- Cyrus and Byron (B):

Cyrus: ... Have to ask Byron.

Byron: I'm listening-ow, papercut! Ugh... this book is over a decade old... how did it retain its edge...?

Cyrus: ... In your... former line of work... *scratches his head* ... on a scale of one to ten... how would rate the brutality of Fodlan's wastes and wilds?

Byron: *shuts his book* You know that a concept such as "brutality" cannot be measured by mere metrics, correct? If so, then tell me, how would you rate Battu?

Cyrus: Eh... I mean compared to Fodlan... I guess... eight or nine?

Byron: Please, explain.

Cyrus: Well for one, food is a bit of a... scarcity. I mean, there's only so much wild game and herbs around before one is stupid enough to not leave enough behind for the following year, not to mention, Shangri-La hogging all the fertile lands... every day was like starve and die or steal and live from other rouge tribes. Occasionally Shangri-La's border towns if we're lucky.

Byron: Hm, sounds a lot like me and Vidar. Although if I had to guess, I suppose there is an inherent bias of having to survive with a total of two people compared to a whole tribe looking out for you.

Cyrus: I mean, it ain't easy. Talked to the tribewardens myself when I was a kid. They say their jobs are really stressful, having to manage food equally while ensuring there's enough left over in case of a failed raid, scouting out surrounding territories every time we go from place to place. I mean, my people are from the Steppe, so conditions are kinda... well I would say "precarious" by Fodlan's standards, but given I was practically born and raised with nothing grass for miles on end, I guess I got used to it.

Byron: ... Guess me and Vidar are the lucky ones then. *snickers* I was quick witted enough to match Vidar's brutality. So really, I think despite everything, I guess I learned that there are people who had it worse than me.

Cyrus: ... So the rating?

Byron: I... I think I'll rate it around six. Seven or eight during winters. Faerghus does not fuck around with its blizzards.

Cyrus: Ha! Winter at the Steppes will freeze the hair on your skin to icicles.

Byron: I'll save my assumptions for once I visit there. *looks at Cyrus* ... Surely it's not that bad, right?

*Cyrus cackles like a madman*