[PP - F19] Wanderer, tell me a story <<Mina and Raidou>>

[tricolor_mina 0]

Riker's Edge, Floor 19.

'Luna's'/'Ronan's' Pov.

There was a howling wind blowing through the entirety of the building, making a deep chill flow through the room. The main room of the Tavern was cold and empty, fallen chairs scattered across the room. A deep gouge was in the wooden floor, the planks seeming to have lost their luster, their life, their shine. The fireplace was inactive, its coals and charcoal scattered around it. The door to the deck room was broken in half, and hanging partially off of its hinges. tables were overturned, cold food laying on the tables, half eaten, and utensils scattered across the room. Empty mugs and bottles were scattered around just as much. The door to the dorms was lying on the ground, cracked a bit from what seemed to be excessive force having been used on it.

The deck room was cold and bleak, the fireplace in the room completely empty, leaving little the room almost pitch black. A half eaten meal sat upon the table in front of it, empty bottles and mugs lying on the table. The decorations in the room were horribly broken apart, as though someone had gone on a rampage inside the room. the door that was in the far corner of the room was ajar, giving a view into the small, humble room that laid within. A woman sat upon the bed, humming to herself. She was polishing what seemed to be a rather ornate set of claws that laid upon the back of her hand, the metal a gleaming tungsten, the pale greyish-green material showing in stark contrast to what the woman was wearing.

She resembled a Gypsy, almost, with how she was dressed A purple and gold jacket, with flowing white sleeves that came down to her elbows. A sheer black tube top with gold and purple detailing, and a matching purple skirt with a slit on the right side, what looked like layers upon layers of soft black silk laid underneath. Her dark purple hair was done in an intricate updo, making it seem as though it was much shorter than it actually was. An ornate metal hairpiece curled around her face and stuck out slightly above her head held everything in place. Her eyes were a deep shade of Blue that faded to a pale pinkish-purple towards the edges, almost resembling the night sky. On the table, a set of what seemed to be Tarot cards laid there, next to a purple and gold necklace that featured several golden moons bore across its thin chain.

A sigh escaped the woman's throat, her eyes focusing on the deck on the bedside table. it was so lonely, so horribly lonely without the others here to warm their home. She missed them desperately, but she also understood why they were gone. Rosa wanted them to make their choices on their own, to see if they would participate in such a narrative on their own, rather than being forced to by order. "Rosa, oh how you've changed..." Ronan mused, her humming dying down. "II truly miss the days where I could say that we wouldn't need to do such things, to lead this far... If little Akane had spoken of this back then, well... I would have hoped that you would have entrusted this to him, not I... Despite the interest that the wanderer sparks for me. Such is my fate, however." Her hand reached towards the table, a smile on her face as she drew a trio of cards, lying them face up. "Come out to play, Red Wanderer... Let me read your fate, and allow me to read your story. And allow me to tell one of my own."

On the table, laid the fool, the Moon, and the star.

@Raidou

Stats

Spoiler

Stats + Equipment

Stats

• Level 31 (Paragon Lvl 5)
• 680 HP
• 102 EN
• 21 DMG
• 78 MIT
• Acc 4
• 32 Blight
• 40 Frostbite
• 56 Burn
• 68 Vamp. Def.

Equipment

 Armor - Queen's Gambit (T4 Demonic Light Armor(2 slots MIT, 2 slots Vampiric Def.))

 Accessory -  Mask of rose (Perfect T2 Jewelry (3 slots Acc))

 Weapon - Jack's Burned Lament (T4 Demonic weapon(Blight/Burn/Frostbite/Cursed)

---

 

<<Normal Inventory>>

Guilty Thorn (Perfect T1 Rapier (2 Bleed, 1 Keen))
Jack's Burning Lament (Perfect cursed weapon (1 Burn,1 Blight))
Righteous Executioner (Perfect T1 Rapier(1 Bleed, 1 Para, 1 DMG))

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by tricolor_mina

[Raidou 1]

The sound whistles through the interior, a tiny tremor making the woodwork shake. The clattering of heels grace the floorboards, which creek under weight. Remnants of a quick exit, as if a haunting had scared the patrons from tables and chairs at rapid paces. The soft flutter of crimson as it moved cautiously and carefully through these absent halls. Life had changed for those that took solace within, moving up a winding set of stairs that he'd been once prior. To the scene of a crime, where the perpetrator had since been eradicated. Curious if whatever companions she held had returned to discover the means, Raidou was on edge in Riker's edge.

