[PP - F4/11] The Search Goes on (Telrenya)

[Jomei 0]

In the European styled city of Taft on Floor Eleven, many of the player homes and shops that lined the streets looked similar. The only differences being color and other slight differences. One particular brown colored home was now in the possession of Jomei, after being awarded the town house as a reward for clearing the Halloween Styled quest with Telrenya, Ruby, and Spencer. The house was fit  for the minimalist Jomei was, and he was honestly glad that the random quest awarded him with a smaller plot of land, rather than a mansion.

The man stood at the sink in his bathroom, merely wearing his green colored pants as he prepared himself to go out for the evening. Only minutes earlier, he had sent a message to Telrenya, inviting her to meet him in the town of Snowfrost on Floor Four. He hoped the two would actually have the chance to chat and enjoy each other's company, a change of pace from the usual quests they were completing together in the past few weeks. 

As the porcelain sink filled with water, Jomei cupped his hands and dipped them inside, washing his face. The man dried off his face before returning to the adjacent bedroom, slipping his long sleeved attire on, and his cloak over his shoulders. He looked to Adere, who was perched on a tall pole next to his bed. The man opened the window for the owl, "I'll call for you if I need you." he said with a smile, before the owl extended her wings and flew out the window. Jomei, on the other hand, left through the front door of his house, and made his way to the warp ring.

As the ginger's avatar appeared on the snowy platform in the center of Snowfrost, he looked around to see if Telrenya had arrived yet. When he did not see the familiar bob of dirty-blonde hair, he stood off on the side near a bench, under a lamp post, waiting for the girl to arrive. 

 "Clean" conditioned applied.

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

The events of days past weighed heavily on Telrenya's heart as she idly twirled a small section of her hair around her left index finger. The invitation she had received from Jomei had brought a small smile to her face, but she remained sitting on the edge of a bed on the second floor of Delilah's inn, a place she took to frequenting ever since choosing the floor as the location of her shop.

She leaned over, resting her right forearm against her knees and reminding herself once again that she needed to get ready to head out. The room was eerily quiet as she let out a sigh and lifted herself to her feet, opening her menus to dress more appropriately for Snowfrost's temperatures. She tapped a few buttons and unequipped her usual attire, replacing it with a pair of pale sky-blue leggings underneath white laced boots and a wavy matching skirt that fell just past her mid-thigh. A comfortable knit sweater that paired nicely with the color of her leggings covered her torso and arms, and a thin white and gold scarf adorned her neck and shoulders. Sporting the wintry outfit, Telrenya checked out of the inn and made her way towards the teleport gate, attempting to push away the memories of her emotional night with Ruby.

As the teleport gate whisked her away to Snowfrost, the woman gave a tiny shake of her head to stabilize her senses. She opened her eyes, looked around, and within second the sight of the ginger-haired man brought another small smile to her face. She closed the gap between them, giving Jomei a small wave as she approached. "Hey! Thanks for the invite."

Edited October 12, 2017 by Telrenya

[Jomei 0]

Jomei watched player after player as they warped into the town square, waiting for Telrenya to pop through. His gaze lifted to the falling snow against the navy sky above him as he began to compose a small song in his mind, humming along with the notes that he came up with. His momentary mediation was interrupted by Telrenya's cheery voice, greeting the man. The man looked down at the woman with a small grin, the breath he expelled past his lips taking the form of a fog. "Hey, its good to see you." The man noticed her change of attire from her usual battle ready outfit. With the sweater and scarf, she was dressed more for the cold weather the floor delivered, as well as being an adorable change in the man's eyes. He gestured Telrenya towards a cozy looking building, smoke coming from the tall chimney on its roof, players could be seen sitting, eating, and drinking through the lit windows. "Well, I figured we could take the chance to just talk.. We've mainly just been caught doing quests and all. If that's alright with you of course." he rubbed the nape of his neck as he spoke. 

