Telrenya

Telrenya followed suit after Jomei sprang to his feet. She quickly grabbed her scarf and handed the startled-looking waitress a handful of col before hurrying to the doorway after the man. She stepped through the doorway just as Jomei looked back and offered her an invitation to chase a thief. Despite the pressing situation, the woman couldn't help but smile in return, answering him with a small chuckle. "We can't stop finding trouble, can we?"

The pair hurried in the direction that the thief had fled, Jomei leading the way until they reached the town gates. They had paused for a moment, catching their breath and unable to see their target in the distance. It didn't take them long to spot fresh footprints in the snow that allowed them to continue their pursuit.

Before long, they had managed to catch up to the hooded culprit just as he dashed passed a large crystal formation jutting out from the ground. The structure sat beside a large mountain to form the mouth of a cave. A large network of caverns that almost looked to be comprised of ice and opaque crystals hid inside of the mountain, and the duo hurried after the thief as he skidded around winding turns in a desperate attempt to lose the players.

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.

Telrenya blinked. She held Radiant Dawn laxly in her right hand, standing beside Spencer, the most recent person added to her friend list, while the two stared at Jomei as he gave then instruction to attack him. The woman gave an uncertain sideways glance towards the sandy-haired mace-wielder before frowning slightly. She didn't feel comfortable trying to attack the man, practice or no. Still, the look of concern on her face wasn't going to stop the duel timer that hovered above them from counting down, and so she left out a tiny sigh and raised her rapier in front of her.

When the countdown reached zero, she decided to make the first move. The woman dashed forward, leaning into the attack as she thrust her weapon forward. While it stabbed through the air where Jomei had once been, she quickly pulled back and eyed the man's movements. Despite several attempts to strike the ginger's body, none were successful. Concern shifting to frustration, the woman disengaged with a tiny scowl. 'That was embarrassing...' She kept the thought to herself.

ID#: 89340 | LD: 5

"A beach house?" Telrenya echoed, the thought of such a thing intriguing her. She hadn't ventured any farther than the ninth floor as of yet, and had yet to encounter any kind of beach. The woman opened her mouth, about to inquire more about the location, when a different voice spoke up.

"Can I bring the cute couple anything else?" Telrenya blinked as the question reached her ears, looking up to see the same red-haired waitress looking down at the pair with a neutral expression. Telrenya's cheeks quickly turned red as she wasn't sure how to react to the assumption, simply stammering out a "N-no thanks!"

The waitress' expression contorted into a playful smile as she giggled lightly when the pair expressed their embarrassment. She leaned in slightly, speaking in a hushed tone as if she was trying to let the players in on a secret. "Hey, north of here through the forest, there's a safezone called The Starglades. It's really pretty at night, you should go check it out!"

No sooner than the girl had finished her statement, a faint scream could be heard over the various conversations and ambient noise of the tavern. Telrenya perked at the sound, instinctively looking to Jomei despite the awkward air that had thickened between them. "Did...you hear that?" She asked, concern in her expression as the color in her cheeks gradually drained back to normal.

It took Telrenya a moment to notice his hurried speech. She played back Jomei's words in her head until his choice of words finally hit her. 'Wait, is this--' Before she could lose herself in the thought, Jomei's upward inflection cause her to blink, and she came back to reality. "Hm?" She took a moment to catch up and realize what he had then asked her. "O-oh, right, well..." She was a bit flustered herself, with both curiosity occupying her mind and embarrassment from zoning out on the man. "Actually, I haven't been crafting a whole lot... but the place looks nice, if that counts for anything." She smiled shyly. "I just finished decorating the other day, so..." She trailed off, looking back down to the table between them.

'Am I over thinking it?'

With how quickly he had kept the conversation flowing, perhaps he didn't mean anything by it. She didn't want to misunderstand anything, and she had always been naive when it came to such topics. 'Yeah, must be.' She concluded. "You can come visit if you like." She raised her head with a fresh smile. "It's not really open yet until I raise my crafting level, but uhh..." After the offer had left her mouth, she began to doubt why he would be interested in her empty Artisan shop.

