come alive.

"We’ll not know for certain until we arrive, and I can not speak for him. However, know this: Lord Dumas is a solicitous person, when the situation calls for it.”  That was all he could manage at the moment, glancing briefly over at her and the weaponry she’d strayed from his side for. It was certainly better than what he’d initially found her wielding, though there were obvious defects. Battle-worn and stained to that same end, most likely in part of the fighting that had ravaged the surrounding city in the first place.

More likely than not, the blade had belonged to some Malfested soul. It was almost enough to make the Holy Warrior grimace, but he suppresses it, and continues on as they walk.

"I should think we’d both be grateful for that." There was his reply to the commentary about the terrain, the faintest of smirks playing at his lips with it. "I haven’t yet traveled far enough to see them with my own eyes, but as I understand it — there are a number of such villages, just across the way." And at this point, he gestures off to their side, where the vast ocean would presumably be. He’d be there soon enough, though; wouldn’t he? Who knew how far the Malfested race had spread thus far? No-doubt he’d find out soon enough, having taken upon the duty of exterminating them.

"— I take it your Ivalice is similar to this, then; that is, in terms of terrain.” Questions brought about by sheer curiosity continue to spill from his lips, it seemed; Patroklos could have cursed himself for not holding his tongue. Still, still — it was hard not to question, wasn’t it? Especially with the possibility of her coming from an entirely new land, a new world, hanging over his head. Queries would be best saved for when they stood before Dumas, but …

Innocent questions, such as the ones he asked and the ones Ashe replied with. They could not hurt much, could they? Glancing briefly over at her, the swordsman pauses a moment before answering; perhaps in an attempt to think over an answer without giving so much away.  "I have trained with a sword since I was young, and won my first tournament when I was fifteen; four years ago, I should say. I wasn’t truly a warrior until two years later, however — when I was drafted into Lord Dumas’ services.” There’s a certain air of somberness that comes over the blond at that moment; however, it only lasts so long. He shakes it off just as soon as it overtakes him, making it nearly unnoticeable.

At least being solicitous was a better trait than some, and one that she wouldn't be surprised to see from this Lord Dumas in theory. Facts be told, a young monarch suddenly appearing in a war-torn capital speaking of lands whose names would be a stranger to them... that would take some caution, despite Ashe's own grievances in her current situation.

She glanced over at where the young warrior was gesturing to, visions of lush green playing at her sights as she tried to see beyond the trees, imagining small villages with its people going about their daily lives. The thought had earned a faint smile from the queen. She had to respect the people trying to live their lives and survive in troubled times, a sight that she had seen many times while traveling with her companions all over the continent.

"Somewhat, yes. Especially the paths nearby the sky cities." she answered. "The paths leading to them are incredibly lush and well taken care of. The villages that would be along there, as well as the small villages in the Estersand, would be stable in their own right." She would only pray that the villages in this world would find their own peace, if it was not found already. Though, if anywhere else matched the sight in the city behind the two, she'd doubt it.

Ashe glanced at Patroklos briefly as he spoke of his experiences, or at least the ones that he would give. In itself, the fact that he had trained from a young age and even go so far as to win a tournament on his own was an impressive feat, even before he would call himself a warrior as he served his lord. His experience was well-appreciated in Ashe's mind, and luck was also appreciated for not having to fight him then.

"My parents know."

"Don’t go."

"You’re under arrest."

"Make me."

"Kiss me you idiot."

"I didn’t do it."

"That isn’t mine."

"Marry me?"

"Truth hurts, don’t it?"

"Be mine."

"You owe me."

"Just relax."

"I already regret this."

"Where are my clothes?"

"You could have killed someone!"

"I think I broke it."

"Do you love me?"

"We need to talk."

"Never again."

"Do I know you?"

"How drunk are you right now?" 

"Well that was unexpected." 

"Have you ever even done this before?" 

"I just want to cuddle."

"I can’t even look at you."

"What happened to you?"

"Don’t you dare."

"I missed you."

"This stays between us."

"I need a hug."

"I could kill you!"

"Kiss me."

"You’re so weird."

"Why are you wearing that?"

"You coward."

"You’re all out of ____."

"You. Come. Snuggle. NOW!"

