Poppin' Arms Guild ~ Main Lobby

[Cresselia92]

Kindle decided to take a second sip, doing the very same, before saying something. "This is good."

Icetales beamed, feeling his chest swelling with pride and joy, while his free tails wagged with vigor and scattered some snowflakes around.

“Ah, I am most pleased that thou appreciate my tea, good sir,” chirped Icetales, and his eyes sparkled like sapphires. “My special blend, made of both mint, red tea and some herbs. Refreshing to both the mind and the spirit.”

Icetales leaned against the chair and breathed out a chilly gust, freezing the tea instantly. Then, he began lapping at it, enjoying the slushy texture of the frozen tea. He hummed a few times and closed his eyes.

Ah. What a lovely sensation.

“…I have been working hard to learn how to prepare the most exquisite of teas. As the head butler of one of the most important noble families of my country, I cannot afford mistakes, thou see?”

"How does exactly that work? The cleansing thing."

“Oh. That.”

Icetales lowered his cup and tilted his head. His eyes narrowed and his ears flicked. Come to think about it, the team never questioned how things worked exactly, hm? Only known thing was that they could cleanse corrupted folks by… beating them senseless. Quite barbaric, perhaps, but it worked.

…Huh. Why was he not as horrified about using violence against other folks as when he first reached that world? Was he simply used to all of that due to doing that heroic business for so long, or… something else? A quick glance at his Shadow made him suspect that the true reasoning of his change was much deeper than that.

“Hm. Well, I know this might sound bizarre, but we can basically remove the corruption from folks by… beating them during a fight,” started explaining Icetales, bringing the cup back to his mouth but not drinking. It was almost like keeping the cup in place helped him think better. “I suppose this could be a literal case of ‘punching the curse out of a body’. Not sure if thou have ever heard that expression. And yes, it might be a tad… extreme at times, but it works. We saved many folks that way.”

"I haven't asked you yet, sorry if this sounds rude but, what are you? I have never seen a ninetales like you."

Keo’Keo didn’t respond, far too absorbed by his own little activity of window-watching, and was brought back to attention only when Icetales judged him with a tail. The Shadow snorted and turned to the other two Ninetales. “…Thou want to know what I am…”

The spectral Ninetales stretched his spectral body, which seemed to fizzle out for brief intervals, before he turned completely to the others. His entire stance was rigid and his eyes narrowed, almost like some cold-hearted gargoyle.

“Hmph. Well, thou art new to the workings of this world, so allow me to give a brief explanation,” said Keo’Keo, swishing his blue tails. “I am a Shadow, the physical manifestation of my host’s most repressed fears and mementos.” He motioned toward Icetales with his head, and the real fox simply lapped some more tea and looked away, apparently bothered. “I represent… a part of our past that he had long forgotten. A pain that has emerged once more, after a few… recent events.”

“He is not evil, though, nor is he meant to be afraid of,” muttered Icetales, still looking away. “It is just… um, something I need to work with.”

Keo’Keo humphed, looking displeased. “It is not I appreciate this situation, either. The sadness and anger he feels, I feel that as well… tenfold.” He growled. “All I desire… it’s for us to be happy, so that we will not feel this pain anymore. The path of healing is long,” his eyes closed, “but I desire to have faith, and be there to see the day in which we will be free to be whoever we decide to be.”

At hearing that confession, Icetales blinked, totally stunned. Was that what they both craved and feened?

Happiness? Friendship? Love?

 

[DragonD]

Kindle wondered exactly what did he put into the tea. He wanted to ask but it could as well be one of those "busyness secrets", so he decided not to, as to not be rude. The ninetales was taking another sip when he watched Icetales freeze his cup. Iced tea? Well, literal iced tea. Kindle decided to give it a try. Since he was touching the tea with his mouth, he thought he could simply focus the cold in his mouth and freeze it right away. Mistake. He did freeze it, but much to his dismay, his tongue got trapped inside the now solid block of ice. The ninetales' eyes widened in surprise, but he tried to play it off as an extremely long sip while quietly attempting to free his tongue from the ice. He focused so much on doing that that he completely missed the strange glare Icetales threw at Keo'Keo.

