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Post by therunawaygirl on Mar 17, 2022 4:39:35 GMT -5
Tori watched with some surprise, not expecting things to turn the way they did —though she wasn’t going to stop it now that things had heated up, quite literally. Henoke’s blade sparked aflame, the Gemsteel’s orange hue burning brightly in the dark, but it was significantly weaker than last time. Was it due to Henoke being in a state where his senses were not hindered, or was there something else lurking beneath it? As the Illusion finally cemented its place and stood firm on its own, trapping the three within it, the battle spiked up.
Covering herself with both arms in a cross-guard, Tori reacted much harsher than she thought she would as Yuto unleashed his own darkness. Opening her eyes again, she noted the change in his appearance, and the aura around him had turned sinister —yet throughout all that, it seemed Yuto was more than capable of holding himself. If all else failed…
Now that her Illusion took effect, it would be easy to stop him, should things get dangerous.
She could hear voices coming from somewhere —probably a person checking if anyone remained at the Training Grounds. Of course, they wouldn’t see anyone, since Tori had hidden them within an Illusion separate from reality —the place was the same, but the people weren’t. In reality, “no one is here”, but in Tori’s Illusion, she alongside two rowdy fighters were training without holding anything back.
Something suddenly brushed against her cheek, shattering her focus for only a second. The following chuckle confused her, but eventually she brought herself to smile. A very familiar light-blue dragon was snuggling against her cheekily, his expression content. There was something off about it, though —it wasn’t the playful dragon she knew and cared for. This particular one was a bit tamer, almost knowing exactly what to do in order to tease Tori away from the fight happening literally in front of her.
“What are you…?” Tori asked, though she didn’t manage to finish the question as the dragon teased her again. “Well, I wasn’t expecting this when I decided to come pay a visit” the dragon joked, “Though… I’m glad to see those two are doing okay, too.” “…Kosuke?” “Hmm? …What? You realized it was me and not Necro pretty easily, didn’t you?” “Well, yeah, but… What are you doing here?” “I just had a whim and wanted to see you —is that a bad thing?” “I… Guess not…” “Still…” Kosuke looked back at the battle, “What are you guys doing?” “Well… It’s a long story…”
While the battle raged on and the two continued doing their own thing, Tori began to explain the whole situation to Kosuke —from how they met in that world, to what they had been doing, to the current point in time. Kosuke seemed interested in all of it, though deep down he was glad they all had some fun while they trained and grew stronger, especially Tori. Still, he couldn’t deny that he was somewhat wanting to join and train with the pair, though he knew for a fact his sudden appearance alone would cause confusion and most definitely shatter the mood.
He couldn’t do that!
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Post by hoodwink on Mar 17, 2022 10:21:20 GMT -5
FWOOSH! Skkkkkkzzzzt!
Orange tackled purple as a sickening hue lit the illusory training grounds around them.
“Fine.” Yuto’s voice rang out over the smoke that had filled Henoke’s vision as his fiery blade had connected and exploded against a roaring darkness. “Let’s try something a little MORE.” As the smoke cleared, the spiky haired warriors eyes widened in surprise as his friend evolved before his eyes.
Whoosh! Raising his claymore into an instinctive yet hasty guard, Henoke flinched against the wave of darkness that rolled across the battlefield. Yuck… This sensation…it was gross. He felt it in his bones, though only for a second—the blink of an eye. ”Yuto…!?” Within that time, his friend had changed.
Darkness seeped from them actively, shrouding and entirely replacing their arms—their bat nowhere to be found. Armor the teen found unrecognizable adorned his friend, an emblem he recognized and detested all too well boldly embedded on the front—devouring the shadows and blending with the hue of evening. ”The hell!?” Henoke didn’t have the strict line of thinking his Master and Chirithy had always lectured about. He knew there was more to Light and Darkness than what met the eyes.
What was really throwing him off, though, was their eyes.
They looked just like a Heartless.
”More than just a LITTLE upgrade, eh?” Yuto rushed in at a speed that caused Henoke to grip his weapon tighter, taking only a single back step to prepare. It was clear that the activation of this dark power was aiding him, striking across the battlefield as though lightning. Despite being a novice by technicality, Henoke was seasoned enough to know there’d be no use trying to avoid such a rush. He’d have to meet it head on!
”Tch—ya think ya can beat me, with eyes like THAT?!” Though the teen didn’t have strong feelings about Yuto using whatever powers he had (to be honest, most of the time he was a little jealous of them)—it was his friend taking a form resembling similarities to a Heartless that had struck a chord the wrong way. He was a soldier—trained and fighting for too many years against the same emblem his friend now brazenly wore.
As Yuto reached him, lashing out with arms and talons Henoke had fought before on different enemies, the boy’s grip tightened as a brighter flame began to erupt around the base of his blade once more. Truthfully, the rowdy paladin had at this point forgotten all about the training, becoming more of a barbarian as they felt their blood boil.
ZZzZskKt! Snap!
It was faint, but tiny crackles of orange and golden energy began to snap and pop around the teen and their flaming sword as they lashed out to defend themselves from the attack. Skooooom! CLANG! As Henoke hacked and slashed against each lashing paw Yuto hurled out, they’d steadily back step one foot at a time, picking up rhythm with the strikes as a vein began to pound on their forehead.
