Gaius

Shifting slightly and his head wavers, as he snorts. Eyes begin to twist and wiggle beneath his eyelids. They perk open just a bit, and with it a sliver of lime green light. Sudden winds, cast across the dock, rake through his hair and make it move. Rings turn to waves, pushing the water into a reciprocating current. Still out cold, but yet slight movement and troubled breathing. "Show yourself!" Gaius barks against that gale, finding the howling from it so damn pungent. Curious, with a sense of control that he'd yet to experience. Scanning a horizon, one that mirrored floor 6 in its expanse. The smallest of cries from beasts within the woods, a strange dive that he couldn't even fathom how he ended up here.

*zzz*

His teeth grit, looking for what ever intruder he could just barely make out. "Damn you, stop hiding!" Gaius barks against that storm, finding the air keeping him from making any progression. Lost and confused, without a clue. This was the first time he had ever experienced this place personally. Instead, he was normally just troubled by it, unknowing of its existence at all. Pulling his hands to his face, and digging his heels in, pushing toward where he assumed the source. The storm threatened to suck him up, and leave him here. "Where the hell are you!" He lurched through, an aggressive tear that is gobbled up immediately. Gaius begins to lose traction, drawing grooves in the dust and turf.

Another Day, Another Time, Another Place

A fishing line screams, fighting drastically against a spinning wheel. Pole bends struggling against the weight and tension. It buckles as Gaius begins to doze off, the rod quickly escaping into the lake. He would have to buy another, this was running on the third or so this week. His eyebrow twitches, hangs a bit on some playback behind closed eyelids. Another day, another time, and a morning dew lingers on the air. It was clear that the dragoon was not ready to be amble, having been roused from slumber far too soon.

Caught like a fish on a line, a dream beyond his intentions. A crowd of people, a single memento that clung to his thoughts. Where inspiration turned to pride, and pride became an inadequacy. Dreams that were torn away, reached for but not grasped. Inferior, worthless. Another slight jostle of an eyebrow, a scowl to replace it. It was so easy to fall back here, where the winds wouldn't carry him forward. Stuck with it pressing against him, as if no amount of traction could be gained. A fear of being left behind, a fear of becoming worthless. Pride, Inadequacy. There was weight in a name, in action. Boasts and brands, tempers and force. A small child made adult, and yet lingered so desperately on a hope and dream that seemed so far away. One that he could never reach, no matter the effort. In the end, worthless.

Gaius | HP: 760/760 | EN: 108/108 | DMG: 23 | MIT: 50 | BH: 30 | LD: 3 | BLD: 48 | FLN: 16 | H.M.: 6

ID:200373 | Battle:8, Craft:4, Loot:7 (No Proc)

The giant serpent falls, all but expires. And without a second to waste, the tiny little ding like an easy bake oven rings from his HUD. He sighs deeply, but from his bird eye view he catches something. This itty bitty little like bug scurrying away from the carcass. Gaius's attention shifts a bit, pondering the thought. It seemed to be making a beeline for the tower. Glancing around at his comrades, none of them seem to notice the thing at all. Winding back the spear as he sees the plump little beetle squeeze under the door of the tower. Heaving with all of his might, a glowing star quickly becomes a comet. The entire thing becomes a ball of fire, rubble evaporated as it climbs out to an easily 20 foot sphere of annihilation.

That fucking bug, was really dead.

[x15] ST-I (12 EN)

ID:200372 | BD:10, CD: 8, CRIT+2 Using [x15] ST-B vs. Lun’Rael, Mother of the Reborn Dealing 825 DMG, [BLD: 48/2] applied        

Players:
Gaius | HP: 705/851 | EN: 86/108 | DMG: 29 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 2 | LD: 7 | BLD: 48 | FLN: 8 | H.M.: 6 | REC: 3 | BH: 34

Lun'rael? | HP: -824/1

Spinning the stupid little wheel strapped to the side of this thing, as what he had a hold of just lets go like an asshole. "And why is this better?" Gaius asks rhetorically, either to the pond or the pole itself. It just seemed so, less hands on then the alternative. He grumbles for a minute, obviously pissed off. Slinging the hook back into the waves, watching it sink just out of view as it drags a bobber. "Just you wait, I'll get your approval. Even if I've got to fish it up out of this fucking lake." Gaius spins the spool, trying to goad one of the little bastards outside of view to take a bite of what he was packin'.

