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

[tricolor_mina 0]

"Maybe we see each other plainly enough that those illusions are no longer necessary, at least when it's just us." Violet tilted her head, blinking. "As feasible as that sounds... its most likely not the case." she said carefully, her tone neutral. "You probably won't see me like this again, especially not in public. I'm frail, fragile... just like a pane of paper-thin frost, just begging to be shattered by a careless hand." she nodded at his apology, humming. "I already told you, I can't blame you for that. All I'll ask is that you be more careful with your words, ok? not everyone is as understanding as me, not as willing to forgive."

A laugh escaped her throat, still lacking something. it rang hollow even in her own ears. "You're already much better than my clients back home, though..." she mused, a feral smile on her face. "You didn't try to snap my neck, or run up to me swinging. You just cut me with some unintentionally harmful words." She still remembered the times she'd gone in to do her job, only to be choked out by a suspect or two. More than once she'd had to spend a few days in the hospital, recuperating from her injuries. Sharp words were quite the welcome change for her.

much more so, compared to the hoarse throats and purple, blotchy bruises.

Freyd's hand brushed against hers as it went to her face, stopping her from putting her mask back up. Why? She stared at him when he asked about Akame, her eyes darkening just a tiny bit more. "Akame..?" she murmured, before leaning forward, allowing the tiny dragon to hop into her arms, chirping. "She's been with me since the very beginning of my time in this world, she's one of the few treasures I have. She's also the only memory I have of one of my first friends in this place. He's been gone for quite some time now, though."

[Freyd 0]

"Then tell me about them both.  Isn't it fair and reasonable to think that you need this moment even more than I do," he added, gesturing to the serenity of their surroundings.  "What happened to him?  What did he mean to you?  Why name your pet after him?  You wanted me to open up and take care of myself, to express my feelings.  This is me doing that Violet.  Right now, I choose to try to care about you.  Will you deny me the opportunity to follow your advice?"  

Gently pushing the mask back down, Freyd's eyes were pleading, if confused, as if he were trying to piece the scene back together for himself.  "Please, don't shy away from the very thing you need.  Choose to have a friend.  Choose to trust, and I will do the same."

He couldn't make this offer again.  Either she'd accept or they would both have to move on.  This only worked if they both took the same risks and peeled back the layers of private secrecy wrapped about both their identities.  The ball was entirely in her court.

Edited August 22, 2023 by Freyd

[tricolor_mina 0]

TW: Mentions of Suicide

"Freyd..." the mask vanished from her hand, her brows furrowed. "The name Akame... it quite literally means red eyes." she tapped her face, her fingers ghosting over her deep red irises. "These were the color of my eyes in the real world. I named her for our shared quality, that small piece that reminds me of my home."

She paused for a moment, her hands stilling over the scarred flesh that marred her face. "The boy I knew back then, the one that helped me find her... his name was Evac." She could still picture that poor boy, the one who'd had his life cut so drastically short. "He was murdered, one of the first victims of the Laughing Coffin that I can remember, and certainly the very first one that I knew. Rai probably knew him too." She could vividly remember the first time that she'd visited the monument, her heart heavy.

and she could remember the bitter fury in her heart when she found out that he'd been murdered.

"He was only fifteen... his eyes still had light in them... and yet they had to hurt him so irrevocably, and cut his happiness short." she quietly gripped her legs, eyes narrowing. "He was kind, he was friendly... he had a little panda, her name was Nix. He had a friend named Rags, who I only ever got to meet once before he died too."

words spilt from her mouth, flowing as fast as the tears she wanted to let stream down her face.

"Paglikha killed himself, Birdie killed herself. Rin died to a mob. Beatbox was murdered, Kasier died all alone, Kirbs was murdered by that bastard pinball-" each name she mentioned, she could see their faces, the bitter sensation filling her heart once again. "All of them are gone..! Either murdered because of that damn guild, cut down because their hearts couldn't take it anymore, or killed because they weren't able to defend themselves against a monster."

Edited August 22, 2023 by tricolor_mina

[Freyd 0]

He winced when she described the meaning.  He'd known it all along, but it took on a different meaning when she added her history to the mix.

"Red eyes?"  It was a rhetorical question, drawing him back to his own origins in the game.  Holding his right palm up, his left summoned a HUD and called up the tiniest pair of trinkets, resembling twin crimson marbles.  "I started the game with these.  They were already equipped when I spawned."  Equipping the ancient vanity items, Freyd blinked twice and his eyes shifted from blue to red, even his hair lightening from midnight black to mousy brown.  "But this was a long time ago."  The beads returned to his hand, Freyd restoring himself to his Gilligan-wear and common appearance.  Form had always been so malleable for him.

Listening to Violet rhyme off a litany of tragedy, his eyes drifted slowly downward under the weight of her loss.  Reaching into his shirt, where no pocket could possibly be, Freyd pulled out a small, innocuous black book.

