Complete - Seeing Eye to Eye(s)

Rivers waited in the middle of Vintergard. He was hoping to meet @Mist Lúthes soon; this was around the time he'd met her yesterday. Hopefully she was online. They...hadn't exchanged contact information of any sort so it was really hard to coordinate anything. They should surely exchange information today. That is, if they could properly meet up. He hoped he was visible enough standing out here.

He did look a little different. He'd adorned some armor since he'd last seen Mist. Now with leg armor and a scarf which offered protective stats, he looked a bit different. Oh, and there was also the eyepatch. Yeah, that made him look quite different. Also, he was still getting used to it himself. She'd still recognize him, right? Hopefully, she'd still remember him even. Some events of the night were...blurry. Rivers hoped that she'd remember what he looked like at least.

His biggest worry though was that she wouldn't come. What if, upon remembering the events of last night, she decided she didn't want to spend time with him again. Normally, Rivers would trust her more but he was feeling...shaky lately. Rivers wasn't even sure that the Mist he remembered would line up with who she actually was. And that wasn't even getting started on the disconnect between the player and the character. Ugh this was stressful. Rivers paced back and forth in the center of town.

Rivers began to look around, turning his head a lot. Having half your field of vision was rough. He should be able to easily spot Mist's colorful hair. Worst case scenario, he could approach her. Unless he got cold feet upon seeing her. Remembering the kiss they'd shared the night before, Rivers's heart quickened its pace. And they were planning on doing more of that. Here's hoping his heart could stand the excitement.

 

"...wakarimashta. Itterasshai, okaasan. Suki dayo."

Chihiro clicked the red button on her cellphone, ending the call with a small sigh of relief. After her lessons for the day she had come home to an empty house. Almost immediately her mother had called, telling her that there was a problem at their resort in Karuizawa, and that she and her father would be staying the rest of the week there working it out. So she had the house all to herself until Saturday. Good. With a small, eager grin she picked up her VR headset and laid down on her bed, making sure her cellphone was still in her hand when she laid her head on the pillow.

"Gēmusutāto!"

Mist loaded into the same spot she'd been in when she had logged out: standing ankle-deep in a cold lake near the Dragon's Hearth tavern. For only a second she was confused as to why she was here. And then everything came back all at once. She remembered meeting Rivers--a very sweet, funny, and handsome elf who had shared some very painful memories with her--and the pair of them going out of the tavern to the lake. They'd both been a little drunk and a little flirtatious, and somehow or another they'd wound up in the lake. Then after that...

Oh. Oh right. Oh RIGHT.

I kissed a boy!

From the moment she started getting out of the lake, getting her shoes back on, and rushing her way to the player city of Vinterguard where she just vaguely remembered they had promised to meet, Mist's face was an enormous beaming smile that glowed like the sun itself. She had kissed a boy! A boy had kissed her! And now that boy was somewhere in Vinterguard waiting for her, so they could go on a real date! Good job tipsy-Mist, you nailed it! While she went through the tattered, war-torn streets of Vinterguard Mist didn't let a single sight distract her except for every blonde head with elf ears that she could see in the crowd. She...knew Rivers had to be around here somewhere. Right? That had been their plan!

Unless he didn't want to. Mist's footsteps slowed slightly, her smile twitching downward at the corners. What if he realized what a crazy, stupid idea it is to "date" somebody in a video game? We don't know anything about each other. Not our real names, or real jobs, or real hobbies. Hell, I don't even know if he's my age! He could be way older than me! Or younger! This is insane. Why am I even doing this?

Because I don't have a chance like this anywhere else?

Just as her mood began to falter, Mist rounded a corner of a building made of sturdy, strong stones with a window full of fancy looking weapons and armor, past which was the center of town. Stalls of traders--NPC and PC alike, she gathered--were bartering wares and various adventurers were gathered about getting ready for quests or raids. It was like every other fantasy game, and it made Mist feel a little better seeing all the fresh, happy faces doing their own thing. And then she spotted a face that triggered a memory in her head, blurry though it was, and her eyes lit up.

"Riiiiiiiiiiiivers!"

