this is the end, friend!

“I AM CYNTHIA! I FLOAT LIKE A LEAF AND STING LIKE A NETTLE! ... Eh. Too vegetarian. Although it might lull the foe into a false sense of security...” [affiliated cynthia blog] indie friendly

[galeforxe]

feurst:

“What?! Of course I took a shower! I’m not going to go over to someones house without taking a shower! Who in the hell do you think I am?” Lien asked, scoffing. He pet Kyon slowly, the bit of affection from her pets making him feel a bit better.

“Yeah, I’ll take some coffee. I didn’t get much sleep last night, so that’d probably be good..” He explained. He kept trying to pull himself out of the mood he was in, but he just couldn’t do it. He felt weak, and almost like a small child.. and he hated it.

Lien finally sighed, shaking his head. “No.. I’m.. I’m not doing too good..” He quietly explained, holding his breath. “Today is my daughters birthday.. She was supposed to turn six today.” He said, averting his eyes to the floor. He felt a tear roll down his cheek, which he quickly rubbed away. He wasn’t even sure if he had ever even told Cynthia his daughters name, but even saying her name out loud was difficult to him.

“I know all of this is my fault.. She’s gone because of me.. But I don’t even know why, or.. Or how.. I just blacked out and when I woke up they were both gone..” He explained, quickly rubbing away more tears. He wanted nothing more than to just forget that day - Or even his past as a whole, but every day something came along that brought everything back up for him.

Cynthia nodded and headed into the kitchen, checking to make sure the coffee pot was still warm.  She poured herself a cup before grabbing one for Lien as well.  His voice was shaky as he explained the situation and she froze at the kitchen counter.  While she normally found it easy to cheer people up, she had a feeling it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park this time.

She offered him a sad smile before returning to his side, pushing Kyon over to make room for herself as she plopped onto the couch next to him.  She handed over the coffee mug and took a sip out of her own, quiet for a moment as she mused how to respond.  It’d be a bit crass to crack a joke, so instead she nodded slowly and hummed to herself.

“You can’t keep beating yourself up forever...”  A pause as she took a sip of coffee.  “I think it’s something you’re going to be sad about the rest of your life.  There are some things that are...just like that.”  Although she knew her parents were alive in their current time line, her real parents had died a long time ago.  Sometimes she still felt a pang of sadness when she remembered.  Quickly shaking the thought from her mind, she continued.

“There was this thing I was reading the other day while I was re-shelving books at the library.  Radical acceptance, or something like that.  Basically...just accepting that things happened, and there’s nothing you can change.  I suppose maybe that’s why most things don’t bother me.  I had to learn that when I was pretty young when my mother and father died...”  Cynthia blew on her coffee mug before taking a large gulp.

“When my friends and I were all alone, after our parents all died at war...I was sort of the one in charge of keeping everyone's spirits up.  I was expected to be happy all the time, you know?  Always cracking jokes and goofing off.  Sometimes it was hard because I just wanted to sit in my tent and cry...but I couldn’t let myself do that.  I had to be strong for everyone else.  Still, I think it’s good to cry when you’re sad.  If you bottle it all up you’ll just hurt more later on.”

She looked at him from the corner of her eye and sighed.  “I guess what I’m trying to say is you’re kinda like me.  You pretend everything is okay when it isn’t and you hide when you’re sad and want to cry.  But it’s okay if you want to cry in front of me, I won’t tell anyone.”  She gave him a small smile before resting her coffee mug between her thighs, rubbing her thumb along the rim.  “You can’t bring you daughter back...but I think you should learn to accept that.  I think you’ll feel less guilty if you do.”

[galeforxe]

feurst:

Lien was silently glad that she invited him over. He was going to invite her over to his house, but the more he looked around.. The more and more things he would see were just a sad reminder of why he was feeling so down.

“Yeah, sure.. I’ll be over soon. Uhh.. Thanks, I appreciate it.” Lien said with a small smile. He stood up from the bed and ran a hand through his hair. He went to walk away for a second, but he found himself quickly picking up the picture and placing it back into his wallet before he decided to head out.

He hastily made his way over to her apartment, hoping that he wasn’t a bother or a burden to her for having to come over without much notice. He had a feeling that he wouldn’t be, but he couldn’t help but worry. He always seemed to be so caught up and worried about something.. No matter how petty.

Lien finally approached the door to her apartment. He knocked slowly, the wait for her to answer seeming like it took forever.. Yet everything seemed to go by so slow when he got in these moods.

