In this world, Magic is Everything. All people, all races, are granted with the power to perform mystical and magical feats via grimories, mystical tomes granted to each and every child on their 15th birthday. Those blessed by the mana can have their names written down in legend.
Shattered Grimoires is the work of the mind(s) of Ardere & Shattered Grimoire's staff. All characters and content are copyright their creators, and may not be replicated without their creators' permission. Black Clover is owned by Yuki Tabata and published by Viz Shonen Jump. All images belong to their original owners. The theme you are currently viewing was made by Eliza of ElizaCodes exclusively for Shattered Grimoires.
[attr="class","polarPOSTIT"] The beaulieu summer estate that Yugo called home had been destroyed and rebuilt by Arderes resources. It was clear it was a new structure in the place of an older one, the ground was still recoverying from the fight and the massive crator Ardere had made, but even that had been fixed by hired help. Yugo stood at the gardens edge of the house and he sighed softly. It still felt so strange, the same home, the same design. But everything was gone. There was nothing to return to that had been his parents on the first floor. And what had been left was old and covered with dust. Even with the new items in the house, he had not yet come to terms with the fact that he had lsot so much that day, that could never ever be returned to him. [break][break] Yet he knew the items in the attic had been safe, the chest they had been kept in was very strong and magiclaly protected, a lock box he had not yet opened in many years. It had been a long time since he looked at the things in there. He wondered how it would go, listening to those songs once more. He and his mother had been such fans of Josephs Mother that they had nearly all her music on the Recording Stones. He sighed to himself but smiled as he heard the carraige door close. He turned to look at Joseph and smiled softly. [break][break] The House itself was a Alabaster stone, the wall surrounding it was also made of the same material. With a solid concrete area in the middle of the garden, the plants being more like a hedge then just a garden. In the middle of the stone area was a pillar, the main feature seemed missing, not broken but purposely left unfinished. The house was two stories with a high roof that had a beautiful glass weather vein, it had survived the fight, one of the last glass creations of his late mother. The door was solid Mohagany wood and was detailed with intricate carvings that were filled with glass, sadly it was not as clear as his mothers had been, a sad loss, but it was the best he could right now. [break][break] ”I hope it is not to homely. My parents did not enjoy showing off their wealth outside. The inside is much nice and decorated I assure you.”
words[break]0411 [break] total[break]0411 [break] SP Earned[break]0000 [break] Stat Earned[break]0000 [break]
Post by Joseph Ravencrest✾ on Mar 27, 2022 5:11:54 GMT -5
Writing the report had been mentally and emotionally exhausting. It involved a lot of details that they would have preferred be kept quiet and private, but it was this sort of attitude that had kept it unreported for so long. It was a mistake his father had made, to be intimidated by a multitude of things and thus not do what they knew was the right thing. Yugo being nearby had helped, even if they had also ended up showing them a bit about filing and making a report in the process. What would become of it? Hopefully, nothing he had to hear about. The Golden Dawn member knew that not hearing about it again after this was very unlikely to happen. It would be nice if they could get all the information needed from their older cousin, but there was simply a lot they wouldn't have been old enough to have been involved in back at that time. Having Yugo there did mean the other had ample chances to read that information that Joseph had placed. Had they? The young man hadn't forced it in their face, nor shoved it away. It spoke of a lot of things, but only what was needed for the report. His fathers family, the older ones of his fathers generation. Most of these individuals were guilty of hiring a 'healer' that was guilty of possibly killing children, but of definitely at least killing one member of the crimson lions.
Due to his young age at the time of the crime and memory issues, coupled with how many years ago it was, it was admitted that he did not know the name of the member that had been killed. His father was the only one of the family in that generation within that family that hadn't been involved in the crime, but he let fears keep himself from telling the proper authorities, making him an accomplice. The father was purposely driven mad by their own family, leading to years of physical, mental, and emotional abuse of a child that wasn't legal in any sense. His fathers family had used the gap in memories it caused in Joseph to try to spin a different view on things to keep them less likely from remembering anything, or reporting anything. His cousins aided their parents even into adulthood, as they agreed with their parents decisions. The reasoning was simple, they wanted the young man to become a singer, like his mother. The family could only see their world of music and the things they had to do to achieve it. This mean Joseph couldn't stay deaf, or mute, nor continue to pursue a dream unrelated to music. This report of course also detailed what happened at the cafe when their older cousin had entered and everything that had happened after. These were a lot of crimes in one report.
Would they get more information from his cousin? Would the family give information on the hired person? Was he still somewhere? Than again, that criminal must be an old man by now, so maybe they weren't a danger to anyone anymore. There were so many uncertainties. Part of Cobborn didn't want to ever find out who that crimson lion member was, as it would mean discovering the identity of their blood father. Why would he want to know? They already had a father figure anyway, one that wasn't dead, that hadn't been dead for years on years, that he could always still learn more about. The father he knew wasn't a stranger, even if it was clear the relation was not blood related. What made the feelings worse was how his cousin ranted, it definitely had sounded like the suggestion that a part or parts of the body might have been used to 'fix' him. That might mean that the man might not have had bad timing in finding out so much as... if that was true, wouldn't it make him at fault for that death too? If they never shared blood, if he hadn't been born, then... There was no way for anything to be reversed. Maybe his cousin had just bee trying to get into his head. If that was true, than they had succeeded. The nightmare of a possibility might not ever leave him unless the truth comes out.
