Baldur

Thread Closed:

Word count: 13,155
(I did not count anything in a quote box if it was in a previous post)

13,155/30 = 438.5
Snow level 23 = Tier 3 *5 = 15
Baldur level Level 32 Paragon 58 = Tier 9 *5 = 45
@Snow EXP Gain = 15*438.5 = 6,577.5 + 300 Quest EXP = 6,877.5
@Baldur EXP Gain = 45*438.5 = 19,732.5 + 300 Quest EXP = 20,032.5

Both Baldur and Snow gain the <<Fisher>> Profession

Both Baldur and Snow gain 1 <<Gleaming Scale>> from Quest reward

Snow Gains 400 Col + 2 Material
Baldur gains 3,004.875 Col from Laurel Wreath

I don't think you could have botched this more if you had tried. Baldur almost laughed at himself. He watched as Snow moved throughout the store, looking at different options and fabrics, pulling out a few and holding them up to her. She had almost seemed saddened that he seemed to reject her choosing the previous one. If that were true, he was even more of a fool than he realized. But he wanted Snow to know that she didn't need to try and appease him, or do what he wanted. He had wanted her to want that haori, but his, Baldur's, goals with Snow were more important. He wanted to help her find her voice. Find her purpose. Find her footing. All of that was more important than Baldur's own vanity and insecurities. The fact that they were even here shopping for haori was already a huge enough compliment to him from her.

I just hope I'm not doing more harm than good.

Thankfully now, the haori was firmly settled about his shoulders.

Idly, he played with the haori himo as he followed snow at a distance, not wanting to influence her choices.

When she finally help up a white and light blue one, with stunning clouds along the hems of the sleeves, Baldur almost hadn't registered it. It looks nice, the clouds blowing lazily on the wind as the fabric rippled. But instead of showing it to him, she wandered over the merchant and paid for it.

There you go. He smiled internally.

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"This one then," she stated definitively. "But I bought it myself. You already got me a pole today. So, let me get this haori to wear around the estate. When you're ready, you can give us all one to wear that looks like yours. I'm certain the guild would appreciate it."

She paused and gave him a lighthearted, concerned smile.

"When you're ready."

He gave her a warm smile for the gesture. Oh Snow, I will never be able to ask. He was saddened at the realization, but then, she suddenly took his hand and pulled him along, and the sad thoughts were left behind.

Her hand was small in his. Though their height wasn't that different, he was at least half again as broad at the shoulders, and he had large gaijin hands. Still, she had a life in her hands as she pulled him along that was infectious. 

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"Now, there's one stand I want you to try since you've given me such a hard time about my spear fishing skills. It's time you put your skills to the test. Have you ever played the festival game with the baby koi fish and the paper circle? Here, come on. I know a stand that does it year round. The kids used to love watching me try for them."

The gaijin samurai laughed as he was swept up in Snow's festivities. He was terrible at this game, as he remembered trying it in previous festivals.

But perhaps today was a good day after all.

Snow had come back with one of the Shinsengumi haori, it was as close to a match of his as you could find without making something custom. The gesture of it was touching. It was, in fact, exactly what he had secretly hoped she would come back with, but it drug up some deep guilt inside of him, and the words she had given him. You can't make it through Aincrad alone. His face was a genuine smile, the joy of her choice, which she already knew of, reflected on him. He took it in hand and held it up for her to try on. She hesitated a moment, and then let him help her, before she once again dazzled him with her smile and some sort of innate sense of how to pose in a fashionable way.

"What do you think?" She asked him as she looked at herself in a mirror that the shop had. He stood behind her, a head taller than she was so he could look over her form at her reflection while wearing his own haori.

"Snow I-"

"I know, it doesn't quite go with this particular outfit."

"No I-"

She turned back to look at him. He couldn't quite read the expression on her face. Confusion? Concern?

He plans his hands lightly on her shoulders to pause her in trying to anticipate his thoughts.

"I... "He still couldn't find the words he was searching for, "I love it, but I don't - " His jaw flexed as he struggled with the words. Not with the emotion, but trying to put the words and emotions together in his own mind was difficult.

"I don't want you to feel pressured to get this one." He finally let out a breath and calm seemed to settle over him once more. His ocean blue eyes smiled at her along with his lips.

"I appreciate you choosing it, knowing how much it means to me, but I want you to get something that speaks to you. You will have a home with Jacob's Ladder as long as you want it, and you will always have my friendship and appreciation for the kindness and service you have shown me and the guild. But please, find something that is meaningful to you. It will be more meaningful to me if you pick something that is special to you. Just having a haori, or a kimono to wear  - when people do that when they come to the island, it feels like they are meeting me half way, they are welcoming me and acknowledging my own quirks and accepting me for who I am. I love it. I want you to find something that is meaningful and special to you as well."

He smiled down at her.

"Though thank you for letting me see this, us standing side by side in these. Perhaps some day I'll be able to convince the guild to wear them."

He turned away from her, taking a moment to set aside his disappointment at his own words, and then pointed at a few other things.

"There's some lovely kimono over here. I noticed you seem to share my favorite color of blue, and there's a nice one over here with some furs for cold nights. There's also a cute white one over here with some flowers...."

Baldur smiled at the first player to come up to the buffet table.

"Thanks again, @Hirru for helping catch so much of the fish we used for tonight. I really appreciate your help." He placed a piece of the yakitori on its skewer on his place.

The next face he saw surprised him, and his face lit up with warmth and joy at the sight of @Zajcica.

"Yuki! You're back! It's always so wonderful to see you! Yes, I'd love to catch up once I've given out the food. I assume you've already seen Crow, right? He's been eating me out of house and home while you've been busy." In spite of it all, he gave her a warm and welcoming smile. Everyone needed time. Baldur had even done much of that himself, he would never judge someone else for it.

Then @Freyd came along and Baldur flashed the man another smile, and gave him a companionable nod. "I am glad that you came to fight in the tournament, but even more glad you decided to stay and enjoy. I have to admit, I am proud of this place and I enjoy it when others can appreciate it as well." He had seen the frontliner continuing his conversation with Hirru, and it made the gaijin samurai happy. Forging these bonds is exactly what he was after.

It was then that Baldur saw a new face he wasn't familiar with tentatively come towards the food. He smiled at @Xena and wave at her with his tongs, "I am sorry about early, and not formally introducing myself. I am Baldur, and please, make yourself welcome here. Help yourself to the food, there's lots of good stuff here."

Baldur opened his mouth to greet @Eruda as he had the others, but she seemed scattered, and then grabbed a few of the desserts and raced off to Freyd and Xena with candy apples.

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The apron really helps tie together that samurai look. Brings out the traditional warrior in you. Finally seeing this place of yours really puts everything you’ve told me about it into perspective. I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t one of the most breathtaking spots I’ve been to in Aincrad. Oh, right. I should give these back to you before I forget to. These fights you put together definitely humble us frontliners” he would add with a smirk. “Wish I could have made it past round one, but it was definitely a fun experience.”

Baldur smiled at @Jomei as he came up to the gaijin samurai with a plate of sushi.

"I'm glad I finally got you up here to experience it. Your words mean a lot to me though." He took a moment for himself, looking around at everyone gathered at the party, seeming to enjoy themselves. "This is what I had hoped for. People talking and eating together, growing together, seeing each other as people. We're all in this together, but it helps if that 'together' part isn't always a high stakes high stress combat situation."

Baldur watched as one of the impressive new comers, @Morningstar, came up with a small harem of equally impressive fighters, @Astralin and @Astreya. He would greet them warmly, introduce himself and give them some food, when they got there. Apparently they were excited for the romance of seeing the sunset and the stars. More joy filled Baldur's heart.

