[Closed] The Secret's in the Telling

[Deleted]

StatusCold, and maybe angry. OOC NotesThe Secret's in the Telling Tags@dindeen Kumori After much staring, looking, glancing and watching, Caerbannog finally decided to descend from her perch once the crowd below thinned out. The sun was just above the horizon and was preparing to settle down, its face to shine upon the other side of the world. It was at that moment that the samurai momentarily wondered about what lay beyond the boundaries of Londinium, and what lay beyond Sarum and the River Thames. German of origin and with Japanese relatives, she knew only things about her own country and that Asian one which she visited long ago. London and its surroundings were foreign to her, and she was not even sure if Sarum existed in the real world. The Thames was unmistakable though, albeit much darker than what she remembered of it in her old reality. The girl kept on thinking about what lay beyond the land as she jumped down on lower overhangs, and unstable window sills until she reached the cold pavement of one of Londinium’s streets. But her daydreaming was cut short by a massive, chilly drop of rain right on her nose. Another one settled on the top of her head, and soon a whole flurry of the cold beasties fell from the sky which was once a bright orange, and now a sad grey. The wind began to howl above the rooftops and past the girl’s ears. At least the weather in Elder Tale reminded her of the one in the real world: unforgiving, unpredictable. Landers hurriedly gathered their wares which were displayed by the side of the road and took them inside their shops. One particular Person of the Land was a stubby old man who had much difficulty in taking his wares in. He was a farmer, or at least related to one, for the man was selling fresh vegetables larger than his own hands and head. Massive raindrops began to weigh down Caerbannog’s clothes and her long black hair too, but she could not ignore someone who seemed to need help. And so without hesitation, the samurai ran over to the lander and waved to him, and then she pointed at the vegetables and then to the interior of his shop. The lander was bemused by the lack of speech from the girl, and yet he understood her message nonetheless; he replied with a hearty laugh and an enthusiastic nod, and then he handed to her a massive pumpkin that was almost bigger than her upper body. “Oof!” Caerbannog huffed as she clung to the pumpkin, careful not to trip over as she made her way into the shop. It was slightly difficult to maneuver past the narrow doorway but a slight turn to her side allowed the samurai to go through. She looked around and settled for placing the pumpkin on a low round table, and then the wolf-hair turned towards the door. Caerbannog had barely reached the doorway when the old lander shoved a crate of potatoes in her hands. Oh dear, it was a crate of purple potatoes... the slightly noxious ones which she and Oxford had to work with back in Sarum. Careful not to touch any of the itchy things, the samurai turned towards the round table once again and put the crate at its feet. As she turned towards the doorway once more, Caerbannog glanced at the decoration of the shop around her. It was simple and homey with a small fireplace in a corner. Apparently, the lander sold homemade meals too, so perhaps he was also a chef or acquainted with one. Around the fireplace there were two sets of tables and chairs, all made of wood yet placed safely enough away from the glowing embers. The warmth of the place was a stark contrast to the cold rain outside which made not a gentle pitter-patter sound but a heavy drumming upon the roof of the shop. Caerbannog turned to the door just in time for the old man to walk in and hand her some more crates full of vegetables. The samurai hurriedly ran to the round table and placed one crate after another, careful not to damage the lander’s fresh goods. “Ha! That should do it!” the old lander stood proudly beside the door when the pair took the last batch of vegetables in. Outside, the skies were not holding back and they kept pouring out their tears upon the cold pavement of the streets of Londinium. Caerbannog could not see the sun, the moon or the stars due to the massive grey clouds overhead, but the HUD clock indicated that it was time for dinner. Her stomach grumbled accordingly as if it had an alarm set to it, and the sound made the lander laugh once more. The stubby old man ducked behind the counter and took out a plate of freshly baked cookies and a glass of milk for the girl. “Eat up!” he said. The cookies smelled great and the milk was of a perfectly white color. Caerbannog took a sip of the drink and was pleased to find that it was fresh milk, probably taken from the lander’s farm too. She then put a cookie to her lips and took a bite... and was very disappointed. Much like every other lander-made meal, it tasted like soggy rice crackers. While rice crackers were not so bad, soggy ones were and that meant that the cookie tasted slightly bland, slightly salt and had an icky texture. But the girl did not wince or whine or even seem remotely disgusted. Instead, she finished the whole plate and thanked the lander for it. The glass of milk was finished last so that it could wash away the bad taste in her mouth, but then the lander said something so surprising that the samurai almost fell backwards. “That will be 500 gold.” Caerbannog blinked a few times in disbelief, but she took out the necessary amount and handed it over to the lander anyway. Maybe it was bold of her to think that the meal was free in exchange for her help with moving the man’s vegetables... “I wouldn’t have lived this long if I just gave away stuff for free!” laughed the old lander, “You adventurers have enough on you anyway. And I could have managed moving my wares without your help, I never asked for assistance.” At that point, a frown formed on Caerbannog’s usually pleasant face. People were people everywhere, in the real world an in Elder Tale. They could be as pleasant as sunshine or as cold as the rain outside. Speaking of the latter, once she handed the gold over to the old lander, the samurai stepped out and started walking in the rain. Behind her, she could hear the lander say something like “Don’t get too cold or you’ll head straight for the Abbey!”, but the samurai did not even have half the mind to turn back and kick his head off. Instead, the wolf-hair kept walking down the street towards the direction where Aeryn stood. The walk was long and harrowing; even moreso with heavy feet and a heavy heart. The world was cruel, that much Caerbannog knew, but she thought that at least an act of random kindness could be repaid with kindness still... but she was mistaken. The druid Scoria was correct in his assumption of Caer’s true nature, that she was rather naive with certain things and unlearned in some aspects of life; perhaps an eternal optimist, or just someone blind to the unkindness of life. Or maybe it was just that she chose not to see so that she would not be hurt, and yet no matter how much she tried, something bad always happened. The samurai placed her hand upon the cold handle of the guild house’s door. It was silent, as always, for her guild mates were out some place else. Caerbannog put a hand up to her face and brushed her sticky wet hair over to one side so that she could see properly. A warm bath would be nice... or not. The wolf-hair muttered “Tadaima-“ under her breath and then she closed the door behind her. Kyuu walked further into the guild house until she almost turned towards her old room, but then she remembered that her cave had already been moved into the guild leader’s room. She hoped he wasn’t there... or that he was there. Or... ah, so confused. Kyuu pushed the bedroom door open and found no one inside, and so she walked over to her cave with a trail of rain water right behind her. A puddle formed where she stood in front of the bedroom door, hesitant for a moment since the guild leader would probably scold her if he saw her in that state. But he was not there and so Kyuu quickly ducked into her cave and curled up into a ball of cold sadness. She took out her black rabbit plush Kuromimi and hugged the soft thing tightly. It was just as cold as her body for the plush soon absorbed some of the rain water, but she would rather embrace it than any one of her rabbits because the cold might make them ill. Her Zankapfel der Zweite which she wore was such a mess, but she could fix that up later. The wolf-hair began to cry her heart out, unable to get angry at the world around her. Maybe everything would be okay come morning. Maybe. WC: 1580 || Code by Neun of ET. Artwork by Taamo.