Finding words instead of an intention to hide, and a name-dropped so openly before his own moniker. Another? Questions rose, and further still was motive. Lingering trails of a fleeting outrage, taken to sheer like strands of red that dance in his wake. "One of the suit I presume, why else would a name be given. If ill intention is the main course, then you will not fair well." The warning came off quiet, one almost peaceful in its delivery. The description matched a loose one as it came into purview. One of a queen.

"But I digress, why return here? And why seek my fortunes? You will not enjoy what you see."

Spoiler

Raidou, The Red Wanderer
Level: 31
Paragon Level: 82
HP: 940/940
EN: 112/112

Stats:
Damage: 11
Mitigation: 117
Evasion: 4
Accuracy: 2
Battle Healing: 51
Loot Dice: 6
BLGT: 32
REC: 8
TAUNT
V.D.: 103
V.O.: 155

Equipped Gear:
Weapon: Ebon Star - Vanguard Revenant [T4/Demonic/Straight Sword]: V.O 2, Taunt, Blight 1
Armor: Red Wander's Resolve - Sympathy [T1/Demonic/Cloth] 2 Evasion, 2 Vampiric Defensive
Misc: Vision of Wisdom - Whisper [T4/Demonic/Trinket] Evasion 1, Recovery 2, Accuracy 1

Custom Skill:


Skills:
Straight Sword R5
Cloth Armor R5
Battle Healing R5
Howl
Searching R5
Fighting Spirit

Active Mods:
Detect
Athletics
Vengeful Riposte
Tracking
Justified Riposte

Inactive Mods:

Addons:
Nimble
Ferocity
Precision
Focused Howl
Stamina

Active Extra Skills:
Parry
Survival
Forgotten King’s Authority
Concentration

Inactive Extra Skills:

Battle Ready Inventory:

Housing Buffs:
Well Rested: -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat
Squeaky Clean: The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down)
Hard Working: +2 EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day
Filling: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot.
Item Stash: +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot
Delicious: Turn 3 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Feast. A Feast contains 6 portions of the food items sacrificed.
Relaxed: Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Col Stash: +5% bonus col from monster kills and treasure chests
Advanced Training: +10% Exp to a thread. Limit one use per month [0/1]
Multipurpose: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
Decor []: This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.

Guild Hall Buffs:
Lucrative: Reduce LD needed for Salvage by 5 (10+ for Alchemist crystals, 6+ for everything else). +2 EXP per craft. Rank 9 crafters receive +1 crafting attempt per day. Rank 10 crafters receive +2 crafting attempts per day.
Col Deposit: +5% bonus col from last-hit monster kills and +10% bonus col from treasure chests.

Scents of the Wild:
Tanos Statue: +25 Mitigation for a thread.

 

[tricolor_mina 0]

Ronan had a wry grin on her face. "You wound me, Raidou." she replied, a single hand over her heart as she responded to his threat by calling him by name. "You're a smart boy, you ought to know very few could even wound you in this world. I was warned against trying anything against you, unless I'd like to meet my old friend in the other world a tad bit too soon. We Enforcers are Pragmatic, not Suicidal. " She reached towards her Tarot deck, humming slightly. "I'd think you'd hate it more, if you were told something you'd rather not hear... I, on the other hand, would take great pleasure in seeing what that fate happens to be. The way that Rosa and Akane became my friends was through our mutual craving of Knowledge... Rosa in her quest for historical knowledge, Akane in his search for medicinal knowledge, and myself searching forever for Emotional and Mental Knowledge. Greedy, greedy, we took and conquered, then later shared."

She drew away from the deck, a card in hand to which she flashed towards Raidou. after a brief glance "The King of Cups, Reversed... you bear a grudge, little one...  and a rather strong one for it to be the king looking down on you so bitterly, so angry.." Ronan gestured towards her deck, her deep purple eyes watching him carefully. "Why don't you try and draw a card..?" she mused, her eyes twinkling slightly. "I want to see how my cards respond to you, perhaps they can offer some insight? And you can ask me a few questions, I'll answer them to the best of my ability. As to why I would return..?

This is my home, My beloved friend's home, a home DESECRATED by the FILTH that thought it was right to take what was never theirs." Her voice had dropped to a hateful sneer, though it dropped almost immediately, covered up by the mask of serenity that she kept.

Edited January 29, 2022 by tricolor_mina

[Raidou 1]

A lift of ginger fingers, reach to the lenses on his brow and remove them. The woman had been honest, the most he could do was reflect that honesty. The guise removed, a boy, not a man. "You wouldn't be the first. But caution is important in the world we live in. The Arbiters should understand my tact." A seat upon that bed, as it gives to the weight. With the same amount of careful, gentle flick of the wrist, Raidou reaches for one of those gilded and long cards. There wasn't even the slightest bit of hesitation, and it looked like a father caressing a child.

