Noctua

As she walked in the general direction of where she was told that the bandits had last been seen, she started to notice that there were some old boxes lying around. The boxes looked like the weather had gotten to them, which meant that the bandits definitely haven't been in this spot in a very long time. She took a moment to go through some of the things that had been left behind. She wanted to see if there was a clue or a hint as to where they might have gone.

There was usually always some kind of hint as to where someone was going. Not everyone was perfect in cleaning up after themselves. Noctua was including herself into that statement as well. Look at her, she might look like she was in pristine health and looking great, but if one was to take a good look at her face, the sadness and tiredness could be seen. If one was to look at her left hand, they'd seen a tan line from where her engagement ring had sat for so long. But, she left that behind, she didn't take that with her.

That was where she didn't clean up after herself, and she knew it. In fact, she probably made Koga's own mindset worse by leaving it there. Who cares, he pushed you away. "But did he though?" There it was, the truest form of insanity, Noctua holding her own conversation, only one side of it being able to be heard. That probably wasn't the best sign for her psyche, but it is what it is. She was falling further into a pit of despair and depression, why not add on a little insanity to top it off like a cherry on the top of a sundae?

It hadn't taken her long to leave the town and enter the wilds. It always seemed to amaze her on how large the wilds felt, though, it was probably only like that because she was prone to getting lost when she was alone. Oh well, at least it meant that she would have more time to think, right? That was what she wanted to tell herself at least. She had gotten the general direction of where the bandits had last been seen, but she knew better than to expect them to still be there. If it was anything like her family with relocating, there would be a trace of them, but it would be old.

Funny, she was now comparing her family to a pack of bandits. That probably wasn't a good thing to really think, but it was the best thing that she had going in her mind. It was better than delving deeper into a depressive state with everything else that has been going on in the past few weeks. It really has only been a few weeks since her life seemed to go spiraling downward. Well, a year and a few weeks if she was to really think about it. She knew that she should have just talked to him, but there had been something at the time that told her not to, and now, she couldn't even remember what that was.

That wasn't a good thing. Perhaps her lack of remembering things was because of how cloudy her mind was from her lack of sleep. Or perhaps it was because she just didn't want to remember. It might be something that could just make her feel even more foolish. She had a feeling though that she should just close her part of the shop for good. At least, until she and Koga were able to be in the same room and not make it feel like there was just too much tension to be able to actually breathe.

Idiot. That was what she was. She was a giant idiot who just couldn't figure out what it was that she wanted. She had stormed out of the shop before Koga had been able to see her shield fall and collapse. But now, she was on the third floor, making sure that she had all the items that she needed before she set out to try and find the bandits that she had been told about. She knew that what she really needed was to actually sit down with Koga and attempt to talk, but she just couldn't.

He was pushing her away faster than she would be able to actually get him to talk. She sighed deeply before looking at Athena, "At least you aren't pushing me away anymore." There was no response that came from the owl though, and she just made Noctua do a small and depressed laugh. She knew that the owl was still mad at her as well, and there just seemed to be no way to fix that at all. Well, she knew something that could solve the problem, but she had a feeling that it was just too late for an apology.

Or at least, an apology that he might actually believe. She knew that he didn't believe the first one she gave him, if he did, he wouldn't have called her a coward. She bit the inside of her lip as she started to walk, ignoring the pain that was there now instead of, well, everywhere else. This entire situation just hurt, and she knew that it was one hundred percent her fault, she just didn't know what to do. So, she figured that chasing some bandits out of the area would be a good idea.

She just kept her attention on the owl, even as Koga was putting his own engagement ring along with her own. She was starting to have a sinking feeling that that was where those two rings were going to reside forever. Even when this game is beat, because she wasn't coming back if it stayed open. She listened to him, and simply shook her head, she was working on putting the emotions back down where they belonged right now.

"It's fine." Athena looked at Noctua then to Koga, a small, yet confused sounding hoot coming from the owl. Lightly, Noctua stroked the feathers of the owl before she sighed lightly. She, finally, looked over at Koga, trying to figure out what to say, but nothing was coming to her mind. Not even a sarcastic remark. Something to make them laugh. She couldn't even think of a phrase to curse him out in French.

