[PP-F2] The Thread of Fate <EaL>

[Ashrah 0]

When he sent the message to Esther, he was almost sure it was a bad idea.

The tension between them had never seemed to occur on her end, but the woman certainly seemed offput by his less than social behavior. In the time since their last meeting, he had made a friend- something he had told the girl he wouldn't, absolutely would not do in Aincrad. He would just have to make sure that the conversation never went that direction.

As for why he asked Esther in particular, it was because he knew she had experience with professions. An alchemist, she had undertaken this very quest and it was likely she knew some sort of trade secret for getting it done well.

Arc had never really done much gathering, and if she could make that go smoothly, he'd be better off for it. Not to mention, he needed to apologize for being such a prick. (Can I say prick? I said prick. Deal with it.)

But all of that hinged on whether or not Esther really wanted to deal with the mercenary at all.

[Esther 0]

Esther wasn't expecting a message from Arc of all people. As far as she knew, he had been avoiding her- she swore she had seen him on occasion, but he had turned the other way. So for him to reach out to her something seemed....off. Still, Esther wasn't one to turn down someone requesting help. He said he wanted help gathering materials for a profession quest. "Mmm, I'm becoming quite the pro at this I guess." Esther mused to herself, this was the third time she'd be taking the quest. The second, was for Domarus. Now, this time, she'd be helping Arc.

It didn't take long to notice him, a smudge of black against a light colored building, shying away from the world around him. Esther smoothed down her hair, cracked her fingers and approached him. Remembering to keep banter to a minimum. With everything that had been happening lately, she wasn't exactly in the highest of spirits anyway. "Hey, Arc." Esther called out to him with a small wave. "Sorry I'm a lil' late. I was crafting. So - you want to do this quest? Any idea what profession you want to go for?"

[Ashrah 0]

"N-no," he stammered a bit. Man, I shouldn't have messaged her. This is super awkward. I don't know how to apologize to someone, let alone ask them for favors after being a total ass to them. "I asked for your time, so you had every right to take your time." Well, at least you have it in you to be courteous sometimes, Merc. "I, uh," he glanced at his hands, then back up to the woman. "I'm honestly not sure of that. I have considered all the professions, but I'm not sure which of them calls out to me. I see a lot of Blacksmiths, some Artisans, a cook here and there..."

He reached up and scratched his head. "Look, here's the thing," he managed, not making eye contact all the while. "I could have done this on my own, or asked someone else, but I decided it had to be you." He cleared his throat. "Because I was a jerk, and that wasn't right. Even if I was going through a bad time and wanted to push everyone away, I didn't have to be such a tool about it." There. He'd said it.

His whole body felt hot, like he was embarrassed and worn out all at once. This wasn't his forte. "So, I wanted to apologize. Sorry."

It all seemed so forced, and yet if Esther had any notion of the sort of person Arc was then she'd understand that this was the only way he would have ever done it. "That's not to say I really want to talk about it, or that I'm okay with any of... this..." his voice trailed off for a moment, then came back into focus. "...but I figured that there was a better way to go about it than just being a jackass. So, I mean, you don't have to accept my apology or even be nice to me, but there it is."

[Esther 0]

Esther watched as Arc stammered. She was mildly suspicious of his behaviour. This wasn't the way Arc normally acted, and with her recent ordeal with Lycan, Esther struggled to converse normally with others. Esther shifted her weight to the side, grabbing one arm with the other, patiently waiting as Arc stammered through an introduction. "Unsure?" She tilted her head to the side, shutting her eyes in thought. "Hmm. Mari said Thom was a Tailor. Why not take that on?" Normally, Esther would have been much more delicate about the subject around the man, but she saw little point in continually tip-toeing around someone who didn't like her in the first place. For all she knew, he'd draw his blade on her too. "'Sides...I don't really see you in a kitchen, baking." She mused. It was her attempt at a joke, but it lacked the lighthearted tone she normally held, it lacked the earnest laughter as she found the simplest amusement in her own tomfoolery. 

Arc glanced away, he insisted that he could have done this on his own, or asked someone else. Esther frowned, "Then why didn't you?" She mumbled quietly. If she had waited, she would have gotten her answer - Arc cleared his throat and Esther watched him. Emerald eyes questioning his actions. Was this...an apology? It was something the woman wasn't expecting. Esther wanted to reach out, to hug him and tell him it was all ok, that he was being silly - that he shouldn't have to apologise for going through the grieving process. Her hand twitched, as she fought a battle within herself, because she couldn't do those things. Those things weren't right. Those things about herself...are what caused Lycan to snap. To try and kill her.