Once she answered, Lien quickly smiled and laughed under his breath. “Hey.. Sorry for coming over like this. I just got really bored at home. I hate my days off.” He began. He was trying hard to hide how he really felt, but just taking one look at him was proof enough that he wasn’t doing well. His typically tidy hair was a mess and his eyes were red from crying beforehand. “How have you been? Have you been alright?”

Cynthia had offered him a smile as she’d opened the door, but it quickly faded as she saw his current state.  Clearly something was bothering him, but she wasn’t sure how easy she’d be able to milk any information out of him.  He could be open sometimes...but he also seemed to like to keep his fair share of secrets.  “Me?  I’ve been okay.  Achilles has been making messes for me to clean up all day, but I think he’d done having his fun.  You...don’t look very good yourself.”

She took a step away from the door and gestured for him to come in, gently closing it behind him.  “What’s wrong?  Er, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want but...I can tell that something’s up.  Have you even taken a shower today?”  Cynthia clicked her tongue and shook her head, shoving him into the living room before forcing him into a sitting position on the couch.

“You need to take better care of yourself.”  Achilles and Kyon seemed oblivious to Lien’s rather melancholic mood and they both quickly jumped on him to fight for his attention.  Achilles eventually gave up fighting over his lap and laid on the back of the couch, his tail curling around Lien’s neck.  Cynthia sighed looked at her pets and offered him a small smile.  “I guess they missed you.

“Do you want something to drink?  I’m boiling the water for the spaghetti right now.  I have coffee that’s still decent, if you want some of that.”

[galeforxe]

feurst:

@galeforxe

Looking down at his phone, his thumb was held over her name on the screen. He wasn’t sure if he should call or not. He knew he needed to.. but he was far too afraid of looking weak, or being a bother. No matter how many times she said it was okay to call her for help, he had a difficult time going through. But today of all days, he knew he needed it.

He looked over at one of the pictures in his wallet that he kept of his daughter, typically hidden out of sight and tucked away in one of the folds. He loved his daughter, but he felt shame for everything that had happened. The demon felt like a fool for holding so much shame.

Finally, Lien clicked on Cynthia’s name.. Listening closely as the phone began to ring, he slowly put it to his ear. He quickly forced out a smile, yet the tone of his voice was more somber.

“Hey, Cynthia.. Are you busy today? I don’t work today and I was wondering if you wanted to get together and do something.” He explained, frowning lightly as he was unable to truly mask how he was feeling. Any other day he would have been able to do it.. but not today.

Cynthia sighed as she scrubbed at the carpet, trying to get out the pop stains the cat had left after knocking over a glass she had forgot to put away.  It seemed like the dark blue stain wasn’t going to go away anytime soon, so she let the cleaner soak and sat up straight, her feet tucked underneath her.  Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she yanked it out, unsurprised to see Lien’s number flashing on the screen.

She accepted the call and listened to him speak; he didn’t seem to be in a pleasant mood at all which was worrisome for her.  “Oh, I’m not doing anything.”  She stood up and dropped a paper towel square over the stain before plopping onto the couch.  “We can do whatever you want.  I’m at my apartment right now, if you want to come over here first.”

“I was actually about to start making dinner.  Would you like some spaghetti as well?  I’ll put more pasta in the pot if you’d like some.”

[galeforxe]

feurst:

“You do more than me. Nothing really happens when you’re a cop.. At least not me, anyways. But when interesting stuff does happen, it can get a little scary.” He sighed before he shook his head. “I can go and let you get some sleep, though. I don’t want to keep you up if you’re tired..” Lien began, despite not wanting to leave. He always felt like the time they spent together went by so quick, and he wasn’t sure why. Not to mention he was tired from work, even if he didn’t really do anything.

“It’s fine, we can just get together again some other time. It’s not like we live too far from each other.” He smiled. “We’ll get you and the pets over to my house one day even if it might be hell with Achilles.. but still.”

Cynthia stood up and stretched her arms, another yawn escaping her lips.  “We can talk tomorrow.”  She offered him a small smile; his hesitance to leave didn’t escape her in the slightest.  “And I promise you’ll get to spend more time with Achilles and Kyon.  I’ll bring them over sometime...once I figure out how to get Achilles into the carrier without having him scratch me to death.”

“I’ll see you around Lien!”

[galeforxe]

feurst:

“Hmm.. Well.. Maybe I can try to figure something out. It doesn’t hurt to try.” He said with a breathy laugh. “But I’ll try when Achilles gets more comfortable with me. If I tried to do it now, he’d probably get angry and not like me anymore.” Lien explained with a small nod.

