Freyd

"I noticed, thanks!" Freyd was struggling with footing. The usually agile Whisper was flopping around all over the place like a fish out of water, unable to right himself despite all of his efforts. Every time he got close, the 'thing' would swipe at him, forcing him to tumble out of the way. Thinking he might just barrel it over to expose its underbelly, Freyd's latest plan went wrong the moment he snagged his armor on an old weapon halft sticking out of the local debris. Lucky not to have speared himself in the process, his efforts amounted to naught as the fiend they were fighting

Something flashed across Freyd's face, akin to the ripples they'd been watching on the water. His eyes winced and brow dipped in either pain or anger. It was difficult to be sure which. Features frozen in place, the sound of a mirror breaking somewhere in the distance distracted, giving his shadow time to rise. Like the malevolent dark that swallowed Aincrad whole during a not so distant raid, a veil of black spread from Freyd's shadow to engulf the rest of his form. There was a kinship to watching a gemini transform, for those rare few who had ever witnessed the act. Yet here was someth

Wushen was just draining their energy and hate like it was getting ready to use it back against them. Having returned to ground, the Whisper was getting bored and frustrated in equal measure. This all seemed pointless. All they could do was wait and react, wailing away against a giant bag of hit points barely inclined to recognize their presence. Part of him wondered whether it was all some sort of illusion and scanned every minute detail, but to no avail. Instead, he played the part for which he'd volunteered and provided guidance and reassurance to his team. "@tricolor_mina, stick

"Let's just agree on having different perspectives on people and their perspectives on life and living. That would probably be for the best and allow us both to move forward." Realistically, both were just too stubborn to allow the other to define their worldviews, their own being too dominant and necessary for their sense of identity. Mina would not be Mina without looking at people the way she did; nor would Freyd. Listening as she described her own personality issues, it was hard to find anything off point, though something did catch his attention. "Sounds like things are getti

"I'm just trying to run through some possible disorders that could be making you feel that way." "Sure," he added, feigning interest for Mina's sake but ticking the fully anticipated mental box. Medical professionals followed their own predictable pattern: everything had to have a medical explanation. Most experts in any given field fell into the same trap. Acupuncturists just needed to find the right place to poke. Mechanics had to find the worn gear, bad wiring or low fluid. Doctors were just the worst. The poor lad is just confused,' they might say. Maybe just a few more pills wi

Definitely wouldn't miss it

"Freyd, you're human. Stop trying to convince yourself otherwise." Freyd's silence was his only response, his face remaining blank though his jaw was visibly set and locked. She isn't hearing me, and doesn't seem able to. Eyes drifting to Montjoy's blurry outline rippling on the water's surface, the sun had drifted with time to sit at their backs. His disappointment was buried and left for dead beneath the waves. Mina needed to be right in this. Therapists always needed to be right and convince their patients of their version of the truth. It was a battle he'd fought so many times,

Monstrous as its appearance may be, Freyd knew better than to underestimate the capabilities of Cardinal's rejects. Their very natures defied the rules that governed all of Aincrad's other mobs, including tolerable minimums and maximums. They were lethal, which was why he'd instantly been on alert the moment he recognized the telltale signs. "Quaestor was beside himself for years, barely more than a hollowed shell and broken spirit. Most of his guild had been wiped out and his wife lost. I stumbled across the whole mess by accident." Spinning sideways, Freyd caught the enemy wit

Freyd felt like he should be taking notes, but he was just here to fish. A mental post-it would have to cut it for the time being. "But..." he hesitated, wondering whether the subjects of his disturbingly recurring dreams would be appropriate fodder for fish therapy, as this seemed to be the emerging purpose of their time together. "What if you are a robot?" There was no jest behind the question. It was a serious ask. Freyd almost felt a palpable effort required to keep the icon over his head from changing to another colour. The consequences would be unfathomable. And yet? He had l

