Tala

Current Level: 21
Current SP: 60
Link to SP Tracking: [link]
Item Upgrades:

Notes: N/A

She smiled when she saw Yukiro's marker show up on her map. She had a feeling that he wasn't going to let her go at this boss alone. She looked at him and smiled, before shaking her head, "Nope, you haven't missed anything and I haven't heard anything about the boss other than its name, Gilded Princess."

She looked over at the others as they started to shout about seeing signs of the boss. Okay, so we were getting somewhere. She also heard a warning about being too close to the water, and as of right now, she figured that she was safe. Besides, wasn't that her moving in the water. "We are trying to get that out of the water." She pointed to the movement, trying to figure out just how they were going to get the boss out of the water.

She wasn't going to have to fight in a boat or on the water right? She really hoped not, she didn't need a repeat of that stupid quest on the first floor.

All that could be heard was a long and exasperated sigh. She had to find the words to say any of this now. How was she supposed to tell him that he was being an idiot because he's refusing to see past a very obvious shield to not get hurt again? As she thought on it, there was no actual way to sugar coat what she wanted to say to him. So, with a silent prayer, she hoped that he wasn't about to be overly pissed at her.

"Mas, the entire time that I've known Noctua, and saw how she was during that time, she has never once actually changed. If she has changed, it's because of what was said to her when you two ran into each other. I saw you hit the wall that day Masato, it was actually really hard to miss. If you were that mad to go outside and hit something, think about how the talk might have gone. Before you attempt to say that I'm taking her side, I'm not. I'm going to remain in neutral land here, because I'm certain that when you got angry, she more than likely said things in return with the same anger. She's never been good at hiding her emotions from you, so if she is, then *something* has happened since that talk with you to today."

Alright, she might have just lectured him in a blunt but not blunt kind of way, but she was honestly hoping that he was going to be able to understand what it was that she was trying to say. She shall see though, because, just like her, Koga was stubborn as well. She shook her head and was about to answer his mention of nuclear fallout, only to stop and blink. Had she really changed that much?

"Yeah, he did. I have also made a promise to him to go to him if I need help. But I made a promise to myself to change. I don't need to be ruining things for you after all. Before... I think it was just me being selfish and not wanting to lose the only person in my life who hasn't been able to truly hate me after all. But yeah, I made that promise, and, in a way, it's a promise to you as well, that I won't interfere anymore. Which, I might be breaking right now... but you need my interference, or you might break down in your shop or in a fight one day."

She should probably just stop talking now. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.

@Koga

"You caught some of my question, but not this part; how do you know that the tone in her voice is how she meant it? I mean, take me for example, you know that you can never believe the tone of my voice, it always throws people off." She had to point that part out, she may not know Noctua as well as her brother, but there was still the fact that the tone of someone's voice couldn't be believed all the time.

She let him think though, find the words that he wanted to say, and honestly, the words that he did say, made Tala wince lightly. This all did boil back down to something that she had done in some way. She really was a giant brat. "I'm sorry Masa...." She sighed lightly before shaking her head lightly. "You know that there's always a way to fix something that was once broken. Trust and promises can be rebuilt, it just takes a little time, and no pushing the other away."

She was starting to think that perhaps she should just lock the pair of them in a room. Or throw them at a boss that will make them work together. That was what happened to her and Yuki. While she wanted to plot out something to do that, she knew that she couldn't, this wasn't her fight to entirely get involved in to fix.

@Koga

Well, she was at least getting somewhere at this point. She gently leaned against her brother and sighed lightly. "Mas, did she actually say that she didn't trust you? Or are you just assuming it? Because honestly, the look that I saw on her face as she was quickly leaving your shop said many things. Most of it being pain, but I can promise that she does still care for you. She was wearing her wolf necklace after all."

Hell, even Tala was wearing the necklace that Noct had made for her so long ago. Sure, there might be more tension and hatred between the two women for a while, but she highly doubted that there was any hate there for Koga. It was more than likely all for Tala for butting in, again. "Though, smack me if you want, how did you betray her?" She needed to get him to open up more, and well, if he broke down, at least they were alone.

