pride of the beastmen

1: Which is worse, failing or never trying?

2: Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?

3: If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?

4: Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?

5: If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?

6: Would you break the law to save a loved one?

7: Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?

8: Do you push the elevator button more than once?  Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?

9: Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?

10: If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?

11: If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?

12: What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

13: What do you love?  Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?

14: If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items would you want to have with you?

He’s standing at the edge of the town, watching the blizzard white out the woods in front of him.

Part of him was tempted to go exploring, want to GO… Something was calling him and the only reason he was hesitating was because whatever was calling, wasn’t friendly.

A dread in his heart is what filled him, but still…

Another catches his eye, another human from the looks of it, staring seemingly indecisively into the howling winds and freezing snow. Was he there to fight too, or just to look pensively into the unknown?

✂ — “An’ here I thought we had some fruity types in the Academy…” She remarked audibly, arms crossed over her chest impatiently. Looking the man up and down, he seemed quite extraordinary; on the level of those demons inhabiting the town, in fact. Unfortunately, her tongue and her mind didn’t seem to have quite the same level of coherent questioning.

“....President of what? Do I look like I have any fur?” And just like that, the girl’s basically lost him. What the hell is Furry Club, anyways....? In any case, he’s been out of the Academy for years now, so that has nothing to do with it, anyhow.

“Look man, you’re not a part of the army if it doesn’t exist. Maybe you were once, but it doesn’t exist anymore, so you’re not.” And she thought she was bad at letting things go.

“I know I’m not. What kind of deluded idiot do you take me for?” He snaps, perhaps a bit too rudely.

(Maybe it has something to do with his hands not being more like paws than hands. Then again, that’s still not the strangest thing she’s ever seen.)

This girl...she acted almost as clueless as the princess did, in the few times he’d managed to catch a glimpse of her. They were not totally the same, but it was enough to elicit a short, fleeting grin and an amused laugh before a return to his usual expression.

“To tell you the truth, it depends on the setting. The type of party people throw for a princess’ seventh birthday has an entirely different feel from the type of party people throw after defeating a stubborn opponent.” His phrasing is sugarcoating and he knows it--’defeating a stubborn opponent’ implies that there could have been anyone left alive after he was done obliterating the village’s defenses. But it’s not a good time to bring that up--it’s good to have conversations with people who don’t recognize him, or know what he’s done.

There was never a chance to, not in the SE.RA.PH, where showing any sign of weakness would get you killed. It’s overwhelming – there are so many people and demons (she’s still a bit surprised over that piece of information but she’s also seen scarier – and worse). 

So here she is, trying to catch her breath by standing near the wall. It’s working somewhat – at least until the man next to her turns and starts speaking.

“I wouldn’t know,” she says. “Im underage.”

“You are, huh...? ...I guess you still look kind of young. Not a cub, definitely, but...”