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

[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.))

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

"It's all right!" Yuuri immediately butted in. He didn't really want the kid to get in trouble; he didn't mind kids.

And the kneeling was a little awkward, too. He was getting used to it as the demon king, but he still didn't feel like it was necessary, "Ah, you don't have to do that," and aside, to Wolfram, he murmured a bit, "He kind of reminds me of Pochi."

Uncertain exactly what move to make or what to say, Yuuri started with the first thing he could think of, "What's your name?"

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

Seeing as Yuuri and Wolfram didn't seem too upset about the kid, Darc decided to hold off on reprimanding him. Most of the Deimos in town were now watching what was happening, and if things went well, perhaps there would be a few less unpleasant stares. In the meantime, he couldn't help but wonder about a few things. Slowly, he leaned a little closer to Wolfram. "What's this Pochi thing that Yuuri mentioned?"

Blinking curiously a few times, the child then responded quietly: "Lao. Who are you?"

((OOC: So sorry for the late reply - I wasn't really on the computer much the past few days.))

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

"I'm Yuuri! I'm came from reeeeally far away to have peace talks with Darc," he used completely over-exaggerated movements to show "reeeally far". It didn't seem like a good idea to shout out, "from another world", so he didn't explain from where or from what country.

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

Lao cocked his head to the side. "King Darc says we need to make peace with humans...but I thought humans aren't allowed in Rueloon at all."

"Lao," Darc began as he stepped next to Yuuri to speak to the child as well. "These are the first kinds of steps we need to take in order to make peace. Do you understand?"

For a moment, he lowered his head and thought hard. Just as he raised it again to respond, an adolescent female Drakyr stepped forward and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"What are you doing, Lao?! Do you know how angry mother and father would be if they were here?! Speaking to humans...you must not want them to rest in peace!" she shouted, trying to pull him away.

"B-but - !"

"Hey!" Darc shouted as he stood, looking every bit the (half) Deimos who fought furiously for his place as king. "How dare you show this kind of disrespect to my guests - not to mention all those who battled to save this world and create peace between humans and Deimos!"

Having just realized that the Deimos king was in front of her, the female - presumably Lao's sister - cowered. "I didn’t mean – the humans, they – “ And with that, the girl turned and ran. They were both gone down an alleyway.

“…Uh. Sorry about that.” Darc wasn’t sure what else to say.

((OOC: Sorry if it seems like this is going everywhere but nowhere at the same time or something. >.< If you want, Lao and his sister can return later for other stuff. I suppose they’ll be moving on to peace talks next. Any suggestions as to what you’d like to have happen are welcome.))

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

Yuuri was a bit surprised to see the kid go, but he remembered how Greta had felt about him when they first met. Ironically, she tried to kill him because he wasn't human; or, at least, half-wasn't.
He was also a bit surprised Wolfram had managed to hold his tongue so long. He was certain Wolfram probably wouldn't like being called a human.

He stood back up and scratched the back of his head a bit, somewhat looking like he was a bit lost, murmuring a bit under his breath, "I hope I didn't scare him..."

He recovered quickly, though, and turned back to Darc with a nervous smile, "Ah, no! It's fine. You don't have to be that mad at him, though. He's just a kid."
At least... He thought he was a kid? He was reminded how mazoku and humans aged differently, and how one of the oldest mazoku still looked about 11 years old when she was over 800. He'd only gotten a little better at guessing ages since then.

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

Darc paused for a moment before answering, left hand coming up to touch his birthmark out of habit again. "From the sounds of it, I'd guess their parents were killed by humans. For those kinds of cases, it may be a while until they come around." His eyebrows knitted then. "Still, the older one shouldn't have shown that kind of disrespect - not after all that was done to try and attain the peace we have."

All around them, the townspeople were attempting to avert their attention from Darc and his company. With a sigh, he continued. "There are more important things to do right now."

Saying nothing else, the Deimos king lead Yuuri and Wolfram into the inn and tavern - a place where there would be more space and a chance to get some privacy (and refreshments of the non-alcoholic variety). There were stares of course, but for their king, the bartender was able to make sure they would all have their own space in one corner to themselves.

Once they sat, Darc spoke again. "I don't have any sort of headquarters, so this will have to do."

((OOC: Let the peace talks begin..? ^^; ))

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

"I should have brought Gwendal for this..." he mumbled a bit under his breath. Actual formal peace talks and paperwork weren't his specialty.

But still, this was just among friends, "Well, it seems like your people are also trying to reform bonds with humans. So maybe we can work off of that."

[halfdeimos-king.livejournal.com]

"Same here on both sides," Darc responded. "There's still a lot of fear and anger that makes it hard for people to move on. Well, you saw it with the children in the street."


The Deimos king sighed and scratched his head lightly. He wasn't very good with these kinds of negotiations and formalities yet. "I guess if we're going to make any progress, we have to somehow show both races that we must put aside our differences. The problem is figuring out how...being half human probably counts for something. Maybe there's a way to utilize that."

"The other thing we're figuring out here is the actual alliance between our worlds, right?"

((OOC: I hope this is okay. >.< Should we try and get together to plan stuff out?))

[bball-maoh.livejournal.com]

"Well, I'm sure as long as we're friends it should be easy to keep an alliance between our worlds!" Oh Yuuri, so simple.

But he did understand how the humans feared Mazoku, and how he often had to disguise himself when he was traveling.

"I'm half-human, too. But I think I usually just get called a Mazoku because I'm the Maoh. But my mom is human, and my dad is... a Mazoku..." he paused for a second, "Actually, it seems like humans and mazoku on Earth live together peacefully. People don't even realize they exist."