Through some sheer force of will, the occupants of his transport helped defend them from the handful of cannon balls that found their mark, both by calling out their positions, and apparently by punching or chopping them. Baldur was mostly glad that his reckless and breakneck speeds trying to get them through the most dangerous arc of their flight hadn't dislodged anyone. He didn't know Plini, but he hoped everyone had their teleport crystals. It was far enough down that anyone who dropped could teleport away before hitting the ground.

"HANG ON WE'RE GOING IN FOR A LANDING!!"

Abruptly Baldur sent everyone standing to the floor as they pulled a maneuver which would have been several Gs of force as he leveled out the taxi and slammed on the air breaks. If the air could have squealed against tires, it would have. But it was obvious Baldur had some small experience piloting aircraft, at least in a game setting, as their ship actually came to a stop inside the hanger bay, and not by crashing into anything.

"Alright, this is where everyone gets off. Please remember to give me 5 stars in the app, it really help me get more riders." Baldur chuckled as he jumped over the side of their open topped magitek airship.

"Alright, game faces everyone. The reckless abandon part is over. We're back in combat, and the event boss is probably up ahead. Let's catch up with the others. Hirru, you got the shield, you wanna take point? We'll watch your flank at intersections and we got your six, so keep that shield high."

Baldur could hardly suppress his laugher and a smile when she grabbed the spear and told the merchant she wanted it, sticking her tongue out at him. 

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"I'll take this too, For the memories," she added with a soft chuckle. "Don't you go expecting to find me in the ponds at the Guild Hall with this thing!"

Suddenly, this was all Jason could want to see. Alyssa jumping into the ponds in the morning with her spear in hand, harpooning fish. It would be quite the sight to wake up to, he could only imagine the surprise on Hirru and Calrex's faces when they saw the new Lady of the Lake.

His laughed rung out loud and true, coming from somewhere deep in the gut as only earnest laughter could.

After their transaction was complete, Baldur handed her the fishing pole to the young woman, a wry smile on his face struggling not to become more mirthful. He may have won the argument, but she got the best of him in the exchange.

"I must admit, when it comes to finding good guildies, you're quite the.... catch."

Snow's groan was all the revenge he needed.

He bumped her with his shoulder, and then lead her further into the crowd of people, walking through the market stalls.

"You know, I've never thanked you for all you do around the house." He didn't want the levity to die, but it seemed time to say something, "I mean, I say Arigatou gozaimasu and that means thank you, so really it's the same thing." His ocean blue eyes danced with a bit of a mischievous light.

"But I mean it, thank you. I've been on the island for a while alone, but having everyone move in with me the last couple floors has been... wonderful. Your help has been a big part of that, making sure everyone finds it feeling like a home. Everyone pitching in. It feels more like a family home than just a guild hall with some guests."

Baldur wandered over to a stall and selected some ornate chopsticks, and some dishes that caught his eye. Then they continued to bounce around, with Baldur buying an assortment of things, though it perhaps took a few shops to realize he was buying them all from Player artisans, even if it was more expensive than what he could have gotten from the NPCs. In fact, he seemed to be going out of his way to spend more money than he needed to. A fan here, a paper or stone lantern there. It would have overloaded both of them if the items didn't go into his inventory.

"You know." He said after one of his latests purchases, "if you'd like a haori of your own, we can make that happen."

The smile was back on his face.

Buying the following items:

• (2) Ambition Fishing Poles

Total: (800 * 2)  = 1,600col

The moments he had left her inside seemed to stretch on forever. Why had he brought her here? The condition of the shop was embarrassing. He hadn't even used it himself in a long time, and it had been a dozen floors or more since he had last been open to the public, let alone busy. He really should just sell the location. It was a great location for shop, not a mausoleum of his failures.

"Pull yourself together, Baldur. You've shared a moment together that was special to you both, but you're making a terrible second impression."

It wasn't really the 'second' impression. Baldur and Snow had existed together side by side in the guild and on his island for a while now, but there was always the distance of Guild Master and Guild Member, almost a boss and employee distance. Snow had always been quiet, content to help out in her own way. She had made herself invaluable to him over the last couple floors, though he didn't think he ever mentioned it to her. He had taken her for granted, just letting her contribute in the way she felt she wanted to contribute. She had been a timid, watchful presence over the guild. Helping in all the thankless ways every home or guild or business needed help. He should change that.

A moment later, he heard the door squeak open and she emerged, looking much more like a woman about the city. She looked like she would fit in perfectly in an urban center, with the most fashionable of young woman going about town. It somehow seemed to fit more with the setting they found themselves in than he did. 

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"All set, You alright?" she asked.

The gaijin samurai hesitated a moment. He had the opportunity to close up, and move forward, or to let her in. He needed to make the choice to let her in.

Do I? Is she the one?

He supposed, even if she weren't the one to be let in, he had to start with someone.

"I... sorry. It bears some uncomfortable memories for me. I really need to just sell the place... I... have been thinking of switching from Merchant to Performer. I like the music better than the crafting, and there's something healing about playing the flute for me."

Baldur accepted the haori back from her, and whirled it over his shoulders in a movement obviously practiced thousands of times, causing the haori to flare around him like a dramatic cape or the skirts of a dancer. It's familiar weight settled onto him.

"I.... came into the game with a friend from the outside. Her name was Tyger and I... was responsible for her." He opened his mouth to say more, and took a deep breath, his eyes warring from ocean to steel. "Sorry, it's not something I'm ready to talk about much. It's one of the many regrets I carry." he tried to force a smile and some levity, "I wasn't always the amazing hero of the frontlines and man among men you see before you." There was some truth to the humor in that self deprecating smirk. It hinted at a hidden, cheshire like grin.

"Sorry, why don't we head over to the market. The NPCs there have all kinds of tools for all of the crafting we could want."

He gestured with his head and began to walk that way.

"I know you know this already, but the ponds on the island are specially stocked. Well, rather, they're the specific kinds of pond that give bonus to fishing. You're always welcome to them. I've always enjoyed the thought of fishing there."

It was only another street over before they found themselves on another active and busy street, with dozens upon dozens of stalls and booths lining the path. Food interspersed with fabric and clothing and tools of all kind. Baldur lead the way through the crowd of NPC and player alike, until they came to a shop selling rods. He immediately found one that matched his last one, a bamboo fishing rod.

"It's mostly vanity... you can buy whichever kind feels comfortable to you, but the ones that say <<Ambition>> will give you bonus EXP when you fish." Baldur paid for his and let it disappear into his inventory. He looked through the long racks of them and then came back to Snow with a bit of a sassy smile on face.

"I'd recommend one of these two."

In one hand was something that looked a bit more modern, though still matching the fantasy setting of Aincrad, and the other looked almost harpoonish. A fishing spear. It was much more slender than hers, as it was meant to be wielded under water. Once he had gotten the reaction from her he desired, he chuckled and put the spear away.

"May I get this for you? As my way of saying thank you for the other day?"

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"How do I look, now? Just like a Guild Leader, am I right?"

She had blushed when he put the haori on her. Had he been inappropriate? It was certainly not something someone in Asia would do so blithely, but she was of European descent, and her voice didn't have the accent of someone who had grown up in Japan. He assumed she was a transplant, like he was. The last thing he wanted to do was make her uncomfortable, but it struck Jason that it was something he did too often, by overestimating comfort levels and familiarity. Just because he had let her in so much, didn't mean she had let him in as much. Connection wasn't symmetrical.

But she asked how she looked, and so he took a half step back, a playful smile on his face, and he looked.

