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 Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:05 pm
Many things were happening. The downward slope was in front of her, and the boulder was getting too heavy to hold up on her own. People surrounded her. They held out their hands and pleaded for her to grab hold, and yet, being stubborn as she was, all she could do is continue to try and hold it up until the weight was too much.
It was a walking kind of day.
So many thoughts. Questions. All of them she was afraid to ask for once. Did she want to let these people in? Spill her guts all over them and wait to see if they ran? What could she do if they did? For the longest time, all she had known was herself, and the faith she tried to have in herself. The faith kept her going, but that's all it did.
A path the feline had never walked down managed to catch the attention of her crimson orbs, figuring 'why the hell not', and letting her feet lead the quasi-adventure.
The journey stopped when the well came within sight, a sort of nostalgia falling over her as she stared. Luck. Riyo had never believed in luck. Just the blood, sweat, and tears that made goals possible. Luck had never been on her side, and so she chose to disregard it completely much like a child disregarding their fantasies for the cold world of adulthood.
After moments of awe, the ghoul slowly approached (doing her best to mind the man-eating plants). "So, wishing well. You look like you've seen better days." When the cat ghoul thought she was alone, she sometimes talked to herself... Or inanimate objects, in this case. Leaning over the old stone, the ghoul grabbed hold of her hat as she looked down the seemingly bottomless hole with a neutral poker face. "I suppose I have too.." Reaching into one of her large pockets with her free hand, she held a single silver pumpkin seed between her fingers. "I find it ironic that people say you grant wishes for chump change. I grant wishes for things of equal value. It's a monkey's paw in most cases, of course." She mused, glancing up towards the sky as she fiddled with the seed as if trying to taunt the powers of the well. "I've seen many people cry at their losses, because of decisions I've made. How many people have you watched break down, hm? How many dreams have you failed to make come true?"
The was, obviously, no answer. Only the thoughts that came from the silence. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Riyo turned around and sat against the well, both of her hands now clasping the single seed. "I'm not sure I deserve my wishes, with as many as I've seen devastated."
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Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2011 7:16 pm
How did Hel feel about luck? Honestly? She had mixed feelings about it. They were also feelings she wouldn’t outright share with anyone in this point in time, as they were contradictory to how she operated. The valkyrie liked to believe that if she tried hard enough, that whatever she did would come true, but…in that same breath, she had to admit that a lot of times she only seemed to pull through on sheer luck. It felt like to admit that she relied on luck belittled her capabilities as a being, but at the same time she knew that she couldn’t accomplish all that she did without a bit of it.
Regardless, the wishing well was somewhere new she hadn’t been before, and in her attempts to familiarize herself with the area, it deserved her attention!
Thus Hel wandered up the path to the wishing well, her hands laced behind her head as she strolled at a relaxed pace, though she paused upon sighting someone there already. Dual eyes blinked curiously, as she could pick out what the ghoul seemed to be saying to…? The reaper looked left and right, but found no one there…so she was speaking out loud then? Unfortunately for Riyo, Hel could hear uh…everything she was saying, and it intriguing to say the least! You had to give the valkyrie some credit too, for being sneaky, for as soon as Riyo was seated against the wall, just a few feet away, she’d find Hel staring down at her with her hands on her hips.
“Then maybe it’s time for atonement?” The reaper questioned.
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Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2011 8:21 pm
Riyo had experienced shock before. There were many moments in her life where the cat demon's eyes widened to the size of saucers, and her pupils were no thicker than a razor blade's edge. Moments where all the fur on her body stood and she became as tense as a plank of wood.
This? This was one of those moments, except somehow worse.
At first, Riyo just stared up at Hel as if not comprehending exactly what she saw. Like her brain went numb for those few seconds she laid eyes on the stranger directly in front of her. Slowly, her eyes started widening until the lids could go back no farther, the black marbles in the center turning thin
Oh dear sweet Jack and Sally. Someone had heard her.
"WHAT?" She practically screamed, arms reaching back for the well as if she would somehow fall through the ground after being spotted. Immediately her tail prickled out, face paler than it had been in a long time. Who the hell came here?! Well, besides her obviously... But THE SAME DAY?
