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Post by othus on Jan 17, 2021 0:21:03 GMT
Hyun's eyes shone and immediately clung to Arthur's arm as they walked with the rest of the group
"Yes, you would not see our mantle, it is tailored to resonate wih dark magic"-Ainu replied just giving a brief look back at Arthur and Hyun.
After a brief walk, the entire group found itself right outside of town, with the volcano looming in the distance. Ainu once again searched her pockets and brought out a set of black spikes, she gathered 4 of her agents and handed over one to each.
"I will be casting a barrier, that way if one of them flies past us...well, it won't get into the town. if those things killed any of the shinto...it would be undesireable."- Ainu signaled her agents to scatter and they teleported, she then took a scroll and began to draw a layout of the entire village, circling around the drawing with a dark aura. If Arthur and Hyun looked back, they would notice the entire village was now surrounded by a purple dome.
"Alright, this should do. Now we have to wait for them to come"- she said as she sat by a fallen log, lightning up a campire using a black flame.
Hyun in the meantime pulled Arthur's arm gently and whispered at him
"Say, aren't you always getting into these kinds of stuff? good thing you have me to protect you, how lucky of you!"-She told him with a smug smile, knowing quite well he needed no protecting whatsoever.
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Post by TimePuppy on Jan 17, 2021 23:53:23 GMT
"Dark magic? Like necromancy and stuff? Or demon summoning? Or something else?" Arthur asked. He had to admit, he found the notion curious. He was also intrigued by their magic. Spikes and scrolls seemed like something you'd see in western rituals rather than eastern ones. "Is that a special form of onmyou magic? I have to say I'm not particularly well educated in eastern magic, but you've certainly got me intrigued."
With the campfire set, Arthur created a pair of icy chairs, putting his coat down on one for Hyun to sit on. He offered the Musashi a chair too, as well as any of her agents if they came back.
"Oh, you're my protective charm?" He asked Hyun. "Then I'll have to make sure I don't lose you." He put an arm around her and pulled her close. "Especially since you're so keen to jump into trouble yourself."
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Post by othus on Jan 18, 2021 3:15:49 GMT
"Well...maybe I do like trouble juuust a tiny bit"-Hyun told Arthur as she looked at him, then proceeding to rest her head on his shoulder. A concerning smile covered Ainu's face when Arthur asked about her magic.
"Do you really want to know? This magic is old...older than the universe. The true Dark...there's many beings who tap into this power, we sometimes call them gods...demons...they are all but different aspects of the same Dark. A Darkness that will swallow this universe whole at the end of time"- She said as she took out her arm, revealing it was tied up in a bandage full of writings consisting of many Kanjis and languages.
"Can you feel it? it is trying to consume me, but I will become the master of this darkness..."
A roar in the distance stopped Ainu's train of thought, Hyun was already somewhat disturbed by her rambling, but managed to focus her attention towards the Volcano.
"Looks like they are here"-Ainu said as she signaled her agents to get in position. The wyrm horde was precisely of around 20, and they all came flying at a rather fast pace.
Ainu and her agents took flight, Hyun held Arthur's hand and nodded at him with determination.
"Good luck out there! "-She told him as she took flight as well
As Hyun formed with the Musashi, Ainu waved at her mages, who proceeded to to cast various elemental magics, some hit the mark, others missed, the dragons returned fire and ran into the mages, the whole battle was not going to be an ordered one.
One of the wyrms came right after Hyun, while 2 more fired at Arthur, aiming to close the distance in order to devour him. Hyun dodged the wyrm's bite and clung to its neck, she and the wyrm ran into the woods, making Arthur and Ainu lose them out of sight.
Calmly and steadily Ainu undid the bandage on her arm, she began to squirm in pain as eyes and mouths appeared all over the pitch black arm, Ainu's arm extended at least 20 meters as it grabbed one of the wyms, it proceeded to expand, covering the entire creature as her arm ate it whole. Ainu drooled and kept squirming as she attempted to control her arm, which still rampaged wildly, kiling wyms but ignoring her agents altogether.
