Complete Private Solvale Face To Face, So Far Apart

[Little Doggo]

11:58 PM - Solvale.

The night turned to be far, far colder. The blizzard had returned, albeit different. It wasn't influenced by an elemental's power, it simply is what these wintery days brought with themselves. The town itself bears a grim shadow cast upon itself compared to the pleasasnt evening.

The only thing that kept her company as she pushed through the streets was the sunflower she left in Zhu's care. LIL' DOGGO knew that they would rattle her out if Yuhan came back-- She wanted to sleep, but this was no place to. It turned out... The town wasn't either.

The windows were all closed, and every single shop and building locked up as if some disaster just happened. Her eyes widened, her arms trembled under the weight of her little companion. Even her metabolism bent to the weather, and it only made her sleepier the longer her lids remained open. Desperate, she begun to knock on every door, only to be given little to no answer.

Even her pleas went unheard. But these were not bad people... No, something... Was wrong. And the answer came by itself as three figures emerged upon the streets. Something tingled her senses wrong, and she quickly crawled her way to hide around the corner of the cabin.

"Didn't they say some beastfolk were around town?" The head of the group question, clad on furs and winter clothing, with a necklace made out of tapered, furry ears, of different animals. "This shitty town... The word's spreadin' already since the last time, y'know?"

One of them just sighed and begun to check on a book of sorts.

"Maybe they are hiding them. Should we start 'knocking'? Heh..." Only a few names came to his list that could possibly match with the theory, the few that were dubious about their presence. At least, enough to try anything funny.

"W-why are they looking for-" Her voice cut off, just as the sunflower wrapped it's roots around her mouth to keep her quiet, her ears perking up just as the plant faced the group, with one of them tilting to the side if only to get a better look.

While staring in their direction.

"Hey..." A friendly tone-- On a not so friendly face.

DOGGO froze herself in fear, hesitation as the threat begun to approach. Slowly, as if they were trying to pacify an animal. And that's just what she felt from these men that were getting closer by the second, who smiled yet held their bows and knives close.

Until animal instincts kicked in, and so did she...

"Go cut her off you two!" The pack-leader yelled.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

The information Ruby got was enough to make her feel a knot in her throat. According to the Lady Zhu's words, it seemed like her, now revealed to be, sister decided to venture outside without company.

In the way her mind was, that was a terrible idea.

Ruby pushed herself through the cold weather, only having her loyal flame, her blade and the adrenaline in her veins to warm her up as she rushed past the outside, guiding herself with a smell, a brief glance at her friend list, and the trail of small footprints that could only match hers.

Her steps became faster, more agitated and desperate.

Prickles of cold bothered her watery eyes, vaguely blurring her sight as she continued her chase, until...

"B-Bao?!"

Ruby's eyes grew open, widely in a mix of surprise and horror as she saw a suspicious group ready to go for a chase- "Go cut her off you two!" - Her eyes flickered, noticing their arms raising, ready for a more violent approach... One that would be retaliated with as much brutality.

Electricity sparkled in her feet, followed by thundering eruption of speed, that propelled Ruby almost immediately toward the one that was the nearest to @Little Doggo. Her right hand was still reaching for her blade, so the one that took care of the first target was her left hand, opening widely and shoving to grapple the harrasser's face, with her sharp nails sinking deep into his face like claws, just as she threw her body and swung her hand downwards, fiercely rending flesh and skin alike, leaving a huge claw mark on his face, that only for a miracle that didn't blinded his left eye.

The rest of the gang was quick to react, with a bow changing its target instinctively and sending an arrow flying toward Ruby, that caught it at the last moment with her tails, with blood leaking for them as the arrowhead slit and burned them.

It costed her a wince, but it also gave her the tool necessary to parry the incoming knife, with a sharp sparkle escaping when the metallic arrowhead struck against the harden steel surface of the blade.

A side glare was enough to give her the sight she needed to take a backstep- More akin to a backward stomp on his knee - Causing an stagger that allowed her to pull her sword and thrust its pommel on his cheekbone just as he looked down to lament the throbbing pain of his joints. Swiftly, Ruby leaped closer to Little Doggo, rolling and finishing it by recovering her stance acrobatically, shielding her sister with her body and covering her blind spot with her sword while the body bells of her dress rang dangerously.