@Koga

She just stared at him as they walked, using Akame to be her guide to make sure that she didn't run into anything. She sighed after a few, very torturous, moments of silence. "Masa, talk to me, please?" She found an empty spot by one of the smaller water fountains, and she dragged him over to it. She sat down on the edge of the fountain and stared at Koga, willing him to, for once, be cooperative with her.

Akame laid down by Tala's feet and just simply fell asleep right then and there, which made Tala shake her head. "Darned wolf can fall asleep at anytime and anywhere." She patted the spot next to her on the fountain, "Come on, sit down and talk. You need to think everything through and not in your mind where you're going to doubt yourself." If there was ever a time of hating the fact that someone knew you so well, it would be right here and now, with your baby sister attempting to force you to talk.

@Koga

He really was breaking. He would like to think that she hasn't seen him cry before, but come on, this was Tala. She just sighed lightly, letting him look at her ring. She wanted to smack him for changing the subject, but she saw the hurt that was written basically all over him. So, being the loving little sister that she was, she pulled her hand from his, and she got up so that she could move closer to him to hug him. "Thank you, Masa, but I'm not here for me. I'm here because my big brother is in pain, and I hate seeing him like this."

She pulled away after a few moments and offered him a warm smile, "Wanna walk somewhere? I'm certain that there is a place where we can be alone and talk? You need to stop bottling your emotions up right now anyways. You are about to shatter, and much like you, I'd rather it not be in public." She didn't really give him much of an option on saying no, because that very moment, she paid for their ramen and tea. She looked at him again, giving him a look that he'd know of so well from their mother.

It was the look of 'let's go, you have no real choice'.

@Koga

She didn't want to really believe that he wasn't hungry anymore, but just by judging his look, that was exactly the case this time. That was odd. 

She did ignore his glare though, and just shook her head, "Thank you, I think...." That was when it hit her, if his words were as empty as his congratulations to her, then that could be another thing that went wrong. But, he wasn't talking, and this was starting to bother her. She sighed lightly after he admitted that he did miss her, that was at least something to work with.

"Were you pushing her away kind of like you're doing to me right now? You don't need to physically push someone away Mas, you never did. Your pushing away comes from your words and lack of emotion, like right now." She did quietly move her hand to her lap, just so that she could put that reminder of the engagement ring aside, at this point, she was starting to think that just about anything could set her brother off.

@Koga

She wanted to smack her brother so bad right now, and instead, she settled for just facepalming, possibly harder than she had intended to. She just sighed deeply, trying to find the words to try and talk to her brother. He was clearly not thinking right, nor was he really thinking at all at this point. Really, could he not tell that Noctua had been hurting? Or was Noctua wearing a mask? No, it couldn't be the second option, Noctua was too goody two shoes to wear a mask like that. So, obviously, her brother had to have been oblivious, like always. She didn't bother attempting to touch her ramen again, and slid it closer to her, he probably needed it more than her at this point.

"Okay, but did you actually attempt to talk to her truthfully, or were you hiding behind fake words again?" There was one thing that was going through her mind again though, she was starting to sound more like her mother than she liked. She loved how he was deflecting though, and it made her chuckle as she just showed her ring at him. "We are fine. The trust needs to be rebuilt, but we are fine. But, I'm not here to talk to you about my love life, I'm trying to help you with yours Masa. You miss her, and I know that she misses you, I saw that for a year, and trust me, it made me want to puke." So she tried to add in a little humor, sue her.

@Koga

"Damn it Masato..., " there was a sigh that accompanied her words. She silently pinched the bridge of her nose, happy that she ended up coming over to check on him more now than before. "You know, I'm supposed to be the little sibling here, why are you making me feel like I need to be the elder one?" She looked at him as he slurped at his food. It just made her blink and shake her head more, before resisting the urge to slap her brother upside the back of his head.

"Answer me this big brother," she paused for a moment to move a little more to look at him better, "have you actually tried to hold a conversation with her that didn't result in your jumping to conclusions, judging her, accusing her of something, yelling at her, and her yelling at you in return?" This was a very serious question, and the look on her face, and the near mother like sternness could be heard in her voice. She was starting to sound like their mother, but she wasn't going to point that out, because she didn't want to think like that.

