Garet
GhostFire
- 729
- Posts
- 13
- Years
- Krysemna, a place yet to be written...
- Seen Jan 22, 2019
...Agh, you have me interested. Hum, reserve me for the Crest of Courage Light, please. Now, to go look through the Digimon that there are; I haven't played or seen as much Digimon as you guys seem to have.
EDIT: Finished and ready for review.
[/REAL WORLD]
Name | Julian Truman
Gender | Boy
Location | Arizona, USA
Age | 15
Appearance | Just by looking at him, a person might expect Julian to be an active, outdoors-loving boy, rather than a nerdy video-game player. Standing at a height of five feet and weighing at a reported 116 pounds, the Caucasian boy has a slim build, with the beginnings of a runner's musculature. Julian prefers his chestnut-brown hair cut short so it'll remain fairly straight; it tends to curl or wave at the ends if it grows more than a few inches long. He wears a pair of blue-framed sunglasses on a regular basis to block some of the sunlight, so others often don't see his heterochromic eyes: the left iris is green, and the right iris is amber.
When it comes to color schemes, Julian likes blue and silver. He's often seen wearing a pair of loose-fitting jeans and either a short- or long-sleeved plain shirt, depending on the weather and season. If Julian is working outside, he'll be wearing a pair of work boots; otherwise, he wears his running shoes. Along with his sunglasses, he needs contacts for his near-sighted eyes. Julian's only other usual accessory is a digital watch on his left wrist.
Personality | One word: Stubborn. In a way, Julian tends to push back against what others suggest or tell him what to do, just for the sake of pushing back. He has some desires that he will stand by, despite what others may think of him. This obstinacy is, in part, the reason why Julian began playing video games in the first place. At the same time, there's the sense that Julian is relatively innocent. He doesn't have it in him to gossip about others behind their backs or help pull pranks, among other things that kids his age do. Julian is also a terrible liar. He tends to tell the truth anyway, and any lie he might try to tell would be easily given away by his face and other tell-tale signs.
At least his obstinacy means Julian will strongly support his close friends, or one side of an issue. Not that he has a lot of friends; he's not outspoken enough for most athletic circles, and not nerdy enough for many of the video-game players. In his free time, Julian splits his time between his video and online games, and freerunning. He has a fascination for the stories told in the games he plays, which is another reason for playing them. Digimon became one of the main lines of games that Julian follows. There are times, though, when he finds it hard to focus on games or the Internet. Since he doesn't spend a whole lot of time with friends otherwise, Julian took to parkour, or freerunning as some will call it. As he sees it, "You don't need others in order to run every which way."
History | Some people are surprised when Julian says he was born in a town in the White Mountains area of Arizona. Yes, mountains. More often than not, it seems to be out-of-staters who'd thought that the Grand Canyon State is all flat desert. Anyway, Julian spent the first eight years of his life in the towns on Arizona's mountains, with his parents and a two-year-younger sister. The young boy was, more or less, content with life. His father owned some ranch land near Snowflake, which was still flat and "desert-y" enough for such an occupation. Julian learned some work ethics as he was taken out to help his father and others in the field, though the boy didn't like working so much at the time.
If all had gone well within his family, Julian might have grown up differently. Sadly, though, as he approached eight years of age, his mother and father began fighting over something the boy didn't understand (something about Julian's mother cheating on her husband). It wasn't long before they divorced; Julian's mother moved down to Phoenix, Arizona. Arrangements for the two children were settled thus: Julian would spend the first half of the year with his father in Snowflake, and the other six months in Phoenix with his mother. His sister, Janet, would be with their father from April to September and with their mother otherwise. Effectively, Julian and Janet would have every other quarter-year with each other. Don't ask Julian why child custody was set up this way; for that matter, don't ask him anything about his family situation.
Anyway, this set-up made it a little difficult for Julian to have lasting friends in either place, which also served to put some distance between him and the evils of the world. He still helped his father with livestock and other ranch functions while in Snowflake, but he had much more free time while in Phoenix. Julian's mother didn't pay as much attention to him, leaving the boy with more free time than he'd known to do with at first. This was Julian's first serious venture into the world of video games, online games, and, subsequently, Digimon. Enough of his working nature remained for Julian to continue spending time outdoors, which developed over the years into parkour/freerunning.
