zenderael_mmo | EVENT: The Berserker Tournament

That brought on a smile. It was the right answer, Ravi! "Then that other paladin must have been with someone else. He did seem kind of violent for a paladin!" Was that saying too much? Maybe paladins wanted to be violent...

But her expression fell. "But the berserker today wanted the title too..."

Oh. She was concerned about the paladin who was fighting in the title tier. Ravi only vaguely recognized him and couldn't even think of his name, so he couldn't offer much insight on that. But he could offer her the assurance of, "No, he wasn't with us."

Her next concern was something he understood right away, however. She didn't want the Ahura to lose the tournament. He straightened, letting out a quiet sigh. "I don't think Alex really wants the title," he told her. "He's not serious about it."

That won a blink as she looked back to Ravindra. "Alex...?" She didn't remember an Alex. She fought with a Jordan.

"The..." Oh. Oh, right. Alex was fighting under his player's name (because he wasn't taking this seriously). "The berserker you just fought. He's using a fake name. He's really Alex, the friend I told you about before."

Edited 2012-12-13 00:39 (UTC)

How strange! But names had power. Deathbringer had said so. Maybe Alex understood that too and was using it in a different way. Or maybe he liked his soul and wanted to be sure no one beat it out of him.

She fell quiet for a moment, piecing the conversation back together. She had fought Alex, who was called Jordan, who didn't want the title for serious and was also Ravindra's best berserker friend?

Tick... tick...

Bing.

"I'm sorry I bit your friend!"

He couldn't help it. He burst into laughter.

That was not what he'd expected her concern to be, and it was especially funny considering his conversation with Alex yesterday where he'd asked him not to be too rough with her.

Quelling the laughter, he leaned down with a smile, setting a hand on her head. "Don't worry about it. He'll be fine."

She wasn't sure laughter was good or bad. Reflecting on it, she had bit him a lot. And clawed, maybe. Because her hammer was gone... It wasn't really polite to bite friends, or friends of friends... Even when you didn't have saliva ridden diseases which Virelai was fairly certain she didn't have.

(But wouldn't being venomous be nice?)

A hand to the head was exactly how to calm a Virelai. She waited an uneasy moment until her nerves were back together. "I guess it's good if he wins a lot, then. He can eliminate people for the Ahura."

Oh. That was actually a really good thing. Virelai perked up a bit. "Tell your friend I said thanks."

He considered offering to introduce them so she could tell him herself, but Alex might not appreciate that. And Virelai might be too shy for it to work out, anyway.

"I'll let him know," he said. "You know, you fought well, Virelai. He's tough."

Ravi you are taller than her and often armored, and that makes you suitable for hiding behind. So, good call.

She smiled some, pleased for the praise. "I still got in a few hits...! ... But he is very strong. It's almost too bad he won't fight the Ahura, because it would be a good fight...!"

Except for the part where the Ahura would die if he lost. That was a terrible part.

"It would be," he agreed, but he was glad it wouldn't happen. He didn't want to see Alex get beaten by his player guild leader. That was a terrible feeling, speaking from experience.

Unless Alex was going to surprise him and decide he really did want to try for the Ahura's position... But Ravi just couldn't see that happening.

He straightened, taking his hand from her head. "So, do you feel a little better now?" he asked. Both for the healing and for the loss.

Virelai nodded, smiling. "Mm! I still have a chance to help too. Double elimination...!" She balled her fist and gave it a determined pump in the air, then slowly and gently lowered it in case that was too embarrassing.

Kicking her legs a little over the side of the cot, she looked up at Ravindra. "I should go apologize to-- oh, right!" She brightened again. "Um-- Rayu. I met with him. Or um--" Okay, the Ahura and Rayu had worked that out instead of her, but did Ravi really need that detail? "Yeah! We met, like you suggested." Sort of suggested it was all the same in Virelai's world. "He's nice."

Aw, Virelai, that was so awkward, he felt a little embarrassed for her but then he was the only one around to see it so there wasn't really anything to be embarrassed about, was there...

His eyebrows rose slightly at the mention of Rayu. It took him a second to remember the conversation they'd had where she'd revealed that she and Rayu shared a player--shared the Ahura as a player, even.

Virelai and Rayu... It was a surreal connection to make between them. And even more surreal to think that the man fighting for his title in the arena was Rayu's player.

"I'm glad it went well," was all he could find to say at first. And then a moment's pause to get his thoughts back in order and catch up to the sudden curveball she'd thrown at him. "...What do you think of it, having someone who shares your player?"

Virelai took a moment to consider it, her spark of excitement faded in favor of deep thought. This kind of thing... it wasn't something she thought long and hard about very often. Things had been great since the new Ahura came back, and she learned he was her creator. So of course, Rayu was great too! But...

"I thought we might be more alike. Ah... The Ahura and I are kind of alike. N-not that I-- um. There are things that felt connected. Maybe they are though, but in different ways? He's a little... serious. I guess the Ahura can be serious too." She paused, remembering her initial conversation with the Spenta. "And... lonely? Yeah." She nodded to herself. "I hope they can get along."

He sat beside her on the cot to wait for her answer while she considered. He wanted to hear opinions on this, because he still wasn't quite sure how he felt about it himself, and he didn't know many people who'd met their 'siblings' that he could ask about it.

