Road Trip: Eight Simple Rules

    Somewhere along the way to Ninetails, there is a chance for the entire road trip party to reunite. Or maybe on the way to Alne. Elly, frankly, isn't entirely sure. She leaves navigation to Uta. After all, wherever they go, Uta has reliable people to protect her.

    Speaking of which... Elly has indicated that she wants to have a discussion with Dosbox. While she delivers this not-really-just-a-request calmly, her eyes make it clear that this is going to be a Conversation, not just an idle chat about how things are going over in the Palace Lands.

    She will direct Dosbox to accompany her on a walk. A patrol, if he prefers, really. It's late in the day, the stars are just coming out. A lovely evening in Yamato, with a gentle breeze and warm air. Not a cloud in the sky!

Dosbox appears distracted as The Baroness suggest they go on a patrol. He fails to pick up on the subtext of her suggestion, as his mind seems to be going on overdrive thinking about other things. And he has a lot to think about. More has happened to DosBox... no, to Tanaka in these last 3 weeks than has happened to him since he graduated high school. Piecing it all together has been difficult, but he has made SOME progress, even if he didn't like what the conclusions were coming out to be.

As the two walked together on that lovely evening, the rejuvenating wind seemed to elevate him out of his emotional death spiral, and his brain stopped for a few short seconds. This time was enough to realize that The Baroness had called him out on a walk... or a patrol... or whatever she needed to call it to get them alone together. The stone cold realization came to him smoothly as with the ease that lead brick flies through the air.

"So. Ah... What did you want to talk about?" Dosbox offers to break the silence is downcast eyes and less than exuberant tone acting as a tell that he knew something was up, and he knew that it was probably his fault, whatever it was.

    For a while, there is no answer. She stops on their walk and turns her attention first to the stars. A breath is drawn in, then let out. Another follows it. Her posture shifts, softening, less severe, taking her considerable height and making it less imposing.

    "I have some questions for you. And I want to provide some guidance, if I may be so forward. First, though, I need to know. What are your intentions with ... Uta?"

    That space of silence ghostly hinting at a 'my daughter' kind of context. The woman wastes no time at all getting to the point.

    The wind rises behind Elly, and her hair streams out in its warmth. She's wearing a light, floral perfume of some kind. Hints of rose and lavendar might be noticed. This is a woman who is always 'put together', one might say.

Dosbox lets a sad smile come to his face as he does his best to hold some decorum in his response, and given that he has no knowledge of it, he most likely does it poorly, "Ah... you are kind to me in assuming that I have... the foresight to have any intentions on anything at all. I am three weeks in from having set a future to aim for. For the first time in my life, I have set something to be striving for. I am not, ah, accustomed to looking anywhere but down at my feet, so... I suppose it's hard for me to see much farther than that, even with plans. Ah... Metaphorically speaking, of course."

DosBox until this point is being very careful with his words, choosing only the best ones his mind can come up with on such short notice. That is, until he realizes what the Baroness was ACTUALLY asking. Then, all sense of calm breaks down as he takes a step back and starts blushing, "OH! Oh, you meant- AH! No, no, no! Not me! Uta's way to good for me! I'm just a-" He cuts himself off. Due to past experience with Wake, he knows that she dislikes self-deprication. He pulls himself back together, at least partially.

"I have no, ah, intentions toward Uta, Baroness. If I am to be... perfectly candid... I scarcely have any intentions toward," He thinks real hard, as if trying to remember something, "His Lordship Nox anymore. At the start, I had... Grand plans. Ideas that had been planted in my head. After gaining knowledge bit by bit, I... do believe that any efforts in the direction I was heading are an insult to everyone involved, and... I... Don't wish to offend anyone anymore." He drops his gaze, and his voice, low at that last bit.

    All of this, Elly simply listens to. Taking it in, bit by bit. When it is all done, then she measures the choice of words, the expressions, the feelings. Another of her long pauses to first understand, then to recognize her own emotional reactions, and then to carefully and fairly reply.