Thoughts kind of drift in his boredom, where he was still learning what he wanted to be. What was the name of that instructor he was studying under like a couple of years ago? Right, it was the reason he started going by Gaius. None of them could even pronounce his British name. It just stuck, given it was much better than 'Gelaldo'. Made him sound like some sort of foofy dessert tray. His eyebrow twists up, looking a bit toward the sky as he struggled to remember that name that was on the tip of his tongue.

A wiggle on his line and he peels free another, his eyes fixated on his spear as he returns the cast. This one had been, what, his third so far? Thoughts shift to the smith, Freya's dad. The guy really seemed to want to turn his face into a crater on more than one occasion. But that pole arm was his work, as were all that he wielded. If the guy truly couldn't stand him, then why help him at all? A rake of his hand through the hair on the back of his head, trying to scratch away the confusion. "Am I right for her? Does it really matter if she's happy?" Gaius asked the pole as if it held some answers. It didn't reply.

Gaius sighs deeply.

"I gotta change, become good enough." He spoke to the lake, a promise that only he could hear. One to himself, and was something he'd keep. He wasn't referring to some strength of numbers that damned bean counters dwelled on. No, the strength he was referring to be the one to not fight. The kind where he could be worth his weight, smarter than the average bear. Strength of the heart, instead of the hand. It would be a whole ordeal, and he knew it. Small steps, baby steps. Like fishing with a god-damned pole.

The line shrinks, as the reel begins to spin. Gaius stops and pulls hearty on the line, and with a sharp tug a floundering beast lays suspended. The dragoon grins, eying the large fish and the reflection of the sun of its scales. "Another one for the ice chest." He was still trying to get a handle on things when it came to using a pole, he was more of the sort to just get in there and do it himself. Tools were the least of his worries. As he returns the line to the water, he takes a seat again and folds his legs beneath himself. The guy was honestly trying to learn to be more 'peaceful?' was that the word. Frankly, he had a habit of shoving his foot in his own mouth, and was trying to rectify that. He had to grow up sometime, if not for his sake, then for Freya. As he sat there, waiting for his little companion to come and argue with him some more, his mind began to wander. He couldn't help but feel like he was forgetting something important. Getting lost in the whole storm that was Aincrad, had something slipped his mind?

Maybe this is where he belonged after all?

Gaius Consumes: Ambition: 155716-1

Charge Refreshed!, ID:199942 | Battle:4, Craft:12, Loot:7 (+3 EN), +34 via Battle Healing

There it was, more whining from Freya. He shakes his head, watching that little bar fill up and taking godforsaken forever. He couldn't let it rip until it was filled, and was at a complete loss of words on how to convey it. The weapon seemed completely overcharged, and yet it was still telling him that it wasn't done. His attentions shift to the blinding green light above his right shoulder, seeing if he could even make it out within the glow. It catches his eyes just right, that he's seeing stars. Was it always this bright? the thought raced through his noggin. Flames from below, a battlefield he could see from a distance. The entire guild, his guild, were doing their best and really giving it to the chick. The Dragoon, filled with a mix of concern and pride. For the first time, not for himself but for others.

ST-B [x23], -2 EN
ID:199941 | BD:4+2+1-3=4, MISS Using [x23] ST-B vs. Lun’Rael, Mother of the Reborn

Heavy Momentum Triggered: +24 Base DMG

Players:
[H:4] Gaius | HP: 705/851 | EN: 94/108 | DMG: 29 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 2 | LD: 7 | BLD: 48 | FLN: 8 | H.M.: 6 | REC: 3 | BH: 34
[H:3] Kasumi | HP: 581/761 | EN: 43/86 | DMG: 29 | MIT: 20 | EVA: 6 | ACC: 6 | LD: 4 | KEEN: 1 | P.V.O
Shiina | HP: 581/761 | EN: 69/86 | DMG: 1(-4) | MIT: 167 | ACC: 0(-1) | EVA: 3 | LD: 1 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 36
[H:11] Eruda | HP: 671/851 | EN: 57/88 | DMG: 11 | MIT: 207 | ACC: 2 | BRN: 56 | REC: 4 | TAUNT | THRNS: 112 | LD: 3 | BD: 42