“They’re like kids, in a way. I remember when my daughter was a baby it was like that. She was pretty quiet for her age, but if she’d get sick all hell would break loose. It was miraculous for her to finally sleep.. Hearing the silence was like a gift from god.” He explained, unable to keep from smiling despite the memory being torture at the time. He really did miss it all..

“Don’t worry, though. If we ever manage to get Kyon and Achilles to my house they’ll get tired pretty quick. They’ll have more room to roam and I’m sure they’d be out quick. Maybe you just need to tire out Achilles before you put him in his cat crate.. That’s always a thought. If he’s tired he won’t fight as hard.”

“Or you can just grab him when he’d taking a nap.  But it’s a two person process in that case, one person to hold the crate open and the other ready to toss him in there before he catches wind of what you’re doing.”  She laughed lightly, remembering the first time she tired to stick him into the carrier by herself.  “We’ll figure it out eventually, I’m sure.”

Cynthia yawned loudly covering her mouth with her hand as her eyes watered slightly.  “Oh boy, I didn’t get much sleep last night.  I guess they wore me out too.  Before you came over Kyon had me running laps around the apartment building.  And then he still had energy left over for you.  I used to be a lot more resilient but since coming here I guess I’ve been complacent.”

“I need to start excising more to build up my stamina!  But...I’ll do that after I take a nap, I think.”

[galeforxe]

feurst:

“A demon trying to possess you?” Lien asked with a laugh, mainly due to the fact that he was a demon himself. Not the type that would possess people.. There was a difference.. but he still found it a bit ironic. He smiled before he wrapped his arms around her waist and quickly leaned back on the couch, pulling her down quickly.

“Alright.. Fair enough. I won’t let any demons or murderers come in and hurt you, alright?” He began, a faint smile on his face. Cynthia really was something else.. But he enjoyed her company more than he ever thought he would. She understood him, and he felt like he understood her as well.. Even if they were both from different worlds - literally.

Lien finally looked over at Kyon, laughing under his breath. “Well.. My house is a bit bigger. It’s not a mansion, but you can bring him and Achilles over anytime.. Even if they’re just here for toys and treats.” He smiled before he ruffles her hair again, only to lean in and place a quick kiss on her forehead.

Cynthia quickly got comfortable, resting her head in the crook of his neck and sighing lightly.  “Yeah, but you’ve never tried to transport Achilles...he hears the cat crate and manages to mysteriously disappear for at least an hour, no matter how much you continuously promise you’re not bringing him to the vet.”  It was definitely not something she looked forward to doing in the near future.

“Of course, if you want to be the one who manages to coax him out of his hiding spot and into the carrier, you can take him on field trips whenever you want.”  She hummed a bit as Achilles climbed onto her lap, and she gently stroked his head.  Kyon eventually got tired of running around with so little space and plopped down on the couch in front of them, letting out a sigh of his own.

“This is one of those rare moments when they’ll go to sleep and you won’t have a cat pawing at your face or a dog running under your legs.  It takes too long to tire them both out, and rarely do I manage to do it simultaneously.”  She clapped her hands together in nodded.  “Thank you Naga for the peace.”

[galeforxe]

feurst:

“Snooping through your underwear drawer?! I’m offended. I’m an officer of the law.. I put people like that behind bars. I can’t believe you think I’d do something like that!” Lien huffed, crossing his arms as he turned his nose to the air. He finally laughed lightly and sighed. “But.. You’re probably right. Sounds like something I would do.” He admitted with a shrug.

“You would invite me over at two AM for a scary movie?” He asked, raising a brow. “Yes.. Because I’d love for you to get scared and hold onto me like a little baby. You play yourself off as tough, but I’m sure you’re not as tough as you say you are.” The demon smirked, leaning back in his seat as he held his eyes on her.

“What would Kyon and Achilles think of you inviting a man over to your house at two AM? They might get the wrong idea of you.. You never know.. Or they might get the right idea, considering they love me so much.” Lien pointed out, nodding in agreement with his statement. 

Cynthia rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.  Lien could be irritating...but in an endearing way.  Letting out a small sigh, she shrugged.  “It’s not when I’m watching the movie that I get scared anyway...it’s afterwards.  Suddenly every noise in my apartment is a demon trying to possess me, or some crazy guy holding a knife!  And this is coming from someone who fought literal zombies...but we usually did that in the daytime.”

