[001] Text

[queenofkur]

Sender: Ereshkigal
To: Everyone
Subject:

[ There is a strange phenomenon happening with this text entry, what with the header appearing twice. That's because Ereshkigal browsed past entries and figured that she had to write the header herself if she wants to be "Anonymous!" Alas, she is completely unaware her name is in the true sender field for everyone to see. ]

Sender: ANONYMOUS
To: Everyone
Subject: Social Skills

Hello (* ^ ω ^)

Much as I would like to begin by formally introducing myself, I am afraid a most pressing matter led me to pick the quill and put ink on this page. I need assistance with a truly difficult task: engaging in social interactions! (;;;*_*)

I cannot say much lest it reveals my identity, but my line of work is a solitary one that has caused me to become somewhat lacking in what people call "social skills." As such, I believe myself to not be what any sane soul would consider "pleasant" company. Someone as gloomy and evil as myself does not fall under the common conception of a "good person," I am afraid. (｡•́︿•̀｡)

Yet, I very much desire to make friend with as many of you as possible. Unfortunately, mine is a position of such importance, it would be unseemly to openly ask for help when I am supposed to figure out such thing on my own. This is the reason behind this anonymous entry. I realize the suspense behind my identity may be somewhat difficult to bear, and I apologize for any anxiety this might cause you. ｡ﾟ･（>﹏<）･ﾟ｡

I humbly ask that you share with me what wisdom you may have regarding social interactions, so that I may improve and become worthy of friendship and companionship. While I believe this to be a tall order, I shall perpetually strive to improve! Any and all advice are very much welcome. (´｡• ω •｡`)

Thank you for your time. (o^▽^o)

Comments

Sender: Anya

[grandduchess_anya]

(While a part of her does want to point the nature of the journals to Ereshkigal, Anya decides that it is not worth the trouble. And since the ‘anonymous writer’ of the post is in need of help and advice, that is what she is focusing on.)

If there is one big advice to give to you, anonymous, I would suggest not to rush things too quickly in the social skills department. Take things slowly one at time. Just like any other major skills, building social skills takes a lot of time and effort to form and develop.

[queenofkur]

[ She infinitely appreciates her playing along. It restores a little bit of her confidence, many others weren't so kind! ]

I agree. And it is my intent to work every day to improve this skill, step after step. I have very strict work ethics and firmly believe my goal to be attainable. (´• ω •`)

But I still need a starting point, and those I have attempted so far have resulted in failure...

[grandduchess_anya]

Oh dear. I’m really sorry that the first attempts didn’t went well as hoped, anonymous. It can be tough to get into a conversation rolling without ending in failure but I appreciate that you have a strong work ethic to keep trying.

You can start by talking to a random person on a street or an eatery or a shop. Simple one to one conversations are usually a great way to communicate with people. Just start with one topic and it can lead to great conversations.

If you want to, maybe we can arrange for a private meeting later. As not to reveal your identity publicly in here, I could try to send you the address of a location where we can meet up.

[queenofkur]

Both of those things do sound like wonderful options...! I believe I will do both (＾▽＾)

I shall go and speak to someone right now while you send me the address and time of our meeting.

I thank you for your consideration and patience with me. (* ^ ω ^)

[grandduchess_anya]

That’s great to hear, Anonymous. After your meeting with the other person is done, you can meet at the Starflower Sanctuary and Café. It has a really good atmosphere and the food and drinks are top natch too.

I would sometimes go there whenever I had lunch breaks or wanting to relax and have a nice drink. You’re welcome anytime as well.

[queenofkur]

Alright. I shall be there within an hour! (^_^)

[ ... Half an hour.

... ... ... An hour.

... ... ... ... An hour and a half.

S-Surely nothing went wrong and she'll show up soon! ]

[grandduchess_anya]

(Anya has been waiting at Starflower Café for over an hour so far, wondering where the anonymous person could be at. Pooka and Mashka have been left out at the treehouse since she is not sure if the anonymous person is into animals. And she has not ordered anything just yet since she is planning to treat the anonymous person for a snack.

