Fire Emblem: Wretched Whispers, Act 2: Warpath

[MRDRHAWK]

Declan was about to respond to the man that had interrupted his attempted conversation, when even more people cut him off - Melanie and... wait, who was the other girl again? Declan didn't remember, but he was starting to get a bit pissed off at the crowd forming. He really only wanted to talk to Vale right now, not a whole menagerie of people.

Then again... I've got nobody else left in my life, so why the hell shouldn't I be friendly? Er... friendlier. I guess.

Declan sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he leaned his head slightly toward the man who'd introduced himself as Orpheus. "Hey. The name's Declan. Y'know... you look kind of familiar..." Declan stroked his chin as he began sifting through his head for any indication of who the man was, but to no avail. Pity, he could have gotten a good conversation going if he could just remember.

Turning towards Melanie and the other girl, Declan grumbled, but shifted his head back and forth in an attempt to stretch his neck. "Hi, I guess. Sorry, I've... got a lot on my mind lately, so... I dunno." Declan sighed as his hand hovered instinctively to the Clarent at his side - the last thing he had of home, truth be told. He hoped that nobody asked about the sword... that wasn't a story he felt like telling the others right yet.

Sighing, he leaned over towards Vale and weakly draped an arm over the other swordsman's shoulders. "Yeah, that'd be great, Vaaaaaaaaaaale~. I could use a bit of... therapy, if you know what I mean." Declan replied, smiling and winking cheekily at Vale, hoping that he'd catch on to the teasing. And maybe make the rest of the conversation awkward enough that he could just grab Vale and slip out.

[Percivalé]

Although Mel's mention of the match stung slightly, he grinned at her--she seemed genuinely proud of him. "Hey... thanks, Mel." He wanted to mention he was happy to see her well again, but decided against it. Best to probably leave that alone as long as everything worked out, after all. "Couldn't believe it, huh?" He smirked. "What, you didn't have faith in me?" He let her latch onto him and tried to reach out to pat her on the back, but he only barely managed it with his bad arm.

When she let go he turned to Celestia. "It's all right--I wasn't able to see yours, either. I didn't... catch a lot of them, admittedly."

He was about to say something to Orpheus when suddenly Declan leaned over him this time. He froze for a second. Declan's arms over him put him in a bit of a trance.

He listened to the other man croon his name, but he didn't respond for a short time as the others continued their bantering. Eventually Vale looked up at him. "Therapy, huh?" He went with his instinct. "I knew it... you're acting differently." He hoped he wouldn't regret admitting this aloud; he spoke quietly just in case. "Something happened, didn't it?" This is it... this is my chance.

[Nanami Touko]

"Ah, oui, we are part of ze same group! We are 'Art's 'Ollows! Sheikah ees ze boss, and she is très bien~" Mel giggled at this Orpheus fellow. "Zat ees okay. I am not suited for zese intense one on one fights. I got far too scared een ze first round. I juste let Taima go ahead wissout a fight. I could not 'ave taken 'er even eef I 'ad ze confidence." Mel nodded knowingly. That sort of fight, it wouldn't have worked out in her favor on her best day. "I sink I saw you, sough. Zat Wolfgang, 'e ees, er... Pretty fast. Eet ees too bad. I do not like 'im very much. I would 'ave 'oped zat you would 'ave beaten 'im." Mel sighed, but such was fighting. When the dust settled, whoever was still standing won, no matter how much she liked them.

Any talking about the tournament ended as Declan said Vale's name in a funny way and draped an arm around the man. "Ehm... What are you doing?" Mel asked, slightly confused. Serapy? Ben, I do not sink zat Vale needs ze psychiatre... Melanie didn't quite get what was being implied, so she took a few steps over to Celestia, and whispered to the woman, "what does Declan mean by serapy? Vale seems fine. Did Taima 'it 'im in ze 'ead while I was not looking, or somesing?"

[Ether]

Well, Declan was acting... different than usual. Something about therapy, and some words between the pair made it even more mysterious, and soon Melanie came over to her, asking the very same question that was going through her own mind, in a whisper.

