[Sandbox] Johtan

[shengami]

Stats

Strength: 1
Stamina: 1
Speed: 5
Shimmer: 2
Soul: 1
Brawl: 1
Melee: 3
Ranged: 1
Preparation: 3

Terrain Affinity: Grassland/Forest
Terrain Weakness: Arctic/Aquatic
Element Affinity: Lightning
Element Weakness: Water

Weapon Bonus: 12+2

Character Name:  Chee Tortious
Date | Time: 01.07.1323 | ~7am?
Location: Hammer Academy and The Skies Over Onyx Prairie
Wearing: Jeans, Denim Jacket, T-shirt, beanie, gloves and shoes
Tagging | Mentioning: Hulta/ @TheFluffyOne | 
Notes: Hanging Out While Hang Gliding (8)
Chee ginned broadly in the face of Hulta's flushed features, "For sure. Now you see why I go on dese adventures?" He shook and felt the vibrations go through him.

Chee slowed down a touch as he noted Hulta watching and miming him to disassemble her wing. That was good, then she could do this on her own or they could go again, "You ever want ta borrow dem, let me know. I might see if dere's a place in da dorm ta stash em. Maybe bring one of da oders next time?"

He almost stopped the process at the notion that they could do the impossible though. Chee knew that stats; he'd spoken with at least three veteran champions who had lost friends and companions to Hollow or their own follies. He looked evenly at Hulta. He saw her fervent eyes and met them, clashed with them a moment, then nodded. "Aye, dat's true." Chee'd just used that same language earlier that week with Shir: to protect and protect and protect. "Not gonna lose family when I got a say about it."

He looked toward the monolith for a long moment and then resumed disassembling the wing. "It's a bit rocky at the moment, SAvAGeD, but it's got a good feel. Better even dan gRAVIty did. Ta me anyway. Marlowe might disagree. Not sure. Da next tree years togeder will be great. I hope." He winced as he added the 'I hope.' Chee had a hard time fully trusting things like this.

"Sorry, da only family I ever had was family I chose. And I'm careful about it. Dere's notin in dis world dat can hurt you and protect you da way family can." His mind flickered to Pat, Velvet, Koko, Dawn, and others. Family had access to you in deep ways. "Dere's soemtin powerful in choosing ta be dat vulnerable wit people. Ya. But ya gotta be careful, too.

[Dove]

Stats

Strength: 3
Stamina: 5
Speed: 4
Shimmer: 0
Soul: 3
Brawl: 2
Melee: 2
Ranged: 2
Preparation: 0

Terrain Affinity: Urban
Terrain Weakness: None
Element Affinity: Lightning, Fire
Element Weakness: Earth, Water

Weapon Bonus:12+5

Character Name: Estelle Dawn
Date | Time: 01.04.1323 | Early or late? (~2:30am)
Location: Fort Kapsi Memorial
Wearing: Hiking wear.
Tagging | Mentioning: Artanis
Notes:
“Gods…” she whispered to herself, eyes fluttering up to the sky for a moment as she tried to imagine a Hollow as terrifying as that. Even the Ollowphant didn’t feel as scary. They were enigmatic, especially in the way that they just charged through and left devastation in their paths. But a Hollow that knocked over towers, ruined an entire fort on its own with so many people there to stand guard? She found the names on the slab again. All of these people. Well, all except maybe one. Constance.

Constance, a twin that tried to kill her own brother. And a brother who had been saved by the very man beside her. She turned to watch him walk away from her at first, her lips pressing into a thin line as she could tell how charged the energy was in the air. He had come here to mourn something, but it was not a person. What was it?

Her gaze rose to meet his when he turned again to face her, and she began to follow him with slow, thoughtful steps. Hand found the railing on one side of the bridge, brushing her fingers along it and stopping most of the way to his side before leaning her hip into it. He was incredibly difficult to read, and all she could really gather is that she thought maybe what he was really seeking was closure. Part of her wanted to continue to go to him, to put her hands on his shoulders and try to shake out the tension that she could feel like it was her own. But she stayed true at the railing and pondered a moment on what she was learning about Haimehen, about Constance, about Artanis.

