Koga

Moments passed with only the muffled shedding of tears to fill the silence as the two sat there in the grass, Nari in Koga's embrace. He doubted this was how the woman had expected their conversation to go when she had invited him out here to kill the boss. Nor was this how he had expected anything about his day to go. Eventually, the sniffling subsided and Nari freed herself from Koga's grasp, and thanked him, though her expression still seemed empty as she seemed to look around them, for something. The answer came as the woman stood and made a simple request. One Koga would abide in.

Koga actually laughed when Astreya called him out for 'cheating', a genuine smile flashing across his face as he recovered and replied, "If dumping my last few skill points into Searching and bringing a Luck trinket with me counts as cheating, then yeah. I just call it being smart though." Playful jests, something Astreya seemed to be good at. "I guess we head back now, yeah?" the man said as the fish disappeared into his inventory, and he began to turn to head back to the fishing cabin. The NPC was sure to be a bit surprised "So, criminal justice with a focus in psychology. What mad

Koga picked up NIGHT's glass after she'd set it back down, and moved to the kitchen to refill it as she continued to speak. There was a lot to process now. To think about, and the movement helped, if only by placebo. NIGHT wasn't foolish enough to 'try to save someone' as she put it, fix them. They were both old enough, had seen enough that the world didn't really work like that. And that people couldn't change from the outside in. They had to want it themselves. The best either could do was just be there to help them and guide them, should they want and require it. But was that the case

A small declination. But the desire to assent. Koga sighed and looked at pitiful sight before him, trying to find some way to coax her from the temporary shelter she'd found to her real home. Safety, and someone who could help more than he. "You don't have to be here," Koga reminded the woman gently. "Baldur said the next round of fights won't be until tomorrow. You should...go home and rest." Though the festivities would go on, well into the night, there was no need for NIGHT to stay. Especially if all she could do was huddle alone, scared, in the corner of some room. in Baldur's estate.

The look that Nari gazed at him with...it was like...she wasn't looking at him at all. Like she was in another place, another time, and he was but a fixture on some distant wall that he couldn't see. And then it all fell apart. The tears began to flow freely down Nari's face, and she pleaded, buried her face in Koga chest, and the only reaction Koga had was surprise. But that look was quick to soften, and he wrapped his arms around the woman, some source of comfort perhaps, small though it may be. "You're not alone, Nari," he assured her, closing his eyes, allowing her to shed h

k o g a the elder wolf Floor Two. When was the last time Koga had been on this floor? He couldn't recall. A reasonably long time then, though, he supposed. Long enough that he'd forgotten. It was a nice enough place though. A far cry better than that accursed Floor Nine. Sure, they shared mountains in common, but at least these ones were covered in grass as opposed to fucking lava. Yeah, Floor Two, infinitely better than Nine. There was no real reason Koga had come to this floor today though. Maybe it was just the desire for a a change in

Well, at least she was talking more freely now. Even if she wasn't really looking at him anymore. NIGHT was right to ask some of the questions she was. The sudden estate. The lack of funds following the purchase. Her behavior in general. None of it made sense. It had taken Koga years to purchase his own humble home, and yet here was Nari, already with a whole estate. "I didn't know about the estate, no," the man answered her before letting the woman continue on with her story. He did want to know though. Where had the money come from. Her rapid increase in levels. All of it. She couldn't

There was a pause in the conversation as a look of realization dawned on Nari's face. Like something clicked into place, and she was able finally see things from another point of view. Her eyes began to glaze, water, shine with a deep sadness he himself knew all too well. There was nothing like the pain of loss, nor the suffering that followed it. The story Nari told though, it was like drawing a knife over a wound only just healed. Reopening it, fresh, eager to bleed into the world once more, set nerves on fire and draw out anguish like venom from a snake. But he was not here for himself

Koga simply stood by and listened to the woman speak, hardly moving, aside to turn and face her as she regaled the not so happy tale of her night with NIGHT. Mentally, he took notes. Things to ask. Points to address. Made a map to understand to understand the why of it all. No small task for the man who hadn't been there. Koga took a deep breath. There were no easy answers to this, no easy ways to at least make them see eye to eye, and none where he could avoid sharing things he'd only just learned. Things NIGHT had not told Nari herself. Maybe it wasn't his place, but it was the only pat

