Style 2

[23:27] Yet another thing that seemed to be the fault of the stuttering Knight.

Of course he likely doesn't know that, but whatever concern may have ever existed in the gaze of this steel using Knight? Was no longer presenting. For Jianyu's tears and all of their woes, he found himself not quite so immune, but resistant to them because there was something more.

He's holding them by their robes, jostling them around so that they do not remain along the ground like a sad sack of tears, unable to move, unable to defend themselves. Unable to go on.

His steps keep him moving until they are just behind Aeliana by a few solid feet, to which he gives them an actual toss. Not an actual toss, but enough of a shove to stumble them into Yuri's arms.

"It must be nice, uttering words you think people want to hear."
He can feel all of his spite.

"But I wonder how much you actually can see, Yuri. Between your 'pushing' and your indecision, you've broken down the person you say you love."

Love is too fickle a word. there is not enough understanding to claim love, not in just what the word is supposed to encompass.

And such a look. It is a look he is familiar with. It burns him as he stands there.

"Go on, show them love. Prove to them you love them, we're all waiting to see it."
(Avlainn)
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[23:38] This the was the exact of what was needed. This presence, hers and his. It wasn't.

In reality, should it all reverted, if the years were consumed and given a second chance then not a soul would have been allowed.

Tossed, or shoved really, towards Yuri.

Division. It all acts as a divide- Though, wasn't it also what was wanted? To be away, to not be included? Jianyu stumbled, back towards the Petrakis and her Knight.

Shown love- That confusing, ugly, painful thing. No, not when it's meant to be treasured. Their smile something exclusive to those who made them happy.

That they're nearest to was both a source of joy and sorrow. Anger and spite. To give and give and give for a mere glance of care. It's everyone's fault but they're to blame, for one reason or another.

It's best to be a monster, unfeeling and uncaring.

"There's no need." They spoke in a whisper as hands drop to their side. "There's no need for any of it. For no... proof. What are you doing, Avlainn? Trying to humiliate me?"

Their head shifts to the side, gaze to the east as they scoff lightly. "I'm leaving." The opposite effect, the opposite reaction that the Knight may have wanted.

"I'm an issue and I'll be removing myself. Go on," Their hand rose, waving slightly. "Repair and heal..." Ideas and claims of love. Were they to be removed, it would've been a lot easier. It was always a want to not be included nor thought of, spoken to or anything of the likes.

And they were hated for it.
Look at what it got them.

"Don't die horribly in the war." As quick as they came, Jianyu made for a departure.
(Jianyu Xi)
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[23:48] His hands reached out to ensure Jianyu wouldn't stumble and fall on the ground when tossed his way, though the aggressive reaction that was ushered forth by venomous words told him right away that it was best to let Jianyu moved as they pleased.

Rather than focusing towards the distraught, angry, sad, and horribly wounded Jianyu, Yuri spoke in Avlainn's way.

"What do mean? What did you say—"

His right hand reached out for Jianyu, intent on grabbing the back of their robes to keep them there, to... stop them in their tracks, then and there. Voluntarily, of course. But he trusted the Shengese wouldn't just... walk away. Not if he reached out to them.

"Why is Jianyu crying? What-..."

His grip upon those robes tightened up. His fist clenched. There was something wrong about all of this. It stunk. It stunk bad. An outting where Yuri was defending Jianyu's actions had turned into this? Why?

"What are you trying to do, Lain?! Was it not enough that I said I'd made a mistake? Why-" Teeth came to a grit as more emotions piled up. What followed anger was betrayal. Sadness, perhaps.

"Why are you trying to get between me and the person who makes me happy?"

Words for both of his best friends to hear, really.
(Yuri)
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[23:55] Avlainn had been bold meddling in this manner. Her words had been for Yuri's ears. As a friend, she wouldn't have forced confrontation like this. But she was not Avlainn.

The uncomfortable engagement draws her two steps in retreat, that final commentary forcing her brows to furrow...

Hadn't he done exactly the same? It wasn't so important, she supposed. While guilt streaks her countenance, she couldn't withhold if she wanted to.

In the end, she doesn't take pity on Jianyu. Jianyu who had made their lives hell, for a time. Jianyu who had struck her with a singular, painful insecurity that plagued her to this day. Jianyu who had hurt and poisoned her best friend.

And so, where Avlainn trifles, interferes, and instigates, Aeliana utters one single, sharp declaration to the retreating Shengese -

"Don't ever hurt him again. Don't let me find out you've ever hurt him again. He loves you dearly. He does.

But it won't stop me if you ever treat him like you did again."
(Aeliana ras Petrakis)
[00:04] "Getting between you?"

His eyes move between the people involved. The tears that belong to Jianyu are no mere coincidence, nor is it the fault of any beyond the one who claims that they make him happy.