“Why were you there that day? At the hospital?” she asked, lines appearing between her brows. Had he just been there coincidentally? “What I mean is, did anyone suspect that she was alive? Did you? And if all of that is true, then… why? Maybe we can find her, figure out what this is all about.” Her hand fell from the railing and she finished crossing the bridge to meet him on the other side. Fingers instead toyed with the sweater at her hips, eyes peeking between his as she worried that speaking so plainly with him could set him off. But she did anyway, “Maybe it will help you get some closure.” A beat. “I can help.”

[Aethyrium]

Character Name: Artanis Mellow
Date | Time: January 4, 1323 | Early Morning (~2:30am)
Location: Fort Kapsi Memorial
Wearing: Denim goes wild
Tagging | Mentioning: Estelle |
The question shook him from the emotions that stirred around inside of him - things he didn’t want, but some dumb elf had put them in his head. For that, even if only momentarily, he could have thanked Estelle. It was easy to forget that she hadn’t been there when that had happened. The idea of new squires, all of them not just Estelle, still didn’t really sit right with Artanis. Neither here nor there. “The Rishi Valley…” he started, like that should make some kind of sense to her, like when he said it she should have just known. His head shook.

“A few months ago Gravity and Mockery were sent on a mission to escort some people across the Rishi Valley,” Artanis began to explain. He didn’t particularly like thinking about the whole thing, it had not ended pleasantly for him. “That’s where Chee came from.” That was a longer story that he dismissed before getting into with a handwave. “While we were crossing, the convoys were attacked by an alpha nevermore. Meena fell into the chasm, I…” his features turned to a grimace. How did he say this without sounding heroic? He wasn’t trying to brag, and the idea that it might come across like that made him feel ill. “I jumped in and saved her before she fell too far.” Looking out for Thessa’s people indeed.

Artanis hadn't really talked to anyone about what had happened after that. He swallowed, “Couldn’t stop myself from falling, though. So I used some of the arcanite I had and blew myself back across the chasm, into the wall.” He could almost still feel the thud, and his Soul splintered beneath the heaviness of the impact. “Tried to grab on. Used a little more arcanite to turn it to mud, and stuck my hand in. Caught myself, but almost ripped off my arm…” his shoulder still hurt sometimes from it. “I was stuck, just dangling there and then… Hollow were being called up by the nevermore. Wall climbers.” He clicked his tongue.

“I didn’t have any arcanite left, no weapons, and only one hand. No one was coming to get me, so I had a great idea. Ride the Hollow back up.” Artanis’ features drooped. “It tried to shake me off, and it would have worked. So I… Made it think it killed me.” It had been, perhaps, the most painful thing he’d ever experienced. “I was holding onto its leg, and it was stabbing at me. It had this… Pointed tail. Like a stinger. Stabbed right into the cliffside. So I… Jumped onto it. Let it impale me. Stuck myself to it.” His hand lifted and raised the front of his shirt up, slowly, showing off his tone, but more importantly the thick scar that he’d have, probably forever. A large, nearly six inch in diameter needle mark where it had gone into him and run him completely through.

“The others found me on the way back to Hammer. Meena said I nearly died. I woke up in the hospital, and was stuck there for… God, weeks. My Soul just didn’t want to recover. I was still admitted, when the Azkaban thing happened. And a good thing too, otherwise Haimehen would be dead.” Whatever softness in his features had been there turned to a sneer, “Fucking hate that guy. Ugh.” He threw his hands up, dropping his shirt, and ran both sets of fingers through his hair.

“No, no one thought she was alive. I don’t think. I mean, why would they. I didn’t even know her, never met her. Wish I hadn’t. Now I’ve got…” Artanis turned away. He didn’t know what he had. Questions. “I don’t care about closure. I don’t care about her! Or him.” All true. But what if he was wrong for not caring? What if Thessa had been right. “I’ve just got…” what could he say? How could he explain without telling her about his Shimmer? He did not need another person knowing about that.

