[PP-F6] Calm Before the Storm

[Haine 0]

A teleport crystal brought them to the outskirts of the sixth floor, to a wooded getaway from all the noise. Warm rays of sun filtered through the treetops, like a comforting, warm blanket. The walk up to the cottage was a brief, with Haine aiding her sister up the wooded path. Beyond the foliage lied a massive, ostentatious building, the culmination of her love's hard work and design. Fashioned of cobblestone and wood, it reached two stories tall, wide as can be. A perfectly manicured garden up front, lilies and rose bushes decorating the path. The sounds of birds chirping and the trees rustling provided a serene setting for a getaway. This was unlike anything the sisters had shared before, back in those days. They'd known inns and rental homes, being vagabonds of sorts. It was a game to them, enjoying life in places they couldn't afford otherwise. A subtle fuck you to Aincrad, a way to enjoy life despite the circumstances.

"Home, sweet home," Haine started, with a flourish of her hands. She gave the bluenette time to process it all before she slid open the gate. Instantaneously, a squabble would be heard from inside the home. Through the spacious windows, two furry companions pressed themselves against the glass. A tiny polar cub was seen struggling under the weight of a plump, rowdy penguin atop its back. Beak pecked against the glass, almost as if to break it. She snorted. "And these are my children. They aren't feral, I promise." Haine tapped the glass by the main entrance where the animals were. A moment later, she fished for her keys.

Spoiler

Name: Haine
Level: 73
HP: 1490/1490
EN: 146/146

Stats:
Damage: 19
Mitigation: 79
Evasion: 1
Accuracy: 4
BH:74
HLY:6
BRN:36
PHASE:1

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: HLY, BRN, PHASE
Armor: Mitigation 2, Evasion 1
Misc: Accuracy 3

Skills:
Two Handed Assault Spear [Rank 5]
Light Armor [Rank 5]
Fishing [Obtained]
Searching [Rank 1]
First Aid [Rank 5]
Extended Mod Limit Rank 3 [Obtained]
Battle Healing [Rank 5]
Energize [Obtained]

Extra Skills:
Familiar: Fighter 3
Meditation

Mods:
Finesse Rank 3
Ferocity
Precision
Athletics
Purify
Barrier Rank 2
Field Medic
Hyperactive

Battle Ready Inventory:
Teleport Crystal*1
Requires Extended Weight Limit 1
Requires Extended Weight Limit 2
Requires Extended Weight Limit 3
Obtained via Item Stash (Housing)

Housing Buffs:
Rested: -1 energy cost for the first two expenditures of each combat
Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Angler: +1 material gained when fishing
Basic Training: +1 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1]

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.

 

Edited March 5, 2021 by Haine

[Ruri 0]

Ruri remembered floor 6, the huge canopy of trees and sticky moisture that clung in the air in its humidity. It felt almost like a lifetime ago now, there was a strange nostalgia to it. As Haine breached a large set of gates, like a far too tall fence into a clearing that was much more well kept then what was available outside its perimeter. A few streams of light made white as they pierced that verdant green above, a walk in deeper as she couldn't help but slack jaw. Following the polished boards that shattered the all too perfect blades of lime green grass, to the building a row of reds and yellows to shatter that field in pastels.

The building itself, homely as it was large and almost seemed too large for one person and instantly she eyed Haine with a squint. "Looks like it, jeez look at all this Haine." There was a twist of pride and jealousy. In the distance as Ruri scanned it all, just trying to wrap her head around everything that was here. A pond, an almost mansion style cottage. Everything looked so pristine and so perfect. Until a scattering clacking and pecking on a window causes the bluenette to fixate on the glass. "Could have fooled me, they look like they are trying to break through it and eat us." A bit unconvinced that some strange white ball of fur and an all too ominous and conniving looking penguin.

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

Spoiler

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

Mods:
Ferocity
Finesse R3
Athletics

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.

 

Edited March 5, 2021 by Ruri

[Haine 0]

She noted her sister's astonished face. It wasn't out of left field. A mini mansion in its own right was something Haine wouldn't normally buy, at least not all for herself. She moved her attention to the lock and twisted the key. Stepping in, Haine waved her hands in a flourish. "And here we are." A winding staircase right at the entrance, leading up to a cozy loft. Down below, an open concept, almost rustic interior. She didn't have long to show off until the two animals came bounding their way. The furball attached itself to Haine's leg, almost like a clingy puppy. Pingu, on the other hand, was first to notice the interloper. Pitch beady eyes squinted, chest puffed. She slowly circled around Ruri, sizing her up. Haine looked over her shoulder and noticed that.