It fit her surprisingly well, he noticed at first blush. The blue of his haori was not so different from the blue of her own outfit she wore that day. The white flames at the bottom hem and the sleeves  were much lower on her as she almost swam in his haori, but her own outfit had white trim, though it was a little less white after the pond. The blue of her eyes were more noticeable with the sky blue wrapped around her as well, though she didn't seem to quite meet his as she played with getting some of the blonde strands  off of her heart shaped face. She was only a hands span shorter than he was, but the coat which came down to her knees then came down further on her legs. She had a shyness to her, a... hesitance he couldn't quite understand, but she also seemed vibant in his eyes. She seemed cheerful, happy even in that moment in spite of her distress at her appearance. Still, notes of her words, her body language, what bits of her history he had gathered made her feel like a person who was folded in on herself, and he just wanted to help her unfold. To spread her wings, and let the world feel the full accounting of her warmth and her passion. She was, he realized, someone he would like to help grow. She was in the right place in her journey of self actualization. Unfortunately, his usual approach of teaching someone the katana wouldn't work here, but there were other ways he could work around that.

"You look like a dream come true." He didn't realize how much it meant to him, seeing her in the haori. It had been a selfish dream. A vain dream. A private dream. He had always wanted to depart with a group of his people, the guild all together, wearing that very same haori. To him, wearing that as a group represented a certain bond, a certain connection, and a level of acceptance he never dreamed he would find. That wasn't why she was wearing the coat. She wore it, because Jason forgot that you don't get sick in SAO, and that her clothes would dry off before they got back to town anyways. This was a game, not real life, but he had acted on instinct as Jason, caught up in the moment, rather than the methodical, always controlled, calculation of Baldur.

Perhaps Snow was right, perhaps they weren't different people, but different mindsets. Jason treated this like it was real, because the game could fool the senses, especially after so many years. He could forget that this wasn't how it was outside of SAO. Baldur never forgot. Baldur was always ready. Baldur was always precise and in control.

"I've always dreamed of some day seeing the guild walking about in my haori." The same he gave her was earnest, and true, and from a place in the heart that surprised him. He had never spoken about it to anyone.

When it was time to go, and he offered her his arm, she hesitated a moment. Jason almost fled, and would have withdrawn his arm, but just before he could settle on a course of action, she took it. But only for a moment as she stepped away when they moved towards the NPC.

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"Well, now that that is out of the way, let's get going. I'd like to get out of these clothes as soon as possible."

As they walked along the path towards the Town of Beginnings in companionable silence, Jason opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. He was about to call her by her name again, Alyssa, but he wasn't sure if that's what he should do. He was suddenly self-conscious of it. Addressing someone by their name without an honorific was incredibly... meaningful. Game names, such as Baldur and Snow, had an added respectful distance that the Japanese would appreciate. So by using her real name, without an honorific so much, was that being forward? What was their relationship now? He had called her Snow-san when he had arrived, because he had previously called her Snow-chan, and he wanted to show the level of respect that they now shared, but he had also already called her Alyssa several times. But should he call her Alyssa-san, or Alyssa-chan? He was still her guild leader, and her senior if he had a guess. But no, he had asked her to call him Jason, and she had given her name.

"Alyssa."

He said the name out-loud and without context. He was trying out the name consciously, but when she looked up at him with a slight raise of an eyebrow, still damp from the water left in her hair, he scrambled to think of how to save himself.

"I used to be able to sell ambition tools, but I ran out of stock a long time ago. We'll have to go to an NPC vendor to replace my pole... should I see if I can get you an Ambition spear? To help with your fishing exp?"

The look she gave him was enough for him to know that he had perhaps taken that particular joke too far. Though he would love to see her swimming beneath the waves with her spear in hand. He had loved free diving when he was on the outside. He suddenly wondered why he hadn't tried that here.

Their journey back to the The of Beginnings wasn't long. This was a started quest, for new players, and so was not far from the safe zone of the city. It also just so happened that his old shop was not far from the entrance. He had been the first merchant, and as such had had a commanding location back when the Town of Beginnings had been even more the main hub of activity.

"You may be dry already, but if you'd like to change, my shop is nearby. It's been closed for some time now, so you'll have privacy."

She looked shy, standing before the gates of the city, Marv standing to one side, looking at the two of them without a shred of judgement in his eyes, and he saw her pull the haori tighter about herself as if it were some kind of a shield, or perhaps armor. It had often felt that way to him. Other than when they had gone on their pilgrimage, this was the longest Baldur had gone without the haori. He did not miss the familiar weight of it, but its absence was more noticeable, like when you forgot your fitbit at home.

As they walked into the shop so she could change, it was immediately obvious Baldur had not been here in a long time. The sign above the door said 'Catfish Blacksmith and Sundries." Tyger's forge lay forgotten and abandoned. It was tidy, as Baldur had continued to run the shop long after Tyger was gone, it was an indelible part of the shop where he had once lived. The rest of it, the sundries part, was all shelves and boxes. Bits of old gear, and even a glass case for weapons and trinkets, though all empty and covered in dust. Immediately, Jason regretted taking her here. It was a different kind of silence. This was a silence of an abandoned home. Of painful memories, of what-ifs, and different paths. Ghosts lived here. It was and cavernous to Jason. But in the back, was a changing room for when he had sold people armor and clothing. This portion of the shop hadn't been neatly cleaned and stored away; it had been abandoned.

"I'll... wait outside." Baldur said, after letting her in and turning on the lights, and then fled to the outside.

What are you doing? Baldur wondered, as he cast his steel blue eyes up to the sky.

KerSPLASH!

Baldur laughed at the situation they found themselves in as Snow jumped into the water, spear in hand, to save their catched. As she drove herself and the spear into the water where the fish was, the pole finally gave, and shattered into luminous polygons swept up by the gentle breeze of the first floor. Water drenched the gaijin samurai, but his good humor could not be quenched.  He wasn't sure if the water was deeper or more shallow than she had expected, but the look on Alyssa's face as she looked up at him sent the man into another fit of laughter.

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"Oh. My. God. I am so sorry!"

He moved slowly back up to the edge of the dock and knelt down, picking up the spear with two fish on the end as Snow handed it to him, noticing that one of them was the rainbow scale that he also needed to complete the quest and reclaim his fishing skill.

"That's a reel big fish!" He joked after setting it aside, noting that the window for completing his quest had popped up.

He then turned to offer a hand down to Snow and help pull her out of the water. He took one of her hands, and then then other and heaved her up until she could sit on the edge of the pier. It was an incongruity of SAO. There is no way Baldur could have performed such a feat in the real world, even with how small Snow was beside him, but his level and his stats did give him a physical power that manifest in the game. His build was in such an array, that he could probably come close to leaping onto the roof of a house. He wasn't the lithe, fast, agile build of some glass canons, but he was also not the slower, stouter build of some tanks. Baldur was all lean power. He could take a hit, and dish out damage with the best of them. He walked a road that meant he got the best of both worlds, without necessarily getting the absolute advantage of taking either to the extreme. But Baldur had taken hits from the toughest of quest mobs and floor bosses alike, and he had seen people die to both. He would not suffer the same fate.

As Alyssa got herself, drenched as she was, settled on the pier, Jason gave her a bemused smile at her state. He reached up, pulling bits of reed and algae from her shoulders and the top of her head where she couldn't see without a mirror.

"I was right. Spear fishing seems to come naturally to you." The smile he gave her touched his eyes, revealing laugh lines, not necessarily from age, but from a lifetime spent smiling.

"I will never call you timid, Alyssa." mischief twinkled for a moment in Jason's eyes as he knelt down and picked up her spear. The scale moved into this inventory so that they both had one, and then the fish into hers. Without thinking about the sheer absurdity of what he was doing, he reacted on instinct. He removed his blue and white haori, and slipped it around Alyssa's shoulders in case she was cold. The coat was wet with pond water, and had no small amount of algae on it, but around the girl's shoulders it went, and he fastened the haori himo over her chest. Unlike a traditional one, made of rope and those dated puffy cord ends, his was made of metal and natural stone beads. Perhaps it was his love for western style coat clasps, but it was a vanity he took to personalize the appearance.

