[OP-F24] Valentines Tournament Arc Round 2 - Observer Thread

[Koga 0]

Koga chased after NIGHT, pushing past people as politely as he could, shouting back rushed apologies as he tried to catch up to his friend. He didn't know what was going on with her. He'd expected something, anything else than what he'd seen on that mat today. But then again, maybe he should've expected it. Nothing about NIGHT since they'd met Nari had been quite right. Everything about her had seemed to change.

The man burst into the building, and looked to his right, then his left. He could've sworn he'd seen NIGHT come in here. Where did she-? A clattering sound drew his attention, a shut door down the hall. Was that her? Koga jogged lightly, as quiet as his boots would allow, and tried to slide the paper divider open. It budged, just a little before catching on something. But it was enough for the man to see she'd blocked the entrance with a table. He could see over the hastily erected barrier, but he couldn't see the woman inside.

"NIGHT?" he called as gently as he could manage, "It's me. Can I come in?" Regardless of whether or not the woman answered, the man wrenched the paper door to the side, forcing it open the sound of paper tearing, he'd have to reimburse Baldur for that later, and set the table upright again as carefully as he could manage before clambering over it and standing apart from NIGHT, leaving distance between them. "NIGHT? What's goin' on?"

[NIGHT 0]

she immediately peeked from the noise. an eye to her position -- her hands were shaky on the incense.

"NIGHT?" he called as gently as he could manage, "It's me. Can I come in?"

no registration of who was at the door. night took down her futon for a moment to lob the object in her hand. it clattered to the floor once it struck the table side, unbroken, almost pitiful in her attempt. what heat from within the object fizzled out into nothingness.

the squeak she made crawling back into her hiding spot was in accordance to koga's destruction of property. she dug in fast, like a rock, pulling her knees in close as she clung to darkness in the white mattress. something shifted in the room as the man stepped in. night wouldn't budge.

"NIGHT? What's goin' on?"

silence. she wished she had something to defend herself with. she wished she hadn't dropped the spear from before.

ren wished she had a warm glass of water and some tissues and some fresh air.

her voice was breathy when she answered, barely audible from outside the futon. meek, strained; almost like it wasn't even there at all.

"go away."

[Koga 0]

There was no recognition in NIGHT's eyes as she stared at him. He couldn't recognize her either. They said nothing for a while. Just a strange, tense version of a Mexican stand off. Who would pull the trigger first? Be the first to break the silence. Who would give the other permission to approach or lash out?

In the end, it was NIGHT who spoke, but only to attempt to shoo him away. Koga could only shake his head. He couldn't do that. Instead the man lowered himself to the ground in front of NIGHT, wrapping his arms around his knees, though not so tightly as NIGHT, and sat. "No, NIGHT. I'm not goin' anywhere. Not right now at least." He told her. His voice was gently, but firm. It left no room for argument, for doubt. The man had resigned to sit across from his friend until she recovered. However long that might take.

[NIGHT 0]

quiet.

in the atmosphere, there was only fading incense and the chaotic sounds of a fight taking place in the main hall. the trading of blows, of wood against wood. a growl here and there. an applause occurred, during the silence.

night didn't even shift once.

it was at the second set of strikes that she had the strength to peek her head out from under the futon. reddened eyes and nose, an expression too tired, spoke of exhaustion in handling reality in the moment. downtrodden. the quiver of her body was only in fear of the open door, and night sank back into her hiding spot soon afterwards.

if she made a run for it, she wouldn't know where her threat was going to be.

so she stuck there, knowing at least she hadn't been followed. not by something dangerous, at least. not by a monster. and it was with another peep that she asked her friend, voice bleeding out into monotony. "where's nari?"

[Koga 0]

It wasn't peaceful.

It wasn't quiet.

But it was chaos either.

Nor was it deafening.

In truth, were it not for the open door behind him, the room with it's misplaced table could have been an entirely different world from the one that lay just beyond it's threshold. Just them and the dying embers.

"where's nari?"

