Telrenya

The feeling of Jomei's embrace was unexpected, but comforting and welcomed. Her smile stretched wider, and her hands traveled up to to curl her fingers around his arm. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of safety that his hold provided.

'Don't say that!' The words immediately sounded in her mind. Her eyes opened at his statement of risking his own life. She wanted to turn her head and scold the man for such a comment. She stopped herself before doing so, feeling his arms pull her tighter as if he had anticipated such a reaction from her. His close, hushed voice reached her again, and her grip subconsciously tightened, giving his arm a light squeeze. "Jomei..." She whispered his name with adoration, lost for words for a moment. She let out a breathy half-chuckle while she gave a small shake of her head, as if to cuddle up against his embrace.

Despite the cold that surrounded them, Telrenya felt as though she could comfortably fall asleep in Jomei's arms. She closed her eyes again, wishing that even though they were trapped in a virtual reality, even though they still had a long and treacherous road ahead of them before they would be allowed their freedom, she wished for just a moment that they could stay like this forever.

A minute or two later and she almost felt herself nodding off. "So, uhm..." She spoke up in a small voice. "When would you...like to have another date?" She asked shyly.

Telrenya's eyes went wide with wonder at Jomei's offer. "What? I always thought...you had to have the skill to do that..." She quickly averted her gaze and her voice dropped in volume halfway through the sentence while she mumbled out the rest, thoroughly embarrassed by her assumption after being in the game for so long. She tried not to dwell on the feeling, however, and another small, warm smile surfaced on her expression at the thought of playing for Jomei. She gave a tiny nod, giving one last thought on the topic. "I'd love to, though."

She listened to him talk about his original home, her heart lifting a bit at his descriptions while she wished for a moment that perhaps she might be able to see it someday. Before the embarrassment from her own thoughts caught hold of her, Jomei's voice faded and she faced him again. He had turned the question back to her, and she quickly decided it best not to press any more painful memories.

"I grew up in the US," She smiled lightly at the recollection, tilting her head so that it rested against Jomei's chest again. "In a busy town. When I was about...twelve? Maybe thirteen. My parents got a job offer and we uprooted and moved to Japan, too." She smiled at another thing they had in common and a small giggle escaped her. "My brother didn't like it, but I was so excited. We lived in Kyoto ever since then. My brother worked to help pay the bills, and I went to an arts college."

Telrenya let out an audible scowl when she felt the man's filthy gloved fingers pressing down on her cheeks. The daggers that she stared into the man had no effect--nothing fazed him, neither their words nor their stuggles. "You're a liar." She spat, feeling the sting of hot tears that welled at the corners of her eyes. She continued to pull against the grasp of the man behind her, his hands wrapped tightly around her wrist and arm just to keep the furious woman from throwing herself at the man clad in black.

The reality of his words were finally starting to sink in. As much as she despised the man standing in front of her, as much as she wanted to pull her rapier from the ground and run him through, her ability to deny his claims dwindled slowly. Everything he had said about her was true, and there was no way that another soul in Aincrad would have known her name. "How dare you...talk about him that way." She muttered just as his grip on her loosened. "If he was fighting against a monster like you," The volume of her voice grew louder with every word. "then he's twice the hero you could ever hope to be!" She screamed at the man just before he turned his back on her. When he did so, the woman gave another attempt to break free, lunging forward and pulling at the dirt beneath her shoes as she was given two prompt yanks backward.

For the first time since arriving in Aincrad--possibly the first time in her life--Telrenya wanted to kill someone with her own hands. Compassion was beyond the man standing across from her. Humanity didn't apply to Death_Adder.

Telrenya's head dropped at the futility of her outbursts, tears falling to the ground while her bare shoulders began to quiver. Adder turned his attention to Spencer, perhaps feeling as though he had neglected the low-leveled player, before taking a couple of strides back to the already critically-injured Jomei. The sound of his voice grew more menacing, prompting Telrenya to slowly lift her head only to see the disturbing sight of the man driving his blades deeper through the ginger's chest. "N-no..." She whispered, her voice failing her as she stared at the blurred scene. His hands wrapped around the hilt of each sword, drawing them back while his head swiveled and his eyes met hers once more, and her jaw clenched tightly at his last threat to her.

