Demian

“if you claim to know what i might’ve gone through, what i’ve been through… why didn’t you find a different path instead?” demian blinked. he remembered what day had said to him before, and remained quiet. the gemini narrowed his eyes, and did what it knew to do. “let’s face it. we both know why you really came. if it wasn’t to die, it was to end me — so no threats would endanger your own way of living. to each their own means of survival; it was the same in the past, and it’s the same here.” his other placed a hand upon his own chest. “i wouldn’t have needed to attack you if you had

there were no visible differences to his face underneath that mask, but he figured it would’ve made the gemini less intimidated. at the very least, if he couldn’t accomplish that, it could’ve drawn their interest instead. he was right. demian saw the same red eyes staring back at him, and that was where he decided their square one would be. “you know, you don’t have to do this. there was only one conclusion to this skirmish, so why did you take it? what did you think would happen?” he saw his eyes turn downwards, an expression of shock melting away into one of sorrow. it was th

a pitiable sight. with an upwards swing against their hind, he sent the gemini flying, crashing further into the pond. their cloak was now soaked. demian’s had already disappeared. the sleeves of the coat that draped over him swayed gently with the tread of his steps. in his approach, the man rested the sword on his shoulders. silence hung between them. demian’s form creeped gently over the shaking gemini, sprawled beneath his shadow. his enemy looked like such a mess. it almost tasted like disloyalty to him, that it would show so much fear in lieu of what cardinal could do. he was famili

sloppy. was he always as such? the moment the announcement came and went, he ducked out the gemini’s way. his attacker went for a jab, having bounced backwards, ready on the ball of their heels, before striking out forward. a clean and obvious telegraph. no predictive quality behind its thought process, demian noticed. with a step to the left, he dodged it. then, he snapped his fingers, beckoning cardinal to swap his current equipment to a prepared loadout. trinket gone, what was there to replace it was his beginner’s armor paired with his standard sword. now, looking like the fighter he

at the back of a clearing in an obscure nook, they brushed past the broad-leaved foliage to reveal the heart of it all: the pond of reflection. demian had never been here before. rather, he had been to a place similar to it once, but never in this new, different instance. once inside, he was sure his clothes were going to get wet, stepping through the waters to fight his doppelganger. there was sound rationale behind having swapped to his old clothes before coming here, then. he had to give them credit though, there truly was a waterfall behind it all. how nice. if only cardinal had

he had the seal made shabbily into a vanity brooch. attached to his cloak, none would be the wiser about what it truly meant. with the exception of… “i heard there were a lot of hot spots nearby. if i got it wrong…” he felt their eyes fall towards the bait. and, with their smile, he knew he didn’t have to finish his sentence. “oh! of course! i’ll guide you to the proper location,” they said, and gestured for demian to follow. “it’s the one with the waterfall, right? i know where it is better than anyone.” if demian winced, it was simply because he hadn’t expected his gemini

he let basuke know of his absence for the afternoon past his rendezvous. flitted to the sixth, where he knew his quarry would be. and he spotted them fast. because the stranger was wearing the exact same cloak that he had on. he shouldn’t have been surprised. here he was, a dainty young fellow in nothing but farm boy’s clothes and bandages to cover up a broken eye. in the middle of krycim, he must’ve looked no different from his original self, trudging down the path to a new morrow, not knowing what dangers it might bring. the letter to him, only upon detailed inspection, said s

“well i hope that answers your question.’“ “it answers plenty,” demian decided, cozying up to his chair once again. “thank you for your insight.” little wonder her owner decided to keep her around, he thought, hearing the freebird chuckle. “it’s my pleasure. now, was there something else you’d wanted to discuss? you didn’t ask me to come all this way just for this little chat, did you?” demian raised his cup into the air, holding it towards day. paired with her laughter, and her raise of her macchiato as well, he barely had time to admit a, “guilty as charged,” before their drin

the look he shot her was baleful; in return, she gave him a pained shrug and a wink. “we can’t all be spared,” she said, “and we can’t all have someone else’s lives given up for us either. look at it this way: if i were them, i wouldn’t have given you a warning like that at all.” demian stayed quiet, drinking. day gestured to him, humble. “did ‘you’ receive a warning like that yourself?” he decided to finally smile back. “and what if i have?” “hmm? sorry?” in the same flashy manner, he’d slip the letter across the table in a heartbeat. she rolled her eyes. “that’s obviously

demian’s lips curled into a smile. “no mercy for the ones who come after, huh?” “knowing what we do about the way it moves its pieces around…” with day still holding her mug, she set it down carefully on the table. her gaze softened. “no… i’d rather not.” he studied her. “not regarding this faculty, you mean.” “not regarding a lot of them,” day corrected, leaning back in her chair, “but this one, in particular, the most.” he did the same afterwards. folding his arms to cover his own torso, while day crossed her legs and set her hands together, locked upon it.