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Post by TimePuppy on Jan 18, 2021 23:05:36 GMT
"Ooh, that sounds dangerous." Arthur commented. "Are you sure you should be using something so... eldritch, then? What if it overpowers you?"
There wasn't enough time to discuss it further, however. The wyrms arrived. "We don't need luck. We can handle some overgrown lizards," he told Hyun. "Just be careful!"
Two wyrms charged at him while Hyun rode a third one off into the woods. He didn't like that they were getting split up so early, but he trusted she could handle herself. Focusing on his opponents, Arthur flew up, avoiding the jets of fire they spewed at him. It was always fire. He made an ice wall in the air and launched it at one of the wyrms to distract it, then he charged at the other with a sword. If he could stab its head, maybe he could steer it into the first wyrm. Two lizards with one strike.
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Post by othus on Jan 19, 2021 1:33:10 GMT
Arthur's ice wall smashed against the wyrm, who lost control of its flight path. At the same time, his blade dug into the neck of the second creature. With Arthur steering the wyrm, he made it crash against the first one. Some of Ainu's mages had also managed to defeat a fair share of wyrms, but they weren't without losses. Ainu, who was seemingly in pain, retreated her arm back to its original shape and began to cover it with bandages, two more wyrms attempted to attack her at that moment but were met with a magical barrier quite similar to that around the town that instantly shocked them unconcious. As one of the last few remaining wyrms dove for Arthur, Hyun intercepted it, setting her hands on its head and making a block of ice right there, there creature was blinded by having ice around its head, to which Hyun followed by kicking the creature down, again, adding even more Ice wherever she struck.
"I think we got this!!"- Hyun said as she waved at Arthur excitedly. In the background, the rest of the mages had also managed to beat the remaining wyrms. It was a landslide victory on their side.
Ainu called for a regroup and flew down to ground level, she ripped the map she had previously drawn and the spikes who were located at the edges of the town flew back to her almost immediately. She reached for one of the unconcious wyrms and set her hand on its head.
"I will be searching its memory, see if I can find the location of their nest...I appreciate your help here, now this will take many hours, but in the meantime you can help my agents bring the dead wyrms back to the village, they will serve as food for everyone...Once I have the location, we will leave for the nest, If you still feel like helping after this, come back to this spot tomorrow morning...I will repay you both for your work"
Ainu proceeded to sit down on the Wyrm and began to use magic to analyze its mind. she wasn't just peeking into its memory, she was adding its knowledge to hers. The rest of the agents began bringing back the wyrms by making them float, tonight was gonna turn into a feast.
The lights in the village came back, the shops also opened back as the people came out. the owners of restaurants could be seen thanking the mages for the ingredients procured. they soon retired out of town, likely going back where Ainu was.
"So um, looks like we have at least until tomorrow morning to have fun...cocoa then, right?!"
There were a couple shops to choose from, one was fashioned in a very elegant way called Ishikawa, the other one was smaller but cozier, looking more like a coffee shop. A couple more places were bars and a handful of fast food stands.
"Well, since you are treating me, which one would you prefer? I heard the Inn has also has a restaurant at the top floor, so that's also an option!"
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Post by TimePuppy on Jan 20, 2021 17:13:43 GMT
The wyrms Arthur faced went done far more easily than he expected. Another suddenly came at him, but Hyun charged back out of the forest and absolutely kicked its ass. "Hey, nice. You really did end up protecting me there." He ran up to her and gave her a quick kiss while looking her over for wounds. "I didn't know you were so dangerous up-close, too."
The other mages soon wrapped up their own opponents and Ainu decided to probe the mind of one wyrm. Arthur, Hyun, and the other mages took the rest to the village for food. He should tell Jenifer about this place sometime. Maybe she could be inspired for when she opens her own restaurant.