"It's fine." Esther said flatly. "I was selfish. I was only thinking about myself. You don't need to apologise for going through a natural grieving process." She turned her back on him, opening up her HUD - flicking through the screens till she found a map, she started trying to figure out the best location for material harvesting. If he did go for a tailor - mob hunting would have been best, but she wasn't exactly suited for battle. Cotton? That'd work. 

"We don't have to talk about anything Arc. Really. It's ok." She turned her attention back to him, waving him over to look at her screen. "Here. These are the best locations for non combat materials."

[Ashrah 0]

Yeah, that's what I figured would happen. At least I tried. She didn't seem her normal, chipper self, but he wouldn't question it. By now, their interactions had become rehearsed this way. If he had expected anything else, it would have railed against his pragmatic nature. "Well, alright," he muttered discontentedly. This whole thing would be incredibly awkward moving forward, so he was thankful that she conducted herself professionally. He knew how to handle that.

"A Tailor, was he?" Tobias mused to himself. Yeah, even though he wasn't always the most flashy of professions in games like this, he liked the utilitarian skillset. If he could make his own armor or tools, he didn't have to spend the money to buy from other players. It helped him stay self sufficient. He taught me that, too. Tailor actually sounds like a really good route to take. "Yeah, alright. Tailor sounds fine to me."

Arc opened his inventory and summoned the flask that he commonly drank from. He took a swig. "You don't sound too happy to be here," he said. "If you want to just give me the map data and go, I'd be alright with that. I don't want to make you do anything you don't want to do."

[Esther 0]

Esther felt a pang of guilt when Arc, taking a swig from his trademark flask, pointed out that she didn't want to be here. In a sense, he wasn't wrong. Esther was tired, she didn't really want to be around Arc right now, a part of her was afraid. She was afraid of Arc, and his demeanour. She was worried that he could snap, just as easily as Lycan had. Still, it was no reason to treat him the way she just had. Esther sighed. "No. It's not exactly that. Honestly. It may do me some good to do some work. I just..." It felt like it all happened just hours ago. Esther turned to look at Arc. 

He looked uninterested, his attention no doubt more focused on getting smashed than on his present company. He wouldn't care to hear what she had gone through. He wouldn't care about whatever troubles she had. He told her just that once before. "You're right, I don't want to hear it." Her eyes wavered, and it looked as though she was about to cry. Esther bit her lower lip. Shutting her eyes. "You don't want to hear it." She said, defeated. 

Turning her attention back to the map, Esther began talking, "If we weave to the left, toward the forest - there is a patch of cotton we can harvest. If you want - we can go ahead and split, there are no doubt boars nearby..." she started talking about boars, and what materials they dropped, the liklihood of them dropping any, and then her own skill in gathering. It was clear Esther had thrown herself into the gathering skill, beginning to learn the ins and outs of it all. She continued to talk, and her voice was laced with the burden of the events with Lycan, every so often her voice would break, or waver - but she continued. "If I focus on non combat, and you engage in combat, we may better our chances by around 35%" 

[Ashrah 0]

"You really don't sound like somebody who needs to be out there doing any sort of labor just now," Arc said, interrupting her lengthy speech about gathering, mob drops, and their collective efficiency. As a fledgling economist, he would have loved to talk out the gritty details and math involved, but he relented. Right now, it was more important that he keep someone who looked wretched from walking out to their immanent death. "You sound like you're about to lose your head, and I can't be responsible if something terrible were to happen to you when I'm not able to protect you. Either you figure it out and we go out there cautiously, or I'm going to have to insist on leaving you behind."

Arc took her gently by the shoulders. "Look, I said i was sorry. If you're not going to accept my apology that's totally fine with me, but holding it over my head like that isn't going to do either of us any good." He was referring to the way she said he didn't want to hear it. Part of him agreed- other people's emotional troubles shouldn't have to become his own. The part of him that loved and respected his father, though- that part wouldn't let him be that guy. "If it's for the sake of not letting you get killed by some random boar, I'm willing to listen. I doubt I'll have any inspired words to help you, but you'll have to take what you can get."