Lifting it and looking it over, as he places it down. A Hierophant, reversed just the same as the first. It takes its place near the others, and with intensity Raidou looks to the woman. A sonar like pulse blips out on his map, confirming their isolation. "I don't believe in fate, and it is mine to control. Where have your people fled? Are they safe?"

[tricolor_mina 0]

"Caution is indeed important, but being too cautious sucks all the fun out of life." Ronan replied, a wistful look on her face as she looked at the Hierophant lying on the table now. This was slowly getting much more frustrating. "You've got numbers on your side... don't pretend that you'll get one shot like the low-levels." She held up a hand, cupping it around her chin. Her method of mediation was absolutely worthless if someone didn't care to even hear her out, something that Raidou seemed to be intent on doing, whether it be intentional or not. She glanced at the photograph on the table, the wistful look to her eyes darkening slightly as she stared at the faces there.

A sigh escaped her throat at Raidou's question towards their dearly beloved leader, and the safety of both herself and the others of her guild. "Well... She's not happy right now. As a matter of fact, she's Resigned as our leader." she said dryly, shooting a frown at the wanderer, her voice tinged with frustration. She held up a picture of a very powerful looking man with a feral smile and a razor sharp axe dripping with what seemed to be blood, and another of Ameneti "It was compounded by the fact that your guild decided to trespass here, and scare the everloving fuck out of all of our members with that little show of power. Granted, the first intervention was warranted, but now Rosa has been having both La Luné and La Sol Keep a razor sharp eye on Violet, mainly to keep your darker... associates, away from our little Himé. But I digress... Would you like to hear a st-" There was the sound of soft, steady footsteps emanating from the entryway of the building. "... Wanderer.. Here..?" a voice called out, the footsteps drawing closer. "Oh... You came as well..? I guess the moon decided to say... hi..? What are you dressed like that for..? Rosa would be tearing you a new one for doing that, yanno?"

A tall man stepped through the door to the deck room, wearing simple clothing. The part that was important was the fact that his face closely resembled one of the faces in the photograph. Blonde hair, and striking golden yellow eyes that could pierce right through you. "Stories need... Faces. Rosa... would ask me to do... this. Our.. Captain.. Deserves this." he said slowly, his voice having an odd tenor to it. Like they weren't used to hearing their own voice for some reason. His voice kind of felt flat. "If he... wants to know it... then we will say it... together.."

[Raidou 1]

Adjusting his lenses, "being cautious is how I survive. It is also how others I oversee do." Removing them and beginning to polish them with a clump of that crimson red robe. "My guild dealt with the threat, and it did so in a way that left no loose ends. That thread has been burned off, clean and surgically." Staring at the photo and catching a glimpse of it was all he needed. The woman was clearly troubled, body language portraying it well. "Safer me, than the alternative, to be sure. Understand that although I look your enemy, I am not. That is intentional."

A new into the room, one that wasn't unseen and yet didn't strike as a hostile either. An aura of pressure fades the moment he begins to speak. "Jack. Or whatever moniker you use these days." Replacing the glasses on his brow, and pushing them up. "Tell me a story, Jack, one that leads me to Rosa." The tone was alluding to a semblance of worry, one of concern that meant that the woman was next on the chopping block. The red fog begins to grow under his boots. The question was, when should the blade be drawn.

[tricolor_mina 0]

"What you... assume... is something that you are not privy.. to... Red Wanderer..." 'Jack' replied, his eyes narrowing. "She is upset with.. you, our boss... is upset that.. You somehow managed.. to make.. Even our... princess believes in.. you. Think of... your actions before you... drag her.. with you. She has a heart... that is too.. big.. for how much she gets back... in situations such as.. these." Ronan calmly held up a hand, a frown on her face. "He's not taking advantage of her, she's just trying to puzzle out what the hell he Is." she said dryly, a frown on her face. "You really think your best student is going to sit there and not see that there's something more to it than 'Oh he's a troubled kid, lemme try to help him solve his problems'? That's the equivalent of trying to hand a snake expert a coral snake and say its a fuckin King snake." An image appeared in her mind, of a lethal looking snake coiled around the boy in front of her.

Ronan turned back to Raidou a frown on her face. "And as to where Rosa went? ..... Not even Violet knows the answer to that one. She just straight up vanished after that shitshow." she said tiredly, ruffling her hair. "Anyhow, where to actually start with this story... ah." Ronan gestured at 'Jack', a sad smile on her face. "The man that 'Jack' is disguised as at the current moment is Declan Cian, Rosa's Husband. I figured that you'd appreciate seeing what he looked like up close." "She also figured that you would get a better feel of who he was as a person if you heard him speak." Jack's voice had changed entirely from the husky, clipped sounding speech pattern, to a much smoother, lighter tone. "Declan meant quite alot to all of us, you know.. He was a breath of fresh air, compared to everyone else. He brought all of us together, made us a small, yet chaotic little family."