Julian and his sister kept in touch when they weren't together, so it was little surprise that they both pre-ordered copies of [/TAMERS]. The idea was that they would work together in the game, but that was before they discovered that virtual death meant real death...
[/DIGITAL WORLD]
YOUR AVATAR
Name | Stryker
Gender | Boy
Age | 15
Digivice Color | Silver with Navy-blue trim
Digimon-Modify Cards | Hyper Wing, Speed, and Radiant Fate
Crest | Light
Appearance | Julian's avatar looks quite similar to his real body, really: a five-foot-tall Caucasian with a freerunner's build. His straight hair is the same shade of chestnut-brown, but with a gray streak down the middle. Julian still wears a pair of blue-framed sunglasses over his heterochromic eyes, but more out of habit than necessity. On a normal basis, his outfit consists of a navy-blue T-shirt, a silver-gray long-sleeved undershirt, and blue denim jeans, all fairly loose for freedom of movement. Accessories include: a gray belt with a steel buckle; a blue digital watch on his left wrist; white running shoes with blue highlights; and some belt pouches which hold Julian's Digivice, Digi-Modify Cards, a multi-tool, and room for a few other small objects. Julian's Crest hangs from his neck and is normally hidden under his shirt.
DIGIMON
Species | Renamon (Silver colored, if there's no problem with it)
Appearance |
Personality | It isn't easy to get Renamon to lose his composure. You could throw some insults at him, and he would take it in stride; he might even return a few of them if he sees fit to speak. Not to say that Renamon is impervious to verbal assaults, but he sees little reason in erupting over what he considers to be simple words, whether they strike true or not. Renamon tries not to oppose Julian in anything, but it goes against his grain if the situation either puts Julian in danger or is likely to. At the same time, though, Renamon hates sitting around, even if it's somehow in their best interest. Like his companion, Renamon has recently developed an interest in parkour, seeing it as a method of training for his Rookie form.
Digivolution Chain
Baby: Relemon
In-Training: Pokomon
Rookie: Renamon
Champion: Kyubimon
Ultimate: Taomon
Mega: Valkyrimon
Extra | For the first week or so after the first announcement, Julian and his sister remained on Floor 1, opting to explore DigiBuya and do what they could without any real risk of death. It took about that much time for Renamon to get fed up with waiting and prompt Julian to move onward and upward. Over time, Julian and Renamon became somewhat known as both fighters and explorers, alternating their time between sticking with groups of players and soloing. From what Julian has heard of his sister, Janet has been doing more or less the same thing, though less proactive.
About halfway through their second month in [/TAMERS], Julian and Janet pooled their resources to buy a house on Floor 1 for the two of them. Also during these two months, Julian has made a few friends and a rival, not to mention someone who might be called an enemy.
On occasion, Renamon has been known to respond to the nickname "Silver".
RP Sample:
EDIT: Finished and ready for review.
[/REAL WORLD]
Name | Julian Truman
Gender | Boy
Location | Arizona, USA
Age | 15
Appearance | Just by looking at him, a person might expect Julian to be an active, outdoors-loving boy, rather than a nerdy video-game player. Standing at a height of five feet and weighing at a reported 116 pounds, the Caucasian boy has a slim build, with the beginnings of a runner's musculature. Julian prefers his chestnut-brown hair cut short so it'll remain fairly straight; it tends to curl or wave at the ends if it grows more than a few inches long. He wears a pair of blue-framed sunglasses on a regular basis to block some of the sunlight, so others often don't see his heterochromic eyes: the left iris is green, and the right iris is amber.
When it comes to color schemes, Julian likes blue and silver. He's often seen wearing a pair of loose-fitting jeans and either a short- or long-sleeved plain shirt, depending on the weather and season. If Julian is working outside, he'll be wearing a pair of work boots; otherwise, he wears his running shoes. Along with his sunglasses, he needs contacts for his near-sighted eyes. Julian's only other usual accessory is a digital watch on his left wrist.
