[PP-F6] <<Feeding the Enemy>> Coming to Terms (Teion)

[Ryo 0]

Ryo's arm reached down and fingers touched a stone. He held in his hand for a few moments, inspecting its qualities. Smooth, flat on one end, and with a bit of weight. He tossed the rock gently into the air and caught it as it fell back down. What kind of game did he live in that was able to program and run so much? How was his computer hell, any computer supposed to handle this level of detail. To disprove himself even further he stood atop of a small waterfall and snapped his wrist, launching the rock out into the lake. The rock skipped a few times before coming to a stop and sinking into the deep. The lake rippled outward from where the rock had made contact with it's previously calm nature. Ryo looked down from his vantage point. She was still down there, medtitating. How long had it been now? He knew that she had some sort of issues, but he had never imagined that they would take this long. He had walked by, wondering if she would be here and when she was he decided to stay and keep her safe. it was peaceful for the most part, except for an odd fisherman who demanded that she be moved, and that she was inturuppting the best spot. Ryo solved that issue, and continiued to wait for Teion to move.

It felt as though months passed, before she started moving again. Ryo worked his way down the path beside the waterfall, aand to the lakes edge. When she began moving. Ryo smiled before giving a shout to her. "Hey sleepy head!" He called out to her, giving her a wave, beckoning her to at least get out of the water. "C'mon, else you're lible to catch a cold." He said, unsure even if people could get sick in the game. Poison damage was a thing, that much he knew for certain, but he wondered if colds were out of the question. When Tei had arrived, Ryo produced a towel from his inventory and offered it to her. "For the hair." He said, knowing the pain that was soaking wet long hair. "So, how do you feel now?" Ryo asked, being straightforward. Ryo was sporting a new look. It looked reministent of his old gear, but more formal. Still the black long jacket, but now it was more open, revealing a black vest with a white undershirt. His katana was still at his side, the very same one that Teion had made for him. His golden eyes pierce through watery mist produced by the falls, and he couldn't help but smile at the woman in front of him.

[Teion 0]

A familiar voice caused her wide eyes to shift, and Teion blinked when they landed on the man waving to her from the lake's edge. She stared at Ryo for a second in disbelief, and for a moment she was tempted to question whether or not she was really released from the scenes in her head, and back in the game of Sword Art. If Ryo's avatar in the distance really was him, and not some vision of him that gave her the grounds to argue with herself. Her right hand moved almost on its own, sliding over to her left arm as she held her seat on her knees atop the smooth stone slab beneath the falls. With eyes still fixated on the man, her thumb and forefinger came together against her forearm, pinching at the skin beneath the black material that ran up her arms until she winced with discomfort. Regardless of the fact that she didn't know if that would have any different outcome had she done so in her dreamscape, the faux-pain was good enough for her, and she finally moved to pick herself up to her feet.

All the while, from the moment she had woken up, her head felt as busy as ever. Playing back pieces of her encounters one after another. The Frenchman's voice seemed to replay in her ears, and her lips pursed slightly as she tore her eyes away from Ryo to stare down at her feet. 'Gah, why does he have to be here now? I could've used some time to process...' She thought, growing flustered while she felt her heart beating a bit faster in her chest.

Having hesitated long enough, the woman bent her knees and pushed off of the rocky structure's ledge to drop herself into the lake below once again. Despite the weight of her soaked combat attire and the humidity still lingering in the jungle air, Teion's attention was elsewhere as she swam the short distance to the water's edge and picked herself up onto dry land. She took a moment to gather her wet hair and carefully squeeze out some of the excess moisture before she accepted the towel Ryo handed to her with a shy "Thanks." His next question registered, and she averted her gaze while she worked to dry her violet locks. "Oh, uhm..." She hesitated again. For a split second, she wanted to tell him everything. Explain everything she saw and everyone she talked to, and what she thought it all meant. Talk it out, analyze it, and let it sink in all over again. But as she cast another glance his way, she found any such words getting promptly stuck in her throat. "Better." She affirmed simply, regretting her standoffishness immediately. Keeping her hands busy, she tried to tack something on. "Err, what are you doing out here, anyway?"

