[PP-F4] Usurper's Reign. (Grandmaster) (Emerath)

[Flints 0]

An icey rush of air made its ways throughout Flints lungs; it filled her and spiked down her nose and throat with every breath, the feeling of icicles forming in her lungs plagued her mind as she drank the crisp air not even bothering to savor it and to have it be exhaled quickly. Her heart was racing as she tried her best to not fall face first into the snow. "I don't understand how you put up with this weather." She cooed to Antillian, her familiar she so affectionatly called a Wolfalope. His large stocky build and huge paws made walking in the snow a simple task. Occasionally he begin to prance, his tail wagged excitedly as the place became more familiar to him. The fourth floor was home to the two for a while, many memories were made here. Flints gave a sigh once her feet began to follow a route they knew well. Her body began to shake as she listened to Antillian whimper in excitement. It had been a rocky departure for Flints, the last she remembered of the fourth floor was her crawling back and asking for friendship. It stung like a swift kick to the side, The thought of things going badly. But here she was. Stronger than before. She wanted him to know, Emerath to know, that she wanted him along with her on her journey of great memories. Tristan was off fighting bosses she wouldn't dream of fighting, so for once they weren't together. It was an odd feeling being apart. in her own way she was fighting a great battle to better herself. Flints glanced up at the alchemy shop and gave a light knock before letting herself in, often forgetting her manors. "Eru..?" 

[Emerath 0]

Emerath sat by the fire, as he often did now that he had become a bit of a hermit in the game. Since the time before Christmas he hadn't been doing any more than the odd experiment here and there and working out his next moves. Something he had made very little progress on. He hadn't been expecting visitors, but often left the door unlocked just in case his brother wished to stop by and check up on him. That was a regular thing now, and it seemed to be happening more and more as Emerath became more and more reclusive to the world around him. As such, he turned at the sound of the door opening, but was surprised to see that it wasn't his brother, but Flints. He cocked his head, and placed his tea on the little table in front of him, calling out in response to his name, "Yes, I'm here. What can I do for you today, Kita?"

[Flints 0]

Flints let herself in and stepped lightly, taking in Emerath's expression and posture. She hadn't seen the man in quite some time and the sight of him filled her with many questions, how had he been? Was he taking care of himself? Was he taking care of his familiar? She looked him over carefully once more and memorized everything about him. His hair and clothing were kept neat, the epitome of a gentleman. She cleared her throat trying to keep herself calm and leveled but ended up stepping on Antillian's paw, causing him to Yelp and run to Emerath's side. 

"I'm sorry!!!" Flints whined to her familiar, hoping he didn't harbor any bad blood towards her constantly stepping on him when she became nervous, it was the only time the two weren't  in sync. Flints fluffed her hair and cleared her throat. "I...I'm ready to grandmaster Eru.." She kept her voice low and her words quick but didn't break her gaze from his. She was proud of all the work she put into her skills. This was one of the many she planned to obtain. "I've come a long way from the beggining" she gave a sheepish smile "and all I keep thinking is you would be the best person to reminisce with." 

[Emerath 0]

Emerath raised an eyebrow at his old friend, and absentmindedly ran a hand through Antillian's fur when the pup came running over to him. He thought a bit about the words Flints had said, though his mind was a million miles away and hardly able to focus on what was going on in front of him. "Grandmaster...?" he finally said, a bit lost. And then he had remembered that he was playing a game, a game with skills and based on weapon ranks. It had been so long since Emerath had even really pulled up the menu to do much more than send the odd message to his brother telling him that he was still okay. He shook his head, his hand still running through Antillian's fur in a subconscious motion. He blinked and swallowed, a bit nervous, wondering how he must look. Probably like a ghost, at this point, it had been so long since he had interacted with the rest of the game, simply waiting to either escape, or die. Finally, he found his words again for a moment and asked, "Why me?"

[Flints 0]

Flints felt her heart drop at the sight she was taking in, Emerath was in a near catatonic state, his body going through the motions his eyes were no longer a vibrant emerald green, they were a muddy colour, almost indistinguishable from his iris but murky enough to be called "green". Flints instinctually walked up to him, not minding personal space and lightly grazed his cheek, pulling his chin up to look into her eyes. "Emerath? Are you...okay?" She listened to an equally worried Antillian whine for his close friend. 