Instead, she quietly ate some of her ramen as she waited for her brother's answer. Because, depending on his answer, depended on how much more like their mother she was about to sound.

@Koga

She raised an eyebrow, "Yuki won't tell me because he feels that it should be you who tells me when you think I should know. But yes, that was a hilarious thing to figure out." There was a hint of sarcasm and irritation at that moment, but it was gone just as fast as it showed up. She helped Koga to his feet and looked at Okami, then back to her brother.

"When was the last time that you ate or slept Mas?" Game be damned right now, her big brother was torturing himself in some way, and she was going to use his whole real name if she has to. But right now, she practically dragged him out of his shop, giving him enough time to make sure the place was locked. There was a ramen shop that they both liked, and she started to lead him over there.

"Masa, talk to me please? I know you don't trust me, and that's probably for the best, but you're hurting, and I can clearly see that." She opted to leave the pain that she saw on Noctua's face out of the conversation right now.

@Koga

She had planned on minding her own business today. She was just cleaning out the last of the junk from her shop when a very hurt and angered Noctua walked past her. This made Tala blink a few times before looking down at Akame, "If she's like this Koga's going to be worse. Come on, it's time for a break anyways." She locked her shop up and walked to the store next door. Yes, her shop was right next door to Koga and Noctua's it had been that way since they opened their shop.

She slowly walked inside her brother's shop, ignoring the bell that announced her entrance. "I think...we should've stayed home today bud..." Tala looked at her brother as he said that. He looked so defeated and that bugged her a bit. She knew that he hadn't noticed her enter the store yet, so she walked over to him, Akame stopping and staring at Okami. Tala though, poked her brother's cheek lightly, "If you stayed home, then I wouldn't be able to see you ever since I don't know where your home is."

She offered her brother a small smile, before holding her hand out to him, "Come on, you look like you need some ramen."

@Koga

So, a boss on the twenty-second floor? That didn't sound too horrible. She left Yukiro a message stating that she was going to go and check out this boss, and even left an invitation if he wanted to join. She wasn't about to make him join after just, hopefully, making things better between the pair of them. She made sure that she had everything that she needed and looked Akame, "Come on then, do you want to walk or hide in the necklace?" The wolf was tired and Tala could tell, so the black wolf vanished, but the eyes on Tala's black wolf necklace could be seen moving, and a bright red color now.

That meant that she had everything, and with her engagement ring back on her hand where it belonged, she started to walk toward the teleporter, soon arriving on the floor. Now was the moment that she realized that she's never been here before, but hey, there's a first for everything at this point now right. She walked over to the Lake of Reflections, and she looked around, soon spotting others. She walked over to them and smiled warmly. "Anyone find her yet?" She was curious, and well, the only true way to beat curiosity was to ask the questions.

Here's just hoping that curiosity doesn't kill the wolf. Tala took a moment to attempt to look over the water, and flinched at the strong reflection from the sunlight.

He wasn't running from her, that was a good sign, right? She looked at their hands, slowly wiping her face dry with her other hand, it still clasped around her ring perfectly. She looked at him and nodded lightly, "Okay, but um... to put it on, I kind of need my other hand, unless your putting it back on my finger for me." She smiled lightly, taking the chance to step closer to him at this point. Akame, feeling accomplished, moved from her spot and found some shady cover a few feet away.

"You know, the same goes for you, if you need me, you just need to send me a message too. I'm sleeping in my shop, so I'll be nearby, I think. I don't know where my brother's house is...." She looked from him to their hands once more. That was something that kind of hurt to admit. Koga had left so mad at her, that she didn't know where his house was. Hell, he didn't even tell her that he had a house. "How about, we go to town, and get some ramen?"

@Yukiro

There she went again, saying the wrong damn thing, and chasing him away, again. She stared at the rings that were in her hand and she closed her hand, feeling the rings actually start to dig into her palm. There was the familiar sting of tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Then she heard it, a howl from Akame before the black wolf bolted toward Yuki, stopping directly in front of him. "A-akame?!" Tala ran over to them, if only to make sure that the wolf hadn't hurt him. Instead, she was just laying in front of his feet, whining.

