Scene #7196: Deepest Memories

Owner	Pose
Haseo	Despite having a talk with Yuuki at some point, Haseo requests to talk to her again. This time face to face. She's called to meet him at his guild house in the Delta Server Mac Anu, a round, pudgy dog man greeting her and handing her an Canard @key before leaving. What an @key is exactly isn't really clear, but she has it. She got the pop up for it and everything! The purpose is made more clear when she reaches the nondescript door where apparently all non super special guilds are kept. A window to enter the Canard's guild hub is presented, and once inside, it's pretty clear that Haseo's go the bare minimum. There's a central area, with two doors to the left and right. The central area clearly being the area where people converse, given that there's a couple areas for sitting. There's also a weird mutant pig thing that looks vaguely like Haseo, but the most it does is glare up at Yuuki before returning to counting a bag of gold in its stubby little hands. Just when it seems like Haseo isn't there, he emerges from the room on the left, making his way down to greet the Director. His outfit is armor from last time, rather than a combination of leather and brass plating, it's more akin to jagged, demon skin. Complete with a tail that comes from the start of his neck and clawed fingers. It's the kind of design a tryhard teenager would make, or someone with no self awareness. "So..." They try to start up a conversation, but sort of trail off and rub their neck in discomfort. The usual venomous bite in his voice completely gone. "I-uh... Really don't know where to begin, you might want to sit down a bit as I think this out." It strikes him he probably should have rehearsed this a bit before calling someone down out here like this. But planning out social meetings has never been his forte.
Yuuki Kuran	Getting a game inventory and an 'avatar' is still novel for Yuuki, but seeing as they're just conveniences for accessing a single world - a scarf of physics that drape around her to provide her basic tools. Like @keys! "An at-key? What do I use an atkey on?" Doors, apparently. High-tech doors that couldn't possibly service everyone going through them, and yet, they go to a place with a pig-accountant. "Haseo, your new class is..." Yuuki begins, visibly sweatdropping to the tune of 'this must be some event, Haseo is too... ... ... Extra to go for this'. Then he enters the room from the left, as Yuuki haltingly approaches the Pig Accountant. "Oh! Ha-ha-ha-" She rolls from a bit of laughter into "-seo. You look different? Is it the class change or are there..." Her eyes drop and follow the tail down his neck. "Race changes, too?" He offers a chair and she takes it, sitting with her knees together and her hands in her lap. She, somehow, makes the sparsely appointed guild hall couch look like she's sitting in a throne. "Is something wrong, Haseo?"
Haseo	"Hey, don't confuse me with that lowly peon. OINK" The pig creature looks up once more to speak in a screechy, squeaky voice, but Haseo ignores it, and like a good NPC it goes back to doing NPC things. "Race cha- Oh." Haseo pulls on the collar of his armor, the tail moving with it to show it's decorative. "Anyway. I had a talk with the Hag. Remember what you said, to stop making enemies?" Rather than taking a seat, Haseo leans against a wall, his arms crossed. He's clearly flustered. He's crawling out of his shell a bit, and he clearly wants to go back. But he's forcing himself. "Apparently the first step is being 'more honest', and while I could tell that Flamel guy, you're a lot more... Norm- Grounded. I guess. Whatever." He relapses for a bit, before mentally punching himself. Why is he like this? Why is he asking why he's like this, he knows why he's like this. But damn if it doesn't get in the way. "So I guess the thing is, like- Can I tell you about Tri-Edge?" Haseo thinks about what he just said, realizes it's worded in the most unhelpful and vague way possible, and visibly cringes before trying to correct himself. "I mean like, the whole thing! The...story? Ya know? Tch..." It hurts. Hurts being sincere. Hurts being himself. This was an awful, terrible, no good idea.
Yuuki Kuran	Yuuki waits for a few moments as Haseo speaks, and finds a more comfortable position, her posture - and her overall 'presence' - receeding to a more casually relaxed pose as she brings her shin up with her hands to bring her leg in to sit in a simple half-cross. It's... It's very anime. "Yes, I think it's important to act in a way that doesn't intentionally create enemies. Some people will not like you and that's..." She winces lightly. "Unfortunate? But it's the way of things. I also think honesty is important - especially with others. Communicating solves problems." Yuuki Kuran is almost called normal, which causes her to flash a terribly amused smile, a sunrise of a thing with just a hint of a smirk at the periphery - but instead she's called grounded, and the wave of her amusement breaks quickly to a more serene gaze. "You can tell me about anything, Haseo. Is it a secret? Or should we make tea?"