The voice, when it finally spoke, was small. Devoid of anything but fear. Distress. "I don't know," the man answered honestly. He was angry with the woman. Furious even. He wanted to wring her neck. But the thoughts didn't even penetrate his mind as he reported what little he knew of the woman's whereabouts to NIGHT. He had more pressing concerns. "She was still on the mat when I came looking for you."

Koga didn't have to guess that NIGHT didn't want to see the woman. The tiny voice had already said as much. "Do you want me to take you home?" he asked, offering her some means of escape.

[NIGHT 0]

"...no."

tension in the air, still. night had the rest of the competition to push on through. something she needed to prove to herself.

something important.

but--

"i don't want to be here," she whispered back, pulling herself out from the sheets that she'd plastered herself under, now dizzy in addition to being afraid. the world seemed to spin under the lack of knowledge from her surroundings. her eyes wandered -- from the ceiling, to the broken door, to the wooden table set aside and the incense upon the floor.

she thought about the destruction she'd wrought. night wondered how much the bill would cost, and thought about the apology she had to give later on.

when she finally braved to face her friend again, night sniffled, wiping the last of her tears from her eyes. it was warm, in the enclosed space, without the cool air weaving through the rooms just like it did in the tournament hall. her arms were ready to push the futon off of her form.

"i just don't want to be here. right now."

[Alkor 0]

Before Round Two match...

Quote

 "So like, a better question- why not?  It's for getting to know people better, right?  There's only a couple people that, like, I don't know here, and you're one of them.  So if I manage to make it all the way, like, to the top, then that's the decision I made."  @Astreya

Impetuous.

That was his impression of the woman, after he everything else stripped away. She came to her conclusion based on nothing other than wanting to know people better, and the fact that he was among what few she did not know. What Koga said gave Alkor the impression that he had warned the woman against this course of action, and she had seen fit to ignore those warnings. There was no better word for it than impulsive.

But there was something wrong about the way she spoke, the exuberance that felt almost contrived. Did she want to talk to him, to know him better, or did she just want to extend her knowledge and pool of resources? The social exchanges that happened in those upper echelons of society weren't lost on him. They called him the beast-like one, separated from the rest of civilization by his refusal to integrate and run with the pack. That was how their kind deal with his.

The way they dealt within their own was what drove him away. "Because I see no point in the exchange," he answered simply enough.

Alkor eyed the woman for a moment in silence as she continued to speak.

Quote

"Unless you wanna chat now? Let you off the hook~"

"I do not," he replied, "my match is getting ready to start. Anything you want to know about me, you can learn by watching that. I see no need to stand on such frivolous social conventions." Alkor gave a slow, slight, stiff bow as he turned away from the woman and looked toward the staging area. He inhaled sharply, his mind on all manner of things other than the match about to start. It may have been harsh and blunt, but it was better to be himself than create a false image of who he was in the minds of others. 

"..."

There was something annoying about how everything had culminated. From the realization that there was a date on the line at the end of all this to the way that the social situation had unfolded, Alkor felt unnerved. He disliked everything about this situation, like he didn't belong here and coming was a mistake. He could feel the heat welling in his face, the unsettled sensation in the pit of his stomach- was he excited, or was this something else?

In spite of that, he had come, and he would see it through. Whatever that entailed.

 

Edited February 19, 2022 by Alkor

[Snow 0]

After sharing a word with Lessa, Snow served the few other patrons that wanted another cup of tea. She returned to the kitchen, filled with the familiar aroma of Cordelia's ramen, and prepped the kettle for another round later in the evening. As she cleaned, @Baldur's voice rang out. As it seemed, Takumi would be participating this match.

"He's a good kid," Snow spoke aloud to herself.

