Elora

♫ A Ballad Between Light and Darkness ♫ Faintly silhouetted by glows from behind, Freyd would be able to see Elora's ears draw downwards at the revelation. Her eyes, now softly illuminated from her own trembling flame, held deep, reverential sadness. A small part of her was surprised by the gravity of this moment. She'd searched for years...only to arrive at an answer understood from the very beginning. Standing before her now, Freyd seemed...so human to her. He was a kaleidoscope of fractured pieces, the most complete person she'd ever met. His heart remained hardened, camouflaged

Eyes widened as Elora's head cocked sideways to follow the materialization of his ears. What a bizarre world they lived in that such a thing could even be considered. Freyd's calculating mind felt a similar enigma, though one she found amusement in spectating. In a way, it was like watching the gears of a machine turn in -- No, realized Elora, Like an overly-engineered sequence of events. A doting smile drew to her lips as she imagined gerry-rigged levers and pulleys setting off miscellaneous contraptions, their tedious systems tripping in service of an underwhelming result. Brewing a cup of

"Yeah, all good.", came a frazzled but light-hearted response. A nearby sign post intercepted Elora's fall, steadying her from fated matrimony with the cobblestones below. She spared only a moment to reorient herself before turning to apologize to the unseen pedestrian. "Sorry --", Elora stammered as her sights settled on a notable feature. From beneath dark, tightly coiled locks protruded a set of pointed ears. The player standing before them calmly rubbed the soreness from her ebony shoulder as Elora began to gawk in surprise. Wearing deep blue armor with golden ornamentation, she appea

placeholder *** Elora | HP: 760/760 | EN: 110/110 | DMG: 21 | MIT:78 | ACC:5 | AA | EVA:1 | BH:38 | REC: 4 | FLN: 8 | BLI: 32/-20 | STC: 40 | LD:2

In direct continuation of Scents of the Wild: Part I... Scents of the Wild: Part II Stammering seemed the only recourse for such an accusation, no, a revelation. Perhaps she wasn't ready for it, wasn't prepared to confront everything that it carried. Muscles ran their course, contracting and shying away from the uncomfortable truth. Her eyes had already begun their search for safe haven. Before she could retreat, Freyd had closed the distance between them. A careful hand lifted to cradle her chin. She cursed at his bravery. Sweeping away whips of hair, he beckoned her eyes t

Elora seemed to give pause in their search as intrigue coaxed her to consider Freyd's response. Initially, she was confused by his concern for harming her. An armored fist and a pointy stick assured that a lovers' spat, no matter how impassioned, would find his feet swept out from beneath him, his ass planted squarely on the ground. Somehow, she doubted that was his actual concern. "I...", she began, still piecing together her thoughts, "Think that's part of it, yes..." Fingers thrummed across hands withdrawn as each prodded and intertwined with one another in a flurry of nervous configu

She found herself leaning down, drawn in to inspect the drawing more closely. Kingsley wasn't exactly short, moreso hunched, in that old and dilapidated-but-also-kind-of-endearing sort of way. Special care was paid to avoid harpooning the old man's eyes with her one of her cosmetically-elongated ears. The endeavor proved more difficult than she'd anticipated, what with the carriage bouncing and swaying from each gentle embrace with a pothole below. As her vision came to focus, she was able to distinguish the delicate pen strokes that created the flower. "It's pretty", she noted with a fai

"Nope -- just visiting a friend", she responded with a vague gesture to some smokestack in the distance. "My name is Kyoto, what's your?" "Elora", she stated succinctly. Unsure of whether or not to shake hands like two blokes meeting at the pub, she offered a curt a nod instead. A brief inspection of his appearance reminded her of Kiluia. Though, Kyoto seemed to have a smaller frame, perhaps younger in age? "Boy you're looking pretty smoking and that isn't because we're in a literally fire death pit.", he mentioned. "What --?", came a flat reply. Her expression indicated th

