Private Eastern Brisshal Independence Day aka How I Learned to Stop Being Afraid of Everything and Love Arcanamancy (feat. Hyper Sense)

[Azykia]

"Hah, well, I suppose my concern is more that I won't have to tell them my age for them to be able to draw a similar conclusion."

As Toko posed her same question coming back the other way, Azykia tilted her head down in thought as she recalled each moment that Toko had been a part of her Terrasphere experience. "Your age, let's see now..."

"Given your evaluation of me, I would have to assume that you're familiar with the sort of mental presence that someone in their mid to lower twenties would possess. From that alone, I would pose that you're in your upper twenties at the very least. Well, at least rather than being in the same age category as me."

A mischievous smirk formed about the blind girl's lips. "It simply makes more sense for me to think that everyone wants to be younger and prettier, yet Toko-ane' is also very physically fit from what I can tell. That makes me feel as though you're yet a little older than what I presumed, since it's a desire that reflects the 'you' in the Starcalled Realm."

Azykia, apparently being some sort of noble according to current theorizers so far, certainly had a very roundabout way of calling Toko "old", it seemed.

"Why do you ask?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"Let them think what they wish then, it's not like you owe any of them an answer if you don't want to." Most people wouldn't really care, or at least the decent ones wouldn't... if anyone was going around pestering a clearly underage looking blonde for her real age they just deserved a punch in the face, because nothing good was probably bouncing around their rotten brains. "That's the beauty of this world, even the Investigation Mode won't rat you out... not unless you admit something to someone first."

Toko nodded as she listened to Azykia's analysis of herself, an eyebrow slowly raising as she caught the veiled meaning behind the girl's words before chuckling softly.

"That's fair enough, for someone who's blind in this world you're certainly extremely perceptive," A hand reached over to ruffle Azykia's top of her head softly. "I guess you're not too far off, I'm currently thirty three."

@Azykia

 

[Azykia]

"Thirty-three, hm? Doesn't that mean you could be my aneue outside of Terrasphere as well?" Azykia giggled for a few seconds. "That... would be nice." She muttered as the sweetness of her giggling and grinning soon afterwards became bitter.

"I have a friend I run into quite often here in Honeyhome named Aroda, and... if I recall correctly, she was talking about us meeting in the Starcalled Realm sometime. Sadly, I had to tell her that even though she could travel anywhere she wanted, we could never see each other."

"Even after what happened a couple days ago, it makes it difficult to want to log out anymore." She opened her eyes and stared off towards the nothing below the horizon of the rim of her summoned sun umbrella. "I'm trying to stop being so pathetic, and start taking care of myself again, but I-"

"Somewhere deep down, I wish somebody would just save me from it all. You know? But... people in reality... are not that kind. Are they, Toko-nee-san?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"Mmm I guess I could, huh?" She smiled at the blonde, softly patting her head once more. "I always wanted a kawaii imootoh after all~"

She listened to the next words, nodding softly out of habit even though Azykia couldn't see. There was a slight raise of her eyebrow at the term Starcalled Realm, but she supposed some people just took the immersion of the game to a whole different level. "Well, if she's a friend of yours then I'm sure she'll understand and respect your choice." She wasn't going to fault the girl or her reasonings for wishing to remain in TerraSphere as much as she could, after all the game offered many unique experiences that couldn't be matched in the real world.

"No... I suppose most people in the world aren't kind." There was a part of Nao that resonated with the words Azykia spoke, and in turn it caused her heart to ache for the younger girl. "However, most isn't the same as everyone... sometimes we're lucky enough to find people willing to stretch out a hand out for us."

Softly she took one of Azykia's hands in her own, giving it a soft squeeze as Toko held onto it. The last six months for Nao had been quite pathetic, if she were to use Azykia's own words to describe them, and she too had spent insane amount of times inside of TerraSphere upon discovering the game. It felt as if the real world had nothing left to offer Nao, while here in TS there were so many people and things that Toko had come to love and adore... more than once she had found herself thinking that she wouldn't mind being permanently tied to this place.

"I've only recently started to find things back in our Starcalled Realm that have begun to pique my interest again..." A lot of that was owed to one particular person, too, one she'd been lucky enough to meet not long after beginning to play. "So who knows, with time most things are possible... but in the meantime you know your aneue is here for you~"

@Azykia

 

[Azykia]

"Mh. I wouldn't... call it a choice." She was the prideful sort, as anyone who saw her force her way against her handicap could tell, so complaining about her 'life no one should be able to complain about' felt like the lowest of lowly, pathetic things she could do. Especially to someone who had literally saved her life as of this point. Even if she was literally praying for someone to get her out. It seemed Terrasphere was her only hope after all.

So instead, she focused on the total opposite. The brighter side of things that the Lepus was talking about, as she forced her way into a grin. "I doubt I'll ever come to some sort of renewed revelation of life's beauty such as you have, but so long as Toko-ane' comes to see me in-game, then at least one of my worlds can be just a little more appealing." She shifted so that her head was now facing Toko's direction as she leaned back.

