Will You Comfort Me?!?

Synopsis
Alarms blare at the seaside town of Alberta.

Villagers rush to the scene, where a damaged boat has been swept ashore. In an attempt to look for survivors, they went inside the wrecked boat and there, they found a baby with a box beside it. Inside is a bluish egg.

Meanwhile, Roan's party are aboard a boat heading for Alberta. Earlier, he compelled Yuufa to go with him on their trip to Alberta and was relieved since it managed to divert her attention from her brother. On the other hand, Maaya clearly shows a more melancholy mood inside the boat, which somewhat concerned Takius.

Upon their arrival in Alberta, it doesn't seem to be the "monster-infested battleground" they have assumed it to be; instead, they saw a quiet town where people have no worries about monsters. In fact, after Judia asked about the town's situation, he told them that there are monsters, but most of them are totally harmless, like Willows, Fabres, Lunatics, Porings and Poporings.

They head off to the nearest pub, where they talk about the news of monster infestation to be a hoax. Yuufa suggests to do happier things instead while they are around; Judia then thinks about swimming in the sea, which triggered Roan to fantasize the girls in swimsuits.

Soon, as Takius leaves for some fresh air, they get a visit from an old man who acknowledges Maaya's return in her home town. However, in response, she storms out of the pub.

After a short walk across town, she goes to a place with an overlooking view of Alberta. She tells herself that she should not have gone to Alberta. She then hums a certain tune as her eyes roamed at the view of Alberta and soon, her eyes focus on a worn-down warehouse. She goes there and looks around and notices that her "home" from long ago has been cleaned.

Just then, she hears a sound from outside. It came from an Alice, who was pursued by a Rogue, a Thief and a Blacksmith; because of the lack of strong monsters around, she becomes their target. Fortunately, Maaya comes to her aid, knocking away the pursuers with her cart. Maaya then befriends Alice.

Meanwhile, Takius watches from a distance.

That night, Roan and the others have their dinner; Maaya hasn't returned. Yuufa is already concerned about Maaya. Just in time, though, she returns, now wearing the same smile she was usually wearing. Everyone but Takius is relieved to see her smile once again; she stands up and tells everyone her connections with monsters. Maaya snaps back at her remark and tells her that she trusts monsters than normans. She leaves them once again, returning to Alice, who was staying at her home back then.

Maaya runs to Alice and cries on her arms under the moonlight, followed by her Poring. Alice then hums the same melody that Maaya knows and she discovers that she learned the tune from the music box that was with her since she was small. She then decides to tell her the story of her life.

She was the sole survivor of a wrecked ship which found itself in Alberta's shores. She lived her life alone and was helped only by her Poring, Poi Poi. With the apples Poi Poi brought to her and some construction materials, she builds a makeshift cart and used it to sell apples. This however, was frowned upon by the Merchants who were living in Alberta, as it was an unwritten rule for villagers to join the Merchant Guild before engaging in marketing. She ended up being beaten and her cart was trashed as well. That experience changed her view on normans, who she now sees as liars who are not to be trusted, thus her unusual tactics to survive.

As Alice stays to comfort Maaya, Zealotus appears. Hearing their song has calmed her momentarily, but she manages to flee before she fails to handle her emotions. She appears elsewhere, only to be questioned by Keough, who tells that her heart must not falter for compassion.

The next day, Alice and Maaya wake up to the sound of an explosion; it was the trio whom she defeated, now wanting to avenge their loss from their last encounter. Maaya manages to fend them off and flees with Alice. Soon, Maaya sees Takius in front of them. She felt nervous because of her view on monsters and tries to stop her from casting a Frost Diver (which she assumes to be targeted at Alice), but was surprised when it hit her pursuers instead.

As Takius walks away from the scene, Alice gives Maaya Crystal Pumps.

This is the start of a friendship between norman and monster.

Referbacks
references to previous episodes

Ragnarok Online References

 * The setting for this episode is Alberta, the port city located in the far southeast of the Kingdom of Rune-Midgard. It is home of the Merchant Guild and is a famous location for trade.
 * Crystal Pumps is a special kind of footwear made out of fine crystal. It is usually a part of a bride's attire, and can be considerably strong to support a person's weight.