[Ryo 0]

Ryo simply nodded at the woman in front of him. "Good. I'm glad that it worked for you." He said changing his pose so that his hands were inside of his pockets. Her stern demenor caught him off balance, but he understood. Directly after his quest the same sort of feelings happened to him. He wanted to talk about it, but how? How does one just come out and tell someone every little dirty secret they have? Ryo didn't think he could ever tell anyone everything, even Teion. He sighed, as he looked down at the ground. She broke the small silence with a question. "Well, I was just passing by, saw that you were taking the quest. I just kinda, stayed around making sure that you were safe." He said before catching his sentence. "And, not to sound to creepy when I first happened by there was a NPC fisherman who was adamant about getting you to move. Something about prime fishing spot or something like that." Ryo said, flaing his hands a little bit in self-protest. "So I kinda fi-figured that if there w-was an NPC that was walking about, that their might be something else?" He said, trying to make his reasoning as intact as he could.

[Teion 0]

She listened to his explanation, and easily caught the little changes in his tone as he tried to lend as much sound reasoning to his answer as he could. Teion couldn't help but smile, though it took her a second to notice herself. Then a chuckle escaped her, and along with it some of the tension released. She straightened up a bit, running her fingers through her hair to pull them through any knots while her other hand kept hold of the now-damp towel. "Well, thanks. It'd be pretty mean to put wandering monsters around the comatose-quest, but I wouldn't put it past them. Not to mention..." Her words trailed off into nothingness as she chose not to voice her wandering thoughts of the colored cursor that was more likely to hover over an attacker in an area like this.

With a moment of uncertainty, she then held her hand out to offer the item back to Ryo. "But, uhm. Yeah. Thanks." She repeated. She was growing stiff again, still caught up in the tense mindset of internal struggles and the oppressive humidity of the wild jungles. A quick, subconscious glance down at herself and her drenched clothing caused her to let out a tiny sigh, and her shoulders dipped slightly while she shifted her weight. "Hey, uhh... Do you wanna go somewhere? Like, I can change, and we can find a better place to talk, and stuff." Alongside her suggestion, she avoided meeting his magenta eyes with hers a bit more than usual.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo thought about what Teion had meant before she trailed off. Other players came to mind, and camping this spot to steal items or kill unconcious players did seem like a stratagy one would use. Which again raised the question, why hadn't they? He took the damp towel in his hand and it dissapated back into crystals as it entered his inventory again. Ryo smiled softly as Teion spoke again. "Well, I would suggest that one tavern again. But I don't think that place is a good idea." Ryo said, running a hand through his hair. Perhaps a different place existed. He opened his menu and looked at the time. It was almost sunset here on this floor at least. "I have an idea though. A place where we can talk, relax." Ryo offered, knowing of a place. "And, you can just swap to a different set of clothing, and back again. I'll turn my back, or you can hide behind some bushes if you feel the need for privacy." Ryo suggested. The game wouldn't allow him to see anything, risque though the thought did cross his mind. The blush quickly faded after as he waited for Teion to get ready.

"I've been a bit busy, with the few days we've had apart. New outfit, a bit of a haircut, even changed my eye color." Ryo said, smiling at her. "Also been exploring a bit, and may have stumbled on something cool. I wanted to share it with you." Ryo said, thinking of the venue. He took the lead, cutting the occasinal dense jungle with his katana. Ryo wanted to ask Teion about the quest. It had to be different from person to person, but he knew that it had to be all kinda of personal. 

[Teion 0]

Taking the man up on his suggestion, she waited a moment until his back was facing her before the soft sound of bells chimed to indicated her menus had been pulled open in front of her. Teion stopped at her equipment, selecting the few pieces of her Amethyst Set and removing them from her avatar in a quick flash of white light. Left in a set of simple white underwear, she hurriedly panned over to her inventory and her finger poked at a few different items to summon a new, dry outfit. A pair of dark blue jeans hugged her legs, flaring just slightly where they covered the cuff of brown boots running just past her ankles. A cream-colored knit sweater rested off her shoulders, a couple of wide black straps belonging to an undergarment of some sort visible past its collar. Dragging her hand to one side, the menus slid away and vanished with another small chime, and her fingers curled around the hem of her sleeve as it fell back to her side.