“Haimehen isn’t going to wake up.” Artanis breathed out, “He’s never going to know why his sister tried to kill him. And he’d want to. God, if he were awake, he’d probably leave Hammer like Vesper just to go find out. But he can’t. He’ll never be able to.” And somehow that had become Artanis’ burden. “How do you help with that?”

[TheFluffyOne]

Stats

Strength: 1
Stamina: 2
Speed: 3
Shimmer: 5
Soul: 2
Brawl: 0
Melee: 3
Ranged: 1
Preparation: 2

Terrain Affinity: Forest
Terrain Weakness: Aquatic
Element Affinity: Air
Element Weakness: Water

Weapon Bonus: 12+2

Character Name: Hulta Elderfond
Date | Time: 01.07.1323 | ~7am?
Location: Hammer Academy and The Skies Over Onyx Prairie
Wearing: Dark green combat trousers, a white loose shirt tucked in and a dark brown jacket with heavy boots.
Tagging | Mentioning: Chee
“I don’t know if I’d go up by myself…I’d need someone to make sure I don’t go too high.” She smirked as she glanced back at Chee. “Maybe you can come up with me again.” She asked politely. She couldn’t envision Lyra up on the hang gliders and Dari would probably try to make it into a competition. Chee was the best one to try it again with. Returning to the task at hand, she threaded the next poles out and slotted into the pile as he had. ‘Not gonna lose family when I got a say about it’ That made her feel better that someone else felt the same. She should have done more for Mugi….but she would do whatever she could to protect the rest of this squad.

This little mix-matched family.

“I know that they will be.” Hulta spoke up as she noticed the gentle wince from Chee. “We will make it so.” She slipped the items back into the fabric bag that they were all held in. She had never truly thought about choosing a family. But then again. It made sense. Her ‘sister’ was not truly her sister. They had just known each other since birth and were near inseparable before she came to the academy. Having another sister…and maybe a brother…sounded quite nice. Family in their own way rather than ‘forced’ to by blood connection.

Hulta glanced up at the monolith for a moment. Almost seeing the faces of those that had passed reflected in the dark surface. She needed to be more vulnerable with her squad. She needed to give them a chance to aid her and not be determined to do things by herself. They were her squad. Her ‘family’ when at the academy…some may even remain as such when they all finish this course. “I…I think I need to be more vulnerable with Savaged…Thank you, Chee.” She beamed at him with a shake of the fabric bag to make sure all the items were secure. “I hope that one day you will see me as family…as that I will see you as family.”

[shengami]

Stats

Strength: 1
Stamina: 1
Speed: 5
Shimmer: 2
Soul: 1
Brawl: 1
Melee: 3
Ranged: 1
Preparation: 3

Terrain Affinity: Grassland/Forest
Terrain Weakness: Arctic/Aquatic
Element Affinity: Lightning
Element Weakness: Water

Weapon Bonus: 12+2

Character Name:  Chee Tortious
Date | Time: 01.07.1323 | ~7am?
Location: Hammer Academy and The Skies Over Onyx Prairie
Wearing: Jeans, Denim Jacket, T-shirt, beanie, gloves and shoes
Tagging | Mentioning: Hulta/ @TheFluffyOne |
Notes: Hanging Out While Hang Gliding (9)
Chee stood up from strapping the last strap in place. He watched Hulta do the same. Hyperbole and fervent promises didn't make Chee feel better. Anyone could say anything. He was certain that Loz, Kim'Blee, and Ocean all made fervent promises from their ends, too. Everyone believed in what they were doing and wanted to believe that no one nor the world would stop them. Everyone thought they were righteous. How could anyone act without belief in their actions.

He sighed.

The sentiment behind Hulta's words was clear enough not to quibble over the choice of words. "Every day." He committed to the sentiment.

He looked at her as she picked up the bundle. He picked up his own. The wings were light when assembled, but when densely packed were heavy. He felt the strap bite into his shoulders as he looked toward Onyx's walls. Even landing this far from them was dangerous. Hollow got this close at times. He licked his lips at the little spike of adrenaline that thought kicked up.

