 16 | REC: 8

Spoiler

Freyd
Level: 32
Paragon Level: 121
HP: 1160/1160
EN: 150/150

Stats:
Damage: 23
Mitigation: 78
Evasion: 0
Accuracy: 2
Battle Healing: 63
Loot Dice: 6+3+3
FLN: 16
HLY: 16
REC: 8

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Samael's Pride | T4 MA | FLN 2 | HLY 2
Armor: Fallen Angel Garb | T4 LA | MIT 2 | REC 2
Misc: Small Konpeito Sack | TIER 1 DEMONIC TRINKET | LOOT DIE III, QUALITY I

Skills:
Martial Arts R5
Light Armor R5
Battle Healing R5
Searching R4
Charge
Energist
Quick Change
Extended Mod Limit
Fighting Spirit
Howl
Extended Weight Limit

Active Mods:
Night Vision
Tracking
Meticulous
Emergency Recovery

Addons:
Ferocity
Precision
Resolve
Reveal
Stamina
Focused Howl

Active Extra Skills:
Disguise
Survival
Forgotten King’s Authority
Brawler

Inactive Extra Skills:
Meditation
Frozen Hide
Photosynthesize

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystal x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+30*T HP) x7
Mass HP Rec [Inst] (+30*T HP) x7
Crystal of Divine Light (Reusable) x1
Rhino's Horn (Reusable) x1
Hmr.Pk: The Thing Behind All Lies (T4 Demonic MA, AA, Blight, Static, Para.Ven (Off)) x1
EWL: Hope's Covenant - Resolve +4 (T4 Demonic Weapon (MA) - AA, Phase, Frostbite, VO)
EWL: Glow Stone x1

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)
Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Tasty: Turn 2 identical food items into a Lesser Feast. A Lesser Feast contains 4 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Angler: +1 material gained when fishing
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor [Potted Tanabata Bamboo Tree]: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:
Yamata no Orochi Statue: +1 Loot Dice for a thread

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by Freyd

[tricolor_mina 0]

Violet perked up a bit when she heard Freyd's voice, the veteran player apparently already having been there for a few minutes. Goofy fishing gear and a bucket hat, he looked like a classic fisherman just vibing by the waterside. "I keep forgetting that this is something that you just kinda... do." she said dryly, walking over to her friend. "And there's nothing wrong with a lil' bit of cleavage, y'know? It's a valid distraction tactic. Besides, its a sunny day. I know we don't sweat in this world, but I'd be dying in all these layers if this wasn't Aincrad, ya dig?"

Akame was curled up on her shoulders, relaxing while Violet sat down near Freyd, casting her line into the clear blue water. Almost immediately, a fish seemed to bite onto the tackle, allowing her to rip the line from the water. On the other hand was a rather nice looking catfish. "Honestly, I'm glad that the system is good at rendering things up-close." she mused, tapping the fish to send it into her inventory. "It makes gathering things to cook or craft with so much better than it would be otherwise."

She glanced over at his rod, raising an eyebrow. "Speaking of, have you caught anything good yet? Today seems like its a good fishing day~"

Spoiler

Post action: Mat search~ | Roll ID#: 21523710, LD: 20 (20+3(LD Buff)=23) (mat collection success! +1 Mat)

collection total: 1 Mat

Edited August 12, 2023 by tricolor_mina

[Freyd 0]

"It's a valid distraction tactic." 

"Fair point," Freyd conceded, one eye lazily keeping watch on the water's surface where a worn red bobber floated in anticipation of future action.  A quick dip instantly resulted in the flick of his wrist and the sudden manifestation of a seaweed-covered box with rusted trim by his side.  Some sort of strange red fish lay draped on the box like a garnish. Freyd sighed, tossing the fish into a bucket to join a half-dozen others, while the chest's lid flew open to reveal a handful of miscellaneous junk with unknown potential.  The box itself vanished after opening, the items hoovered into his Scrooge MacDuck sized inventory vault of things to be appraised at a later date.  

"Speaking of, have you caught anything good yet? Today seems like its a good fishing day~"

"Nothing spectacular," he muttered around the smoking stick still in his mouth.  "The point isn't so much in the catching as it is in just slowing down.  People keep telling me I need to do that, so I thought I'd give it a whirl."  Looking over her own gear and getup, then rubbing a pair of addled brain cells together, he managed a few deductions.  "You're a cook?  Interesting. Something had made me think you would have preferred Performer or Alchemist, given what little I know of your background."  A stray leg propped up a tipped log roll, offering her a seat by his side.  "More than happy to share the spot, if you don't mind the company."

***

Fishing ID 215239 | CD 9+1=10 | LD 15+1=16 | +1 Material | Critical Catch!
Practiced Angler: (+2 EXP, +1 CD, +1 LD when fishing)
R4 Fisher | +3 to LD when opening fishing treasure chests
No Olympic Fishing Tool

Opening Fishing Treasure Chest | ID 215240 | LD 3+4=7

T4 Rare Weapon 215240a
T4 Rare Weapon 215240b
T4 Rare Consumable 215240c
T4 Rare Consumable 215240d

+10 Fishing EXP

Edited August 23, 2023 by Freyd

[tricolor_mina 0]

Violet shrugged, casting her line again. "I cook for the challenge, not because I do it for a living." she replied, "Cooking is like, one of the few things that you can constantly work on honing in this world, you know? There's always new methods to every sort of flavor, new methods that bring us closer to replicating the tastes of our homes, of our old lives." the line jerked, prompting her to reel her rod back, easily hooking another fish. this time it was a Rainbow Trout, the colorful scales shimmering in the afternoon light.