"Ahh, yeah actually. I took violin lessons for a few years." She spoke in the past tense, but truthfully she would still be practicing if she had the chance. She gave a small chuckle at the thought. "I can't wait to play again." She breathed out with a wistful tone. Still, she was happy to find some more common ground between them.

"Mmm..." Her gaze dropped a bit and she let out a small sigh that resulted in a puff of fog appearing in front of her face. "I always thought I was no good at games." She chuckled. "My brother actually got two copies of the game. He's way into them and always tried to get me to play." She lifted her chin again to look back up at the twinkling stars projected above them.

"Ah! What's Ireland like?" She perked up and asked the man eagerly, turning her face towards him as she did so. She had a bit of experience with moving countries herself, but her knowledge of the world outside of the places she'd lived was regrettably limited.

Telrenya's eyes continued to search the man's face. What was he talking about? She felt a new sense of unease when he chuckled, and her heart seemed to stop for a split second when a look of annoyance crossed the man's face. His head turned back to Jomei after the ginger had choked out a few threatening words, and her eyes widened as the man drew both swords once again while he walked over to Jomei's paralyzed frame. She wrenched her eyes shut as the unnamed man sunk his blades into the ginger's chest before returning his attention to her.

The woman gave a start, her eyes flying open at the sound of another blade sinking into the dirt in front of her. She stared blankly at the weapon, but Death Adder didn't allow her puzzled expression to remain for long. Her eyes drifted back and forth between the man's twisted face and the sword which he withdrew a hidden note from.

"And there is one box that is left unchecked: 'Find my Sister.'"

Telrenya's eyes widened in disbelief. "What...are you saying." She whispered. The man held a smile as his eyes lowered to the notes in front of him, reading off a description of her that nearly sent a chill down her spine.

"Estelle."

When he spoke her name, the woman flinched. Her heart raced, and when he returned the note to its hiding place, her eyes slowly trailed along his arm until they met his cold blue eyes again. She recalled the words he had spoken just minutes before:

"You remind me of someone that I've killed."

"Liar..." Her quiet voice faltered as the woman stood in shock. She grit her teeth as a fire ignited in her eyes, burning brighter than ever. "Where is he?!" She screamed, the soles of her shoes skidding against the ground as she lunged towards the man, only to be dragged back in place by the captor still behind her.

She giggled, feeling a flutter in her heart at his banter before he had placed a kiss upon her head. She followed after him as they designated a place to sit underneath a large oak tree that preserved the impressive view of the night sky above them. The woman tucked her legs beside her, leaning into Jomei again as if she were drawn to his frame. It felt comforting to even exist beside him, but so much moreso when she could rest her head against his shoulder like this.

For a few minutes they just sat in silence, enjoying each other's presence in the tranquil setting. The woman began to think, and her mind started to wander. Although she cared for him deeply, and she had taken a peek into the darker side of his life in Aincrad, she knew very little about the Irishman. But there had been something in particular that had intrigued her since their first meeting.

"Have you always been a musician?" She asked simply with a small smile. Thinking back to when Jomei had first demonstrated his Performer ability with his lute, it had left her with a bittersweet feeling. Her own memories of a musical background left her with a bit of homesickness.

A minute or two passed after the topic had died down between them, and another curiosity surfaced itself. "Did you play a lot of other games before SAO came out?" Something that always seemed to present itself as a difference between herself and other players was her severe lack of a gaming background. Only drawing slight interest in them from her brother's obsessions, it seemed as though he intended the gift of the game to be a catalyst to get her really involved.

Telrenya felt the weight of Jomei's arm as his hand wrapped around her shoulder. She leaned into him slightly, allowing her head to rest gently against the man's chest as another tinge of blush decorated her cheeks. Their bashful natures mixed together as Jomei offered her a more straight-forward confession, and she brought her hands in front of her stomach for her fingers to lightly fidget between themselves. His words had only widened her warm smile, and she tore her gaze away from the starlit sky and it dropped to the floor of the empty glade before them.