A raspy sigh escaped from her lips as relief bled across her features. Like a flame ignited from flint and steel, Elora's eyes appeared to rekindle some of their familiar brightness. The invitation to start anew felt cleansing, rejuvenating in the wake of whatever shadows had suddenly breeched her surface. She stepped back from him and considered darting to their next prospective destination. Muscles seemed to flinch momentarily as Elora abandoned the inclination, her head shaking instead. "I know you'd never mean to hurt me...", she said as a hand lowered to cusp around his, "It isn't yo

A curtain of darkness descended before her as something reached out to envelop her hands. Elora whimpered, her body flinching in response to its touch. The cold contact of leather gloves soon faded as a halo of heat arose in its stead. Recognizing the presence of a familiar soul, the mirage of previous days began to dissipate. At first, she couldn't make out Freyd's words, only the gentle rhythm of his voice. Fingers slowly curled and probed to explore the creases of steady palms as sensation bled back into her rigid muscles. "...All I've ever wanted was to be with you...", he calmly reas

Watching Freyd leave her felt like a dream. Where had the warmth of the summer rays gone? Her skin felt cold, her senses cauterized. Sounds and motions played out before her as Elora withdrew into herself. Somehow, her mind simultaneously felt as if it was completely frozen and rushing at a thousand meters per second. Thoughts were fleeting and unsubstantial, her conscious unable to string together any clear form of reason. Racing breath seemed to slip in her lungs as her heart pounded erratically in her chest. She tried to will herself to act, to force out any semblance of internal guid

A distracted right hand dropped drastically toward her chest, as if her heart had doubled its weight in only a second. Perhaps her body was acting on instinct, piloting limbs in rapid response to a potential cardiac arrest. Breath siphoned from Elora's lungs before her mind could even grasp the meaning of what Freyd had suggested. M-married -- we should get married -- he wants to...get married? With me?, the speculation began. Her bright blue eyes remained interlocked, transfixed by his. Too many heartbeats. Too many sounds. The silence between them stretched on. He's not -- He means -- I

Cutlery clattered in the wake of her movement as arms sprang outward to sling around his shoulders. Jubilant heartbeats outpaced precious seconds until the space between them was little more than a sliver. For as perceptive as The Whisper could be, Elora was surprised to see his reflexes lag in such capacity. Gravity towed his gaze down to her draping form as she stared affectionately up at him. In the twisting sunbeams, her eyes seemed to shimmer with a luster of serenity. "You're too special to me", she uttered with dueling intention. A curled hand came to gentle rest on his cheek, tra

A playful glare greeted his remark about her Irish upbringing. "No", she sang back with a stifled wheeze, "If this were an Irish tradition, you'd be outmatched." Chopsticks retreated as her fingers fell from the accusatory gesture. "I'm afraid I can't educate you until we're gone.", came a wistful reminder, "No way to have a proper drink until then." He'd have to trust that her liver was as iron-clad as the challenge suggested. A halo of warmth guided her resurrected imagination back to the present moment. Ruddy knuckles charted the impressions of a callused hand as it brushed and curled

Chopsticks pinched and delivered multiple pieces of sushi to her mouth at a surprising speed. However intent on listening, Elora wouldn't pass up the opportunity to begin their meal. Plump grains of sweet rice rolled across her tongue as subsequent bites broke apart the fatty fish. Intermittent sips of a cold cider cut crispy through the aftertaste, perfectly cleansing her palette for sharp slices of cheese. She'd never get tired of having ready access to such a wide variety of flavors and cuisines. For a moment, she lifted her palm and rested the set of chopsticks across her right cheek,

She spared no hesitation in conjuring a checkered blanket and billowing it out to cover a small swath of grass. Its quilted fabric had barely made contact with the ground before plates and glasses descended upon it. With an eager hand, Elora portioned out a little of everything. Smells of fresh bread intertwined with tart, fruity pastries and -- hunks of raw fish? "Oh, have you gone fishing recently?", she asked as the buttery slices found their way onto a dish. Despite seeing each other on near-daily basis, both afforded ample time apart to continue pursuing their respective hobbies. Per

