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| [Graded]Beneath The Surface; Artesia | |
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| Topic Started: Dec 23 2013, 02:24 AM (1,562 Views) | |
| 竜 Mazohyst | Dec 29 2013, 12:58 PM Post #31 |
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Stay the course.
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Using a technique similar to Artorius' Kemuryū no Io (Smoke Dragon's Retreat). Specifically, it was quite like his ability to generate platforms of smoke and to also use them to gain additional height in a second jump. The ability was quite useful, and Artorius hadn't seen Artesia use something like that. At the very least, had she been able to do something like that before she probably would have done it. But, this time, drastic situations call for drastic measures, and Artesia had managed to mimic his ability with her own magic in an impressive display of ingenuity. Besides that, seeing that woman jump simply never got old. Nevertheless, Artorius' technique didn't last too long, especially given the fact that the lion was struggling to free itself. Soon, a bit after Artesia had landed on its face and began to pull at the mask with her strength, Artorius could feel his technique beginning to wane. Quickly, Artorius slammed his three-pronged harpoon at the same location, replacing it with a second Kemuryū no Mori (Smoke Dragon's Harpoon). However, this one wouldn't last long at all as soon Artesia would manage to tear the mask off. The woman flew from the force of the pull, but also the lion had tossed her off of its body. Running towards her, Artorius released his harpoon and made a mad dash towards her. At the height that he had been thrown up at, not even Artesia would leave a pretty sight if she fell that hard. Hurriedly, Artorius circled around the lion's side. Jumping up, Artorius rapidly created his own platform to gain additional height on. But, as his foot touched upon it, the man twisted his body and spun around. Now facing the opposite direction, Artorius jumped backwards, releasing an outward blast of smoke which propelled him faster towards Artesia. Once her shadow was cast upon his, Artorius grabbed hold of her tightly. The two fell with a thud, but it was much more preferable to letting her fall to an untimely death. Artorius was hurt, but how bad was yet to be seen. Grunting, the man opened his eyes to find Artesia laying on him, with his arms still wrapped around the small of her back. As he regained his vision, the man couldn't help but laugh at their predicament. "Well, this seems familiar. We gotta stop meeting like this," Artorius wheezed before he suddenly pass out. |
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| Lightning | Dec 30 2013, 10:45 AM Post #32 |
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Steel your mind. Run on instinct.
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When was it that she'd felt herself flying through the air like she was at the given moment in time? It shouldn't have been what she was thinking about while she awaited slamming into the ground with force enough to spare from a height which wouldn't leave her laughing about it and shaking it off, but it was. Artesia couldn't help but wonder why the sense of Deja vu was there for her, had it been something she couldn't remember because the landing hadn't been so great? It wouldn't have surprised her if she hit her head hard enough to forget something like that. While she flew upwards into the air Artesia watched as the mask she'd pulled from the lion beast began to disintegrate within her grasp before trailing off into the air as a shimmering black dust and she couldn't help herself from making the blank expression of disappointment that crossed her face. Well, if she was going to get severely hurt or perhaps even killed for pulling it off the damned lion she could have at least have been allowed to keep the damned thing! Alright, so if she died it wouldn't have mattered... but hey the point remained the same. While Artesia prepared for the landing to come and kept herself as relaxed as possible by keeping her mind busy on other things -something she knew was always best to do before a bad landing- Artorius was actively moving to prevent his comrade and newly found partner in crime from the fate that awaited her. This was a fact which she didn't notice until moment before she found herself being slammed into and collected into an embrace by the man but it was one she immediately understood and was inherently grateful for. Even with her fall being interrupted and the momentum she'd gathered interrupted and redistributed Artesia knew that the landing wouldn't be a gentle one, the most concerning thing to her though was the fact that not it was not only her which would have to deal with it, Artorius was going to cop half of it as well if not more. Both bodies hit the ground below them with an audible and somewhat sickening thud and for a moment or two both remained silent and still as their minds and bodies caught up with them. The brunt of the fall had been taken by Artorius who during the fall had been sure to position himself so that he would be the body that first struck the ground and as she opened her eyes and lifted her upper body upwards using her arms Artesia realised that very fact. Damn it, why had he done that?! Was he an idiot? If he was going to leap up there and get himself hurt to help her then he could have at least let her be the one that got hurt the most! Yep, just as she always did Artesia's mind turned to thoughts of anger and frustration as she felt herself being overwhelmed by concern and fear. She'd never been good at letting others know she was worried, concerned or afraid and ever since she was a kid she'd find herself lashing out at people instead, unfortunately this was no different. The fact that Artorius's hand was on the small of her back and that they were in what was no doubt an awkward position to anyone who was looking upon them didn't