He hefted his pack and then started walking. He fell in beside Hulta and grinned up at her. "Some day? Any time you need anytin from me, Hulta. All you gotta do is ask. Need sandwiches? I'll buy da cheese. Wanna forget da world a minute? I got you. Hang gliding or any of a dozen different tings. Need someone ta watch your six? Ain't none better. Bout da only place I draw da line is cryin, but dat's just cause I'm no good wit dat stuff. You can still come ta me wit it, just sayin I might not have a clue what ta do. S'all." He grinned again. There was no hesitation in it. Hulta wasn't Koko or Violet, yet. His tail snapped behind him happily.

~~End Scene~~

[Envious]

Stats

Strength: 3
Stamina: 2
Speed: 0
Shimmer: 4
Soul: 4
Brawl: 2
Melee: 1
Ranged: 0
Preparation: 2

Terrain Affinity: Grassland, Desert
Terrain Weakness: Aquatic, Urban
Element Affinity: Lightning, Fire
Element Weakness: Earth, Water

Weapon Bonus: 12+2

Character Name: Thessa Almentis
Date | Time: 1.10.1323 | Evening
Location: Bristlewood
Wearing: Jeans and gray hoodie over tshirt
Tagging | Mentioning: Dariaq |
Notes:
Thessa scanned the woodland, and while she saw no other sign of Hollow, it meant nothing. There was no safety beyond the wall and even within, she knew it was a false sense of security. A howl of pain made her turn around. The elder elf was trying to scramble away from Bea.

“You will bleed out if I do not do this!” She grasped the man’s wrist tightly and pulled with strength to lock his arm down before shoving a clean handkerchief deep into the wound. Thessa turned away; she was no healer. Around her, people huddled for comfort, but the scent of fear was still strong in the air. It was the perfect time for an I told you so! delivered as tough love to have these idiots think before acting, but she couldn’t quite muster up the nerve to say anything. Not when a weathered hand touched her own and grateful eyes gazed up in gratitude.

“Thank you.”

Thessa sucked in a breath and gave a wordless nod in reply. She didn’t know what to say. In Haymurk and Pinewatch there had been no reason for anyone to give thanks. Their efforts, while valiant, had seemed to be too little too late. Here, though, she and Dariaq had been in the right spot at the right time. She sought him out - he was moving amongst the survivors and checking in. Leev was doing the same, helping some to their feet and offering niceties before making his way to Thessa.

“Thank you.” The sincerity was delivered with strength and when the elf looked at this Benefactor, it was as if she was looking at a man who knew the answers to all her questions. “I believe our meeting tonight was fated.”

”Ain’t got no interest in a person that think this be what needed ta meet me,” she responded sourly. Leev didn’t respond. He stared solemnly at Thessa for a long moment before turning to look at Dariaq. Thessa frowned as she watched him. He wasn’t threatening, but the certainty that he radiated was offputting.

“Our experiences forge us for the trials ahead. The good and the bad.” It resonated with Thessa, but not in a positive way. Had she not begged the Brothers for reprieve from whatever their cosmic design might be? If everything that made her her needed to be taken away, why choose to have her in their eye in the first place? “Thank you, again.”

”Welcome.” What else was there to say? Thessa left his company, seeking Dariaq and making herself useful where needed. The voices of the Benefactors handed off as much arcanite as they could and then said they were remaining to find the Marauders to see if they could be of assistance with them as well. Their complete lack of worry over the Hollow menace hiding within the dark forest was bravery fueled by ignorance in Thessa’s opinion, but she wasn’t about to argue.

