songerein | [open] rain rain go away

Entry tags:

[open] rain rain go away

Who: kratos & you!
Which: open log!
Where: throughout the city
What: a sad swordman has a day filled with rain and watches! open log with a few dream board quests.
Warnings: none now but will add as needed!

a. near the library.

[sometimes a day spent reading is just what the doctor ordered. losing yourself in a good book seldom fails a to be a good way to pass some times. that had been kratos' expectation: go to the library, stay for a while and then be on his merry way. what kratos hadn't expected, however, was for a storm to come out of nowhere on him.

it starts out as a gentle drizzle. nothing to pay any mind to. within moments, however, the gentle drizzle evolves into a downpour. a little rain is fine; a curtain of rain is significantly less fine. luckily, there's a storefront with some awning that's perfect to take cover under. thus kratos runs on over to join whoever else happens to be taking refuge from the rain under here. the two of you can wait out the rain together.]

b. dream board - personal rain cloud.

[there has to be some irony in this somewhere of this happening to him. is he a sad man who might as well have a raincloud over his head? yes, but he full well did not expect a literal raincloud to randomly appear. just as the rain outside ends, his own personal rain begins.

it starts up right as kratos enters the library. for a moment, there's a look of confusion on his face when the drizzle doesn't let up upon stepping foot inside a building. that confusion shifts to immediate irritation upon looking up.

he sighs and rubs his temple. really? really???

sorry if the rain gets on you or any of the books you happen to be reading.]

c. dream board - running out of time.

[the rain cloud finally went away and not a moment too soon. to say that had been irritating would be an understatement. at least he can now enjoy the rest of his day in peace.

or so kratos had thought. as he's walking along, he hears something zooming right at the back of his head. there's a bit of an odd sense of deja vu as this reminds him of a prior encounter with someone in the city. similarly to that encounter, he nimbly moves his head to the side at the last moment. this leads to the thing missing him by a small margin and slamming into a nearby tree. it then falls to the ground with a thunk. kratos finds himself quirking a brow as he bends to pick up the item in question. a watch? he frowns at the device before looking around. where had that even come from?

while glancing around, he spots yet another watch flying out of nowhere and heading directly at the back of someone's head.]

Look out behind you!

[hopefully that shout comes in time for them to avoid getting hit.]

d. wildcard.

(ooc: if there's anything else you'd like to do, let me know on plurk at

Shaorune or on the game discord!)

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[ Today was supposed to be the day Malon knocked out all her errands that had been piling up throughout the month. It's amazing how much time and effort it takes to find and purchase property. She thought she'd have her new ranch up and running before the month was out, but it's been four weeks and all she has to show for hard work is a large swath of land without even a fence around it.

But she can't just spend all of her time on that. She still has chores to do for the farmer she's been staying with, as is their agreement in exchange for her room and board. She's only gotten through two errands on her list when the sky suddenly opens up and forces her to seek shelter under a nearby awning.

As she stands with her bags and watches the rain (wow it is really coming down!), another person unlucky enough to get caught in the downpour hurries to get under the awning. ]

You all right? [ She looks Kratos over to see how drenched he is. With his hair down instead of being combed back, she doesn't immediately recognize him. ] It sure did start coming down out of nowhere.

[one thing about having hair practically in your eyes is that it IS practically in your eyes and a little bit of water makes that go from practically to entirely. this obstruction of vision leads him to not recognize malon immediately.

even if the voice is oddly familiar.

after giving his awning companion a brief, if mostly obscured glance, kratos then shifts his gaze out toward the curtain of rain.]

The suddenness of it caught me off guard. [he then proceeds to work to move his hair out of his eyes.] But I'm fine, if wetter than I'd like.

[drenched. he is drenched. rather than immediately going to the library, he may settle for going back for a change of clothes instead.]

[ A change of clothes might be a good idea. No self-respecting librarian is going to allow a man who looks like he just went for a dip in a river anywhere near books.

