A Bear of a Talk

The Hostess of Fertility has been a host of many meetings - and has served well as a middle-ground for the Alliance Members to come together at. About a day ago, Prophylaxis and Giganpor both got a message from Bear.

For Prophylaxis, this is a chance to ask questions. Giganpor on the otherhand got a very stern 'you will meet me here, we have to talk'.

When they arrive to the back room however, that heavy sense of importance seems to be gone. As Bear is just sitting there, drinking a flaggard of beer, and raises it at Prophylaxis and Giganpor stepping in.

"COME! JOIN ME!" The loud man demands of them. "Sit!"

No really, sit.

    Giganpor, after his resurrection, had gotten the message. And while he had been fairly quiet on the chimlink, he was in the progress of heading back to Shibuya. To his forge where he could continue his work one way or another.

    Fortunately, Alne was on the way! That had lead him to this place, with an extra hooded cloak over his usual one since he had seen the Scale Emblem's note. A means to keep his identity in check at least. Even then, a few sharp eyed had spotted his name tag and he probably had to put up with some harassment. Especially on the boat ride over.

    Once he enters, and knowing the policy at least, he had pulled off the extra cloak's hood as he asked where Bear was. And had headed that way, after getting a drink. Which delayed him a little. That had resulted in his coming in and blinking as he looked at Bear.

    Giving a shake of his head, Giganpor moves over and has a seat. He's even in his armor, which is unusual since he prefers his casual wear in cities. "Hello, Bear." He says simply, eyeing the man. As if trying to judge mood by the tone and such.

Considering how often it is that Prophylaxis actually gets to ask questions of his /own/ guildmaster, let alone one from a totally different alliance entirely (though he has been told much about Nureha), he's not about to skip out on a meeting like this one. Especially not after...

Well.

/Everything/ that happened. Between Giganpor's sabotage in the tower, Xander's vigilante justice, and the increasingly tense relations between the Scale Emblem and New World, there is a need to clear the air.

In another life, Prophylaxis once knew a thing or two about Bear, particularly from rumors about his activities back on Fragment. To hear that he had reemerged in ETO was... not particularly surprising. This is, however, his first time meeting the man face-to-face.

His first impression is that... The person definitely fits the name. 'Giant, boisterous, barbarian man chugging beer from a mug at a bar' is definitely the kind of person he would associate with a name like 'Bear.' The Doctor casts a meaningful glance toward Giganpor as he moves to sit down. There's a brief flash of tension in his eyes, before the Cait Sith sighs and doffs his mushroom-cap hat, banishing it into the depths of his inventory. "Well. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I think it must have been fairly close to... this." Prophylaxis sits himself down into a chair and makes to order his own Flagon O' Brew. "It's a pleasure," he says, extending a hand to the Guildmaster. "Prophylaxis of the Divine Dragons, but I suspect you knew that already."

"Drink. Drink!" He pushes a set of tankards out towards Prophylaxis and Giganpor in a way that might remind them of the drinking culture amongst salarymen. "Drink!" He demands again, waiting for Giganpor to put the thing to his lips about the same time as Prophylaxis. Or at least for some time to have passed. "Yes, I do. Just call me bear. No need for formalities." He adds before entering a pregnant pause.

"Alright. Now that we are all here." He suddenly slams the tankard down, alcohol splashing onto the table. "What the hell, Giganpor! This isn't what I hired you for! If you are going to get in the way of Scale Emblem in order to protect the Landers from the Waves, be a man and slam their faces into the ground yourself!"

He then looks at Prophylaxis. "And you! It seems you've got someone who, rather than bringing things to our attention, would rather take things into their own hands!"

Staring at the both of them he remarks; "You are damned lucky the resurrection system is working just fine! All you've both cost is a bunch of hours sitting in Gravestone Land. I don't like any of this sneaky stuff!"

Giganpor looks at the tankard, then shrugs and takes a swig from it before he sets it down. "Hey, I was trying to NOT involve everyone. Besides, I was going to build a barricade but couldn't figure out how to get the materials up there. Far as it being underhanded, I'm not exactly at the level to take on a whole Guild. The Black Wave certainly made me rusty. It did exactly what it was supposed to do. Stop or stall them for a while. Give us time to try to handle the Undead Army and maybe fortify more of the Kingdoms."