go unnoticed to Artesia but given the situation she wasn't about to bring it up or focus on it. As Artorius wheezed out a joke and his eyes began to close and his consciousness began to slip she found her own widening and her lips unable to stifle her voice. "Hey!" His eyes closed, "Don't you da~" She immediately trailed her voice off to nothing mid speech as it became obvious she was speaking to nobody and after a frustrated and concerned sigh she flung her leg over moving from a straddling position to one of being crouched beside him. "Great....what the hell am I supposed to do now huh?" Artesia mumbled to herself trying to hide her concern and fear with a frustrated tone of voice. Audible thuds immediately reminded Artesia of the giant lion that the pair of them had been fighting and half with the expectation she'd turn her head to see it coming towards her the thief glanced in its direction. Thankfully she'd been wrong, it hadn't been coming towards her but heading back towards the cabin itself. With each step towards the cabin that the lion took its size shrunk that little bit more and figuring out that it must have been Cassandra's pet or something along those lines Artesia decided that they too would have to head back to the cabin. "Alright," Artesia mumbled while lifting Artorius's unconscious body onto her back and draping his arms over her shoulders, "Feel free to wake up any time." She said with the hope she'd hear something returned to her, unfortunately nothing but silence was heard. The walk back to the cabin wasn't necessarily hard for Artesia but it wasn't exactly easy either, being larger than herself and an awkward shape Artorius made for a difficult cargo that was for sure, it could have been worse though, much worse. "We passed your trial and now we're borrowing your place." Artesia stated in a matter of fact way while walking through the cabin door she held open with her foot, "He'll take the couch and I'll take the kitchen." Artorius would be gently placed down on modest couch which Cassandra motioned to and the care that was taken not to injure him was something the seer didn't fail to notice. It was unfortunate that despite her choice to remain silent on the fact she'd noticed it her lips curled just enough to be noticed, "If you'd got time to smirk you've got time to make sure he's comfortable." Cassandra would give no more than a larger smile as Artesia barked at her and stormed by towards where she figured the kitchen had to be located before walking over and tending to Artorius. |
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| 竜 Mazohyst | Dec 30 2013, 11:45 AM Post #33 |
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Stay the course.
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To be frank, Artorius didn't really know why he went to such a length to save this woman. Typically, or at least the old Artorius before he wound up crawling through the dense smokey mists in the jungles of Lancarri, was out for himself and only himself. He only cared about profits, and about taking care of himself. Everything else was usually secondary to the man. However, part of him felt that he just had to help her, as if by helping her survive that fall he would help himself out in the long run. But, those were merely the thoughts on the surface, how the man tried to justify things in his head. Part of him simply didn't know why he was helping her, or at least that's what he thought. In a way, the woman reminded Artorius of two people. The first was himself. The two were naturally kindred spirits. They may not have similar upbringings, hell they didn't even know each other's past, but Artorius knew that they enjoyed the same things, generally had similar dispositions and personalities alongside with various traits, and various other similarities besides just their professions. The second... Though he would never admit it himself, the red-haired woman reminded Artorius of someone, someone he wouldn't dare mention in front of anyone, not even himself. Regardless of the truth around the circumstances, the man was currently unconscious, being carried towards the safety of Cassandra's isolated cabin. There, he had been brought towards a modest couch where he had been gently placed. Cassandra tended to the man's wounds, stripping him of his gear. The woman meticulously removed his equipment, unbuckling each strap and untying each string. Eventually, once it all came loose, she removed the leather armor covering his upper body, his head and face, as well as his gauntlets. Smoothly and gently running her hand over his body, she quickly found the source of his injuries. There were various cuts and scrapes along his body, which she quickly bandaged up. Though, the more serious injury were inside -- as the man had broke and bruised a few ribs, which she meticulously taped up with bandages. Notably, the bandages featured a shimmer of light as she placed them, that resembled runes of some sort. Though, as they were wound and taped together, the runes would disappear into nothingness. "You're lucky he took that fall for you. You would have been in a sorrier state than he is right now," she spoke calmly to Artesia before she turned back towards the wounded man. Turning to face him, she quietly murmured to herself. "I'm almost jealous," she whispered as she draped a blanket over the idle man's body. "That said, I'm to blame for the trouble. But, you must understand, it was necessary. I can't tell you everything, for even I only see glimpses of the future, but you underwent this test because you two must have the knowledge and willpower to overcome the obstacles to come," she spoke, her voice half-apologetic but at the same time sounding quite astute. "Before you two leave this place, I had to know if you two would be able to handle it. But, now I know, and I was mistaken for doubting you both. Regardless, these bandages will heal the man soon, but first he requires rest. And a good meal. You as well." Edited by Mazohyst, Dec 30 2013, 11:46 AM.
