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Post by therunawaygirl on Dec 4, 2020 17:34:26 GMT -5
“Oh, wait… What?!”
Blinking a bit amongst the confusion, Tori realized the weird commentary after Yuto asked what it was that they’d fought not long ago —Mei and him. That, added to what Henoke said about “not sounding too tough”. Glaring at him a bit, Tori mulled over her thoughts a bit.
“I swear —I’ll kill you myself if you don’t fix that attitude of yours…” she threatened in her mind. “A Coeurl isn’t a bird —it’s more like a beast” Hiroshi explained calmly, “They’re not that easy, either —one hit from those whiskers of them and you might kick the bucket. They’re just as, if not more ruthless up close. Fighting a Coeurl means knowing how much distance is adequate —and that’s not easy to know first-hand.” “Yeah —but Yuto and I managed” Mei said, nodding along Hiroshi’s words, “It was causing trouble, anyways —if not us, someone else would’ve taken care of it, surely.”
Arriving back with the food, the waiter set the plates down and wishing them all to enjoy the meal. Smirking, Tori glanced over at Henoke after seeing his bowl —sure enough, he’d asked a similar thing to the first thing he ate, when he first arrived. Once he’d begun eating, Tori would hit him with her elbow, a teasing smirk written on her face.
“So, yet again, you’re eating something unhealthy, aren’t you?” she asked, teasing, “Seriously —is there anything aside pork, or are you just intolerant to everything else?” “I agree with Tori, y’know” Mei giggled, “You should try to eat something else! Like… This shrimp!” she pointed at the tempura with her chopsticks, “I don’t mind, so long as you give it a try.” “…This is a friendly dynamic, isn’t it?” Hiroshi asked, taking a bite of his own plate, “Surprising, really —after all, you two are outsiders, right? So how come you all get along so suddenly?” “Henoke and I know each other from before —that’s why” Tori explained, “And then Yuto knows him from elsewhere, too. We just sorta clicked afterwards.” “You’ve always been easy to hang around with, though —the fact that you keep making friends doesn’t really surprise me” Hiroshi replied calmly, although his tone was clearly teasing, “I was more asking about Mei here.” “Hey!”
Tori puffed her cheeks, bitter, but it only caused her father to laugh softly. Mizu had perked up with the smell of meat, barking now at the man and wagging her tail for a piece of lamb —thing the man didn’t refuse. Instead of a piece, though, the wolf received a full chop. Content, Mizu laid back down, munching on the meat eagerly with her tail wagging happily.
Although surely that wouldn’t be enough to quell the wolf’s appetite.
“You spoil her too much” Tori said. “Well, if not you, someone has to” Hiroshi replied. “…I’m surprised she’s even hanging out with you to begin with.” “Oh, yeah…” Mei noticed, “Mizu used to growl a lot, whenever you two saw each other. So, that’s changed, too?” “Apparently —Mizu just doesn’t leave my side nowadays.” “Hehe… Must be nice, always having a companion.”
The meal went on easily enough, although the pace was slow. Mei was about to finish her own meal, enjoying a friendly banter every now and then —as was Hiroshi. Being so long since he’d talked with Tori or any of her friends, it was a refreshing change of pace for the man. All the while, Mizu ate her piece, sometimes trying to get Henoke to give her some —although Tori was fully against it.
Wolves and spice never paired up well —she knew that from experience.
"So, you guys have any plans after lunch?” As Yuto asked what came after, Tori thought a bit. It wouldn’t be nice to take another Mark before calling it a day. They had to drop the cash over by the Guild, not at Verun —only reason she wanted to pay him a visit was to request a custom-made shield with the shell pieces they had gathered.
“I want to drop by Verun’s to ask him for a shield” Tori explained, “After that… I guess we could take another Mark. You guys wanna team up?” “Yuto and I will be at the Training Grounds” Mei replied, “He asked me to help him with his magic, so that he doesn’t wear himself too much without using a channel.” “Huh…” Tori glanced over at Henoke, “Wouldn’t those classes help you, Henoke?” “Tori, no need to tease him for it…”
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Post by hoodwink on Dec 4, 2020 18:16:39 GMT -5
Hearing Hiroshi’s explanation of what the Coeurl actually was, Henoke showed much more interest. ”Woah! I wanna fight one!” It sounded like a perfect challenge, for a close-range fighter like him (or a death sentence to any more wise person). Mei and Yuto played it off well, but from the sounds of it, their ‘Mark’ had been a pretty deadly one. I won’t be outdone! He was getting fired up, wanting to prove he could take on more terrifying monsters! Before he could get too worked up, though, the waiter returned with their food. Immediately, the teen’s face lit up and all other thoughts vanished as he hastily began making his way through the piled up meat and rice. ”So yet again, you’re eating something unhealthy, aren’t you?” Tori’s tease and elbow caused the teen to smirk and roll his eyes, waving a hand and mumbling between mouthfuls. ”Tch—wuff hue mean? Meatsch heffy!” Mei was quick to agree with Tori, offering up a piece of tempura, to which Henoke paused and glanced at it warily while chewing. ”…” After gulping down his mouthful, the boy reached out hesitantly as he grabbed a piece of tempura, chomping up the whole thing in one bite with a skeptical look.