"If you touch her, we will only end this when we paint this snow red." Her words slipped like venom, coming from the depths of her soul, even if her hand quivered and her bloodshot eyes burned with the cold tears irritating them.

 

[Little Doggo]

The screams of agony almost pierced through sensitive ears. She hesitated, her body halted if only to check over her shoulder towards the source of it. The blood gashed out of fresh wounds as the headhoncho desperately held onto his face, covered on snow once his body fell to the ground after the impact made his legs buckle and broke with his terrible balance, victim of overconfidence.

Much to their disdain, the hunters became the prey. The silence with which they reacted spoke volumes on their skill, moreso when an arrow went clean after Ruby despite the obvious obstacle that was the burliest of the men wielding a skinning knife, limbs and size were not a concern for the archer to let a projectile soar through the air past his partner to go after the beast.

Only for that to become the very tool that foiled their plans once sparks illuminated their faces for a fragment of a second where glares were exchanged.

Doggo stepped back, as in the fraction it took for her to so much as understand what happened within her sight, a cloaked body of greens and browns and ginger ears. Familiar,in almost every sense of the word. One misstep and she ended up on her back against the floor, with her arms firmly wrapped against the sunflower who flopped right on top of her, letting a groan out as venomous words escaped from... Ruby.

"With YOUR blood, that is." The scoundrel nocked another arrow, steadying his aim, yet a hand raised up to stop them before the bloodshed could continue, and the pair looked back to their boss.

His hat collected snow like a beggar collects coins from walking hearts of gold. His other hand grasped against the bloody wounds against his face, disfigured, maimed as if a cougar had found him a chewing toy.

"Let them be." Yet his intentions were less than friendly, and it wasn't a sudden redemption from him what Ruby would witness other that contempt within his eyes, or at least, as much as one can see at this distance.

Doggo hyperventilated, light blue eyes caught sight of a curtain pulled just a bit in the house right across the street-- The people were watching.

The duo lowered their weapons instead, still wary given the speed she displayed.

"I know your face now, girl. Sleep with eyes on your back." He pointed a finger back at Ruby, picking up his hat and letting it hide the lack of hair atop his head. "Boys, we leaving. Nearl's gotta patch me up before I bleed like a dog."

Doggo gasped, trying to angle herself perfectly so with Ruby, until her face couldn't be well seen, and she couldn't his own either. These words were clearly meant for her.

The man tipped his hat, but the trio didn't take their eyes off Ruby, not until they were to get a fairly good distance between themselves and the wild cat. A few heads begun to pop from the doors of the sleeping homes, lights were turned on, and everything looked fairly more lively now that people could sigh in relief as the hunters left.

And to all this, Doggo remained silent once nothing but them remained in the frozen night near town, her head hanged low, curled up against the sunflower. Her frown died off, but she couldn't meet her sister in the eye even after this.

Stoicness didn't favour her either, not when she trembles with fear and cold, using her warmth to keep her little friend alive.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby locked her gaze on the man's face, scanning every inch of it and keeping in the depths of her memories. The threat he dared to slip before leaving wasn't going to be ignored, nor taken lightly. Even with emotions being held deep into her heart, briefly expressed by the quivers of her grip and the trembling of her legs, Ruby remained focused.

And when they finally left, going far enough, she released a long and relieved breath, albeit short lived as she turned to face her little sister, hidden not only behind her avatar, but also behind a barrier that even Ruby felt tough to surpass.

It took a moment, perhaps two even, before she finally moved forward, kneeling before @Little Doggo and looking at her, partially waiting for a response, but also partially knowing it wouldn't happen.

"... Bao..." She called, first, letting out a sigh as she clenched her fist.

"... I am sorry, Bao. I..." Ruby pursed her lips, frowning before shaking her head and trying to reach for her sister's shoulder, stopping halfway through and feeling a pang of guilt strike through her once again. She looked around, just to make sure that group of hunters were actually gone before continuing.

"You..." She muttered, feeling her tails finally stinging after the adrenaline was wearing off.

"A-Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" She pushed her feelings aside, focusing on what was important, which was her sister's safety.