“Hm. Well, I know this might sound bizarre, but we can basically remove the corruption from folks by… beating them during a fight,” started explaining Icetales, bringing the cup back to his mouth but not drinking. It was almost like keeping the cup in place helped him think better. “I suppose this could be a literal case of ‘punching the curse out of a body’. Not sure if thou have ever heard that expression. And yes, it might be a tad… extreme at times, but it works. We saved many folks that way.”

The ninetales hesitated, momentaneously forgetting about the cup of frozen tea despite it being literally attached to his face. The concept of attacking someone until they reacted was a bit extreme, but it had been the calm tone in what Icetales said it what made him feel uncomfortable,e as if he was a bit too used to it. However, Kindle couldn't answer, as his tongue was literally frozen, which made his attention return to the cup. He started to try biting the icy surface, slowly shattering it.

“…Thou want to know what I am…”

“Hmph. Well, thou art new to the workings of this world, so allow me to give a brief explanation,” said Keo’Keo, swishing his blue tails. “I am a Shadow, the physical manifestation of my host’s most repressed fears and mementos.” He motioned toward Icetales with his head, and the real fox simply lapped some more tea and looked away, apparently bothered. “I represent… a part of our past that he had long forgotten. A pain that has emerged once more, after a few… recent events.”

The sound of Keo'Keo's voice caught Kindle by surprise, despite him having asked the ninetales a question not long ago. Kindle jumped when he heard the all too ominous voice without being prepared, causing him to bite the ice a bit too hard, shattering it instantly, but also biting his tongue in the process. With his fangs no less.

The ninetales stopped himself from letting out a curse as he hid his tongue inside his mouth to prevent it from bleeding too much, breathing a tiny cloud of ice to let the cold temperature freeze the tissue of the wound and stop the hemorrhage. It still hurt, but at least he had reacted quick enough to prevent his mouth from getting all red. Kindle looked at Keo'Keo, noticing the unnatural stillness of his body as he talked. The meaning behind those words struck strongly, as Kindle tried to imagine the situation. His deepest fear... For a relapse to regress what time had healed, taking physical form, he couldn't picture it, but the concept chilled him to the bone. The fox shuddered visibly, almost spilling the tea he had in his hand.

"How did you come to be?" He couldn't help but ask, wondering how Keo'Keo had materialized in this world. While he talked, Kindle noticed the way Icetales either was unbothered or tried to look like he was. And wondered why in either case.

“He is not evil, though, nor is he meant to be afraid of,” muttered Icetales, still looking away. “It is just… um, something I need to work with.”

Keo’Keo humphed, looking displeased. “It is not I appreciate this situation, either. The sadness and anger he feels, I feel that as well… tenfold.” He growled. “All I desire… it’s for us to be happy, so that we will not feel this pain anymore. The path of healing is long,” his eyes closed, “but I desire to have faith, and be there to see the day in which we will be free to be whoever we decide to be.”

Kindle turned to Keo'Keo again, not having expected the sudden change of tone. He had more behind him than that unsettling exterior, as he had just proven. And it seemed like Icetales too was surprised. Kindle saw him blinking and wished he could know what crossed the other ninetales' head as he heard those words. Because Kindle, in particular, could understand, and even relate to Keo'Keos desire, feeling it was a little inspiring even, as he had just explained his negative nature not long before.

 

[Cresselia92]

Kindle looked at Keo'Keo, noticing the unnatural stillness of his body as he talked. The meaning behind those words struck strongly, as Kindle tried to imagine the situation. His deepest fear... For a relapse to regress what time had healed, taking physical form, he couldn't picture it, but the concept chilled him to the bone.

