[PP-F22] Resurgence of Light

[Haine 0]

The events of Absolute Zero wrapped up faster than she'd anticipated, giving her ample time to spend as she pleased. A fine, peaceful afternoon, the weather almost pleasant where she lived, it was hard not to relax in a secluded getaway. She teleported to the entrance of her humble cottage, soaking in the sun's warm rays. It was a much needed escape from the frigid temperatures of the fourth floor. She kicked open the door to her home and the little cub slipped past the frame. "Ahh, home!" she called out, to nobody in particular. Dead quiet. Sometimes, she liked the peace and quiet. She hummed a chipper tune and pushed the door shut. A quick bite would -

A ping interrupted her train of thought.

Spoiler

Haine, please come to the guild hall as soon as possible.

As soon as possible?

Haine's brow quirked. It had only been minutes since the party's foray. A hint of curiosity and worry piqued at the urgency of the message. Short and concise messages were typical of the man, though an urgent message always had an explanation behind it. This had none. She scratched her temple and sighed. If it was urgent, she would make haste. Not even a reply exchanged before she shrugged on her coat left for the guild hall.

Moments later, the woman padded into the guild hall. The halls were empty, typical at these times during afternoons. It made it a little harder to find the man. "Raidou?" she called out, her voice echoing back. Nothing. Footsteps shifted to a different area of the hall. "Hey, cap'n!" A quick snoop of nearby rooms deemed fruitless. She moved to a place she knew he frequented, his dim, ominous apothecary. A tall, familiar cloaked figure's back faced her. "Ah, there you are-"

Her blood ran cold that moment, as if the woman had seen a phantom face to face. She staggered back, her heart seeming to lurch from her chest. A phantom with vibrant azure locks turned her way. A delicate face with soft, azure eyes rest upon hers, those which had haunted her dreams. A figure which had only manifested in dreams revealed itself. "N-No it c-can't..." a hand covered Haine's lips as tears prickled her eyes. A flash of emotions too intense and varied to process that moment. Tentative footsteps moved to the younger and she laid a hand on her shoulder, as if to confirm the phantom was in fact real. She buried her head on her shoulder and the beginnings of a sob escaped her.

[Raidou 1]

A rub of his cheek from the jab he had sustained, it was weak as was the deliverer of such a blow. Collapsed in his arms for all but a moment of confusion, the vials he had been carrying had all but shattered on the floor as he cradled her in his arms. Ruri was trying to push away, she didn't want to be like this and Raidou could tell. But her shoves had barely any give, and his head was burning in a scream like buzzing hornets. His glasses fall to the wooden hardwood beneath them both, and without a word he scoops her into his left as he transposes with his right in a quick spray of keys. Although quick it still mirrored his typical responses, as the rhythmic pounding in his chest threatened to have his heart break out of his ribcage.

Once it is sent the menu closes, and he peels the girl from the floor as she was spinning in and out of being awake. Lost in the screaming sentences that roared behind his eyes, he moves down the long staircase and reaches for his robe, to play blanket to little Ruri. A careful wrap around her, he moves with her into his lab. He wasn't sure how but it had worked, and with haste he rips the book out and begins to flip through the pages with gusto. He was seeking the chemical formula of this latest batch. Finding it and pouring a multitude of every material imaginable across the counter, almost frenetic in his attempts to search.

The burner starts, and he claims, but one empty vial as it takes to that same shade. He exhales sharply, keeping a hand to the girl to keep her aloft and awake. Then came footsteps, through the hall as Haine sought them out but to the normally perceptive Raidou, they were all muffled and drowned out completely. Eventually came the tears that cause his reality to focus back to a head, and he looks earnestly to Haine with almost dreary and tired eyes. On his lips through the blood screaming through his veins, a smile as he looks to the oldest and then back to the youngest. "Haine, it worked."