Telrenya had crashed into the ground, her lack of athleticism apparent. Luckily for her, the game hadn't given her a broken bone or scraped up her arms and legs as the real world would have punished her for her landing. Trying to catch her breath, she looked around to find her companions sprawled out or recovering just the same. "Ahh... Is everyone okay?" She said through a shortness of breath, pushing herself up to her knees. Just then the mansion toppled in on itself behind her, and the woman reacted by squeezing her eyes shut and curling inward to bring her hands behind her head. The heat from the dying flames still brushed against her skin even after she hesitantly straightened up and opened her eyes. The woman spotted Ruby looking the most out-of-sorts with a palm pressed firmly against her forehead, but Jomei soon offered her a hand.

Spencer's laughter caught her attention. His rhetorical question came in such stark contrast to to the fear, danger, and unease they had experienced over the past hour that Telrenya tried her best to suppress a chuckle. The sound of a system message appearing had the woman twist around to gaze up and the large message. No sooner than she had finished reading the cheeky note, Jomei's irritated voice rang out. The woman sat back on her ankles, letting out her laughter as she clutched her stomach.

Telrenya turned herself and fell back onto the grass, her arms spread wide as she looked up to the sky and her giggles subsided. Her head turned to each side as she looked towards the three players in turn. She directed her gaze upwards again before speaking up over the dying flames. "At least we make a pretty good team."

Sitting across from the man as they enjoyed a warm drink together in the comfortable tavern, seeing Jomei flustered at her question came as a surprise. She let out a giggle at his response, looking down to her own drink. "Fair enough." She stated simply and raised the mug for another sip. "It feels kind of weird to try to balance real life and leveling." She commented, looking slowly around the room as she spoke. Her eyes fell on the players at other tables one by one, taking in the sense of normalcy that came from conversation over a good meal. She smiled softly again before turning her attention back to their own table. "But I think everyone needs that balance." She added on, idly running her finger across the polished ceramic in her hands.

She let out a tiny breath in a small sigh. Not one born of exasperation or tiredness, but rather one of comfort. She was able to push away the worries and feelings of uncertainty, and so she would do her best to keep them away for the time being. "Oh!" She perked up as if she had remembered something. "How about your shop? Did you find a new location for it?" She recalled the topic from their first meeting in Urbus.

The feeling of Jomei's palms resting gently over her hands came as a bit of a surprise. She found herself staring back at the man as he replied to her with earnest words. The heat from the fireplace combined with the rising steam from their drinks left her hardly able to feel the slight heat that touched her cheeks. He pulled away and Telrenya dropped her gaze with embarrassment, but not before a warm smile had replaced the bashful one she had earlier forced. It felt as though his words had carried away even more of the pressure that had weighed down on her, and for that she was grateful.

"Thank you..." She said in a quiet voice, glancing down to her untouched drink. She lifted the edge of the mug to her mouth, taking a small drink of the sweet mixture and instantly regretting her earlier apathy towards it. She set her drink back down, still keeping her hands placed comfortably around its warmth. She urged herself to meet Jomei's eyes once again. "Thanks, it really means a lot." She repeated with a bright smile.

Already feeling more relaxed, the woman decided to try and change the topic. "Anyway, I didn't mean to get all off-track like that," She gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Was there anything specific you wanted to talk about? The guild?" Her spirits had lifted, Jomei's comfort doing well along with the atmosphere to ease her worries.

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath through her nose, filling her lungs with the warm air that served to comfort her the slightest bit. For a moment, she thought about saying all that was on her mind: her insecurities, her shortcomings, her concern for Ruby. No, she and the blonde healer had made their peace, and a resolution would be hard to come by with tiptoeing around Ruby's personal life.