[Esther 0]

Arc, for once, sounded almost worried about her. Esther glanced up at him, and attempted to offer him a reassuring smile. "I don't? Eheh..." She knew he was partly right. She wasn't exactly in the best mind frame, but it was the middle of the day - mob spawns were rare, and on a floor this low - most that did spawn were quickly wiped out by lower levelled people attempting to train their way to the frontlines. "Give me a moment, then we'll be ready to go. If you feel I'm still unable to perform, then I'll relinquish the data I have free of charge for a friend of course." She was slowly trying to sound more chipper, calling him a friend again, something she knew bothered him, but it was also a very Esther like thing to do, she placed emphasis on doing him this favor for free. "You know-" 

As Arc grabbed her by her shoulders Esther's eyes grew wide, her voice caught in her throat - and a flashback to Lycan's own amber eyes flashed before her. The feeling of steel against her throat, the threats of death, his boot pummelling her head into the ground. Esther's body visibly shook and she lost balance in her legs, she threw her arms out defensively in front of her. "D-don't kill me please!" Her head lowered and if it weren't for Arc holding onto her shoulders - she would have completely collapsed onto her knees. "I'm sorry..." 

[Ashrah 0]

"Kill you?"

Arc stared down at the woman skeptically as she slumped to the ground in front of him. She was a mess, weak and withered from something he had no idea about. "Good Lord, woman, I wouldn't kill you. What the hell is going on? Did someone try?" He hefted her weight back up and held the girl to his chest for support. "Take your time, stand when you're ready."

He held his arms around her and stared beyond, out to where certainty and answers to his questions frolicked beyond his perception. "I knew you didn't like me much, but I didn't think you would consider me a Player Killer. That's pretty dark stuff, even for me." He laughed. "Not in a game where killing people is literally murder. I'd never even think to do something like that, not unless someone did something unforgivable. And you didn't do anything like that. Maybe annoying sometimes, sure, but not worth taking your life over."

She sobbed into his chest- even apologized- and Arc shook his head. "Hush now," he whispered. "Shhhhh..."

[Esther 0]

He seemed sceptical, even surprised at her sudden outburst. Claiming that he wouldn't kill her. He asked her what the hell was going on, if someone tried. Esther felt embarrassed, she didn't mean to break down like that. Especially in front of Arc of all people - if you were to look in the dictionary under 'stiotic ass' his face would be under it. Even so - Arc...someone Esther had assumed as incapable of any sort of affection, had pressed her tight to his chest. She could hear his slow, steady heartbeat. Esther tried to focus on that to help ground herself. "N-not exactly try...it really...was all my fault."  Esther shifted, pressing her forehead  against his chest as she explained the recent events. How Lycan snapped and thought she was Pker bait, how he crushed the last item she had to remind her of Evelyn, of how he asked for a kiss, and she accepted - only to have it blow up in her face. Esther's grip on his arms tightened, and her voice quietened, as she further explained how Lycan had booted her in the face, and insisted on a total loss duel, how he had struck her. All the while, she was insisting that it was her fault, and that Lycan - despite everything. Wasn't a bad person, and that it was her fault for not reading situations better.

After finally, getting it all off her chest- Esther stepped away, steadying herself with a few shaky breaths. She glanced away, "So you see- I must be pretty unforgivable. Hah." Esther shook her head, "I'm sorry, that was too much wasn't it. You got a profession you need....right?" She offered him a weak smile to reassure him that she was ok. Even though she was far, far from ok.

[Ashrah 0]

Lycan? As she explained her situation, he recalled the man who had shared in a battle with him some days before. He knew the fellow well enough to say that the sort of behavior was irregular for him- sure, he was prone to fanatical decision-making and acting a bit overly enthusiastic, but he wasn't the kind of ragebeast who would just haul off and kill someone as naive as Esther. Not for no reason. Even then, the kiss, and all of the things she was describing didn't seem like enough to push him over that cliff. It all seemed just a bit too... unrealistic? If it had happened, there must have been more to it than met the eye.

He kept it to himself. If he said he knew the man, or tried to justify his actions, it would take away from the fact that Esther was assaulted. No one deserved to be attacked, not for any reason. Not that way. That was a brutal, vicious, altogether abusive attack. Esther had done nothing to merit something of that magnitude, if something like that could even be warranted. "You shouldn't just go kissing people," he chided gently. "But we've been through this before, and you know what I think. That's certainly no call for him to kill you, especially when he asked for it to begin with."

The blade-for-hire shook his head. "We can worry about searching for the materials when you're more composed than this." He made a gesture toward her still shivering form. "I can't let you go like that. I'd be a terrible sellsword." He stopped. "Nah. It wouldn't be what Tobias would do."