"But then someone had to go and take him away from us... and led them down a splash of bloody hell that they couldn't escape." Ronan's appearance started to shift as she activated the hide skill. Curly black hair and stark red eyes, and what looked like a police uniform. Bloody splatters were all over her clothes, and all over her hands and caked into her fingers. Her knuckles were bruised, and looked like they might've been broken recently. The part that made it all too familiar was the scar that covered most of the left side of her face. Ronan inwardly marvelled at how well the system could render an image from memory. "The story of the Nightingale and the Sun..."

[Raidou 1]

Lifting his hand as he watched the man's affix to his lips while speaking. His hand starts to move, forming out language without audio. A useful skill, as perhaps this would be easier for the exchange. The Red Wanderer was a learned boy:

Feel free to be afraid of what I can do, feel free to worry for Violet's sake. But do not discount my intentions, I have never once lied to you or your people. I intend to protect her as I would any other honest player.

Scanning the appearance over, the resemblance to another was uncanny. Give or take, a few discrepancies. A memory stored, and yet the wanderer couldn't taste the relevance. From what Rosa outlined prior, he was no longer living, and it was Mina who had avenged his death. An eye for an eye. A dark chamber that reflected the grim recount. There was something still waiting to be seen, and it played upon why the Arbiters were so concerned about The Red Wanderer, a legend alone. A living one.

"I'm listening." a tinge of hesitation or something else building.

[tricolor_mina 0]

Sign language... It had been some time since the pair had seen anyone use such a thing for any particular reason. Not many players resorted to it in-game, making it a rare skill to even be used, unless the player in question used it back in the real world. 'Jack's' thoughts drifted back to how Akane had started to teach him back in the real world, right after the accident that took away his ability to hear. The flowing gestures that made his heart ache as he thought of how peaceful it was back then, how much better it had been. Meanwhile, Ronan's thoughts drifted back to Violet, and how she had been upon their first meeting. The wide-eyed girl with damaged sight that saw nothing but a bright future ahead for her. A hand drifting to her legs, she tilted her head down, the grief that came with the loss of that bright light making her heart ache painfully. Her Visage returned back to her own a few short moments later, the disguise faltering under the conflict of emotions. She glanced up at Raidou, her eyes practically dead. "Wanderer... you can't protect her from herself." she said bitterly, glancing back at the photograph on the table.

Her eyes landing on the soft smile that was on Violet's face as she was cuddled by Rosa and Declan, their smiles wide and almost gleeful. A far cry from the bitter Rage that seemed to have consumed them from the inside out after their dear friend passed away. "She'll destroy herself from the inside out, and there won't be a thing you can do about it. The bright star you see..." Ronan picked up another card from the deck, before flipping it so that Raidou could see it. The Knight of Wands, Reversed. Reckless, impulsive, impatient. "I don't believe I have to explain what this card means, no? Believing in fate or not, these cards can be used to describe someone. But I know you didn't come here to hear me blather on about that."

3 years prior to the start of SAO...

Crisis Negotiation Unit, LAPD Main compound.

"Well, according to the boss-man we got a brand new member." Ronan commented, turning to her coworker with a soft smirk. A coffee cup was clasped in her hand, a small cloud of steam billowing from it. "Apparently she was a student of my brother's, I think he told me her name was Violet..?" Her coworker smiled faintly, her hand fiddling with her cap. "Gehehe~! Padmé, she's probably gonna be some kind of kind of greenhorn that doesn't know what she's doing." the other woman chided, shaking her head. "Del, she wouldn't have been praised by him if she was a-" they opened the door, only to be greeted by a tall man with blonde hair. their boss, Declan Cian. His pale golden eyes were tired, though he had a soft smile on his face. "She's only been here a day, be gentle you two." he quipped, shaking his head. "Vi, C'mere for a sec! I got two knuckleheads you need to meet real quick."

