[PP-F04] Where the Lonely Ones Roam

[Eatos 0]

Eatos looked at the options within the guild. Player names, her notes as a leader. Information. A lot of it. Normally, she spent her time categorising the members of the guild and ensuring they were ok, and today, well, was similar. A single player had come up on her radar, again and again, and not in a good way. Pinball. Something about him bothered her, his anti-social behavior alone weren't bad. However, she had noticed a few more things. The interactions between himself and others, namely Froppy and Embers, during the last quest, had been the catalyst for the actions. From what she knew, Tsu and Pinball got along well and were close. Then at the raid, it was clear something was up and even the outsider, Embers, knew about it. If the girl knew one thing, that girl was insane, but her instincts were on point.

So it only reinforced her next action. A message to Pinball.

'Hey Pin. I'm sorry to pester you, but if you've got the spare time, could you please come down to my store/home on the 4th floor? Cheers'

Simple and short. She didn't want to get into the nitty gritty of it, not at first. She had a valid reason to call him down, get them talking, then they could, well, talk. 

@Pinball

[Pinball 1]

As of late, the 8th floor had been exceptionally rainy. Pinball lie on his shop's counter, stretched out, one leg dangling off the side. He leaned against the wall for support, watching the rainfall through the small window. The sound of raindrops filled the empty shop; stepping on the wooden floors would send echoes throughout the house. Pinball's mind was in another place, recalling memories, replaying moments in his life, and just daydreaming altogether. He was so deep in thought, in fact, that the ping of a notification served as a rude awakening. He was almost angry about it, but the feeling quickly faded. He swiped open his menu, tapping through the interface, and opening up his messenger. Eatos? The last (and only) times he had saw her, besides at the guild recruitment event, was in the Dragon Hunter quests and in their duel.

He read through the message, curious, his eyebrows furrowed. Vague, he thought. Very vague. Not much to go off of at all. As his curiosity faded, the emotion to take its place was that of dread. He didn't possibly know what she could want for him. Being messaged personally by a guild leader, so soon after the incident with Froppy, was quite worrying. He considered ignoring the message altogether, or fabricating some kind of lie to get him out of it. With a great sigh, he pushed himself off the counter, tapping the icon that brought him to his inventory. He equipped a plain, white shirt, with a plain sweater worn over it. Black pants and regular boots completed the outfit, the glass jar that contained his ghostly familiar tied to his belt. The rain still falling in earnest, he pushed his way through the shop door, and made his way to the teleporter. 

Glad I wore a sweater, he thought with a shiver, rubbing his arms. He trudged through the snow, a thick white blanket. He looked up to the gray skies, white flakes lazily floating down. Does it ever stop snowing here? Jesus. Pinball stopped in front of the shop, anxious. He knocked once, twice, then took a step back, waiting for a response, nervous as hell. 

[Eatos 0]

The girl looked around her store. Heros Infinite Arsenal. Her ‘home’ effectively. Weapons and armour up displayed around the store, as well as a her waiting area. The girl was sitting on one of the couches, waiting. She knew how she was going to do this, how she wanted to approach this conversation. She needed him to relate to her, and she had two ways. She had been, more open, about herself of late. And he knew something was wrong, after their last fight. If she was to open up, to show her scars, maybe he would do the same?

Eatos didn’t hear the knocking at the door, but thankfully, two sets of ears existed within the house. Angel, the girls Familiar and pet Husky, started barking at the door. The girl stood up and petted the large pet, before opening the door and smiling softly at Pinball.

“Hey Pin. Thanks for coming down so quickly. Come on it, it’s a little chilly today” The girl walked into the house, allowing Pin to enter. She had spent nearly an hour in the snow with Angel, the Husky loved to play in it, and while she hadn’t found it cold, others would. Then again, others had their heartbeat change.

The bluenette sat down on her couch, and the Husky leaped up and claimed the rest of the seat. The girl smiled sheepishly and gestered for Pin to sit on the other couch “S-sorry, Angel does this with people she doesn’t know hugely.  The only person she doesn’t do this to is Hei, and sometimes Stryder” It was an odd habit, but then again, her familiar was territorial. “Anyway, I asked you here…for a few reasons. Do you…remember when we had our duel?”

[Pinball 1]

Pinball offered a small smile when the door opened, half expecting someone else to open the door. "Heyyo," he said, his voice soft and cracking. "Not a problem," he said, taking a step into the shop. "I was in the area anyways." Pinball stood in front of the now closed door, unsure of what he should be doing. Luckily, Eatos offered him a seat, and Pinball happily obligued. He was surprised when Eatos' familiar leapt on to the seat next to her, though he probably wouldn't have been comfortable so close anways. He went to sit down, but stopped, then followed through, sinking into the seat. The jar on his waist seemed to shake and tremble, a black fog overflowing the top of the glass. He placed a hand on the jar, and the shaking slowly stopped. "It's fine," he said, overcome with an urge to try and pet Eatos' dog, "I get it." 