And now Hyun and Arthur finally had some time for cocoa again. "Now that you mention it, I am a bit hungry. That restaurant at the inn sounds good. Maybe they'll even let us taste red wyrm meat. And after that, we can finally celebrate you getting an amazing boyfriend with cocoa." He grinned.
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Post by othus on Jan 20, 2021 23:56:57 GMT
"Well of course, I said I would didn't I? Did you see my moves?! you can keep praising me some more y'know?!"- Hyun told him slightly flustered from the sudden kiss. After all was said and done, Arthur saying so nonchalantly he was her boyfriend made her face turn into a new shade of red
"A-aren't you getting a little cocky now?! I don't remember being asked anything about that!"-She replied to him slightly pouting, she reached for his arm and held him tight
"I'm afraid you are gonna have to do better than that Mr. Amazing boyfriend, if you do want an amaaaaazing girlfriend that is"-She said as she giggled.
Hyun and Arthur walked back to the inn, it wasn't a long way till it was back on sight. Hyun stopped for a second before going in.
"Oh, now that I think of it, it was a good thing you picked this place, now I can go get changed! you are staying here as well, aren't you? what do you think? see you in 10 minutes? Or perhaps...you'd like to help me get changed?"
She looked at him straight in the eyes with a smug look
"Juuust kidding, of course you would. See you in a minute!"-She said as she gave him a small kiss and dashed away for her room.
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Post by TimePuppy on Jan 21, 2021 22:26:28 GMT
"Better than hot cocoa? Oh wow, I'm really gonna need to step up my game here."
And so the pair went back to the inn. Hyun of course took the opportunity to tease Arthur some more. "Hah, I guess you also have telepathy then. But alright, I'll live for 10 minutes." And with that, he dashed over to his room, too. He took a very quick shower, even though the fight against the wyrms didn't even make him break a sweat some cleaning was in order, then rummaged through his suitcase at super speed. He only stopped here because he was on business in a nearby town and he heard this was a fun little place for HW folks to check out. He didn't exactly pack for a date night, and he didn't have time to ask Haruko to make him something. Guess he'll just have to work with what he's got.
He came out just about 10 minutes after Hyun went into her room, sporting a pair of chinos and a dark blue v-neck sweater over his shirt. It was a simple outfit, but he figured it was effective for an improvised combination. If Hyun took longer, he'd run up and take a gander at the menu, see if there's anything that sounded particularly interesing before he came back to pick Hyun up.
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Post by othus on Jan 22, 2021 1:52:18 GMT
As soon as Hyun closed the door on her room she jumped on her bed and rolled excitedly. *He said it! and we even kissed! a bunch of times at that.*-She thought to herself.
She looked at her hands remembering that hug, he was...a lot more muscular than she thought. How long did she told him to wait? 10 minutes? there was no time to waste!
She hopped on the shower and grabbed her clothes with TK, not only was she gonna make it in time, she definitely had to make it look like it was no big deal.
Hyun quickly brushed her hair and looked at herself on the mirror, black turtleneck sweater, dark denim jeans and a slim white coat over everything. She looked pretty, that was enough, right?
As she got out of her room her eyes met Arthur. He looked sharp! and cute as well.
"Hiii! Did you miss me?"-She said as she ran up to him and did a little jump, landing right in front of him.
"I'm ready, should we go?!"-Hyun said as she extended her hand towards him.
The restaurant at the Inn was all decorated in warm amber tones, large glass panels displayed the Volcano at the distance, adding a contrast of hot and cold to the place. As Arthur and Hyun got a table, she took out her white coat, leaving herself only with the sweater, while they waited for a waiter to take their order, Hyun took a quick glance at the menu, there was a variety of Japanese foods and multiple kinds of drinks.