"All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, for the both of you to be happy. I wanted that because you both deserved it."

To be happy was not something easily found, and it became increasingly obvious, with how people who knew of Yuri and his feelings, who had tried to help him through them. That the young man was someone who loved hard and felt harder.

It is why this must end, completely. He is not doing this to hurt people but to push the issue. And yes, Yuri had admitted to a mistake. Had openly done so, but Avlainn was not quite ready to forgive him and a happiness streaks through him that he had not.

To see Jianyu break down over the actions, the words--to wonder how true they were. To wonder when they next time they wouldbe turned on, for another. It's enough to leave him with anger.

"But how can you. . can't you see how hurt they are? Don't you see it? Words aren't enough. There's just no possible way I'd be able to forgive you knowing you're ignorant to their pain."

"Their tears are from you."

It's a horrible thing that seems to be the case between them all. The inability to speak honestly, to harm someone, for the sake of a better solution.

Aeliana could not hurt Yuri.
Avlainn could not hurt Yuri.
Yuri could not hurt them.
Jianyu between the lot of them is left alone, but Yuri tries.
Don't they all hurt Jianyu in the end? It's. . sad.

All they want is to be important, but thus far so many moments have whittled away at that and left them scarred.
(Avlainn)
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[00:17] It's rich, like a bountiful field. Joyous, if anything. Eyes rest as their departure halted with a grip at their robes, one that tightened.

"Believe it or not, I hate attention, many ears and many eyes. I will not do this here." To do so was to agree to a one way ticket to Hel. Jianyu will absolutely lose themself and someone here will lose in some capacity.

Restraint, a human given blessing that kept their gaze forward. The Princess spoke but it was akin to dirt being thrown about.

"Maybe you should listen for once. Grow from yourself for once. Get your head out of your ass." Jianyu yanked their robes from Yuri. "Or fall over and die."

Treat him like what, exactly? Like a King, one adored and treasured. Someone their mind fixated on in a manner that should draw concern. For him, the world and more would be given for even a drop of care, a drop of what someone would call love.

To be let into their heart- Allowing oneself to be coiled around by a serpent. "It's coming," Softly, they inhaled, taking it in as their hand rose to dry their face.

Whatever 'it' was approached, slowly but surely. "I would have rather not met any of you, too." Even this one who showed so much concern, or at least a fickle concern.

Words, truth, loyalty, care.

"To not deal with- this. I wish I lingered somewhere else. It's suffocating, all of it."

Regret, all of it. Everyone month, year, minute. But it couldn't be undone, their heart beat and yearned. A blessing or a curse? Lines blurred. Venomous for this reason. Refusal for this.

A pain unimaginable.

"Goodbye." Icy hues kept forward, no glance spared to any of the Cobalt Knights, not even the one who wanted them to remain. Listening to words and words. Did it matter, truly?

Jianyu took their leave, no interest in further breaking, succumbing to a mess that's below them.
(Jianyu Xi)
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[00:42] Love. Hatred. Pain. Happiness. Friendship. Betrayal.
These all came bundled up together when dealing with their situation. It was a mess. A complete mess of intertwined emotions, some more heartfelt than others. Some more important than others.

Yuri had his own priorities. His oaths. His promises. His words. A tug rips away a part of his heart from his fingertips and a response comes swiftly enough. Avlainn's words, his intent, his will on the matter was something that felt horrible to him.

All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, for the both of you to be happy.

Yuri couldn't accept that as a truth. When Jianyu's robes left his fingertips, when he felt that love was being torn by the actions of others his entire body reacted at once. A shroud of blue roared about him, energy being drawn from his body, from the world thinly veiled around them - the realm parallel to this one. Ethereal flames burned about as the young knight uttered a few words.

"I could see it! You don't think I cried for them? You don't think I bled for them? You don't think I tried everything I could to try and make it better?

Sorry won't cut it.
Words aren't enough.
Time. Time and trust. A silence shared together."

Aeliana was found to be right in that moment, though it hardly mattered that he bled for Jianyu if that's what Yuri felt was necessary to earn their trust, to earn an apology. He knew he wouldn't be able to stop Jianyu from departing. Not only would it make the situation worse, but it'd break a promise he made - one that the Shengese had warned him about.

Trust was.. still there, wasn't it?

His right hand was now freed, and it came with a design of its own. A purpose. Steps crushed the ground between himself and Avlainn. His eyes locked upon one that should be his friend, one that should cover for the tears he brought, not turn on the faucet.

I-.. I'll go train.

His words to Atlas weren't a lie when he departed from the dojo. Around Yuri's clenched fist sparks of green burned to life. The rules of time were being changed, played with in order to accomplish a goal with subsconscious actions. Each step came with the beat of his heart and-

"If you can't forgive me, then I may as well get something out of it."