It was clear the boy was getting angry, as the flame around his sword roared with more power than before—flaring off as each strike parried. Still, though it had picked up intensity, it wasn’t as bright as the single instance in the forest just yet. Once he caught up to the barrage, Henoke roared out as he spun, heaving his burning weapon with all his might. Soon, the boy was a tornado of flame, hoping to catch Yuto amidst his strikes in a flourishing attack that would flare out, igniting the battlefield around them with a minor fire ring!
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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 20, 2022 3:50:48 GMT -5
”Tch—ya think ya can beat me, with eyes like THAT?!” It was clear that Yuto's current form touched a nerve, at least with Henoke. Not that it mattered too much at the moment. The wayward warlock was more determined to see how far he could push his friend. Daring to split his focus during his barrage, the man saw the fire begin to get stronger with each hit, to the point that there were sparks. 'Interesting...'
Making that observation would be for the worse, however. Hearing Henoke's roar was the only real warning the man had before the teen made his move. Leaping back, Yuto was just barely able to reach the edge of the attack. Not before getting hit, however. The force of Henoke's spin was enough for the graze to sent Yuto off to the side.
Sliding on the ground, the dark-clad man used one of his clawed hands to slow himself before opening a corridor. Disappearing into it for a moment, Yuto would emerge giving a genuine round of applause. Though he was still in his 'Oni Form', he had dropped all hostility and want to fight. "I've seen enough, I'm satisfied."
He walked over to Tori, who now had a familiar-looking dragon perched on her shoulder. "Hey Nec-waaaait." The man took a closer look. "Kosuke, since when could you turn into a- actually, not important. Tori!" Yuto clasped his hands together. "I think I might've been right about Henoke's trick during your guys' hunt. The angrier he got in this fight, the stronger the flames." He rubbed his chest, remembering the recent hit he had just taken. "I mean, it just grazed me and it still hurts." He turned to look at the teen, who had hopefully stopped spinning by now, and cupped his hands around where his mouth was in proportion to the mask that was still over it. "NICE SHOT BY THE WAY, MAN!"
Turning back to the other two, the man began pacing. "So, we proved that this wasn't a fluke, but a repeatable occurrence. That being said, we also proved it to be an emotionally linked response. So, if we can-ope, hang on." Having just remembered that he was still in his 'Oni Form', Yuto stopped mid-thought.
"Hang on, so how do I? The last time it just kinda timed out. Should I let it again? No, there's gotta be a way to turn it off manually." He folded his arms and tapped his temple as he muttered to himself. 'There's no way...' The man put a hand up to the mask and motioned to take it off. As he did, the form deactivated. Everything from his clothes to his weapon was back to normal. Even the aura of darkness that had seeped from him was all but gone. "IIIII'm an idiot." He let out a deep sigh, followed by a sharp inhale. 'Anyway, as I was saying, if we can have Henoke remember what he was feeling when he used these moves then it should at least speed up the process of him using it as if it were second nature. Thoughts?"
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Post by therunawaygirl on Mar 20, 2022 4:38:31 GMT -5
All of the sudden, the battle took a turn to somewhat worse. While Tori had somewhat foreseen it, she hadn’t expected the level of anger from Henoke. The further his anger was fueled the stronger the flames became —eventually, they would probably borderline the dangerous type of magic. She recalled seeing that form once before —always happening whenever Henoke lost his cool. While she didn’t like the way on how to dispel it, if things got too far…
Yuto managed it rather well, though the fact that one of Henoke’s strikes landed was a topic for concern. Dropping all hostility within the blink of an eye, Yuto stepped back, still with the darkness surrounding him, but given that he was in control gave little concern in that regard —not that Henoke would notice. He began to walk towards Tori and Kosuke as if nothing had happened, quick to interact with the dragon-shaped Spirit with some curiosity.
“The angrier he got in this fight, the stronger the flames." Tori nodded in agreement, though at the back of her head Henoke’s well-being and temper were still vivid. Kosuke, noticing this, tapped her cheek with the muzzle, saying not a word as he moved forward, leaving the conversation in exchange for calming Henoke down. With that out of the way, Tori focused back on Yuto as he continued on with his thoughts, quickly realizing he was still in his form. Letting him figure things out on his own, Tori waited until he settled his thoughts aloud, before chiming in with her own.
“I had a feeling, though it’s rare to see him getting that angry…” she replied, “It makes sense, don’t get me wrong… But that kind of anger’s bound to hurt him in the long run —if we try to abuse it, it’ll only hurt him instead. That’s the whole basis behind fire magic, y’know? It’s sparked by courage and will, but it can easily fall into recklessness. Doesn’t that fit Henoke a bit too well?”
Meanwhile, Kosuke had soared up into the air, landing on the ground on his own two feet, right in front of Henoke —a faint, teasing smirk written in his expression. His hair was shorter than the rowdy paladin would remember, the strands no longer covering half of his face, instead revealing his expression fully. Everything else was still the same, however —even the sharpened sword saved in its sheath.
“I guess you’re not gonna listen to reason very well while you’re pent up with anger, but…” Kosuke began with a sigh, but his expression remained calm, “I think you two ought to call it a time-out for the time being. Unless you don’t mind me being your opponent?”