A breeze blue past them, making the bits of his flesh feel a bit cool. It also seemed to clear a bit of the air that the two of them had felt, getting lost in memories of times gone by.

"Well, since we have completed the quest, and my fishing pole is broken, I can cheer you on for some more spear fishing, or would you like to accompany me into town to buy a new fishing line, and maybe one for yourself as well?"

He offered her his arm.

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"I don't believe that." She shook her head. "I refuse to believe that."

She turned back to him with the faint scowl.

"Right now you are not Baldur. You're Jason. You're the man inside the samurai. That never went anywhere and won't go anywhere."

He had expected feel something different when she finally said his name, but instead the tone was different. She wasn't admonishing him, she was reminding him.

She was right. Jason never did go anywhere, he grew, he blossomed in the adversity he had found here. He had lost branches along the way, and become different than who he was. They were all shaped by the circumstances they found themselves in. To not change was to die. He wasn't lesser, he was just different.

Her hand slipped from his shoulder, and with it the warmth her hand brought.

He appreciated her words. A pole and a good friend, but for some reason he felt a hollowness. They were mirroring. Sometimes it was a defense mechanism, sometimes they were true feelings. He didn't get any deception out of Snow, but he needed to show vulnerability to forge that human connection they were both seeking out.

"I think some part of me was scared. Or ashamed. I wasn't scared when it happened. I wasn't scared of what happened. I mourned the deaths. I was scared for others. I was scared for my family, my friends I came here with and their family. Getting word of what happened. I felt responsible for their lives..."

Baldur dipped a toe into the water and it made ripple.

"But I felt purpose. It was clear to me what I needed to do to help in a way that it just never was obvious in the world outside. I can't pick up a katana and hit the problem until it's better in the real world, but I can here. Having a direct, solvable problem was almost liberating to me, who had been a wage slave office worker."

Jason looked at Alyssa then, his eyes warring back and forth from still ponds to rough ocean waters, searching for something in her eyes.

He reached out, taking Alyssa's hand that was resting between them and then placed it back on the fishing pole, though his hands lingered a moment, encircling hers with his own much larger hands.

"Courage isn't something you feel. Fear is a feeling. Courage is something you do. Empathy, helping others, these are actions you take. Real ways you help people."

He patted her hands on the pole.

"And there's no one else I'd want to be seated next to right now."

He looked back over the water.

"Ope! Looks like we got one, hold onto the pole and give it a jerk to set the hook, and then bring it in just like last time."

Baldur jumped to his feet and made sure Snow didn't fall in either as she fought the fish to standing up. It was a big fish and a big fight. When she got it close, the fish was so large the pole was bending close to breaking. It looks like the durability of the pole was about to give it. He reached over to help her with it.

"I think the pole is about to fail. Are you still game for some spear fishing? You might need to jump in and get it with your spear!" 

He laughed light heatedly at the joke. She could hit it from the end of the dock if the pole lasted long enough.

The gaijin samurai smiled up at Snow as she sat down beside him and opened his mouth to speak, when she pointed out he got a bite. The line tugged at his pole, causing the tip to bend towards the water, and he gave a delighted laugh.

"Alright, here you go!"

Baldur held out the fishing pole to the suddenly surprised girl. She said some words of protest, but Baldur held the rod, more than a bit awkwardly at this angle, in front of her until she took the pole from him. He made sure she had a good hand on it before he let go.

"So the system takes care of most of the hard work, but in the real world, you'd want to give a tug to the line, that really helps set the hook and keep the fish from getting away. Now that you've got it, you should see some prompts, however, the game also responds to physical queues instead. So pull back on the rod when the fish struggles. There's elasticity to the rod, so each time you pull back, you're graining ground on the fish, and then finally when it's close, you pull really hard, counter to the fish, so that when it finally is exhausted, the rod resets back to straight, and it pulls the fish right out of the water."

It was a motion that needed to be practiced, but Snow was quick to get a handle of it. It was even the rainbow scaled fish they were looking for.

"Woah! Congratulations." He helped her stow the fish, and then took another lucky worm out, and reset it on the string.

"Alright, now you try casting this line. Remember, you want some slack on the line and let it go just before the hook hits that 45 degree angle so that the hook acts as the weight and carries it through the air." He smiled and chuckled, never meanly, as she tried a few practice casts until she got it right. Once the bait was out in the water, they sat back down together to wait.

The silence linged for a moment, his face giving phantom pains from smiling so much. It felt like it had been a while since he had smiled for this long. Now that his says were without smiling, but they were moments of the day.

"Shield gave you good advice. We don't talk about the other side here. It's painful, it's private, there are as many reasons as there are people." He stole a sideways glance at her, and then bumped her with his shoulder.

"But to you, Alyssa, alone like this, I am Jason." He hoped that feel went two ways, but he would not assume on her behalf. The threshold for giving one's name was different from everyone. They couldn't all be Batman and just give their secret identity to every cute girl that smiled at him.

"You know, " He said with a playful smirk that touched his eyes, "I spent a lot of time in California as well. Though I didn't realize they called stuff 'California rolls,' or 'California burgers' because it had avocado in it. I thought maybe they were just rolls that were popular in California." His voice chuckled, it came from a place deep in his belly, but was not loud enough to carry beyond the little pier around them.

Daire. She must be the one whom she lost. The one she fought Calrex over.

He didn't know much more than that that was how the two met. He didn't remember anyone named Last_Chance, but Calrex would know better than Baldur. Azide's death had affected the wanna-be samurai greatly, and he had taken a step back from the fighting until he was ready and not a liability. But Alyssa had given him something of hers, and he should do the same for her. But what? Perhaps the joke about the roll, but this Daire was something deep for her. What deep down was he willing to share? It had been so long since he had looked, he didn't even know what to say.

"I... may be a bit more talk than substance on the subject of speaking about the other world though. It will take me time to air out those closest, if you will. I haven't done any spring cleaning in a long time." He tried to play off his nervousness and uncomfortableness with a laugh, but he found that he was desperate. Desperate to hear her say his name. To feel that connection.

He felt he owed her an apology, even if it was a poor one. He was the person everyone came to for answers. He knew the steps he needed to walk, he just needed to walk them. The truth was, however, that sometimes Baldur felt more real than Jason. Not in the sense of an alternate persona, but in the sense that Baldur was more true to who he was as a person than Jason was. Jason had always had to conform to society, but Baldur sometimes felt like the true expression. Ther person he had chosen to be. But that... that was a different conversation, for a much, mucher later date.

"Alyssa..." he said her name, barely louder than a whisper which could be stolen by the afternoon breeze, "I'm afraid there's more samurai left than man."

Baldur stood to the side, silent and unaffected by the display of grief the young NPC had shown. It may have been a compelling script, but it was no more of a display of real grief than that of what he had seen in a movie, and unfortunately, he had seen enough real grief here in Aincrad to last him a lifetime. The puzzle was what engaged him here. How things were changing, and what that meant not just for him, here now, attempting this quest, but how it would effect things going forward for the future of the humans of Aincrad. He would learn, he would scrape together knowledge, and he would use whatever he could gain in expertise to help keep people alive and move this forward.

"It does seem like defeating that... undead thing... has advanced us along. I am sure there is another step to the quest. Maybe if we return to the camp there will be more info? Or is there something we need to search this camp for. A note, or clue, of who is raising the dead in this area?"

The gaijin samurai rubbed his chin in thought, and then began to wander around the frozen camp, looking for things that seemed important as only an adventure gamer could.

Baldur laughed as Snow looked back at him, half covered in mud and wet with the water she had kicked up in her haste to get to the fish with her spear. The fish flopped a moment on the tip before going still, though the woman's expression shifted from surprise, to triumph, to embarrassment as her face flushed prettily. 

"Well done!" He cheered for her success.

