[PP-F8] True to Heart

[Ruby 0]

Ruby had woke up in her home/store, she had felt entirely horrible after her fishing trip, she had looked down she was wearing the same thing that she was wearing during the fishing trip, however she really didn't care if she was being too revealing at this point. All she could really think about were recent events and previous events that had happened to her... she had starting to lose her confidence in herself... her will to be independent... her will to truly feel... herself. Ruby was originally going to invite Telrenya over to check out her new store and her cute new witch outfit... however she didn't have the same muse to do all that. She would rather be fishing at the given moment, Ruby had sighed, she really needed someone to talk to, she had opened up her hud as she sat on the edge of her bed and send out a message to Telrenya:
 

Quote

To: @Telrenya

Hey... by any chance are you free to swing by my place Telly? I have a lot I just need to get off my mind... coordinates are attached, follow the path, monsters wont encounter you there.

After sending the message she had laid back onto her bed and waited for a response or for anything to happen in that matter, she had eyeballed the fishing rod placed on her table, but closed her eyes. She didn't even want to do that at the moment.

[Telrenya 0]

"James I told you I don't want any pancakes..." The words left Telrenya in a sleepy mumble as she rolled over in bed. The woman had retired to inn in the middle of Delilah in hopes of a better night's sleep than what she typically got in her small, crowded shop. "Mmh...?" Her eyes fluttered open before she squinted against the sunlight that shone through the room's single window. The sound of a system alert was what woke her, but before she realized that she had received a message, she spent a moment recognizing her surroundings. As it turns out, she wasn't at home enjoying the world's biggest breakfast with her family, and her brother wasn't trying to put a pancake the size of a car tire on her plate.

Telrenya brought up a hand to rub at her eyes as she tried to dismiss the strange dream from her mind. Dreams were unfair; memories from the real world that could haunt her without her permission. Her shoulders drooped after she sat herself up on the bed, blinking a few times as the system reminded her of the message sitting unread in her inbox. She sighed, navigating her menus and opening up a message from Ruby.

She had sent off a quick reply, letting the other blonde woman know that she would be on the way. Telrenya had done her best to cheer up after checking out of the inn, but the lingering feeling of doubt and sadness clung to her, now mixing with fresh worry as to what might be troubling the healer. After teleporting to the eighth floor, she followed Ruby's instructions until she was outside of the building in question. "Cutie Witch Brewery..." She echoed the name of the shop in a whisper, giving a small shrug with a tiny smile. She lifted a hand and gave a short knock on the wooden door, calling out to the owner, "Ruby?"

[Ruby 0]

Ruby had looked up to her messages where Telrenya had replied to her saying that she would be on her way, Ruby had let out a sigh, it had seemed that Ruby had to get somewhat dressed so Telrenya doesn't get any bad vibes or anything. Ruby had opened her inventory to all her clothing that she had, but the hardest part was trying to find something that she would like. However Ruby had let out a sigh and put on her choker and the rest of the leather that wrapped around her body and leg. As she had successfully got all the rest of her outfit on she had heard Telrenya at the door, she didn't really care that her hair was a mess but she had walked down to come towards her. Eventually she had made her way towards the door and opened it. Ruby had exclaimed out to her with a sort of dead tone "Hey telly, come on in. The door to my space is in the back. Come on in..." after Telrenya had entered she had closed the door and guided her to her work station where she went to her table in the back of the room where Tel and Ruby could just sit down and talk.

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya continued to wear a small smile as she stepped inside the shop, looking around at the decor, signs, and arrangements she'd made. The place looked quite different from her own store, besides the fact that it was located on a different floor. "Wow... It looks nice, Ruby! I wonder what Alchemy is like..." She wondered aloud, not really expecting an answer as she slowly crossed the room to where the messy-haired alchemist had come to a stop. Telrenya gave her head a small tilt to the side, her smile shrinking a bit as she carefully took a seat.

"So... What did you want to talk about?" She had thought about trying to seem more cheerful, or lead into the topic of what was on Ruby's mind over time, but after seeing her in person Telrenya's anxiety started to flare up. In fact, it was uncomfortable to think about just how little the two women knew about each other, despite calling themselves friends and now guildmates. She placed her hands in her lap, fidgeting lightly with her fingers above the white fabric of her dress as she awaited Ruby's next words.