She just had... nothing. Without actually giving him another word, she turned and walked out of the shop, surprised with herself for not breaking out into tears while being in the shop, or even when she walked out of it.

@Koga

At this point, she was just staring at the desk that was starting to feel more and more unfamiliar under her fingertips. She just shook her head, not bothering to look at him, she couldn't, she felt her facade threatening to fall, and she wasn't about to let the emotions out. No, she'd take it out on some monsters in a few minutes, or those bandits. Yeah, those bandits would be perfect.

"No Koga, I didn't expect anything to be the same. I still don't, and honestly, I don't know if we can get back to that point anymore. Not with this really horrible game of push and pull that seems to be going on." She stood up, and looked at Athena, her gaze avoiding Koga's form completely. The tone in her voice just said how defeated she felt, even though she was trying to hide it. She knew that he wasn't attempting to accuse her, or at least, that was what she wanted to believe right now. But that hadn't stopped the heart stabbing pain that kicked in with it.

"My ring is in the box on my desk, and it'll stay there. I don't think I can handle any more reminders of what I've actually lost." She walked over to where Athena was perched, and lightly stroked the owl's feathers. For once this week, Athena didn't try to bite her, and just accepted the half-hearted love that was being given to her. "I won't be in your way then. Athena and I will stay out of your hair." As if the owl knew what was going to come next, Athena looked between the pair of them before resigning and moving so that she was perched on Noctua's shoulder. It felt right to have the owl there again, even if it was just for show, which is what Noctua was expecting it to be.

@Koga

There was an unknown, and very not familiar, anger starting to build up in her as he talked. He cared for her, that was definitely a lot less than what had been said in the past. She knew that he was about to say that he still cared for her, but even that wasn't believable with how he was acting. She had tried twice, only to either get yelled at or pushed away. So while he was slamming display cases closed, her hands were balling into fists.

"Damn it, no Koga! I want you to actually talk to me. To want to actually be around me. But that's too much to ask apparently. Along with trying to forget that someone who claims to care about me has told me to go against who the hell I am and not worry about the man that I lo-" she paused for a moment before shrugging with a mental forget it, "love. I mean, come on, how many times has your sister hurt me and I *still* worry about her because she was supposed to be family, like you."

By this point, she was just pissed, and Athena was staring at the both of them before screeching. This pulled Noct's gaze to the owl, and she shook her head before just sitting at her desk, giving up for the moment.

@Koga

She watched him bow, and honestly had no idea how to reciprocate that. She instead just politely smiled, hoping that would suffice. She took his words to hear though, she could only be who she is. There was no changing that, or was there? She might just look into a way to make the pain lessen at least. But that was probably a good way off still. At least, she was feeling a little better about things, even if more just the pure fact that she needed to think about how it all went.

She waved back to him though, her smile still on her face, "Please do, I wouldn't mind the company again. You enjoy the rest of your evening as well Alkor." She let him leave before she looked over the ocean for a few more minutes. She should go back to the tenth floor and attempt sleep, that would be the wisest of ideas. But, when she went to the teleporter, it was the seventeenth floor that she went to instead.

Thread Summary:

"From personal experience, there is never a way to make everyone happy. Normally, I forgo my own happiness to make others happy. That... might be why I'm in the predicament that I am in now." She didn't want to think that that was true, but as she looked back on it, it more than likely was, which was the horrible part of everything. She was just watching the waves, the calmness seeming to bring her back to not feeling like the failure that she ultimately was in another persons mind.

Rip off the band-aid? She might have already done that today, and that was what was causing the wave of emotions that went through her already. "I think, that was already done today. Things didn't end as they should have, or could have, they ended with me being ignored, and being told to go against who I am." Lightly, she stroked the owls feathers, Athena now fully awake once more and just staring at Noctua.

She blinked a few times before plastering on a smile, "Thank you Alkor, it's been pleasant talking to you as well. I do hope that you can sort through your troubles as well." She moved Athena from her lap so that she could stand up. "If you ever need someone to talk to again, feel free to message me. I can't guarantee a response back, but leave a place and time, and I'll be there."