Lun’Rael, Mother of the Reborn
HP: ????/???? | DMG: 400 | MIT: 90 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 3 [BLD: 48/1] [TXC VNM: 24/1] [BRN: 56/1] [ENV.O: 32/3] Stun Immunity [1/3] [Shatter: 3/2]

Total Damage this Round: 
Damage Dealt Prior Rounds: 2137+2623+2852

Unmaking Breath: On a MD 9-10: Attack becomes an AOE dealing 180 Unmitigated DMG to all targets.
Unnatural Regeneration: Battle Healing 50
Status Resistance: Unless the same CC effect is applied again, it fails to activate (To freeze her, one needs to land two instances of freeze before it triggers)
Global Entity: Her statistics, Debuffs, status effects, DoT's and attacks are split over multiple threads.

10/27/21

Some Deployed, Rest stored in Vault

10/27/21

Feasting:
198324, T1/Rare/Dessert [ACC 2]
198324-1, T1/Rare/Dessert [ACC 2]

199525    7    2    19    9    Gaius        Feast: 198324,198324-1    2021-10-27 18:19:17

198325, T1/Perfect/Dessert (CD: 11+1/LD: 20)  [LD 3]
198325-1, T1/Perfect/Dessert (CD: 11+1/LD: 20) [LD 3]

199526    3    3    5    4    Gaius        Feast: 198325,198325-1    2021-10-27 18:20:54

198325-2, T1/Perfect/Dessert (CD: 11+1/LD: 20) [LD 3]
198325-3, T1/Perfect/Dessert (CD: 11+1/LD: 20) [LD 3]

199527    6    12    20    6    Gaius        Feast: 198325-2,198325-3    2021-10-27 18:21:33

198329, T1/Rare/Dessert (CD: 8+1/LD: 20) [EVA 2]
198329-1, T1/Rare/Dessert (CD: 8+1/LD: 20) [EVA 2]

199528    7    12    12    2    Gaius        Feast: 198329, 198329-1    2021-10-27 18:24:17

198329-2, T1/Rare/Dessert (CD: 8+1/LD: 20) [EVA 2]
198329-3, T1/Rare/Dessert (CD: 8+1/LD: 20) [EVA 2]

199529    5    12    6    3    Gaius        Feast: 198329-2, 198329-3    2021-10-27 18:24:51

198332, T1/Rare/Dessert (CD: 7+1/LD: 3) [ACC 2]
198334, T1/Rare/Dessert (CD: 6+1/LD: 5) [ACC 2]

199530    1    9    11    8    Gaius        Feast: 198332, 198334    2021-10-27 18:25:29

190998, T4/Rare/Meal (CD: 9+1/LD: 1) [Well-Done Steak]
190999, T4/Rare/Meal (CD: 6+1/LD: 18) [Well-Done Steak]

199531    9    7    19    3    Gaius        Feast: 190998, 190999    2021-10-27 18:26:08

190999-1, T4/Rare/Meal (CD: 6+1/LD: 18) [Well-Done Steak]
190999-2, T4/Rare/Meal (CD: 6+1/LD: 18) [Well-Done Steak]

199532    6    5    14    2    Gaius        Feast: 190999-1, 190999-2    2021-10-27 18:26:43

Total Cost: 16 Materials

Already Approved Prior (2.6) but this enhancement no longer exists:

Antioxidant (4): 150763, 150763-1, 150763-2, 152509

Want to Convert them into

Probiotics [T4] (4): 150763, 150763-1, 150763-2, 152509

Moved to Guild Vault

Charge CD [2/3]

More and more of the dragoon's energy just pools into his weapon, charging brighter and brighter, despite it appearing as there was nothing left to give. The dude resembled a glowing green sun, just held aloft by some unseen force, his given gemini skill being basically a kite. He'd wait until that bar hit that sweet spot, and he had faith in the tiny specs that looked like ants up here. After all, every single one of them had put up with his shit before, and that was before he was taking things even some semblance of seriously. His eyes catch that little tiny rounded edge square in the top left of his screen, a little bar still building up. It has to be close now, why do I feel like it takes longer every time. Go figure, the world's most impatient asshole would get a skill that he actually has to wait to use.