"You know...you are actually pretty good at fighting, who taught you all that? you were pretty ok with the wyrms and that Ice elemental, remember?"-Hyun said as she put the menu to the side for a second. the candles by the tables made things cozy enough she could finally talk freely with him.
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Post by TimePuppy on Jan 22, 2021 21:02:17 GMT
Hyun came out almost as soon as Arthur had reached her door. She used the time very productively, he could tell. She smelled faintly of lavender and... Something else Arthur couldn't quite make out. And she had a brand new outfit on. Arthur was very much impressed.
"Oh, another amazing outfit. It's like you're trying to kill me with cuteness." He smiled and took her hand. They walked to the well-lit restaurant together and found a cozy table without too many people around. Arthur thought picking the restaurant was an excellent choice. The atmosphere worked great.
"Oh, I've had many teachers," he answered Hyun. "I learned to control my ice from my dad's friend, and I learned everything else from various teachers. Including some on Earth, funnily enough. Buuuut, I kinda just end up mixing and matching everything to look cool and have fun." He laughed. "What about you, though? I haven't met many cryokinetic espers before, and I don't imagine any arel so good at punching dragons out."
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Post by othus on Jan 23, 2021 2:36:02 GMT
"Is it working then? Don't die on me just yet tho, dinner awaits y'know?"- She replied at him slightly blushing, swinging her coat back and forth. She was just dying to hug him, but she held back a little. She wanted to be the one who gets hugged after all!
Listening to Arthur made Hyun have even more questions, she wanted to know so much about him! She thought about his family, what were his parents like? she really had no one.
"You know...it seems you are going to have to introduce me to a lot of friends and family!"-She giggled.
Hyun worried slightly about Arthur asking about her past, but he probably wouldn't judge her. Hyun replied honestly without trying to sound miserable.
"well um...I was in the military for a while. So I learned how to defend myself, I even know a thing or two about guns"
Almost immediately the waiter arrived and Hyun felt relieved, the only problem was that she hadn't thought a thing about what to order!
"Welcome, may I take your order?"-The waiter said, Hyun rushed through the menu and remembered the wyrm.
"Ah! there's wyrm on the menu, right?!"-She asked the waiter.
"That is correct, we have it as Sashimi, Sushi and Tempura, how would you like it served?"-He asked
Hyun looked at Arthur, it was her first time in Japan and she really had no idea of the difference.
"I'll...have it as Tempura! and um, green tea...I'd like that! what about you, Arthur?!"-She told him slightly nervous, as social as she was, actual dating was really out of her comfort zone...no, it was probably not even that, HE was making her nervous! Ah dammit, she even forgot to look at the price! what if what she ordered was expensive?! what would he think of her?! no worries...if it came down to it, she still had her savings, at least that should cover her share!
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Post by TimePuppy on Jan 23, 2021 20:30:52 GMT
"Heh, you've met most of my family. I'm sure my friends wouldn't mind meeting you though." Hyun seemed somewhat uncomfortable when the topic switched to her. Arthur couldn't quite tell why though. "Oh, the military? That explains the ass-kicking you can dish out. Though you do seem fairly young for an experienced soldier, even with slower aging." But he was interrupted by the waiter's arrival before he could ask anything more.
"Ah, wyrm tempura does sound good. I'll have the same as her, then. Green tea included. Do you serve dessert as well?" If so, he'd order the chocolatiest dessert they had, so they could prepare it for after they were done with the main course. He'd of course ask Hyun what she'd like as well.
Once the waiter was out of earshot, he'd ask Hyun: "So, how did you go from military service to opening the best ice cream shop I've ever stepped foot in? Ah, you don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable with it. I will be mighty curious, but you're allowed to have a mysterious past."
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Post by othus on Jan 23, 2021 22:22:40 GMT
"Most certainly"-The waiter replied, he ended up pointing Arthur to a chocolate lava cake which he then ordered, when he asked Hyun what she wanted she shyly replied
"Oh, I-i'm fine. thanks...oh no, actually, I want cocoa! that's what we came here for after all!"
