RL - meeting Yuuri

[halfdeimos_king]

Still somewhat confused over how all this world traveling worked (but also curious of course), Darc made his way towards the coast near Rueloon. It was there that he had first made contact through a young man named Yuuri through the community, and here at the ocean he would meet him. Somehow...

He walked until the waves came right up to his toes, then stopped and looked around. Is he here? Am I supposed to do something..?

Figuring it couldn't hurt, he called out "Yuuri!!" in the direction of the water, as that was apparently what he would be using to travel to this world. Darc called out once more, then paused to wait and see if anything would happen.

Comments

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

Yuuri was sitting on a rock that was sticking out of the ocean a bit. He couldn't quite remember how he got up there, but he had ended up in stranger places before. He was just hoping that he had the right world. There were so many he wasn't sure how to tell one from another.

He had managed to elude the palace guards by portaling in the baths. Unbeknownst to him, Wolfram had noticed him hopping fully-clothed into the bath, and found it slightly suspicous.

Upon hearing his name he stood up and looked around, seeing a figure in the distance. He started to wave, when he noticed something in the water.

"Wolfram?!"

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

Darc saw the figure of Yuuri on a rock at last, and also that of someone else in the water who appeared to be struggling. Luckily, the rock wasn't too far out, but something needed to be done to help them. He wasn't the most accomplished of swimmers, and few people came to this part of the coast so there were no boats in sight; but there was a large log.

"Hang on!" he called out once again before going over and pushing the log down the beach. With a splash, it hit the water. Just as Darc had hoped, it was not waterlogged or rotted, and thus floated. He straddled it and used his hands as paddles, soon coming out to the rock. The person in the water appeared to be a young man.

"This is the best I could find," Darc explained to them both. "Hop on. We can dry off in town."

((OOC: Sorry for the late response - haven't really been on the computer much lately. >.<))

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

Yuuri was a good swimmer himself, but it would have been a pain trying to swim carrying Wolfram. He hopped off the rock and grabbed Wolfram to pull him over to the log. It seemed like he would need to practice more before swimming out in the ocean.

Yuuri held onto the log with one hand and onto Wolfram with the other; not so much to support himself but to make sure Wolfram wouldn't fall off.

"Sorry about that, I didn't know he was coming," he tried to apologize, somewhat because it seemed like the typical thing to do.

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

The half-Deimos shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he said simply as he paddled back to shore.

Upon reaching the beach again, Darc pulled the log up onto the sand and went to his guests. He helped Yuuri sit his companion down against the log. "Hey, are you all right?" he asked. "Do you want me to cast a healing spell on you?"

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

Ever the mind-reader, Yuuri had a very angry Wolfram glaring at him and he could guess a few different reasons.

"Ehm... So, Darc, this is Wolfram," he proceeded with the 'formalities', gesturing between the two, "Wolfram, Darc."

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

Darc stepped back a bit, not out of fear but rather apprehension. From the looks of things, an argument might break out any moment, and he'd rather not get involved.

Upon being introduced to Wolfram, he nodded to the boy. After a moment he noticed that his second visitor had dried off all of a sudden, but figured it would be best to save his questions for later. "Hello. And um, welcome to my world," he said simply, going along with the usual formalities.

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

"Do you really have to ask that right away?" he sighed.
He thought that after all this time maybe Wolfram would worry less over whether someone was a demon or human, but it seemed old habits died hard. He didn't want to put Darc in an awkward spot.

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

Darc looked (mostly) relieved to be asked a normal question; at least it meant the tension between Wolfram and Yuuri had lessened.

"Not quite," he began. "I'm a Deimos - half Deimos, to be exact. We aren't demons exactly, but...we aren't humans either. We aren't at war with humans anymore though."

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

"No, but the war only ended about a year ago...and the current peace is still a little unstable. But my brother, my friends and I are working towards keeping it."