"Hey, that's my sister over there! Be nice." She shooed the blubbery bird away and scooped up the cub in her arms. "That pain in the ass is Pingu." Fingers scruffed the cub's head and she turned to Ruri. "This is my familiar, Mishka." She moved backwards and closed the door shut with the weight of her back. She crossed the doorframe and rounded to the kitchen. She debated on a house tour but decided not to push it yet. She had yet to tell Ruri she was living with Kiluia, let alone tell her she was soon to be wed. She knew the girl wouldn't take well to that.

"Kitchen's that way. Let's cook."

[Ruri 0]

Ruri traced the creature as it fuzzed up and was trying to look intimidating. Instead, it only convinced her that it wasn't, like half of a banana in a coat. "I'll kick your little ass, don't tempt me penguin." Ruri snapped at it in a strange fueled ire, the girl was already dealing with a lot and this was making her a little overwhelmed. A inhale as she worked to calm that sudden outburst as she looked to her big sis "Sorry." she backpedaled and was worried she'd offended her. Keeping mouse quiet afterward, the bluenette hangs her head and follows behind Haine in her shame.

A few quiet and almost displaced footsteps through the glorious halls that were Haine's, she couldn't help but shake the feeling that this was much too big for one person. Ruri hadn't ever heard of a player owning pets, besides one familiar. Could she be mistaken? A look at the back of Haine's head as she would feel almost betrayed, but wanting to trust, big sis would tell her right? Remembering how she'd act around the older blunette's potential interests, she began to get the sense that she wasn't always receptive to the thought of lovers. A silent nod in response, guess she was to be cooking so soon after waking up. A weak smile, she knew that Haine just wanted to distract her. Allowing her to baby her for just a little bit couldn't hurt that bad.

Edited March 5, 2021 by Ruri

[Haine 0]

The snippy remark from Ruri was unlike her. Sure, she was a smart aleck, but there was an edge to her tone that Haine recognized in her sister's rougher moods. She chewed her cheek. "Don't worry about it." Pingu ducked her head in intimidation. There was something to the girl. Whoever this interloper was, she had an inkling she'd go through with that threat. A guttural screech later and she was wobbling to the kitchen. Haine worked on a smile and set the cub on the ground. She rolled up her sleeves and set to work.

"On second thought," the bluenette started, "You can watch me cook today. Need to make sure those limbs recover first." She ruffled Ruri's hair and moved to the fridge. The steps for cooking were easy in this world, a cheat of the system. The tedious tasks were skipped through and the taste always stayed the same. Fortunate for Haine, a poor cook. She treated it as a science experiment back home.

She hummed a chipper tune, setting out the vegetables and proteins to dice. The silence was uncomfortable, it raised her anxieties as she mapped out a plan of action. She thought of the many ways to fill Ruri in, each exceedingly messier than the last. There was nothing she could do to avoid the confrontation, knowing the girl's volatile nature. The situation at best was like a matchstick to fuel. Haine remained silent, lost in her own train of thought. The only company Ruri had was that of a polar cub, moist snout bopping her leg for attention.

Edited March 5, 2021 by Haine

[Ruri 0]

Taking the first seat available to her, it was fine with Ruri as she eyed the little goon as it weebled through the place. A slide of that wooden chair across the polished floor below still made it screech just a bit, and the blunette plopped her butt into it. An aloof stare out of the large window, into the yard that was lit ablaze with light that reflected off the grass. A single butterfly with white wings, whisked through it and gave the girl something to ogle in almost mourning.

"Your cooking for real now..." Ruri muttered out of seemingly nowhere, looking to her older sister and could not help but see a mother. Their mother. Wearing an apron, behind a counter and chopping vegetables. A somber tone of her voice as she worked, like a housewife from some commercial or tv show. She just couldn't help to shake that feeling of regret, her stare fixated out of that large bay window. Here she was waiting for a meal to be made for her, a woman older than her. Her sister acting like a mom, doing all the work while she just sat here and brooded. Where did I go... she thought as a small cub continued to prod her ankle beneath the chair, and a glance down she would reply "Not now ok, I'm not in the mood Mishka." her brow furrowed in sadness "I'm sorry, but no."