Flints sighed and tried to catch his attention. "Because. You know me well. I feel like if anyone should come with me it should be the guy who almost killed me! You're one of the first people I met in this world. You taught me so much. And I'm greatful for that. It if wasn't for you and..." Flints words stumbled a bit, "D-dael, I would most certainly have been dead before I even got to where I am now." She touched her ring to comfort herself then gave him a warm smile as she ran her fingers lightly through his hair. "Eru...what's wrong? You are most definitely not yourself.." 

Edited February 23, 2016 by Flints

[Emerath 0]

Emerath looked into her eyes. He felt lost. For a moment, he didn't even see Flints. He didn't really process that it was her, and he felt like he was looking at a ghost of his imagination. Was she really here in his shop? Nobody ever visited him. Nobody but Endilix, and Emerath was starting to wonder if he was just a ghost too. Emerath was starting to wonder if all of this was just a dream of his imagination. Had he finally gone crazy and imagined up some strange world for him to live and die in? He shook his head, but didn't pull away from the woman's touch. He gazed into her eyes. "I'm... me still. I think. I haven't changed. But, I just haven't felt the need to play this game. I shouldn't need to play. If we escape thanks to the Frontline, then I get to go back to living a normal life as a successful college student. At worst, I live here until I die, enjoying the fire of my hearth in this snowy world that I've been trapped in." Emerath's gaze broke from hers as she ran her fingers through his hair. "There has been too much pain. To much love and trust lost. Too much lost. How can someone live in this kind of a world? How can someone like me be a healer and heal the sick and wounded when the digital wounds aren't what need healing?"

Emerath sighed, "But I'm not important. You came here for a reason. You wanted my help. You're getting your final rank in Wild Dance. How can I help you achieve that?"

[Flints 0]

Flints watched as the man spoke but hardly heard a word he said. Her eyes continued to scan him and she hoped he was okay. after taking him in more she began to listen to his words. He was a defeated man. He no longer had the will to fight and at this point she wasn't even sure if he had the will to live. She swallowed hard at the bile that began to rise inside her, the pain she had caused made her feel terrible. She did indeed come here from something but couldn't shake the feeling of never wanting to abandon him again. Flints rubbed Emerath's cheek lightly with her thumb. "everything you say is important to me, even if you'd never believe a word I say. I'm sure your brother is worried sick about you Eru..please. I need you to be strong. I know this world is unforgiving. I know the things I've done...are never worth forgiving. But I want you to know I care about you. Please join me. I want your company. I'd understand if you didn't want to come..we actually don't even have to go anywhere. I want to keep you safe but maybe going out and getting some air would be nice and we could reminisce on this silly weapon of mine." She smiled sweetly to the man. Even if the sight of him was hard to handle. She felt as if a flake of snow were to land on him he would shatter to pieces. This was her fault. 

[Emerath 0]

Emerath looked at Flints, but he still didn't quite see her. Still didn't quite feel her touch. He felt disconnected from himself. Slowly he blinked, his breathing slow and shallow, as if he were sick, despite that getting sick in a game like this were impossible. After a moment of staring at her, her words sinking in, Emerath nodded. He put his hand on hers, holding it to his cheek for a moment. He had begun to forget how warm other people were. His brother was never the most affectionate person. Especially not after recent events. His eyes closed, and for a moment he had forgotten that he was supposed to be standing and going somewhere with his visitor.

After an eternity in Emerath's mind, slowly his eyes opened and he began to stand up. His body felt like a rock, but after much creaking and groaning he managed to stand and looked at Flints. His face was a pallid mask, but he was hopeful that his actions at least showed his interest. He sucked in the lukewarm air around them, as if he had forgotten to breathe for the past month and had only just remembered to do so, before saying, "Some fresh air sounds nice."