Relaxing a bit himself now that Wolfram no longer seemed as if he were about to kill something, Darc continued. "Yuuri and I decided to meet because we have similar goals. There might be a way we can help each other."

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, our situations are really similar!" he seemed more upbeat now. Once Wolfram settled down things usually seemed to go a little smoother. At least he hadn't accused him of cheating yet.

"We've only been allying ourselves with human countries for the past few months, too."
That time-table wasn't necessarily 'accurate', with the way the time between the two worlds worked. Much more time could have passed for Wolfram than Yuuri, but it was hard to describe that simply. And he liked to keep things simple.

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

With a nod, Darc told them of how the war was ended; how he and his lost (fraternal) brother Kharg had fought on opposing sides, despite both being half human and half Deimos, and how the Lord of the Black Abyss was using the hatred between the two races to gain power, and then finally emerge to take control of an ancient weapon that could destroy all.

"We had to put aside our differences and fight alongside each other. After we defeated the Lord of the Black Abyss, both races acknowledged that a peace had to be reached, even if they didn't like it," he paused and reached up to touch a birthmark on his right arm, a subconscious habit of his.

"People on both sides have tried to start wars again, but we've subdued them with heavy negotiation...and some force, more so on the side of the Deimos. They tend to understand that better. The best negotiation tactic we've figured out is to emphasize that there's no reason to fight and there never was; the time spent fighting would be better used rebuilding and creating a better world."

((OOC: If Darc's explanations weren't clear enough, I can provide better ones...I didn't want to spoil too much or make it seem tl;dr or anything.))

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

"That sounds a lot like the four boxes..."

Yuuri went on to explain how 'Creator' on their world had been defeated by the Original King, and sealed into 4 separate boxes, and how that evil had been slowly seeping out of the boxes and disturbing the world. He also explained how they had gathered the boxes; how it turned out that the Original King had been sealed along with the Creator, and had slowly been turned evil over time, and how they had to defeat him, too.

"So countries all over our world are working on rebuilding, too. Plus there's still some kings who are more interested in gaining power," it was a little deeper than Yuuri's usual conversation about politics, but it was hard to avoid if he was going to explain their situation, "Demons and humans are starting to work together."

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

"That...that is kind of similar. The Lord of the Black Abyss had even been sealed in a box called the Ark. Though the Deimos aren't exactly demons...I guess in this case we're on the same page though."

Darc had trailed off a little bit as he heard Wolfram make a noise in the direction of Yuuri. He didn't know what had been said, but it didn't sound very happy. Once again, he readied himself to withdraw if an argument should break out between the two.

"...Should I uh, give you guys a moment or something?"

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

"No, no! Don't worry, everything's fine..." and he sounds less and less sure as he finished the sentence, "Right..?"

He glanced at Wolfram, "I just came here to meet him! You don't have to make a big deal out of it."

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

Darc gulped apprehensively, but stayed where he was. Judging from the way they fought, they seemed rather close.

"Wolfram, Yuuri will be safe here," he began, trying to console his visitor. "I'll make sure of it! Nobody will harm either of you knowing that you're here with me."

His expression became curious then. "Hey, are you two brothers?"

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

"Brothers??"

Yuuri was surprised by the question for various reasons; one being that they looked nothing alike. Then again, it was possible for that to happen.

Still, he wanted to correct that quickly, "Ah, no, we're just friends. And see, Wolf? It's safe!"

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

"Oh, all right. I was just wondering 'cause of the way you two are arguing...nevermind."

Darc looked around for a moment, trying to figure out where to go next with this. He wished he had planned ahead a bit more, but this whole thing shouldn't be too complicated, right? They were just going to negotiate some kind of alliance and discuss peacekeeping plans and whatnot, as far as he knew...

"Do you want to head into the town nearby?"

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

He really should have seen that coming but, being Yuuri, he was taken offguard.