[Haine 0]

The comment piqued her attention. Ruri was right. Haine paid more heed to the way she worked, chopping and dicing with ease when before she'd been a clusterfuck. "It's a good skill to pick up. Sometimes it's even fun," she noted, scooping the aromatics onto an oiled pan. On the side, a pot of noodles boiled. In actuality, all of these little skills were honed from a need for distraction, when the going got tough. From across the kitchen, a dejected Ruri turned away the cub. Round ears flattened against his skull as he huffed. He stayed close, claiming a spot on the floor across from her. Cobalt eyes noticed the dullness in her eyes and expression. He sensed some form of sadness from this stranger.

Haine scooped in the vegetables and stirred. The other's words didn't go unnoticed, it hurt Haine to witness her like this. She sighed and looked over her shoulder, a reassuring smile on her face. Ruri stared out the window, drained and seemingly empty. Of little words, of little spirit unlike usual. "I know you're confused Ru," she called out. "I know you're worried." She turned to her pan and gave it a flip. "And you'll have your answers. But for now..." Haine's voice slightly cracked. She choked back her emotions, busied herself with the cooking. " I miss my little sister. And we're going to have some kickass soba, kay?" She reached for the sauces and drizzled them.

Edited March 5, 2021 by Haine

[Ruri 0]

A slide off of the chair as she was determined to not be babied, who knew how long it had been that she'd been looked after like an infant. "Let me try." Ruri shuffles next to Haine, close enough to smell her perfume. It was almost like she was a different person then before. "What do I do?" the blunette asks of her older mirror, barely able to tell if it wasn't for her hair and her name. That face was Haine's still left untouched, but her aura was drastically different. Softer, more contained and wise.

"I am confused, Onee-san" her voice trembled with that reverberation through time itself, leagues of that fabric folded in half with that spoken pet name. As if nothing had ever changed, and in a way it hurt and felt right at once. "I'm confused, I'm worried and I don't know what is what anymore. I barely recognize you now, I still feel the same." she murmured as she looked down to the pot and took over stirring it from her big sis. "I miss you too, but I don't feel like I know you now." She looks around the room and swallows hard, feeling like a total jerk for how she put it. "I know deep down that you're my sister, but I don't know how to act around you anymore. Like a stranger..." she bit her lower lip and stirred through it. "Everyone I knew forgot about me. It's so hard to just forget it." Ruri would stop there, she was trying her best to dance around what she was trying not to say. That she felt as though Haine had forgotten about her, looking at this building. How shocked she was to see her.

It was as if she died, was grieved and scarred over.

[Haine 0]

A breeze beside her, and the younger approached. The atmosphere tensed as she spilled her heart, her genuine, unfiltered opinions. A jab at the woman's heart to know the honest truth. This wasn't how she expected their reunion to go. Hell, she didn't know what to expect. She slaved to be as powerful as she was now, though not without purpose. She did it all for Ruri, relentlessly, all while battling her own demons and self doubt. The more she trained, the more numb she felt, the less hope she had until the girl had suddenly awakened.

The reality of this new dynamic settled in.

Haine clenched the handle of the pan, every emotion at once coursing through her. They wanted to burst, though her resolve held them at bay. To be strong for Ruri, or maybe even to escape emotions she'd rather not feel. Things would never be the same, not with their brother missing, not with this separation between the two. Ruri moved to the pot and took over the stirring, leaving the woman idle in her own thoughts. Hip pressed against the counter, Haine's eyes stared vacantly at nowhere in particular. Lips parted as she searched for words.

"I could understand why you feel this way and it's completely valid," Haine started. "Four years is... no joke." Gaze flickered to her sister stirring the pot. Nostalgia washed over her, like a twist of a blade in her gut. Emotions aside, it seemed almost familiar, the two of them cooking together in the kitchen, only this time Haine didn't royally suck. No kitchen fires or over salted mush. "Time won't stop for you to play catch up. It's confusing... and lonely." Tears prickled amber eyes and blue bangs cascaded to shield them. "It's hard." Her voice quivers. Having Ruri back should've been the missing piece to her puzzle, though it hurt even more to see her suffer, or know that she would shortly.

What should she do?
What should she say?
How would she fix what she couldn't control?

"It's hard," she iterated, tears spilling onto the countertop. She gripped it, knuckles turning white. A haze of emotions hindered her ability to think rationally. "You didn't deserve this," she whispered, shakily.