"And I hope that despite my tendency to dampen the mood, I could still be enjoyable company for Toko-ane', and not simply somebody she worries over."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"Of course, you can always count on your aneue to be here for you, Azy-chan~" The Lepus leaned a little bit closer, her index finger poking Azykia's cheek softly as Toko spoke, before the hand moved to pat the blonde over the head. "Also there's no way my mood would ever dampen when my little imootoh is around me."

With that the Lepus stretched her arms, taking a deep breath as she enjoyed the scent of nature around them. It was comforting, much like the scents of the woods back in her home village, and the rabbit couldn't help but smile slightly at that thought.

Perhaps that's why she enjoyed life here in Honeyhome so much... it was her own personal home away from home.

"Hey, Azy-chan, can you promise me one thing...?" Toko's head turned to look at the younger girl, a hand stretching out with her pinky lifted. "Try and be careful out there, okay?"

She wasn't going to ask the blonde to not die, mostly because Toko herself couldn't promise that back to Azykia either, but she hoped the youth would at least be cautious while playing the game.

@Azykia

 

[Azykia]

Azykia forced a smile Toko's direction, or at the very least, one that was much less bitter than previously. "Be careful, huh? You know, every big sis I've accrued over the last couple months has told me that. It's not like I'm not trying..."

"But, also... Well, with things the way they are for me outside of Terrasphere, I hold far more concern for your lives than my own. If that weren't the case, I wouldn't have been there to try and keep you all safe. I hope you can forgive me, given that much."

"And, actually, I was about to try and leave Honeyhome to see if I could push my powers back out. During the end of Red Fever, I could see so much that it hurt. Like we were trying to fell the sun itself." She flexed her fingers on her right hand as she held it up in front of her, though she was still looking at Toko. "And all the magic in the crater... I could feel it so vividly. I felt so powerful and alive out of nowhere, but now..."

She closed her eyes for a few seconds in thought.

"I think... if I can reach that point again, I could actually help everyone that I care about. It's pretty much all I can find to aspire to right now."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"I know, but as your aneue I'll still worry about your safety Azy-chan." She hadn't meant any offense with her request, though she couldn't fault the blonde if she'd gotten the wrong idea. "I'm glad you were there with us, I don't think things would've turned out well if any of us had been missing that day."

Toko listened as Azykia began to explain the things she could see and feel during the battle and the large magical energy accumulation that had been present, the hare thinking for a moment as she tried to make sense of things... she was not the most magically educated individual, and still had plenty of misfires and issues with her own magical masteries.

"Well, if that's your goal then what do you think could help reach that point again? I'll help however I can... though your aneue isn't the most knowledgeable at magic."

@Azykia

 

[Azykia]

"So you say," she opened her eyes and leaned closer to Toko, unsure how close she even was to begin with, "but your magic saved my life." She certainly wasn't looking at Toko's face now. "Besides, I don't know if there's anybody else who can help me. Everybody else is..." She ran through the mental list of people who could help her, and her head slowly tilted down as discomfort painted over her face more and more to a point.

"... I don't... think I should call on any of them. I wasn't even going to ask anyone to help me find my way to the next town. You just happened to catch me before I left." She took a slow breath. Obviously the girl still had a lot on her mind. "Just when I was starting to feel alive again, and started making friends, I..."

She was silent for long enough to re-live the argument between two of them from just yesterday.

"I messed it all up. So I don't want to mess up anything else right now. Does... that make sense?"
@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"So you say, but your magic saved my life."
"I guess we were all doing a little bit of saving for everyone involved, huh?"

There was a soft chuckle at the thought, but it was good to know that everyone had made sure to try and cover each other's backs as best as possible. Given the risks that TerraSphere carried such teamwork would make a major difference in the end results, Toko doubted greatly they would've been able to achieve a victory against the Kurungaar mother otherwise... and the loses would've been greater too.

". . ."

It was gradual at first, but eventually a pained look had taken over the blonde's face as she spoke. Quietly the rabbit leaned closer, a hand patting Azykia atop her head as she listened to the girl's words.

"Messing things up is part of living, Azy-chan," Toko wasn't sure what had happened... but by the words she assumed perhaps a falling out of sorts with one of Azykia's friends. "However that doesn't mean things will stay messed up forever... and you should never let that fear stop you from taking steps forwards in the direction you've chosen for yourself."

Easier said than done, of course, but it was solid advice that Nao herself had received from her grandmother growing up... she only hoped it could help her friend, too.

@Azykia

 

[Azykia]

"I... see." She took a slow breath, seeming to be trying to actively relax, or expunge something from her emotional lockbox otherwise. "It's not everything I'm scared of messing up. I've made plenty of mistakes on my way here. It's... friends."

"I don't know about you, aneue, but I never had friends before I started playing Terrasphere. They mean so much to me, and I finally have them, and I..."