A girl with wild, curly black hair stepped into view, looking oddly small in her uniform. Her bright red eyes were wide, and she practically seemed to cling to Declan, who ruffled her hair. "well? you gonna introduce yourself?" A small eep! of surprise echoed from the girls throat, the poor dear jumping at the sudden jab. "U-um... I-I'm Violet ____." she stuttered, a soft pink blush dusting her cheeks. "Its uh, nice to meet you two..? I-I'm looking forward to working with you..!" Padmé's eyes went wide. "Mére de Dieu, you hired a lil kid?!" Spluttered Del, the older woman blanching. Violet seemed embarrassed, the poor girl's face turning a brilliant shade of crimson. "Noooo! I'm twenty-two you big meanie! I'm just, uh.. VERTICALLY CHALLENGED!!" Declan made a face. "What did I literally Just finish saying about fucking with the newbie." "Nope, she's not a newbie now. We throw newbies on desk duty or with the other part of the force as Meter maids and you know it." "Del, Can you not?!"

"Violet was quite the welcome addition to our team.. Back then, my brother, Pavan, had left a year prior to go and teach at a Police academy in LA, where he Met Violet during her second year of training. She was smart, albeit a lil' ditzy. It was at Pavan and Rosa's suggestion that Declan hire Violet should she apply to work with us. We needed someone to replace my brother, and she had luckily majored in Crisis management and Negotiations, with a Minor in both Criminal Psychology and Profiling. She was good at it too, which made our jobs alot easier. Delilah would tease her relentlessly like any decent 'big sister' woulda, while Pavan and I simply preferred to make sure the two didn't hurt each other. Rosa and Declan would step in if actual fighting broke out, and Violet's brother, Akane, would treat any scuffs and bruises that the crew got from our little spats.

It really wasn't much, but it was a kind of family that we had struck out with. I just wish it could've stayed like that."

[Raidou 1]

A silent intensity built on his face, as he listened to this group of virtual strangers. "What changed? I have heard from Rosa regarding Declan's death. Did that drive a wedge through you all, it would appear that is troubling Violet something quite considerably." He hung near that deck of cards, finding their presence almost abysmal in a recount of facts. Even still, he'd gingerly, an almost cursory shift, pluck another card and flip it over. A six of swords, upright and placed next to that card of wands. It didn't mean much to him, but perhaps more to Ronan.

"What she needs is someone who is honest, and isn't afraid to get their hands dirty. Violet, or Mina needs someone to listen. To let her vent and see that rage released. Instead of trying to treat her like a child, doing this for her. Perhaps what she needs is someone who has handled a lifetime of pain and is filled with hatred. Someone to allow her to be angry." An adjust of a pair of lenses, waiting for the rest of Ronan and Jack's recount to finish. He was still listening, both to them and to the door. They would be alone here, and he wasn't going anywhere.

[tricolor_mina 0]

♫

There was dead silence for a moment... The look of pain on Ronan's face was intensified, and Jack looked at Raidou with an aghast look on his face. "You're a madman." Jack breathed, a bead of sweat dripping down his cheek. "We treated her as best as we could given the circumstances-" "Violence begets Violence, Bloodshed begets Bloodshed." Ronan said firmly, cutting off her brother as she began glaring at Raidou. "She took Declan's personal motto to heart, and does her damnedest to live by it to the best of her ability. She raged, and raged hard. And what was her reward for vengeance..? Peace of mind? a solemn thank-you from her friend..? ... Try vicious nightmares that tore up that last little bit of sunshine that we had."

"It started with a hostage situation at a hospital that, ironically, is what introduced us to her Brother. Akane was hit across the throat so hard that it irreparably damaged his vocal cords, to the point that it rendered him completely mute. If it weren't for the fact that technology was advancing so far ahead that it was easy to find a computerized replacement he would have lost his job because of that particular group. Then Del was next. We were all relaxing at a mall, going on a shopping trip. Next thing we know, some crazy fucker jumps her with a glass bottle. Violet was screaming her head off, trying to get them off of her. One trip to the hospital later, Del has scars all over her face, and is walking around with sunglasses and a cane. She had gone completely blind because one person decided that, hey, lets fuck this particular person's day up. A few days after that, someone decided to go and burn down Rosa's bakery. We thought it was just someone being hateful to someone who was doing good for the community...

And then there was the big incident, the day Declan died." Ronan paused for a moment, before laying a hand on her leg, her teeth gritted. "As it turned out, All three of the previous incidents were the actions of one particular gang that had been causing a crapton of problems for the area at the time. What had been just a simple response call, ended up resulting in a bloodbath. I was shot in the back twice, and my spinal cord was severed in two because of it. In the real world I will never be able to walk again. Declan died shielding violet from a spray of gunfire, but the poor girl was absolutely drenched in blood because of those fuckers." there was a bitter rage to her voice, as she suddenly seemed to curl in on herself. "I watched that girl die that day. She quit smiling, she quit laughing. First fucking time in the better part of 4 years I have seen her smile is in this game, and she didn't have the strength to make it genuine." Ronan's voice dropped an octave as she leaned forward towards the Wanderer.