His right fist cocked back, his center was strong - solid. Changing the tides of battle. Changing the world around you. Pulling a victory when the odds were impossible.

Both Aeliana and Avlainn could draw their blade faster than he could swing so-

That spark of green shone, for a moment. For an instant. A... localized manipulation of time to accelerate - to move his hormone-fueled fist forward in time...

.. and right towards Avlain's cheek.

"Don't. Meddle!"
(Yuri)
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[00:53] "I said what I said, Jianyu. Hurt him ever again, and it will be the last thing you ever do."

A threat, delivered bare to the world. The Princess had long since grown beyond those inklings of emotion that had stilled her from conflict. For all the complications, the dramas, the fiddly little things that had driven a momentary wedge between the trio -

Aeliana cares for none of it. For these two, though? For these two she cared. A friendship that that could brave the Storm Barriers of old and return unscathed.

She would not forgive that single, venomous outlier named Jianyu. Not for harming her. Not for harming Yuri.

She's glad when the Shengese figure seeks to depart -

- and smothered with dread when Yuri steps forth.

Some things were best settled between friends. The crackle of time - a dissociation between future and present - would not assist him. She'd stop it in a heartbeat, in a flash of steel and the song of whistling mithril.

There's no intervention from the Princess.

The two are allowed to meet beneath the canopy of the woodlands and the scrutiny of the moon.
(Aeliana ras Petrakis)
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[01:03] Avlainn takes this all in stride.
The yelling, the words, the horror of pain that seems to swallow them entirely.

Yuri and Jianyu both are people that he has come to care for, one way or the other. And despite how negative he views the both of them at moments, they are still people he wants to be happy, that has never changed.

Perhaps he's bad at council, a very bad person to come to for comfort. He's always said he was never very good at it. But by putting those issues out there someone should work towards the solutions.

And if punching him in the face is the solution?

So be it.

Time alters and he's punched at a reckless speed, unlike Yuri's own.
Not as great as Aeliana's, but comparable to his own in small bursts. The cheek ripples and he can feel the strength that comes from Yuri's usually steady frame.

He doesn't topple over, though. Avlainn weathers the punch without a word, having slouched to the side during the attack. He turns a mulberry stare back to the angry Knight of time.
(Avlainn)
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[01:05] No harm had ever come to their beloved Yuri, none that was not warranted, that is. Choices were given and made, acceptance and compliance with a fear all their own.

Jianyu would not hesitate for a moment for him. But now? It's nothing meant for them.

Release through means physical, connections and blows that may build like muscle. Strain it so it's stronger. Are the Cobalt Knights like muscle? Jianyu hoped for the group's downfall and destruction.

Though tenacious and stubborn.

"Deaf and daft." Parting words as they leave. It's a moment with a blanketed goodbye.

The understanding of the Princess was the last thing they wanted, anyway. Her presence made need for their exit. An unpleasant heir indeed.

Regardless, "You know where to find me." Two places, two possibilities.

Gone now, but the tread slow as punches exchange between the two young men.
(Jianyu Xi)
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[01:26] Anger had fueled his fist in that moment and as it crashed against Avlainn's face, as it twisted against his cheek and released emotions that Yuri just couldn't hold in anymore the young knight found himself growing weaker. Softer. He knew that this negativity came from him. It was his fault. All of it.

Was this supposed to be the end? Was this how happiness just... died out? Was this it? The young, growing mand found himself leaning forward. Avlainn's greater frame gave way for Yuri's forehead to press against his friend's chest.

He knew his play. He knew that Avlainn was so selfless that he'd let himself lose an arm if it meant that Yuri's smile would return. What an idiot. Hipocrisy from Yuri to even think of such; his own sacrifice for the smile of those that were around him was on a similar level of idiotic ideas.

His fist rose again, and pounded at Avlainn's chest, this time with less strength and far more... sadness. Of course he'd be breaking down. It was no lie when he said that Jianyu brought him happiness, genuinely so. That they were someone that he could be with and suddenly be... confident.

Feel as if nothing could stop him.

Between his teeth did he speak with a weight, a warmth to it.

"D-.. Do.. you think it's over?"

He asked the very man who'd seen the worst of it. He already knew it may just be. Avlainn needed not to spill some great words about how Jianyu may come around, about how things might just... be better. No, there was no need for that.

A threat had been exchanged between the person who made Yuri happy and Aeliana. There was a promise that he'd given the Princess when he first began frequenting - being with Jianyu. A promise that remained unbreakable. A promise he had forced the Shengese to pick up. To never harm him. To never poison him again. To never treat his friends badly. To never hurt them. To always trust him, for he'd keep their secret so long as it remained.

I should kill you. I should bring you back to Nysea and tell them the truth.