She'd heard everything... Riyo just knew it. This ghoul whom she didn't even know... "W-what the ********? Did you just eavesdrop on my whole-" monologue? Monologue. "MONOLOGUE?" The panic was very clear on her face, and there was nothing the feline could do to hide it at this point. There were times when others had caught her doing something, but not like this. She was terrified. Terrified that someone would see through the facade Riyo had kept up for so long, and if she didn't pull herself together, there was a good chance someone would. "And what's that about atonement?! Are you really trying to preach to a stranger?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 10:40 am
When the demon’s eyes grew incredibly wide, pupils became nothing more than slits, and her posture as stiff as a board, Hel was a bit concerned. “Uh…” The reaper started off ever so eloquently. “Are…you alright?” She asked uncertainly before flinching as the demon then screamed. Okay, this seemed a bit better than how stiff and rigid and quiet the ghoul had been earlier. The valkyrie relaxed, tilting her head as she regarded Riyo and gave a small laugh.
“Eavesdropping implies I was purposely trying to be sneaky about it…” She trailed off for a moment. “With how loud you were musing, friend, I didn’t have to be sneaky!” Hel answered in a cheeky tone, a smile coming to her face now. Oooh monologue, huh? Nice term! At the question about preaching, Hel waved a dark hand dismissively. “Psshaw, no preaching here!” She didn’t like it when others preached to her, so she sure wouldn’t try to do it to others. “It just seems to be an obvious solution. If you’re unhappy, you work to make it better, yes?”
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 12:25 pm
Ohhh no. Riyo was nowhere close to alright. In fact, alright was about 3 miles the other way from where she was heading.
When the reaper started explaining that what she had done was by no means eavesdropping, the feline's eyes narrowed back down as if faced with a teacher's lecture on a misused word (not that she didn't have a point). Friend? Riyo was no friend of this ghoul. As her composure returned, she slowly released the well from her death grip and allowed her posture to loosen up. The fact that this stranger still seemed so happy after being screamed at did not bode well for the feline, at least, in her mind it didn't.
"You think it's that easy, huh?" Riyo asked with furrowed brows, an undertone of anger in those beaming crimson orbs. Sliding up so that Hel wouldn't be towering over her, the cat ghoul was surprised by how short she was. Well then...
"Sometimes there's no happy option. It's either be rich and miserable or be poor... And miserable. You can't have your spookies and eat them too." She grumbled and folded her arms. "Why don't you go find someone chipper and upbeat to speak with, like a kid named Charlie. He'll probably pop if you think about his name enough."
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 1:02 pm
Riyo’s narrowed eyes and hostility towards her didn’t seem to deter her in the slightest. It took a lot (or some very, very well place words) to shake Hel off once she was latched on. When the demon let go of the well and then stood, easily towering over her, Hel stared up at her with her hands still on her hips, and even puffed out her chest. Was Riyo trying to intimidate her with height? Possibly. Did Hel care at this point in time? Nope!
Hel laughed again at the demon’s words.
“Why does it have to be as hard as you make it out to be?” The reaper shot right back, grinning. She tilted her head, listening to Riyo go on. Dear Jack, what a downer this student seemed to be! “Make your own happy option!” She piped up, and then raised a fist, though it wasn’t in a threatening gesture, more like an exclamatory gesture. “Jack yeah!” She cried, “I’ll have my spookies and eat them too, and anyone who tries to stop me will be stomped!” At the mention of Charlie, the reaper perked up even more. “I know Charlie! He’s a swell boil!”
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 4:58 pm
It was on now. The chest puff from the smaller ghoul settled it. Riyo also puffed out her (most likely smaller) chest defensively, a scowl playing on her lips. There was one thing Riyo couldn't stand (that's a lie, there were a lot of things she couldn't stand), and that was people laughing at her.
"My own happy option? What kind of stupid idea is that?!" Riyo hissed. "Have you ever heard of necessary evils? You know, things you're obligated to do? Lets just say I have a s**t ton of those, and with the way things look, they'll be there for a long-a** time!" Seriously, where did this ghoul get off telling her how easy it was to be happy? She didn't know what it was like being in Riyo's shoes. Nor did the cat ghoul know vice versa. "So, Miss Moonshine, have you found your 'own happy option' yet?" Everyone had a side of crap on their plate, so what was this ghoul's major malfunction?