"The person...that I mentioned I was looking for." She tried her best to continue without the hesitation in her voice that always seemed to appear with her nerves were about. "It's my brother." Though her eyes were now open, she felt herself avoiding the man's worried gaze. "I used to think that finding him was something I had to do on my own, but..." Her thumbs began to lightly fidget against the edge of the pale mug held loosely in her hands. "I was spending my time trying to level up and get stronger, because I thought that would be the answer. I...figured he would easily get to the frontlines, and that's where I would find him." Her lips pursued, reflecting on what she thought to be her foolishness through her own explanation.  "The more I think about it, the sillier it sounds." Another wry smile worked its way across her lips.

She felt her head shake lightly back and forth. She didn't know what else to say, and somehow that alone felt like a tiny bit of weight had lifted itself from her chest. She finally brought her chocolate brown eyes to meet Jomei's with a small, more sheepish smile. "S-sorry," The returning embarrassment caused her to falter a moment. "It's not really a problem you can fix, but I feel better just...saying it out loud." Her smile widened ever-so-slightly.

Telrenya followed Spencer's instruction without fuss, hurrying up the stiars after him. The heat around them was rising, and Telrenya found herself casting nervous glances over her shoulder in the direction of the stairs they had climbed. Spencer's command snapped her back to attention, and the girl blinked as he drew the mace that had been hanging at his waist. She opened her mouth to question him before quickly deciding against it, taking a couple of strides back just before the man struck the large window panes with his weapon. She blinked in surprise, the plan of action now laying clearly before her, and her stomach soon twisted at the thought of escaping through the second floor's window. Still, it was the only option they seemed to have.

Spencer was thankfully intent on waiting for the other two players to meet them before making a jump for it, and once the sound of Jomei's voice from down the hall reached her ears she felt a wave of relief wash over her, a second following shortly thereafter when she saw the familiar blonde alongside him. She swallowed at Jomei's command, following Spencer's lead and running through the now-open window towards the grassy floor below.

Telrenya's gaze drifted up from the dark oak table to meet Jomei's eyes as the conversation continued. He spoke about their feisty guildmate and a wry smile appeared on her face in response to his surprise. "Yeah..." was the only thing she could find to say before a white mug was placed on the table in front of her. She blinked in a brief second of surprise before the man continued speaking, making mention of the charm he had given her before their adventure in the haunted mansion. Her right hand drifted over her other wrist in her lap at the thought of the item, and she felt the small bump of the chain the trinket was attached to underneath the soft yarn of her sweater.

Reaching out and gently sliding her fingers over the warm ceramic of the mug, Telrenya allowed herself to lean forward a bit in an attempt to relax while the smell of the drink lingered in the air around her. She gave a small nod and a gentler smile took over her features. "Well... I haven't been doing as much fighting as we used to, so I don't know if I can say I've used it's stats..." She started, trying to dismiss the tinge of guilt that touched her in the way she worded her response. "but I know it will be a huge help." She tried to end the thought on a positive note.

"Hey, uhm..." She broke the short silence with a meek voice, staring down at her drink while she shifted slightly in her seat. "Jomei, do you mind if I talk about something...strange?" She could feel her embarrassment building as the question left her. "Sorry, it's just-- Well, something's been on my mind, so..."

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.

Jomei's grin caused her own smile to widen, and it gradually became easier for her to focus on the present. She nodded along, offering a small chuckle and a few words of agreement of her own when he explained his intent to simply relax and chat. As much as she had told herself that she was dedicated to leveling up and growing stronger, she simply wasn't sure if she would've had the heart to accompany the Irishman if they would be trying to tackle another quest of some sort.

The establishment Jomei has led them to was cozy and inviting, instantly relieving the feeling of the biting cold against Telrenya's nose and cheeks. She removed her scarf as they took a seat and settled in. Before the woman had opened her mouth to answer Jomei's question, a girl with very short red hair stepped up to their table. She wore a simple working outfit with a black apron tied around her waist, and a kind expression decorated her features. For a moment, Telrenya wasn't sure if the waitress before them was an NPC or a player.

