(F4-PP) To make a friend, and save another

[Eatos 0]

This time, when Atzo threatened her life, she reacted very differently. Before, she'd allowed panic to utterly consume her and nearly hit the ground. This time, she simply glared at him. She knew his intention, yet it wasn't why he kept her around. She had no intention to betray Atzo, it would serve no purpose, not after what she'd committed herself to, that being to help Atzo. Even if it was a fools errand, it was something she felt needed to be done, so damn the rest of the world. 

Upon being given Misguidance, and her warning, she did pause. Part of her really questioned if she wanted to see it all again, but if Atzo was facing his demons, it served her only right that she face her own. 

"Atzo, i'm a different person than before. Before i allowed fear to consume me entirely, i was terrified that anything i did would lead me to die. I'm not some young girl who needs protecting..." With that declartion, and raised the blade, and looked onto the sword itself. Her breathing increased within seconds, her eyes shook within their sockets, being slowly consumed by, fear, regret, anger. Emotions bottling up coming onto display. Her mouth quivered, muttering words. "not again. promised. trust...Trus...!" 

She let go of the sword and it landed softly into the snow at their feet. Her breathing was heavy as she pushed back the emotions that had ambushed her within her memories. She looked over at him, unaware he'd seen nothing. "T-there...Y-you told me your demons...And now, you've seen mine...." It was clear that, whatever it was she had seen, left its mark on her. She took several deep breaths to calm herself before finally speaking again "W-when you vanished, be honest....What are the chances of it happening again?" She asked, mostly to drag her mind away from those memories that had indeed surfaced. She'd have taken Atzo serious, and now, she couldnt' stop replying those very memories. 

@Atzo

 

Edited July 13, 2017 by Eatos

[Atzo 0]

Atzo watched as she seemed to break before him. “Actually… no I haven’t. Misguidance only shows the demons of those who look into it to said person. It doesn’t allow others to see them. Hense why you never saw mine. On very, very rare occasions that rule will break but I wouldn’t bet on it.” He approached the quivering Eatos and embraced her. “I don’t know what you saw, but you are alright.” 
Once he finished hugging her he stepped back to answer her question. “I’d say 25% on a good day 50% on a bad day. I would also say there is about a 45% chance that I can’t actually break my chains and revert to being my old self” He paused and remembered what else she had said. “Oh and on the topic of you not needing protecting, you say that, but that isn’t going to keep me from coming to your aid and attempting to protect you. You cant stop me from doing that.”
@Eatos

[Eatos 0]

The girl seemed almost, dissapointed Atzo hadn't seen what she saw. She hadn't wanted to relieve those memories, but she'd done it in the hopes he would see it. But he hadn't, the blade couldn't show you the demons of another. Eatos was taken aback by the hug, but she embraced it without a single word of protest. It was nice to be hugged, the physical contact reassured her if nothing else. She was, oddly, slightly frustrated the hug ended as soon as it did, but said nothing as Atzo explained the chances of him, relapsing. 

She didn't like the odds, there had to be some way to ensure he didn't go back to that. Was there a method to keep his sanity, maybe a person? She knew him and Ren were close, perhaps that could work? She wasn't sure, but knew that she had to try figure something out. There had to be an effective solution to the problem, there always was! She just had to dedicate enough to find it. 

"P-protect me...?" She echoed Atzos statement, that he would protect her. She wasn't sure why he felt the need to.  "I...I should be ok, i don't go anywhere without protection, but...I do appreciate the thought" She picked up Misguidance but hesitated for several moments before offering him the blade back "I'm just worried you'll go back, is there a way to stop it? the guild will crumble if you vanish like that again..."

[Atzo 0]

“I don’t think you get what I am saying Eatos”. He looked her dead in the eye, there was more anger behind it than anything at this point “I am not going to let another guild member end up like Izzrikl. Dead by my command. So I am going to protect you whether you want me to or not.”
He broke the gaze and took a deep breath, letting his anger subside, taking Misguidance back. “I have a good plan set in place incase something happens to me again. I have you and Stryder in positions of power so that if I do fall there are people I trust who can operate the guild as if I were still there. Ever wonder why Archbishop doesn’t follow the same structure as the dukes? It’s because you are there to keep Stryder in check just as he his to keep you in check.” 
Atzo found a fallen tree to sit on, overlooking the lake. “I am curious now, what was it you were trying to show me Eatos? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
@Eatos

[Eatos 0]

End up dead like Izzriki? Was that a friend, a former guild mate? All she knew for certain was they were surely dead. She let out a soft smile, if that's how it was, at least she didn't have to worry about dying. She'd heard from Stryder that Atzo was always watching, maybe, if she was caught in trouble, he'd come and save her. Although, she hoped she never found herself in that type of situation. 