Raidou | HP:1790/1790 | EN:176/176 | DMG:19 | MIT:121 | EVA:4 | ACC:4 | BH:89

Spoiler

Raidou, The Red Wanderer
Level: 88
HP: 1790/1790
EN: 176/176

Stats:
Damage: 19
Mitigation: 121
Evasion: 4
Accuracy: 4
BH:89

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Auric Sol - Corona [T3/Perfect/2HSS]: Damage 3
Armor: Red Wanderer's Robe [T1/Perfect/L.A] +3 Evasion
Misc: Tactician's Gaze - Ogma [T1/Perfect/Trinket]: +3 Accuracy

Skills:
Gatherer [Obtained]
Two Handed Straight Sword [Rank 5]
Extended Mod Limit R3 [Obtained]
Parry [Obtained]
Howl [Obtained]
Battle Healing [Rank 5]
Fighting Spirit [Obtained]
Light Armor [Rank 5]
Searching [Rank 5]
Charge [Rank 5]
Extended Weight Limit [Obtained]

Extra Skills:
Concentration
Familiar Mastery: Protector
Survival

Active Mods:
Finesse Rank 3
Athletics
Sprint and Acrobatics
Tracking
Ferocity
Bull Rush
Justified Riposte
Precision

Inactive Mods:
Vengeful Riposte
Focused Howl
Emergency Recovery
Detect
Reveal
Stamina

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystal*1
Pillar Fragment [Unique/Glowstone]
Eternal Watch - Tenacity [T3/Perfect/Trinket]: Recovery 2, Accuracy 1
Mass Heal Crystal*5
Incarceration [T1/Perfect/Debuff Song] Double DoT*2
Hypnosis 2 [T1/Rare/Debuff Song/Instant] -2 Accuracy*3
Visions of the End - Epiphany [T1/Perfect/Trinket] Accuracy 1, Prosperity 2
Ebon Star - Vanguard Revenant [T2/Perfect/2HSS]: V.O 2, Taunt

Housing Buffs:
Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
Squeaky Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Advanced Training: +2 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor []: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:
Tanos Statue: +15 Mitigation for a thread.

 

[Ruri 0]

Falling limp after that jab to the side of his head, Ruri was trying to find the strength to stand as she tried to shove herself free. But her flimsy arms just couldn't find the power, and a tap of aggressive keystrokes she focuses on. Her vision growing dim as her eyes began to become heavy. "Stop you, doosh." Ruri manages to mumble out as she's lifted off of her butt, and with it came a feeling of falling. An exhale and a puff of her cheeks, she felt like punching him again. "If you drop me, I will let you have it." she threatens as she flounders a bit from the sudden shift of speed.

She could feel the wind on her face through her blurred and slightly darkening vision before being wrapped in something warm that stunk of who knew what. Having some trouble concentrating as she hears a scattering of paper and the clattering of crap that sounds like stuff breaking. Ruri begins to bob a bit before a warm hand clutches her shoulder and keeps her upright. "The hell are you doing, what's wrong with my eyes?" She asks Raidou, who pays her no response as she hears a fire start.

Ruri hears something start to bubble, right near her and it was followed by the steam like from a kettle. But that hand anchored to her never left. She began to lose track of time, as if slipping into a dream. The blue bolt was struggling to stay awake. But then it came: "Haine, it worked." and that lit a fire in her head, as she started to worm about. A blackness becoming clear as she corrected, honing in on a fuzzy silhouette to a bluenette. She began to squint and then widen her eyes, wiping them with her right wrist. Another glance at the picture began to take focus. "My bad, sorry for making you worry." Ruri exclaims with her resistant aura shattering and being replaced with a sorrow, mirroring her sisters very waterworks with some of her own.

Haine drops her head on her shoulder, and she wiggles a bit unable to support herself, but that hand of Raidou's gives her some semblance of balance. Pushing what little strength she had on tap to the edge, she reaches up and wraps her right hand with outstretched fingers through that blue topped head of her dear older sister.

Ruri | HP:860/860 | EN:86/86 | DMG:10

Spoiler

Name: Ruri, The Blue Bolt
Level: 43
HP: 860/860
EN: 86/86

Stats:
Damage: 10

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Vanity Katana
Armor:
Misc:

Skills:
One-Handed Curved Sword [Rank 1]
Katana [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Obtained]

Extra Skills:
Survival
Familiar (Untrained)

Mods:
Ferocity
Finesse R3
Athletics

 

[Haine 0]

Her mind seemed to short circuit and disregard all else as she sobbed into the girl's shoulder. In normal circumstances, she wouldn't be caught dead with a tear on her cheek. She wore her heart on her sleeve, though the deepest of emotions were suppressed, shoved aside in favor of maintaining her appearance. Caught and blindsided, she had no chance to prepare, no forewarning of what would transpire. Teardrops soaked the girl's tunic. It was not until she felt her weight rushing back that she pulled back slightly. Raidou was there to catch her in time and support her weight. "Th-thank..." Haine sniffled, teary-eyed, "Thank you." She cast a glance at Raidou's general direction, as the pools of tears obstructed her vision. A quivering smile on her lips as she choked out a laugh.

