継続は力なり

          some things don’t always go as planned. you try to have a regular night out with a friend, something that maybe you’re not entirely used to after having a less than ideal childhood. you never really made friends, so this one is special. so you want it to go well. but then you’re walking down the street and someone slams into, trying to play it off as an accident but you’re well aware of the tactics, it’s something you’d done yourself for years.

          so when this passerby slams into ren, she twists around immediately, grabs him by the collar, and starts wailing on him. the knife doesn’t do him much good because she comes out victorious, only a few cuts and bruises spattering her skin and clothes, lip busted and swollen from when the assailant realized she was far from some normal girl. the problem is the mess she’s made, and yuna’s witnessed all of it. 

   “ I was thinking more of an Uno situation… ? ” ( he doesn’t know anything about photoshop; isn’t that what filters are for nowadays? ) “ because a reverse card would be really helpful right now… ” to turn it back around on HER. 

   but as much as he feels some bitterness towards the caster, he knows a lot of the blame is his own. after all, he agreed to be her ‘test dummy’. in his defense, she’d also assured him she could and WOULD un-curse whatever she cursed… and yet, HERE WE ARE. and Ren’s not helping him without an explanation. a little dejected and a little annoyed, he leans against her counter to give her what she wants: humiliation in exchange for the book he needed. “ okay, Satan. so, this girl I kind of sort of knew asked if she could practice a homemade curse. she said she made it for her ex who maxed out all her credit cards, ‘buying stuff for his side chick’– her words, not mine– but she wanted to make sure it worked before she casted it; that’s what she said... what was I supposed to tell her; ‘no, I won’t help you get revenge on your evil ex-boyfriend?’ ” he had a soul, after all!        “ … but I’m pretty sure I got scammed, ” he admits. this was probably not an honest mistake on her part, if he was being truthful. ( because if she really wanted to undo it, why wasn’t she here trying to help him reverse this mess…? ) and it’s knowing he walked into a trap– not even a very good one– which is the most embarrassing part of all… “ every time I swipe my card, the money goes into her bank account, not where it’s supposed to… so it keeps getting declined in front of everyone and they’re all judging me for not being able to afford a five dollar footlong. and she added a thing that makes ‘Truth Hurts’ play from my phone everytime the card is charged– just to drive her point home to the guy, I guess… which isn’t really that embarrassing– it’s a good song– but it definitely gets you some weird looks when it plays out of nowhere… over and over. ” THERE YOU HAVE IT. his shame is in the open. “ can I please get the book now? I’m hungry. ” ( he really wanted that declined sandwich… )

oh no, this is hilarious. Ren curls in on herself, trying to control her urge to laugh and failing. it spills out quietly, but loud enough to have a few heads turn from their work to look over at her, which she ignores. “christ, you’re so gullible.” Ren breathes out between laughs. how he didn’t see this scam coming, she didn’t really understand. 

the laughs die down until she’s righted herself, finally able to give Tida her attention again. maybe she laughed a little too much. he could probably use a bit of sympathy right now, all things considered... but she’s never been much of the type. without so much as another word she disappears behind the employees Only door only to resurface a few moments later with a book titled Modern Curses: Technology and More, placing the book in front of him. “this’ll probably do the trick.” she offers, adding the item to his other rentals before printing out a receipt and slipping it to him. she really didn’t need all that extra information but it’s really made her day... so she’s a little grateful he played along with her.

   she’s right; his library card had seen better hauls. “ at least I’ll get a good work-out. Bob Ross can’t do that for me. ” would he really, though? he doesn’t know what he’s getting into with a retro workout tape; he was only alive for five years in the 90′s, and he wasn’t Jazzercising for any of them. this throwback would probably serve as comedy only, but it doesn’t really matter– he didn’t plan on actually watching it; it was just an excuse to get to Ren’s counter. which she knows, although she doesn’t look very pleased about it…    “ it’s not as urgent to my friend, ” he nearly sighs. he doesn’t want to explain, but he supposes he has to, to some degree. “ I don’t know any curses. that’s not my kind of magic… ” was it obvious now, if not before? he was clearly not the cursee in this situation, but the cursed. “ … and I guess it isn’t hers either, because the Undo spell isn’t undoing it. ” he tries to avoid any further explanation, suddenly impatient, as if he hadn’t been the one wasting time, chitchatting away, minutes before. “ don’t you have a general– Idiot’s Guide to Curse Reversing, or something? that’s all I need– then I’ll leave you alone. ” that’s what she really wanted, right? 

"undo spell.” she breathes out in a huff, just short of a laugh. “what is this, photoshop?” spells to break curses could be as general or as specific as the curse itself. and yeah, maybe she had a pretty good idea of what it was tida was looking for. but Ren really just loved to tease Tida any chance she could. her elbows slid across the desk as she leaned in further, chin cupped in her outstretched hands as her eyes drew into slits, black painted nails a stark contrast against her ivory skin as she looked over her prey.

“Tida, magic is not a game. there are hundreds of books about curses and how to break them.” it was clear he was itching to get out of here.... Ren had a feeling he wasn’t too keen on sharing the details of whatever went down. meaning it was possibly humiliating. and that was exactly why she decided to drag this out, now. it’s a different story when she is having all the fun. it’s when the tables turn like this that Ren enjoys his company at her work, the times she can tease him so easily like this.