"... Let's... Let's go to an inn..." Ruby said. "... It is too cold in here." She took off her Cloak of Torchbearer's Hope, carefully wrapping it around Doggo, and trying to tuck the fragile flower in it before she stood up and looked around, seeking for the nearest inn with her eyes only, unsure if her sister would even stand for now.

 

[Little Doggo]

Doggo's ears flickered. Just by proximity alone she could picture where her sister ended up, the vibrations on the ground... Suddently everything felt heightened to her as soon as she shut her eyes close and tucked herself away.

"I'm not Bao!" She shouted, albeit her posture only left a muffled high pitched voice out, bleeding emotions just like Ruby's tails bleed in red, her grasp tightened against her legs. The strength on her hands fell short after that.

As soon as it went up, so did it go down, losing all control over her voice once it tore itself apart and sobbing drowned away her words into hiccups as her tail tucked closer.

"I'm Li-li-Little Doggo..."

Despite the silence she held, there came questions, and requests. She shook her head off first, and then hesitated to even stand back up, half of the blame to the adrenaline and the lack of sleep, the other half goes to Crimson Ruby.

The warm embrace of that golden lined cloak made the winter all the more unbearable as she got a taste of what she lacked at the moment. She took a deep breath, cut off once Doggow illed herself back up to her feet, and the light of a lanter shun upon the trio.

The villagers, a small pack of them, mostly the lumberjacks, fishermen and even the drunkards who were sobered up by the presence of the hunters themselves, and in the lead was an elf. Wide jaw, strong chin, and a long mane slicked back. Perfectly shaved and wearing an apron: the one with the lantern.

"She's right. It's cold out here, no place for a young lady." The man replied, refinement within his voice as one would expect of his kind, yet paired with natural humbleness. He gestured back to the streets, where he would lead the sisters and the little plant onto the tavern. With how empty it was left, no one would complain should they take a seat wherever they wanted...

Spoiler:

​

"Your tail. I c-could-" Her eyes tried to take a peek, but the bit they could catch of Ruby's twin tails wasn't exactly a pretty sight. Even without it, she could tell apart the scent of blood, cursed be the race she picked and it's perks being a nightmare right now.

Wherever they chose to sit, the little sunflower wiggled on an edge of the table, albeit it's movements were slow. Depressed almost. It kept sharing 'glances' to both sisters, and the frown upon Doggo that finally left her features, overtaken by concern over Yuhan's wounds.

Wounds she acquired protecting her. Yet as she parted her lips, ready to talk over, the tavernkeeper had made his way over them with a silver plate. Two mugs of alcohol, repurposed for fresh water, and two warm bowls of chicken broth soup.

"It's on the house. It's nothing compared to what you did for us." Sincerity, despite the half scowl upon his features. Running might have been a better solution for the pair, given what vendetta he had overheard prior to the hunters's escape. "Feel free to stay for the night too, if you wish. It's not a good time to travel, not in this blizzard."

"Thanks, mister..." Her tone fell to whispers, nodding to compensate for it. A compulsive eater, and with the stomach asking for it, Doggo started to stuff her mouth before she could have the need to say another word.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby was taken aback by the shout, looking at her sister rejecting her own identity in front of her.

"I see." She muttered. "I'm not Crimson Ruby. I'm Liang Yuhan." Yuhan said. Good and bad traits, from being agile and dangerous, adventurous and stupidly impulsive when she shouldn't'. Perhaps Yuhan was more of herself in this body, where she lacked the limitations of her real self, than outside of this game.

When the group of strangers approached, Yuhan's gaze turned sharply at them, fierce and wild like an animal that was ready to go all out at any moment.

The words slowly calmed her down as she noticed they meant no threat, and a relieved and grateful breath escaped her. "Th-Thank you..." She said, offering a mildly apologetic smile as she glanced over Little Doggo, pursing her lips at her sister unwillingness to even look at her. Yuhan couldn't blame her, however, with mistake after mistake being the doom of their relationship this far.

As they finally took their seat, Little Doggo's words reminded Yuhan of Ruby's tails, swaying them as she carefully rested them on her lap. "It is fine. I can take care of it... Sorry for letting it bother you." She said, covering the tails with her hands, gently brushing them as she murmurred a brief melody, brimming the wounds with a glowing light as they slowly closed.