It wasn't peaceful. It wasn't quiet. But it was chaos either. Nor was it deafening. In truth, were it not for the open door behind him, the room with it's misplaced table could have been an entirely different world from the one that lay just beyond it's threshold. Just them and the dying embers. "where's nari?" The voice, when it finally spoke, was small. Devoid of anything but fear. Distress. "I don't know," the man answered honestly. He was angry with the woman. Furious even. He wanted to wring her neck. But the thoughts didn't even penetrate his mind as he repo

The mention of DAY seemed to bring some life back to NIGHT, if only a little. In truth, it was like she'd gone from dead to simply on death's door. A marginal improvement, but an improvement, nonetheless. She rubbed her eyes as she spoke, the most movement he'd seen from her since she'd eaten. Twirled her hair. Some life was better than none, Koga supposed. Her answer only spawned another question in Koga's mind though. Did she want something more, regardless of whether or not it seemed strange. Did that matter? But...her final statement, it brought an end to any words Koga would have bee

There was no recognition in NIGHT's eyes as she stared at him. He couldn't recognize her either. They said nothing for a while. Just a strange, tense version of a Mexican stand off. Who would pull the trigger first? Be the first to break the silence. Who would give the other permission to approach or lash out? In the end, it was NIGHT who spoke, but only to attempt to shoo him away. Koga could only shake his head. He couldn't do that. Instead the man lowered himself to the ground in front of NIGHT, wrapping his arms around his knees, though not so tightly as NIGHT, and sat. "No, NIGHT. I'

Having dealt with his opponent, Koga sheathed his weapon and watched as Nari finished dealing with hers. She danced around the beast with surprising grace. A quick dart to the side, a roll to avoid a swipe, and a quick recovery into her defense. Koga was willing to bet that she had some real world training. A quick but devastating shield bash, and the Wolf burst into binary, ceasing to be. "Well done," Koga said, even as the Wolf behind him attempted one last ditch effort to hurt the man. It sprang from the ground, it's head somehow not ripping itself away at the neck from the action, and

Somehow, they lived. What was more, their ship was intact, wedged in the hull of the troop transport, a good number of enemy staring up at the ship with shock. Koga had been thrown to the ground by the impact, hitting his head on the floor hard enough that when he tried to get himself to his feet, his vision span. "Ow...fuck..." Were concussions even possible in the game? Koga didn't need another one. One was enough. The blinked, and tried to stand, and found himself with enough balance the he didn't fall flat on his face again. Progress. The man stumbled over to the edge of the vess

Koga was pretty much oblivious to what was going on behind him. Hirru coming and grabbing the mop from him, and offering to clean. Blueberry ordering her familiar to soak up all the water. Astreya and Nari conversing, Yona jumping in. He was completely occupied by the girl at the door, and with trying to keep his heart from leaping out of his throat and onto the floor, adding to the complete and utter mess that his house had somehow become. What curse had Koga invoked to bring him down from his usual calm, even if it was only fake. The answer was obvious of course. That enchantress,

The woman just retreated further into the shell she'd created for herself, arms tight around her legs, compacting herself into a ball as if she could turn herself to stone through the process. "You're right, its completely normal for people to not always mesh or connect at first," he agreed with her. It wasn't like he was any good at it. It wasn't like he'd forged any strong bonds in however many years of being in Aincrad, not really. NIGHT might be the only exception, but others? He hardly saw any of the people he called friends. That was no fault of their's. The chair had begun to clatt

"Ohhhkay, Miss Angel of Death," Koga said, his tone not lacking in sarcasm. The woman's damage wasn't anything impressive yet, the man thought as he watched her advance on her opponent while dancing around his own opponent (the wolf was trying). He didn't really expect someone attempting a full tank build though to deal much damage with their attacks though. Ironically, he expected them to deal damage by taking it, usually. A bit masochistic, really, but Nari certainly did not disappoint in that respect. Her target lunged forward, scratching at her thick plate armor, dealing a meager amou

