Elora

A cocktail of uproarious reactions swirled within her as she struggled to suppress her dislike of the tiny devil. What right does it have to invade our home? Ruin our reunion? Destroy what we've built --?, came an onslaught of angry thoughts. Staggered huffs escaped flared nostrils, teeth sinking into the trembling edges of her lower lip. You're fine -- neither of us are hurt, it's in a bottle. Freyd has it under control., she reinforced his assurances. Regardless of whether or not they actually instilled any comfort, Freyd deserved her patience. At the very least, whatever traces of it she co

If there was ever a time to be thankful for a pain-suppression system, it was beneath the torrent of a thousand different plates and blades. A waterfall of assorted weights barreled onto them both until she was certain that neither was capable of resurfacing for air. Despite her overdramatic resignation, Elora swore she could hear -- feel the motion of something rummaging through the cataclysmic clutter. A sudden squeeze around her calf startled her as she attempted to wriggle her weapon free from its gooey prison. In the aftermath of it all, whatever thing had possessed her clothes was now sc

Elora yelped in equal surprise and terror as the suit of armor suddenly hoisted her from the ground. With arms pinned to her side, she resorted to kicking her heels back and into the mail's scalloped plating. The fruitless effort did little more than create a cacophony of clangs and scrapes. "You mangey, cunt, I will END YOU!", she threatened with a fuming hiss. Taunting and downright infuriating cackles were its only response. Normally, biting would have proven a viable next resort. Unfortunately, the thought of sinking her teeth into a steel vambrace filled her with a comparably, far gr

That was easier than I expected., she mused, admiring Freyd's own conviction and willingness to change. Or, at the very least, to consider the prospect of undertaking such a monumental endeavor. Fashioning her spear into a sort of walking stick, Elora slinked behind her trailblazing partner. Their 'path' ahead, however, appeared more obscure than the majority of Aincradian forests she'd ever had the displeasure of bushwhacking through. Clutching the weapon even closer to her chest, she did her best to squeeze between towering stacks, maneuver around strewn piles of potions and armored plating.

A fumbled step forward guided one leg up and over Freyd as he slid beneath her. Like the clumsy dance of a overburdened waiter, she pirouetted around his limbs in search of safe footing. The tender embrace of a lime-washed wall broke the momentum of her fall as palms smacked suddenly against its surface. "Damnit. Almost had it.", she could hear him exclaim exasperatedly. Releasing a sigh of relief, she rolled around to regard his predicament. Eyes made landfall on his most favorable features before tracing their way up to study his expression. "Where did it go --?", she asked confus

"What the fuck --?", she gasped in response to all of the information. An entire floor...without safe spaces., it felt necessary to repeat. Still, the concept felt foreign, impossible to digest. How were players meant to navigate an entirely new land without the security of anything to fall back on? Just like how we started., came an unexpected reassurance. She supposed there would always be teleport crystals, at the very least. Sprinting after him with equal anticipation, she tried to answer his questions. "I don't know exactly -- while you were gone, maybe...halfway into the raid? Towar

As Freyd rambled on about nicknames and smorgasbords, it was evident that Elora had taken his denial to heart. With arms crossed, she appeared to swell with frustration. Arched brows framed the edges of a reddening face as she perched on her toes to bolster her height. "I'm narrowing it down!", she finally insisted with a huff. Her partner appeared to saunter away, whether beckoned by curiosity, or as a means to evade her rising emotion. "...So, what actually happened? All you've told me so far is what you did to offset a thus-far-mysterious mystery.", he demanded as fingers swept away th

Releasing a soft sigh, she hand-waved away his suggestions. "Spare me both, I'm just here to gather myself.", she flatly stated, unaware of the phrase's complimentary admission. Briefly returning her attention to one of the flowers, she uprooted the entire plant with one, concentrated tug. Its straw-like stem snapped just beneath the head of blossoms as each petal dissipated away in a shower of pixels. "Dammit", she cussed beneath her breath. For as long as she'd lived here, she had never quite gotten a handle on the technique necessary for gathering wild plants. With legs extending, she turne