Her eyes then turned at the man, that offered them food and drink for free, returning with a smile herself. "It was... Nothing. Don't worry about it." She tapped the red whistle that rested on her chest. "I may not be a Lion, but it doesn't mean I accept deviants around." Yuhan said.

Yuhan then returned her attention to her sister, watching her devouring the food desperately. Poor thing, how hungry was she? Especially after that scare, Yuhan knew that her sister's reaction to stress was eating. A poor habit.

But Yuhan had poor habits of her own, such as her stomach twisting in distaste as her emotions were quivering.

She pushed her food toward @Little Doggo, keeping only the mug of water.

 

[Little Doggo]

"I'm not Crimson Ruby. I'm Liang Yuhan."

Doggo ended up at odds with herself, taken back by her answer, but it only opened her eyes to what could just be another lie.

She lied once, she could do it again, but... Yuhan would never do something like that, even if she already did...

The way Ruby acted over her wounds made her want to speak once again, only to halt once her sister put her own healing abilities to display, "Okay." DOGGO's hands dropped down to the table once again, resigned over wanting to help only to be proven to be inferior even in the role she picked for this game.

Was there anything Ruby couldn't do that she could for her..?


"They have been hunting down beastfolk for months now, and the Lions are short-handed to help us out. It doesn't help that their little group are more than just a bunch of thugs, at least when it comes to getting away with it." He elaborated, the seriousness in his voice mixed with lament as his brows dropped. "We are not a fighting bunch, we really can't do more than try and hide any beastfolk we can whenever we have the word of our rangers that they are visiting town." He sighed off, rubbing his temples before bowing down gently to the pair.

He could sense the tension in the air just from his mindmeld alone, and so he went behind the counter once again, leaving the pair to themselves, and to the background noise from his other customers, quieter than usual but nonetheless recovering the cheer in them, bolstered spirits born out of Ruby's actions.

In her frenzy for food, Doggo paused, ears twitching a bit as her eyes bolted up to watch her savior push the bowl in her direction. Pursing her lips, the wiggling from the sunflower caught her attention. Having learned a little bit of it's mannerisms, Doggo knew exactly what it wanted, and why it pointed back to Ruby with it's root arms in most sneaky of ways.

"You knew it was me. Why were you so mean? You play this game a lot and-and i thought we could play it together..." She started, the clank of her spoon dropping over her own bowl enough of a giveaway that she had lost the appetite as she finally met Yuhan's gaze. With the eyes of someone whose been given a knife through the heart rather than someone looking for answers.

She wanted to see if what Yuhan taught her long ago worked here: that some deserve a second chance.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Yuhan scowled at the fact a group was hunting people.

The idea itself was ridiculous, but in a world like Terrasphere, that lacked the mindset of a more contemporary society, it did make sense that such a thing would still happen. That made her remind the small trinkets of beasts that they had. It resembled beasts... But in this case, it seemed like it extended to Beastfolk themselves.

"I... Understand." Yuhan nodded, frowning. "... Thank you for telling me that. I will keep it in mind..."

And be done with it, when she had time.

Her attention and time, however, were now focused on @Little Doggo, and the question that came with a expression that nearly shattered Yuhan's heart as she saw it. Her lips twisted, pursing as she could notice the pain in her eyes.

"I... didn't truly know it was you." She said, flattening her ears against her head. "I was mean to you, because I thought you were... Someone else. Someone pretending to be who you are not. To trick others." Yuhan admitted.

"... But today... I don't know... It just... Sounded way, way too familiar." Yuhan frowned. "You didn't look well either, it couldn't be--" A coicidence.

Her lips pursed.

"I'm sorry. I..." Yuhan felt her chest tighten. "... I was a bad sister, to you." Her eyes and face lowered, and her tail curled around the leg of the table.

 

[Little Doggo]

It had to be a quest or something, since it didn't make any kind of sense to have players be hunted down like that, the game couldn't be so advanced, yet the seriousness with which Ruby handled it left her struck with disbelief at the conversation between the tavern keeper and her sister.

She couldn't protest about it given the man left, but on hindsight, she would have just said something very rude. They were NPCs, but something about them still commanded respect like most adults. Just like Zhu.

Would calling it a 'game' make them angry..?

When Ruby answered, her eyes shot their aim against the cat girl's, the way the guilt surfaced on her features, the admittance on the familiarity both Doggo and Bao had, and the way she beat herself down over for her mistakes.