It was a clear taunt, a way of sparking his attention elsewhere. If the shock of an old-time friend wasn’t enough to dispel his anger, then maybe a change of opponent would. His sword was still safely within its sheath, and his pose hardly showed any hostility —but it wouldn’t matter if Henoke came charging forward.
“What do you say? Wanna have a go, or are you good with what you’ve been tackling?”
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Post by hoodwink on Mar 20, 2022 19:39:07 GMT -5
The exploding fire ring swing had worked, landing a grazing hit on Yuto as the dark-clad warrior was sent skidding and thudding across the ground. Of course, the older boy had been able to use his powers of darkness to create yet another portal, fleeing through it during his tumble on the battlefield. Clap! Clap! Clap! As Henoke recovered from his spinning attack, his jaw clenched as Yuto emerged from said portal with a round of applause.
“I’ve seen enough, I’m satisfied.” Despite his demeanor betraying no sense or presence towards violence, Henoke continued to glare at his friend while the energy sparking around him began to slightly intensify. It wasn’t until Yuto had turned his back, walking towards Tori, that the teen began to really lose his shit. With his friend having taunted him before with a round of applause, the rowdy Barbarian hardly had viewed the gesture as genuine.
What the teen viewed as disrespect was unacceptable. “NICE SHOT BY THE WAY, MAN!” Henoke’s grip on his claymore tightened as his vision grew blurry. Roaring out with indignation and fury, the crackling aura around the boy intensified as he shifted his weapon into a landing position.
”Don’t turn your back ON ME!” It was too late. The rowdy warrior’s emotions had begun to bubble over the surface, getting the best of him. Rushing forward as his body began to grow more consumed by the snapping and crackling orange energy of his aura, the replica ran with a speed far surpassing his usual pace.
The only thing halting his rush was a somewhat familiar blue dragon, one he hadn’t even noticed in his anger and exhilaration. Though his vision and senses were dulled through rage, the being reminding him of his friend caused his charge to slow somewhat—before the serpentine spirit transformed before his very eyes!
”K-Kosuke!?” It was clear the boy was flabbergast, though the vein on his forehead and faint crackles of energy continued. ”Wha—? F’real?!”
“I think you two ought to call it a time-out, for the time being.” Despite the sheer shock of Kosuke’s arrival, it seemed Henoke’s energy had only settled a bit. Though his vision was slowly returning, the crackling emerging from the muscular teen like lightning had only faltered somewhat. “What do you say?”
It had been forever since Henoke had seen Kosuke. Despite the short time they spent together, both had learned deals about each other (though, the rowdy Paladin had learned some information about their friend without their knowledge)—clearly, enough for the lightly garbed warrior to be able to goad the hot-headed teen. With a devilish grin, Henoke tightened the grip on his claymore once more, though the energy cracks were still fainter than a moment ago.
”Heh—good thinkin’! It’s been a while, anyway!” In the rowdy warrior’s opinion, what better way to catch up with an old friend and see how they’ve been than crossing blades? Despite the anger subsiding somewhat, it was clear Henoke was still hyped up. ”Aw’right—let’s go!” Dashing forward, observers like Tori would notice already the boys speed was less than before, though still quick considering the massive sword he carried.
Perhaps that anger was slowly losing steam?
Fwoosh! Though dimmer than a moment ago, Henoke’s sword began to seep and become surrounded in fire, blazing through the night as he ran forward. With all his might, the boy spun on his heels once he was in range, attempting a full 360 slash against Kosuke with his brandished flaming sword!
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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 21, 2022 2:30:35 GMT -5
Yuto nodded in agreement with Tori's assessment of fire magic. She was right, of course, most magic is based on emotion. Different emotions, surely, but emotions all the same. "While that is HORRIFYINGLY accurate, I also use fire. I would argue that I'm not that-" Having his attention caught by a faint crackling and a familiar roar, the man turned to see Henoke in a familiar, albeit lesser, form speeding towards him. "...bad" The final word left him as little more then a whisper. The last time he had seen Henoke like this was in The Land of Departure at the heart of that world. Did the teen see him as an enemy now?
Barely registering anything else around him, Yuto started to spiral. But, no, we were doing this FOR him. t-to help him. I-i'm his friend! I just wanted to help him. Did I really go that far?" With each statement, the wind around him and Tori began to pick up. "N-no, he knows I wouldn't actually try and hurt him right? that I'm not like those..those things." The internal conflict the man was currently feeling caused his eyes to go haywire, constantly flashing at random intervals as a shadowy shell followed a similar rhythm. A sudden thought hit the man like a ton of bricks. "Or maybe I am. After all, what makes us so different?"
The thought was so painful for him, he couldn't help but laugh. It made sense to him. Nothing he cared about stayed, why was this any different? As the laughter continued, the wind would continue to pick up, and Yuto's arms and legs would begin to become shrouded in shadow until they were clawed appendages from the elbow and knee down respectively while his eyes would return to the bright yellow they were not a moment ago.