Personality | One word: Stubborn. In a way, Julian tends to push back against what others suggest or tell him what to do, just for the sake of pushing back. He has some desires that he will stand by, despite what others may think of him. This obstinacy is, in part, the reason why Julian began playing video games in the first place. At the same time, there's the sense that Julian is relatively innocent. He doesn't have it in him to gossip about others behind their backs or help pull pranks, among other things that kids his age do. Julian is also a terrible liar. He tends to tell the truth anyway, and any lie he might try to tell would be easily given away by his face and other tell-tale signs.
At least his obstinacy means Julian will strongly support his close friends, or one side of an issue. Not that he has a lot of friends; he's not outspoken enough for most athletic circles, and not nerdy enough for many of the video-game players. In his free time, Julian splits his time between his video and online games, and freerunning. He has a fascination for the stories told in the games he plays, which is another reason for playing them. Digimon became one of the main lines of games that Julian follows. There are times, though, when he finds it hard to focus on games or the Internet. Since he doesn't spend a whole lot of time with friends otherwise, Julian took to parkour, or freerunning as some will call it. As he sees it, "You don't need others in order to run every which way."
History | Some people are surprised when Julian says he was born in a town in the White Mountains area of Arizona. Yes, mountains. More often than not, it seems to be out-of-staters who'd thought that the Grand Canyon State is all flat desert. Anyway, Julian spent the first eight years of his life in the towns on Arizona's mountains, with his parents and a two-year-younger sister. The young boy was, more or less, content with life. His father owned some ranch land near Snowflake, which was still flat and "desert-y" enough for such an occupation. Julian learned some work ethics as he was taken out to help his father and others in the field, though the boy didn't like working so much at the time.
If all had gone well within his family, Julian might have grown up differently. Sadly, though, as he approached eight years of age, his mother and father began fighting over something the boy didn't understand (something about Julian's mother cheating on her husband). It wasn't long before they divorced; Julian's mother moved down to Phoenix, Arizona. Arrangements for the two children were settled thus: Julian would spend the first half of the year with his father in Snowflake, and the other six months in Phoenix with his mother. His sister, Janet, would be with their father from April to September and with their mother otherwise. Effectively, Julian and Janet would have every other quarter-year with each other. Don't ask Julian why child custody was set up this way; for that matter, don't ask him anything about his family situation.
Anyway, this set-up made it a little difficult for Julian to have lasting friends in either place, which also served to put some distance between him and the evils of the world. He still helped his father with livestock and other ranch functions while in Snowflake, but he had much more free time while in Phoenix. Julian's mother didn't pay as much attention to him, leaving the boy with more free time than he'd known to do with at first. This was Julian's first serious venture into the world of video games, online games, and, subsequently, Digimon. Enough of his working nature remained for Julian to continue spending time outdoors, which developed over the years into parkour/freerunning.
Julian and his sister kept in touch when they weren't together, so it was little surprise that they both pre-ordered copies of [/TAMERS]. The idea was that they would work together in the game, but that was before they discovered that virtual death meant real death...
[/DIGITAL WORLD]
YOUR AVATAR
Name | Stryker
Gender | Boy
Age | 15
Digivice Color | Silver with Navy-blue trim
Digimon-Modify Cards | Hyper Wing, Speed, and Radiant Fate
Crest | Light
Appearance | Julian's avatar looks quite similar to his real body, really: a five-foot-tall Caucasian with a freerunner's build. His straight hair is the same shade of chestnut-brown, but with a gray streak down the middle. Julian still wears a pair of blue-framed sunglasses over his heterochromic eyes, but more out of habit than necessity. On a normal basis, his outfit consists of a navy-blue T-shirt, a silver-gray long-sleeved undershirt, and blue denim jeans, all fairly loose for freedom of movement. Accessories include: a gray belt with a steel buckle; a blue digital watch on his left wrist; white running shoes with blue highlights; and some belt pouches which hold Julian's Digivice, Digi-Modify Cards, a multi-tool, and room for a few other small objects. Julian's Crest hangs from his neck and is normally hidden under his shirt.