"I'm glad youre relaxing more often, though. I was starting to worry you only ever fought or gathered frantically." She remarked, shaking her head. "It's nice to know you dont always act so frosty. I just wish you or someone else could make @Raidou do that, yknow?"

"You were right on the money with me being an Alchemist, though. I plan on changing that soon, since there's a shortage of Performers from what I've been hearing." a wry grin crossed her face as she spoke, before she pulled out what looked like a glass bottle filled with a fizzy blue liquid. "I've gotten good at making drinks instead of just normal food, apparently alchemy lends itself well to that. I've been able to nail cream sodas and Ramune the easiest, though sadly there isn't an easy way to replicate the delicate flavors of certain drinks."

She pulled out a second one, before offering it to Freyd with a smile. "Here, give it a try~"

 

Spoiler

Post Action: Searching for Mats | Roll ID#: 215271, LD: 20 (1 Mat found!)

collection total: 2 Mats

Edited August 12, 2023 by tricolor_mina

[Freyd 0]

Freyd looked like he's just been slapped by one of his own wet fish.  The very notion that people would do stuff for a sense of normalcy, comfort, or even as a hobby was still very alien to him.  Even sitting here in his vacation clothes forcing himself to enjoy doing nothing was jarring.  It felt like putting yourself in time out, from which his perpetual motion existence absolutely recoiled.  

"Huh..." he finally said, admitting that the notion had sunk in enough to be considered plausible.  "Guess I just never thought of doing that before.  I... it's not the sort of thing that would normally be on my radar, you know?"  Listening intently as Mina praised him for relaxing only made him more uncomfortable, causing him to fidget on his own stump as he cast another reel far into the mirror's surface of the lake.  "You may be pleased to hear that Raidou's taking similar, no, more drastic steps than this to unwind."  News of his plans wasn't quite public knowledge yet.  Freyd himself only knew because it was his actual job to be excessively nosy about everything.  The sheer amount of useless information concealed beneath his cowl, or bucket hat under current circumstances, was literally mind-boggling.  Was it really any wonder that people thought of him as some sort of calculating killing machine... even Mina?  Especially Mina.  Who was he kidding?  He'd practically sealed the deal during their first meeting.  "There's only one person I know who could distract Raidou, and she's working hard at it presently."

Another bob, another pull, another chest with more stuff to be melted down later.

"So it looks like I was right on both count," he joked at her mention of current and future professions.  "I think Quip has taken up the same mantle.  Thank goodness she's set herself up on some god-forsaken floor where no one will have to stand the racket of her bagpipes."  A shudder runs down the Whisper's back as he pulls out a small recording crystal and unleashes a sound that could only be described as a thousand mewling cats.  He turned it off immediately, before every fish on the floor dove over the castle's edge in terrified anguish.  "Something tells me that you would do better."

Graciously accepting her offered drink, his instincts made him pause and ponder the risks.  The life of a spy was full of lethal stresses and doubts where the most innocuous things were typically the most deadly.  Compelling himself to relax, he chose instead to show trust and take a chance.  It tasted wonderful, a wide toothy grin and nodding head confirming his appreciation to the conjurer.

***

Fishing ID 215277 | CD 4+1=5 | LD 19+1=20 | +1 Material | Critical Catch!
Practiced Angler: (+2 EXP, +1 CD, +1 LD when fishing)
R4 Fisher | +3 to LD when opening fishing treasure chests
No Olympic Fishing Tool

Opening Fishing Treasure Chest | ID 215278 | LD 5+4=9

T4 Rare Weapon 215278a
T4 Rare Weapon 215278b
T4 Rare Consumable 215278c
T4 Rare Consumable 215278d

+10 Fishing EXP

[tricolor_mina 0]

"Guess I just never thought of doing that before.  I... it's not the sort of thing that would normally be on my radar, you know?" Violet felt a bitter ache in her chest at his words, one that she knew the feeling of all too well. She hated, absolutely loathed what this game was doing to most of its residents, the people unwillingly trapped in this world of death and pixels. It drove so many mad, and made them bay for the blood of the others dwelling within.

and not a damn one of them seemed to even contemplate the idea that they were in a world that was just as real as their own. That darkness, that bitter bloodshed... it wasn't healthy. Outside of Aincrad, anyone who became obsessively violent or acted like a ruthless killer would be either arrested or sent to psychiatric care. The rare few who actively treated this as another life that they got to live, that enjoyed all of the little things... she oh so desperately wished for more people to act like that.

She winced at the screeching from the recording crystal, and toasted Freyd as he silently thanked her. She savored the flavor of the Ramune, her heart aching for home. She quietly looked over at him, dressed up in his vacation gear, and sighed. Those two boneheads... they never took breaks unless someone made them, all too content to let themselves suffer in silence with their plots.

"Freyd... you can't keep burying yourself in all that darkness." she chided, elbowing her friend gently in the ribs. "I know you, and I know Raidou too... you both probably had to be forced to sit down and actually rest. Like it or not, we're Living in this world." Her eyes drifted to the fishing rod, and to the clear blue water that sprawled out ahead of them for several miles. Even though this world was a virtual facsimile of the real thing, it still looked the part.

"These bodies, the food we eat, the people we meet, the soil beneath our feet, those mobs over there on the other shore... they're real." she set down her fishing rod, allowing it to rest on the loamy soil underneath her feet. "Yes, this is a world of death, grief, and fear... but we're very much alive here, And its not healthy to treat it as nothing but a war of attrition, a constant war for our freedom. At the same time, its also not healthy to treat it as though its just sugar and rainbows. It's about striking a balance between the two so that we don't lose our minds."

