Lydia nodded her ascent to the plan. She had already guessed that, once in the kingdom of demons, she and Ragna would resume acting as if they had never even been friendly at all. But at hearing a woman's name and being warned of her, Lydia easily assumed what Jezebel might be to Ragna as she already knew about his mother passing long ago. Lydia kept her face calm and did not let her emotions show. She had no claim on Ragna other than his oath to protect her, and therefore she had no right to be jealous. At the same time there was an ill feeling settling into her stomach at the thought of having possibly just lay with another woman's man, whether she might be his wife or simply his bedfellow. If this Jezebel was either of those, and Lydia was sure that she was, and she had known beforehand she wouldn't have lain with Ragna in the first place. She didn't like the idea of being a home wrecker--even to demons. Lydia could either spurn Ragna's advances from now on, or continue to accept them. She didn't know which yet. But as Ragna had asked once at his home she would pretend that he was nothing to her other than an escort bringing her before the demon king. "Shall we go then?" Lydianna asked, her voice kept light so as not to betray any hint of the upset she felt.
Rystelle Member
Hylian Archer
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Recent Statuses
10 yrs ago
Time to go on a horror movie binge.
10 yrs ago
Seems like I need to replace my phone. I never know how much not being able to check the time bothered me until I started walking around the school campus without my phone.
10 yrs ago
So today my phone fell in water. It was there for no more than two seconds tops, but it's going haywire. Time to see if the old rice trick works.
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11 yrs ago
The semester is almost over!
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11 yrs ago
I'm slowly working on getting replies up. Just be patient with me, please. =)
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Just so my rp partners know, I'm in Central Time.
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Sophia felt Tim squeezing her hand and she returned the squeeze, trying to reassure both him and herself. She nodded and said, "Alright. We'll go in. But... I'm worried about what might be over there. If there is anything over there. Think we should bring something for protection? Like a knife? Just in case, I mean."
Tim thought for a moment, then went and found a pocket knife he happened to have. Sophia took it and put it in the pocket of her jacket. The knife wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. Sophia then realized what she was wearing and stared down at her pajama pants. Looking up at Tim she managed a wry smile as she said, "I'm not sure about you, but I never imagined going on a magical adventure in my pajamas. But it's not like it can be helped right now. It is an impromptu magical adventure."
Lydia nodded solemnly at his words, though she couldn't help but smile a little when he squeezed her hand. Still she knew that Ragna was right in that running away would only make her feel worse. If she were to run away she would feel cowardly and weak, both feelings she hated, and would only scorn herself further for feeling like that. No, she would face whatever may come. In her heart she knew that in the end she might still die by Ragna's hand if his king commanded it. But if that happened Lydia could at least rest assured that Ragna was only doing as commanded and that he had, in some way, cared for her. It wouldn't be terrible to die an honest death by a friend's hand, though she began to wonder what might happen to Ragna after as he had sworn an oath to keep her from harm and, having killed her, would have broken said oath. Lydia did not wish to dwell on such matters now, but she knew she might need to address them soon.
Giving Ragna's hand a gentle squeeze, Lydia said, "No need to apologize. I certainly don't trust your king, either, but at least I'm going to meet him with you by my side and not some other demon with a penchant for torture." She let out a small laugh to show that she had been joking, though the matter was quite serious. "Yes, we can make a detour to get you some armor. Which way do we need to go now?"
Sophia instantly followed Tim into the kitchen, stepping toward the tunnel to inspect it as he took his medicine. As he spoke Sophia felt her face flush red and knew she had been foolish for having even suggested such a thing in the first place. Besides, in books and games bad things tended to happen when you went into strange, unknown places by yourself. Not that something bad couldn't happen with two people as well.
As Tim came to stand beside Sophia to inspect the hole she slipped her hand into his again, this time without really thinking of it as it had been more of an instinctive search for a sign of comfort. The hole freaked her out too, though perhaps not as badly as it did Tim. "I'm... not sure," she slowly answered. Thinking about it a bit more she asked more than said, "Maybe? I mean, everything turned out alright last time. Things were... weird, but they weren't... They weren't bad. Just different. Kinda... Kinda like a mirror! Everything looks the same, but you know it's not the same. Besides, maybe if we can understand it we won't have to be so scared. The main reason people are scared of things is that they don't understand it."
Sophia was beginning to feel a bit more confident now, honestly feeling that if she and Tim understood what was happening they wouldn't have to worry so much. Still she added, "But if you don't want to go in, Tim, we won't. We'll go to my apartment, spend the day there, and come back later. Surely the tunnel will be gone. It can't just sit there all day."