[Flints 0]

Flints let Emerath hold onto her hand that rested against his face, dispite his state his hand was soft and warm. Flints realized she had never actually touched his hand before. Not like this. His warmth was comforting, but lost in thought she didn't quite give him room to rise from the chair he had been sitting in for who knows how long. She stared into his eyes and smiled sheepishly. "O-okay. Let's go little one!" Flints quickly grabbed Emerath's wrist and tugged him to his door, Antillian bounding happily alongside him. Without another word she quickly pushed open the door to his shop and was greeted by the bright, snow covered town of the fourth floor. The stagnate air that once filled the dimly lit shop was forced out by the winter winds as Flints turned back to Emerath who she still held by the wrist. She knew it must have been a lot to take in, not that the world ever changed but being hidden away for so long probably took its toll on the man. "If I'm going too fast let me know..I want to make sure you're comfortable" she whispered just loud enough for Emerath to catch. Flints' eyes gazed over at Antillian who was rolling around in the snow then quickly back to Emerath's own eyes. "I think he missed you very much by the way."  

[Emerath 0]

Emerath had only barely gotten out of the chair when Flints had him by the arm and next thing he knew he was outside his shop. It was lucky for Emerath that he generally dressed warm since his shop was only usually warmed up by a fire in his hearth. He still shivered a bit as the chill of the air hit him, but his lungs greedily drank the fresh air around him. He never really thought about how stale the air was in his shop, or that the game could even really have stale air, but like any good simulation the developers had certainly paid attention to every detail.

Slowly, Emerath's eyes trailed to Antillian rolling around in the snow, as his brain tried to process the idea of things going too fast. Fast didn't seem to be a part of the vocabulary anymore, but he didn't really want to tell Flints that. He watched Antillian roll around, and was mesmerized by the pup, simply standing there watching him with a blank, solemn stare.

[Flints 0]

Flints released Emerath's wrist and tucked her arms beneath her chest. She held her head high and scanned the humble town before them. "It's been a minute since I've actually been on the fourth floor. I had forgotten how quaint it was." She kicked snow with her feet and giggled at the snow covered Antillian. "He howls at night occasionally. And all I could think was he was calling out to you. I remembered how silly you two were. He always expects you to be a wall away." Flints gathered snow in her palm and began to pat it onto the heavily furred beast. He enjoyed it for the most part. Slowly she rose and cleared her throat. "Emerath...how long had you been sitting there?" She looked over the man who still seemed to be worlds away. She wondered if he had made any progress. With the guild, with his dreams, with anything in game. She wondered about his brother. And why he hadn't checked on him. "How's endilix..." She felt her words catch in her throat.

Edited February 24, 2016 by Flints

[Emerath 0]

Emerath continued to stare at Antillian. He could hear Flints, but she sounded very far away despite being right next to him. Her words rang hollow through his mind, but still managed to catch and resister faint flickers of emotion on his face. "I miss him too," he said, as he stared at the pup in the snow. He had remembered the day he had gotten the wolf. He had remembered the nights Flints had spent hiding away from Endilix, and how close him and Antillian had gotten, despite him not being Emerath's familiar. It was odd knowing that the developers had managed to code such realistic pet reactions into the game, but also nice in a way. Emerath idly wondered how Mist was doing in the shop, but he supposed if she was interested she would have followed.

Flints' questions, Emerath wasn't sure how to answer. Finally, he looked at her and said, "I... I don't know. I don't know the answer to either of those questions." He shook a bit as he stared at the woman, almost as if the realization that he had been sitting there for what could have been months, years, was about to make him collapse. Instinctually he grabbed onto Flint's shoulder to steady himself as the world began to spin, and then before he knew it, Emerath's legs gave out, and he was falling into the snow.

[Flints 0]

Flints watched as Emerath stood still. The world suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks, the weight of reality brought him to his knees quickly which caused Flints to panic and pluck him up and off the ground before his body completely hit it. she was surprised by how light Emerath was and carried him away from the front of his shop and to the only place her feet wanted to go; Starglade. 