The blonde finished drying the kettle and cups then returned to her cushion near where Baldur had already perched himself to observe the second round. She swept her kimono under her as she knelt and lifted her tea to her lips. Cold. All warmth left her drink while she busied about, but a sense of familiar comfort came from the room temperature beverage. As she sipped it down, memories of her parents dwindled at the back of Alyssa's mind. Her dad always left his half finished tea or coffee on the counter when she was little. In an effort to be an adult like them, she always found a way to steal away a sip of the drink she wasn't supposed to have at that age. It was bitter then as it was now, but age changed many things.

Snow smiled while she placed her cup back on the table. The warmth of her memories also cooled into a soft chill of sadness. She missed them. She hoped they weren't sick with worry.

"Stop fucking with me!"

The shout from the mat echoed into her skull and shook Snow from her thoughts. Blue eyes snapped to the source where @Alkor reeled from a self inflicted blow to the face.

"What in the..." Snow's brows lowered in concern as @Lessa dropped her weapon. What was going on? This wasn't the pair that saved her from the sand worm.

A few words exchanged between the two, lost to the cacophony of noise from the others. Anguish met concern until a revelation occurred and Lessa rearmed herself. Then, as though the channels of communication opened like a dam to a river, their blows exchanged one after the other. Snow did not watch a fight, no. This was a conversation. Something deeper than she could perceive or understand happened each time their weapons met. It forced Snow to tilt her head curiously. They finally looked like the pair that saved her.

Then came the subtle, but decisive blow. Graceful, faint, but purposeful, Lessa claimed her victory. It seemed everything but celebratory. Baldur's quill scratched away beside her as Snow watched the two. She could not hear the words, but she felt enthralled by the expression between the two. Snow came to expect friendly or fierce competition. Their battle was everything but.

[Koga 0]

A small declination. But the desire to assent. Koga sighed and looked at pitiful sight before him, trying to find some way to coax her from the temporary shelter she'd found to her real home. Safety, and someone who could help more than he.

"You don't have to be here," Koga reminded the woman gently. "Baldur said the next round of fights won't be until tomorrow. You should...go home and rest." Though the festivities would go on, well into the night, there was no need for NIGHT to stay. Especially if all she could do was huddle alone, scared, in the corner of some room. in Baldur's estate. That would no good for anyone, least of all her.

The man stood from his place of vigil and took a couple steps toward the tightly wound bundle of flesh and bone, ones and zeros, called NIGHT, before offering his hand. "Come on," he said, "let's go home."

[Baldur 0]

Baldur sat and watched as... whatever round 2 had become. While several of those gathered here were having friendly duels, the bookends of the tournament seemed to be fighting a bigger fight. Nari and Night on one side, Lessa and Alkor on the other. The fight between Nari and Night seemed to draw his attention first, there was an anger and ferocity in the fight that almost made Baldur get up to intervene several times, but he stopped himself. They couldn't hurt each other. He shouldn't interfere. This could perhaps be the only way they could work through a catharsis. Should either of them switch to something more lethal, instead of the weapons he had provided, then he would intervene... but then the match was over.

Alkor and Lessa's fight he had expected to be more along the lines of how Lessa had started the fight. He was still confused about how Alkor was alive. Baldur had spent a lot of time helping Lessa work through the issues of his death. But it seemed they hadn't worked through that either. He would need to investigate how the dead man had come back to life, or how Lessa could have been so mistaken that she hadn't checked on him in years. Either way, the two of them seemed to collapse. He couldn't decided which end of the fight needed him as they both happened at the same time.

Then Night and Nari left the floor, Night fleeing burdened with uncontrollable emotion in her eyes. He saw Koga watching intently, and they met eyes for a moment. Baldur could see the concern in his eyes, and with a nod to Koga, Baldur put the weight back onto his heels and did not get up. Koga would handle it. I hope. The Gaijin samurai wanted to trust and believe in @Koga, but it seemed he had some issues with his decision making processes. His heart was in the right place, Baldur could feel the good man in him, but he responded without thinking too often.

Instead, Baldur looked over at @Snow a bit of concern lingering in his face, but he took a deep breath and drank the new cup of tea she had brought him.