Scents of the Wild: Part I Grass crinkled and compressed under Elora's heels as the elven player bobbed toward an eventual destination. An azure tote held loosely in her hand swung to and fro like a pendulum as it counteracted every excitable step. Stuffed with an assortment of snacks and pastries, she was fairly certain the load could double as a makeshift bludgeon should the need arise. Today's events, however, called for something far less violent. At least, so she'd hoped. Another tug of anticipation towed the treasures of her second hand further forward. Although Freyd had sugge

Elora walked alongside her weary friend, flashing a sympathetic smile as she joked at her own expense. It was difficult to know what to do in these moments. For as much as Elora understood emotions, allowed them to flow through her, she struggled with digesting those of others. Perhaps that wasn't it. Emotions were easy to detect and to recognize. Determining a way to channel them was a far greater task. As the pair entered the grandiose halls of the solitary church, her worries smalled in comparison. Polished marble floors below captured the stray rays of sunbeams refracted in stained gl

A pathetic whirr accompanied the fatal blow. If Elora was a poet, she'd have described the sound as one of a deflating balloon. The once formidable queen quickly fell quiet, its hulking frame crumpling into a puff of confetti. "Well -- that was easy.", she remarked. It wasn't every day that players could relish in such a simple victory. Usually, these kinds of fights dragged on, costing rounds of fleeting energy and frustrating evasions. Today had been different though. Elora was glad for it. "I killed it, Kil!", she declared with only a second spared to consider the strange phrasing. By

Something was definitely off. If there was one thing Elora knew about Katoka, it was that her body language could be read like an open book. Normally, the small-set woman would be wobbling anxiously from side to side, or at the very least, feigning some sort of optimism as she attempted to conceal an overwhelming worry. Today, she just seemed...deflated. A vacant stare drifted among the crowds of pedestrians until eventually settling on her. She hardly seemed relieved because of it. "Hey Elora. Thanks for c-coming out here with me...", she started before Elora knew what to say, "Sam and I

It would be difficult to miss the droning matriarch as she spawned beside the dwarfing nest. At first, Elora assumed the shadow that passed over her was from a cloud intercepting the sun. Only a few seconds had proven enough to prompt additional investigation. Turning her head, the amorphous peripheral mirage morphed into a wicked shape - the angular body of a wasp, and one that was pissed. Reorienting her attention to the stronger foe, she began to shake with worry. "Yeah --", her resolve began to crack, "She's big!" With an angry whirr, the queen thrust her abdomen forward. Elora narrow

"Not yet", she started, "But I'm sure if we follow the bees, we'll have our answer." In any realistic scenario, Elora would reel at the thought of getting closer to the swarm of raging insects. But in Aincrad, uncomfortable encounters tended to be the source of any reward worth receiving. Hesitant at first, she shuffled forward, spear held diagonally across her chest. The nearby hum of activity quickly morphed into a roaring frequency. Dozens of worker bees darted and crawled outside of a papery hive, its base woven securely to the underside of an oak branch. Normally, Elora would expect

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Dreams fizzled into obscurity as the familiar ping unraveled scenes of taupish cliffs and rolling hills. Tired blinks ushered in the furnishings of a new environment and it became clear that she had fallen asleep within the walls of Witherwind Rest. With a sluggish huff, Elora swiped open her menu to blacklist whatever sociable lunatic was messaging her at this hour. Certainly, it was not her responsibility to mute the chime of notifications at the end of every day. The highlighted text trailed behind a profile photo that depicted an amorphous blob. So the slimes are soliciting players n

Elora's elven ears seemed to perk up at the question. "Well, yeah --", she started with some enthusiasm, "Chemicals have always interested me." She paused momentarily before correcting her phrasing, "Chemistry, I mean -- the way that different solutions can work together to create unexpected reactions. I've...never been great at the math behind it all, but I like the experimentation." Something appeared to cross Elora's eyes at the admission. Her attention gradually retreated inwards as ears sank back and into their usual position. Where she'd intended to retrieve an appropriate story, sh