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Going for a Walk

Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 7:26 am
by Talal
Talal needed some time to herself but didn't necessarily want to go alone and had asked if she could borrow Shadow for a time. Inwardly elated that both her fellow Twin Blade and the demon dog had agreed, she left the gate area for the only area she knew in the Yamiyo server, the Gan Sector and it's many streets of vendors with anything and everything a player could possibly want. Well, sure there were other things to be had in the other sectors that could only be found there, but Talal wasn't really interested in any of those. Glad to see that Canti was not choosing to follow put the young woman at ease as she led Shadow to the Gan sector shops. The whole time, still getting looks from all the male players, the female having gotten comfortable in her new outfit, at least around her own group who had bigger thoughts on their mind than to worry about a persons outfit. Still, she didn't need the added attention right now and in a moment, had her traveling cloak on. Of course, that wouldn't stop them from eyeing Shadow but that just made her feel safer.

"Thank you for coming along Shadow. I really appreciate the company." She said breaking the silent walk as they made there way through the sector towards the shopping district. Shadow of course being true to his appearance, for all to see, or perhaps keeping the words to a minimum? made a sort of canine grunt that approximated understanding the statement, all while making certain the locals understood him to be a fierce guard dog. Talal chuckled softly and smirked watching some of the onlookers take a few more steps out of the way of the duo as they walked down the middle of the busy street.

They walked for several more minutes, the Twin Blade taking her time so she could try and mentally sort out all of the thoughts that were streaming rather jumbled through her head. Not only did she need to think about where the group was headed and whether or not she had any faith in Xenobia or not, but how she truly felt about the game and whether or not she wanted what the rest of the group so desperately desired...to be freed of their comas and go...home. Only a few blocks from the shopping district, Talal took a turn down an alley, spying some stacked crates up against a wall that worked well as a staircase to the roof. The dark haired woman having Takua to thank for her new affinity to rooftops. "Hey! Would you mind if we took a slight...time-out and did some people watching from the roof?" She looked at Shadow for a moment and wondered how he would get up there and then remembered that he shared Canti's agility and stats but still.... "Those crates should be enough to get us up there...don't you think?"

The demon dog responded to the detour with a shrug. No, he didn't mind. Impatience was other people. In fact, people were other people too, for him. As for getting up to the roof, he looked at the crates, then the roof, and then...you know that bit in Ghostbusters where one of the evil hounds is leaping after Rick Moranis? It's like that, a second later, as Shadow hops to the roof, looks over the edge at Talal, and confirms her theory with a simple "Yes.". Talal found herself standing there watching the 'response' to her inquiry with a large grin. Shadow's simply and direct approach to pretty much everything was rather refreshing at the moment. "Of course! What was I possibly thinking you would have a problem with such a simple thing as climbing onto a roof top?" she asked with a bit of sarcasm which may have been lost on the dog but she didn't care. Climbing the crates with a little more effort that her cohort, Talal joined Shadow on the roof with a large grin. It felt good to smile again.

Finding a place to sit down that overlooked the busier side of the building they chose, Talal closed her eyes for a moment and tried to allow the thoughts in her mind to calm to a dull roar. Finally after about a good solid minute, she opened her dark brown eyes and just about jumped out of her skin. Shadow with all of his stealthy ability and padded feet had taken a seat right next to her, his large head right next to hers practically. "Holy...okay...we might need to put a bell on that collar of yours during non-fighting times like this. You just about made me jump out of my skin." She laughed softly holding her hand up to her chest. Shadow looked at her funny, about as much as one could expect a dog to be able to. "I'm not a cat. People will laugh at me." Talal smiled, tilting her head for a moment. It was possibly the first time she'd heard Shadow say anything that made him sound more like an individual than a supremely programmed dog in a game and it made her wonder what else was roaming around in that big head of his as she reached over and put her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. "No one would laugh at you my friend. I would simply not allow it." Her hand took its normal place just by his ear and she began to gently move her fingers giving him her loving scratchity scratch.

The young woman peered out over the busy street below. Her thoughts starting to simmer and focus on one concept rather than all of them at once. The one that kept eating at her for awhile now. "Shadow? Does Canti ever share with you about his life back home when you guys are alone?" Her scratching was of course met with some agreeable doggie sounds that issued forth. "Sometimes..." This had her intrigued now. "Like What?" she asked curiously. "Stuff about how things are 'way over the head of a simple mechanic', what angers him, how he wants to be free - plenty of things." Her fingers slowed pondering his answer. "What about...special people. Does he have someone?" "He has never mentioned anyone. The only person in attendance I know of is Agent Drufil, my creator." Who was also known as Reyome. Whether that was a first name or an alias for her work was unknown but someone Canti had already shared with Talal. However Canti had also shared that he didn't have much to do with her besides his affiliation with the game so Talal nodded to Shadow for sharing but didn't comment. Instead she sat there still scratching but rather slowly. She was horribly confused by her thoughts and the underlying feelings she had been experiencing as of late. What did they all mean? Were they real and true or was she experiencing some weird form of damsel in distress/white knight syndrome? Never could she just come out and bluntly ask Canti to help her figure it out. That would probably make him feel like he was being put on the spot and then wouldn't give an honest answer but rather one that might save face or keep Talal from spiraling or something because underneath that dark exterior and kamikaze way of his was what she believed to be a really great person. Not to mention it would just be....completely embarrassing.

Talal sighed. Her head leaning against Shadow's side. "Why does he always try to protect me? Does he...talk about me? I mean, he had you remove me from the battlefield against the Rai guy when I completely lost it, and even before that he got me up the stairs in the prison tower long before you ever even existed. I just...I don't know, Shadow. Why does trusting someone to be genuine always have to be so hard?" Her arm at this point had reached up and was scratching the top of his muzzle.