“ but if she wasn’t very serious about the relationship and they really wanted to get married, she would probably end it.” this img has me dead. OJIAHDUWH sb: im in love with u, pls marry me ren: *breaks up with them*

2. what sort of things does your muse look for in a partner?

this... is so difficult lsjhsgljhg because... there’s only been one person in her life she’s fallen for, and that’s in none of these verses... but she likes individuals who can surprise her, which is difficult because... she’s a pretty feral whirlwind of a person. they really don’t want a relationship that feels boring. and that’s not to say mundane is equal to boring! with the right partner, even every day life can be full of surprises. as long as Ren’s partner doesn’t leave her wondering what it could be like with someone else, she’s pretty content! ( but also scars are hot )

3. what sort of things does your muse AVOID in a partner?

Ren honestly has little to no interest in people who live secure lives. there is a definite preference for those who like to live dangerously, because it gives her something to relate to after living that way out of necessity. there’s also no room for control in her life. while she has definite interest in those who are authoritative, the idea of someone trying to control her is, aside from manipulative, abusive, and reminiscent of her birth mother, a huge turn off. she also avoids the types who do not or dislike expressing their affections for her in some way. she wouldn’t talk about this ( unless with someone she were really in love with ) but it causes her great amounts of doubt and stress when her significant other isn’t expressing their interest in her.

7. would your muse ever get married?

12. what is your muse’s love language?

HOO BOY. love languages are difficult for her, because she only experienced them in the form of her adoptive mother in a pretty brief setting. due to how she grew up, affection isn’t normally something she enjoys.... but she loves to give (in private). she never warmed up to it with her foster mother, but learned how important it was after losing her. so giving physical affection to those she is close to, while difficult in most settings, is very important to Ren. this can sometimes bleed into words of affirmation as well, but it depends on how vulnerable she is feeling ( which isn’t often ).

14. does your muse usually plan out dates or go with the flow?

  “ last time I picked without looking, I got a Bob Ross DVD, so I was kind of hoping I’d luck out again… I painted some really happy trees. ” no jokes: he really did follow the man’s gentle tutorial on a particularly eventless weeknight. ( he had the disc lying around in his apartment for no reason, and he was bored, so why not? ) “ not that I’m complaining, because this is really great stuff, ” is he being sarcastic or is he actually thrilled to be renting the Baha Men’s greatest hits? the world may never know… “ but have you guys thought about updating your inventory? everything in this library came out before I could even read… ” he’s not here for the pedestrian selection of items, but he thought he’d give his two cents anyway. he does that a lot, even when he shouldn’t. like, right now, again–     she doesn’t have all day? he looks around, then back at her. “ why? is the library popping off today? ‘looks pretty empty to me… maybe getting some DVD’s from this century would help with that. not trying to be being rude; just a suggestion… ” but she IS right that he could probably stand to get to the point. although he would kind of like to avoid it, because he knows she’s probably going to ask questions… they both know why he’s here. “ I need a book– for a friend. it’s about how to get rid of a curse. ” for as talkative as he was before, he’s suddenly less loquacious. he really doesn’t want to get into the details…

“well, none of this is gonna own up to Bob Ross.” she scans them in anyways, pulling up his information without asking for his library card. he’s been bothering her long enough that he’s a regular, she knows his information well enough to not need to ask. she’s not sure if that’s a good thing...

she rolls her eyes. “you’ll need to talk to someone else about that. not my department.” Ren had her hands full with their magic department. she worked hard to keep everything updated, re-transcribed books that were literally turning to dust before they lost the information. it made them one of the best libraries in the region for the abnormal. normal, not so much... but the influx of non-humans in the area kept the library going. that was all that really mattered. to Ren, at least.

Her personality is what is well and truly the same, her physical aspects have only only been minorly adjusted. I think it’s difficult mainly because there were relationships that, at least in this setting, no longer apply and I have to work around this. I’m still debating whether to have a verse where her outside-of-roleplay romantic partner exists, because that’s kind of a big deal lol. There were issues related to her being starved as a child that stuck with her, and while this is something that was 100% related to the canon character she’s come from, i super relate to it because I have a condition based on getting sick and starving myself out of fear as a kid sljsgsljhg. So i’m considering what to do in that aspect, because I don’t know how much i want her to suffer TM lmao.

@rimefated​

   he probably does not give the impression of an avid reader, and yet, here he is in this hallowed bibliophile place. it has gotten him some curious looks before, and he can see why; going straight to Ren’s desk with nothing in hand might seem a little… odd. sure, they could be friends & he could be a friendly friend coming to visit his librarian pal, but… better to preserve Ren’s safety and not rouse any suspicion about possible magical dealings she may or may not be doing. so, he stops to thumb through the music and dvd racks, haphazardly picking out a few with no regard to their content, before leisurely, as casually as he can muster, placing them down in front of Ren with a smile. the smile of someone who is about to ask for a favor. “ hi. can I get this– ” he only just now examines the items, having not realized what exactly he was checking out before this instant; “ um, 90′s workout video and… ” he squints– “ the ‘greatest hits of Baha Men’? I didn’t know they had any hits besides the dog one… ” now he’s actually curious about what’s on this CD. still, that’s not why he’s really here, of course. but he doesn’t know if he’s allowed to talk about it here in the semi-open…

          most days are quiet, and it’s what ren prefers, a blinding perk in the job she basically inherited - while not without her own hard work. but sometimes there are people who actually bother her during work, a wrench in her otherwise comfortable repetition. and when Tida, of all people, walks up to her desk, her eyes roll in response without her even willing it.