Jomei opened the door to the tavern-like building, holding the thick wooden door open for Telrenya. Immediately, the two were hit with a wave of heat from the large burning fireplace, as well as the hot drinks being brewed behind the 'bar.' The set up of the inn was similar to taverns one would see on other floors, but it was brighter and filled with much less drunkards. The two walked to a nearby empty table and sat down, Jomei letting out a sigh of relief as he placed his cloak on the back of the chair. "I found this place awhile ago.. They have a lot of nice variety of hot chocolates and other food, thought you'd like it." he chuckled. "So, how are you feeling about the guild so far? I think we have a pretty good group, with Spencer and Ruby." 

[Telrenya 0]

Jomei's grin caused her own smile to widen, and it gradually became easier for her to focus on the present. She nodded along, offering a small chuckle and a few words of agreement of her own when he explained his intent to simply relax and chat. As much as she had told herself that she was dedicated to leveling up and growing stronger, she simply wasn't sure if she would've had the heart to accompany the Irishman if they would be trying to tackle another quest of some sort.

The establishment Jomei has led them to was cozy and inviting, instantly relieving the feeling of the biting cold against Telrenya's nose and cheeks. She removed her scarf as they took a seat and settled in. Before the woman had opened her mouth to answer Jomei's question, a girl with very short red hair stepped up to their table. She wore a simple working outfit with a black apron tied around her waist, and a kind expression decorated her features. For a moment, Telrenya wasn't sure if the waitress before them was an NPC or a player.

"Can I bring you two anything?" She asked simply with a smile. "Oh, um... A hot chocolate sounds great." The blonde answered shyly. After hearing Jomei's response, the girl gave them a quick curtsy and went on her way, checking on a couple of other tables on her way back to the kitchen. Telrenya focused her attention back on the table sitting between them, nervously bringing her hand up to tuck her hair behind an ear. "Oh, but, uhh-" Her train of thought drifted back to the question that had been presented to her. "Oh, it's great! Thanks again for inviting me." She had considered for a moment saying something about the guildmates he had mentioned to further the conversation before her mind kept itself busy as it filled up with other thoughts.

[Jomei 0]

The two's conversation was interrupted by a woman had stepped up to their table, the waitress asking the two if they wanted anything. Telrenya had ordered herself a hot chocolate, a usual to most of the customers here. "Just a tea for me please. Thank you." Jomei said with a friendly smile, the waitress retreating to the kitchen after checking on a few more of their guests first. The man turned his attention back to Telrenya, who slowly made her way back to the conversation, thanking Jomei for inviting her to the guild. Ginger hair softly tousled on his head as he nodded in agreement, "No need to thank me, I'm just happy to have you along" the smile on his lips had not broken much at all during their meeting. Jomei thought about their other two guild mates for a moment. Spencer, all of them had just met, so they did not know much about him, aside from being the youngest of the four. "I must say, I actually had no idea that you and Ruby had met before." he chuckled, "and obviously friends at that too." He thought about speaking on the blonde haired woman more, checking to see if Telrenya knew about what had happened to Ruby.. and why she had been so negative to Jomei after his small player killer joke. Then again, Jomei did not speak on his experiences much either, so he could understand if Ruby only blurted it out because of the heat of the moment, leaving Tel oblivious to the situation. "She will be good to have around.. a bit sassy from time to time.. but a good friend nonetheless. Probably would not have gotten out of the mansion if it wasn't for her." A couple of moments later, the short haired waitress returned, holding a tray just above her shoulder with two mugs on it, both with steaming rising from the contents inside. She placed the cup with the thicker color and chocolate aroma in front of Telrenya, the other placed in front of himself, the smell of fruit and honey filled his nostrils. Jomei gave another friendly smile to the waitress before she stepped away to tend to the others. "Also, I hope that the trinket I gave you has served you well.. or at least will, if you haven't had to use it yet." he said, referring to the emerald shaped clover he had gifted to Telrenya at their last meeting.

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya's gaze drifted up from the dark oak table to meet Jomei's eyes as the conversation continued. He spoke about their feisty guildmate and a wry smile appeared on her face in response to his surprise. "Yeah..." was the only thing she could find to say before a white mug was placed on the table in front of her. She blinked in a brief second of surprise before the man continued speaking, making mention of the charm he had given her before their adventure in the haunted mansion. Her right hand drifted over her other wrist in her lap at the thought of the item, and she felt the small bump of the chain the trinket was attached to underneath the soft yarn of her sweater.

