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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2014 5:23:15 GMT
The bright midday sun and the clear blue sky outside her window were not enough to wake up one slumbering samurai who was curled up in her cave. She’d fallen asleep with Kuromimi in her arms. Its right eye had fallen off and with a needle and some thread purchased from St. Pancras Station, she tried to sew it back on. With much effort too for she was not a tailor. The pinpricks on her hands were a testament to both her clumsiness and her lack of passive skills to accurately sew anything. She’d not have had to go through all that trouble if only the plushie’s tailor repaired it for her, but alas, for three days since his return, Aeryn’s guild leader Kumori had been locked up in his room.
Caerbannog was startled awake by the sound of her hungry stomach. At first, she was worried that Hrairoo might have gone hungry for half a day, but she remembered that the frenmic rabbit had been unsummoned the previous night since it tried to duel Kuromimi to the death. That in turn had resulted to the fallen eye and the samurai had to rush out during the night to purchase tailor supplies. Why right then and there? Because Kuromi was important to her, of course, for reasons. As for Hrairoo, he only got a stern talking-to and a reminder that the black rabbit plushie was a friend and not a foe. If one could interpret rabbit gestures, it would seem that Hrairoo made faces at Kuromimi before he was unsummoned. But that was then, and this is now. Caerbannog was hungry and also needed a bath.
The samurai went through the motions that day: an apple for breakfast, a warm shower, slipped on one of those oversized lander shirts since she was not going out anyway, and fixed her cave- to some extent. All that time there still was Kuromimi with the badly-sewn right eye. As she took a break from her chores, Caerbannog assessed the damage to the plushie and figured that she only made it worse. Perhaps it was time to ask Kumori for help, she thought. She hesitated though. Recently, the young man had been preoccupied with work and that amount of work only increased with each passing day. In the few instances when they were able to go out or work together in a party, she noticed that his attitude had changed. Although she was used to his teasing and his general talkativeness, other people surely were not. Sometimes the assassin toed that line, but from what she’d seen recently, he’d begun crossing that line altogether. Sure, his intentions were good, she believed at least that; but the samurai who’d been worried all the time about how people would view her- she just couldn't agree with the way that her once-dear friend handled certain situations.
And then there was the issue of his treating her like an underling, which she technically was. Perhaps to him it was a non-issue that he still treated the samurai like a kid, but to Caerbannog who’d been working her damn hardest to get people to respect her, every pat on her head and every lecture was a step backwards. Soon enough everyone would want to pat her head or pick her up and spin her around or give her candy and cookies- sweets were nice but that’s beside the point. Some days she could afford to be lax, but when she had her weapons out, she expected a bit of respect to go with it. Not that Caerbannog would ever say that out loud though. She was increasingly becoming a passive person, much more introverted than before. Her higher level just made her view herself in a worse light for no matter what she did, nothing seemed to be enough. That was probably because she could not read people’s thoughts, their impressions of her and how they viewed her to be a capable fighter and a reliable ally. The samurai, of course, could only react to what she saw and heard; a pat to the head out of nowhere was hardly a sign of respect, and glares certainly were not terms of endearment.
Yet again, this and that were different things. Caerbannog was not the type of person to burden others with her insecurities. She already resolved to reach the highest level as quickly as she could. In part due to having been inspired by the assassin Saber, and in part because she wanted to prove herself to Kumori. But as she thought about those things on her way to the guild leader’s room, she caught herself. What was she thinking? When did her objective change? She was reminded of some rumors that she heard, that Kumori was spotted some days ago at Westminster Abbey. The rumor coincided with that day when the assassin returned to the guild house and just shut himself in his room. Initially, the samurai thought that he brought a woman, or some women, into his room and did not want to be disturbed while he was having... erm, nightly adult funtime. She would not have been surprised if that was the case; but after three days of the same lock-out, it just wasn't normal anymore. Or healthy for that matter. I mean, three days of nightly adult funtime would be like suicide or- ANYWAY!
