Ravvus Wiseau
Mage
We will not stop until I have bested you at least once. My pride simply won't allow any alternative.
Posts: 207
Affinity: Anima
OoC Alias: Ravvus/Luba/Rowan
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Post by Ravvus Wiseau on Dec 26, 2016 2:18:54 GMT -6
”AAAHH!” Ravvus shouted, shooting up in bed. A nightmare, he'd had a nightmare. There had been an arena and ice-spiked snowballs. One of the snowballs had struck him in the head and pierced his left eye. Terrified, Ravvus' hand shot from the mattress to his cheek. His fingers slid against a closed eyelid and felt his tender oculus underneath. It was there, it was still there. He was still in one piece. The mage leaned back, resting his spine against the headboard of his bed. He tried to remember the events of the dream.
There had been a axe-wielding giant and three-foot tall men. There had been a colossal snow monster and a sage, whose gaea tome split the earth in two. There had been reindeer, with teeth sharp as blades, and Donovan, the green mercenary. And Ravvus had... he'd died. He'd slumped in the snow to take a rest but... he didn't wake up. Not in the dream at least.
The mage could feel tears welling up at the thought. Everything had been so disturbingly vivid. The pain of trying to pull the projectile from his eye, the sensation of regurgitating as he puked into the snow, the fatigue of his body failing, it had all felt uncomfortably real. The mage had died in that dream.
He'd died.
The dam burst. Ravvus whimpered, his face was awash with tears. He had to get out of the cabin before his sobbing woke somebody. The mage grabbed a plain shirt and made for the cabin door. Running out to the main deck, he fell upon his knees and wept. ”I- they killed- I-” Ravvus sputtered between sobs, covering his eyes with his hands. He slammed his fists against the wooden deck and shoved his face against the boards so as to muffle the screams which followed.
Suddenly the mage felt someone grab his shoulders and jerk him upwards. ”By the Saint, Ravvus, what happened?!” It was Dahlia. He could make out her compassionate face through a torrent of his own tears.
”Dahlia- I- They- they killed me! The- the three-foot tall m- men! Stabbed m- my chest, my knee, m- my eye w- with th- the sp- spiked snowballs!” He sobbed, barely articulating intrinsically senseless gibberish.
Dahlia wrapped her arms around him, holding him in a tight embrace. ”Shh, shh, shh!” She quieted him, like a mother soothing a wailing child. ”Ravvus, nobody killed you. You're still here ok. Look, look, here's your chest.” She gripped his hand, rubbing it in a circular motion on his chest. ”Nothing's punctured, ok? No snowballs.” She removed her hand from his and reached for his knee. ”Feel this, huh? No wounds in your knee either. And your eye, you can still see with it. You can see me, right? All of you is still here. Look, you even still have the wound from training in the woods, remember?” Her hands briefly touched upon his bandaged palm before returning to his shoulders. ”You're ok. Ok? It was just a nightmare! Ravvus, look at me!” She shouted, gripping his cheeks with her thumb and pointer finger. ”You're not in danger, ok? You're safe!”
He blubbered and wept as Dahlia tried to meet his gaze.
”Say it, Ravvus. Tell it to me and then yourself. You are safe.”
”I-” He started, his teary eyes connecting with Dahlia's. ”I- I'm safe.”
”That's good, Ravvus. Very good. Now say it to yourself.”
”I- I'm safe... I'm ok...” He sniffled, managing to wrest some control over his body.
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Ravvus Wiseau
Mage
We will not stop until I have bested you at least once. My pride simply won't allow any alternative.