Re: Going for a Walk

Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 10:26 am
by Lord Canti
(She hadn't found him following them because...well...he hadn't been. As stated, Canti had first spoken his peace and then heard that which immediately came after...right before saying he was gonna go off for a bit and be back later. Not later as in much later, just later because he had some time kind of later. And so, he wandered off into Gan Sector at a none-too-quick pace. He wasn't going anywhere special, at first. He was getting things organized, head-wise. Let's see... Xenobia alliance good, Baron abandonment bad, Xenobia hospitality bad, Klive hospitality good? This party of theirs went through more mental pains than physical ones. He himself was getting seriously adept at handling dangerous situations...and weirdly he seemed to be getting good at diplomatic ones. How the hell did that happen? It was Canti's manner of speech, but it was with surgical precision. Maybe his angle was just better because he paved down a path of common sense and expected people to walk it. I mean, why would you take the long and pointless road when there was an easier way to...uhh...)

Canti: Wait a minute...

(Now, he'd been kinda' curious about what Talal wanted Shadow for, and was thinking maybe he'd bump into her later at the Bazaar where she would be re-stocking her items, as she said before walking into Gan Sector. She walked into Gan Sector, away from the Chaos Gate that could take her to the place directly. Canti pulled up the map on his display. He knew the sectors all had their own Chaos Gates for getting place-to-place with ease. But she was going down through Gan... Well, maybe she needed time to get her thoughts in order about Baron. He was her friend, after all, much like Takua and Sekai were. They were all hit kind of hard by his words. He wouldn't blame her for wanting to take a walk, even to have Shadow there for company, as the other Twin Blade had really warmed up to the big lug. But uhh...why didn't she just go south, through the Rue?)

Canti: Ah, well...she probably doesn't trust it. I wouldn't. It's a certified weakness of mine.

(And yet, he had pierced the likes of Rai Sector before, as well as Stitcher, and he had been in the battle with Gandalf The Rai...or whatever his name was. He honestly forgot. Well, whatever. It didn't matter. They had a rough sort of a plan going and they'd get wherever it was suppose to lead them...which was hopefully back home. He couldn't believe, sometimes, how much he missed it...even though there wasn't- Hold on. The indicator on his map said that Talal and Shadow had stopped. Yeah, a game like this would let you keep track of your colleagues. There were alot of players around and you don't want to lose your friends in that mish-mash. The dark Twin Blade decided to step it up a little by spreading his wings and making his way along some of the roads at speed to come around to that area quickly and quietly. He didn't think there was a problem, but if there was, he didn't want to say he overlooked the possibility and let something happen that he could have prevented. And so, block by block, Canti closed the distance, until he was behind the area that Talal and Shadow were in. He did thus to get the drop on anyone that might've been cornering them, as their position suggested the roof of a building. But, as he came to be hovering out of their - and anybody else's - line of sight, off of the ground but not over the lip of the roof, he did not hear the sounds of a confrontation. He heard...)

Shadow: Sometimes...

(What? She and the hellhound were just talking. He was giving Talal examples of stuff that he himself had spoken to the dog, as well as Rey, about. When she asked Shadow her next question, it floored him in two ways. Neither of them were literally, since that would involve falling flat on his face with a very dissatisfying thump...which would hurt. No, the two ways were in that first...Talal was asking the question in reference to him, and that second...it hurt in another way because, no, he did not have anybody special. He had nobody, which said alot about why he was in The World. Shadow only knew about Reyome, which would make sense. Canti's ears burned to hear more.)

"Why does he always try to protect me? Does he...talk about me? I mean, he had you remove me from the battlefield against the Rai guy when I completely lost it, and even before that he got me up the stairs in the prison tower long before you ever even existed. I just...I don't know, Shadow. Why does trusting someone to be genuine always have to be so hard?"

(She was using Shadow as he had, as someone to speak your troubles to and maybe get some feedback on. Rey wasn't his psychologist, but she had done him a big favor by giving him a buddy to talk to. However, Shadow wasn't up to this. He knew he wasn't. Not programmed for it, not able to fully-answer it with his personal intellect. So, before the Bogie could make a response, Canti flew on up and landed quietly, nearby. She might still hear him, but he was going to speak up anyway, even if she didn't.)

Canti: Because if it were easy, it wouldn't be as important.

Re: Going for a Walk

Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 3:37 am
by Talal
Having been so lost in thought, Talal hadn't been paying attention to the sounds around them. They were after all on a roof and she was still learning how to drown out all the background noises so she could listen to what was important. It was starting to give her a migraine so sitting softly talking to Shadow was a God send at the moment. The young woman didn't actually expect Shadow to answer all the questions that she had in her head. She knew he was technically only a dog....of course, one that could speak and had a rather large database to work from but that database didn't have much, if any, emotion worked into it. She sat there gently scratching the canine's muzzle, leaning against him rather comfortably until....

"Because if it were easy, it wouldn't be as important."

If Shadow were a desk than the visual of a person headdesking would be so appropriate at that moment. Talal was too scared to turn around. How much had he heard? Was he upset with her for not coming to him directly? Had she ever told him she wasn't one for opening up in front of real people about what was on her mind because when she did, things had a tendency of going badly? "Did you know he was there? Why didn't you warn me he was coming?" She semi-playfully asked Shadow in a whisper to his ear, not upset with him in the slightest but rather trying to escape the mental hole she had just dug herself into by using humor. Other than sitting up and staring straight out over the street below, Talal didn't move. She couldn't bare to look him in the eye at the moment, afraid of what he may be thinking. Like how stupid she was to be talking to a programmed dog that had no answers for her questions? Also afraid of the obvious questions that were now going to follow and he would want answers. Answers she wasn't really ready to give or share because she didn't know them herself. Yet, this was a guy that she really wanted to trust and have faith in and for all intents and purposes...did. So why was talking to him about what really mattered so hard? First things first...