"Charlie is insane." Not that she minded him as much as she led on, but still.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:18 pm
Hel was amused as she watched Riyo puff out her chest as well (not that it added much to her stance), and smirked. The smirked faltered though as the cat demon called her idea stupid though. Hey, it was not stupid!
“It isn’t stupid.” The reaper insisted, her brows furrowing. Hel then stuck a pinky into one of her ears, acting like she was cleaning it out as Riyo went on about ‘necessary evils’, and ignored that topic for now. “…I think you focus on big things too much, friend! Have you even taken happiness and pleasure from the little things?” She took her pinky out of her ear and rested the hand back on a hip, and at being called ‘Miss Moonshine’, Hel beamed. Ooh, Miss Moonshine! She liked that a lot! The reaper grinned as she pointed back at the Academy. “That is my own happy option!” She informed Riyo.
When she called Charlie insane well…Hel couldn’t resist throwing a tease in. “That’s the pot calling the kettle black ~”
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:45 pm
It seemed like Hel was trying to push the cat ghoul's buttons, something that Riyo was still very bad about detecting. The little ear gesture the ghoul pulled about made the feline livid. "That's RUDE, you know." Not that calling somebody's idea stupid wasn't. Mimicking the reaper's stance, Riyo's hands went to her hips. "Sure. I play the violin and read books, but it's STILL just a reprieve from the bigger picture." For her, ignoring her problems would be like ignoring a stampede of rainbow-pooping unicorns through your living room. Near impossible.
"What? School?" Riyo asked with a scoff, shaking her head as she looked towards the building. Though... What she couldn't admit was that the building had become a lesser evil for her as well...
"Oh wait. Wait. Don't tell me." Moving one of her clawed hands to her head, Riyo closed her eyes as if in deep thought. "Friendship, right? You're gonna preach to me about the power of friendship? How much more magical everything is after you blindly take the hand of some idiot and let them lead you where they please? Oooooh, sorry. I've heard this one before."
... Wait a second. "Did you just insinuate that I'm insane?" She asked in disbelief. "I'm not crazy. What's crazy is that all these people are so desperate for companionship that they trust the first person to say 'hello' with all their secrets!" Basically, she assumed everyone else was insane. Fantastic.
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 4:20 pm
The reaper was torn between being amused and being offended. It was a rather fine line that seemed to wave onto either side depending on what Riyo said and did, and it dipped onto either side often. “What?” Hel shot back innocently. “I had an itch, friend!” Lies and slander! “Ah, no, I’m not talking about a reprieve. I am saying that you should take happiness from those things.” Here she paused, thoughtful. “Like the feel of the paper underneath your fingers, or the feel of the violin strings…”
“Yes, school.” Hel reaffirmed, grinning lightly until it was wiped off of her face. “None of my friends are idiots.” The ghoul replied, her tone dropping low as her eyes narrowed. Disrespecting them? That wasn’t going to fly. Insulting them? That wasn’t going to fly either. The reaper turned a bit away from Riyo, just a bit, and crossed her arms now, staring up at the cat girl with a bit of a condescending look. “You wouldn’t happen to be lonely…would you, friend? I notice that others tend to speak poorly about things which they don’t have.”
But now? Hel was back to being amused. Ugh, such a fine line it was! The small grin reappeared back on her face. “Oh? You didn’t even tell me ‘hello’…” Hel retorted, a brow rising. What was she insinuating with that comment? That Riyo had ‘told’ her a lot of secrets without as much as a prompting.
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 6:00 pm
The feel? What the ******** did she care about the feel of strings? Riyo had spent months learning to play the Jack-damn instrument, not so she could caress the strings for shits and giggles.