Reaching out and gently sliding her fingers over the warm ceramic of the mug, Telrenya allowed herself to lean forward a bit in an attempt to relax while the smell of the drink lingered in the air around her. She gave a small nod and a gentler smile took over her features. "Well... I haven't been doing as much fighting as we used to, so I don't know if I can say I've used it's stats..." She started, trying to dismiss the tinge of guilt that touched her in the way she worded her response. "but I know it will be a huge help." She tried to end the thought on a positive note.

"Hey, uhm..." She broke the short silence with a meek voice, staring down at her drink while she shifted slightly in her seat. "Jomei, do you mind if I talk about something...strange?" She could feel her embarrassment building as the question left her. "Sorry, it's just-- Well, something's been on my mind, so..."

[Jomei 0]

"Well thats fine." Jomei said with a smile. "It always helped me in battle, so I'm sure it'll help you... But, don't start laughing if you start to see me miss more." he said with a laugh. The woman was wearing a long sleeved sweater, and her hands were also placed in her lap, so it was unknown to Jomei if she was actually wearing the charm on her wrist still or not. Though he mentioned it mostly as an item to help her in battle, he also wanted to gift it to her as one of his prized treasures. He did not let the idea cross his mind much as he looked down at the tea that was slowly cooling in front of him.

Jomei took a hold of his tea and raised the ceramic mug to his lips, letting a small sip of the hot liquid pour into his mouth. The man felt content as he placed his drink back down on the wooden table, waiting for it to cool a bit more before returning to it. As his gaze returned to Telrenya's he could not help but break the smile from earlier. Something in her eyes seemed bothered, like she had something on her mind. Come to think of it, Jomei could not help but notice that her voice seemed a bit lower than usual. Telrenya, as far as Jomei knew, was timid and soft spoken to begin with. However, her voice had no hint of cheeriness to it. After some silence, she spoke up while staring down at the contents of her untouched hot chocolate. She asked for his permission to ask a question, one that she felt might be strange to Jomei. With a look of concern on his face, Jomei leaned forward in his chair slightly, "Yeah, of course. You can ask me anything.." he said, truly hoping that he would be able to help her with what troubled her.

[Telrenya 0]

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath through her nose, filling her lungs with the warm air that served to comfort her the slightest bit. For a moment, she thought about saying all that was on her mind: her insecurities, her shortcomings, her concern for Ruby. No, she and the blonde healer had made their peace, and a resolution would be hard to come by with tiptoeing around Ruby's personal life.

"The person...that I mentioned I was looking for." She tried her best to continue without the hesitation in her voice that always seemed to appear with her nerves were about. "It's my brother." Though her eyes were now open, she felt herself avoiding the man's worried gaze. "I used to think that finding him was something I had to do on my own, but..." Her thumbs began to lightly fidget against the edge of the pale mug held loosely in her hands. "I was spending my time trying to level up and get stronger, because I thought that would be the answer. I...figured he would easily get to the frontlines, and that's where I would find him." Her lips pursued, reflecting on what she thought to be her foolishness through her own explanation.  "The more I think about it, the sillier it sounds." Another wry smile worked its way across her lips.

She felt her head shake lightly back and forth. She didn't know what else to say, and somehow that alone felt like a tiny bit of weight had lifted itself from her chest. She finally brought her chocolate brown eyes to meet Jomei's with a small, more sheepish smile. "S-sorry," The returning embarrassment caused her to falter a moment. "It's not really a problem you can fix, but I feel better just...saying it out loud." Her smile widened ever-so-slightly.