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| Lightning | Dec 30 2013, 12:44 PM Post #34 |
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Steel your mind. Run on instinct.
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During the time in which she rustled around in the kitchen looking for things that she could use to make something not only edible but also tasty Artesia didn't hesitate to vent some of her frustrations on the poor helpless cupboard doors. The banging and clanging was somewhat drowned out by the distance between the kitchen and the lounge area but Cassandra could hear it loud and clear, too bad she was busy doing something else which she deemed more 'interesting' or she might have gone to watch the scene unfolding to ensure no lasting damage to her place was done. The first thing to be done was the look for ingredients that she recognised and could use, thankfully the cupboard revealed to be fairly well stocked and so with an onion and potatoes in hand the woman shuffled over towards the fridge where she would search for meat. In Artesia's eyes a meal wasn't really a good meal without some kind of meat on the plate and so she wasn't going to be pleased if she couldn't find any or Cassandra turned out to be one of those crazy vegetarian bastards. Artesia felt pretty damned successful when she turned to the stove with sausages in hand and a recipe in her head, there was something satisfying about being able to make something from scratch and making do with what you had available to you. What was she going to make you ask? Well, I suppose I can tell you. You see, Artesia was a simple woman when it came to her taste in food and her cooking repertoire reflected it. Knowing mainly how to cook rustic meals that would be considered comfort food or 'pub food' the woman was a hit with the men due to their high meat content and mammoth servings -her brothers and father included-. So what rustic comfort food could Artesia make with potatoes, butter, salt, spices, thick sausages and onion? Bangers and Mash of course. What? You don't know what Bangers and Mash is? You poor, poor soul. After peeling the potatoes and placing them in a pot of water which she would bring to the boil Artesia pierced the sausages and placed them into the ovens grill, she'd get the gravy ready right before the rest was done lest it be ruined by sitting around. Food wasn't the only thing that she'd found in the kitchen during her search and when she poured herself a glass of some good old liquour she found herself somewhat surprised at the seemingly modest Cassandra's tastes. With the glass in hand Artesia walked back towards the room where she'd left Artorius to be looked after by the woman but she wasn't prepared for what she would find there. As she turned the corner to the living area Artesia's eyes wandered over to the couch where she'd put Artorius and when they focused on him to see his exposed skin she of course felt herself stare just a little. I mean could you blame her? The man had abs to die for and even through the bandages that covered most of his torso she could see that much, what made it awkward though was the fact that she wasn't the only one. Cassandra was tracing the man's skin with her hand and frankly Artesia wasn't sure that if she didn't interrupt the woman would leave him un-assaulted, just how long had that pervert been out here in the cabin all alone anyway? Molesting an injured and unconscious man was a bit much, even for her tastes, looking a little was different though of course! "It may interest you to know that what you're doing is frowned upon by civilized society." Artesia said before taking a sip of her drink and standing in a somewhat intimidating manner at Artorius and Cassandra's side. When the woman gave her retort the thief couldn't help but wonder if she wasn't just trying to make her feel guilty in order to snap back, whatever though she wasn't exactly wrong so she'd let it slide. "That water isn't boiling just for the sake of it." Artesia said with a less than social approach to things. To be frank though it wasn't like she herself wasn't hurting nor that she didn't already feel guilty about Artorius's injuries. Edited by Lightning, Dec 30 2013, 12:47 PM.