Posts: 207
Affinity: Anima
OoC Alias: Ravvus/Luba/Rowan
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Post by Ravvus Wiseau on Dec 26, 2016 23:30:40 GMT -6
(Cue: Wilting Respite) ”That's right. You're safe.” The mage leaned forward, resting against Dahlia's bosom. Rocking lightly, the herbalist wrapped a hand around the back of his head. ”It's ok.” They sat like that for a time. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ravvus stood a ways off, apart from Dahlia as she explained the situation to Goeke-Morey, and a handful of other Pathfinders the mage's scream had awakened. The conjurer's cheeks were stained with tears and the whites of his eyes were a veiny red. With a sniffle, the mage scritched at the base of his nose with an outstretched finger. His eyes too were irritated and he rubbed the edges of them with an open palm. Dahlia had calmed him tremendously, reducing his choked gibberish to a few occasional whimpers and sniffles. The mage let out a sigh, feeling heavy, and gazed across the moon-lit sea. The orb in the sky shone bright with no shadows to obscure its heavenly form. A pathway illuminated across the waters, stretching from the dark-blue horizon to the hull of the ship. The nearer the light came to Ravvus the more it narrowed, closing in on a point just off the hull. It was as if the sky-bound moon was inviting the mage to leap from the ship and tread the light blanketed sea. As if it wanted him to walk the length of the distance between the ship and the horizon, so that he might stroke his fingers across the base of the heavenly sphere. Ravvus smirked, comforted by the poetic musings. He thought of Hailstorm and wondered if he truly could tread water with its magic. ”I told Goeke-Morey and the others that you had a nightmare, and just needed some time by yourself.” Dahlia interjected, approaching Ravvus from behind and folding her arms across the wooden railing. She cocked her head to the left, so as to get a look at the mage's face. ”You're smiling.” She noted, picking up on his light smirk. Ravvus responded with a shrug, saying nothing. ”Do you want to talk about it?” Yes and no. That was the mage's first thought. He didn't want to think about the vividness of his death in the night terror, but not talking about would be isolating. So, Ravvus settled for something in between. ”I don't know. I do. but just a step at a time.” He muttered with a snort. ”That's fine.” Dahlia responded plainly. Ravvus inhaled a long, ragged breath. ”You came pretty quickly. I hadn't been crying for a minute by the time you found me.””Insomnia.” The herbalist dismissed with a shrug. ”I was up here on the deck, watching the waves rock against the bow of the boat, when I heard the first scream. It was muffled, however, by the wood of the ship, the rocking of the current, and the gusts of the wind. I thought it might have been the sound of some distant, nocturnal animal. And then,” She gestured with a horizontal wave of the hand ”I heard a door fly open, and the next thing I knew you were sobbing on the deck of the ship.” Dahlia shook her head. ”Must have been one hell of a night-terror.”
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Ravvus Wiseau
Mage
We will not stop until I have bested you at least once. My pride simply won't allow any alternative.
Posts: 207
Affinity: Anima
OoC Alias: Ravvus/Luba/Rowan
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Post by Ravvus Wiseau on Dec 27, 2016 23:13:41 GMT -6
”Yeah. I think the strangest thing was that I realized it was a dream while it was happening. That's never happened to me before. The dream plays out and when I wake up I realize nothing was real.” The cadence of the mage's voice quivered. ”There was an arena covered in snow and animated frozen men. At first I thought the entire thing was a practical joke. It seemed like a prank Minerva would have pulled.”
”Yes... Minerva.” The herbalist dragged out the end of the name as she spoke.
”And then something started throwing snowballs at me. I didn't take them seriously until one of them grazed me, taking a chunk of my skin with it.” The mage puckered his lips and let out a long exhale. ”I don't remember where that one hit, I just remember the sudden sensation of danger and fear.” He shook his head. ”I don't remember much of what happened after that. I helped take out a colossal snow monster and then- then I got hit.” Ravvus gripped the ship railing and squeezed hard on the wood. He wasn't about to start crying again, he was past that, but talking about the experience was still difficult, still took a toll on him. ”And then I woke up, and uh-” He shot Dahlia a quick glance and eased up on his grip. ”You know what happened after that.”
Dahlia stared at him intently and silently, allowing the mage to say his piece.