He looks over at Bear, "Eh, a day in gravestone land isn't that bad. I wish I had some pen and paper to write down some of the ideas I had in there. Like I realized we haven't really tried to enchant armor and stick some modifications into it. I did kinda stall after I made my buckler, after all. Kinda hard to keep to a theme or something whenever you have to go kill more giant spiders again and again to make something themed around it."

He sighs, then looks over at Prophylaxis, "And no, I am not remorseful about it. I would do it again. You guys are chasing what might be a total lie. Seriously. It's why after the second boss room, I stopped even going in there except to drop off those weapons."

Ah good, Bear has beer ready.

Beer from Bear.

Bear-beer.

Prophylaxis takes a long draw of the frothy drink. And then keeps going. And going. Soon the tankard is only about half as full as it once was, and Prophylaxis is breathing an exaggerated sigh as he slams the drink onto the table. "There's nothing like a beer after a long day, nahahahahaha~"

As it turns out the Doctor, too, is something of a practiced Salaryman.

Or rather, as a Doctor, he'd regularly have to put up with his fellow medical professionals dragging him out after hours for booze. Same thing, different work environment, and often with a lot more sobbing over lost lives instead of lost paperwork.

Bear speaks. Prophylaxis listens, sipping a little more slowly at what's left of his booze, even as the <<buzzed>> condition appears under his healthbar. Good. It means he's just uninhibited enough to say what he needs to say. Once the guildmaster is done, Prophylaxis shrugs and sets his drink down again. "Truth be told, I was under the impression that we didn't need to bring anything to your attention. I had my suspicions about the behavior of some of your membership for a while, so I had thought that both theirs and Giganpor's activities were known to you already. Once we learned about what was going on, I had presumed that this whole... /business/ was an open secret within the New World already."

Something about what Bear finishes with makes the doctor's eyes tighten for a split second, but the look fades. "I don't think that's exactly accurate. We have Landers coming up there too, you know. And that's not even getting started on all the gear that the Goblins have filched off our members because they were taken by surprise."

In other words, there have been more material losses than just 'time spent in the graveyard.'

"As far as Xander goes," he sighs and shakes his head, "I agree. He should have brought his intentions to our attention before making of them such a matter of contention. We're taking disciplinary action internally, I assure you. But you sound like you don't particularly mind the idea of open conflict either."

He gives Giganpor a withering look, then. "I had thought Xander was just exaggerating about your lack of remorse. You realize that many of these are people who are trying to reunite with family and children? Besides, one could argue that this entire /situation/ is nothing but a total lie. This beer could be a lie. This table, too. We pick our lies and stick to them, and hope that we can uncover some atom of truth that can put our hearts at ease."

"What I do know for a fact is that the human body cannot remain effectively brain-dead with no life support indefinitely. /And/ that life-support is not something that comes cheap. As far as I know, we are on a timer, and we must pursue every avenue to resolve the situation that we have available to us. If you wish to stay, you're free to do so as far as I care, but this nonsense you pulled is not going to keep us from pushing up the tower." Prophylaxis shakes his head and tosses back the rest of his tankard, then sets it down for more. "...That is one of the reasons I even organized the census. If it turns out that people die because we can't get them out in time, because their families or local governments could no longer afford to /keep/ them alive... We lost a few weeks. How many lost lives could that end up representing? Will you take responsibility for them?"

"They're not going to wait for some unknown amount of time until we can solve all the problems in Yamato, let alone the undead matter. They're just trying to get home." Bear answers Giganpor.

"They've even ensured they don't double-tap a wave again. If you want to stop the Waves, just get a team together and stand at the entrance to the next level for a while and try to stop them. You are not alone when it comes to wanting to slow them down, or prevent them from reaching the outside." He points out to Giganpor. "But when you use underhanded methods, I get all of Moon Tree yelling at me for hours on end, because I appointed you."

The man rubs the bridge of his nose for a moment, as Giganpor points out that he is not feeling remorseful. Bear knows full well he can't make a player do a darned thing.

He shakes his head to Prophylaxis. "It was a secret to the lot of us. No doubt you understand well that there is no way to manage and keep up with the amount of players we have in the alliances." He points out.

Bear then grunts. "There were Landers up there? Surely, they knew the risk of entering an area with that many goblins. Look, who you give access to such a site is your issue. The risk may have increased, but they could have died all the same." Still, it looks like the man is irritated to hear that. He likes the lovable Landers.