    "I am glad you are not romantically purusing her. It has little to do with who you are, what skills you have, or anything of that nature. It is because I love her and I will not tolerate anyone adding that kind of stress and confusion to her life."

    Another pause, but this is not for thought. This is a shift in topics and the topic of romance and the woman she loves as a daughter are settled.

    "I believe you are right in your assessment of your initial pursuit. I would say, however, that it is a matter of being premature. I am quite confident that Master Haru will seek you out and address your interest, though. It has certainly not escaped his notice."

    She did, after all, make certain he was aware previously.

    "As for offense, that remains to be seen. But all of this begs the question. Why did you join Uta in this trip she has planned for you in the first place?"

Dosbox blushes deeply at the question that the Baroness fielded him. He doesn't have big, grand words for this one. Or rather, he could probably craft some in the fly; he is a clever one even if he isn't good with words, but any long winded sentence would be a convolution to the point where it might as well be a lie. He looks down at his palm, now upturned so that he can see it properly. He lightly clenches his fingers as if holding something not there. He responds in a very soft, weak voice, "She... took my hand."

    That answer draws a smile from Elly. Without a hint of mockery, she lowers herself to one knee in front of Borywick. She studies his expression, searching his eyes for something.

    She raises her left eyebrow and with notable grace, she plucks the glove from her right hand. An unusual addition from The Right Clothes, but now it makes sense. For this gesture, the glove is wonderfully expressive.

    Unclad, she offers her right hand to the gnome.

    "Will you take mine?"

A myriad of emotions cross his face, one after the other, it's scarcely possible to follow them all: even he can't and he's the one who's feeling them. His visage, contorted with confusion, finally settles on resignation as he removes his own glove to reveal a small brown hand, whose diminutive nature had been heavily concealed by the much larger white coverings he had, until now, been wearing. He places his hand against hers, and it becomes a large reminder of just how small the Borywick model really is.

    "Borywick, I will be honest. You have a long path ahead before you are ready. However, the first step of a journey is the hardest and the most confusing. I believe you have taken it already."

    Elly is gentle with the eye contact. His awkwardness is palpable and distressing him serves no purpose right now. Her hand holds Borywick's. The size difference means she can really just rest a thumb over his hand and curl her fingers just a little to avoid completely closing it in her grip

    "Not many people have been kind to you lately, have they? Perhaps they are simply blinded by what their eyes see. But on the other hand, you seem to fear notice, as well. But pushing that all away. What is your desire now? I gather you are adjusting your sights from the ultimate goal and towards, I hope, a healthy intermediate step."

There IS quite a bit of fear in the Gnome's eyes as the Baroness addresses him -- holds his gaze -- and that fear can be felt as his hand shakes like a mouse under a cat's paw. He listens; he takes in the words of this being that seems so much grander an existence than his own. Surely, this must be why the angels needed say, 'Be not afraid.'

Her words stop. Her last utterances begged he respond, yet he hesitates. Would his words be good enough for her? Would anything he could say or do be worthy of such? As if he had just walked seven days in the desert, his mouth was dry, yet he forced it to speak.

"My goal is not as... simple as it was. I was once, as the saying goes, a frog in a well, declaring to the world that the sky was all that I could see. And now that I am out of the well, I see now that I was filled with, ah, hubris. I thought myself a bird to fly when I can only swim, and perhaps hop. I must admit that even as I saw that my end goal was folly, I held to the path that Uta paved for me because it staved off decision. As long as I went as she directed, I... didn't need to think of what to do after." He drops his gaze to the ground, "As I am saying it outloud, it sounds like I have regressed somewhat. To something that I am comfortable with. Doing as I am told rather than doing what I desired. But... I suppose... I rather enjoyed being Uta's toy over being THEIR toy. It was far less painful."

    As his fear seems to grow more expressive in her grip, Elly's hand seems grows more than simply steady, it's tensing and relaxing, serving as counter-weight to his shaking.

