[PP-F9] Shattered Mask <<DHA: 9>> (Telrenya)

[Jomei 0]

With the dragon occupying the Eighth Floor now vanquished, that only left one final hatchling for the duo to find and defeat upon the Ninth. It had been a long time coming, but the end was finally in sight. All they needed was this last gem before they would be able to see what powers it held, and what it had to do with the mysterious castle on the Tenth Floor. 

Just like the last hatchling, Jomei already held the information of where the one called Smaug was located. The pitch black egg had been spotted along the rim of the tallest volcano on the floor.. of course the last of the quest line being the most dramatic of a battle field. With each of their eyes set on the end goal, Erin and Jomei did not hesitate to make their way to the Yogen Village and immediately head out to the peak that towered over the main settlement. 

The journey up the side of the volcano was much more treacherous that climbing up a regular mountain. The rocky slope of the magma-filled structure absorbed the heat of the molten rock inside, making the trip not only dangerous, but hot and dreary. The two trooped on and eventually made their way to the top of the volcano. At the top, just along the ridge as the message said, was Smaug, bathing in a magma filled egg shell. Its large, eyes turned to look at the two players, before slowly emerging from its makeshift tub, growling and taking cautious steps towards them. 

As Jomei took out his rapier to attack, Smaug took to the skies and swiftly flew over their heads. Locking an attack on him would prove much more difficult than the prior dragons. Jomei's eyes turned a brighter green, cross hairs of a similar color flickering around the center. Finally, activating his Charge skill, Jomei was able to rush around the side of the volcano's mouth and meet Smaug on the opposite side, ripping into its thick scales with his Over Radiation sword art. 

_________________________________________________________
ID 95636 | BD 4(+4)(-3)(+1 Concentration) | MD 6(+3)(-4) Miss
Over Radiation: 14x17(+5 Charge) = 308 - (75 Mit) = 233 Dmg

Jomei: 1250/1250 HP | 127/137 EN | 17 DMG | 52 MIT | 4 EVA | 4 ACC | 2 Savvy | B.Healing 
Telrenya: 720/720 HP | 72/72 EN | 12 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 59 MIT

Smaug: 267/500 HP | 150 DMG | 75 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 EVA | 24 Burn

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya was already lightly panting behind the thin metal of her mask when they reached their destination, the combination of the physical exertion from the climb and the rising arid temperatures as they drew closer to the exposed pools of lava. Finally on even enough terrain, the woman followed suit to draw her own weapon as they faced the molten hatchling.

She had to force her eyes to keep from darting to the side and taking in the unnerving sight of the active volcano. She swallowed, locking her sights on the ruby dragon in flight before Jomei sped from her side to attack the monster head-on. Inhaling a deep breath of hot air through her nostrils, the woman steeled herself and turned before forcing her feet to carry her forward. She picked up speed, breaking into a run as she circled around the opposite side to pincer the beast. Mirroring Jomei's assault, Telrenya lunged forward with a barrage of fourteen strikes.

As St. Andrew's Bane drew out of Smaug's body with the conclusion of her attack, the small dragon was quick to lash out in retaliation. Its tail whipped towards Jomei before its wide claw sliced through the air towards Telrenya. Her eyes widened for a split second before she felt the force of the dragon's talons raking across her face. The sharp tips hooked under the silver plate of her mask, prying the item loose as the skin of her left jaw and cheek was marked with a fresh set of gashes. The force of the blow knocked the girl to the side, causing her to fall to her knees as she faced the open edge of the volcano. She could only watch with wide eyes as the metal accessory fell through the air and dropped into the bubbling magma below, her mind left blank and failing to process the turn of events.

ID#: 95640 | BD: 5(+4)(-3)=6
(12 base) + (3 charge) = (15 DMG) x (14 sword art) = (210 DMG) - (75 MIT) = 135 DMG

Jomei: 1250/1250 HP | 137/137 EN | 17 DMG | 52 MIT | 4 EVA | 4 ACC | 2 Savvy | B.Healing 
Telrenya: 720/720 HP | 57/72 EN | 12 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 59 MIT

Smaug: 132/500 HP | 150 DMG | 75 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 EVA | 24 Burn

[Jomei 0]

Where Jomei's attack path led him to the left of the volcano's entrance, Erin took to the right to flank the swiftly moving Smaug. The duo's precise movements matched almost perfectly, Jomei and Erin's combined assault leaving the dragon with a mere fraction of its health remaining. Smaug worked to counter the assault and knock each of the players off of him. Jomei was barely able to dodge the powerful tail whip, taking a large step backwards to just avoid taking the scaled appendage to the side. Erin, on the other hand, was not able to move as quickly to dodge the attack. 