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| 竜 Mazohyst | Dec 30 2013, 01:02 PM Post #35 |
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Stay the course.
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Artorius' mind was a blur, his vision and surroundings even moreso. The man could scarcely remember what had happened before, it was all very vague to him. One moment he was in a field of burning wheat, and another he was reliving painful scene, a nightmare that he had all but forgotten. But, this was a dream that he hadn't encountered in a fair amount of time, not since he had left for Lancarri in search of a lead for something he felt that he, at the time, would never be able to grasp. Just when it had begun to fade from its memory, it quickly surfaced like a painful, unpleasant, and unsightly zit. The man found himself in a concrete jungle, running for dear life. His heart raced faster and faster as his legs pumped to carry him to safety. Artorius had always dreaded the thought of capture, of being arrested and imprisoned. The sheer thought of it was almost unbearable. He had to escape, he just had to, and he would walk back home along with her. Drifting and skidding around a corner, the masked thief rammed his shoulder into some poor bastard, hitting him right in the gut as he quickly accelerated his pace. A woman was right in front of him, her fiery locks of red-hair fluttering behind her. The two had been at this game for quite some time. Conniving, planning, stealing, and thieving with daggers in each hand, side-by-side, that's what they had been all about. But, it would all come to a close. Hurriedly, Artorius knelt down to provide a boost to the woman who quickly scrambled up the side of a tall fence. Reaching up for her hand, Artorius' perspective stretched and distorted, making it appear as if she were so far away. His hand just couldn't reach hers, but quickly she grabbed hold of his wrist, pulling him up towards the confines of relatively safely. But, it was only momentary, and the moment was quickly fleeting. Her eyebrows furrowed and a frown quickly crossed her facial features. Then, he began to fall. She let go of him, causing him to plummet down to the depths below. He landed hard on his back and reeled in pain, but the pain of falling was quickly replaced by another. Like a rabid snake crushing a trapped rat with its fangs, Artorius felt struck with an incredible force which wracked through his leg. An arrow, which had pierced his thigh and immobilized him. Struck with pain, and grief, Artorius struggled to get back onto his feet. But, as the men grabbed hold of him and began to restrain him, those emotions turned to anger and despair. "S..Se..." the man murmured in his sleep, his head turning and his body covered in sweat. Curiously, Cassandra, and likely Artesia too would have turned towards him curious to hear what he was saying. But, for either of them it sounded quite... unusual. The first syllables of what he was saying could be heard in either of their names, namely the 's' of course. Couple this with the fact that the man's face was red and that he was breathing heavily and the situation became a bit awkward. But soon, as the man finished what he was saying, they would be struck with disappointment. "S-Serana... Why...?" |
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| Lightning | Dec 30 2013, 01:30 PM Post #36 |
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Steel your mind. Run on instinct.