Mist pushed through the crowd with her smile back at full force until she was right in front of Rivers, immediately reaching out to throw her arms around his middle and give him a tight hug. She giggled cheerfully as she clung tight to him. Then, like something in her mind had just clicked, she drew back enough so she could lean back and look at his face. Her mouth hung open in shock. Rivers had an eye-patch! Her hadn't had that last time they'd seen one another, she was absolutely sure of it! Had he gotten hurt? Was it just for looks? Why was it kind of attractive?!

"You--You have one eye! What happened? Is it cosmetic? Is it real? Oh no, does it hurt?! Oh, poor Rivers, don't tell me you got into a fight!"

 

Rivers's ears perked when he heard his name being called. He recognized that voice. At least, he thought he did. We turned to see a familiar hair color. Er...hair colors. Rivers turned just in time for Mist to wrap her arms around his middle and squeeze him in a tight hug. Ah, there it was. The warmth he'd felt last night was returning to him. He wrapped his arms around her back and reciprocated the squeeze. This was a good feeling. He'd been wrong to question this earlier. This had to be good. No bad here.

"Hi there."

Mist looked up at him, and he could see the confusion on her face. It was definitely the eye. As much as Rivers hoped that it was any of the other changes, he knew it was the eye. As she spoke, she confirmed what was bothering her. She asked if he'd gotten into a fight. No. Not quite.

"No. I uhhh...got lured to a hut by some smoke and there a witch was resurrecting an NPC boy. Another player and I had to give up two things each. One of the things I gave up was the eye. I also gave up my sense of taste. The other player, Rook, gave up his luck and his weapon. It was...it was strange. It hurt. It hurt a lot, but now it doesn't hurt anymore. But yeah. How was your tea ceremony thingy?"

Rivers hoped that was enough to get the focus off of his eye. He wasn't sensitive about it but didn't want to spend his limited time with Mist worrying about things that had already happened to him. That wouldn't make him feel warm and bubbly like he had the night before. So, here's hoping that was enough to deter them from a long discussion about what had happened.

"So. What do you wanna do today?"

 

Mist pursed her lips together into some mix between a thin line and a pout, and one of her hands raised from around his waist to touch lightly at his cheek, just below his eye-patch. So he had sacrificed it as part of a quest of sorts? He said it didn't hurt anymore...but it had hurt at the time, and she couldn't help but worry. Why go so far for an NPC? He was real, and he suffered from the pain. Still, it was hard to tell the difference from time to time. Maybe there was enough to these NPCs that was worth such a sacrifice. Mist wasn't sure what to make of that. She did know, though, that the light swat she gave to his cheek wasn't going to hurt nearly as much.

"You dummy. My lessons aren't nearly as important as you. You're lucky it makes you look mysterious and sexy or I'd be upset."

Did she just call him sexy? Oh, thank God her cheeks didn't flush as vibrantly as his did, because she would have been scarlet letting that slip out. Her hand dropped from his cheek to instead cup his jaw. She smiled again, warm as it always was, and tried to take his lead to move on from this conversation. She didn't want to make it awkward.

Well, more awkward. What even were they right now?

...think less, smile more.

"Well. I wanted to explore Vintergard, and see what it has to offer. But if you don't have a sense of taste then what's the point in buying food? Maybe...oh! Can we shop for weapons? I'm unarmed. Which. Uh. Might make doing quests difficult. Can I trust your expert experience in finding something nice?"

Ah, there was that flirty tone of voice in her sober ears. Without alcohol it sounded funny. Like she was trying to sound like character from her dating games, rather than being herself. But herself, at least in the real world, would have never gotten this far. Besides, Rivers didn't seem to mind. A slightly sheepish smile slid onto her face, her cheeks turning visibly darker this time.

"And I was hoping, maybe, we can kiss some more. If. You want to."

 

Mist's hand streamed up from his waist to his cheek, just below his new eyepatch. Rivers stayed very still, hoping she wouldn't try to look underneath it. Instead, she lightly swatted his cheek while pouting. As she reprimanded him for getting hurt, Rivers felt his face pull into a grin. Mysterious and sexy huh? Now that was an angle he'd never thought he'd have. Rivers felt his face warm up at the compliment. That was...not too oddly forward for Mist. But, that was still surprising. He'd literally never been called sexy before. With a face that you could cook an egg on, Rivers babbled something.