"Wolfram..." he starts, and trails off. There was no point fighting it. He did this every time. He sighed and decided to ignore it, "Sure, we can go into town!"

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately for Yuuri, Darc didn't hear what he had said. In fact, after hearing that they were in fact engaged, he stopped hearing everything. He had little knowledge of the workings of relationships (besides being taught the basics so to speak), and he had never heard of two males being engaged. It was clear in the expression on his face that he was confused by this. Maybe customs are different in their world... Darc thought.

"Uh..." the half-Deimos began as he finally managed to find his voice again. "You're...engaged? The two of you are getting married? I didn't know you could...How are you going to have kids if you're both guys?"

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

"She's adopted!" Yuuri mentioned quickly, before Darc started asking about pregnancy or anything like that.

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

At the mention of a daughter, Darc's jaw dropped open. Luckily, Yuuri managed to explain before he felt the need to delve further into the madness.

Darc shook his head to try and reassemble coherent thought in his mind. Clearly there really were different customs in their world. Very different customs.

"R-right. I guess your world works a little differently than mine..." despite attempting to smooth over the situation, it was clear that Darc was still very much thrown-off by the announcement - and probably would be for a while.

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

Yuuri had closer to the same feelings that Darc had, since homosexuality wasn't widely accepted in Japan. Not that he personally cared, but it was strange to be engaged to another guy, "Yeah, things work differently there than what I'm used to, too."

That was enough of that awkwardness for him, and he tried to move the conversation away, "So, to town?"

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

Finally, Darc managed to snap out of it - mostly. He nodded to Yuuri. "We'll be going to a town called Rueloon. It was taken from the humans by a Deimos tribe a long time ago, and there humans haven't set foot in it since. The people there might think you two are regular humans because you look it, but just stay close to me and you'll be fine."

His attention turned back to Wolfram. "Are you okay to walk now?"

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

Yuuri didn't pay Wolfram too much mind. He was a bit accustomed to this by now. He was ready to follow Darc wherever they were going.

"You mean, humans aren't even allowed back in?"

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

Wolfram seemed to have a bit of a temper; as he stood and readied himself for the trip, Darc made a mental note to give him space and watch what he said. As they began to walk towards Rueloon, he answered Yuuri's question.

"No - not yet anyway. The Deimos took Rueloon by force during the conflict between the two races after all. From the looks of things, they might allow humans entry again in the near future now that there's peace."

From the beach, the trio found themselves walking on a path through the brush that didn't seem very well-worn. Darc drew his sword and cut away a few pieces of vegetation that blocked their way.

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

And Yuuri followed behind with a slightly nervous smile. He WAS half-human, after all, "So, just stick close to you, right?"

He walked casually with his arms behind his head, not paying too much mind about Wolfram walking behind him.

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

"That's right," Darc answered simply. "I'll tell them you're not exactly a human either and you'll be fine. Two of the most powerful, full-blooded Deimos I know look like human children."

After saying that, he paused for a moment and remembered the aforementioned Deimos with a shudder. "Don't ask me how."

They continued through the brush for another few minutes until finally clearing it and reaching a road. To the north, one could see a small town made mostly of stone in the distance. Much of the buildings seemed to have been partially worn down or broken, but it was clear that there was life there. Sheathing his sword, Darc continued to lead them.

"There's an arena in Rueloon as well where you can compete with one ally. It's always a good work-out, but the catch is that you can't use magic," he explained as they drew nearer.

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

"Right, no magic or special moves allowed. Just your weapon and the strength you wield it with." Looking back at Wolfram, the Deimos king couldn't help but notice how he seemed to be at full attention. He smirked. "Interested?"

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

It sounded interesting, but the truth of the matter was that Yuuri was horrible with swords. More than horrible. He only seemed to be effective when his demon sword, Morgif, did most the work for him. And he hadn't even brought it along.
Wolfram, on the other hand, was trained in combat. He didn't know if he was seriously considering the offer or not.