[Esther 0]

Esther turned away from Arc when he chastised her, "Right." She only did it in the first place because Lycan asked, in hindsight. She probably never should have. She knew that, she had been doing so well. "Hey. Arc." She lifted her head slightly, back still turned to him. Her query sounded more calm than she was before. "Please, don't hurt him. I know...he hates me, but I think he could use a friend." She turned to glance over her shoulder at him. "He mentioned you. I know you don't do 'friends' so maybe just acquaintences, or someone to fight with. Just- don't hurt him." It would normally be odd, to have someone ask someone else not to hurt their attacker, but Esther - despite the turmoil Lycan put her through. Didn't want to see anything ill befall him.  She wondered if Arc would call her mad, or crazy. Not that it mattered what he thought of her.

"Let's go."

She didn't give him the option to wait, she needed to move forward, she couldn't keep dwelling on this. Yes, her hands were shaking, and her breathing staggered - yes she'd struggle initially to find the materials they needed, but it was better than standing here, stagnant. 

[Ashrah 0]

"Hell, I wasn't going to anyway," he muttered. "Ask a few questions, figure out what happened and why he went ballistic. No reason to rough someone up when you don't know all the reasons." Normal circumstances would have demanded satisfaction, certainly- but Arc knew that Esther wasn't the sort of person who wanted that, nor was he inclined to fight with someone he respected over something he didn't fully grasp. He tapped a few keystrokes in before he jogged to catch up with her.

Quote

To: Lycan

Hey man, I heard about what happened to you the other day. With Esther. Don't worry, she's safe. I'm looking out for her right now. You ought to apologize to her at some point, though. I don't know the details, and it's not any of my business, but it messed with her something fierce. Anyway, I look forward to hitting a dungeon with you sometime. Hit me up.

-Arc

After he hit send, Arc caught up with the pink haired girl and folded his hands behind his back. "You know," he said quietly, "there's probably more to this than you think. He doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who'd go off his rocker like that." As they plodded along, he watched her back. If there was a chance she was too unstable, he'd stop her. They would go back.

"Alright, Miss Esther-" he smiled. "You're the boss."

Edited September 23, 2016 by Arc

[Esther 0]

ID: 68344  LD: 5 + 5 = 9 Fail Esther breathed a sigh of relief when Arc said he wasn't planning on hurting Lycan. Esther was convinced Lycan hated her, even with Arcs reasoning. She had been given her answers. The topic made her heart sink. They were nearing the town exit now, and Esther quickened her pace, hoping that the prospect of material hunting would distract Arc from what he had just told her. "It's over." She said with a sense of finality. "I'm not going to push this matter. It nearly got me killed. Lycan hates me. That's all there is too it." She lifted her shoulders in a shrug, veering left as they exited the town. "Not everyone has to like me. I respect that, perhaps moreso now, than before. Here."

She stopped in front of a patch of cotton, Esther knelt down - thankful she had something to distract herself. It was a little strange, seeing their roles reversed like this. Arc, being more open to talking, and she - being quiet and reserved. "This can be finicky..." Esther said, still a little distracted, she tried to pick one up, and the wind quickly blew it away. "I guess, point proven, eh?" She looked up at Arc with a half smile. 

Edited September 23, 2016 by Esther

[Ashrah 0]

"Tch." When the woman said it's over, and that she was giving up, he turned away from her. Where is this even coming from? Esther doesn't give up. Who the hell is this wannabe, anyway? Arc hefted the weapon onto his shoulder. Kneeling down, he reached for one of the potential materials and concentrated on trying to pick it properly. Having never done it before, he was a bit worried he might get it wrong, and the item would be rendered useless.

Of course, the moment he thought it, it happened. Arc let out a snorted laugh and shook his head. "Welp, can't say I expected it to go any better than that," he chuckled. Still, isn't she good at this? Her mind is obviously distracted. I shouldn't have asked her to come with me. She's in no shape to be doing anything other than resting and trying to recover from that incident.

He raised back up to a standing position and glanced back at the woman. "Looks like neither of us have much luck today, don't it? Maybe I'm not cut out for a profession," he joked. "How did you end up with one? Bribed the Cardinal system, did ya? Showed Kayaba a little leg?"

Arc knew his jokes were in poor taste, but he wanted to make her laugh. Even if it was a cheap laugh, or only a little- even if it was something Arc normally didn't do, he couldn't stand to leave someone in a bad way like that. You should shut up, Tobes.