"Do you know what this is?"

[tricolor_mina 0]

Violet watched Freyd shift his appearance again, his appearance changing to a rather unassuming look, paired with mousy hair and bright red eyes. She quietly fiddled with her menu, before pulling out a styling kit. "You get to use smoke and mirrors to change yourself... I have to rely on a more traditional method." She tapped a few menu's with her free hand, sliding a bottle of inky black liquid into the first one, and fiddling with some of the settings with the other.

A few moments later, her hair changed to a raggedy mop of curly black hair, just barely reaching her chin. "I used to style myself just like I did in the real world... for some reason, I found it comforting." her hand went back to the scars, her eyes squeezed shut. "But then I realized that the memories associated with this... they were too painful for me to look at every day. So, I hide it away under a candy-pink shell." she fiddled with the menu again, setting her hair back to the previous style, the long pink strands no longer in a ponytail, and simply lying limply on her head.

when Freyd retrieved the black book, she let out a sigh. "Put that away, I could care less what's written in Rai's little book of murder." she looked back at him, shaking her head. "I told him as much when he tried to show me the first time. I have no interest in who he's killed, or has contingencies to kill... I just care that he makes amends for those that have fallen because of it."

[Freyd 0]

"You misunderstand.  This book serves the opposite purpose.  It has spared more lives than it has taken by its contents.  And it is not Raidou's book, but belonged only ever to the Faceless Lord."

Flipping open its deceptively small and lightweight pages, their bleached white purity was stained with digital blood in quantity enough to overflow the banks of the lake at their feet.  This book was death, and also life.  It was a recipe for controlling chaos by embracing chaos.  Its wielder sat at the tiller, or held the puppet strings.  Freyd had been given the book - no small gesture or obligation.  He had read it through, cover to cover, many times.  Its contents were fully memorized, recalled by wrote.

"Evac.  Killed by Tybalt."  He knew the page by heart.  "Beatbox. Killed by Death Adder."  The last one he remembered from the monument itself.  "Kirbs.  Killed by Pinball."

Closing the book, Freyd placed a hand tenderly on its cover, appreciating the sacrifice and willpower it represented.  Few would ever understand.  Fewer still could carry such a thing forward.  The day's conversation weighed even further upon him.  Now was not the time, but action was pending and inevitable.  Quietly returning the tome to its secret place above his heart, the Whisper suppressed a sigh against the whim of destiny.  He'd accepted, after all.

"He has many amends to make, and also none. You judge him as expected." 

And so you will judge me.  I am so sorry Violet.  I can't ignore this any longer.

"Your hair looks good like that, but you should leave it pink and claim the best of both yous."

The constant gardener gives way to his successor.  What will become of his legacy?

Freyd cast his reel once more.  Always and ever, just once more.

Vanity Tag: @Raidou

***

Fishing ID 216524 | CD 7+1=8 | LD 17+1=18 | +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 216525 | LD 11+3=14

T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 216525a
T4 Rare Armor/Shield 216525a

+10 Fishing EXP

[tricolor_mina 0]

Violet glared at him, her tone laced with venom as she spoke. "You think I don't know who killed my friends..?" she hissed, "I know what got them killed, I simply never noticed the 'Why'. Why would those specific people go after those specific friends. Raidou told me about that book, that list in it, and I told him he better get cracking on the 'Amends' part. He has quite a bit of work to do. And so do you if you plan on continuing his work."

The anger in her veins hissed, white hot with rage and coiled like a snake ready to strike its prey. "The walls have ears, and I have eyes thanks to my brother and Rosa." all at once, the vitriol vanished, her gaze returning in front of her. it was almost like flicking a switch, one moment feeling emotions acutely, and then they suddenly vanished, hiding under the frosty shell. "I'm willing to discuss a wide variety of things with you at the moment... but the crimes of that damn guild, and all those dead bodies are off limits, at least for now. Please respect that I have no wish to be involved in that particular part of your lives. I trust you two to do the right thing, even though it feels like most of the people I associate with don't feel the same."

Violet tilted her head, humming. "It used to look better than that, when I actively took care of my hair." she mused, rubbing her chin. "My parents seemed to think so, at least."

[Freyd 0]

At first he was going to ask about her parents, but that seemed like a bad idea.  Violet was so touchy about sensitive subjects.  That seemed to be one bound for disaster, just given how the rest of her life went.  Trying to connect over the book was clearly not going to happen, so there went that idea.  She wanted to hear him talk about simple things and enjoying life.  He'd tried that - at least his version of it - and had crashed and burned.  Only the comment about her hair seemed to have garnered any traction.  Could it really be that...

"So...err... it's nice day out today."  Eyes wide behind his reflective lenses, the sheer pointlessness of the statement galled him.

