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Éamon Devlin

"Should've joined the NMCI instead."

0 · 1,109 views · located in Rapsodía

a character in “Synchroneity”, as played by SkyCladSaya06

Description



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" I must be getting old... "
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Waiting For A Train : Flash and The Pan

Dialogue : Navy : Thought : Blue

Face Claim : Nagito Komaeda || Super Danganronpa 2 】




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REAL NAME
Devlin, Éamon
Meaning : Éamon - Protector || Devlin - Unlucky


DIVA/DIVO NAME
Eins

NICKNAMES
Éamon

AGE
22

GENDER
Male

ORIENTATION
Heterosexual

ETHNICITY
Irish





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HAIR / EYES
White/Gray

HEIGHT / WEIGHT
5'11/150 lbs

COMPLEXION
Pale

GENERAL APPEARANCE

Éamon generally carries a ragged, shifty appearance. Mostly as a result of his hair, his pale complexion and choice of clothing which always seem like it's just a couple more holes and tears away from being a rag. It's not as if he had any other choice though. Most of his outfits are bought secondhand, maybe even third. Money was tight during his life and although they had been reborn with richer lives, this thrifty attitude carried on even then.

Aside from his hair, his height tends to make him stand out both in the figurative and the literal sense. This allows him to carry an imposing air even though he was rather skinny in stature. People have often mistaken him from an athlete judging from how he looks though he is always quick to clear up the misconception.

A handful of people have sometimes remarked that Éamon somehow resembles a corpse that was brought back to life, much to his chagrin. He is quick to roll along with it though and he's soon learned to make the best use of the impressions he evokes.




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◇ Carefree ◇ Apathetic ◇ Awkward ◇ Unsettling ◇ Intimidating ◇

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Éamon's a rather easygoing and approachable guy; if one can get past his shifty and ragged appearance. He can be both a good listener and speaker, capable of holding a conversation on virtually anything under the sun. Unlike other people, he has no qualms about approaching strangers and talking to them though this behavior can easily be seen as intrusive by the more reserved folk.

Underneath the sunny exterior though, his own thoughts and beliefs tend to border on the unorthodox side. Thanks to the events he's experienced when he was still in his original life, he's come to view the world differently, resulting in his apathetic yet practical approach to most things. He's a bit of a nihilist and a hedonist, given how he lived and died.

He is rather passionate when it comes to music and he isn't easily disheartened by criticism or comparisons. This has allowed him to become versed in several instruments though he never considers himself as a master of sorts. His tastes does seem rather odd and weird which still makes him difficult to place in organized performances.





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LIKES
Stories : Éamon has always found literature as an enjoyable pursuit and a great source of inspiration.
Music : Éamon's only passion in life seems to be music and he seems to equally enjoy listening to it as much as making it. His preferences leans on New Wave, Ambient and Jazz. The rest are either take it or leave it with him.
Dragons : Éamon's got a weird fascination with dragons for some reason. He's rather fond of them and he usually has several possessions bearing this motif.
The Modern World : Despite the richer life they lead in Rapsodía, Éamon still longs for the urban world and all its bells, whistles and imperfections.
History : Yet another pursuit he found worthy. Éamon had actually considered becoming a history professor once.


DISLIKES
Boredom : Éamon generally hates running out of things to do.
Getting called by other names : Éamon tends to get irritated whenever someone uses other names to refer to him (such as his title). He seems to do fine with placeholders like "odd guy", "scum" and "oddball" though.
Rules : While not an outright rebel, Éamon tends to disobey rules which he deems obsolete. Same with music. As someone who's never completed his formal education in it, he generally goes against the classical tenets.
Debts : Éamon doesn't like owing anything to anybody.
Perfection : Éamon dislikes things that are "too perfect" and ideal.


STRENGTHS
Strategy : As someone who grew up playing war games, Éamon tends to be well-versed in this.
String Instruments : Among all the instruments Éamon has learned to play, he is most capable at stringed instruments.
Eye for detail : Éamon is good at spotting the most meticulous of details, allowing him further insight to things.


WEAKNESSES
Stamina : Though he's not that physically lacking, Éamon tends to tire out faster than the others.
Wind Instruments : He's generally bad at this.
Apathy : Éamon generally lacks the motivation to do anything he's not interested in; a point which puts him at odds with his more industrious fellows.





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ARTIFACT
xxx

Éamon wields the Ring of Arach. It is in the form of a plain, steel ring adorned with two pearls, one blue and one green. Pearls are a common motif associated with Japanese, Chinese and Indian dragons. It is also a common motif found on the coat-of-arms of the Knights of Old Rapsodía, which of course includes the legendary creature associated with it.

This Artifact gives Éamon some of the privileges kept by dragons. One of this is the ability to travel through the Dragon Lines, giving him easy transport across lands given the proper alignment and gates. In addition to that, it also allows him to tap into the power of the Dragon Stream; an inexhaustible source of energy. Tapping into this gives him unnatural abilities like regeneration, strength and clairvoyance. At full power, he is even capable of acquiring a complete dragon body for a short amount of time.

Upon activation, a small ethereal dragon coils around his arm which serves as his rite of passage and his limiter. The longer he taps into the Dragon Stream, the more corporeal the dragon becomes until it reaches a state of physical existence wherein a Dragon God itself bursts forth. As no world nor vessel is capable of containing the existence of such a deity, it will forcefully deactivate, sending the god back to its realm and draining Éamon of his energy.

While only he has the right to tap into the Dragon Stream, he is allowed to share his privilege of traveling across the Dragon Lines by means of a blood compact.







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HISTORY

Éamon grew up in the rough streets of Dublin, during the time of economic recession. The cycle of fortune ruled his life completely as he often found himself possessing bad luck one day and good luck the next. He was born into a rather rich family but his parents died in a freak accident when he was six, leaving him and his inheritance in the care of his godparents. His godparents took care of Éamon since they had no child of their own, and they also managed his inheritance wisely, making sure that he doesn't blow it all away on useless matters.

Rough times followed soon after and, despite the hefty inheritance, Éamon's family soon found themselves struggling financially. They had to cut back on a lot of expenses, including education and Éamon was transferred into a public state school. It is in this place where he first picked up playing instruments due to the lack of recreation. He would expand and sharpen this talent over the course of four years, until such time that the school officially recognized his capability. As a stroke of good luck, he was later accepted in a prestigious music college, much to the joy of his godparents.

Unknown to them though, Éamon had been diagnosed with chronic leukemia and his body hadn't been responding to well to medicine. He stopped treatment sometime before he entered college, in order to ease the financial burden on himself and his family, deciding to let fate take its course naturally. Luck was on his side though and his body continued to resist, going beyond the estimated time he had left.

Studying in such a posh and strict atmosphere didn't sit well with Éamon and he soon found himself uninterested in the notes, measures and scales being taught there. As a small act of rebellion, he teamed up with a bunch of other misfits like him and formed a band outside school, which he used as an outlet of creativity. They would perform in pubs and bars in the evenings and even formal events should they find the time. Eventually, their band gained recognition and the path to stardom soon opened up.

Unfortunately for Éamon, he wasn't able to accompany the band he helped form on their rise to the top. The night they managed to get their first record label was the last night he ever spent with his friends. They partied hard all through the night before parting ways to go home and prepare for the trip to London the next day. Éamon bade his friends his final goodbye that night. He never made it home as the illness finally caught up with him.

Resurrection in a new world wasn't something he exactly planned but he decided to take it anyway since he thought it was the good luck that comes after the bad luck that is death. The life of a soldier needed a lot of adjustments on his part but he eventually got used to it and along with five others, soon established himself as that world's knight of sorts.

The novelty soon watered down though and Éamon eventually found himself bored within Rapsodía. Soon, he started longing for the old urban life he originally had. For now, he just spends his time trying out things he wasn't able to do back then...such as being fluent in at least one wind instrument.


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FAMILY / OTHER

◇ Father : Devlin, Robert : 39 : Alive/Deceased
◇ Mother : Devlin, Annabel : 35 : Alive/Deceased
◇ Godfather : Lawlor, Brendan : 45 : Alive/Deceased
◇ Godmother : Lawlor, Ailis : 40 : Alive/Deceased

*add as many as needed.



cs by StarlightPrincess
inspired by The_Queen , ઽ૮૨Α
modified by Chrian Blaire
filled by SkyCladSaya06

So begins...

Éamon Devlin's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ari O'Dell Character Portrait: Jin Kunisada Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Kotone Akibara Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez Character Portrait: Kohaku Akamine
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#, as written by chrian.
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Rapsodía - a vast magical kingdom existed in a foreign world, is known by no inhabitant of our own world. For thousands of years, the kingdom has thrived and prospered under the sovereignty of its' many wise and just generations of rulers. It had gained the utmost of harmony and tranquility between humans and nature. Truly a utopia where anyone could dream to live in. It may very well remain like that for eternity to come, if not for the existence of its' bloodthirsty destructors...

They are called as the Thoryvós. No citizen of Rapsodía know where they originated from, or how they have existed. All that were known about them are that they are vicious creatures that came from all shapes and sizes, they cannot be harmed by normal means of weapons, their behaviors are unpredictable, their population is immeasurable. These monsters have claimed precious lands from humans and created their own territories. They have maimed and killed countless of lives, leaving humanity hopeless against them. Is there any hope for humankind, or will they have to accept their demise?

It was here that a mysterious black flower came into this world. It had guided the rulers of Rapsodía to search and find the artifacts - relics holding magnificent power that had existed even before existence itself and taught humans how to wield them in combat through means of songs and intonation. And thanks for its' help, human had effectively warded themselves against the sinister Thoryvós, slowly advancing against them, and reclaimed what they have lost. The battle between the two races would went on like that for centuries. The black flower was nowhere to be seen again, but Rapsodíans will not let its' contribution to be forgotten, and made the black flower the proud emblem of their kingdom.

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After the Divas and Divos accepted the offer of the black flower, they were transported into random places throughout the kingdom. Of course, it would be natural for them to feel shocked and surprised in this new world. They wandered from whence they stood, gaining questioning and strange looks from the people. But eventually, they were found by the soldiers of the ruler of this world - Queen Ardelia. They took them to her palace, situated right in the center of the kingdom, where she welcomed them with open arms, explained them of their new duties and granted them sanctuary right in her castle.

It has been a year since then. They have spent their times mastering their artifacts, getting accustomed to the world of Rapsodía and its' people and fighting against the Thoryvós, though apparently, many questions still troubling them. They have successfully defended the people from any prominent threat caused by those monstrosities. Even though the citizens look at them with disdain at first because of their differences, they are now revered as heroes, being respected by almost everyone, both nobles and peasants alike.

And so we begin our story. As of now, the Divas and Divos are staying as residents of the Queen's palace. Life was much different in comparison with their old world, but it was comfortable, to say the least. In a way, they also seemed to get on well with each other and remained ever loyal to Queen Ardelia. Currently, the Divo Drei and the Diva Fünf had been sent on a mission and are yet to returned, but news of the appearance of the Thoryvós had just reached the capital, and it's only a matter of time before the remaining Divas and Divos be sent, on another task of their lives again.

The lives of the protectors of this world had never been a smooth sail, after all.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Kohaku Akamine
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While the morning sun crept across the other rooms, Éamon's resting spot remained shrouded in darkness; the last of the candles providing light had already melted as the young man slept heavily on the wooden table. In front of him lie several bottles...each with varying amount of liquid mixes.

"Ugh..." Éamon grunted as his eyes opened and adjusted to the darkness in the room. "Oh right, I fell asleep in the cellar..." Rising up to his feet, he does a few stretches in order to shake the sleep off his system. Last night was another unfruitful attempt at recreating his favorite brew. Defeated, he slowly strode up the stairs, checking to see if duty already calls.

"Oh--I suppose I should freshen up in my room first."