"How should I know whether Taima hit him... I was the one who was out cold..." Celestia replied first to the last thing asked, taking some time to think on the rest of it. Then it hit her, one might say it came in like a wrecking ball! Well, a half-naked woman riding a wrecking ball but that was all semantics, really.

"Well... now that I think about it, that reminds me of something. I had been curious about it, actually..." Celestia whispered back, before raising her voice for the next bit.

"I wanted to ask about that, actually. You know, a bunch of guys from different companies wanted me to do that sort of therapy for them when we worked together. You're asking him for, like, a polish, or a spit shine, right? They always said it was therapeutic for them, too... is it really that good?" The templar asked the two men directly. Maybe now she could finally get to the bottom of why so many guys seemed to ask her to shine their shoes. She did always feel bad that she never had the time, since they seemed to really want it.

[Nanami Touko]

"Oh, right... Sorry." Celestia had been knocked out. But, Mel remembered watching that fight rather intently, and she didn't see Taima hit him in the head. Why did he need therapy then? "Eh? What ees eet?" Seems Mel wasn't the only person with something on their mind...

Though, Celestia's question only made it more confusing. "Eh!? Why would zey want you to wash zeir shoes?" Melanie couldn't be more confused right now, but Declan and Vale seemed like they knew exactly what was going on. So, y'know what, Mel leaned into the conversation too, hoping for an answer. "Vale, you seem like you really know what ees going on, donc, eh... S'il vous plait, explain? I do not sink I 'ave been more confused about somesing een ma entire life..." 'Ow could polishing a shoe for someone be serapeutic? I... Eet makes no sense! "Do you... Like eet when Declan shines your shoes?" Mel even went as far as to tilt her head. This problem had gotten the best of her.

Edited March 22, 2015 by I have opinions

[eclipse]

[spoiler=Round 2, approved by Ivan]Peter recognized his opponent - they'd gone for drinks when they first arrived at this town. Ivan, if I remember right. Odd speech pattern, but seems like a competent fighter. Unlike his previous opponent, Ivan didn't charge immediately. The two opponents circled each other, each waiting for the other to slip. Ivan broke the stalemate first. The lancer's lunge whizzed by Peter's face. Peter retaliated with what he thought was a well-placed blow, but was rewarded with a sharp poke to the ribs - Ivan had feinted, and had taken the hit so he'd be able to counter! The woodsman cursed under his breath, and took the offensive. His swing was interrupted by the. . .ground? Two pokes to his left brought him back to reality.

"I ain't gonna let you win that easy," Peter growled. His opponent chuckled in response, before throwing out a slow jab to the face. Peter side-stepped to the left, and felt no resistance as he swung towards Ivan's shoulders. This time, he leaped backwards after his strike. Ivan's next strike had come just shy of Peter's chest.

"Ivan see that you learning fast," the thieving lancer said with a grin. I'm doing everything I can to keep up with him, and he sees this as some sort of sparring session. Go figure. "But bow man using axe weapon is weird. You, sticking to bows, Ivan not be winning so easily." Before Peter could produce a response, Ivan's lance shot towards him. Peter rolled, but his resulting strike was woefully off-balance. He felt the butt of Ivan's lance hit him over the head.

"You getting better at dodging. Ivan not losing this match on purpose." Ivan's last words faded with Peter's consciousness.

"You. . .no hate. . ."

[Shin]

Orpheus laughed, Mel had a funny way of putting things. "Nothing wrong with that. No point in doing the impossible, unless you're an idiot like me. My chances against Wolfgang were pretty grim, but I figured I had a few options. One of them was running away, but it wouldn't exactly let me win."

Vale and Declan baffled Orpheus also, was Vale sick or did he need medical attention? He'd assumed that he'd been tended to, but this was beyond him. Still, it looked like Declan was handling it... that made sense, right? The other girl started talking about shoes, which only added to the confusion. Were all the people in this group so confusing? Was it some sort of city dialect, was something going over his head entirely?