His eyes lowered when she pegged "lonely" as the connection Rayu had with the Ahura. That was probably not something he'd helped with much.

"I'm not much like the person I share a player with, either," he admitted softly. "But I don't know how like him we are." (Not at all, he hoped, because he was determined to hate everything about Heimdall.)

Virelai fell quiet again before she got her thoughts together. "I guess it's really different for everyone. Some people don't like it." There was a shy glance at Ravindra. She remembered was Rasmus said, but Ravi was calm now, and didn't seem angry, and had asked in the first place so this was probably all okay. "But, um. Life's been... better since I met the Ahura. I don't really remember much about my family, but I thought that's what it should feel like. I guess I hoped the others could be there too."

She looked to Ravindra. "But he's here, and maybe a little bit to watch the Ahura? So maybe someday."

The look on his face at 'some people don't like it' was vaguely guilty, his gaze moving to the wall on the other side of the room, away from her. He wasn't proud of his actions. Players weren't a monolith, it wasn't fair to judge them all by the actions of one, etc etc

He told himself that, but deep down, he didn't think he really believed it. Which only made him feel guiltier about it.

"Maybe someday," he agreed, looking back to her. "I think Rayu is the kind of person to want people he can be close to, because he doesn't have many." Maybe...that was a little more personal than Rayu would like him to be, but at least he wasn't citing the reason why Rayu didn't have many people to be close to. Ravi just...wanted Rayu to be okay. To have a place where he belonged. And if that was with his player and the people who had him in common, then that was fine.

He still didn't seem made, though maybe not happy? But not mad. Not mad was a relief. Maybe what Rasmus had mentioned had been more isolated. Like a really bad mood...? She had those sometimes.

His assurance earned a small smile. "You think so...? I'll be sure not to give up, then!" Even when there was that sense of awkward distance. It was just a hurdle to be crossed! "If he needs someone to be there to talk to, then that's something I can do."

Virelai's head fell into a tilt. Maybe this was back to not-supposed-to-ask, but he had been nice and helped her, so... if she could do the same, that would be nice! "Did meeting your other feel strange?"

He echoed the smile at her enthusiasm. Being there to talk to was definitely something Virelai could do. She was proving to be quite capable at it. He could see Rayu getting along with her just fine if he opened himself up to it.

There was no anger at the question, but there was something else that went across his face, a mix of feelings at the reminder of his conversation with Marlene that mostly read as uncertainty. "Ah, Marlene's on Earth, I didn't meet her, she wrote to me." Was that really a worthwhile distinction when her question still applied?

Marlene!

"Marlene!" Enthusiasm turned to sparkling excitement and got the better of Virelai in a hurry. "You and Marlene share a creator!? Marlene is the best!" Well, Ravindra was also the best! But that made sense because they were made by the same person. (The Ahura was also best, and she was sure Rayu would reveal himself to also be best. In Virelai's world everyone could be the best ~~like no one ever was~~.) "We were in the same league. She would be a really great 'sister' to have. I'm jealous!"

No lie, he was startled by that reaction. He faced her with a jolt, unsure whether to stare at her in dismay, apprehension, or shock, and settled instead on a combination of all three.

It couldn't be the same Marlene. Right? The world was huge, surely there was more than one Marlene in it... (But he knew Rayu, and maybe it made sense for the other people Heimdall and the Ahura had played to know each other, too...)

"Mar...lene Reliace?" he questioned hesitantly, once Virelai had finished her outburst.

How super embarrassing would it be for Virelai to have the wrong Marlene? Very. But the thought did not even cross her mind because how many Marlenes could there be on Earth that were from Zenderael and created by somebody?

"Yes! Her name is pretty, don't you think?" Because Marlene was also pretty. Virelai gave another kick of her legs off the cot. "Do you think our creators know each other?" She gasped. "Maybe they're friends?!"

"Maybe..." He didn't sound enthused about it, though.

That would seem to be the case. It would definitely explain why the Ahura had been able to contact Heimdall for him to pass along the message to get in touch.

It was just such an odd parallel to have, each of them knowing one of the other's 'siblings'.

"I hope so," she said, reading his lack of enthusiasm as uncertainty. "Maybe that's how we all met? I'm glad that happened."

"Ah..." Well. He couldn't be negative about that. Meeting Rayu/Victor was something he'd never regret, and meeting Virelai certainly hadn't been a bad thing either. He settled on, "I'm glad, too."

Virelai's enthusiasm for Marlene had him curious. He didn't have a very clear image of what Marlene was like, given that they'd only had the one conversation. She'd been upbeat, open, and had tried to be helpful even if he didn't want to hear it at the time. Maybe he regretted being so short with her. She did seem nice, in retrospect...

"What is Marlene like?" he asked.

What a question, Ravidnra. Virelai's energy came back in full force as she beamed at nothing in particular. "Marlene is nice! And really pretty! She's a spellsword, and she uses support magic, but she's strong and smart. When things go wrong or get bad, she knows how to handle it and help everyone else handle it."

Virelai began to fidget her fingers together, afraid to look up. "And, um, she's... assertive. I wish I could be assertive like Marlene." But imagining saying the kinds of things Marlene did would make Virelai nearly faint.

EVENT: The Berserker Tournament

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)