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Tense;(adjective) The perfect word to describe the air in the living room of which Artesia and Cassandra currently occupied. It wasn't really the fault of either of the woman in the room that the situation had wound up as it had, sometimes two women just didn't get along (or course it didn't help that one was in pain and kind of annoyed with the other for causing that pain and molesting her injured and unconscious friend). In the time that had passed Artesia had sat silently on the ground at the couch where Artorius was resting while sipping on her alcoholic beverage and Cassandra had gone to her desk to begin reading a book which she had no doubt already read before. The thief may or may not have taken that spot subconsciously with the intention of defending what was left of her companions dignity and modesty but as her mind wandered her thoughts were far from the man behind her. In fact her thoughts were not even in Fiore itself as they travelled the border and brought the face of her father and brothers to her mind. Why was it that whenever she found herself alone and with time to think his face had to haunt her? Was it to remind her of why she had come to Fiore or was it just a sick and twisted game in which making her suffer was the objective? Sometimes she really wasn't sure, all she knew was that she hadn't forgotten and that she wouldn't give up until she'd accomplished what she'd come to the nation to do. Both the women were silent and it was for this fact that when Artorius repeatedly started to speak in his sleep they both heard it. Cassandra was the first to notice it but she did little more than raise her eyes from her book to peer over the top it in his direction. Artesia however was in the middle of reliving a scene from her past which involved someone calling her name in a pained and dying manner, as you can guess this meant that the murmured syllables Artorius was speaking were somewhat lost in her memories which is why it took a few moments and repetitions of them to snap her out of it. As they noticed Artorius was tossing and turning both women seemed to react the same, each of them moved from their spot to stand by his side and with a different amount of concern actually evident on their faces they watched and listened intently. What was it that he was saying? Se? You can probably guess how the two women had their minds wander as they watched Artorius wiggle and squirm while panting and calling out parts of a murmured name and you likely wouldn't be wrong. Eagerly both of them found themselves crouching down to lower their ear to the syllables they could make out and as they did they found themselves somewhat disappointed, Damn... it hadn't been that kind of dream. Why had they been wanting it to be that kind of dream? How should I know, don't ask stupid questions and use your imagination for once. Ugh. Artesia might not have known Artorius long enough or even well enough to know who Serana was or what the man was reliving but she could tell based on what she was seeing and hearing that the man wasn't enjoying himself. Was he reliving something painful much like she had just been doing? For some reason the idea of that being the case annoyed the red head and as if lashing out at herself she said what she felt and slapped Artorius firmly across the cheek. As his eyes would open spurred to do so by the force of it all Artesia would be looking at him evidently frustrated for a reason he wouldn't understand, "BAAAAAKA~." She half shouted and half stated in a matter of fact way before shrugging her gaze towards the kitchen, "Quit your dreaming and get up, food's almost ready." Yeah, that would do, that could be the reason she gave him for waking him up, it sure as hell beat the truth. Leaving Cassandra in the room with Artorius as he woke up Artesia would return to the kitchen with haste so as to have a moment to regain her own thoughts and compose herself but also to finish the meal she'd been cooking. Edited by Lightning, Dec 30 2013, 01:35 PM.
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| 竜 Mazohyst | Dec 30 2013, 01:50 PM Post #37 |
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Stay the course.
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For a moment, Artorius began to sink into an endless void, an abyssal cairn which he was to fall into for seemingly an eternity. But, quickly, he snapped to, as if he were being suddenly and forcibly pulled from his pitiable state. However, instead of being grabbed and pulled, it instead felt like a white-hot brand being pressed against his cheek. Yet, it didn't brand him with any permanent lasting marks, save for maybe a hand-shaped red mark on his face for a few minutes, but instead with an awkward sense of shame that he didn't know where it was coming from, but also complete and utter confusion. Snapping to reality, Artorius very nearly fell off the couch, as he had rolled over and thrown off the blanket. Quickly rubbing his eyes, the man scanned his surroundings. The man found himself back in the cabin, with Cassandra sheepishly hiding her face behind a book, and Artesia practically glaring daggers at him. "W-what...?" Artorius murmured in a state of daze, being practically completely bewildered and confused by what had just transpired. He could only vaguely recollect the dream he just re-experienced. He didn't know why Cassandra was hiding her face, nor why Artesia was upset and slapped him across his face. Moreover, she called him a baka too. Artorius understood woman, but only to a certain degree. When women were being direct with him he could completely understand and comprehend it, but when they were beating around the bush or being coy and dismissive, it was a mystery to him and he would become as dense as any other protagonist in his situation would. Nevertheless, the man rolled back onto the chair, reclining for a moment as he inspected his form. It looked like he took quite the beating, and he did feel quite sore and hurt as well. Pushing himself up to his feet, Artorius very nearly fell down onto the table in front of him. Fortunately, Cassandra quickly helped him to balance himself and escorted him towards the kitchen. "You took quite the fall. Besides the cuts and scrapes all along your body, you broke a few ribs. I managed to bandage you up, with magical bandages no less," Cassandra spoke to him as she helped him walk. "Magical bandages?" Artorius repeated to himself. "Yes. They'll speed up the recovery process but you'll still need some rest if you intend on healing properly. Your girlf-, the red-haired one, Artesia, made you some food. She might not look it, but I'm sure she was concerned about you." Now in the kitchen, Cassandra helped Artorius to sit. With a groan, the man pulled himself into the chair. The smell of food wafted through the air. It was particularly pleasant to the man who had a rather keen sense of smell. "The food smells good, Artesia. I'll have to pay you back. What happened after we fell?" |
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| Lightning | Dec 30 2013, 02:26 PM Post #38 |
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Steel your mind. Run on instinct.