[MRDRHAWK]

Declan was hoping for a response from Vale, and he did get one, though not the kind that he hoped. Declan grunted and leaned in closer to Vale's ear. "Yeah... let's just say you're all I have left now, Vale." Declan replied softly, hoping that neither of the mages or Orpheus had good enough hearing to know what he was saying. Especially not Melanie; he had an image to maintain as a jackass, and if she found out anything about his past or his current goings on, she'd get too close to him. And it was bad enough he was freaking out about Vale potentially dying for some ungodly reason; he didn't wanna have any other innocent people in his life dying because of his shit.

His family and Arietta already did, after all.

Then Melanie and Celestia started going on about other kinds of therapy - Dammit, I knew I should have picked a better flirty term to hide my actual problem - and Declan moved away from Vale and sputtered. "Th-the fuck...?! You think that I'm such an ass that I'd be trying to get... that out of him so soon after we met?! I've got ethics, for fuck's sake..." Declan shouted out in reply, though it tapered off into more of a grumble than anything by the end. He did have the past and the outward demeanor for that kind of thing to be a regular accusation towards him, didn't he? Dammit.

Of course, teasing begets teasing, and Declan had a thought. "You know, it's not just men that can be into... ah, therapy... Say, Mel, you ever ask Celestia for some therapy yourself? After all, I'm sure you could get all sorts of... ah, special therapy from her that you wouldn't see from me or Vale..." Declan added with a smirk that he really hoped wasn't a sneer. He wanted to keep her from getting close, not isolate himself.

After all, these people - Vale, Melanie, the boss, and everyone else in the group - were all he had left. And Declan would be damned if he lost anyone else for being an immature jackass.

[Percivalé]

The revelation dropped inside Vale like a pear from a tree. He wanted to question Declan further but realized he had a façade to keep up--he'd have to tough it out through his brewing emotions. He took a deep breath.

But how in the world could he ever face the two girls again if he really had to be the one to answer them? He tried so hard to let his hair hide his rising blush and hoped Declan would break the momentary silence quick before he had to--and he did. But the results weren't exactly much better. And he pouted a little when Declan moved away from him. All right, I can't let him do this alone...

He smoothed his hair back. "You guys, you know it's much too soon for that... we just met, you know." He approached the other swordsman and wrapped his arms over his shoulders this time. He noted Mel's confusion but decided to just keep running with it. "Declan just wants a little alone time to sort out his feelings first, you know?" He chuckled a little. "Just between the two of us."

At last he found himself able to look directly at Mel and Celestia now--perhaps because he was half-hiding behind Declan, but that was just a smaller detail. Mel's puzzled face pained him so much, though; he had to do something. "Declan," he whispered, "I genuinely don't think they know what we're talking about..."

"Declan's just teasing," he said to the girls. "You'll... understand soon enough, I think. Give it some time." Poor Orpheus.

He whispered to Declan again. "When did you want to leave?"

[Ether]

"Huh... really? Some guys asked me to do that for them only a few hours after we met. Is it really something you need to wait for? I mean, it's easy enough to do, and it makes you feel a lot better, right?" Celestia replied, their responses not really helping to clear anything up for her.

"I mean, no one's ever... done it to me, so I guess I can't really say much, But it seems like something that a lot of guys really want, so I don't see why you wouldn't just go ahead and do it for him, after all, you seem pretty close. I've had girls ask me too actually, but I guess until I've had it done, I won't see the appeal." Celestia replied with a sigh. Shoe shining seemed to be a much deeper subject matter than one might expect at first blush.

[Nanami Touko]

Melanie shrunk a bit under Declan's shouting and Vale's continuously confusing explanation. She sincerely did not understand. Was there some taboo on shoe shining that no one had taught her? What did her parents not get around to explaining? Should she start wearing sandals to avoid situations like that? It made no sense! She actually had to sit down, her head was spinning so much trying to figure it out. I'll understand soon enough? Ben, when ees soon enough? How will I understand zis!? Should she ask Celestia for therapy? The other woman didn't seem to have much of a clue, either.