By the time Tala reached them, she gave up on stopping the tears, and looked at the wolf. She knew what Akame was trying to do, and it hurt. The wolf was trying to fix Tala's mistakes for her right now, and it made Tala shake her head. "Yuki... I...." She had to stop to think of the words that she wanted to use. She didn't know what she wanted to say, but she knew one thing that she could do. She grabbed his ring from her palm, ignoring the red, stinging circles that were in her palm before she hesitantly grabbed his hand. Not only that, but she gently placed his ring back into his palm. "Don't leave... please. I... I wasn't trying to say that you weren't who I wanted...."

A pause, more thinking needed to be done, mainly because her mind was just a giant mess from this now. "Listen, I'm an idiot, we both know this. I screw up my words all the time and things like this happen. I don't want you to leave, I... I was merely just stating that I wanted to earn your trust back to be able to wear my ring without it feeling heavy, like I'm doing things wrong. I wanted to know that you thought I did deserve to wear it, and instead, I just... screw things up." She let go of his hand slowly, waiting to know if he was still going to leave her or not.

@Yukiro

She really wanted to just laugh and play it off that she had been joking, but she hadn't been, and that's the bad part. She just stared after him as he pushed past her, and there went that forgiveness that she tried to give herself. Well, she really just messed that up again, and it made her sigh as she jogged to catch up with him. Furthermore, she wanted to say something, but she just didn't know what to say at this point. Not only that, but she just seemed to say the wrong thing each time. "Whelp, since I can't seem to say the right thing ever, I guess now is the moment that I should say thank you for the help." She sighed lightly, and pulled her own ring from her pocket, grabbing his arm for a moment to put the ring in his hand.

"We both know that I don't deserve this anymore. Not with how much I hurt everyone this time." She stilled smiled lightly, though it was a sad one. "Before you ask, yes, I think I made amends with Koga. I almost forgave myself, thinking that you were happy, but you aren't, so I can't exactly forgive myself yet." She let go of him with a shrug before she started to walk ahead of him, thinking on her own words for once. She really was growing up, too bad it was at the worst time possible.

@Yukiro

Wait. Hold up. What? She didn't make a move toward the dragon, not that it mattered, because the bleed robbed the hatchling of the last of its life. She just stared at Yuki, confused beyond everything now. Then she just walked over to him, looked at the scratch on his cheek and winced before she focused on him. "Listen, I know that my brother can be feminine, but really, you married him?" She was dead serious with her question. She had even motioned to the ring that was on Yukiro's hand, and it suddenly made the one that was in her pocket all the heavier. So, she didn't push Yuki into the arms of another woman, but into her... brother's arms? That was just plain disturbing to think about.

Instead, she sheathed her katana and backed away from Yukiro. She definitely wasn't about to get involved in that new-found mess. That was just too chaotic, even for her. "But, hey, if he makes you happy Yuki, I'm happy for you. Honestly." Perhaps she should work on forgiving herself. She seems to have done good after all, just maybe she didn't need to hold that grudge against herself. Thinking that and accepting it, seemed to lift a weight from her chest. Look at that Koga, your little sister did end up forgiving herself, all because she still seemed to make others happy with the crap that she pulled.

@Yukiro

She noticed that he didn't charge up a sword art, and that his attack did basically nothing. Well then, this thing had quite the amount of mitigation, didn't it? She looked at Yukiro and nodded, "Have been since that fight with the monkey." It was true, she hadn't done anything reckless, combat wise, since then. But, it was her turn, and she was determined to kill this thing already. She quickly moved past Yukiro, charging up her sword art once more, and attacking the dragon. She hit, great, but what was better was the fact that she watched as it gained the Bleed status on it's health bar. That's even better. She was just behind Yukiro when the dragon screeched again though.

She felt like she couldn't move once more, and damn did that sound hurt as she tried to cover her ears. But, it was the small bit of health that went missing from Yuki's health bar that worried her. Sure, Yukiro still had hate from the dragon, but she didn't have any kind of healing skills. Once the dragons turn was up, she moved to be beside Yukiro. "Kill the thing so I can make sure that you make it home to your girl, alright?" She has a kind smile on her face, one that said that she didn't care that he moved on to be happy. She was just happy for him.