Yuri's heart crumbled down before the two people who'd never turn their back on him. The two who would always be there. Even when he'd be angry. Even when they would be. No matter how much times they would lay blows on eachother. No matter how many mistakes were made. He had an oath to Aeliana, after all.

A promise to always be there for her. In happiness and sadness. In times of good and bad. To always try to make her... happy.

So long as Yuri could hold back the snake, she'd be happy. So long as Jianyu was calm, Avlainn would be happy too. It was.. It had been obvious, hadn't it? The solution:

Tame the snake.

Venom had entered his veins. His heart had been bitten, and from his grasp escaped the last bit of hope he held; from Jianyu's lips had escaped the last chance they had. He loved the Shengese, yet his loyalty to the Cobalt Knights was even greater.

Words broke through a pained breath.
A confession.
A dark secret.

"Jianyu...

.. is an occultist. They're being taught and.. they'll ascend further soon."
(Yuri)
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[01:45] The Princess flinches, and for a second, that hand does rise -

To what? To stop this? To intervene? To interrupt the very engagement that might mend what'd broken? A friendship they'd promised would last a lifetime, crumbled afore feelings and emotions none of them really understood.

Yuri might claim he knew what love was. He didn't. Avlainn didn't. She didn't.

The second impact collides with less vigour, though she starts all the same. With a decide dejection, that limb tumbles to her side, brows furrowed.

The sight of Yuri breaks her, truthfully.

A boy dwarfed by the shadow of his closest friends. A boy whose confident was haphazardly dragged from his very soul in moments of need. A bow who stuttered, who cracked, who stumbled at every given hurdle. A terrified, uneasy boy.

A boy who, despite it all, would give his life for them.

It is for that reason, and that reason alone, despite misunderstandings, transgressions, and the sour energy exchanged between the lot, the hostilities and the hatred, that she allows this little thing to happen between them.

They'd be better for it. She was sure of it. It couldn't always be about her. She never wanted it to be about her. Not once.

And then composure crumbles.

A single declaration.

A single admission.

It sours her expression. Fury finds purchase upon Yuri anew.

"What?"
(Aeliana ras Petrakis)
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[01:51] Through it all he perhaps has become as solid as the chains he controls, crafted from blue energy and sturdy as the real things. His pain is like a dull comparison to what could be, phantom, faux.

But Yuri's struggle? That much is very real, that much is weight without compare. It exists here no matter what, as they seem broken. He doesn't think it is over, Jianyu spoke before they walked away, yes?

"They're waiting for you."


To state that they would be somewhere that Yuri knew. It was likely an invitation, but the boy was far too corrupted upon his own high of emotions to think it all through.

By the time it comes down and sorrow takes the position where rage had once filled, Avlainn is privy to the words that are muttered beneath a veil of secrecy. A word, a phrase.

It causes him to look off into the distance, silent.
He. . had nothing to say.
(Avlainn)
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[01:54] Aureate orbs settle aside to Avlainn next, lips pursed, brows furrowed, eyes narrowed, and narrowed, and narrowed...

It was unusual that one might gloss so nonchalantly over a declaration like that. To brush over it as if it were nothing.

As if it weren't a surprise.

As if it was known.

The tone that comes, against better judgement, is decidedly cold. Like a chill in her throat. Each breath felt icy and stifled.

"Did you know?"

It's a demand of him.
(Aeliana ras Petrakis)
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[01:57] Whether or not Jianyu would be waiting was far too late to consider. Yuri had cast away that word and found betrayal in the words uttered towards Aeliana. Towards his friend. Towards his Princess.

Despite having carried oversized weapons all of his youth he still never quite understood how the weight of such a truth being spoken could press down upon his shoulders. The magnitude of his emotions, the strength at which those chains, that rapid blade, those venomous words all came together to shatter his heart was...

Heavy.

Words are spoken in Aeliana's way as Yuri pulls himself away from Avlainn for a moment, trying to regain his composure best. Eyes remain stuck on the ground. Lips part.

"I... I-I told you that-... That I knew how you felt about your sister."

A dark secret. One that wasn't fine to hide, one that absolutely could not be told to any other, no matter what. So long as love remained.

So long as a word was kept.

It's high on his emotions that Yuri had spoken, yet, he would do it again. That secret was not revealed out of a broken heart.

He did it all for Aeliana.
He did it all for her.
(Yuri)
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[02:02] "I did."

Apologetic words will not gain him more favor. It was something dangerous but controlled. He manages to meet her gaze, if only until she found herself too disgusted with him to maintain it.

He doesn't like the idea of lying, and so he never did. Even if it came to this, he had never been asked, he never had a reason to say so. But with Yuri's admission the entire wave of things has been disturbed for that.

He dares to stand his ground, foot forward as though ready to take a step.
(Avlainn)
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[02:08] There it is.