"Tell me, Raidou, were you able to see past that mask?"

 

Edited February 19, 2022 by tricolor_mina

[Raidou 1]

Slowly removing a robe from his shoulders, allowing it to slide onto the bed behind where he sat. Then, almost as if in a routine, he reaches for the glasses on his face and plucks them free. Slowly folding them up and tossing them to his side. "I have been called worse. It is easy to assume one can understand, likewise it is easy to assume that one cannot. I would ask of you, what do you see?" A rather plain looking male, with his obvious defining features removed, he looked like he could blend so easily with the next face you'd encounter. "Let me answer your question with a reflection." As he'd reach to her cards that she seemed to forget, finding the small deck curious as he took another card with a ginger pair of fingers. Lifting it and showing it to the woman before setting it down just above those wands, knowing little about the placement, and yet it was enough.

A hanged man upright.

"There once was a boy, who found himself trapped. Trapped by others and by himself. His decisions and his failure to connect. Life was imposing itself on him, those around them couldn't understand him, not in the slightest." Eyes seem to lax, as the recount played out. His intensity focused on the floor, finding something within the fibers of the wood boards that made it up. He was clearly elsewhere. "To escape, to get away. That boy sought another world entirely. One where he could be himself, one that he could free himself. Time ticked ever forward, forgetting him as that world became real. Life no longer imposed itself on him, and yet he found it lacking. Empty, and alone. For ages, that boy worked to the bone, struggling to feed himself in this empty world." There was almost a lyrical twist to his words, as the recount saw him almost drained.

"Then when his stomach rumbled, and his feet grew tired, he sought a seat. It was at that moment, for the first time, he was not alone. Sitting at his side was another, one that he could never have imagined even existing." Faces screamed past his eyes, a reverberation of joy mixed in horror. "She offered that boy a family, and with hesitation he accepted. Unsure how to believe it, unsure how to convince himself it was real. But he played along, and after not too long he started to believe." The sounds of scraping ice, of laughter and music ringed in his ears as he told the tale.

"It did not last, as with that family came fear of losing it. The one thing the boy had finally found the reason to live for, had its own value. One that others so desperately craved. The moment that he accepted it and started to believe, the entire world began to breathe. Life had resumed, and as it did, so did its imposing itself upon the boy. So it chose to make up for the time it had lost, taking the price he'd escaped by taking the one thing he had. As one would expect, the world he had built vanished with them. All that was left was that same somber silence, a world that was empty. Having experienced what could have been, and was taken, had left him angry. Alone. He vowed that he would set them free as they had done for him, no matter the cost. At least he could remember what it was like, and he could repay them for the kindness."

A little catch in his voice, almost too low to hear.

"But with that vow, he knew that if he were to give them the world they had built for him. That he could never be a part of it, for life had a way of imposing itself on him. He could not tempt the fate, for he knew what it desired from him. The world he had found, or the one it had made for him. Not what he was offered but a brief glimpse of." That dull stare advances up to meet Jack, then sweeping to Ronan. "Insanity or reality? I would ask of you both, Is it better to have loved and lost? Or have never loved at all?"

 

[tricolor_mina 0]

Ronan listened intently to the story, to the boy that was sitting in front of her and Pavan. The heartbreaking truth of what he was saying was hitting her in full, and suddenly she wasn't seeing just Raidou sitting there any more... she just saw a hurting boy who had lost everything, and was scared to death of losing it, to the point that he'd give anything he had just to make sure that what was left of those good things could persist for even one more day. Everything he had, even if it costed him his life. The same kind of lengths that Violet would willingly go to at this point. It would have been fine had it just been that.

It was the end part that ended up getting Ronan. at first it was just a faint twitch, and a shaky intake of breath as her skin seemed to pale. Then slowly her eyes began to water, her body visibly trembling. Then she practically full body tackled Raidou, her arms wrapping around him in a tight hug, her entire body shaking with silent tears. "I wish that the world could be a better place for people like you and her." Ronan said bitterly, her shoulders shaking slightly as she spoke, her voice breaking as she spoke. "I wish that those of us in charge could have done better, if not for ourselves, for the ones who are still too young to have a say. I wish we all could have done better so that none of you need to suffer."

"I'm so sorry..!"

[Raidou 1]

A somber look upon his face as he's embraced by this woman. The singe of static just from the touch still racking the fibers of his being. "The world is what it always has been. But it doesn't need to be that way for everyone. Understand what my intentions are?" There was this cold kind of deafness to his tone, as deep within the thing that could feel it lay dormant. "I have to be resolute in my ideals, I trust you both more than I do most. However, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I will accept the consequences that come for what I must do." He'd wrap a soft hand around Ronan for a brief instant, out of a kindness to the wound he'd made. Not for his sake, but hers.