Smaug's claws met the mask-hidden face that rested just under Erin's brown hood. With one single swipe, the thin metal was thrown from the girl's face and sent plummeting towards the molten magma at the bottom of the volcano. "Erin!" Jomei shouted as the girl collapsed to her side, Jomei only catching a glimpse of the gashes on her cheek, and the raven hair that now flowed freely without the mask in its way, though nothing to be able to distinguish any more of her prominent features. 

The ginger worked quickly to rush at Smaug again, drawing its attention back onto him. The glowing tip of Oathkeeper ravaged the dragon's body, leaving deep red and white gashes in its neck, body, and wings. Pivoting on the ball of his foot, Jomei thrusted forward with one last piercing strike through the side of the dragon's head, ending its life indefinitely. The remains of the dragon, which took the form of small pixels, rained to the volcano's ridge at their feet. Slowly, Jomei moved to Erin's side, "Hey, you alright?" 

__________________________________________________________

ID 95714 | BD 7(+4)(-3) Hit | MD 3(+3)(-4) Miss

Over Radiation: 14x17 = 238(-75 MIT) = 163 DMG

Jomei: 1250/1250 HP | 118/137 EN | 17 DMG | 52 MIT | 4 EVA | 4 ACC | 2 Savvy | B.Healing 
Telrenya: 720/720 HP | 57/72 EN | 12 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 59 MIT

Smaug: 0/500 HP | 150 DMG | 75 MIT | 3 ACC | 3 EVA | 24 Burn

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya's gloved hand was glued to the side of her face, holding the tingling skin of her jaw and cheek. It wasn't the dragon's heavy swipe that had her stunned--mechanically or otherwise. There were very few times that she willingly removed her mask when playing as Erin, and now it was as if her greatest nightmare when taking on this quest chain with Jomei was seconds away from playing out. She hadn't registered the flash of light, nor the familiar sound that played when something expired in the virtual world. She was only snapped back to reality when she heard Jomei's voice full of concern beside her, and the girl tore her eyes away from the bubbling lava that had devoured her mask. Instead, she turned her face further away from him in reaction. Her hand served to work as a barrier of sorts, concealing the side of her face that was closest to him, but as the seconds ticked by her mind stuttered and stalled.

She wanted to say something. Even a hurried apology would have been better than nothing. But her voice failed her just the same as her legs when she first pushed herself to her feet. The woman had tried to carry herself back the way they'd come, but her knees buckled a step and a half after turning her back on the ginger and she crashed back to the ground. Without wasting a second, she tried again, more successfully this time, and she broke out into a run around the mouth of the volcano towards the path that would ultimately lead her back to Yogan.

[Jomei 0]

As Jomei took slow, careful strides towards the downed Erin, her free hand rose to the side of her face, as to block her features from the approaching ginger. "..Erin?" Jomei said in a soft voice, reaching out a hand towards her. He took a startled step back as the woman rushed to get to her feet, falling to her knees soon after as she lost traction. The man did not have any time to help her or even react before she pushed herself up to her feet again, this time successful. Once she was standing, she quickly retreated to the edge of the volcano, retracing their steps back down the side of the mountain. Jomei's hand slowly fell back to his side, confused at why she had ran from him. Why was it such a problem that Jomei did not see her face.. what did she have against the man. The man felt a twisting feeling in his gut, the corners of his lips pulling into a frown. 

Knowing that the girl most likely wanted her space, Jomei gave her some time to retreat before making his way down the mountain. Though not until after he had picked up the final gem that Smaug had dropped. He stared into red Ruby, before the thought crossed his mind. With this new development and the loss of Erin's mask, would she continue to the final quest with him when the time came? Or would he have to venture to the tenth floor on his own. With a heavy sigh, Jomei placed the item into his inventory and began the long journey back to Yogen himself. 

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya didn't stop running until she reached the edge of the volcanic city. Her artificial lungs burned with each breath of hot air, and after the combined exertion of the long sprint as well as taking down both the sapphire and ruby dragons, it was only the adrenaline coursing through her that kept her going the rest of the way to the teleport gate. She hadn't heard a voice or footsteps behind her to indicate Jomei had been following her, and she was at first nervous to cast any more than a quick glance over her shoulder once she'd entered the invisible barrier of the safe zone.

She was quick to call out the name of the third floor settlement once she was able to teleport from the plaza at the center of Yogan Village. Her avatar was quick to vanish in a ball of blue light, and soon her surroundings changed dramatically. Ashen skies were replaced with bright blue, sundown still hours away. The flat-topped stone buildings that made up the shops and inns of floor nine became close-sitting cottages decorated with brightly-colored flowers while the Elven folk populated the cobblestone streets of Delilah. Telrenya looked positively out of place, a trio of bright red gashes still lingering across her cheek as her health had yet to fully regenerate. Her breathing was still heavy as she pushed herself to walk the familiar path from the main plaza to her Artisan shop.