[Jomei 0]

The deep breath Telrenya took in before speaking felt as though it had taken an eternity. The worries continued to creep up Jomei's body, creating a lump in his throat just from thinking worst case scenario with what could be on her mind. She finally broke the silence, mentioning the person she had been looking for.. and revealing to her worried ginger friend across the table from her, that it was her own brother. Jomei's nerves retracted, now that he knew what had been on her mind, but were quickly replaced with sadness and more of a want to help Telrenya than ever. Despite her gaze escaping Jomei's, he did not break eye contact with her as she spoke, spilling everything out onto the table, going into more detail with what she had hinted at during their time questing together. Her reasoning for wanting to get stronger and to join the front lines, went with hopes of finding him there. Jomei wanted to ask who it could be, what her brother's name was. However, something stopped him. What if Jomei knew exactly who her brother was.. and what if he watched that person get cut down? He took in a shaky breath, letting Telrenya finish the rest of her confession. 

She returned her gaze to Jomei, apologizing for revealing all of these things to him. As she tried to tell him that it was a problem that he could not help, the man acted slightly without thinking and gently stretched his arms across the table. He gently placed his hands on the girl's, the warmth from her hot chocolate seeping through so he could feel it on his own palms. "Tel.." he said softly. "I told you I was going to help you find him. Despite how silly you think it sounds.. I'm not breaking that promise. Now that I know its your brother.. I will do everything I can to help you." Jomei smiled softly, "I promise, we will find him." As Jomei held his hands on top of Telrenya's one of his fingers poked at the charm on her wrist. The man smiled again before taking his hands back. 

[Telrenya 0]

The feeling of Jomei's palms resting gently over her hands came as a bit of a surprise. She found herself staring back at the man as he replied to her with earnest words. The heat from the fireplace combined with the rising steam from their drinks left her hardly able to feel the slight heat that touched her cheeks. He pulled away and Telrenya dropped her gaze with embarrassment, but not before a warm smile had replaced the bashful one she had earlier forced. It felt as though his words had carried away even more of the pressure that had weighed down on her, and for that she was grateful.

"Thank you..." She said in a quiet voice, glancing down to her untouched drink. She lifted the edge of the mug to her mouth, taking a small drink of the sweet mixture and instantly regretting her earlier apathy towards it. She set her drink back down, still keeping her hands placed comfortably around its warmth. She urged herself to meet Jomei's eyes once again. "Thanks, it really means a lot." She repeated with a bright smile.

Already feeling more relaxed, the woman decided to try and change the topic. "Anyway, I didn't mean to get all off-track like that," She gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Was there anything specific you wanted to talk about? The guild?" Her spirits had lifted, Jomei's comfort doing well along with the atmosphere to ease her worries.

[Jomei 0]

The promises that Jomei made to Telrenya were honest, and to the best of his ability, he would keep them. Speaking of this promise to the girl immediately struck in her mind. The look of worry on the girl’s face slowly disappeared, replaced with a smile as warm as the fire burning on the other side of the shop. Jomei’s own lips curved into a smile when he could read that the woman’s expressions were genuine.

 

Jomei took another long sip of his tea, which seemed to cool a bit from the last time he had drank it. Telrenya did the same with her drink that she had neglected to this point. The tension of Tel’s worries seemed to reduce, however they only rose in Jomei’s mind. Not only was he thinking of his own list of skeletons he wanted to eventually reveal to her, but he also worried about disappointing her. What if he couldn’t find her brother? What if he was dead? However, Jomei had been hiding behind forced smiles for awhile, and since he was smiling genuinely across to the girl, he could hide his worries now.

 

It was then that she asked Jomei what he wanted to talk with her about. He tried to hold it back as he thought about his reason, but he could not hide the flush that appeared on his warm cheeks. “Well..uhm.. I just..” As he stammered over his words, his Irish accent seemed to come out more. He cleared his throat, “ I didnt have anything specific to talk about, I just.. wanted to see you.” He couldnt keep eye conract with the girl as he stared at the teabag, floating in his mug.

[Telrenya 0]

Sitting across from the man as they enjoyed a warm drink together in the comfortable tavern, seeing Jomei flustered at her question came as a surprise. She let out a giggle at his response, looking down to her own drink. "Fair enough." She stated simply and raised the mug for another sip. "It feels kind of weird to try to balance real life and leveling." She commented, looking slowly around the room as she spoke. Her eyes fell on the players at other tables one by one, taking in the sense of normalcy that came from conversation over a good meal. She smiled softly again before turning her attention back to their own table. "But I think everyone needs that balance." She added on, idly running her finger across the polished ceramic in her hands.

