Bistro

Bistro is typing... NIGHT is typing... - - - - - - - - - - BISTRO: Please?

[3/6/20]

[2/6/20]

[1/6/20]

[31/5/20]

[30/5/20]

[29/5/20]

Another customer, or just another window-shopper? Neither, Bistro had guessed, noticing how cute and small the player strolling in was, a young child somehow lost in the great castle of Aincrad. But Bistro wasn't exactly ready to play babysitter. "Pheromones. You're looking for a familiar, aren't you?" Given her customer's height, it made sense how she may not have seen The Stars Collide at first glance. Though, what a kid was doing wandering about shop to shop alone was another question to be asked entirely. The shop keeper stepped past the counter, picking up a small ointment jar from her display shelves. Daybreak coated her room in hard shadows, so when Bistro slid her product out from the dark, it managed to sparkle wonderfully under the morning light, laid back against leather gloved hands when she showed it to her tiny patron. "500col." With a tilt of her head, she added, "You have the money on you, don't you?" @Assassin

The woman snorted at her companion's response. "If the answer wasn't a personal affair, I wouldn't need to ask." A gentle nod of her head and an open palm, the gesture leaving the floor open for Rei to speak on her thoughts. And so she did. A pessimist's stance on life, further elaborated for her, and the outcome was Rei walking into the fields of war alone. "One of the four noble truths," Bistro quipped with a grin. "'Existence is suffering', huh...? Many can relate to that." "Yet you stand here, still walking the earth. Subjecting yourself to the every day horrors of life." Her finger thumbed her chin, the other hand swiveling her umbrella sideways to block out some of the wind-blown downpour. "Taking your own life indeed -- a slow death if I've ever seen one. But if you'd asked me... it already seems like you know what you're doing. And I'd say any justification to keep that pretty little head on you is enough of a noble truth in itself." "Keep a tight hold on that, little ghost." The broker shrugged, closing her eyes for a beat. "Maybe what you really need more right now is a jolt of self-esteem. Or a support network, if you're really intent on sticking your head out into combat like you just did before." As much as Rei may have hated combat, going stir-crazy locked in a town was a sentiment Bistro could properly relate to. Perhaps anything risking death, even for a split second in time might've been what the warrior might have needed to regain a cool head again. "Well, you know me if you're on the lookout for the latter. A holler, and I'll be at your service, madame." @Yuurei

[28/5/20]

"Are you asking why would want to jump into the danger of this world in the first place and no just wait it out?" "Now, I wouldn't call it waiting it out..." But before Bistro could say any more, Rei seemed to had cracked her past open, spilling a waterfall of information right in front of the broker without warning. In the monologue sea, it was all the woman could do to stay afloat in the rushing waters, listening into her companions woes as she tried her best not to drown. This outcome, of course, was what she had originally planned for. The delay just made it a surprise. Like any good detective, she'd looked into the nuances of her subject's words. There was a trail of discontentment Rei seemed to have left behind, the hints of tragedy almost begging to be unveiled. So her disappointment wasn't simply recent, Bistro realized. And as with any form of escapism, Rei was part of the numbers who would use it as a form of empowerment. If only it wasn't doubling as an ultimatum for their own life's worth. Chilling proposition, that, as Bistro nodded to Rei's final words, a mix of conviction and loss. She daren't turn around to address her companion directly with her heavy words still looming over the two of them. Instead, all the woman afforded the warrior was a wistful, "So that's how it is," before keeping her mouth shut, continuing to trek down the path ahead of them. After a moment, Bistro found her voice. She spared Rei a glance, though it seemed to meet the ground the woman walked on rather than fall upon her form directly. "How exactly do you define living, again? Fighting and risking death; for the thrill of adrenaline?" Her questions might've seemed cutting, in contrast with the broker's calm delivery, but Bistro's lack of change in her casual demeanor could've given away her indifference to what Rei was about to respond with next. @Yuurei

Talk about any semblance of hope. How long ago was it since Rei's attempt at finding company, since death was one of the last things on her mind? The warrior had spoken about the digital realms scaring her a lot -- a sentiment that Bistro was sure a lot of other players could relate to, which felt reasonable for a beat. But when the broker's gaze met Rei's as the two women exchanged smiles, for a moment, a flicker of sadness swept over Bistro's eyes. What followed was an unwarranted spill, a burning question the woman had toyed with for a majority of her time in Aincrad-- "Why do it in the first place if you weren't exactly comfortable with it?" Many had their justifications for heading out into the field, throwing themselves at the starter boars, key murderers in wiping out a portion of a brave population, players that had decided to take their destinies into their own hands. To do it for others, to do it for themselves. To get out of Aincrad, to explore, to live their life to the fullest. Their reasons were personal, some more so than others, but the most important function they'd served was to keep the adventurers she'd become familiar and fond with running day by day. On the other hand, if they had ever reached Rei's level of despair... "..." Bistro let herself dwell on the silence, turning to the drenched road ahead of them with a feigned interest, readjusting the grip of her umbrella in her hands. "-- You know," she reminded her companion, after the moment had passed them by, "there's still a lot to be done back at base camp that doesn't require you putting yourself in danger all the time. I'm a broker for exactly that sort of reason. I'm sure I could find some place to put your talents to, if you want." Half of it was a lie, but the offer still remained genuine. @Yuurei

[27/5/20]