"Hmm~?" She hummed with intrigue as Ryo made mention of keeping himself busy. When they faced each other again, Teion leaned forward, taking a step to close some distance between them as she began to inspect his features. She met his eyes, finding their golden color before flickering upwards where she noticed a difference in his fringe. She took a couple of steps to the side, walking a half-circle around the man until she found the rest of his purple-toned hair tied back. Without thinking, Teion reached forward and took the ponytail loosely in her palm, turning her hand towards her and pulling it back, letting his hair fall through her fingers until she noted its shorter length. "So you have." She remarked, only realizing the oddity of her actions after the fact.

"Oh--uhm, something cool, huh?" She latched onto the other topic he had presented before there was time to question it. Her fingers weaved together in front of her abdomen, and behind them her thumbs played idly with the soft fabric of her shirt while she kept her eyes turned forward.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo turned back around to see Teions new outfit. A beige sweater that hung off a shoulder. He swallowed whatever I was in his throat, and cleared it by giving out a swift cough. "I like it. Looks good on you." He said, complimenting the woman. Ryos face flushed red as Teion took a step closer, seemingly inspecting him. Ryo stood his ground and allowed her to give him a look over. "Yeah. Changed the color of my eyes, and got a bit of a trim up. Trying a new look, and I think this makes me look a bit older. More like an adult." Ryo admitted, not saying that her touching his hair felt wonderful. 

"Well, I think it's cool. But only really at about this time." Ryo said, continuing to lead Teion along the makeshift path. Clamboring over fallen trunks of trees, scaling a small hill, and climbing several vines to reach the top of a cliffside Ryo finally was able to show Teion what it was what he was talking about. "Here we are." He said, looking out at the horizon before him. Below was a sea of trees, the leaves looking like a deep green ocean as they moved with the wind. The sun, now setting low cast it's orange Ray's across the land giving everything more of a gold appearance. "Found this a few days ago. I think it's quite stunning." Ryo said, taking a seat on the edge of the cliff face. 

[Teion 0]

The trail he lead her down was anything but convenient, straying far away from the obvious paths that surely would have led back to a settlement. Cardinal had finally allowed her hair to return to its normal dry state, giving her respite from any lingering physical discomfort from the waterfall in the middle of the glade. Their hike lasted several minutes, and Teion wondered silently through the length of it, leaving herself to her curiosity from his vague hints.

She didn't have to suffer through the mystery for long. As they picked themselves up to the summit of a a small mountain ridge, Teion's gaze landed on the scenery before them. "Oh my--" She cut off her own whisper, wide-eyed as the view took her breath away for a moment or two. She stood, feet rooted to the ground while Ryo had stepped forward to take a seat, only finding herself coming back to the present after a few more seconds had passed. "It's amazing." She said simply, a softness to her voice that reflected the smile she wore.

Cobalt eyes tore away from the soothing light of the setting sun that washed over the sea of green before them. Her sight shifted to the man that sat ahead of her while he looked out over the peaceful view. What was he thinking, she wondered? Was he hoping that she joined him, that they would watch the sun set together? Her mind was suddenly busier than when she had been battling inside of it. She started remembering things: the day they'd spent together on Valentine's, her heartfelt exchange with their mutual friend Spencer, and of course the most prominent visions of her conversations beneath the waterfall. The sound of Ryo's voice calling out her name rang in her ears, and Thea hurriedly snapped back to reality with a flushed face and a shyly averted gaze. Suddenly aware of how quickly her heart seemed to be beating inside of her chest, she swallowed, silently asking herself why the hell she was getting so worked up.

In a snap decision, and with a strong mental shove, Teion moved her legs to carry her forward to the cliff's edge. She stopped beside Ryo and crouched down, sliding her feet over the edge to let them hang while she took a seat. Despite her control in the situation, she couldn't seem to dismiss her awareness of their proximity--maybe half a foot of empty space sitting between their shoulders. She swallowed again. The silence that had settled couldn't have lasted for long, but every second that she fought herself on opening her mouth felt like an eternity.