'Wetter than he'd like.' That's a bit of an understatement, isn't it? One that makes Malon have to stifle a chuckle. With his sodden hair plastered to his face like that, Kratos looks nothing like the immaculate prince Malon met. ]

Here. [ Malon sets her bags down on the windowsill of the store behind them so she can pull off her neckerchief and offer it to him--

Which he probably can't see at all through that wall of wet hair. Don't laugh, Malon. Don't laugh. ] You can dry off a little with this.

[through the red drapery that is his hair, kratos catches sight of what's being offered. ah, that's a kind gesture. small as that cloth may be, at least it'll help dry off his face.]

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[he takes the neckerchief with one hand while he uses the other to slick back his wet hair with one smooth movement. drying his face can't very well happen with his hair all sticking to it, after all. the way that slicked back wet hair looks may just so happen to resemble how a certain prince had looked.]

[ The moment he pushes his hair back, recognition hits Malon like a bolt of lightning. It's him! The prince she danced with at that ball, when she was under that strange enchantment!

All this time, she thought he was just a figment of the spell, like Ingo and her evil stepsisters. ]

It's you...!

[ She stares at him, agape, as memories of the ball rush back to her. Thanks to the influence of the enchantment replacing Malon's memories with Cinderella's, the whole thing feels more like a dream than something she actually experienced. In fact, if it wasn't for the storybook she received that clearly depicted Malon on its pages, she probably would've just written the whole thing off as a dream.

But not only was it not, apparently neither was the Prince. ]

[the comment maron makes causes kratos to pause in drying to glance back at her. this isn't someone he knows personally. that said, she looks oddly familiar. this girl, she-- oh! his eyes widen in recognition as memories of that unfortunate event come rushing back. to think he'd run into the one person he'd rather have avoided now.]

Ah.

[he's quiet a moment before returning to drying himself and hoping to do as much without betraying how awkward he feels. how awkward does he feel? SO so very awkward.]

It's been a while.

[...that was the most pathetic thing to say. ugh. good job. kratos mentally kicks himself for that. he had acted completed foolishly and out of line. sure, it was out of his control but it was still completely out of line.]

Rather, I apologize for how I acted last we spoke.

[there. better.]

[ 'It's been a while'? Wow, that... is probably the most stilted, awkward response he possibly could have given to the girl that he was prosaically gushing over all night a month ago. This is not the reaction Malon expected to receive if she ever met the mysterious prince again.

Because, of course, she has fantasized more than once about what such a reunion might be like. And it usually involves significantly more poetic gushing about lost loves finally found, accompanied by unreasonable amounts of fluttering rose petals.

But it would've been fine. He probably never expected to run into her either. Maybe he also thought she was just part of the spell. Malon just about opens her mouth to make such a remark when Kratos cuts her off--

with an apology??

Wait, what? ]

I...

[ Malon fumbles for a response, clearly thrown off by an apology she wasn't expecting at all. Kratos how did you already manage to make this worse?

Somehow, she manages a smile, dismissively waving off his apology with one hand. ] It's all right. I really didn't mind. It was actually kind of.. fun.

[ Understatement of the year by girl who has been thinking about her mystery prince all month. ]

[because he's simply that talented when it comes to making things worse.

oh he did full well think of that evening. said thinking consisted of being horrified at his own behavior. that had been too much like zelos for his own liking. hell, not even zelos compared to that and that speaks volumes. if the cinderalla had been real then he felt for her having to deal with all that.

a that sort of response ends up surprising kratos, even if said surprise doesn't really show. well, at least she seems not too upset. that said-- fun?? that was fun?? to each their own, he supposes.]

Perhaps to a degree, but how I acted was [cringe-worthy.] not how I typically act.

[ Imagine saying things that would make Zelos embarrassed. That's peak cringe right there.