Doggo swallowed down whatever words she had at the moment, her ears dropped along with her sister's. "Uhmm I... I pretended not to be me so you wouldn't be angry that I was playing this game. I tried but-" Her voice cut off from it's unexpected crescendo, and turned dull once again. "But it hurts..." She lamented it now that the idea just didn't click that well in her head.

She wished to be herself around Yuhan, despite the limitations, despite it all.

"J-jiejie..." A few sobs followed, her tears picked up from where they left and started to drip down her cheeks as she hopped off her chair and ran over to Ruby, wrapping her arms as tight and hard as her body allowed. "You are not bad. You are the best si... Si-sis..."

Watching Yuhan suffer that way, punishing herself for her actions... It felt wrong, it pulled at her heart like she didn't want it to, despite having been angry at her earlier, nothing of that was something she truly stood up for...

"D-do we have to stop playing? I d-don't want you to be sad..." Doggo asked in-between whimpers, eventually giving up entirely in favor of digging her face against Yuhan's dress.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

It hurted Bao. It hurted her little sister, to have to pretend to not be her... Because she couldn't afford Yuhan to be angry at her.

Of course, that hadn't crossed Yuhan's mind. She was already used to have them gone from her life, but for Bao? It was just like when Yuhan had left. Uncertainty, fear, except that for Bao, she was much younger and only had one person to rely on. And this person was Yuhan.

A faint whimper escaped Yuhan's lips as she was hugged, and the crimson cat reciprocated it. Not tightly, but caring. Not loose, but firm. A strange mix of not wanting to let her sister go, but also giving her the option to do so. An option she wanted her sister to have, an option that those things that called themselves parents never gave them.

"N-No, Bao... I was... I was a bad sister..." She said, pursing her lips. "But... I can change." Yuhan said, determined, leaning away to look at her sister's eyes.

"I am not going to be like mā, or bà." Not like them. Both of them shared their blood, but they would never share the same heart. "So please... Be yourself to me, Bao... I promise... I won't hurt you... I won't be mad at you..."

When Bao buried her face on Yuhan's dress, she ruffled her sister's hair, patting the back of her head. "We don't need to stop playing anything... but this game... it is dangerous, Bao. Very dangerous." Yuhan said. "I... will explain you... if you do want to continue..." She held a breath, not wishing to allow her sister to continue in this place.

But if she didn't, she would be acting just like they did.

@Little Doggo

 

[Little Doggo]

Bao held to what little energy she had left to hug her sister as much as she could to try and wash her sadness away with only the strength in her little arms and all the love she could give, and the warmth her metabolism could grant. If Yuhan couldn't be strong right now, she had to be strong for her.

And yet it's so hard not to give in to tears when she felt safer than minutes ago on her sister's arms. Her hug was permissive, gave room to wiggle out, but that's the last thing she wanted to do now as blue eyes looked for some hope in Yu's, and was met with her determination and insistance.

Yet she listened with widening eyes as she shook her head off with clear refusal on that idea-- that comparison she made. "Don't say that! You are not like mā or bà." Bao weakly shouted, catching her tongue in. Not an answer more, her own willingness to not letting go would speak for itself.

Yuhan promised. Everything was all fine. Now she just needs to stop crying...

"I-" Words choked in her throat, closing her eyes for a moment to give herself some time to think thanks to the gentle ruffling. "I wanna keep playing." She mumbled, insecure about what she wanted.

She won't be mad, she promised it.

"I wanna keep playing but... I want to play it with you, even if it's dangerous..." A reminder let her pick up her confidence once again. "Why are you playing it if it's bad? What's going on, Jiejie?" Maybe she was just childish, like bà said in less of a derogative manner and moreso as a fact. Maybe that didn't let her see how terrible the game is? "Do you just want to beat the game and that's why you are still playing it? With all the achievements?"

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

The retort to the comparison made a vague hope flutter in Yuhan's chest. If anything, her sister was completely averse to the idea that she would be anywhere close to be like their parents. That itself was a relief, especially when they were the last thing Yuhan wanted to become.

It wasn't hard to hear and feel the hesitation deep into Bao's voice. It costed a lot for the words to come out, and while that wasn't the response Yuhan wanted, it was one that brought a very faint hint of warmth. "With me..." She muttered.