Eventually, both the laughter and the wind faded and Yuto looked at his arms and legs. "Tch, yeah...this is about right." He turned back to Tori and smiled. Even his canines had elongated to appear more like fangs. If she looked close enough, she would even see a small Heartless emblem begin to form on the side of the man's neck. "Fitting, don't you think? What better form for something that willingly accepted the darkness?"
He sat next to the Spirit and watched as the two teens began their fight. I'd cut in, but I've never been one to get in the way of a good one-on-one. Besides, if it gets heavy, I'll just take the heart of the loser. It only seems fair." His tone in the last sentence was sinister, almost hungry. As if Yuto were an animal, a scavenger, watching two others fight only to take the winner's meal for himself.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Mar 21, 2022 4:57:58 GMT -5
Henoke had taken the bait easier than Kosuke had expected, but he didn’t turn away from the charge. He noted how his anger had diminished somewhat, thing that, overall, was a good thing —it meant he didn’t have to worry about him losing his own grip. The grin in the teen’s expression and the eagerness of his reckless fire tackle was enough to bring Kosuke to sigh. Still not unsheathing his own sword, choosing to not use it to begin with, the swordsman chose to meet Henoke head on, blocking the flaming greatsword with his sword’s sheath. While it was made of wood, it was coated pitch black, and many scratches evidenced its many endeavors.
Of course, Henoke would know —Kosuke wasn’t, by any means, an amateur in battle. He was a seasoned swordsman.
“Don’t expect me to go easy on you!” Kosuke shouted back, “I won’t even have to unsheathe my sword to call this one my win!”
While the two old friends bantered and fought, Tori noticed how Yuto was losing his own grip. Who wouldn’t, though? It wasn’t long ago that Henoke lost his senses and actually went for the kill on Yuto, simply because of a struck nerve. Of course, Tori would’ve stepped in had it been much more evident, but she was thankful that Kosuke was handling that well —it meant she could focus on reassuring the other person in the battle. She blinked as she noticed the darkness taking shape once again, swirling due to the thoughts that Yuto began to voice aloud. She couldn’t help but showcase her concern, looking as he sat down with the negativity taking the better of him.
"Fitting, don't you think? What better form for something that willingly accepted the darkness?" Though the statement itself wasn’t wrong, the timing was. With a sigh, Tori took a seat as close as she could to him —not shoulder-to-shoulder close, of course, but still close enough she could reach out to him physically. Her eyes focused on the battle, mustering a faint smile as things seemed to calm down on Henoke’s end, her eyes vivid purple as the Illusion continued to stay in place. She glanced over at Yuto, shaking her head in disapproval with his thoughts.
“I can’t disagree more with you, with those views” she replied, “You’re still you —even if you use the darkness as your strength, and your form changes alongside it, you’re still in control. You’d be surprised at how many would let that darkness consume them, instead of choosing to embrace it and making it their strength.”
Mist began to form at the end of her fingertips, small wispy lights soothing to the touch. They were no one’s memories, of course, but they still emanated peace and quiet for even those lost in the dark. Maybe it wasn’t her strength, but Tori still wanted to help. Mei would’ve done a better job at soothing those memories, most likely, even if her powers weren’t something she herself understood —but her personality was all that mattered at a time like this. Extending her hand towards Yuto, she smiled.
“I’m not sure whether I’m causing more harm than good with what I’ll say, but…” she said gently, “Despite your strength lying on the darkness, you’re hardly anything like it. I’m not saying you’re completely out of fault —likewise, I’m not saying Henoke’s fully to blame. Even if those memories hurt and you’d rather forget… They make you who you are now” Tori’s smile strengthened, “Grasp onto what you cherish, from those little moments of peace —make them your strength, so that, whenever you’re lost in the dark, they’ll be the light that guides your path. Don’t let those thoughts get the better of you —that’ll only harm you in the end. And if you can’t do it on your own, then… Let me help.”
Her hand was still there, waiting for him to grab it —or, for him to refuse. Whichever the case, Tori would stay there besides him, knowing that what he needed most was someone to act as an anchor. How many times had she done that, before? One more time wasn’t going to hurt in the slightest.
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Post by hoodwink on Mar 21, 2022 14:59:40 GMT -5
Despite being sensitive to the forces of light and dark, Kosuke was more than adept at keeping Henoke’s attention. Thunk! Blocking his spin-hit with a guard of his sheathed blade, the familiar swordsman’s taunt was more than enough to keep the events happening behind him a mystery. “Don’t expect me to go easy on you!”
The devious grin on the teen’s face widened as he readied another stance. Hearing the comment about how Kosuke wouldn’t even need to unsheathe his sword, the vein on the rowdy warriors forehead returned. ”Tch—Oh yea?!” Instantly, the crackling energy began to intensify once more, though it was clear the young berserker had hardly lost control yet.
Despite that—his competitive nature flared.
Fwooooom!
Flames began to pick up once more, sparking along the large orange claymore Henoke carried. ”Let’s see what ya got!” He’d grown since Kosuke last saw him. Even without his true potential shining with the Keyblade, the spiky haired warrior was determined to show his friend his growth. It was that determination that ignited the flames, roaring to life as though a bonfire.