"I would ask of you this, if I could help her. If I could help the Arbiters. Would you trust me? Believe that what I am doing is the only way I can find to make this work?" He'd look to Jack, nursing his hand against Ronan's back as she sobbed. "All I want to do, is make a world where there isn't another Declan or Violet. A tall order, I know, but the most I can do is try. There will always be more bastards who will try and ruin your lives. It is impossible to be everywhere at once, yes. But prevent the thought for fear of the consequence. That, the fear of justice. That is what I can build." A somber look down to his glasses, plucking them up and offering them to his face. "I don't enjoy what I do, but I do it because I have to. Not many can stomach reality."

[tricolor_mina 0]

♬

'Jack' moved towards the table, calmly taking up his sister's cards, and carefully placing them within the deck once more. He took the cards in hand, shuffling them gently. There was a soft gleam of light as his disguise seemed to wither away. Declan's visage faded from his body, revealing the one who laid underneath. Soft golds replaced by teal and chocolate brown, with a pair of soft-padded earmuffs covering his ears. He looked to Raidou, his eyes filled with sadness. "its... not a possible... outcome right now." He said softly, his tone much more gentle than before. "We fight for... no more like... you. Maybe soon... when you understand this... ok..?" Jack tapped his heart, before setting the deck down on the table. "I teach... This way in my... classes. To understand... the mind of another... you must understand... their heart. To reason that... you have no heart... would be... disservice to you. Understand... your heart and then... come here again. When you understand this... we can help you."

Ronan pulled back from her hug, tears still in her eyes. "Everyone has a way of understanding the world, Raidou." she said softly, before taking the deck one more time, and pulling out a total of five cards. "But those ways of seeing the world are shaped by our experiences. We fight, we struggle, sometimes winning, sometimes losing. In the end we have to live by our ideals, but those ideals only grow stronger when you have someone who can support you. I'll give you one last reading, and a gift before you leave us." She turned back to the table, gently laying the first of the four cards on the table. Judgement, in the upright position. "A new beginning, an awakening for a new perspective. Reflect on your life, for your journey has only just begun." The second card was revealed. A soft smile on her face as she continued. The King of Cups had returned, this time in the upright position. "The triumphant revival, a sense of control. The balance will be restored, your life will march on." The third card, the lovers in the upright position. "Unison, the merging of two lives into a single, harmonious whole. The twin sides of life joining together, guiding you to a kinship, a partnership, that will bring you relief. For where there is darkness, there is also light, and it will guide you to your ending."

The fourth card was revealed, the Hierophant, in the reversed position. "The Rebellion, the rebuking of your fate. The subversion of the old ways, and the birth of a new path laid forth for you to take freely. Revel in your strength, and set trends for all to see no matter where they are, and who they may be." The last card was flipped over, The World in the Upright position. "The fulfillment of your desires, a hope for a new beginning, a fresh start. Harmony between your mind and your heart will guide you to a brighter end, and leave you feeling whole once more." A pale red flame suddenly overtook the card, and Ronan picked it up despite the flames Licking at her fingers.

The flames died out, finally revealing what was left. The fool in the upright position. "The old self, reborn and refined into its truest form. My last offering of advice to you, Raidou. Let the lovers take your hand, and the world guide your path. In doing so, you'll find yourself freed from a cage of your own design." Ronan offered the card to Raidou, a soft smile on her face. The card was different from the typical fool… the typical Jester on it was now replaced with a red silhouette, a shield by their feet. The Jester hat and staff remained, however. "Take this with you, and return when you are ready. Bring Freyd with you as well, I want to thank him for saving our little princess."

Edited February 22, 2022 by tricolor_mina

[Raidou 1]

Keeping that same silent composure, that simple quiet reflection as Jack began to pick up those cards. As Ronan would see to release him, he sat idle on that bed frame, peering through his glasses as a still turbulent mind struggled itself back into place. A sea of memories slowly being dragged back behind a pair of amber eyes. Listening with intensity to Ronan's reading, and taking into his hands a single card. "As much as I wish I could share the sentiment, or believe what you see. I do not believe in fate." There was something scattering down the length of that fool, these small wisps of static that if one blinked they would miss it entirely. It is offered to his robe, slid into the space of a little black book as a marker.

