Level 9
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 406 posts
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Post by Ketha'al on Nov 8, 2017 10:45:56 GMT -5
At such a candid comment, Keth could do nothing but laugh. It worked its way out of him, shattering the peaceful pattering of droplets.
"Of that I am utterly sure. You've never exactly played well with others."
He drew in a deep breath, steadying himself. The susurrus of the falling rain reconquered the tone, the ambience making the open space around them close in. Keth focused on Lopper's face, and he cracked a grin.
"Though, for what it's worth, you're one of mine, too."
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Nov 8, 2017 15:42:07 GMT -5
Lopper takes a moment to respond to Ketha'al's words, as if they passed right through her person. However, with some time her features twist appropriately to display the happiness that his words brought her. "It is worth more than you will ever know." Dragging an arm across her eyes, inhaling deeply and quickly to clear her nose, her free hand moves up as if to hold something within the closed fist it then forms. As the rain continues to fall upon the couple, it is clear that it no longer is reaching either of their persons. Suddenly, within Lopper's grasp, a clear umbrella exists that phases in and out of existence. With sudden momentum, Lopper pushes herself up onto her feet. "We should go for a walk."
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Level 9
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 406 posts
#Survive
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Post by Ketha'al on Nov 8, 2017 22:49:13 GMT -5
Keth looked at the umbrella with a momentary curiosity, more the metaphor of it, and what it symbolized. He might have been over-reading into it. In either case, it was cause enough to make Keth's energy shift.
"Of course."
He pulled himself to his feet, easing himself to his feet patiently. He ran his hands over his face, shedding water and flicking it outward as a spray.
"I'm already soaked. So, wherever you want to go is fine with me."
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Nov 9, 2017 9:36:00 GMT -5
Lopper gives a small smile in response to Ketha'al's cooperative nature, nodding her head in acknowledgement. "Of course it is." Lopper begins walking forward towards the other end of the dock in a slow and exaggerated way, clearly taking her time. "Have you ran into any of the others, since your return?" It is a casual inquiry, as if an attempt to bring up conversation. Or is there more to her question than simple small talk?
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Level 9
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 406 posts
#Survive
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Post by Ketha'al on Nov 9, 2017 10:54:21 GMT -5
Keth shook his head. In truth, Lopper was the only one of their circle that he'd encountered.
"I've seen players since I returned, but none so far that I would consider important, or even recognize."
It was a heavy thought, one that dragged on him. Where was everyone? He'd been trying to avoid thinking about it, and yet there it was. He fell in beside Lopper, matching her pace, his body language subdued and pensive.
"How about yourself? Have you seen anyone?"
His tone belied the turmoil in his heart: As far as he knew, they were the only ones left. Would others return? Did they know? Did they even care? Burning questions, to be sure, and ones which Lopper would likely be unable to answer. He left them unsaid, for now.
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Nov 9, 2017 11:00:15 GMT -5
Lopper hums in thought as the two of them walk underneath the rain, her ears tuning into his voice over the sound of the water crashing gently all around them. She is careful to not allow Ketha'al to fall outside of the umbrella's cover, as to not allow for him to get wet any longer. A hand brings itself up to fix her hair, moving it behind her ears with eyes that return forward after taking a glance at her company. "You look as if you have a lot on your mind," Lopper suddenly speaks. Is she avoiding his inquiry?
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Level 9
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 406 posts
#Survive
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Post by Ketha'al on Nov 9, 2017 11:10:17 GMT -5
If Keth noticed her dodge his question, he gives no visible sign of it.
"It's been a long five years, you know?"
He did not elaborate, instead fidgeting with the wrapped cloth sticking to his neck, running a finger along the inner curve to loose it from his skin. He looked up at the water flowing freely through the transparent umbrella, happy for his friend's gesture.
"I just was thinking that we might be the only two left. I mean, I'm not wanting for legitimate company, believe me, but it makes me wonder what became of these servers that once overflowed with people like us... More or less."
He stepped aside suddenly to avoid a puddle, his arm wrapping around Lopper's shoulder to balance himself. In way of apology, he merely smiled.
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Nov 9, 2017 11:14:35 GMT -5
Lopper does not seem to lose her balance or much mind when Ketha'al uses her for support in order to dodge a puddle. Returning the smile, Lopper tilts her head to the side in a friendly way and friendly closed eyes before straightening out her neck and expression once more. "I wonder too. Do they miss [The World]? Do they know that [The World] misses them?" Sighing heavily, Lopper shakes her head slowly, in a subtle display of sadness.
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Level 9
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 406 posts
#Survive
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Post by Ketha'al on Nov 9, 2017 11:30:21 GMT -5
As though the verbalizing of it made it reality, Keth's expression fell. A palpable heaviness hung around him like a stinking cloud, and his brows furrowed. Clearly, this affected him more than he wanted to address.
"I'm not sure about the former... The latter, I'm even less sure."
He balked at the thought.
"I'm not sure if it--this--is gonna work, really. All I can do is try."
He was suddenly overwhelmingly grateful for Lopper's presence, giving a sorely needed counterpoint to his thoughts, allowing them to focus and condense into their honest summarization.
"I need them, even if [The World] doesn't."
It was a very open statement, more than Keth would usually make, even around Lopper. Times had changed him more than he was willing to admit.
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Nov 9, 2017 13:20:16 GMT -5
Lopper whistles at Ketha'als response, turning her head to look at him and offer a wink. "What a shameless response," the girl teases with a light shove of her free hand. Looking forward once more down the dock the two are still walking along, she hums for a moment before speaking up once more. "When did you get all caught up in your emotions, huh?" It is a teasing rhetorical inquiry, of course.