Bear then nods to Prophylaxis. "I don't mind open conflict. There's a lot of people who have various reasons to be upset on all sides. But I rather see open conflict where everyone can see it, with some healthy Player versus Player combat, over sneaky proxy things like this." He points out. "When the Alliances were established, we all knew things would eventually come to a head. I'm honestly surprised it's taken this long. I'm not advocating for it - but I've done by fair share of challenges in the past."

The big guy then raises his hands. "All of us are taking responsibility for the side we are on. There's so many theories. And I do not blame you for taking the safe side on those bets - most people are. Not to mention, that old man knows what he's talking about. I imagine there really is <something> at the top of that tower. But not everyone is willing to take the risk that your side presents either. In the end, it's simply about what we are willing to take a stance on."

Bear sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose again. "For now. There's a disproportionate amount of harm that has been done. And since this one isn't going to apologize, that means I'll have to be the one who comes up with some manner to ensure this doesn't blow up in our face on /both/ sides of this." Damn responsibilities.

    Giganpor sips at the beer, sighing as he listens to Prophylaxis and Bear. Then he slams the tankard down.

"That's just it. You are trying, and failing to see a lot of things that we have out here. Did you not read what happens in the Waves? Has no one told you about the encounters that have been had in them?" He says towards Prophylaxis.

Giganpor looks at Bear, then gives a sigh of his own, "Really, I don't want war either. But there is a lot more going on than some of us realize. A whole other world or worlds that are trying to invade this one. And every time a Wave happens, that is when they try. Like now we have some sort of monster called Shalltear Bloodfallen trying to take us out from the shadows." He raises an arm, waving at the door.

Looking over at Prophylaxis, "And no, we do not know what it is. All we know is one of ours tried to use divination magic and was attacked by it. Attacked through the divination, which as far as I know, probably shouldn't be possible. Not to mention you still have L'Arc and Theresa still out there, and five more besides that. One of them able to control monsters with a fishing pole of all things. Four of them are not hostile. The rest, so far? They want to destroy this world with us in it."

Giganpor quiets down after that, looking at Bear. The Were Fang looks thoughtful, then seems to consider a bit. He might not show it, but Giganpor often has some thoughts on what is going on, "I hate to say it, but that may be too late in the long run. We do have some hot heads in the New World as well. I have not been back to headquarters since Xander killed me."

Bear rubs his face. "Giganpor... how blind can you be? He's literally /been/ at the waves. Helping us." The man grunts, irritated at this point. "He knows. He knows all of this." While motioning towards Prophylaxis. "He's aware of the odds, he's no doubt weighed them against the chances of every damned Adventurer suddenly dying after a certain amount of time having passed, and willing to protect everyone from themselves."

"I have been at every Black Wave that I have been able to get to in time," Prophylaxis answers Giganpor tensely, a flash of fury igniting briefly in his expression. But Bear unleashes his own reprimand before that particular powderkeg has a chance to explode. Instead the Magus sits back and nurses another tankard full of brew. "We are also aware that as we progress higher into the tower, our ability to extend that assistance is running into the issue of travel time. I'm working on solutions."

Whether they'll bear fruit, and for how long, is another thing entirely.

"As your guildmaster says, I know the risks. The Travellers are a threat to every Adventurer and Lander in this world, and rest assured we will continue to do as much as we can to mitigate the danger that they pose. But likewise, I can't overlook the risk associated with standing still until those threats are neutralized. Chances are, this world has another just waiting in the wings after we're done with them." Prophylaxis heaves another long sigh. "...It would be nice if we could lock one of them down to interrogate. But I feel that might be easier said than done."

He looks back towards Bear, then-- Back to business. "'That old man--' are you talking about Naobi? I hadn't realized that you two were acquainted." But then, Naobi is about as impenetrably mysterious as half of what they've encountered so far in this crazy new world. "Regardless, I appreciate your candor. I had wrongly assumed that you were aware of and tacitly approving of Giganpor's actions, and that seems to have caused us all a great deal of grief. I apologize, and will try to be less hesitant to reach out if something of the sort happens again."

Hopefully it does not.

But these sorts of things are often... inevitable. It's not an 'if' so much as a 'when' at this point, isn't it?