”It's funny. I've looked death in the face before, not in a dream that is. It was, I don't know, close to a year now? I was in Ilia, looking to pick a fight with some undead which had traveled north. There were three of us, Donovan, George, and myself, protecting a fat man and his family. The undead were easy pickings, clumsy creatures with no knowledge of combat or coordination. Except for one, the Scorched Behemoth.” His fingers tightened on the railing again. ”Easily over six feet tall, the Behemoth was, well, massive. And it had this stare. An enervating gaze which sapped me of my energy. Damn thing killed George...” Ravvus hesitated, pausing for a moment. ”And it nearly killed me. I set off an explosion right in its ugly face, destroying one of its eyes and charring an entire half of its body. Creature got away before I could finish it off, though.”
He let go of the railing, taking two steps backwards. ”I almost killed myself setting off that explosion. When I did, I felt at peace. I thought that it was a good way to go out. No one lives forever, right? Not every man gets to decide how he dies and even fewer are content with it. I was one of those lucky few who got both. Except I didn't die.” He paced slowly away from Dahlia before coming back to her side. The herbalist held him in her gaze while Ravvus looked out across the expansive sea.
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Ravvus Wiseau
Mage
We will not stop until I have bested you at least once. My pride simply won't allow any alternative.
Posts: 207
Affinity: Anima
OoC Alias: Ravvus/Luba/Rowan
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Post by Ravvus Wiseau on Dec 28, 2016 23:15:09 GMT -6
”And then I died in the dream, and it was a completely different sensation. No moment of acceptance, no sense of finality. I just felt tired. I rested my head to take a nap, then woke up. In the dream, I wasn't scared by the concept of my life ending. It was waking up and realizing what happened which terrified me. Remembering it in all of its bloody detail.” He glanced at Dahlia, finally taking his eyes off of the ocean. ”I don't know what to make of that. I don't know why the prospect of death didn't frighten me, but waking up and remembering my 'death' reduced me to a blubbering infant.”
”I think I do.” She spoke in a voice almost motherly in tone.”I won't lie to you, Ravvus. I have no frame of reference for your predicament. I've had pretty bad nightmares before but nothing so traumatic as being killed and waking to remember it. Nor have I ever had a dream in which the experience felt as real as you've described. There has always been something in the back of my mind which prevents total suspension of disbelief.”
The herbalist placed her hand on her forehead, stroking her hair from front to back. ”But to feel the sensation of your life ending, and then wake up and remember how it felt for your body to fail you, that would wound anybody. When it comes to confronting our own mortality, I don't think dying has to be a bad thing. Its like you said, there's something fulfilling, maybe even soothing, about meeting death on your own terms. But to experience something so powerful, so final, and then for it to be taken back is deeply violating. At least-” Dahlia shook her head. ”These are my thoughts on the matter.”
”Yeah.” Ravvus nodded. ”That makes a lot of sense to me.”
The herbalist stared at him, her eyes narrowed as if she was smizing. Her lips, however, told a different story. Her mouth was contorted into a frown. The expression she wore was one of pity, not warmth or gaiety. Ravvus felt a tinge of disdain towards the herbalist. He hated being pitied. It made him feel weak.
”...Stay here for a moment.” A quiet request. Dahlia turned around and retreated into the main deck of the ship. Ravvus watched until she was gone, and then set his eyes back on the sea. The moon was still there, hanging in the sky, and it still shown down a rippling path of light. Both continued to beckon him from the ship, begging him to follow the moonlit path so that the silvery orb might grace his mortal touch.
”Ravvus” The familiar voice of Dahlia called out. She approached him, lightly tossing a small burlap sack up and down. ”Take a guess as to what I have here in my hand.”
A smirk planted itself on his face. ”...Something which causes a greater frequency of urination?”
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Ravvus Wiseau
Mage
We will not stop until I have bested you at least once. My pride simply won't allow any alternative.
Posts: 207
Affinity: Anima
OoC Alias: Ravvus/Luba/Rowan
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Post by Ravvus Wiseau on Dec 30, 2016 0:10:51 GMT -6
The herbalist gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes. ”Sorry, sorry.”