    "So you have allowed yourself to be swept along in Uta's excitement. She is a very excitable woman who loves helping others. You use the word, toy, though. I am so curious about this. My question may be difficult."

    By which she means, it will be difficult.

    "Is it their actions that turn you into a toy, or your own passive nature?"

    Her tone is simply different than others. She wishes for it to be steady now, and gentle. And so it is exactly that. Her eyes meet his briefly, before looking downward, and then, slowly and carefully, they rise once more to make contact. A calm smile curves her lips.

Dosbox seems to ease on his shaking as the seconds pass. Whether it be the Baroness and her efforts to ease him or some other inward cause remains to be seen. Regardless, it seems the gnome has given up on fancy words, and he is just saying the words as they come to his head. "I, ah, suppose it was my fault. If i just... didn't do what i was told, i guess they would have given up eventually. But i am... my entire life has trained me to not be that. It's why i so easily just went with the flow of what Uta asked me to do. The fact is, i am weak. I could blame it on my past, on how i was born, how i was raised, and how i lived, but that... doesn't help. I might feel better saying it's not my fault, but... it's easier, but... It doesn't move me forward. Everything was bad because i LET it be bad. And now, i need to... not let myself do the easy thing."

    "Hm."

    A short response, followed by that same careful consideration. Honestly, big words, fancy words, small words, they are all the same. Translation does whatever it wants, in any case.

    "So you say you are weak. You go with the flow. You mention the word need, which is a dangerous word. I think it is honestly chosen, which is probably making it far harder for you. Need is a word of pressure and urgency, it demands immediate and absolute obedience to its causes. That is, in this case, not at all true. But the stress of it is likely causing you trouble."

    She will let go of Borywick's hand, then, but her smile makes it clear that it is not anything like disapproval. She still remains where she is, trying to maintain something close to eye level with the gnome.

    "So let us instead consider this. What is it you -want-? Who do you intend to -become-?"

Dosbox bites his lip, though it's hard to see past the beard. Truth be told, it is a fake beard, a fact that only Pela actually knows due to her fantastic split second magical measurement analysis, but details are details. "Who do i want to be? I had an idea. It was a pretty good one. It seemed possible. Maybe i should just... stick with what i know. Maybe i don't need a goal. Maybe i should just do the thing i said i was going to do and hope things work out. i... i don't know." Tears start to well up in the gnome's eyes, threatening to fall.

    "Maybe you should take some time and really answer that question."

    Elly's laugh is soft, like the brush of a feather or the splash of a few drops of warm water. Her lips quirk into yet another smile, this one harder to attribute much to, other than joy and delight.

    "You are wavering, struggling, Borywick. Do /not/ stick with what you know because things are difficult now. Pick a destination. Map out the path to get there. Think carefully, think hard about it. Ask for advice. Keep trying. It does not matter if you find out later that it is not for you. Your goal can change, but the things you have learned along the way will be yours forever."

    A long pause. A much more intense gaze.

    "You wanted to learn from Haru. Why? What was that bit of the sky a frog caught sight of? Just because you have learned the world is bigger does not mean your original view of it was not all you truly needed to see."

Dosbox emits a quiet sniffle, "I... wanted to work with accessories. Make gems. Necklaces. Rings. Pretty things that others would see value in. But..." He grimaces. "The... game isn't really set up for that. For me being a Jeweler. I mean, sure. I have the profession. It's plain on my character sheet. It's just... not in the cards, I guess. A lot of the skills have prerequisites in physical attributes and I..."

He holds his hand, now released from Wake's grasp, to showcase how small he is, then he gives that upraise arm a pinch, to show how much muscle they lack "I lack certain things. I heard that someone named Haru had gotten completely around that, and was now considered the best Accessory Forger in ETO. So I... asked around, and they said that his shop was called Atelier Nox. And then I went there and waited."

He gives himself a facepalm, "I remebered reading in a manga I once read that people used to ask for apprenticeships by sitting in front of the shop that the mastercraftsman worked at and waiting for them to be addressed. If it was days or weeks that they had to wait, that was to determine their mettle. To see how badly they wanted to be apprenticed. Yesterday, I asked some people about it, and they said that's super weird, and also kind of stalkery..."