A trace of joy overcame the shock as she felt her sister pat her head. She pulled away for a moment and squeezed Ruri's shoulder. "You!" she chipped in, sniffling, "You're lucky I'm not kickin' your butt for that." She tried to recover her emotions for a moment, wiping her tears with haste. It was of no use. A moment later and she cracked again. Seeing the tears in Ruri's eyes had her starting again. "Oh come here...-" She wrapped her arms around her sister and embraced her properly. She was glued to her, as if she'd disappear if she let go. 

Edited March 4, 2021 by Haine

[Raidou 1]

As both girls begin to melt into a puddle, Raidou shifts his attentions to the brew at his side. He releases Ruri into Haine's clutches, and takes an empty vial into his hands. A turn of the spigot spreads more of that lime green liquid into the bottle, and a wander around the wooden countertop to them both. His heart was still racing, but outward he would appear almost unchanged. The wanderer was trying to remain strong, to boil down any concerns they were his to bear. But he'd beat whatever this was, with the first draught to work.

There was a smile plastered to his face, like a father watching children playing in the sand or fiddling with a gym. He would then nudge Haine, passing the liquid to her. "If you would." He chokes out and it almost stung his throat as it ripped out of his stomach. Trying his best to keep a distance at allow them both to settle their affairs, after all they were siblings. But that's not at all what he wanted to do, and the wanderer knew that it would be impossible for either of them to understand.

For each of them, it had been only a couple months at best. For Raidou, it had been 4 years, finally coming to an end. Longing to find them, to save them from his failure. With Nikki found and proven safe, with Kiluia recovered and given back his faculties. With Haine regaining her strength enough that she had joined him not but an hour prior in the game's most difficult quest unscathed. Ruri was the final piece of that puzzle, the final increment of one large family portrait that had changed his entire world and turned him from The Red Wanderer into Raidou. A bit of warmth on his face, as he would pass the potion to Haine. "Pardon me." Raidou does his best to shield his face, as he taps two fingers to his cheek and finds the tips damp.

[Ruri 0]

The youngest of the two siblings has a difficult time containing her tears with Haine not making it any easier, they were becoming a relative source of snot and water. A limp attempt at a hug as she felt as though Haine would snap her in two, she felt like a straw: hollow in the middle. Ruri could feel Haine's teardrops burn a hole through her shirt, the sticky wetness on her skin beneath. "Like you could ever kick my butt." Ruri responds in her signature jokes, albeit still wavering in vocal strength.

There was one thing that just wasn't quite sitting right with her, and in this embrace as emotions were on extreme overload to the extent that the girl couldn't even focus. But it kept popping back into her head on repeat until eventually it bubbles enough out for her to finally ask. "What the hell happened to me?" Ruri asked them both through her own burning face, before Haine sucked her into another vice like hug. "I feel like you're going to squish me, but ok, bring it on." the bluenette comments, knowing full well that her big sis was worried she'd blow away on the wind like a leaf. She'd pretend that it was too much, but it was all she really wanted even if she wouldn't admit being a softie. And then a little pop of a potion into her view makes her grimace with a sour expression through puffy eyes. One of the butthole tasting drinks.

[Haine 0]

It felt surreal to hear her sister's voice after all these months. All she had of her were memories replayed in her head. She feared this day would never come, that she would wake up to find the girl had succumbed to whatever the hell was leeching her vitality. Registering her presence was a weight off her shoulders, a feeling of tranquility. She could finally breathe with her around, ease off the cutthroat mentality. All that mattered was she was here. To hell with it all. "Yeah, you think that," Haine snorted. It was refreshing to have that sassy spirit back, even though that was the source of many headaches long ago.

