The Dangers of Dying

While many of the others had been drawn to the meeting with the so-named 'Uncrowned', Mikage had stayed outside on the fringes of Alne, careful to watch for any kind of attack. It's all too possible that these strangers might be working with the enemy from the Palace Lands. One can never be too cautious.

The Were Fang is sitting atop one of the outlying buildings, looking out at the lake that surrounds the city, one leg dangling down with the other clutched up near her chest. She keeps checking the sky, head tilted slightly to take in the chimlink chatter. So far, there had been nothing about the meeting. Then again, most of New World were not present for it.

For now, she just waits for Cyrus, knowing that he'd bring back word. Of course... if anything happened to him, well... she'd make sure a few Palace Landers answered to one of her storm arrows.

Luckily, based on her friends list, Cyrus is perfectly healthy. And as talk starts occurring on the New World Alliance channels is around the time that the Snow Leopard is coming out from the main street towards the large opening that gives access to the city itself. He looks up, knowing he'll find her up above when she's not in easy view.

From there, he lifts his hand in greeting. But rather than making her come down, he uses a bit of magic to catapult himself up with earth magic, landing neatly next to her, and then turns to sit at her side.

One leg up, one leg dangling, arms leaning on the raised knee - making a rumbling sound while staring outwards. He's usually a bit on the quiet side, but she can tell that his expression is paler than usual. He's not even sure where to start. So he's creating a bit of a pregnant pause, before remarking;

"If we die, we lose memories. If we die 'enough times'... we turn into Landers. And with that, there goes our ability to Resurrect."

Oh, it's certain that Mikage has been keeping an eye on the status of those who she knew were in attendance to that meeting. She has yet to try out her new ability when someone is in combat, but there is the hope that things don't come to that. From what Shiruba had told them, this was supposed to have been peaceful.

Even so, there is relief when Cyrus comes into view. She raises a hand up to return his wave of greeting, blue eyes following him as he propells himself up to join her on her perch. As he joins her, she leans a little in his direction, offering that hint of physical comfort. It's obvious something from the meeting is bothering him, but she gives him time to bring it to words rather than inquiring directly.

However, what he says is likely a bit unexpected for her. Miki's mouth opens, then closes again, and she swallows. "So... any context to that?" She asks, cautiously. "I mean... I assume this is something you all got from the Palace Landers but... how do they know that?"

Of the two of them, Mikage has been close to death far more often. It is something she has stared in the face, and sometimes even risked her own life to save others. Would she have still done the same having known the price? ... Probably. She seems to be that sort of person.

Cyrus figured that starting with the outcome would allow it easier to wind around to the beginning. "From the face of it, it looks like the Landers retaliated far more against the Adventurers than we were led to believe. They killed quite a lot of the Adventurers until they stopped respawning..." The male feels himself salivating rather quickly. The thought itself is making him nausious.

He takes a moment to swallow, and produces a drink from his inventory, throwing back some water before letting out a huff of a breath and touching his hand to hers. She'd moved closer, and he wants to show his appreciation.

"Others were Crowed. Basically some kind of controlling headgear that makes them loyal to their nation." He explains to mikage further. "The ones we met, the Uncrowned, managed to avoid this." He then proceeds to explain what he had been told about how the crown works, and that it was apparently really difficult to remove...

Mikage is a quiet person by nature, so it is hard to tell exactly what thoughts might be flittering through her head at this revelation. What does happen is that when his hand touches hers, she lifts her fingers to entwine them together, taking some comfort there. He had been her companion nearly from day one of their adventures in Yamato. He had kept her alive countless times.

"So... what? They figured it worked against them, it'll work against us?" She asks, "Just... capture us, or kill us until we go away?" Miki's pale brows draw downward, her other arm gripping around her leg more tightly. "It... explains some things. Some of Merek's weird comments." Everyone knows that he has died more than anyone else in the New World Alliance.

The girl doesn't have that same extreme reaction that Cyrus does, it seems. Then again, sometimes it is hard to tell with her. Regardless, she looks to him and asks in a softer tone, "Are you going to be okay?"

Cyrus motions his head a bit to the side. "I guess so? It explains why they seemed to be trying to capture you during the Wave in the Palace Lands, rather than just outright killing you." He answers Mikage, tucking his knee tight against his chest and trying to control his breathing.

"... I don't know if I will be okay. It was easier when I knew I could rely on the resurrection. I mean, neither of us have died yet, so we would be okay a few times. But we don't know how many times. There are memories I'd rather not lose... and ones I'd be okay with just disappearing." He mumbles.

He squeezes his arms around his knee again, then leans back, taking in a deeper breath.

Trying to lighten the situation, he chuckles and adds; "Let's not tell Merek he was right. It's better not to legitimize his ramblings. Even a broken clock is right twice a day."

"That's a problem I may have made worse when we fought in Shibuya. I think I might just have their attention, now." Mikage may not try to be flashy in combat like some others, but it's hard to hide her strength. In the end, it's easy to pick her out as one of the stronger fighters that Yamato has to offer. She taps the fingers of her free hand on her leg, thoughtful. "Still, so long as they don't capture me, I should be fine. The Church in Fort Ouph is relatively safe a place to respawn from my understanding."

After a pause, she sighs, looking up towards the sky. "I think we've all got memories that we wouldn't mind losing. At the same time... even the bad things are part of what make us who we are, right?" Miki looks over at Cyrus at that point, "I... don't know how it all works but... if there's things you don't want to forget, you could... always tell me?"

She knows that not everyone wants to share everything about themselves, especially certain things that are important to them, but she offers it regardless, seeming uncertain. Her hand lightly touches a pendant at her throat, which she often uses as a worry stone.

"Please don't get captured. It'd be really hard to defeat you. Let alone capture you." Cyrus tells Mikage, bumping his elbow against her, trying to show a soft smile at this. "You're that big tournament winner after all." He reminds her, before drawing his hands back and releasing that tense posture.

He draws back, hands behind his back, looking up at the sky with her. "Yeah... that would probably be good. Maybe write some of them down too." He adds to that. "After all, memory is fallible." He tilts his head a bit and thinks about this, touching a curled finger to his chin. "Hmm..."

Seems she has him problem-solving. "They said they only forgot things about the real world. So I luckily wouldn't be risking forgetting you. But I don't want to forget my parents, or what I used to do for a living. My achievements... my childhood back in the boonies."

"If I got captured..." Mikage looks over towards him, squeezing his hand, "Changed to be like them... I know you'd get me out." As much as she might be strong, she has faith in those she had come to call companions and friends. It is better not to think about such things, though. "But I don't intend to get captured."

Then, as if trying to lift the mood, she offers, "Just you make sure you don't either. I like you too  much to hurt you." She leans in towards him, nudging her nose against his cheek.

Then, at the prospect of memories, Miki sighs, seeming thoughtful. She'd rarely spoke of her life beyond the game, but Cyrus knows more details than others. "I'm more myself here than I ever was in the real world." She offers softly. "But... I don't know that I would like to lose everything before."

Then, closing her eyes, she leans her forehead against his shoulder. "You've changed who I was. I wouldn't have let anyone this close. Wouldn't have believed anyone could look past everything, not after my mom..." She cuts herself off there, sighing softly.

"Shit." She curses. Obviously sharing the darker things isn't easy.

"You bet I would. I've been planning all kinds of sneaky traps and the like." Cyrus answers Mikage as she squeezes his hand, smiling at her with a sweet look. "And you have a bunch of friends in the New World Alliance who would join me to kick your butt and drag you back to our side." Cyrus points out. "But you better not get captured." He pokes her. "Or you will make Rama sad."

He then snickers as she points out that she likes him too much to hurt him; "I will try my best not to get captured. You know me, I'm hard to pin down."

He shifts to look down and makes a thoughtful sound. "You've changed who I was too. If it wasn't for you, I might still be sitting in that tavern." He remarks. "Just staring at a drink, hoping someone else could solve this mess. This all happened at a bad time for me." He notes, which he'd told her of before.

He squeezes her hand softly. "We don't have to talk about this now." He tells her. "If writing makes it easier?" He brings his other hand around and runs it through the back of her head's hair. "I didn't really have a bad life. Honestly, pretty brilliant until the recent year. I'm one of the lucky ones, as I talked about before."

"Yeah." There is a catch in Mikage's throat as she considers what it might be like to lose oneself, either through loss of memories or by being controlled. Rama is curled up a short distance away, sleeping as cats are prone to do. She looks over at the feline, and then forces out a laugh. "We'll be fine. We have to be." This 'we' seems to include Cyrus, as well.

Her fingers lightly shift from between his, holding them outward slightly. She had done this before, to show him how still her hands are in this world. "We... had an account saved up with money for me to go to University. I wanted to study computers." Miki explains, "But after Pluto's Kiss, well... things were tight. My mom started using that money to buy herself shit that we couldn't otherwise afford." Her lips purse at the memory.

"It all blew up into a huge arguement. She said... it was fine because it wasn't as if someone like me could ever really be something in this world. That I was doomed to spend my life in some care facility alone. What was even the point of sending me to university anyways. Just... a waste of money." These are obviously her mother's words, and that hand comes back down to lay atop his.

There is a hint of moisture in her eyes, "I believed her for so fucking long, Cyrus. That no one would ever, or could ever think of me as anything but a cripple in a failing body. Someone just not worth as much as everyone else." Her lips tremble slightly as she looks at him, "You changed that. You know that, right?"

Cyrus goes rather quiet when Mikage begins to speak of the real world. It's not a topic they talk about often for a variety of reasons - the real world. But Mikage's past especially tends to be painful. Something they try not to broach unless necessary.

His fingers trace through her hair as she talks about her mom. She can tell that he is getting a bit angry on her part if she's at all glancing at his expression. The way he bites his lip a bit. The way his fingers grip her hand and tries to comfort her.

"Parents are fallible. People can be wrong. And I imagine she had convinced herself of that foolish lie, just to alieviate her own guilt of buying things..." He would like to think this isn't something her mom always thought. He huffs out a breath. "What a bitch." Which may be the first time she's ever really heard him swear.

He touches his cheek to hers for a moment. "I... had a thought that I might have changed something like that." He whispers to her, looking her in the eyes and touching his nose to hers, adjusting his position to look at her. He knows she's not great with eye-contact, so he closes his eyes soon there-after. "You already proved you were worth more than that. Just look at where you ended up working. Making a difference in the world."

"Yeah, no kidding." Mikage replies, shaking her head, "Dad threw her to the curb after that. She only calls when she needs something and dad just sends her ass to voicemail." At the very least, her relationship with her father was a good and healthy one, as much as he might have been often at work in order to support her. There is clearly a lot of love there for the man.

"I got there, eventually, right?" She murmurs. "I was actually going to use some of Piffle's support programs to go to university part time. I wanted to become a developer and create worlds like these. Make them more accessible to people like me. Big dreams, I guess."

She nudges her forehead against his chin, "I know... things weren't easy for you." Miki murmurs. "But... if your ex hadn't been a bitch, then I wouldn't be sitting here with you having this chance, would I?" Miki asks, softly. "I'm not going to ever take what I have for granted. You're too important to me for that."

Cyrus huffs a bitand squeezes her hand again. "I'm glad your dad was at least awesome." He points out. "I'd like to meet him one day. You know, when this is all over." He remarks to her. Unlike some of the New World Alliance folk, he is okay with the ability to leave this world and see the real people again out there. Though he suspects things won't be so easy.

He then draws back a bit to better look to her. "Aye... I suppose there is that. And at least she trained me in finding some more fashionable underwear." He adds to that. He then leans up and kisses her forehead.

"But yeah, I'm sure you will rock it at Piffle. I bet that there will be some kind of giant fund for all of us when we get out... assuming that's the whole situation that's going on." He'd like to think so.

"I think he'd like you." Mikage answers with a shy sort of laugh, shaking her head, "Though I expect he won't think anyone is good enough for his little girl." She smiles softly, the fondness for her father clear in her expression. "I think you'd be able to win him over, though."

In many ways, the prospect of returning to the real world is a bit of a frightening thing for Mikage. It means going back to a world where she no longer has control over her physical body. Where her mind is trapped in a form that has never really allowed her to be herself. She looks down at her hand where it lies beneath his.

The idea that his ex may have influenced his fashion sense gets a laugh from her, "Maybe I'll find out someday." She smirks. The two have not really gone 'that far' in things. She doesn't seem to want to think too far into that future. So much is still an unknown.

"Anyways, I know that you're worried about me. About the fact that I dive head first into battle and throw myself at our enemies." She looks at him, "I'll try to be careful. I'll try to keep myself safe."

"Heh. Nobody good enough for his little girl? Maybe I'll manage to convince him with 'I saved your girl's life a few times'." He remarks, rubbing her back in response. He's noticed the way she's stiffening a bit, so he's quieting on the topic.

"One day." He then says. "When we feel it's the right time." The youth adds, before leaning his head against hers for a moment, touching along her hair. He then looks down at the streets below. People starting to filter out from the tavern.

"I don't think I'll ever not be worried about you. Especially now that we are this close to one-another." Cyrus points out. "But I know I can count on your strength no matter what. You have a good head on your shoulders."

Miki's eyes are drawn down to those leaving the inn. Those who had also been in the meeting with Cyrus and the Uncrowned. She knows there is still much to learn and even more that needs to be done if they are going to be able to turn the tide of the war. For now, though, it's a stepping stone.

"Come on, let's go see if we can find a place nearby to set up camp. I think finding a proper room is going to be tough given the circumstances." Alne might be a sprawling city, but much of it now plays home to those seeking some protection from the ravages of war and other losses.

She whistles to Rama, who perks his ears and stretches out, giving a feline yawn. The Ranger leans in and kisses Cyrus on the cheek, then lets her nose nuzzle against his chin. "Whatever comes, we'll face it together." She affirms, then pushes to her feet, pulling him up after her.

"Aye. Together." He firmly answers her, taking her head and tucking her against his chest under his own chin for a moment. He then turns his head, presses his cheek to the crown of her head, turns to kiss the top of her head, and then lifts up and stands up alongside her. "I'm glad you are here with me, Miki. You're the bright star I needed - and I still need." He tells her, before using a bit of his magic to create a small stairway of stone with his magic, and turns to her as he steps onto the first step. Hand up to her, gazing up at Mikage.

"Let's go find a place to sleep."