yuel

[bonetiddies]

Comments

[bonetiddies]

[Again, Harrow has absolutely no idea how to cook a steak, so she's watching like this is just how you do it.]

I can't say we do, no. Only humans.

[fluffier]

I guess that explains why people are givin' me looks...

[ She supposes she can forgive people thinking if she's weird if they've never seen an Erune before. ]

I've never seen anyone like you either.

[ The bones or the make up. ]

[bonetiddies]

That doesn't surprise me. But underneath this makeup, I'm simply a human.

[fluffier]

Is it part of yer family's tradition?

[bonetiddies]

It is. My family was tasked by our God to guard the Locked Tomb. It is part of the customs of my house to remind ourselves of our devotion by adorning our face with a mask of death.

[So it's a religious thing, actually.]

[fluffier]

[ Idly flips steak over. But also, wait there are other hobs so she could cook... another steak. Time to fiddle with the buttons until something else heats up. ]

That's pretty cool! What's in the Locked Tomb? Is it treasure?

[bonetiddies]

[Hmm. She hesitates for a long second, seems to look up and over at Yuel's shoulder, like she sees something there behind her.]

Inside. . . no, not now.

[Sharply, she looks away from whatever she thought might be there, but her voice is a little shaken.]

According to the legends, an enemy of God. A great evil is in there, and must never be disturbed.

[fluffier]

[ Yuel's about to look really excited about such a cool story, but she does simmer down a little at seeing Harrow so grim. ]

Sounds really important. Ya gotta be pretty strong to keep somethin' like that locked up.

[bonetiddies]

Yes.

[She's just a little shaken, explaining all of this absently.]

We guard the tomb, but it is God who locked the doors. We have never been called to do more than guard it.

[fluffier]

But if that thing ever escapes you'll be the first one in danger. So ya gotta be prepared, right?

[bonetiddies]

[She smiles a little at that.]

I suppose so. The members of my family, at the least, have always deeply felt that it is our duty to be prepared. But supposedly should she ever escape, it will be the end of all of our existence no matter what we do.

[fluffier]

That does sound really scary.

[ Her brows furrow. ]

But ya know, I've heard that a lot too. That it's too late and there's nothing we can do, but every time we just gotta keep tryin'. [ She nudges Harrow with her foot, still sitting on the counter. ] Maybe you'll learn a couple tricks here, and go back to guardin' much stronger than before.

[bonetiddies]

Maybe so. I would like that.

[It's a little more complicated than that, but she likes Yuel's optimism better; she doesn't want to argue with her that that isn't possible.]

[fluffier]

[ It feels kind of just like a bandaid on a much bigger problem, but Yuel is quick to smile anyway, grabbing two plates from the cupboards and gingerly picking the first steak off the heat to slide it on a plate. ]

Yer not gonna be able to get anythin' done if ya don't eat first. Here. And be careful, it's pretty hot!

[bonetiddies]

[Taking the steak, eyeing it hungrily! It's certainly a lot of meat, but - it smells pretty good.]

Thank you. It smells delicious.

[fluffier]

No problem. You can thank me later!

[ jk they're friends it's on the house

The second steak is still sizzling, so she waits a bit more for it. ]

But I guess, we're not here to just train. I wonder what'll it take to fill our end of the bargain.

[bonetiddies]

[She'll start cutting the steak in the meantime.]

I don't really know what we're meant to take their directions to mean. Do whatever you feel can't be all there is to it.

[fluffier]

There's gotta be a catch. We probably just can't eat a lot of cake and steak. But it can't be that bad, right? Otherwise we're not gonna get what we want.

[bonetiddies]

I. . .

[Hmm. She sort of does think it will be bad.]

Would it bother you if I asked what it is you want to earn?

[fluffier]

Nah, I don't mind.

[ She just smiles, though it's less enthusiastic than her others. ]

I wished for a monster to be destroyed. She was tryin' to take the bodies of my friends, and was terrorizin' our families for generations. I wasn't tough enough to stop her own my own.

[bonetiddies]

So you, too, are fighting a monster. And you want to become strong enough to stop her. For the sake of your family. . .

[fluffier]

Huh, you are too? [ What're the chances. ] Are ya fightin' that creature in the tomb? Or... someone that wants to free her?

[bonetiddies]

. . . No. No, neither. Your words were kind, but in truth - the story I told you of what is in the Tomb is one I was taught by my family, but my own feelings towards it are more complicated. I'm not sure I believe what's inside is actually my enemy.

But it's true that I must fight a monster, and I will likely die if I don't learn the means to survive in time.

[fluffier]

[ Yuel's eyes go wide, leaning in closer. ]

What is the monster doin' to you? But I think... I know what yer feelin'. All my life my family told me that Ninetails is our protector and we had to bring her back. But the truth was that she was a monster that killed all our ancestors.

... Do ya think the thing in the Tomb is actually good?

[bonetiddies]

I'm not sure what she is. But I've never cared about fighting her.

[On the other hand. . . ]

The monster is a revenant beast, a powerful and ancient spirit. I have been unable to master the technique that would let me survive the encounter, so I'll likely be destroyed when it finds me.