The wolf-hair soon found herself in front of Kumori’s bedroom door. She turned the knob; still locked. With Kuromimi and its badly-sewn eye in her arms, she leaned against the door and pressed an ear against it. No creaking or moaning... hmm. Caerbannog then turned her back to the door, leaned against it and sat down. Her shadow could probably seen beneath it if light from outside flooded into that area of the guild house. She did not really know what to say or how to deal with the situation in general. Surely she would not hear the end of it if she bothered his... erm... ‘alone time’. Especially not if it was -that- kind of ‘alone time’. But if it wasn't, and if her friend was somehow dealing with a serious trauma or memory...
“ Ryuunosuke, “ she said out loud, hopefully loud enough for him to hear through the door, “ Want to talk? “
He’d probably be stubborn about it. Or he could open the door and she’d fall over before she would be able to right herself and start up that talk that she proposed. More than fifty levels since her awakening in Elder Tale, but she still could not grasp the attention, trust or respect of an old friend- was what she thought. Notice me, sempai!
OOC Notes: --- Word Count: 1115 Tags: @dindeen Kumori |
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Nine.
Human
Inactive Player
Gold:
Tailor
Tracker
Guild:
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Post by Kumori on Apr 17, 2014 6:32:26 GMT
 | Kumori HP: 100% MP: 100% | "In order to live, I will continue to fight. In order to retain my humanity, I will continue to destroy those who mean to harm my friends." |
| Skills: | Quick Slot:
- Windsor Antiqua Throwing Knives |
Where was he again? Oh right, he was in his room, locked up, not wanting to leave. His bed was still made, but he himself was sitting in the corner holding his legs. His eyes were staring at nothing, simply looking forward at the wall. He had already taken off his armor and his equipment, leaving them on the ground, not bothering to place them in their usual spot. Every time he looked at his equipment, he pushed them away, hoping that they’d disappear. He was thinking, thinking a lot about the past. About his time in this game. He was beginning to realize his faults, his foolishness. He had stopped treating people as people, and instead he started treading them as people who were lower than him. Hell, he even treated landers better than he treated other adventurers; a sad testament to what he was turning himself into. He was there for 3 days, not eating, not drinking, not sleeping. He got up to use the restroom once in a while, but that was the only movement he made and then he would return to his corner. How long would he be like this? How long did he expect something to happen when he was here, doing nothing. The first day, this was all that he did. He moped, he cried, and he stared.
The second day was a bit more eventful, at least in his room. He began banging the top of his hand against the floor, continuously. He did so for several hours until blood streaked down his knuckles. After the last punch, his arm went numb. He was trying to punish himself. He was trying to take away his sin through his own blood. He did not remember, he did not know, instead, he was simply doing what he thought would correct his life. After his right arm went numb and unusable, he turned to start punching with his left. The floor was a bloody mess, but Ryuu didn’t care. At this point, it was all about trying to make him feel better, trying to right his wrongs, but was hiding away really the right way to correct them? Should he not seek forgiveness? His eyes were red from the lack of sleep and from the tears that had fallen. His thoughts were along the lines of “What would Fuyu say about this?” and “What should I do?” all good questions to ask, but not when he was so emotional. His left arm soon became useless, and so he was stuck in his pseudo fetal position, unable to lift himself up because of exhaustion and pain.
That night, he had gotten an hour of sleep, but that was enough to remind him of why he was still in his room, and so he cursed his own existence. This game, it was this game’s fault he was like this! But that thought was soon scratched and he realized that it was not the game that made him this way, it was he. Ryuunosuke Oshiro, the man in charge of Kumori’s actions, the man who acted like an egotistical bastard, the man who should’ve known better, but didn’t act as if he did. He realized he could not make any more excuses for what he had done and for what he was doing now. Inaction caused destruction, and here he was, doing nothing about his past. Here he was, doing nothing to right his wrongs. But he was scared. He didn’t want to go outside. He didn’t want to face the world in this state. He buried his head into his knees, not wanting to leave the safety of his locked room. He’d starve, and he’d die again, ending up in the Abbey.