Edited March 5, 2021 by Haine

[Ruri 0]

The little metallic plinks as the spoon continued to stir, while Haine's head fell. Ruri listened intently to everything that was spoken, staring into the soup? She still didn't know how any of this really worked. It wasn't until Haine was finally finished speaking that she would start. "Let me adjust, give me time to return to normal. Whatever that is." The bluenette pauses and the silence for all but the little pot, a sharp inhale and exhale before she would continue. "It wasn't fair to either of us, and I couldn't expect you to stay the same onee-san. I am not blaming you. I just need to discover who you are now"

After this she'd look at Haine and fold into the lower half of her chest. "It's a lot, its almost too much to handle it. Dealing this is going to take time, and I need you to be honest with me like that. Don't pretend that everything will just go back to how it was." The pot began to bubble as Ruri embraced Haine, a little bit taking to foaming over. The girl was still a terrible cook and it showed, as it began to burn. She caught it and released her sister. "Whoops..." A sudden jerk to the spoon causing the white froth began to descend. "Dang I've been here for less than a couple minutes, and I've already made a mess." But she wasn't referring to the small puddle on the stove top.

[Haine 0]

Tears spilled onto the countertop as the woman battled her resolve. It was harder to stay intact under the pressure and guilt. Knuckles squeezed, turning white as she swallowed hard. "Okay." She wiped her tears with haste and cast a sideways glance at her sister. Too ashamed to show the other her teary expression. She wasn't supposed to be crying. This wasn't about her. She was to focus on her sister, help her facilitate with these new surroundings. It was a relief to hear the bluenette didn't blame her. Haine rationalized the outburst. What else could Ruri do in her shoes? She needed time. She had a tendency to explode in situations of pressure. Haine sighed. She wouldn't take it to heart.

"I'll be honest with you, I promise." A moment later, she faced her sister, eyes tinted red. "I just wanted us to enjoy this meal together." She drifted her attention to the window outside, letting the younger handle the stove. Her mind wasn't functioning then, she missed the important fact that Ruri absolutely sucked in the kitchen. A more stable Haine wouldn't trust the girl with dinner. The sounds of fizzing and burning brought her back to reality. "Oh Christ, let me have that!" She swatted Ruri's hand and secured the ladle. She gawked at the near maximum heat. "This shouldn't be more than medium-high. And you gotta babysit it." She gesticulated with a wave of her finger. Nose leaned in and she inhaled. "A little... off? But edible. Let's eat."

She moved the pot off the burner and pointed at the cupboard beside her. "Can you bring out the bowls?" She then gestured to the drawer near the island. "Forks and spoons are in there."

[Ruri 0]

Working the dish before Haine would assume control of it, "Sorry" an apology, paid at the state of the dish she was trying to assist with. It seemed that no matter how much she tried, she always managed to screw up. Ruri slid to the drawers and peeled out the utensils at Haine's behest. In a pile in her hands, she begins to set them along that huge white wood and polished table. Setting them down in a clatter, the bluenette moves to a cupboard and pulls up two bowls. She was not a cook, and it takes her a moment to find what she sought.

Her sister's eyes were red and puffy, and Ruri was still disconnected. She could taste her failure, and couldn't help but feel like a stranger to her sister as well. This thing between them had drawn a rift, and it was almost impossible to fathom overcoming it. Opening her inventory and seeking her chopsticks, they were still in there. How she remembered them was odd, as if the meal itself had brewed the recollection. Those single white rods with three blooming flower designs at the larger end. At the table, she takes a seat, worried she'd screw up further and putting some distance between her and the hot vessel. Another grumble in her stomach proves she was still starving, and she'd enjoy this meal no matter how uncomfortable it was in the end. Trying to start anew.

[Haine 0]

A moment of silence lingered, uncomfortably so as Haine went through the motions. She busied herself arranging the kitchen in order, any busywork to keep her mind in order. She rubbed the sweat from her brow and sighed. She reached for the coasters and mitts, securing the pot soon after. A wobble to the table and she arranged the soup right in the center. Waves of steam warmed her face, comfortingly. She clicked her tongue and gave a glance to her sister, who busied herself setting the table. They worked in silence. Haine disliked it, witnessing the distance between them.

She settled into her chair, the room unsettlingly quiet all save for their chairs squeaking. She reached for the fork and mumbled a quick prayer. A habit instilled by her mother, even though family dinners weren't commonplace. Eyes fluttered open to the bowl of poorly made soup. Of little concern. She only prepared the meal as a means to break the ice, if that even worked. She dug in, twirling the tines. She scooped the udon and slurped. A humm of approval for courtesy, to make Ruri fill a little less insecure about her blunder. "Mmm, it's not so bad. Heh, I think the burn flavor gives it more pizzazz." She picks up the bowl and sips, setting it down. She cleared her throat and glanced at Ruri. "Do you... like it?" 