[Kumori]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 5MP every 5s	Kumori :: Level 68 :: Assassin Armor: Cuirass of Shadows with Cloak of Darkness Main Weapon: Night’s Kiss by 黒 with Nectar Scabbard and Alvan Blade by 黒 Quick Slot: Heaven's Wrath by 黒 Other: Something
WC: 471	Tags: ?	Skills: Silent Move

The guild leader was taking a shower in his private bathroom. While he never really cared too much about being seen naked by his girlfriend, he also did not want to ruin her innocence all too fast. Although, in basic biology, she should have already learned about the physical sex organs that existed, he still felt the need to protect her. Besides, he still had some pride and shame should she walk in willy-nilly as if nothing happened. Yes, he kept the door locked and he never left the bathroom completely naked. He usually had at least his underwear on before exiting, which would at least save the girl from seeing anything she didn’t want to. At this time, he wasn’t expecting the samurai to be home, so he was about to laze away. He had finished putting his boxers on, but then he heard the closing of his exterior door. This meant that his girlfriend was back. He opened up the door, ready to surprise her. He crept out slowly from the restroom, and then towards the cave. He made sure to use Silent Walk so that she would be unable to hear his steps. When he approached the cave, he peered inside only to see her curled up in a ball. “ 大丈夫か?” he asked the samurai who was inside the cave. Ryuu sat in front of the mouth of the cave and waited for her to look at him and either cry, hit him, or just stare at him, but he would simply sit at the mouth of the cave without reaching out to her. She was obviously in a bad mood, and he didn’t want to upset her any more than she did.

