[F1-PP] To Fix Past Mistakes

[Tala 0]

Spoiler

Tala
Level: 21
HP: 420/420 | EN: 42/42 | DMG: 9 | ACC: 3 | Bleed: 12 | MIT: 9 | Regen: 5 | Light Momentum: 1

Equipped:
» Yurushi [Demonic T1 Katana [Cursed // Bleed // Bleed // Paralyze]]
» Black Wolf Necklace [Perfect T1 Necklace [Accuracy // Accuracy // Accuracy]]
» Mythic Jacket [Perfect T1 Light Armor [Mitigation // Regen // Light Momentum]]

Skills:
» Katana - Rank 4

Extra Skills:
» Fighter - Rank 3

She had planned on minding her own business today. She was just cleaning out the last of the junk from her shop when a very hurt and angered Noctua walked past her. This made Tala blink a few times before looking down at Akame, "If she's like this Koga's going to be worse. Come on, it's time for a break anyways." She locked her shop up and walked to the store next door. Yes, her shop was right next door to Koga and Noctua's it had been that way since they opened their shop.

She slowly walked inside her brother's shop, ignoring the bell that announced her entrance. "I think...we should've stayed home today bud..." Tala looked at her brother as he said that. He looked so defeated and that bugged her a bit. She knew that he hadn't noticed her enter the store yet, so she walked over to him, Akame stopping and staring at Okami. Tala though, poked her brother's cheek lightly, "If you stayed home, then I wouldn't be able to see you ever since I don't know where your home is."

She offered her brother a small smile, before holding her hand out to him, "Come on, you look like you need some ramen."

@Koga

Edited March 13, 2021 by Tala

[Koga 0]

Spoiler

Koga
Level: 43
Health: 880
Energy: 86
DMG: 16 // EVA: 2  // MIT: 25 // ACC: 4
BRN: 24 // BLT: 24 // FALN: 4 // REGN: 10

Skills
>> Katana V
     // Ferocity
     // Precision
>> Light Armor V
     // Athletics

Extra Skills
>> Familiar Master: Fighter III
>> Survival

Inventory
>> T2 Demonic Katana <<Tsuki no Hikari>> [Burn // Blight // Cursed // Fallen]
>> T1 Perfect Necklace <<White Owl Necklace>> [Accuracy // Accuracy // Accuracy]
>> T2 Perfect Light Armor <<Shadow Chance Coat>> [Evasion // Evasion // Regen]

Battle-Ready Inventory
---

Koga felt something poke his cheek, and a familiar voice speak to him. He responded without opening his eyes, "You could always ask." Koga opened his eyes and was greeted by the sight of his sister. He hadn't even heard the store bell ring when she entered. "Or you could ask Yuki, you know he lives with me, right?" He would be exceedingly surprised if the other man hadn't mentioned that fact before.

The man took his sisters hand and let her help him to his feet. Okami, who'd been sitting on his feet, got up slowly as well, and circled around Tala before looking at the girl's wolf, a mirror of himself. "Ramen. Ok." Koga stomach grumbled as he spoke. He'd forgotten to eaten again, and his stomach was more than ready for some sustenance. But more than that, he looked tired. More than usual, which given the bouts of insomnia he suffered, was troublesome to say the least.

@Tala

Edited March 15, 2021 by Koga

[Tala 0]

She raised an eyebrow, "Yuki won't tell me because he feels that it should be you who tells me when you think I should know. But yes, that was a hilarious thing to figure out." There was a hint of sarcasm and irritation at that moment, but it was gone just as fast as it showed up. She helped Koga to his feet and looked at Okami, then back to her brother.

"When was the last time that you ate or slept Mas?" Game be damned right now, her big brother was torturing himself in some way, and she was going to use his whole real name if she has to. But right now, she practically dragged him out of his shop, giving him enough time to make sure the place was locked. There was a ramen shop that they both liked, and she started to lead him over there.