When he started talking more about the guild, she hadn't questioned why she had a special role. Stryder she knew, he and Atzo were basically brothers, short of blood, so having him as a replacement was nothing she hadn't expected once she'd calmed herself down. She had assumed that, being the only remaining council member of the advisors, she was gien a fancy title until other were recruited. Of course, all of it was incase... "You'rre not dying on my watch..." she said softly "I won't let you put yourself in a position to die...." 

When he asked about what she saw, the girl hesitated. Before, it would have been so easy for him to see it and not have to explain what happened with words. It had been, horrible, she hated how easy it was to lie and to keep the truth buried within her. 

"You told me your demons, what plagues you every waking moment of your life. You were right, all that time ago that even I have demons" Despite the defeated tone that consumed her voice, the girl was smiling? "Back when i was younger...ish, i made an error in judgement and i paid a price for it..."

[Atzo 0]

Atzo shook his head “If I get myself into a position like that, either I will get myself out or I won't. I have never had anyone look out for me, I don’t think I would want to start.” He paused for a moment as he thought “What will happen when I get myself into a scenario like that? I know I don’t have a choice, though I also know that if I needed to rely on others I would never be able to live it down. It would just grow on my conscience.” He shifted in his seat. Eatos then answered his question, kind of. “Trust me I have a decision that I made that haunts me every minute of every day. But please, if you feel like you can, please explain. I have no problem listening, I may even have some advice for you on the matter.” He took a deep breath, as he pushed the thoughts of what he did to Solomon away. 

@Eatos

[Eatos 0]

Despite everything, she found herself hesitating to tell Atzo. Why, it was stupid. He had told her what plagued him, had opened himself up entirely to her all because she'd asked him to trust her. So did she trust him? Yes, but, was it enough to reveal the truth. She sighed, she had to, even if that trust got her in trouble in the first place.

"When i was 16, i started getting really friendly with someone, in highschool...He was one of those cool kids that everyone looked up at, and we, well, we got along sorta well. He invited me along to tons of events with his friends and, i felt....I felt so important" The blacksmith sat down next to Atzo, a distant look on her face as she was recalling the event, and at the good memories, a smile tugging away at the corner of her face that not even she was aware existed. "Of course, a few months after, he said he had something he had to tell me. I thought he was going to ask me out or something. I went over to his place, we sat down on the couch and he just....He looked me straight in the eyes and said"

Her smiled had vanished, and her breathing was more staggered. She hated reliving these memories, loathed it, and herself. "...said he'd killed someone, that there'd been a fight and needed someone to know. He said it was just a mistake and needed an alibi, someone to say he hadn't been there. I panicked at first, but when i calmed down...I said yes. I thought it would be just a one off time, a mistake. But he told me the same thing a month later, and a few weeks after that" 

Eatos wasn't sure when the tears escaped her eyes, wasn't even aware they existed until she felt them drop onto her hands, but made no attempt to wipe them away "It went on for nearly two years, and the worst part. It was so easy to lie, to tell the police that he was with me and was innocent whenever they asked. He told me every time he killed, and it was only after they locked him up, during court, when i realized that i'd been covering up for a serial killer. He killed for fun, a-and i'd...." The words died in her throat, choking her as she found herself unable to go on, unable to confront her own memories once again and she closed her eyes tightly. She hated herself so much for it all, even more that someone knew her weakness, the one part of her life she had lost control over. But if he was going to trust her, then Atzo at least deserved the truth. The truth that for two years, she had assisted a Serial Killer in getting away with murder. 

[Atzo 0]

Atzo sat in silence as she spoke, sitting beside him. He listened intensely to everything she had said. “There seems to be a lot of parallels between this man and myself” he thought “Interesting how we always find ourselves around the same people whether it is our goal or not.” Atzo put his arm around her in attempt to comfort her, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder. “I wish I could say I knew where you sit.” He sighed, it was more of an ashamed sigh than anything else. “Though I know his side of the story all too well.” 
Atzo paused knowing this would not be comforting and changed the way he went about the topic. “In my eyes, you are innocent. Don’t hold these things against yourself, you were young. You were ignorant and knowledgeable. You were the kind of person that people like me would prey on. But, you have clearly learned from your blunder. You show remorse and regret which shows you want to move on from what happened. Don’t be ashamed that you can lie, the world is run by lies. Learn how to use it to your advantage, learn how to tell the signs of others lying to you.” 
Atzo took a breath, as he decided what he should tell her. “I have orchestrated murder after murder. I was a member of the mafia in my free time back in the real world. You were a victim of someone who wanted to use you to hide. It is a common tactic we use. We back you into a corner and give you the illusion of choice while making a subtle threat by telling you what we have done. The difference between him and me, if you are wondering, is that I am not asking you to hide me. I have no doubt that when all is said and done that I will have been ratted out. So until then, if you will allow me, I will teach you how to identify it. I will teach you what to look for, what to say, and how to get the high ground. If you let me I will mold you, but you have to let me.”
@Eatos

