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Baldur closed his eyes to hold back tears. I would have to come to visit you. But he didn't say the words He couldn't say the words; they would just be more knives. In his minds eye, he could imagine her situation, the horrors of it. She had chosen to do this to herself? He felt furious with Raidou. The man should have known better; should have talked her out of this torture. When he opened his eyes again to look at her, a small tear trailed down his face. "It's called the rule of three." He croaked out, wiping the small tear away with sleeve of his yukata. "Three minutes without air

PH *** ID: 247913 | LD: 20 + 3 = 23 | Ingredients found! 3/5 Ingredients found

"When we made this guild, we made four pillars for a reason. We all knew that people would step back for a time, so I expected this. Not everyone at once, mind you, but it was there because we knew that there is an ebb and flow to these things. We have good leaders now, and we will rebuild. We've already begun." "It's good that the guild's built back up. That new leaders were found." Mari closed her eyes. "In truth..." She started quietly. "I'm relieved. I don't think I could be a leader right now. I struggled back then. I kept having so much pressure thrown on me." It was hard to admit t

So many little nuggets dropped in what she had to say. He didn't know about Oikawa confessing to her. He thought Oikawa had confessed to Kiru too. It seemed more like the man was trying to find someone to latch onto, and he could see why he chose the two of them. Though Mari and Kiru had similarities, they were also two wildly different people. If he guessed it, he probably felt that Oikawa saw a kindred spirit in Mari, and someone whose pain and past was similar enough to his own that he felt he could confide in her, and that she would understand what he was going through. Still, Baldur shook

"Of course." As Baldur shifted to face toward her Mari sighed. A soft exhale as she slung herself back against the polished wood. Using her arms folded beneath her head as a makeshift pillow. He probably had so many questions... Maybe he'd even ask them in due time, but right now - he was giving her the floor...allowing herself to collect her thoughts. Mari didn't know where to start...maybe the beginning? That seemed about right. "Shield. Beat. Oikawa." Mari started. "They went missing." Mari paused. "You know what Oikawa did?" Mari would shift her gaze to the sunlight, filtered thr

It seemed she was ready to speak her feelings now. He shifted a quarter turn, to show her that she had his full attention without her having to sit there under the full weight of his gaze. They could both still look out at the garden, but his body language was inviting towards what she wanted to share with him. He filled up his little cup, and then raised to his lips, this time sipping it slowly. "Of course." He tried to keep his tone and mannerisms open and welcoming. He wanted her to feel free to speak as much or as little as she wanted. "You don't owe me anything, but I would

HOME The last word sent with a sense of urgency and desperation. Where once stood a shabby cottage barely fit for one, now stood a larger home - made primarily out of various cut stone and mortar. Two stories loomed over a frozen lake. Nestled in the forests of the 4th floor. Hidden by a steep and looming mountainside the house would be near impossible to find if you were not specifically looking for it. And yet, here, in the middle of nowhere - in a freezing tundra - was home. A cherished home of brick and mortar glowing amid seas of white. Glass windows frosted to pro

."It's Ume-zing" Mari snorted at his pun. "Yer still a dork. It's nice to see that hasn't changed." Mari picked up her own small glass as he offered a warm hearted cheers before she emptied it, then in a fashion that was similar to Baldur - she refilled her own glass again. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, and made time for some girls day out. Connection is important to us in here." "Yeh..." Mari said softly. "Sometimes. I suppose it is." Mari had lost so many of her connections. Lost faith in so many people. Why was it that all those closest to her just up and left? It was hard

The thing would laugh at his plan but there was something rather odd about it, it was not often that Laughing Coffin had to be this careful. There was a small epiphany as he'd listen on to all the provided information. Staring through the void into nigh nothingness, upon the monument as it listed off name after name. Some of them were his, but most were not. Hell most didn't even belong to the Coffin at all. "I believe I understand." The man would remark limply, weighing his options carefully. "This Freyd..." The thoughts welling in his head, as his courage would begin to take on a fire of its

Baldur picked up the small cup of shochu and gave Mari a pleased smile, holding it up. "Kampai." He said, then took a sip, savoring the flavors and forming his opinion on the matter, but he finish the small glass quickly. "It's Ume-zing" His eyes sparkled with a little bit of mirth, before he set the cup back down. Supposedly it was bad luck to pour your own sake, but Baldur was never one to buy into superstition, especially in a video game. But he would pace himself. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, and made time for some girls day out. Connection is important to us in here." There h

It was nice...there was no discussions of frontlines, no dwelling about tiny prison cells that had no sun. In that peaceful moment there was no such thing as a war effort. Of mobs and death. No monument of life. Just three friends enjoying each others company. Taking solace in the fact that after so many years they had finally been reunited. A quiet reprieve..in what would now forever be known as the strawberry yolo onsen. -End- Mari | [Word Count: 4499/10 = 449.9] * [True Tier: 9] * [Group Factor: 1] = 4049 EXP, Laurel Wreath: 607 col Macradon | [Word Count: 4499/10

A slide of a small pot of tea would fill the little white platter, allowing the heat to escape in a billowing of steam. A rigid hook would claim it from the table and exhale causing the white trails to bend. "So quick witted." The man expresses before bringing the mixture to his lips. It clicks back onto the table with a rather stern press. Once the screen was shut completely, his senses perk up to assure that their enslaved cook was long out of earshot. Loose lips lead to loose ends. "Margaret." The man would extend an open hand to the seat opposed him if she chose to take it. "News has