The intense and focused attention on him didn’t go unnoticed to Keo’Keo, who swished his tails once more as his mane turned purplish. Getting so much attention on him wasn’t something he appreciated as a lone fox, and only Chaos knew what kind of shenanigans and thoughts that other Ninetales was pulling behind that awkward stare.

Keo’Keo could have inquired about that. Oh, how much he desired to do so! But before he even got the chance, he noticed how Kindle was shaking.

Did he glare too hard? Was that fellow… afraid of him?

Not knowing what to do, Keo’Keo simply wrapped his tails around his body and dimmed the intensity of his flames. That should have sufficed… right?

"How did you come to be?" He couldn't help but ask, wondering how Keo'Keo had materialized in this world.

“…Hell if I know,” responded Keo’Keo, matter-of-factly. Realizing that he probably came across as rude and creepy, he sighed and looked down. “I… do not know all the details. Neither does my host. But we wager that I became physical after my host’s darkness intensified.”

Once those words had been uttered, Keo’Keo felt a strange tingle in his body. He lifted his muzzle and noticed that Icetales was shooting him a pleading stare, while slowly sipping his tea. The tension could be cut with an ice shard, and the spectral Ninetales understood immediately why his host was so nervous.

Well, one truth at a time.

“…Perhaps thou hast not been informed about this, either, but our common patron is Dark Matter, an entity made of darkness and negative emotions,” continued Keo’Keo, looking again at Kindle and motioning toward himself. “And as the dark forces inside our bodies grew in power, so did our fears. Now, I am feeding off those elements to sustain this body.”

Icetales nodded. “This is how things stand, approximately.”

“It is not entirely intentional. This is merely the result of a series of… unlucky events.” Keo’Keo looked away. “Despite everything, all I desire is to help my host and his comrades. I want to keep us safe,” his voice darkened, “because we do not desire to go through what we went through again…”

Feeling that the situation was starting to become heavy once more, Icetales clapped two of his tails together. This got the attention of the Shadow, who simply rolled his eyes and ran his claws on the table.

“Well! This shall be a topic for another time. Now,” Icetales turned to Kindle, “I reckon that thou still have many questions and require many answers. Is there something in thy mind?” He smiled reassuringly. “If thou so desire, I could show thee around, so that I can also give thee some suggestions to get accustomed to thy Ninetales body and powers. What dost thou say?”

 

[DragonD]

Kindle noticed Keo'Keo's flames going down in intensity, though he didn't think about that immediately, focused on burying down his own memories that had come afloat while talking about deep fears. After calming down, he realized that the other ninetales did look a bit less ominous now, if one were to forget about that spectral figure. Did he change like that because he sensed him being battered? He couldn't know the answer, but was thankful either way, even if the explanation of him had been only the catalyst rather than the real cause of his fear.

Kindle took a sip of tea to relax, and almost choked with one of the ice shards left after he had frozen and then shattered it earlier. He forced it down his throat, refusing to spit a single drop of tea, especially one as good as this one. That hadn't been as relaxing as he had hoped for, but it certainly helped take his mind off things, so it worked all the same.

“…Perhaps thou hast not been informed about this, either, but our common patron is Dark Matter, an entity made of darkness and negative emotions,”

The ninetales listened to Keo'Keo's explanation, frowning a bit at first as he didn't recall who was this creature, but soon after remembering it was that charmeleon that had brought him here, Diyem. Again, someone called him Dark Matter, but that name held no meaning for Kindle, only the one they were giving him. And about the darkness and negative emotions, well, the only thing he had seen was the charmeleon speaking in a strange way, mentioning things like "Death seems appealing again." and similar, but nothing nearly as bad as what one would have expected from someone told to be literally made of darkness.

“And as the dark forces inside our bodies grew in power, so did our fears. Now, I am feeding off those elements to sustain this body.”

That he didn't know yet, he had seen some of the others do... things, with their energy. But he hadn't tried anything himself yet, mostly because he wanted to get used to being a ninetales before, well, getting to things that weren't common to even being a ninetales.