”Mm...porksche’ be'er!” As if to replace the taste on his tongue, Henoke immediately scooped up another mouthful of the spicy pork, his face alight with joy as he hummed in pleasure. Tori and Hiroshi’s dynamic seemed to be going pleasantly enough, while Henoke ‘shoo’ed’ at Mizu, not intending to share any of his pork with the wolf-dog even without knowing about the dangers of canines and spices. All in all, it was a pleasant and relaxing meal, spent with trusted and recent friends alike. As Yuto asked what they’d be up to afterwards, Henoke perked up at the mention of another mark, though he made a slightly indignant look at his friend and stuck out a tongue. ”It’s Henoke, not Hercules!” It seemed the teen had never heard of such a fable, the joke flying over his head completely. Tori was quick to remind Henoke of her want for a shield, of which the teen had totally forgotten about. ”Oh yeah…the ‘tank’ thing…” Mildly confused, the teen shrugged. ”I guess we could take another Mark. You guys wanna team up?” Shouting out in immediately agreement, Henoke sulked slightly as Mei mentioned her and Yuto heading for the Training Grounds, instead, to teach him magic.
Lame… He wanted to go on another hunt with everyone! ”Wouldn’t those classes help you, Henoke?” Jolting and staggering in his chair, the boy scowled at Tori and turned his head, looking indignant at the comment. ”I’ve done enough trainin’! I don’t need magic to beat up monsters, anyway!” It seemed the boy was rather stubborn, as he turned back to Yuto and Mei with a confidant smirk. ”Tori and I’ll go get another Mark! I’ll be shootin’ up the ranks in no time!” Energized once more, the teen made quick work of shoveling his food faster, wanting to hurry and get back to fighting! ”Le’sh do iff, ‘ori!” Talking through mouthfuls once more, it seemed he was adamant. They could go to the shop, but afterwards, he’d be right back at those boards!
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ravenheart95
Human
Yo, Socrates, it's a cookie.
Posts: 328
Gender: Male
Age: 22
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Post by ravenheart95 on Dec 15, 2020 17:39:34 GMT -5
Yuto blushed with embarrassment. 'Right, I should'a remembered about the whiskers. Spent enough time dodging and blocking 'em.' He glanced down at his bandaged hand, flexing it a bit to see how much it still hurt. It was tender, but the patch job was extremely helpful.
The man nodded as Tori explained how everyone knew each other. "Don't get me wrong, there was a bump or two. I'd say we came out the other side alright." He couldn't help but smile at Henoke's antics, pinching the bridge of his nose and trying not to laugh as his joke apparently flew over the teen's head.
He had the unfortunate timing of taking a bite of his food as Tori made her comment to Henoke. He managed to avoid choking on his food but still had to take a second to recover. "Man's got guts, gotta give him that." Yuto wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I'd stay don't do anything I wouldn't, but..." He raised his bandaged hand again and smiled. "Whatever y'all choose, be careful."
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Post by therunawaygirl on Dec 25, 2020 10:40:29 GMT -5
Eventually, lunch time was over —most if not all of the people sitting at the table already having finished their own meals. Hiroshi asked for the bills, willing to pay for Mei and Yuto’s as well, but would be completely fine with Yuto paying their own supper. After all, while he’d handed the invitation, the man knew when the line was drawn.
Tori glanced over between Henoke and Yuto, before pulling her hood up, and standing up. Wanting to waste no time at all, her eyes were set on Verun’s shop first, and then heading out to claim yet another Mark —most likely for Henoke’s enthusiasm. In the end, though, it was regular for Tori to take care of multiple Marks in a day, be it solo or teaming up with someone.
Who knew? Maybe they could find someone willing to help with the incoming Raid.
“You’ll be leaving?” Mei asked, glancing over towards her friend. “Yeah —we better get going, if we wanna make the most out of the day” Tori nodded, looking at Henoke, “We can probably have you check stuff out, too, if you really wanna. I’m not trusting you to pick our next Mark.”
Mei giggled as Tori tossed the comment towards Henoke, while she stood up and waited for Yuto to finish, trying not to rush things through. Given that they were all clear on what to do after, it seemed like they would split once again, most likely not seeing the others until the end of the day.
Still, it wasn’t a bad thought, if one considered just how much they would have to talk afterwards. Such was the way the days passed in a world like that.