Of course, Celestia's continued comments were just ushering more confusion out of Mel. Declan and Vale said it was too soon, Celestia said she'd been asked so quickly. Mel stared at Vale with a most confused expression, her eyes pleading with him for an explanation. She really hated it with things didn't make sense. "Ugh." She finally groaned, and laid down on the bed, too flustered to try and deal with figuring it out, anymore. "Magique ees easier zan zis..." With another huff, she pouted to herself.

[Ether]

Oh... there were beds here, after all. Well, Celestia couldn't help but feel like an absolute knob at this point, but the revelation was short lived, as a more intense residual shock than she had been expecting coursed through her, and shoved her already precarious position straight back into unconsciousness, with a light squeak escaping her lips. Unfortunately, her bad luck with these beds did not cease in the slightest, as she missed them entirely and crumpled on the floor like a rag-doll.

What a day.

[Nanami Touko]

"Eh? Celestia!" Mel exclaimed, as her friend took another tumble. Whatever worry she had about shoes could be set aside for now, as she hopped off the bed and started to pick the girl up. "Do not worry, anyone. I am sure she ees juste tired still, from ze match. I will... 'Elp 'er up." Mel groaned a bit as she really didn't have the physical strength to carry anyone her size around anywhere. But she could make it to the bed, sitting down with Celestia hanging over her shoulder. "And..." She slowly helped her off her shoulder, and... Well, her head was laying in her lap now. Mel blinked a few times, and shrugged. "I will stay 'ere to make sure she ees alright. Do not worry about ze topic, Vale. I... Ben, eef I am to understand soon, zen I will, I suppose. Even eef eet ees frustrating, maintenant."

Edited March 22, 2015 by I have opinions

[MRDRHAWK]

Declan grumbled a bit as the others were talking about this and that and what ze hell ees thees or some shit. Thankfully, Vale seemed to get the hint fairly quickly that he wanted out now. At least, until Vale threw his arms around Declan's shoulders, then he went red. Redder than Melanie's hair, probably. "H-hey..." Declan weakly muttered, but didn't object. Besides, he was too tired and feeling weak (probably from Vale) to do anything.

As Melanie and Celestia came together on the bed - though not in a way that Declan figured they would - he leaned closer to Vale. "You thinking what I'm thinking about those two?" Declan whispered, before Vale asked about when he wanted to leave. "In a bit... let's see if these two keep asking about... ah, therapy... some more." However, when he noticed just how... untalkative they were, Declan shrugged. "Or now. Now works."

Edited March 23, 2015 by Blackhawk Stinger

[Percivalé]

Vale sighed, just a little--he still felt so guilty. "Mel... we can talk later about this if you want, okay?" He let go of Declan and quickly moved over to the bed where he previous rested to grab his parcel. "I just didn't want to have to explain it... here. I hope Celestia will feel better soon." He didn't see what exactly went down during her match, but she looked so pale when she talked to them, and twitched at random intervals during the conversation. Although I guess I would have been twitchy too if I were her...

He put his right hand--his good hand--on Declan's shoulder, the parcel tucked loosely under his other arm. "Let's go." Concern laced the edges of his voice. He couldn't hide his worry anymore.

I'm... the only one he has left?

[MRDRHAWK]

Declan nodded as he exited the room with Vale in tow, looking for a vacant room to relax in for a bit. Eventually, he managed to find a vacant room and led Vale inside, hoping that he'd be okay with this sort of... arrangement. "Sorry about this, Vale... I'm still really fucking sore and tired from training and the tournament... And, well... Thinking about some stuff..." Declan clutched his elbow with his other arm, hand still hovering over the Clarent instinctively. The shit with his family and Eduardo on top of the bad memories of Arietta's death bubbling up again... It was almost too much.

And yet, Declan tried not to cry. He figured it'd make him seem like an immature child if he cried from losing someone. Not like he wasn't used to it, anyways.