"I, uhm..." She fumbled with her words before letting out a small chuckle at her own shyness. "Well, I feel the same way."

The clearing was free from snowfall and strong winds, filled with a sense of seclusion and serenity as if they were the only two players in all of Aincrad. "So..." Telrenya started softly to break the silence. "Technically, our date isn't over yet, right?" A small smile persisted, though she couldn't bring herself to raise her eyes from the snowy floor. "Would you...like to continue it here?" She offered, taking a liking to the thought of spending time under the starlight alone with the man.

Had it not been for Jomei's presence beside her and the feeling of their hands intertwined, Telrenya would have found the growing darkness unsettling. Her eyes ran along the side of their path, unable to see much farther past the occasional crystal's glow. She somehow doubted that any secrets lay beyond the walkway and in the field of crystal formations jutting out from the ground and across the cave walls, but even if there had been it would have been impossible for them to find among the darkness.

Just as she was wishing she had some kind of item that would provide them with more light to travel by, she blinked a few times to make sure she was properly registering the growing light in the distance. It seemed to spill out from somewhere, and as they tread closer to the source the couple discovered the path may very well lead them outside of the cavern. Although her heart was no longer sunken, she felt it lift at the possibility of their freedom.

Telrenya and Jomei emerged at the edge of a still forest covered in a pristine blanket of snow. With a light crunching that sounded with every step beneath them, Telrenya almost felt as if the breath in her lungs was stolen from her when she followed Jomei to look up to the night sky. Her eyes almost seemed to sparkle as the beauty of a starry night sky lay spread out above them, free from the pollution of city lights or smog to inhibit their view. "Wow..." She breathed out, frozen in place as her gaze drifted between twinkling constellations. "I wonder, if this is the place that girl had mentioned?" She thought aloud, giving Jomei's hand a tiny squeeze.

With her tears subsided, the flushed girl looked up at Jomei curiously as he stood himself up. She took his hand without hesitation, getting back to her feet and instinctively brushing off the front of her skirt. Despite how quickly her heart continued to beat when his olive eyes turned to meet hers again, she smiled in return. "It's worth a shot." She agreed in a soft voice.

The two pressed forward, walking along the winding path she presumed would have led them to an exit on the other side of the mountain. The air was still, save for their footsteps and steady breaths filling the silence for a while. The woman stared off at the crystal formations they passed by, some refracting the soft light of the illuminated structures. Her thoughts were distracting her from their main goal of searching the place for a way out. 'Come on Estelle. He already did that, so...' She thought, urging herself along.

While the two walked side-by-side, Telrenya shifted her gaze back in front of her so as to catch a quick sideways glance of the empty hand that hung beside the Irishman. After another few moments of hesitation, she subtly moved her own hand towards it, gently brushing her fingers against the back of his hand as if announcing her presence or asking for permission. After another quick mental urge, she slid her palm against his, beginning to lace her fingers with his.

Telrenya would have taken a step back from the hooded figure if there wasn't another body standing directly behind her. She bumped against the figure that still held her arms while the man lifted his head. A pair of menacing cobalt eyes pierced through her while a wicked grin decorated his lips. He said something to her that didn't quite register--the eyes of a killer staring through her had left her dumbfounded. He spent only a moment intimidating the girl, quickly moving his attention back to Jomei as the man with the orange cursor unfurled his cloak, discarding the item from his body.

Telrenya's eyes went wide as the scene played out before her. His swords slashed through the Irishman's body one after another, as if the barrage of blows would never stop. "Jomei!!" Telrenya screamed out his name, tears welling at the corners of her eyes as she watched the health bar that hovered beside his tall frame drain at an incredible rate, only stopping after it had turned a threatening red color. She bit down on her bottom lip as the murderous player stood over Jomei's paralyzed avatar, feeling helpless as she watched the man she cared for be cut down.

He straightened his spine. He turned back to face her. He sauntered over to the woman with a devilish look in his eyes. He started speaking to her, his words barely making sense. Her brows narrowed in stunned confusion while her chocolate-brown eyes searched his face for some sort of explanation that his words were not providing. "What...are you talking about?" She spoke slowly, her quiet voice laced with suspicion and morbid curiosity. "No... I don't." She said firmly after the man had thrown put a name she didn't recognize, as if to dispell any strange conclusions he was drawing about her.