[Jomei 0]

The trip back to Yogen felt much longer without the company of another by his side, even if it was the mostly silent Erin. Jomei's hand rose to run through his ginger hair, pushing the long bangs that covered his eye onto the top of his head. He held his palm against his head for a moment before letting his hair fall back into place. This whole situation was a mess.. and he did not even know why it was as such. Once the man reached Yogen village, his eyes scanned the town to see if Erin was still anywhere present, though he doubted as much. The girl would have most likely hurried back to wherever she had been staying, or to the side of any of her other companions. With one last sigh, Jomei stepped up onto the platform that housed the teleporter, "Warp, Taft." 

The change in temperature to one more fitting for the season brought relief to Jomei, an immediate breeze gently nibbling at his exposed skin. At least the nine dragon hatchlings had been finished.. that was all that mattered for now. He knew Erin would be fine, more than likely the strike against her did more damage to her pride and sense of security rather than her own health or well being. The man only hoped that she would soon be able to bounce back to help him complete the final challenge the Dragon Hunter Anthology had planned for them.

Finally arriving at his Taft home, Jomei entered the building. He noticed that the house seemed quiet, and the lights both in the upstairs bedroom and the living room were switched off, meaning that Telrenya was not home. "Estelle?" Jomei called to confirm his suspicions. The man simply shrugged before making his way up to his bedroom. 

[Telrenya 0]

She almost stopped along the familiar path to her shop in order to ask herself what she was doing. Why was she here, trudging through the streets of Delilah rather than making her way back to her home in Taft? Telrenya pushed open the oaken door of Crystal Clear, letting it swing shut behind her. With the light of the virtual sun that hung over the Elven city pouring through the large glass pane at the front of the building, she didn't bother to turn on the lights overhead. She sat herself down, nearly crashing against the workbench as her torso leaned over the flat surface. Raven curls spilled out from the sides of her hood on onto the wooden tabletop as she finally allowed herself time to catch her breath.

Telrenya's lids slid closed as her shoulders bobbed with each breath and she played the scene from the edge of the volcano back in her mind. Jomei had called her Erin, even after the mask had been knocked away. Did that mean he hadn't seen her face? Was she just overreacting, and everything would smooth itself over on its own? She tried to continue calming herself and focused for several long moments on each deep, steadying breath that flowed through her.

'What do I do now? This wasn't how 'Erin' was supposed to disappear...' The troubled thoughts were quick to return. Maybe she could just get a new mask. She could apologize for running off, they could meet up for whatever castle they were supposed to visit on the tenth floor, and then Erin could vanish like she had decided earlier that morning. The girl's arm dragged across the table. Though her eyes were still closed, the practiced motion of her hand elicited a soft chiming sound to signal the opening of her menus. She needed to change her clothes, and dismiss the effects that changed the colors of her hair and irises, and make her way back home before it got late. If she just worked extra hard to make it seem like nothing was out of the ordinary today, maybe everything really would be okay.

But the blanket of exhaustion was a heavy weight that draped over her slumped frame. With the combination of felling two more dragons and fleeing the scene of the volcano's peak, it was only seconds later that Telrenya drifted off into much-needed sleep.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei slowly made his way up the stairs to their bedroom, his legs tired from the back to back battles against the dragon hatchlings. Reaching out to the side, he found the small panel on the wall to switch on the lights to the small room— Telrenya still nowhere to be seen. The ginger’s brows furrowed with concern as he moved towards his wardrobe to switch out of his battle coat and armor. Drawing a slow line in the air with his hand, the familiar, grey menu screens expanded in front of him. The act of changing his clothes had become pretty much muscle memory at this point, for Jomei quickly changed into a sleeveless black shirt, with soft green hooded sweater atop it that also had no sleeves. 

Now in fresh clothes for the night, Jomei moved himself to the other side of his room and sat upon the blue sheet covered mattress. His tired mind no longer dwelled on Erin’s status, and instead wondered where Telrenya was. The sun was still dwindling in the sky above the mountains south west of Taft, so the idea that she was still caugt up in her shop was most likely the case. Despite, that did not stop the man from composing a quick message to the girl to let her know that he had returned home and was waiting for her to get home.

Without invitation, the thoughts of the mysterious Erin returned.. which began to strike suspicion in Jomei’s troubled mind. Slowly, Jomei scrolled through his inventories until he came to an item he had nearly forgotten about. Clutched between his fingers appeared a small bottle containing a black liquid, used to dye a players hair a different color. He stared at the item for a moment with lowered brows. No, he thought to himself, it has to be a coincidence.. she probably picked it up before Halloween and never used it.. or maybe it was some miscellaneous loot drop from a low leveled monster. 