Even if he isn't showing it very much, it's pretty clear to Malon that he's embarrassed. Someone who wasn't embarrassed wouldn't have immediately launched into an apology without so much as a hello. ]

You weren't that bad. [ She offers with a laugh. Honestly he was... extremely corny. Even thinking back to some of the stuff he said gives Malon second-hand embarrassment. But it also makes her girlish heart flutter, because she's long wished for a dashing prince to sweep her off her feet. ]

I wasn't really myself either. [ Even though she wasn't nearly as bad as Kratos. ] Obviously I'm no noble's daughter. [ She gestures at her outfit, the simple dress, the heavy apron, and her well-worn boots. ]

And I figure you're not actually a prince either.

[ haha, but maybe...? Malon wouldn't mind if he actually turned out to be a prince. ]

[exactly. which is why he will do his best to ensure this event and all that transpired during it reach as few ears as possible. heaven forbid were yuan or zelos to find out, that'd be an annoyance of divine proportions.

so yes, he is very much embarrassed.

but he will keep believing he's successfully hiding that fact. how understanding malon is acting causes some of the tension in his shoulders to ease. he finishes drying off his face before turning toward her and responding.]

No, I'm nothing of the sort. I'd been a knight once, but with no relation to any royalty.

[many knights were royalty but his family was not one of them. they were lower ranking nobility, nothing special.]

Currently, I'm more of a mercenary than anything else.

[and angel.]

[ A former knight? And now a mercenary? Both of Malon's brows go up as she looks him over again, comparing this new information against his currently sodden, less-than-knightly appearance. She hasn't really met many knights before, and even fewer mercenaries, but the image in her mind's eye is of someone in armor, someone imposing. Drenched as he is, Kratos isn't exactly that at the moment. ]

Well, I guess I shouldn't call you "Your Highness" anymore.

[ Said with just enough impishness in her tone to suggest that she still might anyway. She's still calling Link "Fairy Boy," after all, even though he's grown up now. ]

[he catches that tone and makes a bit of a face. on the one hand, please don't; on the other, given how poorly he'd behaved around her, if she wants to keep calling him by that then he won't make too much an effort to say no.

...even so, he'll still try to make an effort to nudge her away from that title. just a small nudge.]

Just Kratos will suffice.

[Nuadha SHOULD, by all rights, be paying more attention to what is going on around him. He's a fighter; he should be on his toes at all times, ready to strike or dodge if need be.

But today he's off his game. He hears that whizzing sound and the accompanying cry just a tiny bit too late to realize that he is the one being addressed, and he's barely started to turn around when the watch clunks him solidly in the back of the head.

It's probably a good thing that even here, his sense of pain is still slightly dulled by virtue of the nature of his body.

Still...]

... I appreciate the warning.

[As dry as it is, he's sincere as he bends down to pick up whatever it is that just knocked him in the back of his head.]

[kratos can only look on with no small amount of sympathy. getting struck full force with a watch will leave quite the bruise.]

Shame it came too late.

[but at least it was only a watch as opposed to an actual threat. the thought gets kratos to frown once more at the watch in his grasp. this may not be the usual choice of weapon but it had purposely struck them. why? while contemplating that, a noise catches his ear. it's recently familiar and coming from right above.

as he looks up, his frown deepens.]

Careful. It looks like there's more of these.

[many similar watches float above, some casually floating while others are chasing down new people who needs their timely services.]

[Fortunately, the bruise is something he can deal with because of the aforementioned "dulled pain" scenario.

Still, Nuadha is most definitely annoyed by now, and with the watch that had fallen to the ground still in his hand, he's going to be drawing his jian with his other hand in order to deal with... huh. That sure is an entire cloud of watches floating up there.

Okay, so he may be guilty of passing off a lot of his responsibility on being timely for things onto Baldr, but still. He gets the point, and he definitely doesn't need to be pelted by an entire horde of floating watches in order to get it across.]

I see they can't take a hint.

[The one hit him! The point has already been made clear!!!]

This may take both of us.

[but the watches want to make sure everyone is making good time! these two definitely need that, so say the watches!!

but kratos very much agrees with nuadha here. he would rather avoid seeing how painful getting hit with one of those is. good chance that most in the city would feel similarly. given that, best to deal with these pests before they end up being too much of an annoyance.]