 

 

ID# 68345 results:

Battle: 3

Craft: 7

Loot: 7

MOB: 5

Edited September 23, 2016 by Arc

[Esther 0]

ID:68347  LD:19+4= 23

"You did good." Esther commented, trying to reconcile Arc. "At least it didn't explode in your face, when I was teaching Domarus the same thing - he had that happen." Esther softly smiled at the memory. At least Domarus was someone that thus far, hadn't brushed her off. Esther inched closer to Arc. "Here...once you've tried harvesting the material, even if you are unsuccessful - you should always click this option here."  She pointed to a menu option that said 'reset yield.   "This will reset the harvest for the next person. Makes you less of a jerk."

Esther turned to Arc as he stood, stating that neither of them had much luck. "It takes time. You can't just give up after one failed attempt. Here..."  Esther tried again, and effortlessly plucked the cotton from its stalk, handing it to Arc. "Just keep trying."

Esther flinched at his jokes. Arc had no way of knowing the entirety of what Lycan spat at her, at how he had insisted that Esther was using her charms, her looks to gain what she wanted. Her eyes fell back down to the small patch of cotton, her voice small. "Lycan helped."  She forced a laugh, it sounded insincere, "He said I tricked him into doing it for free - I guess...you could say I inadvertently bribed my way into the profession. I don't remember it...some guy named Addel gave me this potion - and Lycan said it made me strip down." She shook her head, continuing with the forced fake laughter. It was almost painful to watch, Esther was right. She couldn't act. She was terrible at it. "Maybe I accidentally flashed him and he let me off - won't be making that mistake again." Esther firmly shook her head. "Not ever."  
 

Edited September 23, 2016 by Esther

[Ashrah 0]

Christ, one horrible mistake after another with this girl. Someone should put her on a leash... wait... Arc stopped thinking and shook his head. I forgot. Someone already did do that, and it doesn't seem to have helped a lick. Poor kid. He turned his gaze back toward her as she offered him the first material. Arc placed it in his inventory and took note of her directions. "So what you're saying is that if I don't reset it, I'll be keeping true to my character?"

He smirked up at her. "Wait, are you seriously telling me not to give up right now?" Arc shook his head. "Nuh uh, missy, I don't wanna hear none of that from you." He went for another ball of cotton, only to be denied once more by either horrific luck or a system with a vendetta against him. Who could know? "Was a time when, maybe, I'd have taken you seriously when you said it. One brush with death later, your resolve is shaken?"

Arc spat on the ground. "You'd make a terrible merc, you know that?" he stood again, turned toward her and folded his arms. "We don't give up, not even if it kills us. That's what Thom lived and fought believing. It did kill him. Oh well. Occupational hazard." He sounded far more at ease about it than before, and there was a determination in his green eyes that was never there before. "I don't plan on going down the same way, but that don't mean I don't plan on living my life by the same creed."

The mercenary took a step toward her. "And might could be you don't wanna hurt nobody, but that don't mean you have to sit here and play victim. There are many kinds of strength. You oughta find yours, now that you've seen what life without it is really like."

ID# 68349 results:

Battle: 5

Craft: 4

Loot: 10 - FAIL

MOB: 5

[Esther 0]

ID:68350  LD: 8 + 4 =12 FAIL

Arc told a joke about how if he didn't reset them, he'd just be true to his character - and finally - Esther managed to smile for real. "Hah...I don't know about that, you have your moments." She said softly. Sifting through the small pile of cotton plants. He then started to question her words. How she had no right to tell him not to give up. At first, Esther was confused - she looked up form her work, giving him a bewildered expression. "What do you....?" She trailed off as Arc continued, saying how she couldn't be taken seriously because she had one brush with death.

It's not that simple She thought to herself. Arc spoke about a brush with death like it was nothing...like death in itself wasn't exactly anything to worry about. Esther turned to grab another material, and despite being initially successful, she ended up crushing it in her hand. "What would you know?" She muttered. "All you do is drink." Her comment was harsh, but she felt that same strange tug at her heart as she recalled the events with Lycan. Seeing his amber eyes, filled with such malice - feeling the spittle from his venomous words upon her face, how he had rammed his boot into the side of her head. It hurt her chest. Esther reached for her heart. Clutching it. Was this another heart attack? Was that possible? Was her body convulsing in the real world and this just the after effects?

Arc spat at the ground and Esther shifted. standing. Her eyes avoiding his. The hell did he know?  "Play victim?" Lycan had said those same words. "Is that what I am doing?" Esther asked, voice trembling, wavering between heartache and anger. "I get beaten down, trodden on - and almost killed by someone I care greatly for - and not even a day later, I'm struggling with dealing with the entire ordeal - and you think I'm playing the victim?" Esther shook her head, She should have known that this wouldn't work. That Arc didn't like her. "The HELL do you know!" She said again, bringing her hand down to slap him across the face.