The feline was ready to tell Hel the contrary, and that her friends probably were idiots for wanting to be around such a snide girl, but the condescending look (from someone shorter, no less), and sharp comment made the ghoul's expression change from anger to something more defensive. There was a hint of nervousness in her expression. The hands that had been tucked under her arms retreated to the large coat pockets, once again fiddling nervously with whatever was contained in them. "Me, lonely? Psch. I could have friends if I wanted." The ghoul rolled her eyes as if the comment was nothing... But oh, it was most certainly something. Something that cut deep.
But oh. OH. Didn't even tell her hello?! Riyo's right hand immediately reappeared, her pointer finger... Pointing. The ghoul's mouth opened as if she was going to say something. Defend her actions...
... It appeared that the cat demon had finally been bested.
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 8:37 pm
If there was one thing Hel could easily pick up on, it was when she was ‘winning’, and now was no exception.
She watched as Riyo’s angry expression faltered, turning into a defensive one, and what really did the cat demon in was the sudden defensive posture she took. Hands in her pockets? Oh yeah, Hel knew she was winning this. The reaper turned her body to face Riyo once more, her arms unwinding as they went back to rest on her hips. She listened to Riyo try to retort that she could make friends if she wanted with a knowing smirk. The smirk changed into a grin when she pointed a finger at her.
Despite knowing she had bested this high strung ghoul, it didn’t make Hel feel better about herself. Nope, not one bit. You know what would though?
The reaper held out a dark hand for Riyo to shake. “My name is Hel, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2011 9:13 pm
Riyo slowly lowered her hand as the feeling of defeat crept up on her. Oh, don't get her wrong. She had failed at things before, but never a debate about her own sanity.
What an awkwardly embarrassing feeling.
Her blank eyes looked down at Hel's hand silently for a moment. She hated physical contact. Anyone who had been around her long enough to test her boundaries knew it, but at the same time, the defeat had left the cat ghoul with less a desire to resist.
With an exasperated sigh, Riyo limply took the hand offered to her. "Riyo." the cat ghoul said simply, neglecting to repeat and reply to the 'pleasure to meet you' part. Yeah. She bet it was. Nice to kick her a** is what Hel probably meant. "Gonna gloat about your victory so I can go home already or what?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 7:46 pm
Advice for Riyo’s situation at the moment? Too bad. Deal with it.
The reaper gave the demon’s hand a squeeze and a firm shake before releasing it, and laughed good naturedly. “Nope!” Was all she replied at the moment, as her hand then moved to pat the taller ghoul on the shoulder. “We’re going to celebrate together!” Hel informed Riyo oh so helpfully, and fished around in her pockets until she pulled out one plain pumpkin seed. She then marched up to the well, stood next to the demon, and then peered down into the well. Interesting!
Hel held up her pumpkin seed, and grinned over at Riyo. “To being friends.” She cooed, wiggling her seed before she tossed it into the well.
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 10:45 pm
The feline visibly cringed when Hel squeezed her slender hand, shaking it off as it was finally released. Oh, she didn't like this. she didn't like this at all. The ghoul was just.. Touching her. How obnoxious.
Riyo refrained from saying anything on the subject, however, as her eyes narrowed at the reaper's words. "... Celebrate together?" Riyo would've questioned the ghoul's sanity if hers hadn't been put into question and... well, kinda wrecked. "I'm not celebrating anything." Still being stubborn even after defeat. That's what Riyos did best.
Red eyes focused on the pumpkin seed as Hel decreed that it was a wish for their friendship, and the cat ghoul could only scoff. "You really think I'm gonna be friends with you?" The answer was obviously yes, so why she had bothered asking was beyond her. The feline's tail flicked behind her as she glanced over into the well again, watching the seed disappear into the dark abyss. "Not even the biggest pumpkin seed would grant you that wish. I don't want your friendship.. Or anyone else's." It was like Riyo was playing hard-to-get, only 100x worse. Honestly? Deep down, in her heart of hearts, she did want friends. The thought was so hard to cope with though. Turning her back on all the vows she had made to herself after...
... Certain events.
"I'm sure there are at least 50 other people in that school who would happily take your hand in friendship. Why not bark up their tree? Hm? Moreover, do you really think wishing in this stupid little well is going to do anything? It's hard work that makes goals possible. Magic is a tragic way to get what you want."
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