Guardian Angel Haruki

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

Sylvia listened quietly as he spoke, recounting his past as part of the Iron Hammers. As she listened, she couldn't help but feel sadness for the poor thief in front of her. Her heart completely broke when she saw that he was crying. No wonder he was here resorting to stealing...

She looked to Toi and she nodded back to him before turning her attention to the thief. She slowly and gently pulled him into an embrace so as to comfort him and not scare him while she was doing it. She also lowered his head onto her shoulder so that he could cry without having others see him do so. She was literally giving him a shoulder to cry on. Of course, if he didn't want anyone touching him, then she wouldn't force him into the embrace.

After he called himself weak, she answered him softly, "You are not weak. Leaving them just proves you are of good character, and you are brave and strong enough to act on your morals. And just because you 'sinned', it doesn't mean you have no chance of 'redemption'. It doesn't have to be anything grand. Just small acts of kindness can be enough,"

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

Sylvia mulled over his words and the fact that he was talking about someone else and he was still wearing the Iron Hammer necklace. Almost everything seemed to click in her mind. She couldn't be too sure as to who exactly he was with before he got caught, but she can be at least somewhat sure that he wasn't exactly treated with kindness. Plus, she knew that feeling all too well. Not being good enough...Not being able to measure up, and not wanting to be let down when the disappointment eventually comes in.

She whispered a sad "Oh buddy..." Her voice and face showed the sadness and sympathy she felt for him.

She thought for a moment, before deciding to encourage him, "My grandfather used to tell me that to err and fail is human. It's normal. Just because you failed at the things you were good at, doesn't mean you're not good at them anymore. If anything, those failures will help you improve. You learned something from those failures, didn't you? And if someone keeps berating you over them instead of helping you through, then...well, I'd hate to sound heartless, but are they really worth your efforts?"

She made sure that the question she asked him was directed more towards the people he had been helping before he got caught, not towards the villagers. She especially gave him a knowing look to emphasize that.

She then shook her head and apologized "Sorry...I might have rambled on a bit..."

After a bit of silence, she then said, trying to reassure the thief, "Well, I wouldn't worry about the villagers here in Cassari. Iola may seem harsh, but she's not going to hurt you. I'm sure they'll help teach you how to do better if you make any mistakes here,"

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

OK!

11
Using the second Luck Point yields me a...14

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

Sylvia chuckled at the mention of Iona and she commented, hoping to get the thief to laugh a little, "I could hear her from where I stood when I entered her store," She then continued sincerely, "I am glad to hear about you and Ricks though. Running an inn sounds like a good profession,"

She then blinked and she asked the thief, as she makes eye contact with his eyes, "You know...even if people are still kind of...not happy with your deeds, they're not bad people. If anything's bothering you, you can talk to them if something's bothering you, right? Myself included," She then shrugged and added "Just letting you know that people are willing to lend an ear. Talking things out usually makes people feel better,"

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

Sylvia answered the thief, "Just thought I stop to check in and chat a bit. How's the Community Service going?" She thought it best to try and ease the thief into the conversation before going right to the point about what else he was hiding. She noticed that Toi had stepped closer in concern.

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

Sylvia squinted and blinked rapidly as she stepped out into the sunlight outside of the church. After blinking some tears away she muttered, "Ow," and continued on her way to the Weavers. When she got there she was surprised to see the long line. Sylvia couldn't help but count her blessings that she got to the Weavers when she did!

Of course, it didn't take long for Aestella to see her. She waved to Aestella when she greeted her. She accepted the parcel from Nalia, thanking her after receiving it. She was glad to see the clothes were mended, even if it wasn't as beautiful as her new outfit. She was curious as to what the strips of cloth were for though...

She called to Aestella after hearing her words, "Got it! Thank you, Aestella!"

She then started to continue on her way, only to stop when she noticed the thief alone and in his thoughts. She looked around to see if anyone was watching him, only to spot Toi with a smaller cudgel of his own. Sylvia smiled and gave a wave to Toi. She then turned her attention back to the thief. Come to think of it, he was still hiding some things wasn't he? Wouldn't hurt to have a friendly discussion to see if she could get him to talk more.

She walked up to the thief, and she tapped his shoulder gently, greeting him casually, "Hey there!"

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

Sylvia took in the reading material, focused and determined to find the clues that could answer her questions. While she may not be any closer to finding the answers right now, she did learn quite a lot, and if Orchid the Goblin's story was of any indication, she was definitely on the right path. Orchid also woke up in a cave, scared and confused. Did all of the Arisen wake up in a cave confused? Probably not if a lot of them got the title after doing awesome stuff.

While she read, she didn't stop to eat or drink anything. It was like she was at college again, studying for a final exam. The sound of the bell did rattle her out of her seemingly meditative state as she finished the fourth book. She looked around and realized that that was the afternoon bell that just rung.

Oh, that's right! There were her clothes and the kitchen set that she needed to pick up at some point. She could visit the weaver today, and visit Iola's shop tomorrow. She also thought about visiting Pylia again, to talk about what she learned and what her idea was. But she also thought that maybe a little training (her versus a tree maybe) wouldn't hurt either. She got by on basic techniques, it wouldn't hurt to brush up on the more advanced techniques just in case.

As the mass started, she made her way out of the church as quietly as possible, so as to not disturb the religious chants. After making her way out of the church, she started to head for the weaver's first.

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

Awesome!

I think I'll go with the second choice. Spend four hours of reading and then go off to take care of other stuff.

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

One more history check just in case...

OH HECK YES! NAT 20!

Keratia: Tales of the Arisen One

Sylvia couldn't help but think that it was a weird inconsistency. Why did Erod receive the title of Arisen before sealing the dragon, and not after like the others? ....Or maybe there was something she was missing from the stories of the other heroes?

At the sight of the books that were thicker than the previous books, she let out a quiet breath. She had time. She might as well try to get through as much as she can and see if there was any more details she can glean off and help her connect the dots.

She opened the first of the new books and began to read.