She let out a tiny breath in a small sigh. Not one born of exasperation or tiredness, but rather one of comfort. She was able to push away the worries and feelings of uncertainty, and so she would do her best to keep them away for the time being. "Oh!" She perked up as if she had remembered something. "How about your shop? Did you find a new location for it?" She recalled the topic from their first meeting in Urbus.

[Jomei 0]

The man felt like he was holding his breath after telling Telrenya that he just really wanted to spend time with just her. The woman giggled and let the comment slip past, relieving Jomei of having to tell her how he feels about her just yet. The woman looked around at some of the other tables, pointing out that she's found it strange adjusting to a life where she needs to level up and put points into her skills and all.. but at the same time, live normally. Soon after, she came to the conclusion that everyone needed such a balance in their lives here. Jomei looked into the cup of his tea, which he found to be very soothing, relaxing his body as he drank it. "I gotta hand it to Kayaba... He may have shut us all in this game to fend for ourselves.. But he could have done so in a.. complete hell hole with no hope. But here we are on this date in this tavern, just living a normal life."  Jomei's eyes went wide for a second, moving on to Tel's other question to try and play it off. "O-Oh well. Funny story about that!" he chuckled, nervously. "When we completed that quest in the mansion, it actually did reward me with a plot of land to put a house on. So I now have an actual house in Taft on Floor Eleven.. I have a workshop in there too that I use as my shop." he rubbed the back of his neck with a smile, sipping from his tea. "How about you? Hows your shop going?"

[Telrenya 0]

It took Telrenya a moment to notice his hurried speech. She played back Jomei's words in her head until his choice of words finally hit her. 'Wait, is this--' Before she could lose herself in the thought, Jomei's upward inflection cause her to blink, and she came back to reality. "Hm?" She took a moment to catch up and realize what he had then asked her. "O-oh, right, well..." She was a bit flustered herself, with both curiosity occupying her mind and embarrassment from zoning out on the man. "Actually, I haven't been crafting a whole lot... but the place looks nice, if that counts for anything." She smiled shyly. "I just finished decorating the other day, so..." She trailed off, looking back down to the table between them.

'Am I over thinking it?'

With how quickly he had kept the conversation flowing, perhaps he didn't mean anything by it. She didn't want to misunderstand anything, and she had always been naive when it came to such topics. 'Yeah, must be.' She concluded. "You can come visit if you like." She raised her head with a fresh smile. "It's not really open yet until I raise my crafting level, but uhh..." After the offer had left her mouth, she began to doubt why he would be interested in her empty Artisan shop.

[Jomei 0]

Telrenya seemed confused and flustered after his slip, though she continued on with the other topic of conversation, hopefully not dwelling on the 'd' word he used just moments earlier. After he had told her about his new home on Floor Eleven, she spoke a bit on her Artisan shop and how she had been decorating it. Again, she seemed to trail off. Had she been dwelling on her brother again. Stop Nick stop.. he told himself.. You overthink things too much. Once she came back to the conversation, she mentioned that he could visit if he wanted to. Her speech seemed awkward, as if Jomei had made it that way. Dammit.. I'm no good at this [censored].. 

He grinned, "Sure. Next time I'm on Floor Three I'll pay you a visit." He picked up his tea and took a long sip, at the moment wishing it were something stronger. Though.. it wasn't like alcohol would do anything to his system anymore. He looked over the brim of his mug before setting it back down on the table. "The same goes for my house. It's a lot bigger than my old beach house, and even bigger than my shop... Not that you would know what either of them looked like." he chuckled nervously. He fiddled with the handle of his mug.. He had so much to say when they were out on a quest. But now he was just sitting across from her, trying to make small talk. 