As she and Dariaq rounded everyone up for walking back to Onyx, Thessa was finally introduced to Mr. Khan and after some lackluster pleasantries, they began their voyage back to the city.

end scene

[Dove]

Stats

Strength: 3
Stamina: 5
Speed: 4
Shimmer: 0
Soul: 3
Brawl: 2
Melee: 2
Ranged: 2
Preparation: 0

Terrain Affinity: Urban
Terrain Weakness: None
Element Affinity: Lightning, Fire
Element Weakness: Earth, Water

Weapon Bonus:12+5

Character Name: Estelle Dawn
Date | Time: 01.04.1323 | Early or late? (~2:30am)
Location: Fort Kapsi Memorial
Wearing: Hiking wear.
Tagging | Mentioning: Artanis
Notes:
While Artanis was typically difficult to read, she could see the way he hesitated or faltered in his story. She could tell he didn’t want to bring attention to his actions - selfless actions - that had apparently saved Meena. While she was mostly able to keep her reactions under wraps, she couldn’t help but let her expression soften at the thought. He really was an enigma.

She let herself crouch down, on edge as he got into the parts about falling into the chasm. The Hollow climbing the walls and the arcanite actions he’d taken. All smart, maybe even things she wouldn’t think to do in the moment. She liked that about him, thought that it was even more reason to take him up on the training or a spar. Eyes fluttered closed as she realized what he was implying. The stinger? A shiver rippled up her spine. “Gods…” she whispered, only cracking eyes open to see the scar he revealed. Her lips fell open in shock, the sheer size of the scar enough to imagine what the moment must have been like. The pain he must have been in. She couldn’t even imagine it. It was a miracle that he survived. She leaned forward there in her crouching position, eyes tracing over it - and him - before his shirt fell back down. There was a strange urge to reach out and touch it, but she didn’t have to think twice to know that Artanis likely wouldn’t take kindly to such a gesture.

His back was to her now and she rose back to her feet. Hands toyed with the sweater around her waist, stuck with so many questions and curiosities now. And she also had an oddly warm feeling that he felt comfortable sharing all of this with her. Seeing more of him was nice. “Makes you wonder if everything happens for a reason. I mean, I don’t know that I even really believe that. But if all that hadn’t happened with Meena and the Hollow? Maybe he would be dead. Constance would have gotten what she wanted. Maybe you had to go through what you did so you could save him.” It was a romanticized idea, she knew. And usually she wasn’t one to think like that. But still. In instances like this it felt more and more likely.

Taking one large step towards his back, she craned her neck. “You’ve got what?” she asked pointedly. He’d started to say something twice but cut himself off both times. Her curiosity was burning. And it just felt like he was censoring himself. How does she help? It was a good question and she shrugged her shoulders. But after a moment, her hands floated to his back, one moving to his upper arm as she brought herself to his flank. “I don’t know, Artanis. But we can figure that out. If you don’t care about them, then what do you care about?”

Her hands slid away from him, not wanting him to shake her off before she did so. So the touch was fleeting. She let her face fall, looking towards the ground as her hands hung by her sides now. “At the very least, I’d be curious whether she’s gotten wrapped up with the wrong crowd. Constance, I mean.”

[Aethyrium]

Character Name: Artanis Mellow
Date | Time: January 4, 1323 | Early Morning (~2:30am)
Location: Fort Kapsi Memorial
Wearing: Denim goes wild
Tagging | Mentioning: Estelle |
She couldn’t have known what a terrible thought that was, but it struck Artanis immediately. “Oh great, the brother’s giving me another curse.” He rolled his eyes heavily and shook his head. “Go through all of that to save the predator.” He scoffed. “Well let me be perfectly clear. Saving Haimehen? Not on my list of life goals, and not worth going through all of that. What the fuck do I care if his sister kills him and gets what she wants?” He crossed his arms defiantly. Fate was a touchy subject for Artanis - he had a bad one already, being the guy who got another that he didn’t want was not great.

But at the end of the day, he didn’t regret saving Haim, because it had been for Thessa - and those elves were not equal in his book.

It wasn’t like he couldn’t have anticipated that she’d want to know. Estelle’s curiosity was predictable, and he hadn’t done a good job of not baiting the trail. Artanis squeezed his eyes shut, not sure what to say or how to answer it. “Questions.” He shook his head, as if that would explain it all away. Could he answer what questions? Probably not. “What do I… What does that matter?” What was she even asking, really? Artanis’ arms opened and he reached up to rub his neck. This was too much to think about. It was much easier when he just had information and didn’t let himself get caught up in it.