"I can see why you were vague about that quest." She finally forced the words out, choosing the topic that simultaneously filled her with the most apprehension and burned with the strongest desire to get off of her chest. Her lips pursed, knowing the line would have gotten his attention, and she told herself that it was too late to back out now. She drew in a deep breath through her nose, only now trying to think about where to start. "I can guess it's different for everyone, but I wouldn't have thought it'd be so...specific." Her expression was flat as she stared off into the mixed colors of the distance, letting the scenery calm some of her nerves as she continued. "It was..." She stopped, brows narrowing as she struggled to find the right words. "They didn't want to fight me. Mostly, anyway." She mumbled the last words, recalling her heated battle with her earlier vision of the very man that sat beside her. It was then that she realized just how unspecific she was being. Despite her want to open up, she hesitated, and Teion could feel the edges of her teeth as they began to dig into her bottom lip. Doubt was quick to fill her, and she was once again aware of the intesity of her beating heart. Her fingers had been fidgeting amongst themselves in her lap for a while now, and her right heel gently tapped against the rocky cliffside a couple of times as she struggled to get some more words out. "Uhh. We can talk about, something else if you want. I don't wanna unload a bunch of weird stuff on you like that and, uhm, ruin the mood or something." Her cheeks burned a much milder pink than before as the thoughtless implications of her choice of words hit her after they left her mouth.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo chuckled as Teion explained that she didn't want to ruin the mood. That would assume that there was a mood to begin with. He still loved the woman, but the infatuation was settling. It was less obsession, and now more gentle. He didn't crave her love, nor did he need it. He still wanted it, but he didn't want it forced. He wanted her to love him, on her terms. He sighed, as an attempt to let his thoughts escape. "Mine did." He said, finally. "I didn't even recognize two of them. There was a blue haired man. And a silhouette of a girl. Then there was Lowenthal, and finally myself." He said, not explaining the shadows goals or messages. He didn't need to, and even if she asked he'd dance around the subject. "But enough about that. Nothing good comes from talking about it so soon." Ryo said, looking out over the horizon.

"It's been a while since we've last seen one another. Valentines Day, if I recall." Ryo said, remembering the dreadful after party that happened afterwards. Since then he had gotten a haircut, his eyes changed color, and a new attire to make him seems more like an adult. Being short as he was, it was hard to look like an adult to begin with. His equipment clattered against his wait as he stood. He peered back over the horizon, staring into the forest below. Spying what he thought was a plume of smoke. He had seen it for some time now, but it was always in the same spot and never seemed to spread. "I wanna check something out. You wanna come with?" He asked, holding out a hand for Teion.

[Teion 0]

"Oh...yeah?" Was she wrong for feeling a sense of disappointment at having the topic waved away? Her chest tightened, and for a brief moment all she could think about was the want to talk to him. More than the idle conversation they usually held, though that would have to suffice for now. She wanted to open up to him, to tell him what she was thinking. She didn't want to fall apart into an emotional dumpster fire like she had in front of Kimi, Jomei, and Hestia--no, this was a different kind of breaking point. One that was preceded by an overwhelming desire to become close to someone, coupled with the fear of skepticism and rejection. She chewed on the inside of her cheek, recalling the several instances in which Ryo made his feelings for her clear. But she had kept him at arm's length--actively avoided him, even--for so long, who was to say that her newly-accepted feelings were too little, too late?

She looked up and at her side as Ryo stood, offering a hand to help her up. She caught the gentle look in his eyes, and for the first time that she'd managed to notice, Teion could feel her heart flutter in her chest. She paused, caught up in the sensation, before reaching up to place her hand in his. She pulled herself up, unable to even voice her curiosity at where he wanted to take her next. 'Wait,' 'Hold on,' She thought about calling his attention, halting them for a minute, but the words got stuck in her throat before they made it out. She couldn't come up with what would come after that. 'Hey, so I know you said you love me and stuff. I think I kinda like you now, wanna date? Ugghhh, why is this so hard and why am I so damn nervous about it?' She practically yelled at herself. Following after Ryo as she wordlessly accepted his invitation, she had grown even more quiet than usual. As she walked, her hands hovered in front of her stomach so that her fingers could continue to move and fidget with each other.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo smiled as he gripped the woman's hand. There was a small spark of interest. Ryo thought on it for a moment, had he actually touched another person's skin in this game? The thought danced a little longer, before it vanished into something different. Her hands. Teion's hands were surprisingly soft. Were all people this soft, or was it unique to everyone? The fact that this game explored such detail of the human body. Ryo thought about it. Wouldn't her skin be rougher? From the harsh sandstorms, constant battle, her weapon of choice, and the heat of her profession? Or, was there something different about her that he couldn't explain? He pushed the thought from his mind, and helped the woman to her feet.