Baldur stood there, no small amount of water and mud strewn across his garb from her enthusiastic spear fishing. A soft laugh in his eyes, not at the antics, but at the rapid change in her emotions written plainly on her face 

"Well you know, I never considered maybe you had an aptitude for spear fishing if not regular fishing." He chuckled and then handed her the small package with his own lucky bait on it.

"Tell you what, I'll show you how to use a rod and bait and cast the line, then you can give it a try. If that doesn't work out, I'll tell you all I know about spear fishing. I've never done it, but one of my cousins used to do it a lot."

With her bait on the hook of the pole he brought, Baldur drew in the line in one hand then held it back before flinging it forward like the worm was the projectile of a trebuchet. Unlike modern fishing poles that had buttons and spooled line. This was a bit more akin to fly fishing, but once the bait hit there water he let it sit there, bobbing with the ripples.

"I did it that way so I could control when the weight of the worm and the bobber flew. It lets me choose the arc and distance and power I want to use."

The line bobbed there for a moment. It felt almost anticlimactic after what she had done. With spear fishing she had gotten an immediate result, rather than having to wait for the fish to come to the bait on the line.

He reached up, and flicked a bit of mud that had gotten on his face.

"I assume you're getting into fishing for your sushi shop?" He played with the line, causing it to bob a little and hopefully attract a fish.

"Did you ever make sushi before coming to Aincrad? I watched someone try to teach themselves and it looked so hard I just never tried it myself." He chuckled softly as he moved to sit down at the end of the pier. 

He patted the bit of pier next to him, indicating for her sit with him.

"Now we wait."

Baldur smiled at his old friend as he enquired about the morning walk. It had been a good walk. He leaned back against one of the posts along the Engawa where he sat as Hirru fished. The sun was fully in the sky now, the blues of his haori filling the horizon. When the wind wasn't blowing, you could see Koi fish and others swimming about. Little pockets of fish that were the game's way of telling you your odds were better to cast your line there than elsewhere. All of Baldur's ponds were well stocked by the system, since he had paid for them as an upgrade to the island.

He let Hirru's question linger for a moment as he thought back about the moment on the dock.

"Yeah, it was a good walk today. Definitely needed some clear air after the last boss fight... which..." Baldur turned his oceanic blue eyes back towards the hunter turned healer and leader.

"I am proud of you." He rested his head against the wooden post, "I know after how floor 23 went, it wasn't easy to do what you did, but you showed growth. I don't think there will be as much of a problem from this one as there was back then, especially not since you were able to change the votes." A faint smile crossed his expression.

"I wish @Koga and @NIGHT hadn't handled it the way they handled it, but I've given a lot of thought about what happened on Floor 23. We, Jacob's Ladder, are here to keep the Frontlines united, supplied, and moving forward. Our experience comes with baggage though. We need to prevent that baggage from being more of liability than we are worth having along. I think a big part of that is going to be forging bonds with people, between the new and old, and working to repair things from the past."

The thought of Hidden running Hirru through still made him upset, but he knew he would need to someone address her so that she stopped derailing things every time.

"But I wanted to make sure you knew I was proud of how you have been conducting yourself. We are not here to tell the Front how to choose, or what everyone's reason for fighting is, or why or even how people should risk their lives. That's where Hestia had it wrong. She wanted to tell everyone else how they could risk their lives. I, we, have a code of conduct, but it is not up to us to enforce it on others."

Baldur looked out over the water, and waved at @Calrex as he was finishing up his training and getting changed.

"My only had and fast rule for the raids is this: we never draw blades on one another. We never enforce our will through violence or threat of violence."

He brushed off his haori and pushed himself to stand up.

"There's a quote I live by: A King may move a man, but remember that even when those who move you be Kings, or men of power, your soul is in your keeping alone. When you stand before God, you cannot say, 'But I was told by others to do thus.' Or that, 'Virtue was not convenient at the time.' It means simply this. Our choices are our own, and our we alone are responsible for it."

He gave a somewhat tired smirk, "We may have grudges with each other outside of the boss room, but when we step in there, we need to have the trust of everyone at our back."

Quote

Recipient: @Baldur
Topic: Quest
Body:
Hey, I know this might be out of the blue, but would you be willing to join me on the quest to unlock the fishing skill? I've seen you occasionally fish by yourself at the estate. Maybe you could teach a girl a thing or two? No pressure if you're too busy. I'll be here until around 10:00 am. Okay then. Talk to you later!

~Alyssa

Baldur was surprised to get the message, but it brought a smile to his face. He had dabbled at fishing, even picked up the skill and dropped it when they had the event which actually spawned Jacob's Ladder. Perhaps it would be good to pick it back up again. He would need lots of materials to continue to arm the Frontline, and this was a good way to go about it. Plus, having cooks to make the food they'd need would be helpful. He would be able to help supply Snow and Cord this way.

Pushing himself up from the cushion where he had been reclining, watching over the water of his estate, he went and grabbed his old pole, then pulled a teleport crystal from his pocket and crushed it to teleport to the Town of Beginnings.

"Thank you, Anthony-San." Baldur said, accepting the special bait for the quest. This was a bit different from last time, but he didn't mind it. Some skills had changed and he could honestly stand to brush up on it. He could see Snow off just a short ways by the water. For moment, Baldur couldn't move.

Memories passed through his mind, not just of his time with Snow, but with Shield, Mari, Oikawa, and Calrex as they had discussed the potential and the possibility of the guild they were looking to form. It had been a guild attempt many times. Square 1. Spectrum Coalition. Baldur's attempt to bring all the tanks together. Shield's attempt to forge a guild to unify the front. They had all failed until Jacob's Ladder. Unfortunately, it seemed there was only one pillar left at the moment, and Baldur was not doing the greatest job. They had managed, together, to supply the Floor 25 boss fight in a way never seen before, and it was a rousing success in spite of what happened. It would have been entirely different had they not come some prepared. The floor 26 boss fight had been similarly prepared, but he was now at the limited of what he had left over. They would need to resupply before the next floor boss, or just rely entirely on the goodwill of Raidou and Firm Anima. They had a good partnership, but Baldur didn't want the full burden to be on them. All it took was someone going missing, or bad relations, and they could be found without needed supplies. It was also unfair to ask for someone to bear all the burdens on their shoulders alone.

He found himself again a moment later, holding the small package with the worm in it. He then chose his path down from the NPC and towards the water.

"Kon'nichiwa, Snow-san." he picked his way carefully, not wanting to slide where it was wet and muddy.

"Thank you for inviting me---"

He looked over as snow bent over the water among the edge of the reeds, dangling the <<Blessed Bait>> over the water like she were expecting the fish to jump out of the water and take it out of her hand. He stood there, stunned for a moment. He had thought her asking him for tips was a kind way to get him down here, not because she knew literally nothing about fishing. After a heartbeat, the confusion melted away and his eyes returned to being clear, still ponds of water.

"Here, let me help you." He said as he walked out to where she stood, putting the pole in the crook of his arm in a way that it would not get tangled up in her beautiful, sunshine colored hair. He reached out to her, taking the worm from her hands and then grabbing the hook on the string line in his other. "We can probably just hook the ribbon if you don't want to stick the worm on it." He gave her an amused smile, not a teasing one, but enjoying her quirks. Enjoying getting to learn something more about her.

Baldur took up position in one of the more central spots of the grounds, where his voice would carry over the water and reach everyone more easily. With the conclusion of the second round of fighting, it was on to one of the more friendly events. A feast for the guests. A luau of sorts. A much needed reprieve for everyone together.

"Attention everyone!" He called out, his voice dropping a little deeper in tone to help it carry. He could, when he wanted to, have a fairly deep commanding tone. A stage voice.

"Thank you all for your competition and support of it." His voice returned to his normal timbre.

"The winners of round 2 are as follows.

Quote

In the fight between @Morningstar and @Astreya, the winner is MorningStar!

