Something wicked this way comes | Open Intro

WC: 470

WC: 348 Lili's WC:  818 Thread Total: 1,386

Shen was looking in the mirror, turning from side to side as he not exactly subtly admired his new look and the uniform he was now clad in, thinking that, after all, black did suit him quite well. Joining the Rune Knights had been an ... experience for the young man who didn't exactly possess the strongest of nerves, to say the least, and to say he had been overwhelmed by all the new information on ... well, everything was probably an understatement. Still, despite the embarrassment and ever-present feeling of dull nervousness in his gut, he actually, for once in his life, felt proud of himself. Like he had accomplished something out of his own determination and drive. And even though Shen was certain that he still had a long and possibly incredibly harsh journey to overcome in the near future he was ... hopeful. Something that was a rarity for the awkward kid. He managed to produce a small, albeit genuinely smile as he looked over the same uniform once more, making sure that it was presentable and spotless before heading for the door. The future was uncertain, but for now, it was time for Lunch.

Making his way from his own accommodations towards the Rune Knight's Mess Hall, he took a swift turn through another hallway. He hadn't quite gotten familiar with the layout of the Rune Knights Headquarters and how to navigate it effectively but that would surely come with time. His mind was rather preoccupied with food at the moment, anyway, the young man navigating around a corner ...

... and his jaw dropping as he stood, frozen in place for a few impossibly long seconds that felt like an unbearable eternity. Just as quickly as he had come, he immediately turned back around, muttering under his breath "Oh fuck", while slowly continuing to walk back into the direction he had come from in the hopes of keeping any attention away from himself, though keeping up a continuous stream of quiet muttering.

"Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck"

Why, just why was she here. Why, out of all people, had his sister followed him to the Rune Knights?

What had been supposed to be a safe space for the young man had just become very much un-safe. Especially, he thought, especially with Lilith around, from the looks of it, right back to her usual behavior, and most definitely up to no good.

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Thread Word Count Total: 2,380

WC: 300 Lili's WC:  1118 Thread Total: 3,227

He should've known better than to try and run. He didn't really care, though. Anything, Shen thought, anything but Lilith. The one, the only, the singular, the sole reason he had even considered making his way here, the only reason he was wearing the uniform was to get away from her. And now, against his best expectations and all odds, she was here for some bizarre reason that escaped the young Rune Knight recruit. Shen, now essentially powerwalking back into the hallway he had come from, didn't really know where he was going, but anywhere was fine as long as it wasn't in her vicinity ... and it would've worked, if she hadn't obviously spotted him. He heard his sister call his name behind him, shooting a look over his shoulder, his face paling when he spotted her in full sprint, barrelling towards him like the entity of ominous dread she represented in the young man's mind. His body froze at once, and all he could do was slump over like a helpless sack of potatoes when her impact forced him down into the ground, her weight on his chest constricting his breathing.

The recruit coughed, at first, disoriented by the sudden fall, the reality of the situation only now beginning to catch up with him. His face was one of absolute horror that, as he adjusted slightly, changed into an obviously pained and extremely nervous smirk. "Aha ... hahaha ... L-lili ... you here, w-what a ... what a surprise". He looked around, his eyes desperately looking for any and all immediate excuses he could potentially and in some way use to get away from her, though alas, this hallway, at least, seemed rather barren, and Shen probably appeared unoccupied enough at current. "O-oh ... of- of course, of course I've missed you! Haha ... I-I totally would've, uh, called you or something, b-but, you know how it is, I, uh, I'm ... I'm pretty busy now, as you ... as you can see", the young recruit shifted nervously, stuttering and mumbling out a reply all while doing his very best to avoid any kind of eye-contact with his sister. "C-could you, uh, you know, like, uh get ... get off of me s-so I, uh, can- so I can stand up?". His tone was underlined by the gradual cut-off of air flow, though Shen knew what kind of consequence this request could entail. Lili was into this kind of shit, and the chances that she would actually let him off the hook? Slim, but worth the attempt, considering his current position was more than humiliating. His head was starting to spin ...

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Word Count: 444
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Thread Word Count Total: 4,128

WC: 451 Lili's WC: 1,569 Thread Total: 5,094

The young Rune Knight recruit almost raised an eyebrow in surprise, or both eyebrows, even, when his sister surprisingly agreed to get off her comfortable seat, which was, at current, Shen's torso. Agreeing to let him off the hook would be characteristically unlike her. Of course, the nervous boy was swiftly proven both wrong and right at the same time, sharp pain resonating through his chest when Lilith pushed her heel into it, the sharp point of the item pushing in his skin and digging into his flesh with an audible huff of discomfort. "O-o-of course not. I- I would never hide s-something from you ... h-haha", he laughed nervously, only to find himself lifted off the ground in the next instance. Why, oh all gods in all heavens, why did she have to be here. It had all started out so promising. For the first time in his life, he hadn't messed something up, no, quite the contrary, even. He'd been rather optimistic about becoming a full-fledged Rune Knight, far away from anything that had to do with himself, his family, or gods-forbid, his demonic sister ... which begged the question, how had Lili even found him? He hadn't told anyone where he was going, and Era was quite the ways away from Cedar.