With everyone taking their way, Hiroshi looked at the group, a faint smile remaining as Mizu trotted towards him, staying near as if to reassure him some company. With a heavy sigh, the man placed both hands on his hip, glancing at Tori with one or two thoughts in mind.
“Stay out of trouble —all of you” he said, catching both girls off-guard, “I don’t want to hear bad news that have your names in them. It’s not exactly pleasant.” “And when, exactly, have you heard such news?” Tori asked, smirking with unease, “…We’ll be careful” she finished, to reassure. “See you soon!” Mei waved faintly, “And good luck in whatever you’ll be doing next.” “Same to you lot. …C’mon, Mizu.”
The wolf barked in response, the tail wagging behind her as the two headed back into the crowded town. While Mei waved back as Hiroshi left, Tori looked without any reaction, a bittersweet feeling tight in her chest. It had been enjoyable, right? So why was it so… Tough? With a sigh, she shook her head, quick to return to what was coming now rather than focus on what had happened.
Something perhaps an attentive person could’ve noticed —but whether they wanted to bring it up or not was up to them.
“So, we split” she emphazised, “Henoke and I head to Verun’s and then to hunt another Mark, and you two are heading to the Training Grounds —that right?” “Yeah, sounds about right” Mei nodded, calmly —although something on her tone would indicate she’d noticed, “After that… We might just have to call it a day, right? It’s already past noon.” “Maybe —if we have time, maybe we could hang by HQ. Y’know —to catch up with the rest and maybe have ice cream.” “Isn’t that always?” Mei giggled, before turning to Yuto, “Let’s get going, shall we?”
With Mei leading Yuto towards the Training Grounds, and Tori taking Henoke with her back towards the Fountain Plaza, things were back in motion. With so many things left to do, there was no time for the restless. It was about time they resumed to the activities they’d set out to do from the start of the day.
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Post by hoodwink on Dec 29, 2020 12:11:38 GMT -5
As everyone finished their food and the bills were paid for, Henoke felt himself raring to go for another battle. Energized from the meal and rejuvenated from the friendly banter and goofing off, the teen felt as though he had started a whole new day. Preparing to leave with Tori, he waved goodbye to the others with a broad smile. ”I’m not trusting you to pick our next Mark.” Tori’s comment caused the teen to stagger in indignation before rolling his eyes and crossing his arms with a faint smirk. ”Fiiiine. So long as it’s tough, I don’t care!” Everyone seemed prepared to head their own ways, for the time being. Henoke understood others not sharing his own level of enthusiasm and energy for the Hunts. His competitive and fiery spirit was one of his own, after all. ”Stay out of trouble—all of you.” Though for a moment a cocky grin had emerged on the teen’s face, Hiroshi’s grim look caused him to falter for a moment at the mention of ‘bad news’. For a moment, Henoke gave the older man a thoughtful look with a slight frown—wondering what other types of ‘news’ he’d received in the past that had caused him to worry so much.
”Don’t sweat it! Tori and I are hella strong!” Recovering himself, Henoke puffed out his chest a bit before thumping it with a fist, giving Hiroshi a confidant smile and a ‘thumbs up’. ”There’s no way we’ll lose!” The fire blazing in his eyes set the sentiment in stone in his heart. Burning it into his chest, the teen’s confidence wasn’t built from one of arrogance, but one that had come from all of the adventures he and Tori had shared. He’d seen her powers—as well as his own. Waving goodbye as Hiroshi and Mizu departed, the teen turned back to his friends with an eager look sent Tori’s way. ”So we split. Henoke and I head to Verun’s and then to hunt another Mark,” Blinking in mild surprise, the teen scratched his cheek sheepishly. Oh, right… He had gotten so excited, he’d forgotten that they still had to pick up a shield for Tori. ”Maybe—if we have time, maybe we could hang by HQ.” Nodding in agreement, Henoke rested his hands behind his head and smiled broadly. ”Yeah! Let’s reconnect there.” Waving goodbye to Mei and Yuto, the hotheaded youth was eager as he and Tori headed back out to the Fountain Plaza.
Following her to Verun’s, the boy’s head was full of fantasies of powerful monsters falling to the new blade on his back.
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ravenheart95
Human
Yo, Socrates, it's a cookie.
Posts: 328
Gender: Male
Age: 22
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Post by ravenheart95 on Jan 8, 2021 12:48:46 GMT -5
He finished and paid for his and Mei's food with everyone else. Standing up and stretching, Yuto had to hold back a laugh at Tori's comment to Henoke. The teen would pick the most deadly thing, if given the chance. "I promise not to get caught, sir." Yuto was only half-joking. He made mischief when he could, and sometimes purely by accident.
He thought he saw Tori shake her head at something, but he wasn't really paying attention. He was more focused on what he and Mei were going to do now. ”So we split." Yuto tilted his head for a second before remembering. 'Right, she said they were gonna pick something up.' He nodded as Mei confirmed that the two were going to the training grounds. "Well, we do need to go shopping first. But Yeah, I need to practice somme things." He pointed to Mei. "And who better to keep an eye on me than the support?"