But he didn't want to know the truth, just in case that wasn't lies made up to cause upset. If it was a lie, than the truth would be freedom. It was this dark 'what if' that caused the golden dawn member to not even have interest in the possibility of finding out. In any case, the idea of finding out how his mothers voice sounded was kind of nice. There was no denying at this point that the young man felt a strong dislike from the very pits of his stomach, but she was still his mother. He didn't have time to drop his things off at where he lived, nor was he thinking about it at this time. Actually getting here to the estate, it was mind boggling to him that this was someones home. Being asked if it was homely felt a little insane. “Yugo, no normal and sane person would consider this homely... The materials are high quality, not something one would see at a normal house.” It didn't matter how many floors it had, this was not homely. But... there was something weird with how Yugo spoke. “May I ask why do you talk like both of your parents are dead? You can ignore the question if it's too personal.” He didn't really have the energy to beat around the bush at the moment. His curious mind had less ability to resist poking at what made them wonder and question.
He smiled as he saw Joseph get out of the car, his own outfit was disheveled and messed, but not beyond what a day of activity would cause. Yet even then he looked amazing. A blush came to Yugos face as he reexamined the man he had jsut spent nearly 5 and a half hours with filling out reports and being questioned. Yugo himself had gotten an even sterner talking to by the head knights that were there for being so careless. But… they also thanked him as they left, just as the other man had done. Had they really been that unable to stop them? Yugo coulddnt help but wonder why. He chuckled as josephs eyes went wide a bit seeing the house. The shock in his voice was clear. Yet even as he said it Yugo couldn’t help but disagree. He had seen so many noble houses once he had finally been able to leave his house, as he was being reintroduced into noble society. By far, his was the most closest to homely he had seen. [break][break] Yet as his parents were brought up, the smile dipped a bit. But did not fully dissapear. His eyes conveyed the hurt he felt well enough. He seemed to hesitates for a second, finding the right words. Before he turned to look back at the house and smiled. “Their no longer with us in this world sadly. he placed a hand on the pendent he wore and grimoire at his side. ”Captain Zaven may be the man who helped make me…But he did not Raise me. Though I think he regrets that, the way he looks at me….Perhaps I look to much like the friends he lost.…” He shook that feeling away, and turned back to his friend. ”Come, let us get inside and rest. I can lend you clothing and supplies till we are able to retrieve yours tommorow. I think now we should both have a good hearty meal and rest. Ill lend you my bedroom. Its the most comfortable. Ill take the guest room till we can get it properly set up again. Its…been a while since ive had any guests.” He would gently take Josephs hand and lead him onto the property proper. The small area outfront was clearly aso a training area, now tat they could see the otherside of the wall protecting the outside of the house. [break][break] Once they were past the front door the inside was… rather boring for a noble. It looked restrained, minimalist in the best and worst ways. It showed just how alone he had been. Why bother maintaining all these items that need cleaning if no one could see them anyway, that was Yugos thought process. He didn’t take a servant, he had no helpers. He was more then happy to do the house work himself, just because he knows he can. His body no longer failing him. He smiled softly and blushed a bit. He took him into the main sitting area, and the area was equally minimalist, except for the MASSIVE two story tall library that covered the walls of the room. When looking up one could see the second floor and even easily access a catwalk nook for reading.Yugo enjoyed that space up above., in the attic yet easily able to access. There was an even better library there, along with the items he had managed to find after the house was destroyed. Thankfully Ardere had been kind enough to replace evrything he could free of charge. Sadly some of the oldest books could not be found anymore, a shame. [break][break] ”This is….My home. Where I spend every moment of my life when im not working. Im steadily making my way through all the books again, Hahaha.
words[break]0636 [break] total[break]1047 [break] SP Earned[break]0001 [break] Stat Earned[break]0001 [break]
Post by Joseph Ravencrest✾ on Apr 3, 2022 20:35:40 GMT -5
They were also someone who didn't know much as it came to the world of nobility. For someone who only visited buildings while learning from family, he had never really had much of a chance to fully grasp the idea that those places were also homes. Too many people that weren't family, too much room. It was just a strange idea for the young man to even consider. This was one of the reasons why the idea of the pale haired man calling their own abode something like 'homely' didn't make much sense to them. Yugo probably didn't know how hard it could be to get victims to speak sometimes, or even realize and admit that they had been such a thing at any time. Joseph had always told himself that everything would be fine. This was one of the reasons why the memories vanished so long ago. At some point it became impossible to remember everything and still say everything would be fine. Many had already faded during the years of mental of physical abuse far before he had been removed from the situation. Since then he had gotten treatment and did become a fully functioning and fully capable person. The memories had started leaking in sooner than he knew previously, but they simply hadn't recognized it since the memories were without sound and felt almost like it was from a different reality.
A reality where his father was kind and mother was cruel, one that shouldn't be able to mesh with the real world if the woman had managed to become so famous. The truth it seemed was something that couldn't be defined in solid black and white colors all the time, even with people that it seems fit one such side or another. It doesn't matter how strong he was emotionally or mentally, or how much they had healed. Nobody was invincible. His cousins words and actions had happened that day in one of the places he felt most at home for the most part. Then there was creating the report itself. A full report, not just one concerning his cousin. The man had written things that they had never even considered saying. Everything relevant that he could remember. A lot of these wounds had been avoided rather than confronted, that was how Cobborn had been healing up to this point. This report was a direct confrontation of all of these horrible and ugly things he could remember, the first time the pale pink eyed person had ever done anything like that. He was emotionally and mentally spent for the day. There was a part of him that connected to what Yugo said, but another part? It had been picked so much that day and thought of for once instead of avoided completely. It wiggled a bit more free, coinciding with tears.