"Can I bring you two anything?" She asked simply with a smile. "Oh, um... A hot chocolate sounds great." The blonde answered shyly. After hearing Jomei's response, the girl gave them a quick curtsy and went on her way, checking on a couple of other tables on her way back to the kitchen. Telrenya focused her attention back on the table sitting between them, nervously bringing her hand up to tuck her hair behind an ear. "Oh, but, uhh-" Her train of thought drifted back to the question that had been presented to her. "Oh, it's great! Thanks again for inviting me." She had considered for a moment saying something about the guildmates he had mentioned to further the conversation before her mind kept itself busy as it filled up with other thoughts.

The events of days past weighed heavily on Telrenya's heart as she idly twirled a small section of her hair around her left index finger. The invitation she had received from Jomei had brought a small smile to her face, but she remained sitting on the edge of a bed on the second floor of Delilah's inn, a place she took to frequenting ever since choosing the floor as the location of her shop.

She leaned over, resting her right forearm against her knees and reminding herself once again that she needed to get ready to head out. The room was eerily quiet as she let out a sigh and lifted herself to her feet, opening her menus to dress more appropriately for Snowfrost's temperatures. She tapped a few buttons and unequipped her usual attire, replacing it with a pair of pale sky-blue leggings underneath white laced boots and a wavy matching skirt that fell just past her mid-thigh. A comfortable knit sweater that paired nicely with the color of her leggings covered her torso and arms, and a thin white and gold scarf adorned her neck and shoulders. Sporting the wintry outfit, Telrenya checked out of the inn and made her way towards the teleport gate, attempting to push away the memories of her emotional night with Ruby.

As the teleport gate whisked her away to Snowfrost, the woman gave a tiny shake of her head to stabilize her senses. She opened her eyes, looked around, and within second the sight of the ginger-haired man brought another small smile to her face. She closed the gap between them, giving Jomei a small wave as she approached. "Hey! Thanks for the invite."

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.

Telrenya could feel the heat from the fast-spreading fire against her skin. The shouts of her companions reached her ears, but her eyes were fixated on the Irishman, searching for the life that had left his eyes. It wasn't until Ruby stepped up behind her and struck the man's face that Telrenya gave a small start. Really, she shouldn't be surprised at the woman's blunt solutions, but with everything happening at once she was only thankful that Jomei seemed to have regained himself. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief before the weight of the situation came crashing down on her again.

Trying to keep her head on straight, she simply nodded along with Jomei's instruction. The woman gravitated towards Ruby and Spencer, backing up slowly until she was beside them at the dining room's entrance. "R-ready...?" She asked in a voice that just barely surpassed the roar of the flames and screams of the monster. All at once, the players dashed through the dining room, with Jomei to bring up the rear and bait the monster along. Telrenya tensed when the lurching sound of the ceiling echoed overhead.

Telrenya was panting almost as much as Spencer once the trio had reached the bottom of the stairs. Ruby was quick to seal their entrance, going so far as to barricade the door leading to the staircase with a huge bookcase. When whatever it was on the other side rammed into the blocked doorway, Telrenya gave another small start and had to start over with catching her breath. "Y-yeah Ruby..." She echoed Spencer's concern while her breathing began to steady. "We're not going anywhere if that thing might grab you." She frowned, still unsure what the 'thing' was. It sounded powerful, the way it banged against the door, and the unsettling sound caused her to avert her eyes to the ground as her mind raced with thoughts. It was only a guess that defeating the thing chasing them would be their ticket to freedom, but they didn't exactly have any other leads to go on. Letting out a long, somewhat steady breath, Telrenya turned her attention to the ginger that had taken to pacing over the length of the foyer.