DIGIMON
Species | Renamon (Silver colored, if there's no problem with it)
Appearance |
Spoiler:
Personality | It isn't easy to get Renamon to lose his composure. You could throw some insults at him, and he would take it in stride; he might even return a few of them if he sees fit to speak. Not to say that Renamon is impervious to verbal assaults, but he sees little reason in erupting over what he considers to be simple words, whether they strike true or not. Renamon tries not to oppose Julian in anything, but it goes against his grain if the situation either puts Julian in danger or is likely to. At the same time, though, Renamon hates sitting around, even if it's somehow in their best interest. Like his companion, Renamon has recently developed an interest in parkour, seeing it as a method of training for his Rookie form.
Digivolution Chain
Baby: Relemon
In-Training: Pokomon
Rookie: Renamon
Champion: Kyubimon
Ultimate: Taomon
Mega: Valkyrimon
Extra | For the first week or so after the first announcement, Julian and his sister remained on Floor 1, opting to explore DigiBuya and do what they could without any real risk of death. It took about that much time for Renamon to get fed up with waiting and prompt Julian to move onward and upward. Over time, Julian and Renamon became somewhat known as both fighters and explorers, alternating their time between sticking with groups of players and soloing. From what Julian has heard of his sister, Janet has been doing more or less the same thing, though less proactive.
About halfway through their second month in [/TAMERS], Julian and Janet pooled their resources to buy a house on Floor 1 for the two of them. Also during these two months, Julian has made a few friends and a rival, not to mention someone who might be called an enemy.
On occasion, Renamon has been known to respond to the nickname "Silver".
RP Sample:
Spoiler:
With the things Penance said about his sister, Hanso almost missed the last bit: "She makes a great Affiliate."
Wait, Affiliate? That was more worrying than the fact that his sister made some wea-- Then the door was opened, and Hanso stood in the doorway. Inside was a Gardevoir who was messing around with some tools, but as the door opened the tools she had been levitating dropped from the air, clattering against the ground. "Oh... Pen-" She stopped speaking right there and looked right at Hanso. "H-Hanso...?" She asked out. She turned in her seat to look at him. "Hanso?" She asked again... almost as if she couldn't believe the Gallade was right there.
"Brynn?" Hanso didn't move from the doorway, not physically at least. He reached out with his mind, afraid that this was simply another illusion to torment him. It all checked out, though... Oh, for the-- Hanso stepped into the room and embraced his sister, who hugged him back from her seat. After some moments, he said, "We need to talk."
Brynn nodded, then saw the two Salamence over Hanso's shoulder. "One moment," she muttered to him. As Hanso pulled away to get a seat for himself, the Gardevoir made introductions, her voice slightly trembling from her initial shock. "Hanso, this is Veltra. Veltra, this is..." Brynn cleared her throat. "This is Hanso, my brother."
Hanso set the chair down and nodded to the smaller Salamence. "Hello, Veltra, Accatosh." He then sat in his chair facing the Gardevoir; he wasn't in the mood for chatting with anyone but Brynn. Whether Accatosh or Veltra would be insulted by being ignored...they would deal with that afterwards. With the ease of Psychic twins, they slid into their own mental 'room', where they could talk without others hearing.
To the others in the room, it looked like the two Psychics were holding a staring contest with each other. Hanso still kept some of his awareness in the real room, enough to have an idea of what the others did. Their mental conversation wouldn't take as long as a vocal one, there was that...
~~~~~
In the 'white room', Hanso and Brynn stood facing each other. "What're you doing here?!" the Gallade asked vehemently. "You're an Affiliate now?!"
"Why did you neglect your mental training?!" The Gardevoir matched him in vehemence and tone. "It only takes a quick peek to see that your mind's not as sharp as it should be!"
They glared at each other for a few moments before Hanso shook his head. "Nice to see that we fell into bickering so easily," he said, falling into a chair behind him. There was no doubt now that it was her. They were the same height, and Brynn's grey eye was the mirror of Hanso's. She still wore the small gem that was secure around her neck. "Where have you been, though?" Hanso asked. Some of his anger had drained away.