"For all the brains you and Raidou seem to have... you both seem to ignore your mental health so eagerly." Violet looked up at him, her eyes sad. "Don't make that mistake, you'll only end up hurting yourselves in the end... and your loved ones will have to pick up what pieces are left of you. you two are alive... but neither of you are Living." 

Spoiler

Roll ID#: 215288 LD: 7 (7+3=10, no mats found)

collection total: 2 Mats

Edited August 12, 2023 by tricolor_mina

[Freyd 0]

Freyd laughed such a heartfelt laugh that it would easy to believe he'd actually cracked and gone completely mad.  Mina had never heard anything similar from him, nor had most others.  To be fair, the capability was a fairly recent phenomenon.

"You remind me of the therapist I had to see when I was a kid, but with better cleavage.  I like the drink and company better too."  He made a point of taking a sip and smacking his lips loudly afterwards, a beaming smile behind his reflective lenses.  "It's sweet that you care, Mina.  It really is. I also agree with everything you just said.  You're full of fire and vigor - alive.  It's good to see, especially after your own past travels through the dark."  He patted her knee gently, the way his grandfather used to do to him.  It seemed the best way to convey sincerity, though he still struggled with the different conventions. 

"There are... complicated reasons why I was... the way I was, and am the way I am.  It's taken time and the efforts of many good people to make me realize the price of my former path and even consider other options.  You're correct in seeing the parallels with Raidou, though we might better be described as flips sides to the same coin."  Freyd chewed on the cigarette in his mouth, as if mulling over something serious or complex.

"You're one of those people I mentioned, Mina, because of how outrageously you care.  Maybe... maybe I can help reassure you with a brief tale."  Casting his reel out again, Freyd reached into Elsewhere and retrieved a small, ghostly green effigy of a rose, about two inches in length.  It looked like some sort of pin or brooch by its design, and would be easily concealed beneath the folds of his more common adventuring garb.  "The Shadowed Rose.  I had it commissioned to commemorate a precious memory, and the person whom I shared that moment with.  She has had a profound impact on me, in a way you would appreciate.  I've come to know her gradually, through multiple shared trials and tribulations.  My mind and soul were saved because of her efforts; because she believed in a cold, calculating murder-hobo and saw something human inside, beneath the prerequisite facade."  Freyd eyes were fixed on the rose as he spoke, his voice tender and serene as he spoke.  The harshness of his features even seemed to soften with the possibility of joy.

"Would it assuage your fears a little if I told you, despite all odds, that the supposed sociopath could actually find his way to love?"

***

Fishing ID 215291 | CD 1+1=2 | No catch
Practiced Angler: (+2 EXP, +1 CD, +1 LD when fishing)
R4 Fisher | +3 to LD when opening fishing treasure chests
No Olympic Fishing Tool

+5 Fishing EXP

 

Edited August 13, 2023 by Freyd

[tricolor_mina 0]

"You remind me of the therapist I had to see when I was a kid, but with better cleavage.  I like the drink and company better too." Violet had to choke back a laugh at that comment, the pain fading a bit as she elbowed Freyd again, shaking her head. "I'm glad you feel that way, you gremlin." she snarked, a grin on her face. "But can ya quit staring at my booba? I know its on display and all, but I'm gonna have to start charging you for it if this continues."

Violet leaned forward, mushing Freyd's face with her hands, a frown on her face. "Freyd, you are every bit as alive as I am." she said firmly, "Live. Live and be happy, and eat lots of good food, and maybe sing some shitty Karaoke while you're at it. Life doesn't need to be perfect, because humans, as a rule of thumb, are naturally imperfect." she moved her hand, her fingers tracing over the virtual representation of her scars, the jagged, discolored flesh standing out starkly against her pale skin.

"We all have countless, painful scars... some of them are physical, like my own... and some of them are mental, much like your own as well as Raidou's.." she trailed off for a moment, looking over at Akame, who seemed to be nosing around in the water, the only evidence that the little dragon was there were her tail-plumes sticking out of the watery surface. "But at our core, the essence of what makes us human... its the capacity for empathy, our mostly-caring nature. That wish to nurture, to love..."

Violet's eyes alit on the rose, and she felt something warm in her heart as Freyd mentioned that he'd found someone that loved him, and that he loved them back. She was about to comment on it, to congratulate him for doing so...

but then he had to ruin it and call himself a Sociopath.

Violet let out a huff, before gently smacking him over the head with her bottle. "Dumbass, you aren't a sociopath." she grumbled, her eye twitching. "You're missing pretty much all of the major markers for it. Limited empathy and some sort of mild anti-social disorder are more along the lines of what I'd say you have. Sociopaths feel no empathy, no true emotions except for very, very strong ones, and even then they're as fleeting as they appear."

She pointed at the rose brooch, her gaze softening. "The biggest thing about people who suffer from that disorder, is that they find themselves incapable of forming a bond out of love." it went without saying that the little brooch was the very antithesis of what Freyd often referred to himself as. "Treasure the person who encouraged you to have that made. Treasure them and never let them go, because that will be a constant reminder that you are not the heartless bastard you keep trying to paint yourself as."

"You're just as able to feel pain as the rest of us."

 

Spoiler

Post action: Familiar training attempt #1 (0/3 Successes)

Roll ID#: 215292, CD: 5 (Training attempt Failed)

Edited August 13, 2023 by tricolor_mina

[Freyd 0]

All the while that Mina spoke, Freyd sat staring out at the Lake of Reflections, the mirrored glint of his spectacles refracting endless copies of himself against the water's surface.  The image couldn't have better represented how he felt, yet could never possibly explain.

"But at our core, the essence of what makes us human... its the capacity for empathy, our mostly-caring nature. That wish to nurture, to love..."