"What do you think, Jo--" She stopped herself once she noticed his movement had stopped. She hesitantly took a few steps closer to the ginger, leaning her body to try and catch a glimpse of the man's face. "Hey, are you okay...?" She asked in a quiet voice. It only took a few paces for the woman to circle around him, and her expression showed more concern the closer she came. Her words seemed to have passed through him, and she could see him shaking as he stood in place. Telrenya's hands reached forward and she grasped his arms, ignoring the icy cold that seemed to emanate from him as she jostled the man slightly. "Jomei? Jomei!" She repeated his name, raising her voice in desperation while she stared up at him.

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.

The longer she stood inside of the children's bedroom, the more uneasy Telrenya began to feel. Her eyes trailed over the walls, sometimes darting back to a drawing pinned up on the wall after she could have sworn she saw the illustration begin to move. With all of the other surprises they'd found in each room thus far, she could only guess that something sinister was laying in wait for them.

The chill that seemed to carry in the air latched onto the woman's still-damp clothing, sending a shiver through her as it tickled her skin. 'Has it always been this cold...?' She thought absently, giving Spencer a sideways glance. Just as she was about to turn and ask Jomei if he had any ideas, the sound of his voice farther away than she expected left her puzzled. Soon after, his words and tone registered that something was very wrong. And before she could turn around to investigate, Jomei's form pulled them both from the room and carried them along towards the stairs. "Whoa!" The word left her in reaction, but her legs did their best not to impede their movement. Out in the hallway, the screams reached her ears and and sent yet another chill down her spine. "W-what happened?!" She didn't expect an answer as they hurried to meet up with the healer downstairs. 'More importantly, where are we running to?'

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.

"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?"

Telrenya let out a steady breath as the group got to formulating a plan of action. The woman had pulled herself together, opening her menus to extract a low-level healing potion from her inventory. While her health would have slowly climbed back to full over time, she didn't want to take any chances sitting in the yellow for however long that took. She downed the contents of the small glass bottle, allowing the empty container to break and vanish in her hands to signal its use.

As Jomei went on to match up Spencer's accounts of the mansion with their own and suggest they press on, the blonde tried her best to quell her fears that the previous events would repeat themselves. The last thing she wanted right now was for anyone else to be separated. She forced a small nod, though her expression was still uneasy. "I doubt it'll let us out if we just stand around..." She mumbled in defeat. Jomei stepped past the two women, prompting Telrenya to hurry after him for the fear that doors would start slamming shut on them once again. She took a moment to look over her shoulder and ensure the other two players were coming, and no more than seconds later she heard the all-too-familiar sound of a door slamming in Jomei's direction. The woman gave a start, her head whipping back and the sudden tension draining a bit when she saw the man's figure still ahead of them. The expression and paleness of his face, however, had her wondering just what on Earth could have been in that room.

With a shake of her head, she decided it best not to question anything in this mansion any more than absolutely necessary. Her shoulders fell an inch as the breath she had been holding left her lungs, and took a few hesitant steps to the door opposite Jomei. Taking in another breath to gather her courage, Telrenya twisted the knob to find it unlocked before slowing pulling it open. On the other side of the doorframe, a room nearly opposite of the one across the hall was laid out before them. A brightly-lit room decorated in pastel colors with stuffed animals piled in one corner and a toy chest in the next. Telrenya took half a step into the eerily staged bedroom, spotting a pair of twin-sized beds further in against the wall beside her. "Well...it looks empty?" She said in a small voice, unsure if she should venture any further.

"You...used to hunt boars?" Her naivety was as strong as ever, confusion clear in her voice as she responded to Embers' vague statement about memories. She began to wonder if the redhead was referring to something in the real world, or earlier memories of her time in Aincrad.

The boar didn't allow her much time for idle chatter, charging at her in the same way as its programming always would. The woman lowered her stance, taking the opportunity to acclimate herself to Cardinal's strange 'assistance' during battle. As the boar rushed towards her, the blonde pushed off from the ground with her right foot to dodge to the side, skidding to a stop beside the beast and thrusting the tip of her rapier through its body. Even just her regular attacks were enough to pixelate the monster, leaving Telrenya with a smile of satisfaction that her maneuver had worked so seamlessly.