Somedays, Elora loved to embark on far-off adventures in search of exotic foliage. Today, however, was not one of those days. In the aftermath of avalanching change, all she desired was a sense of ease. Questing was a never-ending reality as new obligations seemed to shoe-horn their way into her life on a daily basis. The result was an overwhelming sense of panic, and of exhaustion. Was it possible to experience both at the same time? Before she could justify her intentions, Elora had found herself on a route to Floor 1. Unconscious steps carried her across expansive fields through the me

"Not dust bunnies -- I think it might be a demon.", she stated matter-of-factly as teetering footsteps carried her around the protective symbol's perimeter, "Or some sort of fae-folk, I'm not sure yet. Probably best not to call each other by our names, just in case --" We'll have to come up with codes names! Unless...do 'Freyd' and 'Elora already count...? A clumsy procession nearly capsized the poor girl as she fumbled forward and into their kitchen island. With a final heave of effort, she forcefully lugged the basket smushed between her up and over the counter's ledge. " I -- ",

"Oh yeah!", Elora exclaimed as if suddenly remembering, "I wanted to have something ready for when you got back -- I completely forgot --!" A derailed sense of urgency towed them both toward the entrance of her greenhouse as she confidently assured, "I should only need to get a few things..." Stepping in to the enclosed garden immediately wafted them with warm air and the comforting aroma of freshly-watered soil. Drawing in a deep breath, Elora basked in the fleeting afterglow of babbling brooks and rolling green pastures. For all those she'd encountered in Aincrad, none had remedied her sense

Taken aback by Freyd's sudden shift from downtrodden despair to uplifted exaltation, Elora cocked her head to the side and stammered, "Just -- what...?" "How is it that we always see only the best in each other, but never ourselves?", he seemed to ask, almost wistfully. The final traces of tears trickled down her cheeks as she stared at him confusedly. With a hand lifted to cusp around her own, he stepped closer still. Ensuing admissions did little to dispel an intensifying suspicion that she was somehow misreading the situation. After all, that was hardly a rarity for her. An uncert

♫ The Hand of Fate ♫ A trembling hand raised to cover Elora's mouth as she stared crestfallen at the haunting claw marks. Scars carved so broadly across his body she could hardly imagine its remains. Anything indicative of Freyd would have been lost to a corpse maimed beyond recognition. Shrill whimpers mourned the scene of his demise, her pain scarcely disguised beneath the veil of a palm. A sharp drawing in of her breath could not recall the tears that were pouring from her face. Grief beckoned her to tear her sights away from him, to deny confrontation with a reality too gruesom

Truthfully, she was on her way home from seeing Mina, not on her way out to meet her. However, Kyoto didn't know that, and she'd make no effort to correct him. "Hmmm...", she hummed as if pretending to consider, her weight shifting from one side to the other, "Not sure, what would we need to do?" Reaping rewards or helping other's for virtue's sake was beyond her interest. Instead, passing time with good company, becoming lost in the motions of a fun activity, seemed far more appealing. Though, she was inclined to assume this case would be much closer to the later than the former. Hopping

Elora squirmed her way out of Freyd's dreamy embrace as avoidant stoicism began to falter. For as much as she wished to savor the sweetness of their reunion, she understood what a moment like this demanded of her. No -- not what it demanded of her, but what she would demand of herself. In countless interactions past, Freyd had lent her an ear to listen, extended a hand to hold, given her a shoulder to cry on. How long had he meant to go on, carrying the burdens of others to the complete and utter detriment of himself? How long would he continue still...cherishing that servitude, honoring

She bit her lip as affirmations fell shy of escape. Replacing their agreement with a nod of understanding would have to suffice. Sweating palms rubbed deeply into her knees as Elora began to mull over her early life in Aincrad and how it contrasted with the person she was today. In a lot of ways, she felt just like that scared, defeated young girl. Days continued to feel overwhelming, too great a challenge for her capacities. At least, that's how it seemed. Leveling up and obtaining gear fell short of fulfillment in so many aspects. If everything around her kept becoming more powerful, every o

"I know...", she softly assured as a curious hand traced the edges of his jaw, her thumb pressing back hairs to glimpse the corners of a frail smile. Reaching back further, she pushed past the folds of his cowl to offer a congratulatory pat to... Oh, Persi's not here., thought Elora, She must be off exploring someplace...? Sights lifted to interlock with Freyd's as his features slowly sunk into a somber disposition. Behind the fading mirth of those pale blue orbs, she swore she could watch the spirit of something...breaking within him. Unburdened from all of his armor, yet carrying the we

♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ For days, the constant pings of pointless notifications had eaten away at her. The longer she'd waited to hear from Freyd, the more restless she had become. Every obsessive visit to her menu, every hopeful glance at the sender's username, had paired with another shattered expectation. That was, until... Elora was out of her seat in a matter of seconds. Finally --, she breathed a sigh of relief as lingering nervous energy swelled within her, He's alive -- "They did it!", she found herself rejoicing to no one in particular, her hands balling up into fists of victory. Bor

"Two things can be true at once.", she called down playfully, "And you did put on a rather good performance." The flirtation of her tone was palpable, mirrored in the sensuality of her posture as she stood and leaned to the side with a smug disposition. Eyes narrowed as she searched his expression, a hand draped proudly over one hip. "How do you suppose I should get down from up here?", the genuine question came slathered with a layer of sarcasm. The earliest hints of morning light began to seep into the atmosphere, submerging its deep blue clouds in a halo of cerulean. As songbirds began

After a series of sharp gasps, Elora finally managed to regain her composure. She couldn't remember the last time she had fallen that far or hard. Actually, she could recall one such instance. Peeling herself up from the bark, she rolled over to check on how that case was fairing. Standing amongst a creaking heap of splintered branches and shedding needles, Elora began to wonder if Freyd would be just as talented at setting up a Christmas trees as he had been taking one down. Speculation aside, she needed to find her own way down to him. Not because she thought he couldn't handle the figh

Did he just --? Well that's one way to do it --, Elora gawked in dumfounded admiration as she felt the gargantuan tree begin to drift diagonally. An awestruck stare retraced Freyd's path of deliberate destruction, her heart swelling with pride and wonderment at what he was capable of. Or really, just him, actually. I can't believe he's really mine., she swooned over the thought. A long, pitiful roar erupted from somewhere up above, shaking her mind free from its excessive ogling. Right., she blinked. There was an enemy to kill. "I don't know -- but Im about to beat him out of this tree li

"You're not getting off that easy!", Elora heard him yell from a distance. "Sounds like something a sloke-poke would say!", she called back from over her shoulder. Running like this, with the vigor of an olympic athlete or even the adrenaline of a frantic crackhead evading authority -- it made her feel invincible. Legs carried her faster than her mind could dream to keep up with, her feet leaping across the harmless chasm of a babbling brook. The further they strayed from the Elven settlement, the more difficult it became to navigate in the dark. Perhaps navigate wasn't the right wor

Jittering fingers, nervous at first, draped calmly to cradle inside of Freyd's hands. A stifled breath held in surprise escaped from her lips as tension swiftly bled from her muscles. Drawn into his embrace, she suddenly felt so tired. Simultaneously alive and exhausted, Róisín wondered how many more battles they would be able to fight for themselves, and for each other. Honestly, she couldn't care any less. Raising a hand to comb through Freyd's hair, she placed a gentle hand beside his head. The hardships of her life, of being trapped in this stupid game fizzled away like the apparitions of

Ragged, guttural screams escaped from Elora's lungs as futile attacks failed to unmake the thing before her. A creature so repugnant, so vitriolic, it deserved no mercy, no right to exist. Nothing about her was right. How many times had she undertaken this very form? How many times had she broken another person just to feel better about herself? Her life was an endless cycle of being hurt, inflicting pain, justifying her actions. She had never been to blame, she could never have been at fault. A monster., echoed her mind's accusation, "You have never cared. You stupid, selfish cunt."

♪ ♫ ♪ ♫ Sharp, distorted pulses of light coursed through her in harmony with a faltering heartbeat. Exhausted in her endless attempt to escape from the past, she had finally been outpaced. Frozen in the wake of impending judgement, she felt afraid, ashamed, furious, despondent -- the monstrous result of a thousand feelings too overwhelming to handle. Apathy seemed a welcome grace, another means to barter for additional time. But Elora understood that was no longer an option. She had given up on its numbing severance many lives ago. So many precious relationships. A thousand sm