"Actually, I never noticed how nice the beaches are around the Lake of Reflections."  True, and of course he hadn't because he was usually chasing mobs around it, or else delving into horror-laden sub-dungeons containing the crystal-ridden demon-spawn leftover brunch that was Sundered Spire's aftermath.

"Wait a sec.  How exactly were you planning to train," he pointed down at the little drake, not willing to risk uttering the name against for fear of setting off fireworks.

***

Fishing ID 216539 | CD 10+1=11 | 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 216540 | roll voided]

+7 Fishing EXP

Edited August 23, 2023 by Freyd

[tricolor_mina 0]

Violet paused when asked about what she was trying to teach Akame. "I've been teaching her to learn how to track chests~" she said, looking over at her friend with a smile. "Akame loves to get into just about anything, so I decided I'd get her to put that to good use so we both could get some goodies from her shenanigan's~" a peaceful co-existance that allowed them to gather the things that they both needed to survive. Better gear and better items made her survival chances go up.

She liked this pace much better than the bitter song and dance they'd been going through earlier, a pleasant sensation flowing through her mind and body. It was relaxing, and much more in line with what she'd rather their conversation be like right now. She wanted to follow the advice of Montjoy, and avoid pushing too hard. And so, they would be chatting idly until the other was ready to talk about the pain.

"Maa... Hey, Takeshi-kun...?" she asked, tilting her head at her friend. "Have you ever tried to cook something before? In game, I mean." She grinned at him, her eyes suddenly beginning to twinkle with a mischievious light. "I'd be willing to bet that your lady friend would like a nice home-cooked meal every now and then, no? If you haven't learned, I can teach you~ It's so much easier than learning in the real world!"

[Freyd 0]

Reaching a hand out, Freyd let the little dragon take a sniff and familiarize itself with his scent, albeit one laced with fish bait.  A smile creased his face as she alternated between licking and nibbling at his fingertips.

"Hey, don't go getting any ideas.  I like those where they are," he replied, tickling the nape of her neck as she purred in catlike manner.  "She's cute.  I'd love to know where you found her."  In the casual spirit of the moment, he summoned a small bottle with a concoction Freya had shared with him once.  Taking a swig, he offered Violet a share.  "It tasted a bit like lemonade with strawberries in it.  Pretty good, actually."  

"Maa... Hey, Takeshi-kun...? Have you ever tried to cook something before? In game, I mean."

When was the last time he'd been called that way?  Had he ever?  It felt like someone else's life, or an implanted distant memory. 

"Haine generously shared a meal with me once.  I think I helped with the salad.  The time before that I tried using a sword art on a butcher block.  The results were... explosive."  He actually laughed at the absurdity of the aftermath.

"I'd be willing to bet that your lady friend would like a nice home-cooked meal every now and then, no? If you haven't learned, I can teach you~ It's so much easier than learning in the real world!"

A sheepish blush spread over him, the thought of surprising Elora with such a gift having shamefully never crossed his mind.  Even worse, he knew that she'd already be thinking of all these things.  It was time to catch up.

"I... I think I'd like that...  Violet-kun.  Thank you."

***

Fishing ID 216556 | CD 11+1=12 | 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 216557 | LD 6+4=10

T4 Rare Weapon 216557a
T4 Rare Weapon 216557b
T4 Rare Consumable 216557c
T4 Rare Consumable 216557d

+10 Fishing EXP

***

Thread Closing:

Tricolor_Mina receives:

6,939 EXP (Word Count [18,976/10*5*0.7] + Quest [300])
2,240 col (3 page [1200] + 15% P5 Reward [1,040])
4 Materials (Gathering [4])
Can submit Akame for Hunting Familiar Skill eval

Freyd receives:

21,246 EXP (Word Count [18,976/10*16*0.7] + Quest [0])
3,186 col (3 page [0] + 15% P5 Reward [3,186])
12 Materials (Fishing [12])

T4 Rare Weapon 215240a
T4 Rare Weapon 215240b
T4 Rare Consumable 215240c
T4 Rare Consumable 215240d
T4 Rare Weapon 215278a
T4 Rare Weapon 215278b
T4 Rare Consumable 215278c
T4 Rare Consumable 215278d
T4 Rare Weapon 215294a
T4 Rare Weapon 215294b
T4 Rare Consumable 215294c
T4 Rare Consumable 215294d
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 215456a
T4 Rare Armor/Shield 215456b
T4 Rare Weapon 215487a
T4 Rare Weapon 215487b
T4 Rare Consumable 215487c
T4 Rare Consumable 215487d
T4 Perfect Weapon 215653a
T4 Perfect Weapon 215653b
T4 Rare Weapon 215653c
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 215934a
T4 Rare Armor/Shield 215934b
T4 Perfect Armor/Shield 216525a
T4 Rare Armor/Shield 216525a
T4 Rare Weapon 216557a
T4 Rare Weapon 216557b
T4 Rare Consumable 216557c
T4 Rare Consumable 216557d