A tap on her shoulder and Ruri's weary voice brought her attention back. She squeezed near all the oxygen from her lungs in that hug. "Oh, sorry," she sniffled. She wiped her tears and shook her head. Then came the questions, and they were a lot to unpack. Would she believe them if they explained it all? Putting herself in her sister's shoes, Haine felt that same feeling of bewilderment, that jarring feeling of being stuck in a fever dream. She squeezed her shoulder and turned her attention to the man she was indebted to, Raidou. He seemed unfazed at a first glance, though the way he evaded eye contact as if to frame his face spoke otherwise. Her expression softened.

He produced a vial and handed it to Haine. "Now, one step at a time yeah?" She cleared her throat and held out the vial. Ruri cringed at the strange vial and its chemical scent. Haine held out a finger. "Uh-uh. Drink it and you can ask us anyyy question." She held the solution up to the bluenette's lips and moved to tilt the vial.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Haine

[Raidou 1]

As Haine takes the vial, Raidou takes a couple steps back eagerly looking for his glasses. He needed them, to conceal his eyes from view and to give him an anchor. But in the confusion for a very first time, he had none of them. The rest was in the pocket of the robe wrapped around Ruri like a blanket still, and a sharp inhale and a slow and steady exhale he was keeping himself turned. There was no way he could look at the two of them directly, especially with them missing.

He clears his throat, as Ruri begins to imbibe the mixture. Only one of two possibilities, either she was already cured of whatever ailed her or this would work to finish it off. Frankly, he didn't care which and would gladly burn the extra resources on the certainty. As the final drop disappears, it feels as though a weight finally fell off of his tired shoulders, but even still he was not allowed to break like the girls had. He was the reason they were taken in the first place, he had hardly earned any right. If he was stronger back then, if he was a better tracker then.

Then perhaps this wouldn't have happened.

A careful slide behind his devices, his equipment deliberately to pretend as though he was working and escape the possibility of being seen. The lines that scorched he corners of his eyes he'd not wipe away, that would show them that there was something there. A slight squint as he leaned closer to the glassware, the charade continues. He keeps to his silence, knowing now that if he were to speak, then it wouldn't be something he could hide. But everyone was used to him being rather quiet and withdrawn. A convincing method that made these small moments easier, when they arose.

[Ruri 0]

A wiggle of her toes as she struggles to choke down the mixture, it tasted almost chalky and left a weird film in her mouth like eating straight powder. It tasted like one would expect eating shampoo would. Hearing Haine's retort was almost obtuse, it almost seemed slightly different. The Haine she remembered would have gotten angry at her a little, but perhaps it was her grief that was making it impossible. Down to the last drop she pulls away at that final bit, sticks out her tongue and licks Raidou's robe. She then immediately regrets it, it tasted like soot or burnt food. "Bleck." Ruri begins to smack her lips, letting the air hit the bit of pink hanging out of her mouth.

"So I drank the dish soap. Now your turn." She eyed her older sister, calling her on the deal. "What happened to me?" she asked rather quickly, it was a little garbled as she attempted to keep her mouth open. Raidou had all but vanished in her mind for now, totally fixated on her big sis. All she could remember was the sounds and smells, the world being cast in almost perpetual darkness. In a world where she was trapped and unable to move for what felt like forever. Ruri was back, but she was far from actually here. The girl was still 4 years ago, and with that lime green liquid still dirtying the inside of her gums. The numbness from a world that had forgotten her, had begun to fade away.

[Haine 0]

Her attention fixed on her sister, solely, as she ensured the vial's contents were downed. She was lucky she wasn't the one stomaching that. Ruri had a stomach of steel to keep that down if the mere smell of it seemed repulsive enough. She tousled her blue locks and pulled away. Ah. To the point already, with one short question that seemed so hard to answer. How could the woman begin? She could iterate a recollection of what she was told when she awakened months ago. Even that was too much to process, the idea that all these years flew by. If it were anything like the way Haine experienced her awakening, her entire coma would have felt like a good night's rest. She would wake up in a world that hadn't stopped for her to play catch up.

She grinded her teeth and paused. "Uhh..." Idle sounds to fill the pause as her brain worked. "This is going to sound crazy, but promise me you won't flip... okay?" Amber eyes glanced at Raidou, who seemed busy tinkering with random vials as the sisters shared a moment. A return to the little bluenette, eyes trained as she sought these answers. "Me, you - and Kiluia. We were all fighting that worm thing, remember?" She held Ruri's hands and brushed her thumb atop them affectionately. "Well, that worm thing KO'D us all. And we were stuck. For... a really long time." She recollected memories of the cavern and its cocoons. She'd never feared the dark before, for she didn't believe in boogeymen and ghosts in the dark, but being trapped and helpless, gradually falling into that coma, it was haunting. They all experienced that fear, whether or not those memories returned. 