Brynn sat as well, folding her hands in her lap. She seemed to be calmer, as well. "I should ask the same of you. Oldest first?" She smiled as she asked.
"Go right ahead." Hanso grinned as well; they'd always joked about which of them was older, though they knew it was him. His grin faded as he continued. "Okay...gonna have to summarize for now, but here goes." The Gallade then told an abbreviated version of his story. How he'd searched for Brynn before being captured and left in a torturehouse; how he and the Gold Tribe traveled to Poseida Ruins and took back Eternity City; the ambushes just outside the Thieves' Forest and the retaking of Albia; what the Gold Tribe found in the Catacombs; their subsequent journey to Cape City.
Brynn was quiet as she listened, other than a few questions that she asked for clarification. When Hanso finished, the Gardevoir sighed. "I suppose it's my turn, then. Hanso, please keep an open mind."
That set more alarms ringing in Hanso's head. "What do you mean?" he asked, leaning forward in his seat.
"Quiet." Brynn looked down at her hands before speaking further. "At least you got out of Shine City free. The Ancients...they restrained themselves enough to capture me before I could teleport out. I never woke up with a clear head, at least not until I'd been moved to the...the torturehouse." Her voice caught before she could continue. "You understand what they do, Hanso, I hadn't known you would."
Hanso moved to his sister's side, his chair reforming beneath him as he took one of Brynn's hands. "Did they do anything...permanent?" The thought of the horrid place he'd been imprisoned in brought a dull ghost-pain in his leg.
Brynn nodded, not looking up. "My legs won't ever be as strong as they once were." She smiled a bit, her voice strengthening. "I'll get over it eventually. One of the torturers was too cocky. A bit of mental pushing, and he revealed that we were in the torturehouse near Cape City. That cut down on the distance I had to cross when teleporting. You remember that Kirlia we talked to in Cape, some years back? I remembered her house distinctly.
"She tried everything she knew, but my legs were beyond repair. You know that I wouldn't have settled without doing something. Well..." Brynn paused and looked up at Hanso. "We didn't know she was working for the Madman."
When she didn't continue, Hanso asked, "What next?" He didn't like what the Madman had done in the past, but he would listen to Brynn before voicing his thoughts.
"I was...convinced, to start helping out. I didn't see any other real option." Looking at Hanso's face, Brynn added hastily, "No, they didn't touch me in any way, don't go raging on them. I was hesitant at first, but...when Penance showed up and talked with me..."
"You became an Affiliate." Hanso's voice was dull, a sick feeling in his stomach. "So you started working with them just because of Penance's persuasiveness?"
Brynn shook her head. "No, he only confirmed what I'd already been thinking. Brother, haven't you noticed certain things about the Gold Tribe? What they do, how they plan? What they'll do once the Silver Tribe is dead and gone?"
No. Hanso pulled his hand away and turned his face away, but he couldn't deny it to her face.
"I can't get some of the things that the torturers said out of my head, things about the Gold Tribe. I even had a few doubts before the invasion. Penance, he... Don't think that I've forgiven the Madman for everything, but he helped me see the Gold Tribe for what it really is." Brynn paused, considering the Gallade. "Hanso, they're only going to replace the Silver Tribe as Valkaria's dictators."
"I can't believe this," Hanso interrupted, standing up to pace. "Yes, I've had the thought that the Gold Tribe isn't as upright as it should be, at least before the invasion, but what makes you think Zane and the others want to become dictators? How would they do it, anyway? Have the army at their command by threatening the Generals and anyone else who disagrees?" The Gardevoir raised an eyebrow at this. "Why am I bothering? You're as stubborn as a mountain when you want to be!" The worst part was that Hanso was starting to agree with a few things about the Gold Tribe.
"So are you," Brynn replied calmly, her voice hard. "Tell me this. If the Gold Tribe really cared about their beliefs and the Alpha Alliance, then why did they begin passing new members for their fighting ability?"