“Despite everything, all I desire is to help my host and his comrades. I want to keep us safe,” his voice darkened, “because we do not desire to go through what we went through again…”

...And Kindle once again sympathized with the shadow, a part of him wanting to ask what had been those experiences, but better not to force them to recall it again, it wouldn't do any good.

Feeling that the situation was starting to become heavy once more, Icetales clapped two of his tails together. This got the attention of the Shadow, who simply rolled his eyes and ran his claws on the table.

“Well! This shall be a topic for another time. Now,” Icetales turned to Kindle, “I reckon that thou still have many questions and require many answers. Is there something in thy mind?” He smiled reassuringly. “If thou so desire, I could show thee around, so that I can also give thee some suggestions to get accustomed to thy Ninetales body and powers. What dost thou say?”

The Ninetales jumped a bit when he heard the tail clap of Icetales, turning to him as he talked, and nodded in response. He indeed had many questions, and took a final sip of tea (with no nasty ice shards this time), before answering in the way he remembered he was supposed to. "I would be thankful if you did, and well... I do have many questions, but the first one to ask is if you would mind drinking some tea another time when I'm a bit less... lost. Thank you for all your help, and the lovely drink." He said, sighing as he put down the empty cup, it had been very nice, though he still needed the familiar taste to calm down completely. "Maybe when we met again I could share some of that gracidea tea I want to make, though I'm most certain it won't be as good as yours." Right after saying this, Kindle blinked, surprised at himself for having managed to articulate a full sentence while remembering the rules he had been taught to be polite, he had been convinced he had forgotten them. Perhaps talking with this gentlemon had made them sprout again. Though he wished it wasn't permanent, he needed to be stupid to be able to deal with himself.

 

[Cresselia92]

"I would be thankful if you did, and well... I do have many questions, but the first one to ask is if you would mind drinking some tea another time when I'm a bit less... lost. Thank you for all your help, and the lovely drink." He said, sighing as he put down the empty cup, it had been very nice, though he still needed the familiar taste to calm down completely.

Those were simple words, but they were enough to make Icetales feel something warm inside. Perhaps it was the feeling that he had just made a new acquaintance, which was also a Ninetales who appreciated tea!

Golly, that almost made him feel at home.

“Ah, thou art much welcome, Sir Kindle.” He smiled. “And sure, I can always spare some free time for some tea. Truly, feel free to reach out for me whenever.”

"Maybe when we met again I could share some of that gracidea tea I want to make, though I'm most certain it won't be as good as yours."

“Oh, we could brew some tea together. I do not know how Gracidea tea tastes like, but I am most intrigued.”

Another sip and his cup was empty as well. He gathered everything to store it back in his bag, before glancing again at Kindle. “Meet again… so thou not wish me to accompany thee and show the village?”

Keo’Keo narrowed his eyes, apparently having sensed something in the eyes of that other Ninetales. It was unclear what it was, but by judging that he felt lost… maybe homesickness, or just the need of some fresh air and to recombulate?

“…I reckon the fellow wishes to stay alone another,” he said, before looking at his host. “Besides, we have plans as well.”

Icetales tilted his head, then his eyes widened in realization. “Oh right. In that case,” he bowed with respect at the other Ninetales, “we must depart at once. It has been a pleasure to meet thee, Sir Kindle. Take care, and might the stars be thy guidance.”

After exchanged a swift goodbye, Icetales and his Shadow ventured toward the exit of the lounge. It was time to collect everything for their new housing and their new research.

<><><><>​

 

[Fusion]

After she actually had a chance to process everything going on, Vix realized that, yeah, she was doing a whole lot more than she thought. It was odd that she wasn't really tired, but being a chandelier that was wax sometimes probably had something to do with that. Not a whole lot of her that could get traditionally tired.