Rivers thought she probably didn't understand why he couldn't just let that NPC boy die. It was...he had a hard time explaining it himself. In the back of his mind, he knew that this was a game and that the boy was just code. But, it felt so real. And, if he started telling himself that this was just a game then his relationship, if it was safe to call it that, with Mist probably didn't matter either. And he didn't want to think about that possibility.

Mist spoke about what she'd wanted to do in Vintergard, lamenting that they couldn't go for food with him lacking a sense of taste. Shopping for weapons? Now that was an idea. He was still missing a weapon himself, despite the mastery points he'd invested in Pierce. Maybe a lance would be a sound investment.

"Of course! I should probably look for a weapon myself. But you know, if you wanted to get some food together in something like a d-d-date I'd be fine with that. Food for me just got a lot cheaper, after all. But, if you just want to shop for equipment, that's fine too. I just want to spend some time with you. I don't care what we do."

Rivers gave her a squeeze to emphasize his point. He was sincere earlier. He really didn't care what they ended up doing, as long as they were together. Which sounded pretty cheesy, but cheesy wasn't a bad thing, right? Rivers didn't think so at least. Hell, they'd both been very cheesy with each other before and they'd both loved it. Rivers assumed they'd both loved it at least. He quickly dismissed the doubt in his mind; Mist was as sincere as he was. While he'd been lost in thought, Mist mentioned that perhaps they could kiss some more. Rivers blushed, but not nearly as much as he had from being called sexy earlier. He dropped his voice.

"Y-yeah. I'd really like. Maybe not in the center of town, but I'd really like that. Soooo...what do you wanna do first today?"

 

"I mean, a date can be other things than getting food. For example, we can just walk along the shops like this!"

Mist released her hold around Rivers' torso, and instead moved to his side--taking care to be on the side of him that still had visibility so he could see her--and wrapped her arm around his, clinging to it with a soft laugh. Gosh, this really was something a couple would do, and it was so nice. Rivers had such strong arms. All those muscles for fighting, for sure. Come to think of it her physique was more athletic than hers in the real world. She was leaner and had wiry, runners muscle. Maybe that was one of the reasons Rivers liked her...bah, thinking like that was going to ruin the mood. She was Mist, so there was no reason to worry about it! Similarly he was Rivers right now. Her Rivers. Gosh that was nice to think about.

"Heheh, now that we're agreed, let's go looking for a blacksmith? Or a weapon-smith? I'm thinking of a staff! Something to channel my magic through, but still big enough to club somebody over the head with if they get too close. Ooh, ooh, maybe we can spar a little? I won't go easy on you, though!"

By the arm Mist began to pull River along the city circle, her fingers entwined with his own all the while. There were a lot of little trade stalls here and there, but those only offered some bare basic things: wooden shields, basic daggers and leather armor, and similar low-level tier items. Not bad, but her skills were high enough to not need those things. So instead, she brought Rivers to what looked like a proper shop in the building she'd passed before, made of large, sturdy stones with a window full of different weapons and armor pieces hanging in the barred windows. There was a wooden sign above the doorway, but no door to the establishment itself. Whoever ran this shop was either confident that other PCs weren't going to steal their wares, or sure that their weapons would beat the thieves away.

Either way, that was some impressive marketing.

"Ooooh, look in here, Rivers! Do you think those look cool?"

Still with one arm around his she pointed the other at the window, towards the collections of swords, pikes, axes, and spears on display in the window. Some were a shiny iron, others metals with a shine to them that didn't exist in the real world. Mithral? Did mithral exist in this game? Or maybe it went by a different name in TerraSphere. Either way it was pretty.

"Maybe you should get a rapier to go with that eye-patch. Go full-out Swashbuckler. And then I can tame you a parrot! Heheheheh. Just kidding!"

 

"True. But if you're looking for a weapon, that sounds like a good time. I need one too actually, so that'd be good. Also you can help me pick it out. So I make sure whatever weapon I carry around has your approval."

Mist moved her hand from around his waist to his hand. She interlocked their fingers and they began walking like this. Such a public display of affection was definitely something couples did. Were...were they a couple? Rivers looked over to her and thought to ask, but decided against it. If the romantic comedies he'd seen were any indication, putting a "label" on things too quickly was a recipe for disaster. But, at the very least, she wasn't trying to be secretive about it, walking through town like this. Rivers gave her a hand a squeeze. This was really reassuring, just walking like this with her.