The gentle graze of Jomei's hand across her cheeks had brushed her tears away, followed by the warmth that eminated from his palm pressing lightly against her cheek. His movements were unexpected, but comforting, and Telrenya felt the bittersweet smile that she wore widen slightly as his half-obscured gaze met hers.

His words let butterflies loose in her stomach, accompanied by a quickened heartbeat that only increased its tempo as Jomei then leaned forward to close the gap between them. She blinked, attempting to dismiss the lingering blurriness from her vision while the man's face grew closer to hers. Although his intentions were immediately clear, Telrenya couldn't help the feeling of shock that ran through her as their lips met--a feeling that was soon replaced with bubbling excitement and overflowing warmth. 

Her own eyes closed as she gently leaned back into the man's tender kiss, lingering as if she wanted the feeling to last forever. As they would eventually separate, Telrenya's face rested just inches from Jomei's once again, and the condensation that spilled from their mouth swirled together before vanishing. The woman offered him a shy smile while her cheeks were still hot with a pink hue and her heart continued to pound in her chest.

Telrenya blinked at the man's odd string of statements, taunts, and rhetorical quetsions. Some of them didn't mean anything to the woman--likely all jabs at Jomei, which simply led her to wonder how this person came to know so much about his life and the people he knew.

She heard his tongue click against the roof of his mouth, almost like a sound of dissatisfaction after her stunt. Her eyes squeezed shut as he moved the sword, almost expecting him to strike her down with the blade. His threat to return almost felt like a promise, but as his presence grew more distant, Telrenya's eyes fluttered back open. He made his way back to Jomei, flinging more insults toward the man as if he was having 'fun' stringing them along. When the cloaked man's obsidian blade found its way in front of Jomei's neck, Telrenya struggled against her captor before the man behind her yanked her back into place with a tight grip. It didn't surprise her that after all this, after all the mental torture, Jomei's fury spilled over. The woman gave a start when his fist collided with the mask covering the man's face, eyes widening a bit.

Her eyes ocassionally flickered up towards his face before darting back down, watching the man become just as awkward and flustered as she felt. The blush on her face persisted the whole time, and as he began to stammer out an answer she lost the ability to look up at him, her eyes now glued to the empty space between them.

There was so much on her mind. How did she feel about Jomei? Despite all their time together, she felt as though she had never thought to ask herself a question like that. Perhaps she had often taken their encounters for granted; the times he had shown concern for her, protected her. She wished that she had the courage to look back up at him. And then there was the entirely different matter of their surroundings. Jomei's response hadn't yet sunk in. They were going to be trapped...until the game was cleared? 

'I wish we could've gone to see the StarGlades.'

Before she realized it, droplets collided against her skirt, leaving tiny stains before Cardinal returned the fabric to its normal color. She surprised even herself, tears continuing to fall and slide down her cheeks as she lifted her head. She wore a smile when she faced him again, but her expression was torn between one of admiration and sorrow. "Then... I guess, that will make this the longest date ever."

Telrenya glared at the man the whole time he approached her. She was scared--more than she'd ever been since entering this death game--but she wasn't going to show it if she had any choice in the matter. She hadn't come this far just to be a pawn. He unsheathed a blade as black as night with red tendrils akin to the shade of fresh blood and held the sword's point just beneath her throat. She flinched in reaction before she welled her courage again to glare back at the mask covering the man's face, a fire in her eyes.

She felt her jaw clench again as he taunted Jomei, calling out names to push the man farther over an edge that none of them could tell how close he really was to. It was the last one she recognized: 'Lowenthal'. The name triggered her memory of the emotional night in the crystal caves outside of Snowfrost. When she heard Jomei's voice waver as he gave in to the man's threatening demands, Telrenya's heart sank. She let out a tiny, audible growl and glowered at the man before her. Her gaze soon drifted down to the hilt of his sword. She was finished with his toying and taunting.