Lessa and Alkor had more words and seemed to wander off. He hoped everything would be okay. He returned his eyes to the matches, where the judges at each corner would raise a colored flag whenever a point was scored, and he kept indicating the strikes on his notes. Hopefully the feast afterwards would help everyone cool down a bit more.

[Oji 0]

Oji emerged from the bathroom after what felt like an eternity. Even though the alcohol in this game didn't give the same effect as the real world, it still affected the body the same way. He was well washed and made sure the room was as clean if not cleaner than when he had gone in. As he emerged, he had seen a bit of drama had gone down, people running past him, but he just simply moved out of the way. He saw Koga go past, and he shot him a wave, but a look in his eyes told him that something was not all that well, and he chose to just leave it at that.

He started to slowly make his way back to the main area, and he saw a young girl kneeling in tears, and another young lady standing next to her. He decided that, maybe he should intervene here. He was a tad older and he knew that keeping the peace wouldn't be a bad idea. He would leave Koga to whomever had run past him. He would help to take care of the other party, and then maybe come together with Koga to get the other side of the story. His geta clicking against the ground as he came over to the two of them. "Hello, is uh, everything okay here?"

@Nari-Lanreth @Xena

Stats:

Spoiler

Oji, The Uncle of Aincrad
Level: 11
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 220/220
EN: 40/40

Stats:
Damage: 1
Evasion: 3
Loot Dice: 3

Equipped Gear:
Weapon:
Armor:
Misc: Jigen kōtai [3 EVA]

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Searching R3

Active Mods:
Energize

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Field Medic

Active Extra Skills:
First Aid R5

Inactive Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:

Housing Buffs:
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Skylight (Searching): +1 Rank to the Searching skill.
Angler: +1 material gained when fishing
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll

Attire (I found a better photo):

Spoiler

 

Edited February 19, 2022 by Oji

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

Everything was…empty. Not the emptiness of meditation, nor the emptiness found in the strides of combat. This was…something else. No feelings, no thoughts at all, no sounds. The scene before Nari wasn’t viewed, the sun on the horizon, the ocean below. There was simply, nothing. In the void, she found…release? Solace? Certainly not peace, not the grandeur of simplicity and happiness that so many promised.

‘Is this what the end is like, then?’ A thought pierced the void, echoing quietly around. She didn’t recognize the voice; so calm, not afeared. Is that what she sounded like? No. Her voice had always carried a tinge of hesitation, of concern – of fear. But…then who was it?

A shift in her sight – something changed. Her eyes didn’t move, but she tried to look, tried to see. No response, she was lost. Sinking, deeper and deeper. And then…

"Hello, is uh, everything okay here?"

So, here at least. Resolution, not fear. An odd feeling, as if accepting what was to come – and yet, wishing for more time. More time to…to what? Wasn’t this what she wanted? She wasn’t sure anymore. She didn’t know her Path. What was there left…

‘We’re all going to get through this. Together. You’re not alone.’

‘Then why do I feel so alone?’

“Have you come to strike me down?” Her voice carried no concern, no fear of the possibility. Instead, it sounded…reassured. As if resigned to the finality of it all. The eyes didn’t leave their blank stare, gazing out beyond the horizon, as if seeing something beyond reality. “I only ask – before you end it, is NIGHT safe?”

@Oji

Spoiler

Word Count: 270

 

[Xena 0]

Xena just stood her arms crossed, so this was how other people dealt with the strain of this world. She herself would of broken down into a giggling crying mess, but someone like Nari, they went cold. Cold as ice, it was a tad bit nerve wracking. Xena pulled her hood down sighing softly. "Nari, noone here has plans to harm you, in fact i imagine they have a great deal of respect towards you surviving until round 2, you almost won too! Why are you acting like the world is falling beneath your feet." Despite her best efforts Xenas own voice flickered between normal and her broker tone, one side a happy reassuring type the other a cold and monotone type. She didn't honestly know which type Nari needed currently and quickly snapped herself back to normal. "All I'm saying is you did great and your life's not over, nothing is. You should be proud if your accomplishments and use them as a fuel to keep pushing forward."