Mist described the type of weapon she wanted. A staff for her magic seemed like a good move, but something that had bashing capabilities...hmmmmm. That might be a tall order, Rivers didn't know of many staffs that had bludgeoning components to them. Maybe there were staffs that were more durable than others but was that really enough. Rivers got lost in thought and let Mist lead them around. Wait. She'd mentioned something about sparring or the like? Like, them sparring?

"We can if you want to, but I'd need a weapon too to make it fair. But you know, I'm down any time."

Rivers and Mist spent their time for a while walking around at the various stalls in town. They had some basic weapons and armor, but nothing that caught Mist's eye. So, they instead went to a proper store. Mist pointed out the shiny weapons and armor behind the windows of the storefront. They certainly looked of higher quality, but nothing really spoke to him either.

"Yeah, they look good. I dunno. Nothing really calling to me."

There were no lances, but he kept that to himself. She pointed him to another display which had pointier instruments of killing. This was better. He looked over the items, which shined of a metal that looked foreign to his eyes. Perhaps there were metals in Terrapsphere that didn't exist in the real world. That would make sense, as Mythril was common in fantasy games. Rivers looked closer at the price...YOUCH. Nope. He wasn't affording that anytime soon. As he recovered from the near cardiac arrest from the price, Mist teased him about his eyepatch.

"But I can't be a swashbuckler without the Parry skill. If only you'd fielded this idea before I changed for White Magic. But actually, I prefer lances. I think they're a lot cooler honestly. Cuz, y'know, they're made to punch through things that aren't meant to be punched through. And I think that's really cool. Here, let's go find you something that can bash."

For a change, Rivers pulled Mist along as he moved into another proper shop. This one seemed to specialize in magical weapons. There were shelves full of grimoires, racks that held staffs, and even a wide assortment of wands and other artifacts. Wow. There were a lot of types of Magic Weapons. Rivers wondered if there was any difference between them in quality. He actually didn't know. He pointed out a few with his free hand.

"What do you think about those? I actually don't know much about the quality of magical weapons or even what the practical difference between a staff and a wand is."

 

Mist tilted her head back to look at Rivers' expression as he checked out all the weaponry on display. So nothing here struck his fancy? Darn, they all looked so impressive and shiny, and all of them would look so good in his hand while he slayed a great monster. Alas. Maybe when he'd leveled a bit more and they had more gold, she could surprise him with something this quality, just for him? Gosh, she was already planning gifts to surprise him with in the future. At least she now knew what weapons he liked.

"Ooh, lances are cool. You can kit them with a flag, too, to make them extra decorative. Would you want a big one, like for jousting, or one with a blade on the end? I bet you'll look super cool, no matter what you pick!"

Now it was her turn to be led about by the hand, and she didn't mind it one bit. The next shop they found was absolutely lovely for a mage like herself, and in a moment of excitement she released Rivers' hand and began rushing to each shelf individually, bouncing on her heels as she looked around. The large spell books were nice, but a bit old fashioned for her taste. But what about the necklaces with a pretty big jewel on the end? Was it a foci? Maybe...no, no, too Fate/Stay for her taste. She went to a collection of wands and held one up--simple and wooden, but elegantly carved--for Rivers to see.

"The difference is all size! Not that I care much for that either way, but wands are smaller, and staffs are large enough to lean on. See here? This is nice! But I couldn't bonk anyone on the head with it."

Mist set the wand down and went to a rack of staffs along the wall, her fingers holding her chin in thought. So many options! Some of them were made from wood of various trees, either in a more natural rounded shape or cleanly cut with vibrant runes carved into the sides. Others were metals that shone in various colors with glittering gemstones at the tip. They were all impressive! Which one stood out though.

She paused, noticing one in particular. It wasn't very fanciful--no runes, only simple white cloth wrapped around the center for better hold, and rather than a jewel or gem on the top there was a star made from a shining silver, crafted with clean, hard lines. Mist's eyes glittered, her fingertips lightly brushing against the star, her magical energy causing it to glow just slightly from her touch.

Oh...it's lovely...

Isn't it a little plain for me?