He couldn't speak, it was too exhausting and he was just so drained. The strong emotions swept him up as fingers started to move with hands and arms to make soundless words. ~I was also raised by a father not of my blood and before he lost his mind I was his greatest treasure. Even after he lost it, I was his greatest treasure. If he ever became lucid enough to realize what he's done, I'm certain he would end himself if nobody stopped him. My blood father is dead, yours is not. He had my hair, not the hue clouded by light, but the real one! As soon as he found out I existed, he rushed to danger, likely not even telling anyone in his squad about anything. My only memory of him is him rushing into a dangerous situation filled with killers, rushing in with his light to clear a path through the thick fog. But Yugo, Yugo that was a stupid thing! Lions that blindly charge because all they can see is someone important worth saving dies before they can even help themselves. I will never get to know him. I don't want you to regret not trying to get to know them more sooner, or to not try too much because you already had one! What if something happens and you're left to realize you don't have him anymore to get to know?~ This memory hadn't been mentioned in the report outside of vague snippets that definitely didn't include such a physical description, nor was it as obvious that he definitely saw the man murdered.
It had been a feeling hours earlier. ~What if he sees his son?! What if that's the look he gives you?! Did you ever think of that?~ It was after that he let Yugo take one of their hands. None of these feelings or memories were pleasant, but if he hadn't followed Yugo? They probably would have cooped himself up alone and not thought of the report again. Avoiding thinking about any of that was the best way he avoided being hurt by it. Now he knew how his father looked and a better idea of how he died. When entering the home, Joseph couldn't help but to notice how dusty everything was. There were a lot of things, but all that dust! The library quickly caught his pale pink eyes, the tears finally starting to dry a bit. If the ex azure deer was anything, it was a curious person that loved both nature and books. That was a LOT of books. That was when what Yugo said earlier had sunk in. “I can't steal your bed from you. If the guest room just needs tidying, than I can do that myself. Why is so much in your home dusty? If you spend so much time here, it should at least feel homey and clean for your own comfort.”
[attr="class","polarPOSTIT"] It was a hard thing to listen to a person so close to you speak with their heart fully exposed. But as his friend spoke he couldn’t help but feel part of himself grow sterner. The pain in his friends words, even though no sound was made made Yugos heart grew just a bit more touchened. Those words stuck in Yugos heart though he did not fully know that yet. But a seed of courage was buried deep within Yugos chest, if it would bloom into something self destructive, or truely couragous would be something to be seen in the future. He took a gentle yet firm and protective hold of his friends hand as they walked. He would chuckle to himself at his reaction. The two had shared a kiss, but to say they were lovers would be to far he thought. Though…. the thought did not make him nervous. In fact… he felt a flush of new feeling in his body. He felt a stirring and a slight blush turned his cheeks a brighter red as he was caught staring at Josephs beautiful form if he looked back toward him. [break][break] The blush dissapeared a bit as Joseph commented on the state of the house. But it made sense that one would ask that question. So he asnwered truthfully. ”Well actually thats a bit og a story. Its been a while since ive stayed more then a few hours or just to sleep. I havnt really had the time to be off investigating the Daemons ive encountered. Though… the trails gone as cold as possible. I havnt heard nor seen anything of them… or the strange figures ive been encountering. Its…like they simply dissapeared. But before I started investigating, Captain Ardere and I met while he was traveling near my home, and shortly after we were ambushed by very powerful enemies. I… died, for a moment. But Ardered saved me. “ He paused for a second. ”It seems…. I am always just to weak to survive on my own. Perhaps it is meant to be.” he wondered if he should tell Joseph of what caused him to be so much weaker then he should be. He decided against it and turned quickly to another subject. The Subject of the bed. ” Nonesense, Youll do no such thing. My room is the current cleanest and most useful one. Ill be fine, I rarely sleep more then a few hours at a time anyways. But thats talk for later. Right now, Lets get you and me some food.” [break][break] Yugo led his friend to the washroom, and showed him where everything was. He informed him he could take a small tour of the house, and explore while he cooked a meal for the two of them. He smiled and made his way to the kitchen before opening the door and throwing on the apron he had. Ardere had gone out of his way to stock Yugos new home with as much quality of life items to make up for the damage that had been done. But Yugo didn’t mind either way. He poured his mana into the stove top item, causing the stones inside to ingnite into flame. It was a common magical rock that activated to raw mana, turning it into the property of the stone for use. He turned to the sink and opened the new metal faucet, it had taken him a while to understand that the water from coming from a underground wellspring. He chuckled at it happily seeing the strange item helping him so much. He began to wash his hands and would bring out a variaty of item.s
words[break]0617 [break] total[break]01664 [break] SP Earned[break]0000 [break] Stat Earned[break]0000 [break]
Post by Joseph Ravencrest✾ on May 28, 2022 2:52:36 GMT -5
Yugos quietness towards the emotional rant wasn't responded to with words, it wasn't even a sure thing that this quite registered in their mind. He didn't like exposing himself, but their own emotional barriers had been torn down too many times that day for it to be all that easy to just put them up again. If his cousin hadn't come, then everything could have remained a nice meal and conversation between friends at a place Cobborn had felt safe at. That feeling had been ripped away, as well as what little confidence they had in their own old memories. Then to do the right thing, he had to rip off the feeling of security again in order to dive deep into the needed data for the case. Well, what data he could offer, which was clearly not everything. Would he undo that day if he could? Well, Joseph wasn't sure. It was the first time he had been blindsided by attraction, rather than spotting it and taking actions to avoid acting on it. His first kiss, connecting with a friend over a meal, even being scared to death were all nice things. When was the last time he experienced that many good feelings in one day? But the bad feelings as well as the negative events had been pretty dark. In the end, what ifs about the past mattered little though. Nothing could be changed about what has already happened, only how you act in the present.