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

A voice. A girl…cat ears. Claws. A tail. A Minotaur, so long ago. Had it really been so long? A voice, trying to…what, cheer her? Make the horrors go away? She wasn’t sure. It pierced into the silence, drawing towards her – as if trying to call her away from the void she had entered. She…a slight shiver ran down the physical form, causing Nari to shake slightly. The eyes still locked onto the horizon, but the voice speaking once more.

“My life ended years ago. Back…” When had it been? Two years? More? How could she live, now that the memories were fading among others, newer ones. ‘We’ll get through this together.’

“I do not fear the end, it will bring forth new beginnings. If Death has come, then so be it. For I had died, time and again. I will accept it.” The hollow eyes suddenly turned to Xena, appearing as if voids. As if all life had left them. “But not by your hands. You are not Death, nor shall you bear his responsibility.”

She knew that he had likely gone to make sure she was okay, and so Nari would wait. Wait for his return, no matter how long it would take. She knew what needed to be done, and she was resigned to it. For she had… “I have…broken the trust of those I love. And so…I deserve no less than this…”

The eyes – staring at Xena, and yet unfocused, as if not seeing the girl – remained unmoving, the tears slowly falling down the sides of her face. She knew her grievances, her errors, her mistakes. The time had come, and so she would be Judged. But not by this one, never by this one…

@Xena@Oji

Spoiler

Word Count: 289

 

[Oji 0]

Oji was a bit taken aback at what the young lady spoke in such a broken tone. She asked if he would be the one to kill him, and he looked down. Well, he wasn't carrying any kind of weapon so he had no clue where she had received such an implication. But as the two of them talked he realized that this girl was broken, obviously she blamed herself for something, and he had no clue what that thing was. He knew that he needed to take her a bit away. He gently leaned down, and lent a hand. "Come, I'm not going to kill you, but I'll gladly listen to your story." He spoke with a warm smile on his face. He helped her up and looped his arm within hers, as to give her support, since she seemed weak in the knees.

"Now, lets go someplace quieter hm? I hear the beaches on this floor are immaculate." He gently spoke, and he turned to the girl next. "Would you mind coming along? You seem to know her a bit better than I do, and maybe you can shed some insight." He asked gently, knowing that both of these parties should not cross paths. The farther away the better. He quietly lead the girl away from the party, humming a quiet tune as he did. The sounds of the crowd and wooden swords clashing faded as the loud crashing of waves took over, and he looked at the sunset over the light blue waves, giving a view that look his breath away.

"They weren't kidding." He muttered, then helped the girl to sit in the soft white sand. "There, now for me." He said, sitting next to her and groaning as he did. He pulled out two deep red saucers, and pulled out a bottle. "Some sake to calm the nerves?" He offered, pouring himself a saucer.

@Nari-Lanreth @Xena

[Lessa 1]

꧁༺Lessa༻꧂   Lessa, Guardian of Aincrad Level: 31 Paragon Level: 47 HP: 800/800 EN: 118/118 Stats: Damage: 28 Mitigation: 142 Accuracy: 4 Battle Healing: 44 H.M.: 8 HLY: 8 REC: 8 THRNS: 72 Equipped Gear: Weapon: Arcael's Might (T4 THSS - DMG DMG DMG HLY) Armor: Empress Armor (T4 HA - HM HM THNS THNS) Misc: Neutron Star Necklace (T4 TRINKET - ACC ACC REC REC) Skills: Straight Sword R5 Heavy Armor R5 Battle Healing R5 Energist Fighting Spirit Charge Active Mods: Impetus Emergency Recovery Justified Riposte   Addons: Iron Skin Ferocity Stamina Active Extra Skills: Parry Survival   Battle Ready Inventory: Teleportation Crystal x5 Mass HP Recovery Crystal x2 Housing Buffs: Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 20% (rounded down) 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: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [1/1] Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll Guild Hall Buffs: Helping Hand: Lowest-leveled guild member receives +10 bonus Exp at the end of the thread. At least half of the thread's participants must be guild members. Limit one use per month, per character. [1/1]

Before the Fight

"Lovely match."