Haseo	"Yeah. Yeah." There's an awkward sigh as Yuuki goes over the pros and cons of not being an adversarial brat and getting along. He's heard different variations as to why he shouldn't, but hers is probably the most concise. Maybe a bit too concise? But it's not the main reason he asked her here, even though he appreciates it. Kinda. Hell if he's going to openly say that though. He's trying to improve, but it's all about baby steps. "Secret? Yeah. I'd prefer that. I decided to start at the top and work my way down on telling people- Thought about talking to Priscilla first, but... Man, she babysits enough idiots. You're free to tell her if it ever needs to come up though I guess." Haseo's fingers drum against his forearms as he taps his foot. He's thinking. Perhaps a bit too much, as there's a sizable gap between his last sentence and the next. "Alright. Alright. So. I said I wanted to beat Tri-Edge. The famous PKer who's gimmick is that people he kills don't come back? Well, it's...uh, not because he beat me? Losing came after." There's another, lengthy pause. "I lost a friend. To them. A really close one." Man, why is he telling her this? She didn't ask. It's just unneeded baggage and it's probably going to get the token pity that drives him mad. Then again, according to people, it's that kind of thinking that makes him such an abrasive asshole. And again, talking is suppose to help. Somehow. Honestly, he just kind of wants to shrivel up and die.
Yuuki Kuran	It's as long as it needs to be, Haseo. Yuuki is pretty okay at talking, these days. She's also pretty decent at listening. Then again, Yuuki has practice with whitehaired 'dark hero' introverts. A lot of practice! "Alright. It's a secret then. And if you'd like to talk to Priscilla, I think that I've got just the question to ask her, to start some conversation: Ask her how she could help you advance. Have some goals, like personal power, or gaining influence. She'd like that: a career talk!" Yuuki's smile is kind. "Priscilla values self-direction quite a bit, and we built our Concord about it." Yuuki's physical posture remains casual, a dialed-in (and dialed-down) match to Haseo's comfort level. Her hands move with a laconic patience, to her head to push her hair idly back behind the curve of her ear, or down her coat to twist the zipper with an idle fidgiting. "You lost someone close to you. I don't know if I'll be able to understand how that feels. I've lost people close to me, but... It's different, I think. The hole that loss leaves." "What do you need, Haseo?" Yuuki asks quietly, letting the silence linger between phrases.
Haseo	"What I want?" Power. That's the obvious answer. Everything that's gone wrong in his life is related to being weak in some way. Normally, he'd answer without skipping a beat, but something in the back of his mind is bugging him. Whatever he is, he shakes it off. "Strength. I want to be stronger. But I guess that's what I 'want'. I... Don't know what I 'need'. My friend back?" He probablyshouldn't have said that out loud. His 'want'. It just feels out of place. Like he's still trying to hide something? He's not sure at this point, he's been hiding his true self for so long sometimes feeling like he used to is a bit alien. "But...Yeah. I don't think me losing my friend is a unique case.. I'm not asking for special treatment, or for you to feel sorry. Or that my pain is greater than yours or anything stupid like that. I'm just being honest... At least, trying to be honest. I've dodged a lot of questions regarding this topic, so I might as well start there. Ya know?"
Yuuki Kuran	She can hear the unstated word - the syllables that half-form, the word that rattles through Haseo's skull. 'Power'. Yuuki visibly leans forward, just a little, the intent there. A hunger for the answer. An investment in it that becomes physical, her shoulders coming in a bit as she tilts her head. The answe she gets is an unexpected, different flavor. "Strength? I think that's normal, Haseo. Everyone wishes for the strength to overcome what they cannot. If there is nothing else to accomplish, then you wish for the strength to endure 'forever'. But you don't stop wanting strength." She brings an extended finger to the inside of her jawline, thoughtful as her headtilt deepens and cants. "Need is strange. You clearly don't 'need' it. Maybe the Haseo of right now 'needed' to feel that loss, to find strength in something. The Haseo of before..." "Would he have been Concord material? Would he bring five people to his quest, people who like him, who want to see him succeed?" "It's... hard, losing things. Losing people. Losing them because you made a choice, or even made a regrettable mistake, it's even worse. Haseo, please don't try to apologize for 'being in pain'. I think you're very strong, to be able to talk about it. To realize that you 'want to talk about'. Pain has a way of taking hold, and it can be worse to pull it out. It gets hooks in you." "But even if it's uncomfortable to peel the hooks out, that cold feeling that rushes in your veins and beats in your heart as it happens will help you push through. And then you can start healing, afterwards."