As the waiter left, Hyun was thinking about how to reply to all that, in the end she decided she should just tell him things straight.
"No, I do want you to know, I really hate hiding stuff, it's really not my thing!"-She said and paused for a second, then talked again
"I'm gonna say, you were right about me being too young for it, y'know. I was a child soldier in a paramilitary, It really wasn't like regular service.-She sighed and then continued.
"In any case, I had...3 sisters and a brother...I think I was eleven when I got away, I'm pretty sure they couldn't get out, the youngest would be..around 25 right now. After that I stayed with a rescue group for around 6 years, worked there and helped a lot of people, I also ended up running away from that group...so yeah, i've been on the go ever since. pretty lame right? All I have been doing is running away..."
Hyun had been honest, she did not want Arthur to feel like she was hiding things from him. If he didn't want to associate with her due to her past, she would not judge him. she looked at him for a second and her smile came back.
"I'm actually pretty tired of running away y'know? that's why this time I won't be running away from what I feel"-She said as she got closer to him.
"And by that I mean I'm having half of your chocolate cake, that's why I didn't order anything for dessert after all"-She smiled at him and stuck her tongue out as if making fun of him, she really enjoyed his company.
After things were said and done, the waiter arrived with the dishes. Jackpot. tempura happened to be deep fried stuff! Hyun's eyes glowed, it was definitely too much food for her, but she would still do her best!
As Hyun took a small bite, her cheeks went immediately red, it was so good! but also suprisingly light, maybe it wasn't too much after all!
"it's heavennnn! I'm super happy you picked this place, you get a gold star for this!"-She told Arthur as she took a sip of green tea right away. When was the last time she had eaten at a restaurant like this? probably never!
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Post by TimePuppy on Jan 24, 2021 21:30:02 GMT
Arthur was glad Hyun opened up to him, even though he didn't like the contents. He listened carefully and put a comforting hand on Hyun's, doing his best to control the rage boiling inside of him. Someone was training child soldiers? Bastards! If he knew who and where, he'd go crush them right away. And to think, poor Hyun had to go through it. And she thinks she's lame for running? No...
"That's not lame. It shows just how strong you are, and I don't just mean in a fight. That you can still smile so sweetly after what you've been through, it shows your bravery. I promise, I'll do everything I can so you don't have to run away."
And then she suddenly shifted gears, threatening to steal his cake. He wasn't sure why, but he found that sudden shift hilarious. "Ahahahaha! I did not see that ambush coming. You're a sneaky devil, I'll tell you that. Fine, I'll share some with you, but only if you ask nicely."
Their meal arrived fairly soon, and Arthur was happy to see Hyun looked it. He tried it himself, and was surprised by how juicy the meat was. And there was a faint spiciness to it as well. "Mmm, I'm glad you brought the idea up. And I'm glad we joined the hunt and caught ourselves this delicious dinner. But most of all..." He raised his tea glass to clink with hers, "I'm glad we're eating it together."
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Post by othus on Jan 25, 2021 0:12:50 GMT
As they finished their first meal, Hyun thought of what Arthur said. Not running away was something she never even considered possible, yes, she would indeed like that, even if it was only a dream at the moment. She really felt touched by Arthur's words, he seemed to understand her well, as he didn't even judge her.
When dessert arrived, Hyun moved her chair right next to Arthur, she was given cocoa and the cake was set in the middle with two spoons, Hyun grabbed one and cut open the cake which oozed melted chocolate from inside.
"Alright, I'm going to pamper you now, open up!"--She told him as she held the spoon with a piece of cake. The second Arthur opened up his mouth, she would proceed to eat the cake instead
"Hmmm...nope, too slow! at this rate you are not gonna eat any y'know?!"-She taunted him as she cut another spoonful of it
"Care to try again?! open up ❤"-She said with a huge smile on her face. It was obvious she had found a new hobby.