But I like it. Sure it's not going to stand out, but that isn't what matters.

"What do you think of this one, Rivers?"

 

Mist recommended that he could put a flag on his lance to make it extra-decorative. That seemed like a bad idea. He was going to use it to kill monsters so any flag he adorned to it would get covered in blood. That...wouldn't be good for the flag at all. Also that seemed a bit...not cool. Of course, Rivers knew better than to tell her that. But, when he pictured himself being all heroic, it wasn't with a flag flapping around. Of course, then Mist mentioned he'd look cool with whatever and he just couldn't help himself from grinning like an idiot. Cool? Him? Did she really think so? But that begged the question, just what kind of weapon did he want? A larger lance would probably take two hands, but he did take heroic might to be able to one hand it. But, what would he like? Something bladed? Something like a jousting lance? Ugh the possibilities. Rivers turned to speak to her, still with a smile on his face.

"You're too kind. I don't know which I'd like personally. I guess I'll just see what catches my eye first."

When they entered the magic store, Mist let go of his hand and began to excitedly look through all the different magic weapons. Gosh she was cute when she was excited. She looked over spellbooks and wands before eventually answering his question. She held up a wand and explained that she couldn't bonk anyone with this. Okay, so whatever she picked had to pass the bonk test. Good to know.

Rivers followed her through the store as she looked at other staffs and thought on them. Rivers didn't know the first thing about staffs, so he kept quiet on the matter. He was sure whatever she picked would be good! Of course, if she asked him he'd weigh in, but she seemed content to look it over. That was fine by him. Rivers had recently dealt with multiple wolf packs, a murder loli, a heist, an eldritch god, and losing his eye. Something as low-key as shopping for a staff was just what he was looking for. Finally, Mist picked out a potential candidate and turned to get his opinion on it. Honestly, it wasn't what he was expecting. Given her character model, Rivers thought she'd want to be flashy or complex. This staff looked rather simple. But, Rivers would be supportive. He stooped down and brought his hand to lightly grab the staff. With a swift motion, he lightly tapped himself on the head with it.

"Well, it seems to pass the bonk test, so I think it'll work just fine. Looks sturdy enough to me. If you like it, I say go for it."

 

A giggle escaped Mist as Rivers picked up the staff of her choice and gave himself a gentle whack on the head with it, claiming it was worthy. She beamed and took it out of his hands, holding it in both of hers. It was about two inches shorter than she was, and the staff itself was a nice, maple color to contrast the silver star on top. She liked the feel of the cloth banding around it, too. That settled it.

With staff in hand she approached the counter and handed over the required gold for the purchase, beaming all the while. With the transaction done a little 'ding' sounded of her inventory updating, and she got the option to name it in her UI.

"Oh no, I get to name it? Shoot. I didn't think of that."

Mist pursed her lips together. While she thought of a name, she started to channel a little bit of her energy into the staff. Slowly the lines of the star began to glow like a flame had been lit behind them. It started dim, then grew brighter, fuller, until the star itself shown like, well, a star, lighting the room with a pale white light that reflected off the other wands, foci, gemstones, and various magical weapons so beautifully that it were like the galaxy itself was peeking out from the simple silver star. Mist's eyes lit up nearly as bright, her lips parted in a small 'o' of awe.

Perfect. It was so perfect.

Name Your Weapon?:

_SILVERLIGHT_

​

Mist skipped back over to Rivers, the staff in her hands held tight, the glow slowly returning to a glimmer.

"I love it so much, Rivers! I didn't realize it shined like that! It was all sparkle-sparkle and...it was beautiful! Come on, we need to find something just as amazing for you! Where's the best lance shop around here? Do you know?"

 

Mist giggled at his display before taking the staff from him. It seems she was settled on this staff and turned to buy it. That was good; a weapon would make questing easier. It would also make Rivers feel better about questing with her. He didn't want to see her get hurt. Given, Rivers was sure she could take care of herself. Mist had made it to Vintergard after all. She bought the staff and then seemed surprised by something on her HUD. "What's up?" He was curious as to the surprise. Maybe she was startled by the equipment gain.