Lessa, who had been reaching for the ladle at the time, nearly plunged her hand into the bowl of strawberry punch. She jerked back, slapping her palm over her heart before turning to the fellow blonde. "Hey Snow," she greeted when she caught her breath. "Sorry, sorry. You just startled me." After a few seconds, Snow's second question registered. In response, Lessa loosed a quick laugh and shook her head. "Totally coincidence, though I'm not surprised at all to see him here. He's got a real hard on for duels. I figure he'd challenge anyone to just about any kind of competition, just for the thrill of it. I, on the other hand..." She paused to motion to the glorious spread of drinks and food. "... Well, I'm here for the snacks. I was fortunate to have been paired up with a relative beginner for my first round. Morgenstern's going to be a lot tougher opponent. I don't know him too well, but I-"

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, ma'am, but I couldn't help but overhear." This time, it was the use of the word 'ma'am' that had Lessa flinching. Another Player, a young man a few inches shorter than Lessa, stared up at her apprehensively. "You're Lessa, right? I saw your fight."

The disapproval faded immediately, replaced by a sort of amused pleasure. "Yeah, I am! What'd you think of the fight."

"Eh," came his answer, along with a small shrug. "It wasn't my favorite."

Oh.

"The reason I ask is because you said you were supposed to fight Morgenstern, but you're not. Anymore, I mean." He paused to flutter a small piece of paper through the air. "I love duels, and following the fighters, so I keep track of everything. They just changed the bracket up, and you're fighting someone else."

"Oh yeah?" She made no effort to hide the bitterness, more preoccupied with his comment than her next opponent.

"Well, uh, yeah. Now you're fighting, uh..." He referred to his notes. "Alkor."

The world seemed to open up beneath her and swallow her whole.

"Okay, thanks," she said dumbly. Then, to Snow, she added, "I'm going to go get ready. Bye."

Colors and sounds merged around her, blurry like light through a rain-covered window. She might have wandered like that, wide-eyed and breathless, until the moment the fight began, if Jomei hadn't caught her first. His face swam into view, becoming clearer as she finally focused on him. Was he talking to her? His lips were moving, shifting around that warm, contagious smile. But this time, she struggled to bring the joyful expression to her own face. "Thanks," she mumbled, trying, and failing, to shove pleasantness into the single word. Then, she heard herself saying, "I have to fight Alkor next."

@Snow @Jomei

[Nari-Lanreth 0]

As the man leads her away from the noise, the reminder of it all, down to a beach and surfs. The void compresses slightly, drawing her in – and then, voices. The girl and the man speaking, as if holding some sort of conversation with – her? Nari wasn’t sure. Everything was…confusion. Had she not done what she needed to?

"Some sake to calm the nerves?"

‘What is…sake?’ Reaching out, grabbing the bottle, swigging back a large mouthful. Coughing a little, she hands the bottle back, her eyes still deadpan on the horizon. ‘Ah, alcohol. The answer to all sorrows.’

Somewhere on the edge of her vision, the recognition of stares. She wasn’t sure why, but she knew one thing – they wanted a story. And a story they would get. Perhaps that’s what Death awaited. A confession. Would that…stop it?

“You wanted a story. My story. I’m sure it’s like many others. I had a…life outside of this game. If you could call it that. No social life, no friends. Except…there was a girl. I met her in a forest. Like a…fairy, I guess. She looked like a fairy. Beautiful. Glimmering. She…took to me, as much as I took to her. But her parents wouldn’t have it. A disgrace they called it. I wasn’t there, but I heard the gunshot. They called it an ‘honour killing’. As if they were clearing away something…disgusting. Well, I cleared away their disgusting.”