There was no point in trying to explain to another person today that she didn't know how to fully use the message system. It would just make her look more foolish.

She didn't believe him, at all, but then, why should she? He said that it was nothing, but she wanted to know what it was, so she sighed and shook her head. "Koga, just tell me. I'd rather not have another thing to think I've been lied to about come out." She just stared at him, even as he emptied display cases. If he wasn't going to talk to her, perhaps she shouldn't have come back, or at least, perhaps she should just open her own shop.

That was a stab of hurt deep down, and she ignored it. She wanted this answer. She knew that there was a line that she could use to possibly make him answer. But at the same time, that line would just make things worse. It was a double-edged sword in whatever relationship that there was that was left between them. She wanted the old relationship back, yes, even this part of her.

But, that probably wasn't going to happen still. That was when she thought of something, she could just go and quest some more. Leave her part of the shop in shambles and dust. "How about this, if you want me to leave, just tell me. Stop pretending that you can fix something, or someone, that is broken." Ouch, Noct, ouch.

@Koga

She had been exploring the third floor today, and she stumbled across this interesting kitchen that she hadn't seen before. She was curious as to why it was in the fields, but that seemed to get the owner some business, so if it worked for them, then so be it. She looked over the meals that he had on display, and a single one caught her eye instantly, the Berry Crumb Bars. She picked one of them up after laying down the col to buy it. "I'm going to go ahead and take this. Thank you, and I hope things continue to go well for your kitchen here." Sure, that sounded like her, mainly because she wasn't around someone she knew. Either way, she took the snack with her, and was off to explore some more.

She heard the exhalation, and it made her look at him, "What?" There was actual confusion and curiosity in her voice as she asked that single worded question. What was he trying to say, that no one hated her? She'd need some proof of that if she was to believe it at this point.

He didn't exactly believe her when it came to what she said about Tala. That's fine, he can learn it in his own time. Noctua wasn't here to fix that relationship after all, or really this one at this point. Of course, deep down, she wanted to, but that was possibly being buried by the 'I just don't care anymore' demeanor that she was holding onto.

She kept the perch on her desk, but shrugged lightly. "She's still my familiar and is around me all the time, but, if there is someone else for her to be able to perch on, then that's where she will be until I leave." She studied him for a moment, wondering if he had actually figured out why Athena didn't want to be around Noctua that much right now. "You haven't figured out why she doesn't want to perch on me, have you?"

@Koga

She looked at Athena, the owl just staring at her, "Alright, I think I understand what you want, but I just can't Athena. I can't be the only one putting in the effort to understand things. I can't be the only one who is going to be calm and actually listen. I just can't... be the only one trying." That got to the owl, and it was easy to be seen because Athena moved over to Noctua and settled in the woman's lap.

Noctua spoke her heart, only before locking it back up. She lightly stroked the owl's feathers, trying to figure out how to fix things. But she really couldn't find a way to do so. She also was trying to say that she was the only one trying, but was she even trying anymore at this point? Was she listening? Was she attempting? No, but that wasn't going to be admitted right now, not when she finally had the comfort of her owl once more.

"Come on, let's go back to the inn." With Athena in her arms, Noctua stood up and walked back to her inn room on the floor, settling in for the night.

Thread Summary:

There, Urbus, she smiled a little, only for it to vanish the moment that she crossed into the safe zone. She was hungry, and she needed to find a place to eat. But at the same time, she didn't know if she wanted to eat just yet. So instead, she just kept walking around the town, thinking and debating on things. Should she attempt to talk to Koga? Or should she just not bother anymore? These were both thoughts that made her really think, and because of that, she went to sit down on a bench.

She wanted to talk to Koga, to at least be friends with him still, but she had a feeling that that wasn't about to happen either. She had her feelings, and they weren't going to go away ever. Some might think that someone could sway her away from him, but no, she was his, even if he wasn't hers anymore.

She got absolutely nothing from Athena in response, and she sighed once more. She didn't say a word and just started to walk back toward Urbus. Not only that, but she just walked in silence, trying to find a way to make things up with Athena. If the owl wanted her to make up with Koga, then that wasn't going to happen for a very long time. Noctua didn't know how to explain to Koga that she was irritated with him for him basically telling her to go away.