He lifted his body slightly to look out of the window and saw that it was raining. He looked at Kyuu’s drenched hair and then sighed. The cave was quite large, so getting into it wasn’t too hard for him. He scooted closer to his girlfriend and then wrapped his arms around her as he lifted her head gently and placed it on his lap. He began to pet her hair, trying to calm and soothe her. He hoped that the emotional and physical warmth he could provide her would help her. He said nothing else and simply waited for her to respond to his actions. He felt that at this time, his actions spoke louder than his words. He sat there quietly, trying to do his best to comfort the samurai that was on his lap.

With that, he simply stared at her, saddened that his girlfriend was sad. He was angry at the person who made her feel this way. Ryuunosuke Oshiiro would find the person who made her feel like this and put him in his place.

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StatusCold, and well, just cold. OOC NotesThe Secret's in the Telling Tags@dindeen Kumori In her sadness, Kyuu had buried her face onto Kuromimi’s fluffy head. Her drenched hair fell over her ears and so she could barely hear a sound anyway even if the assassin had not used Silent Move. Thus, when the young man appeared in front of her cave, the samurai was startled a little bit but she did not flinch or move away. Instead, she buried her face further into Kuromimi’s fluffiness until she could barely breathe. She had only heard Ryuu’s voice, but that was enough for her to know who it was. The girl did not want to talk; she just wanted to curl up there and cry all night. “Ueee?!” the samurai complained when she was lifted off her original position and was moved onto Ryuu’s lap. At first she felt uncomfortable, but as Kyuu felt the warm hand on her hair, she felt a little less cold physically. The wolf-hair was still very upset though, and so she began to sob into Kuromimi. The plush was already quite a mess and it could not take more, so Kyuu soon cried into her own tears which could no longer be accepted by the plushie’s little body. Each sob of hers was indicated by the movement of her shoulders and a momentarily tighter grip around Kuromimi. “Why are...” the girl sniffled, “...landers... so mean?” Caerbannog could only speak from experience. It was not her fellow adventurers who gave her pointless quests with no reward at the end, or dangerous expeditions with crappy gold in exchange. It was not her fellow adventurers who made crappy food sold at the price of a king’s ransom. Maybe after a while, after her annoyance was gone and she was thinking straight once more, the girl would remember the kind ones such as Rose and her elder brother, but at that moment, she was very upset with landers. After a few more sobs, Kyuu sat up and patted Kuromimi down. She sniffled a bit more until she realized that her drenched clothes and hair made things much worse, and that she had started to shiver. “Nnngh... Ryuu-nii,” the blue-eyed girl turned to the assassin whose presence she did not want to acknowledge earlier, “I’m cold.” Kyuu sat down beside the young man with Kuromimi on her hand. At least her side that was pressed against the assassin would feel a little warmer... maybe a warm bath would be nice, but she felt way too lethargic for that. Her breathe became colder as the samurai began to drift off to sleep with her head against Ryuu’s shoulder. WC: 430|| Code by Neun of ET. Artwork by Taamo.

[Kumori]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 5MP every 5s	Kumori :: Level 71 :: Assassin Armor: Cuirass of Shadows with Cloak of Darkness Main Weapon: Night’s Kiss by 黒 with Nectar Scabbard and Alvan Blade by 黒 Quick Slot: Heaven's Wrath by 黒 Other: Something
WC: 520	Tags: ?	Skills: Skill name