"We don't have time for this," Hanso muttered, falling back into his seat, facing Brynn from a few feet away. "You realize that you sounded like Delnir Blake, don't you? I'll admit that I've had my own thoughts. Just...don't ruin it by trying to convert me to the Madman's side, okay?" As an afterthought, the Gallade added with a frown, "Why's it cold in here?"
"What?" Startled, Brynn looked around. A small circle around her had seemingly frosted over. "Oh. A story for another time." Her gaze returned to Hanso. "I wish we had more time to talk, but..."
"There's a common enemy to fight," Hanso finished. "And there's somethin' happening up in the City, whatever it is. We'll talk again, when it's done."
~~~~~
When Hanso stood up from their talk, he noticed that the same small radius had frosted over in the real room as well. It brought to mind the fight against Frostbite. "See ya later," Hanso said, embracing his sister one more time before turning away. The frost didn't take long to melt.
They had work to do.
Wait, Affiliate? That was more worrying than the fact that his sister made some wea-- Then the door was opened, and Hanso stood in the doorway. Inside was a Gardevoir who was messing around with some tools, but as the door opened the tools she had been levitating dropped from the air, clattering against the ground. "Oh... Pen-" She stopped speaking right there and looked right at Hanso. "H-Hanso...?" She asked out. She turned in her seat to look at him. "Hanso?" She asked again... almost as if she couldn't believe the Gallade was right there.
"Brynn?" Hanso didn't move from the doorway, not physically at least. He reached out with his mind, afraid that this was simply another illusion to torment him. It all checked out, though... Oh, for the-- Hanso stepped into the room and embraced his sister, who hugged him back from her seat. After some moments, he said, "We need to talk."
Brynn nodded, then saw the two Salamence over Hanso's shoulder. "One moment," she muttered to him. As Hanso pulled away to get a seat for himself, the Gardevoir made introductions, her voice slightly trembling from her initial shock. "Hanso, this is Veltra. Veltra, this is..." Brynn cleared her throat. "This is Hanso, my brother."
Hanso set the chair down and nodded to the smaller Salamence. "Hello, Veltra, Accatosh." He then sat in his chair facing the Gardevoir; he wasn't in the mood for chatting with anyone but Brynn. Whether Accatosh or Veltra would be insulted by being ignored...they would deal with that afterwards. With the ease of Psychic twins, they slid into their own mental 'room', where they could talk without others hearing.
To the others in the room, it looked like the two Psychics were holding a staring contest with each other. Hanso still kept some of his awareness in the real room, enough to have an idea of what the others did. Their mental conversation wouldn't take as long as a vocal one, there was that...
~~~~~
In the 'white room', Hanso and Brynn stood facing each other. "What're you doing here?!" the Gallade asked vehemently. "You're an Affiliate now?!"
"Why did you neglect your mental training?!" The Gardevoir matched him in vehemence and tone. "It only takes a quick peek to see that your mind's not as sharp as it should be!"
They glared at each other for a few moments before Hanso shook his head. "Nice to see that we fell into bickering so easily," he said, falling into a chair behind him. There was no doubt now that it was her. They were the same height, and Brynn's grey eye was the mirror of Hanso's. She still wore the small gem that was secure around her neck. "Where have you been, though?" Hanso asked. Some of his anger had drained away.
Brynn sat as well, folding her hands in her lap. She seemed to be calmer, as well. "I should ask the same of you. Oldest first?" She smiled as she asked.
"Go right ahead." Hanso grinned as well; they'd always joked about which of them was older, though they knew it was him. His grin faded as he continued. "Okay...gonna have to summarize for now, but here goes." The Gallade then told an abbreviated version of his story. How he'd searched for Brynn before being captured and left in a torturehouse; how he and the Gold Tribe traveled to Poseida Ruins and took back Eternity City; the ambushes just outside the Thieves' Forest and the retaking of Albia; what the Gold Tribe found in the Catacombs; their subsequent journey to Cape City.
Brynn was quiet as she listened, other than a few questions that she asked for clarification. When Hanso finished, the Gardevoir sighed. "I suppose it's my turn, then. Hanso, please keep an open mind."
