Leslie Knope  (via felicitysmoak)

trying to fill the void (via veritasinsomnis)

ˢᵒᶰᵍ ᵒᶠ ᵀʰᵉ ᶜᵒᵐᶦᶰᵍ ᶜᵒʳʳᵘᵖᵗᶦᵒᶰ

So innocent. So kind. So sweet. So… Naive. Eyes the color of cherry blossoms net his own, and he saw the innocence shining. She would be easily manipulated. Everything was falling into place now.

“Rie. A lovely name for a very pretty woman.” He said casually with a charming smile. “You’re right. I’m not from around here. I’m from far away.” He grew quiet, as if pained. It wasn’t hard to fake. With all he’d been through, pain was a companion he knew well. “I’d rather not talk about it.” He shook his head. “Well, I’m currently trying to find some work. I thought I’d check the notice board.” He tapped it with his knuckle producing a hollow thunk.

“But it looks like there’s not much going on. I can hold my own in a fight, so I thought I’d try some of these out.” He shrugged, casually running a hand through his hair roughly. “You wouldn’t happen to have any work, would you? I’m broke right now and I need to earn some gald to have money for a room tonight. Some food would be nice too.”

All according to plan. Now she just needed to take the bait. This world would soon be his.

…Just like all the others.

She would turn an interesting shade of red before adamantly shaking her head. “P-pretty?! O-oh no you’re too kind I don’t think anything...special like that.” Her views opposing his made clear with how frantic she looked, until a hand would come to rest atop her head in sheepish consent. “...B-but...thank you. I suppose.”

It was the first time the Descender would hear someone praise her boldly as someone “pretty”, and from a stranger no less. While Marta had told her that Spada, Flynn and the ever temperamental Luke seemed to think so, she found it most unlikely, especially in the case of the latter. She was brought out of her thoughts by him concurring her statement. She tilts her head, quite curious of the young man’s predicament but wisely kept her silence. Raine had always told her that people ceased telling others about themselves for a reason, and she didn’t want to make this kind stranger feel anymore akward about this arrangement. 

“I’m in the same boat as you are I’m afraid. I need gald to um...help out a friend, but it doesn’t seem like there are any interesting jobs posted at the moment.”

She smiled up at him and shrugged a bit. “I guess I could go to the mines and try excavating for fossils and ores. That always shells out good gald. You can come with me if you’d like, as a bodyguard and comrade of sorts.” There was no born skepticism and malice born out of her suggestion. She does not see him as someone suspicious, but instead as an acquaintance who might turn out to be a friend. Rie didn’t see anything wrong with this arrangement. After all, she had met some of her friends at the guild in the same way.

What could go wrong?

ˢᵒᶰᵍ ᵒᶠ ᵀʰᵉ ᶜᵒᵐᶦᶰᵍ ᶜᵒʳʳᵘᵖᵗᶦᵒᶰ

He made to vanish from his perch in a burst of speed when he paused. That blonde knight dancing with her. He narrowed his eyes. 'He will have to be dealt with. But for now, I need information.’ He blurred from sight, the only mark of his presence a slight wisp of wind…

—-

In the coming days he had scouted around, researching all he could. Before he could conquer this world as he had all the others, he would need information. Without information, nothing could be done. Fortunately, his investigations bore fruit. A well placed inquiry there, some polite conversation here… He learned quite a bit. The Tree was the World Tree. It ensured life was prosperous and was likely the source of life in this world. …He would have to ensure it came under his control. A dead world was of no use to him.

The knight he saw was Commandant over the Knights. His name was Flynn Scifo. Noble and just, kind yet firm. Yet he was also idealistic. He knew his type. He had broken tougher men. He would be no opposition.

The girl was known as Descender. Some called her Rie, a nickname. Her duty was to the people, a symbol of hope. Her task was to root out evil, to oppose calamity wherever it may be found. The texts he had read during his research said that the World Tree would send an envoy in times of crisis. That the World Tree itself was the source of her strength, the binding force that kept her in this world. He had watched her activities, and knew she often pursued guild work. A plan began to form…

—-

So here he stood at the notice board. Waiting for his chance to set everything in motion. He didn’t have to wait long… Soon, the time had come. He turned, bumping gently into her. Enough to knock her down, but not enough to hurt her. He immediately put on a slightly abashed grin.

“Oh! Excuse me! I’m very sorry Miss.” He held out a hand to help her up. “Sorry about that.” He apologized again. “I guess I wasn’t paying attention. I’m Darius. May I know the name of the Lovely Lady I’m speaking to?”

…All too easy.

She sighed, deciding to turn away and look for better job opportunities somewhere. At that moment, Rie turned and accidentally bumped into another person walking by. She let out a yelp, falling on her backside. She rubbed the sore portion which had collided against the floor and winced. She hoped no one else saw that. It would just make her day all the more...hm. What was that word Yuri told her that Flynn advised not to repeat?

“U-um...I-I’m so sorry! Please don’t apologize, it was all my fault for not looking at where I was going.” The Descender gratefully took his outstretched hand and flashed her own grin mirroring his. She tilts her head at the man who had so kindly helped her out despite bumping into him. An unfamiliar face it seems. Not that she was boasting but she knew every single one of the citizens living in the capital. You sorta had to in order to not seem rude when people kept on greeting you with smiles, and everyone was really nice. It was a pleasure learning all their names until she could distinguish them from voice alone. 