He probably didn't see it like that, but he also hasn't attempted to ask or talk to her about it. Their conversations have been all about avoiding what had happened. That wasn't going to solve anything, and she knew it, but she also didn't think that she needed to be the one to apologize again. She did that already, twice, she didn't think that she could do it a third time.

There was a classic stare down happening just outside the pine tree forest now. Who was going to win? The player, or the AI? Noctua wanted to think that it was going to be her, but she also knew better at this point. She just sighed and shook her head, "Whatever Athena." With that, Noctua just started to walk again, not really wanting to turn back to see if the owl was following her or not. But since Noctua still had the fighter skill showing, she knew that the owl wasn't far behind her.

That was a good sign, it meant that at least Noctua wasn't going to be alone, even if she didn't have someone to talk to. "You know, I do miss talking to you Athena. You gave the best advice." Granted, that advice came from Noctua's own mind as she talked to the owl, but it was some kind of attempt to get the owl to talk to her once more.

Once she was out of the pine tree forest, she felt Athena leave her shoulder. Nope, that meant that the pair weren't back on good terms at all. Noctua had just been a means of a way to not get lost in a forest. That sounded about right when she thought about it. It just sucked at the same time. Noctua stopped walking and looked at the owl, "Are you ever going to forgive me?" Athena just stared at Noctua, not saying anything vocally, but if the owl's eyes could talk, then the things that they'd be saying.

"Listen, he's the one who lied to me about everything. He's the one who told me not to worry, you know what that means to me!" So, there was a little part of Noctua's emotions starting to show once more, since it was just her and Athena, she didn't care. But when she got back to town, this wasn't going to happen, so it was best to have it happen now.

At least Athena was perched on her shoulder during the walk out of the pines. The trees seemed to be thicker leaving than they had been getting to the dragon. Did that mean that Noctua just went the wrong way? She really hoped not, but she kept walking anyways. She had time to kill after all. It wasn't like she had customers anymore, that had been seen to it felt like. Not by anyone but her own stupidity for staying away for so long.

She shrugged lightly as she walked, noticing that the trees were starting to thin once more. That was good, it meant that she would be able to breathe again without worrying about inhaling a pine needle. No matter how good some might think pine needles smelt, they felt horrible going into your nose. Don't ask her how she knows this, because she will just look at you like you're crazy.

She looked over at Athena, who had found a tree branch to make her perch for the time, and she smiled a little, knowing that the owl hadn't left her after all. "Are you ready to go ho-." Ding! Noctua blinked as she opened the message that was sent to her. It was the general location and information of the next dragon. She closed that message and walked over to Athena. "Maybe another day. I feel like going home and making some mac and cheese. How does that sound Athena?"

There was no sound that came from the familiar, and it made Noctua sigh. Back to the silent treatment it seemed like. She was starting to get used to this. The day that Athena spoke to her again, Noctua would probably wait for the game to end and everything to be back in the real world. Not being able to hold a conversation with Athena was a scary thought, but she wasn't going to push the owl. Let the owl hold her temper tantrum.

With her gaze just staring down this dragon, she didn't wait very long before her sword art started to charge, and she was running at the dragon. She was muttering some profanities under her breath, all pointed at the dragon that she now wanted dead and gone. At this point, she didn't even care about it's jewel, she just wanted this trickster dragon to be gone and out of her damned way. The moment she was near enough to the dragon, she let loose, hitting it over and over until the last of its health was gone, and the dragon as well.

Noticing that there was nothing else for her to hit, she sheathed her rapier and bent down, picking up the quartz that had been left behind. "Good. Damn dragon." She saw that there were still some remnants of the sticks that had blocked her path a few times, and she kicked them out of her way.

One more hit. That was all that she needed to land on this dragon. That shouldn't be too hard really. She just needed to get around these dumb sticks, and that should be easy to do. She started to charge her sword art as she tried to move past the sticks, only for them to trip her, the sword art fizzling away. "Damn it!" She glared at the sticks before they just vanished, and the next thing that she knew, she was being thrown once more.

