Back and alive, *sigh* this was sitting in my notebook for like since before Christmas. Typing this with 2 bandaged fingers (they bled a lot) so I can't assure any lack of typos. Please enjoy! :D
EDIT 4/11/2012: Thanks to Shadowblitz for pointing out my spelling error of Rita's last name.
X
Untidy
X
The candle melted for the last time as the pool of molten wax smothered the ignited wick. Sighing, the mage placed another candle next to the first and lighted it, restoring luminance to the dark, dusty, cave-like room. Large tomes and hardback book littered the floor and collected into piles that were substitutes for furniture. Munching on a loaf of stale bread she flipped her untidy bangs out of eyes as she absent-mindedly recalled her adventures with a vigilante one, no two almost three, years ago. She was reckless a loose cannon, though she still is, and rechanneled her embarrassment and caring into anger and violence. The feeling she was left afterwards was longing and loneliness, feeling all alone even after moving in with Estelle at the castle. And when Estelle brought up their favorite swordsman and their adventures it made it worse. She was haunted by the feeling but constantly tried to banish them, 'Keep yourself together Mordio! You don't need to waste your precious research time worrying about them' she mentally scolded.
But it never worked for too long as a moment after finishing her loaf of bread and writing two pages of research the haunting feeling returned. The longing for the past and man came back stronger, the feeling was agitated by being ignored for so long. Sighing again, she violently slammed her journal shut and chucked it at the wall opposite to her, knocking over a pile of old notes.
Yelling nonsense she thought, 'Forget it, If visiting them allows me to work in peace then so be it.'
Determined, she stood from her book red velvet chair, the only true furniture other than a stray table, grabbed a rucksack and threw in some clothes and notebooks. Heading out into the bright light of day she flinched at the bright morning.
X
Rita Mordio wearily traveled the brick streets of Zaphias, the Imperial capital, clad in a slightly updated outfit of her old patchwork dress. It was red and adorned with white flaming and flowery stitching, pleated from the waist down it long enough to reach her mid-calves. The sleeves extended to forearms for warmth but close fitting to stay out of her way, and the dress was made of a moderately thin light silky material. She stumbled every so often in the morning light and when she flashed her passport at the similarly weary night guards that hadn't been switched out yet they let her leave the city. Exiting the gate she was slowly caught up her own thoughts…
Through the plains, 'Why do I even care?'
Passing through a human-made gate of stone, 'I'm risking my life to go to Dahngarest and they may not even be there…'
Through more plains and past a large tree, 'Estelle is going to worry; I forgot to leave a note,'
Into some old rubble, 'Why the hell am I leaving my research!'
Scowling she shouted out, "This makes no sense!" She messed up her unruly hair with her red gloved hands in frustration till a roar matched her noise making, causing her to flinch in fear, 'Oh shit. A monster is to much now.' She darted her eyes across the landscape in panic as powerful as she had once been, it was now all lost in the sacrifice of blastia. Back stepping she drew her wicked whip from around her waist and began chanting one of the recovered spells using a experimental mana device. A flash of colour in her peripheral vision made her instinctively jerk in the direction, releasing her spell.
"Fireball!" she shouted, a low level ball of flames was hurled at the creature, bad aiming sent it past the beast with only with tips of the flames licking the surface. Further irritated it charged at her, and making her last wishes she closed her eye wondering, 'Am I going to die? Like this? At the jaws of a cakewalk of a monster?'
She heard a whelp of pain and felt a splash of warm liquid land on her. She cautiously peaked open her eye and moved away her hair to witness a man dressed in black heavy apparel effortlessly evading and countering the feral monster. With a final aerial based slash down the creature's back, it collapsed into a shameful heap of a corpse and the man landed on his feet with the absolute grace of a feline, "What are you doing this far from the city?"
"Huh?" was the only legible form of speech Rita could pronounce as she looked around and found herself in the rubble of what used to be Aspio. Then she directed her insecurity about not realizing where she was and that she couldn't defend herself at the black clad man.
Sensing the anger steaming off the mage, the man warned, "Calm down, Rita."
"W-what? How do you know my name pervert!" Rita unexpectedly kicked him in the side them motioned for his head.
"Hey," he ducked on reflex to evade the kick, "It's me Rita," he pulled out a pair of chopsticks out of his hair and let the ebony tresses cascade around his face and back. He also pulled down his metal plated bandana and looked her in the eyes.
Stuttering Rita stopped her abuse, "Yu-Yur-Yuri," her eyes widened and stumbled backwards. She stared at him, one of the causes of her want, as it appeared as if he no longer felt the strain of the fate of the world being weighed on his sharp shoulders. Snapping out of her daze however she growled, her anger skyrocketing, leaping at him and tackled him to the ground, "Idiot! You're an absolute idiot!"
On the ground, spread out with his sword laying still unsheathed nearby, Yuri cockily questioned, "So whacha doin'," he grinned sure of himself. As the more Rita stayed on him, the more he felt uncomfortable under her now feminine weight.
"I was heading to Dahngrest," she proudly half-lied not wishing to be seen as weak and lonely in front of him. She falsely projected the appearance of being self-sufficient and not needing any social attention, although inside she was hoping dearly for him to give her his full attention and was glad to have him there for her, something she had dearly lacked in her childhood and the last few years. "I had some business there," she said.
Sighing, Yuri saw through her lies and untruths that could never corrupt the truth in her eyes and he desperately asked, "Well can you please get off me?" He shifted back in forth to demonstrate how little space he had.
She blushed crimson red as she realized she was straddling him, "I'm sorry," She quickly lept up and stepped on him in retaliation, turning her face away to hide her cheeks.
The black clothed guild member struggled under her foot and pleaded for her to stop. She glanced at him before slowly stepping off him. He got up and dusted himself off, "Rita, you said you were headed for Dahngrest right?"
Still with her head turned away she squeaked out, "Yuhuh,"
"The why did you turn the wrong way and traveled to Aspio? Make a wrong turn? If so the I will gladly escort you to Dahngrest myself," politely he bowed in respect to the fiery mage, "But in all truth I do think you were just longing for home."