[x15] ST-I (2 EN)

ID:199227 | Battle:2, Craft:4, Loot:11 (No Proc)

ID:199226 | BD:3+2-3=2, CD:9, MISS Using [x15] ST-I vs. Lun’Rael, Mother of the Reborn

Heavy Momentum Triggered: +18 Base Damage

Players:
[H:3] Gaius | HP: 851/851 | EN: 89/108 | DMG: 29 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 2 | LD: 7 | BLD: 48 | FLN: 8 | H.M.: 6 | REC: 3 | BH: 34
[H:2] Kasumi | HP: 761/761 | EN: 62/86 | DMG: 29 | MIT: 20 | EVA: 6 | ACC: 6 | LD: 4 | KEEN: 1 | P.V.O
Shiina | HP: 761/761 | EN: 71/86 | DMG: 1(-4) | MIT: 167 | EVA: 3 | LD: 1 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 36
[H:7] Eruda | HP: 851/851 | EN: 61/88 | DMG: 11 | MIT: 207 | ACC: 2 | BRN: 56 | REC: 4 | TAUNT | THRNS: 112 | LD: 3 | BD: 42

Boss:
Lun’Rael, Mother of the Reborn
HP: ????/???? | DMG: 400 | MIT: 70 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 3 [BLD: 48/1] [BLGT: 32/1] [TXC VNM: 24/2] Stun Immunity [0/3] [Shatter: 3/3]

Damage Dealt Prior Rounds: 4760
Total Damage this Round: 

Unmaking Breath: On a MD 9-10: Attack becomes an AOE dealing 180 Unmitigated DMG to all targets.
Unnatural Regeneration: Battle Healing 50
Status Resistance: Unless the same CC effect is applied again, it fails to activate (To freeze her, one needs to land two instances of freeze before it triggers)
Global Entity: Her statistics, Debuffs, status effects, DoT's and attacks are split over multiple threads.

Charge CD [1/3]

Watching from above as Freya becomes two dudes, and one starts winking and just being obtuse. "I need like two more seconds, either of you." He barks with a heavy wind still slowing him down and keeping him airborne. His eyes dart to the pole arm, still filling with every ounce of energy he could pour into it. You could barely tell that it was even a weapon by this point, it looked more like a sun being held. "Just keep it busy or..." The dragoon is cut off by a sudden screech from Lun'Rael as ice explodes out of one of the heads necks, she was really buying the farm. "Like that!"

Up in the sky, he could see the total chaos of the fight unfolding. From this perspective, it was pretty damn clear she was losing. A grin draws just that much wider. He catches something small, almost imaginary, but it makes him make a double take.

"A weasel?"

Vanity Tag: @Freyd @Freya

ST-B [x23], -2 EN (Miss)

ID:199211 | BD:2+2=4, CD:9, MISS Using [x23] ST-B vs. Lun’Rael, Mother of the Reborn
ID:199212 | Battle:7, Craft:12, Loot:3 (+3 EN via Recovery)

Heavy Momentum Triggered: +12 Base Damage

Players:
[H:2] Gaius | HP: 705/851 | EN: 87/108 | DMG: 29(+4) | MIT: 50 | ACC: 2 | LD: 7 | BLD: 48 | FLN: 8 | H.M.: 6 | REC: 3 | BH: 34
Kasumi | HP: 581/761 | EN: 70/86 | DMG: 29(+4) | MIT: 20 | EVA: 6 | ACC: 6 | LD: 4 | KEEN: 1 | P.V.O
Shiina | HP: 581/761 | EN: 73/86 | DMG: 1(-4) | MIT: 167 | EVA: 3 | LD: 1 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 36
[H:4] Eruda | HP: 671/851 | EN: 65/88 | DMG: 11(+4) | MIT: 207 | ACC: 2 | BRN: 56 | REC: 4 | TAUNT | THRNS: 112 | LD: 3 | BD: 42

Boss:
Lun’Rael, Mother of the Reborn
HP: ????/???? | DMG: 400 | MIT: 150 | EVA: 0 | ACC: 3

Damage Dealt Prior Rounds: 2137
Damage Dealt This Round: 

Unmaking Breath: On a MD 9-10: Attack becomes an AOE dealing 180 Unmitigated DMG to all targets.
Unnatural Regeneration: Battle Healing 50
Status Resistance: Unless the same CC effect is applied again, it fails to activate (To freeze her, one needs to land two instances of freeze before it triggers)
Global Entity: Her statistics, Debuffs, status effects, DoT's and attacks are split over multiple threads.