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The potatoes didn't stand a chance as Artesia mashed them but she was careful to make sure that they held some kind of texture to them, aint nobody got time for pureed mashed potatoes. What was the point of overloading the side dish with that much butter and milk while also turning the potato to a mush? If you wanted potato flavoured pudding mush then you wouldn't order mashed potato, or at least that was Artesia's thought on the matter. As previously mentioned she was a rustic woman when it came to her tastes in food and that meant that she liked her mashed potato how it should be; with texture and potato flavour. The sausages were cooked to perfection and with care so as not to burn herself Artesia took them from the grill and placed them atop the huge mound of mashed potato she put on every plate. Atop the three massive sausages that each plate held the brown onion gravy was poured over to create a more than generous pool both on top of and surrounding the mashed potato and it was as this last step happened that Artesia could hear footsteps approaching. Due to the way that Artesia was standing in front of the bench where she prepared the food Artorius hadn't been able to see what he would be given but as she suspected of him; he could smell it. "Looking forward to it." She replied to his mention of paying her back for the meal and while sprinkling some salt and pepper over the top of each dish without thinking about whether each of her companions would actually want the addition. "Not much, brought you back here and got hungry." She added while turning around with a plate in each hand. She would place them down in front of the people who would eat them before turning around and grabbing her own and after taking a seat she would waste little time before digging into the meal she'd been looking forward to for some time. As the trio ate their meal Artesia would find herself glancing over to Artorius and it was as she did so that something rather peculiar came to mind, "You'd make a pretty decent living as a high grade air purifier you know." Wow.... What. Had. She. Just. Said. The lame nature of her joke was obvious even to Artesia and as she secretly wished to hide her head in a hole or to bang it repeatedly against a wall the woman could do little more than chuckle and shove her mouth full of more mashed potato. Wait a minute... why was she feeling so nervous? If she wanted to ask about the damned incident in which she witnessed the man seemingly eating smoke itself then she'd do just that! "So, how'd you learn that trick anyway?" Without realising it Artesia asked quite the question of her newly found partner in crime but if he decided he didn't want to answer she wasn't going to force it, at least not right now anyway. |
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| 竜 Mazohyst | Dec 30 2013, 02:50 PM Post #39 |
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Stay the course.
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Artorius had to sit there and stop eating. Suddenly, the man dropped his eating utensils onto his plate with an audible clang. He was dreading this conversation, he really was. But, it was inevitable. If they were going to be partners, at least until they dealt with the so-called Gray King properly, then it would only be a matter of time before Artorius had to disclose that part of himself. Or, more accurately, had to visibly use that aspect of his magic. Consuming smoke was his trump card, his secret that he kept closely guarded. Artorius had almost always been the sort of man to play his cards close to his chest, but this one, this one was the card that he held hidden within a mechanism of his suit's sleeve. Nevertheless, even though he didn't want to, Artorius felt that it was necessary to spill the beans. He couldn't beat around the bush with this, especially not when confronted directly. However, the exact nature of how Artesia had chosen to confront the man had essentially confounded him, stumping him momentarily as he took a second or two to reel himself back into reality from the horridness, the sheer terribleness of how she worded what she said. Fortunately, Artesia had quickly rephrased her statement, or at least chose a different one to clear the air. "It's a long story. But, it would appear that we have the time for a long story," Artorius said to her with a sigh. "It might not make sense to you, but this is why I'm starting from the beginning." Pausing, the man took a moment to recollect the memories of how he became a Dragon Slayer, from start to finish before he began to speak it aloud. "Months ago, I was on the trail of some peculiar tale -- a riddle, that as a brat, I was always curious about it, as if I was naturally drawn to it. Eventually, I found myself going towards the Lancarri Jungle. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I followed the trail, into an ancient fort filled with crumbling stones and ancient artifacts, the sort of place that would be right up your alley, Artesia. But, I soon discovered that's not what I came there for..." "A dragon. One of silver and smoke. She found me, took me in when no one else would, when I was at the lowest point of my life," he continued, his voice hushed but his eyes were alight, as if he were telling a fond story that he held near and dear to his heart. Frankly, that was the truth here. It was especially obvious given a quick glance at the man, in particular the tattoo scrawn and sewn across his upper body. "The dragon treated me like a son, but with a particular set of harshness and severity, but with respect and dignity always. Even as I speak about it, even as I use the magic she gave me and trained me to use, it still feels like a dream." "There are others like me. Not many, but they exist. There are those which seek to hunt my kind down, to make us lab experiments and the like. Now, you understand why I hide it so," Artorius spoke before he refocused his attention back onto his food. Cutting up a piece of sausage, Artorius poked at it and covered it with a heaping helping of mashed potatoes before stuffing it back into his mouth to chew and then eventually swallow. Breaking the silence after eating some of Artesia's wonderfully cooked food, Cassandra couldn't help but speak a bit. Ever the scholarly sort, Cassandra was fascinated with Artorius' tale, if it proved true, but even as she spoke there was an air of reservedness in her tone, as if she wanted to ask more with child-like glee but held herself back out of respect. "I've heard of Dragon Slayers before, nothing but hear-say and rumor. But, to be meeting one in the flesh is nothing short of fascinating." |
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| Lightning | Dec 30 2013, 03:10 PM Post #40 |
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Steel your mind. Run on instinct.
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To be one hundred percent honest Artesia hadn't actually been expecting to get an answer from Artorius regarding the smoke that he'd been able to eat and why he had been able to do so and when he dropped his knife and fork in response to her words you can understand why said doubt had only increased. When the man started to speak and his words revealed that he would actually speak of it properly and with honesty Artesia did the right thing and lowered her own utensils to listen intently. It was only right that she treat the subject as something of a serious nature when Artorius obviously deemed it to be so, she might not have seemed liked she would have the courtesy for such a thing but hey she was rough around the edges not downright spikey. When the mention of a riddle occurred in Artorius's explanation of things Artesia's face became several shades paler and her gaze dropped from the man himself and to the table as if she was inspecting the patterns that wood grain itself made. Riddle? There had been a riddle that Artorius had been solving? Just how many strange links and ties between the pair of them would there be exactly, it was getting kind of strange even for her level of tolerance. Perhaps the pair who were seated at the table with her would notice the change in Artesia at that given moment but there was no way they would be able to understand why, at least not completely. She remained listening to what Artorius was saying and with such closeness that if asked she could have recited it word for word, yet, somehow she found her mind wandering to think about her own situation. What would she do if the riddle she was trying to solve didn't have treasure at the end of it? She'd never even given the idea of it being anything else a chance, would her plans still work out the same if it came to be she'd been wrong? Artesia's gaze returned to Artorius around the time he started to speak of those that may have wanted to hunt him down based on his magic alone and doing what she did best she tried to hide a deeper meaning behind light hearted and/or joking words. "Don't worry, I don't find you that interesting." There was an evident hint of what she really meant lingering in the flicker of a gaze she sent the man while looking up from the plate of food she resumed eating and for some reasons he felt confident in that he'd understand it. They'd been throwing banter back and forth since they had first met and so far he'd seemed to be able to translate it, perhaps it helped that he was one to also throw the same kind of thing straight back at her. You know what they say; Great minds think alike. While Artesia had done her best to let Artorius know that she wasn't about to turn around and hunt him down to turn him into a pair of dragon scale boots Cassandra chose to take a different route altogether and danced on the edge of the topic daring to risk going too far. Whatever though, if Artorius didn't like the attention or topic focus he could easily change it since she'd given him the chance and ability to do so. Edited by Lightning, Dec 30 2013, 03:11 PM.
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7:38 PM Jul 11