On the other hand, her Shadow was half awake. Vix basically dragged it behind her. Not that it really weighed anything, but it was still inconvenient. Probably. Not at all. "Lazy jerk..."

"I wanted to fuckin' sleep, so I'm sleepin'," he Shadow huffed.

"Then we'll take a break. We're already at the Guild, we can spare some time to rest. For going to our dorms so we can go home and rest," Vix rolled her eyes. Unfortunately for her Shadow, Vix spotted a friend and immediately threw out the notion of resting. "Oh, hey Cynthian!" she said, floating over to the plant.

"Uhhhggggggg..."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Hey. How's it going, Vix?" Cynthian asked upon hearing her voice. She glanced at the shadow, but otherwise brought no attention to it.

She held her bouquets together and smiled. "Your day is going swell, I hope?"

 

[Fusion]

"Oh hell yeah, today's been great!" Vix beamed. "Well, like, it wasn't all that special, but it was fun at least! I've been doing spy work, guild work, meditation... I was just about to get my stuff from the dorms because this guy's whining about being tired," she nodded towards her Shadow, then snickered.

"How've you been, though? It feels like forever since we bumped into each other, doesn't it?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Well, I've had ups and downs..." Cynthian scratched her cheek and chuckled. Standing - or floating around in Vix's case - didn't feel appropriate for the occasion. She eyed the lobby and spotted a row of seats nearby.

"Why don't we go sit over there and have a chat just between us gals?" Cynthian asked while gesturing at the seats. "Of course, your shadow can come along to if it wants."

 

[Fusion]

"Oh that'd be nice. I'm sure this big lug would love that," Vix nodded, then paused. "...Wait, gals? Is Ivy gonna come by?"

Her Shadow blinked, then glared at Vix. "...You didn't notice?"

"Notice what?" Vix asked, genuinely lost.

"Oh for... Cynthian is a chick, genius," her Shadow explained, rolling his eyes. "How the hell did you miss that?"

Vix paused again, a blank expression on her face as she processed this. Her body started to melt a bit, and her flame had a rosier hint to it. Was it rude not to have known? Did Vix look like an idiot? She definitely felt like one... "O-Oh my..." she squeaked. "I-I'm sorry, I never knew!"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"It's fine really! I didn't exactly go around announcing it, so I can't blame you for not knowing till now," Cynthian said, waving a bouquet with a laugh.

She placed a bouquet on her hip and smiled. "I'm still the same Cynthian though, so you don't really have to see me all that differently."

 

[Fusion]

"Th-That's good, I don't think I've met anyone who ever, uh..." Vix stared out blankly, lost in thought. "Fuck, I dunno what to call it..."

"Vix, we're basically that, but the opposite," her Shadow huffed, crossing his arms. "Or did you already forget about me?"

Vix shook her head and glared at her Shadow. "Aren't you supposed to be tired?"

Her Shadow rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Aren't you supposed to fawn over the flora?"

Vix's flame flared for a moment, "I-I, you..." She cleared her throat and turned away, her flame redder than normal. "So how about that girl talk, huh Cynthian?"

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian raised a bouquet over a mouth and giggled. "I like your shadow." she glanced at them. "Do you go by a name, by any chance?"

 

[Fusion]

Vix's Shadow flashed Cynthian a grin, and his wispy tail swayed from side to side. "Scrafty is fine for now. Old world customs an' shit. I don't remember how long I've been dead, but those habits and whatever die hard, heh."

"Don't fall for that, he's trying to have an air of mystery to him," Vix whispered to Cynthian, a smug look on her glassy face.

"I do a better job of that than you do with any of your shit. Can't even flirt right lil miss 'I need a book on flirtin'," Scrafty huffed. Vix wanted to shoot a comeback, but couldn't find the words. Instead she mumbled and grumbled by Cynthian's side.

 

[Adamhuarts]

Vix's Shadow flashed Cynthian a grin, and his wispy tail swayed from side to side. "Scrafty is fine for now. Old world customs an' shit. I don't remember how long I've been dead, but those habits and whatever die hard, heh."