Oh, so she got to name the weapon? That was likely the cause for her surprise. That made a lot more sense than whatever Rivers'd thought prior. He watched as she seemed to pump her energy through the staff as she thought of a name. The star began to glow at the end of the staff. The light from her staff reflected off all the shiny material in the store. Gemstones and wands lit up in the light of her energy. It was beautiful, and Rivers didn't just mean the light.

"It's beautiful, Mist."

Mist skipped back over to him, staff in tow. At her decision, the pair left the store to find a similarly awesome weapon for Rivers. Rivers reached out to take her free hand, and they left together. "I actually don't know where to find a good lance. But let's have a look around. It'll be an adventure!" Rivers led the pair as his eyes looked around for a shop that seemed to specialize in lances. Then Rivers lowered his standards to shops that specialized in midtier weapons. Gosh this was hard.

Just then, a beeping came from his interface. What was this? Using his free hand and a couple swipes, Rivers opened the menu to see a notification pop up.

CONGRATULATIONS!

You've Received:
1 x Dissonant Lance
1 x Dissonant Chestpiece
200 MP
150 GP
Titanius is Defeated!

Huh. Wasn't Titanius defeated a while ago? Also, wait what? A lance? Like for real? Rivers pressed a button and quickly equipped it. It appeared instantly, stuck into the ground in front of him. The lance was as big as he was tall, if not more so. It had a handle big enough for him to get both hands on, but the rest of the weapon looked...living. It had the same color and consistency that the inside of Titanius had had. Towards the end of the lance, a curved tentacle jutted out. Clearly, it was sharpened to work as a puncture point. It was hard to tell from looking at it. Rivers took the weapon in his hand.

Name Your Weapon?

_Nighthorror_

That worked. That was a cool name for a spear. Rivers pushed to the back of his mind the horrors he'd seen in Titanius. Maybe this weapon would help him come to terms with that. Rivers needed to face what happened, even he knew that. But it wasn't easily. And carrying around this lance would force him to deal with it. Slowly, he reached out his free hand and gripped the handle.

"Well...what do you think?" he turned to Mist. She'd probably have questions since a spear just appeared in the ground, but he'd answer them all in turn.

 

Beautiful...the way Rivers said the word made Mist's face feel warmer and her smile split across her face, brighter than before. She placed the staff on her back where a sling for it had appeared the moment she bought it, and slid her arm around his again with a delighted little laugh. He was so wonderful, and knew just what to say to make her feel so fluttery inside. This was normal? This was what romance was like? Or was this just the beginning? It was still so confusing to think about anything past this, but for now, this was more than okay. It was wonderful.

As they went along the shops she barely paid any attention to the wares, her attention taken up by watching Rivers' expression. When he suddenly stopped short and started fussing around with his UI she blinked twice, curious and confused as to what he was looking at.

"Rivers? Is everything alright?"

Then, suddenly, there was a sound like shining metal--just like all those anime and movies where you could hear how sharp a weapon was--and Mist turned her head to see, to her surprise, a lance right in front of them. She released Rivers as he walked over to it and picked it up. Huh? What? Oh! Maybe this was a loot drop? Had he forgotten to open a message or something, and just remembered it now? She'd done that before. Lots of times. Hey, it was hard to manage your inventory sometimes! But what a curious design for a lance. While he inspected his new weapon Mist took a few steps around him, circling Rivers and the lance both to get a better view.

What a deep, ominous color. It clashed a little with Rivers' overall appearance, but it did look intimidating and strong! What was with that blade though? It looked like a tentacle. What had he beaten to earn something like that? Had he picked it out, or was it randomized?

Oh, he was asking her for an opinion. Mist tilted her head again, a finger to her chin in thought.

"It really stands out! Where'd you get it, though? Loot box? Random drop? The spearhead is very stylized, but not in a bad way! I think it's cool! Do you?"

 

Rivers barely heard Mist ask him what was wrong, he was too fixated on the lance in front of him. It was alright, right? He wouldn't become all tentacle-y if he touched it, right? Oh god. He couldn't handle being all tentacle-y right now. Rivers had just gotten a kinda girlfriend and it was too early to go all squid on her. They just weren't there yet. Eventually, he worked up the nerve to reach out and grab it. Okay cool. Nothing crazy was going on. Awesome! Rivers shot Mist a grin as she inspected his weapon before he remembered Titanius. Oh...that'd been awful.