Having fixed himself up (to the best of his ability that is...), Éamon groggily strode down the stone steps leading out of his room and into all the lower sectors of the castle, saxophone in hand. Downstairs, it was surprisingly quiet. A month ago, a rather large ball was held into it. Éamon could faintly recall it was held in honor of a victory they had long ago. "Oh, yeah right. I remember now..."

It was during that ball that Éamon got the idea to make his own brew. The ball was great and the people of Rapsodía seemed to be nice enough. The meals were also exquisite but if there was one thing he couldn't stand was the swill they served him. Clearly, whoever brewed it didn't know what they were doing. And that's what led to him cramming his nightly time in the confines of the castle cellar. It had already been several attempts and yet he was still unsuccessful. Time to throw in the towel--

"Okay..." Plopping himself onto the arch on one of the larger windows of the ground floor, Éamon decided it was a good time to practice. As Rapsodía lacked most of the things he's entertained himself with back on Earth, Éamon had taken to doing random things in order to take his mind off the boredom. There was a piece he's been trying out on the saxophone and seeing that there was an absence of a crowd to reprimand him, he just busted out the instrument and started playing.

"L-Lord Eins..." Around a minute into his playing, a voice suddenly called out to Éamon, prompting him to stop playing for a while. It was one of the maids of the castle.

"Ah Eve! Good morning! Why are you up so early?" Éamon nonchalantly greets the young maid.

"Umm...my name is Everil thank you."

"Same thing, right?"

"Uhh...no." Everil immediately returns to the matter at hand. "I've been sent to inform you that her Majesty has requested your presence in her study immediately."

"Right." Éamon drops his facade for a moment as Everil relays his marching orders to him. "Nearly forgot that I was drafted...Anyway, what do you think Everil?"

"Huh?"

"Of the song I mean? You should've heard it right?"

"E-eh?! W-well...It was okay?" Everil answers back as a matter-of-factly. Yet it wasn't anything new. Ever since Éamon arrived, he noticed that the citizens of Rapsodía found his taste of music quite...unorthodox.

"Great! I shall play it to the her Majesty at once! It shall be the new marching hymn of the Rapsodían Royal Army!" Éamon proudly declares while pointing at nothing in particular in an attempt to show off to his only listener for the moment.

"Please don't but anyway, the Queen wants to see you immediately so--?"

"I better get going. By the way, how much should I charge for royalties should this pass?"

"Lord Eins!"

"Got it! See you~" Having finished conversing with Everil, Éamon walks off, heading for the study with his saxophone in hand. The palace was huge but having lived there for some time, Éamon eventually got used to looking for the rooms. As he neared the Queen's study, he could see someone had already beat him to first.

"Hey!" Éamon greeted the aloof Kohaku. "You're up early. Listen, I've been recently toying with a small composition on this here saxophone. I'm thinking of presenting it to the Queen and suggesting it as a new marching hymn of sorts. Assuming it passes, how much do you think I should charge for royalties?" Éamon asks the other Divo in the room.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez Character Portrait: Kohaku Akamine
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The faint rays of sunshine started to shine in through the window in the previously dim room as the soft music of a guitar wafted through the air; almost like magic emanating from the instrument. As the sunlight hit the guitarist's eyes, Victoria slowly stopped her music and looked at the window. She had gotten up quite a few minutes ago, having awoken from a dream- she recalled it was particularly action-packed. Must be from the year she had spent in this place. Sometimes she wished she would have woken up in bed at her home, staring at the white ceiling and oddly-colored wallpaper.

"...Ah, no use crying over that." Putting down her guitar and quickly climbing out of bed, she stretched to shake the sleep out of her body. Not minding the numbness in the fingertips of her left hand, she put back the guitar into its case and slung it over her shoulder. "Nice morning," She thought out loud as she stared at the window for a little bit more- a smile slowly made its way onto her features. "Well, I can't waste it."

Was this because of the dream? She was in a good mood today.
As she walked out of her room and into the halls of the castle, she greeted the servants and guards making their early morning rounds- passing a familiar, lion-headed knight, she drummed her hands on his pauldrons and flashed a cheeky grin before skipping away. A glance back showed her good friend Elias shaking his head and continuing on his walk. "What a stiff," She thought to herself and continued on her own merry way to...where?

Her steps took her to the garden, and to a particularly strong tree. She wasn't quite sure if the trees here worked the same way the trees in her old life did, but she did hear of some sort of ironwood tree that could stand almost anything. Taking the guitar out of its case again, she swung herself onto a thick branch and leaned against the trunk. Across from her, a bird perched, chirping. She smiled at it a bit as it hopped closer to her.

Treating it as her audience of some sort, Victoria looked to her guitar, positioning her fingers- then started to play a song she had been practicing for a while, even back at home. Her friend had helped her in learning it as well, so she considered the song even a little tie to her previous life.

Two minutes in and Victoria picked up on the sound of idle talk- no, not idle talk; she could faintly hear her title being called out. Not stopping in her playing, she opened an eye to look over at who was speaking...and found not one, not two, but three maids all staring and talking to each other, eyes fixed on her. Deciding that she shouldn't stop playing for her small audience, she continued until the piece ended- then waved idly at the maids, flashing them a charming smile.
"Morning." She greeted, jumping down from the branch. The bird fluttered down, perching on her shoulder and pecking at her hair.

"L-Lord Zwei!" Another misconception. Was this one new? Still, though it irked her a little, Victoria decided that wasn't going to dampen her good mood. "Um--!" Noticing that the girl was trailing off, and that the two others were starting to look even more awkward, she quickly waved a hand. "Hey, I won't bite. Just relax." "U-Umm...h-her Majesty has asked for you to be summoned to her study at once." Much better. Still, it was quite early... "I understand. Should you be getting to your duties now? I'm sure I can find the study- after all, the more familiar you get with a place, the smaller it seems." Packing up her instrument again, she started to head out...but was stopped once again.
"Lord Zwei, don't you need any company? We could lead you there if you like," One of the maids offered. Victoria was quick to dismiss it. "Ah, no thank you- I might get in the way of your duties. Well then--" She turned, bowed respectfully- for reasons unknown- and turned again to leave.
"One last thing- it's Lady Zwei, okay?"

Quickly leaving the stunned servants, she weaved through the halls- once again coming into contact with Elias, who paid her no heed as he continued conversing with one of the castle guards- until she could hear a familiar voice.
"...do you think I should charge for royalties?"
"This early? Seriously?" As she approached the study, she noticed the two present figures- Vier and Eins, or Kohaku and Éamon respectively. Her guitar case still over her shoulder, she gave a small wave and a "Good morning," in greeting.

Boy, what a great way to start the morning.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Kotone Akibara Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez Character Portrait: Kohaku Akamine
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It wasn’t very surprising to see that Kotone was up before the first rays of sunlight filtered over the horizon. With a vigor that many see as both inspiring and overwhelming, Kotone was already running around her new home. The young woman dashed into one of the many kitchens, carrying a large basket full of towels and other linens. “Lady Sechs please, for the upteenth time, it is not necessary for you to do menial labor. Leave that to the servants,” Baylor cried out to her. He was a large burly man who was only a few years older than she. The older servants laughed it off. They were thankful for Lady Sechs help. Some even welcomed her presence as it lightened the mood for everyone. “Oh Baylor please! It is my pleasure! I love helping where I can, and I see no reason to stop now. It’s like I’m home again~” Kotone’s voice was sweet and airy just like she was. Once the basket of linens was put away she got started on the growing pile of dishes.

As she dunked them into the sink and proceeded to wash them and dry them, Kotone began to sing a Japanese folk song. At first it was started off as a hum but the young woman gradually added in lyrics until Kotone was singing the whole song. Her body began to sway with the sound of her voice in a steady rhythm, even the dishes clinking together added to the music. After a while one of the older servants in charge of cleaning dishes shooed Kotone away from the sink although she simply moved over to one of the tables to help make bread. She wasn’t the greatest chef, but she definitely knew her way around the kitchen. She rolled up the sleeves of her dress to knead the dough that would later be baked for breakfast rolls.

It was here that one of the other servants approached Kotone. “Lady Sechs?” Kotone was elbow deep in dough but didn’t stop kneading it. “Lady Sechs?” the servant called out a little louder. “Oh! I’m sorry. What do you need hmm?” she chirped, closing her eyes and smiling at the male servant. He returned the smile, “No need to apologize Lady Sechs. The Queen wishes for all the Divos and Divas to gather for a meeting.” Kotone huffed a bit but she knew the drill. There was a sparkle in her eyes upon remembering the ball that was held in honor of a victory. That’s what she assumed any way. She had never attended anything of that sort before regardless, she did her best to enjoy it.

“Lady Sechs?” his voice was laced with some concern which snapped her out of her reverie. “Oh my I did it again. Ah yes thank you very much! I will head out in just a moment. Just gotta clean myself up a bit. Make myself a bit more presentable” she said with a soft smile. As she rolled down her sleeves Kotone hurriedly wiped her hands and patted her clothes to remove some of the flour. “Alright there we go.” Kotone walked out the door and apparently took the wrong turn by his words. “Ah Lady Sechs the Queen's study is this way. Would you like for me to lead you there?” He spoke in an amiable tone. Realizing her mistake, a light blush rose to her cheeks and Kotone giggled. “That would be absolutely wonderful! Lead the way!”

The short trek from the kitchen to the Queen's study was quite lovely. Kotone learned quite a bit about the servant who was kind enough to lead her to where she needed to go. The young woman learned that his name was Dorian Enoch who was the father of two children. Sabel and Leonard who were still fairly young. He had been working under the Queen for since he was a child, and his wife had passed away five years ago. Dorian even showed the Diva a picture of the whole family which made Kotone gasp in awe. “Wow. She was such a beautiful woman, and it looks like her looks carried over to your children. You have a very nice family Enoch-san.” Kotone patted his arm to show her condolences although he seemed confused by the honorific she added to his name.

“What is this san that you added to my name?” Kotone tilted her head confused herself before realizing what it was he was asking. She sometimes forgot that japanese customs and the like where not the same here in Rapsodia. “Hm well it is a honorific used where I am from. It is a sign of respect among equals. Oh it looks like we’ve arrived! Thank you for taking me here Enoch-san” her voice was bubbly. Kotone bowed quickly and walked over to the present Divos and Divas that she could see.


‘Good morning everyone. I hope all has been going well so far on this beautiful day?” The young Diva grinned at her companions. She smoothed out the wrinkles in her clothing and tucked a strand of hair behind her, seemingly unaware of the streak of flour that was on her cheek. She even had some sprinkled in her hair.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ari O'Dell Character Portrait: Jin Kunisada Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Kotone Akibara Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez Character Portrait: Kohaku Akamine
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#, as written by chrian.
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⌈ I know naught of the true reasons I have come to this world, but I will keep singing until the day I die again. ⌋
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Clock Strikes : ONE OK ROCK

Dialogue : #D33D3D : Thought : #EE9572

Face Claim : Shu Ouma | Guilty Crown 】


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Kohaku stood with his back leaned against the wall, quietly waiting for the others to arrive. Some maids and servants walked pass him and gave him a bow or curtesy, so he just replied with a nod. From a guy who was shunned and bullied back on Earth, it is almost impossible to imagine that he had become a hero, revered and respected by a whole kingdom. But nonetheless, he supposed that there is nothing in it that they don’t deserve, having putting their lives on jeopardy countless of times for the sake of this world against its’ ferocious predators.

Not all of them have made a good first impression when they first arrived, but the Queen was not shown to be troubled by it, and had even welcomed them to live with her in the castle, as well as granting many privileges to them as her closest lieutenants. That, and having seen how Queen Ardelia justly reigned over her kingdom, makes Kohaku developed an utmost sense of respect for her that he had never felt towards anyone else in his life.