Soon, she was showered with questions, making her pause, holding her sister closer as she brushed her hair, looking upward as she considered them.

"The freedom I gained by leaving our old home turned out to not be enough, Bao..." She admitted. "Here... I can be who I truly want to be... I can explore and travel around the world... I can see other kingdoms, people and culture..."

Yuhan took a deep breath, then lowered her gaze to Bao.

"Even after moving somewhere else, doing anything similar in our world is... very hard. There is no time. Or... Money." She felt bad to tell this to Bao, to push such thoughts. But also, she wished to be honest. To no hide anything else.

"... And you, Bao... Why are you in here?"

Or rather...

"... Who brought you in here?" She asked, loosening the hug.

@Little Doggo

 

[Little Doggo]

It's only in that silence that ideas begun to rush, and her hearing became more aware of their surroundings, even if all her focus was poured back to Yuhan no sooner as she heard that whisper out of her lips, soothing for the both of them.

"Yes!" She replied despite there being no need to, but to see her words ringing through Yuhan as a hint of warmth crossed her features, independant from all the somberness of earlier. Yet she didn't resist to be pulled closer, to Bao a sign to embrace her harder with what little reach she had.

But the answers...

"S...So that's why you play?" Bao looked her in the eye, sickly worried almost with how she tried to find anything on her sister that could disregard this, maybe she's reading wrong into what she's saying; She didn't want to believe Yuhan gave up. "But you do a lot of music and... And you said you would be voice acting. A-and I could work too! I want to help, just tell me what you need!" Little hands pulled a bit from her dress. It was a desperate call, but what else could she do to help her when she needs her the most..?

Bao blinked and stepped back once as Yuhan asked her what she was doing her. Her whimpers having gone silent, her eyes darted over to the table for a moment. "I'll tell you... But you have to eat the food or else I won't." She didn't hesitate to try and put up a scowl, but there's not much threat in her eyes, moreso than a hidden plea of it's own, from a girl who knew not which would be more effective and tried to mix a command with a petition. "It's bad manners, it's a gift!" She hastely added, just as she headed over to her seat and climbed up the chair once again.

"I got a link to the game the day before I got here, and I got very curious what it was about. You know they wouldn't let me play videogames ever." She swung her legs back and forth on her chair, idling for a little before her mind went back to her stomach, and Bao picked up her spoon once again with one hand, while the other fidgeted with the UI. And in a matter of seconds, an item materialized in between them, favouring Bao's reach.

Putting down her spoon for a moment, she grasped the sheet of papyrus with both hands and turned it over to show Yu a drawing. A childish depiction of what looked like food on several plates, a kitchen, a little figure in brown with a smug face and a pair of triangle ears, and a taller one in orange with two tails.

"I had a lot of fun that day, and I kinda figured it was you. That's why I thought maybe we could be friends inside the game and play together, without you knowing it was me..." She shrunk her shoulders, embarassed with her answer with how much honesty she had to pack into it. "I have a lot of fun exploring and traveling the game, and I really really like my character. I made a few drawings of her with your character. Out of the game too."

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Bao was quick to offer assistance to Yuhan, something that made the girl feel a hint of shame. To think she had lowered herself to a point her little sister wished to help her out... But also, there was some pride in her heart, seeing that her sister was ready to give her all the support she could, even if she was still so young... Even if Yuhan knew there wasn't much the small girl could do, she still gave her a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Bao... But honestly, you already help me so much." Yuhan said, leaning away to hold her sister by the shoulders.

"... I want you to be happy. I want you to do whatever you want. I want... I want you to..." Her breath escaped through her gritting teeth, suppressing a faint anger that rumbled in her chest. "... To do everything you couldn't because of the people of that temple." She squeezed her sister's shoulders, not tightly, but enough to emphasize her words.

"... It is our world and rules now, Bao... Both in, and out of here..." Yuhan sighed, casting a glance at the food her sister pointed at, and nodding at the condition her sister had set as she adjusted herself on her seat, looking at the meal and taking the bowl so she could continue.

As an explanation went through, Yuhan nodded and pondered at the similiarities. They had both caught the access to the game from an unexpected source, and just as soon as they had received the invitation, they were registered into this world, a messy yet dreamy one.