“Maybe —if we have time, maybe we could hang by HQ. Y’know —to catch up with the rest and maybe have ice cream.” The man's head perked up at the sound of fun times. "Sounds like a blast!"
He nodded and followed Mei out of the tavern. 'That was..nice.' He smiled a bit as the two headed for their destination.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Jan 8, 2021 15:36:20 GMT -5
”Don’t sweat it!”
It was nice to hear reassurance, of someone watching another’s back. Hiroshi drew a faint smirk as he heard those words echo in his heart, while Mizu trotted besides him to keep him company. Maybe there wasn’t a need to worry, so long as they looked out for the other? If they were that close, willing to step forward to defend and help the other…
Why worry?
The group split as told —while Tori and Henoke headed back into town, Mei and Yuto headed off to purchase the accessories they were seeking. Mei was eager to help, giggling a bit as Yuto somewhat praised her. "And who better to keep an eye on me than the support?" It felt nice, being appreciated in one way. Knowing Yuto meant no ill by it, instead wanting to genuinely encourage, Mei smiled back.
“Then I’ll do my best!”
The streets of the Market were ever so full of people, minding each their own business and going by the faint afternoon without a care. Mei guided Yuto to where the accessories he was looking for. Rings, armlets, and other sorts of accessories were shown on display —as well as the gloves Yuto was looking. With so many different styles and colors, as well as difference in material and cost, the man would have plenty to choose from.
“So?” Mei asked, looking his way, “There’s so much I can do for recommendations… What, exactly is it you’re looking for when it comes to these sorts of things? Like… Any preferences?”
[(Skipping the visit to the shop because we have more fun stuff to focus on)]
Having handed over the pieces and the request, Tori was quick to leave the shop and guide Henoke once more through the town, in search for another Mark to tackle, before calling it a day. Now having something else to look after in most likely a couple of days, Tori wanted to focus on the “here and now” —and for that, she had to find a suitable Mark.
Her hood over her head, with its shroud helping her keep some appearances, the girl glanced over at the nearby Bulletin Board, checking around for anything that picked her fancy —as well as making sure Henoke didn’t pick any or got any funny ideas.
At the end of the day, despite his skill, the teen was still reckless —that alone could lead them in trouble during hunting.
“Hmm…” Tori crossed her arms, unsure on what to pick. All of the Marks available were… Lackluster, “Should’ve taken a second one when we got that other bill… Most of the good ones have already been taken care of…”
The girl puffed her cheeks, unamused, glaring a hole into the board. With so many bills posted —requesting either people or monsters—, there was most likely one or two Tori had overlooked… Right? That was a possibility, wasn’t it?
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Post by hoodwink on Jan 9, 2021 15:54:45 GMT -5
After leaving Verun’s shop, Tori’s shield in tow, Henoke was excited and ready to search for a new Mark to tackle. With an extra pep in his step, the bright-haired youth walked with his head high and face alight with an ambitious glow. ”Aw, yeah!” Having made their way through town to the Bulletin Board, Henoke was quick to rush up, his eyes hungry for targets. ”Hmm…Should’ve taken a second one when we got that other bill…” The teen’s face fell as sure enough, at first glance, everything left was rather…well, let’s just say it didn’t look like anything to brag about. ”Huh?” Blinking for a moment, Henoke’s brows raised in intrigue as they glimpsed the corner of a Mark buried beneath other postings. "Woah!” Moving the other postings out of the way, the teen shouted out in excitement as his eyes widened and an eager grin spread across his face. ”We should do this one!” Henoke had never seen a monster depicted like in the posting he was looking at. A large gaping mouth filled with jagged teeth grinned and drooled, countless tentacles with what looked like eyeballs at the end shooting out in every direction, composing its head and body.
”A Mall-bro?” What as a 'mall'? Tilting his head a bit as he grabbed the posting, Henoke scratched his head a bit as he tried to read the bizarre name, one he didn’t recognize. ”Whatever it is, it looks tough!” Grinning with a fiery ambition, the teen held out the posting for Tori to see, puffing out his chest a bit. Henoke though he had chosen rather well, himself. Whatever this ‘Malboro’ was, there was no way it could stand a chance against him and Tori’s strength!
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ravenheart95
Human
Yo, Socrates, it's a cookie.
Posts: 328
Gender: Male
Age: 22
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Post by ravenheart95 on Jan 14, 2021 3:22:39 GMT -5
He followed Mei to the shop, not entirely sure what to expect. It was much like the rest of the town, full of people doing their own thing. “There’s so much I can do for recommendations… What, exactly is it you’re looking for when it comes to these sorts of things? Like… Any preferences?”