It seems so.

[thus kratos readies his weapon.

as if knowing that their timely antics may get interrupted, the swarm of watches pauses mid-flight regardless of what they're doing. then, in an unnerving unison, they all turn to face the pair.]

Get ready.

[HE IS ALWAYS IN GOOD TIME!!! He does not need to be smacked in the head for that!

Too bad the watches don't seem to care, though, and he's probably going to be far more cross once the bruise on the back of his skull actually forms. He'll deal with that part when it happens.]

I'm not leaving a single one.

[And that's all the warning he gives before lashing out towards the ones nearest him with a fiery blast.]

Zetsuen Rengatou!

[Hopefully being set on fire will be enough of a deterrent to keep them from trying that again? If not, he has other tricks up his sleeve as well, but right now he is just Done.]

[THE SMACK WILL MAKE IT EVEN BETTER TIME THOUGH!!

the watches hit by that have no time to react and are effectively stunned and burnt. they fall to the ground with a thunk. miffed by such horrid actions against their watchy siblings, another group of them zooms toward nuahda. they will get him back for that!! what a shame that this group fails to accomplish said goal due to a sudden thunder blade crashing down on them.

almost immediately after finishing that cast, kratos ends up barely dodging several watches himself. the watches aren't too happy with that arte, either.

watches now surround the pair. two swordsmen vs several dozen angry watches: who will win?]

[HE DOUBTS.

Nuadha lashes out at the group of watches headed towards Kratos post-Thunder Blade with a wind-based strike to launch them back towards the others, causing a few of them to knock into each other as they fly backwards. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to do anything beyond make them more determined to make sure that Nuadha and Kratos will never be late for anything again ever...

The entire situation would be comical if it weren't for the fact that these watches don't seem to grasp that one watch for each of them would be plenty.]

It doesn't seem as though they're going to stop...

[determined these watches are!! some may find it comical but they take their timely duties seriously! why, with better management, they could already be done with this fight. terrible!! they will help with these two's time management whether or not they like it.

kratos' eyes dart around at their opponents(?). sizable numbers, quick movement, and determination: the recipe for truly annoying fights.]

That does seem to be the case. [sigh] Our only choice seems to be taking out all of them.

[that or have about twelve watches follow each of them around for however long they deem necessary. kratos will pass on that.]

[Yeah, so will Nuadha. This is already a colossal pain, thanks.]

We should try to get as many as we can with one strike.

[Maybe that will convince the others to leave? Possibly? ... probably not. But if nothing else, it will make the remainder easier to deal with when they're only trying to target a few opponents rather than a few dozen.]

We'll take the ones on the right. Use something that can hit as many as possible.

[Nuadha shifts, adjusting his grip on the hilts of his jian and dagger. He's ready to leap in the moment Kratos moves.]

On three.

[precisely what kratos himself was thinking. one solid attack from the two of them is the best bet to take care of things. getting their numbers down will make things less of an overall pain. hopefully. the more that go down at once the better. numerous attacks of his could suffice so no issue there. he glances at nuadha and nods.]

On three.

[he'll start off the count, tightening the grip on his sword as he does.]

One...

[Not that Kratos is aware of this fact, but Nuadha already knows exactly how the other man fights-- has seen him in battle, no less. He knows that the two of them can easily handle the majority of the clocks with their combined artes, which is why he even suggested this in the first place. He just needs to trust that Kratos is going to act the way he expects the other man will.]

Two...

[He crouches down slightly, preparing to dart forward...]

[although lacking in that same degree of information, what kratos can tell is that nuadha knows how to fight. how well may not be an answer he knows for sure, but given the reaction to this and how nuadha carries himself, it's above a novice-level.]

Three!

[and go! kratos lunges at the swarm. one hit together, let's do this. lightning crackles around it --moreso than normally would since he's putting a little more energy into this strike than normal-- before he thrusts that lightning blade at them. the lightning strikes out from the metal and hits a good number of them.]

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[open] rain rain go away

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