"So... Nothing too different from me..." Yuhan muttered. Those were all the very core reasons she had joined the Explorers League too. "You've drawn us?" She asked, letting out a brief giggle, warming her expressions after so much sorrow covering her face. She took the drawing from her sister, scanning it with her eyes. "That's... Adorable. You've never shown me-" For obvious reasons.

@Little Doggo

 

[Little Doggo]

Bao shook her head, just that 'Thank you' let her predict what she would say. It was something in her eyes. She had grown used to it already from others. The same old wrap, only this one was sweeter-looking.

"No I'm not! I need to try more, I want to...-" She yelped, ears jumping back up just as a set of hands ended up on her shoulders. It was a first time for Bao to hear Yuhan like that, so close to give away to her emotions, how lowkey spiteful she had turn to their temple. Yet her words, despite it all, spoke of the freedom she so wanted them to enjoy, it pulled at the edge of her lips, but instead of giving her just a nod, Bao tipped her visor cap, winked, and finally proclaimed:

You speaking funny, I'm already happy here with my big sis playing Terrasphere. Now let's work on YOUR happiness, Jiejie!

Her priorities became her meal, the shine within Bao's eyes spoke enough of the flames fanned once again. Nowhere near as strong, but the fuel Yuhan gave her would suffice. If Yuhan wanted her happiness, she would get all of it, so long as she ate that bowl.

We are sisters, of course it wouldn't be so different when we wanted the same. That's why I wanted to joint he Explorer's League with you.

What should have been a surprise didn't come as a surprise, and the opposite became true instead, but despite her own short-lived shock for that, Yuhan giggled. It boosted her confidence, her efforts were not in vain afterall to take her sister out of that trance of grief they so much hated.

Jiejie, I thought you had dynamism...

Bao just stared in disbelief, her comment almost wanted to double check if Yuhan really had that power, or if it were a mere illusion. Maybe her body was the only thing that moved fast, but she wanted to believe she was smarter than that and the moment just caught her off!

But yeah I did a lot of drawings. Uhm, moreso in here than out there, cuz' I didn't want you to find any. I can show you more if... If you wanna.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Yuhan's lips slowly turned into a wider smile, with her tails swaying when her sister spoke of being happy already, but not only that, encouraging to work on Yuhan's own happiness. It felt nice to see how kindhearted her sister was, and how caring as well.

"There is nothing wrong with working on our happiness." However, Yuhan decided to be inclusive about it. She knew happiness wasn't so easy to keep, and that included her sister's happiness too.

The mention of joining the Explorers League, however, caught Yuhan slightly off guard. Her expressions turned less cheerful, and her ears managed some effort to not just instinctively flatten against her head. "Explorers... Hm." She cleared her throat, casting a glance at Bao. "Being an actual explorer is... Very dangerous, actually." Yuhan said, truthfully.

"Of course... If you want to stay as a Golden Whistle, that is the first whistle you get, you will rarely need to go through anything too dangerous..." She explained.

"But as soon as you get to the next whistle, the Orange one, it is already rather life-threatening." Yuhan crossed her arms, looking at Bao intently for a moment, before pursing her lips and bringing a faint smile out. "... This said, first, we are going to need to do some training... And a few practice expeditions." Yuhan said, not rejecting her sister, but first wishing to see if she would be able to handle it.

"... And while we do them, you can show me your drawings. Being able to draw what you see is a very good Explorer skill." She admitted, even if she wasn't that good on it herself.

@Little Doggo

 

[Little Doggo]

Her ears perked up, her tail swayed from side to side, obstructed a bit by the backrest of her chair, giving a nod over to Yu as she spoke in plural rather than singular when it come to their happiness... But Bao already counted on that!

The swift change on her sister's features threw her for a loop. Her right ear flopped just a bit, taking on the last bits of her meal before putting the bowl down. If everything was true, then the option to remain a golden whistle to avoid these dangers was there.

Blue eyes scouted the red whistle hanging down on her sister's chest, and that filled her with determination.

Jiejie, you know nothing can stop us if we work together. Besides...

Can't allow that! If you gonna go do dangerous stuff, I'm gonna be there to heal you!