"Masa, talk to me please? I know you don't trust me, and that's probably for the best, but you're hurting, and I can clearly see that." She opted to leave the pain that she saw on Noctua's face out of the conversation right now.

@Koga

[Koga 0]

The man shrugged at his sister's question. "Beats me." He had never been good at keeping track of these sorts of things when he wasn't feeling well. Aki normally didn't make this big a deal about it though.

Koga was quite literally dragged out of the shop, only being given enough time to lock the door before being pulled in the direction of the ramen shop they oft frequented.

"What's there to tell?" Masato asked, not especially sarcastic for once. The pair somehow found their ways into seats and bowls of their usual order appeared before them almost immediately. "Noct and I are...I don't fucking know what we are. She wants to come back to the shop, I told her I can't stop her. End of story." The man tiredly began to slurp at his soup, and his stomach growled at the prospect of finally being fed. Masato didn't know why it was complaining, he didn't need to eat in Aincrad anyways.

@Tala

Edited March 16, 2021 by Koga

[Tala 0]

"Damn it Masato..., " there was a sigh that accompanied her words. She silently pinched the bridge of her nose, happy that she ended up coming over to check on him more now than before. "You know, I'm supposed to be the little sibling here, why are you making me feel like I need to be the elder one?" She looked at him as he slurped at his food. It just made her blink and shake her head more, before resisting the urge to slap her brother upside the back of his head.

"Answer me this big brother," she paused for a moment to move a little more to look at him better, "have you actually tried to hold a conversation with her that didn't result in your jumping to conclusions, judging her, accusing her of something, yelling at her, and her yelling at you in return?" This was a very serious question, and the look on her face, and the near mother like sternness could be heard in her voice. She was starting to sound like their mother, but she wasn't going to point that out, because she didn't want to think like that.

Instead, she quietly ate some of her ramen as she waited for her brother's answer. Because, depending on his answer, depended on how much more like their mother she was about to sound.

@Koga

[Koga 0]

Koga didn't answer. He had his moments too, it wasn't like siblingship was a one-sided affair after all. Aki knew that already though. It was most likely rhetorical.

Before Tala had even touched her bowl, Koga had already set down his, and instead picked up the honeyed tea and began to gently sip at it, staring at the murky water silently.

Aki asked a question. Masato answered. "I just did. No conclusions, no judging, or accusing. There was a little bit of yelling though. She started first though, not me."

He set the cup down, the ceramic making a quiet sound as it contacted the wood.

"I have a question for you, little sister," he said unexpectedly. "Clearly, you've spoken to Yukiro. Where do you two stand now?" In all honesty, Koga hadn't even seen much of Yuki as of late. He had no way of gauging then how the other man was faring.

@Tala

[Tala 0]

She wanted to smack her brother so bad right now, and instead, she settled for just facepalming, possibly harder than she had intended to. She just sighed deeply, trying to find the words to try and talk to her brother. He was clearly not thinking right, nor was he really thinking at all at this point. Really, could he not tell that Noctua had been hurting? Or was Noctua wearing a mask? No, it couldn't be the second option, Noctua was too goody two shoes to wear a mask like that. So, obviously, her brother had to have been oblivious, like always. She didn't bother attempting to touch her ramen again, and slid it closer to her, he probably needed it more than her at this point.

"Okay, but did you actually attempt to talk to her truthfully, or were you hiding behind fake words again?" There was one thing that was going through her mind again though, she was starting to sound more like her mother than she liked. She loved how he was deflecting though, and it made her chuckle as she just showed her ring at him. "We are fine. The trust needs to be rebuilt, but we are fine. But, I'm not here to talk to you about my love life, I'm trying to help you with yours Masa. You miss her, and I know that she misses you, I saw that for a year, and trust me, it made me want to puke." So she tried to add in a little humor, sue her.

@Koga

[Koga 0]

Tala pushed her bowl of ramen closer towards Koga, but he only pushed it away. He wasn't hungry anymore, his appetite already gone.