her face scrunched up, and her eyes moved to the corner. Her hands rested at her waist, her fingers fidgeting with one another. She didn't focus on him, rather than her thoughts. Ryo smiled. "Is there something on your mind?" He asked her, wanting to pry just a little bit. He had planned on chatting with her about the quest on the way to the forest anomaly, but if there was something else bothering her and if he could help her with it he would. "You can talk to me, no need to be 'short' with me either." He said, giving the girl a smile.

[Teion 0]

Of course he could tell something was bothering her. It wasn't until he asked to know what it was that Teion realized how obvious she was being, with her nervous habits and the sudden silence that fell over her. But maybe she was glad that he asked. Relieved that he wanted to know if something was the matter, and giving her the gentle nudge to speak up where she couldn't bring herself to on her own.

She stopped, unable to focus on walking at the same time as her contained emotional crisis. Surely grabbing his attention while she stood rooted to the ground, her eyes met his for just a moment before the increased tempo of her heart rate had her looking away in a hurry. The words she wanted to say kept dancing around her tongue, rather than leaving, and each second that passed in silence made her more aware of how hard she could feel her heart pounding inside of her chest.

"Ryo, do you..." She took in a breath, mustering up what little courage she could find to continue. "Do you wanna go out? Like, properly?" Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes danced as they stole glances back at the man's face for a second at a time. Her breath caught in her throat once, and she swallowed while a fraction of her attention set on keeping her airflow regular.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo felt his face grow warm as she spoke her mind. He was taken aback, he had expected a response about how awkward it was to be with him, or something about the quest, or something else. Not, that. But, did she really think that though? He smiled. A dumb, goofy smile. Like a child receiving a gift he knew he was going to get. He turned away from Teion, to recollect his composure. He turned back around, and looked down at the ground then back up to Teion. "I, don't know what to say to that." He said, taking a step closer to her. He reached down and took her hands in his own. "You already know how I feel about you, and we've been through so much. The butler, the bandits in the desert, my poisoning, the party." He said listing off the events that brought them closer. At least, in his mind. "I would love to go steady with you." He said, giving the woman's hand a formal squeeze. "Is there, anything else on your mind?" He asked her, wanting to make sure that everything was covered. "Oh, uhm. Dear." He said, flustering over himself and adding on the 'dear' part. Tei was his first girlfriend, and he wanted to make sure he got it right.

[Teion 0]

With bated breath, Teion waited for his response. Between fleeting glances, she saw the corners of his mouth pull up into a smile and her gaze lingered with anticipation until he turned it away from her view. She paused, staring at his back while her expression naturally twisted into one that was troubled. He spoke up, and her heart felt like it could have skipped a beat with the sharp burn of anxiety at his choice of words. She didn't even want to think that he might turn her down, but at the same time she felt like he had enough reasons to. What if he had moved on? If he didn't want to keep waiting for her, or his feelings had simply changed. Maybe he'd reconsidered.

She felt the touch of his hands, and her heart rate quickened again. Where she struggled to keep her eyes on him moments ago, they seemed fixed on him now, and she hung on his every word. With his acceptance, and the gentle pressure she felt around her hand, it was like her heart was fluttering in between its pounding. Her cheeks burned red, and her hands in Ryo's left her unable to hide away the smile that stretched between them. "Ah, uhm, n-no. That, that was it." She managed, bashfully averting her gaze again. The pet name he tacked on flustered her a bit further, and she found herself squeezing Ryo's hand back. Before she let them go, Teion gave a tiny pull forward. She pull the man in to quickly plant her lips against his cheek and hurriedly moved away to take her embarrassment elsewhere and let the weight of the exchange begin to sink in.

Despite how weak they felt, she forced her legs to carry her forward. Without knowing where they were going, Teion just wanted to walk and calm down. But then, she was brimming with excitement. She couldn't wear an impassive expression. Her body just wouldn't let her. On the inside, she wanted to squeal with delight, call Piera and tell her everything.