But that brought him to Estelle. He turned and looked at her like he was seeing into her. And partially, because he was. Everything the good doctor Gero had seen and wanted to do with her. The entire Red Ribbon project. “I don’t care about anything. The world never cared about me.” He said bitterly and looked away again, but he didn’t turn away. Her touch though signaled that wasn’t always true. Thessa’s actions had done the same. Lyra’s too. But it would, he reminded himself. None of this would - could - last. “I don’t care. But maybe I should? I don’t know.” He admitted, more defeatedly, more softly.

That was really the crux of why he was out here. “No one else is going to chase this. It’s just something that dies with Haimehen, if I don’t do something. What good does it do to get involved? Why bother? There’s other stuff I could focus on. I have this… Knowledge.” Maybe that’d placate her curiosity, talking through it. “I don’t want it. I shouldn’t have to deal with it, just because I do. But what if I have it because I’m supposed to, or something.”

[Dove]

Stats

Strength: 3
Stamina: 5
Speed: 4
Shimmer: 0
Soul: 3
Brawl: 2
Melee: 2
Ranged: 2
Preparation: 0

Terrain Affinity: Urban
Terrain Weakness: None
Element Affinity: Lightning, Fire
Element Weakness: Earth, Water

Weapon Bonus:12+5

Character Name: Estelle Dawn
Date | Time: 01.04.1323 | Early or late? (~2:30am)
Location: Fort Kapsi Memorial
Wearing: Hiking wear.
Tagging | Mentioning: Artanis
Notes:
When he turned to look at her, his gaze felt different than before. Almost immediately there was a crease in her brow, but she couldn’t place what it meant or how it felt. It was just different. The way he went back and forth with himself was telling, though. And there was a softness to his voice that made her want to hold him. To wrap her arms around him and tell him to just let go. She refrained, fingers moving to tug at the hoodie again half heartedly to keep her hands busy. Licking her lips, she shook her head, deciding to go back a bit. “You care about Thessa,” she said matter-of-factly. He couldn’t deny that, could he? He’d made it plain as day their first conversation that he would watch over her simply because she was important to Thessa. In a way, that stung. But she didn’t know his story. Didn’t know what made him tick or why he pushed people away the way he did.

It was harder for her to follow his other points. But she figured she got there, and she was visibly and mentally chewing on his questions. She couldn’t know he was referring to more than just Constance and Haim. She couldn’t know how deeply this trouble ran - his sense of responsibility with all the ‘knowledge’ he held. Estelle closed the distance between them with a couple steps, her arms folding around herself as she shook her head. “Why wouldn’t someone else chase this? A squire was almost killed in his hospital bed. But even that aside, you decide what you’re supposed to do. I have this knowledge now, too. Does that mean I’m supposed to chase it, too? And… if you don’t want it, maybe you just give it to someone else. Tell Apple. Or a mentor. Or… I don’t know.” Her shoulders lifted in a shrug and the frown on her face grew. “This isn’t some sacred secret you’re keeping, you know? This is some villain’s secret. Constance tried to kill her own brother.” She spat the words, unable to believe that someone could turn on family.

A soft sigh escaped her and she shivered, the crisp air finally getting to her. Fingers tugged the hoodie from her waist, throwing it over her frame and sticking her head out the hole. Fixing her hair and pushing it back from her face, she looked at him again. “No one is supposed to do anything.”