Without thinking her actions through, she jerked suddenly to the side, dipping her head forward before sliding her left cheek across the tip of the masked man's blade. She winced at the discomfort that always came with damage to one's health bar. With a long red gash along her face, Telrenya stared back up at the figure with defiance. Her bold, but stupid, move only filled her with confidence for a few brief moments. Her gaze flickered away from his covered face, to the top-left of her HUD. She couldn't stop her eyes from widening at the gap that had nested itself into her health bar. 'Th-that should have just counted as a regular attack... W-why...' Her brave front crumbled as quickly as her health points, but she still clenched her jaw tightly, refusing to crack under the man's overwhelming power.

Telrenya: 231/260 HP

The answer that Jomei offered wasn't one that she had expected to hear. The smile on her face had dimmed, and she froze for a moment, trying to comprehend his words. 'No... That's not...' Her mind began filling with all kinds of thoughts--their guild, Ruby and Spencer, the small, but functional lives that had created in this world, and her brother. Before she had the chance to spiral into a panic, the feeling of her hand in Jomei's brought her back to reality. "Wh-what?" It wasn't clear which part of his response her whispered question was directed to. She had looked down, staring back across at the ginger-haired man as his words sank in. She could feel his thumb gently stroking across her skin, his hold warming her cold hand.

Her heartbeat had quickened, whether at the thought of being left to their fate trapped inside of a cold, dark cavern, or at the man's bashful confession of sorts. Her cheeks hadn't returned to their normal color for long before they flushed again. "H-hey, Jomei..." She dropped her gaze to her lap, where the sight of her hand resting comfortably in his only deepened the shade on her cheeks. Her mind went blank. Out of everything she could have said at that moment, there was one thing she wanted to know the answer to. "Was this... Was tonight a... d-date?"

The tears that trailed down her cheeks had stopped, the moisture drying and beginning to stain her cheeks when she felt Jomei begin to pull away from her. Their eyes locked, and the smile that stretched across his face began to infect her. The condensation that formed from their breath danced together with the proximity of their faces before it disappeared, the cycle repeating itself until Telrenya noticed just how close they were. Her cheeks turned red at the realization and she let out another nervous chuckle of her own. Her arms pulled back as she retreated slightly, using the backs of her hands to wipe away the lingering moisture at the corners of her eyes.

"Thank you...for telling me all that." A shy smile returned to her lips as her gaze trailed back up to meet the man's olive eyes. For someone like Jomei--the man she'd seen as nothing but warm, helpful, and unconditionally trusting--it meant just as much for him to reveal such a side of himself to her. She sat back on her ankles and for the first time in a while she felt the cold bite of the air after a couple more inches grew between them from her movement. For a split second she regretted the action, longing to return to the warm embrace, but she quickly pushed the embarrassing thought aside. She broke their gaze, a hint of pink still touching her cheeks as her chin tilted upwards. The blonde looked up to the ceiling, her eyes trailing between the scattered crystals that let off a gentle glow. "Do you think the game will just...fix itself?" The words that left her were just above a whisper, but the stillness in the air carried the sound clearly.

Telrenya hid her confusion, the feeling instead overcome by frustration and worry. 'She's been through enough, why now--' The woman hadn't finished her thought before she felt a firm pressure on her arm. A dark gloved hand grabbed onto her wrist, squeezing until the tight grip on her rapier loosened. She let out a small grunt of discomfort as the figure's other hand took hold of her left arm, holding the woman firmly in place. She struggled against the man's sudden grasp, gritting her teeth at the turn of events before she saw the same scene play out with the lower-leveled Spencer. If their eyes were to meet, Telrenya would have shot the man an apologetic look before her attention turned back to the front-and-center masked man that taunted Jomei. Her brow furrowed again, glaring daggers at the man that had orchestrated the trap.

She wanted to tear herself away from the man behind her. She wanted to scream at them all, for these sick, terrible people to leave her friends alone. Clenching her jaw, the woman held her tongue and remained silent. She had become a liability along with Spencer--a bargaining chip for the man to use against Jomei along with. Her fingers curled into fists as her emotions boiled beneath her surface.