Lydia couldn't help but smile at Ragna's remark, knowing what he was insinuating and that he was teasing her. But then he was serious again. She contemplated his words silently for a while. She could run away, it was true, but surely some other demons would track her down. Then they would either bring her to their king or kill her. Lydianna did not really fear for her life, but she didn't exactly wish to die. She would give her life up for a good cause should her life be needed, but all the same she would prefer to die of old age or in whatever way she chose. But even with the threat of possible death looming over her Lydianna would not run. Still, she was touched that Ragna was worried for her.
Coming to a halt Lydia reached out and put her hand in Ragna's. Looking up at him with her steady gaze she said, "I do not fear death, but how I might die. And we both know that even if I run some other demon will find me, just as an entire horde of them did in Termina. They will chase me down to the ends of the earth until they have what they want from me. In their wake they will leave a swathe of death and destruction. You know this. I will not see another's live lost for mine. I will readily face whatever might lies ahead. Besides, I will admit that I am curious to know what a demon king would want of a halfling like myself." Lydia paused for a moment, her gaze still set steadily on Ragna's face. Finally she softly added, "But if you are truly worried about what might happen, Ragna, then I will do ask you ask and flee this place."
Lydia smiled as she felt Ragna wrap his arms around her and kiss her cheek. "This was a dwarven mine," she informed him with an even tone. "They always have at least one extra exit." Suddenly Lydia's ears picked up as she heard a whirl of sound approaching them from the cave mouth behind them. Tugging at Ragna's hand she urgently exclaimed, "Get down and cover your head!" They dropped to the earth, laying on their stomachs as they covered their heads with their arms. Moments later a large colony of bats burst out of the cave, disturbing the calm night with the sound of their shrill cries. At last! They seemed to say. We are free to fly! Some of the bats flew so low that Lydia could feel their wings or feet brushing against her back and cheeks, but none of them attacked the two travelers. Instead they flew off into the night, determined to do some hunting before the moonlight was gone.
"See?" Lydia asked as she stood up and brushed herself off. "Bats. I told you." Then she turned her face to the moon to bathe in its light, her luminescent green eyes closed, and she breathed in deeply. Now that the storm was gone everything was peaceful. The land was quiet and clean, the air fresh and sweet. Lydia exhaled slowly, feeling a calmness settle over her. How long that peace would last, she did not know. But for now she was happy and she would enjoy it. Opening her eyes again she turned back to Ragna, smiled, and said, "Come on. We have to find the river again." They set out, following the path they thought would lead them to the river. Before the end of the night they came upon it and resumed their journey. "How many days before we reach your homeland?" Lydianna asked Ragna as they followed the winding ribbon lit by silver moonlight.
"I know," she said, continuing to speak to him in a gentle soothing tone. "I know. But it'll go away. The others did." Sophia thought it would, at least. She was trying not to let doubt get to her. She needed to be calm. Sophia told Tim, "Listen, if you want we can go to my apartment and come back later. Or... Or maybe I can go in by myself this time. See what it's like. There will be a way out. There was last time. But maybe this time someone will be there and they can tell me what's happening."
Tim's shouting startled Sophia and she tried to gently shush him. She didn't know who else might be around here, but she didn't want anyone to come complain about noise. She understood Tim's fear, however, and was certainly freaked out about it herself. Still, someone out of the two of them had to be calm and it certainly wasn't going to be Tim. Sophia was beginning to worry that he might have another panic attack. She was worried if he did, given that his apartment was the one place he really felt safe. Then she thought back to last night and how calm Tim seemed to be even as they held hands.
Hoping that she could give Tim some feeling of safety and comfort, Sophia caught both of Tim's hands with hers and laced their fingers together so they were holding hands. She drew him away from the kitchen and to the living room where she sat him down on the couch with his back to the tunnel so he wouldn't have to look at it. She, however, could see it over his shoulder and she kept an eye on the strange tunnel that didn't belong.
"It's alright, Tim," Sophia told him, her voice soft and gentle as she spoke. "It'll be alright. Don't focus on the tunnel, ok? Focus on me. Just look at me. It'll be alright." For a moment Sophia fell silent as she tried to think of what to say next. Finally she had her words in order and she continued on, "Remember last time at the park? Afterwards when we were here and you said we'd look back at it later and wonder why we were even freaking out in the first place? It's going to be the same thing. I promise. You'll look back on this later and wonder why you were so upset. Because you want to know what that tunnel in your kitchen means, Tim? It means magic exists. It exists! So we can handle this one of two ways: One, we can go through that tunnel like we did last time and investigate more, or two, we can just wait for it to disappear. It should eventually disappear anyway, seeing as all the others disappeared before." Sophia sounded more confident than she felt, although she did feel some excitement growing within her. Because magic existed! It was definitely crazy and kind of spooky, but still! How many other people in their entire lives ever experienced something like this? she wondered.