A sudden flash, a blade covered in blood. Her hand shaking as she realized what she had done, the anger and emotion running through her. Beneath her – the face, horror on it as it clutched at their shoulder, red oozing out. She would’ve finished it too, had Evelyn not intercepted her.

“She survived. My Eve. I don’t know how she knew what I planned, but she made her way there – crawling where her wheelchair wouldn’t take her. She…stopped me. Stopped the monster. And then. Sword Art Online – a way for us both to be…normal again. To explore the world. Eve could walk…it was a blessing.”

She remembered when they first dived in, the emotions they had both felt. It had been…incredible. Evelyn had danced around, the joy on her face indescribable. Nari’s heart beat twice, a twinge of emotion returning to the otherwise dead soul. ‘Is this what it means to be dead?’

“And then, the Announcement. We vowed to survive, together. We found some…acquaintances. Other low-level players who knew as much as we did. Which was, nothing. I volunteered as the party’s tank – I was the front line support. I was the defender. Except…our first real opponent…I faltered. I failed. And I watched…watched as Evelyn…” The sudden change, the voice, once emotionless, cracking. The tears returning, streaming down her face as memories return to her. ‘Will I never be rid of this pain? What must I do? What is my Path?!’

“I watched as Evelyn died. Struck down, and then…shards. Nothing left, but shards…” The voice gave way as the emotions rolled through the void, breaking away whatever coldness had been there briefly. A sudden change as Nari’s demeanor dropped, her entire frame shuddering as it all washed over her. She remembered that day, that moment, so clearly. Etched into her memory, never leaving her alone. “And then…I met another. A young girl. I…jumped in. Too quickly, too aggressively. I trusted too easily. And…everything…everything went horribly. The arguments, the fighting – all within one night. And then the true betrayal, the disappearance. Just…gone. No words, no messages. Just…gone. I…I never forgave. I tried. But I never forgave. And then he…Koga…he said that we were in it together. But I knew, in my heart, that it wasn’t true. We couldn’t be in this together. Not if we couldn’t trust…And then today. The rage…it overtook. And I…I’m so, so sorry…”

The words dropped off. She knew what she had done, the horror of it settling in to her. She had crossed a line, a line she had sworn never to cross. A line that she… ‘Was NIGHT okay?’

“I…I don’t even know…How do I ever return…”

@Xena@Oji

Spoiler

Word Count: 681

 

[Oji 0]

As Oji finished his pour, he offered the sake out, and was a tad shocked when it was ripped from his hands and the young girl took a swig. He decided it was best not to question this. She seemed like she needed it. She handed it back and placed it in the sand between them, within arms reach of either of them. He started to drink from his saucer as the broken girl poured out her heart to him. He told her things he was sure she had never even told anyone here within this game except those she trusted, and he knew he was right because of how deeply troubling it made him feel for her. This was a broken, broken girl, no, a young lady, pouring her heart to the waves. He just happened to be near to hear her words.

He knew that this was not a time for words, and he just drank his sake quietly, enjoying the waves and letting the life story of this young lady linger and be heard by the ocean's tide, it crashing against the tide in reply to her story. After a few moments, he finished off the sake in his saucer and set it down in the sands gently, leaning back and supporting his upper body with his arms. "I wish there was some magic words that I could say to make this pain from your life go away." He said quietly, staring at the waves. "Your life's been hell, and I'm sorry that you had to go through such dark things." The sun continued to set, its rays shining over them in yellows and oranges. 

"But, I can tell you a story." He spoke. "One that my parents told me many, many years ago." He chuckled. "There once was a family, in a remote part of Japan, there was a family, happy as can be. One day, the father was called to Kyoto for business, and he told his daughter that if she was good, he would bring her home something wonderous." He spoke, remembering the story well. "The father left, and after a few days he returned, giving his daughter a brand new doll and some cakes, and to his wife he gave her a beautiful mirror, that when she looked into it, she thought she was looking at another woman. The husband told her the mystery of the mirror, and told her to take good care of it."