Mist asked him where the weapon was from, even throwing out loot boxes as a possible origin. Did Terrasphere do microtransactions? Rivers hoped not; he liked Terrasphere and would hate to have to get upset about it doing shady business practices. That was a sidetrack. Rivers was deflecting. He closed his eyes, as he steadied his breath. He needed to tell her. They were kinda sorta dating and they should be honest with each other. After all, he'd already unloaded all of his baggage onto her. What was a little more?

"It's actually a boss drop...from Titanius. I uh...guess I forgot to check my notifications for a while." He turned his attention to the lance. "It even kind of reminds me of the boss. Which is good I guess from a design. But Mist, I saw some really messed up shit in there." Saying it aloud like this was almost a closure in a way. Like...voicing it aloud made him feel a lot less crazy for being so torn up about it. It was natural to be upset after watching your friend get turned into jelly. It was also natural to be upset after getting beheaded. Talking to Mist made it all feel...so normal. "I think I need to wield this weapon for a while. That probably sounds crazy. Sorry if I'm not making any sense, but I think this lance will help me...come to terms with it."

His friends hadn't replied to him. Rivers hadn't asked them to, but he'd been surprised that they hadn't. He was sure that they were just busy, but he was worried. What if something had happened to them when he was there? What if they'd quit the game because of what they'd gone through because he wasn't there to support them? Was it really right for him to be in Vintergard playing dates with Mist when his friends were God knows where going through God knows what? Shit. Terrasphere problems were just as complex as real world problems. Why had it taken him so long to figure that out?

"Hey, do you wanna get out of here?" Rivers pressed some buttons on his HUD and made his lance disappear.

 

Mist frowned, a concerned weight pressing against at her chest. While she hadn't seen Titanius in person she could clearly recall what Rivers said their first night together about the pain and fear and loss that monster had dealt him. How his friends had died, how he had died, and how he'd blamed himself for all of it. She'd told him it was okay. Was it, though? Last night she may have over-simplified it for his sake. Now she was having second thoughts. Still, there was one thing that she felt absolutely certain of, and she took a step forward to place her hand softly onto his as it gripped the lance tight.

"Makes sense to me. It's...it's a trophy! A symbol that you fought something so terrible and despite the pain, you still kicked some serious butt and came out on top! So even if it's hard, you should wield it with pride! I know I'll be proud to see you use it."

When he returned the lance to his inventory her hand was left on his, and instead wrapped around to entwine her fingers with his. Her smile returned as warm as before. He really was so strong and brave. To think, either of them could have missed the other last night and wound up somewhere else entirely, instead of here holding hands and getting amazing weapons and simply being together. It was so nice to be with him. There may have been some doubts before, but not now, and hopefully not again.

She tilted her head from curiosity when he next spoke.

"If you want to, absolutely. Where do you want to go?"

 

Mist placed her hand on his while he gripped the lance. Her hand was so warm, and it touching his made his chest flutter. That was normal right? It was normal to flutter like this. Whatever, it was probably fine...or a heart condition. But probably fine! Rivers looked into our eyes and tried not to get embarrassed as she told him that she would be proud to see him wield this. Also there was some good advice in there about viewing this as a trophy and testament to his hard work. Rivers smiled slightly; Mist was so sweet and kind and just all around great and ijoerwquivnjfnyhrjiaw; emotions.

"Th-thank you Mist." He had to avert his eyes. Intimacy was embarrassing sometimes. But, if there was someone with whom he was comfortable being embarrassed, it was Mist. She mentioned she was fine to go if he wanted to. As she spoke, she intertwined their fingers. With his lance in his inventory, now they were just holding hands. He pulled her closer. "Let's walk," he said with a certain giddiness. He was all over the place today, but maybe that was just him right now. Maybe he was just all over the place, and that's how things would be.

Rivers walked with her towards the edge of town. A little alone walk would be good for them. They could chat in the quiet, see some pretty sites, maybe even kiss. Rivers felt his face get warm just thinking about it. He was going to have to get used to the idea of kissing this girl. Aaaaaaaaaaaaah but not today. He squeezed lightly on her hand. "I figured we could just go on a walk alone for a little bit. I figure if we see any monster you can tame it. If not, you can just bonk it," he teased.