It hadn't always been so.  Had Mina truly known his state of mind in the not-so-distant past, she might have recoiled in terror at the depths of darkness in the recesses of his cowl.  What lay within was alien to the human mind, abhorrent even to its very concept of reality, yet also somehow tethered to it by a soul.  How can I explain?

"People always think that others have two faces."  Freyd's image shifted like sand in a storm, restoring his more common appearance, save for the minutiae of elder days.  The hair was more mousy brown than black, and eyes shifted to the vibrant red of freshly oxygenated blood.  "It seems like ages ago now, but I once hunted down a wayward fragment of myself in the Forest of Memories - the very woods at our backs."  He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, indicating the woodland where Firm Anima's heart and foundation were laid. Samael's Pride was born that day.  "It splintered a hundred-folded and confronted me wearing the faces of everyone I knew and cared about.  I slew them all.  Every. Last. One."  Freyd's red-eyed face didn't even flinch, his voice never wavered nor undulated in tone.  He was perfectly, disturbingly calm in his delivery.

The form shifted again, this time to a much more human guise, though not one she would recognize.  Tussled charcoal locks and steel blue eyes smartly set behind a sharp pair of wire frame glasses, a certain smoldering intensity lingering behind them, along with carefree tenderness.  Takeshi's face looked askance at her in profile, a wink from the periphery of his gaze, his attention locked somewhere other than this place she'd so recently claimed to be 'real.'  Another shift, this one offering little more than a broad dark cloak accented in white patterns reminiscent of celtic knots and iconography.  A featureless hungry void beneath its hood stared through her, beyond her soul and the vagaries of such a simplistic sense of existence.  Another shift, and it was the Red Wanderer's turn to make an appearance, staring patiently at Mina as if waiting for an answer, always just one more, before melting back into the ludicrous vacation-garb-wearing Freyd from their meeting's start.

"You have no idea how very right you are, Mina.  And how thankful I am for it.  Love is the glue holding a thousand thousand gemini together - a vessel made and claimed for nobler purposes then left to choose what to make of itself.  Do we even know if we are human?  What if we're just digital imprints of human minds surreptitiously stripped from their true hosts and set loose in here to satisfy Kayaba's cravings for the illusion of control?"  The little smile was back, looking far less innocent than it had a moment ago. 

"Treasure the person who encouraged you to have that made. "

"I accepted long ago that we are both who and what we choose to make ourselves, especially in here.  Thanks to her, I've chosen to find that lost human being inside and nurture him back to the surface: to make a better Freyd."  So much remained unsaid beyond that, but it was too soon, and might always be.  He wasn't sure he could ever voice those Things Behind All Lies.  

"You're just as able to feel pain as the rest of us."

He nodded, still smiling, yet knowing that it too was a lie.  Looking down at the bobber in the water, Freyd caught the shadow of his own reflection looking back through him, knowing the unfathomable truth and triggering the next phase of its endlessly intertwining schemes.  It will be nice to be human for awhile.  Impossible words spoken from the void without a mouth, or breath, or even being.

Another timely flick of the wrist, and a flounder found its way into his bucket.

"But what about you, Mina?"  Suddenly upbeat and relaxed, it was as if someone had just flipped the most uncanny of switches.  Freyd's weather vein had just shifted to align with a different and much less intense breeze.  "What actually brings you to our quiet little corner of reality?"  

♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

***

Vanity Tag: @Raidou @Freya

Fishing ID 215293 | CD 11+1=12 | LD 19+1=20 | +1 Material | Critical Catch!
Practiced Angler: (+2 EXP, +1 CD, +1 LD when fishing)
R4 Fisher | +3 to LD when opening fishing treasure chests
No Olympic Fishing Tool

Opening Fishing Treasure Chest | ID 215294 | LD 2+4=6

T4 Rare Weapon 215294a
T4 Rare Weapon 215294b
T4 Rare Consumable 215294c
T4 Rare Consumable 215294d

+10 Fishing EXP

Edited August 23, 2023 by Freyd

[tricolor_mina 0]

Violet listened as freyd spoke of his experiences, his pain, his desperate fight against countless fragments from a long forgotten past. Her hand ghosted over her menu, scanning for something, just one item in particular that she'd had for so long that she'd actually begun to forget. A few moments later, a battered, worn rapier tumbled out of the air, landing in her outstretched hands. The blade, despite being chipped, was still sharp, and detailed intricately. It was nothing like Lament, the sooty black blade at her side... but it was the very first one that she had ever truly wielded.

Soul Fragment, the only memory that she had of the very first person that she'd befriended in this world.

"You fought them, the things you loved..." she murmured, stroking the blade in her hands. "I watched everything vanish, everything I would have fought tooth and nail to protect. Desperately clawing and clinging, and yet one by one they all disappeared right in front of me. Evac, Rin, Itzal, Kasier, Beatbox... all of those lights blinking out as I watched without being able to do a single thing to try and protect them." Akame had approached from the water, the normally hyperactive familiar curling up in Violet's lap, her little head glancing up at the blade clasped in her master's hands.

"Everyone has something that they don't want to share, something that they're oh so desperate to hide... their heart, hidden behind the painful persona that once puts on, a brave face to try and face the world." Violet curled in on herself, her heart aching desperately as a wave of bitter grief wracked her entire being. "For you, you throw up a wall of ice, pretend that you lack your heart so that nobody can hurt it anymore... for me, though..? I laugh, and I joke around constantly, tossing out banter to try and hide how bruised and battered my poor heart is. To hide the fact that I just want to curl into a ball, and bawl my eyes out til' my body gives in to exhaustion."