"After awhile." he continued. "The mother grew ill, and on her death bed she gave her daughter the mirror, and told her 'I will pass away soon. Please be sure to love your father, as he will miss me as much as you will when I am gone. Whenever you feel lonely, look into it and you will see my face and remember me." As he continued to tell the story, he took the bottle of sake and poured it into his saucer. "Eventually, the father remarried, and the stepmother was wicked to the daughter. But, the daughter did not complain and loved her father, remembering her words. And ever night she would retreat to the corner of her room and look into the mirror."

He took a small sip of his sake, to wet his throat. "One day, the stepmother saw the daughter looking at something she could not see, and since she detested the daughter because she thought the daughter detested her, thought that the daughter was trying to cast an evil spell over her. With these crazy thoughts in her head, she went to her father and told her these wild stories."

"After the head of the house heard this, he ran to his daughter's room, and caught her by surprise. Quickly, she hid the mirror in her sleeve and the father saw this. He told the tale to her that the stepmother had woven, and she was confused by this, and told her father that he loved her too much to do such a thing." He took another sip. "'Then what did you slip into your sleeve?' the father asked, only half convinced by her words. She pulled out the mirror and showed her father it. 'It's the mirror mother had that you gave her. She gave it to me on her deathbed, and any time I feel sad, I look at it and I feel better, and it helps me to bear the harsh words and cross looks.'"

"The father understood and loved his daughter more for her words and filial piety, and the stepmother, ashamed of her acts, asked forgiveness to the daughter, and the daughter forgave. And trouble forever departed that home." He finished, taking his final drink of the sake. "The story tells us that sometimes, you don't always know what other's are thinking, and it's never good to judge a person without knowing their story. And in turn, when you do you ask forgiveness, because now you know better." the saucer was quietly placed back into the white sands. "We are not perfect people, and we all have made mistakes that hurt not just ourselves, but the people around us." he finally looked at the young girl. "I don't know what happened between to you and the young lady that ran away, but when the time is right and you both are control of how you feel once more, you should talk to her, and ask forgiveness for the wrongs you did not mean to do to her."

@Nari-Lanreth @Xena

Edited February 20, 2022 by Oji

[Xena 0]

Xena realizing this was extremely out of her element simply watched the two a modest distance, the water was beautiful as frightening as it was to the girl. The night had began to fall as a wonderful sunset had arrived, Xena smiled humming a tune, one from a game she had played long ago, (Sample) the wind was blowing across the beach as she watched the two sitting talking, if anyone was gonna help Nari it would of been this stranger, Xena just wasn't the consoling type, sitting on a bit of stone that stretched towards the beach, she wasn't that much a fan of sand either, the two seemed to know the feeling Nari was going through rather well, Xena only questioned why she'd never known it. The story the man told was certainly one of interest, and the morals it taught were even better. Not that Xena always followed such morals, specifically with certain people, perhaps the ocean could be Nari's mirror, but she doubted it could be consoled so easily. She had no right to intervene in this though, Xena followed simply to make sure Nari would be ok, and knowing she was, she spectated, her presence likely hardly noticed. She was simply there, humming a tune to sooth the area around her. Though it was likely inaudible to the two sitting upon the beach, as they spoke about the issues of life, and drank till they weren't saddened anymore, and the sunset fell behind them as they did.

[NIGHT 0]

it took all of her effort for night to peel herself away from the walls.

she didn't want to go home. it felt like losing a battle that way. as though something she wanted to be proven to herself got lost in a sea of mixups. of bad blood and unexpected consequences.

still, it was koga talking to her. and she didn't have anywhere else to go, so night took her friend's advice.

she took her friend's hand in her own. the futon crumpled around her as night stood. soft paces across the floor -- if the woman had more energy, more concern, she would've drifted across the tatami, feather footed, fear still pulsing in her veins.

her eyes were glued to the floor as she let koga lead the way. by her exit, she finally had the capacity to look over her notifications. it was in silence that she wrote a reply while the duo made their way to the island docks.