God, Pinball was nervous. His heart started racing when Eatos started talking, her voice now slowing down, taking on what seemed to Pinball an almost somber tone. He leaned forward in his seat, staring to the side, impulsively and out of habit biting his nail. He didn't speak initially, starting his response with an, "Mmhmm." He had tried to push that event out of his head for a while now; he didn't think it was any of his business, and she had seemed very against people knowing about the whole thing, though what exactly it was all about, he didn't know. Maybe he didn't want to. "What about it?" 

[Eatos 0]

The girl looked at Pinball, her Husky being lazy and lying still on the couch. She didn’t want to tell him this, gods above she hated anyone knowing. But, Stryder, and Fae, and Thorsten. If Pinball was going to open up to her, she didn’t know any other way to get to him. This would either get him to open up, or he’d hate her forever.

“I’m worried about you Pin” she said finally “You seem to avoid the guild, or just people in general. You used to get along with Tsu, now you barely spend any time with her. The same with Fae. Even at the dragon quest, you showed up out of the blue, then left the second it was done. I can’t help but worry there is something bothering you…” She took a deep breath as pulled her Husky into a hug “And please, don’t say there is nothing. There is always something, and I just worry that something might happen to you…So can we talk? I’ll tell you, about me…if you’re willing to trust me”

[Pinball 1]

Pinball grit his teeth. Why was she doing this? What did she have to gain? Was she trying to keep tabs on him? Pinball felt a rush of emotions all at once; anger, sadness, disgust, excitement. Pinball shook his head, his heart pounding, leaning further and further into the seat, sinking as far as the cushions would let him. "Dude," he began, his voice high-pitched and uncertain, "why..?" Pinball sat up, folding his hands together, staring at the floor. He was about to say nothing was wrong, play it off with a couple of jokes, then split, but she called it out before he could even come up with the beginning of a joke. "I.. I don't really wanna talk about this," he laughed nervously, running a hand across his face. He began to stand. "Sorry," he sighed. "I'm gonna go." Pinball took a step forward, putting a hand in his pocket. "I'm not avoiding people," he said. "And I'm fine with Tsu. There really isn't anything to worry about, and nothing is gonna happen." Pinball's hands brushed against his chest. My heart hurts, a part of him whispered. "I'm gonna go," he said again. 

Edited April 15, 2018 by Pinball

[Eatos 0]

The girl surpressed the sigh that would come out of her mouth. She had a feeling it might go like this, as much as she didn’t want to. Pinball, just didn’t trust her…or people in general. The why, would be something she wanted to know. It would allow her to help him, to understand him. But, that would be far from easy. She could tell when people were lying, and he was…almost. It was an odd taste she got in her mouth.

“Pin please…” she said softly, even reaching out a hand to hold him. As she moved, Angels head popped up, the familiars blue eyes zeroing in on Pinball. “I just…want to talk with you, please” There was a crack, a sense of desperation in the girls voice “If you don’t want to talk, then that’s fine. But at please just listen? It’s about our fight, a-and…my breakdown” She hadn’t expected him to be this, himself. He seemed ready to flee, and so, she would have no choice. To get him to listen, she’d have to admit her sin to him.  

[Pinball 1]

Pinball bit his lip. Was this some kind of ploy to get him to stay? He remembered the incident vividly, but the fact she was suddenly so willing to open up about it raised an internal alarm. He stood in the doorway for a moment, thinking. Taking a deep breath, he walked back over to the couch, where he stood. "Fine," he said softly, his shoulders drooping a bit. Even though she was no longer making him talk about himself, he didn't know what she was actually going to say. It was worrying. She looked sincere, or at least, the tone in her voice made her sound sincere. Pinball pushed his hands in his jacket pockets, pulling against the article of winter clothing slightly, so that it stretched a bit. If it had a zipper, he knew, Pinball would be fiddling with it; it was one of his many nervous habits. 

[Eatos 0]

The girl let out a breath of relief. At least he would listen. She tried to perk up, before giving up. The look that passed over the girls face was cold, depressed. Nothing at all like what she appeared in public. She let out a sigh.

“When I was still a teenager, I…helped someone kill over a hundred people…” she said. She wasn’t sure how to word anything, and unlike her usual self, controlled, she just started talking, unable to stop herself from just getting it out “I was his alibi…then I become his witness, watching him…k-kill…” the girl blinked, and found a tear on her face. Unaware when the tears had started, but she forced herself to keep going, despite the flashes that passed through her mind “A-and, then, he used me. The doctors said, that he had been drugging me with all kinds of stuff, making me compliant, submissive…and i…stabbed…”

The girl broke, curling her knees up to cover her face as she took a deep breath to try and calm herself down. Angel, noticing something was wrong, cuddled up against her owner, trying to conform the crying girl.

“E-even after he was arrested…I had nightmares, of being in the alleys…coated in blood. Even now, when I feel out of control, I freak. W-when you froze me, I was back in that alley, knife in hand” She looked up, her usually calm ember eyes coaxed in fear and tears as she held onto the Husky as if the world would slip away if she let go. She wasn’t watching him anymore, and had no idea how he had reacted to her tale.  