[Nanami Touko]

"Oh. Ben, zat makes sense, eef eet ees important." Mel nodded, adjusting Celestia just a bit more so she could lay comfortably on those thighs. If it was so shocking that it would've made Celestia's poor state even worse then Mel understood entirely that it could wait. But... "Vale," she said, giving him a smile, but losing it and staring at him seriously rather quickly, "we will talk about eet, later." Her tone was fairly serious, as serious as Mel could get. She hated, absolutely hated not understanding things. Especially things that were apparently easily evident to Declan. So Vale was going to explain this no matter what! That dealt with, and the two looking like they were off to talk about their own things, Mel settled herself in to waiting for Celestia to wake up. Of course, if Orpheus wanted to talk, she totally would! But for now, she found herself sitting there, staring at Celestia, and... Gently stroking her hair. "I 'ope you will be okay." She sighed, but smiled.

[Percivalé]

Vale shuddered before the two left. Yeah... we'll talk about it. What a mess he'd gotten himself into.

--

"Hey, you don't have to be." Despite the circumstances, Vale felt so relieved. At last he could talk to Declan again. It had been a few days since their last real encounter, and he still felt bad for cutting it short. "Just... what happened?" He gripped the parcel tightly, nervously. "What do you mean I'm--the only one you have left?" He felt guilty for jumping to the question so fast, but he had to. He just had to. The phrase kept repeating in his head, and the conflicted look on the other man's face shook him; Declan was usually much more... aloof than this.

Whatever awaited him in the envelope would have to wait just a bit longer.

[Shin]

It was official, Orpheus didn't even remotely understand these people. Melanie seemed to have things under control and it appeared to be a rather... sensitive moment. He didn't quite know the group dynamics yet, but they were unusual, that much was for certain.

"I'm going to head out for a bit, things are getting way too heavy for my liking." he said casually, slowly making his way to the door. "I'll see you both around."

[MRDRHAWK]

Declan sighed and swore under his breath as he leaned back onto the bed - a lot softer than those makeshift ones in the apparent infirmary. He knew that he had to say something about it; after all, he'd made the bed, and now he had to lie in it.

"Truth is, Vale... my family's gone. Just got the news during that break in between the second and third rounds of the tournament. One of my old partners, he... well, I guess he's still pissed that I broke off our partnership, and he's trying to kill me. So, he found where I lived and slaughtered my family." Declan huffed out a pained breath as he pulled the Clarent out from the sheath at his side. "Essentially all I've got left in life are this sword and the man next to me." The swordsman cursed himself for such a corny line, but he needed the comfort that Vale could provide right now.

Besides, after what happened to Arietta, he figured he was more likely to love men in the long run anyways.

[Percivalé]

Vale's eyes widened. He stood in front of Declan on the bed, his back hunched, the knot in his stomach swelling up to his throat now. "I'm..." He couldn't finish his sentence yet, instead setting himself next to the other man on the bed. But he found himself unable to look at Declan at all, instead staring at the floor. He thought it'd be easier to do this than it turned out to be.

"Declan," he finally spoke after a silence, "I'm... sorry." He really didn't want to resort to any tired 'you have my condolences' shticks, but as a result he was left almost completely wordless. He thought so hard to himself. Now was his time to finally be here for the man he wanted to know more about. Resolved but still emotional, he sat up straighter and looked towards Declan now.

I mean, he has all the others here, too... but if what he means is what I think he means... oh. Of course, he figured it should be obvious by now, but again things always seemed much more unreal when they were actually up close and in person. Like the prospect of a relationship, for example. "Well..." Here I go. "Time to make the most of what you have now in life, then." He smiled gently, though somewhat sadly. "I know I will." He set the parcel in his lap.

[Nanami Touko]

"Ah... Okay, Orpheus. Eet was nice to meet you! I am sorry eef somesing 'as 'appened to bozzer you." Mel wondered what had been so heavy for him. She shrugged. After all was said and done, though, it was just her and Celestia left... A part of her felt happy about that, even if it was a bit confusing. She looked down, and finally realized that her fingers had started twirling around the woman's hair. She blushed, and made them stop, sighing. "Life ees 'ard to figure out, isn't eet?" she mumbled to no one in particular. Well... Eef she ees asleep, I suppose she would not mind. With a tiny smile on her face, she let herself twirl and fiddle with some more hair.