A rush of feelings flourished around him, waves of water, gusts of wind, more voices than before. The aftershock of someone who jumped in just as he did caught him off guard, it was the owner. Macradon laughed after moving to the side so that he wasn’t getting in the way of anything, but at this point there wasn’t much to get in the way of, the water was barely hiding anything for now, and the three just … existed there in the moment. He let Mari do her talk with Baldur, he didn’t want to bud into their little reunion. “Good to see you, big guy.” he said with a snicker as he composed

"You have always been so hard on yourself, it's good to hear that you've made some connections that are truly yours rather than just your pasts'" Hoo boy, that hit the nail on the head more than he knew. Mari offered Baldur a cheeky grin. "Yeh. You could say something like that." She wouldn't go into further detail. Not now. "I was though...I think it drove me a little mad. Did...Shield ever tell you that conversation he and I had?" Mari paused, then continued - not waiting for her friend to respond. "How I didn't want to be here anymore." Words that were heavy, but spoken in a light tone

As they sat back down, Baldur let Mari's thoughts wander as they wanted. He could see that coming here and talking to him was an undertaking, no doubt she felt guilt and would try to punish herself as she often had before. But she also seemed at ease here, like she could finally let her hair down and breath for a moment. "It sounds like you have had some fun adventures, I'm glad to hear that. You have always been so hard on yourself, it's good to hear that you've made some connections that are truly yours rather than just your pasts'" He fiddled with the flute, not nervously, but mor

PH <<Assisting System Engaged>> Level: 1 Paragon: 0 Tier: 1 True Tier: 1 Final Exp Reward: +150% Genma | HP: 20/20 | EN: 25/25

'FWEEET' A very loud discordant A-Flat pierced her ears, sharp and unapologetic as Baldur faltered. Mari couldn't help but laugh at the harsh sound. His surprise. "Oh! Good to see you Mari." Baldur stood up from where he sat and gave her a friendly bow of welcome. He was always so earnest and formal that way. The woman tilted her head ever so slightly to the side, a small soft and warm smile upon her lips. This. This was why things were hard. When she began to doubt, when she was questioning her position in the guild. Where she stood with him...with the front-lines, in a simple gestu

Baldur was sitting on the engawa behind the opened shoji panel walls that made up the living room of his main house. During the day when he was home, the panels were always moved open, allowing a nice breeze to permeate the home. It also opened up to beautiful landscapes on either side. The front of the house opened up to the massive pond that his home was built around, and he would often sit there and dangle his toes into the water. Hirru often fished in that lack, and he could see Cal and the others practicing in the dojo from there. But for music, he sought solitude. Not to be alone, b

Purchaing 5 creme brulee for 10 materials.

13:07 aincrad standard time. three messages drop into yuki's inbox. it's from a contact she has only met once. ARA: Hi. ARA: [b7e9c24f.jpg] ARA: Can you help me kill? ( •̯́ ^ •̯̀) like a frightened wife pointing out pests for their husband to dispose of, the blurry shot of floor 25's maze weaver, front appendages raised and charging at the retreating camera, is meant to speak for itself. as she would tell yuki later, arabelle had been unlucky this time. she is ordinarily a competent boss hunter. but the twists and turns of the maze and her dwindling consumable hoard had formed a

Thread Summary Word Count: 8,153 Base XP: 8,153 / 5 = 1,630 Baldur Tier 9: x9=14,675 Snow Tier 3: x3=4,890 Quest Rewards 1000 Experience Points ((Snow only, Baldur has completed the quest)) Each player receives: Monkey Agility (Uncommon Consumable [potion]) A strange potion that boosts the user's Evasion by 1. Lasts for one thread. REWARD ACHIEVED | If Sewallus accompanies the party and survives Unlock <<TECH-D>> collected sword art.

It had been almost a month since she was released from prison. In that time she had told herself she’d meet up with Baldur and have a long discussion numerous times. And yet each and every time she had been distracted. Getting drunk with Arcanthus and Katoka…that dark shinsengumi from the laughing coffin… Mari snorted in amusement. Somehow…both he an Baldur were similar. Two sides of the same coin. It was a shame really…they’d never meet, and if they did it would likely not end well. The dark shinsengumi’s words echoed in Mari’s mind. Tell those you love to stop seeking salva

Freyd stumbled slightly and Mari held him up with a jutted out elbow. She threw a gaze over her shoulder back at him. His goofy grin was all it took to calm her slight nerves over this expedition. It was funny...she really did see him as family now. Mari snorted, taking advantage of his slurred stupor to acknowledge that fact. Though she was sure he was already well aware, she had stated as much to him. But so casually? So informally? In a situation that wasn't terse, no. They hadn't really had many of those lately, so maybe it'd be nice to have one now. "Careful, bro. Not sure I have the upp

there are cats in the endless caverns. they just happen to have owners. murderous ones. she laughs, soft and almost dismissive. "oh, no. i'm just the exception." for lack of a better place to go, or partly by arabelle's insistence, they do start for the river first. she continues once they are far past the dragon gates, her weapon nowhere in sight. "my family ran a funeral home. i helped them since i was able -- administrative tasks, mostly, but as i grew older and my responsibilities expanded, i had to spend more time in the place itself. if you've ever been to one, you'll understan

Kimba’s ear twitched first. Ariel’s gaze snapped from her familiar’s lazy grooming to the figure stumbling toward the pinned coordinates. Wobbly gait. Slurred hum. She knew that walk—not injury, but intoxication. Impossible. SAO’s systems filtered alcohol’s effects; players tasted wine but never felt its bite. Yet here was Freyd, hiccuping into the autumn night, pajama-clad with a sword scraping cobblestones. Ariel melted from the shadows. "Are you drunk?" No disapproval—raw, hopeful intensity. Her eyes scanned his glazed expression, the loose sway of his shoulders. Real buzz. Memori