"I think I’m forgetting something."

"This seems familiar."

"You lied to me!"

"Are you threatening me?"

"Is that my shirt?"

"Where did you find this?"

"Explain yourself."

"Where were you?"

"You drive me crazy!"

"I think I’m falling in love with you. "

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Just leave me alone."

"I need a drink."

"What were you thinking?"

"I dare you." or "I dare you to _____."

"I’m going to be sick."

"For you, I would _____"

"Just what did we do last night?"

"Give it back."

"I have to go."

"Shut up and listen."

"Do you remember this?"

"Want to hear a secret?"

"Take responsibility."

"Don’t look at me like that."

"Give me another chance."

"Don’t you dare come near me!"

"What the hell do you think you’re doing?"

"You mean everything to me."

"Why yes, I am as think as you drunk I am."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I miss you so very much."

"No, that can’t be my baby."

"Just five more minutes."

"No! You can’t die on me now!"

"That’s the cheesiest pickup line I’ve ever heard."

"Put. The. Weapon. Down."

"What are we doing here?"

"Do you trust me?"

"That sounds painful."

"Are you even listening to yourself?"

"I’m not speaking to you anymore."

"I can’t believe you missed that."

"That was a bad plan."

"That looked easier on TV."

"I’ve never heard that one before."

"This comes as a surprise to me, truly. I can not say that I’ve met one of royalty that chose to fight on the frontlines of battle." Turning to look over at her, the blonde’s brow seems to be knit as he turns the situation over in his mind. What kind of situation could have led her to have to fight —? As of now, it was left only to his imagination. If she herself was a queen, then there were surely others; other rules of other lands, where she came from. Neighboring countries and the like. Perhaps there was some sort of squabble over land, money; but would that really have led up to the crown jewel, as it were, taking up the sword and confronting the matter for herself? "You have me tempted to ask what it was that brought things to that point — but it seems to be a conversation best left for another time." As much as it would probably pain his already-troubled mind to wait for an explanation any longer. There’s a rather stiff nod to her other inquiry; about what she would use to fight, should they run into trouble along the way. "I suppose that it must. Although —" His hand subconsciously reaching towards the hilt of his sword (which had now since sheathed itself), he continues on. "As you said, you have no money. At least, none that can be spent here. It does pose a problem. The weapons here are .. sub-par, to say the least." He had at least some faith that the woman’s story would hold with his Lord Dumas, so he adds, hastily glancing over at her, "There is a city in the vicinity. Perhaps my Lord would be kind enough to give you the funds necessary to purchase something .. better."

In the meantime, though — he merely gestures for her to pick up something; and then they’re off. First to the gate, then past it. As they walk, Ashe begins speaking of her home — and something about her seems to become that much less rigid. Less guarded. His eyes remain on the road ahead, so as to detect trouble; but the sudden rush of nostalgia reaches even her voice.

And he can’t say that he isn’t the slightest bit curious about this new “world" of hers. "Ivalice .." The name is murmured, as if the swordsman simply wanted to see how it would feel for the name to leave his own mouth. "You must feel at least somewhat out of your element here, then. I would hardly call this weather ‘hot’, anyway." Now that they were away from the flames of the destroyed-city, it was much cooler about; the trees that shaded the path they walked on making it feel even moreso. "It does sound interesting, in its own right; the kingdom and its people. This war that you’ve mentioned — I assume it to be the reason that you were pushed to fight?" Could it really be any other way, though? Remembering that he’d already said he’d leave that aspect of conversation for another time, he clears his throat, and rolls one of his shoulders. "— Just a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ will suffice for now; we can speak about it in more detail once we’ve settled things with Lord Dumas." Silence overtakes them after this; as he straightens himself, he finds himself adding one last bit to the end of his clarification:

"I imagine you have questions of your own, and I suppose I can answer them. So long as they are not so prying in nature — or ones that require long-winding answers." Rather specific terms, weren’t they? Though he had finally come to the conclusion that he believed the royalty’s story, Patroklos found himself still guarding certain aspects, bits of information.