I wonder what kind of places will we be sent today? Kohaku pondered as he thought about what kind of task would Queen Ardelia give them once they step into her study. Drei and Funf, which are Jin and Ari, are yet to returned from the mission that they were given, but the Thoryvós’ behaviours are unpredictable, so they have to be prepared all the time, even if the six of them are not whole. Rapsodía is a kingdom so vast that it have all sorts of places one could possibly think of – deserts, snow fields, swamps, forests, and many more, they have all be sent into places like that in the past year. The types of Thoryvós seem to be different according to which place they went to too. It kind of reminding Kohaku of the RPG games he once played back on Earth. It was a good thing that technology here had advanced quite rapidly, so things aren’t as unconvenient as he thought it would be.

While Kohaku was still lost in his thought, the arrival of Éamon, the Divo Eins, brought him back to reality. “Good morning, Devlin-san.” He greeted, but then was questioned with something about how much the guy should charge the royals for a hymn he had just composed. Kohaku sighed quietly, Éamon had always been a guy who can easily approach others , but sometimes he could be a bit too eager for it that a timid person like Kohaku couldn’t catch up. “Well, that’s some good news to hear. Perhaps you can just ask Sir Wilbert. He’s the Head Commander so I think he’s in charge of stuffs like this.” Kohaku replied.

Moments later, Victoria the Diva Zwei also arrived, as energetic as ever. “Morning, Alvarez-san.” He greeted his tomboyish colleague. Seeing two very strong personalities like these first thing in the morning sure is a good way to start a day. Of course, there have been numerous conflicts and heated arguments between them, and Kohaku had to be the mediator, since he probably was the most level-headed of them. But other than that, they still work in harmony together whenever the situation calls for.

And lastly, Kotone who is also known as the Diva Sechs arrived. Her presence has always been very soothing and had never failed to bring peace to Kohaku’s heart whenever she is around. “Ohayo, Kotone-san. Did you sleep well last night?” He asked with a light smile, before turning to face the door, “I guess everyone is here then. Shall we enter?”

Kohaku knocked on the door, and when they got the affirmative message, he pushed the door open as he entered first. As they walked in, Queen Ardelia was standing behind her desk, gazing outside of the window. As always, her postures are elegant and graceful, yet her aura as supreme ruler can still enact a sense of respect from almost anyone.

Respectfully bowed to the Queen, Kohaku spoke up, “We Divas and Divos have arrived at your request, Your Majesty. May I ask is there anything that you needed us to accomplish?”

"As a matter of fact, yes." The Queen turned her back and faced them with a smile, "It has been a year since you all came to this world, I believe you all have a lot to say?"

"It was... shocking at first, if I had to be honest. But I think I've pretty much gotten used to how this world work. It is an honor to be under your service, Your Majesty." Kohaku respectfully said. She nodded and listened to everyone else when they talked about their experience.

"You all have very interesting points of view, I believe. And I can say that it is also a blessing for me to have wonderful lieutenants like you under my command." Queen Ardelia expressed her opinion before sitting down at her desk, "Now, let us back to the main point of this meeting. I understand that Drei and Funf are yet to return from their current mission, but alas, we can never predict the movements of the Thoryvós. One of my messengers from a city to the West of the kingdom, called Iremía, had reported of an ancient cave situated within a forest in the outskirt of the city. The strange part about it is that the entrance to the cave, which had been sealed for a very long time, had been opened for some unknown reasons. People said that they saw unearthly creatures roaming in that cave."

The Queen paused for a moment to let her information sink in, before continuing, "There is a high chance that this cave is a potential Thoryvós' hideout. If this is the case, then the lives of the people are in danger. I want you to travel to Iremía to investigate this cave, eliminate any monsters in sight, and reported back to me of what you may found there. It is not possible to journey there by airships, due to the distorted magnetic field of the mountain pass you need to cross in order to get there, so you will have to travel by horses. Head Commander Wilbert and two of his selected men from the army will accompany you on this excursion and I will send Drei and Funf to follow you as soon as they are back. Please go and prepare anything you may need and be ready to leave by early tomorrow. As always, I place my trust in the six of you. I wish you the best of luck and may you all return in one piece."

"As you wish, Your Majesty." Kohaku bowed to the Queen.

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Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Kotone Akibara Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez Character Portrait: Kohaku Akamine
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“Well, that’s some good news to hear. Perhaps you can just ask Sir Wilbert. He’s the Head Commander so I think he’s in charge of stuffs like this.”

"Hehe! As serious as ever I see..." Éamon sighed. As expected of Kohaku. "Well, Wilbert seems too occupied to ask about this...and I don't think Riese gives two cents about the hymns either. Plus, I think it's still a tad bit incomplete--"

"Good morning." A rather energetic and lively voice greeted them in the middle of the conversation. It was the Diva Zwei, Victoria Alvarez.

"Ah! Perfect timing! I may have just found what I need. You play the guitar right, Vicky? Can you come up with a riff to add to the hymn? I've been trying to come up with a new hymn to suggest to the Royal Army and adding a guitar in just may increase the profit to be gained from labeling it!" Immediately, Éamon pitches the idea to Victoria. Rather weird greeting but, Éamon felt it was just right to make the offer.

‘Good morning everyone. I hope all has been going well so far on this beautiful day?”

"Morning, Kotone." Éamon likewise greeted the other girl with them. So far, four people were in attendance. He wondered if they would be all for today.

“I guess everyone is here then. Shall we enter?”

Éamon observed Kohaku's gestures as they entered. Since they came here, he had always acted as their de facto leader of sorts. A rather heavy responsibility to entrust to one so young as him but, Éamon knew it wasn't really his place to question it. After all, he did come from the prison. He wondered where the other two are. He hadn't been seeing them around lately.

"I've got a feeling this is going to be another one of "those"."

The Queen's study never ceases to amaze Éamon. Somehow, it reminded him of Ashford Castle back at his home. Of course, he never really saw it up close as it cost a lot of money just to spend a night in. Looking at it now, having the opportunity to sleep in a rather luxurious castle had been one small thing he was able to get out of his resurrection.

"--It has been a year since you all came to this world, I believe you all have a lot to say?" The Queen asked them upon arriving. Éamon took it as a greeting somehow.

"Yeah, well...where do I start?" Éamon paced around the room as he tried to get his thoughts in order. "Okay. To start off, the beer's rather bland, the pubs aren't really lively, medical services and scientific expertise are medieval, welfare services are nearly non-existent, there aren't any opportunities for musicians--wait, I guess minstrel would be your word for them? Yeah, not much opportunities for them as no one's offering any labels. All-in-all, rather backward." Éamon sighed upon finishing. Yet of course, he's not about to let it off on a bad hook. Otherwise Riese would get up his case again. "But, I like the moderate weather. In contrast to the beer, the wines are exquisite. You don't worry about electric bills and the castle is pretty much an open place so...yeah, I guess I can say my time here was great. Not perfect but, great." Éamon finishes with a smile though he was sure some of them may not take it all in such a good humor like he does.

Immediately, the briefing started. Queen Ardelia informed them of the sudden emergence of a cave near the outskirts of some town and about the possible resurgence of Thoryvós activity in that area. A rather grave concern, Éamon supposed. Of course, Kohaku was quick to abide by the order, and with good reason. Still, Éamon found the crown's response a little too complacent.

"So we need to eliminate the source before it could go out of hand. And you'll be vacating the palace of all six fighters capable of warding off the threat--are you sure about this decision, your Majesty?" Éamon asked, as he eyed the Queen conspicuously. Of course he found nothing wrong with the mission in itself but, he had his own misgivings about the situation as a whole.

"Well, no matter. You are the supreme sovereign of this land your Majesty. I'm really in no position to question orders. But, I do wish to air my grievances..." Immediately, Éamon straightened out his coat and knelt before the Queen. "Your Majesty, I beseech you to grant me a war council with the Head of the Army and all your Field Marshals and the top brass at the Constabulary. I have some modifications I wish to make to the original plan."

"It's not every day you see an ex-convict calling for an audience with the top brass, I suppose..."

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Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Kotone Akibara Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez Character Portrait: Kohaku Akamine
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"Ah! Perfect timing! I may have just found what I need. You play the guitar right, Vicky? Can you come up with a riff to add to the hymn? I've been trying to come up with a new hymn to suggest to the Royal Army and adding a guitar in just may increase the profit to be gained from labeling it!"

Before she could even think of asking anyone if they knew what they were here for- a rather unnecessary question; everyone already knew, most probably-, Éamon approached her almost immediately and pitched an idea to her. Was he seriously going to make a hymn for the Rapsodian Royal Army? "Is this guy crazy?" She paused, shrugged, then grinned. She supposed it would be fun.
"Yeah. If I could listen to it sometime, maybe I can think of something. But it's gonna be a hell of trouble you're going to deal with to get that labelled."

‘Good morning everyone. I hope all has been going well so far on this beautiful day?” Another voice piped in. Turning, Victoria noticed the Diva Sechs showing up. As she moved to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, Victoria noticed the streak of flour left on her. Almost immediately she had an overwhelming urge to brush it off, but Victoria stuck her hands in her pockets and greeted back.

“I guess everyone is here then. Shall we enter?”
Fortunately, Kohaku decided to lead everyone in. Adjusting her guitar case on her shoulder, she followed into the study.

Queen Ardelia's study was, as expected, grander than most Victoria had seen in her life. There was one in her old school, but she rarely hung out there because there were always a few nosy teachers looking around for the chance to catch her alone and suggest some random guitar-playing contest to her.

"It has been a year since you all came to this world, I believe you all have a lot to say?"
Oh boy did she have a lot to. Kohaku was rather humble with his speech, but Éamon...had quite a lot of things to say. As he went on and on, Victoria's eyes narrowed- partly out of concern. "Man, this guy is just asking for suicide...but he does have a good point I guess." If they were risking their lives fighting off strange monsters with their music, then at the very least, they had the right to talk.

"Well, I don't have much to talk about. Things are pretty old-fashioned compared to where I was before, but hey- I wouldn't have expected to be revered as a hero and live in a castle. Those kinds of things are mostly stuff I only saw in fairytales. I've had a pretty nice life here so far."

Victoria piped down immediately once she was done to let the others speak. Almost immediately after that, they got right down to business.

"A cave mysteriously opening? If it weren't the work of the Thoryvos, then maybe a few nosy people busted it open," She thought to herself as she listened to the briefing. Kohaku was quick to agree, but once again, Éamon spoke up.

To be fair, it would be strange if all six of them were to investigate one cave. Maybe she could have picked out the best ones for the job, just like sending out a blacksmith for weapon and armor repairs, and sending specialized medics to treat wounded or sick people. Sure, the Queen mentioned sending soldiers with them- Victoria found herself thinking whether or not Elias would be there with them- but was that enough?

Éamon asked for a war council soon afterward; big talk for someone who ended up in prison. But right now, he seemed to be the most capable guy to be able to talk to the members participating in the council. Awkwardly, Victoria stood by but bowed soon enough to the Queen.

"I-- wouldn't recommend we go in guns blazing, but whatever floats everyone's boat." She wasn't scared or anything. She was the first to strike every single Thoryvos in sight. But they did need a plan, just in case there was some crazy-strong monster hiding in the cave. Or some shady human involvement.

Either way, this was going to be fun.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ari O'Dell Character Portrait: Jin Kunisada Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Kotone Akibara Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez Character Portrait: Kohaku Akamine
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#, as written by chrian.
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⌈ I know naught of the true reasons I have come to this world, but I will keep singing until the day I die again. ⌋
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Clock Strikes : ONE OK ROCK

Dialogue : #D33D3D : Thought : #EE9572

Face Claim : Shu Ouma | Guilty Crown 】


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Standing at the castle's gate, he stood crossing his arms with his usual stern expression that no one can know for sure whether how many agendas that he is hiding, dressing in his usual black uniform, as his silver hair flowed with the soft wind. Truly a dangerous and unpredictable man. One couldn't help wondering which step he will be taking next and what he is plotting with the unparalleled wisdom at his disposal. This man is Adelheid Baumgartner - the ambitious Royal Adviser of Rapsodía.