Edited March 19, 2021 by Haine

[Ruri 0]

A few moments of awkward silence as cutlery was settled about the place, the pair of chopsticks in her right hand and a rumble in her tummy putting her into a state. Before Haine was through her prayer, a bone empty dish is placed in front of the container that held it. A subtle grumble in her stomach, a single noodle stuck to the side of her lips. Yeah, it was burnt, and yeah, it was maybe because she let it burn. But heck, if she cared even if in the slightest. It was something in that angry little monster, silencing its outcries that were driving her bananas. There was a bit of nostalgia on the taste, as neither of them were that great at cooking before. Somehow the burned way, had become the best way.

"Yeah.." Ruri choked out, slinking it toward her older, hoping she'd get the gist without making her ask. A bit embarrassed she slides small into her chair, shrinking and avoiding eye contact because she thought she looked like some kinda animal in how fast she destroyed that bowl. The chopsticks clatter together as she coyly eyeballs the pot, as if playing desperate charades with her gaze without wanting to ask.

[Haine 0]

The woman's eyebrow twitched as she tried to ignore the sounds of a bowl clattering, chopsticks striking at it. Her prayer was brief and distracted, and when she looked back at the girl, eyes widened at the scene. A bowl drunk clean in a matter of a minute or so. Haine was astounded by how ravenous she appeared to be. Hunger was synthetic in this world, a faux urge pushed to immerse them in this world. The artificial hunger was easy to ignore, but in Ruri's case, she appeared to cram at it in record speed. Haine gaped for a moment and noted the bowl pushed aside.

And awkward glance away and an oh so subtle charade of gestures and glances. It was somehow adorable, a much needed moment of light heartedness to ease her nerves. The bluenette exchanged a soft chuckle and reached for the bowl. "My, I knew you had an appetite but geez." She snorts and reached for the ladle, scooping in a generous bowl to the brim. She pushed it forth to her. "Here, help me finish this pot will ya?" She looks to her plate and takes a slow sip of broth.

[Ruri 0]

The rattle of the dishes as Haine would refill the contents of her bowl, Ruri couldn't help but sense the tension. It was so thick that it could be cut, would fall to the floor like a bag of stones and rattle. The taste stuck to her tongue was undeniably reminiscent of their time together. The smell brought back memories as well, looking at the pair of chopsticks in her hand. Lifting her arm and using it to wipe her face with the sleeve attached. Her clothes were still a bit tight and aged, just about to give in from the durability lost. It was who she was, but was that who she was still?

That little squirrel in her tummy had been put to rest, throwing a fit no longer. Within the vacuum as it had left, was an uncomfortable realization of the state between the two sisters. The table between them was a physical embodiment of the rift sheared between them both. This game had taken away the ability for them to recognize one another, like looking through a glass frosted over. The image was distorted and changed forever. A fixation on her sister with the same face, but that clearly altered outward appearance. Like a person that received a haircut and you could hardly tell who they were. Her eyes shift to her hands again, curious what her own face would look like right about now. A small familiar in the distance, milling at a noodle that had dropped in her aggressive consumption.

All that dug through her head, was getting even for this. Haine clearly wasn't the problem, but Ruri couldn't shake this feeling of being abandoned. Her big sister couldn't have known, couldn't have survived if she didn't distance herself. Ruri understood, but it didn't make it hurt any less either. She was confused, unsure who to blame for this mess. Both girls were a victim of the system, something that had ripped them apart and stored them away. Forcing them to grow in separation, making them forget each other. She knew that Haine wasn't the blame, but Ruri was finding it hard not to.

[Haine 0]

Haine waits and hopes for some of this tension to disperse, filling the idle silence with the clattering of utensils. She prolongs the process, giving the other time to say something, though all she's met with is a frustrating silence. It leaves Haine's hands tied, boxed into one apparent solution, one circumstance she's hesitant to face. Haine feels a thin film of sweat on her forehead, and now she isn't sure if it's from the steam or the pressure of her actions. She shoves the half eaten bowl aside and folds her hands in her lap, clenching the fabric of her tunic. A flicker of amber eyes across the table reveals the girl's hunched form, rigid, lacking a pep known to her. No witty comments, no absurd propositions to keep it going. Just dead silence, and her unwillingness to meet Haine' eyes. She's certain the bluenette can feel her eyes boring at her, seeking some sort of communication.

To no avail.