@Yukiro

Did he truly forget about the time that he fought a monkey to save her? She wasn't going to remind him if that was truly the case, it was a reminder that he probably didn't need. "I don't plan on tanking, and I do trust you. If I didn't I wouldn't have asked for your help." Her words were said quickly before she ran past him, probably with more speed than he might have seen her use before. Her katana's blade was glowing teal before she let go of the attack. She was scared that it was about to miss, because she moved at the last moment to correct herself, but no, her attack landed, and she quickly moved back behind Yukiro.

She promised not to try and tank, she was going to keep that promise. "It's getting there, we got this." She wanted to say 'just like old times' but refrained from that. Instead, she wondered if this dragon really that hard to do alone? She didn't want to find out really, it hadn't been able to hit Yukiro yet, and she was counting whatever lucky stars that she had for that. Probably all because she was just happy that she didn't need to worry about making sure he didn't die today. She didn't put her katana away though, because anything could happen, and she was going to be sure that she was ready, just in case.

@Yukiro

Yukiro had gone into his silent but serious state, and she held back a sigh at that. She simply followed him instead, and kept her gaze vigilant, waiting to see if there was any kind of attack that might come from the side, or even behind them. It wasn't until they entered the castle that she noticed what it was that Yuki had been saying. This place really was in disarray, that was kind of depressing really. She thought that it would look beautiful if there wasn't a dragon living in it. Even with a dragon living in it, she thought that it would be a beautiful castle. But, that wasn't what her mind should be on at the moment, and instead, she looked ahead to see the dragon.

She knew what she was to do though, nothing until Yuki had enough hate on the thing. She didn't like this arrangement, especially when she noticed that Yuki's attack missed. Had... had he not fought anything since she left? If that was the case, she really didn't want to sit back and do nothing. But, she made a promise, and she was determined to keep them this time. But, if she were to notice that Yukiro was in trouble, she'd be willing to break that promise. She couldn't see him on the brink of death again, the first time hurt way too much.

She watched as the dragon wound up to attack Yukiro in turn, but screeched first, making her cover her ears."What the hell?" She watched then as the dragon went to his Yukiro, only to still miss. Okay, so this was going fine right now, sure, they hadn't touched the dragon's health yet, but the dragon hadn't touched either of them either. So yeah, this was going perfectly fine for now. She looked at Yuki though, "If you miss again, and it hits you, I'm stepping in. I can't see you hurt like before again." There it was, the very thing that she had been thinking, said aloud, and the tone in her voice said that there was no stopping her either.

@Yukiro

"Uh, no. I only have my equipped gear, Akame, and my skills." Wow, she really hadn't prepared for this at all, had she? Oh well, it wasn't like she had anything in her inventory that would help her anyways. She hadn't been able to sing in a year, so there weren't any of her songs. Hell, even her shop was covered in cobwebs if someone were to actually be able to get there at a time when she didn't have the doors locked.

"You tank and I deal damage. Okay." She could handle that at least, hopefully. She really didn't hope that she was about to get someone's fiancé or husband killed, that wouldn't be a good thing to add onto her current guilt. Not only that, but she also knew though that if she were to tank, she wouldn't last long at all. She sighed, just accepting the fates as they were about to go.

Her gaze was on the ground as she walked, but she managed to nod to him. "Yeah, probably as ready as I'll be today." She nodded as she quickened her pace a little to be a little closer to his side, but not touching him. Perhaps some habits die hard, like the wanting to be beside him. At least she wasn't breaking any kind of oath that he might have by touching him.

@Yukiro

"A run down castle? That doesn't seem to be so ba- ...." Her words trailed off as she noticed the ring on Yuki's finger, and she quickly ignored that. She wanted to ask, but didn't know if she should. Sure, it looked like the one that she had, in fact, exactly like the one that she had in her pocket currently. But, there was no way that it was because of her. Did that mean.... She let the thoughts go, and she took in a deep breath of air, holding it for a few moments before lightly exhaling. He moved on, that's good for him. She decided to say nothing about it, and instead looked in the direction that Yuki was gesturing to.