[Ruby 0]

Ruby had given a faint smile with a faint giggle when she had given the compliment about her store and said out to her "Well thank you telly. It's means a bit." she had taken a seat looking forward to Telly which had been taking her seat then had said out on what she wanted to talk about. Ruby had looked down and thought for a moment, she didn't really think about how she was going to begin with... nor did she really plan this all out. It was frustrating to come out to talk about all this, her being kidnapped, what had happened in the mansion, and even other things in the past. She teared up a bit and looked back up to Telrenya instead of thinking about what to say she had just said as it were at the moment "You... could say I have had a tough week I guess... however to me, I guess its been a rough time in... well this game as it began I suppose... and its taking a lot for me to just... disappear I guess.." she had looked down ashamed of herself, she never thought it would get this bad, however... things have just been making her more and more depressed.

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya's heart felt heavier with each passing second. The pained look on Ruby's face as she searched for words told her that she wasn't called here for an ordinary chat. Her bottom lip twitched upon hearing the woman's voice, and her expression took on one of concern with every shaky word that escaped the blonde.

"Ruby..." She said the woman's name in a small voice, worry painted all over her face as her friend's insecurities were spilling out. She leaned forward, reaching her hands across the table to grasp Ruby's, curling her fingers around to her palms and holding them gently. "I'm so sorry... I know it's hard, living in here," Her eyes trailed downward as she struggled for the right words to say. "but thank you for messaging me. I... If it will make any difference, I want to be here for you." She offered a weak smile to the woman, hoping that her sincerity came through. It was a weird position for Telrenya to find herself in--someone relying on her emotionally.

[Ruby 0]

Ruby had given a faint smile as Telrenya had moved forward to wrap her hands around Ruby's, typically she would flirt or something for doing something like that, however she wasn't really in the mood to do something like that. Ruby had let out a few tears and said out to Telrenya and said to her "Thank you Telly, but... I am just in a horrible condition at the moment..." she took a moment to breathe and said as fluently and as calmly as she could "Recently I was kidnapped during an adventure trying to find Materials and a familiar, which I didn't come back with many or a familiar in that case. And..." she had gained a more upset look "...of course I managed to get out thanks to a Gargoyle... but I worry that they might come after me along side with another group of people... i'm just extremely worried for my life as well, a part of me even wants to believe that I might as well be better off dead..." she had looked down again crying.

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya couldn't know the extent of what Ruby had gone through from the pieces of her story. The woman's heart felt as though it began to crack as tears spilled down Ruby's cheeks, and Telrenya's bottom lip quivered slightly while she gently squeezed her hands. When Ruby's words trailed off, Telrenya felt a surge inside of herself that had her stand up from her seat. "Don't say that!" She exclaimed. The blonde would have felt embarrassed from her sudden outburst, but her other emotions had overpowered her. "I'm sorry, Ruby..." Her voice cracked as broke eye contact with the healer, her gaze drifting down to the table sitting between them. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that..." Her chest felt tight while she searched for the right thing to say to the broken woman.

Her shoulders dropped slightly, the fire that had ignited moments ago dying down. "I... I don't want you to worry about things like that. Fearing for your life..." The words left her quietly as they still filled the otherwise silent alchemy shop.

[Ruby 0]

Ruby had gotten a little scared as Telrenya had then yelled out after finishing her statement, however... she understood where she was coming from. She had look down a bit ashamed of herself on her own thought for a bit hearing what Telrenya had to say for the moment. Ruby had thought about her next words, she really didn't know what to say other than... she is extremely scared for her own life... good lord who knows what would happen to her in the near future. She looked back up to Telrenya and said out to her "Well... Telly... I am just extremely worried on whats to come to me... for all I know they might back for me... and good lord who knows what happens to me next after that..." she shook her tears off for a moment and said out to Telrenya "I just can't do things on my own it seems... I just keep finding myself some trouble..." she had been feeling less safe by the day and not to mention the mansion escapade was also threatening many people's own lives.

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya broke her gaze with the blonde healer, looking down with a troubled expression while her shoulders dropped slightly. Silence hung between them for a few long moments as she struggled, wanting so desperately to ease the woman's distressed mind.

"I know I'm a lot weaker than you..." Her voice cracked again as she fought back her own tears. "But...but you can rely on me, you know?" Her bottom lip trembled briefly. Telrenya took in a sharp breath, giving Ruby's hands another squeeze while she looked back into her fuchsia eyes with blurred determination. "If you're scared, or if you don't want to be alone, just send me a message, okay? And...and if you need someone to keep you safe, you can ask Jomei, r-right?" She felt her heart sink at the conflicting thoughts that battled in her mind: dragging their new guildmate into the situation, versus offering the most reasonable solution that she could find.

"I... I promised myself I would get stronger..." Her sentences continued to break here and there and she pushed through the emotions racing through her. "So now, until then... Until my level is high enough..." Telrenya felt a lump in her throat that she didn't know if she could fight past. Her battle against the tears was lost and the blonde fell back to her seat, biting at her bottom lip. She wanted to badly to tell the woman across from her that she would protect her, that she would fight off anyone that wanted to mess with her, the same way that she had done for her during their first meeting.