She felt the tightness in her chest pulse again, causing her to squeeze Jomei a little tighter. The warmth of their now mutual embrace seemed to nullify the cold ground and air beaneath and around them. She sniffled as the raging storm of emotions between them showed no signs of subsiding. "Y-You don't have to be sorry for that..." She managed in a quiet voice. Her cheek rested against the side of his head again after he had shifted in her direction. She brought up the palm of her hand to wipe a fresh stream of tears from her other cheek before letting her arm fall back to his shoulders.

"I... You've always treated me so kindly." A small smile pulled through her otherwise sorrowful expression. "I had no idea...that you'd been through all that." She swallowed again, letting out a tiny, nervous chuckle after she'd caught her breath. "You're the one who's incredible...really."

Rotating between the two players allowed Telrenya to catch her breath in between each assault. The sandy-haired man's unconventional attacks forced Jomei to push himself harder so as not to be hit. His landing was messy, and Telrenya spotted the perfect opportunity as a result. She ran towards him again, circling around after Jomei dodged the mace's sweep. With the man half-kneeling, Telrenya pulled her arm back as she prepared to bring her blade down.

She winced at the sight of her rapier stabbing through Jomei's back, the tip of the weapon extending through his chest and hovering above the ground. But his avatar wasn't the only thing surrounding the metal. Telrenya blinked as she spotted the corner of a system window, and a mixture of emotions flowed through her as she withdrew her weapon: the thrill from 'winning' their mock duel, the discomfort from her first experience with PvP, and the confusion brought about from message now hovering in front of Jomei. The woman circled around, slowly sheathing her rapier at her hip while mild concern touched her look and voice. "Is everything o--" One look at Jomei's grave expression silenced her, and the next words to leave him caused her brow to furrow.

'How could Ruby be in--' A feeling of stupidity stopped the thought in its tracks as her own eyes widened in sudden understanding. Jomei was already hastily grabbing his equipment when the blonde looked over to Spencer. She stared at the more novice player a moment, first questioning his safety before deciding there was no time to waste with more words.

Telrenya sped after Jomei, ignoring the fatigue that Cardinal imposed on her by the time Jomei had come to a stop in the distance. She recognized Ruby's form past him, and a cloaked figure standing between them. She felt a surge of anger at the situation before them, and as she slowed to a stop behind Jomei the woman pulled her own rapier from its scabbard, holding Radiant Dawn with a similar malice to the anger that emanated from the ginger beside her.

Every time Telrenya thought his story would come to an end, that he was finished retelling the events that pained him so much, there was just more to come. Her heart felt like it was locked in a vice grip, the memory of the stranger's death now far away and replaced with even stronger feelings of despair. She remained silent, even as she felt her chest tighten each time his voice faltered with emotion. Every piece of his story left her lost, unable to imagine the extent of the pain he had endured. She remembered their first meeting, and the first time she had seen his kind, trusting smile. All this time, it had been resting on top such traumatic memories.

A heavy silence hung in the air until Jomei shakily declared the conclusion of his tale. Telrenya's own tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared at the man. She blinked past her blurry vision, as if she hadn't realized the moisture that had spilled over.

First Ruby, and now Jomei. The two people she had grown closest to had shared such terrible experiences with her. Wounds that would often tear open, and scars that would never fully heal, and memories that couldn't--and some that shouldn't--be forgotten. How long had he been carrying these burdens alone? What could be done to ease these pains that had festered for so long?

Seeing the droplets of moisture fall and soak into the fabric of Jomei's pants, Telrenya felt her body move, as if she was no longer in control of it. She pushed herself to her knees beside the man, leaning forward as she faced him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. The woman's cheek pressed against the back of his head, his messy ginger hair brushing lightly against her skin while her own tears continued to flow. "I don't-- You--" Her words came out through a cracking voice, the urging need to say something--anything--causing her to blurt out unfinished sentences before her mind could catch up. She held onto the man tightly, swallowing past the heavy lump in her throat as she tried desperately to think of words that could bring him some comfort. "I'm...so sorry..." Was all she could manage.