"Old world customs? That's amusing..." Cynthian muttered, a chocolate scent rising off her as she grew curious about said customs.

"I do a better job of that than you do with any of your shit. Can't even flirt right lil miss 'I need a book on flirtin'," Scrafty huffed. Vix wanted to shoot a comeback, but couldn't find the words. Instead she mumbled and grumbled by Cynthian's side.

"A book on what now? I like your humor, Scrafty," Cynthian said as she extended a vine to grab one of Vix's tendrils to lead them to the nearby seats. She looked back at Vix with a smile. "Let's talk more once we sit down, right?"

 

[Fusion]

"A book on what now? I like your humor, Scrafty," Cynthian said as she extended a vine to grab one of Vix's tendrils to lead them to the nearby seats. She looked back at Vix with a smile. "Let's talk more once we sit down, right?"

Vix didn't resist, but she did melt a tiny bit. Probably from how gosh dang angry she was at Scrafty. "Y-Yeah, talk, lets..." she muttered, following behind Cynthian. "I mean, yeah. I might be more tired than I thought, hehe..." she corrected herself, smiling a bit. Scrafty followed in silence, although he look a bit more smug than usual.

 

[Adamhuarts]

"So, how are you holding up, Vix, since the void lands?" Cynthian asked with a nervously chuckle as she leaned back on the bench.

"I'm surprised we didn't talk much since then. I apologize for that. I reaally should have checked up on you." Cynthian lowered her eyes and sighed. She looked around them and then leaned in with a whisper, "I still can't believe you actually went to talk to S'more alone. You're really brave, Vix."

 

[Fusion]

"So, how are you holding up, Vix, since the void lands?" Cynthian asked with a nervously chuckle as she leaned back on the bench.

"I'm surprised we didn't talk much since then. I apologize for that. I really should have checked up on you."

It was always these "how are you" questions that got Vix thinking. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she didn't really know. Vix never gave herself time to process... all of that, she's either been meditating, spying, or keeping busy some other way. "...I've been fine, just busy. Real busy, hehe... I should've tried to check up on you too, so don't beat yourself too much about it."

She looked around them and then leaned in with a whisper, "I still can't believe you actually went to talk to S'more alone. You're really brave, Vix."

Vix reddened a bit, then leaned in and snickered. "I'll be honest, I totally thought he'd punch me in half or something! I never thought someone so adorably small could be so scary!"

 

[Adamhuarts]

"ᴵ'ᵐ ᵍˡᵃᵈ ⁿᵒᵗʰᶦⁿᵍ ᵇᵃᵈ ʰᵃᵖᵖᵉⁿᵉᵈ. ᴵ ᵗʰᵒᵘᵍʰᵗ ᴵ'ᵈ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵃ ʰᵉᵃʳᵗ ᵃᵗᵗᵃᶜᵏ ʷʰᵉⁿ ᴵ ʰᵉᵃʳᵈ ʷʰᵃᵗ ʸᵒᵘ ᵈᶦᵈᵎ," Cynthian whispered back.

"If you'd ended up back in the void lands, I'd have gone there to drag you out myself and give you a good head bonking." Cynthian held up her bouquet like a fist, but she could only maintain a serious expression for a moment before she snickered.

"Really though, at least give someone else a heads up before pulling off daring stunts like that next time, okay?"

 

[Fusion]

Hearing anyone was actually worried about her, especially Cynthian, Vix got red enough for her lavender scent to slowly change to a raspberry one. A surprise to be sure. "Th-Thanks... I-I mean, sorry to make you worry so much! I'll... uh, try to telegraph my stunts a bit more, hehe."

"H-How about you though? What've you been up to since the Voidlands? You look so much more... at ease, than when I last saw you," Vix chuckled, smiling. "It's really nice to see you in such high spirits, ya know?"