He thought for a moment, looking down at his outfit. "I want it to match my outfit?" Even back home, he never needed to grab accessories. Never having a Keyblade kept him from going to other worlds too often, so he never needed to think about stuff like this before. Taking his lack of knowledge into account, he thought for a moment. "Well, I know that I can use my normal magic without harm. And that is high-level fire magic..." He looked at the gloves before a thought struck him. "Hey, do you know if any of these help with resistance to certain things?"
Since he spent so much time around fire and fire magic, it would make sense that he was more resistant to that. His other powers were fairly new; so by comparison he would have little to no resistance, even if he got them from what was essentially the source. He walked over to the gloves and looked them over as he waited for Mei's response, explaining his line of logic to her when she came over.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Jan 14, 2021 8:37:56 GMT -5
Focused as she was checking on the Board, Tori didn’t notice Henoke picking up a bulletin by himself, eager to see what the Mark was all about. It was only after he tried to catch her attention that Tori looked to what he was holding, tilting her head with a hint of frustration after he decided to pick the Mark by himself —opposite to what she’d told him beforehand.
Had she really overlooked a few?
”Whatever it is, it looks tough!” Well, Henoke wasn’t wrong there —a fact that brought Tori to grimace, taking the bill from his hands without rush, in order to observe the details. The Malboro depicted was probably just a single one, but the details about the Mark were hardly optimistic. Not to mention that Malboros weren’t the easiest enemy to tackle —that, added to Henoke’s reckless attitude, spelt trouble.
Then again, though, wasn’t it part of learning? In a sense, if he knew what the real dangers were, then maybe he could learn?
“This is Henoke I’m talking about, though —he doesn’t learn no matter what…”
Amused by the thought, Tori decided to entertain it for a bit. Even if it didn’t help in teaching the reckless teen about the real details of things for both current and future endeavors, there were bound to be some funny moments after Henoke realized the nature of their enemy.
If there was one thing that Malboros were known for… It was their stench.
“I guess we could do it —pay looks decent for what it is” she replied, shrugging, “Let’s settle with the Petitioner and see what we can get from them before heading out. It’s pretty close this time, though —so we don’t need Chocobos to find this Mark.”
With that said, Tori motioned Henoke to follow, in search firstly for the Petitioner of the Mark. Once the agreements were met, the two would have to head out towards the Western Shore, where the Mark lurked the closest. From there, it would be a bit of search before localizing and defeating the Malboro —nicknamed “Carrot”.
Mei giggled softly at Yuto’s reply to her question, although not shocked by it in the slightest. It made sense that whatever accessory he bought wouldn’t contrast heavily with his usual style and attire —after all, it was something he would wear for who knew how long. Still, it was amusing enough to make the shopping a bit more likeable.
"Hey, do you know if any of these help with resistance to certain things?" Hearing what he normally used magic for —that being fire— did help a bit in locating the thing that would be most useful for Yuto. Mei hummed in thought for a while, trying to recall the few details that she did know at the top of her head, before turning towards the man with a nod. “There are materials that could help, yeah” the girl replied, “Hmm… I’m not so sure if ‘darkness’ applies there, though…” Mei pouted in thought, “Because —you probably know this by now, but… Dark magic and ‘darkness’ are two different things. So I’m not sure if dark-resistant accessories can help with that…”
Still, wasn’t it worth a shot? It was the closest they could get to, so why not? Grabbing onto a pair of fingerless gloves geared for dark-affinity resistance, Mei glanced back at Yuto, calm but sure of her choice. In the end, it was all about trial and error.
Besides, if things did fail, they could just ask Tori for help in that regard, given that she was the more knowledgeable of the trio.
“What do you say? Let’s give them a go, and see what happens” Mei nodded, before looking at the shopkeeper with a tilt of her head, “If we may?” “Sure —knock yourself out. If you need to try something else, just lemme know.” “Will do!”
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Post by hoodwink on Jan 14, 2021 14:02:32 GMT -5
”I guess we could do it—“ As Tori was busy looking over the information on the posting, she most likely wouldn’t have noticed Henoke’s building anticipation as he finally shouted out and hollered, jumping and pumping the fist in the air. ”Alright!” To be honest, the teen had been expected to be shot down right away. Grinning foolishly, he nodded and rested his hands behind his head as he listened to Tori mention how close it was. ”Awesome! Let’s go!” More than ready for another Hunt, he walked with confidence and excitement as he followed Tori through town, hunting for the Petitioner. Similar to last time, Henoke let his friend do most of the business talk while he fantasized about the coming battle. Well, it’s got a bunch’a squiggly guys…so I’ll wanna cut those first… In the image it had a pretty large mouth, but that was it for facial features. If I stab it in the mouth, will it try to eat my sword? Thinking of rather simple strategies while they finished gathering the intel they needed, the two would walk further from town towards a new area of shore Henoke hadn’t gotten to see before.