That burning fury. That ice-cold pit that engulfs her. That terrible sensation she'd felt all those years ago in Hessalia. The one that had lingered when strangers vied for the favour of a Princess. Where the notion of 'friendship' was naught more than a political façade. Where handmaidens had warned her to be careful, and Alice had imposed upon her that she could trust none.

The lip of Aeliana quivers before she can stop it. It's a singular motion that doesn't come again. Anger and betrayal is palpable, like a violent maelstrom set to split the seams of an unworthy seal and unleash upon the world.

They all knew how it would manifest. A torrent of azure, brilliant and untamed. But it doesn't.

"You both -"

Fingers tuck harshly into the palm of her hand, as she decides which of them to resent more in this moment. What befalls Yuri is anger. What befalls Avlainn is... something more. Something even she didn't understand.

They aren't allowed a single word. They aren't allowed an explanation. They aren't allowed a chance to mend. Not as those heavy, frantic steps ease her through the din of the canopy.
(Aeliana ras Petrakis)
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[02:13] He could feel the anger in her voice, the expression of betrayal on her face. This... secret was one that he'd hid from her, though it was for her safety as much as Jianyu's. There was a reason that he thought about killing the other up on that mountain. A reason that his words to Aeliana that day spoke of trying to infect his mind. Pieces of the puzzles were being put into place, bit by bit.

As she left angrily Yuri did... as he always did. He sludged through the pain. He walked before the turmoil. He faced the storm, the hurricane that surrounded the Princess, the thunderous storm that had plagued his heart - he braved them.

He knew not what to tell her. There was nothing to tell her.

But he knew her. He put the odds of her running out to try and fix it all on her own at a thirty percent - maybe more.

And so, his duty came first.
Before his happiness.
Before his pain.
Before the way that she saw him, too.

He trailed her as long as he could.
(Yuri)
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[02:14] hello. what the fuck is agi for
(Aeliana ras Petrakis)
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[02:14]
(Avlainn)
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[02:14] makes no fucking sense
(Aeliana ras Petrakis)
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[02:14] pretend i do not see aeliana's shit agi
(Yuri)
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[02:14] fools.
(Arch)
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[02:15]
(Avlainn)
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[02:15] hello? hello? hello?
(Aeliana ras Petrakis)
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[02:17] Ah. . there it is.

That scornful look across her eyes, even if her face does not reflect it. He can feel it pierce him right through the center, an ethereal blade that punctures through his every fiber.

He knows she must feel betrayed, that she must feel a sense of lack. To find out something like this is not small, and for them both to have known? It must be heartbreaking.

But where-as Yuri trails, Avlainn no longer has the option. They do this often.

They walk away from one another.
And yet they run toward each other.

He eases his arms around her sides and clutches her to his chest, face pressed into her hair as he refuses to let her leave, this silent watcher no longer able to watch.
(Avlainn)
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[02:25] There is fight.

She doesn't hold back. Not as fists beat his chest. Not as she wavers for a moment in the care of that hold that wanted nothing but to calm her; an apology without words. She'd stay there forever, if she could - if fury didn't whittle away her heart and soul.

It wouldn't be enough this time. Not after everything. Not after how he'd dragged her away from protecting Yuri, knowing what Jianyu was. Not after how angry he'd been. How he'd given her that look that'd chilled her to her very core.

Trust? Fucking fickle.

Palms pound upon his chest - upon whatever cloaks it, whether textile or armour - to forcefully wrest herself away.

How quaint that the Princess who had been too quick to trust might find her most beloved friends and most loyal Knights colluding with the Occult. All that remained was for the Circus to roll by and claim her.

"Don't -

Don't touch me. Don't touch me. Don't look at me. Don't follow me. Don't speak to me. Neither of you.

You - you both knew and you didn't say a thing. You both knew what they'd said and threatened and you didn't say a thing."

It wavers, that glare of hers. Even as she stumbles through slow steps in retreat, never facing away from them. Unspeakable pain is laden across her countenance. Pain she didn't understand. Pain she didn't want to acknowledge.

Is this what love is?

She would leave to her own space, or they'd be forced to prevent it with more physical means.

(Aeliana ras Petrakis)
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[02:32] Emotions were strong. Stronger than ever, really. From him. From her. From Avlainn? Hardly. Where Atlas' lesson had been about control it seemed his friend had managed to become a solid as steel.

A bit too solid.

Yuri heard her words. He knew she wouldn't listen to his - that ship had sailed long ago. The dark secret was out. And he had to accept the consequences of such. He knew not how Avlainn would explain, would excuse his knowledge but Yuri himself already had spoken of his approach. Of his thoughts. Of his truth.

To protect those you love so long as it doesn't become too much to handle. So long as they don't break their word. So long as no promises are broken. He'd tell her in due time, but for now?

Yuri...

.. moved on. Behind Aeliana, despite her request. Wordless. Silent.