"How long have you been there?" she asked calmly and softly.

Re: Going for a Walk

Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 4:10 am
by Lord Canti
(Talal had asked, amusingly, why Shadow didn't warn her, but it seemed clear from his own surprise that he didn't know he was there either! That was a real surprise for him, as he raised up a little, turning to look suddenly, and then calming down because it was only Master, and not an attacker. Of course, they would have known if the map had been open on their end and that they had noticed Canti's blip moving pretty darned fast in this direction. Even still, the lady Twin Blade did NOT turn around. Embarassed? Could be. It's like that jumble of words he walked in on suddenly went internal and now the train of thought was boarding at the station. Another train metaphor! What was up with him lately?)

Canti: I probably REALLY miss working on anything mechanical.

"How long have you been there?"

Canti: Not long.

(He did not say anything more for the moment, because he was walking over while thinking about the best way to say things. He soon stood next to Shadow and gave him a pat on the head, avoiding his horns because they actually seemed to be important to his function somehow.)

Canti: I wasn't coming here to listen in. I just noticed you'd stopped on the map and wondered if things were alright.

(He took a seat now, gazing ahead with those unreadable black eyes, yet he had the Canti expression of thinking about things while looking at pretty much nothing on right now. On the immediate burner was how paranoid he was getting, because he himself had had some weird confrontations out here in Yamiyo's various sectors. Mind you, he worried about that alot less than with someone else along, like Talal, but there had been those damn shadow assassin guys who wanted him in their club. Now, they probably wanted his ass on a silver platter. Not fun.)

Re: Going for a Walk

Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 4:51 am
by Talal
His answer made her smirk and give a soft grunty kind of laugh and no, not the grunties back in Mac Anu. "Of course. I totally spaced about the map. Not that we were necessarily hiding from you." She paused trying to pick up the pieces in her head before they scurried away to a place she would never get them back from. "Honestly, there's a lot I seem to have forgotten in a very short amount of time. It's a little scary. I hadn't planned on stopping on a roof top, but it seemed like a great idea at the time." She laughed again with a sort of smile curling in the corner of her lips. She was beginning the downward spiral of an endless ramble and the young woman knew she needed to stop.

"Sorry. I should be saying thank you for caring enough to watch the map and make sure we didn't need back up or something...all things considered at the moment."

Talal sat there, her hand having moved down to the bogie's back letting her fingers curl through his fur a little as she thought more. Oddly, sitting there silently wasn't too horribly awkward, other than the fact she knew he had heard at least the last bit and had to be wondering what was going on with her. Sighing, Talal took a quick look over at Canti seeing him almost just as spaced out as she was, even though it was hard to tell with those dark spots in his face that counted for eyes. Part of her wished she could look him in the eyes, just once and be able to see him looking back. And that was enough of that train of thought from left field, the woman standing up quickly rubbing her hands along her thighs a few times and walking around behind them on the roof. Finally, she stretched her arms out and looked straight up into the sky. It was amazing the graphics the game had as she watched a couple of clouds roll by.

"So, did they count the votes before you left?"

Re: Going for a Walk

Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 5:30 am
by Lord Canti
(There was nothing wrong with her stopping at a rooftop to take in the general splendor. He just figured that she needed to clear her head of Baron troubles. Turns out it was something else, someone else: Him. It was kind of surprising to find out that he was causing such confusion, but then he could be a confusing kind of guy. He looked pretty damn evil, or pretty damn 80s bad boy, or at least frigging awesome. It would be kind of weird to see him being the good guy, given the fact that he had always emulated Lord Canti of Endsville.)

"Sorry. I should be saying thank you for caring enough to watch the map and make sure we didn't need back up or something...all things considered at the moment."

Canti: I don't think anyone from Gan Sector would give us trouble, but I thought maybe some other bad guys I know...

(He trailed off, since there could be a whole slew of people capable of doing things out there. This was Yamiyo, the hacker server. Anything was possible, even a personal visit from the Patchwork King.)

"So, did they count the votes before you left?"

Canti: Nope. Said my peace and wandered. Figured I'd meet you later at the bazaar when I got around to item stocking.

(And that was why he'd checked the map, really. He was just being honest, there. However, her questions...weighed on him. He had been there for her, and the immediate reason from the prison was to be helpful to someone who'd been recently comatose and needed help or else she might die. However, as things eased off, he still felt he wanted to look after her. He'd grown into being one of the senior players, so he should do that, right? But it wasn't just any of that. He remembered... Out of the blue, before they entered Yamiyo or even fought Tritoch, she'd been alone on the other side of a puzzle wall and after he came through, she hugged him...and that was when it stops being so certain about motivation. Was that uncertainty the birth of her uncertainty? Or was everything just up in the air, hopelessly flying out of control? There was only one way to be sure.)

Canti: I don't talk to Shadow about you. I know that he, like me, warmed up to you. You get comfortable enough around someone, you start to resent anything happening to them. And in here, it's worse, because so much more can happen...

(He was being somewhat serious-faced for that one, trying very hard not to think of the sensations he's been put through being inflicted upon Talal. That would be too much, even while partied, that was just too much.)