“I mean...they were pretty creepy, but I wasn’t ever afraid of them coming up on my tent at night or anything.  But for some reason those horror movies really get my adrenaline pumping!  So I just need someone there for moral support after the movie.”  Cynthia plopped down on the recliner across from the couch, folding her legs up underneath her and Kyon came barreling back towards her.

“Besides, these two are a bunch of dummies.  You think they like you, but they’re just using you to get toys and treats.  Don’t trust them for a second!”  She gave Kyon a pat on the head before rolling his ball along the floor, watching him shoot off to catch it again.  “Boy, I wish my apartment were bigger so he had more room to play in.”

[galeforxe]

feurst:

Lien was a bit started once she threw the key in his direction. He looked down at it before focusing his attention back on her. He was a bit surprised that she was giving him this, but he didn’t want to seem like he didn’t want it. It meant a lot to him, but of course.. He wasn’t going to let her know that. Not now, anyways.

He pocketed the key before he crossed his arms and turned his nose to the air, closing his eyes.

“Why do you think I’d be coming over at two AM? Do you think I’m some sort of gross pervert? Besides.. I’d only HOPE you’d invite me over at two AM. That’s when all of the fun stuff happens.” Lien scoffed, shaking his head. “I won’t feed the pets anything bad.. But you can’t stop me from buying them more treats.” He explained before he laughed lightly under his breath, walking over to one of the night stands as he opened the drawer.

“What do you mean don’t go snooping around? Are you hiding something from me? You’re probably hiding something gross in here somewhere. Don’t worry, I’ll find it.. and then I won’t let you live it down.” Lien laughed. “I’ll give you a key to my house too. You can come over whenever.. I don’t have any rules.. but if you DO go snooping at my place, you might find something your innocent little mind can’t handle.. So proceed with caution!”

“Gross?!  I don’t have anything gross hidden in my apartment.  I keep all my gross things at work.”  She offered him a sly smile before continuing.  “No, I’m more concerned about you snooping through my underwear drawer or something.  Plus I have a lot of important books that I don’t want you messing with!  Not because they’re weird, but they’re just...from Ylisse, so they mean a lot to me.”

“Okay, we’ll go with this.  If it’s on a counter top or out in the open it’s fair game.  If it’s in a drawer or cabinet in any room other than the kitchen...no touching it.”  She nodded, pleased with her assertion.  It was fair enough.  She couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t go sneaking through her drawers, but it’s not like she could stop him.  Cynthia had a feeling he would keep to himself, regardless as to what his loud mouth might state otherwise.

Kyon came bounding around the corner once again and dropped the ball at her feet.  Picking it up, she bounced it off the floor a few times before throwing it back towards the far end of her apartment once again.  She wiped the dog slobber off her hand and onto her skirt before sitting down next to Lien again.

“And just for the record, if I ever invited you over at two AM it’d be because I rented a scary movie and I was too afraid to watch it by myself.”

[galeforxe]

feurst:

Lien knelt down as he slowly pet Achilles, gently rubbing behind the felines ears until Kyon returned to him with the ball. He took it from him before he threw it down the hallway once again. He finally scooped the cat into his arms before he stood and walked over to Cynthia, sitting down beside her. He continued to pet Achilles, smiling faintly.

“Yeah.. I was worried about nothing. I seem to do that a lot.” He laughed quietly. “It’s either a hit or miss with me and animals.. Some of them just don’t like me at all for.. Reasons.” Lien said, mumbling out the last part. “Oh, didn’t we get something for Achilles too?” He asked, turning his attention over to the bag. He dug through it before he pulled out the string toy they had bought.

“They’re both really friendly.. You raised them well.” The demon smirked before he playfully ruffled Cynthia’s hair lightly. “Ahh.. This keeps making me want to get a pet too, but I just don’t have the time for it with work.” He said with a sad sigh, shaking his head. “I’ll just have to break into your house and play with Kyon and Achilles, then..”

Cynthia batted his hand away from her head and stood up, placing her hands on her hips.  “Of course they’re friendly!  All animals are friendly after I’ve spent some time with them!”  She took a step away from the couch and walked into the kitchen, pulling out drawers until he found the one she wanted.  After a bit of digging, she found a key on a key ring and turned around, tossing it towards Lien.