"Hey," Masato replied sharply, "I know I'm not the best with my words, but I've never hid behind 'fake words'." The man shot his sister a glare before picking up his cup of tea again and taking another sip from it. "I was as truthful as I could be," he said, setting down the cup once more. When Tala showed him her ring, he didn't feel the happiness he knew he should've felt for her. Still, he congratulated her. "Wow. Congrats, I...honestly didn't think you two would make up so quickly," he said. He was indeed surprised. But Yuki had always been quick to forgive, after all.

Once more, Koga took a sip of tea, emptying the ceramic cup. "Yeah...I miss her." There was no denying that. He never had been able to deny that.

@Tala

[Tala 0]

She didn't want to really believe that he wasn't hungry anymore, but just by judging his look, that was exactly the case this time. That was odd. 

She did ignore his glare though, and just shook her head, "Thank you, I think...." That was when it hit her, if his words were as empty as his congratulations to her, then that could be another thing that went wrong. But, he wasn't talking, and this was starting to bother her. She sighed lightly after he admitted that he did miss her, that was at least something to work with.

"Were you pushing her away kind of like you're doing to me right now? You don't need to physically push someone away Mas, you never did. Your pushing away comes from your words and lack of emotion, like right now." She did quietly move her hand to her lap, just so that she could put that reminder of the engagement ring aside, at this point, she was starting to think that just about anything could set her brother off.

@Koga

[Koga 0]

Tala's words were met with silence, and a nod. The man clasped his hands together, rested his elbows on the counter, and let his head lean into his balled together hands. Cracks formed across the fragile shell around his heart, and he found he could no longer form words. His throat was tight, and his chest ached. It was only made worse by the fact that he didn't know how to fix any of this. He fought the urge to breakdown. He never liked to cry, let alone in public. God forbid in front of his sister, the one he was supposed to be strong for.

The bowl of ramen was taken away by the server. They didn't request the pair leave yet though, instead choosing to refill Koga's cup of tea. He stared at it blurry eyes, then glanced at Tala's hands placed on her lap. He reached out and gently lifted up the hand with the ring and looked at it again. "It really is pretty. And I really am happy for you," he whispered.

@Tala

[Tala 0]

He really was breaking. He would like to think that she hasn't seen him cry before, but come on, this was Tala. She just sighed lightly, letting him look at her ring. She wanted to smack him for changing the subject, but she saw the hurt that was written basically all over him. So, being the loving little sister that she was, she pulled her hand from his, and she got up so that she could move closer to him to hug him. "Thank you, Masa, but I'm not here for me. I'm here because my big brother is in pain, and I hate seeing him like this."

She pulled away after a few moments and offered him a warm smile, "Wanna walk somewhere? I'm certain that there is a place where we can be alone and talk? You need to stop bottling your emotions up right now anyways. You are about to shatter, and much like you, I'd rather it not be in public." She didn't really give him much of an option on saying no, because that very moment, she paid for their ramen and tea. She looked at him again, giving him a look that he'd know of so well from their mother.

It was the look of 'let's go, you have no real choice'.

@Koga

[Koga 0]

Koga's hand went up to grasp Tala's arm as she hugged him. Gently, he squeezed her arm before she finally released him from her embrace. She offered to walk somewhere, and before Koga even had a chance to say anything she'd already paid for their meal and gave him a look that reminded him all too much of their mother. It wasn't like he was going to protest in the first place, that was just unnecessary.

Koga stood and followed his sister out the door to...wherever they were going. The man walked with his hands in his pockets, eyes downcast through the streets. Admittedly, he was thankful for the sparse population that was out today. The quiet was as comforting. It felt safe. The last time he'd felt this vulnerable had been after Tsuki and Hikaru had died. Like at any moment the world would turn on him and that would be the end.