Josephs body relaxed a bit at the feeling of the others soft hand holding his own. It was nice, small enough that it wasn't uncomfortable. Their hand gently tightened around the others in return. For once he didn't feel alone. It helped calm down their tired worn down heart and mind a bit. If they were in a better state, he certainly would have panicked about the words spoken to the other man. That probably wasn't going to fully set in for a bit. When Yugo started speaking about why the house was the way that it was, his mind started to firm back up a bit. Yugo hadn't slept well for a long time it sounded. Deamon investigating, the pale man had been doing it for awhile way back when they first met too, right? The shadows, whatever the silver eagle member was investigating was definitely dangerous. Dead, they have died before. Even if it was brief, knowing that certainly set in their mind that what Yugo hunted was at the very least bigger than them at this time. “You need to sleep better at the bare minimum. As a tracker that relies primarily on sensory when using magic, I assure you that the less you care for yourself, the less you will find. It sounds like you should get stronger before continuing your investigation though. It wont be useful to you or the kingdom if you die before the answers are found.”
Always too weak to survive on their own? “Humans aren't designed to survive on their own. You can get stronger and better, smarter and more aware. Sometimes you need to set smaller goals for yourself so you can reach the bigger goal at the end. Deamons are a big deal, a big big goal. I've seen enough big deamons to know that neither of us in our current states would be enough against them. I'm glad Ardere was there to save you. You're already strong in your own way, because you haven't given up yet. This means you have potential to get stronger. Some people get to their final goal in different ways than others. How about this... I'll use your bed, but only if you do too! I'm not suggesting anything more than both of us... sleeping in the same bed.” The last sentence was said a little quick, their eyes moving back to look towards all the books. Oh spirits, he meant those words, but his face was turning a bit red thinking about it. Cobborn wasn't even sure he had been ready for the kiss, so there really wasn't any hidden motives. Still, he mentally told himself to straighten up. He wasn't the type to blush or act like this! Straighten your heart up so it will stop wobbling! This would probably be far more effective if he signed that out, but the very idea of signing any of that out around the person that made things wobble up? Made things a bit worse.
Still, blushing or not, the conversation had to continue! “I don't want to take your bed from you, but you want me to use it. You definitely need a good nights rest, but so do I. Does this make sense?” He probably should have seen it coming, to be shown to the washroom. It was a bit weird being shown a bathroom, but it still made sense. This was the first time he had gotten ready to stay at someone elses home. Eventually he would need to use it at some point during the stay, that was simply how the human body worked. Now, what would he do while Yugo cooked? Books, he loved books, but there was something else the young man loved. People watching was probably always going to be in their system to some extent, though usually he preferred it if it didn't feel like those people had any idea Joseph was watching them. If he did it this time, it would definitely be noticed. Even so, watching someone cook in this kitchen wasn't something they could resist, not like he was ever good at resisting watching people in the first place. Watching was easier than interacting and was a good way to learn. An apron? That made sense, if one was going to cook he supposed. Thoughts of his own herb pouch popped into the mind. Typically watching meant not interacting but...
If herbs picked aren't used or stored properly outside a pouch, they will eventually wild and go bad, right? He knew that very well, and such plants tended to be good for use in the kitchen. Reaching down, he took off the filled pouch before raising it up awkwardly. Interacting with Yugo would sort of ruin the watching part, but putting them on the counter would help avoid that. He would smile, except that this was still the first time people watching that it would be pretty obvious what the pink eyed person was doing. The lithe person went more into the kitchen, stopping near Yugo. Holding the bag out awkwardly, they opened the small item up before starting to unpack a number of wild herbs. Wild ginger root, small wild onion bulbs with their grass still fully attached, strong smelling wild mint that definitely used its smell to try to ward off predators, wild garlic, stinging nettles, and a few others. The young man was quick to try to separate each one on the counter so it would be easier to tell which plants were different species. After all of it was out of the pouch, he closed the item back up then took a few steps away. That had felt a little awkward, but now that was over and he could keep watching again. For now he stuffed the back in one of their pans pockets, as it was completely empty.
[attr="class","polarPOSTIT"] Yugos mind set into work making the food he was planning for them both. The truth was… he wasn’t much better then a standard person at cooking. But even then he found little pleasure in it. He had learned a few recipes from his mothers book. She was a artist of renown regardless of what she did. She was known as a Universal Prodigy, if she set her mind to it, she could do. But Yugo? He was just a sickly child from clover kingdom who had to grow up too fast. He grabbed his apron and with a quick and kinda practiced movement he went to work tying it around his waist. He would make a simple and heart dish, something to let his lo-- he paused and stood there blushing, unknowing that at the same time Joseph was watching him. He had almost said lover in his mind. It was only natural. After Joseph recommended that they both share the bed how could the thought not enter his mind? wasn’t that the sole purpose of sharing a bed? It was strange, even though he had known his parents loved each other, they slept in seperate beds as far as he was concerned. Was there a situation where laying in bed with another was something that could be done without the baggage of marital position? [break][break] Joseph had made a good point however, as the blush began to leave his face. He needed to rest. When was the last time he had slept for more then 3 or 4 hours at a time.? was it before his parents died? After? Its been so long hat he didn’t have any idea what had caused it to start. Perhaps that was a side effect of the Poisoning he experienced as a child. A devious plot to weakened him to avenge someones pride on him for some slight his parents seemed to have commited. He felt movement nearby and chuckled at the sight of Josephs hand moving out of his vision. He saw herbs now neatly packed on the tacble for him. “You know… maybe your right. Maybe we arent meant to survive on our own.” He would turn and smile at his new friend before turning to get back to cooking. The meal would be a simple yet hearty vegitatian soup, it would need several hours to properly cook, so he made small snacks to tied him and his friend over. He plated them and turned to set the dishes infront of his friend with a smile. “Its not much, but eat up.” he had made sure to use every herb and plant Joseph had given him.