[Ruby 0]

Ruby had smiled for a moment she was happy to hear that she could rely on her even despite her being a bit under leveled. It was comforting for Telrenya to say something like that, Ruby was just very happy to hear that she had begun crying again. "Jesus come here..." she stood up and walked over to Telrenya and grabbed her arms to pull her into a hug and she had placed her head into her shoulder "Thank you Telly, its just been very very hard for me lately... in the past I used to be a part of a group of people who helped me gain up in levels... and eventually they just felt like they... just, they were obligated to just get something from me... and they just... it just moved to a point where it was I either die or I give up all my items... im still trying to recover from that..." she hugged her a little tighter "I'm scared Telly... I really really am..." she cried into her shoulder and let out her agony.

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya blinked in surprise when she had been pulled into an embrace. The motion took her a moment to register, and as Ruby's tear-stained cheeks pressed against her shoulder, the blonde wrapped her arms around her and gently stroked the woman's back. Her own tears rolled quietly down to her chin, but she fought to keep herself from sniffling or sobbing. She listened to Ruby's broken story and the pain in her heart squeezed tighter. It was both surprising and heart-breaking to hear her weakness, the struggles she'd been through. Ruby, the normally confident, sassy girl who would add a spark to any situation was broken to tears.

And so Telrenya did the only thing she knew how to do. She stood, resting her cheek lightly against the woman's light blonde hair as she hugged her tightly, gradually rubbing against her back with a bare palm. If she needed to cry, Telrenya would let her cry.

[Ruby 0]

After a moment of hugging and crying it out, eventually Ruby would let her go and grabbed drinks for the both of them, and just took a moment to get calm so they could talk another topic more calmly. Ruby didn't really know what to say, however she just had talked out towards Telrenya saying really anything that came to mind "So Telly..." she took a moment to gather her words while taking a drink before speaking out again after a second "If you don't mind, do you have any one you know in this game? Like... a friend, a significant other... a brother maybe?" she had chuckled "Sorry for just randomly asking, I don't really have much to say really. I just am very unsociable at times." she had let out a small nervous chuckle, while she doesn't want to admit to that sort of thing, it was rather true in her case especially after the stuff that had happened to her on the recent, its been a lot to take in for her.

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

After her own tears had subsided and Ruby brought them each a drink to sit and chat over, Telrenya felt a tinge of relief. She thanked the woman and took a seat, taking in a deep breath and leaning over the table where she sat across from the healer once again. With Ruby's approach at conversation, the blonde let out a small chuckle. "No no, you're fine." She reassured Ruby with a smile. She fingers slipped around the cup sitting in front of her and she dropped her gaze. "You're my friend, but we hardly know each other. I don't mind talking with you, about anything." She glanced back up with a wide smile.

Her thumb idly stroked the back of her cup as she revisited the topic the woman had brought up. "Actually...yeah," She admitted with a soft, sad smile resting on her lips as her eyes drifted back down to the table between them. The person that she had dedicated her life to this point to finding had stayed locked away in her heart until now. "Well, my brother's in here...somewhere. When I first started playing, I was even more of a scaredy-cat than I am now." She chuckled again as she admitted her flaws. "I spent a lot of time in the starting city, just waiting. I hoped that somehow we would just run into each other, but... Well, that hasn't happened yet." Her smile twisted slightly, feeling as though it was something that had taken her far too long to realize. "I... Well, it's pretty stupid, but I don't know the username he picked, so I can't really find him by normal means." She wasn't sure if she felt apprehensive about spilling the details of her life onto Ruby, but somehow she felt relieved to finally tell the blonde everything. A small weight felt lifted from her chest and she looked back into Ruby's eyes, a bit of the sadness that they held earlier seemingly cleared away. "Anyway, that's my goal now. I decided I want to get strong and find him myself."

[Ruby 0]

Ruby had looked at Telrenya and listened to her speak about her brother, and she could not help herself but feel more and more worried towards her, what if her brother died? What if she is not to meet her brother at all? What if she dies before he could ever find her? She had waited for her to finish and she had said out "Telly, I know you love him and all, but aren't you afraid that he's probably dead? That you might not be to find him till after the game is done and over with? Or that you might die on him?" she had looked down and said "Aren't you afraid at all?" she waited a moment for her response, then she had looked back and said to her "Maybe I can help you find him? What is he like?" she had wanted to know, maybe she could help her in her journey to find her own brother, the last thing she wants is for her sister to have something to be depressed about.

