Dashing Towards Freedom

It’s kind of unfortunate to say, but this has been a pretty long time coming, so…

Yeah! While my time rping has been incredibly fun and gave me a bunch of new experiences, it’s about time that I actually end it. My motivation for rping these characters faded a while ago (lol you can tell by the extended stretches of time) so it’s about time to put it to rest.

I’m really grateful to all the people I roleplayed with! For my first time experiencing an rp community, I’d say this was extremely nice. I doubt I’ll be coming back, but I hope you all continue to have fun!

I won’t delete any of these accounts because 1) good memories and 2) it’s just nice to look back on them, so they’ll be archived for however long they can be.

Anddd, that’s it! Thank you all for such a great time!

Ruri-chan dressed as Meragu-desu! ;D

Requested by @ngoisaotim

The girls saying bye.

Why couldn't she see his viewpoint? Why was she making this so difficult? Who heard of a Princess who refused to actively take care of her own well-being? They couldn't depend on soldiers to protect them if they turned out to be spies, so they learned to protect themselves. And Ruri wanted to throw her safety away because she didn't wish to hurt people?

His eyes sharply narrowed at the rise in her voice. “Watch your language, Ruri,” he chastised. “You won't speak to your older brother as if I'm one of your friends, and you won't do those unnecessary actions. We can handle the internal affairs and the lives of our citizens without you butting in where you aren't meant to.”

Watch it… he thought when she gripped on to his shirt. Shun anticipated some sort of attack—not like she regularly hit people, because if she did, he'd be equally impressed and concerned about her state of mind—but when all Ruri did was angrily snap, he responded by pulling his mouth back into a sneer.

“You are royalty, not a commoner.” Shun lifted a hand, bringing it up to wrap around her wrist. “Royalty stick to the roles given to them. A King provides for his people. A Prince trains to become a King, and a Princess doesn't whine about her lot in life because she isn't able to do what she wants. Grow up! Your complaining will not help you when you're in trouble. Mother wished to help just like you and that didn't stop--”

Shun froze up, his sentence dying out the moment he realized what he was close to saying.

He wasn't going to bring her up. Not now, not ever.

After a beat, Shun squeezed his sister's wrist lightly and tugged her off his clothes, releasing her arm to leave it hanging in the air. Taking a wide step back, he found himself unable to resume looking at Ruri. If he did, he'd end up looking back at that horrible bracelet again.

He wasn't hearing this… this idiotic nonsense from his own flesh and blood, was he?

Shun tensed up, still locked on to the picture he didn't have time to properly examine. The higher his shoulders lifted and his hackles rose, the stronger he clenched his hands into fists. His short nails dug into his palm, sparking small bits of pain. The ache between his eyes worsened more than ever.

Ruri's voice had gone determined, like she stood with her beliefs. Her beliefs dedicated to not fighting, to… to become some sort of pacifist?

“Ruri,” Shun said, speaking slowly. “You don't know what you're talking about.”

He couldn't make her future for her? He was trying to make her have a future. Ruri wasn't an idiot; she should know full well the risks of being royalty. Death could happen at any time—a traitor in the castle could poison them, a spy could kill them in their sleep… Hell, their father could die, and where would that leave the both of them?

Shun with the new title of King and the responsibility to manage an entire kingdom, and Ruri, the Princess who couldn't fight to save her own life.

Dropping his gaze from the picture, he moved it back over to her, locking onto her own.

 “You are making a mistake.” His voice, quiet and hard, mimicked his stance. “A very stupid mistake because of your incredibly selfish ideas. If you think anyone—those Fusionites—will keep you alive after you're captured—because of course you can't battle, so you wouldn't win—then you really aren't as smart as I thought.”

Their mother wasn't murdered just for her daughter to want to experience the same fate before becoming an adult. Shun would make her understand in the end, even if he needed to insult and pressure her into it. It was for the best.

Oh gosh, he asked her doctor out; leaving the poor princess alone with her harsh and scary older sibling. This was not going to end well for her…

Shun’s initial response to her story caused her to shudder instantly; her free hand instantly feeling her racing heart go faster and faster than previously. She had to brace herself for the storm of anger that was about to come her way. If only she could have been knocked out from all this, and spared his rage…

“I-I’m sorry!” She quickly rushed in after his insult; trying to hide the fact it really bothered her. “It looked like one I’d never seen before, and it caught my eye! You love birds as much as I do! Surely you must understand that-” He cut her off before she could finish; her eyes slowly widening at his next batch of words.

“Lose my life…?” Ruri repeated; her voice shaky and low as the truth of his words sunk in. Shun wasn’t the type to sugarcoat things, and showed her much tough love. It didn’t mean she was good at taking them though. “B-But brother, when would I really have to go fight…? I know of the wars going on of course and the growing threat of the Fusionites, but…I-I don’t think I’m best suited to be on the battlefield. I’m no warrior princess…” 

Her gaze then shifted down sadly; looking at the bracelet she had gotten passed down from her mother. It was more of a reminder of her position than the crown atop her head, and she always looked at it when she was unsure and doubtful. 

“It doesn't matter if I feel the same way as you, Ruri.” Scowling, he strode closer, ending up several inches from her wide bed. “I haven't gotten distracted in my duties and gotten hurt, unlike you. You need to be more vigilant about your surroundings, yes, but be more careful about your body first of all. Keeping that safe is the first step to staying alive.”

He was getting too angry. Ruri needed to understand that training was important, but demanding it from her typically didn't work out well. She always reacted negatively, and—noticing her almost instinctual movement to hold her hand over her chest—it seemed to have already started.

For a moment after she continued explaining herself, Shun closed his eyes to sigh yet again. Things were getting out of control…

His eyebrow twitched.

The Fusionites.

If she knew about them, then why was she complaining in the first place?

“Those Fusionites are the enemy, Ruri. They're vicious and will hurt anyone they choose.” Reopening his eyes, he glared intently down at her, unable to hide the gritting of his teeth. “It doesn't matter that you don't wish to fight; you will fight because it'll keep you alive. Learn other skills on your own time. Right now, sword training is all you need.”

Ruri looked down sadly and, to his immediate regret, he followed her, landing on her wing-themed bracelet. His scowl darkened at once. Dragging his eyes up and off the tiny item, he moved it over to one of the pictures hanging from her wall.

Dropping his heavy gaze from her, he focused on her doctor. Middle-aged, beginning to bald, but the wrinkles on his face gave him a somewhat friendly air. Shun pointed to the door, gesturing for him to leave, and soon enough the room contained only him and his sister. Thankfully, the moment the door clicked shut, Ruri told her story.

“… You… were distracted by a bird.” He heard wrong. Right?

When it seemed that, no, Ruri actually had sprained her ankle because she concentrated on a bird of all things, Shun heaved in a deep, heavy breath before forcing it out through his nose. This wasn't happening. No one could be so--

Rin`s done!