words[break]0446 [break] total[break]2110 [break] SP Earned[break]0000 [break] Stat Earned[break]0000 [break]
Post by Joseph Ravencrest✾ on Jul 6, 2022 23:17:31 GMT -5
Joseph didn't watch the other in expectancy that they would be an amazing chef, so there was no disappointment in that area. Why was there an enjoyment in watching others? The hope that it helped learn more about them. The man knew not of the sort of woman Yugos mother was, if her talent did or didn't loom over the other, if she had talent at all. None of that mattered much at all when it was someone he could never see eye to eye. One cannot simply converse with the dead. But Cobborn could watch a certain pale haired male put an apron on. The color exposed on the silver eagle members pale features certainly stood out, especially with not much color on their flesh or hair as a whole. Well, as far as they had seen there wasn't much. That was as far as they needed to see. The view of seeing that hue fade from the face wasn't too bad either, seeing as the gears turned and thoughts moved about in the others mind. When the white haired noble spoke, it almost sounded like the ideas Cobborn had spoken were up for debate. Did they think that? He may have not been a master of physical healing, but the commoner raised man knew quite a bit more about mental health. To him, the idea of isolation being harmful was not up for debate. The research had been read and was quite through about it.
“It's a simple conclusion to come to once you research enough about mental health. I had to do that to heal my traumas before ever joining azure deer. Isolation had been proven to be harmful for the human mind and can take form in a number of ways. The amount of time it can take for the damage to be severe depends on the person, but trauma can quickly speed the rate up.” There was that awkward feeling again. Yugo knew he was in the kitchen and the red head knew the other did. There was no hiding, but at least the other was more focused on cooking than the pale pink eyes that were watching. What they didn't expect was for them to stop cooking and bring over snacks. All that was left cooking was a soup. People typically had more than soup. Even some bread was more filling than soup alone. Without the nettles and onions, would that soup even taste that filling? ~You don't typically eat full meals, do you?~ Though it sounded like a question with how it was worded, there wasn't confusion in their face, nor how the arms and hands signed each word. It seemed they both had their own issues. Whatever Yugo was going through, there wasn't enough food, maybe not even enough sleep. Joseph got enough of both, but needed someone around to help him from not being a bit too reckless or give into darker thoughts.
But now was not the time to rush to assumptions. “I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions about your eating habits. uh, we don't we sit at a table before eating? There's no rush.” Anxiety started to bubble up a bit. It wasn't good to assume things, even if evidence was leaning that way. Caution was the key, right? But it was easy to get carried by emotions when everything was rattled up inside from hours earlier. ~I don't like a lot of things that happened today, but it was likely something that should have happened a long time ago. Thank you for helping me realize that I needed to treat myself the way I treat others.~ How does he explain how hard that can be? It sounded so simple, very basic. For a victim, this was a very hard concept. This wasn't something the young man wanted to consider himself, but this was a hard truth that had been admitted on paper this day. Everything was filled, filed, detailed, and official. There was no more denying nor running anymore. ~You're very caring. We barely know each other and you've gone out of your way for me.~
Words: 689 Total: 3,850 The symbol ~ will be used in the post to reference when sign language is being used.
[attr="class","polarPOSTIT"] The house seemed to creak a bit, but not in a bad way. It was almost like the house was finally breathing again. There seemed to be a fresh smell in the air, the soup had done something already, with the magical flame under it heating it to a boil rather quickly. Yugo didn’t notice right away as he was lost in Josephs eyes as he spoke and signed. It was only when the pot boiled loudly that he remembered he was cooking and turned to say one of the words that controlled the item that made the flame. It died down to a simmer, and it would stay like that for nearly 4 hours, he blushed and turned clearing his throat. But he was lost in the eyes again and blushed even more. He undid the apron and tried to play it cool. [break][break] “S…Sorry, I got distracted thinking of…of the uh…the herbs! They all smelled really good.” he rubbed the back of his head and tried to act normal but it was clear he was flustered. He tried to respond to him and nodded still a bit flustered but trying his best. “Your right. I…I have not been this happy in a long time. To be able to have someone in my home that I consider a friend is not something I thought id have happen in my life. Its so strange, I….” he paused again and then got an idea. “Hey, you know what? This stews gunna be cooking for at least another two or three hours, why don’t we go upstairs and I can show you that music collection?” if Joseph did agree, he would smile and take him by the hand after removing his apron.he grabbed his friends hand and smiled as he brought him to the stairs. [break][break] The path was covered in some strange musings of picture frames. But they were all empty. What few there were were burnt and ruined it seemed. He didn’t look at them, didn’t want to remember his failure to protect his house. He quickly moved his friend up to the attic and smiled as the room was opened. It smells like dust and smoke a bit, but he knew that was normal. After the house had been burnt down, hat had remained carried a smokey scent to it. He turned to look at joseph. “I really do enjoy your company Joseph. Even in just these few moments I…. I don’t want it to end.” he turned a bit and breathed in. “From here on, this stuff is precious to me. Please be careful. The music can be found in the large chest at the back. Want me to go get it and you can wait here? Or do you wanna come in with me to explore?”