@Tala

[Tala 0]

She just stared at him as they walked, using Akame to be her guide to make sure that she didn't run into anything. She sighed after a few, very torturous, moments of silence. "Masa, talk to me, please?" She found an empty spot by one of the smaller water fountains, and she dragged him over to it. She sat down on the edge of the fountain and stared at Koga, willing him to, for once, be cooperative with her.

Akame laid down by Tala's feet and just simply fell asleep right then and there, which made Tala shake her head. "Darned wolf can fall asleep at anytime and anywhere." She patted the spot next to her on the fountain, "Come on, sit down and talk. You need to think everything through and not in your mind where you're going to doubt yourself." If there was ever a time of hating the fact that someone knew you so well, it would be right here and now, with your baby sister attempting to force you to talk.

@Koga

[Koga 0]

Koga did as his sister bade him, taking a seat beside her on the edge of the fountain. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, head hanging low. "Talk about what, Aki?" he asked. He wasn't trying to be difficult, he just didn't know where to start. "She doesn't trust me. I betrayed her, she said so herself. And I can't even be around her without feeling like someone is digging a hole into my chest."

It was agony. That was all his existence was now. Apart from Noct, he missed her presence, and wanted nothing more than to hear her voice. And with her, he wanted to be as far away as possible, far enough so that he couldn't see the look on her face. That mixture of pain and hate and...was it longing? Looking back, he didn't know what it was that was written across her face. Only that that look was enough to destroy him.

@Tala

[Tala 0]

Well, she was at least getting somewhere at this point. She gently leaned against her brother and sighed lightly. "Mas, did she actually say that she didn't trust you? Or are you just assuming it? Because honestly, the look that I saw on her face as she was quickly leaving your shop said many things. Most of it being pain, but I can promise that she does still care for you. She was wearing her wolf necklace after all."

Hell, even Tala was wearing the necklace that Noct had made for her so long ago. Sure, there might be more tension and hatred between the two women for a while, but she highly doubted that there was any hate there for Koga. It was more than likely all for Tala for butting in, again. "Though, smack me if you want, how did you betray her?" She needed to get him to open up more, and well, if he broke down, at least they were alone.

@Koga

[Koga 0]

The man felt the weight of his sister leaning against him and enjoyed the comfort that came with it. They'd always been there for each other, even if they were the source of each others problems. "I...don't really remember exactly what she said," Masato admitted, leaning into Aki. "She definitely meant it though. I could hear it in her voice." He sighed, "I know what you're going to say, 'then I don't know it for sure, blah blah blah'. You weren't there for that though."

She put the necklace back on though. To be honest, Masato hadn't even noticed when they were in the shop. He'd hardly looked at her then.

Masato had a hard time putting into words just what Noct had said without making it sound like he was blaming his sister. In the end, he didn't really know if that was even possible. Maybe the beginning was the best way to start. "Before you found me again, we'd made a promise to each other. As friends, not anything else. We'd promised not to leave each other or abandon the other." The man's hands clenched and unclenched as he thought about it. "When you set up that whole thing with that rando, to make me believe Noct had been cheating on me, and I believed it, she said that I broke that promise." It, perhaps, wasn't the best way to word it, but it was the best he had.

@Tala

[Tala 0]

"You caught some of my question, but not this part; how do you know that the tone in her voice is how she meant it? I mean, take me for example, you know that you can never believe the tone of my voice, it always throws people off." She had to point that part out, she may not know Noctua as well as her brother, but there was still the fact that the tone of someone's voice couldn't be believed all the time.

She let him think though, find the words that he wanted to say, and honestly, the words that he did say, made Tala wince lightly. This all did boil back down to something that she had done in some way. She really was a giant brat. "I'm sorry Masa...." She sighed lightly before shaking her head lightly. "You know that there's always a way to fix something that was once broken. Trust and promises can be rebuilt, it just takes a little time, and no pushing the other away."