Placing the dye on the edge of his desk, Jomei stood and moved himself to his living room, just to see if he had missed the girl’s entry by any chance. Of course, that was simply his own wishful thinking, for Tel still had not returned home. With a tiny sight, Jomei sat upon one of the cream colored couches, letting his back fall to the adjacent cushion. His olive eyes stared at the similarly colored ceiling above him only for a moment, before he found himself staring at the inside of his eyelids.

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya finally awoke to the sound of a sharp knocking against the door of her shop. She let out a small groan as her eyes fluttered open, brows immediately narrowing when she was met with the bright sunlight that was pouring into the room. She blinked a few times, mind hazy from the lingering cloud of sleep that she tried to shake away as she picked her head up from the arm that it had rested on. She sat up at her workbench, slowly at first, until she realized where she was. After a quick glance to the corner of her field of vision, she then also realized when she was. Eyes widened slightly at the realization that she'd managed to fall asleep in her shop of all places, and she quickly rose to her feet. Her own gloved hands caught her attention, and yet another realization hit her that caused the woman to hurriedly open her menus to swap out her equipment.

Another knock at the door. It took the girl a second to notice it was not the first attempt at getting the shopkeeper's attention, and so after hastily dismissing the effects of the midnight black hair dye and jade green lenses, and donning the white button-up, charcoal grey blazer, and dark peach skirt that was accompanied by the many star-themed accessories in the outfit she had received from Ruby, Telrenya took quick steps to the door. Pulling open the barrier separating her shop from the streets of Delilah, the blonde blinked in surprise at the smirking face that awaited her on the other side.

"Long time no see, princess." Erin stood with hands slid into his pockets. Telrenya could only stammer out the man's name in reply, taking a step forward and closing the door to her shop behind her.

"A-actually, I'm in a really big hurry right now, so," She hadn't gotten more of an excuse out with the step she took to the side when the redhead's palm crashed into the doorframe beside her head, causing the woman to flinch and freeze in place.

"Listen, sweetheart. I know you've been having fun with your whole charades thing," His smirk had disappeared as he stared down at the girl. "but I didn't sign up to be your little messenger for free. And I have been very patient for a very long time." Erin drew himself closer, causing Telrenya to drift back until the few inches of space between her and the closed door were gone, and her shoulderblades pressed up against it. The redhead reached his free hand forward, taking the trapped girl's chin with his thumb and lifting her head with the curve of his index's knuckle.

[Jomei 0]

Despite how tired Jomei was from the days events before, sleep did not come easily, if at all. Every hour or so, he would awake and check his surroundings -- still in the living room on the couch, still no Telrenya. He simply kept telling himself that she had probably fallen asleep at her shop trying to fill a large order.. or something of the like. Worry plagued Jomei's mind, there was no doubt about that, and as much as he wanted to go and search for her, or try messaging her again.. he did not want to seem like the type of boyfriend to always know where she was and over worry. Yet, on the other hand.. what if she had gotten herself into trouble, and was stuck in some dungeon, or running from some player killer. Jomei's hands rose to his head, the tips of his fingers clawing at his forehead before dragging them down the length of his face. By now, it was not only his thoughts that kept him up, by the light of the sun that poured in from the glass panes on the opposite side of the room that bathed his face. With a heavy sigh, the ginger sat up, rubbing the back of his stiff neck.

Raising his weary hand, Jomei checked his inbox to see if he had missed a message from Telrenya by any chance. Nothing, of course, just like the last time he had checked. Placing his hands on his knees, Jomei rose to a standing position. He could not sit around and wait for her anymore, he needed to see if she was alright. With his menu still open, Jomei moved into his inventory and swapped out his casual clothes for the long green coat. An index finger hovered over the selection that would equip Oathkeeper to his hip, really hesitating to take out the weapon. Was he that worried to where he might need to use it to save her? After asking himself the question, the hesitation faded as he pressed the button and rushed out the door of their Taft home. 

Jomei's first, and hopefully only stop, would be Telrenya's shop, Crystal Clear, set in Delilah village. Moving through the streets that had become much more familiar to him, the ginger's eyes were focused on his front. His feet carried him quickly past every bend, moving as quickly as he could to get to the Artisan shop on the other side of the quaint town. The man's virtual heart raced as he neared the last corner, which turned round it would leave the shop in plain sight. Jomei's chest heaved as he took in a deep breath through his nostrils, hoping he would see the shop open and Telrenya inside. Finally turning the corner, Jomei saw that Telrenya was there, but definitely not in a situation he had wanted to see. 