"There's a blacksmith in Tomoika on floor 21 who helps out players in need of starting equipment. You might start there." Freyd had overheard the bunny girl's plight and self-directed commentary, cluing in that she might be in need of assistance. "Look for the tall, white-haired fellow with golden eyes. His name is Ren. It's actually a lot longer than that, but just run with it or your brain will rebel. For your own sake, don't ask him to explain. You'll be there for hours. He runs The Knight Shift on one of the lower platforms and will be willing to kit you out." Clad in his

Where is she hiding the bag of cats? By this point, Freyd was convinced that Mina's entire being was one entire giant sack of kitten craziness, and he was struggling to keep up with the chaos. Smile. You don't actually need to smile, but should. Except don't do it right now. Except do it right now because you never smile enough. WHY ARE YOU SMILING?! Don't be sad. The entire conversation playing out in his head seemed to be circling back on itself in a maelstrom of contradictions, but whatever. She was happy-er, and that was good enough. Just smile and nod, and squint real

"I've only heard rumours about such a place, but the very prospect that it might actually exist in-game is disconcerting." Freyd's form was taut as a coiled spring, ready to unleash at the first sign of movement in the darkness. "I had a few episodes a while back where I fell through some code glitches and ended up between floors. Turns out my neighbour's wife got stuck there back near the beginning of the game. He thought she was dead, but instead she was just lost in the code." Something dripped, causing them both to freeze dot a moment. When no onslaught came, Freyd eventually c

Freyd's expression sobered at her words, like a sting had been delivered without intention. Normally, he'd have let it wash over him without so much as an afterthought. There was that irony again. "Mina, you seem to have misunderstood me. When I say a liar, it's because I have to be, not because I want to be. I lie to those I need to in order to keep others safe. It's actually comparatively easy to cling to altruistic principles and tell yourself that you're working towards the greater good. I have no such illusions. This is a messed up world and getting your hands is the only way

Momentarily smooshed between the wall and the massive beast's tail, Freyd expected a lot more pain than he actually felt. It was a mild relief, but also an opportunity. The great, big, gangly noodle thing reminded him a lot of that corrupted dragon that had gnawed its way through the underside of the Lake of Reflections. What was its name again? Scala-something? He couldn't recall, and it really didn't matter. The point was that he'd raced and leapt his way up to the critter's head and gave it a few good smashes for its trouble. Aggro was proving problematic, and tanking fluctuating bet

Peeling off the wraps made out of barely stabilized void from his hands, Freyd dismissed the volatile weapon to his inventory and replaced them with the newly acquired duplicates. "I don't know... these feel pretty meh by comparison." A few finger flexes into fists, followed by a bit of shadow boxing, ensured that they were tight and suitably snug for their final fight. "What's-his-face, uh... not-so-greybeard, I guess, should be along any minute." As if on queue, Burlock the Quartermaster hobbled onto the deck from below, his super-tropey peg leg blinged out with metal rings sup

Freyd and Persi both sat, marveling at her outburst like a pair of gaudy tourists gazing at a train wreck proceeding before them in bullet time. At least one of them wished they had some popcorn. When the rant ended, master and familiar turned to look at each other, exchanging the single greatest melding of the minds that the system might ever allow, each thinking the very same thing: WTF?! Finally, both burst into fits of hysterical laughter - well, Freyd did. Persi kinda just convulsed on the ground like she was having some sort of seizure, but he assumed that it was laughter, since

On. Off. On. Off... Freyd just grimaced and finally tossed the glasses into the drink, tired of having to fiddle with them endlessly. They weren't helping and doing so was starting to ruin his mood, and he'd come here for mood, damnit. Something dark and sinuous instantly burst from beneath his shirt the moment the lenses hit the water, darting like several streaks of inky blackness to plunge beneath the mirrored lake without making a sound. Freyd paused a moment, not having expected Persi to react with such attachment to the things. Maybe she just thought he was playing fetch?