Ashe's focus went towards the hilt of his sword for a moment, and then towards the ruined rusts of swords that lay on both sides of them. Yes... compared to the sword that he had, these swords were down to its' last bits of edge. They either looked cheap, rustic or both, and the young monarch was no blacksmith. But again, taking what she could make use of -- until they get to this Lord Dumas -- was the best option in Ashe's mind. "If he would offer this to me, your Lord would do me a kindness." she replied. Looking onward, she walked to the side of the road towards a weapon suited for her. A rather medium-sized sword, with dirt and blood staining its' steel. And to her left seemed to be a iron shield. 'I might as well take this as well. I am unsure if I could use magick in this place.' Taking those items and strapping the shield to her back, Ashe made her way back towards the warrior as the two began to be on their way.

Patroklos' words had earned a half-smile from Ashe, commenting on the weather of this place. She had noticed that she felt less heat from the burning city, now seeing the shadows of trees over her head. "It's an adjustment from what I am accustomed to, but nothing too difficult to live in. I should be fortunate that your city doesn't seem to be place upon the foot of a mountain. Such a sudden change would be drastic." she replied lightly. Drastic yes... but again, nothing that she couldn't handle herself.

Hm? What happened to leaving those matters for another conversation? It seemed that he had caught on to his own words, but that didn't stop Ashe from glancing at him when he asked. Another time, she would probably give more detail to what happened in that war. Something that would suffice with a clearer picture. But until then, Ashe had gave her answer. It was simple, yet it held a bit of underlying weight.

"Yes." she answered. And then silence followed until he spoke again.

No. — No! This was all wrong! A high school life of mutual killing? The mere words brought tears to the edges of the programmer’s eyes and made his knees feel weak. He couldn’t stay here; he just couldn’t! Panic rose up to his throat, but he forced it down with a hard swallow. He had to remain hopeful. The boy tried to tell himself that over and over again, but the emptier the cafeteria became after the conclusion of the daily meeting, the harder it was to not break down and cry. But he had to keep his composure. If he was going to do anything to help the others, it would be that.

With a placid smile, he stood, rising out of his seat and placing his hands on the table in front of him for leverage. Chihiro’s legs carried him to the exit, ignoring the few glances his way as the boy swayed off. He just needed a few minutes to himself, that’s all. A walk through the hallways should suffice. Even if there wasn’t much space, and he was sure to run into someone along the way, the action of walking seemed to help clear his mind, if only for a little while. The dark grey coating on the walls seemed endless, and the tap of his shoes against the solid marble floors sent echoes throughout the hall. It was cold here. He wanted to be home — where it was warm and things seemed brighter. More than anything, he missed the feeling of warmth.

He didn’t have a destination in mind; his feet just brought him wherever no one else was. A sigh escaped his lips as he stopped mid-trudge. He stared down at his feet, his vision blurring once again as negativity flooded his mind.

"I knew it. .. I really am useless. .."

He spoke to no one, barely above a murmur. It was true, though, wasn’t it? His talent was wasted in this environment, and he couldn’t even keep up the illusion of being okay like he swore he would. The others were working so hard to find an escape route, and here he was: moping, crying, weak as always. That’s right — weak, weak, weak. The word bounced inside the vastness of his mind, eating away at the little confidence he had left. Was he always going to be like this? The thought made him cringe; he didn’t want that. He had to stop thinking like that. Yeah, he was going to put those thoughts to the side, and think positive! If everyone else can do it, he can too. He’d start with finding a way out, and then, well, he’d figure out the rest later. With a short nod and newfound determination, he wiped at his tears, completely ignorant of the fact he was standing in the middle of the dormitory hallway as he announced to the world:

But seeing as the daily meeting was over and most of everyone here got up to do their own thing, there was some free time to be spent. If there was anything to look forward to in this prison-esque environment, it was the fact that he could spend time with his fellow classmates and get to know them better. Makoto himself may be an average joe, but everyone else was amazing in what they could do best. Sure, some of them were more... colorful than the others, for lack of a better word... but they were still in this together, right? It wouldn't be too much to spend some free time with them.

So Makoto got up from his spot in the cafeteria table and began to walk out the door and leave. He said his 'see you laters' to Hagakure and Yamada, who were the only ones left with him in the room today. Everyone else was either in their rooms or exploring certain areas, which was something Makoto was planning to do for the rest of the day. That was until he heard a certain yell in the middle of the hallway, right in front of where he was walking too. He blinked to see who it was, even though he recognized her voice.