Edited July 17, 2017 by Atzo

[Eatos 0]

 When Atzo moved his arm around her, part of her yelled to get away from him. But she didn't, and in fact, leaned into him and his grip, resting her head on his shoulder. In his grip, she listened. 

Even if he was right, even if she truly was just a victim in all of this, she couldn't accept it. She'd seen the looks of the others in the court room, the families of those he killed. All of them were her victims, all because she lied. Something she'd thought was so small, had ruined the lives of so many, and all because she could lie so fluently, even the detector they used on her didn't register a lie. She felt no shame when she lied, only shame about the truth. She cuddled in closer to Atzo as he continued to speak, but this time, about his real life with the Mafia. Part of her really wasn't too shocked, given what he'd told her, she had been hoping he'd lived a normalish life, if only...

She didn't move, nor say anything, for a while after he finished. Just sitting there in the cold winds silently. Part of her wanted to shove him down and kill him. He was Just like him, in so many ways....yet she couldn't, because the person who sat next to her with his arm wrapped around her, wasn't the same person who had destroyed her self-confidence. Not only was he not that person, he was offering to protect her from people just like him. There was so much wrong with this, she should run....run away as fast as she could, but, much like before, the girl stayed.

"I can't...." she said after minutes of silence "I can't let you mold me, n-not like that. I know you're not him, i know you're trying to look after me, i really do. You were raised to be like this, you were shaped and molded to become who you are today. But you still try and look after people like me..." She wasn't sure where she wanted to go, what she even wanted to say anymore. There was so much to say, but she lacked the right words. "I may have be a victim, but i also allowed him to control me. Each time he said he was an error, a mistake, and i believed him like an idiot. I let him use me and he made me a perfect weapon against the police, someone who could lie without even hesitating. I won't let myself be molded again, not like that..." she had her eyes closed now "B-but, if you promise to just, look after the guild, and everyone in it....I'm sure, you'll be able to help idiots like me..."

@Atzo 

[Atzo 0]

Atzo tightened his grip slightly as she cuddled closer to him. “You aren’t an idiot.” He said with a kind and caring but firm tone, though it was quick to revert to a more. Something popped into his head, something he hadn’t been thinking about. “That is probably a good choice. I have been molded my whole life by my father, they turned me into a machine. While I know what I am doing, I fear I would take a similar path trying to mold another and that worries me. I give you my word, something I don’t give easily, that I will not attempt to mold you. I give you my word that I will protect you and this guild with my life.” He took a deep breath, falling silent. 
Atzo then began delving into what it was that had been growing. “What is this?” he thought to himself, “This want… this need to protect her… This ever growing want to stay with her?” He kept quiet for a while before things started to dawn on him. “Hey, Eatos…. Perhaps this is a little much and at the wrong time, but I have a question for you. Are you willing to go on a date with me? I won't hold anything against you if you say no. I am going to be honest with you, there is some strange amount of an emotion that I do not know that has been steadily growing from the start of our adventure today. Some sort of… immense admiration for you that I cannot seem to place.” 
Atzo took another deep breath, loosening his grip on her. He was prepared for her to run, punch or smack him.

@Eatos
 

[Eatos 0]

Part of her was angry that she felt sympathy for Atzo, he had claimed lives much like her previous fried had. But, unlike him, Atzo wasn't lying about it. He wasn't going to use her like a puppet, and that was how she could trust him. He could have never told her any of it, yet he had, they'd shared their pasts, their demons. Wasn't that, if nothing else, something with which to build a foundation of trust? She didn't want him to die, didn't want anyone to die, despite how death was a natural part of life. 

She looked at him in surprise when he asked her out on a date! She was nothing short of stunned, after everything. Her telling him what stained her soul, him doing the same, he was...drawn to her?! Surely that was impossible, right? Yet, as she looked at his eyes, she didn't see the deceit she had been expecting. There wasn't any that she could see, was Atzo testing her, or was her being honest? She opened her mouth to reply, but just as she did, she heard it. A soft quiet bark, right behind her. Slowly, she turned around, and her face lit up like a christmass tree. Standing before her was the cutest, smallest little puppy she'd seen. She reached out a hand to the small creature, who barked up at her before licking her hand and allowing the girl to pick her up. She looked at Atzo, all signs of her demons vanished as she cuddled the small ball of black and white fur.