So long as they were not orders, he wouldn't dare allow himself to let the Princess venture out there on her own.

Scratch that. Even orders wouldn't do.

A certain oath went beyond those.
(Yuri)
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[02:44] She fights and struggles and physically repels him, though he likely would suffer a thousand blows to prevent her from just walking away. They hadn't done such things ever, as far as he could remember.

The only time they had physically been parted was the year long absence imposed by Anastasia and that whole situation. And even then she had found ways to speak to him. To do so now is. .

Terribly strange. And it is self imposed, this is a distance she seeks to obtain through her own means. And he is to be alright with it.

But he can't be.

"Stop."
"Stop it."

He wants to say so much more but he's never been able to. Those are words he cannot muster because they do not exist. He'd be driving on empty trying to push out these sudden words that will make things better.

Would she have rather he lied to her?

To see this suffering on her brings about a reflection onto him. It does hurt, too, like an insufferable burn from within. He couldn't remain stoic in this, the face of the person that holds his feelings.

It isn't until she tries to leave again that he refutes. Her wrists are snagged by his fingers, both, holding her in place. She could kick, she could struggle, he'd handle it all so long as it meant she did not just walk away from him.

Because even now, he knows and. . he does not have a single thing to say. And he wants to, he desperately wants to. If he tried hard enough he could feel the words on the tip of his tongue. But honesty has always been between them, and somehow...him not saying anything is just as bad as lying.

"I can't lose you."

Those four words burst free before he knows why, or how. They just exit his mouth and it must be true. His heart throbs loudly, anxiety rising in his chest, his ribs feel like they're being kicked with how harsh the thumping is.

White, searing hot flashes pass from beneath the skin as though he were under a magnifying glass. And there is the slightest tremble to his touch.
(Avlainn)
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[02:56] The Princess was like Avlainn in a lot of ways. The social intricacies that had been drilled into her were superficial. The product of a society that favoured tradition above all else. The product of a monarchy - of a political system - that had stifled and secluded her to see her rise to an impossible task. Her ability to truly engage and express had been handicapped as a result.

An impossible task she'd refused. An impossible task she was realising she had no choice but to accept.

The Princess, thus, did not handle things like a normal person, though she wished she could. When her heart cracked, and things became too confusing, too overwhelming, she sought nothing more than that same seclusion that'd built her.

A place where she could think. Where she could understand how she felt. A place - an environ - that would give her time to rationalize and forgive.

She is barred from it.

"Then get off me."

A quiet command, preluding the torrent of potency that follows -

A powerful wash of arcane, set to wind about her, a maelstrom of untamed power, burning to the touch, incredible to claim. It radiates brighter than the brightest stars. Brighter than the moon. Brighter than the essence of any symbolic magic.

It is the first, and only warning.

"Get off me, or I'm going to make you get off. I want to be alone. I want to think. I want to -"

Be with you.

Not look at you.

Never leave you.

Her mind never stopped, trifling little thing. She would not be withheld in this. To deny her was to escalate a situation that could yet be salvaged.


(Aeliana ras Petrakis)
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[03:09] That's not fair.

A whine at one point that had been directed to their cheeky grin, their smile, their happiness at securing victory over him in the art of conversation. She had bested him both ways, in combat and in convincing him to stay his hand.

And things had just. . been.
Heat, compassion and enjoyment. A longing fulfilled as she ventured close, satisfied with her points made and his promise given.

That seemed so far away now with the war coming up, with the looming of threats on the horizon, with the rift that seemed to appear before the both of them in a nigh instantaneous moment. He hates this feeling, so opposite of the usual hunger that plagued him.

"I-,"

Need you.

His hold on her tightens just for a more brief moment. She'd fight him, he'd allow it, she'd feel bad and nothing would be fixed. Nothing would repair itself.

But it all seems to be fading as his fingers slowly slip from her skin, his thoughts and concerns from before coming to fruition before the prospect of being harmed or taken from this life even arrive.

You'll slip through my fingers before I know it.

His mouth wobbles, jaw trembling as he watches her, watching her until he no longer can. It is perhaps the last image he wants to witness, of her walking away from him.

They make fists by his side, his fingers, and the metal swordsman allows his eyes to be shrouded by his hair to obscure his vision. A vision that cannot see beyond a veil.

"I just," he just doesn't know, it all escapes him. He is not a wordsmith.
(Avlainn)
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[03:14] The Princess would come around. She always did. Too quick to trust. Too quick to feel. Too quick to misunderstood. Too slow to learn.

When she is released, she feels relief -

- and heartbreak, too. How she wished he hadn't. It was too late to turn back now. Her little legs would carry her onwards and onwards. Not to Nysea. Not to Myllenoris, even.

To that little hideaway in the depths of the desert, tucked beneath a mass of vines and rocks.