Ryuu got up weakly, and washed his hands. They stung, as the nerve endings began to come back alive, telling him that he was no mere digital marker in a game, but he was human, realistic to the point of death. He stepped into the shower and washed his body off of the sweat and grime that he did not remove from the day he went to Sarum. He lathered shampoo and soap across his body, making his body new again, baptizing it in the water that was pouring onto him. He was cleaning away the old grime and bringing something else, something different to the table. He was becoming someone new. He vowed to become someone different. He vowed to be someone new. Ryuu went towards his room and picked up one of his daggers. He flipped it so that he held it in the reverse grip. He held the end of his hair, near where he was going to cut it. While it wouldn’t be as long as it used to be, he wanted to cut it so that it was shorter, to show he was changing and a reminder of what he was doing. He pulled his hair taut, and cut it so that it went to his neck. Throwing the strands of hair he had removed into the nearest trash can, Ryuu heard a knock on the door. A soft voice spoke from the door. He quickly donned his vanity clothes. The blood was still on the ground, and so he quickly covered it with a towel, hopeful that Kyuu would not see it. He went to the door and opened it, his eyes a rejuvenated, at least a little. He opened it and let her in.
After she sat down and inspected what she wanted to, Ryuu would get on his knees and bow down with her forehead to the floor. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry for how I’ve been treating you. I ask for your forgiveness, but if you do not accept it, then I cannot blame you. I don’t want to lose my family, the family I have chosen to go through this ordeal, but I cannot force you to stay or to even forgive me. Just know, that I’m truly sorry for what I’ve done… I’ll try my hardest to treat you and everyone else better,” he said to her.
His heart felt relieved, as if something heavy was taken off of his chest. He was beginning to breathe the free air, something he had not felt in a long time. It was better, but he knew he could do much better than this. He did not raise his head to see her reaction, rather he just waited in his bowed position for her response.
OOC NOTES:
Word Count: 1087 words |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2014 9:13:57 GMT
As the wolf-hair leaned against the door of her friend’s bedroom, she soon heard some footsteps and the sound of movement inside. She wondered if Kumori’s room was just such a mess that he didn’t want to clean up for days, in which case she would understand his seclusion. Regardless of his reason, Caerbannog waited at the door though she sat up straight and no longer leaned against it. And fortunately too since the assassin soon opened up the bedroom door and let her in. She looked around the room and noticed a few things out of place, but she did not dare speak up about it. A lecture could follow and she wasn’t in the mood for that.
The samurai walked over to one corner to the bed and promptly sat down on it. If her guild leader let her in, then there was probably something that he wanted to discuss. After she was in a slightly comfortable position, only then did Caerbannog look up at Kumori. Something was different about him, probably his hair and maybe- whoa. He suddenly bowed. And he bowed low. He then proceeded to apologize profusely. To say that it was unexpected would have been an understatement. Kyuu’s expression was a mix of bewilderment and pity. She didn’t really know how to respond; much less mentally grasp exactly what he was apologizing for.
Ryuu remained in that position for a while since Kyuu did not know how to react. Was it something related to what happened three days ago, or a different matter altogether? She then looked at Kuromimi and noticed that its eye was ready for fall out again. The tailor really had to fix it up. At that, Kyuu knelt in front of Ryuu and repeatedly, though gently, hit his head with the rabbit plushie. She also said the word “boop” with every strike while she waited for him to get up already. The plushie was soft and her hits were not meant to hurt him, so the assassin would probably be okay, just surprised. Curious as to what exactly happened to her friend, the girl then spoke up, finally.
“ Kuromi needs fixing, “ she said as she held up the plushie’s face for him to see; her hands had marks of failed attempts at sewing, “ And you need fixing. What happened, Oshiro-sempai? “
OOC Notes: --- Word Count: 390 Tags: @dindeen Kumori |
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Nine.