Edited September 23, 2016 by Esther

[Ashrah 0]

Arc caught her wrist when it came close. The skill points and abilities poured into agility gave him an edge that someone who had no combat expertise could hope to match. "You call that getting mad?" he asked in a quiet voice. "This? This isn't anger." He raised his voice and tightened his grip, then ripped her close. "I've lived my whole life consumed by rage, at the tiniest things. You get a little upset because of a few words? When your malice has torn apart friendships, you can come at me with your notions of what true, passionate contempt is. When you've watched every attempt at trying to get along with just about everyone go down in flames, come back and try to let your anger out on me. Until that happens, you're a million years from ever saying that you're angry to me."

The mercenary let out a harsh breath and tossed her hand aside dismissively. "What do I know? I know that you feel defeated by your own weakness. I know all too well about that." He had lived it. It was his waking nightmare for so long before he met the few people who accepted him as he was. "I know that you have the capacity for righteous anger, even if you're too damn slow to get there. But you know, Phoebe, it's not wrong to be upset about something like this. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't getting pissed off, too. But I'm not going to go at Lycan because you came crying to me. I want to hear what he had to say, because gods below, I'm not going to vent my anger on anyone unless they damn well deserve it."

Arc turned away from her and unequipped his blade. "You say you're not playing the victim, but heaven knows that's exactly what it is. In life, there are people who face their problems and people who run away from them. Victims are the ones who don't try to seek the answers. The ones who don't face the problems, and who are left forever to drown in that regret. I've been a victim to myself so many times, I'm sick of victims. I'm sick of being one, and I'm sick of seeing others go through the same thing. So I'm not about to let you sit here and sulk forever when there's damn well something that can be done about it."

He grit his teeth. "I'll tear down a bloody mountain and go on to the next one for my friends," he said, "and when my fingernails are gone, replaced by bleeding stumps, I'll dig in the dirt and pull them out from the wreckage. The pain doesn't matter to me. Those people matter." He turned back and looked at her with horribly sad eyes. "You said you wanted to be my friend, and you know what? Hate me all you want, but I'm doing that for you right now."

Tobias let out a snort. "You want to know why I drink?" he asked. "It's because of people like you, who won't get out of their own way and do something for themselves." He threw the flask on the ground between them. "The whole world is filled with people like that, and it's the saddest thing I can possibly imagine. Stop being one of them."

[Esther 0]

Her wrist was caught before she could lay a hand on him, before the air from her gesture could even  breeze his way. Esther's eyes widened - had she...was she just about to hit Arc? Her eyes flashed him an apologetic look, she opened her mouth to say something, to backtrack on her actions, they were wrong - but she didn't get the chance to. Esther winced as his grip tightened. Arc hissed words at her, reflecting his harsh reality - Esther could relate to one of his statements. Every attempt of getting along with someone...dying in flames. She stared at him with sad, empathetic green eyes - almost visualising the flames surrounding his form.

The mercenary loosened his grip and forcably tossed Esther to the side. She landed in the pile of cotton. Diminishing any chance they had at collecting more materials from the small patch. "That's...not..." Esther shook her head. "I don't want you to hurt Lycan. This is...this is all my fault." Arc used her real name, and part of her knew that meant he was deadly serious - as he was someone so insistent on using their in game titles. Arc stated how he wasn't going to vent his anger on anyone unless they deserved it. Then what was this? What was Esther experiencing now?

Arc continued to berate her with his words. If it were any other scenario, his words would have reached her.Sadly, this was not that moment, Esther wasn't the type to respond well to 'tough love' or harsh words. She tried facing the issue, she had tried - dragging herself up the stairs - beaten and bruised just to understand why Lycan had did what he did. She got her answer, she was by no means satisfied by it, but she didn't know what else to do. "My answer..." Again...Lycan's hate filled eyes, how he clutched at her chest, tip of his blade ready to impale her, Esther gasped, her heart still hurt. "H-heart...attack?" She quietly questioned herself. The feeling subsided and she was able to breath again.

"I'm not strong." Esther admitted. "I try but I just...." She looked up at him. Her tears flowing freely now. "I miss him Tobias..." She whispered. The tight feeling in her chest appearing again. She wrapped her arms around herself. "I miss him."