She finally sat up again and stared forward into the trees across the way past the edge of town. "I want to learn more about my magic and what I can do with it so that next time, I can help my friends. Whether it's you, or Aroda, or Celestine, or anybody else. Sure, life is about making mistakes, but there are mistakes people make that can never be undone. You realize that, I'm sure, Toko."

"Besides, I'm... Well, I don't settle for less than I'm capable of. I think that suits me just fine, don't you?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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Ah, so that's what it was...

"Would you believe your aneue if I told you I didn't have friends of my age growing up?"

She could sympathize with the fear that was probably grasping as Azykia now, having experienced it for herself during many years. "Most of my 'friends' were old men and women that obaachan was friends with and thus would spend time with me too, but I never did seem to click with peers my age back home." It hadn't really bothered Nao though, at least not until her grandmother had passed on... that's when the woman had realized how dependent on her existence Nao had been.

"I also made my first friends here in TerraSphere..."

It had been a new experience for Toko, she had never thought to click well with one person... let alone the ever growing gaggle of players that were becoming very dear to her heart—not to mention she had recently begun to date one of them too, another new experience that certainly had the woman back in Japan twisted into a knot half of the time.

"Agreed, some mistakes we can't take back after they're made." No one could erase a death counter after all, or at least it didn't sound like MIT had managed to break that mystery yet. "Alright then, tell me what you need and your aneue will do her very best to make it happen~"

@Azykia

 

[Azykia]

The girl smiled just a bit as she was assured by the lepis that she was going to do her very best to cooperate. No one usually strayed from doing what she wanted outside of Terrasphere, but this was the sort of exchange that felt far more sentimental and sincere. "What I need, I suppose, is the ability to find a decent magic teacher. Alas, I've spent almost my entire time in this world in Honeyhome. I wanted someone to guide me to somewhere else, or find me somebody who could help me become a more adept magic caster."

"You and Brutus both spar, from what I've gathered. I wouldn't mind something of the sort were it properly dictated. Nor would I mind the sort of setting reminiscent of a class room. I just want to be able to grow." She held her palm up and slowly, carefully, formed a single unmoving butterfly in her palm made of bright blue Arcanamancy. "This world far outweighs the other to me, yet I'm far more capable there than I am here. I would seek to change that."

"So you'll really help me, Toko?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

"A magic teacher, huh?"

The lepus frowned ever so slightly, deep in thought as the younger girl finally made her request known. Being a mostly self taught intuitive caster, and considering her main fighting style was up close and personal, Toko couldn’t say she knew many magic users… much less those that could pass as possible good teachers for Azykia, although two of them did come to mind.

"There was that cool caster back in the fight, white tux and long dark hair—ah, right, that might not be the best description for you… uuuh, managed to make a moon appear close to the middle-end of the fight, remember?" She paused for a moment to look at the blonde girl, seeing if she was aware of what Toko was talking about. "I didn’t get their name, but they seem pretty experienced… maybe they’d be interested in teaching someone else?"

Granted, that particular option seemed like a shot in the dark—but there was another person that Toko could think of, one that she actually had the contact information for too and could share with her adopted little sister.

"I could shoot Erick a message too, see if he’d be interested? He’s a Chrono and Astra user, at least those are the two magical masteries I know for sure he has, and really kind and patient. Maybe he could be a good senseeh for you, Azy-chan?"

@Azykia

 

[Azykia]

"Ah, I'm afraid I don't remember that too well. As notable as it sounds, there was simply too much going on for me to keep track of everything." She recalled for a moment how Toko's magic had been the only reason her own lack of awareness and caution didn't get herself killed. "But one who is kind and patient is willing to teach more than someone who may be a hardened veteran elsewise. I would accept the latter option, if I may be as spoiled as my age-sake."

She tossed the lepus, or at least her direction, an almost mischievous smile as the butterfly in her palm gently exploded into bright sparkles which quickly dissipated in the air around them. "But before that, I'd love to go sightseeing sometime if you're not busy. If nothing else, I'd prefer to have a chaperone as I travel today. Would you be so kind as to be my tour guide, Toko-ane?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

"It’s decided then, I’ll shoot Erick a message sometime and see if he’s willing to mentor another player."

It seemed like the wiser choice out of the two options, after all the hare knew little of the veteran player who had summoned a small replica of the moon during the Kuruungar battle—not to mention that she also lacked any means to contact the man even if Toko had wanted to pursue Cain as the first choice for Azykia’s mentorship. Sure, she didn’t knew Erick all that well either, but at least from their few interactions Toko felt comfortable in the thought that the man was honest and kind—certainly someone the fighter felt she could entrust with Azykia and not worry afterwards.

"Sure, shall we take a stroll through the streets of Honeyhome then?" The impish look on the young girl’s face was met with a soft chuckle from the lepus as she stood, dusting herself off before offering a hand to the younger magician. "We could see if Esther has a fresh batch at the bakery too, nothing beats her jelly filled buns when they’re fresh off the oven."

@Azykia