A red headed player stood in front of Telrenya, allowing the girl almost no space to herself. One of his arms extended out with his palm against the door's frame to prevent her from slipping by, while the other grabbed upon her chin, lifting her face up to look into his. Jomei could feel his blood boil as he looked into the vaguely familiar face of the red head, and his feet carried him forward faster than he had expected. A hand reached out to grab the man's shoulder, yanking him out from in front of the girl and turning his body so it faced the ginger. Both of Jomei's palms found them self then pressing into his chest and shoving him farther away. "The hell do you think you're doing!" Jomei growled.

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya's heart beat a little faster in her chest, apprehension gripping her tightly as her arms did their best to hold themselves in front of her chest--an unconscious attempt at a barrier between the two players. The small gesture did her no good, however, as Erin's piercing gaze nearly sent a shiver down her spine. "E-Erin, I d-don't--" The blonde couldn't stop her nervous stammering. She was confused, and growing more scared than anything by the little space Erin allowed her between them.

As if coming to her rescue, something jerked the redhead away from her. Telrenya's eyes could hardly go wider when she quickly recognized Jomei's frame, his face wearing an expression she rarely saw. The man that had stood over her stumbled back as he was shoved away, and his brows were quick to narrow as he started with a growl of his own. "Yo, mind your own business!" Emerald eyes ran over the Irishman standing across from him as he regained his posture, and he studied the man after his short outburst.

The familiar guild emblem and Jomei's reaction were all Erin needed to draw a conclusion. A sadistic smirk formed as the corner of his mouth hooked, and the redhead shifted his weight while a hand slid back into his pocket. "Oof, well this is awkward." Emerald eyes drifted back to Telrenya, still pressed up against the door of her Artisan shop before shifting back towards Jomei. "Listen gingersnap, I know she's a real busy woman, but we've got some unfinished business." His insinuating words were practically dripping with venom before they served to try and brush Jomei away.

[Jomei 0]

Mind his business? Olive eyes furrowed under his brows at the aggressive comment made by this red-head. "You're bothering Tel, so yeah. It is my Goddamn business." the Irishman barked back, taking a step closer towards the man. Despite taking a step away from the girl, Jomei shifted his feet so he faced Telrenya, "Are you okay?" the expression on his face softening, and his voice changing to one of complete concern. Never did he have to think of a scumbag such as this trying to step in between himself and Telrenya. The girl seemed unscathed, just shaken up from the larger man's forced approach. However, that was enough to push Jomei further over the line. He was not going to sit back and let this guy get away with this. 

Jomei's attention turned back to the man as he expressed an 'awkwardness' with the situation. That damn smirk he wore pissed off Jomei, what the hell did he find so entertaining about this situation. Piercing emerald eyes moved from the ginger to Telrenya, looking over the woman that stood there scared. Despite the seemingly still moment between his words, Jomei did not take notice of the guild symbol that floated next to the red head, for his eyes were simply locked on the green eyes that scanned the woman's body, before turning back to Jomei. The nickname gingersnap was enough to set Jomei off to react.. but the rest of his words were what finally pushed him over the edge. 

Jomei's fist ignited in a gold light, similarly to when he activated a sword art with his rapier. Taking a large step foward, Jomei's left hand found the red-head's collar, lowering the man's upper body towards the ground. In the same moment, his glowing right hand swung upwards with a powerful uppercut, colliding with the bottom of the man's chin. The sound of his fist hitting the man's face echoed down the once silent streets of Delilah. The strike sent the man upwards off of his feet and arcing backwards, his back colliding with the cobblestone roads. The ginger took another step forward and grabbed Erin by his collar again, hosting him up from the ground. Olive eyes glared with hatred into the other man's, "Your business is finished now, got it?" the ginger growled through grit teeth.

[Telrenya 0]

If Telrenya's body could have grown any more rigid, it would have the moment Jomei glowing fist collided with Erin's chin. The blonde had given a small, hesitant nod when the Irishman had turned to address her, a ripple of relief running over her at his presence. But more overpowering than how grateful she felt for his intevention was the panic that still coursed through her. She no longer had to worry about the redhead looming over her, but now he was face to face with the one person she hadn't wanted to involve in any of this. With Erin's short remark, Telrenya forced a half-step forward. "W-wait," The meek word would never reach them as a fire was quick to ignite in the air.

"Siccing the guild leader on me? That's a damn fine welcome." Even after the devastating blow left him clutching his jaw from the unpleasant feedback, Erin managed to choke out another jabbing remark. He hadn't the time for his grimace to fade before a hand took in a fistful of his collar and he was yanked back upwards with a small grunt. Erin glared back at the ginger with the discomfort of the assault still clear in his expression. A short silence hung in the air at Jomei's command, Erin's eyes only growing sharper before the redhead finally came to a realization.