[Aethyrium]

Character Name: Artanis Mellow
Date | Time: January 4, 1323 | Early Morning (~2:30am)
Location: Fort Kapsi Memorial
Wearing: Denim goes wild
Tagging | Mentioning: Estelle |
Thessa. Thessa, Thessa, Thessa. Artanis mulled over that idea, over the elf. Did he care about her? Sort of. Already this conversation, line of thought, was veering into the uncomfortable. If things weren’t what they were, he would have. How could he care about someone that would, ultimately, fall away. Turn against him. He could see the invisible timer over her head, a detonator to a great bomb that no one else knew existed. “I tolerate Thessa.” He replied. Which from the outside, considering his normal relations with people, could be read as care. But those words didn’t feel true the moment he said them. Artanis snarled into the darkness, at himself. Damnit. He needed to clarify, because he’d spoken and it wasn’t right. That couldn’t be allowed to stand. “Thessa is…” Obnoxious. “Persistent.” Trouble. “Complicated.” Nice. “Entertaining. She’s. Uh,” he let himself work through the thought slowly pressing his tongue along the inside of his cheek, “She’s going to go away, eventually.” There it was, he found it. A way to say it, without saying it. “When we’re done here, or sooner,” he shrugged, timing didn’t matter, “No point in caring about something that’s doomed.”

Artanis had a lot of doubt about what she said, but it wasn’t like he could blame her. She didn’t know. She didn’t understand, because she couldn’t. How could anyone. No one had lived inside of Haimehen and felt his anxiety, his confusion, and his heartbreak that Constance had tried to kill him. Of course the military wanted to find Constance, there were questions about Kapsi. But they weren’t doing it for closure, they weren’t doing it to find answers to questions they didn’t know to ask. “You don’t, though.” He rolled his head and sighed. Maybe she was right. It was certainly easier that way. It’s how he lived. He was only entertaining this because Thessa had suggested that he had this gift for a reason.

Of course asking Estelle to opine was flawed, since she wasn’t making an apples to apples comparison. If she knew what he knew, what he could know, would she answer the same way? “They know about the attack, but they don’t know… Haimehen isn’t the concern.” There had to be another way to articulate this. Artanis spun around and looked at her as she started fixing her hair. “Maybe they’re not,” He agreed. He studied her face for a long quiet moment. There was some thought behind his eyes, but he brushed it away. “But what if they are?”

He sighed, closed his eyes, and dropped his head to the side. The Haimehen situation was just one thing. One of many. And maybe the least relatable. “But what if you were given a piece of knowledge, and only you had it. Someone gave you the knowledge that, I don’t know, something bad was going to happen. Are you supposed to do something with that? Should you? What if it means betraying everyone around you? What if doing so, meant everyone was going to hate you.” He was deep in the hypothetical scenario now, and it started to break down. Because it was imperfect. But he didn’t know how else to draw a comparison.

“Maybe I just need to sleep.” The idea actually made his face twitch with disgust at the idea. “You know, this is all Thessa’s fault,” he grumbled, “You’re right. It’s not my responsibility to do anything.”

[Dove]

Stats

Strength: 3
Stamina: 5
Speed: 4
Shimmer: 0
Soul: 3
Brawl: 2
Melee: 2
Ranged: 2
Preparation: 0

Terrain Affinity: Urban
Terrain Weakness: None
Element Affinity: Lightning, Fire
Element Weakness: Earth, Water

Weapon Bonus:12+5

Character Name: Estelle Dawn
Date | Time: 01.04.1323 | Early or late? (~2:30am)
Location: Fort Kapsi Memorial
Wearing: Hiking wear.
Tagging | Mentioning: Artanis
Notes:
Estelle couldn’t help but scoff. “You said it yourself. She’s persistent. She’s not going anywhere.” Her shoulders lifted in a shrug and her eyes peeked between his. Neither am I, she wanted to say. Lips pressed together in a line to stop herself from doing so. Her hand reached out to push at his chest almost playfully. “Also, doomed is so dramatic. You and Thessa are not doomed. I can’t tell which of you is more stubborn. So your friendship is bound to stick,” she teased, brows rising over blue orbs as she shook her head. She took it all to mean that he’d lost most people he’d ever been close to. That family and friends had faded away for whatever reason. Maybe one day she’d know why.

There was that look again. The way he looked at her made her feel like he was pulling layers back and away, like he was seeing something underneath that even she wouldn’t see if she looked in a mirror. It made her want to flinch, to avert her eyes, to turn away. But the very opposite side of her didn’t want him to stop. To guide him and tell him to look all he wanted. The thought alone was enough to bring a blush to her cheeks, one that she’d blame on the cold in the air this time of year.