At where he is standing, he could see from afar that a convoy, led by the two Divos Drei and Funf, is approaching the castle. It seems that both of them had successfully finished the mission they were given and returned unscathed, as expected from the well-respected heroes of the kingdom. When they reached the guard, the pompous self-proclaimed "king" known as Drei made a flashy entrance to gain attention yet once again. Adelheid could anticipated that much, since it was him who personally threw the young Divo into the dungeon after the little commotion he caused when he first come here. Obviously, they couldn't possibly be on good terms after such an incident.

"Welcome back, Lord Drei and Lord Funf." Adelheid respectfully bowed to the two of them. The highest rank in the palace after the Queen no longer belonged to him after the Divas and Divos arrived, so he had to show his manner. "I trusted that your mission had turned out well. My apology that you two will not have time to rest just yet, as you might have read from the summon of Her Majesty, there is a new mission that required all six Divas and Divos. Please allow me to accompany you to her study."

Adelheid ordered the servants to take the belongings of the two Divos back to their rooms, as he walked with them to Queen Ardelia's study, while reporting the details of the upcoming mission to the two of them.

Meanwhile, Kohaku listened as Éamon showed his little objection towards the Queen's order, before bowing and asked her to summon a war council so that he can give some alterations to their plan. Victoria also commented afterward, showing her neutral stance. He admitted that Éamon did have a point that this mission may not really require the combined force of all six of them, as other unexpected things could happen, but this is a mission specialized for the Divas and Divos only, not a total war against another nation, if there is ever any. What could possibly the Divo intended consulting such a council? Kohaku couldn't really guess either. But he just remained silent and waited to see how will the Queen respond.

Staying silent for a while after listening to the request of the Divo, Queen Ardelia looked at Eins, "I perfectly understand why you showed objection to my order, and I appreciate any constructive suggestions you may have. But, I believe your request would be unnecessary at this moment." She spoke with her natural calm voice, but it is undeniable that she can still perfectly impose a sense of obedience on her subjects, "I hope you haven't forgotten what had happened during the mission of Lady Zwei, Lord Vier and Lady Sechs to vacate the ancient crypt of the Demon God Eiskonig a couple of months ago, Lord Eins."

Kohaku clenched his fists lightly as the Queen mentioned that mission. The monsters which roamed around in the lowest floor of that crypt had ridiculous strength that overpowered even the combined force of the three of them, and they probably might have been killed if reinforcements from the rest did not arrive in time. He once thought that he didn't afraid of death, but just the thought of going through such a situation again sent chills through his back.

The Queen then continued, "I cannot afford to lose any of you if such a thing happen again during this mission, as we are not certain how powerful the Thoryvós inside this cave can be. I have a feeling that this mission will require the strength of all of you to succeed. As you said, you six are the only ones who are capable of warding off the potential threats from the Thoryvós, and that is the exact reason why I place my complete trust onto you, and I believe the people of Iremía will feel the same as well. So, I hope you too will have faith in my decision. As for anything else that might happen while you are away, I will have my own solutions to deal with them." She motioned for Éamon to stand up, "But still, if you have any suggestions you think that are beneficial for us all, you can feel free to consult with Head Commander Wilbert at any time."

As soon as Queen Ardelia finished her sentence, Adelheid knocked on the door and entered with Drei and Funf, "Your Majesty, the Divos Drei and Funf have returned from their mission."

The Queen nodded as she turned to the two of them, "It was a good thing that you two have returned just in time. I believe Adelheid had told you the detail of your upcoming mission then? Now, please go any prepare for anything you may need. If you have any other request before you leave, you can consult with Adelheid. He will take care of them in my place."

With that said, the six of them bid adieu to the Queen before leaving her study. "I think I'm going to stop by the market to grab a few things, anyone wanted to come along?" Kohaku asked.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ari O'Dell Character Portrait: Jin Kunisada Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Kotone Akibara Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez Character Portrait: Kohaku Akamine
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Kotone placed a finger at the edge of her jaw as she contemplated the question Kohaku asked. After a second or two Kotone smiled, “I did thank you for asking.” she said with a cheerful nod. She was always happy to talk to the other Divo as she took note of his reserved demeanor. Before the young Diva was able to inquire about Kohaku’s experience with sleep, he had already knocked on the Queen’s door. They entered the study, and Kotone was immediately reminded of the first time she had stood in this very room.

She had been very confused and was a little scared, but she knew that the Queen wouldn’t put her in harm's way. Following Kohaku’s lead, Kotone bent at the waist so her upper body was parallel to the floor. It was the highest show of respect that Kotone could give the Queen. Straightening up, Kotone tucked her hair behind her ear and gave a kind smile to the elegant woman before her.

The brunette listened intently as the others spoke about their experiences here in Rapsodia. She didn’t even tune out Eamon as maybe the others did. Kotone was sure to give them each her full attention as they deserved nothing less. After Victoria gave her piece, Kotone gave them each an encouraging nod and spoke up about her experiences.

“I find the atmosphere in Rapsodia to be similar to my home town. The people are quite amiable, and I enjoy helping out where I can. I think Lady Zwei speaks for all of us in that none of us were expecting to become heroes. I certainly wasn’t” Kotone chuckled a bit before continuing. “Overall, I like to think I have settled down and can happily say that this is my home now.” she said with a soft smile. Although she wasn’t afraid to admit it, Kotone didn’t think it would be appropriate to bring up that she still missed her family dearly, especially her older brother. She wasn’t privy to the others backstories unless they told her, and she wasn’t one to pry into the business of others unless she felt she needed to. If she had to guess, Kotone was sure that each of them missed at least one thing or person from their previous life.

Putting on a bit more cheerful smile, Kotone returned to giving the Queen her full attention as she explained why they had been called there. Upon the mention of the Divos Funf and Drei, Kotone perked up a bit. I wonder what kind of stories Jin has this time! Unbeknownst to Kotone, she was maybe one of the few who genuinely loved listening to Jin speak. The thought that maybe something has kept them away for so long did worry Kotone, but she reassured herself that the two would come back to them just as they left.

The mention of Thoryvós brought Kotone back to reality. Her brows furrowed in concern. Entering the cave didn’t sound very wise, but like the Queen thought, they would manage best if all six of them were present. While Kotone was a apprehensive of what may awaiting them inside that cave, the brunette was also curious as to what they may find there. With the Queens closing statement, Kotone bowed again. “Of course. I will be sure to keep them safe.” A glint of determination flashed in her honey colored eyes. Despite how arrogant her words sounded, Kotone was by no means trying to say that she was stronger than them but it was a well known fact that she was the only Diva capable of healing. She was also the only one whose Artifact was geared mainly towards defense.

With that being said, Kotone shook her wrist and a sweet, light chime rang out. The sound carried quite a bit which was surprising considering how small the bells were. She hadn’t given much thought to the Queen’s plan but now that Eamon had brought it up, Kotone realized the danger in all of them being gone. Victoria was neutral in what the decision came to, and Kotone was the same. She had full confidence in the Queen’s army in protecting themselves however that didn’t mean she wouldn’t worry.

Kotone’s whole body stiffened at the mention of the crypt. It was quite the horrible ordeal. One that she didn’t like to think about too much. Kotone had had to set up a barrier around all of them to keep Victoria and Kohaku from obtaining more injuries, and it was difficult to protect them and heal them at the same time. At one point, right before reinforcements had arrived, Kotone came very close to going on the offensive. Out of them three of them she had the least amount of injuries simply because she wasn’t in the front lines. She had been so relieved that she had fallen to her knees when they came.

Shaking her head of such thoughts, honeycomb eyes glanced over a Kohaku and Victoria, giving them a weak smile. Upon hearing a knock at the door, Kotone looked over her shoulder. A large grin sprung on her face at the sight of her comrades unscathed thankfully. They weren’t given much time to stand and chat as they were ushered outside of the Queen’s study. Immediately Kotone approached Jin with a smile. “How were your travels?” Shortly after asking this, Kohaku offered the chance to accompany him to the market. Distracted for a brief moment, Kotone pondered the notion. She hadn’t been to the market in a while, so it would definitely be a good idea to go now before they were to leave.

The brunette gathered her dresses fabric and pulled them up enough to see her feet. Biting her lip, Kotone realized that if she were to go on this journey she would have to get a new pair of boots. The ones she wore were pretty worn out and were beginning to fall apart. With a sheepish smile, Kotone pointed her foot forwards in Kohaku’s direction to show him the state of her shoes. “I think it would be wise for me join you my dear friend. I do believe I need a new pair of boots.” she chuckled a bit. Turning her attention back to Jin, Kotone smiled apologetically. “Would you care to accompany me Jin so that I may continue listening to your travels? Unless of course you’ve reached a conclusion?” She smiled up at him hoping he would come with her. While she enjoyed his stories, she would have to prioritize getting new shoes for their trip.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ari O'Dell Character Portrait: Jin Kunisada Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Kotone Akibara Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez Character Portrait: Kohaku Akamine
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Éamon listened in attentively to the Queen's verdict. Not too surprising, the Queen objected to his idea and turned down the request. She brought up another incident regarding the powerful Demon God Eiskonig, and how even three "heroes" had difficulty taking the monster down.

"Neither the strength of that enemy nor the lack of capability of your own men are to blame for that mission's near catastrophic failure. Any apt commander would know that, Your Majesty. Besides, I wasn't talking about the Thoryvós." Éamon answered back. It was a little out of line since the Queen obviously didn't like dealing with coming up with a strategy at the moment. Nevertheless, Éamon re-donned his usual face as he rose.

"No more further requests then. Good day Your Majesty." Éamon gave one last bow before walking out of the room. He passed by Jin and Ari along the way, accompanied by the Royal Advisor himself, probably briefing the former about the things that transpired in the hall. Once he reached outside the Queen's study, Éamon saw Victoria, Kotone and Kohaku crowded outside and was about to approach them when Kohaku brought up the topic of heading to the market, to which Kotone immediately obliged.

"*Sigh* Guess no one's in the mood to discuss strategy."

Eventually, he tilted his head up again and contemplated his next approach, smiling to himself. "Oh well, I suppose there are some things you just have to do yourself."

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Inside the barracks, the knight Riese trained attentively, wailing at a practice dummy with her wooden waster. Used to be, men often trained hard alongside her. Sparring sessions were frequent and there was plenty of noise and action around the place. Nowadays, the area was pretty vacant. Not surprising since it was a time of peace but even still, Riese prayed there was a man around to break a spear with her or two. A sudden presence entering the practice area alerted her and she immediately threw her wooden waster at the incoming visitor. Éamon simply dodged the incoming projectile as he walked towards the knight.

"Sorry, I guess my hand slipped." Riese laughed at the newcomer who had just finished picking up the waster.

"You know I can get you into trouble for that, don't you?" Éamon laughed as he handed Riese back her wooden sword.

"Talking big now aren't we? Used to be that I threw your sorry ass into prison and beat you up until you lose consciousness. Now look at you." Riese commends the strapping young man. "Already exalted, a rank higher than mine and you get to live in the palace. Not bad for a young upstart~"

"Maybe. I don't really like you getting sarcastic with me, Riese."

"Hey, that wasn't sarcastic. I was being sincere. One-hundred percent compliment straight from the heart. Although, if you doubt it completely, then let me add in that you wouldn't have gotten anywhere without my help. When you came here, you were a big wad of bread dough. Now, you're carved from wood."

"Don't you mean marble?"

"Still a long way off. Talk to me again in six years when you've fought ten battles on the front. So, do you need something? You may be the type who just drops in for a little chat but I doubt that's the only reason why you came here today." Riese asks, her tone having serious written all over it in red ink.