“Here, catch.  Now you don’t need to break my locks to get into my apartment.”  She slid the drawer shut again and returned to the couch, standing in front of Lien with her arms folded.  “However!  There are rules if you’re going to have a key to my apartment!  Rule number one: don’t come in here at like two AM unless you’re invited or you tell me ahead of time.  I might accidentally spear you with a lance or something and I’d just feel bad.  Rule number two: don’t feed the animals willy nilly, I have them both on a strict eating schedule for a reason!  Lastly, if I’m not home don’t go snooping around.”

“No ifs ands or buts!  As long as you agree to those rules I don’t care how often you pop in.”  She nodded, signaling an end to her tirade. 

[galeforxe]

feurst:

Lien was relieved to hear she wasn’t going to leave anytime soon. Of course he had his other friend.. but Cynthia was special to him. She understood him, and he knew it. It wasn’t something he came across often. Typically people would have turned their noses up at him by now, but.. not her.

He was snapped back into reality once he felt Kyon’s paws against him. He shook his head and laughed under his breath, silently thankful that Kyon couldn’t sense that he wasn’t exactly human.. Which had happened before while he was working.. And always lead to being growled at or him almost getting bitten.

Digging into the bag, he quickly pulled out the red ball. He finally threw it down the hall, watching as it bounced a few times before finally deciding to roll down the floor.

“You were right.. I don’t know why I was so nervous.” He admitted with a faint laugh as he rubbed the back of his head. “Now lets just hope I don’t break a window with this ball and ruin your perfectly decorated apartment. Wouldn’t that be a shame..”

“Oh hush.”  Cynthia elbowed past him, sticking out her tongue as she walked by.  Walking into the living room she threw out her arms.  “Welcome to my humble abode.  Make yourself at home; I’ll get Achilles.”  Turning on her heel she scurried off into her bedroom, quickly locating the cat napping on her bed.  She clicked her tongue and shook her head in annoyance.

“Kitty...you know you’re not supposed to sleep on the bed.  You have your own bed for that.”  She lifted him into her arms and he let out a soft mew, blinking his eyes sleepily.  “We have a visitor!”  Achilles purred quietly as Cynthia carried him into back into the living room.  Kyon came careening behind her, nearly knocking her off her feet to return the ball to Lien.

“Jeez Kyon...settle down.”  She plopped onto the couch and released Achilles, you stood up to give Lien a wary look.  Cynthia was just glad he hadn’t decided to hiss at him yet.  “Be friendly Achilles or you’ll get stuck in the car carrier of shame again.”  The kitten seemed to sniff indignantly before hopping off the couch to approach Lien, cautiously circling him a few times before rubbing up against him.

Cynthia beamed.

“And you were all worried over nothing!”

[galeforxe]

feurst:

“Yeah.. I know. I don’t know why I get so worked up. It’s a bit ridiculous once I think about it, but..” Lien began, trailing his sentence off once she began to explain just how she got here. Her story made more sense to him than she probably thought. Back when he dabbled in the demonic side of him, he could often get caught up in portals that would lead to other portals in the world. It was pure hell trying to find the right portal to return home.. No pun intended.

He was a bit glad he gave all of that up to live a normal life as a police officer. No matter how annoying his job was.

Lien finally gave a breathy laugh, scratching his cheek. “Y-Yeah.. That would have sucked if you just up and left. I probably would have thought you got kidnapped or something and gone looking for you.” He explained.

A part of him felt sad to know that there was a chance of her leaving, but at the same time he didn’t want to appear to be selfish by keeping her away from her home.

“Do you think you’ll be leaving anytime soon?” Lien finally asked, dreading asking simply because a part of him didn’t want to know. “I mean.. There’s so much stuff here that we need to do together before you go! I can’t have you leave and then your only memories of me being us arguing about home decor..”

Cynthia placed her pointer finger to her lips and shook her head, a small smile on her face.  “Nah, not any time soon.  Do you know how mad my mother and father would be?”  She placed her hands on her hips and raised her voice to a high falsetto to imitate her mom.  “Oh Cynthia, where have you been?!  We’ve looked all over the realm for you!”  She lowered her voice to imitate her dad.  “Not a single word from you, not once!  We were worried sick!”  Returning to her normal voice, she sighed.

“Yeah, it’s not something I want to deal with.  Plus...well there’s a mess at home.  The other Cynthia is there, and I try to avoid seeing my parents except for the occasional visit.  I don’t want to mess up life for baby Cynthia!  I was planning on ditching sometime soon anyway, I just didn’t mean to leave without telling them...”  She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly and shrugged.  “Oh well, nothing I can do about it now.  I’ll go back eventually, but definitely not any time soon.”