Re: Going for a Walk

Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2015 1:05 am
by Talal
The dark haired woman crossed her arms in front of her but once again had her back to him still staring into the sky. Closing her eyes, listening to his answers, she just about DIED. So he had heard almost everything, if not everything. This was absolutely fantastic...sarcastically speaking of course. Talal walked over and leaned against an exhaust stack just a few feet away from Canti and Shadow. How was she supposed to respond to that? At least he kind of confirmed one thing. Ok, maybe confirmed is a heavy word here but, if he doesn't talk to Shadow about her then... no wait, that doesn't mean anything OR confirm anything.

Now she really felt like an idiot. Other than him being nice to her and acting like more of a mentor as of late than Takua, Canti had kept his distance. So really this was all on her as usual. Her mind kept going back to the last time she confronted Takua about something or maybe he was confronting her as he chased her through the city when her hearing had just really started coming in. She was already out of control by then so the fact he ended up smashing through a roof top was...acceptable...right? This was different because Talal felt she was mostly calm. Maybe a little confused and jittery....but calm by her standards. A confrontation would go better. Sending the dark clad Twin Blade and Shadow barrel rolling off the roof wasn't exactly a great way to prove you are a friend that can be trusted now is it? Maybe she needed a different approach to get a feel for which direction she should go when it came time to choose whether she stayed or went home. IF that time ever happened.

"Canti, have you ever considered...staying here...in The World...even if we win our freedom?" Talal still didn't look at him when she spoke but rather down at the rooftop, letting her long hair cascade over her shoulders hiding her face some. "I have. I have nothing to go back to. No one except maybe my cousin who cares." She paused thinking about home. "I mean, yeah there are things I miss like sinking my feet in the sand while an ocean wave runs over the top of them... and food. I miss biting into something with a lot of flavor" she said chuckling softly trailing off into her thoughts now that the visuals were right there in the front to keep her focus.

Re: Going for a Walk

Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2015 2:56 am
by Lord Canti
(Both her and Shadow had looked over when Talal moved over to take a seat not far from them, but then...)

"Canti, have you ever considered...staying here...in The World...even if we win our freedom?"

(...that got their attention in a hurry! Her words made those black pits widen in shock. As she continued to speak, several grades of horror crept into the dark Twin Blade's mind. Just because he looked evil and deadly didn't mean that he was immune to his own feelings, that he had grown cold at any point and didn't find his imagination giving him icy chills. Canti imagined Talal fighting to live, living to survive, almost every day...with no concept of time at all. He had no idea when it was day or night time. This was an international game, so it could be any time to anyone. This was a timeless purgatory for which the fighting never ended, because fighting was one of the core game mechanics. He imagined this, and then he imagined pain, often enough that it reminded him of some of the all-time bad ones he'd been thinking of not long ago. He imagined someone like her wasting away in a hospital bed and...he wouldn't be able to describe the terrible sensation that thought put him through. When she had said her peace, his first words were somehow smaller and more shaken than she had ever heard from him.)

Canti: No...this isn't what I want at all...

(She would see an expression on his face that was unlike anything she had seen before. Talal had seen Canti's good mood and his anger, though the latter was never directed at her. She had witnessed a wide range of emotions from the winged player, but never this. This was fear. This was dread. He looked away from her and down at the rooftop for a moment, some of the strength returning to his words, but the things he began to say...would open up whole new dimensions on the Canti she had known thus far.)

Canti: I came here to escape, but not like this. The World is a refuge...not a home. Understand, Talal, I have less to go back to than you do. I have no family, and if I had any friends, I put them at a distance when I left school...because I needed to work to keep on living. I wasn't emotionally prepared to handle anything else. Then, I heard about The World. An outlet! I can find a way to talk to people again, properly, and have fun at the same time.

(He turned to look at her now.)

Canti: This was suppose to be my therapy. Rejoin the world of humans, one step at a time. But with everything that's happened, I'm just about ready to hit real life again, cold turkey. I don't wanna live here...die here... I've been put through things, felt things, that no human should ever have to! And I know that's partly because I'm a reckless guy at heart, but the only reason I keep doing things like I do is because someday, I won't have to! I'll be able to get out, and then it'll just be a game again, like it should be.

(He got up, beginning to pace around. He was frustrated, but it was more nervous or even panicked than angry. He was letting it out, letting out a whole great deal of things that he generally kept to himself.)

Canti: This place isn't for us to stay in, Talal. I want to go back... I want to get out of here and drive off to somewhere that I can put the peddle to the metal and just GO. I want a burger and a steak, and not an NPC to be serving it. I want to get my hands on a machine and tune it to perfection like I always do, the one thing I'm absolutely immaculate at.

(He stopped, then looked over at her, perhaps finally back in his normal attitude, at last.)

Canti: I could still play the game, but I wouldn't live the game. And I'd rather get to know the real you than watch as you stay in here and get put through even half the things I have.

Re: Going for a Walk

Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2015 4:27 am
by Talal
Talal wasn't sure how to respond. She was literally in shock at everything that Canti was saying. Not that he wasn't make sense because he was making complete sense, but rather the conviction and tone behind the words. She had never seen him like that...ever....and frankly it scared her. The one thing she was trying so hard to avoid was making him angry and yet with one simple question, that's exactly what she felt she did. The man wasn't afraid of anything, at least within the game or that was how she had always viewed his kamikaze way of things. But his reaction... was full of fear. The question she wasn't sure about was where that fear was directed. Was it at her? That she might actually go through with it and choose to stay? Or was it a general fear based on the possibility they may not win their fight and therefore actually be stuck in the game for eternity until their comatose bodies gave out?