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Post by TimePuppy on Jan 25, 2021 19:07:28 GMT
They'd finished their lunch. It was quite enjoyable, though he wasn't sure if it was the food or the company that made it so. Probably both. And now came the best part; the dessert. Hyun sidled closer to him cutely and took a spoonful to feed to him. Their first date and already doing cutesy stuff like this. Arthur had no complaints. He opened wide, ready to return the favor.
But he fell for her ruse! He had been bamboozled, cheated out of his dessert and he grinned in response. "Wow, I didn't know you were such a sadist. Ah, but I'm sure I'll get the next one. After all, I trust you," he said, smiling gently.
Then he started tickling her mercilessly. "Trust you to do it again, I mean!" He took the distraction provided by his assault to eat the next piece.
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Post by othus on Jan 25, 2021 22:13:06 GMT
"Nooooo you are gonna make me drop it!!" Hyun fought against it but she had been caught! As Arthur enjoyed his piece of cake, Hyun was trying to recover her breath, they really were making a scene at the restaurant but neither seemed to notice. Hyun was too busy having a good time to care.
In a quick move Hyun grabbed the rest of the cake and moved it to her side
"Alright, i guess your half is gone, now if you excuse me, I gotta finish the rest"-She told Arthur as she fought him off with her spoon, trying her best to keep a dignified face.
"You can have some of my cocoa tho"-She told him as she went for a sip of it, her upper lip was now covered in whipped cream, which prompted her to tease Arthur some more
"Go on, you can try it. I'm waiting!"- she said right before she moved her face closer to Arthur, looking at him with confidence but still definitely blushing.
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Post by TimePuppy on Jan 25, 2021 23:02:23 GMT
"Hm, I smell another trap here," Arthur smirked. "But I guess one doesn't get many chances like this."
Assuming Hyun didn't pull another prank, he'd first gently kiss one side of her mouth, then the other, leaving some cream right under her nose. "Hm, no, I don't think a hitler stache suits you. We need to get rid of that." Then he'd finally pull her in close and lock lips in a passionate display that would make any more conservative onlookers blush. After many seconds, he would open his eyes to stare lovingly into her. "Much better now," he would say.
And then he would eat a piece of cake he stealthily stole during the first two kisses. "Mmm, revenge tastes sweet. Now we're even." He gave her another quick peck before laughing again.
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Post by othus on Jan 26, 2021 3:50:49 GMT
Hyun laughed when Arthur mentioned the Hitler mustache, what is he thinking about!?
"Kiss me properly already you dummy"-She told him as she pulled him towards her. Hyun's guard was down to the point she did not expect to see him eat cake so nonchalantly after that.
She obviously pouted at the sight, she didn't see when he went for the cake, but it better not have been during that last kiss!
"That's mean! You are not getting any more cocoa as punishment"-She told him as she finished her drink in one go.
The bill at the restaurant was covered by the owner as thanks for getting rid of the Wyrms, Hyun insisted to pay for her share but the owner gladly sent them out.
"I actually had a lot of fun today y'know?"-She told Arthur with a gentle smile while holding his hand as they walked inside the Inn. Hyun instinctively took a right turn and reached her room. Right, that was fast. Perhaps it was one of the downsides of having the restaurant and the Inn at the same place.
"Oh...well um, this is my room. I guess...I'll see you tomorrow? Unless you want to, y'know, sleep here?"-She told him while looking away as she played with her hair. she really wanted to spend more time with him after all.
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Post by TimePuppy on Jan 26, 2021 17:08:29 GMT
"It was one of the most fun days I've had in a while." Arthur smiled back. The day went by in a flash, as did the trip to her room. And then she invited him inside to sleep over.
"Oooh, a tempting offer." Arthur said, taking her other hand too. "I suppose I do need to protect you, in case some wyrms show in the night. But that means we need to build a pillow fort, first."
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