"Regarding the Landers-- yes, they were there through the Hunter's Guild. We've done fairly well at preventing them from getting into too much trouble since this whole thing started, thankfully. Or at least, once we knew to update the information at the Guilds."

Bear nods at Prophylaxis. "Please do. Communication is key. And if this needs to turn into conflict, we can ensure that it doesn't touch innocents again like that. Though it may be inevitable, if things turn in the other direction." The Guild Leader remarks. "For now, we'll be looking at a better officer for my group, someone who is a bit more aware of everything going on around him." He gives Giganpor a stern look, before turning back to Prophylaxis. "As for the Landers, the Hunters Guild is aware of the risk when they enter an area. Going into the tower doubly so. The Hunters Guild will make sure their family is paid in their absence." The man grimaces. "Now, I do believe that will be all?" He then asks. "Or is there anything else we need to speak on?"

    Giganpor looks slightly annoyed, then sighs. "Fine..." He considers, then looks at Prophylaxis.

"If anyone has a problem with me after this, have them seek me out." He says, rising from his seat. "I make weekly trips to Fort Ouph for supplies. That should be enough for them to find me."

    A look is given to Bear, "I will release a statement saying my actions are my own if you want, or you can. Either way, I should go for now. I have a lot to think about and a lot more problems to cause it seems."

Giganpor doesn't look happy about losing officer like this, but doesn't look sad about it either. He definitely isn't showing remorse over his actions.

He looks at Prophylaxis, then to Bear. "I do have one final question... what about those of us that want to stay in this world, to die where we can do something with our lives?"

"I'll make sure to prepare the appropriate pamphlets," Prophylaxis says to Giganpor as he rises. He doesn't actually have a printing press, so this will mostly be a hand-scrawled note on the Scale Emblem message boards pointing out Giganpor's weekly Fort Ouph trips.

Not that he's going to encourage anyone to go off and get themselves killed or anything. That would be a problem!

But then Gigan asks his question and the doctor shrugs. "Die where you want to die. But I have seen what even the most crippled and bedridden of people can achieve just by exercising what little power they have. Regardless, I don't know your circumstances. If you truly feel that you cannot live a full life on the outside, then I hope that you can find the end you seek here."

He looks to Bear, then. "I do have one more thing I'd like to ask you. Privately, if possible. I promise it won't take long."

Bear shakes his head. "I'm just here to protect the people of this world, mister Giganpor." He points out. It's not like he's on Prophylaxis' side, he's just more measured about his approach.

He then turns to Prophylaxis and nods. "Sure." Waiting for Giganpor to depart properly. "What can I do you for?"

Only once Giganpor makes his exit does Prophylaxis turn back towards Bear, his expression somewhat more grave. "If it's no problem, I'd like to ask you to keep an eye on that one. Not... just for this, mind. I'm trying to put together an idea of what might happen when Adventurers die. As you might have surmised, I am a doctor both in this world and out of it, and I have... concerns. And the more evidence I can collect, the better."

"Aside from that," he shakes his head, "There's one more thing. Naobi asked me to inquire about borrowing the services of a certain member of the New World named 'Onna Shinkan.' We're going to attempt an operation to deal with monsters with some very unsettling powers, and he seems to believe that she can help in some way. I think we should be able to make a deal, maybe share information in exchange for her assistance? I'd need to consult with Naobi as to the specifics, but I believe I have at least some discretion in the matter."

"You'd have to ask her yourself." Bear answers. "I'm not too familiar with the person you're talking about. Aren't they in that party that keeps hanging with that Goblin Slayer Lander?" The man rubs the side of his head. "You're maybe even better asking the Lander at this point." He isn't really sure how to help with Prophylaxis' ask. "By the way, the old man I was talking about was the hologram over the tower. Not Naobi." Making sure he covers that. "Anyhow. Just reach out to them. I'm not going to help you do much good." He points out. "Keep me appraised of the concerns though."

"Ah, my mistake then," Prophylaxis shrugs, "I appreciate you clearing that up. Saved me at least one awkward conversation. Still, I'm surprised you knew that old hologram man. I admit not recognizing him, myself." Well, he'll just have to... go talk to the Goblin Slayer about borrowing the Priestess for something that isn't Goblin Slaying.

That'll be a headache.

"That was all, though. Thank you again for mediating this, and the drinks. Shall we be off, then?"

But... What terrible fate awaits them both back on the main floor of the tavern...!?