She dared a glance up at him to see the look on his face and even without actual eyes to peer into, his expression sent shivers clear to her soul. Her lips attempted to form words...to apologize...but she dare not interrupt him. Her face scowled, not at him but at her own stupidity as everything he said was so clearly how she too should be wanting to be. It got her thinking through it all again. Yes, she could probably choose to stay but at the same time, all the others were most definitely going to leave. They all wanted to go home and be...people...living, breathing, human people again. When that happens, Talal would be alone again and it wouldn't matter if she was in the game or out. The end result would still be the same. She would be alone...and it was that specific aspect to which she could not do again.

The World had brought her to friends. To the Army of Darkness, to the Eventides and now to the Freedom Fighters. To Baron....her mind finally allowing what had happened and that he was really gone from them to sink in, making her drift in silence for a bit before shaking her head and trying to get back to what was happening now. The World had made her apart of something so much bigger than she could have ever achieved outside. Never would she allow herself to be alone again and her screwed up way of thinking before Canti's rant was that within the game, there would always be people. But now, Talal could see this analogy was wrong. There could still be loneliness even when standing in the middle of a sea of people. Again, she thought of Baron and wondered if that is what was going to happen to him. To be alone in a sea of people for eternity because he got angry.

Wrapping her arms around herself, criss-crossing them in front of her stomach as her hands reached around her sides, she was know crouching down into almost a ball but still on her feet looking down at the rooftop gently rocking. She heard his final words. He wanted to get to know her? The real girl behind the avatar...in person? So, she wouldn't be alone out there after all? Talal looked up at him with that look of a scared child hearing the voice of an adult as they were holding out there hand to help. It was probably a good thing that she couldn't see the images in his mind or the poor girl might have just ended it right there. Never having imagined herself looking all emaciated lying in some hospital bed. A bag of skin and bones, tubes and wires.

"I...I'm just so confused, Canti." Her inner demons telling her to lower that wall. Let him in, but she was still fighting. "I'm afraid to say the wrong thing and mess up the friendship we have built. I have this horrible track record for that...you can ask Takua." Her hands went above her head, fingers lacing together as she took a deep breath. "I...feel the same way as you, but we all live so far apart." Ok, there it was out although still heavily coded and he would probably need a cypher to crack it. The statement saying so much more than a simple agreement. She wanted to get to know him personally too. To gaze into his real eyes and see real expressions on his face of happiness and laughter. She wanted to be the one to give that to him because he had given so much to her by befriending her in the game when she needed someone the most. Talal was certain still though, that she wanted a deeper friendship than the one he had in mind. To admit that would feel like death to her. In or out of the game, she kept such feelings extremely closed in and tight to the chest. The fear of those feelings being used against her in some way still very prevalent and controlling.

Re: Going for a Walk

Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2015 5:52 am
by Lord Canti
(It wasn't the fear of failure that he was having. He believed they could succeed, which is why he tried so hard to make it so. It wasn't the fear of victory he was having, either. He wanted to leave, even badly. What canti feared was giving up control over what little he had and staying where he would continue to feel all kinds of different pains he never wanted to deal with ever again. By all rights, he should be getting PTSD on all kinds of levels. It was only the fact that this wasn't real life and that he didn't stay dead while in a party that gave him the safety net of acceptability. This game would be too much if he was always in here alone, unsafe in this dangerould world. He wouldn't abandon it. He was still a worthy Swordbreaker and he loved games, but he wanted the game to BE a game, not his life.)

Canti: Never would I leave this place out of spite, but only hate the people that tainted it for me.

(The look she was giving him... God, what was he doing? He must've seriously freaked her out something fierce. Did he just destroy that image of a fearless warrior or enhance his image because he showed her that he was human? That wasn't what he'd meant to say exactly, either. Not like that, not so rambling or seemingly out of control. He had wanted to come off as Canti normally did, the character before her. But...this conversation was for the human player, and HE had had a few choice words on the matter, things he only dealt with on his own or with Shadow now. Shadow... The demon dog wasn't sure how to handle this. He was waiting on a cue, himself. Canti now waited to see, with dread anticipation, just what damage he had just done.)

"I...I'm just so confused, Canti. I'm afraid to say the wrong thing and mess up the friendship we have built. I have this horrible track record for that...you can ask Takua. I...feel the same way as you, but we all live so far apart."

(He didn't want to ask Tak about it. That was his immediate thought, that it would be completely inappropriate to do so. Even still, as Canti was still calming himself, he let the rest of what she said sink in. He and Talal had certainly shared some good times, despite their being prisoners of the game. In a 'make the best of it' kind of way, they'd walked and talked, shopped and hung out - all in between the battles and the intrigues of Yamiyo. There'd been tense moments and laughter, good conversation and bad troubles in this hacker server of theirs. And while a fair bit of it was centered around the team, it could not be denied that he'd spent more time with her than Takua, Sekai, or any of the others. Was he just worried that someone else would leave and vanish as they did from time to time, resenting Nighthand for letting them and himself for not stopping them? It happened every now and then, Baron being another.)

Canti: Am I worried about losing them all this much? Or is it Talal that's making this so apparent in me?

(Canti sometimes had this thought, that...once they're all cured...he goes back to find the others they lost, goes to save them all. But...it's not just for their sake, but more so that he could sleep at night, so he doesn't keep feeling he'd abandoned them. Talal had set him off right then with her notion of staying, because it would be worse if all this happened for nothing, that their salvation was somehow for nothing, and the thought of her saying that was the hardest. He thought about this and her words. Saying the wrong words and messing up what they have... Afraid of being thrown apart...by the real world or anyone else. Finally, Canti regained his smirk as he shook his head.)

Canti: It'll never break that easily, Talal. I would still care as much, even if you ended up turning on me, somehow.

(Of course, she would never be boneheaded and thick like Dien had, but even then...he wanted to hit this one home. Canti took to kneeling down on one knee, leaning his arms on the other one as he spoke on.)