Her fingers gripped the blade tightly, her voice breaking slightly as she looked up at Freyd with empty, watery eyes. That joyful mask, the gentle front that Violet always put up had crumbled away in an instant. "Hestia, Kirbs, Hikoru, the Arbiters, my brother... Even Jon... I just don't wanna watch you and Rai disappear too..!" she whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks. "I don't want to lose any of you!"

♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

No post action . . .

[Freyd 0]

"Mina..." 

Words always proved inadequate against the pangs of heartache and despair.  Instead, he did what Freyd did best, showing compassion and humanity by subtle action.  Reaching over, he placed a hand over hers, his eyes still staring at the lake before them. His slender palm was warm, placed over hers, the skin tough and callused from endless fighting.  

"You've paid a steeper price than most. It's unfair to lay that burden on survivors, but life isn't even remotely fair."  Pursing his lips, Freyd resolved to grant her a glimpse of what lay within, hoping to forge some sort of rare connection that so often eluded people all their lives.

"Everything I am is a lie, Mina.  You're right, but far more than you realize.  I don't just gird myself behind walls of ice.  I play every part I am expected or required to play, and at every turn, for the sake of keeping everyone else alive.  Raidou does the same, though he places himself beneath all others, willingly giving up everything so that others never need to do so.  I'm not so noble.  Where's he's the immovable object, my part to play is the unstoppable force.  We both know that there will be costs.  He wishes to deny them.  Me?  I'll see them paid if it gets as many people as I can out of this hell hole."

He stayed silent a while, knowing that wasn't really what she needed, though in her core she first had to understand them both.

"Raidou knows that his dream will fail if he ever actually dies, and therefore cannot allow it to happen."  Hand squeezed over hand.  "And I've found myself realizing that survival, alone, isn't enough."  Reaching up with his free hand, Freyd tapped the edges of his borrowed frames, dismissing them to oblivion.  No more shields, only the rarest of open books.  "This was why I volunteered to tank for the raid.  Not out of ego, but out of fear.  Suddenly, I find myself with things to lose, and I don't want to see those closest to me pay that ultimate price."  He turned, finally, looking Mina in the eye, solemn but not sad.

"You want us to live, but that means taking the risks that go with it.  Whether we die by the hands of some raid boss or the nerve gear losing power while we sleep, there are no certainties.  We'll all end up going at some point."

Watching her wilt into herself, Freyd called up his last resort.  A plain grey wool cloak, poor in quality and repeatedly patched, the thing looked more than a little worse for wear.  "This is the cloak I wore when I entered this world: an oversized napkin that's been stepped on, slept under, torn and ripped to shreds more times than I can count.  It has endured everything.  It is all of us, huddled together for support.  It's my version of Raidou's red coat, I suppose, and it's worked wonders for those at risk of hitting rock bottom."  With a gentle snap of his wrist, he flared it open and draped it softly over her shoulders rubbing her back gently to soothe and ease her tension.  

"We're not going anywhere. Not today, or the day after that, or however many days it takes.  Because we have reasons... people... to live for."

***
No post action.

Edited August 13, 2023 by Freyd

[tricolor_mina 0]

"You want us to live, but that means taking the risks that go with it.  Whether we die by the hands of some raid boss or the nerve gear losing power while we sleep, there are no certainties.  We'll all end up going at some point." Violet wilted into herself even further, letting out a weak laugh. Her fear was not of them dying, it was of them dying young. it was a fear that her parents had instilled in her for a long time. Even Akane had gotten in on it, chiding her constantly for her pitiful death wish.

"Live your life, Violet. Don't waste it grieving, and fearing what comes next." Her brother's words echoed in her head, some of the last that he'd ever be able to speak in the real world. Even now, they rang true. She couldn't afford to grieve just yet, she had to hold her head up high, and stand firm. She felt Freyd drape something over her, his hand rubbing against her back in comfort. He was probably out of his depth right now, trying to comfort someone who was drowning in guilt. "Live. Live a long, fulfilling life, kid... All of us will wait for you. We'll welcome you home with open arms, ready for when you've finally come back to us."

her eyes drifted down to fragment, and for just a moment, a brief second of her time... she could see Declan winking at her, his soft amber eyes twinkling before the reflection returned back to her own, her tear-stained reds solemnly glancing back up at her. The pain, no matter how much it hurt, was absolutely necessary. It was what drove her to keep living, and damnit all she wasn't going to go away like that.

"I'll greet death like an old friend when he does come knocking, but I won't die without a fight first." her hands gripped the blade she was holding like a vice, the metal slowly starting to creak. "They're gonna have to take me kicking and screaming, just like they're gonna have to with you and Raidou. I asked you both to help me become strong so that I can never, ever lose someone so easily again." There was a faint crunching sound, the metal starting to break apart in her hands, her eyes drifting up to Freyd with a fiery determination.

And the sword clasped within her hands shattered, leaving behind nothing but a bright blue gemstone.

"We have every reason to live, to keep living... so I'm holding your ass to that." she said sharply, her voice still watery. "You and Raidou better not fucking die on me, or so help me god I'll dig you both up out of the <<Cardinal>> system and I'll kill you both a second time, you hear me?! If you two can't find it in you to live for yourselves, then live for those people who GIVE you those reasons to live, even when it feels like you can't!"

"You hear me, you stupid man? Live for the one that made that rose come into bloom!"

 

Spoiler

Roll ID#: 215295,  LD:15 (15+3=18, 1 mat found~)

Collection total: 3 mats

Edited August 13, 2023 by tricolor_mina

[Freyd 0]

Eyes widening as he watched her crush the weapon in her hand to its component essence, Freyd couldn't help wonder if she was juicing on something.  If not, that was some serious anger channeling.  Given what he'd seen other women do in this game, it shouldn't surprise him in the least.  In Aincrad, physical power came first from the mind.  Patting her heaving back one last time, he turned his attention back to the ridiculous fishing rod that had brought him out here in the first place.  The privacy of Mina's cathartic moment deserved to be respected.  She didn't want comfort or platitudes, but to release her anger and determination, and assert her will on the world.  