OOC: Oh, the irony.

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya's fingers fidgeted lightly around the glass in her hands. Ruby spoke up in response to her story, and her words were unexpected. The woman's eyes widened slightly as she stared at her cup. She felt a knot form in her stomach and a tightness in her chest as Ruby asked if she was afraid. It certainly wasn't the first time she worried about such things--the pain that her or her brother would go through if one of them died in the game, or the agony of spending the entirety of the game's length just searching for each other.

"I mean...yeah, of course I'm afraid." She said a bit shakily. She bit down on her bottom lip for a second before continuing. "I worried about it a lot. Sometimes I still do. Anything can happen, you know?" She swallowed down the lump forming in her throat and gave a nervous chuckle.

A few seconds had passed, and Ruby asked about helping her find her brother. The woman looked up, a bit surprised by her change in approaching the topic, but gave a small smile at her question. She pulled her hands away from her glass, crossing her arms over her chest as she took on a thoughtful expression. "Well..." She started, pulling at the clear memories of her brother to give Ruby a description. "His hair is a little paler than mine, maybe closer to yours." She said, eyeing the woman's blonde locks. "He's taller than me, and he has blue eyes." She tapped on her chin, trying to think of anything else she could give the woman as an identifier. "Mmm, well, he's always stood up for me since he's my big brother. I wouldn't be surprised if he's the kind of guy here to help out new people all the time." She chuckled.

[Ruby 0]

Ruby had looked towards Telrenya as she had gone on saying that she is very worried about it, but she just has to accept the fact that anything could really happen, Ruby had looked down and placed her hands between her legs as it was also a sad thought to think about, what if those men would come back? It would be devastating to her if they had come back to visit her one more time, she doesn't want to die by their hands or by anyone... it truly was a sad thought to think about. Eventually she had gone on describing what he looks like and even his personality, and he sounds like he's a good person. She had looked up to Telrenya and said to him "He sounds like he's a nice guy... and a nice brother, do you love him? I am unsure on how he treats you other than standing up for you. For all I know he could be standing up to you because if anyone was to pick on you it was him." she had let out a chuckle than lead a faint laugh.

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

Ruby's laugh was contaegeous, and she found herself chuckling at her statment as well. "No no," She smiled down at her hands and lifted her glass to take a short drink. "We both had a share of being bullied. I think my brother probably got a lot more of it, but he always tried to keep me out of it. Aaand, when he got them to stop bothering him, they turned to me next. I think that just made him more mad." Her next chuckle was bittersweet, reminiscing about the blonde-haired man with a small smile resting on her lips.

"I really do love him, though. We've always kind of gotten each other through stuff, as weird as that might sound. I mean, he even worked to help me pay for school so I could go to university." She took in a breath, letting out a small sigh and leaning back slightly in her seat as she curbed the topic. "But we should take turns." A small, almost teasing smile curled her lips. "Do you have any siblings? What's your home life like?" Normally the blonde wouldn't have been so quick to pry, but she asked in hopes that the woman across from her might feel some sense of comfort in opening up about her life.

[Ruby 0]

Ruby had chuckled, it had seemed that he was a really nice guy that genuinely cared towards his sister. She had gone on to describe him a bit more and even stated that he even helped pay for her University stuff, she had looked towards Telrenya with genuine interest and said towards her "Really? You went to a university before this happened? What did you go to University for Telly?" she had chuckled. She had looked down after he next question then she had looked back up "No no, I never had any siblings or anything. However with games and stuff we had enough to get a home computer and stuff and eventually I got my own laptop, but we just couldn't really afford any gaming consoles or any real games so I had to play free to play games, and that kept me entertained for a bit. However my pride and joy was when me and my mother would make clothing every now and then, I even studied to be a clothing designer, and before SAO I was offered a huge job in Japan with clothing design." she had said with a smile.

@Telrenya

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya was surprised when Ruby described pieces of her life before SAO. She knew that--at least before the trauma that she had experienced in the game--the woman seemed like she had a handle on things. She didn't have any difficulty picturing the blonde in the world of fashion design, especially after remembering about their encounter with the clothing store on the ninth floor. The thought brought a smile to Telrenya's features before she gave a short comment on it. "I bet you were pretty great at it. Isn't there a profession like that here, too? Why'd you choose Alchemy?" She gave a quick glance around the shop and its witch-like presentation.

At the mention of her studies, Telrenya frowned in thought. "Mm, well..." She tapped lightly on her glass. "I mean, it was an art school, but my major was still undecided. I liked to dabble in a lot of different things, but I guess if I had to pick, my favorites were music and painting." She explained with a small, reminiscent smile.