Monster Hunter : Freya

Entry 8 : I want to run.

"I can't charge him with a crime for doing his job, sir."

"His stupid longsword kept staggering me while I was attacking the head!"

"I deal the most damage per second with my Spirit Blade, so I deserve priority anyways."

Situations like this are always guaranteed to be annoying, but it's to be expected of Hunters. Always at each other's throats about one stupid thing or another. At this point, though, I picked up on the lingo.

"Damage per second is only important for speed runners," I insert, smartly. "If Toiletface.." What the heck, this guy's name is Toiletface. Never mind. "If Toiletface is a Hammer user, it's possible that he was breaking the head for materials."

"THANK YOU."

"Try to consider each teammate's purposes." I spoke so elegantly like I actually gave half a crap about this petty quarrel they were having. I don't think either of them really listened to what I was talking about, but it always seems easier making points when it comes to Monster Hunters. It's almost like I get automatic credibility for being a woman. Moving on to yet another common problem - slingers. They're relatively new to the world of Hunters, so they use them for stupid stuff when they aren't hunting. I got a slinger report not too long ago by one of those Fujimori nobles, so I gotta prepare for pompous douchery.

"Now, hit it!!"

"Okay!"

What the hell is this. That Takamasa guy is literally throwing shuriken, and having Arturo fire a slinger at them mid-air.

"Hunter, just what in the New World is going on here?"

He turned at me with raised eyebrows, shuriken still braced between his fingers. "Training this upstart on becoming a successful Hunter! But first, we gotta work on the basics." Dusting himself off, he gestured for Arturo to run along, possibly to some other part of his huge estate. "What brings you here today, officer?"

"I have a report about the mis-use of a slinger," I say in response, wondering how the hell this arrangement came to be. "I have to conduct an investigation, if you don't mind." Takamasa gave a slight swivel to his hand, gesturing me to his manse. He pushed open a grand pair of maple-colored wooden doors, showing me a regally decorated demesne. An assortment of Endemic Life inhabited his room, from Woodland Pteryxes to Blissbills and Elegant Coralbirds. There was even a Palico playing a harp, what the hell.

"Swing the weapon like you mean it!"

"Yes, sir!"

Much to my surprise, out in the equally luxurious courtyard, among the colorful life forms and blossoming fruition, in the small ecosystem outside this man's home was Lee, training with Arturo.

"Well, what do you know? Arturo, keep swinging. Hey, Freya." Lee looked up to me with a gleaning smile, sitting with his back against a tree, resting his arms on his knees. It was nice seeing him like this.

"That's Officer Freya. I'm on duty, Hunter." Again, my mouth said something stupid and unnecessarily hostile. It's like.. The more I want to smile and say something nice, the stronger urge I have to respond coldly.

"Whatever," he replied, standing up and swinging his blade around to the magnet on the back of his armor. I regretted what I said, but being shrugged off like that was somehow annoying. "You need help with anything?" He asked, with gently raised eyebrows.

Now I recognize this feeling. Always having excuses made for me, wondering if I was okay, and always smiling at me. It's the same thing Karo used to do before "saving the world from an unprecedented threat" and getting himself killed. It's the main reason I came here, to the New World, to escape that - and here I am, with it happening all over again.

"No, I don't need anything. Please, carry on."

I want to run. I want to run away from him, and this feeling that embraces my body when he invades my mind. The warmth I feel when I see his face in the morning. It kills me. I look down at my short legs, power-walking away like some kind of idiot.

A few hours pass and here I am looking in the mirror. I realize that even though I'm in decent shape, my legs are kinda fat. I also have no boobs. JUST NIPPLES WHAT THE H E C K. I'm weak, awkward, and I have no cute personality as a redeeming factor either. All I really have going for me is a flat stomach. Gahhh, I just want to lay down, never go to work, and still get paid.

Who am I kidding? I don't really work anyways. The Astera Police Department is here for literally nothing. Fitting, for a person like myself, that has no reason to really exist. A couple of cups of Tanzian Ale and Crazy Cola later, I passed out, and felt myself doing something I hadn't in a long while - dreaming.

"What's wrong?" Lee asked, laying down next to me with his head next to my feet.

"I can't stand you, man."

"Why?"

"Because you're selfish."

"What makes me selfish, Freya?"

"You make me look forward to seeing you. You make me miss you, while going on these dangerous hunts where you could easily be taken away, and end up leaving me all alone again." It felt so good saying that. I wish I could say it real life but I'm pretty sure I'd jump off a cliff directly afterward. I guess anything is possible though when you're dreaming. Maybe I can beat my fear of showing vulnerability?