[OP-F2] Grief Is the Thing with Feathers

[Alkor 0]

It was not a very colorful conversation, granted. The last time that Alkor and Baldur spoke, it was with weapons more than words. They were fundamentally different people. Baldur was the type of man who could see the struggles of others and held out a hand to help guide them through. Warmth, of personality and of passion, he was a flame in his own right. Alkor was cold by contrast, the way he interacted was aloof and distant, filled with intrinsic value and seeking meaning within himself. Both men wanted to help others, and in their own ways, shined a beacon- it was that Baldur was a lantern, kept close and comfortable to a group, while Alkor was a lighthouse. You could see him, his light kept you safe; but one was never meant to come too close. His firelight was warm inside and unto himself, and not meant for anyone else. 

"I can't say that I blame her for the doubt." If she had little interaction with Baldur prior to this, it was impossible for her to know what kind of person he was. And since she was there at the scene when he seemingly died, to hear him say that 'Alkor is alive' was even more dubious.

And when Kiru added her own perspective, the pieces clicked and fit together perfectly. "I can't imagine," he said, completely honest. There wasn't any time Alkor could remember that someone might have a reason to want him dead. In the times where Player Killers ran rampant, he was a frontline player who tirelessly sought to clear boss fights and trained endlessly toward that end. There was little interaction with others, except things that were forced on him or completely chance. The people who did know him were allies, bound by their shared fate inside of Aincrad. So the fallout from the earlier raid group, the infection of Player Killers, and now this... that was how things had transpired during his absence. There was something somber about that harsh truth.

Then, she seemed to show something she wanted to keep hidden. "Everyone thought I was," he said. "And there was a long time where I thought so, too."

When she said that she felt like she'd failed him, he paused. What would Lessa have done in this situation? That was all he could think as she began on a dark spiral that would have had no end. Alkor took a step forward, placed an arm around her shoulders and gave her a very awkward side hug. It wasn't quite what the blonde woman would have done, and he didn't squeeze tightly or hold her against her will. "Nah," he said, releasing her almost as quickly as he'd embraced her. "You did what you could. Everyone in a boss fight knows what they signed up for. No one can blame you if things go poorly. We prepare all we can, and then its a coin toss. We just have to hope for the best and be ready for the worst."