day, once calm, now simply looked sly. should he be afraid, given bistro’s demeanor? it was hard to say. the woman was a different breed entirely, after all. “huh. do tell.” “i received the letter today over at an info broker’s.” the paper in his hand was set down over the envelope, his decision willing that it be stored into its container, and so it was. “i’m sure you know the one.” “(obfuscation?)” “based on what we know about cardinal, there could only be one answer to this.” day looked out the window with a grin. “in its current state… perhaps.” demian

“so what did you want to discuss?” down to business, the way he liked it. as quickly as one could snap their fingers, he had the envelope drawn out slid across the table. in the same sleight of hand, like a magic trick, he unfurled the page within. the envelope, now devoid of content, looked as tattered on the inside as much as its exterior. and that wax seal, too, was an invite for day to peer over, humming, intrigued. and that was not to say little of the missive once within it. folded up in half, and then thirds, was a blank page save a handprint smeared in red upon it, almos

a few pats of her hair restored her imagery. day was the equivalent of somebody else’s sunshine. she reminded demian about one of his past sunflowers, and the summer heat in which he basked in as he made sure it was patiently cared for. his two blinks into cold stares seemed nothing but the normal protocol for her, he noted. they said nothing but exchanged looks instead. they didn’t need to talk with words… just yet. she chose not to move her head when the waiter came by with their drinks – he’d placed her order in her travel’s interim. demian turned to acknowledge them, however – al

instead, he chose an indoor cafe on the eleventh. the type that iris would frequent, he figured, though not quite the same one. when the yellow cursored individual strode up to him, sat by the open window, he barely spared them a glance. who else would turn to look at a passerby cardinal entity? players had much more important matters to attend to, didn’t they? staring out the window at the blue sky above. her figure cut into the light pouring in, blending in with the shadows drawn across the floor. hatched, both of them, forms trapped in that box stretched against polished wooden pl

quest. he received a letter today. bistro told him about it. she said to collect it before she threw it out. so demian went, mumbling to himself something strong about manners. but when he saw the envelope it was dressed up it, he knew the time had come. with two careful hands he picked it up. it wasn’t the telling dark, near purple stained black that emmett was fond of using for his official addresses. any from his closest allies also wouldn’t look so… disheveled. raggedy. it came with a red wax seal, a sigil upon it unrecognizable… to most. for demian, it was the same o

Skill(s) Being Dropped: Battle Healing - R2 SP Incurred Towards Limit: 8 SP Refunded: 8 Cost: 8000

8/20/2024

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BINGSU (20) COOKIE (60) VITAGEN (11) POPCORN (9) bingsu. | TIER 4 DESSERT | MITIGATION III shaved ice. chopped fruits. syrup and milk. tasteless. [15/04/24] | +8 [14/04/24] | +12 cookie. | TIER 4 DESSERT/SNACK | VITALITY II small. round. chocolate chips. tasteless. [15/04/24] | +12 [14/04/24] | +17 [20/08/24] | +30 popcorn. | TIER 4 SNACK | VITALITY II round. light. fluffy. tasteless. [15/04/24] | +9 vitagen. | TIER 4 SNACK | PROBIOTICS III milky liquid. palm-sized cardboard bottle. cream-coloured. tasteless. [20/08/24] | +11

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GELATO (30) MOUSSE (30) SMORES (75) CRÈME BRÛLÉE (75) gelato. | TIERLESS DESSERT | LD III multiple flavors. paper cup. wooden spoon. tasteless. [13/04/24] | +11 [12/04/24] | +8 [11/04/24] | +9 [09/04/24] | +2 mousse. | TIERLESS DESSERT | PROSPERITY III soft cream. paper cup. wooden spoon. tasteless. [10/04/24] | +20 [08/04/24] | +10 smores. | TIERLESS DESSERT | EVA II firm crackers. melted chocolate. toasted marshmallows. tasteless. [10/04/24] | +19 [09/04/24] | +34 [08/04/24] | +22 crème brûlée. | TIERLESS DESSERT | ACC II porcelain

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