”At least your sense of humor is intact.” She grumbled, coming close to him. ”This.” She gestured, presenting the small beige item to Ravvus. ”...is a bag of Pheraen soil. Specifically it's a bag of soil from my mother's garden back home.”
”Ok.” Ravvus shot her a confused look.
”I know.” Dahlia chuckled lightly, withdrawing her hand. ”Sounds a little coo coo without any context.” She squeezed the bag. ”Whenever I have a bad dream, or feel as if I'm overwhelmed by my work or what have you, I take ahold of this bag and give it a few good squeezes. If that doesn't take my mind off of the problem, I open it up and reach inside.” Her fingers delicately pulled at the knot which kept the bag closed, then slipped inside. ”The soil is soft on my skin and, if I can keep my thoughts focused on my home and my mother, running my fingers through the dirt can be very soothing.” She withdrew her hand from the bag, rubbing her thumb against her fingers in an attempt to get as much of the soil back in the bag as possible, before retying the knot. “It also helps to get into a rhythm. Make the motions consistent and meditative.”
She held the bag out to the mage again. ”Do you have anything like this, Ravvus?”
”No, not really.” He spoke dismissively. ”Look Dahlia-” The mage put his hands forward, waving them from side to side. ”I appreciate what you're doing here, but I don't think this is for me. It's not a matter of knowing how to cope with the feelings, it's a matter of not having them in the first place.” He stared down at the wooden planks of the ship, brow furrowed and lips contorted into a frown. ”I don't like feeling as I did when I awoke. I don't like feeling weak. I don't want to know how to cope, I want to know how to not feel it in the first place.”
The mage saw a pair of slender fingers reach out and tap the tip of his chin. He looked up to a receive a sober stare from Dahlia. ”Ravvus. I know what you want. Please try to put that aside and humor me for a moment.” She instructed, and leveled the bag again. ”Do you have anything like this? A trinket or memento of home, or some other thing you care about?”
”Dahl, I appreciate where you're coming from bu-”
”A yes or no will suffice.”
Ravvus sighed, exasperated. ”You're really not going to let this go, are you?”
”I like to think I don't give up easily.” She smirked, giving a playful shrug.
"..." Ravvus folded his arms across his chest. "..."
"..." Dahlia placed her hands on her hips. "..."
”I might have something.”
”Please...” She gestured towards the cabin door. ”If you wouldn't mind.” The mage's eyes darted between Dahlia and the door, as he internally debated the merits of doing as she said. She gestured again, more firmly this time. Ravvus could see this was not a battle he was going to win, and grumpily complied.
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Ravvus Wiseau
Mage
We will not stop until I have bested you at least once. My pride simply won't allow any alternative.
Posts: 207
Affinity: Anima
OoC Alias: Ravvus/Luba/Rowan
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Post by Ravvus Wiseau on Dec 31, 2016 11:23:25 GMT -6
”O.K. Wait here.” Dahlia slinked to the side as Ravvus made his way for the interior of the ship. He opened the cabin door, grabbing a torch as he did so. Apart from the moon, the torches on the maindeck were the only sources of light in the night. Ravvus considered using a fire spell to help see within the ship's dark confines, but decided against it. He was still only comfortable flicking embers so, without his book, summoning a ball of flame might cause an accident, might set the ship on fire.
The sounds of snoring and light breathing could be heard as Ravvus descended the stairs which connected the cabin to the area beneath the main deck. A pair of torches, mounted on the walls adjacent to the stairs, flickered and danced in the darkness. Even with the trio of flames, Ravvus had difficulty seeing. There was no moonlight from outside and, without it, the room was all but pitch black. He maneuvered through the room carefully, never moving past an area the darkness had yet to recede from. Upon reaching his bunk, the mage held the torch high and kneeled. Lying against his bunk was his trusty travel satchel. Sifting through the bag proved troubling as Ravvus could only access it with one hand, but he knew what to look for. His fingers had run the length of this particular tome's text more times than he could count. Brushing over the raised lettering of a tome, he could make out the letters 'e', 'l', and 'f', in order. He had found what he had been looking for. Ravvus withdrew the book and closed the satchel.