"Wait, h-hold on!" Telrenya tried again, finally moving herself a bit closer. She needed to stop this, she needed to somehow get them away from each other and get things back to normal. She was so close to putting all of this behind her, so why did something like this have to happen now?

"No, y'know what?" Erin lifted a hand to grip Jomei's, wrenching the Irishman's grip from his collar. "Fine. F*ck it, I'm done. She isn't worth it." Erin scowled at the two, and his choice of words caused Telrenya's heart to skip a single beat. The blonde stuttered out a small, confused reply to which the man brushed off as he opened his menus. "No, f*ck this. Get someone else to play in your little masquerade" He repeated with a flat tone. With a few swift movements, Erin made the selection to leave the Holy Dragon Alliance.

Telrenya was silent for a moment, the weight of his words and action sinking in. Panic continued to grip at her, squeezing tightly enough for something to snap inside of the normally-timid girl. "You said you would help me!" Her hands dropped into small fists at her side as she stared with angry tears welling at the corners of her eyes. Erin's cold gaze was quick to turn on the girl, and as he dismissed his menu he slid a hand back into his pocket. "Uh-uh sweetheart. I didn't sign up for being a punching bag." That sickening smirk couldn't seem to stop from crawling back onto his face. "But hey, if you get dumped over all this, I might still be willing to give you a shoulder to cry on." His words weren't nearly as suggestive as his tone, which only caused the blonde to bristle with more anger.

"I--I trusted you on this!" Her emotional state left for a poor choice of words that continued to spill, "I tried not to bother you with it. I trusted you, so why would you keep--"

"Bullsh*t!" Erin cut her off with his own raised voice. "Don't preach to me, princess. You're just as selfish as I am, and it looks like we both got caught." His chuckle held a hint of bitterness. The moment that Telrenya tried to refute his words, the man shot right back at the riled girl, soon lifting his free hand to jab a pointed finger in the Irishman's direction. "Save it! If you're gonna try to gush about 'trust and honesty', why don't you tell him who the real Erin is?!"

[Jomei 0]

The ginger clutched at the cloth of Erin's shirt for a long moment, his eyes only breaking from the emeralds that glared back at him when he noticed a familiar symbol in in the corner of his eye. Looking upon the man's health bar, he noticed a black and white emblem that represented a dragon.. his symbol.. the one he had chosen for the Holy Dragon Alliance. Hie brows rose in shock, "W-what?" he gasped. Slowly, Jomei's eyes returned to Erin's, still not sure what was going on. This man was a part of his guild.. but who was he? Or who had invited him to join. Behind him, he could hear Telrenya pleading for the two to cease the fighting, to which the red head responded by breaking Jomei's grip on his collar. The shocked ginger complied, letting his loose grip go as he took a step back, waiting to hear someone explain what was going on.

Olive eyes shifted back and forth between Telrenya, who watched the scene in front of her unfold with an expression of panic. Jomei was at a loss for words, this was much more than a simple man trying to get with Telrenya. No he knew her from somewhere else, and not from prior meetings of trying to flirt with her. It was something more, and Jomei could not figure it out for the life of him. Telrenya did not seem like the type to have an affair with another man, let alone fall for a complete scumbag such as this. 

The man's words were like daggers, slicing through each of Jomei's nerves. As if him arriving to the man trying to force Telrenya into something she did not want to do, the situation as a whole was driving the man mad. Something was going on behind his back, and it involved Telrenya. "The...real Erin...?" Jomei spoke to himself under his breath before turning back to the read head. "Wait...." Jomei's mind recalled to his meeting with Hikoru... long back at the beginning of his relationship with Telrenya, just after the Death Adder incident. There was a man in the corner of the bar.. an obnoxious, womanizing redhead... Hikoru referred to him as Erin. Jomei's finger rose to point at the red head, "You.. yo--you're Erin. I remember.." The gears continued to turn in Jomei's mind, if this was the Erin that was part of his guild.. then who was the masked woman he had been questing with. It did not take long for Jomei to realize where his thoughts were going, and slowly, Jomei turned to face Telrenya.. face in disbelief at the conclusion he had come to. "T..Tel.. you.." 

Tears welled up in the corners of Jomei's eyes, realizing that for the past .. who knows how long.. Telrenya has been using this guise.. but for what reason? "Why...Why were you keeping this all a secret..I .. I just don't understand." From the side, Jomei heard a familiar chuckle that caused his head to jerk towards the real Erin. Again, he seemed enthused by the whole show going on.. still sticking around despite being done with the charade. Jomei stormed up to the man, before allowing Telrenya to even answer, grabbing Erin by the collar again and pulling him in close, speaking in a sharp whisper. "If you think for a goddamn second that I would ever let you get the chance to put your [censored] hands on Tel, then I would like to see you try. If you even think about trying to see her again or message her, I will find you and put you in the [censored] ground. Do you hear me? I've killed before.. And I won't hesitate to do it again. So get. The Hell. Out of here." Jomei immediately regretted the overly harsh words spoken to Erin. His anger got the best of him, and he said things that he would never follow through with. Where he was incredibly upset with the red head, Jomei would not have stooped to murder. However, it got the man away from him, and hopefully from Telrenya for good, and that was what mattered right now. He only hoped that if Telrenya had heard, that she knew his intentions were not malicious either. Throwing his hand forward, Jomei shoved Erin off of him again before letting out a heavy sigh.. waiting for Telrenya's answer now that they were alone. 