A soft trickling breeze and an equally gentle hand at the small of his back. "I get that a lot." he stared into the now rippling pool, as if watching for something to look back at him. There was just an honesty that hung in the air, a peace that lingered like an aroma. The whole world the players were trapped in, melting away through simple conversation. His eyes advance to the flat of his left hand, tracing the lines on his palm with his gaze. Gaius's head twists and a grin begins to draw itself upon his gullet.

"Deal"

A shift of his hand into a clenched fist, before he barrels into the water without a care in the world. Floating on his back and taking in the stars, a suit of clothes that would need to be dried. There was no place he'd rather be, then the path he'd walked and, somehow, ended up here.

Thread Complete:

Exp: 4754/30=158
Seeds: 4754/300=15

Gaius:
158*[5*5=25]=3950*1.15 [Event]=4542 Exp
15*Seeds

Freya:
158*[5*5=25]=3950*1.15 [Event]=4542 Exp
15*Seeds

Simmone:
2290*Col [400 Closure, (4542*.15=681*2=1362)]*1.3 [Event]=2290 Col]

► Pierce the Heavens
Cost: 10 SP
Free Action/Toggle
Requirements: [Charge], [Fighting Spirit], [Dragon's Ascent] Unlocked
Effect: The User has two 'stances'

• [Ignition]: User Accuracy Value is reversed (+3 Accuracy becomes -3 Accuracy), User no longer automatically hits on a BD:9
• [Demolition]: User's Accuracy Value returns to normal, if attack is successful, [Charge]/[Dragon's Ascent] are off cooldown it is placed on cooldown and their damage is applied.

Description: 
Whether impossible or laughable, we continue to walk the path of men. One swipe, with enough gravity to make the universe smile. Go beyond the impossible, think the unthinkable and fight the power!

"I don't like fighting, but if I don't people will walk all over me." Gaius admitted for the first time he'd ever, and it was the first time he'd ever considered the idea. The sisters seemed so different despite sharing the same face, and even when he first met the pair, he was confused by them. "When you stand up for what you believe, what you want and yourself, some people just don't like it. Not wanting to fight and being forced to are two completely different things. It's probably how I do it, and I know that but fuck if I am going to let people bad mouth what I care about." His mind raced back to the guild hall, where he almost got into it with Kiluia. Where they both were willing to come to blows for what they believed in. Kiluia defending his own child, and Gaius defending the kid that was basically him but younger. It was so easy to become opposed when you were walking the divide, and at the end of that whole fight. They were both right.

Still above, a growing wave of power slowly building in an extended polearm. Gravity was building as the winds worked to hold him aloft, slowly descending at an obviously changed pace. The rest of Firm Anima would just have to hold out long enough for 'the big one'. "Freya, I'm counting on you!" Gaius yells from the sky above, damn near inaudible via the range. "Get me a soft spot, the squishier, the better." With that last statement, his signature grin begins to draw itself along his mouth. He was going for broke, and it was obvious he was gaining mass. The giant glowing ball of lime green light that was starting to dwarf the weapon trapped in its center. He'd crack this chick open, no matter how big she got. The dragoon had faith that the rest of Firm Anima would be able to hold out till he finally fell.

[x15] ST-I (13 EN) 2 EN, Charge Activated {-1 Accuracy, +5 Base}, -8 EN, Charge CD [0/3]

ID:198970 | BD:2+2-3-1=0, CD:10, MISS Using [x15] ST-I vs. Lun’Rael, Mother of the Reborn, +3 EN via Recovery

Heavy Momentum Triggered: +6 Base DMG

Players:
[H:1] Gaius | HP: 851/851 | EN: 82/108 | DMG: 29 | MIT: 50 | ACC: 2 | LD: 7 | BLD: 48 | FLN: 8 | H.M.: 6 | REC: 3 | BH: 34
Kasumi | HP: 761/761 | EN: 66/86 | DMG: 29 | MIT: 20 | EVA: 6 | ACC: 6 | LD: 4 | KEEN: 1 | P.V.O
Shiina | HP: 761/761 | EN: 76/86 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 167 | EVA: 3 | LD: 1 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 8 | THRNS: 36
Eruda | HP: 851/851 | EN: 63/88 | DMG: 11 | MIT: 207 | ACC: 2 | BRN: 56 | REC: 4 | TAUNT | THRNS: 112 | LD: 3 | BD: 42