She is hoping that the anonymous person will show up eventually regardless of how late they will be.)

[queenofkur]

[ And lo, finally, the goddess arrives. Whatever social interaction she went for clearly left her distraught and profoundly troubled judging by how gloomy and exhausted she appears to be. ]

M-My apologies for the delay...

[ Blinks blinks. Wait... She recognizes that woman! She's the one with whom she had fought the vile one who changed their clothes and hair! ]

I-I hadn't realized you were the person talking to me!

[grandduchess_anya]

Oh hi there. I didn’t know that I was talking to you at the journals earlier.

(Anya is pretty surprised to learn about the identity of the anonymous person: The same goddess with whom she caught the spray paint prankster from further paint induced stress. Judging from the look on her face, she could tell that she is in emotional distress though she doesn’t try to immediately mention it right away.)

Say, I know that some people can be very late at times but there is no idea to worry about tardiness. As long as you managed to show up, there is nothing to fret about.

[queenofkur]

Perhaps it is so for humans. However for a goddess, this is shameful behavior.

[ You know all those stories about how ancient gods are gigantic weirdos who have very little respect for humans, get caught in all sorts of misadventures and follow the rules as little as they follow common decency?

They're all true! But Ereshkigal is the exception. A perfect goddess shouldn't be late no matter what. ]

Regardless, I thank you for offering your assistance.

[grandduchess_anya]

Ah okay, I understand. You’re very much welcomed anytime. I’m glad to be of any help. I guess that we can start this practice conservation. We can start with talking about one topic then we can slowly progress the conversation as we go along.

Now before we can start, perhaps you would like to have some refreshments or snacks while we’re here. Do you want anything from the cafe menu today?

[queenofkur]

Mhm... What do they have here?

[ She looks at the menu. The other woman is right, it'll definitely be better if they have something to eat while practicing. But she doesn't recognize anything... ]

Do you see anything that would be good? Dust and clay are the only things one can regularly eat in the Underworld.

[ Needless to say her experience with real food is very limited. ]

[grandduchess_anya]

Luckily they serve breakfast and lunch all the day, so if you want to have, let’s say, pancakes or a burger, they can give it to you without any problems. Cakes, donuts, and ice cream are also available. They also have a great drinks line up as well like lattes, tea, and cappuccinos, even some alcoholic beverages.

As for my recommendations, I would suggest grilled cheese with apples and bacon, vegetable sandwiches, burgers, chicken stir fry, and spaghetti. These are usually the ones I would order whenever I come here. On the drinks side, I tend to get hot chocolate, tea, iced mocha and milkshakes. Or if you have a sweet tooth, the donuts are really good: the maple and matcha donuts are a favorite of mine.

[queenofkur]

[ That... That's so much! It's a lot of information for her to process at once! And she really has no idea how any of those tastes, so she'll follow her advice... But even then there are so many components to her advice.

Eating is really serious business to humans. ]

... [Blinks blinks. The goddesses look at her with confusion before shaking her head. Okay, she has to put herself back together!] I-I think I will go with a vegetable sandwich and a hot chocolate.

[grandduchess_anya]

Sound choices to have, I will tell a staff member about it.

(Anya then proceeds to find a staff member who is at the counter, ready to give them some orders. They soon turn to face her the moment she comes over to pass along the food orders.)

Hi there. I would like to get a burger with fries and iced mocha for myself and a vegetable sandwich and a hot chocolate for my companion over there.

(The staff member dutifully takes the orders into a paper and lets her know that they will deliver it to her and Ereshkigal as soon as they can before handing it to a coworker. Anya returns to the table, looking rather hopeful.)

Okay. They’re going to bring them into our table in a little bit.

[queenofkur]

[ Ereshkigal sighs in reliefs as Anya takes care of passing the order. It allows her to relax some, as she doesn't have to put her mask up and pretend in front of yet another person. ]

Thank you.

[ She closes her eyes and smiles. ]

You seem to be used to this. [Not all princesses were secluded, heh?] You must have met lots of interesting people in the course of your life.