Freyd listened as she reluctantly told her tale, or at least revealed enough snippets of it to string together a grim, loose sequence of events. Chewing on his toothpick and staring out at the water as she spoke, he watched the bobber on the water long enough for the bait to draw attention. When it finally did, he snatched it up instant, reloaded, then cast anew. Like the tiny red ball on a string, Mina's words followed their own familiar pattern. He'd seen the inside of those padded rooms too, though not as long as she, by the sounds of it. Tongue held, the wood sliver moved from one sid

It took every ounce of willpower the Whisper had at his disposal not to just slip through shadow to reach his intended target. Few had ever seen or understood the consequences of his anger. No one here truly knew the depths to which his wrath could actually reach. Seeing the broken egg shells and mauled mother were all that had been required. The machine-like half of his mind had automatically performed all necessary checks and balances. The evidence immediately pointed to Carsar's guilt. No hairs were left to split, so he'd split the assailant instead. Even with their own speed and pro

Eyes widening as he watched her crush the weapon in her hand to its component essence, Freyd couldn't help wonder if she was juicing on something. If not, that was some serious anger channeling. Given what he'd seen other women do in this game, it shouldn't surprise him in the least. In Aincrad, physical power came first from the mind. Patting her heaving back one last time, he turned his attention back to the ridiculous fishing rod that had brought him out here in the first place. The privacy of Mina's cathartic moment deserved to be respected. She didn't want comfort or platitudes, but

"Mina..." Words always proved inadequate against the pangs of heartache and despair. Instead, he did what Freyd did best, showing compassion and humanity by subtle action. Reaching over, he placed a hand over hers, his eyes still staring at the lake before them. His slender palm was warm, placed over hers, the skin tough and callused from endless fighting. "You've paid a steeper price than most. It's unfair to lay that burden on survivors, but life isn't even remotely fair." Pursing his lips, Freyd resolved to grant her a glimpse of what lay within, hoping to forge some sort of

All the while that Mina spoke, Freyd sat staring out at the Lake of Reflections, the mirrored glint of his spectacles refracting endless copies of himself against the water's surface. The image couldn't have better represented how he felt, yet could never possibly explain. "But at our core, the essence of what makes us human... its the capacity for empathy, our mostly-caring nature. That wish to nurture, to love..." It hadn't always been so. Had Mina truly known his state of mind in the not-so-distant past, she might have recoiled in terror at the depths of darkness in the recesses

Freyd was already skulking in the shadows lining the outer nooks of the cavern, watching and listening as his companions exchanged words with Fuzziel. He'd meant to circle around and catch the dragon by the flank, if combat had been required. That no longer seemed to be the case. Still wary, it was his duty to see danger and evaluate the risks of betrayal. Given what he saw of her condition and the evidence of struggle throughout the cave complex, it seemed likely that they'd arrived in the aftermath of a bigger battle. Everywhere he turned, the deep rending grooves of large claws marred

Freyd laughed such a heartfelt laugh that it would easy to believe he'd actually cracked and gone completely mad. Mina had never heard anything similar from him, nor had most others. To be fair, the capability was a fairly recent phenomenon. "You remind me of the therapist I had to see when I was a kid, but with better cleavage. I like the drink and company better too." He made a point of taking a sip and smacking his lips loudly afterwards, a beaming smile behind his reflective lenses. "It's sweet that you care, Mina. It really is. I also agree with everything you just said. You'r

Catching the edge of distress in Katoka's voice, Freyd twisted and parried the behemoth's flailing limb, ducking beneath and inside its defenses. Unleashing a series of rapid strikes close in ruptured the few remaining strands of digital mesh still holding the beast together. Parts, fortunately less whole than before, scattered in the opposite direction. "Are you okay? Did it tag you?" Definite concern apparent in his tone, Freyd scanned her quickly, walking a full circle check around her to ensure no lingering trace of the cancerous mass that held these monstrosities glued together.