With the raging flames surrounding his sword, it looked as though Henoke was lashing out with a whip of fire as he swung his weapon towards Kosuke in a horizontal slash. It was a new power unleashing, his Flare Blitz, a move combining the teen’s raw strength with the powerful magic of fire. He’d put in work to make Kosuke recognize him and unsheathe his sword!
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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 22, 2022 3:17:49 GMT -5
“You’re still you —even if you use the darkness as your strength, and your form changes alongside it...Grasp onto what you cherish... Tori meant well with her words, but it was clear she didn't fully understand why Yuto felt the way he did. "Ya'know, I can't say I'm too surprised by your response to this." He gestured to himself. "But I can't expect you to know the full story. We've only briefly known each other, after all." He shifted so he was now facing Tori. "My current situation in life is my own fault. Because I don't know how to look before I leap. Rather than explain it all to you, how about I just show you?"
Yuto took Tori's hand in both of his, the grasp being gentle and soft, and let her see his memories. From his life in Daybreak Town to him and Nox in an old Radiant Garden. "Because I wanted to show I could be useful, I ended up being in the way." His words were soft, informative, not like he was a moment ago. The memories continued; the fight that sent him to the Realm of Darkness, Nox coming to find him. "She spent two years trying to convince people that I was alive and able to be saved." A wry smile played at the corners of his lips as he spoke. Next was the week or so they traveled together, and then their separation. This was followed by their reunion on the beach, and then their return to the Realm of Light. "My best friend was so concerned with my well-being, yet it was my idiocy that ruined our lives."
Unknown to Yuto, his memories of Nox would start being shared.
"She's the only thing I have that connects to my old life, and vice versa. She saw what I could do and accepted me, sure. That doesn't change what I did." As he spoke the shadowy appendages began to turn white and flake away, blowing off into the wind. His mind passively sharing fond times he and Nox had with Tori. "She didn't deserve that, no one does. So, who cares if I chose to accept the monster that I am?"
Releasing Tori's hand Yuto would turn back to the fight, unaware of the fact that he had returned to his normal visage. All he could focus on was fighting back his tears, his eyes betraying the true pain he felt. "Nox is the best person I could ever know." The statement was more to himself than anything, but it didn't matter. He knew how he felt about everything, and that's what mattered.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Mar 22, 2022 4:22:49 GMT -5
“Rather than explain it all to you, how about I just show you?"
Tori blinked, caught off-guard by the sudden suggestion. Sure, he was aware now, but the suggestion of showing her was the last thing she’d expected. Not that she could say much against it —she’d held her hand towards him, and Yuto had taken it. Thankfully, the grip wasn’t too hard, allowing her to ease into it.
She allowed him to say his piece, not butting in with anything just yet, instead allowing him to speak without holding anything back. The memories he shared were hurtful, true, but they hardly shattered Tori’s own convictions. It didn’t matter how hurtful they were or how much he regretted them…
At the end of the day, he’d overcome all of it —he was standing right there, with everyone else, wasn’t he?
Tori noticed how the darkness wavered, releasing its grip on Yuto, though he didn’t seem to realize it himself as he let go of her hands. With a faint sigh, she managed to muster a smile, now more than sure of what she had to say.
“You say that… But even if that’s what you think, it doesn’t change what she feels” Tori replied, “Even knowing all that… She chose you, didn’t she? She stayed besides you and accepted you for who you are —both with good and bad. Just because you think she doesn’t deserve what you become doesn’t mean you don’t deserve her kindness.”
She nudged him on the shoulder, trying to make him focus on what happened to him —to notice that the darkness he was so afraid of had disappeared for now. Still keeping a faint smile as to reassure him, Tori continued to talk, wanting to make him realize the importance of things.
“While the past isn’t something that can be changed… You can aim to redeem yourself —I’m sure you’re capable of. Everyone is —everyone has the chance to change and improve, to make up for the mistakes they did in the past. That’s the whole point of learning” she nodded, “After all…” Tori drew a smug smile, pointing out his form, “Right now, you overcame that. Who’s to say you can’t aim higher? If Henoke thinks he can get stronger just by swinging his sword around haphazardly… Who’s to say you can’t?”
She hoped picking onto the rowdy teen would bring some humor, shifting the mood towards a brighter one. However, there was a focus behind that tease. No matter the mistakes or regrets someone had, they could still redeem themselves —there was always a second chance. Even if Yuto didn’t know Henoke’s background, there was bound to be a shared sentiment in those words.
“Still… While I usually don’t suggest this due to the consequences… I can always help you forget, if that’s what you really want…”
Kosuke smirked after Henoke’s reply, grateful to see his energy being spent elsewhere. Still, he considered it best to end it where it was —not that the teen would agree to it, of course. Knowing that it would be hard to convince him, Kosuke figured that he was just going to force Henoke to a stop, whether he liked it or not.
Maybe then it’d help calm his steam.
Still without unsheathing his sword, Kosuke readied himself to face the flames of Henoke’s Flare Blitz. It was probably due to his own affinity to fire, but Kosuke would be able to handle the attack rather easily. Using his sheath to block the attack, the swordman parried the strike to position himself behind Henoke, readying his own move.
“Sorry, pal —but I think you’re gonna need a little time out.”