She searched Ruri's expression for a change. "Long as in four years. But that's alright. All that matters is that everyone's safe and," she paused to catch her breath, "And we're here to help you adjust to this." A deep sigh escaped her as she braced herself for an onslaught of questions. Another one of her trademark retorts.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Haine

[Raidou 1]

Another spin and a forced withdrawal, it was more painful that it should have been to hear the recount from Haine. One of the many he had slaughtered when freeing the older blunette he was sure, still recalling that nurse he held by the throat after almost being crushed. He shuffles around and wanders out the doorway, keeping his face slightly turned the entire way. Once he clears the frame and heads to the left, he presses his unrobed back against the wall softly and listens. As much as he wished to retreat, he wanted to be here more. Just in case would be some complication. Deep down something was trying to force him to escape, as his bones threatened to jump out of his skin. 

The wood on his back felt so cold, even more so with his crimson red tapestry now wrapped around that little girl. As it had him. There was a melancholy, but a happy cloud that hung on his thoughts. Where half of him wanted to flee and get away where the other was determined to stay here and protect Ruri from what she'd been just ripped free of. Raidou could at least do this, and if they decided to walk away from him for good. He'd understand and honor it, because at the very least, at the end of it all and this entire journey he had walked. Raidou had finally set things right, and that would be enough.

[Ruri 0]

Eventually that taste begins to fade from her lips, and with each passing second she could feel her arms and legs beginning to respond to her commands. That near permanent stun was finally wearing off, and as she searched Haine's face and listened to what she had to say she started to feel her touch clearer than just through the warmth that was bleeding through. "Shoot. I ain't going to go all Regan and start punching holes through walls." Big sis then recalled some worm thing, and the bluenette's eyes dart up to the right. "A little? I don't remember a whole lot, just like a blurry mess and then darkness." The word stuck on her tongue and made her shutter for a moment, recalling her mental prison she held for quite some time.

What she had was a giant mix of what she could not determine for how long or when, that had long since been burned away. Quickly stopping the opposing blue haired girls thumb with her own like a game and a smile. "That makes sense, probably the reason why it felt like forever." Naturally, as a form of defense, Ruri dismisses it at first trying to ignore how long it could have been. She didn't want to think about it, heck she didn't want to think about any of it just know about it. Whatever this was had forced her sister to tears, and that was enough for her to want to know what to poke.

A smile quickly fades from her face, replaced with honest concern and almost a tinge of fear. Locking eyes with Haine and becoming almost dead serious and broken in that moment, all she can mutter out is "Oh..."

[Haine 0]

"Yup. No wall smashing in the chem lab or you're takin' it up with Raidou!" A chipper comment to ease her into the reality check. She listened intently as the younger struggled to recollect memories. She didn't blame her for that. With a coma that long, it was fortunate she remembered anything at all. The bluenette nodded in affirmation. "Yeah, that's one of the side effects." Haine didn't recollect all those memories until a while after awakening. It wasn't an onslaught of memories at once, more of a gradual recollection as little things reminded her of those times. She pieced them together as she tried to assimilate again.

There was the fear in Ruri's eyes, fear she wished she could shield her from. "I know, I know..." She bit her lip and wracked her mind for anything else to reassure her. Not after that bomb dropped. Nothing in the handbook prepared her for this kind of life. A melancholic smile formed on her lips as she tucked the younger's locks behind her ear. "You didn't miss that much," the woman fibbed, a convincing enough cheer to her tone. Maybe Ruri would call bull right then and there, because four years was sure as hell a lot of time. Haine knew it was. She'd woken up to find many of those she held dear long gone or estranged, some completely transformed from the brutality of this world. She wanted to protect Ruri from it. That had been her sole drive, the only thing keeping her afloat.