"I'll hold you to that date Atzo. But if you try and pull the wool over my eyes, i'll set my angel on you" She said teasingly as she cuddled up with her familiar, her pet, her friend. Angel. 

@Atzo

Spoiler

Roll: 86824

Loot Dice: 20 (+3LD) (+1LD) = 24

Result: Familiar Found and Tamed. Familiar enhanced.  Enchancement: Familiar Mastery: Assistant. <+1CD on crafts>

Edited July 18, 2017 by Eatos

[Atzo 0]

Atzo saw the confusion in her eyes. She was right to be confused, he was confused beyond belief himself. He sat thinking. Then there was a small bark from somewhere closeby and before Atzo knew it there was a husky puppy in Eatos’ arms. His eyes widened. “Oh my God there's a dog” He thought to himself as he reached out to pet it. “It's such a good puppy” Atzo said as he pet the dog Eatos was holding.
Then Eatos answered his question. It wasn’t the answer he expected; his face lit up, a genuine full smile appearing on his face. “Wait… Really?” his eyes showed a mix of joy and confusion “I was expecting a punch or smack or for you to run like most people do.” He didn’t know much more to say. “Don’t worry, I am not going to do such things. I value you too much for that. And I wouldn’t want to get attacked by this little vicious creature” he returned to petting the puppy. While he was still keeping an eye on everything around him he was very absorbed in Eatos and the puppy. Though, dogs had a tendency to do that to him.
@Eatos

[Eatos 0]

Eatos hadn't expected Atzo to be as infituated with her pet as she had, but she looked up from Angel to see he seemed to...so happy. She glanced away, if only to stop him from seeing the reddening of her cheeks. She focused on Angel, her familiar. She had a pet just like her back home, maybe, with enough, she could properly make herself a new home here, in Sword Art Online. She smiled softly at Atzo as he said he expected her to run or hit him, and as if to prove a point, she lightly jabbed him in the side.

"Oh i can still hit you" She said under her breath as she petted her Angel, who barked and wagged her tail rapidly. She closed her eyes and, for just a moment, it was real. She was back home, with gluttony, in her bed. Her dog licking her face as her roommates laughed, having placed the dog on it to get her up in the morning. She'd cuddle the giant bundle of fluff until she finally got up, got ready for the day. But then she opened her eyes. Angel was tiny compared, and it was Atzo, not her roommates beside her. Yet, it was still real. 

"She'll be harmless...mostly" the blacksmith said as she sighed contently "She'll help me in my store, keep my company. It'll be nice to be in my store with someone to listen"

@Atzo

Edited July 18, 2017 by Eatos

[Atzo 0]

Atzo saw her turn away slightly but didn’t know why. He saw her cheeks redden. “Wait… what does that mean?” he asked himself mentally. “Is that n-” there was a jab in his side. “Yeah, but I meant an angry hit. Also, why did your cheeks flare like that?” He noticed that he still had a dumb grin on his face and cooled himself down a little bit, his face returning to the casual smirk-like grin he normally wore. Though there was clear purpose behind it now.
He stopped petting the pooch and placed his arm back around Eatos. “So, I was thinking, there is a beautiful waterfall on Floor Six called the Waterfall of the Sage. It is a good place to meditate and to observe the surroundings. Would you be okay with us going there? Or would you rather do something more… traditional?” He really didn’t care at this point. Though he didn’t know what to do, or what to think fully. He wasn’t sure he liked this, it was so odd to not be able to think properly but there was something… nice about it. Something that told him it was okay.
@Eatos

Edited July 18, 2017 by Atzo

[Eatos 0]

Eatos knew what Atzo had meant,but it felt nice to let her 'guard' down and just laugh. Of course, this was absolutely fine until he asked why her cheeks had turned red. She had no idea how to respond, froze like a deer in headlights and just opted to not reply, instead, staring and petting Angel as if nothing else existed in the world. This continued until she felt his arm move back around her.

I know he said he wanted to go on a date, but still. Arent i supposed to like, shrug his arm off? I don't want to, it feels nice, to be held like this...

She looked up at Atzo as he mentions where he'd like to go, and while most people would tell him to be traditional, the waterfall didn't sound bad. She nodded her head at him"The waterfall sounds lovely, and don't worry yourself too much Atzo. Wherever you pick, i'm sure it'll be fine. I don't need some super expansive date, or anything like that. J-just, as long as you're honest with me, that's all i care about"

She felt calm, at peace, and she knew that in a way, that should have made her nervious. All her friends told her that dates made their hearts leap, that being around the one they liked made them restless. But she'd never had that, for her, there had always been a calmness to it. Was that was she had now? Did she, like him?