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Level 9
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 406 posts
#Survive
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Post by Ketha'al on Nov 9, 2017 13:37:36 GMT -5
Keth scoffs at the gentle chiding, swinging back in to Lopper's side a bit too sharply as his balance is toyed with. Instead of stumbling, he unapologetically bumps her with his hip. Not enough to make her fall, he figures, but enough to unbalance her a bit.
"Sometime between falling asleep and waking up, I reckon."
Pointless banter, but it filled the space happily enough. His face had softened again, gratefully leaving his anxieties at the door. They were running out of dock to perambulate on, and Keth quickened his step, turning to face Lopper as he tread slowly backwards, attempting to pre-empt any immediate counterattack.
"I learned from the best, after all."
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Nov 9, 2017 13:43:32 GMT -5
Lopper purses her lips, the amusement showing clearly in her eyes. Ketha'al could be such a little kid sometimes but she did not mind. Inwardly, deep down, she still felt as if she too is a child as well. Maturity can be so overrated, sometimes. "The best, huh?" Who ever would that be?"
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Level 9
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 406 posts
#Survive
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Post by Ketha'al on Nov 9, 2017 13:55:42 GMT -5
"Oh, I don't know. Some sugary skull princess."
Keth held up his hands in a gesture of ignorance, shrugging and laughing. It felt good, a little more relaxed now than it was. This place wasn't so cold, anymore. He slowed, letting Lopper catch up with him and falling back in stride under the umbrella.
The faint light was already dying at this distance, the trees' long branches stretching into the blackness like grasping hands. The ground began to squish under the soles of his feet, the wet grass too soaked to hold proper form. He looked down for a moment, off in some faraway contemplation, before he looked at Lopper curiously.
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Nov 9, 2017 14:03:07 GMT -5
Lopper does not make any comment about Ketha'al's response, despite how amusing she finds it to be. She kept her self-depracative comments to herself as well, at least for that moment in time. There was no point in bringing up anything painful, not during something as lovely as this. It takes Lopper some time to notice Ketha'al's curious expression aimed at her person. "What is with that look?"
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Level 9
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 406 posts
#Survive
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Post by Ketha'al on Nov 9, 2017 14:14:22 GMT -5
At her query, Ketha'al grinned.
"Oh, just noticing that you've changed. Not that you're different, if anything you've become more you... If that makes any sense."
He smiled and nodded, wrapping his arm around Lopper's shoulder as they walked into the blackness. She was warmer than he remembered.
"It suits you."
His voice was barely more than a whisper, his ears reddening as he became conscious of himself. His eyes dragged down, and one could practically see the fulguration of thoughts roiling above his head.
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Nov 9, 2017 14:17:32 GMT -5
Lopper's eyes drop to the ground, the glow within them fading with the passing light. Focusing on their feet moving forward together and the warmth that escapes Ketha'al's person in their closeness, she begins to grow conscious of the situation herself. This, of course, meant that there are plenty of ugly thoughts that begin strolling through her head at rapid speeds. "I can say the same about you, you know?" Lopper offers a scoff and a shake of her head. "Time has been kind to you, Ketha'al..."
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Level 9
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 406 posts
#Survive
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Post by Ketha'al on Nov 9, 2017 14:27:48 GMT -5
"So far."
Keth let the conversation hang after his brusque retort. He struggled to find something to break the dread silence that threatened to grow into something dangerous.
Lacking a direct option, he distracted himself, busying his free hand to fetch his cigarette tin from his pocket and opening it with a metallic click. It was, of course, empty. He should have expected. With a faint sigh, he returned it to his inventory, looking around at the sopping wood and gloomy rain, both barely visible from here. As a matter of fact, if he weren't already holding on to Lopper, there would have been a decent chance that he would have lost her in the faded surroundings.
"So..."
The word was dragged out of him like blood out of a stone.
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Nov 9, 2017 15:32:38 GMT -5
"Here," Lopper speaks suddenly with a hand moving across herself to linger in front of Ketha'al in an offering way. Between her fingers is a cigarette much like the ones that would be in his tin if he had any remaining. Ketha'al might notice that the cigarette is exactly like the ones that would be in his case, as if it had been brought back through time and conjured once more in Lopper's idle hand. "These are terrible for you," she speaks in a shameful tongue-in-cheek way, "but it is better for you to use them in [The World] than outside of it."
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Level 9
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 406 posts
#Survive
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Post by Ketha'al on Nov 9, 2017 21:28:39 GMT -5
Keth stopped suddenly as Lopper's hand waves in front of him, a concerned look spreading and then being interrupted by a sappy smile.
"You're a peach. Thank you."
He took the proffered cigarette, his hand lingering on Lopper's for just an extra moment. Then, using his outside arm as not to interrupt his casual embrace, he flicked open his lighter. For whatever reason, it still had fuel and crackled with a coughing combustion as it came to life.
In the overwhelming dark, that tiny flame was blinding, and Keth slowed to allow his eyes to adjust while the cigarette burned away idly, unmolested, in the corner of his lip. He smiled, a memory of Lopper playing through his head, in a moment very much like this.
"It may shorten your life by up to ten minutes... Which isn't much, but I'll take what I can get."
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Level 20
I joined on January 1970, I am a proud and I've made 1,482 posts
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Post by ♛ L0PP3R ♛ on Nov 10, 2017 12:59:40 GMT -5
Lopper looks down at his hand above her own, her lips forming a smile in the darkness. Inhaling deeply, her eyes take their chance to peer at Ketha'al's countenance illuminated by the flame that his lighter conjured. She has no comment about his lack of self-preservation, at least for the time being. "There is something going on," she whispers as if to not bring attention to the two of them from something lurking within the darkness around them. "I am not sure how to explain it but..." Lopper turns her head away, closing her eyes as she takes a deep breath. "Can you feel it too?"
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