[MRDRHAWK]

Declan sighed as he leaned in closer to his companion, resting his head gently upon Vale's shoulder and closing his eyes. "I'm scared, y'know. If we get so close to each other, I'm... I feel like something bad may happen to you. It seems to happen to everyone else in my life, so..." Declan's breath hitched as he slowly opened his eyes and tilted his head towards Vale. "Hey... promise me that everything will be okay. I don't wanna lose anyone anymore... I'm tired of it. I'm tired in general, actually..." Declan trailed off into a murmur as his head slipped off Vale's shoulder and down into the other man's lap, softly snoring shortly thereafter.

It really had been a long day, and he needed sleep. Hopefully he and Vale could talk more later.

[riariadne]

[spoiler=Penultimate Fight]The tournament slowly wound down as the few remaining contestants paired off. Eventually, it came to the second to last fight, and across the arena from Taima stood Sierra. Only light scratches were on the guard's armor after her first three rounds, and upon seeing her opponent she grinned ear-to-ear, sheathing her sword.

"Taima! You did make it!" Sierra spoke to the armored woman. "Yay, awesome! This is gonna be great. Don't let me down, okay?" She readied her lance, one that seemed to be accustomed for throwing but also close-quarters fighting, and charged ahead. The battle did not start off well for Sierra, missing her first attack, and Taima hitting her own- their next two alternating attacks fared the same way. However, the guard seemed focused after suffering her second hit. "You're the real deal, huh? Gotta try my hardest, then!"

With a renewed drive, Sierra advanced on Taima, connecting two quick strikes first, then darting forward with her all put into the third attack. The blow knocked the armored woman off her feet, but not for long, as Taima climbed back onto her feet, dazed from Sierra's fierce comeback. The two women were both clearly in pain, Taima's exhaustion apparent as Sierra knocked her attack away. Unfortunately for her, the guardswoman couldn't withstand forever, and fell to the ground after one final attack. "Ungh," she muttered quietly. "Couldn't win it for you..." She reached up at her opponent weakly, before slipping into unconsciousness herself. The crowd cheered for the armored woman's victory, as the healers worked their magic and Sierra was carried off to rest.

[spoiler=Recovery]For Sheikah, the afternoon had passed by like a blur. The first match was easy, but the second not so much. Vale was quick, and a strong hit sent her tumbling to the ground.

When she woke up in one of the beds, all she felt was pain. She rolled off the side as she fought off the feeling of tiredness, yelping as she made contact with the floor. "Ugh," she moaned, looking around. She spotted Celestia tumble and be helped up, among others- some she recognized, others not. "You two alright?" she asked Melanie. "What were you all talking about...?" The boss dragged herself up, leaning her head on her hand and looking at them. As she sat up, a pair of men placed Sierra on an empty bed, carefully removing her battered armor and placing it by her side. "Huh... wondered who ended up beating her. She's supposed to be really strong, right?"

[spoiler=Twin Steps]Mina paused along with Magali after the end of their performance, bowing gracefully at the end. "That was marvelous," she complimented the other dancer. "Where did you learn to play so well along with your dance? I have never been skilled with an instrument, but despite you focusing on both you manage to be wonderful at both... it was enchanting."

Edited March 26, 2015 by Reinfleche

[Nanami Touko]

Mel's alone time with Celestia's wonderfully silky hair was interrupted by a sudden thud-yelp combination, causing a sharp flinch. She stared at the source, realizing it to be Sheikah. Mel shrunk a bit. "Eh, oui. At least, I am alright. Celestia will be fine, I am sure." Mel couldn't remember speaking to Sheikah since the last town. She remembered that pretty well, and the sharp glare she'd been given, though she didn't remember why. She had a guess, though... "T-Talking about?" she asked, nearly forcing herself to chat, though it wasn't the most difficult task. "Ehm, shoe shining... Zough, I did not understand." She didn't say much more than that, as Sierra was then brought in, Mel staring in quite real surprise. "Eh? 'Oo beat 'er?" Mel stared at the unconscious woman, stunned into a new silence. It took her a few moments to compose herself again, looking back to Sheikah and asking an all important question. "Sheikah... Were you mad at me, een ze town before, because I am taller zan you?"