Ekeing On

In between the sobs and silence, Archea looked up to catch Cedric winking at him. At first, he was slightly baffled, because why was Cedric winking at him at a time like this. But then he realized, this was Cedric, and it was just his personal way of reassurance.

Archea quirked the corner of his lips, halfheartedly though. The boy had tensed up at his apology. That didn’t exactly bode well. Had he said something wrong again? If only there were a tree right in front of him so he could bang his head up against the bark repeatedly.

The boy’s shaking and cracked voice brought Archea back to the situation at hand. “You sure you’re ready for this? It’s a long story. And you might never want to talk to me again.”

Cedric, of course, was ready with an answer. Archea could sense a bit of conflict in his friend’s voice, regarding Cedric’s very own occupation and what occurred within it – but he was still every bit sincere and genuine to the boy. And everything he said, Archea agreed with, though it might not have seemed that way to boy, yet.  

Then the boy turned to Archea (and he had to admit he was almost knocked over by the intensity of the boy’s grief-laden but rich, green eyes) and spoke directly to him. “I forgive you. You didn’t know. It’s not your fault.” Archea’s downcast heart brightened a little. And then, “And Cheekbones here seems to like you, so you can’t be all bad.” A chime of laughter actually burst forth from Archea’s lips. However, he stopped it short by covering his mouth with a hand, because he didn’t think laughter was appropriate just yet.

“Thank you,” Archea whispered in earnest, but he didn’t know if the boy had heard because he had already begun to speak to Rowena.

The boy’s demeanor had shifted once again. He had a grin on his face and he beckoned to Rowena without any spite. Only when he mentioned something about stones did the boy’s face fall again, but only so briefly. Archea felt there would be more about that later. Time would tell.

“You don’t have to stay. I know I’m less important than whatever else might be going on.” Archea disagreed heartily, as did Cedric, who automatically voiced his dissent. “Please, tell your story but do not force yourself. Take your time, we won’t leave you.”

Archea took a brief moment to admire Cedric’s on-point fatherliness. He undisputedly cared and showed that care with hundred percent of his ability. (Deep down, Archea secretly wished he could be like that one day.)

“Everyone deserves to tell their story and let it be heard in fairness. We are here to hear yours with open minds and open hearts,” Archea kept his voice soft and even, hoping to prove to the boy he really was an ally. The last part was a bit cheesy, Archea thought, but he meant it true.

Archea observed Cedric with the boy. If already Cedric, himself, and Rowena were a trio, then very soon, Archea was sure of it, the boy would join their ranks as family.

((OOC: This was written pretty quickly, so please disregard any strangeness in the content of it, wording, grammar, or anything else that is weird?????
Edit- also disregard the above sentence structure because I don't know how to english.))

Rowena could tell that mowgli felt comforted by Cedrics embrace. She knew the feeling, some people could hug you and all of a sudden nothing seems as bad. Both she and Archea flinched a little when he seemed to react badly to Archea's question, but he relaxed back into Cedrics arms and so they relaxed as well. Rowena gave a small smile when she heard his nickname for Cedric, who seemed to be finding all kinds of people to share nicknaming jokes with this week.

The smile dropped when muscles mcgee started talking again. Rowena wanted to hear what he had to say, this boy was so hurt she was sure he could be shipped in a box labeled fragile. Rowena almost cried out when the boy suggested they might never want to talk to him again, but Cedric knew what to say just the way he always had. The look in his eyes when he alluded to his work as an assassin almost brought Rowena to tears. Despite trying to be tough, she often cried a lot. Usually when other people were hurt.

Cedric assured mophead that he would stay with him, that he was the most important thing right now. Rowena supposed she should feel jealous, but he needed the affection and attention way more than she did and Rowena was happy to provide him with care and attention of her own. She moved closer to the group and settled on the ground near Archea. Hopefully proving to the boy, if just a little bit, that he was important and worth their time.

As they all settled in to hear the boys long backstory, and Archea offered some comforting words of his own, Rowena had a strange feeling settle over her. She had gone from at least a dozen family memebers to none, and now she felt as though one at a time she was gaining a family back. There was no doubt in her mind that Archea would be a part of it, and very probably so would the mowgli.

Psyre hadn't even been listening to what the people were saying, but Cheekbone's voice was low and comforting. Just like everything else about him. Psyre was already vulnerable, but it felt good. He hadn't even started to tell them all the horrible things he had done, and it already felt like a great weight had been lifted off his chest. His deep breaths weren't broken now, he could speak without his voice cracking, and he felt almost at ease. He still wasn't totally sure if he was ready to begin his story.

"I couldn't imagine being bored by your story. You're far more important than anything I have going on, and that includes being the king. Please, tell your story but do not force yourself. Take your time, we won't leave you."

“Everyone deserves to tell their story and let it be heard in fairness. We are here to hear yours with open minds and open hearts.”