Instead, she cleared her throat, keeping her eyes down on the path in front of her feet. She'd come this far--might as well keep going. "Thea." She said, looking back to him briefly. "My real name is Thea Allenia. I don't actually mind whatever you want to call me by, Teion's been my name for two years now," She chuckled lightly from the nervous, flustered energy that buzzed inside of her. "I just wanted you to know. And, uhh, it might take me a minute to like, stop freaking out or whatever." She admitted, eyes turned back down as she silenced her lovestruck self.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo felt his arms get tugged, and his body moved closer to Teion. He felt her lips touch his cheek, and his cheeks flustered in response. She then darted off, moving past him. Ryo reached up and touched his cheek, and a warm smile decorated his face once again. He turned, and followed suit behind her. His face jumped up when she said a name. He was about to ask who she was when she continiued and the realization kicked in. "Thea." He said, repeating it. "I like it. But I think habits going to keep me from using it." he said smirking. "Mine, Ryoji." He said, giving her his real name. Not that it was much, he was just going by his nickname for years, and it just kinda stuck. He rubbed the back of his neck in slight embaresment. "And it's gonna take me some time to get used to this." He said, moving up to her side.

[Teion 0]

She still couldn't remove the smile from her face, and so with her eyes back to the ground in front of her feet she took a mental step back to enjoy the overwhelming giddiness that continued to fill her. She stole glances to her side again when Ryo caught up to her, but the sound of her name spoken in his voice had them snap back down as her face flushed again. 'God, we must look so dumb.' She thought, holding in a chuckle. Two flustered young people with feelings for each other that they didn't know what to do with.

When he shared his name with her in return, Teion finally let out the small laugh. She was a little surprised to know that his username was so close to the one he had in the real world, but then again, that eased her mind. It made calling him Ryo feel a bit more natural, like it wasn't actually just some alias in reference to the person he originally wanted to be when he first made his avatar. "Ryoji, huh?" Even so, she forced out the second syllable with a small smile, as if giving the full name a try before she would shyly retreat back to her old ways. She nodded once as she continued walking. "Mm, me too." She agreed with his sentiment. It wouldn't be for several minutes longer that the elated energy would finally start draining from her, but she gradually slipped back to a calmer demeanor the longer they kept moving.

Teion cleared her throat. She didn't like the silence, not with him. "Actually... If you don't mind, I would like to talk about it." She admitted in a small voice, a knot of anxiety squirming around in her chest. It was hard for her to pin where her nerves stemmed from--the subject matter itself, or his reaction to it? Was she seriously already worrying herself about messing this up? She took in a breath, and continued. "It was that quest that finally got me to do it." She started vaguely, referring to her asking him out. "It was...a lot of looking back, and trying to let stuff go. I feel like I've messed up a lot, and I've gotten myself and a lot of people hurt. So, I'm always scared of...well, heartbreak." She hesitated a moment to pick out the right word. Her words resonated the heartfelt exchanged she had offered him at the end of their Valentine's dance. Her left hand drifted to the back of her neck, where she rubbed at the skin before trailing her fingers through strands of hair over her shoulder, repeating the latter motion several times out of habit. "I usually keep to myself, I'm way too insecure, and I have a bad temper..." She listed off her flaws while her eyes stayed away from the man beside her. "And it's usually because I'm an anxious mess, and I'm scared of losing more people." For a second, she thought about the ties she had been building as of late, wondering if that might actually be changing. With Spencer, Hestia, and now finally finding the courage to open up to Ryo.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo listened to Teion as she explained what her quest was. Reflection, as it was supposed to be. Ryo looked down at the ground. His was the same, in that reflection sense. He was told he had a purpose beyond just what he had done. That he needed to stop focusing on his past, and focus on his future. He looked back up at the woman beside him. Maybe, he could do something like that. "I tend to have identity crisis from time to time. I have no idea who I want to be. I want to be the young guy, plucky and fun and always ready to joke around. But at the same time I'm growing up, and I know that I need to grow up to. So I want to look more like an adult, act like one. Stop being a kid." He said, continuing to walk. "I just don't know who I really am just yet." He said, somewhat embarrassed, but if Teion was going to confess then so was he. "In a way, I guess we both have our flaws. Crippling or not."