words[break]0462 [break] total[break]02571 [break] SP Earned[break]0000 [break] Stat Earned[break]0000 [break]
Post by Joseph Ravencrest✾ on Aug 17, 2022 17:26:57 GMT -5
That was a horrible lie, the lithe bodied young man could feel color start to prick all over their face. This was the first time he had seen anyone stare into his eyes in such an obvious way. It was the first time wondering if his eyes were attractive to someone. ~You like my eyes.~ The thoughts slipped from his hands in the form of silent words before he could even think of taking it back. Their face gained a bit more color. This was the first time the thought had popped up, possibly being attractive to someone. Looking at others and thinking someone was attractive was not new to Joseph, but for some reason having that flipped was just very surprising. He tried talking verbally, but it seemed even positive strong emotions could make talking harder. Yugo was cute acting all flustered, perhaps knowing they had been far too obvious? But... ~It's nice seeing your emotions so clearly.~ He felt trusted. Was it given by accident? On purpose? Even the average person tended to hide a few things, information so small that it was easily forgotten about and hidden. Crushes, who you didn't like and for what reasons, if you pet a cat on certain days or not at certain spots, and other small details. Of course most adults wouldn't think of so blatantly getting lost in someones eyes, or would at least think of a better cover story.
But maybe Yugo hadn't had much social interactions before. The flush faded as it became clear through the white haired youths own admittance. He was the first friend to come here? ~I wont be your last friend, you just need to socialize more.~ It might as well be the pot talking to the kettle. Still, Joseph knew that he was his own issues relating to friends and making them. Insecurities mixed with focusing on work wasn't exactly the best mix for friend making. Yugo also focused on their work too much. Maybe neither of them knew what 'a healthy amount' was when it came to their own well being, only others. Cobborn started to move away from the plate of snacks when the suggestion of going upstairs to see the music collection was brought up. Music had been his fathers family’s passion. He didn't want to create any, but hearing it was another story. Another thing? The red head hated his mother, but the idea of knowing what her voice sounded like was very alluring. It had always been one of those maddening things, that there were so many strangers that knew her voice better than he did. Those people who were fans likely knew more about the nice side of her, the shimmering light that lured people like moths towards a flame, a siren singing ships to their demise.
Of course he nodded. Who wouldn't in the same situation? There was no struggle against his hand being snatched up as he followed Yugo along. The picture frames around the stairs, he wanted to ask about it. Even with a hand preoccupied, body language still pointed towards this curiosity. Their pale pink eyes looked in every direction, each step being careful and quiet. The dust of the attic was no surprise, the shock would be if it was clean. The smoke smell wasn't a normal thing for a normal attic, but Yugo didn't look concerned about it. This is the location most keep very precious items when they want it far away from the eyes and hands of any guests. Whatever was inside had to be delicate to some extent, right? Though that was only an assumption. The precious items stored here rather than ones own bedroom were typically passed down from previous family members. He was invited in? That was a lot of trust. Nothing in there would really be replaceable, right? Having a duplicate made wouldn't be the same. Part of him wanted to come in, but another part of him was worried of seeing his mothers face on something. Yugo had said before that they had been a fan of his mothers music, something that helped while they had been stuck in bed.
Could he promise to be delicate? The young man made sure both hands were free before responding. ~I would like to enter, if that is alright? I will be as careful and respectful as possible.~ There was no movement yet towards entering yet. Cobborn was curious, but he also had no intention of being disrespectful towards items that might have a lot of meaning in them.
Words: 762 Total: 4,612 The symbol ~ will be used in the post to reference when sign language is being used.
[attr="class","polarPOSTIT"] Yugo didn’t notice Josephs signings. He was to caught up that he didn’t read them. And only after he noticed the secojnd signings did he pay attention, and hope he didn’t miss anything. He said it was nice to see his emotions expressed clearly. He blushed and didn’t know how to respond to that. Had he given himself away somehow? He blushed even deeper still somehow and tried to act calmly and normally. He brought up that he would not be his only friend, and that he needed to socialize more. He understood that concept, but… what use was there? Had his hsletered life not altered him in someway? Was he not no longer equal to his peers because he could not socialize as a child? He had always thought of that as his reason why he had no friends, that he was different. But had it really been that he had just not been exposed to them because of his weakness? He silently cursed the poisoner who ruined his life as a mere infant, and nearly killing him was not enough, the man had taken his foundational years from him by making it he was bed bound for the most of it. [break][break] He took Josephs hand and when he did not protest, he made his way forward and up the stairs. The pictures were only on the stairway, a reminded between his waking hours and sleeping hours that he must be as equal to them as he can. Always looking back up and down at them. A reminder to himself. As they entered the hallway leading to the bedroom and the empty spaces where another bedroom might have once bee, but now the door was gone and absent as if covered up. But in truth his parents room had been destroyed so fully… he was in a sort of mourning. The other room was a sparce and undecorated bathroom. It really did appear as if Yugo did not stay here unless he needed too. At the end of the hallway was a latch and rope on the ceiling. With a quick and practiced pull, the attic stairs decended and fell into place with a gentle thud. Yugo smiled and let Joseph go up first, so he could act as the catcher if he fell. If they both made it up their safe and sound, Yugo would speak a simple word, and small fire lamps would alight in the room, enchanted items Ardere had paid for. His entire house was better, if not more empty, then it had been before., [break][break] ”The music items are in a chest, ive got it over here.” he motioned to the old chairs sitting in the attic, they were just extra dining room table chairs. ”take a seat and ill get the chest out. I might even have some baby portraits.” he smiled and began to search behind and around. Its funny… I never thought id ever be up here with someone other then me. Its so…. strange.” he knelt and exclaimed with excitement. ”There we go! Iknew it was in here.” he was like a child at play, and couldn’t help but get giddy to show his friend his collection.