[Telrenya 0]

"A beach house?" Telrenya echoed, the thought of such a thing intriguing her. She hadn't ventured any farther than the ninth floor as of yet, and had yet to encounter any kind of beach. The woman opened her mouth, about to inquire more about the location, when a different voice spoke up.

"Can I bring the cute couple anything else?" Telrenya blinked as the question reached her ears, looking up to see the same red-haired waitress looking down at the pair with a neutral expression. Telrenya's cheeks quickly turned red as she wasn't sure how to react to the assumption, simply stammering out a "N-no thanks!"

The waitress' expression contorted into a playful smile as she giggled lightly when the pair expressed their embarrassment. She leaned in slightly, speaking in a hushed tone as if she was trying to let the players in on a secret. "Hey, north of here through the forest, there's a safezone called The Starglades. It's really pretty at night, you should go check it out!"

No sooner than the girl had finished her statement, a faint scream could be heard over the various conversations and ambient noise of the tavern. Telrenya perked at the sound, instinctively looking to Jomei despite the awkward air that had thickened between them. "Did...you hear that?" She asked, concern in her expression as the color in her cheeks gradually drained back to normal.

[Jomei 0]

Telrenya picked up on the old beach house he used to live in, why did he have to mention that house. He let out a slight sigh and hesitated a bit before nodding his head. "Yeah.. It wasn't exactly.. my house.." He started the story, but was interrupted by the waitress coming back to check on them. She asked if the two needed anything else, and calling the two sitting at the table in front of her a cute couple. His olive eyes went wide and his cheeks red as he looked back down at the table, both of his hands clutching at the ceramic mug containing only a small amount of tea left. Jomei honestly was at a loss for words, what would Telrenya say now? Lucky for him, she took lead on this one and thanked the waitress, trying to dismiss her.

The waitress did not leave as suddenly as they had hoped, and instead mentioned of a secluded safe zone on this floor known as the StarGlades. Jomei had heard of the place, though he had never been there, as far as he knew. Part of him just wanted the waitress to go away so that the awkwardness between the two would hopefully disappear so they could salvage the night... but the other half of him wanted to ask Tel if she wanted to go check it out. Hell, if he had already accidentally spilled this much about how he felt, he might as well go all the way.

Suddenly, a scream could be heard from outside of the inn. It was slightly muffled, so one could not tell if it came from a man, woman, or child. It was a scream nonetheless. As Telrenya began to ask if Jomei had heard the distressed voice, he had already raised to his feet, and was throwing his cloak over his shoulders and heading towards the door. He pushed his shoulder into the door to quickly make his way outside, there he saw a man holding a dagger up to a younger player's throat. The victim was transferring all of the items, gold, and materials in his inventory into a large backpack that the robber held in his hands. "What the hell are you doing?!" Jomei said, reaching across his body for his rapier. The robber looked at Jomei, a hood covering half of his face, before throwing the pack over his shoulder and running out of the town. Jomei stepped forward to the player who just got robbed, "You realize he couldn't hurt you in the safe zone!"  the kid looked confused, before looking disappointed in himself. Jomei looked over his shoulder to see Telrenya. He smirked at her, "Come on, Tel. Looks like this date just got a little bit more exciting." 

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya followed suit after Jomei sprang to his feet. She quickly grabbed her scarf and handed the startled-looking waitress a handful of col before hurrying to the doorway after the man. She stepped through the doorway just as Jomei looked back and offered her an invitation to chase a thief. Despite the pressing situation, the woman couldn't help but smile in return, answering him with a small chuckle. "We can't stop finding trouble, can we?"

The pair hurried in the direction that the thief had fled, Jomei leading the way until they reached the town gates. They had paused for a moment, catching their breath and unable to see their target in the distance. It didn't take them long to spot fresh footprints in the snow that allowed them to continue their pursuit.

Before long, they had managed to catch up to the hooded culprit just as he dashed passed a large crystal formation jutting out from the ground. The structure sat beside a large mountain to form the mouth of a cave. A large network of caverns that almost looked to be comprised of ice and opaque crystals hid inside of the mountain, and the duo hurried after the thief as he skidded around winding turns in a desperate attempt to lose the players.