In the fight between @Lessa and @Alkor, the winner is Lessa!

In the fight between @Astralin and @Morgenstern, the winner is Astralin!

In the fight between @Nari-Lanreth and @NIGHT, the winner is Night!

In the fight between @Bismuth and Takumi, the winner is Takumi!

"Now as I mentioned before, that means Takumi shall not be proceeding to the next round of the tournament.

Instead, tomorrow we will have the semi-final fights, which unlike we have done so far, shall take place one at a time. The first match on the morrow shall be @Lessa vs @NIGHT followed by @Astralin vs @Morningstar! The victors shall then move on to play for first place."

He gestured out over the rest of his house, where now several other of the shoji panels opened up to reveal more food, and some friends helped move the tables out into some of the gathering spaces.

"In the mean time, please join us for dinner and a view of the sunset." The sky was already turning, but the sun had not yet dipped beyond the edge of floor 24. "This is one of the prettier floors to be out at night on. The moon and the stars reflect in the water, and the underside of floor 25 glimmers with crystals like an imitation of the night sky."

Baldur bowed to those assembled, and again to the victors of the tournament. Everyone here was honoring him by their participation, and even more so by the efforts they put in to dressing up in his style. He hoped it was an enjoyable day for everyone.

He then broke the ice by walking forward to one of the first tables, grabbing a role of sashimi prepared by Snow, and then grabbed a rather antagonistic apron that said "Kiss the Cook" before he lit the grill and someone brought him a tray of Yakitori. It was mostly already prepared, but it wasn't quite warm, so he had been told that just a few moments over the grill would be enough to revitalize them.

"Please," He gestured to the nearest group of people, "help yourselves, and feel free to wander my gardens."

Baldur looked at his companions as they drank down the potions he gave them, and then Mac confirmed he would tank and scarfed down more food. The gaijin samurai then turned his steel blue eyes towards the mountain. The monster was truly massive. While he had not thought Tanos, Mac had. It seemed this monster was even larger.

"Are you both ready for this?"

When his eyes focused on the creature it felt like the red diamond that hung above it's head was even larger than all the of them combined.

"Remember why we're here men. Between us and a natural hot spring getaway lay this giant AI controlled mountain of Hitpoints."

Baldur faced The Ancient and let out a roar of battle, "For noodle club!"

It was... Not how Baldur usually chose to start a fight, but this was a mental game. The boss was intimidating, even if they should have no trouble with it. He hoped with his silly battle cry it would lighten their hearts and remind them that with the three of them here, the monster was trivial.

Then the Samurai rushed forward. The Ancient had turned to face the wannabe samurai, but the man leapt up onto it's arm and began to run. It lifted it's massive arm up as of to throw him back to Home, but the man in blue leapt from the elbow towards it's face. His blade erupted with cold for as Baldur actived his sword art mid air, and the particle effects glitched out as they often did against oversized mobs. When the particle effects hit a creature, their effects are the size of the creature. And Baldur had just procced both Freeze and Burn.

ID 204191 BD10 (Crit) Freeze, Burn, Keen Proc, CD 12 (ST-B unlocked)

ID 204193 CD10 Rec Proc +3EN

DMG 22x15=330 RAW-130MIT=200 DMG

The Ancient | HP: 1780/1980 | MIT 130 | DMG 225 | ACC 2 | EVA 2(-1) Freeze (48 DMG 0/1) | Burn 32DMG 0/2 Turns
Baldur | HP: 880/880 | EN 113/122 | MIT 66 | ACC 5+1 | DMG 22 | EVA 2 | BH 44 | Keen 1 | Rec 3
Jomei | 820/820 HP | 120/120 EN | DMG 25(23) | MIT 44| EVA 3 | ACC 4 | BH 41 | HLY BLS 16 | BLD 48 | FLN 8 | AA | LD 1 | F.Sprt.
Macradon | 920/920 HP | 124/124 EN | 25 DMG | 159 MIT | 4 ACC | 1 EVA | 8 REC | 49 BH | 99 VMP | 16(8) FRT | 16 FRS | 16 Holy | Phase | F.Sprt.

Baldur walked slowly through the grounds and back to his room, he needed to change back into his signature haori before facing the rest of the day. He loved his shelter in the storm, floating in the sky high above the danger. It was a paradise hiding in the blue of sky and ocean. Not just safe from the monsters in the world below, but a retreat for his heart. It was a place of healing. He parted ways with Snow as she made her way to the kitchen, he caught a brief glimmer of Hirru setting up to fish for his breakfast as was becoming their ritual. It brought the gaijin samurai peace in heart to Hirru there. The man hadn't yet brought himself to relax as if this were his home, but they would get there. He more healing to do himself.

Sliding open the panel to his room, he closed the door behind him and played with the menus until his normal outfit settled on him. The weight was a familiar comfort. His ever present sky blue haori with white flames, and the heron as crests upon him. The green emerald magatama necklace hanging from him. The obi that Ariel had made for him. but his ever present katanas were not at his side. Even at his home he usually wore them. He was accustomed to it, but home was also almost the only place he would ever be without them. But it wasn't time for them yet.

Baldur walked to the small table opposite his bed in the room and picked up a small dish of rice, and a few sticks of incense, and a single serving of sake.

He stepped out the opposite end of his room and along small wooden and stone steps.

He picked his way among the garden. It was not trod so much as to be a path, but there it was. The stone lantern that served as her memorial. He did not have ashes in an urn for her, remains didn't get left behind in SAO, but he wanted a more personal way to remember her. It was perhaps greedy, perhaps vain, perhaps just grief. She had never been his, but for her he felt the most responsible. It was her he missed the most.

He laid out the rice offering, the incense burning from where it stuck out. He lit the stone lantern himself, even though it was day. You wouldn't be able to see it if you weren't looking for it, not until night time when all the others also lit.

"Today was a good day." he said quietly to the stone lantern. "I finally had company and it... it felt right. I hope she comes with me again next time. I think she will."

He brushed moss from the stone, and a few of the leaves that landed on it.

"I miss you, but I feel like perhaps today was a big step towards healing." He knelt down for a moment and touched his forward to the cool stone. "I hope some day I can feel you have forgiven me." He reached up and wiped away a single tear. "I won't squander the chance you gave me." Another tear landed on the word inscribed in memory on the lantern. Aeriat.

He stood up slowly, cleared his throat, and then walked back into his room, closing the door behind him like he had never been anywhere else, and then walked back out onto the main engawa, the wood boards protesting slightly under his weight. His face was clear of any deep emotion, a cheerful expression on his face, eyes the color of still ocean. It was a good day. He felt unburdened in a way he had not felt in years thanks to Snow. He would have to continue his steps towards healing, but Snow was a very good step. When he had the energy, he would take the next one.

He walked over and sat down next to @Hirru while the man was fishing and smiled warmly at the veridian hunter.

"Ohayo my friend. How did you sleep? I know you seem to like the basement, but I really do have other rooms you can sleep in if you'd prefer..." It was a conversation they had before, but where Baldur perhaps was more of a fan of waking up to the sunshine and falling asleep with the moon in sight, Hirru seemed to like the protection and isolation of the storage basement beneath the dojo. Or perhaps he liked @Calrex's shirtless footsteps as a morning alarm clock.

"How is the morning meal coming along?"

It had been a while since Baldur had been to a stables. The wide flat expanse around them, the fields, and the smell of the horses brought back memories of riding lessons from when he was a kid. It had been, outside of SAO, years since he had ridden, even though he had used a horse inside the game a few times, it was a very different experience. But he also knew how important horses were to Lessa. So when he arrived early for their meet-up, it only made sense that he would find her here, already looking like she had spent most of the day on the farm.