Boss:
Lun’Rael, Mother of the Reborn
HP: ????/???? | DMG: 400 | MIT: 150 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 3

Unmaking Breath: On a MD 9-10: Attack becomes an AOE dealing 180 Unmitigated DMG to all targets.
Unnatural Regeneration: Battle Healing 50
Status Resistance: Unless the same CC effect is applied again, it fails to activate (To freeze her, one needs to land two instances of freeze before it triggers)
Global Entity: Her statistics, Debuffs, status effects, DoT's and attacks are split over multiple threads.

A raised eyebrow, he noticed a pattern in Freya, but didn't really have anything concrete before now. She has a habit of flirting instinctually when things get a little too serious. Watching her just guzzle wine like a man was something else, and Gaius couldn't really understand how outside the mold she was for a girl. "Good, no way to live life in someone else's shoes." He kneels down, pressing his belly to the ring of the water, staring Freya at eye level. Shoving his head in and plucking it out, letting the water just dribble from his bangs. He unlike the girl did not bring a bathing suit, so this would have to suffice. God forbid, the water might make all this walking down memory lane a bit easier. "Father, a mother. Some cousins, but I am an only child. Its just me. What's it like having siblings? I always imagined it to be pretty damn cool to have some blood to always have your back when things get hairy."

Another burning star scatters in the air above, painting further a picture of serenity and the time between the chaos. That this world had a way of pausing and letting one catch one's breath from time to time.

"I guess, I just wanted to wave a spear around like a badass. I don't really buy into the whole 'let peace solve everything'. Sounds like a good way to let everyone walk all over you." As Freya strips down to her skivvies and hops into a waterhole. Looking to the girl who now resembled an otter, her hair becoming almost knotted up from the moisture. He raises an eyebrow at her question, "I mean it was a way for me to practice, learn and train without getting tired. It's basically an audiobook for school that you can learn to fight to your heart's content. What's not to love, excluding the bear trap 'It'll kill you now' fuckery. It's not like I was some dude strapped to the side of a computer, staring at half naked women waving around swords far too big to lift."

He let her reply sink in. "That's just it, you're not Eruda. How could you be? Just because you share the same face or sisters doesn't mean that you need to be compared to her. You can only be the best you, stop worrying about what Eruda does. Be yourself, and don't worry about which one of you is better. I bet your dad can easily tell you apart, and is just as proud of you as I am."

"I deserved it, to be honest. I can always count on you to keep me in check." Gaius laughed, ruffling his hair on the back of his head. It was her he thought about when he got into it with Raidou and Freyd, the first time he backed down. It was for the better, and he found himself thinking more than he had ever. As she'd grip his hand tighter, it helped provide something solid he could focus on. This moment felt so fleeting, so imaginary, that it helped provide some tangibility to it.

"A teacher, yeah, I could see it. Just be ready, kids can be assholes." he reciprocated a past, with an honesty. A glance down to the now half empty wine bottle, still tied in knots. He'd never been in this sort of situation, and it showed with his inexperience. Slightly uncomfortable and yet welcoming it. "I always wanted to be a monk, don't laugh. But when I was young I saw some festival of traveling dudes in tiny clothes waving around these glaives with red flags on the end. I knew then and there that I wanted to do that, dazzle people with style and skill."

A clatter of the bottle's rim rubbing against the glass, a bit more of that slightly translucent red finding the interior. He'd give it a few seconds of honest pouring, before setting the redware bottle down. There was something so, real here. These two players almost insignificant under the star scape that dwarfed them, like ants in a tornado. "Your dad isn't a bad guy, no one that's protective of anything is." The smith almost tore his ass open on more than one occasion so far, and it probably wouldn't be the last time, neither. "Regrets, I try not to think about it. I figure instead of trying to decide what was my biggest fuck up, I'll just keep moving forward and do better next time. But I've been in so many fights, all because of my temper and my refusal to back down. Hell, you were there for one." Gaius recalled the vocal altercation in the guild hall between him and Kiluia.

"Before SAO, what did you wanna become? What did you wanna do with your life? It's a tough thought, but what would have you been?" Looking to a spear at his side in the grass, he knew the answer to his own question, at least with regard to himself.