She falters only for a second -

"Yuri.

If you follow me you'll be reported to the King for colluding with the Occult. You'll be stripped of your title. You'll be arrested, then you'll be exiled. You'll never see me again."

That was unfair of her, wasn't it? There was only one presence she desired, and she'd turned on her back on it. Avlainn isn't addressed directly. Maybe she'd get half way and turn back, with a newfound understanding. Maybe she'd hide away for days in contemplation.

Yuri isn't given a chance to acknowledge the rest as she continues on.
(Aeliana ras Petrakis)
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[03:27] Threats, yet they were warranted. It would be her duty to do so. Yuri drew in a breath when she says those words, when she moves on. He felt the pain between the two before himself. He felt that love being... crushed. Or whatever companionship they'd built together. A sensation all too familiar. It would bring a sad smile upon Yuri's lips if he'd truly lost his mind, but he was still...

.. holding on. His gaze remained upon the ground. His heart? Shattered in pieces. His lips felt dry, and the breeze shifting between the trees brought nor warmth nor refreshment. Everything was bland. Cold. Horrible.

The words that she spoke were heard. They were understood. They would point towards him breaking his oath as a Knight, as a member of the First Light.

... And yet it took no time for the young knight to step past Avlainn, to offer a pat on his shoulder, a single, strong one. One that held a message for his friend alone.

Trust me.

From within that pat would slip out a single object - a badge brought forcefully into Avlainn's trembling hands.

... And Yuri advanced. He moved forward.

Aeliana was right to report him. It would only be right to do so - to report the both of them. Perhaps she'd spare the one she loved. Yuri would have. Yuri had. Yet, the threat of losing everything he had seemed not to stop him.

The weight? He would carry it.
This burden? It was held within his grasp.
The storm raging around his own broken heart? He'd see through it.
The hurricane of betrayal that kept Aeliana? He'd brave it.

It's not without fear that Yuri made the decision to follow the Princess. He was terrified. Where would he sleep? Who would he be around? What would he do without his friends? The war would consume him, surely. It was a horrible idea.

But he had sworn an oath. One that came before the First Light both in time and priority.

I oath to be your friend forever. And ever more! And-And to be there for you when you're sad, but also be there when you're happy!

Yuri's expression bore no smile despite the memory that was evoked by his actions. He said no words. He didn't contest her will.

If the price was to never see her again, then so be it.

Yuri would never break his oath with her. Not until there was no other choice. Not until he died. Hel, even if death if he could keep it he would.

Avlainn had much more to lose. He couldn't let him suffer through what Yuri was suffering through.
(Yuri)
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[03:27] {Item} You drop First Light Sigil.
[03:40] Fury toils in her chest as those steps beat behind her.

Maybe Yuri thought this was a game. Maybe he thought her forgiveness spanned continents. Maybe it did, any other night. But tonight is an outlier. Tonight is the night where she feels that first taste of betrayal. The first night she'd come to understand all the gritty, terrible things that came with 'love'.

What did that even mean?

Shink.

There's little hesitation as Liebe is drawn, in light of his disobedience. So quick to shirk her title, her she stood with all her regality, all her rage, and a single promise upon her lips -

Follow me, and that'll be your last chance.

The blade finds purchase just short of Yuri's throat, aureate hues burning with the promise of duty.

"That wasn't a joke.

It wasn't a request.

It wasn't an ask. I don't want you anywhere near me. I don't want anything to do with you. I don't want your stupid -

Your stupid oath. Run it to the hills and let that rat burn it like they've burned everything else."

This really was Jianyu's fault, wasn't it?

"And you -"

There's an eye to Avlainn, very briefly. She couldn't bear that one.

"You've got some nerve letting me trust you like that."

That tip of that blade was a warning. With that venom in her voice, it was only a matter of time before the need to abide by duty overtook the need to allow Yuri a chance.

"Get away from me, and get away from me now. If you think I won't report you or drag you to the prison myself, you're very, very mistaken. I want to be alone. Why can't you respect that?"


(Aeliana ras Petrakis)
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[03:49] It's obvious as to where this would go. Yuri would not quit, and she would be forced to do something that she did not want to truly do. As unfortunate as it is, some people would genuinely like to stand back and allow it to go down, preferring a show.

Some people would throw coin, betting on what would happen, who would win.
Those were the ways of the world he'd known and yet the young bandit, no longer that, cannot stand this sight.

When her eyes flit over to him momentarily, he has had the unnatural coincidence of meeting it just as he holds Yuri's badge. The telltale sign of something about to go awry.

It doesn't. . it doesn't help. A thick swallow as she speaks and he can feel as though that blade was pierced through him right this given moment.

You've got some nerve letting me trust you like that.