"Okay, though it's probably best if you still lead the way. As for being useful, you'll probably be more useful than myself." So, the assumptions that she was now making in her head, weren't a good thing at all for the pure fact that she was now completely worried that she had lost him. But, if he was happy with someone else, than that was a good thing, she wasn't going to ruin that. She's done enough of the ruining of relationships in her life, and she wasn't going to start again right now. Nope, she would let Yuki have his happiness, and she would silently watch from the outside.

Now, she might have said that it would be best for him to lead the way, but she didn't think that standing there was going to do her any good, so she trudged on ahead, her mind completely in a place where she didn't want it, but there it was.

@Yukiro

She let him take the lead and just let him talk to himself on where to go. It was fine. She didn't seem to mind either way really. But when he stopped and actually looked at her, she looked away. There was no way that she'd be able to look at him and stay as strong as she was attempting, let alone just not feel like she had failed, again. "Everyone else can forgive me all they want, but like my brother said, I have to forgive myself, and that I can't do." She whistled lowly, and Akame came running to the pair of them. Tala lightly pet the wolf's head before she turned in, hopefully, the right direction that they were to head into now. "Just answer me one thing, I don't have to go into another cave, do I?" There were things that she could do to stay strong and not break down doing. Walking the forest, walking the fields, fighting monsters, things like that. But, if she was to have to walk into a cave, then all bets were off. She was done for.

Akame, nudged Tala's hand lightly before looking at Yuki. "Right... Akame, this is Yukiro, my... friend, I hope. Yuki, meet Akame." There introductions, perhaps now the wolf would stop looking like someone chewed on her bone. But no, even still, the wolf just looked sad, almost as if she were mimicking the emotions that Tala was refusing to let out. She ignored that though and lightly pet the wolf's head before Akame ran ahead of them once more. There were some things that she didn't want to have found out; how many times she ran into a tree in the past week, the concussion that she sustained a few days ago, and just how horrible she felt about her actions and her life.

"So, which way are we to go?" She put a lot of effort to have some pretend happiness in her voice and on her face as she asked that question.

@Yukiro

She looked at the party invite, then to Yuki. "Are... are you sure?" She watched his face, not saying anything as she accepted the party invite. It had been a long time since she saw any name in a party with her own, let alone Yuki's. Just this fact made her sigh quietly as she started to walk again. Akame though, looked between the pair of them again and sneezed before deciding to run off ahead of them. A lot less tension up there is the only reason Tala could guess as to why. After a bit, it was clearly, and painfully, obvious that Tala still had no sense of direction in her body, and it caused her to stop in her tracks, but off to the side so that Yuki wouldn't run into her.

"Perhaps, you should lead, since you know the way an all...." She didn't turn to look at him, she just waited for him to lead the way, or say something. If he didn't say anything, this was going to be an agonizingly slow and painful quest for Tala, and she knew that she wasn't going to want to do that again. She kept her gaze ahead of them, staring off into the distance, where she saw Akame sitting and waiting to see what they were going to do. "You were right y'know. I am the bad guy." It seemed like all the soul-searching, or that last concussion, might have done the trick on getting her pride and stubbornness to go away.

@Yukiro

She saw him coming before she probably wanted to at this point. She could tell as he walked up, that there was a part of him that probably didn't want to be here at all. Not only that, but she couldn't blame him, and it just made her sigh. Akame looked between the pair and stood up, shaking up her body. It was almost as if the wolf was trying to get rid of the tension between Tala and Yukrio. Tala would have offered him a smile, but she could tell that it wasn't going to be welcomed, at all. Instead, she pushed herself off of the wall and shook her head.

"No, but it's fine. I can find my way, I don't want to force you to be near me." She meant it, she wasn't in the mindset or the mood to force Yuki to be near her. She'd go and fight a dragon by herself if she needed to. "I'm sorry Yuki, I didn't mean to hurt you, and I'm sorry that I bothered you today." She offered him a tiny, but solemn smile before she turned and started to walk out of the town. She was going to get lost, that much was for certain, but she'd get to the castle at some point.

The moment that she exited the safe zone, she stopped and looked at Akame, "Ready to go and get lost?" The wolf whined but ended up huffing toward the end of it, showing that she wasn't amused with this compromise.

@Yukiro