He lets out a bitter laugh. "I didn't know who Haru was back then. I thought he was a mastercraftsman, but looking at everything he's done, that's just, like a HOBBY to him. Everything I have ever dreamed of he just does in his spare time while saving the dang world! Why would he even look out his window at the stupid, smelly... FETID gnome that's chasing away his customers?" The last sentence, DosBox almost yells with frustration.

    A long, calm silence is the answer. Again, Elly listens and only when Borywick is done will she consider it all together, control her own reactions, and respond. Patience. Even when his voice is raised, she meets it calmly. Poise.

    "Well, let us first acknowledge that this is not a manga story. Not some movie. We are all intelligent, emotional beings with our own goals, fears, emotions, and so on. No adventurers are very likely to respond to such a ritual. That sounds rather like a primitive quest."

    Again, there is something about her tone that is different. A way she can weave amusement, calm, joy, and a sympathetic glance into something utterly unique, unmocking, true, but not harshly critical.

    "Haru is good man who has done many things. He has worked hard. His dreams are his own. I am very proud to know him and he has taught me one of the most valuable lessons of my life. But he, too, grows, changes, and learns. As will you, if you decide that the 'system' be damned. You have a dream. It has proven difficult. That difficulty you see as a wall is testing you. It is not meant to stop -you-, though, is it? Is it not meant instead to stop those who want it less than you do?"

    Deftly her exprssion dances through these phrases. Eyes tighten, showing anger not at Borywick, but at the notion of something being allowed to get in the way of his dreams.

    "I implore you, Borywick, do not let these limitations stop you. Shape yourself around them, strive against and destroy them. Claim that bit of sky for yourself!"

There's a change in DosBox as he ponders the words given to him by the Baroness. He seems troubled by the words, and then, as if a switch were flipped or a puzzle piece finally clicked into place, his face softens. There is acceptance there in his eyes in his posture, "I do believe you are right, Baroness. I have spent to long chasing after His Lordship Nox in search of a shortcut. If it is something that I want, it should be something that I should be willing to struggle for."

He regloves his hand concealing the small fingers as if he were obfuscating his own weakness. "I... humbly thank you for your patience with me. My behavior was... unseemingly? I have taken advantage of your kindness, and good will. Such should be reserved for your family, and I have forced you to waste it upon one such as me because I... intruded upon those grounds unwelcomed." He gives the Baroness a deep bow, taking off his hat to reveal that baldspot which he so desperately tries to hide. At times, he seems like a child looking for his mother, and at other times, such as now, he looks so... old. Like he were just... tired, "The Lady Tae has requested that I craft two pairs of earrings for her, and I would humbly ask where I should have them mailed to upon completion."

    Borywick's response is met first with a nod of approval. The message has been received, it seems. She can only hope that he will act. Encourage, cajole, suggest, even beg, those are things she might do. But she cannot act for him. She cannot want it on his behalf.

    "Master Borywick," she responds first. "No one may waste my time, though dukes, kings, and queens have tried. It is my own to command. I decide where and when it is to be invested. Because my dear Uta has given you her attention, so have I. She saw something in you. I cannot say that I know just what it is, yet, but I trust her. For this reason, I have invested my time in you, Borywick. As for what returns that investment will generate? Well, that is up to you, is it not?"

    She rises then, as the conversation has come to its end. "As for my beloved's earring order? Why would you not just bring it to Eas yourself? We rather enjoy having guests, and it would do well to show what you are capable of. My people are few, but the Olympus Headquarters is nearby. Simply send a chim when you are done."

    A pause then, and Elly smiles in amused. "Ah, but then.. we need to do this, first."

    A few simply gestures into the menu, and Borywick has a friend request from Baroness Wake.

    "Now, let's get back. I am rather afraid that the others might worry! They seem of the opinion that my bite is worse than my bark. It will take more to draw me out of retirement."