The day had just begun and she had already overwhelmed a good friend of hers. Flints felt terrible but at the same time taking him back inside to his dark home made her think she was going to trigger some sort of anxiety, trapping him in the place he had just escaped. She sat neatly in the throne like rock structures, hidden away from the world, clutching the man tightly to her untill she found a surface smooth enough to lay him on. "There we go Eru, things will be okay.." Flints whispered. Almost certain she was reassuring herself more than his unconscious body. 

[Emerath 0]

Emerath could feel himself be carried through the cold climate, the chill sticking to his skin. But he wasn't as cold as he could have been, as he looked at Flints and realized that she was the one carrying him. She was warm, but that warmth was over as she laid him on the smooth stone. He could feel the cold radiating off of the stones and he shivered as he looked up at the sky. But he didn't have the strength to move. He also wasn't sure what to say. He didn't recognize the area, but he felt like it was a safe place if Flints took him here. He blinked and sighed. "What a mess," he said, his breath puffing out into the air above him. "All of this, everything. This whole game. It's a mess." Slowly his eyes made their way to her. "I remember when we fought the Avalanche. It was the first time I'd ever seen you fight. And the first time I'd ever gotten to show you how skilled I had become in Martial Arts. That was... the last time I saw you... until... I thought you'd come home and you didn't..." Emerath looked away, and gave another shiver as he swallowed the emotions welling up inside him. "I don't know why you would want to reminisce with me. I only saw you fight once."

[Flints 0]

Flints sat closely to Emerath and gently brushed his hair back, smoothing it down and looking into his eyes, more worried than anything. She felt him shiver and quickly pulled him close. She sighed and called Antillian over who huddled around the two and whined to Emerath. "You know, I thought about that too. And you're probably right. I'm sorry that I dragged you along. I'm sorry that I've hurt you so badly. I always seem to be looking out for just me. I never take the time to wonder if everyone else around me is okay. I make it seem as if I'm the most important thing. I'm really not. I never had been. And I'm angry at your brother for not taking better care of you..." She growled a little, knowing that they didn't really rely on eachother as much as she liked to believe. But still none the less she was worried. "I'd give him a piece of my mind eventually. Whether he wants me to or not.." She squeezed him and smiled. "This is starglade, by the way. Your brother brought me here on our date...I seem to use it as a place to clear my head. When I ran away I lived here...hah..I almost killed myself here..." She looked off into the forest and when Emerath stopped shivering she released him. To be honest I've never actually fought anything. Ive never really been in danger. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. I don't really think I'm capable of protecting myself." She sighed. "I can't even keep my friends safe..from me.." 

[Emerath 0]

Emerath watched Flints carefully as she spoke. The feeling of her holding him close for warmth or brushing aside his hair. These touches were never anything she had done before, but then again, Emerath had never been this gone before. Emerath had always been himself, but he had never been in despair. But yet he was now, and he thought back to why this had even happened. Emerath had lost everything he held dear in one fateful misstep of actions and words. He had chosen poorly, to say the least, and it had caused him to just... give up.

He wanted to hope again, looking at Flints, listening to her words. He wanted to say that everything would be okay. But when he had thought everything would be okay, it had turned out it wasn't. No, Emerath was already too far gone to hope again. Been through too much. Finally, he managed to say, "Endilix tried to help. But, he's dealing with his own problems. I couldn't expect him to carry me like he usually did. He can barely even carry himself. Much like me. Us brothers... we broke. We lost the thing that had tied us and everything together in this game. The thing that tied our world together. Our family." Emerath felt the emotions welling up inside him again, and he closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh.

His eyes didn't open, but yet he continued speaking, "We lost you. In a way more painful than death. We lost you through what felt like betrayal." He let out another sigh, this time a shiver running through his body, though not from the cold. "I didn't get to see you grow. To become the warrior I always knew you would be. To guide you and teach you as best I can. I suppose that's the hardest thing about knowing you're almost a Grandmaster. I didn't get to see your journey."

[Flints 0]

Flints watched on as Emerath shivered from her touch. Once the shakes and stopped she eased up on mothering him. She gave him a little space but made sure she kept some sort of contact with him. She felt her throat swell as he spoke, it burned and tightened and she couldn't help but feel more and more helpless at the stuff he revealed to her. A part of her wished he was lying, that actually the brothers were fine; and her leaving didn't have any sort of detrimental effect on them and their lives. A smal part of her wanted Endilix to be hauled up in his bar, curled up around some small, bouncy, beautiful woman with bright eyes full of hope. She wished Emerath went back to the first day they met, scoffing at her like she was some random woman trying to invade their space.