ID#: 89291 | BD: 10 - Critical Hit!
LD: 2 - Nothing (1/3)

MD: -Dead-

Telrenya: 179/180 HP | 14/18 EN | 5 DMG | 9 MIT | 14 Thorns
Boar Pup: 0/5 | 3 DMG - Dead

"Ru--" Telrenya was about to exclaim the woman's name as she heard the healer's voice through the door. Ruby's choice of words, however, silenced her, and mixed with the tone of her voice made Telrenya realized what she was going to do. She hurriedly stepped back from the door, giving a short glance over to Spencer before the door was flung open. It couldn't even hold onto its hinges with the power of the woman's blow, and on the other side of the doorframe stood her two companions.

Though they were only apart a short time, the woman's emotions flared up, and she felt the heat of fresh tears threatenting to spill over. Before she could rush forward herself, Jomei placed himself in front of her and pulled her in close. After a brief moment of surprise at his embrace, the woman reciprocated, wrapping her arms around the man and squeezing tightly. She couldn't help but sniffle as she gave up on holding back her tears. "I'm so glad you guys are okay!" She choked out inreturn, her voice muffled and shaky. Once she had broken away from the Irishman, Telrenya's bottom lip quivered as she looked to the other blonde with misty eyes. Wordlessly, she walked over to the healer, opening her arms again to wrap them tightly around Ruby as she quietly sobbed against the woman's shoulder. Her still-drenched clothes and body had pressed against either of them, transferring some of the moisture that had coated herself onto her companions. "Oh, s-sorry..." She said meekly after she pulled away, a small smile decorating her features despite the tears.

She tried to quickly compose herself after the emotional reunion, turning back to the sandy-haired man once again now that Jomei had taken interest in the player. "Oh, this is Spencer." After wiping at her eyes with the back of one hand, she held up the other to introduce them. "He helped me after I got separated from Ruby. It sounds like he got trapped in here before we even showed up." She explained.

Telrenya's lightly-trembling hand accepted Spencer's offer to help pull her back to her feet. After listening to Spencer's own recollection, the woman gave a small shake of her head. "I don't know either. He thought it seemed suspicious, but it was a system message, so we thought it might just be a quest or something." She took in a deep breath to try and steady her nerves. "Oh, I'm Telrenya, by the way." Despite the circumstances, the woman still placed her right hand over her heart and offered the man a small bow. "I'm in a party with my friends, it looks like they're alright. There's Ruby," The woman held a hand above her head to estimate how tall Ruby stood compared to herself. "She has long blonde hair with a green streak. And Jomei," She raised her arm higher for the taller man, "he has orange hair and a slight accent." In the event that they were separated, she hoped that her brief descriptions would be enough in case the sandy-haired player ran into either of her friends.

She nodded at Spencer's suggestion of finding the other players. "We were in the main entrance..." She spoke slowly, starting to recall everything that had happened. "The front door disappeared, and then Jomei was--" She faltered as the memory of Jomei being dragged away by the shadowy limbs was still fresh in her mind. "Jomei was pulled down a staircase... I opened one of the doors downstairs, but it led into this bathroom..." Her finger naturally extended towards the other room as she spoke, brows furrowed slightly as she tried to comprehend the weirdness of the mansion. "I have no idea where Ruby is, or what happened to the door I used downstairs." The more she explained, the less she understood.

Just as the two seemed to have formed an alliance, Telrenya froze when she heard a sound from behind her. The knob to the bedroom's door rattled as if someone was trying to open it from the other side. The woman turned, wary, until a faint sound reached her ears. "Jomei?" She whispered before hurrying to the door. "Jomei, is that you?" She reached for the door's handle, but her hand froze in fear of what the mansion might have in store if she were to open it.