[Pinball 1]

He didn't know how a normal person would've reacted. Shock? Disgust? Horror? Any of these; probably normal, human reactions. What he did know, however, was that he certainly didn't react normally - he didn't. Pinball stood with a flat, emotionless expression. Was he supposed to comfort her? Try to 1-up her story? Leave? He still didn't know. Instead, he sat on the couch, one leg over the other, his elbow propped up on his knee. He watched her for a moment, not saying a word. Beside his reaction (or lack thereof) and his inability to comfort the girl, he also didn' t know what she wanted him to say. With a frown, Pinball dipped a finger into the jar tied to his belt. A black fog poured out of the glass, drifting across the room like a thick, shadowy cloud. In a sudden burst of speed, the mist darted towards the floor, swirling in a spire; only to make out the form of a wispy cat - pure, pitch black, ghostly in appearance. It was made up of the same fog that came from his jars, and had large, empty white eyes. It padded over to Eatos curiously, a tongue as white as its eyes hanging to the side of its mouth. From the looks of the familiar, it was hard to tell whether the cat was solid or gaseous. "I'm sorry," he finally said, his voice a mumble. 

[Eatos 0]

He was…sorry? Part of her mind screamed the word pity, and she felt a small anger within her. She hated people pitying her for it all, it was all she got along with hatred back in the real world. It had impacted her, yes, but she didn’t need pity to survive. She needed, understanding. She looked up past her Husky, to spot a…cat?! She frowned, when did that get here? She hadn’t noticed it before, and it did seem to be comprised of gas as if it wasn’t entirely touchable.

“That’s why…I panicked during our fight Pinball” She said, fighting to keep on talking despite the memories flooding her “That’s why I asked you to keep my panic to yourself, because I didn’t want people to know the truth until I was ready to tell it. Because I was scared of how people would react, how they would treat me if they knew the truth…” She looked up past her Husky, her normally calm amber eyes washed with tears “What about you, w-what do you, think of me?”

[Pinball 1]

He shook his head and waved his hand in dismissal as she explained herself. He had already pieced it together; there shouldn't be any reason for her to keep explaining herself. "I get it," he said. "It's fine." But she kept going, and Pinball found his heart sinking. He hadn't seen anyone cry in this game since... a long time. If she didn't want anyone knowing, why was she telling him? He couldn't help but get a bit angry, an eyebrow twitch being the only thing that betrayed the emotion. It's not fair, he thought bitterly, I don't need to know this. This is too personal. He shook his head. Zomekko took a few steps forward, gazing up at the large dog Eatos was cuddling. Its white tongue flopped at the side of its mouth. It rubbed against Angel in a soundless purr, flicking its shadowy tail, then moved on to stare at Eatos, and went to lick her hand. He thought about her question for a moment, rubbing his chin nervously. "I don't think you're a bad person, if that's what you're expecting. I don't want to say that it wasn't your fault, either," he said, his voice trailing off in thought. "But. Whatever you did in the past, now is now. What you did back then isn't what defines you; it's what you do now that will. You've obviously put yourself through enough hell for what you did... why... you shouldn't keep blaming yourself. Just focus on being someone good now. Y'know?" He shook his head, rubbing his face. "Sorry, I- I'm not good at this stuff. But- you... you get what I'm saying, yeah?" 

[Eatos 0]

The girl could see he was uncomfortable, even distraught she could read his face rather easily. He wasn’t very good at keeping his features static. Then again, neither was she when she got emotional. Her amber eyes tried to watch him, looking away to allow the girl to wash the tears out of her vision. She took a deep breath as she felt it move in. A coldness in her chest, almost like a void sucking in her emotions deep within her as her heartbeat started to stabilize.

Angel, cuddled up to her owner, finally noticed the other familiar. The Husky growled at the cat, protective of her owner who was clearly distraught. However, the Husky didn’t move despite the ‘threat’. When Zomekko rubbed up against the Husky, the growl seemed to vanish as if the familiar became clearly aware that Pinballs familiar meant no harm. Despite licking her hand, the girl didn’t react at all to the familiar attempt to communicate with her.

 Listening to pins answer, there was a slight smile that came onto her face. Pin didn’t seem to be angry at her, but rather, upset? She couldn’t tell, nor fully understand how he could feel that.

“It’s ok” she said warmly, or as warmly as she could anyhow. “I know it’s a lot of drop on you, or…well, drop on anyone. But recently, I’ve been eating at me. I figured it, if people knew the truth, maybe it would help? Maybe I’m just being silly, but I don’t know how to deal with things properly, I’m sure you know what I mean” She looked up. Her, and Pinball, both didn’t handle situations ideally. “I get what you mean though, and thank you Pin” she let out a sigh “I won’t lie pin. I’m worried, about you. I can’t help, there is just something within me that…worries, you know?”