She tried to follow him through this hypothetical, the crease returning between her brows as she did. But ultimately, she shook her head. It didn’t feel hypothetical. Maybe he was so on edge recently because he was trying to carry something on his own. Some piece of information that had him feeling responsible. The mention of sleep and Thessa again had her humming slightly to herself in partial amusement. “Well, according to you everyone already hates you. Or something?” she said, lifting her chin almost defiantly. Eyes crinkled as she smiled some, taking a couple steps back and enjoying the sound of the earth beneath her feet.

“In all seriousness?” she started, pulling the conversation back somewhere rational and meaningful where she typically liked to live. Her frame leaned forward almost in a half lunge towards him with one foot in front of the other, hands tucked in the pocket of her hoodie. “It sounds like you’re trying to handle something on your own that’s just too big for one person to carry.” A small smile turned up the corners of her lips and she shrugged again. “I won’t ask you what it is, because, well… what’d be the point? But maybe you should try to share the weight. You know? With… someone.” Standing up straight again, she looked around them. “Sleep could also help. You could sleep here under the stars? I could keep watch, make sure no Hollow snap ya up while you’re out.” While there was a cheeky glimmer in her eye, there was also an authenticity to the offer, her head tilting as she gazed towards him.

[Aethyrium]

Character Name: Artanis Mellow
Date | Time: January 4, 1323 | Early Morning (~2:30am)
Location: Fort Kapsi Memorial
Wearing: Denim goes wild
Tagging | Mentioning: Estelle |
What choice did he have but to play along? She didn’t know any better. Artanis jostled with her shove and offered a small smile. But it was tired, and unconvinced. Even if there was a grain of potential in what she said, Artanis couldn’t let himself hope for it - and that’s what he meant by he didn’t care. He didn’t want to hope for it. She knew. It was only a matter of time, not dramatics. And that made something click. Was this whole moral dilemma because he wanted to try and find that grain of potential? It had been a long time since he’d considered any of this. Not since being an adult, really. Certainly not since being a Champion. What it reminded him was why he pushed people away. Why he kept them away. This was… Messy didn’t even begin to cover it.

“Well that’s true,” he said, but what he was talking about was different. Being mad at him and avoiding him because he was an asshole wasn’t the same as what came with understanding what he did. But the advice that followed was close enough to his own thoughts that it resonated. It wasn’t his place to decide what got shared where and when and how. He shouldn’t take these sorts of actions. It wasn’t for him, brothers’ intent be damned. Sharing it was exactly the problem, but he didn’t need to share it, because he didn’t need to carry it. He could just keep doing what he had been.

A moment of relief washed over him. “You’re right, it is too much for one person.” Artanis said, looking past her at the memorial. What did he feel? Nothing. “Haimehen can go fuck himself,” and that was overwhelmingly freeing to say aloud. Saving him in the moment of immediate danger, that had been doing right by Thessa, because he mattered. But this? Trying to extend his knowledge beyond that? No. That wasn’t destiny, it wasn’t what he was meant to do. This was no blessing, it was a curse. And pretending it wasn’t wasn’t just painful, it was reckless. “You know what, I feel better about this,” he breathed out, less tensely, more comfortably. “It’s not my problem.”

But then new awkwardness arrived. Estelle. She really had helped settle this inner turmoil he’d been feeling. Which probably meant the best thing to do was try and push her again, before she got hurt. But Artanis found he didn’t have the will to do that right then. Not when she was there looking at him like that. “Sleep sucks, but…” he looked back toward the path, “Probably should. Not here though, who will protect you from getting snapped up by a Hollow? I don’t need to hear Thessa bitching about how I made her lose another partner or anything.” But that was cover. What he really meant was that he didn’t want her in danger. “But I guess since you helped, I’ll let you walk back to Hammer with me.” As if such a thing was a prize.

- End Scene -