"Think of it as a fast forward button. Skip through the boring crap, all of these floors." She mustered a brighter smile and slapped Ruri's shoulder. "I finally got that sweet house I wanted. You can move in and -" her demeanor shifted and her nerves worked, struggling to save the other of these impending emotions. "And I can show you around the guild?" Haine's foot tapped as she continued. "And...-" she moved to continue, though something about Ruri's expression cut her off before she could.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Haine

[Raidou 1]

It was a little strange having the two discuss destroying the lab, but it wouldn't have been the first time it had been cleared and laid to waste. He could name a few other occasions where it had happened, and each time he would contact Simmone and it would be restocked, but thankfully Haine shut that down rather quickly. The nomad held his ground and kept silent outside of the burning line on his face that wouldn't seem to stop, and that soft breath that he kept stilled. This was the most strenuous test he had ever placed on his facade, and it was becoming undone. There was an appearance to keep, for the sake of those around him he needed to be calm and collected regardless of the circumstances. But with these girls and Kiluia it just was never easy, and he could feel himself slipping in their presence. Even Eruda was slipping beneath that defensive wall, and Raidou still wasn't so sure he'd survive this.

He needed to be ready, he needed to be willing

To die

It was the correct course of action, it was always what was meant to happen. The girls strange bend of fates, escaping the jaw of death in a strange way. It was unwelcomingly optimistic, and the very same could be said about those that told him different. Always trying to spin the wheel and change where he was headed, as if they had some choice. Raidou could hear them moving behind him, past that wood wall that was used as a shield. Casting his own desires aside and convincing himself that he was not a part of what he so desperately craved. A harsh swallow, as Ruri seemed fine and a slight shutter removed him from the panel. A soft nod as he moved for the stairs, to clean out the room that would no longer need his visits.

[Ruri 0]

As Haine would glance her hair, shuffling a small moving tuft of it behind her ear, she raised an eyebrow at what her big sister would tell her next. "You don't really expect me to buy that, do you?" Ruri was no fool and she may have been a bed ridden potato but that hardly made her a vegetable. "I bet you half the people I knew are gone, or just hibernating somewhere out there. Miaki, Seld, Shanok. Hell the entire Azure Brigade. How many are left?" The question was spoken rhetorically, and it was angry, but clearly not at her bluenette sibling. "How far have we gotten, are we even close?"

The questions started to pick up pace as her mind to actually begin to settle and want more answers. A slap on her shoulder breaks her from the routine "I guess that could be cool, never thought you would want a house." Ruri puts rather bluntly, they were both the wanderlust kind. At least they were. "Oh right, please tell me Kiluia got lost somewhere." and there it was. She never did like that dude, not that there was really anything wrong with him other than fancying her older sister. As she recited the names and memories and then got stuck on the last in the sequence. "Keith...where is big bro?" Notably, it dawned on her that he was not in the room, and almost frightened by the revelation she looked to the door frame as if she hoped to see him standing there with his cocky grin.

But he wasn't

[Haine 0]

Haine pursed her lips. Either the girl was perceptive or Haine was a terrible liar. She pinched the bridge of her nose and combed through her recollections. She didn't recall several of those names, only Miaki, one she considered a comrade long ago. He was doing well, she supposed, he was alive at least. Time had a way of severing connections as people outgrew each other, grew into different circles. "I don't know half those people that well. But Miaki's kicking?" That should've been enough to quell these questions until she went on. She probed at more questions the woman would rather not answer. Not now, when the girl had just barely woken up. The guilt weighed heavy on Haine's shoulders. She had to be the one to break it to her.

Then she mentioned their brother. She averted her gaze. It was harder to evade the topic with her eyes boring holes through her. She missed her brother dearly. It had been years since he up and vanished from the radar, alive, but missing in action. She gave up hope, she was at rock bottom and about ready to accept she'd lose them both. She never thought she would have to explain these things to her sister. It was harder than she imagined it would be. The woman gulped.

"Look, Ru, can we just chill for a bit? You've barely woken up." She cast a sideways glance at Ruri as she eyed the doorframe. Her expression darkened at every question unanswered. "I... promise I'll tell you all about it later. But for now, you look beat up as hell. Let's take you home, have some lunch?" She left no room for arguments and moved out the door frame. "C'mon, I'll make your favorite. Soba?"