"As inquisitive as ever." Having gotten her attention, Éamon sat on one of the wooden benches on the side of the field, Riese taking the spot beside him. "Riese, how much do you know about Iremia?"

"Sadly, not much. I had never been stationed there and as head of the Constabulary, my main concern is with the Kingdom itself. But why do you ask?"

"New job, new order. The Queen told us there was a new cave which may turn out to be another Thoryvós den." Éamon sighed before flashing Riese one of his usual smiles. "So--naturally, she wants us to head in there and eliminate the threat--"

"And at this point, you should be pretty used to it by now. Good luck then." Riese cuts him off there. Just as she was about to stand up though, Éamon immediately called her attention back.

"Oh? But would that be okay with you? And for the guards stationed in Iremia?"

"What do you mean?"

Hearing her ask this makes Éamon sigh. Sometimes, he wasn't really sure if Riese just likes testing him or if she doesn't really follow his line of thinking--which was mostly influenced by her in the first place. "So we go in right? And we defeat the enemy--don't even question it--you know it's an undeniable fact if all six of us gang up on it. The people of Iremia are saved and everyone's happy and all the marshmallows everyone can eat. Once again, we, the Divos and Divas, are heroes."

Riese's eyes focused intently on Éamon. "Oh, I like where this is going. Continue."

"And that's it. The Divos and Divas save the day again. Hurray! Praise the heavens for such competent saviors. They are truly capable--and the Lord Eins is quite a looker--nah, scratch that last bit. Why can't the army be like them? The army sure as hell seems to be getting incompetent day by day. We should just abolish the conscription system since it doesn't really serve any purpose anymore, now that we've got the Divos and Divas to fight for us." Éamon finishes his little charade. "And where does this leave you--the guys in the regular army? You are all paid directly by the crown but if people see that you're starting to lose your purpose, calls to abolish this system will soon follow. Soldiers will lose their jobs and not everyone who's held a spear can just pick up a hoe and start farming. Nor can every knight who's wielded a sword just discard it in favor of the smith's hammer. You get a whole bunch of people--unemployed and unable to make a penny walking around with their skills in battle as their only merit. Pretty soon, these people will start looking for "other sources" of income that they can pursue with the abilities they have."

"Piracy. Banditry. All sorts of illegal occupations."

Éamon smiled as he could see that the knight gets it. "Riese, how many men can you muster for me right now?"

"I do not have that much authority but I should at least be able to rally around fifteen men to your side at least."

"That's plenty. Rally these men and march over to Iremia as quickly as you can and wait for me there. You don't have to bring a lot of weapons. Instead, have your men prepare provisions for climbing the caves. Ah, and prepare some coal and barrels of black powder. Lots of it. When we get to Iremia, try to rally as much of the constables stationed there as you can. If you tell them that the order comes from Lord Eins, they should be compelled to follow."

"Got it. But what do you intend to do? I can't help but be curious." Riese eyes Éamon as she asked.

"I'm a man who's quick to get bored Riese. Sometimes, even the fanfare, the flowers and the warm welcomes bore the hell out of me. So just this once, I'll have you people in the military take credit for this mission. I can't imagine the boost in morale this victory would bring to the Constabulary."

"Hmm...I don't really feel like being indebted to you somehow. It makes me very suspicious."

"Don't think of it as a debt then. Think of it as my payment to you for looking out for my back this past year." Éamon assures her.

"Alright then." Having finished discussions with his knight Éamon stands up to leave but Riese recalls him back. "I'm a little bored today too. What do you say to a couple of rounds with me?" Riese raises her practice weapon at Éamon.

"Hehe~ Back in my world, I would've thought you wanted to sleep with me~ Sure." Laughing, Éamon accepts the challenge and takes off his coat and tosses it on the side. He then proceeded to pick up a small sword and dagger—both blunts of course.

"Heh! Just for you then, I'll be upping the ante--" Riese remarked as she walks on over to the weapons rack on the wall and replaces the wooden waster with a blunt, steel longsword. "I believe you have no complaints with this?"

"No, go ahead." Éamon replies as he takes up his guard stance with sword and dagger. "It's been a while since I've had some exercise."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ari O'Dell Character Portrait: Jin Kunisada Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Kotone Akibara Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez Character Portrait: Kohaku Akamine
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Jin expected more. There's nothing wrong with a man wanting something more. Jin expected fanfare, horses and the whole kingdom to be bowing before him. Instead, he is met with the very man that razed his first impression. It seems Jin's dreams are crushed on a daily basis.

The castle's symmetry has always been an aesthetic breath of fresh air, despite Jin announcing his arrival and silently admiring it every time he returns from an endeavor. The many pillars perfectly line up with each other while remaining the same height. The torches are placed in the exact place mirrored from the alternative one. The gate is perfectly carved, with a flawless arch and refined shape. The materials are blocks of smooth rock while the large walls creates an intimidating ambiance. The queen seemed to have an eye for art similar to Jin's. Unfortunately, Jin's session was interrupted by the one and only.

Adelheid Baumgartner, a man of two faces. He possesses as much ambition as Jin himself. Jin finds it difficult to place his trust in such a man. It's uncertain if he keeps the kingdom's safety as a priority when sating his aspiration. Nonetheless, he respects the man, but is constantly on edge when graced with his presence.

Though, the divos and divas are above in rank of the Royal Adviser. Jin knew well to show him respect. "Of course. Lead the way."Jin responded to his proposal, he discarded his pose and followed after the man. He would have loved to admire the kingdom's beautiful symmetry, but that'll have to wait.

The inside is almost as appealing as outside, but Jin didn't have time to gush over architecture. As they were walking to the queen's room, Divo Eins made an premature exit. It was odd to see a brilliant tactician out of their natural habitat, but all the scheming must have been concluded. Jin made a quick wave directed towards the divo while continuing on.

When Jin entered the queen's room, Jin made another pose, his left hand on his hip while his right hand was pointed to the sky. "Divo Drei makes a glorious appearance." Jin shouted. Soon after, he was greeted by one of his favorite subjects. Displaying unyielding devotion and curiosity towards Jin's conquests. He was about to respond to Kotona's question, but was stopped short by the request to go to the market. Frankly, Jin preferred not to go, as catching up on some sleep would be more useful, but a king is a man for his people. He will make this sacrifice for her sake!

"Of course, I must find a new outfit to wear for this new mission. The king will accompany you two." Jin announced. Before he left, he clapped his hand twice and called out for his right hand. "Inept navigator, stand at attention!" Jin ordered. A girl with light pink hair jumped down from the ceiling, appearing beside him. "What kind of greeting is that?" Asato pouted. Before Jin could utter his next command, Asato hugged Kotona out of the blue. "Koko! How have you been?" Despite the obvious difference in rank, Asato has found a close bond with the diva Sechs.

Jin sighed, stroking his hair. "Asato!" Jin got her attention. Asato glared at the man, "What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?" She complained. "That is nice and all, but you got a job. Hugs and kisses can come after. " Jin ordered. After a long silence, Asato finally got off Kotona and stood in front of Jin. Jin cleared his throat. "Ahem, I want you to go to the village I just heroically saved and to begin planning for my statue. Simple, right?" Asato groaned, "Alright false king! Whatever you say." She winked at Kotona "We'll catch up later," before jumping out of the window. Usually, Jin makes rather frivolous and impractical requests which Asato puts no effort in doing.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ari O'Dell Character Portrait: Jin Kunisada Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Kotone Akibara Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez Character Portrait: Kohaku Akamine
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The verdict of the Queen was expected- turned down almost immediately. Victoria crossed her arms over her chest and found herself grimacing for whatever reason, her lively spirit dampened somewhat. But..."Unnecessary?" Seriously, when was concern for their lives ever unnecessary? Surely after Eiskonig the Queen should start reconsidering the fact that the land could have lost three of its heroes due to a lack of...

A lack of what, really?

Victoria paused. The briefing was over, and Kohaku brought up something about going to the market. Kotone was quick to agree, and it seemed like Jin- who had just come in, she noticed- was also going to accompany them. Before she could agree, though, she felt eyes on her back.
Turning, she noticed an armor-clad figure staring at her from the doorway.

"Yeah, well, I'd love to- but old man Gascoigne wants to go over some stuff with me today. Maybe another time?"
She flashed an apologetic grin before all but dashing out of the study and almost into Elias. She patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, old man. You don't usually come pick me up." "Correct. Be thankful."

She felt a weight on her shoulders and thought for a moment that it could have been Elias, but she noticed that the knight's hands were at his sides. She realized with a start that she still had her guitar with her.
"Yeah, let me just get this back to my room."

For the second time that day, she dashed away.

Once the door of her room was closed behind her Victoria returned the guitar to its safe little corner. Plucking the Ave Maria from the pocket of her shirt, she stared at the ruby red guitar pick for a little while.
Memories of Eiskonig came back; the shouting, the demons, the shaking of the earth and most importantly, the dance with death. The Divas and Divos were powerful, that was a fact, but even here they were still mortals. It wasn't Victoria's first dance with death- that would have been the one time she walked on a wire between two very, very high buildings in her old life- but it was still a horrible feeling that sent chills down her spine.

"Neither the strength of that enemy nor the lack of capability of your own men are to blame for that mission's near catastrophic failure. Any apt commander would know that, Your Majesty. Besides, I wasn't talking about the Thoryvós."

They could have died, she reminded herself. They could have died if not for the Drei, Funf and Eins.
Eins.
That crazy guy had a point. But what?
"Neither strength nor lack of capability..."
The answer was simple.
They didn't have a plan.

"How could I not--" She cursed a bit. It was exactly the reason she felt the doubt earlier. Eiskonig. They could have been buried in the very same crypt a Demon God rested in because of the lack of a plan. With an annoyed sigh, she tucked the Ave Maria back into its safe pocket and walked out of her room.

Maybe talking to Elias would lighten her up somewhat.

The moment she stepped out, the knight was already there. Anyone could recognize Elias miles away because of his lion helmet. The fierce, snarling visage of that mask betrayed the calm voice coming from within. Victoria liked to think Elias used it as a bluff of some sort, for people to fear him.
"So, what's up with you?" "I should be asking you that." While they walked, the knight looked to her. Concern laced his tone.
"You seem troubled. It's written all over your face, Zwei. Is there something that happened in there?" "It's-- pre-mission jitters, I guess?"

"What's there to be jittery about? You all have been doing this for a year, and you've made a fine worker with that Artifact of yours. Surely a mission isn't enough to rattle you so?"
"Yeah, tell that to Eiskonig."
Elias shook his head. "Good point. But this is different. Did that traumatize you so much that you don't want to go in?" "Hey, I don't get scared easily. But there's a line between bravery and recklessness and stupidity."

"If it bothers you," Elias paused, turning to her and gently clapping his hand on her shoulder. "I won't ask about it further. But you have to promise me you'll have to return here as brave as a hero should be." "You mean as brave as you?"
Victoria watched as Elias stiffened, sighed, then shook his head another time. "I'm no hero. I'm just a soldier doing his job."

"Please. It's a time of peace but I'm sure as hell you went through all sorts of stuff on the battlefield." "Those times are done for, Zwei. Now that we have you and all the others, and we're not at war with another country, we don't do much anymore." He chuckled. "Had I known that the prophesy about you heroes would come true, then I would have just become a teacher instead, or took after my father and became a full-time blacksmith. After all, if the Ave Maria was real all along, then who's to say that heroes wouldn't come out of storybooks?"

"A hero doesn't hide behind a barrel and shows up at the castle surrounded by prison guards, old man." "Well, a hero doesn't run and watch his men die as they're pursued by enemies. The first and strongest test of leadership, Zwei, is watching your colleagues die in front of you, and I'm sure you've come close to that."

He stopped his steps. "We're here."

The sound of clashing, footsteps- Victoria furrowed her eyebrows. "Sparring grounds. I knew it." "Did you expect I'd take you out somewhere to calm your nerves?"