I’m gonna show everyone! Fueled up with determination of his goal to shoot through the Guild ranks (though he hardly understood the ranking system or how to properly acquire ‘promotions’), the hotheaded teen had his weapon ready as they searched, eager to attack and fight!
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ravenheart95
Human
Yo, Socrates, it's a cookie.
Posts: 328
Gender: Male
Age: 22
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Post by ravenheart95 on Jan 14, 2021 17:40:02 GMT -5
Yuto nodded at her explanation. Different world, different things after all. He followed Mei to the clerk, and then outside the shop. “What do you say? Let’s give them a go, and see what happens" Yuto tried the golves on after the two left the shop. The balck gloves fit him well, almost perfectly in fact. He made fists a few times to make sure before giving Mei a thumbs up.
"So, I'm assuming the training ground is nearby?" It didn't make sense for it to not be, the shopkeep wouldn't let them leave so easily otherwise. "On top of that, how are we gonna...test this?" He wasn't entierly sure about how to phrase what they were going to do. He wasn't even entierly sure what it was they were going to do. All he knew was that he was trying to find a way to NOT blow himself up.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Jan 21, 2021 12:17:05 GMT -5
Setting the deal with the Petitioner, Tori and Henoke would have it easy on their way to where the Mark would be —out of the town, towards the Western Shore. Tori had noticed Henoke fantasizing about the sort of monster they would be fighting soon enough, something that caused her to smirk and scoff. It was a determination well appreciated in a battle, but wasn’t Henoke always like that?
Jumping in without rhyme or reason, fighting first and asking questions later? The fact that he didn’t remember most important details was also worrying, but… That was him —and somethings would never change.
The shore was noticeably silent —but in a world like that, it was something to be wary of. Tori kept looking around, trying to spot the Mark before it had a chance of ambushing the pair, her hand hovering over the sword’s handle hanging by her belt. Not even a growl or a rustling of leaves, despite the faint sea breeze tagging along the waves crashing by the shoreline. Was it really in that area, or were they being set-up?
“Hmm…” Tori groaned, “It should be around here…”
Finally, something —a very subtle move deeper into the forest, of a large silhouette moving within. A sight Tori chased after, taking into consideration that it could be the Mark they were after. However, given its pace, it seemed unlikely —Malboros weren’t known for their speed. Deeper into the forest, Tori seemed lost —her head moving back and forth as she tried to find any clues as to where the silhouette had headed towards. It was still silent, but it only made the girl even warier of her surroundings, since at any moment, a monster could jump and attack.
Focused as she was, she wouldn’t pick up on yet another subtle rustling. In a moment, large green tentacles left their camouflaged hiding, aimed straight for the girl!
Mei nodded, leading Yuto towards the Training Grounds while passing by the streets of the town, its mirth still up and pleasant. With people enjoying their day, and some taking care of their own side of business, no one noticed the pair walking by on their way to train. Mei had an added pep to her step, happy to help another in any way possible. And training with Yuto as well as teach him whatever he asked —despite the age disparity— was just as good as any other experience.
“You don’t have to worry” she replied, “Most of the time, the Training Grounds are empty —so if you’re scared of people finding that out, don’t be. Besides, I’m sure no one will judge you!”
She finished with a smile, as they arrived at the Training Grounds outside of the town, the chalk-recorded lines still vibrant on the floor, a few wooden dummies scattered here and there, and no one there practicing for the time being. It wouldn’t be much trouble to help Yuto with his magic with no one there to spectate —something Mei was relieved by.
“Let’s… Let’s start easy —y’know, with the basics” Mei suggested, “From there… It should be good to do step-by-step, until we get to a point you can’t control, or you start to hurt yourself. You don’t have to worry about me, though!” she added, hasty, “I think I can handle it just fine, if something happens…”
“Then… Why not start with the dummy over there?” Mei asked, pointing at the closest wooden dummy, “Would that be okay?”
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Post by hoodwink on Jan 21, 2021 13:22:31 GMT -5
”Hmm…it should be around here…” Both Tori and Henoke were left somewhat deflated as the shore seemed to be deserted. Unfamiliar with the world itself, the hotheaded teen took it less as a sign to be wary and more of potential boredom. ”Tch—how hard can it be to find? It’s huge, right?” Kicking at the sand in obvious irritation, he rested his large claymore against his shoulder, staring out around the beach and into the forest. Not noticing the subtle move deep within, the teen shouted out in surprise as Tori suddenly began to dash into the forest. ”Oi, wait up!” Running after her, Henoke’s face soon wore a broad grin, excitement flaring up in his eyes as his grip on his weapon tightened. Did she find it?! It was about time! He was raring to go, after all! Chasing after her, he tried to catch up, though she was rather quick and had a head start. Up ahead he saw Tori pause, glancing around in the forest just as he emerged in the spot she was near. ”Look out!” Though he wasn’t as observant as other hunters, Henoke’s battle senses weren’t anything to joke about.