"So that'd just be sparring, right? I wouldn't be any good at it, but Wolf probably is."

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

"It is. There's three competitions you can enter in fact," said Darc as they walked up the stone steps and into town. His attention turned to Yuuri. "It's good practice though. Wolfram or I could compete with you after all."

As they entered Rueloon, Darc pointed out the layout of the town. To their left were the merchants who sold weapons, items and equipment; to the right, a Deimos snake charmer. Up a set of stairs in front of them stood the grand entrance to the arena, with a smaller building to its left that acted as an inn (with a healer) and tavern. There was also a small alleyway, but Darc told them there was nothing down that way except for a merchant from the Coleopt Deimos clan, and they wouldn't have need of her wares unless they were going to compete in the arena.

When the eyes of the Deimos townsfolk fell on Darc, there was clear awe and respect for him - after all, he was their king and champion. However, once their gaze turned to Yuuri and Wolfram, they became cold. The two guests appeared as humans and were therefore seen as such. A few upset sounding whispers could be heard off to the side. Only the merchants didn't seem to mind.

"Don't worry about everyone else. They'll have to answer to me if they start any trouble!" Darc said this to his guests a lot louder than he needed to say it, clearly intending for those around him to hear as well. "So what do you want to do first?"

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

Yuuri, being the ever-observant one, had been thoroughly distracted by the snake-charmer.

"Wolf, look at that!" he pointed out, "I thought they only did that in India!"
He was excited to see something exotic to him, having never expected to see that here. And he was about to dart away despite Darc's warning, except that he noticed people were staring. It was uncomfortable; about the same way it felt when he was in human cities.

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

The snake-charmer was an orange coloured member of the Qurop Deimos, with a rather rotund body and large, round eyes. Darc wasn't concerned about him, as the Qurops were probably the one Deimos clan that had never shown hostilities towards the humans - they were merchants, healers and entertainers, and didn't care about race so long as it meant helping people and making business.

"Hey there," said the Qurop. "I've never entertained a human before! I'll give you a special show!"

As the snake-charmer put on a "special performance" for Yuuri, Darc looked around. One group of Deimos that was particularly close was giving the Demon King unfavourable looks. One hard glare from their own king made them turn away. He figured that it wouldn't hurt too much to let Yuuri watch the performance - after all, he was a guest of the Deimos king.

A small Deimos child was sneaking curiously closer to Wolfram and Yuuri, wanting to get a better look at the mysterious "humans" that Darc had brought to Rueloon. Having gotten close enough to Wolfram, he reached out with a stick and poked at the back of one knee.

((OOC: If you're wondering about the Qurops, I can explain more about them.))

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

Yuuri didn't care if he was called a human. He spent the majority of his life growing up as a human, and was half-human, so he didn't bother trying to 'correct' the snake-charmer.

To him the show was exotic and fascinating, and he watched with great interest.

From the corner of his eye he noticed the young boy creeping up. As he got close enough to poke Wolfram, Yuuri turned around to face him, squatting down so they were closer to the same height, with a big dorky smile, "Hi there!"

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

The Deimos child - one of the Drakyr* - stumbled backwards immediately. He looked about ready to dash off until he noticed that neither of the "humans" were making any other moves against him, and neither was Darc. For a moment nothing was said, and the child glanced nervously between the three in front of him. Very slowly, he then brought himself into a kneeling position, still staring almost unblinkingly.

"Hi," the child responded.

Darc then took it upon himself to take responsibility for the disturbance. "You've got some guts kid - what do you think you're doing anyway!?"

Once again the child moved backwards a little, intimidated. Darc definitely needed more practice in dealing with children it would seem.

((OOC: *Drakyr are the Dragon-like Deimos clan; Darc's father was one of them. Quick reference pics: Regular full-grown male Drakyr (the child is one of these kinds) ~ young Darc and his father. Yes, their tails grow from between their shoulderblades/wings.))