He'd stand, and the weight left the bed. It raises with the lacking pressure. To but a single window, that moonlight pours through its opening and onto the floor. It finds his lenses and casts a glare on them. "I don't have the luxury. Hearts are a fickle thing, ones filled with precognition and feeling. Wild, untamed and risky. I do not need to feel my own to peer into the depths of others." Reaching out and placing his hand to the glass. "I do not need to understand my own pain to know that it exists in others. I can see it on every face, hear it on every voice. Whatever you are planning, Queen and Jack. Whatever your house of cards is up to. I hope that by the time you can act, that it isn't too late. Allow me to move as I would, and fret not. Although I would appear the villain." He'd turn and reciprocate the woman's smile, "I just want what's best for the lives trapped in here. No more and no less. The question is, who I will need to kill? Whose faces will haunt me forever, to make that happen? Save Violet from her pain your way, and if it fails. I will be there to break her fall. For I have fallen before."

[tricolor_mina 0]

Ronan tilted her head, a smirk on her face. "Believe in it or not, fate does guide us in its own strange way." she said dryly, watching as Raidou pocketed the card that she had made for him. "Fate is extraordinary, and its difficult for most of us to follow. And Some of us Twist it to fit our own desires, mocking it... and then it becomes an empty comfort, worthless words of solace that leave no trace of safety and offer you no protection. To heed their warnings is one thing, to live by something that can be changed if you work hard enough is another matter entirely." Ronan picked up the rest of the cards, shuffling them gently, before revealing another card, this one of Violet, her arms crossed over her chest as she fell from the sky, a star clutched close to her.

A falling star in the sky.

Jack glanced at Raidou, a frown on the quiet man's face. "We learn from our mistakes... fight for a... better day." he said carefully, folding his arms over his chest. "The faces that... haunt us in our minds... are our reminder... that we all have to do.. better. That we... cannot keep repeating these mistakes... over and... over again. To pretend that there always... must be a villain, is a... disservice to you." He bowed his head, his eyes half closed. "... Violet was... adamant that if... we are to aid... in your little 'plan', that you... wouldn't be bearing the sole... blame for such things. Violet refuses... to be sidelined... any longer. You are... hurting her... much more than you might... realize, just by simply... pretending she cannot handle... the pain."

[Raidou 1]

Looking down from the second floor, into the silent night, as if on edge. Waiting like a silent observer for the very semblance of solace to be broken. To his ear, the shuffling of cards. "That we do." He murmurs, fiddling with a necklace around his neck. "Correction, there will always be a villain. The trick is that the mantle does not need to be worn by someone with ill intentions. Crooks, Liers and cheats, murderers will flock to a figurehead. If they do not exist, then they will create one. As strong as Hope, Despair is an equal and excellent motivator. Assume the mantle, and use it for good? Now that is a very tough trick to pull off, wouldn't you agree? The villain that can offer direction to the heroes of our little play, playing the part of director and seeing it end happily. Keep that plot heading for the course, and allowing the Arbiters the ending they so desperately crave. The very same that the rest of Aincrad craves, through motives of a varied set of morals." The windowpane warbles from wind being pressed against it. Through it, trees shift in a somber tapestry of empty.

Sliding his hand from that glass, the soft clattering of his shoes on hardwood floor. "I think that you may have misunderstood me. Violet is unbelievably strong. I can sense her pain, but only faintly, and it is layered beneath the thickest of shields. Only an occasional hint of it in her eyes when she speaks." Glancing to Jack, who bows, immediately uncomfortable. They were equals, such symbolism made him uneasy. "I do believe that she can handle her pain, given she has squashed it down to such a degree that it is hard to get the sense of. But after, when she does find peace. What will that look like? What trials will she undertake alone, simply because we assume that she can handle them? I do not discredit her, no. I trust in her, and support her." Lifting and removing his glasses, finding this illuminated pair of red eyes revealed.

"I know of anger, of pain, of loss. I have traversed, and lost. I have danced the line of insanity. Not only that, but I have slain, and tasted regret. I did all of this as a legend, a monster, and a man. I have lived for years in isolation, wandering the depths of my own mind. Trapped in my grief...But, I have made something of it. When I say I will catch her, it isn't because I don't believe that she can do it. It's a question of what price she will have to pay to do it alone. Show her that she isn't abandoned and no one understands what she is going through. The Arbiter's have their share of torment, and have dealt with it. But Violet is stuck in them, living them like a walking nightmare. Like I have. Violence begets Violence, true. But what of Violence in one's stead? What if at that moment, where she is about to make the biggest mistake she'd ever make, it was my blade that ended it instead?"

A pause, looking down to Ronan's card, revealing a star. A single tap of black liquid hitting the floor near his feet. "After all, that's what friends are for."