"I dunno, I don't really think I need a reason. I just want to, and that is enough." Gaius didn't really know how to put it to words, the guy wasn't quite a thinker. "No bullshit" Gaius stares into the side of her head, allowing her the respite, but he was too resolute to avoid his own. "I still am not convinced I am doing anything right, but I feel like, out of any of my fuck ups. Out of all the mistakes and times I stuck my own foot in my ass, That out of it all." His vision twists to look into the starscape above. "If I've done one thing right my entire life, it was you." That simple breeze that played through the grass slid softly through blades of grass, making them bend ever so slightly with its glance. "So keep asking your questions. Keep talking, and I'll keep listening."

"Been a while, I gotta be like 24 by now using that math. But I don't really care." He continued to watch the stars, lifting a hand to peer at them through his fingers. It was a bit weird, sure, but Freya acted much older than a number. It explained Griswold's hang up a bit, but she was more than a child by now. Through that extended hand, he catches the glancing scatter of a single star rushing across the inky blackness. "My wish?..." He pauses, putting a bit of thought into it as a warm mitt finds his kneecap.

"You know, I could wish for anything. But the one thing I really want these days." Gaius looks down at Freya, getting sucked into those emerald eyes of hers for a moment. He drops the hand atop hers and twines fingers between hers. The skin tones were so blatantly in contrast, he looked like leather on linen. "I wish that no matter what happens in here, I'll be man enough to get you through the finish line. That, and your old man will finally realize that I'd give everything for you."

"Somehow I knew that one." Gaius remarked, and it seemed almost like his typical jest, and yet it wasn't. Freya was clearly defiant and filled with her own decision-making, so it made sense that she'd be the one to carve her own way and do what she liked. Glancing to the ring now held around his left hand, a simple platinum band that meant more than the sum of its parts. He manages to catch the girl slipping his own on her finger, and a burning kiln in his chest helped cement that it was real. A soft nip in the air worked to stabilize and ground that which was fleeting into a dream. Pouring himself a cup of the wine in his own glass, and taking a slight sip. "Need to change the dial, but it's about damn near ideal. Just a little acidic." he responds, looking into the cup, something obviously playing back in his head as he does.

"I was a rather standard kid, other than getting into more fights than I can remember. But my dad didn't really give a crap, actually he enjoyed a tough son." Another bit of that wine, and another bite of the chicken just to reminisce about a past that seemed so distant. 

Listening on as Freya choked on some crap she brought, he'd never tried sake, so he'd leave her to that shit. "Fair enough." Gaius stared into the night sky, lost in it and feeling almost so small. A sudden plate, he instinctually plucks up. It looked alright, but it was clear that Freya still wasn't quite on his level. The chicken was a little dry, but for once he couldn't bring himself to complain about it. Taking a bite as he listened to her lay it all out, she liked to talk a ton when she was nervous. Gaius knew it.

"Not a lot of room in this thing to learn anything about anyone." his attentions shift back to the blonde, a strange seriousness in his usually relaxed and nonchalant demeanor. "Gerrard Aigus." He just dropped his own real name like a bag of stones for her to take in. Peeling open his menu and producing a bottle, of red glass and opaque. His first experiment, a demonic quality wine brewed in a rapid aging cask he'd spent far too much col on. It took Simmone quite some time to track down such a weird oddity, but he now had it, and he was curious if it worked.

"Try this on for size." Gaius remarked, peeling up one of the glasses, and allowing the blood-red liquid to peel out of the bottle into a bell on a glass stem.

Approaching with half a heart shape cookie hanging out of his gullet, a slight bit of flour stuck to his fingertips. The pets had gotten into the pantry again, and there was tiny white paw prints virtually everywhere. He managed to clean some of it up before he found the note. "What's up?" Gaius barks out before it sinks in... This uh, thing. There was a sudden bit of nerves planted pretty quickly on his face, and he slinks over and folds his legs into a butterfly. "This is sorta a super weird place to eat, you know." It seemed almost stammered and nervious. Scratching the back of his head, and looking into the stars. "I am tied in knots, I don't even know what to say. So fuck it I'll just tell you what I am feeling."

If Gaius was but one, insignificant thing under all that rough and tumble demeanor. That ego, and that moxie. Was honest.