She was starting to think that perhaps she should just lock the pair of them in a room. Or throw them at a boss that will make them work together. That was what happened to her and Yuki. While she wanted to plot out something to do that, she knew that she couldn't, this wasn't her fight to entirely get involved in to fix.

@Koga

[Koga 0]

"Not everyone is you, though, Aki," Masato replied dryly. It was true that there were no small amount of people in the world who were terrifyingly good at masking their emotions, but as long as he'd known Noct, he'd always had a decent handle on her. He may not have been able to read her like a book, but she was a known variable. But then again, it was like NIGHT had said. He didn't really know her all that well anymore. Perhaps she'd picked up some tricks in all that time she was gone.

"You can't fix nuclear fallout. Or build on it." A sarcastic comment for an all too idealistic view. To be honest, that in and of itself surprised Mas. He'd never really thought of his sister as an idealist or an optimist before. Who was this girl leaning against him now anyways? "You're different." It was a statement. An observation, even. "Yuki must've said something to you that really stung, huh?"

@Tala

[Tala 0]

All that could be heard was a long and exasperated sigh. She had to find the words to say any of this now. How was she supposed to tell him that he was being an idiot because he's refusing to see past a very obvious shield to not get hurt again? As she thought on it, there was no actual way to sugar coat what she wanted to say to him. So, with a silent prayer, she hoped that he wasn't about to be overly pissed at her.

"Mas, the entire time that I've known Noctua, and saw how she was during that time, she has never once actually changed. If she has changed, it's because of what was said to her when you two ran into each other. I saw you hit the wall that day Masato, it was actually really hard to miss. If you were that mad to go outside and hit something, think about how the talk might have gone. Before you attempt to say that I'm taking her side, I'm not. I'm going to remain in neutral land here, because I'm certain that when you got angry, she more than likely said things in return with the same anger. She's never been good at hiding her emotions from you, so if she is, then *something* has happened since that talk with you to today."

Alright, she might have just lectured him in a blunt but not blunt kind of way, but she was honestly hoping that he was going to be able to understand what it was that she was trying to say. She shall see though, because, just like her, Koga was stubborn as well. She shook her head and was about to answer his mention of nuclear fallout, only to stop and blink. Had she really changed that much?

"Yeah, he did. I have also made a promise to him to go to him if I need help. But I made a promise to myself to change. I don't need to be ruining things for you after all. Before... I think it was just me being selfish and not wanting to lose the only person in my life who hasn't been able to truly hate me after all. But yeah, I made that promise, and, in a way, it's a promise to you as well, that I won't interfere anymore. Which, I might be breaking right now... but you need my interference, or you might break down in your shop or in a fight one day."

She should probably just stop talking now. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.

@Koga

[Koga 0]

"So you saw that, huh?" Masato asked. He remembered punching that wall. Most distinctly he remembered the purple hexagon stating that the wall was an immortal object. He didn't know why that, out of all things stuck out about that moment. He wasn't usually the type to go punching walls out of anger though, so maybe it was just the result that his mind decided to latch onto. Normally, his outlet was a good sparring match at the dojo, or even just playing some video games. That must've been the first time he'd ever gone out of his way to strike something like that.

The man chuckled though when his sister went on her short tangent about interfering. To be honest, he was glad for her interference this. This kind of interference was refreshing. Helpful. Even if he didn't really know what to do with any of the things she told him. He really was clueless after all, wasn't he?

"Hey, Aki." Masato tilted his head to look at his sister. "Th-"

A message notification popped up in front of the man's face, and his short attention span quickly drew itself to the new stimulus. With a quick downward swipe of his finger, he opened the message and read it.

"Fuck!"

With a speed that surprised even him, Koga stood and took off towards the settlement's teleporter, a desperate fury he didn't know he had in him coursing through his veins.

---

Thread Summary

Spoiler

Everyone
>> 2 SP [1 Thread +1 Quarantine]
>> 200 Col

 

Edited March 19, 2021 by Koga