With those words, Kosuke aimed for the neck, a swift chop aiming to at the very least stun Henoke into a position where Kosuke could restrain him easier. He didn’t want to knock him out cold, it would defeat the purpose of why he’d stepped up to begin with. While Tori handled Yuto and reassured him, Kosuke was tasked with distracting Henoke. Now that things had calmed down a little more, maybe it was better to properly cool off the steam from before.
If knocking Henoke out didn’t do the trick, though… Well, something would come up!
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Post by hoodwink on Mar 23, 2022 7:53:04 GMT -5
Bristling with excitement and a competitive adrenaline, Henoke’s fire flared but wasn’t like what they’d seen in the forest or even a moment ago with his fight with Yuto. It seemed though passion was a key to his flame, anger was the rawest form of its true power. Shwoom! THUNK! Clang! Throwing up a direct block with his sheathed sword, Kosuke met the teen’s fickle strength head-on!
Slicing through the wood of the scabbard, the heavy claymore was halted by the blade within. Damn! For a moment, he focused entirely on yanking back his blade, not realizing the form or stance Kosuke was preparing as his large weapon was freed from the struggle. “Sorry, pal—but I think you’re gonna need a little time out.” Unlike Henoke’s rocky ebb and flow, the older swordsman was a torrent of steady strength—like a flood.
”Huh?!” Indignant, the teen meant to shout out a retort. Instead, their friend was nowhere to be found when his eyes had made their way back to where he’d been standing a moment before! ”Kosu—!!” He’d realized it too late. Smack! Kosuke’s hand shot out, striking at a nerve in his neck like lightning. ”—ke…” The teens eyes went white as he blacked out, immediately dropping the large weapon as his knees buckled and dropped.
Truly, it was a fairly comical sight.
His stunned mouth remained agape, minor drool beginning to pool.
The minor energy that had been crackling around him as though lightning had vanished as well. ”Urgh…wha—?” Surprisingly, it had only lasted a moment. Dazed and confused the rowdy teen found himself kneeling in the ruined grass, staring up towards the night sky. With a minor groan, Henoke stood as he rubbed his neck, wondering how it had gotten so sore. It felt prickly, like static. Similar to the feeling one got when their leg had fallen asleep.
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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 24, 2022 2:54:10 GMT -5
“You say that… But even if that’s what you think, it doesn’t change what she feels...Just because you think she doesn’t deserve what you become doesn’t mean you don’t deserve her kindness.” The subtle nudge that followed Tori's words caused Yuto to see that he was back to normal. He listened while his mind tried to find an explanation for his reversion. 'I doubt it's within Tori's power, could it have been...when I...'
The end of that thought caused the man to turn a light shade of pink. "I can always help you forget, if that’s what you really want…” The offer took him by surprise. "NO! Erm, I mean..." The man cleared his throat. "No, thank you Tori. It's like you said, my memories make me who I am. I'd like to keep them, good and bad." He smiled like his usual goofy self and turned back to the fight, or what was left of it. "Speaking of Henoke though, he just got folded like a beach chair." Yuto pointed at his friend now laying on the ground. "Should we help him, or?"
The talk with Tori did make him feel better, but he still felt he should apologize to his friend when he woke up. Whether Henoke would accept it or not was a different story. One he would deal with then."Thanks again for the talk, Tori."
The man stood, stretched, and began to walk over to the teen just as he was getting up. "Hey, you alright there? Kosuke kinda laid you out."
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Post by therunawaygirl on Mar 24, 2022 4:22:06 GMT -5
"NO! Erm, I mean...”
The sudden shout caught Tori off-guard, but she was quick to laugh it off. Just how determined he was to keep his memories intact, whether they were good or bad, reassured her —someone so sure of that fact was bound to grow stronger. The only reason she’d even brought up the suggestion was purely in the case that those memories were too much for him to bear.
She was glad she didn’t have to resort to that.
“Don’t worry about it” she shook her hand dismissively, “I’m glad you refused, really. The only reason I brought it up was in the case they were still too overwhelming for you… But I’m glad to see that’s not the case.”
She turned to see Henoke knocked out cold for a second thanks to Kosuke’s actions, muffling a laugh at the sight, though Tori shook her head when Yuto asked if they should help him out. In a sense, it served Henoke right —how many times had Tori chastised him for losing his senses to his anger by now? Too many to count, by the looks of things.
Glad to see that Yuto was back to normal, and after his thanks, Tori stood up and approached the two fighters with a calm pace. Kosuke was stretching a little after striking Henoke, checking his hand multiple times while he glanced at his friend laying on the ground, lost and completely clueless of what happened mere seconds ago. Though Kosuke looked at Tori for a brief second, his first worry at that moment was to know whether Henoke was fine.
“Sheesh, your neck’s thick, pal…” he muttered, “No wonder it didn’t knock you out for long…” “All done, I guess… Was it too much?” Tori asked. “Well…” Kosuke grabbed onto the sheath of his sword, noticing the cut that Henoke’s greatsword had made, “Other than perhaps a little repair work… I’ve had worse.” “Okay…” Tori muffled another laugh, before looking at Henoke, “You really overdid it, though —I had a feeling you would, but this was excessive.” “Tori…” “What? He should know better!”