"Something something cliche can take the girl out of the world, but can't take the horses out of the girl." He gave her one of his lopsided smiles, his ocean blue eyes settling on her as she spoke with the NPC as well as the horses. She was in her element here, even if she sometimes didn't feel in her element anywhere in this castle.

How long had it been? Years? It was impossible to know. Longer than should have been medically viable in Baldur's opinion, so he had started counting time by floors. It had been years and many, many floors since they had met. Probably just about 20 floors now.

Twenty floors.

There was a comfort to their friendship. No one had long relationships in SAO, unless you came in with someone, they all started at the same time, and most people Baldur knew that came in with someone, had lost them or left them behind.

Lessa had been with him since his first quest. They had a bond that he doubted anyone else in the entire tower could match.

"Howdy there." He said as he moved up and greeted one of the horses with a rub on the nose. His shoulder pressed against Lessa's as he leaned in.

"So, what's the plan? Can you get saddle sore in SAO? I don't think I've spent enough time on a horse in a single ride to really know the answer to that."

Baldur was trying his best not to toss his team around too much as he wove through the city, avoiding clothes lines, chimneys, and balconies. So far he had been... mostly successful. The airship they were in was a little beat up, definitely needed some new paint, but it still flew at full throttle. He had not let up on it since they left. They were leaving the fighting behind somehow, even though they were flying towards it. The cannon attacks were all hypotenuse and parabolas. No one was firing a canon straight down because it would mean tipping the ship sideways, and they did not have artificial gravity machines.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE, WE'RE ALMOST THERE. BUCKLE IN...IF THERE ARE ANY."

He had understood that Cro had tried to talk to him, but he couldn't hear them over the wind. This ship didn't have a cockpit, so it was just the wind rushing through their hair.

@Shield @Calrex @Hirru @Crozeph @Plini

"I'M ABOUT TO TAKE US ALMOST STRAIGHT UP. IT'LL BE A BIT OF A CORKSCREW SO WE DON'T LOSE ANYONE, BUT IT'LL STILL BE TOUGH!"

By flying down the city streets, they had evaded notice by the armada. They were fighting off the ships making a death run to the capital, and shooting easy targets of those trying to flee. However, once they started going up, they would be obvious to the ships.

"LET ME KNOW IF THEY START SHOOTING! HIRRU, GIVE US A BARRIER!"

And then Baldur took the ship almost vertical.

He didn't pitch everyone, but it was like standing on a ledge with your back to the wall.  He kept the ship going straight like an arrow to the hanger bay of the capital ship for as long as he could, but he knew pretty soon they'd be spotted and in the firing altitude of the armada, they just happened to be on the opposite side of the fighting now. With luck, the gunners would be facing opposite them.

With the pole in deep waters, Baldur slowly guided the craft towards the small wooden docks that looked up the hill towards the gate of his home, his refuge, his zen. The calm waters rippled around the boat, as red leaves floated about them, almost perfectly reflecting the sky and the canopy of trees around them like a perfect mirror. For a moment, it was as if sky and water and land were one, and just the two of them in it.

"Baldur..." The name left her lips softly "Thank you."

He looked down at her, no longer sure what their relationship was. Nothing had changed, but everything did. She had seen a piece of him he could not remember showing, at least not for a very, very long time. It made her a confidant of a deeper kind. A different measure of friendship. She had carried the burden of his soul, and found company and solace in it. It was a profound, radical acceptance of the part most closely guarded. A trust.

"It looked like a lot to carry alone." He smiled ahead into the direction of the docks, his eyes still ponds, almost a mossy green, until there was a thump of the boat as it touched the dock. Baldur hopped off, simply throwing a loop of rope around an anchor since the tide would not carry the boat away here on his island. He held out a hand to snow, offering to help her down from the boat. She didn't need the help, but it was the need for one last moment of connection before returning from their pilgrimage.

"Please." Baldur said to her, his hand offered until she took it and stepped down, then when she looked at him one last time he continued, "When it's just the two of us... please... call me Jason."

The storm returned, raging through him and and his eyes. He was torn raw once more, just as if they were still at monument. Everything within him fought against this. Baldur was who he was. Baldur was the identity of the man in Aincrad. He was more true than Jason ever was anyways. Baldur was the man he was meant to be. No one wanted his name. He had only ever told two people. Lessa had been angry at Baldur for putting the burden of his memory on her, for asking her to tell his family if he died who he had been. Hestia had been a friend and partner whom he had watched die, and he gave her his name to mark their friendship as real, only to have her betray everything he stood for. He shouldn't give someone his name, he was Baldur. What did he really even know about Snow?

I know what matters. For those few moments before the monument, and for the whole pilgrimage, they had born witness to the heart and soul of the other. Words weren't going to tell him more. He had see the rose at the monument before. He needed to share this with someone. He gave her a soft, vulnerable smile, and then turned his eyes once more up the hill.

The steel wasn't back. It would be, the steel blue eyes of Baldur's resolve, but he was still among friends and his chosen family here. Those who, while perhaps a dysfunctional and eclectic bunch, had all chosen to follow the same ideals.

He spared a glance back at Snow, his eyes clear as still waters, "Welcome home."

And then he walked up the path and through the front gate. They had left in the silence of the predawn, but now that silence was gone. At least for a time, all three silences were gone.

Birds sang, footsteps echoed off of wooden planks, morning preparations were underway. He thought he could hear the sounds of @Calrex getting ready for his morning workout. @Hirru stirring for his morning fishing. @Crozeph snoring somewhere after a late night. @Cordelia did not often stirr this early, but it seemed even she was moving about. @Shield had his own home, but the gaijin samurai had found him spending more and more time at their Guild Hall.

They all had their daily routines, and yet they were all also here. And even in a Zen paradise Baldur had all but hand crafted to his measure of perfect, that was the most beautiful piece of it. Here. Together.

The Samurai's stomach was the first to speak.

"I hate to impose on you even further." He said, his eyes returning to the ocean blue, "But I would go orange for some of your sushi this morning. I can even help with the rice, if I won't just get in your way." He had grown up around rice after all... though sushi rice was a little bit different. The smile, though, was genuine.

"The self is not something ready-made." A voice came out from the direction of the tournament as a new presence was felt among @Oji, @Nari-Lanreth, and @Xena. "but something in continuous formation through choice of action."

Baldur stood tall, given the added benefit of being uphill, his ever present blue and white haori hung about him, sky blue save for the white flames along the hem, and the colors of sunset making up the rest of his kimono even as the sun set over the edge of his island. The tournament had finished, and while he had seen Night and Koga come this way, they appear to have disappeared. He would have to trust in Koga's heart, that he would look out for a friend. Instead, he found the woman who had scared him so in the tournament. He had almost intervened, but he had hoped that by using weapons which could deal no damage, that perhaps some catharsis could happen and prevent real weapons from being used.

"John Dewey." Baldur finally said, citing his quote.

His hands were slid up the sleeves, and known to only those close to him, one of the only times he wasn't wearing his typical katanas.

"Nari-Lanreth..." his voice was stern, but not uncompassionate. He addressed her as if she were a puzzle he was ruminating over. He had caught some of the discussion, and while it did not change his mind, it tempered him.

"You obviously have your own demons, and normally this is a place of healing and growth..." he paused, he didn't like the words he had to say. There was no time to get into nuance right now, however, so he would have to leave it up to fate and to her friends.

"However, you have violated the spirit of the tournament, and assaulted a guest in my house with extreme prejudice. The duels are inherently violent, but what you did..." he sighed, shook his head, and trailed off. She knew what she did.

"There must be consequences, and I am responsible for the protection of those under my roof. You have hurt someone very deeply, and therefore I must ask you to leave." He pursed his lips, unsure of his next words. "You are welcome back in the future, and if you want help, you will find it here... but not today, not tomorrow, not here anyways."

He looked at Oji, he had only caught the barest end of what the old man had said, and he gave him an approving nod.