Canti: You remember that botched mission to locate Suraisu, who Demorian said was a pawn of Xenobia's? I did that because he saved my life in the tower. He was still my enemy on some level and I wanted to see just how far that went, see if that was the 'real' him or what. Now, imagine how far I'd go for someone that I like. Maybe it's some of my own troubles talking, but I don't want you to suffer that 'alone', here...or there. Believe me, I know what that feels like too.

Re: Going for a Walk

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 4:59 pm
by Talal
Wrapped up against the cold brick in her little protective ball. A position the young woman knew all to well in her life time. There was something to be said for familiarity but when it came to this....it wasn't a good thing. What could Canti possibly be thinking of her right now. She must look so pathetic and weak. Not the strong smart ass Twin Blade that Talal had started out as. Technically, she was stronger, higher level and now had her rather lethal sonic abilities. She was a force to be reckoned with. All of the Freedom Fighters were in their own ways. Together, she was certain they would succeed in their mission and her friends would be freed of their comas and with luck, wake up and be the person they were when the game took them and not some vegetable that needed to be spoon fed the rest of their lives because they had been in a coma too long. She's heard that's how comas work, then again there were always the miracle stories. Maybe that's what had her so scared to go back to real life? Not the fear of being alone but... waking up only to be bed bound for eternity. At least in the game she still had her wits and the ability to walk, run, jump and on a very rare occasion, hang on for dear life and fly. Thinking about it, yeah it wasn't a pretty picture but being alone still won out the battle of what really had her scared to 'go home'.

Her fellow Twin Blade then said something that struck her rather oddly and she looked at him. Talal was unable to decide how she felt about what he had said. Shock was the only thing that really came to mind but then again, he didn't really know her deep enough to know that she would never turn on a friend like that. Her lips parted ready to tell him just that when he started to speak again reminding her about his trip to find Suraisu and making his own point about how far he would go for someone he actually liked. Everything behind what he was trying to say as he knelt there in front of her was hitting home but it was being met by that wall that she had put up oh so long ago. The one she relied on to keep her emotions safe from being hurt or used like she had been in her past. Talal wanted to believe that Canti was different, that all the Freedom Fighters were different. The little demon on her should however kept nudging at her psyche, telling her that any of them would say or do whatever they had to in order to achieve their goal and finish the mission. Waking up from a coma and getting out of the game was a BIG deal to all of them. It would only make sense to use what was at your disposal to get there....even people. Look what they were saying about Xenobia...all things that she had already done to them aside. They were already saying if worse came to worse they would 'deal' with her later but she was an end to a means. Talal couldn't help but think she was in the same boat as Xenobia.

Big brown eyes looked up at Canti and she took a long deep breath, the angel on her shoulder nudging her to reach out and tell him how she really feels but it was something she just couldn't do....not yet.

"There are still a lot of things you don't know about me Canti and that's not your fault. We just haven't really had a lot of.....heart to hearts if you will." She paused worried one of those moments of saying everything wrong was about to happen. "Know this...I would never turn on you like that. If anything, I'm as loyal as they come even to my own detriment. I have warmed up as you so nicely put it, to you and Shadow as well and I enjoy being around you. Dare I say I feel safer but..." Talal stopped again closing her eyes, the demons and angels inside of her head now raging a war and she couldn't think straight. She stood up in a huff and slammed her fists against the brick wall behind her in frustration at herself not Canti...not that he would be able to tell that although he was rather intuitive at times. "Just know..I will never turn on you" she said in a frustrated yet caring tone clamming up not wanting to say something she might regret.

Re: Going for a Walk

Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 7:24 pm
by Lord Canti
(The girl before him, his fellow Twin Blade, had this look about her right now. It wasn't her normal front, that of the character. The two of them seemed to have exposed something of themselves to each other, whether intentionally or not. Talal had made that outpour of information come forth like a dam burst, and now she herself looked worried, nervous, vulnerable. He wasn't hurting her, per se, but... No, what did this mean? If he wasn't doing harm TO her, did it mean that she had had harm done already? She, like him, had lost alot. All she had was a cousin, and he had indicated in other ways, if not stated outright now that he had nobody at all. That wasn't it. If he believed that, he would be projecting too much of himself on others. Maybe he would be on the right track, but not entirely. Canti took Talal's last statements, the concerns he'd just tried to address, as her wanting to reach out and he deciding it was okay to. Either he must not have said all that he needed to or it wasn't enough for her, because...)

"There are still a lot of things you don't know about me, Canti, and that's not your fault. We just haven't really had a lot of.....heart to hearts if you will."

(That was true-ish. He'd alluded to a few things, she might have as well, but true sharing had not really occurred. They'd spoken of the game, the Elites, of their powers, of their morality in handling all of the above... It wasn't personal, it was camaraderie.)

"Know this...I would never turn on you like that. If anything, I'm as loyal as they come even to my own detriment. I have warmed up as you so nicely put it, to you and Shadow as well, and I enjoy being around you. Dare I say I feel safer but..."

(She slammed her first down on the rooftop, for emphasis Canti assumed.)

"Just know..I will never turn on you"

(He was silent for a moment, looking at Talal with certain understanding. He knew that she would never turn on him, at least not any betrayal in the true sense of the word. Someone might try and use her against him, Xenobia even, but the way they had worked out from day one...it wasn't likely to occur. As she said, loyal to a fault. Was that...the problem? Canti thought about this. It wasn't about her loss. It was about...her trust. She was perfectly fine as a Freedom Fighter, but then she and her started getting friendly, and now... Now, she was torn between what she felt was right and what she felt was safe, the difference between her waking up into an uncertain world and staying here in The World. That in of itself, they had resolved, but this different. This was about the two of them.)