.. It could almost be called “embarrassing”. No, not almost, it was. Not to mention, such behavior was unbefitting of a Holy Warrior, one who was supposed to protect those who were unable to do so themselves. Were she truly a civilian — no, royalty, as she’d previously stated — “You would fight alongside me, against monsters you know nothing about?” While she had suggested it to make herself of “use”, so to speak, the idea didn’t quite sit well with the young warrior. As Ashe made her way to his side and kept pace with him, Patroklos gave her a sidelong glance, and a slight shake of the head. “It wouldn’t be fitting. You haven’t a proper weapon, for one. And —”  He pauses a moment before continuing on, “If it is truly as you say, and you are a queen .. How could I ask someone of such a status to fight Malfested: creatures on the lowest rung of the later?” Best leave the job to those more suited to doing it — in this case, that would be the Holy Warrior that the queen stood beside.

When the blonde asked about the state of the city, the swordsman could only give her a grim nod. “When I arrived, the city was already in this state .. So I can only assume. It is the most logical conclusion, given the circumstances.” Dumas had gone to great lengths to express how desperately malicious the creatures were — Patroklos had no reason to believe it could have been cased in any other way. “They’re capable of much more, however; this is just .. one of the reasons I’m after them.” It was about then that they reached the gate that signified the entrance of the city — or, rather, what was left of it. Walking through the ruins carefully, he raised an arm, first to signal that the queen should follow, and then the point at the dirt path ahead. “We’ll be walking along this road. My lord Dumas’ stronghold is not far, so it shouldn’t be too long a journey.” With that, he begins walking ahead once more, turning to look over his shoulder only briefly to make sure the foreign woman followed. “In this time, perhaps you could tell me more of this land you’ve mentioned, the one you ‘reign’ over as queen.”

"It would not be the first time I had done so," she replied. It has been some time since the end of that war, but Ashe's hands were still calloused from all the fighting that she had done for two years in the resistance. She could still feel it even as she clasped her hands. "Malfested they may not be... but at a more troubled time, I had fought with others against countless opponents given the circumstances." Yes... first the resistance, then her companions that helped her. With the most unlikely of people, Ashe was able to overcome the odds and win her kingdom again. Now it seemed that that time came once more, with it being a different cause to go back home. She couldn't waste time, and it would be faster if she and the warrior beside her would cooperate together. They were civil, so far so good for strangers. "As for weapons, there are many swords about like the one I had when you encountered me. Until I have a sense of this land, or maybe some currency to buy a proper weapon... would that not suffice?" she asked. Take what you can make use of. That was something that she had learned in the beginning, running in the underground with the resistance.

Hearing his grim answer to her answer only made the Dalmascan Queen frown more. Were they like Espers, in that regard of holding such power? Even now, the city still burns around them. Whether it'd be one or many... it would not be easy to take care of alone. All the more reason why they should stick together at least. But what other reason could Patroklos have for seeking such beasts? Were they not orders from this lord of his? At this point, Ashe decided not to pry, only nodding grimly in response.

It was only some time before they reach the gate, and Ashe followed the warrior's lead all the way. Good... it wasn't far from where she needed to go. One step closer to home, that was all she could ask for. She kept up with ease, going at a smooth pace. She looked up at him when he asked about her kingdom, and Ashe's expression became less hardened and more... fond.

"We are but a small kingdom, compared to large empires such as Archadia or Rozzaria. We sit at the heart of the Estersand, making our climate hot nearly all year round. Small we are, but we are one of the oldest kingdoms in Ivalice, dating back 700 years since our founding by the Dynast King." she started to explain. It was a rather rich history, but she figured that the warrior before her would get bored with such details that he knew nothing about. So she moved on towards a subject more dear to her heart; her people. "My people are peaceful, more accustomed to it than not. But they are also resilient, as they survived the war even when Dalmasca was in such turmoil. Even upon rebuilding our strength, they are strong-willed and optimistic." But how long that would last... until their Queen returns from wherever she ended up, Ashe didn't know.