Alright, this dragon was so dead at this point. It was just pissing her off, and almost everyone knew that the moment Noctua got too mad, she suddenly was able to hit almost everything and anything, yes, still including the ground and trees. She pushed herself to her feet, happy to see that there weren't any sticks about to be in her way this time. That meant that she had a clear shot, and she was going to take it.

She was starting to see why this dragon was called a trickster. These sticks were just plain annoying, it was making her want to just kill the dragon even faster. So, she moved around kicked the sticks one by one out of her way, charging her sword art along the way, and when she reached the dragon, her rapier's black blade gave a barrage of hits to the dragon. Now, the attack didn't do as much damage as she would have liked, but that was okay, she still watched as the dragon's health dropped quite a bit.

So, it was weak. One more hit, and she should be able to get rid of the thing and these stupid sticks that were following her apparently. Because just as she moved out of the way of the dragon's attack, more sticks formed in front of her, and it just made her grumble something about hating forests even more.

Was the dragon waiting for her to attack first? Was this a part of its trickster nature? Letting its opponent think that it has the upper hand? She didn't want to think that, so she started to walk toward the dragon, then run as her rapier glowed black. She did kind of miss the purple that it used to glow, but that wasn't what was important here. No, it was making sure that she had the upper hand on... the... dra- her rapier just stabbed into the dirt.

The very thing that she was trying not to have happen, just happened. She let the fact that the dragon was letting her go first, get to her head. She stared at the tip of her rapier, which was stuck in the dirt at the moment, and she just blinked. How did that even go so wrong? It didn't matter, because she felt the dragon's claws hit her, and she was tossed to the side. At least her rapier came with her. As she stood up though, she watched as sticks started to form in front of her, and she just stared at them, confused.

There it was, the dragon. Right now, he seemed to be sleeping, which was good. That meant that she could take a few moments to attempt to come up with a game plan. Game plans were a good thing when someone wanted to stay alive after all. So that meant that she was going to be able to do this, all because she was thinking ahead instead of just charging in, right? Just the thought of charging in made her shake her head lightly, it reminded her of when she had to go and save Koga's baby sister from her own stupidity.

Some things might never change, but at least the sounds of Tala changing was a good thing for Koga. It meant that he didn't need to worry about anyone anymore. She closed her eyes, and gripped the hilt of her rapier before starting to walk toward the dragon. That was when she realized that he hadn't been sleeping, but watching her, and just waiting.

She watched him, he seemed to be defeated, and while there was a small part of her that was happy about that, there was still that larger part that wasn't happy about that. She just shoved that part aside once more and continued to organize her desk once more. "I'm certain that they'll be fine. Tala and Yukiro always seemed to make up easily. Plus, it's not like she needs to worry about being hated by everyone she loves." That had been an accidental stab, but she wasn't about to retract it.

The statement worked for now after all. "If Yukiro managed to get through to her, then she will be fine." Her voice didn't hold disdain, unlike how she felt, it was neutral. Something that she had to learn to perfect in her voice when it came to talking about the brat. Tala had been the reason for the only other big fight between Noctua and Koga, and honestly, she was still the reason for this one in a way. Funny how things worked like that.

Never knowing who there was to trust anymore. Noctua looked at the perch that she had made for Athena, before looking at the owl who was now just sitting at Koga's station. "Perhaps I should just move this over there." She didn't know if he heard her words or not, but she was just staring at the familiar that she thought of as family, only to be currently stabbed in the heart, once more, in the span of maybe a week. Life sucked.

@Koga

Wait, was that a broke tree? She walked closer to the tree and noticed one thing. It hadn't fallen because of age or anything, but because something clawed it down. She knew that a bear wouldn't be able to do this, plus the claws were bigger than a bears would be. That only meant one thing, the dragon was near. She looked around, noticing a new trail of destroyed things. She had a feeling that she was on the right track now, and she followed it.

Athena seemed to be worried a bit, but Noctua just lightly stroked the owl's feathered wing. "We'll be fine Athena. I have faith in us. Besides, we need to be able to do things on our own. It's not like we have Koga to journey with anymore." Not to mention, he has probably found new people to journey with anyways. She tossed that to the side, it wasn't like she had a reason to be jealous anymore.