He stood there for a moment and waited to see how the woman was going to react. She was more verbal than he was in general, a fact which he'd picked up on in their first, brief meeting. She hadn't been able to help making her opinion known, solicited or otherwise. (And she was either boy crazy...
"...I think most of them are not worth it."
Social commentary on the sad state of Valentine, perhaps? He did not have to look around to pick out the myriad things wrong with this place. Worthless harvest meant limited food, the recent lack of travel meant an even more strangling scarcity of...
Amid the field of frost, an ominous inkstain hobbled. Inching its way across the well-lit, reflective ground, the figure seemed to swallow all of that light as it made its way toward a final destination. The sound of frozen grass and water crunching beneath it were the only indicator that it...
A certain spectacle in Stokbon notwithstanding (@Lune ), Jin's recent foray into Falderen had been quieter than anticipated. Astorea reeled in the wake of their conflict with the Magia, while their neighbors to the east enjoyed their state of flux in various ways. Whether it be backroom dealings...
"Today we are gathered here in the memory of a sister who gave everything she had for others, but never asked for anything herself." The Reverend was a taller, leathery skinned black man who's eyes sank behind his cheeks. His hair was graying black, and reading glasses sat near the tip of his...
"The...o?" her voice was weak. More so than usual. "Are you there, Theo?"
"I came as soon as I heard," he told her. "I'm here, mom."
"I don't think I have much longer, Theo." She was usually so cheery, so bright, so optimistic that he had to grit his teeth to endure it. She lacked those...
"Her body's been weak for a long time," the doctor observed. "It's a medical miracle that she survived the ambulance ride."
Theo felt his shoulders sag, but his expression went unchanged. When he heard the news, he had set his expectations low. "It's not likely we'll be able to save her...
The faint sound of sirens stirred him from sleep.
Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, had been anything but for longer than he could remember. Gang violence, crime, poverty and wealth disparity- it was a bastion of the American Dream like so many others, a flickering flame that people...
He listened intently as the Baron laid things out plainly, detailed, down to a letter. Jin kept his hands folded and his eyes on the man- for the most part. He tilted his head only slightly several times during the exchange, his gaze flittering for a moment toward the door and then back as he...
Thank you for that...experience.
He brushed her words off with some indifference, though he carefully noted her demeanor and the words she had chosen. Clearly, the woman was some manner of masochist- something he had no intention of holding against her or judging her for. Such things were...
He watched her like a wolf might its prey.
You...you're right. And I thank you, for the lesson that you have provided. It has been...well, I would say eye-opening, but I think I'd prefer to keep them closed.
His head tilted again, but he did not speak.
I came to you with assumptions...
He didn't use the limiter. People had mentioned in passing that to not do so was ill-advised, especially in this world where pain registered in a very real and very vivid way. On the other hand, the more pain that was blocked, the more the avatar would stagger to compensate. Both situations were...
He could remember the words of one of his High School science teachers perfectly, despite having dropped out. There were certain subjects that interested him, while the vast majority, he found utterly boring. This one stuck out.
"Falling happens quickly.
The earth exerts gravity at a constant...
"Rest assured, Sir Jin, we spared no expense to ensure that this meeting would go uninterrupted," Lestraux assured him when he noticed that the Bloodsworn was glancing down the various hallways of the labyrinthine building they had entered. "There are guards posted at every major corridor...
Hmmm...
Jin's shoulders sagged as he looked her over, watching her mannerisms for even the smallest change. Her heartbeat remained fairly consistent, which was indicative of a stable state of mind. Was she cunning, perhaps? Always a possibility.
You keep talking about cost...but I've found...
Jin exhaled softly. The woman was persistent, which was a credit to her under most circumstances. Unfortunately, as she had clearly identified, she was out of her depth. Abandoning her effort to outfox the Bloodsworn, she shifted her tactics.
But...I would ask one thing of you.
Jin tilted his...
Well, as lovely as it would be to see the scarlet of your blood and the pink remnants of your brain matter staining the cobblestone below...
"Heh."
Your odds of just dealing with a fractured leg is more likely from this height. Though I hear that bone is just as enchanting when it pops out of...
His fingers traced the wooden tabletop, traces of gritty dust caking across them as he did. Jin glanced down and rubbed his thumb against the grime, his head tilted. These establishments were never high class, nevermind well-maintained. The places where the majority of Starcalled haunted after...
I cannot promise anything, but I will take it under consideration...assuming it's within my power to give, willingly.
Jin reached out and took her chin gently between two fingers as she made the mistake of feigning timidity. Lifting it gently, his narrowed eyes bored deep into hers.
"If one...
