Nomi~!

The nimble approach Dune took to the fight belied any real effort behind it. He was just as polished at dodging his opponent as he was at tauntingly baring his neck. So far he’d kept the ferocity to a minimum, but he was still finishing off his specters by thrusting his hand through their weak points like a sword.

During a momentary clear of his side of the respite (more were taking the time to materialize), he stepped back on the balls of his feet to observe the other end. Shut was still moving, which said something.

“Is this your best, or are you taking it easy?”

Shut didn’t slow at Dune’s comment, retaliating as soon as one would appear. He had fallen into a steady rhythm not quite familiar but one he knew. At least they weren’t the dark specters of Dyspear...

a blush rose to her cheeks, which colored them a soft pink. no matter how many times she’s praised, it still makes her slightly happy to be recognized in some way. albeit not much for her appearance. she’s been called cute by the crewmates older than her. djeeta would like to think she had gotten used to it.  

the blonde nodded in thanks when she stepped into the shop, relieved at the warmth that rushed over her. her eyes sparkled as she marveled over the choices. “I’m glad you’re here to help! There’s too many to choose from.” 

“I can’t believe I almost forgot! I’m Djeeta.”

Shut stepped in after, walking with pride. His first priority? Observe the other’s appearance, find something that ideally matched her looks as-is but remained practical. He wasn’t quite paying attention to what went on in the other’s head so, it was far from his priority.

“You can’t believe there is almost no correlation between power and stamina. Prove me wrong, if you can manage it.” After shooting a daring glance at Shut, he focused on a figure coming into view the higher they went. It was translucent, wielding an axe half its size.

“They didn’t give any descriptions of these spirits, so my best judgment says that one plans to be the starting line.” In this city, any civilian could look like anything. Best judgment? More like the luck of his target.

“I’ll begin first.” At the final word, he’d already started to dash up, a rare energy building at the opportunity.

Shut merely rolls his eyes at the daring glance. He didn’t need to be strong, he just needed to last, is all. He watched Dune dart up first, observing the other’s technique for a moment, before he also moved, seeking another spirit to spar with.

“Hmm, have you gotten stronger since back then? Any power of yours returned? You weren’t exceptionally strong last year when we were fending off the shades.” Dune was interested in seeing a change, but expected quick disappointment otherwise.

“I doubt we’ll be fighting as a pair, so it won’t affect us fighting separately. I might manage to impress you, this time.”

Shut shrugged, focused on the approaching hill. “I don’t think this will be a reasonable assessment of power so much as it is stamina, Dune.”

“Of course. I’m beginning to think they’ve kept me here this long just to make me bored enough to keep participating.” The realization left him too nonplussed to be angry — for now — but he wasn’t going to sit out something potentially interesting just to be worthlessly contrary.

“Are you also headed up to the Respite to contend with the spirits, or take a leap of faith?” One wasn’t tempting to him whatsoever; Dune had no concerns about falling victim to gravity. It might be entertaining to watch someone that did.

“I wonder if those ghosts can really outlast me.”

Leap of Faith? Must’ve been a quest he didn’t see. He kept walking, not breaking his long stride as he watched the other out of the corner of his eye. He found himself... not quite caring for the other’s complaint(?) about being kept long enough to be bored.

“I am going up to contend with the spirits, yes,” He sighed, finally getting the last of the finicky strands of hair pulled back.

the blonde nods enthusiastically in agreement, having been taken in by all the wonderful designs. “The fact that they are beautiful makes it hard to choose!” nervously she rubs the back of her neck. “Although, I’d be worried about staining them somehow.”

at the question, her eyes sparkle slightly. “Actually, yes, I am! Your style is really eye-catching and wonderful! Could you help me? If you’re free to that is.”

Shut smiled softly, quite amused by the other’s energy. It was just so stinking cute! He nods, moving to open the door for her.

Quest: Split-Second Spirits!

Shut was making his way through Archimedes up to the Savior’s Respite, tying his hair back as he walked. The idea of these quests was rather...stupid, in concept. Yes, they broke up the monotony, but the set up was over-dramatic at best. Either way, he couldn’t be opposed for a chance to stretch his legs.

Besides, how bad could this be?

As he walked, he brushed up against a familiar face. One... he had mixed feelings on. Green eyes drifted to Dune as he looked the other over. Well, he supposed he couldn’t complain too much could he?

This is a Starter Call for Optimization. You’ll probably find him at quests like Bug Eat Bug World, Split-Second Spirits, or The Amaze-ing Challenge.

the sudden question has her jump slightly in surprise and she turns her attention to the person next to her. warmth rises to her cheeks, dusting them with a light pink, a tad embarrassed by her reaction. 

“I am, There’s so many different styles it’s a little difficult to choose,” she answers, looking back at the display, then back at him. studying his eye-catching style, djeeta wonders if he would be open to giving her advice. “What about you?”

Shut turned back to look at the other, offering a polite smile. “Simply admiring the amount of detail~! Especially how beautifully crafted some of these are...” He mused. He took notice of the other’s studying him.

“It’s how I’ve approached it all this time. I do think it’s the most reliable way of tolerating this place, from what I’ve seen of others.” He’d seen other outsiders either publicly making passive-aggressive comments or fully lamenting someone they’d cared about being taken. It was a great source of schadenfreude.

“But you’ll have to confirm it yourself, won’t you? I don’t know who else you might have, but I doubt I’ll disappear any time soon.”

“I suppose only time will tell, nomi,” He huffed, still leaning on the wall. For now, he supposed all he could do was wait. Wait, and see what the other did. Wait, and see what the future held.

“It’s lonely that way, isn’t it?” He tilted his head, a sympathetic look on his face. A complete disconnect with the feeling made it possible to state it plainly, and prevented cognitive dissonance from kicking in. Dune was caught in the same circumstance, ultimately. He should have felt what he could pinpoint in someone else, but as far as he could tell, he didn’t.

“You have more freedom here than anywhere else. You or someone that hurts you could be gone tomorrow. You can enjoy your time, even with fleeting relationships. Or, if you can’t think of it that way, consider it practice for somewhere more stable.”

“I prefer to spend my time alone more than most, but I also couldn’t live without the time spent with people like you.”

Shut quietly assessed the other, as if trying to determine if his statements were genuine. He readjusted his clothes, fiddling with the ends of the sleeves quietly. He wasn’t sure what to say, at least not at first, before he looked back at Dune.