Seeing the large tentacles lashing out towards his friend, the teen’s body moved before his mind even registered what was happening. SHWING! Spinning through the air vertically, he swung the large sword with all his might as he aimed to cleave through the coming appendages and land in front of Tori, readying himself in a fighting stance with a face full of excitement and the pure joy of being alive. ”Alright! Let's beat this monster up!” It seemed he hardly cared that this was a life or death situation, given one small misstep. Whether Henoke was simply brave, stupid, reckless, or all three, was a question for a different day, though.
[[OOC: Spoiler alert. It's all three. ]]
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ravenheart95
Human
Yo, Socrates, it's a cookie.
Posts: 328
Gender: Male
Age: 22
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Post by ravenheart95 on Feb 4, 2021 2:06:56 GMT -5
He followed Mei through to their destination, not sure what to expect. Part of him was relieved to see just a plain area with some dummies for training. Yuto shrugged off Mei's initial statement. He never really cared if people knew he used darkness, in fact, he was fairly open about it. Well, almost all of it.
“Let’s… Let’s start easy —y’know, with the basics” The man listened to her instructions, trying not to laugh at the delivery. It was oddly amusing to have someone so much younger than him take such care in teaching. "Alright, lets get started then."
The man aimed his uninjured palm at one of the dummies. "FIRE!" The lowest form of his available fire magic launched from his hand and hit its mark. He looked down to examine his hand and found it completely fine. He flexed it a few times to be sure and found it as good as it was before the spell.
He turned back to Mei and gave a 'thumbs-up'. "That could've been worse." With that, he turned back to the dummy and got ready to launch the mid-tier of his normal fire magic.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Feb 5, 2021 0:56:32 GMT -5
”Look out!”
Unable to react on time to defend herself, Tori flinched after Henoke shouted, only to turn around to see him slash at a lashing tentacle from the shadows. Her hand immediately grabbed onto the sword hanging, immediately glaring to try and spot the Mark lurking in the area.
Henoke’s slash would help in causing the tentacle to flinch, retracting back swiftly where it came from —deeper inside the forest. Slimy noises echoed from deeper within, and a massive toothy grin soon followed. Tori tensed up, knowing the kind of monster they were after. Wriggling towards the pair was a massive creature colored sickly green, with multiple tentacles on its bottom helping it move, with apparent many eyes over its mouth and head. The toothy grin released a faint ooze —perhaps the creature was hungry, or readying an attack.
Regardless, the battle was on!
[Battle! Carrot]
Observing Yuto using his magic, starting with the weakest spell he knew, Mei noted him flexing his hand in between spells —most likely to check if he was hurting or anything. "That could've been worse." The girl giggled along, bringing one hand to her mouth as to cover it. It seemed he could handle it fine, added with the new accessory they’d purchased.
“Looks like they suit you, huh?” she asked, “I have to admit —the fact that you’re able to use your body as the catalyst is pretty nice. It takes a lot of effort to just learn how to do it.”
Mei folded her hands behind her back, still smiling as she continued to watch over Yuto, making mental notes to help him get a better grasp on those powers he couldn’t quite control. And even if she couldn’t understand them properly, then couldn’t Tori? She knew much more about light and darkness from the start, so maybe she could explain what Mei couldn’t.
Of course, asking her at that moment was impossible —given that she was with Henoke chasing after a Mark.
“Let’s turn it up a little more” she encouraged, “If you get hurt, then I’ll be here to heal you.”
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Post by hoodwink on Feb 7, 2021 10:54:18 GMT -5
Swoosh! Henoke blinked in surprise at the speed the tentacle retracted into the forest, readying a battle stance with his large claymore as he watched the toothy grin emerge from the dark. ”Heh—it’s uglier in person.” Having seen the speed of the monster before him, the teen had enough battle sense to know not to underestimate it due to its bizarre form. ”Let’s do this!” Rushing forward with his claymore blade pointed out, Henoke ran across the forest floor with surprising speed for one carrying a weapon so large. Using his High Jump to bound against the forest trees, the teen was a zig-zagging orange blur as he lanced towards their Mark.
”Eat this!” Coming from above and from a slight behind-diagonal angle to the tentacled creature, Henoke slashed down with a powerful vertical strike, aiming to cleave a section of the monster off entirely. Of course, things were hardly bound to go so easily—though the teen was readying a follow-up attack once he’d land. Pushing forward with all his might in a powerful horizontal slash, Henoke hoped to take the monster from behind—pushing it forward so he and Tori could flank it! Once the monster was in the right position, he'd unleash his powerful technique, the one he was able to utilize with or without the Keyblade, thanks to his master's training.
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ravenheart95
Human
Yo, Socrates, it's a cookie.