He returned topside, putting the torch back where he'd found it. Dahlia smiled at him expectantly as he held the book with both hands, and approached her.
”Do you know what this is?” The mage presented the book so that Dahlia could read its title.
The herbalist shook her head, leaning in close. She had to squint in the moonlit night so as to make out the lettering. ”The tune of Elfire and Fimbulvetr... an introductory manual to anima magic.”
Ravvus nodded, gripped the book's pages with his thumbs, and split the tome open. ”This used to belong to my sister. It was the first anima tome she ever practiced with. She was never very good at magic.” He smirked, flipping through the old pages. ”I took this book with me when I started traveling Elibe. I wanted to have something to remember her by.”
”That was generous of her to let you have it.”
Right. Generous. It was not as if the mage had absconded with his sister's treasured introductory manual without her knowledge. ”Uh, yeah. That was Reina. Generous.”
”Close your eyes and then the book if you don't mind.” Ravvus complied, shutting out the moonlight and folding the book closed. ”Now place a hand on both the cover and the back, so as to sandwich the book between your hands. Lift the hand you have placed on top and use it to examine the cover's details. Run your fingers across the raised lettering, feel the slight bulges where the cover art pops out.”
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Ravvus Wiseau
Mage
We will not stop until I have bested you at least once. My pride simply won't allow any alternative.
Posts: 207
Affinity: Anima
OoC Alias: Ravvus/Luba/Rowan
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Post by Ravvus Wiseau on Jan 1, 2017 19:30:41 GMT -6
”This isn't going to work.” The conjurer shook his head.
”It won't if you don't let it.” Dahlia corrected politely. ”Focus on the book, and be cognizant of the things around you. Feel the sea and salt of the night air breath against your skin. Observe the moonlight shining through your eyelids. Listen to the sound of the light breeze, the rhythm of the waves rocking against our ship, the cadence of my voice.” She leaned close, speaking softly. ”As you run your fingers across the raised lettering, fall into a rhythm. Let your body move on its own.”
Ravvus had trouble following Dahlia's instructions. His body complied, but his mind did not. Completing the physical motions was a simple enough task. His eyes were shut and he had two outstretched fingers running the length of the cover. But his mind, his other senses, they were focused elsewhere, thinking on the dread nightmare and concepts of power.
”Now think about your sister." Dahlia interjected, providing further guidance. "Consider the fondest memory you have of her. How did it feel when she smiled at you or hugged you? Did you speak with her often? Think about some of the struggles you both had, and how you helped each other through them. How did she feel handing over her introductory manual to you?” The mage grimaced internally. ”Think about her, and the other good things this book is associated with. How did you feel when you first discovered your talent for anima? What was it like casting that first fireball?” Dahlia watched Ravvus' fingers as they flittered in a dance across the cover.
The mage smirked, as Dahlia finally provided some instructions he could follow through on. The thought of his first fireball filled Ravvus with pride. A jubilance had overtaken him the day of his first casting. A sense of wonder and excitement, the likes of which he had not oft experienced in youth.
”It felt good.” He muttered. ”Invigorating.”
”Good. But tell that to yourself, not me.” She spoke, noticing his fingers were straight and stiff. The herbalist reached out and pressed between the joints. ”Let your body relax. You don't want it to be rigid and inflexible... Now open the book and continue to run your fingers along the pages inside.” He complied, propping the book open and holding it by the spine. ”What does the touch of these pages mean to you? How many times have you read this book?” Hundreds of times. Dozens of hundreds of times. Ravvus could read this book blindfolded if he really needed to. Least, he could recite the first page.
An idea entered his mind.