words[break]0546 [break] total[break]3117 [break] SP Earned[break]0003 [break] Stat Earned[break]0003 [break]
Post by Joseph Ravencrest✾ on Sept 9, 2022 2:11:39 GMT -5
The color was nice to see flower upon the others paler skin again. This was his time to flirt, or t least none of their attempts had been turned down yet. Maybe this was because it felt like the first time he could flirt without worrying about consequences so much, or a very good distraction from the events earlier that day. Was it something a bit nice among the dark chaos, or the experience of getting to see anothers emotions so clearly? To feel wanted in some way was certainly a new and nice thing. To be able to see a new side or face to someone, specifically Yugo. The kiss earlier had certainly been a slip of the moment, but it seemed to have opened the door to something he had never dared explore before. A fear had walled away any intentional attempts, one created by a fear of becoming like his mother in any way. This hadn't stopped him from thinking certain things, nor feeling attraction. The perfect moment for that wall to crack had been inevitable, Joseph was just lucky it was with someone like Yugo. “I think I understand why books describe crushes and romantic feelings as rose tinted. Your face looks to be blossoming like flushed flowers.” The words hadn't exactly been perfect, and the very idea that they had come from Cobborns own mouth had caused a bit of flushing. Is there a way to practice flirting so he never feels this stupid again?
Was it a crush or something more? It was certainly far too early to sort out those emotions at this point. It was something like one of those things. More time was certainly needed, but it wasn't going to get tossed away. “You're a wonderful person.” There was something strangely flustering and calming about speaking things like this out loud with his own voice instead of using sign language. The empty rooms had felt a bit haunting to spot, but for some reason their lips did not move to question its existence. What happened in this house that had caused empty frames and hollow rooms? Perhaps haunted by what was once there, or what was going to be there but never came? When the end of the hallway came, he was surprised by how the attic stairs were presented. Their pale pink eyes watched the other pull the rope that had practically summoned a set of stairs. He couldn't help but to look curiously at them, partially trying to figure out the mechanisms behind such an action. Now was not the time, nor place for letting their curiosity go wild. They had been offered to go first, so that was exactly what they did. The first step was a bit cautious, testing how old or stable the wood was. The next step was a bit quicker and less cautious. With each stair climbed a bit more confidence in its stability was gained, until they had reached the top.
The automatic lights had been a bit startling for Joseph, a feature he wasn't used to. Such items were typically owned by the wealthy, which hadn't been how he had grown up. This meant each time running into them in a way that made him suddenly aware of it was startling when it wasn't expected. The house had felt quite lavish, but this was an attic. Baby portraits sounded.. “I didn't know they made those.” That certainly caught his attention. Seeing an image of a baby Yugo, it was an unknown. But of course when suggested to sit in one of the chairs, he sat down. There had been a bit of dust, but it was easy to swipe off before sitting. He didn't swipe it off, but it was just dust anyway. “Not with anyone?” Not even with Zaven? It was strange to think about, the idea of a part of someone becoming permanently shut off from the world. Not shared with friends, nor family. Than again, what family was the other close to that wasn't dead? They seemed a bit estranged from their blood father and didn't talk about others in their family. It was a reminder, or perhaps a clarification of just how isolated Yugo had been. The only family they had been close to was the dead parents, nobody else. There were no friends close enough to visit even the normal area of the house.
Then there it was, the mention of the music collection. He had to admit, the mention of it made Joseph a little worried. There was a fear, but a curiosity. This might be the only time to ever hear his own mothers voice, the one that had enchanted so many music lovers. He really did want a voice to place on the face, knowledge of when someone was playing one of her songs. For as far back as they could recall, it had felt akin to being stuck in a guessing game where most people were aware of the answer in some way or another, besides him. It made him feel concern every time a music type recording was played from a magical item. But this was different, it was the music Yugo and his mother had bonded over, what had helped the other keep going in hard times. “Do you have a favorite song?” He did enjoy the excitement in Yugo, it wasn't something the other wanted to ruin. Even when he himself felt a little terrified.
Words: 915 Total: 5,527 The symbol ~ will be used in the post to reference when sign language is being used.
[attr="class","polarPOSTIT"] The words Joseph spoke hit Yugo hard in the mind. He blushed somehow even more and couldn’t find the words to answer. How would he be able to answer? He was beyond unable to comprehend his own feeling right now and be able to live with them. He spoke of romance, but he had never known such a thing. He touched his face gently and felt it was hot and flushed like a fever. He cleared his throat and tried to redirect back toward the conversation at hand when they were still in the kitchen. But he stuttered like a fool and ended up just apologizing for his problem. He wondered what had made him so… romantic? He barely knew Joseph and yet he was still madly hopelessly in love, he just didn’t understand how to express those emotions. [break][break] The chest had a complicated lock, a safe guard against any daemons that might come for it. He wasn’t sure why they had attacked, but regardless it had cost him so much. He undid the lock with a few words only he knew, spoken in a silent voice as he undid the spell and threw open the ironwood chest. He waved his hand at t he dust and smiled happily to himself as if he was a child opening near years presents. He first pulled out the family picture book, and he smiled happily before handing it to Joseph, he told him to enjoy taking some time to look through it. The pictures were a mix of portraits and actual basic black and white photos, made using magical items. The earliest one was of Yugos Mother, and father, and an infant version of Yugo help within his mothers arms. He was small, small enough to be considered premature. His hair was still stark white in the photo. His father wore the mantle of a Purple Orca. [break][break] The next pictures were of various moments from Yugos life, but it was clear to see that he had spent most of it in his house, unable to leave thanks to the attempted poisoning his mother suffered through while pregnant. It had taken till after their death, and he gained his grimoire that he was finally able to exist outside the house without fear of his weakened body collapsing. It had not been an easy path he had been forcedd to walk. The young Magic Knight had every right to be bitter toward the world, yet he had not a single drop of bitterness towards it in his blood. Yugo was lost in the chest, looking for the music. He took a neckless and set it aside, umaware it was something very important. He wondered where the music player was, had he misplaced it?