[grandduchess_anya]

Oh yes, I have certainly met a lot of interesting people throughout my own life and in my time in Reverin. Some didn’t came from the same status as me, some hail from worlds different from my own and others aren’t from the same species as me.

(When one is friends with a demon, a Sylvari, a sword grandpa, demigods, an Air Genasi, a clone, a hedgehog, and a Erune to name some, things don’t look so weird in one’s eyes for a very long time.)

I didn’t know what to expect in finding friends when I first came here but I eventually made a lot of great friends.

[queenofkur]

That... That sounds wonderful.

[ She smiled. How fun it had to be, attending parties and celebrations, meeting people from countless worlds and places... She could never do that. The Goddess of Death cannot leave her realm, and so she always sent servants in my stead. And they weren't exactly the talkative kind... ]

It must not feel so different from the usual to you here, does it?

[grandduchess_anya]

It doesn’t feel too different from what I am used to in my world. I have a lot of different people back home, especially the kids in the orphanage I once stayed in. They’re all very lovely and kind even if they weren’t aware of who I was before I came to stay with them.

[queenofkur]

Oh, I'm used to taking care of children too. Even if...

[ ... They're the souls of dead children and she cannot understand them.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ]

Um anyway, I think we needed to be talking about socialization?

[grandduchess_anya]

Oh right, we should get to talking about how to socialize with people. Perhaps we can start right about now.

(The server then comes in with the food and drink orders for the two of them. Anya thanks them graciously before paying them with some shiny pebbles that she had gathered by the riverside during the town reconstructions.)

[queenofkur]

[ Ereshkigal gave the server a nod, silently so. But nothing else. She waited till he left to reply to Anya. ]

I've had so little experience... It feels like-like people will judge me for my every words...

[grandduchess_anya]

Oh yes. That is a sad reality that a lot of people face regardless of where they come from. People can be very judgmental towards certain types or kinds of people and, unfortunately, many won’t bother to open their minds and eyes to the feelings and thoughts of others.

(Anya can relate to this because being the target of the cracky old lady’s wrath for being too different from the other kids in the orphanage and living under a not so great group of people being in charge of her nation for ten years have been very tough.)

But just because that kind of people exist doesn’t mean that there are people who are more open to seeing different perspectives and respecting them at the same time. Papa did tried his best to accommodate to so many people under his rule as much as he could and I think that I and my siblings gained this kind of empathy from him and Mama.

[queenofkur]

It sounds like you have great parents.

[ She smiled and closed her eyes for a moment. It's too different to really compare, really... But she'd never met her parents. The moment she'd come into existence, she was put in the Underworld and that was it. She'd already been an adult and all, but...

She wonders what it's like to have a childhood. To have loving and caring people help you grow, rather than just appear out of thin air and told to figure it all out on your own. ]

But I... I am a goddess. A queen. People have certain expectations of how one such as me should be. And I... [I want people to like me, is what she wants to say, but she doesn't.] I fail short of those expectations.

[grandduchess_anya]

(Anya listens well to Ereshkigal’s lament of not being able to fulfill all the expectations she has to deal with as a Goddess of the Underworld. She didn’t say a single word so she can voice out her concerns. Being raised as a Grand Duchess in her childhood, Anya can see similar expectations of being able to fulfill one’s duties as someone placed onto a high social status.

It is really tough to live up to those expectations whether one is a deity or royalty.)

Oh gee, that is pretty tough to fulfill those expectations placed onto you. I’m pretty certain that Papa have encountered similar expectations placed before him and our ancestors before any of us. There is nothing wrong with feeling like you’re not doing any much to curry any favor from anyone despite working hard to get everyone’s approval. No matter how hard we try, there is still some who might think that we’re not trying hard enough.

I too faced similar problems in the orphanage I later stayed in: The cranky old lady thought that I was too odd for an orphan living under her care and, no matter how much I did to not get on her nerves, it was very difficult to get in her good favors. I’m truly sorry that you have to face such high expectations in your world.