The mage flipped several pages until he reached the very first page of the book. He placed a finger at the top and began to mouth the words of the introduction. "In all things, a mage must be able to interact with the spirits of their chosen element..."
”What are you doing?” Dahlia inquired, picking up on the movement of his lips.
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Ravvus Wiseau
Mage
We will not stop until I have bested you at least once. My pride simply won't allow any alternative.
Posts: 207
Affinity: Anima
OoC Alias: Ravvus/Luba/Rowan
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Post by Ravvus Wiseau on Jan 2, 2017 19:02:26 GMT -6
Ravvus' finger darted from the book to his mouth, in a 'shushing' motion, before returning to the page. ”One must have a focused mind...” Five lines in, left side of the page. ”Exercise extreme caution...” More than halfway down, middle of the page. ”Require a deep connection with the spirits and a thorough understanding of the element.” Bottom of the page, right side. The mage's eyes fluttered open briefly, examining the text. It was all there. Every word he'd mouthed in every part of the page he'd traced. Ravvus closed his eyes and repeated the process, falling into a rhythm.
His body operated on its own, freeing his mind to focus on other things. He remembered Reina and her golden blonde hair. He remembered when they were both children and how he would protect her from the others kids in the Western Isles. He remembering getting bloody lips and bruises on his cheeks in the defense of his sister. And he remembered how she would hold him, despite his protests, after fighting on her behalf. Ravvus' lips contorted into a smile at the thoughts.
”How do you feel?” Dahlia spoke, breaking the silence.
”Easy, calm. Like I'm a leaf in the wind.”
”There's a sense of serenity to it, isn't there?”
”Yeah.” Ravvus muttered, remembering Mimi's story. ”Serenity.” He glanced at Dahlia, smiling. ”Guess you were right. Thanks for being so persistent.”
”You're welcome.” She smiled back, dimples on full display. ”Honestly, I'm rather surprised. You were so reluctant to try it initially. I wasn't sure this would work.”
”I didn't either... but this book means a lot to me. I can't tell you how many times I've read and re-read it. Falling into a rhythm became second nature. Good thing too.” Ravvus shot his companion a cocky smirk. ”I hate failing.”
Dahlia's smile faded, replaced with a sober facade. Her eyes resumed the look of pity from before. ”I know you're being light, Ravvus. But, when you say things like that, like 'hating failure' or 'not wanting to feel something', I... feel pain for you. Failure isn't a bad thing, nor is feeling what you feel. Sometimes you fail, sometimes you are afraid and doubtful. But during those times, you try regardless. Even if you hadn't been able to meditate tonight, you still would have tried. You tried tonight, despite not knowing what the outcome would be. And that, in and of itself, is an admirable thing.”The herbalist reached forward, caressing Ravvus' cheek. ”Don't ever count that out.”
Ravvus stared at Dahlia, at a total loss as for what to say. He disagreed with her completely, but did not want to. So much of the mage's life had revolved around strength and vague concepts of becoming stronger. That was his passion. That was who he was, an adventurer who would one day master the elements. For him, there had only ever been two dichotomies, success and failure. Success had value, failure did not. Every time he'd tried to use wind magic had been a failure. There had been no value in the effort because the effort produced no visible results. It was why trying to cast wind spells had been so infuriating for the mage. Every attempt made him feel more impotent than the last. Every try had been a failure, and nothing more.
But, maybe, maybe that wasn't true. Maybe Dahlia had a point. Maybe there were more than two dichotomies.
Ravvus lurched forward hesitantly. Dahlia, upon seeing him do so, leaned forward with noticeably less hesitance. A few fleeting moments passed as their faces came closer until, finally, their lips met.
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Ravvus Wiseau
Mage
We will not stop until I have bested you at least once. My pride simply won't allow any alternative.