"You hear me, you stupid man? Live for the one that made that rose come into bloom!"

Lips pursed and jaw set, the sunglasses were instantly back on Freyd's face.

"Yeah.  I hear you.  And I got the message."  Reaching into a pocket, he flicked something from a small package into his hands: a tiny wooden toothpick, which he placed between his teeth.  'No need to be rude about it,' he added mentally, but kept to himself.  This was her way and she had needed to get it out.  Freyd let her emotions wash over and around him, becoming once more the island to which he was so accustomed.  "But something still seems to be missing from this discussion: who or what gives you reason to live?"

***

Fishing ID 215296 | CD 12+1=13 | LD 6+1=7 | +1 Material | No Critical Catch.
Practiced Angler: (+2 EXP, +1 CD, +1 LD when fishing)
R4 Fisher | +3 to LD when opening fishing treasure chests
No Olympic Fishing Tool

[ID 215297 - roll voided]

+7 Fishing EXP

 

Edited August 23, 2023 by Freyd

[tricolor_mina 0]

"But something still seems to be missing from this discussion: who or what gives you reason to live?"

Violet let looked over at Freyd, a neutral look on her face. What was she living for... what was she living for. A few years ago, she'd probably just say that she was already gone. Dead and buried, just like Declan was, just like most of the friends she'd made here. She hadn't been living back then, and it had shown in her behavior. Constantly forcing a smile, faking a laugh or two... that bitter pain that clung like a vicious shroud that ate away at her insides, begging her to give up. Freyd had clammed up again, her words likely having struck a nerve on accident.

she did, however, owe him that answer. It was the least she could do in lieu of an apology for her words.

"I didn't have one, for a while." she said quietly, a thoughtful look on her face. "I was... pretty bad, before SAO that is. I'll spare you the details, but it wasn't very pretty, and I ended up in a psych ward for a good little while. A drugged up birdie living in a pristine white cage, unable to do anything but lurk with those nasty thoughts. All those painful memories." It wasn't a good time for her at all. She'd practically had a mental break, and had been forced to seek help. The ward's idea of 'help' had been just drugging her out of her mind, and leaving her to rot in a padded cell, and with no contact to anyone.

Aincrad had hardly been a change from that cell, and from holing herself up inside of her room. The only difference was that she could feel the sun on her skin, and the wind in her hair without all that guilt. without all that shame. All she'd done was trade that tiny cage for a larger one, one that had much more room, and several thousand people roaming it with her.

"I was so used to losing things, that I couldn't bear forming a full relationship with another person, friendship or otherwise." she looked down, "No strings attached, no hearts to break. I made the mistake of doing that with Itzal, and I made that mistake with Jon, and I'm paying for it in spades right now. You and Rai are making me start to wonder if I made a mistake opening up with you two as well." she shrugged a bit, curling in on herself again. There honestly wasn't any point in trying to hide that fact now.

"I decided a while back, though... that I couldn't live for myself any more. I realized that wouldn't work for me, not with how I feel these days..." she sighed, ruffling Akame's feathers, the tiny dragon chirping in delight. "I'll live for the happiness of other people, and protect it with every fibre of my body. Then, one day, sometime in the future... maybe they can repay that, and try to put me back together again, you know? But other than that, I really don't have all that much keeping me going. Maybe the threat Rosa used to throw around, about digging me up and killing me a second time if I gave up?"

Other than that, she really didn't know anymore.

[Freyd 0]

Freyd listened as she reluctantly told her tale, or at least revealed enough snippets of it to string together a grim, loose sequence of events.  Chewing on his toothpick and staring out at the water as she spoke, he watched the bobber on the water long enough for the bait to draw attention.  When it finally did, he snatched it up instant, reloaded, then cast anew.  Like the tiny red ball on a string, Mina's words followed their own familiar pattern.  He'd seen the inside of those padded rooms too, though not as long as she, by the sounds of it.  Tongue held, the wood sliver moved from one side of his mouth to the other without handraulic assistance.  It was akin to flicking a mental switch, casting aside his desire to share their common experience, but knowing it was best to let her press on.  Mina had never opened up this much before.

"No strings attached, no hearts to break. I made the mistake of doing that with Itzal, and I made that mistake with Jon, and I'm paying for it in spades right now. You and Rai are making me start to wonder if I made a mistake opening up with you two as well."

His brow furrowed and mouth worked before the muscles obeyed his command to freeze.  "Why?"  An innocent question spoken with excess of curiosity.  "Because you're afraid of losing us too?  So far as I know, Itzal and Jon are still around.  So, did you push them away for fear of losing them?"  The memory of his frustrated therapist glared at him from the past, annoyed that he would ever dare to foray in her field.  Easy, Jacqueline, it's for a good cause.  The memory relented reluctantly, without yielding its perpetual scowl.

"I decided a while back, though... that I couldn't live for myself any more. I realized that wouldn't work for me, not with how I feel these days..."

The pick tick-tocked its way back to the other side.

"Which is how, exactly?  You've been... I don't know... raging bubbly?  I that a thing?  It sounds like a thing you might be, bouncing all over the walls with encouragements that suddenly become threats."

Stupid man.  

Freyd couldn't help but smirk at the thought, though confusion re-asserted its dominance with her following words.

"I'll live for the happiness of other people, and protect it with every fibre of my body. Then, one day, sometime in the future... maybe they can repay that, and try to put me back together again, you know? But other than that, I really don't have all that much keeping me going."