Two people were already there, sparring it seemed. "That boy Eins seems like he's gotten used to a sword." Elias remarked. "Would you believe me if I said that guy tried to call a war council?" "At this point, I'm willing to believe anything you heroes do."

"That being said--"
He clapped a strong hand on the Diva's shoulder and nudged her forward. "Looks fun," He called out. "You wouldn't mind if someone else fought in the same area, now would you?" "Old man, no." "Oh you bet I'm going to be testing you, Zwei. Just something to calm down your 'pre-mission jitters' as you call it."

"Everyone's insane."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: [NPC] Bartender Character Portrait: Ari O'Dell Character Portrait: Jin Kunisada Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez Character Portrait: Kohaku Akamine
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Ari followed Jin into the palace, stepping in stride with the taller boy despite having shorter legs. He gave a nod and grunt of greeting to the person who greeted them, and a tip of his recently acquired brown fedora as they passed by Eamon, looking around with a small wave. "We're back," he said drolly, then slipped his hands in his pockets and remained silent as they walked to the Queen, listening as she gave them an abbreviated version of what had been said.

In Ari's case, he listened with increasing incredulity and annoyance, with a side dish of 'oh seriously geez', and although he kept his mouth shut his eyes were burning with a mixture of irritation and barely held back objections that would have no doubt caused him to need a time out in the form of a dungeon cell (which had actually happened during the first few months they had been here). Clearly, he was no fan of the queen, even if he did her bidding.

It was no surprise, really. She might have given them a new chance at life, yes, but it was a life filled with constant fighting and near-death experiences and away from the people they (He) loved, in a completely different universe. Relying on people to help them fix a room was one thing, but expecting half a dozen people who were barely out of their teens to save the world? They had been given life to fight as soldiers in a war that seemed endless, and it pissed Ari off. What kind of person even did that to people?! Human beings weren't fucking tools, for Gods sake!

Even if most people viewed them more as the hero protagonists of an RPG fantasy game instead of tools. Hmph. Annoying bastards.

But still, they were people desperate for the plague on their land to be gone, which made sense on why they wanted to see their 'saviours' as invincible heroes. And those in royalty always had to make the tough decisions, like commanders in war, so Ari couldn't begrudge that about her. At least she was kind of upfront about it. And leaving them all to die would leave a sour taste in Ari's mouth, especially since it meant he'd be leaving the burden onto the other five and making their load even heavier. He couldn't do that.

Didn't mean he had to like it, though.

"Is that all you wanted?" Ari asked brusquely, scowling up at the Queen lounging on her throne. Everyone clearing the caves to see the strength of the Thorvys, saving manpower by sending in six 'heroes' instead of an army of normal people, only just enough time to grab a change of clothes instead of a good long sleep. Dammit, what kind of person could go without eight hours of sleep?! (Ignoring that nearly everyone got at least six hours sleep average). Ari resisted the urge to groan at the memory of his perfect bed and soft, fluffy pillows, instead slouching a little lower and biting back complaints interlaced with a couple of very vulgar swearwords.

Instead, when the queen nodded in affirmative, Ari let out a very heartfelt groan. "Well, if you believe that the army is incompetent enough to deal with the Thorvys, then I will gladly go without sleep for your favor, O great queen." he said civilly, sarcasm evident in every word. He stared hard at her, refusing to back down until she blinked first. "So, any other information about the cave location and thorvys there, amount of soldiers, strategy? Or are we going in blind, just like last time? Relying merely on the fact that we have powers to blow back the Thorvys and nothing else could be a very costly mistake, your majesty. What if the six of us weren't enough?"

It was faint, barely noticeable, but the honorific was said in distaste, as if Ari found the term mildly disturbing to use. He might respect the queen for giving them room and board and doing what she needed for her country (sending in six superstrong people would probably cause a lot less casualties than it would the army, all things considered), but in the end, all the Divo's and Diva's were to her were tools, to be used for her goal to save her land. Once they were of no use, they'd probably be thrown away. He didn't like that.

Human weapons, and nothing more. Best to be prepared when the time comes, then.

Turning away from her and uncaring whether he had crossed the line in saying that (as he had so many times before, only with more curses and bite), Ari headed for the door with a yawn, hand covering his mouth. "I need to pack and see if I can get a nap before we leave, so I'll sit this one out." He said in response to Kohaku's question, shrugging mildly apologetically. Plus Jin was going to be there and Ari would rather not spend more time with him than he absolutely had to. All the egotistical speeches was annoying. "Make sure that Narcissus doesn't drag you guys into trouble!" Like with the goddamn statue from that last village.

And on that cheerful note, Ari left for a hot shower and a new change of clothes. Ah, hot baths, how I've missed tee.

After that, maybe he could talk strategy over with Eamon and the others. Or join them beating things up.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ari O'Dell Character Portrait: Jin Kunisada Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Kotone Akibara Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez Character Portrait: Kohaku Akamine
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  1. For easier reference, anytime Kohaku spoke in Japanese will be put in bold.

    by chrian.

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#, as written by chrian.
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⌈ I know naught of the true reasons I have come to this world, but I will keep singing until the day I die again. ⌋
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Clock Strikes : ONE OK ROCK

Dialogue : #D33D3D : Thought : #EE9572

Face Claim : Shu Ouma | Guilty Crown 】


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Kohaku listened as his comrades answered to his offer. Éamon had gone off somewhere as soon as they stepped out of the Queen's study. Knowing the guy, Kohaku can almost assured that his fellow Divo will come up with his own plan, despite being turned down by Queen Ardelia earlier. Victoria and Ari excused themselves before leaving the group, and it didn't escape his notice that they were visibly digressed. Seems like even though we're all working for Her Majesty, not everybody are fond of her though. He thought. And so, it left Kotone and Jin to accompany him to the market.

Kohaku shrugged, "Well, I guess that left us." He turned to the other two, "Shall we go?" Since the three of them are all fellow countrymen back in the old world, Kohaku tends to converse with them by their mother tongue whenever there are only them. Not that he doesn't like conversing in the language of Rapsodía, but this brings him a more familiar sense. As for how they were all capable of speaking Rapsodían the instant they were reborn here, it didn't bother him much, since much stranger things had happened.

As the three of them made their way towards the entrance of the palace, another person approached them with his usual carefree grin. A tall, good-looking young man with scarlet hair and blue eyes wearing the uniform of the Head Commander - Wilbert van Lorentz. "Well, greetings, Lord Drei, Lady Sechs and Lord Vier." He bowed to them as he greeted, but Kohaku couldn't help sighing at the flirtatious gaze the man gave him when he mentioned his name.

"And I you, Sir Wilbert." Kohaku greeted back. He really doesn't fancy getting a fresh slew of flirts from this guy because it was still morning and all. But Wilbert has always been like this ever since he first found him, so Kohaku didn't concern too much over it now as he used to. He doesn't understand what's so interesting about a dull guy like him that the Head Commander of the Army found. Nonetheless, Wilbert had got Kohaku's back countless of times in the past year, so he is grateful with him for that, but he would appreciated it greatly if the man could cease his pointless pursuits.

"May I ask where is it that the three of you are heading for?"

"We're intending to head for the market to get a few supplies for tomorrow journey. Aren't you the one accompanying us? Don't you have any preparations to do?" Kohaku said, trying to make his word as cold as possible.

Obviously, that didn't work as Wilbert smiled even brighter, "A Head Commander is always prepare for action at anytime, Lord Vier. You of all people should have known that after all the time we've spent bonding with each other." He then straightened himself up as he gazed at all three of them, "Well then, forgive my lack of manners, but would you mind if having another company? You don't want to get lost in the middle of the capital before we hit the road, hmm?"

Kohaku looked at his two comrades and it looked like they didn't seem to mind, so he sighed as he reluctantly nodded, "I don't see why not? Please lead the way then." With that said, their little group left the palace and headed down to the city.

Antavgeía - the biggest, most grandeur city and capital of Rapsodía. Never once since he first arrived here did Kohaku stop being amazed by how magnificent it is. Every building looks as if they were built by the hands of only the best of builders and architects, every brick crafted the street was so well-made that it almost feel like they would glitter under the sunlight. Fountains and statues crafted out of solid gold can be seen almost everywhere. There isn't a single moment in the day were the streets not bustled with people. The sounds of people talking and walking, of the rolling wheel of a horse carriage, of the merchants inviting pedestrians to buy their products, all come together and compose a sweet rhapsody. Simply, words cannot describe how glorious this city is.

As expected, anywhere they go, the citizens looked at them with the utmost of respect and admiration. With just the sight of them, people have already moved from their current topics to enthusiastically talking of the tales of the heroic deeds they have done and the sacrifices they have made for the sake of this kingdom. Kohaku simply can never get used to such revering, which is completely the opposite of his fellow Divo who appeared to enjoy his fame to no end. Aside from that, parts of the gossips they heard on their way is also about Wilbert, the one whom the ladies regarded as most romantic knight of the kingdom. Women, regardless of ages, all swooned over the Head Commander when he waved towards them. Kohaku sighed again, his notion that being a celebrity is tiring so far hasn't been wrong.

After strolling for a while, the four of them finally reached the market square. There are all sorts of things you can find here, though Kohaku hadn't had a chance to explore the market thoroughly yet. Before entering, Kohaku turned to his colleagues, "You two just feel free to get anything you like, I want to stop by somewhere else. Let's meet at the fountain at the center of the market later when we're done shopping, okay?" Kohaku said to Kotone and Jin and took his leave with Wilbert.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jin Kunisada Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Kotone Akibara Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez Character Portrait: Kohaku Akamine
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(Collab post with DeathScythe386)

The soldiers fought intensely, treating the small match like it was a match to the death. Both were using blunts but even blunts are made of steel which can hurt whoever is on the receiving end of the blow. Riese was mostly inflicting hard and heavy blows with her weapon while Éamon primarily dealt with countering and looking for the right opportunity to strike. An overhead attack by Riese afforded him the opportunity to block the attack with both sword and dagger--dagger on top, sword on the bottom. Having warded the blow, Éamon immediately slid out the longer weapon and went for a quick thrust to Riese's chest.

"Good play." Riese complimented the Divo as she wiped some sweat off her forehead. Éamon just smiled and flashed her the welcome gesture with both weapons at the side. Seeing this, Riese immediately moves in a lot more aggressively than the last cycle. Blows were exchanged until finally, Riese manages to knock Éamon's dagger out of his hand. Smiling, she goes in for a thrust but Éamon used his free hand to coil around the blade and take it by the guard. Having stopped it, he goes in for the kill by aiming his sword's pommel at Riese's face but Riese just shifted her body to side and ducked low. She then proceeds to elbow Éamon right at the face, knocking him down. The whole thing happened in just a span of a few seconds.

"OW!!!" The younger male cried out as he fell to the ground, reeling from the blow. Still, he was able to manage a laugh. "Oooowww"

"Well..." Riese sighed. "I guess that's enough exercise for you today. I'm quite bushed as well."

"Haha!!! I might have to take you up on that offer~" Éamon laughed as he picked himself and his blunts up. "Thought I had it--what gave me away?"

"The blade Éamon. You should've gone with the blade. I'm not wearing a helmet anyway." Riese explains his mistake.

"I thought we were simulating armored fighting?"

"If we were, I wouldn't have counted your blow a few seconds ago as a win you know?" Riese explained.

"Makes sense." As he dusted his practice weapons off, he saw a couple of familiar faces headed their way. One was the knight Elias Gascoigne--it was difficult to mistake his trademark visor. And the other was--

"You wouldn't mind if someone else fought in the same area, now would you?" Sir Elias calls out to the two, dragging along Victoria with him.

"I'm done here." Riese puts a hand up. "Not sure about my apprentice..."

"I can still go a couple of rounds. No problem." Éamon answered back as he retook his usual guard stance while Riese exits the area. He hadn't fought with Victoria before so it may prove to be an eye-opener.