Lydia had not expected Ragna to return her kiss, but she found herself pleased--which in and of itself was a surprise--that he did. For a moment he started to ramble again, but then he cut himself off. Lydia felt Ragna wrap his arms around her and then... He kissed her. A light, gentle kiss. Lydia found herself returning his kiss instantly. When he pulled back and smiled she felt her heart throb in her chest for a moment. Then she smiled, a brilliant smile that seemed to light up her entire face.
Ragna's words made her feel at ease. But then he started to apologize and ramble again and Lydia had to let out a low chuckle. "It's fine," she told him gently but firmly. "If anything you made things easier for me. I'll talk to you more freely now. I promise. And if you do not wish me to help with you with your family, so be it. But I will stay by your side and help you where I may." Ragna then realized what they had just done, appearing to have not really thought about it before, and became flustered. The fact that he, a giant of a half-demon, was flustered by a kiss from here, a mere half-elf-half-human girl, made her laugh aloud. It wasn't an unkind laugh, but more one of amusement. "Yes, we kissed," she told him calmly. "You even kissed me once yourself."
As Lydia stared into Ragna's eyes she felt her heart thrum again. She didn't really know why, but it did. She felt at ease around him, safe. She didn't always have to watch out for herself because he was there to watch after her. Without really thinking about it Lydia found herself leaning in to kiss Ragna again. Her lips met his and she closed her eyes, wrapped her arms a little tighter around his shoulders. At first the kiss was gentle, then it deepened as Lydia felt a desire she never had before starting to burn within her like a fire.
Ragna pledging himself to her was the last thing Lydia would have ever imagined him doing. _Why would he do something like that?_ She wondered to herself as she watched his retreating back, him having moved before she could really even respond. _Why would he pledge himself to a girl he barely even knows? Why me? Why do any demons want anything to do with me?_ But Lydia's main question was still why did Ragna pledge himself to her? Did he like her? Was it just something for him to do? Perhaps he was tired of serving demons and wanted a change of pace. Here she had been, trying not to let herself become attached to him so that she would not be hurt if he betrayed her. And now suddenly he had sworn an oath to defend her from harm and even offered to make sure she escaped safely from demon lands. She honestly couldn't say that she was upset by it. If anything it just made things easier for her. She knew Ragna was bound by his oath and that he would protect her from all harm--including that which came from himself--meaning that she no longer had to worry about him stabbing her in the back. If Lydia wished she could now talk to him freely without having to act so cold, without having to be so distant. He seemed to want to talk as he was the one most often trying to start a conversation. They could possibly even become friends. In time.
But what did Ragna get from this? she had to wonder. A friend? A way to kill time? The more important question really was: What should she, Lydia, do to compensate Ragna for his oath? Demons were bound by their oaths and as such they were not to be taken lightly. It was not a favor, it was a commitment. And Lydia felt that for such an important thing she should promise Ragna something in return. She was not magically bound by her words, but she would follow through on them. But what would it be? After a moment's thought she knew right away.
"Ragnarok," she called out to him, using his full name and causing him to stop. Lydia approached him and stopped when she was right in front of him. She had to crane her neck to look up at him. A nuisance considering what she was about to do. "Would you mind kneeling down for a moment, please, so that it's easier for me to talk to you?" Hearing that she wanted to talk he instantly did as she asked, kneeling down so that his face was about level with hers. Lydia took a deep breath and then let it out. There was no going back now.
"I don't hate you," she informed him, her face honest and open. "I rather like you, actually. You're intriguing. And we share a similar hatred of our families. I like you, but I've been keeping myself at a distance so as not to become attached to you. I knew that you had only promised to get me to the demon king safely. You never said anything about what you might do once we were there or after. Forgive me for being cautious but I was protecting myself emotionally. I'd rather not die with hatred in my heart at the thought of having been betrayed by someone I considered a friend. Hatred is a terrible feeling to live with, but surely a worse one to die with. I'd prefer to die happily. If not happily, then at least with no hard feelings. Yet despite my trying to remain aloof these past few days you still continued to reach out to me, to talk to me, to try to protect me and make me comfortable. And now you have bound yourself to me with your oath, making it impossible for me not to become attached to you in some shape or form. I don't know if I actually mean anything to you, Ragna, but regardless I do thank you. For everything. I don't know if there's anything you want from me in return, but I promise that, if you so desire, I will help you kill your father or any other members of your family you should wish to be rid of."
Suddenly Lydia stepped closer to Ragna and draped her arms around his massive shoulders. Without warning she leaned down and kissed him full on the mouth, her eyes closed for a moment, before she pulled away from the kiss although her arms still remained around Ragna's shoulders. "Consider that my pledge to you," she said, gazing at him steadily.
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