The assassin continued to run his fingers through the samurai’s hair until she asked why landers were so mean. The assassin flinched as he was always the one who advocated treating them the same as other adventurers, but when they began to take advantage of it, was it right? Could he continue to allow for the landers to do so? The assassin could not come to treat anyone differently, however, for making his girlfriend so distraught and saddened, he was not happy with them. As a leader of a very influential guild, the assassin had all the means to tell the shop owner off, but he also couldn’t allow this town to become the Wild West. This was what he was here for… this was his job as her boyfriend. He wanted to comfort her, to hold her when she needed it most. The assassin could only do just that, as there were no words that would help alleviate her pain, but he had to answer. Why were the landers so mean? Could he sit idly and simply watch as the Lander took advantage of those around? “Landers… I don’t know… I want to say it’s because we don’t always treat them well, so they begin to fend for themselves when they meet new adventurers…” he said to her.

Her tears began soaking Kuromimi and in turn soaking his pants. He did not mind, as he was here to comfort his beloved girlfriend and made no complaint. After she had sat up, she complained that she was cold. The assassin simply opened his arms and embraced her so that his warmth could be spread around her. The assassin kissed the girl on her forehead and simply stayed silent, letting her take in the fact that they were a lot closer than they had been lately. Physical touch had usually ceased at kissing. There were never usually this many points of contact… that was more than one could count. “I’ll keep you warm,” he said. His body was still warm from the hot shower he had just taken. He smirked as the thought of helping give his girlfriend a shower had crossed his mind, but he soon struck it off of his mind to stop from any unwanted movements in his mind and body. All he wanted was to be here for Kyuu. All he wanted was to stay with Kyuu for as long as possible. He kept her in his embrace as gently as possible, but if she pushed him away, Ryuu would respond likewise and be pushed away. Things were still fragile at this moment and many girls in this stage would be more susceptible to the sexual tensions that would rise. Ryuu was strong-minded and knew that it shouldn’t happen, so he did all that was possible to keep his mind as far away from the possibility as he could. While this was not the Earth he was born and raised in, his beliefs still remained intact, regardless of what was happening with his body. He stayed true to his conviction and true to his promise with Kyuu.

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StatusAsleep. OOC NotesThe Secret's in the Telling Tags@dindeen Kumori The blue-eyed samurai was only half-awake even as Ryuu replied to her question. Due to the cold feeling all over her body, she was slowly falling farther out of consciousness with each second that passed. Her comment about feeling cold was also done in passing, and truth be told she was not completely aware of what was going on anymore. All she knew was that the assassin was close to her, and there was something warm by her side and so she chose to lean against that. She barely noticed that something warm wrapped around her. While the cold made her lethargic and pulled her into a slight sleep, the warmth that she soon felt on her back and over her shoulders made Kyuu fall deep into slumber so much so that she fell as dead weight up against Ryuu. The girl’s breath changed from unnaturally cool to her normal warm ones. Her pale face also began to change its color to a healthier tone. She was much fairer than the young man, but the cold rainwater on her had made her seem zombie-like, a scary greyish paleness that one could have mistaken for death. As her body’s temperature rose to normality, the color returned to her lips and her cheeks. Due to being unconscious, Kyuu let Kuromimi slip off her lap and the plushie rolled away and out of the cave. Indeed it had been quite some time since the two last leaned so closely to each other, and the most recent one in memory was when the assassin saved the samurai from the dangers of spending the night at the marshlands. But beyond that, there was that time in the real world when the two had been as close. It was the day before they had to bid farewell to one another. Exhausted from a long day of gathering and packing things, Ryuu had fallen asleep by the side of the girl’s bed and Kyuu had climbed onto his lap, turning her slumbering friend to a living cushioned chair. She had thought nothing of it then, and if she was awake, Kyuu would probably think nothing of the current situation too. Maybe some people would say that Ryuu was unfortunate to have such a passive girlfriend who still mostly thought of him as a brother and a friend, but to the samurai, he was important and irreplaceable. Their connection was more than just one formed in Elder Tale, not just of a guild leader and a member, nor was it just as boyfriend and girlfriend. He knew her strengths and weaknesses, and she did not mind; and he was the one person to whom she would reveal those things to. Every now and then, Kyuu mumbled in her sleep. Perhaps she was dreaming of different days, of older days. Perhaps she was dreaming about unicorns and the Sarum golems... who knows? Whatever was going on in her head, she felt secure and comfortable enough to let her guard down in Ryuu’s presence. Surely it could be appreciated by someone who truly understood her. WC: 515|| Code by Neun of ET. Artwork by Taamo.

