I met my wife because Han Ko thought is was a good idea that Annemarie accompanied him when he finished a session with her and her aura felt unfinished. We had been playing role-playing games for ten years by then, so I was not surprised when he mentioned that he would bring another person. “You will like her,” he said.
Roleplaying, like acting, is being somebody you are not, but at the same time it is impossible to play as somebody if you are not interested in those aspects. Heroic or craven, smart or stupid, leader or follower, Han Ko played them all. Each different, each unmistakable Han Ko. Sometimes our characters were in total agreements, sometimes we played opposites. In each case there was fun to be had, and connections to be made.
I was happy when he met Kristine, she complemented him and gave him a home to return to. Often he was so focused on the horizon he forgot the here and now. He saw what could be, what others could become, and forgot that the physical, the mundane also needed his attention. He flew where I walked.
Now he no longer is here to share in our games. No longer the arms to hug his kids and Kristine. His soul may go one, but I miss my tangible friend, I miss his humour and insight, I miss the mensch that was Han Ko Bicknese.