It had taken far longer than he’d liked, gathering the necessary materials and gaining the necessary knowledge to pull this off. “This” being, of course, the pact that he’d planned to make from the very start. A pact with demons — a crude deal, more like. The amount of work he’d put into the entire thing was immense. In all honesty, he could not count the nights he’d gone without sleep, too busy planning his next move, his next strike. Though, that was assuming he slept at all. All this, he did, and more: traveling from one town to the next in search of the Centurion Cores, maintaining the Vanguard (a group that he’d founded to, ultimately, reach his goal) .. seeking out the girl who held one specific Core in particular: Ratatosk’s. He had never managed to kill her, though that was his primary mission — Emil, her so-called “knight”, had been fool enough to take her side, so as to prevent her (necessary) death.

Infuriating as the fact was, though, it seemed to not matter any more. Not when he stood before the door that would make all his work worth it. All he had to do was seal the deal, and everything he’d worked towards would come to fruition .. —

It was precisely at that point that there was a “bright flash”, for lack of a better description. And then Richter, who had only stood within the depths of the Ginnungagap moments before, stood on an open field. More specifically, he before what looked like a campsite, perhaps some sort of stronghold.

No. Emil and his company were already on his heels when he’d headed down to the sealed door — no-doubt they were already within the depths by now, looking for Richter so as to “settle the score”. The redhead had minutes, maybe, to pull off what he had to do and confront them .. and somehow, it had backfired. Whatever had happened, it brought him somewhere unfamiliar; strange, considering he’d traveled all over the conjoined worlds of Sylvarant and Tethe’alla. If he’d left any stone unturned, it would have come as a surprise to him. So, assuming hewas on the continent of either of the worlds, why wasn’t this place familiar —?

If he squinted, the half-elf could make out banners in the distance, each donning a symbol that he was unfamiliar with. He couldn’t make out what the symbol was from where he currently stood, but if he got closer, he’d probably be able to. That would also mean he’d have to deal with whatever group resided within the place, more likely than not — something he was not looking forward to, especially in his current state. He was agitated (for lack of a better word), and walking into a stronghold blind didn’t sound all too appealing. Still .. there didn’t seem to be anywhere else he could turn to in the immediate vicinity. What other choice did he have? The front gates were open, surprisingly enough; however, why they were as such was beyond him. Still, he approached the area cautiously, and when he found no one in the encampment within, he took step after step inside. It was .. eerily quiet, and though Richter usually appreciated the silence, he found this unnerving. It felt almost as though he was being watched from a distance, and it was something he didn’t much appreciate — even if he was more likely than not tresspassing. Gloved hands moving to the sword at his hip and the axe resting against his back, Richter called out as he approached the center of the area.

But that also didn't mean that they were lenient, especially with their camp wide open. It was no secret to where the Saika was stationed, but it was also not a secret that their gunman watched the lands for potential contractors .. or intruders. Either way, they had soldiers and traps awaiting them to prove their worth. And if that wasn't enough, then they could fight their chief, who already had a gun in hand as she aimed at a target.

Her shots would echo through the small crevasse of land she was in.

"Boss, there's someone wandering through the gates." she heard a watchmen reported as he approached her with haste.

"Who is it?"

"We don't know. He just appeared as if from nowhere. We've got the first squad on lookout in case he does anything suspicious."

Magoichi only nodded curtly, showing that she understood the situation at hand. "Very well. Keep an eye on our... uninvited guest. Should he prove hostile, then put him in his place." she ordered coolly, spinning the slender revolver in her hand before put in back in her holster. With an affirmative 'Sir,' the solider went back to one of the watchtowers of the base to pass on her orders. Magoichi herself only stood with a neutral expression on her face. What man nowadays would just carelessly wander into the base of the Saika Faction? The fool... that was a sure enough way to get killed if handled thoughtlessly.

But still... fool or no, this person who has come across their base has found themselves within the crow's nest. And as the chief of the faction, Magoichi Saika should at least see what this intruder is capable of if anything. So she walked out of her quarters, her decorated red cloth flying behind the wind of her steps as she stood tall and calm. If there was anything that was known of Magoichi Saika outside of her sacred crows, it was her levelheadedness as she would carry out orders to her faction. They did, after all, move as one mind.