[Atzo 0]

Atzo thought and nodded. “The waterfall it is then, It's a beautiful floor, lush with plants and wildlife. If nothing else it will be a good place to sit and talk. Not to mention the waterfall has strange calming properties.” He paused, pondering things. Rummaging through the thoughts in his mind. “Oh and at this point, I don’t have the choice to lie to you. It sounds worse than what it is though. As I said before, I value you too much to lie to you about such things. I value your company, your smile and your understanding nature. So I will be honest with you, I can’t afford not to.” Atzo knew there was a better way to put that, though he could not think of how. “When was the last time I felt the ability to be this open with someone?” He mumbled to himself, unaware that he was speaking aloud “I can't seem to find a time or place. Perhaps there isn’t one, perhaps this will be the only time. Still, regardless as to what happens I will not let this get in the way of my friendship with her. She is the only person I have met I can really, honestly say I trust”

@Eatos

[Eatos 0]

Eatos simply sat and listened to Atzo speak his mind, it was a nice feeling, nice to know that he felt so comfortable around her that he was speaking to her openly. Given all she knew of him, it wouldn't have surprised her if he simply locked himself within his self-built castle. But instead of that, instead of doing all that which is expected of them, Atzo, was different. He didn't lock himself up, he had let her in. It was a start, if nothing else. Maybe one day, he would shed his shell. But that wouldn't happen any time soon, but for another time. Would she have lowered her guard like that? She knew that she would have a simply answer: No. 

If she hadn't been trying to help Atzo fight his demons, she could have never faced her own. Because for her, it was easier to pretend that her life was simple and that those two years never existed. But Atzo forced her to face those demons, that boy that destroyed her. And now, with his arm around her, was yet another boy. Many would never trust another again, but she, she had faith. Not all of them were like this, and maybe, just maybe, Atzo was the piece of the puzzle that she needed? 

@Atzo

[Atzo 0]

Atzo looked around, observing the scenery. Sure he already had done this but now he was trying to figure out why he saw everything in a different light. Instead of the hash world he normally saw, now it was all less threatening. There were things that he began to see the beauty in that he would have passed over before. “What is this?” he thought to himself “Is there really so much of the world I have yet to explore? After everything I have been through, after all that I have seen, known, and experienced; why is it that I have never seen things a beautiful? Why is this so… easy?” He looked to Eatos who seemed to be deep in thought. “Why does she trust me? After all that I have told her, after all that she has been through. I don’t know where to begin, what to think.” He looked around, slowly stood up and stretched and held a hand out to help her off the fallen tree. “We ought to be heading back soon… Thank you for everything Eatos. I really do appreciate how you have helped me. Also, thank you for being open with me. I know how hard it is.”

@Eatos

[Eatos 0]

The girl looked up from her mind, from the Angel that sat in her lap wagging its tail happily. She appeared dazed, as if she wasn't in her own mind, before blinking and returning to her amber eyes. She took the offered hand from Atzo and got onto her feet.  "Its ok Atzo, that's what today was meant to be about. The guild are worried about you, even after you came back, Stryders' been on his wits end and i know Vargas was stressed out" She shook her head slightly, not mentioning herself. Why would she, they knew him longer. Hell, him and Stryder were close. 

"As for being open, it was only fair. You opened up to me Atzo, you showed me your weakness. If i wanted to betray you, you just showed me where to take aim. You trusted me enough to show me where to aim, i figured, if you were being open and honest with me, that it was only fair to return the favour" 

She placed Angel down into the snow, the puppy jumping around in it causing the girl to laugh and pet the small creature. 

@Atzo

Edited July 18, 2017 by Eatos

[Atzo 0]

Atzo shrugged “I honestly would be surprised if Vargas was worried. I don’t know him that well. Obviously Stry would be worried, but that is because he thinks he owes me something and looks up to me.” He walked towards the main city, hands now loosely at his sides. “And I guess that is true. It is only right to have and exchange of such.” He got lost in thought as they walked though was still listening to her. It didn’t take long for them to reach her blacksmith shop. “Well, I guess I will see you at the waterfall. Don’t get lost, and be careful.” once she was inside he began his walk back to his mansion. “So much has happened. What new chapters of my life has been flipped open? Will this even be a new chapter, or instead a fall back into the first? I hope it is the former and fear the latter. But regardless, now is not the time to fear”

@Eatos