[Kumori]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 5MP every 5s	Kumori :: Level 71 :: Assassin Armor: Cuirass of Shadows with Cloak of Darkness Main Weapon: Night’s Kiss by 黒 with Nectar Scabbard and Alvan Blade by 黒 Quick Slot: Heaven's Wrath by 黒 Other: Something
WC: 354	Tags: ?	Skills: Skill name

Ryuu smiled as her weight began to lean heavily into his body. He realized this was a lot like that time he had saved her at the swamp. She had nearly frozen to death and drowned in quick sand. The assassin was then reminded of the time she had almost died a second time. The time he had not been told about. Ryuu wondered if he should awaken her. Well, if she was asleep, she wouldn’t hear the next words anyways. If she fell asleep, he would allow her to sleep, but if she was still awake and wished to acknowledge or tell him of what had happened when she died, then he would listen.

“You know… this sort of reminds me of the time I saved you that time in the swamps… but I also remember you mentioning that you had died a second time… I wish you would tell me these things,” he said softly, ending with a sigh. He was always worried about her. Her innocent naiveté had caused him to worry about her more than the usual person. She either had no exposure to the sort of thing or had completely ignored it while growing up, which was quite a feat. The assassin kept holding her securely. He kissed her cheek gently and simply waited there. He was unsure if he was going to get a response, but something like this, he would enjoy because of the nature of what was happening. Being able to occupy the same space as his love was more than enough for his satisfaction. Being able to help her get through her troubles and comfort her when she needed it the most, that was what he didn’t mind doing.

“You know, I’ll be here for as long as you need me,” he said softly once more. He didn’t want to wake her if she was still sleeping. He loved her, and he knew she loved him; she just had a hard time expressing her love. “I love you, Kyuu… forever and ever… for better or for worse… no matter what happens,” he said to her.

[Deleted]

StatusNo longer asleep. OOC NotesThe Secret's in the Telling Tags@dindeen Kumori Just as the samurai began to drift off to sleep, Ryuu began to speak. His voice was soothing and calm, as always, and hearing it brought peace to her heart. That is, until he brought up the topic of her second death. She thought that she’d already buried that secret away, but it was one that she accidentally let slip that time at the Land’s End. Kyuu began to tense up though there was no accusatory tone in the young man’s voice, for she knew in her heart that she knowingly kept a secret from him. After her first death, it was apparent that the assassin wanted to be more involved with her life, not as an elder butting in with her every move, but as a guardian and a protector. She, however, wanted to come off as strong and capable, and so would not tell anyone of her weaknesses and failures. And so it began, the conflict in the samurai’s mind. To tell, or not to tell? To be honest, or to lie by pretending to still be asleep? Unbeknownst to Kyuu, she had momentarily furrowed her brow and she had let out a small whimper when the question was asked. In her half-asleep state, she was barely able to control her movements as one simple thought remained in her mind: to keep it all in. She had decided to feign being asleep, but her subconscious had other ideas and Kyuu’s inability to properly control the game interface even with her advanced level broke the wall down. --I was afraid Ryuu would get angry!-- Was the first exclamation. But the words did not come out of Kyuu’s mouth, rather her thoughts were being communicated to him via a telepathic call. --But he doesn’t have to know. I can just pretend to be asleep.--- Unlike earlier when she was already so close to a completely asleep state, Kyuu was no longer dead weight against the assassin. But still, her eyes remained closed. --I shouldn’t have been at the marshlands by myself... and those mushrooms. How stupid! I should have known that they were poisonous! What kind of chef gets poisoned by the basic ingredients... my skill should have worked against it but the poison was too strong...-- At that point, everything was just spilling out. Kyuu didn’t even know that the ‘line’ was open. --I don’t even remember how I got those leeches all over me. And the stabby thing to my side... it was just there... and I was bleeding out... and and and...-- The telepathic call was ended abruptly as the samurai opened her eyes and pushed Ryuu away. “I DON’T KNOW!” Kyuu yelled at him. WC: 450|| Code by Neun of ET. Artwork by Taamo.