Haseo	"It's not... It's not just about her anymore, there's dozens of people... And I need the strength to bring them back. They're in comas. Not dead. But if I don't do anything about Tri-Edge, they aren't coming back." Apparently, when he said 'lost', he didn't mean death. But given how absurd the situation is, it might as well be death. It's not anything a normal doctor can treat, clearly. "I visited her every day in the hospital before this whole thing happened but- Ahem, you know, stepping away from that topic for a bit..." Perhaps sensing there's no need to dwell on it too hard and that the 'point' has been made, Haseo shifts his back a bit against the wall, readjusting so he's slightly more comfortable. "The Concord thing. I joined because of the who 'strong people' pitch. I expected something like a power leveling guild and got, well-" He just kinda motions to Yuuki as an example. "Kind of a disappointment at first, but it worked out. Probably for the better? Even if some people make me want to pull my hair out."
Yuuki Kuran	"People in those guilds aren't powerful, are they? They're barely even 'strong'. They just know that they're weak, and band together to try and hoard as much power as they can. It makes the guild powerful, but..." Yuuki's expression falls, with her gaze, to the floor. "Well. I certainly am one to talk. It's easy to speak about power when you've never had to try to attain it." "Still." Her eyes rise. "I'm glad it worked out, Haseo. I'm glad to have you around in our guild, our family. You remind me of my brother - did I ever tell you that?" A moment's pause brings a thoughtful distance to her focus. "I don't think I have. Maybe it's the hair." "You and Zero look really alike." "We'll have to save your friend. Is it some effect of his weapon? Currying some favor with the GMs may get you an idea of how he's putting people in comas. Then we can act to fix it." Yuuki claps her hands lightly in her lap. "There. That was fine! If that's what you desire, Haseo, I'll make sure it happens - no matter what."
Haseo	"Not powerful? Yeah, I guess most aren't. There's like one guild with a bunch of strong guys that mostly operate separately from each other, and then one with a bunch of strong guys that herd around a bunch of weaker guys. But I'm not really into guild politics or structures." Kestral and Moon Tree, to be specific. But he has a feeling going into super detail about them at this very moment is pretty pointless. Especially when she's mostly right and those two are basically outliers. "Your brother huh? Well...Uh, thanks? And I mean, I guess we do. Not like white hair is common or anything." It's always weird getting compared someone else to someone elses sibling. In fact, he's pretty sure Shino compared him to a younger brother. He hated that specifically for some reason, but for Yuuki, it's just odd. He nervously laughs it off though. "Yeah. It has to do with Data Drain. Or AIDA. The guy you heard from the event is my in to all of this, funnily enough. " Having absolutely enough of leaning against the wall, Haseo stands up right and proper, stretching a bit because the combination of weird spiky armor and hard, cold wall doesn't do much wonders for ones muscles. Even if they're digital muscles. "So. Thanks... I guess? I appreciate the uh, earnestness. Anyway, if you want to stick around, you're free to do so, but the only thing of interest is this stupid thing." He goes to nudge the weird pig thing that has been here all this time with his foot. It responds with lightning fast reflexes that only exist in gag moments, and slaps Haseo down with a fan. "Don't even think about it. OINK" Oh.
Yuuki Kuran	"You're welcome!" Yuuki decides, at the brother comment. She really does mean it. Then again, Zero isn't either her 'youger brother' or her 'older brother'. Simply 'her brother'. "Data drain? AIDA? Oh, your power. Still..." Yuuki smiles again, thumb and forefinger rubbing a bit of her brown hair between. "It's sort of a cool color, isn't it?" The topic shifts away from serious matters, into a wrap-up state. "How about we get something to eat? I'm sure we can get a coffee or... coffee-potio, or whatever it is you drink around here. We need to show off your top-class quest clearing ability, don't we?" The gag reel plays, Yuuki laughing with a hand over her mouth. "Maybe we won't show them that." She stands up, stepping over to offer Haseo a hand up. "Come on, Haseo. Let's go into the light for a bit, shall we?'