Merc
Saint Wizard
(Legendary)
Strength: 65
Speed: 150
Magic: 121
Willpower: 100
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Post by Merc on Jul 7, 2015 17:31:44 GMT -5
Riley listened to Battler's words, but she didn't agree with him, she couldn't. "I was the guild master, the blame will always fall on my shoulders irregardless of the circumstances." Somehow, she didn't terribly feel like she wanted to be comforted on the matter, not at the moment, anyways. He went on to condemn himself and she slowly edged forwards, making her way to the desk and sitting on the edge she tipped her head back, staring at the ceiling for a few long moments.
"At the end of the day, I made the decision to leave the guild vulnerable and follow you. Griffin Wing was on its' last leg for a long time, I shouldn't have left it so easily, I suppose. I could have sent someone else to bring you back, but I was afraid that they wouldn't make it in time. Had I more faith in our guild mates, this may never have happened." She was quiet a moment, studying the ceiling as though it was the most intricate piece of art that had ever been put on display.
"Of course, if I didn't go, there's no guarantee that any of you would have come back at all, and I'd have felt terrible and blamed myself for that, too." She added with a bitter laugh that sounded unnatural, detached. Her emotions were so strung out that she wasn't really sure what she was feeling anymore.
Besides resentment. She was feeling plenty of that.
"The government never did meddle much with the guilds. We should have worked together more, but their relationship with the previous master was not good, and I didn't manage to salvage it." Riley murmured, half lidded eyes recalling things that had happened in the past, which felt like a lifetime ago.
"Phantom Cloak." She whispered, finally dropping her head to look towards Battler, she reached out her hand, petting his hair in a manner that mimicked what he had done for her earlier that day. "I don't blame you, Battler. I guess the truth of the matter is that they probably would have attacked anyways when I had wandered off on a mission or something. I... Will make sure that they pay dearly for what they've done."
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Post by Battler Myrddin on Jul 20, 2015 19:56:25 GMT -5
"There's something I've decided on as well." Saying this, Battler paused as he let the warmth of the hand on his head settle into him. It was true he had been thinking about things, even back in the demon world. Frankly, it was impossible for him at the moment to be around people at all. If he was, he had to expose himself as little as possible. His body was not meant for this world, and his existence was still unknown. Just like it eroded his own body, it was possible it could start unknowingly erode those around him. He didn't want that. It would be the same as the hedgehog's dilemma. It would be best to keep to his own.
"I'll be going off the grid. There's some stuff I need to do. I'll be taking on mercenary jobs for the meantime. There's no place left for me in this world, so I may as well start doing what I want. For that, I need money and connections." Connections and money, the two things that could achieve his long term goals. Battler knew the importance of these. But the type of connections he was looking for would be frowned upon regardless of how he used it, so it was best to stay out of sight.
"Knowledge is power. There is something I want to do, but I have to get the info. And the info I plan on getting could get me killed. So I'll be isolating myself for a long time." Isolation, away from anyone who knows him or did know him at one point. Honestly, Riley was probably the only person Battler knew, alongside his friend next door in the other apartment, and the girls he met earlier that day. But there would be some unwelcome guests eventually.
"Well, I suppose that's all just an excuse. I just want some time alone to sort through things." In truth, Battler had felt his mind eroding away quite often in the demon world. If it happened here and he lost control, it was better to be isolated then to risk hurting those he cares about. Or worse, forcing them to have to kill him.
"Come morning, I'll be leaving. As or where, who knows. For now, lets eat. We both need it." With that said, Battler began eating his food which was cold now. The nostalgic taste of curry. It had been a long time. Each of the ingredients were things that tasted similar to but not the same as the ones in the demon world. It's been a long time.
Tag: Merc
Erosion Level | 2
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Merc
Saint Wizard
(Legendary)
Strength: 65
Speed: 150
Magic: 121
Willpower: 100
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Post by Merc on Jul 23, 2015 7:36:29 GMT -5
Riley wasn't exactly surprised when Battler informed her that he would be taking his leave, to be frank after him coming and going for years she had just sort of accepted that irregardless of where they were in the world, he would end up leaving her from time to time in pursuit of his own desires. It made her a bit sad, knowing she'd face the world on her own, but she had done it before and she was sure that she could do it again.
"Well, you know where I'll be." She assured him, taking her own seat and picking up her fork. Should he need it, and assuming it was within her power to do so, she would always offer her help to him, which she was pretty sure didn't need to be spoken to be made known. They had been through so much together that helping one another should have been as natural as breathing.
Quietly taking the first bite of her food, Riley took in the sights and smells, her green eyes listlessly staring at the plate as she thought of all of the things that she had learned. She had a lot of work ahead of her, so much that she wasn't even entirely sure where to begin with it and she could already feel the weight of it all crushing at her shoulders.