[Kumori]

	HP 100% Regen 5HP every 5s MP 100% Regen 5MP every 5s	Kumori :: Level 71 :: Assassin Armor: Cuirass of Shadows with Cloak of Darkness Main Weapon: Night’s Kiss by 黒 with Nectar Scabbard and Alvan Blade by 黒 Quick Slot: Heaven's Wrath by 黒 Other: Something
WC: 553	Tags: ?	Skills: Skill name

The assassin could feel with their physical connection the tensing up of her body. The assassin did not move or change the way he held her. He simply remained the same. He did not want to make the girl even more nervous than she already was. It was obvious she didn’t want him to know about her death. Death happened in this world, he knew that. Everyone knew that. Sometimes it was inevitable, but what he did know was that for whatever reason, the samurai wished to keep it to herself. She didn’t want anyone to know about her demise, especially the assassin. He made no movement and no sound and simply waited for the samurai to say something or to fall asleep. He had heard a small whimper which made him feel sorry for her, but he still did not make a move. It seemed that she wanted to continue to sleep, so Ryuu would drop it, however before he could fall asleep himself, words began entering his mind. It was a telepathic communication, and one that was a familiar voice. It was coming from the samurai who was in his arms.

She didn’t want him to be angry. Ryuu opened his mouth to reply, about to tell her that he wouldn’t be angry, but before he could, she continued. She then said something about not having to tell him, however she had unknowingly contacted him via telepathic call. She thought that she could keep it from him, but the events that were happening were not allowing it to be kept as a secret. She began to explain what happened. She had eaten poisonous ingredients which had been too strong for her to handle. Ryuu looked at the samurai and he felt no anger. He only felt a need to care for her more; a want to protect her more. She then said there were leeches and that she was stabbed, and then all of a sudden, a non-telepathic communication had come through as she pushed him away and yelled at him. Ryuu lifted his right hand and caressed her left cheek with it. “Kyuu… you’re not weak…” he started. The assassin moved closer to the samurai and then brought his lips close to hers, but did not kiss her yet.

“Kyuu… you’re strong… stronger than me. That is undebatable,” he said. He then moved forward and give a short kiss to the samurai before lifting his head away and keeping only a small gap in between their lips. “Kyuu… you can trust me… and there is nothing that you can do or say that will make me hate you,” he said to her. Ryuu finally moved in for an even longer and more passionate kiss. Hopefully this would allow the samurai to calm down and realize that he was not her enemy. He was a friend, a brother, a boyfriend, a protector. He would be there whenever she needed it. And while she was stronger than he, he did not mind. They were both strong enough that it did not prove to be too much of a difference. He finally lifted his face away from hers entirely and said: “Kyuu Schwarz… I love you… and I will love you forever and ever… through thick and thin… we will always be together,”

[Deleted]

StatusNo longer asleep. OOC NotesThe Secret's in the Telling Tags@dindeen Kumori The wolf-hair remained oblivious of the fact that her thoughts leaked out telepathically, and it was a secret that perhaps the young man could keep. It was relatively harmless and could serve to be his only method for finding out what the samurai truly felt, for she had a habit of keeping things hidden from him. There was a more urgent issue at that moment though, and that was the girl’s unwarranted and rude reaction towards him. Even Kyuu, who’d just realized that she did a most unkind thing to the assassin, was confused by what she just did. His kind words and a momentary kiss just served to make her feel all the more guilty, so much so that Kyuu did not pull away from the passionate kiss that the young man initiated. Once the kiss ended of the assassin’s own accord, and after he’d spoken to her once again and reassured her of his love despite her keeping things from him, the samurai nodded wordlessly and flashed a weak smile at Ryuu. She then buried her face on his left shoulder and sobbed onto it. Kyuu did not even know why she was crying... well, she had an inkling as to what was wrong, but it made little sense that she would get so upset by it. After a minute or so of just crying on Ryuu’s shoulder, the wolf-hair managed to cough out a few words. “Sorry, I’m sorry...” was what she muttered between sobs and sniffles. WC: 250|| Code by Neun of ET. Artwork by Taamo.