Haine squares her shoulders and scoots her chair forward. She's done all the stalling she can, all the coddling she could do before she drops the bomb. The woman wills the corners of her lips to curve into a warm smile. "I've been searching for a good time to tell you about things. But I think now is best." She clears her throat and pushes on. No more skirting around edges. "Kiluia and I are..." Haine lifts two index fingers, drawing them close together as a gesture. "We're together now." She points to the ring on her finger as if that hadn't been apparent already. "Well... engaged?"

Edited March 24, 2021 by Haine

[Ruri 0]

There was an awkward silence after the big reveal, in Ruri's chest burned a fire that she was trying to swallow. So she wasn't trying to save her at all, she wasn't just trying to build some distance to save herself the pain. No, her big sister. Onee-chan. Had simply moved on, started a family and just left her there to rot away. With Kiluia no less, that asshole that was always after her hand from the moment they met. Ruri couldn't take bottling it in, her face felt flush and rubbed raw. As if someone had taken a sheet of sandpaper and drug it across her head.

"It was best for you to shack up with Kiluia while I was stuck in that bed? While I couldn't even move, you came to just hit it off? Dating, engaged. All of that while I was trapped there?" Ruri struggled out the words, under duress as they came out in pieces. "You just abandoned me, and you thought that a bowl of noodles would make it ok?" At this point she was practically screaming, Mishka rushes off in an instant. Startled by the violent outburst. A screech of the chair out from underneath her. All those bottled emotions oozing out of every pore on her face, but she couldn't look at Haine at all. Her eyes gave way to a mix of anger and sadness. Did Haine even try to help her, or just assume her a lost cause?

Right for the door, she couldn't stand to be in this home that was crafted by the two of them. She contemplated blaming Kiluia from stealing her away once she was bound. He was probably the reason that Haine stopped trying.

[Haine 0]

The girl's form visibly tenses and it's almost ominous, given the moment of silence and her lack of eye contact. The only indication of any response Haine gets is the trembling of her shoulders, knuckles paling against the table. That's when it comes, a gradual build up of those harbored emotions spilling out. One word after another and Haine feels her gut turn. It hurts to hear and gets more difficult to rationalize and comprehend at the same time. Her eyes prickle and she squeezes her fists, head lowered in shame.

"I-I..."

Ruri doesn't stop over her sister's barely audible interruption. Haine holds her tongue and takes the rest of the insult. By the end of it, she feels the slightest ire emerge from the shock. How could Ruri understand or see things from her perspective? She hadn't walked in her shoes. Even for all the shock she would be put through, Ruri wouldn't think of Haine's plight when she's trying to sort out her thoughts. She couldn't blame her at all but. How could she say that to her?

As the enraged, shorter bluenette slams the table, the polar cub at her side skitters away. Off to the living room he goes to join his sister, the duo glancing their way to observe the sudden ruckus. The artificial concern in their reactions were well illustrated. Haine springs out of her seat, storming behind the younger. "Ruri. Ruri wait! Please, you don't--" The words are lodged in her throat and unable to form as the girl clears the door frame. Main door slammed open and her frame vanishes. Haine scoffs in all her frustration and paces through the corridor. She slumps against a wall and feels her eyes well with tears, of both anger and hurt.

Two miniature creatures peek through the clearance, heads cocked in mock concern.

Edited March 24, 2021 by Haine

[Ruri 0]

A glance around struggling to find herself free of this damned floor, her vision blurry and her face still burning as she cleared the outside gate of Haine's home. What the hell am I supposed to do now? Why did I explode like that? If Haine didn't hate me before...

She most certainly did now.

Why Kiluia, why wasn't it her. What made him her sisters focus instead? A typhoon of questions with no answers, tear from one to the next in the storm, unable to find any purchase before being ripped away into that gale. Ruri was absolutely lost, finding only fragments of her memories to pay her any direction. A floor, any floor that she could possibly remember was better than here. If the whole world didn't seem to give a crap that she was still alive, had just assumed that she was gone for good. If she had nowhere left to belong, and no one cared anymore what happened to her. Right through the main settlement of amazon style, finding the pad in a huff as she searched her thoughts for anything she could clutch to. "Floor 4, Snowfrost." The first that came into her head, the only thing that actually lingered from before. The bitter cold and white sleet mirrored how she felt on the inside, slinking away from the pad and falling to her knees. The stuff numbed the skin on her hands as they disappeared into it.

If she didn't exist to anyone.

     Then she should just make it official.

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

Edited March 24, 2021 by Ruri