While Tori was actively chastising Henoke, Kosuke seemed to be more on the mediating side, wanting to defend some of Henoke’s situation. Sure, he couldn’t justify all of it, but he could still lend a hand while he was there. The slash in his sword sheath was hardly a concern for him, since he could always repair it later —heck, maybe he could get a new one, and it wouldn’t be too much of a fuzz. What he was more concerned about now was the well-being of those he called “friends”.
“So? What do you know you did?” Tori asked Henoke, “Just be honest —I can imagine you don’t recall everything too perfectly…” “…Yuto, are you okay?” Kosuke turned towards Yuto, calm and collected, “I know Tori talked with you and all, but if there’s anything I can do to help, let me know, ‘kay?”
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Post by hoodwink on Mar 24, 2022 9:36:10 GMT -5
“Sheesh, your neck’s thick, pal…” Having finally fully recovered himself, Henoke had stood and managed to collect his weapon and sheathe it as his friends made their way over. “No wonder it didn’t knock you out for long…” Kosuke’s comment confused him, causing him to raise an eyebrow and cock his head to the side.
”Huh?” The way the three were looking at him threw him off, too. His head was fuzzy, his memories jumbled and cut off. I came here with Yuto and Tori to train… The rest got…hazy. When had Kosuke arrived, again?
“Hey, you alright there? Kosuke kinda laid you out.” Yuto’s casual deliverance of the events that had transpired caused Henoke to stagger in surprise.
”What?!” The teen’s face flushed with embarrassment. If there was one thing Henoke wasn’t used to, it was losing battles. Competition or fighting.
“You really overdid it, though—“ Tori was quick to cut in, chastising him for being reckless. Crossing his arms over his chest, the spiky haired warrior frowned, indignant. Truthfully, part of him was used to the dynamic—not that it was his favorite aspect. In a way, though, it was nostalgic. Chirithy and his Master would often do the same. “So? What do you know you did?”
Taking a step back, Henoke faltered. She’d read him like a book! ”Tch—!” Grinding his teeth a bit, the teen raised a hand to his forehead, scrunching up his brow in focus. ”Er…well, we got here ta train…and me and Yuto started sparrin’…” It was clear the boy’s memory was in pieces. ”Oh! I got my sword to light up!” The recollection was faint—he mainly just remembered the heat and the light. Nonetheless, a confident and proud look came over the teen’s face.
”So it must’a worked!” Pumping a fist in the air, Henoke took a moment to regain his pride. ”I don’t remember fightin’ Kosuke, though…” He also didn’t remember how his fight with Yuto ended. Glancing over at the older boy, who was speaking with the other brown haired swordsman, he wondered what had happened that let him use his odd power. ”Whatever! If it worked, then it’s all good, right?” With a shrug, Henoke rested his hands on his hips, giving Tori their usual carefree smile.
”Win-win! I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it.”
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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 Apr 1, 2022 2:34:48 GMT -5
Between the back and forth between Kosuke and Tori and Henoke's lack of memory, Yuto was a bit unsure of what to do in the current situation. ”Win-win! I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it.” The teen's optimism was staggering at times. The man let out an uneasy chuckle. "Er, yeah. Win-win. Just..be careful until you master it, yeah?" The concern for his friends' well-being was obvious. 'If Henoke lost it on the battlefield like that...' He shuddered at the thought.
“…Yuto, are you okay?” Kosuke's question reassurance of support was comforting. "I just went a little haywire, that's all. I'll be fine, no worries." He finished the statement with his usual smile. He was glad to have such good friends, but they didn't need to worry about him too much.
The man took a look around, realizing what time it was. "Y'all wanna grab dinner before we call it? Pretty sure the last thing we ate was the ice cream a few hours ago." Despite the group's answer, it was probably best for them to leave the Training Grounds before they closed. "Oh, and Tori, lay off Henoke. At least for tonight. He's not at fault here. I should've known better."
He put an arm around the teen. "That being said, my plan did work. Somewhat. But, hey, it's a start and that's what we were looking for."
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 1, 2022 4:01:16 GMT -5
”So it must’a worked!”
It took plenty of work just to not beat Henoke to the ground then and there —but a single glance would tell anyone that Tori was fuming. His nonchalant comment didn’t help either, nor did his stubborn optimism when saying that it was okay so long as the sword was lit ablaze. Kosuke couldn’t help but look with unease at Tori’s hue reddening in anger, but didn’t do anything to stop her. In his eyes, it was best for her to let out a little bit of steam —not to mention that, while not as evident, Kosuke was also displeaced by the showcase Henoke had made them watch.
Needless to say, neither was too optimistic in the further outcome.
“You’re really an idiot…” Tori groaned, “Just because it worked doesn’t mean it’s okay, y’know —magic is a double-edged sword. Lose too much control, and you’ll end up hurting the people around you as well as yourself. Would it kill you to be a little less carefree about it?” “Still… Considering you’re even able to use magic to begin with… I thought you’d have better control over it as of now…” Kosuke chimed in, confused, “…You’re not gonna tell me you’ve never used magic without your Keyblade, are you?” “Whatever the case… Next time you pull that off, I’ll make sure you don’t hear the end of it. So, either get a better control over it, or I’ll make you regret you ever learnt that move. Got that?”