His mind was quickly taken off of that particular topic when the other, distinctly bunny-eared woman approached, someone Shen had never seen before, but seemed to be accompanying the General. Shen wondered briefly if that was some weird quirk, but the she'd already begun to brush him down, Shen's face flushing with red when she began to essentially touch him all over, the recruit freezing up in sheepish embarrassment. "I-I-I'm fine, M-ma'am. T-thank- Thank you". While he was saying that, he wasn't fine at all. Physically, maybe, but the presence of his sister invoked emotions that he had rather wished were not present, even going so far as to shoot the General a desperate look, something that he hoped would perhaps adequately communicate a notion along the lines of "Oh god why please help me and save me from my sadistic psychopath of a sister". It was naught more than a glimmer of hope and, perhaps, despair that the other would pick up on it, unlikely, of course, unless General Ragnos was some kind of mind-reader.

Further still, though, that was also when Lilith would inquire about joining the Rune Knights, Shen blinking for a few passing moments, fearing he might've hallucinated from a lack of oxygen caused by Lilith's monstrous behind that had been firmly planted on his chest not long before. And yet, as she continued to talk, he realized that she was, in fact, for real, and that she would be trying to join up, his face, at once, loosing two or three shades of color, swiftly paling noticeably. The first impulse he felt was to scream, perhaps something along the lines of "Oh fuck no, over my dead body", but he was certain Lili would've skinned him for that one. Why, oh gods why, why of all the places she could possibly go, why did it have to be the Rune Knights. Had she nothing better to do with her life than to torment him, than to make his own existence a living hell? He remained there, pale and dumbfounded, wondering why fate was so cruel to him. Was it to late to quit now and just go somewhere else? No, Lili would probably find him again. A silent thought would find its way to the young man.

"Gods, what did I do to deserve this?!"

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Word Count: 604
Word Count Total: 1,449
Thread Word Count Total: 6,185

WC: 429 Lili's WC: 1,998 Thread Total: 7,175

Lili's grin, naturally, didn't make things better, the same going for her obvious enjoyment of the situation, Shen following her with a bewildered gaze and wide-open eyes, still having a hard time believing that she had come all the way here to Era not just to torment him, but to permanently join the Rune Knights. It was simply so far-fetched and abstract that, in his mind, he had a hard time believing that she would go this far simply to get on his nerves initially, though, the more the thought passed through his mind in a continued and almost dizzy back and forth, he supposed that stunts like this one were exactly Lilith's style. She knew that as she continued to talk to the General, every word would sting, every breath taking away more and more from this one single accomplishment that he had to his name, the one thing he had managed to do on his own. The way Shen saw it, she probably thought didn't even think about her actions twice, but to him, this was more hurtful than anything she'd ever done to him. He had, after years, finally mustered up the courage to leave everything that he felt treated him unfairly behind, and here she was, joining his guild to continue her treatment. He just wanted to be left alone.

Shen was too shocked to show his emotions, but even despite that, he had trouble suppressing tears. From his perspective, Lili had always had it all. The things he lacked, that was, and in spite of this fact, she still insisted on taking away the things he had built for himself. Admittedly, it really angered him, but he didn't let that out. He never did, and he could never bring himself to. He knew that he was too much of a coward to go against Lili especially, the kind of control she exerted over him, whether she did it consciously or unconsciously, was simply too great. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want her near her, it was one of the reasons why he'd left Cedar, but he also couldn't tell her to go, the young Rune Knight recruit, in this situation, being forced into inaction, following the General and the others with a neutral expression, though his eyes, a sad glimmer in them, would remain locked at the ground. Looked like he had no choice but to come to terms with the fact that he would be working with his sister in the future. Shen's imagination was quick to do its usual thing, already envisioning scenarios that could follow. His sister would join up and move to Era, she would start picking on him at the regular once again, she would excel at her career while he was left behind, which would, in this case, mean, he guessed, that she would quickly rise through the ranks of the Rune Knights while he would stay where he was, nothing but a grunt to do the menial work. He'd been through it all before, and it looked like it was bound to happen again.

The young man barely paid any attention to what actually transpired around him, simply following the small group into the room, only looking up when his sister, in a display tat thoroughly embarrassed the young man, would start practically undressing before not just one, but two of his bosses, his face turning a healthy shade of red as he averted his gaze hastily. Why was she like this? Why couldn't she just be normal?

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Thread Word Count Total: 7,768