Steps calm as she entered the vicinity, seeing her fellow men swarm a red-headed stranger with guns in hand, not knowing if he was a contractor or foe. It was unknown whether he belonged to one of the clans rearing their heads throughout the land, but in the end, it mattered little. Either way, he was an uninvited guest in, the stronghold, and they needed answers. Magoichi looked the stranger over calmly before resting a hand on her hip.

okay so apparently most of my drafts have disappeared somehow — i had like six/seven but now there’s only two??? and i don’t really get why that is, nor do i remember what i had in my drafts to begin with bc i have a goldfish’s memory. so if i could ask all you guys a favor:

if i owe you a reply, could you like this post/reply with a link to the post i owe you (or if you’re a multi-indie/we have multiple rp’s going on, let me know which character(s) i owe you for) that way i can put everything back in my drafts and start doing replies when i get home tonight!!

currently, i have only these two rps in my drafts:

birdcage — daryan & akane

red velvet — dante & mitsuru

No way. The numbers blinked on and off on the screen, but she still couldn’t believe her eyes. Her hands that clutched the controller shook: the sweat on her brow beaded and then fell, as she exhaled so deeply she wasn’t sure she’d ever inhale again. Shock spread across her face as she continued to stare at the numbers. Junpei, 2348939. Minako, 2401283. There it was, plain as day. There was no mistake about it. A feeling of joy bubbled up in her throat — her toes curled under her socks as she tried to hold it in but she couldn’t help as it exploded out instead.

“Yes, I finally did it!”

Throwing her fist in the air, she laughed (rather loudly, much to her dismay.) At last, she beat Junpei’s high score! Man, is he gonna be shocked; well, either that, or really pumped to now beat her score. Junpei and Minako were always rivaling over stupid little things: high scores, shadow counts, walking pace — everything but grades. Minako knew it was hard for Junpei to study, so occasionally they’d ally for the night and cram some last minute information in. But when they weren’t trying to one up each other, they were practically best friends. The two ran into a few rocky situations after she was appointed leader, and as guilty as Minako felt for taking the position away from him, she really wasn’t to blame at all — she knew that. That was all water under the bridge now, though, which she was very thankful for. Junpei was a great person; he was unbelievably kind, and although he sometimes said some, well, thoughtless things, anyone could tell he truly cared about his friends and wished to protect them. She couldn’t ask for a better friend, or a better rival.

With a spring in her step, the leader ran out of the room, stopping first at Junpei’s room to knock at his door. Nothing. No response. Akihiko passed by, stopping to give her a questioning look and ask what she was doing. When she asked if he knew where Junpei was, he only shrugged and apologized as he continued on his way to his own room. Minako stopped to think, where would he be? It was possible he went out for the day, but she figured it couldn’t hurt to keep looking around the dorm and ask the others. Akihiko didn’t know, so that left 5 others: Yukari, Mitsuru, Aigis, Ken, and Fuuka. Koromaru, too, if she brought Aigis to translate for her. Between the six of them, she was sure to find out where he went! This would be easy.

But as she soon found it, it wasn’t so easy: Yukari and Mitsuru went out earlier in the day, and Fuuka had been working on Yukari’s computer all morning. Ken wasn’t sure either, and Aigis had been sent to the lab for a routine check-up. The brunette sighed, resting her chin on the palms of her hands as she sat in the lounge. There was only one option left — Oh well! She gave it her all, and that’s what counted. Smiling, she pulled out her phone, and decided to send Junpei a message:

i finally beat your score! ヾ（＠＾▽＾＠）ノ - Minako

...sound asleep in a pile of stuff on his messy bed.

Last night he crashed into his room after he got home a bit early, rereading the piles of comics and magazines that were stacked up messily at the foot of his bed. He wasn't very silent while reading either. Sometimes you could hear sayings like 'Sweet!' or 'That's what I'm talking about!' or even 'Aww man, this for real?' through his door. You could tell that he was really into it. What did you think he would be doing? Studying? No, noooooo! Not Junpei! He would be knocked out asleep trying to pick up a book to study. That, or put it off until the next day, ever the dashing procrastinator.

And it's the weekend! There days were practically made for slacking off!