Koga chased after NIGHT, pushing past people as politely as he could, shouting back rushed apologies as he tried to catch up to his friend. He didn't know what was going on with her. He'd expected something, anything else than what he'd seen on that mat today. But then again, maybe he should've expected it. Nothing about NIGHT since they'd met Nari had been quite right. Everything about her had seemed to change. The man burst into the building, and looked to his right, then his left. He could've sworn he'd seen NIGHT come in here. Where did she-? A clattering sound drew his attention, a s

Koga and Okami tread through the woods, eyes keenly searching for any thing that could serve as some tasty meat for their meal. At first, they found nothing. Just a whole lot of trees and bushes. Dirt. Some rocks too, but none of these interested Koga or the wolf. It wasn't until they came across the sounds of hoofs scraping at dirt, and the distinctive snorting huffs that they knew that they'd found their prey. Peering through the brush, they saw them. Two fat boars, tusks easy a foot long each, and enough meat on their bloated bodies, they and Oji would be able to eat like kings for day

The conversation coming from behind faded into the background. Less out of disinterest, and moreso inattentiveness. It had even taken Koga several paces after NIGHT had stopped to realize she had turned to keep an eye on the other two as they apparently picked a fight with some boars, the targets of their quest today. Evidently, this fight would not last long though, as a single swipe from Nari took out all but one of the tiny boars. Hmm, maybe this wouldn't be as painful to endure as Koga had thought it would be. With any luck, they'd be done in a few more minutes. And then he could

Nari spat some kind of...threat? Catchphrase? A string of words at the wolves as they began to aggro onto the players. Koga, unconcerned in general, opened up his inventory and switched out a piece of gear as he watched Nari engage. The stance she took reminded Koga of Spartans, the Greek soldiers of legend, like King Leonidas and his 300. Or perhaps it was Roman in origin, used by the Centurions as they fought tirelessly against the hordes of Gaelic barbarians. Whatever the case, her swift thrust proved to be just as effective now as it had been for those long dead soldiers. "Want m

Koga's mouth pulled back and his brow dropped skeptically as he gave the woman a dissatisfied look of disbelief. A part of him wanted to sarcastically quip, 'Yeah, that's why you look like someone just killed your puppy,' but given that she really did look like someone just shot her puppy, she would be spared his acerbic words today. The looks, however, there was only so much Koga could do about. It wasn't more than a moment though before, for the first time ever, NIGHT buckled, and began to share something with Koga. The man closed his eyes and let out a short exhale. She really was obli

The two began to move further along the shore line as Koga began to chuckle. "I'm not sure it's gonna be much of a contest, my luck is infamously bad," Koga remarked before looking out over the lake. "This looks like a good spot for us both, I think. Care to get started?" The man waded a few feet into the cool water, and pulled out the bait that the fisherman had offered, before casting his line into the water. The cast of a novice, obviously, but it showed that he had at least done this once or twice before. "So, you said you were in college, right?" he called to Astreya as he began

Well that was...not helpful in the slightest. Not even Nari truly understood what it was that had set her off. Koga had his suspicions, but they weren't worth shit if Nari couldn't come to her own conclusions. Come to her own understanding of what was said. Only she and NIGHT knew the full story, after all. NIGHT's reaction to Nari's advances were less of a surprise than learning how forward Nari had been to begin with. The swordsman was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that this was the same stuttering girl he'd met the first time. What was for more shocking though, was when

They ate. No words shared between them, just quiet clinking of spoons against the ceramic bowls, the sound of Okami tearing hungrily at the strips of steak Koga had thrown to him, followed by the sound of him licking his chops, satisfied. We life so simple for them all. Koga finished his meal, and got up once NIGHT too was done, taking the bowls and cleaning them in the sink, before returning to the table and sitting down beside NIGHT. He leaned forward a little, resting his elbows on the table as he peered at the woman. "You wanna talk about what happened?" he asked quietly. It had