Edited March 4, 2021 by Haine

[Raidou 1]

The creak of the stairs gives him away, as he tries to move up quietly. But even still he continues to move in his desperation to avoid looking at those girls, even though he didn't know why he was. This shouldn't be this difficult he thought as he moves with a slow glide to squelch the movement. A silent prayer that their conversation would hide his ascent. His convictions were threatening to slip from his fingers, and he knew it. Those girls would bring it about, he could feel it scratching away. That almost deafening thump that racked his ears.

Another bend of the stair

A soft exhale as each one felt as he was leaving pieces of himself behind him, the sensation more riddling then all the damage he's ever sustained. It was undeniable and burned, his face flush. I'm supposed to be this, the villain. The martyr, the ideal. Bounces through his head. As he would crest them, he could not help but look back. Catching but a glimpse of Haine's hair as it shuffled past the chair. A smile on tears and a strange feeling of victory and failure at once. Two identities, two persona, two people. Contained in one body, and they were fighting at odds. The boy in red they had met 4 years prior, and Firm Anima's Captain of the Vanguard. A soft nod and a turn on his heels, putting his back to them as he would accept what would come next.

[Ruri 0]

"Right, I forget." Ruri exclaims as she taps a balled up fist to her forehead, trying to set things straight. A slight lean forward as she tries to sort the sorrow from how she was feeling, pretending to be ok. "That's good, at least Miaki is alright." She focuses on that with almost a sarcastic tone, choosing to ignore the obvious deflection from Haine in regards to both of theirs brother. As it sits Ruri makes a choice, she could choose to take the glass half full and just try and fill it the rest of the way up.

She slides off the stool like platform and wobbles a bit, legs still a bit weak but managing. The huge cloth flopping to the floor in a way she almost trips on it, bulbing around her feet as it was far too big for her. Ruri ushers closer to Haine "I guess if you wanna butter me up first, we can do that. I haven't ate in like a million years and could def go for some noodles." Slinking her way out of the alchemy lab and bringing with her a single slip of paper that slid under the robe, she wasn't paying any of this too much attention. Her head was still muggy and she could hardly concentrate on anything, even more she was now painfully aware of a long empty stomach that growled in agreement to the offer. The whole place was almost alien to her and she was convinced it was either new or she had simply forgotten about it.

Edited March 4, 2021 by Ruri

[Haine 0]

The sarcasm was a subtle jab at Haine's poor attempts to deflect these questions. A quirk of her brow in exchange was all she needed to know. Fortunately the girl gave her the benefit of the doubt, even if for a little. A temporary weight lifted from the bluenette's chest. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and assumed a soft smile. "Yeah, that's the spirit. We'll do lunch at my place! I think you'll love it there." She waited for the younger to move off her chair. Once she stood and stumbled, Haine noticed the absurdly large red coat round' her frame. It was comical, she was practically swimming in it. Arms flailed as Ruri gesticulated, the back of the coat dragging on the ground like some bridal train. Haine stifled a laugh. 

"If you need another coat, just ask me, kay?" She pat Ruri's shoulder and pulled up her HUD. A few swipes produced two teleport crystals. "Here ya go." She placed a crystal in her sister's palms. The plan for now, a filling lunch, a calm before the storm. 

[Ruri 0]

"Ok, sure." She applied rather rashly piquing a twist of her head to her older sister. "Trying to show off your digs I see." Ruri offers a coy and playful grin as she approached and reached out an outstretched hand. A pass of a crystal into her hand, she eyeballs the small prism of glass, a transport crystal. She at least remembered that much. "What are you laughing about?" and it dawned on her, she was swimming around in this blanket thing. It left a trail of papers behind her like tissue paper. "I need better fitting clothes, I feel like I am being strangled." Was her first snarky comment, lifting the crystal high and providing a repeat of what Haine would say as the destination.

A flash of blue twice in succession removes them both through the ether, leaving the hall all but empty and silent. Left behind was a red robe in a pile upon the floor, a scattering of slips of paper. Just far off a burner that still flickered through an open doorway, with a bubble occasionally escaping from the glass sphere above it. And a boy lost in his own head at the top of a long staircase.

Thread Complete:
Haine
2*SP (1 Thread Closure, 1 Event Bonus)
400*Col (Thread Closure)
Raidou
2*SP (1 Thread Closure, 1 Event Bonus)
Ruri
2*SP (1 Thread Closure, 1 Event Bonus)