Canti: I don't believe that you would. I meant more like if anyone forced you, but I can understand the feeling. The end result of that tower Suraisu put us through left me confused. And Dien's actions left me frustrated, as well you know. You don't want to be hurt. Who does? I've done crazy things, and I don't want to be hurt. Things just ended up that way. If you've been hurt, though, take comfort in this, Talal... I would gladly kick their ass for that. I would never harm someone who's been through hell, only the people who cause it, so they understand why it was wrong.

(If she was hurting, if he had somehow recognized what had happened to her, then he had taken the stance to help her because she was hurting, because someone he had grown to like had been hurt and he wanted to help her through that, not make it worse. And that was why, he would never betray her.)

Re: Going for a Walk

Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 5:20 am
by Talal
Her heavily solidified instincts were telling her to jump off the rooftop and run as fast as she could and her anxiety was also backing up that thought process. Talal knew though she had to stick this out, had to hold her ground. Not in the sense of arguing but in the sense of not taking the flight option in her fight or fight reflexes right now. It was what she did best so staying was perhaps the most difficult thing she had done in a while. The young lavender clad female stood there watching Canti's reactions. He thought harder than she felt she had ever seen him as if she were this huge puzzle he needed to solve. Problem was, she was a huge puzzle. One that not even she understood how to piece together sometimes but it made her actually warm on the inside to think he wanted to help.

Talal's hands were constantly moving even if only subtly rubbing together. Her fingers interlaced and her knuckles at times a little white from the amount of pressure she was apply on them in an attempt to calm the jitters that were shaking her from the inside out. It helped more than he probably knew to hear his voice right then. She had come to enjoy the sound of his voice and the touch of Shadow's fur running through her fingers. Both helped her calm down whenever Talal felt like she was losing control. His word finally hit home with her bypassing through her wall like air through small cracks. Wisps threaded through her form right down to her soul and when he said he would kick people's ass on her behalf, Talal couldn't help but let a small grin curl onto her lips. It was the reason behind the ass kicking though that really got her. She had tried to keep that she had trust issues from him yet Canti seemed to have figured it out anyway.

Head tilting, making her long dark hair drape nicely over her shoulder and down in front of her. Talal just stared into the dark undescript eyes of his character. "Let's hope no one gets the chance to use me or my mind like that in this game, because it will be the last thing they ever do and....will have a pair of pissed off Twin Blade's to thank for their demise." She smiled, feeling a little better about herself again. It was weird how quickly he was able to change things around inside of her. Was it because she listened more to what he had to say than anyone else? Maybe. What Talal really felt though was the trust had always been there, but he was able to draw her out and get her to see it. That she had to take some risk and let people in if she is to ever get over the hurt from the past. Finally after a long gaze at him for no apparent reason, her voice was once again calm, her knuckles returning to their normal flesh tone and her body no longer shaking. "I don't think I could ever feel the hurt again...as long as you are with me and maybe someday...I won't need you around but will always gladly accept your company." Talal looked down, fiddling with her fingers but not out of anxiety this time but nervousness.

"There's something...I need to tell you." The young girl curled her lower lip in and bit down on it softly and looked at him. "I...like you...and....it's more than a warmed up to kind of like. What I don't know is if it's because I just really like you and don't want to lose you kind of like....or.. " she paused trying to come up with a good analogy and the only thing that came to mind was an old movie. "Have you ever seen the movie Speed? That part of the movie where the two people are lying on the ground after escaping from the bus and they are laughing and quoting statistics about how people who enter into a relationship after a traumatizing event are doomed to fail? Well, I wonder if my liking you is only because you have done nothing but protect me since we met and this battle for our lives is about as traumatizing as you can get and well...I don't want us...to fail and GOD I'm rambling like an idiot. Why didn't you stop me?"She finally stopped talking and laughed softly, really wanting to jump off the roof and run, but Canti and Shadow both had her speed if not a little more so running wouldn't really help here. Instead she just looked back down at the rooftop letting it all sink in and process and hope she wasn't saying the wrong thing or stepping over some invisible boundary made by Gandalf's staff for Belroc. The movie line sticking in her mind... 'YOU...SHALL NOT....PASSS!' Question was, who wasn't going to pass? Talal past Canti. Maybe he didn't even like her in any other way than just a good friend. Yet, he had broken her shell and told her to be brave...only in different words but she understood what he mean just the same. Or maybe it was Canti that wouldn't pass a second time. He might have been able to get through her walls once but maybe it was just a fluke? Ugh, she really needed to get out more and stop watching so many movies. Interacting with actual people would be a much better use of her time.

Re: Going for a Walk

Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 6:23 am
by Lord Canti
(Whatever it was that she was waiting for, it seemed like it had arrived. Was it his understanding to bolster confidence? His attitude? Something else? You can't always tell, but she appeared to be recovering from that nervousness when she spoke again. And that gaze she had, as though his presence were somehow refreshing her... Well, maybe it was. I mean, who knew that Canti the dark Twin Blade was such a big ray of sunshine, huh? Okay, that's not necessarily his attitude, but she did like the bit about ass-kickings, and if he really was helping out with her troubles, then that could only end well, right? Canti's good attitude halted a second as he listened more intently, because she needed his ear for something important. And brother, was it ever...)

"I...like you...and....it's more than a warmed up to kind of like. What I don't know is if it's because I just really like you and don't want to lose you kind of like....or.. "

(Canti remained silent. It was the only proper reaction, in this case. You don't interrupt when someone who's struggling to get this all out decides to hunker down and do it. You let it go, and leave your surprise quite enough to let the other continue. For himself, the winged Twin Blade understood what it meant when someone who is having trouble saying these things says 'I like you'. It means it's not just like. What the problem was...was that she wasn't sure on if it was because of him or their circumstances, as she explained.)