Cynthia laughed and clapped him on the back with her free hand.  “So stop worrying silly!  You’re such a goof.”  Finally reaching the door to the apartment building she opened up the main door, gesturing for him to follow her up the stairs.  After a short walk they came to stop in front of her apartment; unlocking the front door she swung it open for Lien to step through.

The unmistakable thumping noise of a dog realizing someone was home to play sounded from Cynthia’s bedroom.  “Sounds like Kyon is ready to meet y--”  Before she could even finish the sentence the puppy raced around the corner and leapt onto Lien before he could walk through the door.  “Oh boy...Kyon that’s just bad manners.”

She shoved Lien from behind to force him into the small hallway, closing the door behind her.  “Throw him his new ball.”

[galeforxe]

feurst:

“Heh.. Sure.. We’ll just see about that.” Lien mumbled under his breath with a smirk. She seemed to be good at just about everything.. But he was determined to find a weakness, as odd as it sounded. He knew everyone had them - He had just been far too open with his own. 

“You lived in a palace yet you chose to come here to live in an apartment? Hell.. I won’t need to come back, I’ll just stay in Ylisse. I don’t get paid nearly enough to get shot at or jumped on the street by lunatics.” The demon said, rolling his eyes. He then paused for a moment and sighed, scratching his cheek.

“I don’t really have any family here. I mean I have you and there’s another guy I know.. But you two are really all I have. It’d probably be nice to be able to be around a bunch of people for once.” He decided with a nod. He then looked down at the bag he was carrying. “I just hope Kyon and Achilles are happy with what we got them.. Then I could add them to the list and I won’t look like such a downer.” Lien laughed as he shook his head, finally sighing.

“Why did you come here, though? I mean.. Ylisse sounds like it has it’s fair share of problems.. But you sorta get that no matter where you go.”

A small smile played on Cynthia’s lips at his admission.  “Well, if you came with me you’d end up hanging around the Shepherds.  Which...might be worse than getting jumped.  Those ruffians that’re always pillaging villages on the outskirts of our realm are absolutely beasts.”  Personally, she’d rather deal with some guy wielding a knife than any of the ruffians with battle axes.

She offered him a small pat on the back.  “Don’t worry, they’ll like you lots.  You get all worked up over silly things, you know that?”  Cynthia rolled her eyes slightly, reaching into her back pocket to take out her keys.  They jingled in her hand as she pointed towards the end of the street at a tall apartment building.  “That’s my place right there.”

She blinked at his question.  How did she get here...?  Well it was a bit of a stupid story, now that she thought about it.

“Er, well...promise you won’t laugh?”  She paused to wait for an answering, continuing after a few seconds.  “So I found this outrealm gate...sometimes they pop up around Ylisse.  They take you, uh, elsewhere I guess.  You never really know where you’ll end up.  So I found one and thought I’d peek through to see where it went...but then I tripped and fell through it.  The gate closed up behind me so I’ve been...stuck here.”

She winced, scratching her cheek sheepishly.  “I think I know how to open an outrealm gate to get back, but I haven’t tried it yet.  I’d have a lot of stuff to move from here back to Ylisse so I’ve just been waiting I guess...plus I thought it’d be kinda rude to just up and leave without telling you.”

[galeforxe]

feurst:

Lien nodded as she spoke, in a state of awe as she explained everything. He couldn’t imagine ever going into battle like that. Even shoot outs with gangs frightened him, and that was a rare occurrence. He shook his head, smiling lightly. The last thing he wanted was to go meet Kyon and Achilles with a dark cloud over his head.

He watched as the clerk rang up the toys and the treats. He pulled out his wallet and handed over some money before he took the bags in his hands. Lien finally laughed lightly under his breath, smirking.

“I’m glad we’re going to your house.. So this time I get to judge you on your decorating instead of you judging me for mine.” He teased before he sighed, frowning lightly. He felt a bit anxious again, simply because he didn’t want Kyon or Achilles to not like him.. Yet he wasn’t quite sure why that was weighing so heavily on his mind. Being liked by everyone he ran into was a big thing to him.. But they were just pets.. So it didn’t matter that much, right?

“Maybe I should get a pet.. I’ve always wanted one, but I haven’t had the chance to get one.. I’m not sure what I’d want. I think a lizard would be cool.. but I kinda want something with fur.. I’m not sure.” He shrugged.

“Well there’s nothing to judge since my decorating is top notch!”  Cynthia trailed behind him as they exited the store, placing her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest pridefully.  “No bare walls or mismatching furniture!  I learned to decorate from the greatest designers in the palace so you’ll see just how great a decorator I am.”  She sped up to keep pace next to him.