“Hello there mister Darius! U-um...just call me Rie. Nice to meet you!” She smiled at him sweetly, the same smile she had given the commandant a night ago during their dance. “...you’re a traveler...I presume. Its the first time I’ve seen you around this parts. How’re you liking Windor?  Its not as busy and technologically advanced as Trigleph, but this is Luminasia’s capital.”

                                                     moon dust in your lungs                                                           stars in your eyes                                                 you are a c h i l d of the cosmos                                                       and r u l e r of the skies

【✎】Zion blinked a couple of times when interrupted by her subtle coughing. Did she have something in mind? His eyes dilated seeing her closing in on him, his lips making contact with hers. A hue of red glistened on his cheeks when pulled away, his pupils hinting small sparkles. He instinctively covered his mouth with the tip of his fingers, only to retract it back with a blissful smile.

“It’s… actually nice,” he looked down, then back to her. “Your lips did.. feel very tender.. and hinted sweet.” There he went again, analyzing small details. “I like it,” he admitted with a weak chuckle.

When she had suggested the amusement park, Zion looked to her bewildered. “Really? That sounds fun… Let’s go..!”

   “I’m glad! Then…maybe we can…do more of that later.”

It looks like they somewhat had the same opinion about each other’s lips. A shy smile graces her features before latching onto his arm tightly, happiness evident from the way she chattered to him eagerly about various food stalls and new rides which await them at the aforementioned amusement park on their way to the train station. Just as they reached the station and Rie took out her card to get past the gates, she pauses and looks him in the eye.

    “Uh...just one more!”

She leans in for the kill quickly, in a blink of an eye her lips had separated from his, and she giggles. “Just for good measure.” Rie didn’t want to admit it outright, but she was the type to like being spoiled and was quite...greedy. He may have to get used to sudden kisses like what had happened just now being commonplace in the future. 

....not to mention she does love making him as red as his hair was. 

    “Before that~!”

Rie coughed awkwardly into a closed fist underneath her chin for a split-second, cheeks tinting pink before taking a deep breath. She wonders if it was alright to do this now, but Marta had always told her that strong women had to sometimes take initiative. And so, without further ado she would lean in, placing a gentle kiss upon his lips. 

   “O-one of my presents. I hope you like it.”

She smiles at him somewhat bashfully, a hand reaching out to ruffle his red tresses before coming to rest at her side. For a boy his lips were so soft- not that she had any experience kissing others, but since guys were more likely to engage in rough and tumble work she expected his to be a bit chapped. “U-Um...anyways, I was hoping we could go to the amusement park today.”

However - A complication in her given statement. How could she have not known, not overheard talk of the war, if she had come this far into Gallia? Even travelling through the Imperial country, she couldn’t not have heard of the war.

There were a lot of suspicious people around here, lately - Though something told him this girl was simply a civilian, lost and confused.

‘There aren’t others - The whole town was evacuated.’ Which is why I was so surprised by your presence, ‘Come on. We’ll get you to safety; just follow me, okay? The name’s Welkin.’ The best course of action was to avoid entrance into the tank - He had no ideas as to where this woman hailed from, and for all he knew she could have been a spy. He crouched to take further cover as a rain of gun shots littered the ground near them, appendage extended towards the female, digits stretched to take her hand.

‘Come on, I got us covered.’

     “Ah I see...that’s good to know.”

Rie let out a rather loud sigh of relief, and one just had to wonder why a simple civilian like her would be genuinely worried for the plight of mere strangers instead of asking about their conditions due to something born out of mere curiosity or building dread that she may be the only civilian alive. Granted, her way of thinking and sense of responsibility probably differs for most so...

      “A-alright. Thank you very much. I shall follow your lead.”

She would gingerly reach out and take ahold of his hand lightly, hesitance playing out in irises the color of blossoms during spring as if asking for confirmation whether it would be alright to tighten her hold. It wasn’t because she was scared however- although she’d rather not admit it outright, she was used to the tragedy war entailed. Rather, in her own way she wanted him safe, thus wanted to hold onto him in the hope he won’t stray far from where she is.

     “I’ll protect you too.”

...and it was just like her to say something like this to someone she barely even knows. 

(via malditangblogger)

“Oh?” Now the tables have turned in his favor. Much to his delight, he takes advantage, deciding to push the limit of this young woman. It is the least he could do after he caused her some quite a bit of trouble by the lie of the dog urinating on the couch. Inch by inch, he closes the distance between them. His thin brow of the left rising with a smirk beginning to spread. Index finger lightly hooks her chin, forcing their gazes to meet near a close proximity. 

“What’s wrong with sharing the bed? If tonight was any indicator, you’re supposed to become my wife eventually, right?” Oh how he wishes she will fluster further under this circumstance. “It is only right that you get used to it. Can you imagine how wrong it will be if word got out that you choose to have your own bed once things are finalized?”

     “W-w-what are you saying all of a sudden?!”

Despite the tough facade she was trying to uphold the pink on her cheeks turning into a bright red betrays her. She wills herself to meet his gaze with defiance, her right cheek puffed up in a manner so reminiscent to a child stubbornly asking for more candies during Halloween. “You’re so weird! W-what happened to that stubborn guy who was so dead set on sleeping on the couch the dog peed at!”

“B-besides! I wasn’t talking about sleeping here with me in this bed, I-I was talking about the other bed!” Incessant flailing towards the futon she had laid out for him ensues. “S-see?!”