She insisted, hands over the table tried to portray some level of seriousness only seen in movies, but for an adult this might come out as dramatic rather than a display of resolve. Yet in turn, Bao spoke a bit too quickly given how Yuhan didn't sime one bit ready to stop her, as if it was all part of a test of some sort!

An explorer test, followed by an actual verbal one as they were to go out to do practice expeditions.

Doesn't this count as an expedition? Tick one out of the box, and-

Wait, did she say show her her drawing skills..?

D-drawings? I... You think I'm gonna need all that? Can't we use the game's map?

Right, not everyone could see the map like she does, or at least the NPCs wouldn't, and guilds were all full of NPCs as far as her memory serves.

I don't know a thing about maps. Do I need to draw everything I see? What if you don't understand it?

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Yuhan smiled softly at Bao's optimism, ruffling her hair as she shook her head. "It isn't that simple, Bao." She said, though she did take her sister's words seriously, especially if she was going that far to show her discontent.

"I wouldn't say so." Yuhan said, not considering any of this to be explorer's work. "An expedition is very different. It requires discovery, seeking for answers for questions we didn't even know that we had." She argued. A faint chuckle then escaped her lips, and she nodded slightly. "Exactly, drawing. It may sound sillyat first, but we need to make maps of where we are searching and finding out." Yuhan explained.

"We can't rely on outdated maps forever. So cartography skills are a little necessary in this case." Yuhan said, then gave Bao a reassuring expression and words.

"Don't worry, nobody has been born knowing everything. You will simply learn how to represent things on the map... And there isn't necessarily a right way to do it, though we do have some standards."

@Little Doggo

 

[Little Doggo]

Yuhan countered her with a hair ruffle. This may be a different hand than Yuhan's, but it was still Yuhan's hand one way or another. The feeling was hard for Bao to describe compared to the last time she did it ingame. Now that she isn't a stranger in her eyes, It's like she meant it, and the differences were striking enough for her.

Why can't we make it simpler though?

She said, completely genuine about her question. If things weren't simple, couldn't they simplify them?

I see I see! Makes sense. An expedition isn't just walking through the woods, we gotta find something cool that no one ever found before. Like that elemental Zhu spoke about.

Excitement came out of her mouth. It gave her hopes all of a sudden, as that could very well be their one true expedition, yet first came the little bits that were not that fun, such as learning how to draw, and Bao flopped her head against the table, hands right next to it as she sighed.

T-this isn't an exam or anything right? Can I keep trying if I fail?

As far as she remembered, that's how things were done in the temple: Failure had to be kept restricted to practice. It never ocurred to her that they were no longer there; habits stick, and teachings do so too, that much Yuhan could see with how naturally Bao sounded while pouting about it.


Her eyes opened again as she gave a second thought to Jiejie's words, specially her reassurance. Tail and ears flicked back up, with Bao standing on her chair with both hands on her waist as she gazed down to her sister, taken over by a childish passion.

Then we know what to do now! We go out and find these elementals and send them back to where they came from. That's an expedition, right? Dangerous and thrilling, and we can discover some loot alnog the way too.

Despite how incredibly dangerous it was for a beginner.

@Crimson Ruby

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"It is impossible." Yuhan looked at Bao deep in her eyes, then shaking her head. "Because having my beloved sister in a dangerous place will never be a simple matter to me." Her ears lowered slightly, with her tail swaying gently as she finally managed to muster to take a bite of her food, with her stomach calming down as her emotions were less flourished and boiling.

An eyebrow rose at Bao's question, and Yuhan was quick to reject the idea.

"This isn't like your every day test. You can keep doing it until you prove to be worthy." Yuhan said, looking at Bao and breathing a faint chuckle at her sister's excitement, even if it once again came with a rejection and a gesture to calm her down.

"We are going to do this, but not now." Yuhan said, slowly frowning. "It is already pretty late at night, and we need to sleep... Tomorrow will be a long day already, and you have school." She pointed out, going for a rush of eating, not managing to finish half of her plate, but pushing her plate away as she slowed down on her eating, considering that enough to satisfy her while she stood up.

"This said. We must log off... We need to rest and see how we are going to keep doing this."

She waved her UI open, quickly pressing it a couple buttons of it.

Notice

Crimson Ruby has sent you a friendship request.