[Jomei 0]

"We can't stop finding trouble, can we?" Telrenya smiled as she remarked to Jomei.

Jomei bit his lip and felt a fluttering feeling in his stomach. After that look and remark, he wanted to say something. Another time, he thought to himself before leading the woman after the elusive thief. The farther they ran from the town of SnowFrost, the thicker the snowfall got. Their visibility diminished as they ran, and by the time they had made it out of the blizzard and could see again, they had lost track of the man. "Damn.." Jomei cursed under his breath, before he saw Telrenya pointing at footprints leading off of the road and towards an ice cavern. Jomei smirked, "Good eye."

Jomei and Telrenya were able to continue their pursuit into the cave, where they found the man still running from the two. The walls of the cave around them were made of ice, just as the floor was, making the whole area tough to traverse. Jomei was able to keep his balance without falling, though it decreased his speed. After a few more winding turns, he heard the sound of something crashing into the ground. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Telrenya still standing. Which could only mean one thing, as they rounded the next corner, they saw the thief on all fours, struggling to get back up to his feet. Jomei stepped over to the man and pressed his boot up against his side, pushing him back into the floor. He then ripped out his rapier and held it at the man's throat. "Hand over the items you stole....in the name of the Holy Dragon Alliance." Jomei looked up at Telrenya for a moment before facing the robber once again. 

"Psh. I ain't scared of you.. You look like you wouldn't hurt a fly." the man said, propping himself onto his elbows.

Jomei, however, retaliated by moving his rapier forward, the point gently pricking the man's neck, pushing the thief back onto his back. "..Try me. You'll find I'm not the man I look like." Jomei replied in a slightly sinister whisper.

"...O-Okay okay fine.. Take it.. Just.. Just let me live, please." 

Jomei looked back up at Telrenya, looking to see if she had some sort of judgement for the man.

[Telrenya 0]

When they had finally caught up with the thief and Jomei took the initiative to pin the man in place against the slick ground, Telrenya took a moment to catch her breath, the air that left her lungs forming a thick fog that quickly dissipated each time. She stepped up beside Jomei as the two of them stared down at the criminal. With Jomei's intimidation and the tip of his blade pressed against the stranger's throat, it didn't take him long to surrender his spoils. Telrenya knelt down, wordlessly reaching out to the bag he clutched. Reluctantly, the man relinquished his grasp of it, but rather than sling the item over her shoulder, she opened it and pulled out its contents, depositing each item into her own inventory. holding a pouch half-filled with col in one hand as the last of his pilfered items, Telrenya handed the bag back to the man. His eyes darted back to meet hers, a look of confusion mixed with the fear and frustration in his eyes.

Telrenya wasn't a stranger to bullies. She stood, looking down at the man still held at a blade's edge. She lacked her usual compassion, and her words were as icy as the cavern surrounding them. "Why did you do it?" She hadn't arrived on the scene in time to see his crime play out, but she saw the child standing beside Jomei. A young player, with a look of despair on their face that Telrenya hadn't seen the likes of in a long time.

"Oh y'know, I got nothin' better to do so--urk!" His sarcastic words were cut short by the pressure of Jomei's boot digging into his side. "Okay!" He coughed out, taking a short breath as the punishment for his cheekiness eased up. "I'm desperate, okay? My..." The man cast a nervous glance between each of their cold gazes before continuing. "My brother got--got turned orange yesterday. It was an accident, we were just messing around and--" His words continued in a rush, as if he expected Jomei's blade to run him through when he uttered the word 'orange'. "i-it hasn't turned back yet, a-and we don't have enough su--" He flinched when Telrenya suddenly knelt back down and pulled the bag from his nervous grasp again. The woman held an annoyed expression as she navigated her menus, a thick silence hanging in the air while she worked. The woman had transferred a few basic food items and a few hundred col from her inventory into the bag's empty slots. Tossing the bag back to the man, he let out a small grunt as the new weight of it fell onto his stomach. She gave Jomei a short sideways glance, as if to tell him to send the man on his way despite her irritation.