"You both are free to come and go as you please, but please see that this woman is off the island... but more importantly ok."

He then turned his back on them. Pausing for a moment where they couldn't see his face as he sought more words to say. They were both hurting, but his responsibility was to the abused, not the abuser.

"You may have your reasons for what you did, but not the right..." He turned to glance over his shoulder, but paused, returning to face the party.

"Joy multiplies when it is shared among friends, but grief diminishes with every division."

And with that, the gaijin samurai returned to his party.

Jason watched Snow as she repeated his ritual silently and perfectly. In spite of appearances, Baldur was not a hard line traditionalist. He didn't rigidly adhere to tradition for tradition's sake, but in moments like this, tradition kept him moving forward. It gave him the steps to take when he didn't know what to do. He had created this tradition to help him with his grief. He had avoided the wall for a while, then visited intermittently, sometimes unprepared. The reverence of his pilgrimage performed in this way gave it a weight the others had not. Funerals, and this ceremony, were more for the living than for the dead. Their spirits were not watching what happened in a video game, but he was. Snow's was. Perhaps some day their families would.

A wise man once was asked what he thought happened when we died. A million answers could have been given, but on this day, the wise man said Those who love us, will miss us. And so began Baldur's ritual, an expression of love.

The sake jar shattered in Snows hands. He had been waiting for it. Still seeing Azide's face as he fell and shattered into light, and that almost haunting sense of relief that drew across him as he accepted the finality of it. The anguished faces of the others as they watched their friends die, unable to do more. The look on her face as she died. Now matter how many times he saw that sake jug shatter, he was never prepared for it.

And then Snow turned her gaze to Baldur, swallowing the feelings inside of her, though her eyes were crystal clear windows.

He wasn't prepared for that either.

He gripped her. His hands at first just tugging on the sleeves of her kimono as he took a half step forward, and then he pulled her into his arms, a tight hug that was just as much for him as it was for her. His soul was raw, and the sight of tears in her eyes opened up the flood of tears that he had been unable to release on his own. She felt tears on her cheeks that were not hers, and his chest shook against her, even as he felt the edges of his haori growing damp from her tears. He had cried before. Not when it had happened, but later. When their absence was felt. When the dreams were bad. When the silence was too much even for him. When the flute reverberated with his heart just so. And now, when he shared this moment with this young woman whom he had known for a shorter time than others, less intimately than others, but she had come for him this morning. She had her own grief to share in, and she helped him bear it.

It looked like a lot to carry alone. She had said. And in that moment, Baldur felt just how much that statement was true. So they held each other, weeping. Baldur's tears were silent, but his body shook violently.

After a long moment, Baldur caught his breath and withdrew slightly, pressing his forehead to hers as he took a moment to compose his feelings. He opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it until they were outside the Black Iron Palace. Instead, he gave her a slightly embarrassed smile and raise a hand dabbing at her tear streaked face with the sleeve of his black haori. Instead, she could see the thankfulness in his eyes. Of course she did. They didn't need words for this part of the ritual. Words would only fumble fruitlessly at the attempt of conveying their feelings. So he gave Snow a moment to compose herself as well, and they walked from the silent, empty halls of the Monument of Life.

Noise.

Noise and life exploded all around them. It was as if they had walked through a magical portal rather than doors, but the noise and life of the first floor erupted around them. People waking up, merchants opening shop, carts calling out breakfast to everyone who milled about. It was not the usual rush of bodies that accompanied the first floor, but people were waking up, moving about. Life was continuing on. The sun was high enough in the air that it self over the walls and roofs of the buildings and filled the city of with vivid, vibrant colors. Scents of food and dust and humanity filled his nose just as much as the sounds of people, animals, and ambiance filled his ears.

It was so abrupt, much more than usual, that he almost took a half step back, but the sounds washed over him like a wave, and like a wave it was gone, then pulling them out into the sea of humanity. He blinked at the sunlight, and then turned to look at Snow s if to remind himself she was there, and then he led them back out, and began their way home.

Scalabis was still waking up when they got there. It wasn't a far trip from the dock on the other end of their journey and into town. Baldur had bought this island specifically for that purpose. The island itself gave them the peace and serenity he was looking for, but the needs of Jacob's Ladder to be approachable meant getting the one closest and safest to town. From there, it was a short walk along a bridge between islands until they were in the main settlement. The clicking of Snow's geta against the wood of the bridge provided an almost calming rhythm. There was always a silence to his walk, but the wood on wood was a reminder to the gaijin samurai that he was not alone.

The NPCs, milling about the town provided their own bit of ambiance. They mostly didn't talk until a player passed by a certain radius, which prompted them to cry their ware. Some could be avoided, and some could not. He had walked this way many times, but on his somber march, he chose a slightly weaving path, as if to preserve the silence a little longer. He had once read a passage that was all but famous in certain circles about a silence of three parts. The silence of an empty house, the silence of someone sneaking about trying not to be heard, and the silence of a man waiting to die. That was not his, but another man's. Baldur's silence was that of the lapping of the waves, the caress of the wind, but the absence of voices. Baldur's silence was a night of troubled sleep, the clink of a single cup on the table, and the warble of melancholy flute, playing notes filled with memories. Baldur's silence was the memories of those left behind, on a long walk from a tranquil retreat, through a noisy city, and quiet contemplation in a single moment of stillness in the middle of a game of death.

There was a reason Baldur chose the march on the day it did, and why he didn't just teleport down to the Town of Beginnings with a crystal. His pilgrimage was meant to be one filled with reflection, to keep the names and faces etched into his heart. But the days following a new floor being unlocked meant the masses of the lower floors going to the newest, unlocked floor and exploring it, even if it was kept to the safe zone. It meant, that for this one day, there was a silence that hung over the Town of Beginnings, for Baldur, it had become on this single day, the Town of Endings.

It felt almost a shame to utter the word and break the reverental moment, so instead Baldur belabored it a moment, turning upon the teleportation platform to turn to Snow, to meet her eyes for a moment, a fleeting day, when the eyes of steel blue were intead those of calm ocean waters. He gave her a smile, warm and honest and true, but one filled with memories, of sadness, of regret, but filled with the strength of purpose to carry on for those that were lost.

"The Town of Beginnings."

With those words, a blue white light whisked them up and carried them away.

The main level room of the Black Iron Palace was filled primarily with the Monument of Life. Originally, it had been the room where players would respawn when they died. In some sort of sick joke, it now made parody of that notion of video games. No one would be respawning here. It was just the silent testament of their names and deaths.

As they walked in, the shuffling of Baldur's feet and clicking of Snow's echoed softly through the stone mausoleum.

It was the silence of the third part. A silence Baldur loved in that bittersweet way. Coming here when it had been full was a very different feeling. This one seemed more appropriate to his grieving.

As they came closer, Baldur set down his share of the supplies, setting down the jug of sake, and preparing the incense in a small jar so that it would burn. The item durability slowly degrading until it disappeared like the lives on the wall.

He lit the incense and laid the orchids under each of the columns where he found names of his friends, and the comrades he respected who had died. It had been a long while since he had had to add any. He even included laying a few orchids for @Alkor. He did not know the man, but he was important to @Lessa and so he spared the man a prayer along with the others. The first name was always the most painful to him.

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Aeriat.

Azide.

Beatbox.

Cora.

Opal.

Hazado.

Khyber.

Lowenthal.

Manta Gaul.

Raveire.

Rue.

Ssendom.

Tom.

Vers.

Zelruis.

 

He held his hands together in a moment of silence, wishing them peace wherever they found themselves. Thanking them for their friendship for some, their sacrifice for others, and forgiveness from a few. When he was done, he clapped his hands three times, the sound echoing through the room, and then he picked up the sake. He uncorked it and poured out some of the sake on the Monument of life, stopping about half way through the bottle, before he offered it to Snow.