Human
Inactive Player
Gold:
Tailor
Tracker
Guild:
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Post by Kumori on Apr 18, 2014 7:24:51 GMT
| Kumori HP: 100% MP: 100% | "In order to live, I will continue to fight. In order to retain my humanity, I will continue to destroy those who mean to harm my friends." |
| Skills: | Quick Slot:
- Windsor Antiqua Throwing Knives |
He was scared, scared that she’d just slap him or stomp on his head. Honestly, at this point, anything could happen. He didn’t dare look up, fearing his punishment, but instead of that, what he felt was a soft touch from something squishy. It wasn’t flesh quishy, no it was plushie squishy. She also said “boop” with every tap on his head she made with the plushie. Ryuu looked up, blinking when the plushie hit his eye, but he was confused. Didn’t she want to take her sweet revenge on him? Didn’t she want to leave? He was confused. He had been such a jerk that all of those actions were warranted, and yet she was still here, concerned about him. While her initial reason in coming to this room was to get Kuromi fixed, she was still concerned for him. Ryuu chuckled which gradually proceeded to a hardy laugh. He wasn’t laughing at Kyuu, no, he was laughing at the situation. He expected to be berated, expected to lose everything, and here his little sister was still here, caring for him. His laughter stopped abruptly and he wanted to show his joy. He opened his arms and hugged his sister and tears began to roll down his eyes. His emotions began to fly, as he did not expect this kindness. He buried his eyes into her shoulder and cried loudly. He sniffled and then said as best as he could through the her flesh. “I’m sorry… and thank you,” he said while bawling.
After a few seconds of crying into her shoulder, he removed his head from her shoulder and looked at Kuromi who looked like it had lost a fight. Kyuu then showed him her finger. He smirked and held the plushie that her father had given to her in the real world and Ryuu had remade here in Elder Tales. “You did your best,” he said as he began fixing the plushie. As he did so, he explained all that had happened in the last 3 days, starting from the night he died. He recounted the emotions and what he had discovered over the course of his death. His arrogance and truthfully, his douchebaggery. He even moved the towel away from the spot he had concealed to show her what he had done the day before, and then he showed his hands to her after finishing the quick sew he needed to reattach the eye of Kuromi. He attached the eye with a stronger thread and even patched up any areas that needed patching up. He was glad that she was there, even in the toughest of times. She had always been there to pick him back up, and he for her. It was a mutual relationship, one where wolves licked each other’s wounds, no, they didn’t just lick them, they healed them and made them stronger. This was the relationship that no one could take away from them. Whether it be a significant other or a father or mother, they were siblings from different families, a strong connection of protection, care, and most importantly friendship.
After explaining to Kyuu about what had happened, he expected her to call him “baka” which was an understandable response to his idiocy. He hoped, though, that he’d become a better person through this ordeal. What did he lose? He lost his pride. What did he gain? He gained back his perspective.
OOC NOTES:
Word Count: 571 words |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2014 19:14:09 GMT
So many questions but no answers; Kyuu continued to attack the assassin’s head with her squishy black rabbit plushie. He soon straightened up and... laughed? Did he finally snap? It actually began with a chuckle which got louder. A bit strange, but the wolf-hair was not afraid. She hugged Kuromimi as she stared up at Ryuu, and then after his hearty laugh, he opened his arms and embraced the samurai. He soon cried onto Kyuu’s shoulder, then he apologized and thanked her... for something. It didn’t make any sense really, so the girl just clung onto Kuromimi while Ryuu cried his heart out. She did understand that he was upset about something, but the question was, what was the reason for being so upset? And the repetitive apologies did not make sense either.
Finally, the assassin stopped crying and so Kyuu held up her plushie for him to see. Ryuu took Kuromimi and began to work on the crafted item immediately. Kyuu sat to the right side of the tailor as he worked; she looked up at his face and noticed that he’d obviously been crying, and not just recently too. But she did not ask about it. Knowing Ryuu, he would talk about what’s bothering him when he felt like it, and soon enough he did begin to spill everything out. From his venture to Sarum, a lone one at that which made Kyuu’s eyes widened- who journeys into Sarum alone?! Assassins, apparently. She, at first, thought that he was incredibly stupid and was just being emo for some weird reason, but when Ryuu pulled the towel off of the spot that he’d been punching the past days, the wolf-hair knew that it was serious.