The bobber bobbed, providing a convenient break akin to the needle on one of those record players suddenly scratching the surface of the disk.  Thank goodness for the pervasive silence or those ripples would have never been enough.  Here, they howled like wolves on the hunt.

"Noble, but I hope you also realize that you just admitted to doing the very same thing Raidou and I have been doing, except you're pissed at us for doing it."

A further taunt hovered on the outer edges of his lips.  He held back knowing it would only set her off.  She needed calm, not more attitude.  He was just trying to make her realize the quirkiness behind her stance, and not demean her for it.

"And besides... why do we have to wait to put Mina back together?  Can't we just do it now?"

***

Fishing ID 215455 | CD 6+1=7 | LD 9+1=10 | +1 Material | Critical Catch!
Practiced Angler: (+2 EXP, +1 CD, +1 LD when fishing)
R4 Fisher | +3 to LD when opening fishing treasure chests
No Olympic Fishing Tool

Opening Fishing Treasure Chest | ID 215456 | LD 7+4=11

T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 215456a
T4 Rare Armor/Shield 215456b

+10 Fishing EXP

Edited August 23, 2023 by Freyd

[tricolor_mina 0]

"Because you're afraid of losing us too?  So far as I know, Itzal and Jon are still around.  Did you push them away for fear of losing them?" 

an innocent question, spoken out of genuine concern it seemed. "I wish that were it." she said flatly, looking over at Freyd with a scowl. "They both promised they'd stick around, they promised they'd stay with me. They lied to my face, and I haven't seen them since. I don't think I can find it in myself to forgive either of them for doing that to me." Itzal, she'd understood. He'd gone down a dark path after what went down with their old guild, their former home. Jonathan- No, Morgenstern. She'd expected him to at least try to stick around, he'd even gotten better for a short while.

empty promises for empty words, and she'd been left all alone in her cage all over again.

She could hear the barely restrained fury hissing behind his words, like a snake ready to strike her down in a matter of seconds. Freyd's brand of brutal honesty was something she could appreciate, and he was telling nothing but the complete truth. She was, in essence, a complete and utter Hypocrite. She quietly leaned back, her eyes drifting towards the sky. "It took both of you, what, three... four? months to realize that..?" she said quietly, draping one of her hands over her face. "God, how long has it been since someone even pointed that out to me... heh.. No wonder you can't even look at me right now, you're probably disappointed in me."

"Yeah, I'm a hypocrite. And you'd have every right to criticize me for it, and I'd understand it completely." a soft laugh echoed from her throat, tears welling in her eyes. "Haha... Its so pitiful. I'm so focused on other people that I'm ignoring myself completely..! Remind me, Freyd... why the hell do you even want to be around me? Why are you and Rai so focused on trying to help me, help my friends..? All of you owe me nothing, so I can't even fathom why."

"Why do either of you care about this stupid little hypocrite?"

Spoiler

Roll ID#: 215481, CD: 2 - Training attempt failed. (Attempts done: 2, 0/3 succeeded)

 

Edited August 15, 2023 by tricolor_mina

[Freyd 0]

On.  Off.  On.  Off...

Freyd just grimaced and finally tossed the glasses into the drink, tired of having to fiddle with them endlessly.  They weren't helping and doing so was starting to ruin his mood, and he'd come here for mood, damnit.  Something dark and sinuous instantly burst from beneath his shirt the moment the lenses hit the water, darting like several streaks of inky blackness to plunge beneath the mirrored lake without making a sound.  Freyd paused a moment, not  having expected Persi to react with such attachment to the things.  Maybe she just thought he was playing fetch?

Turning and staring back at Mina hard with his left eye, a few tufts of stabby black locks refusing to submit to his bucket hat, he leaned his elbow on the matching knee and propped his chin firmly in his palm.

"Look.  You got a raw deal.  No one's going to argue with you on that count.  And I'm not about to give you a hard time for hypocrisy.  I live and breathe the stuff, so that's hardly a thing.  My beef is this: stop dodging my question and trying to make this about me or Rai. Geez, you're nearly as bad as Mari, and you haven't done half the shit she did."  Craning a long leg up, he pressed a white tennis shoe over the rod's grip to keep it from eloping and attempting to water ski to Nirvana. "We... no...  I care about you because you give a damn about people, even some of the shits that couldn't care the least about you.  Rai cares about everybody.  The man's a big old red-clad care bear under that coat, though you'd have to peel back a few layers of murky shit to realize it.  In fact, you've probably come closer than most."

Persi emerged from the water at that point, the reflective lenses perched precariously on her tiny nose and ears, the brilliant azure glow of her eyes backlighting for spectacular effect.  Quietly trotting to sit between the two of them, she sat pretty and stared at the twin lummoxes while trying to figure out what was going on.  Just like fucking Rai would have done.

"Really?"  Freyd asked, arching a brow at his familiar.  "Do you have to do him quite so spot on?"  Pinching the bridge of his nose with his formerly bracing hand, he turned his weary eyes back to Mina.

"You're obviously angry at a lot of things.  Too many, in fact.  It's spilling over into everything else and congealing to form invisible barriers between you and those closest to you.  It's become cause and excuse all in one.  I'm not about to sit here and patronize you about doing yoga with incense, or any of that bullshit.  I've tried.  Doesn't work.  The anger just sits there, glaring at you, then seeps out while you're watching TV.  But you can use it.  Channel it into something productive. Let it be the glue that puts Mina back together, until we get you something better.  Rage against the dying of the light, or whatever the fuck floats your boat, but DO NOT let it eat you up from the inside... or it wins."

Snatching the glasses back from Persi, he parked them firmly in his shirt pocket to stay.  The Raidou mongoose thing was starting to freak him out a little too much.