"Have you ever seen the movie, Speed? That part of the movie where the two people are lying on the ground after escaping from the bus, and they are laughing and quoting statistics about how people who enter into a relationship after a traumatizing event are doomed to fail? Well, I wonder if my liking you is only because you have done nothing but protect me since we met and this battle for our lives is about as traumatizing as you can get and well...I don't want us...to fail and GOD I'm rambling like an idiot. Why didn't you stop me?"

(She probably saw his smile form and broaden as she went on and on.)

Canti: I didn't stop you 'cause you were making sense. Seems like that happens alot when no one interrupts. We just let out what we're thinking and can't seem to stop. And maybe it's healthy to do that every now and then. But...there's some things I should point out.

(Getting out of the position he'd been in, he turned and sat beside her, on the side that didn't block her view of the ground-level area. He was definitely in a good mood, so there was a good chance the awkwardness had not been reached by her finally speaking her mind.)

Canti: First, never tell me the odds. Second, I saw that movie. The bad guy was obnoxious, but more importantly...I know the scene. I know why you feel that way. We were in prison, probably sentenced to die. Even I felt some fear. I was playing the Warden when I talked to him, but I was channeling some real emotion to make it sound right. Because one thing you have right is that this is traumatizing, but...

(He shifted to face her more, so it's understood somehow that even though he's got these weird black eyes, that he's looking her in the eyes.)

Canti: ...what you have wrong is that I'm simply protecting you. I would definitely defend you, I certainly have, but it isn't just that. Back in the prison, you seemed...separate from the others, distanced. I knew you were a friend of Sekai's, but you were off on your own, sort of. Maybe I recognized something wrong without thinking about it, something that could use a hand. So, I did. We were running for our lives. Back in the desert at that puzzle wall, with Tritoch overhead, though...I was honestly worried 'cause you were alone and we were still struggling with this.

(He sighed, going silent for a minute.)

Canti: It's not just about tension or protection. I know this. We got to the city, we got to rest, and we were free. And I was truly impressed by how well we worked against Tritoch. Granted, we all worked together, but we were definitely a duet. So, I wanted to get to know you better, build you up if you felt down, help you deal with what we're dealing with. 'Cause I think the looking-after is mutual. I think that if the feelings we have aren't genuine...they should be.

(Some things about Talal had left him surprised, confused, wondering about her... He had been there for her, but the point wasn't just that he had, but that she had also been there for him. He's a loose cannon, at least in this game. It's a kind of personality that needs someone with more sense in it. In his case, that would be Talal.)

Re: Going for a Walk

Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2015 7:30 am
by Talal
She had noticed his smile as she kept rambling on like an idiot, but somehow it was okay. There was a level of comfort talking to him at that point. She'd gotten out what had been confusing her. The only part she failed to mention was that the confusion partly came from never having liked anyone before. Not in the way she did Canti at least and it was probably best to keep that to herself for a bit longer or face this looking like some young school girl crush that she would never live down, even with him. One thing she had learned was Canti had a humor side to him and in the name of fun may not be able to pass up such an opportunity to poke her in the side nicely once in a while when given the right ammunition. When he sat down and said there were some things that needed pointing out, Talal immediately thought alright....here we go. You've freaked him out and now he's going to back peddle and she braced momentarily for the impact of what he was about to say.

Canti though didn't back peddle at all and in fact joined her in her movie analogies with a Star Wars reference. A wide smile followed by her head tilting back as she looked briefly up to the sky and laughed and then looked back at her fellow Twin Blade and returned the respectful silence he had shown her. He finished his first part and although he was making wonderful sense to her, Canti had her a bit worried when he paused and sighed. Was this a big build up to letting her down easy? If it was she wouldn't be mad at him at all. She could only imagine being on the receiving end of someone telling you they like you and to have to decide if the feelings are mutual and if they aren't, how to tell them without hurting their feelings. All of a sudden, she didn't envy the position her admission had just put Canti in but remained silent so he could finish, mentally preparing her apologies just in case.

Something else he had mentioned on more than one occasion was being friends with Sekai. Sure, she and Sekai knew each other because of their clan affiliation. However because of Talal's trust issues, she'd never truly thought of any of them as a friend except for perhaps Takua...and Baron had saved her life and she had told him he was her friend. It was becoming clear that her interpretation of a friend held way too high of a standard and that maybe she should consider lowering them and by such...she would have more friends. It didn't mean they wouldn't still do things to upset her but...friends didn't have to come with the highest level of security.

Canti had turned and looked her in the eyes and she could feel his gaze on her making her blush. It was then even without the words that followed that Talal knew she wasn't alone. He may not have understood his own feelings prior to that moment but he had once again stayed by her side and helped her gain the extra confidence she needed to admit she had them. It felt weird and a little odd to have that acknowledgment after all the years of being so guarded that even if someone had admitted anything to her she wouldn't have believed them.

The blush in her cheeks continued to grow a little stronger with every word and for the first time in a while...she was speechless. Instead, Talal chose to act on her feelings instead of speak them and she leaned in wrapping her arms around Canti's neck and embraced him in the second hug he'd received from her. Only this time it had so much more behind it than the first one and she knew he could not only feel it but finally understood her. After a very long minute, she released her hold on him and smiled. "What do we do now?" It was a fair question. They still had a long ways to go before achieving their freedom and there were sure to be more trials that would test this new bond of theirs to come both in and out of the game.