Posts: 328
Gender: Male
Age: 22
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Post by ravenheart95 on Mar 7, 2021 5:51:04 GMT -5
"...the fact that you’re able to use your body as the catalyst is pretty nice." He shrugged at the comment. He chose to study magic when he was a kid. It always fascinated him, being able to use the elements to one's will. "Years of practice. I started learning when I was a kid."
Yuto aimed his hand at another of the training dummies. The first spell was to see if his fire, in general, would hurt him. The gloves did work, sure, but there was still the fact that it was fire he was working with. Just because it was magic didn't mean it didn't keep most of its normal properties. "SEAR!"
A ball of black flame, roughly the same size of his Fire spell, flew from his palm and hit the dummy center mass. The man checked his hand the same way he did last time. His fingers tingled a bit but, otherwise, he was fine. "I couldn't use a weapon that all my friends could, so I had to make sure I could fend for myself in the field." He grinned as he talked, happy the gloves seemed to work in keeping his other element from hurting him when he casted. All that was left was seeing how high he could go before he hurt himself again, if at all.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Mar 7, 2021 12:13:44 GMT -5
”Heh—it’s uglier in person.”
Apparently even remaining serious was an issue —but it was an issue Tori could be okay with. Finally drawing her own weapon out, the girl watched and readied her spells while Henoke rushed head-first into battle, showcasing his own speed despite toting such a large weapon with both hands.
After all, he was strong —and wanted to showcase such strength in any way he could, by the looks of things.
Carrot met the attack easily, and, although the damage taken was evident, it didn’t seem to mind it. The many tentacles it had for feet allowed it fair movement, turning slowly yet surely towards the teen who’d decided to take the flank and attack from behind. A faint stench began to build in its maw, a thick and green mist oozing from in between its sharp teeth.
Zap! Powerful thunderbolts fell upon Carrot, as Tori chanted her Thundaja spell —taking advantage of what she knew was its weakness —yet it hardly stopped the Malboro from using its signature move! Moving its maws in a circular motion, the sickly dark green mist spread around Henoke, a disgusting and nauseating smell immediately surrounding the short area around Carrot.
A proper presentation to what made Malboros so annoying to fight —its annoying Bad Breath.
[Battle! Carrot]
"SEAR!"
Mei kept watching as Yuto continued to display his magic, looking for anything worth noting that could be the cause of harm. It didn’t appear just yet, though, although the most recent spell was considerably different from the last one —this one being black instead of pure fire.
Hearing him mention how he’d learnt magic in order to fend for himself in the battlefield, Mei was reminded on how similar that story was to hers —albeit it with a few details being different. She smiled a little, knowing how true it was.
Wanting to give it your all, just to stay with those close to you… The sentiment was firm and visible. Knowing that, now the girl wanted to give her best even more.
“Then… Let’s give it our best!” she said, “I wanna see just how strong you can really be. Maybe then… I could get stronger, too.”
Following after her comment was a giggle, a faint blush showing in Mei’s cheeks as she looked away with some embarrassment. Recovering after a while to look at Yuto try a higher tier of magic and see from there, she had to wonder what Tori and Henoke were up to —other than knowing they had chased after another Mark, she hardly knew how they were doing, or what Mark they had picked.
Needless to say, she wanted to check up on them once they all called it a day.
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Post by hoodwink on Mar 9, 2021 14:42:36 GMT -5
SHUNK! Shouting out in victory as his attack landed, sharp blade thunking! into tentacle mass and flesh, Henoke’s cocky grin broadened. Readying his battle stance as the monster began to turn to face him, the teen blinked in a moment of confusion and wrinkled his nose as he caught a faint stench. Bzzzt! Tori’s Thundaja spell crackled and zapped, striking true with her magic though hardly stopping the monster’s brewing assault. ”Alright, let’s do thi—!” Beginning to ready himself for his ‘ultimate’ attack, Henoke shouted out in surprise and disgust as the Bad Breath attack was unleashed. "URRRRGGHHH!!?!?!?!” Howling out in disgust and agony at the stench cloud that surrounded him, Henoke’s eyes watered as the smell pervaded his mouth and nostrils, causing his vision to blur and sting as he gagged and coughed.
”ERGH?! WHAT THE HELL?!” Staggering as he fell to a knee, it took all of the teen’s focus not to drop the claymore he held, though it was now hanging uselessly in one hand at his side. Sputtering and coughing, Henoke was left wide open as he stumbled confused and blinded in the foggy stench, completely taken by surprise. The f*&% did that thing do?!?!? There was no way he’d be able to pull off his Zantetsuken now! Gotta…get outta it… Unable to see, it wasn’t like he could just stagger out in any direction, though. Instead, the teen remained where he was, focusing on struggling back to his feet and raising his weapon in a guard.
Surely the cloud couldn’t last long, right?!
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