#faust ryu

I decided it’d be a good idea to have a size/color reference pic for all of the moderators.

Lychee/Lichen Fur- @ask-justfreshshapes-andbeats

Nym- @plaquebeat

Cherry Bloom- @aquatic-turquoise

Faust- @qwertythepopstarian08

“Nym…?” The door to Nym’s apartment creaked open Faust’s voice echoing through the area as she trotted inside, her eyes dim and filled with guilt. “I’m so sorry about Cherry’s behavior. I know how you feel about being called a Nightmare.”

The Guardian Ryubliss looked around, her ears folding downward as she scanned the area for any sign of her friend. The lights were all turned off, save for an old oil lamp still clinging to a spark, hanging from a hook on the wall in the kitchen. It took a moment for Faust’s eyes to adjust; she was a strictly diurnal creature, after all, and although she lived in a cavern, it was well lit with enchanted candles and crystals. Nym’s upscale Shift City apartment, however, was not.

Faust called out again, “Nym? You there?” She paused as she passed the kitchen, watching that odd lamp flicker intermittently. 

Its light faltered and flared, casting dancing, eerie shadows upon the warm tan walls, like spirits looking to whisk an unwitting Ryubliss away. The notion made Faust’s fur bristle with worry, and she shook her head, dismissing the thought. She ran a nublike paw along the posh, quartz breakfast bar, feeling granules of fine dust coating the surface… as if it hadn’t been touched in days. She frowned, glancing around again.

“Nym, this isn’t funny…” 

No answer… only the faint buzz of a broken, old television flickering in the living room. The once posh flat held an aura of abandonment… or perhaps neglect. Rumors had spread from island to island, until word of Nym’s supposed disappearance had reached Lychee, who’d told Faust, who’d immediately taken action, taking the first Forget-Me-Nought ship to Shift Island; she refused to believe that her friend had just… up and vanished. Not for this long. It wasn’t like Nym to do so.

The air in the apartment smelled stale, dry, even. Some appliances were still plugged in, yet inactive, likely burnt out after being in use for so long without pause. A half eaten salad was sitting, rotting on the table, smelling faintly of mold. Faust wrinkled her nose and snorted in disgust, shaking her head. She picked up the rancid plate, glancing around in search of a trash can. A half-filled wastebasket, likely meant for paper and not food-related items, was placed conveniently by the closet door. Wanting nothing more than to rid her sight of the salad, Faust unceremoniously dumped the bowl’s contents into the mesh basket, before dusting off her paws and placing the dirty dishes in the sink. The water ran in spurts, punctuated by a periodic rush of air and a splash of gritty, dark blue-green fluid  from the spout. It smelled faintly of Abyssalite blood; Faust made a mental note to check the pipes for eggs once she found Nym.

Moving on from the kitchen, the Guardian trekked up rickety stairs to the loft overlooking the living room. Nym’s nest-bed was unmade, looking more like a bird’s nest than anything, with pinkish-peach tear stains dotting the knotted covers. Faust dimly recalled Cherry telling her of how restless Nym was; the other Guardian was prone to night terrors and fits in her sleep, tearing and tangling the blankets that didn’t get kicked out of bed altogether. Faust lowered her head, sniffing the area. She caught the scent of magic, probably Nightmarish in origin, backing away with a high pitched bark.

She squeaked and, in a fit of anger, shoved all the blankets aside, half expecting to see Nym coiled up inside with that prankster grin on her face. “Nym, I’m giving you one last chance!” Much to her chagrin, there was still no sign of her fellow Ryubliss. Faust’s features contorted into a scowl, and she yelled, hackles rising. “Nym, blighted Lich, you are testing my patience!”

Faust wasn’t sure when the tears began rolling down her face, or when her anger shifted into worry, into anxiety. Her eyes, once flashing with furious glow, dimmed and flickered, until she felt her energy leave her. She sat down, her irritation melting away as she pawed at the sheets once more.

“Nevermind that…” She sighed. “I’m not mad. I promise. I just… I just wish I knew where you were…”

She didn’t even notice the faint flash of pink and orange light behind her, didn’t sense the cool autumn breeze rushing in. She didn’t hear the quiet giggle, or the soft clink of chains. Her core failed to resonate with the other Guardian’s magic as none other than Nym entered the room.

Faust failed to notice the other Ryubliss’s presence… until that frustratingly smug voice rang out, lilting through the air in an almost mocking, yet undeniably fond sing-song.

“Oh Faust~”

Faust’s eyes went wide, and she turned quickly to see Nym floating there, suspended in an aura of blazing orange and warm pink… as if nothing was wrong. Frozen by shock, she couldn’t even blink as Nym rested a paw on the dusty counter, her very touch sending arches of glowing plasma flickering and jumping over the counter’s cool surface. Nym flashed a fanged smile, her eyes twinkling with a rather Nightmarish energy.

So... I just found out that Nym actually was the child of two Exclubliss... and honestly... explains a lot. Zephyr and Poltergeist. Huh.

It’d explain why Nym never had a childhood.

For those of you who were wondering what an Anthro/humanized Ryubliss might look like.

This is a sort of 75% human Faust. She doesn’t have neck fluff here because she used a charm to hide it.

I’d say 50% human would be a generic “Anthro”, animalistic creature.