Posts: 207
Affinity: Anima
OoC Alias: Ravvus/Luba/Rowan
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Post by Ravvus Wiseau on Jan 4, 2017 0:03:21 GMT -6
(Cue: Wilting Respite) Ravvus closed his eyes and leaned into Dahlia, letting the world fade out and allowing her to envelop his consciousness. The closeness of their embrace allowed the mage to pick up on some things he hadn't noticed before, such as Dahlia's scent. The herbalist wore some kind of strawberry perfume or body wash. Ravvus wasn't entirely sure which it was, he could only tell that the smell emanated from her neck. Just by looking at the herbalist, he'd been able to tell she was a slender woman, but now, as he placed his hands on her hips, he realized how light her figure was. It was like he could carry her body with little to no physical strain on his own. Dahlia's breasts yielded in retreat as Ravvus pressed his chest against hers. He picked up on the precise size of Dahlia's bust. Ravvus did not know how much pride the herbalist took in her upper body, but he would not blame her if it was immense. The two lingered there, locked in a blissful, intoxicating union, before finally parting. (End: Wilting Respite) They were closer now. Ravvus' hands were fastened to Dahlia's hips and she had slinked her arms behind his neck. The herbalist pulled back, licking her freshly wet lips. ”Mmm, too long.” She smirked with a shake of her head. ”It's been far too long.”Ravvus stared at her, his mind now less intoxicated. He blinked several times before realizing the implications of their shared kiss. He let go of Dahlia, gentling gripping her arms and undoing the lock she had on his neck, before taking a step back. ”Ravvus-” Dahlia spoke, following him with a step. ”Please don't.” She sounded a little exasperated. ”Dahlia, I like you, really I do. But there's just- there's someone else. And I don't feel right-””I know, I know there's someone else! Saint's name, do you think I forgot?!” Dahlia tossed her hands up in frustration, angrily turning away from the mage. ”Way to kill the mood...” She grumbled angrily after throwing a hard sock at his shoulder. Ravvus stepped backwards, more taken aback by the fact that Dahlia had punched him than by the actual force of the blow. The mage touched at his shoulder, where Dahlia had struck. ”I wish things were different, Dahl, I do.””You say that, but-” Dahlia cut herself off, refusing to finish the sentence. She gripped the wooden railing hard, squeezing the tension from her body into the ship, and then let go. The herbalist tried to compose herself, running both hands the full length of her hair. ”Look, Ravvus, I get it. This Minerva means a lot to you, but you barely know her. You've only met twice. And from everything you've said, she sounds like a shameless coquette who probably isn't remaining chaste in your absence. For the life of me, I can't understand why you're being so loyal to that, to her, when I'm right here. That- That doesn't make any sense to me.””...It doesn't make much sense to me either. I don't really know how to explain it, Dahl. I just know that if I were- if we were to do anything more, anything else, it wouldn't sit right with me.””Awesome.” Dahlia spoke without a hint of sincerity. She placed her hand on her forehead, and ran it the length of her hair, again trying to compose herself. ”It's late.” She spoke. ”I should try to get some sleep, try to work through this insomnia.””For the best.” Ravvus muttered. ”I do care about you, Dahl. I-”Dahlia turned her back, her fingers curling into half fists as she placed her hands on either side of her forehead. ”Please. Just. Stop... I'll see you in the morning.” She muttered and made for the cabin door. ”Yeah. Sleep well, Dahl.””...You too, Ravvus.” She spoke with an earnest, if not unenthusiastic voice, and disappeared into the depths of the ship. Ravvus frowned, looking after Dahlia as she faded from sight. That could have gone better. Or maybe it couldn't have. Maybe that just had to happen. Maybe now what the mage had to do was think. Think about what he wanted. Not just from Dahlia, but from other aspects of life. Think about how he viewed failure and success and think about whether he agreed with Dahlia's perspective of the two. Think about the validity of his loyalty to Minerva and think about if it was worth reneging on that loyalty for this other woman, who he cared about very much. Ravvus placed his elbows on the railing of the boat, stared out at the silvery moon, and started a very long conversation with himself. (End Thread)
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