Flints flinched at the physical pain she was caused when he talked about their "family" but she gave a sweet smile non the less. "I've grown because of the experiences I've had. Most of them were with you two. I'm so greatful for that. I love you both very much." She gave Emerath a gentle squeeze. "You and I were starting to get close..closer than I thought we would..and I just sort of ended up going insane in my own sense...I was confused about everything and digging my very own grave. I guess it wouldn't have hurt for me to open up to you two." Flints watched the snow fall, lost in her thoughts. "I sought out solace in another. And they brought me back from my rough patch. At the cost of my closets friends, my happiness cost me those who were dear to me.. I'm sorry Emerath."

[Emerath 0]

Emerath kept his eyes closed as he thought about what she was saying. It was an acknowledgement that mistakes had been made. And Emerath couldn't deny that he had made his own along the way. But acknowledgement of a problem very rarely fixed it without action to follow. Emerath finally looked up at Flints, not moving from his position. His hand searched for hers, until he found it and gave it a light squeeze. "I did fall in love with you, over time. But I respected my brother. I respected you. More than I ever thought I would." Emerath gazed deep into her eyes, his admission was difficult, but he didn't want to look away.

"You taught me many things as well," he continued, "such as how to care about someone, and take care of them. That I don't have to be a good person to still be a hero to someone. That I can be me, distant, outspoken, brutally honest me, without fear that I'd be hated by the people in my life that matter. You taught me that love isn't sweet words or gifts, or fancy names and power. It's acceptance, and compassion, where others might never give it. I never asked you to follow me. To stay by my side. But you did. Your decision to never walk away, that's what love really is. You being here now. Thinking of me when you're about to take one of the biggest steps in this game to Grandmaster a weapon, that's what love really is. So when you say you love me, I believe you. And I thank you."

[Flints 0]

Flints stroked Emerath's hair gently, as if this was the last time they could be close to eachother. As if he was going to vanish like a plume of smoke into the air. She felt her breath catch has be admitted he had fallen for her. She felt even worse. How could multiple people, multiple amazing people, fall for someone like her. Someone who wasn't worth their time of day. Yet she always found her way into everyone's life. Flints longed to run from the situation. To curl up and hide against her tank. Better yet she wanted to take everyone else into the shelter. Her safe space. Though, she doubted that any of the parties involved would be a fan of that idea. Flints leaned back against the little cove of rocks and sighed deeply before speaking again. "The girl who tried her best not to emotion ended up giving everyone all her emotions.." She gave a little chuckle at the end. "you all have taught me things.  Not just you and Endilix. Everyone I've met. To trust, to have faith and determination. Will power and to believe in myself, even when no ones watching. If you would have asked me what all those things meant before I came into this world, I would have told you they all meant the same thing. But I've learned otherwise now...most importantly I was taught to love others. That love for others kept me more grounded than I ever thought it would. For a while I figured I was going to just...go insane with power. Or bloodlust. This game we now call life is a killer on the soul..." She whispered. More apaulled by her thought processing than ever before. 

[Emerath 0]

Emerath swallowed hard at Flints' words. He had seen the dangerous fire that had raged in her soul, and he had been afraid of that. Afraid of what it could become. Emerath had tried to put out that fire, at first in the worst way possible. But then he just tried to temper it. Use that fire to create a honed edge fighting for all the right things. Emerath's eyes met Flints' and he searched there for a bit, looking for any doubt. Any misgivings. But all he saw was regret, and fear. Slowly, Emerath's hand found Flints' chest. Placed directly on her scar. She was so warm. So comfortable. Slowly, as more of a sigh than an actual sentence, Emerath said, "Kita, please don't ever leave again." His other hand found the back of her neck, holding loosely but firmly enough that he could get the point across as he stared deep into her eyes. "Please. Don't leave again."