The statements might have seemed overdone in a different situation, but to Psyre, right now, they were comforting beyond measure. The assurance that they would stay and listen was exactly what he had needed to hear. And the use of "we" was reminiscent of his people and their way of life. Psyre stopped for a second. He raised his hand to his face and felt his cheeks and mouth. Did I just think about the tribe without instantly feeling absolutely terrible? Yep, that's still a smile. Who are these people and how are they doing this? Psyre looked around at them again. The other man and the girl were respectfully keeping their distance, but their presence was comforting as well. He felt overwhelmed with affection. The fact that people would deliberately choose their distance from him in order to be sure they weren't going to upset him filled him with joy. These people thought about others. Not their tribe, but maybe their family? They seemed like a family. And they thought about him as well. The "we" mindset was familiar and boded well. Psyre turned to the man that wasn't Cheekbones and smiled up at him, actually looking into his eyes this time.

"Okay guys, I'm not sure you know what you're getting into..." And Psyre began his story. He spoke quickly with only very short pauses for breath, trying to make sure there wasn't enough time for anyone to interject until after he had said all he had to say. He told them about how he had gone behind the backs of the people of his tribe, how he had trusted an outsider, how this outsider had been his mentor, pupil, and friend. He told them how he had lived before, explained how the tribe worked. He told them everything there was to tell, his desire to allow Zanthro to join the tribe, his passion for thinking and change, his coming of age ceremony, and how he had planned to make those all come together and result in Zanthro joining the tribe as well. How he had hoped to help what he had thought was a friend. How he had been blind, stupid, dishonest, and a traitor.

And then, with his whole body shaking in grief, anger, and remorse, he told them of the slaughter. The fight. The flames. He told them of the strange light and the explosion of energy, the fires that were quenched and the way it had done nothing to him. The entire tribe, turned to stone or dead. Except him. And it was all his fault. He had been living with it since.

His face had fallen while he spoke, but he looked up at everyone in turn and a smile began to form on his face again. "Before you came, I couldn't sleep without screaming and crying, much less smile. When you came, I wanted to run. But you're different. Or at least, I hope you are." Psyre's eyes looked at them almost pleadingly. "You were here for me, not for you. You... You... You helped me more than I can say. Thank you so much." Psyre was starting to tear up again. He wiped his eyes and then looked at Cheekbones. "Thank you." Then, he gently pushed Cheekbones away a little bit so that he could stand up. He walked over to the other man, offered his hand, and said, "I'm Psyre." Then, he looked at the other two. "Is it okay if we go? I want to get somewhere away from here for a bit. Too many bad memories."

He stopped, walked to the girl, introduced himself to her as well, looked yet again at Cedric, and then said, "Well, King, do I get to see your castle?"

(OOC: Exit. Topic words = 2113. 2113/50 = 42. Requesting +32 Patience and +10 Memory. (also, I'm still a bit hazy on overlapping use of words, can these go toward skills and runes? At the moment, it seems like they can, so I'm going to request and feel free to deny.) Request to learn: Sharp Shooter (skill) (600 words, leaves 1500), Servant Wind (finger rune) (250, leaves 1250), and Soul Shield (arm rune) (500, leaves 750))

Approving Psyre's exit. However, it would be better (for me to keep track of) if you could put all the words towards just a single skill/spell until you have reached the words required, because spreading them out so much is a little confusing to keep track of when approving.
As of now, yes, you can gain skills/spells/runes from topics like this, but this is still in version 1, so that might or might not change as the game gets tweaked.
I think you're saying that you do have the words to get all those, but perhaps just phrase it a bit differently, because the first time reading it over, I thought you were splitting it up between all of those.

((Oh, yeah, totally, sorry. I have enough words for each. The words given are the total required to learn each skill or rune. In the future, I'll be sure to make the phrasing less ambiguous.))

Cedric listened patiently to Apple's story, ignoring his emotions and keeping his face calm.

The man he spoke of, he'd need to get a description of him in order to track him down properly. It wouldn't take long, he knew, and then he'd let the boy have his revenge.

Rowena and Archea both had similar facial reactions (it was almost comical how alike they looked, which was odd), which Cedric had to agree with. Cedric could feel the pain leaving the boy's body, at least enough for him to start healing.

Cedric did not interrupt the entire time, gently keeping hold of the boy, allowing room in case he wanted to leave or push Cedric away.

Cedric focused on the boys words, and his face. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't always suspicious of a possible lie. Not because Smooth Leather would be trying to lie about his situation, but to maybe hide something. Cedric was pretty good at knowing when people were lying, he had to be, but this boy was no liar.

God, he's so genuine. No surprise, considering he was raised in a tribe.

Cedric had heard of this tribe before, having watched them once. Only once, having been hired to do an assassination nearby and needed to relax after the job. He never made any note of it, however, knowing he wouldn't be welcomed in such a community.

He was far to dangerous for most, it seemed.