"Elias-- seriously?" "I mean it." Taking a cursory glance at the knight's stance, Victoria winced; he had that typical, intimidating, arms-crossed-over-chest stance and she knew he meant business. Still, it wasn't everyday she got to fight with a comrade, much less someone like Éamon.

She looked around the room, particularly the weapon rack. Blunt longswords, wooden ones, and-- a particular weapon caught her eye.
Walking over, she hefted a wooden waster, noting with a small grimace that the handle seemed like it was too big for one hand but too short for both. It was as good as anything though; not like she had mastered the weapon in any case.

Walking over so that she was a safe distance away from the other Divo, she recalled the stance Elias taught her and moved into it- taking on a simple guard stance and heaving a breath she realized she had been holding in for a while.
"Alright--ready."

"A bastard--a hand-and-half...well then--" Seeing Victoria's choice of weapon, Éamon immediately replaced his with the wooden waster Riese was using earlier. Its handle was a bit longer than the one his adversary used but otherwise, the blade lengths were the same. Taking up his usual "ox" stance, he cautiously closed in on his adversary, keeping both eyes trained on her. "Good sir, would you mind giving the signal?" He asks of the knight sent to bear witness.

"Heh! Alright--" Elias raised a hand, looking at the two now facing each other on the field. With a sharp motion, he brought down his hand. "Begin!"

Quickening her steps, Victoria struck out with her weapon, aiming for a quick cut downwards at her opponent's torso. Éamon immediately takes a single step back and extends his right arm in order to parry Victoria's cut as he aimed for a quick thrust to her head. Seeing the blade, Victoria shifted her weapon left to attempt to slide it down her opponent's blade. Seeing it, Éamon immediately twisted his own sword, stopping the incoming blow with the crossguard before batting the blade away. She stepped back to put some safe distance between them, keeping her eyes trained on the other.

"So far, so good." Éamon compliments his younger and smaller adversary as he encircled her with his waster raised again in the standard ox. With a sudden start, he puts his right foot forward and goes for a low thrust to Victoria's abdomen. Victoria quickly dodged to the right, going for another overhead cut. Éamon catches wind of this as he shifted his body to the right, intercepting Victoria's waster in mid-cut and knocking it off her hand. However, Victoria quickly raised her knee and slammed it near Éamon's wrist, disarming his weapon as well. With their moves, both combatants were now unarmed.

"Ooohh~ Guess I have to concede this round." Éamon raises both hands laughing. "I don't think I can take you on unarmed...unless I had gloves on which I don't."

"Haha-- guess my reflexes are better at unarmed combat than when I have a weapon." The sound of clapping drew her attention as Elias let out a hearty laugh.
"Good show, you two. You've improved a lot since you first started training!"

"Thanks to Riese I suppose." Instinctively, he wraps an arm around Victoria's shoulder after putting back the practice weapons in their rack. "So how about it Vicky? How about we hop on to the market, see if the others are still there. I think I need a new saddle anyway. You don't mind do you, sir?"

"I certainly don't. I have some duties to attend to anyway, You two go on and catch up to the others then." With those words, Elias left the room. Victoria took a curious glance at her companion. "Saddle? What happened to your old one?"

"Nothing. Think it's just--high time I get a new one." Éamon just grunted. "Come on, let's go!"



The two stragglers reached the marketplace soon enough. And of course, once the people had caught wind that five of the six heroes have arrived, the gay cavalcade that followed shortly never seemed to end. Despite the adoration from the crowd, the crowd was pretty respectful. They didn't flock to them or get in their way. Still--they sure made quite an audience.

"You don't see this many people even on an April Fair!" Victoria remarked as some of the women blushed and whispered upon their passing. Whether they were whispering about the taller man beside her or Victoria herself or both, she had no way to tell.

"I'll give it to Rapsodía--word sure gets out fast." Likewise, Éamon still felt some degree of elation upon being seen as a hero. People from several cultures always favored saviors after all.

"Make way!"

Turning away from the topic of the dashing saviors for a moment, the crowd's attention was caught by a procession of horses and soldiers led by Riese making their way past the village gates, binging great wagons of what Éamon knew was his "special order". Riese gave the guards a nod as she passed through the paved road of the city, past the stalls and the gate into the long road ahead.

"That was Riese wasn't it? Where's she heading?" Victoria asked, puzzled by this occurrence.

"Maybe another errand." Éamon replied, smiling to himself. "Even at a time of peace, soldiers sure loved keeping busy. Oh! There they are!"

The passing of the men-at-arms have broken up the crowd somewhat, allowing the Divo and Diva to catch glimpse of their colleagues. The Head Commander appears to have joined them as well. Both him and Kohaku left shortly afterwards though.

"Sight to see even with a storm on our backs--you guys finding what you need?" Éamon immediately greeted the other two. "All that's left is for Ari to show up. I kind of want to invite you guys over to that o'l watering hole you know? The one with that serves a pint of beer at half the cost on Wednesdays? The Stallion, I believe is the name. Life's short, Iremia's around three days from here so--let's do half a day of drinking!"

"Uh...what about, you know? Your saddle?"

"We can get that later. After we drink."

Victoria sighed. Éamon tends to get too comfortable at the best of times.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jin Kunisada Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Kotone Akibara Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez
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"Sight to see even with a storm on our backs--you guys finding what you need? All that's left is for Ari to show up. I kind of want to invite you guys over to that ol' watering hole you know? The one with that serves a pint of beer at half the cost on Wednesdays? The Stallion, I believe is the name. Life's short, Iremia's around three days from here so--let's do half a day of drinking!"

After a small moment of silence, Victoria noticed that Kotone had already left for what seemed to be a clothing store. "We just got ditched for clothes? Figured Rapsodia's still a material world..." The stunned Diva took a cursory glance at her companion, as if trying to figure out what he could have been feeling.
She patted his arm a little, shaking her head. "...Well--! Guess that's that!" She laughed awkwardly and gave a slight tug on his sleeve. "Y-You know, a pint at half the cost sounds great just about now. As you said, spending half the day drinking is pretty good...or something."

She grabbed at his sleeve. "So-- come on!"

While in her old life, Victoria would never have dreamed of ever coming near a bar or a tavern, she had to admit that every now and then she'd go out with Elias when he went for drinks. It was just to see how they worked, and to be fair, they did have some good brandy here...

The tavern wasn't anything fancy; had someone from her world laid their eyes on it, they would not expect that the fiercest knights and even the prophesied heroes would drink here. Before she could step in though, the door swung open and a familiar, bulky figure greeted her. She knew this guy from somewhere...from the Blacksmith's Guild, she remembered. What was his name...

"Orin! Fancy seeing you here," She greeted. The blacksmith gave a stiff nod. "Same; just heard some ruckus outside about a soldier riding out with some weird barrels." He sniffed. "Planned on checking it out but I remembered I just have a few errands to run. The place's getting stuffy. See you around." With that he pushed past and was gone in the crowd, sniffing all the while.


Orin wasn't lying- the tavern, despite the time of day, was already pretty lively. Avoiding the gazes of the curious men and women burning into her back, Victoria glanced around the place as best as she could without coming off as strange. Raising the glass of brandy to her lips, she took a drink; a bit early to be, but apparently no one had wanted to tag along. And with her conversation with Elias and the mission at hand, it was perfectly justified, at least to her, that she needed a lot of brandy to get through.

Shaking her head, she turned her attention to her drinking companion. "So what drink did you get?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ari O'Dell Character Portrait: Jin Kunisada Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Kotone Akibara Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez Character Portrait: Kohaku Akamine
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Bath done, Ari sighed in relaxation, a faint grin on his face as he towelled his hair dry. Ah, that felt good. Inside his room, he wasted no time in grabbing his backpack. Said backpack was made of good sturdy material, with a simple design suited for travel, and so Ari had bought it without much ado when he found it hanging on its strap in the market. That had been half a year ago, and even now the backpack was good as new despite all the wear it had experienced. One of the best pieces of money he'd ever spent in this place.

With a frown, he tilted his head thoughtfully at its contents. Inside was a new change of clothes and a towel, folded neat and small to conserve space. It also contained some dried food (Ari was never going anywhere without at least two days worth of food ever again after the Squirrel Forest Incident) wrapped carefully in cloth and plastic and tucked into the side, good for use for at least another week. At the front of the bag, there was a small sewing kit and a few ointments that would help treat common illnesses or numb pain, and a flint in case they needed to start a fire. Always paid to be prepared.

There was also a slim, small adventure novel hidden in the back compartment of the bag. Inevitable boredom was something he had also prepared for, although he'd have to change to a new book. He was already on the last chapter.

Well. Ari closed the backpack, tightening the straps. Everything was prepared. Maybe he could -

His stomach growled. Very loudly.

...ah, right. I haven't eaten yet.

Ari closed the pack with a professional snap and considered his options. Well. Maybe some food from the kitchen? ....Nah, no point. He had to renew a book after all, so he could grab something to eat while getting a new book from the bookshop in the town at the same time. Maybe something more street - there was a shop close by that had sold some good omelettes, although Ari couldn't exactly remember where it was. Maybe it was near the bookstore or something.

(as for why he wasn't getting a book from the royal library - well, Ari felt bad if he had to use it as fuel for a fire or if it got torn apart or something else just as ridiculous.)

"Alright." Ari said aloud, coming to a decision. He stood up, shifting through the items in his pouch (dried food, small flint, money). "Street food then." he decided, turning around with a whirl to leave the room. A rare grin graced his face as he remembered a certain goggle-headed kid.

Who knows? Maybe he'd see Frederick and his pals around before he had to leave.

----------------------------

The city of Antavgeia was bustling and full of people, as per usual. Tugging the navy baseball hat down lower over his head, casting a shadow over his features, Ari remained unrecognised amongst the crowd as he slipped through them, thankful for the army attracting all the attention and that his 'disguise' (a hood thrown over a cap that placed his face in shadow - yes, Ari was kind of a dork) was working. Slipping through the crowds like a fish swimming the wrong way through a shoal of other fish, Ari ducked into the closest bookshop he could find and, after some browsing, bought what he needed.

He exited the place with a couple of slim novels in a paperbag, a content look on his face. Not much could beat the quiet, peaceful atmosphere of an old bookshop, after all. It was rather therapeutic after all the hustle and bustle the Divo('s) had to do for the past week.

Well, Book checked. Maybe some food? But not just any food - something good and filling.

Ari wandered around for a while, drifting here to there as he checked some items out. Hey meatbuns! Meatbuns were awesome. He was chewing through a bag of those when a glint of familiar white caught his eye.

Ari whirled around, squinting through the crowd as if trying to search for an ant - a white headed ant that was currently standing with the others in front of a shop. Odd that they were there - did they meet by coincidence? Food forgotten, Ari began to walk through the crowd, slipping past people in his effort to see if it was who he really thought it was.

It was definitely Eamon, now that Ari was closer. He was talking with Victoria and Jin. Kohaku and Kotone were already disappearing into the crowd, brown hair blending in as he walked towards them. Coming to a stop behind Victoria, Ari raised his hand in a 'peace' sign.

"Yo."
He said, voice deadpan. He rose the bag of meatbuns he was holding. "What's up? Want a meatbun? These are pretty good."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ari O'Dell Character Portrait: Jin Kunisada Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Kotone Akibara Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez Character Portrait: Kohaku Akamine
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Jin smiled. It was a nice to have someone else to keep that pink haired monkey in line. After Asato left, he turned to Kotone. "Even if it's you, I don't think she'll do what I ask no matter what anyone says." Jin sighed. "But yes, we shouldn't keep him waiting."

The two conversed in Japanese while they walked to the entrance. Jin usually puts a bit too much useless information in his story telling, so Jin only got to the part of the story of when he was waving everyone in the kingdom goodbye before being stopped by the head adviser himself. Frankly, he enjoyed the formal greeting, but was rather unsure about letting him accompany them. He doesn't trust most of the higher ups of the kingdom, despite appreciating the shortcut in his journey to kingship. However, it seemed the other two made the decision before him, so he thought little of it. He hid his uncertainty and followed the three. Though, he was a bit on edge due to their new addition.