"You're right.  I owe you nothing.  So, why do I want to be around you?  Why do I care about this stupid little hypocrite?  It's really not that hard to figure out, actually," his eyes narrowing as he spoke.  "Because you're just... like ... me."

***

Vanity Tag: @Raidou

Fishing ID 215486 | CD 4+1=5 | LD 12+1=13 | +1 Material | Critical Catch!
Practiced Angler: (+2 EXP, +1 CD, +1 LD when fishing)
R4 Fisher | +3 to LD when opening fishing treasure chests
No Olympic Fishing Tool

Opening Fishing Treasure Chest | ID 215487 | LD 6+3=9

T4 Rare Weapon 215487a
T4 Rare Weapon 215487b
T4 Rare Consumable 215487c
T4 Rare Consumable 215487d

+10 Fishing EXP

[tricolor_mina 0]

Violet barked out a laugh when Freyd abruptly told her to stop dodging the question he'd tossed her, the sheer gall of the other man to ask that of her after all this time. "I could say the exact same to both of you, you know?!" she hissed, her eyes burning. "I'll keep dancing and weaving so long as you two decide you want to play those stupid games, and treating things like a puzzle when they're fucking simple. And don't you DARE pretend like you two haven't. I might not be able to keep up with you two on the field, but my mind is just as good as both of yours, and I keep it as sharp as the chef's knives Rosa keeps in her kitchen. And I'm sick of you two pretending like I don't."

The frustration in her voice was real, the pain almost palpable. As furious as she was, as much as she'd want to pummel Freyd into the floor, she knew his anger was valid. At Freyd's comment about Raidou actually caring hit her ears, she snapped. "Do I know he cares? yes. Can I get his sorry ass to show it for more than one second without sounding like a condescending prick?! HELL NO!" She picked up a rock, before hurling it across the lake with a yell of frustration. "He'd rather pretend like he's the all-knowing genius, the one that needs to shoulder the blame of each and every crime in this shitty world. It's idyllic nonsense, and both of you should know better. I'm sick of you two pretending like I'm asking for pity when I'm asking you to help put me back together. Throw me a bone, and start working with me so that we can work through it together!"

She was sick of the song and dance that they were constantly playing, her chasing them relentlessly, struggling to get them to let her help. And then Raidou and Freyd dancing away, ignoring their own problems to try and fix her instead. It was absolutely maddening to her, and she hated every second of it. "If you two keep trying to treat me like I'm the only one that needs saving, I'm going to go insane." she hissed, "You want me to give you a straight answer? Then quit patronizing me you jackass!"

Her eyes narrowed when she heard him say that they were the same, scoffing. "And that's exactly why we aren't getting anywhere. And we won't get anywhere if you keep playing the same game you've been playing with me for months now." She looked him dead in the eyes, a firm scowl plastered across her face. "Look. If you two want to play games, I'll play them right back. I'm all too happy to keep right along with you, playing pretend. BUT. You don't get to be angry if I won't reciprocate, just like I don't get to be if YOU don't. Comprende?"

[Freyd 0]

Freyd and Persi both sat, marveling at her outburst like a pair of gaudy tourists gazing at a train wreck proceeding before them in bullet time.  At least one of them wished they had some popcorn.  When the rant ended, master and familiar turned to look at each other, exchanging the single greatest melding of the minds that the system might ever allow, each thinking the very same thing: WTF?!

Finally, both burst into fits of hysterical laughter - well, Freyd did.  Persi kinda just convulsed on the ground like she was having some sort of seizure, but he assumed that it was laughter, since she hardly ever made a sound.

'Oh, this is just gonna piss her off even more' he thought, but the same hypocrisy they'd already bantered between them was now so thick that, if liquid, it would cause the Lake of the Reflections to burst its banks and flood the entire floor.  Tears of laughter were actually threatening to spill from his eyes, so cathartic was the moment in its ridiculousness.

"Wait... wait... let me get this straight.  You're mad at us because we're acting just like you, and not letting you help us while also not helping you at the same time?  Did I get it right?  Because I swear that's what you just said.  I'm not dodging you at all, Mina, and I'm not the slightest bit angry about any of this.  If anything, I've been more open and honest with you here and now than I have been with nearly anyone else I know.  I've offered candor, not pity, but you seem hell-bent on taking it the other way."  Still struggling to keep his abdomen from convulsing, Freyd pressed his hand flat against it while wiping near-tears from the corners of his eyes.  "Oh, now this is ironic.  You think I'm being evasive, while I'm actually trying to give you the very thing you're asking for, and begging for help that you don't seem willing or capable of allowing yourself to accept."

He shook his head at it, still struggling not to rip into a round of mad cackles and giggles, eventually manage to bring everything back under control.  Calmly and quietly, leaning back to stretch his back for a moment, he tried to restore the conversation to its earlier serenity. 

"This is a strange one.  I'm actually at a loss for how to do what you seem to want me to do.  So please, tell me how I can be more forthright, and what I can do to help, because I currently have no idea how to break the impasse.  You want me to let you help me not be some sort of martyr, fine.  I have no objections.  Elora will likely appreciate it, and I could certainly benefit from some advice.  It's the very reason I came here in the first place.  As to what you need, why don't you tell me, because I seem to be doing a very poor job of trying to guess it for myself."

***

Fishing ID 215500 | CD 11+1=12 | LD 3+1=4 | +1 Material | No Critical Catch
Practiced Angler: (+2 EXP, +1 CD, +1 LD when fishing)
R4 Fisher | +3 to LD when opening fishing treasure chests
No Olympic Fishing Tool

[ID 215501 | roll voided]

+7 Fishing EXP

Edited August 23, 2023 by Freyd