He can sit still no longer as she says this. A personal attack, an affront on his person. Space may have been what she wanted, but there was no certainty on if it were what she needed. And if it was, then that was one of the many things that should have come to pass but did not.

He steps forward, frustrated all around just as she is, mad and unsure. It is an ill feeling.

Her sword hand is risked, her ire is risked as he takes to grip her, to prevent her from lashing out. He holds her here, knowing just how much he wants to tuck her into him once more, to feel their warmth shared as it had been so many times.

But this is the place he holds her. For now.

"Aeliana."
(Avlainn)
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[04:00] The blade that found its way against his throat was noted. It was felt. He could feel the cold of the mythril edge against his skin in complete contrast with what seemed to be a summer day far too hot for its own good. Humid. Sticky. Like the very swamps where he swore that oath. The very oath that she insulted, that she wanted to tear away.

That wasn't a joke.
It wasn't a request.
It wasn't an ask.

He knew. He knew that all too well. He felt it, too. To pretend like it didn't hurt more than anything else when she threatened him would be a lie. His eyes laid down upon the reflection of the moon that graced the polished blade. His lips battled through pain, through dishonor, through heartbreak, through betrayal. He... fought. Hard. He'd never be the same person after this night, if he even survived it.

.. and so he forced a smile.

The droplets that fell against the metal of kept his life one breath away from its last distorted the image of the stars above. Yuri never like the stars; he could never count on them to be there the next day. A fear so irrational people had insulted him for it. A fear that he cast away - the only fear he cast away when he made friends. Those two, right here?

.. They'd be there morning come. From dawn to twilight. He could always count on that. At least that was the lie he told himself.

That forced smile and those watery eyes finally met directly with those furious, golden eyes. That judging gaze. That wrathful intent. In his words were no fear.

For what a man who only had one thing left could fear?

"Because I gave you my word. Cast me away. Exile me. Throw me up for execution. Do whatever you want. I already know what I want to protect, no matter the cost."

Right in time with those words did a hand stretch out to push Avlainn away. To... keep him away from her ire. To leave him as he solefocus. He was the better choice. He was the one who could make her happier. The one who could bring her to feel things that Yuri never could. He was... a coward. He was too short. He wasn't knightly. He was afraid of the skies. He was afraid of any beast around. She didn't love him, did she? She couldn't. She shouldn't. He knew she had a secret. He was liability - Avlainn could be trusted with it. He kept Jianyu's while Yuri spilled it out.

Avlainn was the better choice.
And for that, Yuri wouldn't let him reach out for Aeliana. He wouldn't let him stop her. He wouldn't let him throw away the most important thing he had.

That's what friends were for, right?

"The.. prison is five minutes away, right?" There was a shift in his tone. He had accepted what was to come. He'd bowed down to her will, yet, he remained himself. Loyal. No. Matter. What. A friend unlike any other. Ser Bestest Ever Friend of Nysea.

Yuri gave a smile, genuine through tears.

"I'll never see you again after that.

Let's make those last five minutes the best five minutes we can."
(Yuri)
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[04:09] Were it not for Avlainn's intervention -

Were it not for Yuri's words -

Would she have gone through with it? Forced to kneel before the same Wrath that had once controlled her father. Cast away her love and friendships over petty squabbles, just as Alexander had?

She wished.

She wants to punch him in the face for those tears, because how dare he.
She wants to punch him in the face for this self-righteousness, because how dare he.
She wants to punch him in his face for this lack of confidence, because how dare he.

The Princess could find no love for either of them here, tonight, beneath the watchful glower of the moon and the shady of the forestry. Her jaw clenches so hard she was sure it might shatter.

The blade is returned to its sheath.

Her figure is shunted from Avlainn's hold.

"Keep your promises and start packing for Alabastre. Neither of you will be fighting. Don't bother speaking to me, either."

Her figure is drawn into motion anew, fingers flexing at her side over and over. If they would not allow her to disappear beyond, then she'd merely disappear within Nysea.
(Aeliana ras Petrakis)
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[04:11] Yuri says, "...."
[04:11] Yuri says, "Are you-"
[04:11] Yuri asks, "You're fine, right?"
[04:13] To keep his promise.

Does she expect him to simply.. go? It likely is what she'd want but he doesn't know if things are so easy. He's humbled by the request but it isn't something gracious. She's concerned, she's always been caring.

It feels like a requirement at this point, with how cold she was. Avlainn looks into the darkness behind his eyelids. "She hates me."
(Avlainn)
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[04:16] Yuri nods at that lightly. He knew the feeling all too well - he had someone who hated him, too.

".. Then just make sure she loves you more than she hates you." A pause, a look over his shoulder.

".. I have to go save something - someone's.. waiting for me."

He didn't even get his sigil back. It would be shameful to have it on him knowing who he was meeting.

Yuri departed.
(Yuri)