Telrenya felt a spark of guilt surge through her as she met Jomei's pained expression. She turned her head to stare past her knees at the cavern floor. The light that spilled in from the outside of the caves was no longer present to reflect off of the crystal structures, leaving their surroundings dimmed after the avalanche. Scattered throughout the area, however, a few of the smaller crystal formations let off  a soft light of their own in varying pale hues. It left the space around them illuminated, albeit less so than before, so at least the pair were not left in total darkness.

Telrenya blinked as her vision adjusted to the low-light, the sound of their breathing filling the empty air until Jomei shifted from his seated position. He had asked if she was okay, and the woman felt the heaviness in her stomach fester slightly at the question. She hadn't offered a reply, and luckily Jomei took a moment to survey the area, his findings serving as a bit of a distraction. She felt as though she didn't want to move even if the path outside had been clear. She still didn't feel that they were safe in the crystal cave, but after the string of events she just wanted to sit and think for a while.

She didn't expect to hear Jomei speak with such hesitation, and it prompted her to look over to the ginger. He alluded to something she didn't understand, but his statement left her curious. She had heard about orange players before--"your cursor turns orange if you do something bad" was the explanation that made up a majority of her knowledge on the topic. She wasn't so naive, though, to deny that there were players who would harm others. She'd heard of player killings in passing, the gossip among the busier towns almost impossible to escape from on the rare occasions when a notable player was struck down by another.

Her arms wrapped loosely around her knees, her fingers lacing together as she hugged her legs. She stole another glance at Jomei before hesitantly speaking up. "What do you mean...?" She asked, treading lightly around what she was sure was a sensitive topic. Since they met, Telrenya had gathered the information resting on Jomei's surface--which profession he chose, his kind nature, and what she presumed to be his favorite color. Before now, he hadn't offered much about himself, leaving the girl to wonder if he would end up preferring to keep it that way.

Telrenya exhaled steadily, watching careful as Spencer displayed a very different fighting style with his heavy mace. Their new guildmate had gotten much closer to striking the elusive Irishman than she had, and Telrenya tightened her grip on the hilt of her rapier in response. She tried to think about what she could do differently--how her first strikes had missed their mark and how she needed to change her approach to land a strike on the man.

Telrenya already knew she wasn't great at changing her tactics on the fly. Strategy she could handle, but putting a plan into action was a different story. Rushing back into the fray after Jomei's taunting stance, she tried to feint the same attack as her initial barrage in order to strike where she expected him to dodge. Her movements were obvious however, and it was clear that she was not familiar with using such attacks. Their target would have easily continued to dodge her predictable moves, causing her woman to let up in defeat as she put a short distance between them again.

ID#: 89344 | LD: 4

Telrenya's eyes widened slightly when the man questioned her. Her head turned to face Jomei as he took a seat beside her, his gentle voice echoing lightly off of the cave walls. For a moment, the conflicted feeling in her heart continued to clash. She had never before believed that acting as the 'better person' would do any good. In her experience, those who chose to overpower and bully others wouldn't change, and a show of kindness wouldn't make a difference. But Jomei's words brushed those thoughts aside, and his smile alone felt as though it warmed her heart, causing her to forget about their icy surroundings.

The avalanche outside had snapped the woman back to reality. She felt the vibrations along the ground and against her back as they grew stronger, and as she sat shocked and dumbfounded by the quake, Jomei's alarmed voice called out beside her. She felt a strong force pull her to the side and she soon recognized Jomei's arms wrapped around her. For a brief moment, a feeling of safety and warmth washed over her as the man's cloak draped around them. She felt her hands drift towards his arm, gingerly wrapping her fingers around it as if to cling to the feeling of his protection.

The clear scream of the thief reached them through the winding tunnels, but it was the following sound that caused Telrenya's eyes to go wide with shock. The telltale sound that Cardinal recited when something was destroyed. Or killed. For a moment, she didn't believe that the sound that signaled the man's death. She didn't want to believe it. Without thinking, her grip around Jomei's arm tightened, as if he would be safe as long as she held onto him.