Huffing bitterly, Tori crossed her arms, clear disapproval written in her expression as she did so. While Kosuke would’ve tried to calm her down, he was more worried about Yuto’s state regarding Henoke’s comments, though was somewhat thankful he was able to cope decently with the teen’s reckless optimism. Still, it was worth to note for later, in case things didn’t improve from there —though it perhaps was unlikely.
For how bad things had ended, the only way it could develop was upwards. There was hardly a way things would only continue to dig themselves deeper.
"Y'all wanna grab dinner before we call it? Pretty sure the last thing we ate was the ice cream a few hours ago." The suggestion was appreciated, though Kosuke only managed to draw a somewhat sad smile. Tori didn’t take much note of it, knowing why he was like that, instead finally managing to relax her own expressions. As Yuto said, there was no point to continue chewing on the stubborn teen, though she couldn’t agree with Henoke being not at fault —though neither was Yuto exempt from it.
Both sides had their faults —but with one refusing to look at them and learn from them, it was easy to lose their cool.
“Sorry, but… I can’t stay here much longer” Kosuke mentioned, scratching the back of his head, “I hadn’t expected you guys to be with Tori, nor did I expect all of you to be here to begin with. My original idea was just catch up with Tori a little… But I’m glad to see you two are doing alright.” “You’ll leave now? You haven’t been here for long…” Tori frowned a little. “Well, you’ll break the Illusion, won’t you? I can’t stay like this without one —but it’s okay if I leave now. I can just come talk to you some other time!” “…I guess” the girl managed a smile, chuckling a little.
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 4, 2022 6:43:14 GMT -5
“Er…yeah. Win-win.” Yuto seemed to concede to Henoke’s optimism, matching it with some of his own caution. Kosuke’s concern for the older boy caught the teen off-guard, noticing their quick l exchange with a raised brow. Haywire? What did that mean? Had something happened during their training? Had he gotten too rough with Yuto?
“Would it kill you to be a little less carefree about it?” Tori’s berating had come at him like a flood. Familiar with the girls somewhat stern personality at times, Henoke merely scowled a bit while crossing his arms over his chest and rolling his eyes a bit. Tch—what’s she so worried for? The importance of her analogy with magic went over his head. After all, Henoke was awesome with the double edged weapons in his opinion. Just look at sword he now had!
“You’re not gonna tell me you’ve never used magic without your Keyblade, are you?” Kosuke’s genuine confusion caused Henoke to stagger a bit. Scratching at his cheek with a mildly sheepish expression, the teen was suddenly unable to look the swordsman in the eye. Unlike his friends, Henoke was the only one here inexperienced in the ways of magic. With the boys somewhat fractured memories, he didn’t even know if magic had existed in his home world. His first experience with it had been with the Keyblade during his training.
“Y’all wanna grab dinner before we call it?” Yuto’s question immediately distracted the rowdy teen from his jumbled feelings and thoughts. As usual, the older boy was quick to move on, allowing the experience to be water under the bridge (or fire?). Though the comment of faults was confusing to him, Henoke couldn’t help but grin and puff himself up with pride as he was praised by his friend. “It’s a start and that’s what we were looking for.”
”Hell yea! Fire bros!” Pumping his fist with a laugh, the spiky haired boy would link arms with Yuto and cheer. Truthfully, he was excited and grateful to learn the new skill, especially from his friend. He always had admired the older boys powers, as well as appreciated their shared affinity.
“Sorry, but…I can’t stay here much longer.” Frowning a bit as Kosuke admitted how short his visit would be, Henoke couldn’t help but share in Tori’s disappointment. He had wanted to go on an adventure with the guy—to show him how much he’d grown, Keyblade or no Keyblade! In a way, he’d gotten his hopes up that another friend had emerged to join their expeditions.
”Oi, Kosuke!” Breaking free from his goofy half-embrace with Yuto, Henoke had stepped forward with a broad grin and a confident flare in his eyes. ”Get ready for next time! I’m gonna be way tougher by then!” Bumping a fist to his chest, the rowdy teen held it out in the air with a wink. It truly seemed his optimism was boundless at times. Despite the initial let down, Henoke knew he’d see his friend soon enough. Until then, they’d both train and prepare for the next time their blades crossed.
It seemed like a rivalry as well as a friendship.
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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 Jun 10, 2022 11:57:38 GMT -5
“…You’re not gonna tell me you’ve never used magic without your Keyblade, are you?”Yuto stifled a laugh as Henoke hung off of him in their usual half-hug. "That's actually why we're here. I offered to teach him some stuff since it turns out me and him are both good with fire."
Kosuke's response to the invitation was a bit of a letdown, but the man understood. "I'm gonna chalk it up to more Spirit stuff that I don't fully understand, but it was good to see you." He gave his friend a warm smile. It was nice to see him doing well, or as well as he could be.
Henoke's challenge to Kosuke caused another light laugh that Yuto let out. It would be a wonder to see the two of them fight under better circumstances, with both of them taking it seriously. "AAAAAAnyway, Señor Hothead, Tori, we should probably get going before everything closes and we get in trouble. Illusion or no, from what Tori told me, us getting caught here after hours isn't exactly the best thing in the world and I'd like to avoid getting yelled at."
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