A warm gust of wind ruffled Jin's dark hair. He is usually enjoying his lavish treatment in the kingdom so going out like this was a rare occasion and opportunity. He watched as Kotone skipped ahead of everyone. Jin enjoyed the rather carefree outlook to most things, not caring what people thinks of oneself. He would love to have that feeling, but someone consumed by pride is only driven by what other people think.

He glanced at Kohaku, he could never read this guy. Empathy should be a king's strength, but Jin guessed that enigmas like him take time, despite them being together for a year.

Jin loved the people giving him admiration. He raised his arms while making various poses and waving to the onlookers. He was used to this kind of attention, but instead of a fan base, he got a whole kingdom commending him. If Jin thought he didn't deserve the praise, he'd be lying.

After walking, the four stopped in the town-square. Jin breathed a sigh of relief when Kohaku took the adviser. Again, he couldn't guess what they would be doing or buying, so he dismissed the thought of wondering any further.

Jin continued with his story but when he was explaining the color of the horse he rode, they were joined by 2 of their fellow divos and divas. "I knew you two couldn't resist joining the king." Jin announced. Making a pose with his hip a bit to the side and his finger pointed towards the two walking towards them.

Jin would've accepted the drinking suggestion, but his companion has vanished. He heard Kotone's proposition to journey to the clothing shop, but before he could place his input, she was long gone. He turned to the two waiting and apologized on her behalf. "Ah, sorry about her. You never know what's going on in her head. We'll join you after." Jin walked after the girl.

The clothing store seemed rather small. Humble in size, but it's inventory seemed to be more than enough. Jin tried on various outfits before stopping on a rather flamboyant one. Adorned with jewels and gold, with blue as it's main color. A red cape behind him. Jin took it the register and reached for his wallet, but he got it on the house as the owner said it was thanks for protecting the kingdom. Jin smiled back and accepted the gesture. A king should always accept gifts after all. "Kotone! I'll be waiting outside, come out once you are finished." Jin called to his companion and walked outside. He found a fountain in the center and started doing various poses in the reflection while people around uncomfortably shuffled away.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Ari O'Dell Character Portrait: Jin Kunisada Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez
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"Ah, sorry about her. You never know what's going on in her head. We'll join you after."

"Sure thing!" Éamon bids the fellow Divo a "see you later" gesture as he accompanied Kotone on her clothes shopping spree. It was a little becoming for him.

"Y-You know, a pint at half the cost sounds great just about now. As you said, spending half the day drinking is pretty good...or something."

"Considering the economy, yes. We've had some good weather these past few days. Must be getting rid of some surplus. Course, being modern people ourselves--we won't pass up this chance either, let's go!" Éamon urges his companion, only to be met with another one.

"Yo. What's up? Want a meatbun? These are pretty good." Ari greeted them as they passed.

"Great timing! You come along too!" Éamon likewise, drags the other Divo with him.




As expected, The Stallion was filled with people--most of them employs in the Constabulary. Éamon almost sighed at the sight. Sure it's a time of peace but, the other people could at least spend their time doing something more productive. Accompanying Riese for one.

"So what drink did you get?" Victoria asks him. He took a glance at her drink first. Brandy. A good choice though Éamon couldn't really recall him consuming much of the stuff back in Dublin.

"This here--is a pint." Éamon shows off the mug of ale he ordered. A nice layer of foam had formed on the top of the steel goblet, almost to the verge of spilling out. Without much ado, he drank from it, taking care not to spill the drink on the table. "You know, when I came here I couldn't get behind the foreign stuff immediately. But the Stallion's brew well--it's not half bad."

They were a rather merry sight at the table, with their differing nationalities. Most people just lump them in under the label of "white" that it almost seemed like a bane to them. On the upside, this allowed them to blend in the place much better. Better than their other three allies, Éamon thought. "Fantasy worlds always take on European features don't they? Well, I suppose it's kind of an advantage since it'll be a little easier to adapt to it, given what we learned in school."

"Excuse me? You're Lord Eins, Lord Zwei and Lord Funf right?"

Éamon turned to face whoever asked such an obvious question and came face to face with a rather mousy looking young woman. "*whistles* Who are you?" He asked.

"My name's Martha, proprietress at the Stallion and--I kind of have a small favor to ask..."

"From me?"

"From all of you umm...See, our local minstrel's gotten into a carriage mishap and I don't foresee him arriving anytime soon. So if it's not too much to ask--?"

"You want us to play for you?"

"Well, yes. I'll pay of course."

Hearing of this proposition, Éamon turns to his companions. "Well, you heard the lady. Want to give it a shot? I'm not sure if they'll find our brand of music pleasing but hey! Maybe we'll be the ones to get it started in this world." He urges both Ari and Victoria. "Plus, the upside of this not being Earth is that we can play whatever song we like since we haven't prepared anything of our own composition yet. No need to worry about royalties and copyrights. Me and Vicky can do the guitar and Ari can do drums--this should play out fine."

Éamon turns to Ari. "Maybe you can alter the wind to make it sound electric or something? Just good enough to pass off as rock."

"Now then--" Éamon stretched as he got on his feet. "Shall we give this a shot?"

Setting

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Character Portrait: Ari O'Dell Character Portrait: Éamon Devlin Character Portrait: Victoria Alvarez
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Ari cocked an eyebrow at Eamon's enthusiastic response, but that quickly changed into a look of surprise when Eamon grabbed his arm and began tugging him elsewhere. "Hey!" Caught by surprise, he stumbled backwards, bumping into someone with red hair - and the impact jarred his arm and caused him to let go of the meat bun.

"My meatbun!" Ari gasped, fumbling as he tried to catch it, but to no avail - Ari's eyes widened as the juicy meat bun landed with a splat in the floor. As if in slow motion, he watched the pieces of meat rolled out of the split white bun, his body stiffening like a board as Eamon dragged him away from the scene of the crime, hand remaining outstretched towards the fallen bun as if he still had hope of stopping it fall. It would be easy to mistake his stillness as anger to spilt food and resignation to getting pulled towards the inn, but people with sharp eyes would notice that his face had turned a bit pale, as if afraid.

(In Ari's mind, there was a rise of panic. Food was wasted - mess - he'd have to clean up before she got mad hurry hurry hurry - but even as he stared with haunted eyes nobody reacted to the bun on the ground, merely stepped around it, and Ari's body unbraced itself, heart slowly relaxing back in his chest to a more comfortable rhythm than the speedy thumpthumpthump it was before.

It was alright to leave messes, he reminded himself for the thousandth time. You do it all the time anyway - and she isn't here to scold and yell, is she? Nobody cared when you first arrived, and nobody will now.

So man the fuck up.
)

-----------

By the time they reached the inn and secured a table; Eamon sighing as if he was disappointed in people, Ari was back to his normal grumpy self. He plonked himself down on the table with a frown, staring idly at the menu. Ari might not have reached the drinking age in other countries, but here people became an adult at 18 - which was why Ari felt no guilt in ordering alcohol.

"I got a beer," he said after Eamon answered Victoria, raising his mug in confirmation. The clear golden liquid inside sloshed a bit but didn't spill, and Ari grinned as he took a sip, feeling it warm his throat. It wasn't Guinness (hah! Stereotype complete) but it tasted good and had a low enough alcohol content that even three glasses would leave him buzzed instead of drunk. Getting pissed drunk before a mission, he was not.

Ari could feel himself relaxing as he took gulps of beer with bites of meat bun, sharing what was left of the bag with the others. With the beer and food he felt warm and comfortably full. "Hmm." He hummed thoughtfully at Eamon's question, frowning as he rested his elbows on the table. "Sure, it helps with us blending in physically at least." Ari agreed - when they had all arrived there was some trouble figuring out the technology - even now Ari wasn't entirely used to it. Occasionally he felt like he was in a virtual reality steampunk fantasy game, and like some gamers Ari had often wondered about something - the geography and culture of the world.

"But let's not forget - we've never really travelled into all the other kingdoms before, so it's entirely possible that other races and cultures exist there, and that this is just the European equivalent of the world we're in." He finished, providing a hopeful counterpoint.

"Also, I don't think all fantasy comics are based off Europe." He said, taking one part of Eamon's statement into a little too much consideration. "In Western countries it's more likely to find it based off Asia - like Shaolin monasteries or something. Same for Japanese comics - it's either other countries or the Edo period, depending on what type of story it is. Probably cause it's foreign, I guess." Ari finished his ramble somewhat wryly, shrugging. Foreign countries probably lent a mystical air to lands for people of completely different culture, and old customs did the same for those who were of the same country - much like it did here, at least for the ones that were similar to it.

That was when a mousy woman came up to their table and asked them to play music.

Eamon turned to Ari. "Maybe you can alter the wind to make it sound electric or something? Just good enough to pass off as rock."

Ari frowned (he did that a lot) once more, grows furrowing with a mixture of irritation. "I don't think it works like that..." he said, but his eyes were thoughtful, mind recalling what he learnt from Internet and science class. Wind gusts was kinetic particles giving a push in the air to a certain direction. Sound was the same - carried through the air with the same kinetic particles, which was why the wind could distort sound so easily. So... it actually did work like that, if Ari could figure out how to control it well enough. Huh.

Dammit. Not that it wasn't expected or all, since Eamon was a bit like a genius, but Ari hated it when Eamon thought of something he felt he should have thought of ages ago. It made him feel a bit like an idiot.

Ah well. No time like the present.

Eamon was already on his feet - Ari took a stand himself, finishing off his drink. "Eh, sure." He said, wiping at his mouth. He grinned as an idea occurred to him. With a few half sang, half muttered words he summoned his artifact, lips curving upwards in a semblance of a grin as the drumsticks dropped directly into his outstretched palm - which went back down as the drumsticks faded away in his hand the moment he stopped singing.

"U-Uh." Ari stared down at his hand. Oh yeah, forgot that they disappeared when we stop singing... uh...

There was a beat (Ari ignored any possible laughter, although his cheeks flushed red). Then the mousy woman cleared her throat.

"We have amps, if you're worried about the sound...."

Ah. Ari perked up at that. That'd work! He whirled around to face her with a grin that caused the woman to go pale. "We'll take it. How much would we need to pay if it got broken though?"

-------------

One explanation, a few hurried adjustments and tears to the amps, and a couple of test runs later and they were ready to perform. The amps connected to their instruments were now like the electrical amplifiers of the old, way before the high tech electronic amps of Earth's present age existed. Not for the first time, Ari thanked Nao for his ridiculously large knowledge of weird trivia that he'd shared with the group at large. Seriously, that guy was like a human database (similar to Klaus), it was amazing.

Of course, it was because his parents exerted pressure on him to ensure that he excelled (again like Klaus - Ari felt a pang in his heart as he thought about his brother). And the guy was now dead (occasionally, Ari wondered whether he was in Rapsodia somewhere because if anybody loved music that kid did, and loving music seemed to be a requirement for afterlife in Rapsodia).

Life really sucked sometimes.

Well, not that it mattered now. Ari raised his old drumsticks into the air, the wood resting familiar and light in his fingers as he clicked them together. He never really went anywhere without them, thankfully - or else he'd have problems participating in this impromptu jam session.

The crowd's eyes were starting to turn their way now, expectation and surprise forming on their faces as they registered who exactly was playing for them, but Ari didn't feel nervous - instead, he felt anticipation. The song they chose was a good one, sure to wow the crowd, and best of all the three of them knew it well. Playing it would be a piece of cake.

Confidently, Ari clicked the sticks together, signaling the start. "And a three-two-one-"

With a large shit-eating grin on his face, Ari launched into his parts with gusto.