words[break]0461 [break] total[break]3901 [break] SP Earned[break]0000 [break] Stat Earned[break]0000 [break]
Post by Joseph Ravencrest✾ on Oct 10, 2022 2:23:37 GMT -5
Joseph had quietly and carefully sat down. All the issues that had happened earlier today were gone from the mind, no matter how large they had been. This was something important being shared with him. A Families history and thus the items connected to it can feel very important. There was a time where a lot of items made him feel closer to his adoptive father. Those had to be abandoned when leaving to become an azure deer. Loosing them felt... well, that sensation of heartbreak was one of the reasons why he knew just how important it was to be careful. When the picture book was offered to look at, their posture relaxed a bit, some stiffness leaving their form. Hands carefully moved over before gently touching the object with their long soft fingers. He slowly moved it into their own lap before reaching into their pockets. Human hands and sweat could damage older items, which was why he grabbed out a pair of plain brown gloves typically worn when collecting certain plants. It was only after these leather gloves were put on that he dared to open the book. Each picture was both telling of the family Yugo had grown up with, the sort of life they had, but also the wealth. Items like this, neither the art nor the black and white photos crafted with magical items were not typically cheap enough for common families to have many, if any.
These were likely cheaper than large portraits, but the golden dawn member couldn't imagine it being cheap in any sense of the word. Yugo was smaller as a baby than the young man had been expecting. It was a bit more understandable why the white haired man reacted as they did when hearing about Josephs true eye color under whatever his mother had done to cover it up. There was a slight urge to reach out and touch the picture. Instead of giving in to the hand that had briefly suspended itself in the air, the page was turned. Of course wealth couldn't buy health. If you are worried your child might fade from the world at any moment, he supposed what a person does if they can afford it was take photographs. Than again, if he had been capable of resting in bed without fear of death while growing up, would it have taken as long as Yugo did to get well enough to run around? This was certainly not something he would ask or bring up, not unless it felt alright to. If the pale man was anything like Joseph, the frustrating frailness of the body could end up as a sensitive subject. Though he couldn't help but to think about it, maybe it was because there was enough similarities in their early years to wonder about the possibilities. “Your parents look like they were kind people. I'm glad you've been so strong willed.”
There was no reason to bring up what ifs, nor wonder on what could have been. What existed was someone that had to have had a very strong will to hang on for as long as they did, for the body to slowly recover, heal, and strengthen in ways that only treatment and time can do, when it was possible to recover at all.
Words: 553 Total: 6,080 The symbol ~ will be used in the post to reference when sign language is being used.
[attr="class","polarPOSTIT"] The attic was well maintained, and the lit magical lights kept it bright enough to see in, but not so bright that it might be dangerous if the lights broke some how. He wondered if his father and mother had smething like that in the original attic. He had never gone up there for the new house was build, as he felt a powerful urge to stay away from it following their death. But after spending time searching the burned down house after he aided Ardere he had found the items that had survived and managed to put them all in the chest he had gotten fro m a gardening shed he had not opened in many years. he had made sure everything was cleaned as best it was, but some photos were ruined when he book landed. Those showed a Yugo who was much larger, but still thin and sickly. He looked like taking a single step would kill him. Yet he had been able to walk, though only in his room. The rest of the house was where his parents servents and themselves came in, yet he was slowly taking care of by his mother and father. [break][break] He couldn’t help but smile at the comment about his parents. They were kind people, sweet and gentle but caring and protective as well. They made sure even their servents were well paid and they were almost treated as family. It had broken his heart to let them go after he got his body back under his full use. They were all well sent with letters of recmmendation signed by the late husband and wife and given a stipand each one last time to last them a month. All taken from his parents stores in their wills for the day the servents were let go. Yugo didn’t mind it at all, and had eagerly agreed to the money given. ”They were. My mother made sure to spend her free time helping others before I was born. Even till the day I was born she would still attempt to go to work as a magic knight even if it meant just being in the Squad hall doing paper work. Oh and my father” [break][break] He stopped looking in the chest and sat down holding the neckless with his back against the chest. His left leg extended out and his right leg knee up. He sat his hand on his knee and let the necklace dangle. “My father was a nobleman to the core. He was the perfect embodiment of Noblesse Oblige. He even lived by a code. One I hope to live up to as well.” he smirked and chuckled before with a blush he repeated the words he had practiced so often he could say them in his sleep. ” ‘Rank and Fortune have their Obligations.’ Despite my frail nature I strived from the day I could understand my situation to be as useful to the name and fortune I command. I may not be as successful as my parents, but I will not stop until I have done my earnest best to change the clover nation for a better tommorow for everyone, all the way from the Queen and the highest Nobles,to the lowliest urchin on the streets.” he cleared his throat again and blushed.
words[break]00559 [break] total[break]04460 [break] SP Earned[break]0004 [break] Stat Earned[break]0004 [break]