For now, though, she need only enjoy her last meal with an old friend. Shutting her eyes, she somehow managed to continue guiding food into her mouth without making a mess.
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Post by Battler Myrddin on Jul 31, 2015 1:52:02 GMT -5
Erosion Level | 1/100
After Battler finished his meal, he set in to doing the dishes after making sure he had satisfied his satiety. Following this, he stood in front of his bed for a while, thinking about whether to sleep yet or not. His bed was a double bed, suitable for two people to sleep on it. Of course, this was because three years ago he would often be in bed with a partner. That said, he usually used a separate inn to sleep at with the majority of them, so this was more often his 'personal' bed for things that weren't 'business' related. As a side note, it is also the bed Riley had received her full body massage on. Without the happy end.
「Feel free to use the bath in the back room. I'm going to get some writing done.」 Saying that, he sat down at his old desk and found a book with nothing in it and grabbed a magic pen. With this, he began to write down his long term goals, followed by short term goals to achieve these, and future plans and designs for what he wanted to do. After planning meticulously, about an hour had passed. Assuming Riley was still in the room, he began speaking to her again while stripping down to just a pair of shorts/briefs.
「Stay here for the night. Bed's large enough, and we've dealt with worse. Come morning, we'll both be going our separate ways. May as well have a last moment together. There's no telling what will happen from here on.」 Of course, the last moment he was referring to with that usual casual tone of his was more of the friendly one rather than the nightly plans one. Just a mention of wanting to spend the night in a room with someone you know and trust. Laying down on one side of the bed, he was face up, hands behind his head and he looked at the roof as the moonlight outside his window was the only illumination left.
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Merc
Saint Wizard
(Legendary)
Strength: 65
Speed: 150
Magic: 121
Willpower: 100
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Post by Merc on Jul 31, 2015 20:51:44 GMT -5
Finishing off her meal, Riley gently set her fork down and watched as Battler gathered the dishes before heading off to wash them. She remained quiet as she sat there, though that wasn't anything exceptional by any means, she found herself lost in thoughts about everything that had happened in her absence, all of the things that had gone wrong because she hadn't been there. Her heart ached at the suggestion, and she only managed to pull herself out of somber thoughts when Battler returned, offering her a shower while she cleaned up.
Nodding, she graciously accepted the offer. If nothing else, she could drown her sorrows with some hot water for a little while. Pausing to steal some of his clothes - a clean shirt and pair of boxers - Riley disappeared into the bathroom for the better part of a half hour before emerging in a cloud of steam.
Running her fingers through towel dried hair, Riley made her way towards the bed and perched on the edge, giving a soft yawn as she watched him write for what felt like an eternity before he finally gave in, suggesting that they spend one last night together.
"Alright, Battler. For old time's sake." Giving a soft nod of her head, she crawled up the bed and lay herself down on her side, her back to him. Sighing, she shut her eyes, allowing herself to get lost in the sounds of his breathing in the otherwise silent room.
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Post by Battler Myrddin on Jul 31, 2015 21:08:19 GMT -5
A deep sleep. Something Battler could no longer achieve. With his awareness constantly on his surroundings, and his thoughts always spinning webs in his mind, he could never sleep more than a few hours at a time, and never go any deeper than a mild nap. A misplaced sound would wake him up, or a light thud. Even a whisper, if it entered his hearing range, would disturb his rest. And in this utter silence of his room with the breathing of his own and Riley's next to him, it was unnerving. It had been so long since he had heard only silence and somewhat peaceful breathing.
Turning his head to look at his now former guild master, and close friend, Battler took one long breath in, then out as he finally began to put his mind to rest. To enter sleep mode forcibly, in a way. With the constant tension he exposed himself to, simply releasing it was enough to put him to sleep. As he closed his eyes to sleep, he used a hand to stroke the head of the person next to him. A habit he had gotten in the other world. By feeling the presence next to him, it gave him peace of mind, to let him know he was still alive.
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Come morning, Battler woke up quite early and crawled out of bed like a mist, with barely a sound or feeling from lifting off the bed. Grabbing his clothes, he got dressed quite quickly and made his way to the kitchen, looking for a snack. The only thing that was edible from how it was would be the cold uncooked steak. Sure, he could cook it, but his altered body was capable of digesting it. He had eaten wild monsters and demons in the other world, so this would be a cinch. Grabbing a steak and pocketing his notebook into his suit blazer, he left out the door, looking back at Riley while mouthing the words "goodbye".
Briefly stopping by the room next door, he said his farewells there as well and left the building. As he walked on this early morning where the sun had barely risen and there was little to no one on the streets, he took a bite out of the steak with his strengthened teeth, crushing and tearing that piece until he could swallow it. His taste buds barely functioned anymore, so there was nothing he could comment about it. If anything, it was bland. Even the curry he ate the night before, he could tell what it taste like, but the taste simply didn't register in his mind. Sort of like pulling up the memory of its taste.
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