[Telrenya 0]

No, no, no no no. This wasn't happening. She was still asleep in her shop, passed out from exhaustion and having a really, really bad dream. It had to be. But the way her heart throbbed with an intense pain as she saw Jomei's eyes lock with hers was too real. "Ni--...J-Jomei..." The tiny voice she used could only find his name, though their company caused her to reflexively grasp at the one meant for his avatar. Her vision blurred as her month-long facade came crashing down around her. There was no anger left in her small frame for the snickering redhead, as she was filled to the brim with fear, and sadness, and regret.

When Erin was jerked forward yet again, he was almost prepared for the verbal onslaught. Almost. He had dealt with other men before, partners who were furious with him after finding his arm around what they thought was their 'special person'. But their rage had always masked heartbreak. They were lashing out at him when it was their former lover who had been unfaithful in reality. Very rarely did Erin go to such lengths to pursue a woman who hadn't willingly thrown themselves at him. And never had he seen the wrath of a man to whom her devotion had not wavered.

As the redhead was half-forcibly dismissed, the two were left alone in deafening silence. The early-morning Delilahn street was quiet and undisturbed even after their small scuffle. Though the heat in the air had died down, Telrenya's brimming tears overflowed as she faced the Irishman. Her heart was twisting in knots alongside her stomach, his broken questions replaying back in her mind. "Ni-ick, I--" She choked in a weak voice before trying to swallow down the massive lump that resided in her throat. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to... I mean, I wanted to tell you, I-I just," She couldn't detangle her thoughts in time before they tried to leave her mouth, and the girl gripped lightly onto the fabric of her skirt, taking a sharp, shuddering breath as she desperately tried to explain herself.

"I-I've been leveling on my own. After...After you and Ruby went to the boss fight. I wanted to go, too. I-I wanted to get stronger and fight with you."

Then why keep it a secret?

"If--I thought if you guys knew, you would just be in more d-danger trying to keep me safe. I-if I was someone else, then...then that wouldn't happen."

What kind of reasoning is that?

"It was stupid! A-after the dragon hunting quests, I-I was going to stop. It--it hurt too much to keep lying to you..."

Now you're going to play the victim?

Everything she said as she rambled and stammered out her explanations sounded idiotic, and a voice in the back of her head was quick to point it out.

[Jomei 0]

It was not until Erin was out of Jomei's sight and he heard his true name break the silence did he turn around to face the blonde. The ginger's brows rose, pinched together in center as the corners of his lips pulled into a frown. He tried to quell the rage that had built up from Erin's choice of words, and actions towards Telrenya. With each breath, his body shuddered, and moist eyes finally rose to look into the Tel's glistening, chocolate brown eyes.. tears of sorrow already trailing down her cheeks. As she tried to explain, her words came out broken, incomplete thoughts being spit out from the girl's mouth in any attempt to get Jomei to understand. "You didn't meant to what?" Jomei simply replied, before her own statements became clearer and more thought out. 

His own eyes clamped shut, trying to hold back tears from his own. If Jomei started crying, he knew that he, too, would not make sense of his words.. and the two would end up even more hurt than they already were now. However, it was hard to hold back the tears, and they began to trickle down to his own chin, before dropping to the ground at his feet. "I - I knew that you had been training with Aereth on your own.. but I had no idea that you've been running around behind a mask going out on your own like that.. I-I mean.." Jomei brought a hand up to push the orange fringe from the front of his face, revealing both of his eyes. He held his hand at the side of his temple as he broke eye contact with Telrenya for a moment, trying to reconsider his words, though nothing was coming to mind. The man's eyes shut again as he let his hair fall back in front of his face, "I just.. can't believe you've been lying to me all this time."

[Telrenya 0]

Seeing the emotion in Jomei's face caused Telrenya's shoulders to shudder with a fresh wave of tears. He seemed at as much of a loss as she for a moment, practically still in disbelief. She didn't have any excuses. She told herself that she felt terrible for going behind the man's back, deceiving him, and pretending like nothing was out of the ordinary. And yet she continued to do so for days, weeks, without a clear end in sight. If she really felt bad, she would have come clean the first time. Or better yet, she wouldn't have been dumb enough to go through with it in the first place.