Turned to stone, Cedric couldn't believe his ears! And this boy, this pure soul was saved, but at what cost? The man who did this, well. He'd make life hell for him if he found him before the boy did. Not in any harmful way, more like stealing his money and his belongings. It would be a real treat to do so, this man having taken so much from such a young child.

And people think I'M bad, at least I have standards. For the most part.

Cedric noticed the story had finished, and Caveboy was.... Smiling? Well that's good? Right?

"Before you came, I couldn't sleep without screaming and crying, much less smile. When you came, I wanted to run. But you're different. Or at least, I hope you are."

Cedric looked into his pleading gaze, and smiled his reassurance. They were different, they wouldn't betray someone who meant something to them. No matter what. Rowena wouldn't betray anyone, and Cedric doubted Archea would either.

"We may be alike to people in some ways, and we may not be the best compared to others," Cedric chuckled a bit. "But we will never hurt one another, and that includes you, Raven Locks."

Nature Boy thanked them for what they had done, and gently pushed Cedric away. He complied easily, getting up himself and offering his hands to both Rowena and Archea to help them up, helping them up in one smooth motion.

Cedric watched him introduce himself to both Archea and Rowena.

Psyre, huh? I can work with it.

"Well, King, do I get to see your castle?"

Cedric tilted his head back and laughed freely, this kid was spunky. He walked over to both him and Rowena, putting his arm around Psyre and taking hold of Rowena's hand. He led them over to Archea, who took Rowena's other hand.

"Of course, my boy!" Cedric winked. "We'll all go together, and you're welcome to stay with us whenever you like. If you would prefer a cabin of sorts in the woods, I have the perfect place but that's your decision." Cedric looked at Rowena, "You're awfully quiet right now, and in the woods? Don't tell me you haven't found a new leaf, my Dearest."

Rowena had in fact found a new leaf, which Cedric decided to get gilded as soon as they were home.

[EXIT]

((OOC: Word count=2,013 Request to double class in Zealot: Assassin)

Approving Cedric's exit, but you still have roughly 2k left before you successfully multi-class, as the cost is 4 k words.

Yes, thank you, just putting the words in there as to not forget.

Before the boy began his story, he turned to Archea, their eyes meeting, and smiled at him. Archea beamed back. He knew the boy probably felt much closer to Cedric (though only knowing them all for a short time), but Archea was glad the boy was warming up to him.

Archea’s heart fell again during the boy’s retelling of his past – this time in pure sadness that he had had to experience something like that, be manipulated the way he was. Emotions changed once again as the boy went on to retell “the slaughter,” as he called it. Horror. Anger. Immense grief. Archea was sure his face looked pretty interesting at that point, mirroring the disgust he felt in his gut.

No matter how the boy explained it, Archea refused to see it as the boy’s fault; it was Zanthro who did wrong. Archea wanted to help the boy in whatever way he could. If that meant aiding him in seeking revenge, Archea would do it, even though he wasn’t really the violent type himself. This Zanthro person had put the poor boy through so much pain, and for extremely selfish reasons, and nobody had the right to do that ever.

“You were here for me, not for you. You … You … You helped me more than I can say. Thank you so much.” He had ended his painful story and was now addressing the three of them. As the boy’s green eyes welled with tears, Archea just wanted to hug him, but held himself back because he wasn’t too sure how comfortable the boy was with him just yet. (Also Cedric still held his embrace, so.)

Once the boy quieted, the King offered his own, Cedric-y words in response, promising to never hurt him. Archea found that Cedric always spoke words true to what he was feeling, himself, so he didn’t really need to add anything more.  

The boy wiped his tears, thanked Cedric another time, and then stood up. Cedric followed suit and came over to assist Rowena and Archea into an upright position as well. Archea briefly reflected on the fact that he was younger than Cedric, but received his friend’s offered hand anyway.

And then the boy was offering his own hand to Archea. “I’m Psyre.” The boy, or rather Psyre, had finally given his name – had finally felt at ease enough to give the thing that triggered it all in the first place. Archea was happy, truly happy, and he couldn’t help it when a blinding smile plastered itself on his face. He was so elated to have made this progress he forgot to even give his own name.

Psyre moved on to introduce himself to Rowena. And then he asked Cedric a question that Archea found he was very interested in himself. “Well, King, do I get to see your castle?”

He and Cedric laughed simultaneously: the elf’s laugh boisterous and full, Archea’s tinkling and light, but both genuine.

Slinging his arm around Psyre’s shoulders and taking Rowena’s hand in his, Cedric led them over to Archea, who took a hold of Rowena’s other hand with his own. With Cedric talking away, Psyre feeling welcome, Rowena examining her new leaf, and Archea perfectly content, they began on their way.

{EXIT}

((OOC: Total Topic Words = 2308 ; points = 46 ; requesting +40 in patience , +6 in memory))

Approved.