"Here it is, just ahead." Ryo said, peeking through the overbrush. Looking through there was a small hut  with a fire in front. A large black pot, a cauldron sat just above the fire with no immediate means of anything holding it up. There was light coming from inside the hut, as the windows were yellow a contrast the the greenery of the jungle. "Seems like this is the place. Want to check it out?" Ryo asked, ready to draw his katana if the pair were suddenly attacked. 

[Teion 0]

Teion felt a ripple of relief run through her with their heartfelt exchange. She felt more relaxed after speaking honestly with him, and she was thankful that he felt comfortable telling her something in the same vein. A small smile grew on her lips, and his last statement resonated with her, resulting in a nod. "Mm, yeah. That's not such a bad thing."

Her eyes flickered up, away from the dirt and roots below and to the scenery that lay ahead. For a moment, she was surprised they had arrived anywhere--the fact that Ryo had kept them on whatever course he originally set off on was almost unexpected with how distracted and frazzled her mind had been since they set off. She stopped a moment, taking in the sight with a small tilt of her head. Blue eyes ran over the quiet hut nestled in the jungle, the fire that crackled with life, and settled on the mysterious cauldron that seemed to float above it, as if she wasn't sure if they were playing tricks on her. "Huh. Looks...spooky enough." She remarked, still thinking it wasn't the best choice of words. Her fingertips pressed into the hem of her long sleeves. A thought crossed her mind--an action the two weren't strangers to, but one that held a slightly different meaning now. Welling up a bit more courage, she reached out while keeping her sights set forward and her right hand found Ryo's left. Despite the man's caution towards their surroundings, she curled her fingers around the side of his palm and moved forward, gently pulling him along. "Yeah, let's take a look. A little adventure sounds fun right about now." She commented with another small smile.

[Ryo 0]

Moving through the shrubs and the low hanging vines, Ryo pushed his way through into the tiny clearing. Making sure that Teion was able to follow comfortably, he took a look around his surroundings. He held Teion's hand in his own as he did, absorbing all the information that came with it. "Money's on witch hut." Ryo said, looking at everything. The bubbling cauldron, the candles, the weird symbols on the ground, the witch standing next to him. Wait, the witch? Ryo jumped, nearly into Teion's arms as the short woman began to cackle.
"HEEEHEHEHEHE! Welcome! Welcome." She said, her voice high pitched and gravely, akin to a cartoon character with smoker's lung. "What can Glinda the Witch do for you two, hmmm?" She asked, stepping closer to her cauldron. Well, more of a waddle then actual walking. Ryo spoke first. "We were just exploring. We saw the smoke and figured we could investigate." Ryo explained. The witch cackled again, as she took a bottle from her cleavage and poured its contents into her cauldron. "Ouh, so your not here for one of Glinda's famous familiars are you?" She asked, not looking at the pair. Now that Ryo thought about it, he didn't have a familiar yet. he had seen everyone on the front lines have one hell even Lowenthal had one at one point.

-using Spooky Scary familiar call +2 LD-

Edited December 3, 2018 by Ryo

[Teion 0]

Ryo's startled reaction chained to Teion, and she tensed up while her eyes fell on the cackling old woman. "Glinda?" Teion repeated, a brow cocking while she wore a half-amused smirk. "Well, good call on the Witch Hut." She gave Ryo's hand a tiny squeeze and looked everything over again. She watched as the NPC emptied an unmarked vial into a bubbling cauldron, making a face a moment later when she had leaned in just close enough to glimpse at the questionable concoction she stirred.

"Familiars?" Once again, she echoed, frowning with curiosity. She'd seen more than a handful of the creatures--tamed beasts following players around. Most of them seemed to give some sort of edge in combat, and a lot of people seemed to be keen on having some sort of companion besides. Teion's head tilted a couple of inches to one side. "Ah, yeah, you can get one of them just about anywhere, right?" The question was rhetorical, but then she turned her attention back to Ryo with one that would have expected an answer. "I dunno about the whole famous witch thing, but," She shrugged, "You want one?" A thought was quick to enter Teion's mind, and she fought off a laugh a second later. Just imagining some kind of house-pet bothering Pennyworth was terribly amusing.