Blood on the floor, wounds on his hands. Kyuu did not know how to react. All she knew was that it was bad, really bad. The assassin said one thing or another about arrogance and douchebaggery, but who punches floors over that? Ryuu-niichan, apparently. Once Kuromimi was all fixed up, Kyuu took the plushie and looked it over. The eye was back to its proper place, and the rest of the plushie was nicely stitched up too. She rarely brought the thing out when she was adventuring, but most nights, the girl fell asleep with Kuromimi in her arms. Just like in the real world. She then put the plushie down on her lap, slipped her left arm under the tailor’s right arm, and then she took Ryuu’s right hand in her left hand- her hand with the stronger grip.
The blue-eyed wolf-hair held the assassin’s hand in place as she locked her fingers with his, rested their hands on his leg, and then her right hand, the gentler one, was placed over the back of his injured hand. Kyuu leaned against her suffering friend’s shoulder and she did not say anything for a while. Really bad with words, that she was. The samurai then thought back to the second time that she died, something that she still kept from Ryuu. It wasn't the time to discuss that but she did learn something from that experience, that death doesn't matter. Only life matters. With a small voice that wasn't anywhere near perfect, Kyuu sang a few lines from something that she heard in the real world.
“ Do you feel cold and lost in desperation
You build up hope, but failure's all you've known
Remember all the sadness and frustration
And let it go, let it go. ”
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Nine.
Human
Inactive Player
Gold:
Tailor
Tracker
Guild:
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Post by Kumori on Apr 19, 2014 14:06:35 GMT
| Skills: Tags: @dindeen | : Word Count :
0594 OOC Notes: Quick Slot:
Windsor Antiqua Throwing Knives |
It was comforting, having a soul to listen to you. He had forgotten about her, forgotten about how she had been there for him, every step of the way. He forgot how when they were in school, she’d listen to his problems, his many girl problems, and even his part-time job problems. It seemed that just as he had treated her like a younger sister, she had treated him like an older brother. She sat right next to him, placing Kuromimi into her lap and then placed her left arm under his right arm, firmly gripping his hands. Her other hand, she placed over the injured area of his hands. Ryuu smiled and leaned against her as she leaned against him, his head resting on the top of hers. It was silent, something he found soothing, even though he had 3 days of silence before. The presence of a dear friend helped him a lot.
The silence allowed him to remember his blessings. It allowed him to think of the memories that he had had with Kyuu. The good, the bad, all began to play in his mind. His smile got only wider. What would he have done without a friend like her? He’d have probably killed himself already. While it was sad, and while he usually was not this emotional, the support he had, and the constant grounding he could rely on from Kyuu was important to him. He knew nothing would go further than their sibling relationship, but that was all he needed from her. Siblings had a special type of love, a love that could not be understood by even significant others or friends. It was going through the same pains and sufferings. That was why they had such a strong sibling relationship. They had gone through so much hardship together and supported each other in their respective problems. People would probably ask why they wouldn’t see each other as boyfriend and girlfriend. It was sort of like the problem of someone knowing too much about the other that you would never date them. It was something along those lines, but there was more to it than that. They would think it was weird, because they thought themselves as blood siblings. Nothing less and nothing more. That was the anchor to their relationship, and it wouldn’t change, no matter who they dated, who they married, who they loved and who they hated. It was a unique relationship that no other two could craft together.
Kyuu began to hum a song, a song with so much emotion and so much meaning, but Ryuu could only close his eyes, trying to grab the first few hours of sleep he had had in days. As she sang through the song, his mind and body eased up and just as if he had let everything go, revealing his weaknesses, he had finally fallen sound asleep. Kyuu’s warmth was enough to give him the protection from the cold. The room was darkened as his eyes began to darken as well. He was left with a smile, his head on top of Kyuu’s, her head against his shoulder. If no one knew better, they would say they were a couple. In reality, they were simply wolves licking each other’s wounds. For a world where they no longer had their parents to ask for advice and no internet to look for information, they could only rely on each other. This was the fate of Elder Tale. This was the fate of all the players trapped in this game.
Code by DinDeen@DeviantArt. Original Art by Tistelmark |
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