As the ground settled beneath them and signaled the end of the danger, Telrenya realized her actions and loosened her grip just before Jomei pulled away and pressed his back against the sturdy crystal slab behind them. Her breathing was slower than his own, but ragged nonetheless. She felt her heart fall to her stomach and leave a heavy weight as the sound replayed in her mind. "A-are you alright?" She choked out, trying to force herself away from the morbid thought.

The man let out a terrified gasp when Jomei's blade sank through the icy floor beside him. He stared up at the players fearfully, even after the blonde girl had dropped the bag of supplies on him. When Jomei ordered the man away, he hesitated for a moment before scrambling to his feet and rushing out of sight while he clutched the bag to his chest.

Once the ordeal was over, Telrenya's expression softened and she let out a heavy breath, as if it was one she had been holding in. The woman sank to the floor, knees pressed together as she sat back between her legs. The experience had been draining, and Telrenya had walked away from it with a strange mixture of feelings. Jomei's stammered comment caught her attention, and the woman looked up at him blankly before her expression filled with a shyness that had her turn her head back down. "I'm..."

'I'm a big softie,' She thought about saying. But was that true? Did the man deserve to be punished after giving them his reasoning? She gave a shake of her head.

"That was a mess." Was all she could think to say. When they had first caught the thief, Telrenya had felt a fire ignite inside of her. It was as if she had the perfect chance to take out her frustration for all the times she herself had been wronged. She could have brought justice to someone who had preyed upon a victim. Instead, she sent him away with a care package. She brought a hand up to run it through her hair, troubled but unsure of what she would have done differently if she had been given the situation anew.

Telrenya hadn't much time to dwell on the encounter when a faint rumbling sound would reach their ears. Pieces of crystal and ice that jutted out from the ceiling above them began to gently sway with the cavern's vibrations while the sound grew louder by the second. As if a herd of wildebeasts were trampling upon the mountainous ridge above the crystal caves, huge pieces of jagged crystal were dislodged from the formations above, crashing and piercing the ground as they fell.

When they had finally caught up with the thief and Jomei took the initiative to pin the man in place against the slick ground, Telrenya took a moment to catch her breath, the air that left her lungs forming a thick fog that quickly dissipated each time. She stepped up beside Jomei as the two of them stared down at the criminal. With Jomei's intimidation and the tip of his blade pressed against the stranger's throat, it didn't take him long to surrender his spoils. Telrenya knelt down, wordlessly reaching out to the bag he clutched. Reluctantly, the man relinquished his grasp of it, but rather than sling the item over her shoulder, she opened it and pulled out its contents, depositing each item into her own inventory. holding a pouch half-filled with col in one hand as the last of his pilfered items, Telrenya handed the bag back to the man. His eyes darted back to meet hers, a look of confusion mixed with the fear and frustration in his eyes.

Telrenya wasn't a stranger to bullies. She stood, looking down at the man still held at a blade's edge. She lacked her usual compassion, and her words were as icy as the cavern surrounding them. "Why did you do it?" She hadn't arrived on the scene in time to see his crime play out, but she saw the child standing beside Jomei. A young player, with a look of despair on their face that Telrenya hadn't seen the likes of in a long time.

"Oh y'know, I got nothin' better to do so--urk!" His sarcastic words were cut short by the pressure of Jomei's boot digging into his side. "Okay!" He coughed out, taking a short breath as the punishment for his cheekiness eased up. "I'm desperate, okay? My..." The man cast a nervous glance between each of their cold gazes before continuing. "My brother got--got turned orange yesterday. It was an accident, we were just messing around and--" His words continued in a rush, as if he expected Jomei's blade to run him through when he uttered the word 'orange'. "i-it hasn't turned back yet, a-and we don't have enough su--" He flinched when Telrenya suddenly knelt back down and pulled the bag from his nervous grasp again. The woman held an annoyed expression as she navigated her menus, a thick silence hanging in the air while she worked. The woman had transferred a few basic food items and a few hundred col from her inventory into the bag's empty slots. Tossing the bag back to the man, he let out a small grunt as the new weight of it fell onto his stomach. She gave Jomei a short sideways glance, as if to tell him to send the man on his way despite her irritation.