“A lizard, huh?!  All pets are good pets.  I saw some hermit crabs at the store when I bought Achilles, and I contemplated picking one of those up too!  But then I knew it was downhill slide after that.  I’d end up with a zoo!  Maybe if I have my own house someday where I have enough room to keep a lot of pets...but Kyon and Achilles are already a crowd in my small apartment.”

She sighed wistfully and ran a hand through one of her pigtails.  “Oh well, houses are a lot of money.  You know, it was hard coming from Ylisse to here.”  Cynthia made a vague gesture to the street around them.  “Back home I lived in a palace!  Of course, I’m not picky.  The apartment is nice too.  I’m just used to never really having to pay for anything.”  The last sentences was mumbled under her breath as she turned the corner, continuing the trek to her apartment.

“Maybe someday you can come to Ylisse with me and meet my friends and family.  Although the first issue would be figuring out how to get back...”

[galeforxe]

feurst:

Lien laughed lightly as he held the cat toy in his hand. It was oddly interesting to sit and see the differences in the preferences between a dog and a cat, as odd as it sounded. He had never really owned any pets in his lifetime. He had been called by kids and old ladies to save cats out of trees, but that was about it.

“I think he’d like it.. It’s simple, but still fun.” He nodded. He walked over to the red ball and picked it up from the floor, squeezing it in his hand lightly. “I think they’ll be happy no matter what way we go.. Or at least I hope so. If I were a pet, I’d be happy with anything my owner brought home.. Especially if my owner were you.” Lien said with a quiet chuckle under his breath.

“Do they have any treats? Maybe we should bring home some treats as well.. I have no clue what cats and dogs like to eat, so that one can be either hit or miss.. but I don’t think it hurts to try, right?” Lien asked, scratching the back of his head. “But.. We also need to talk about this pegasus thing.. You had a pegasus as a friend? And you’re just now bringing this up?” He laughed, seemingly amazed by some of the stories she shared with him.

“Oh!  That’s right, Kyon needs treats if I’m going to teach him how to do tricks.  Achilles is nearly out as well...”  She floated down the aisle until she found a shelf that held rows and rows of various treats.  Shrugging at Lien’s question she offered him a coy smile.  “Oh, uh, I haven’t said anything before?  Well back in Ylisse we were in that war and everything...”

Cynthia plucked a bag off the shelf and tucked it under her arm for Kyon, moving down the aisle to find treats for Achilles.  “I was a Pegasus Knight!  And a Dark Flier...and a Falcon Knight.  Kinda dark to explain....I had to be versatile!  So I know how to use lances, tomes and staves er-- a healing staff.  I guess that’s what you’d call it.  Anyway, my pegasus was my trusty steed through it all!

“Being a Pegasus Knight is kinda fun, because you get to fly around the battle field, but it’s also scary because bow and arrows could really mess you up if you weren’t paying attention.”  She finally found cat treats and tucked them under her arm with the dog treats, turning her attention to Lien.

“Pretty cool, yeah?  I can’t believe I didn’t tell you about my pegasus!  We really bonded since all that...stuff happened.”  A dark look crossed her eyes before she snapped out of it.  “But everything’s fine now, so she’s back in the stable where she’s having a lot of fun eating too much food and getting fat.”

Cynthia held out her free hand to take the ball and cat toy Lien was holding.  “I think we can check out now.”

[galeforxe]

feurst:

“They’re stuck under the fridge? Well.. Thank god you have me and I’m strong enough to lift it!” Lien grinned, a bit unsure if he was being serious or not.. But she didn’t need to know that. He finally listened carefully, a bit surprised by the last comment. The demon laughed under his breath before he ran a hand through his blue bangs.

“Jealous? We won’t be jealous when he finally gets to meet me.. Or.. Maybe he will be jealous considering how great I am. I’m sure he’s great too, though!” He was quick to say with a prideful smirk. “But everyone loves me, right?”

Once the two approached the pet store, Lien immediately dashed over to where the cat toys were, eyeing them all with intensity. He really didn’t want Achilles to be jealous of him.. So he knew he needed to make a great first impression to the feline.

Lien took a long stick with a stretchy string attached to it off the rack. He walked over to Cynthia and frowned lightly.

“What about this? Do you think he’d like it? Or is it too boring.. I don’t want to pick out the wrong thing!”

“Riiight, everyone loves you.”  Cynthia patted Lien sympathetically on the back, rolling her eyes.  “He’s friendly, so I’m sure he’ll like you--”  Lien bolted and stopped in front of the cat toys, clearly looking rather worried as he picked one of the toys off of the rack.  Uh oh, maybe she made him worry too much.

The corner of her mouth twitched up into a small smile as she looked at the toy he was holding.  “Yeah, I think he’ll like it.  He likes jumping around but...”  She grabbed another toy next to it, which had a feather attached to the end of the string.  “He’ll probably like this even more.”  She placed it in his hands and set the other one back on the rack before flitting off to find dog toys.

“Kyon...hmm...he’d like...this...?”  Cynthia plucked a squeaky toy out of a pile shaped like a bone and squeezed it.  The loud noise it made startled her and she dropped it back into the bin.  “No way, the last thing I want is to be woken up at 3AM to that thing.”  She rubbed her chin pensively and sighed, shrugging her shoulders

“I’ve never had a dog before.  We didn’t really have any pets...unless you could the pegasus but she’s more like a friend than anything else.  Do you think he’d like this?”  She found a red ball and bounced it on the ground, watching it bounce twice before rolling down the aisle.  “Achilles is a lot easier to shop for...”

[galeforxe]

feurst:

Looking at the clock, Lien gave an impatient sigh. He was anxious to go see Cynthia’s pets, and he knew that it would be good for him. It wasn’t too long until work was over, but through the hours all he could focus on was going to her house. He couldn’t even focus on catching criminals at the moment.. He just wanted to leave.

Once the clock struck three, he quickly bounded out of the precinct. Lien looked around for Cynthia, scratching his head before he finally caught sight of her. The demon quickly ran over to her, clasping his hands together with a large smile.

“Alright! I’m ready!” Lien was quick to say before he finally took Cynthia’s hand in his. “What do your pets like? Or.. Have you not really shown them much yet? I want to get them both the perfect gift! It can’t be just anything or else I’ll look totally lame!”

Cynthia blinked at his enthusiasm before cracking a grin.  “Boy you sure are excited!”  She folded her arms and furrowed her brow, wracking her brain for ideas.  “Well...Achilles really likes small toys that he can play with while on his back.  He lost all his tiny mice toys he had...they’re all under the fridge but I can’t seem to fish them back out.  So far Kyon seems to like things like balls and frisbees the best since he can run around.”

She let her arms drop to her sides and nodded.  “Yeah, I haven’t given Kyon many toys yet so I don’t really know.”  She clapped both of her hands around his and rolled on her heel.  “They heard they were getting presents and now they’re both really wound up, so we gotta hurry and pick things up before they tear my apartment apart!”  Linking arms with him, she dragged Lien down the sidewalk.

“Kyon and Achilles are both really excited to meet you!  Achilles already knows a lot about you so don’t be offended if he’s standoffish.  I think he’s jealous that you get to hang out with me sometimes.”

[galeforxe]

feurst:

Lien was beyond interested in her pets. He really wished he could have his own.. Which he kept telling himself in his head, silently wondering if he could somehow hide a pet in his house. Lien finally snapped back into reality and smiled with a faint laugh.

“Funny business? What? I’m always serious!” He said before he playfully punched her in the shoulder. “We can both go out and buy him some stuff! Every pet deserves their own stuff.. That and I want to be the best working dad I can be!” Lien exclaimed, despite the fact that he was known for either skipping work or showing up late.

He then sighed deeply, rubbing the back of his neck. “I need to go in to work.. I’ll be done around three, so we can meet up then?” Lien asked before he placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair. “Just meet me back here and then we can go shopping for some stuff.. Deal?”

Cynthia smacked his hand off her head as she nodded.  “Yep!”  That gives me just enough time to clean my apartment.  “I’ll see you at three.  But don’t overdo it!  If you buy too much stuff then they’ll be spoiled brats.  And since I’m taking care of them the most I don’t want to have to deal with bratty pets.”  She threw up a peace sign before jogging off.

“Have fun at work; don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”  She let out a relieved sigh.  Boy was she glad Lien didn’t ditch today.  After making the mad dash back to her apartment, she slammed the door open to inspect the damage.  It was going to take some serious cleaning to make this place look presentable.  Both Kyon and Achilles gave Cynthia a lazy look before returning to their nap.

“Aw shucks, you guys won’t even help a little?”  She shook her head before grabbing some trash bags out from underneath her sink.  She could get this all done by three...at least she hoped.