But something sparked inside of her. Just the tiniest flicker of resistance that kept her from crumpling to the cobblestone floor. Maybe it was a bit of leftover anger towards the cheeky redhead that misplaced itself into the topic at hand. Maybe it was a defense mechanism to keep herself from breaking down completely. Either way, the grip on the sides of her skirt tightened and Telrenya's jaw clenched a bit while she tried to fight the flowing tears. "Am I wrong?!" She challenged.

The girl had raised her voice without meaning to as she directed back to a piece of her earlier explanation. But she was growing too heated too quickly to catch herself. "I assumed Ruby would too, but can you say that you wouldn't take more risks if I was there in harm's way with you?" Her voice still cracked and struggled to remain clear, but she didn't pause to fully compose herself. "With people like Death Adder running around in those boss fights?!"

Just the thought of the blue-eyed devil set off a chain reaction. Telrenya's chin dropped, and her volume finally dropped as she aired something she recalled hearing from the man himself, though not as Telrenya. "What about you? You've--you've kept secrets too, right? You were really going to go after him, weren't you? Without telling anyone, you were going to go off and fight him alone, just like--" She stopped herself with wide eyes. A hand released its grip on her clothing and shot to her mouth as her gaze instinctively pulled back up to Jomei's.

[Jomei 0]

Suddenly, something happened that Jomei was not expecting, especially from the usually soft spoken sweetheart that stood across from him. Tel's voice rose into a bit of a yell, defending her actions. Jomei's eyes shot open and the man froze, not expecting for Telrenya to argue back as she now was. He was not sure what was causing the heart wrenching feeling he felt.. the fact that he was listening to her scream, or that it was directed at him. The ginger's body began to feel numb as tears continued to pool above his eyelid, not sure how to answer Telrenya's claims. The woman even went as far as the bring up a conversation the two had while she hid behind the guise that was Erin, where Jomei admitted to considering going out to fight Death Adder on his own.

 Jomei wanted to think about his words, to just hold Tel and tell her that everything was alright.. But that was not what his instincts acted upon. Jomei immediately fired back at Telrenya, "Yes. I would have put my life at risk for you, just like I always do. Whether you were on the front lines, sitting at home, or even twenty levels higher than me. And you don't think I would have cared as much if you were a different person? How do you think it would be if this whole reveal went a lot differently.. after watching Erin die in a boss fight. Hm? To come home hoping to find you, only to learn that I would never see you again.. and that you actually died in front of my eyes, and I would not have been able to do anything to stop it." Tears began to roll down Jomei's cheeks again.

"Not only that, but after watching you almost run after Death Adder on your own, do you think that would be a good idea to have you there? I didn't even want to be there when I saw him.. I'm sure no one would have if they knew exactly who he was." Jomei extended his arms out to the side, "And yes. Originally I did want to go after him on my own.. I wanted to take him down for what he did to you. But after what you went through with James.. after he tried to fight him on his own. I didn't want to put you through that again." 

[Telrenya 0]

"That's...!" As Jomei painted a picture in her mind, Telrenya's bottom lip quivered. The thought made her sick to her stomach, and she felt another huge pang of guilt hit her all over again. Her hand fell to her chest and curled into a tight fist. "I didn't--I just wanted--!" An overwhelming part of her was still desperate to defend herself, but the thoughts she tried to vocalize were incomplete and nonsensical again. What was she doing all of this for, really? She kept saying it was because she didn't want her friends to worry about her. For years, she looked to her brother's back as he stood up for her. Watched him yell at the other kids who made fun of the color of her hair, or laughed at her when she struggled to read kanji. Sat and cried while he got into fights after finding out she was doing the other kids' homework in exchange for leaving them alone. Telrenya's shoulders went rigid as new, hot tears stung at the corners of her chocolate eyes, spilling over as she wrenched them shut. "I don't need to be protected anymore!!"

This was a mistake. All of it was a huge mistake. She regretted the words, the tone, the emotion behind it as soon as the sentence had left her lips, and the girl visibly retracted with wide eyes as she realized the damage she had done. A long moment of suffocating silence passed. "N-Nick...I-I--" Her trembling voice had been reduced to a whisper. Her knees felt weak, and yet somehow she willed them to move. One minuscule step back. And then another. Her hand found its way back up to her mouth, hovering over her lips as she bit down on the skin to delay the sound of the sobs she could feel weighing down on her chest from escaping. "I'm so sorry...!" She could hardly raise her voice back to a normal volume without it breaking. The girl, no longer able to face the man she had wronged, turned away on the Delilahn street. Her limbs nearly buckled under the emotional weight, but somehow managed to carry her away. She ran. As cowardly as it was, it was all she could think of.