That set more alarms ringing in Hanso's head. "What do you mean?" he asked, leaning forward in his seat.
"Quiet." Brynn looked down at her hands before speaking further. "At least you got out of Shine City free. The Ancients...they restrained themselves enough to capture me before I could teleport out. I never woke up with a clear head, at least not until I'd been moved to the...the torturehouse." Her voice caught before she could continue. "You understand what they do, Hanso, I hadn't known you would."
Hanso moved to his sister's side, his chair reforming beneath him as he took one of Brynn's hands. "Did they do anything...permanent?" The thought of the horrid place he'd been imprisoned in brought a dull ghost-pain in his leg.
Brynn nodded, not looking up. "My legs won't ever be as strong as they once were." She smiled a bit, her voice strengthening. "I'll get over it eventually. One of the torturers was too cocky. A bit of mental pushing, and he revealed that we were in the torturehouse near Cape City. That cut down on the distance I had to cross when teleporting. You remember that Kirlia we talked to in Cape, some years back? I remembered her house distinctly.
"She tried everything she knew, but my legs were beyond repair. You know that I wouldn't have settled without doing something. Well..." Brynn paused and looked up at Hanso. "We didn't know she was working for the Madman."
When she didn't continue, Hanso asked, "What next?" He didn't like what the Madman had done in the past, but he would listen to Brynn before voicing his thoughts.
"I was...convinced, to start helping out. I didn't see any other real option." Looking at Hanso's face, Brynn added hastily, "No, they didn't touch me in any way, don't go raging on them. I was hesitant at first, but...when Penance showed up and talked with me..."
"You became an Affiliate." Hanso's voice was dull, a sick feeling in his stomach. "So you started working with them just because of Penance's persuasiveness?"
Brynn shook her head. "No, he only confirmed what I'd already been thinking. Brother, haven't you noticed certain things about the Gold Tribe? What they do, how they plan? What they'll do once the Silver Tribe is dead and gone?"
No. Hanso pulled his hand away and turned his face away, but he couldn't deny it to her face.
"I can't get some of the things that the torturers said out of my head, things about the Gold Tribe. I even had a few doubts before the invasion. Penance, he... Don't think that I've forgiven the Madman for everything, but he helped me see the Gold Tribe for what it really is." Brynn paused, considering the Gallade. "Hanso, they're only going to replace the Silver Tribe as Valkaria's dictators."
"I can't believe this," Hanso interrupted, standing up to pace. "Yes, I've had the thought that the Gold Tribe isn't as upright as it should be, at least before the invasion, but what makes you think Zane and the others want to become dictators? How would they do it, anyway? Have the army at their command by threatening the Generals and anyone else who disagrees?" The Gardevoir raised an eyebrow at this. "Why am I bothering? You're as stubborn as a mountain when you want to be!" The worst part was that Hanso was starting to agree with a few things about the Gold Tribe.
"So are you," Brynn replied calmly, her voice hard. "Tell me this. If the Gold Tribe really cared about their beliefs and the Alpha Alliance, then why did they begin passing new members for their fighting ability?"
"We don't have time for this," Hanso muttered, falling back into his seat, facing Brynn from a few feet away. "You realize that you sounded like Delnir Blake, don't you? I'll admit that I've had my own thoughts. Just...don't ruin it by trying to convert me to the Madman's side, okay?" As an afterthought, the Gallade added with a frown, "Why's it cold in here?"
"What?" Startled, Brynn looked around. A small circle around her had seemingly frosted over. "Oh. A story for another time." Her gaze returned to Hanso. "I wish we had more time to talk, but..."
"There's a common enemy to fight," Hanso finished. "And there's somethin' happening up in the City, whatever it is. We'll talk again, when it's done."
~~~~~
When Hanso stood up from their talk, he noticed that the same small radius had frosted over in the real room as well. It brought to mind the fight against Frostbite. "See ya later," Hanso said, embracing his sister one more time before turning away. The frost didn't take long to melt.
They had work to do.
Last edited: