Quiet and Contemplation, or is it? (Open)

Coming down from his room Chris stretched at one of the halls leading to the tavern. He put a hand to his mouth to stifle a yawn before proceeding into the room. He had just spent half the day resting in his room after he had spent several days making blueprints for new ARMs. The A.I. that the guild had was great for keeping notes and cross referencing different magics that were similar to what he wanted to make.

Shaking his head he gave the barkeeper a smile as he took one of the stools. "Another long night?" Chris shook his head and took the mug he was poured. "No. I actually decided to sleep last night." He took a small gulp and grimaced. It was the watered down stuff again. "Just got up. Guess I needed more sleep than I thought." The barkeeper nodded before turning to another guild member.

Chris took his mug and headed for one of the empty tables nearby. As he went he gave several fellow guild mates a smile and a wave. He didn't know a whole lot of them, except maybe Kaleb, but he tried to change that. Not many stayed in contact though, either going out on jobs or just not being in the guild. But he was determined to change that. After all, making friends wasn't that hard right?

Chris looked up to find a beautiful young woman sitting down at his table. Young in a relative term because Chris himself seemed younger than her. If he guessed he’d place her in her early 20’s at least. But that wasn’t in the forefront of his thoughts as he almost choked on the weak beer. He caught himself before he spit up and sprayed her with the liquid. A fine impression that would make.

Taking the gulp that he intended before the interruption he gave a small cough to clear his throat. A small smile came to his lips as he finally turned his attention to the young maiden. ”H-hi.” What was it she said? Oh hi oh goza something? Maybe it was a greeting, but not one Chris was familiar with.

Her other inquiry however was easier to understand. ”I-I’m doing a-alright. A bit t-tired. I-I think I overslept.” He smiled, but it was hard not to sweat. He took a deep breath and a small pull from his bear before continuing. ”How are y-you doing? I’m guessing y-you are also a new member?” That was better. At least he didn’t stutter as bad.

I'll just have a bit of sake please, Hiro told to the bartender. He was feeling much better after his meditation. A nice long forty five minutes. The bartender gave him a small glass but just big enough to give him a bit of a little buzz. He could never really hold his liquor but it never stopped him.

He bowed and thanked the bartender. The tavern was as busy as it usually was but he didn't mind. He had grown accustomed to the noise, just as long as he had his quiet meditation time. As his eye's scanned he spotted a very vivid bit of clothing.

What was her name again he thought. Misayo? he was pretty sure. Now he was never one for social interactions, but he knew that Oni wouldn't bother him since he just finished meditating. At least he hoped. He decided to check on Misayo to see how she was.

Greeting Misayo, he said giving a slight bow. My apologies about the awkward introduction. Just wanted to see how you were settling in. He then noticed the man next to her, sitting. Oh. I didn't see you there. My apologies. I am Hiro. He gave yet another bow. I hope I wasn't interrupting anything.

The sake went down his throat fairly well as he took a nervous sip. It seems like he could never be good at these social things.

Chris took a moment to try and focus his mind before speaking. But before he could open his mouth another member approached the table. He looked a little older than Chris, maybe a few years, and stood a little shorter. With his brown hair and physique Chris guessed he was a swordsman, though it felt like there was something more to the man.

He was almost ready to stand up and offer the man his seat when the man seemed to finally notice him. Being ignored was something Chris was sort of used to, though it didn’t seem an insult. The man obviously had eyes for the woman.

A slight smile crept onto his lips at the thought, but turned into a genuine one when the two introduced themselves. ”Nice to meet you both. I’m Chris.” His attention was on the man, but he spoke to both. It was easier to speak when he wasn’t looking at the young woman across from him. But he turned his attention to Misayo once he finished speaking so as to not be rude. She was very beautiful. He glanced back at the man. ”You look like a new face as well.” He took a swallow from the mug in his hands.

Hiro gave a small chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. Yea you can say that. Just came back from finishing my first job a few days ago, was probably going to head out on another one soon. He took yet another sip of his drink.

He felt some grumbling in his chest.  He gave a look of concern as he hunched over a bit, grabbing his chest. His hand, holding the drink, collapsed to the floor making quite a large sound and splashing at his feet.

Damn it Oni, he thought to himself. Can't I just catch a small break sometimes. I'm trying to be social here. The grumbling subsided almost immediately and Hiro stood back up.

He looked down at his feet to find the drink splashed everywhere. He cleared his throat. Well crap, he chuckled. I'm always so clumsy. I'll be right back and grab something to clean that up.

He turned around, ready to grab a towel or something, hoping they didn't ask too many questions. What was the point of that from Oni? A warning or something? That was when he heard the voice echo oh so slightly in his head.

I am all you need...

He shrugged it off as best he could. He will make friends with these people, even if it killed him.

A smile came to lips as Hiro mentioned jobs. He was going to have to get on the ball and do a few himself. He had already done some, but has been a bit since he last completed one. He was about to mention that he would like to go on a job with either of them, or both if possible, when Hiro hunched over in what looked like pain.

On instinct Chris leapt to his feet, and his hand went automatically to the charm hanging from his belt. Before he could utter a word Hiro seemed to straighten up and be fine. Slowly his hand released the charm reluctantly. It was just as well. He wasn’t sure if the ARM could heal a heart attack.

Chris settled himself on the chair slowly, though his hand was still poised on reaching for the charm. He didn’t quite want to test it, but it may be better than nothing. A mild look of surprise came to his face when Misayo pulled out what looked like a charm. He had never seen one that looked like that, and it had the feel of something holy. ”What kind of charm is it?” He was curious enough that he forgot it was a woman he was talking to.

Hiro grabbed the small charm from the woman, a person he could safely call his friend, at least he believed. Thank you, I'm not so sure how well it would work on my little... he paused for a short time, ailment I guess you could call it.

The charm was light in his hand, but it gave him an odd sensation. A part of him found comfort in it, while the other part wanted to rip it to shreds. Probably Oni's thoughts no less.

I guess it's worth a shot. The samurai was certain it wouldn't work, not on someone like Oni, but it was a small form of hope. Hiro just stared at the charm for about a minute, thinking of all the good that could come if Oni left him for good.

He took a deep sigh and recited the words the shrine maiden had told him. Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen.

Nothing seemed to happen. He grew upset, knowing it would never be that easy. Soon a sensation passed over him, a burning sensation. The hand holding the charm soon began to glow a bright blue, right before a the most intense burning sensation engulfed his hand. He gave an audible cry of pain as he dropped the charm, it slowly yet elegantly sailing towards the table. He clenched his right hand in pain just as he noticed what it had done. His hand had the scale like texture of his demon form, aglow, right in front of these people.

Oh please no... he just barely muttered.

Chris watched the charm curiously. He didn’t know anything about charm magic. The closest he had come to researching it was the creation of Holy ARMs. But he was always on the lookout for different kinds of magic that might make better equipment. However he was disappointed to see nothing happen when the words were spoken.

He shook his head and was about to focus on his drink again when Hiro let out the loud cry. Jumping out of his chair Chris held up his left hand that wore a silver ring on his index finger. He looked around frantically to see what had hurt the older man. His gaze fell on the arm that was turning a bright blue color, with scales appearing. ”Seriously, what kind of charm WAS that?!” Mental note, don’t use the woman’s charms.

His left hand dropped to the chain at his waist. He wasn’t sure if it would help, but one of the properties of a Holy ARM was to remove curses. This one was made specifically for healing pain, but maybe….It was worth a shot. He spoke in a clear voice. ”Holy ARM, Little Angel!”

The silver chain grew in size, and the chalice charm hanging also changed. It grew bigger, and the metal changed from a silver to gold. The heart on the front changed into a bright red. He held the ARM towards Hiro so the heart was pointed at him. “Hold on. This might help.” The heart seemed to bathe Hiro in a glowing red light. If Chris could remove the pain and injury maybe Hiro could gain enough control to fight off whatever the charm had done.

Little Angel:

Please don't do this now. Please just go away, Hiro muttered to himself. He wasn't looking at anyone in particular, just at his scaled hand. So many thoughts rushed through him. Whether this would be the last time he ever made friends, whether they would still even talk to him. He was freak with a demon inside of him, and it seemed like nothing could change that.

He looked up to see the chaos that ensued because of this. He felt terrible for what had happened. Misayo must've been blaming herself for something completely out of her control.

He then heard Chris shout something that he just wasn't paying attention to. That was until he saw a golden chalice with a heart pointed at him. The burning sensation seemed to fade from his hand.

Don't fight it Hiro. Embrace it. We can finally be one. Oni tried to sooth Hiro, like his father and mother did when he was younger. It scared him more than the actual thought of it being unleashed.

I don't want you here! What part don't you understand?!

Oni's voice then turned evil and cold again, something Hiro was used to. I am in control! Always have been and always will be! Don't you EVER try to remove me or there will be far worse fates than this!

LEAVE ME ALONE!! Hiro shouted, this time aloud, almost so loud he thought even people outside the hall could hear him. The burning stopped, and his hand back to normal. Drops of sweat came from his forehead and he could feel it rolling down his face. It was only for about a minute but it seemed much longer.

He looked up to see Chris and Misayo's look of worry and fear in their eyes. He gave an uncomfortable smile. Thank's Chris. That helped a lot. And Misayo, I'm sure you're thinking this was your fault but it's not. Promise. Let's just say there's a lot more to me than you think. His voice trailed off at the end, and he bowed his head in shame for all the trouble he caused. I'm sorry to put you guys through that.

Chris watched Hiro carefully before letting the goblet fall. It turned back into the charm that hung at his waist. ”Are you ok? That was definitely a partial possession that happened. He himself didn’t deal in possession magic, but his family did make Ghost ARMs. They had a similar effect, though they were in a way grafted permanently on a person.

Thinking back to the last few minutes he realized that the pain was coming on before the charm. That’s what caused Misayo to give the charm in the first place. His eyes looked concerned, but his voice was steady. ”The charm wasn’t the cause of that, was it? It’s something else, isn’t it?” The charm wasn’t the direct cause of it, it did exactly what it was supposed to. The problem is that whatever is in Hiro was too strong.

You're very correct Chris, Hiro said with a sigh. Please, sit. It's a bit of a long story but I'll try to keep it brief. Hiro beckoned for his friends to sit, as he himself plopped down, exhausted from the events.

You see, when I was born, I was raised by a clan. Not anything big, there were about fifty of us. We were a close knit family. I had friends, aunts and uncles, my mother and father, my sensei... he paused for a second, my younger brother and sister. Hiro tried to push that away from his mind at the moment, for he had a story to tell.

I grew up relatively normal and began training at the age of seven. Everything changed when I turned ten. My sensei and I had gone out for some training when I spotted a pair of ruins. Curiosity got the better of me and we explored. I found an idol in there, the shape of scary mask. Finding humor in it, I decided to put it on, much to Sensei's discomfort. To this day I wish I hadn't. Hiro slightly moved in his seat a bit, feeling uneasy retelling the story he promised to keep hidden.

The mask suctioned itself to me and I couldn't get it off. All I remember was seeing a man. His skin was all scaly and rough like and given a blue hue. He had horns and piercing blue eyes. He just grinned at me and began manically chuckling. Then this thing walked up to me, touched it's claw like hand to my forehead and then just disappeared. I woke up back at the dojo with my family huddled around me, thankful I had woken up. I explained what I saw they rushed for a holy woman. Hiro paused once again, figuring out what information to exclude and what would be important. He continued.

The next three years consisted of more training, weekly visits from the holy woman, and nightmares galore by the demon I just now refer to as Oni. One day, the holy woman had brought several of her colleagues with her and were going to attempt a remove the spirit from me. All I remember was feeling this burning sensation all around me and blacking out. When I awoke... Hiro grew visibly distraught. His hands were shaking and he could feel some tears rolling down his faces. The place was destroyed...my sensei was hung on the roof of one of the burned buildings. My parents were nailed to the wall by their own swords...my...my siblings...oh god.

Hiro pressed his hands into his face and began to give some audible whimpers. A few moments passed before he straightened himself up, and wiped the tears from his eyes trying to show courage and strength even though he knew exactly all the emotion he just showed in front of these two. Ever since that day I began roaming around the land looking for clues and answers about what this thing could be all while this bastard taunts me. All I've figured out was that the only way to summon him was by consuming large portions of blood. The only way I knew that was when I was sucker punched in the face by a group of bandits and just tasted nothing but blood in my mouth. Next thing I know, there are six dead bandits in front of me, large holes in their body and blood covering my mouth.

Hiro wiped his mouth, as if he could still feel the blood on his lips. All I want is to get rid of this godforsaken thing. And what drives me crazy is that I don't have any recollection of what happens when I transform. I don't know how my family died but Oni sure does but refuses to tell me! Hiro slammed his hand on the table, the sadness now turned into rage.

He looked up at his new friends.That's my story. If you guys think I'm a freak I won't hold it against you because I sure think I am.