So Junpei, at the start of his weekend, lay asleep with all the magazines and comic books laying on his bed and on top of his body. He was out like a light, snoring loudly against the pages of the magazine that was on top of his face. He was oblivious to any knocks on his door or someone walking in and practically met with an avalanche of junk that would make one bolt for the stairs. He still remembered the time when Mitsuru called the police because she thought someone robbed him. Man, how embarrassing! Can't a man have his own messy man-cave?

So the man of the room remained asleep in his man-cave, until he felt something vibrate under his hanging fingers. Stirring because the feeling tickled his hand, he started to feel around for his cellphone. It's got to be a text or something. If someone called him, the ringtone would have went over his head just like that. "Oh man, what time is it?" he groaned, rising upright from the bed making the magazines that were on him fall to the ground. Lazily, he wiped a corner of his eye as he flipped the phone open. Minako? He idly wondered what was up. Was there something fun in town she found or something...?

...wait a minute...

...his score...

"NO FRIGGIN WAY!" he screeched, practically jumping out of the bed in shock. His score... his beautiful 2348939 unbeatable store... beaten by Minako! For weeks he held that top spot out of unreachable reach except for the master himself. Fuuka couldn't do it. Akihiko couldn't do it (when Junpei dragged him into playing that is). Yukari couldn't do it... and Minako came close a few times until now. Let's face it, Junpei and Minako were the only ones that played that game regularly. So it made sense that only she could learn from the master! Wait a minute! What was he saying?! He had to get his spot back! With hasted fingers, Junpei sent a text back to his best pal. A rather over the top message:

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! duuuuuuude! that was like, my unbeatable score! ohohoho man, it's on now!! - Junpei

As soon as he clicked send, Junpei searched for the closest pair of pants that he could find and slipped it on. The only thing he had on was his black tank top and some underwear (hey he was sleeping, okay?) He put on his trademark baseball cap, and twisted it backwards so that he meant business. He was fired up now! He had to reclaim his title, after all! Minako wasn't going to get away with this without a fight.

But now, for some reason he couldn’t explain properly .. now, he found that he believed otherwise. Or, at least, he was starting to. What reason had she to lie, to impersonate royalty .. and to make up such outlandish names for cities and countries, at that? “A queen .. you say.” There’s a pause, and then, slowly, the sword lowers. Though it remains in his hand, it now rests at his side. Even if he had reason to believe that the woman was telling the truth, he knew better than to let down his own guard. Once he could fully place his trust in the woman, the sword would return to its sheath. “.. Then, I’ll follow along with your story — assuming it will hold true down the line. I am Patroklos Alexander, the ‘Holy Warrior’.” Still, her explanation raised many questions — namely, how to get her back to this ‘Dalmasca’ that she spoke of. And if it came to that, the blonde could not say he would be of much use. After all, he knew nothing of things such as teleporting, and .. going inbetween worlds.

Patroklos Alexander... Ashe had never heard of such a warrior before, and a so-called holy warrior at that. But these were not her lands... so who was she to say? She would be more relieved that such a warrior of that caliber would guide her in her time of need, especially in an unfamiliar setting with blood in the streets... It was a sight that wasn't a strange sight to Ashe now, but it was unwelcoming all the same. But if Ashe was to be completely honest, she was rather more focused on getting home than that of simple discomfort. The sooner that she could, the better.

As she had heard the fate of the former lord, she frowned. Sold himself to demons... that was an unfortunate fate. She could not imagine someone selling themselves for power... not now at least. If fates were changed she would have easily been sold for the lust for power for the sake of her vengeance. If fates were changes, she would have become a slave to the nethecite... a puppet of the Occuria. Ashe had considered herself lucky and grateful to see another way and try to bring whatever peace that her people deserve.

It was probably wise to take note of these 'Malfested'.

Though Ashe looked up when Patroklos mentioned someone else that he had in mind. Someone that could possibly help her find her way back. It was a stretch... but it was all the chance that the young Queen had at the moment. Grey hues followed the young warrior as he made his way past her, making his way to guide her, she supposed. "That would be wise... though I am not too keen on having you fight alone, should we encounter combat. I shall be able to assist if you wish it. Either way, I am in your care, Patroklos Alexander." she spoke, finally moving to walk with the man in the ruined streets.