• Graded • Never Again pt. 1 (Mature)

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Ryder
Posts: 191
Joined: Mon Jan 01, 2018 4:28 pm
Race: Human
Profession: Mercenary
Renown: 120
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Never Again pt. 1 (Mature)

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14th Vhalar, 711

"Come on, big bad mercenary. Hurry up!" Bella chuckled, running through the beaming sun, the stunning grass shining underneath her as she ran. Her summer dress flowed as she spun around, her laughter riding the wind towards Ryder, who was close on her tail. His grin shone through as his arms enveloped the girl, the two chuckling as the sell-sword lifted her and spun her around, before planting her feet on the ground opposite him, face to face. Both shone a smile at one another, their faces taking on a red blush.
As Ryder went to speak, his words were cut off as lips met his, their kiss drowning out the rest of the world but them. It wasn't the first time they'd kissed, but this one was special. This one mattered. As rays of light shone through the air, a warmth flooded through Ryder as he was embraced by the woman he loved. It was paradise, as if every positive emotion enveloped Ryder in it's protective grasp, shielding him from everything but this kiss.

Bits later, the two walked hand in hand towards the city, Bella's head resting lightly on the man's shoulder. Wind blew across their faces, a cool breeze coating them, forcing them just that much closer. It was a clear, sunny day, with the only clouds being far in the distance, barely in view. All was warm and kind, the nature around them entirely at peace as small animals climbed trees and ran between flowers. Underneath the two were beautiful, golden flowers.
Stopping for Becca to pick some flowers, Ryder smiled, glancing over the field. On the other side, atop a hill, were two silhouettes looking in Ryder's general direction. His eyes focused on them for a moment, trying to view their faces, but the sun blocked the view completely. Suddenly a hand touched his shoulder, causing the man to jump.

Becca chuckled as the mercenary physically moved, turning rapidly to look at her. He returned the smile, before glancing back to the hill top before. There it stood, not a soul to be seen around it or on it. Becca's hand turned his face to look at her again, with a somewhat concerned look. "Is something wrong?" she asked, looking in to his eyes.
"Absolutely nothing, my love" Ryder smiled, distracting his thoughts from the figures on the hill, focusing on the beauty that was within the girls eyes. Warm comfort flowed through him, his eyes embracing every feature of her. He'd seen many attractive girls in his life, but it wasn't until Bella that he found someone truly beautiful. Someone that made his head and heart race vibrantly, with feelings of happiness and love bursting through his head.

Glancing up to the sun, Ryder sighed, seeing it was going to set soon enough. His eyes fell to the girl and he put a hand on her cheek. "You'll have to forgive me, but I need to go. I have a job that needs to be done, and I need to be ready by sunset. I'm sorry" he explained, seeing the disappointment in her eyes. Why wouldn't she be disappointed? It was his birthday, after all, and he intended to leave and work for the day.
Seeing her disappointment made Ryder's heart twist and turn in his chest. "You could stay and skip it...just one more time" she pleaded, her delicate gaze meeting his with hope. Ryder's thoughts conflicted and battled. He wanted nothing more than to spend his birthday with the woman he loved. But how many times could he skip out on jobs? Especially ones like today - pre-paid jobs. Take their money and leave once, they'll have a vendetta against you, but nothing will come of it. But twice, or three times? You're asking to die.

After two trills of waiting, Ryder sighed. "Well, it seems plans have changed. Perhaps I should stay and spend sunset with my love, wouldn't you agree?" he asked, smiling a little. Her disappointment turned to delight rapidly, her arms wrapping around him completely and her head burying in my shoulder, reiterations of the words 'thank you' repeating in his ear. Warmth flooded through him. This was what being loved felt like, and nothing could take it away from him. He was, for the first time in a long time, truly happy - and that was worth every trill up until this moment.
Ryder then took her hand, and the two made their approach back to Bella's house. It wasn't anything special, but it was more than Ryder has. Hers was decorated beautifully, plants in the windows and nice furniture. She earned a lot of money from the work she did as a seamstress, and a lot of the beauty of her house came from things she'd created herself. All Ryder had in his house was a beautiful throw she'd made for him. Bella always complained about the mistakes she could see in it, but Ryder saw nothing but perfection. It was for him, and it was the only one in the world. That was what mattered.

Eventually, both arrived back at the house, the sun starting to set behind them. Bella opened the door, but something about it seemed weird to Ryder. "Didn't you lock that?" he asked, confused. He hadn't been there this morning when she left, but it seemed unlike her to leave the door unlocked. She wasn't the type to do it, in fact quite the opposite. Security of what mattered to her was incredibly important. Bella glanced to him and shrugged, seemingly a lot less alarmed than Ryder was.
"I was in a rush, I probably just forgot" she chuckled, finding his concern cute. She rubbed his cheek, knowing it would wind him up, before heading in to the house. Ryder glanced to the door, but saw nothing wrong with it, before heading in the house. It must be his head worrying over small things, he told himself. If she wasn't worried then he had no reason to be. Besides, he was strong enough. He promised to keep her safe and he meant it. He wouldn't ever let something happen to her.

As he shut the door behind himself, he hesitated for a moment. Should he really be doing this? He had to start working again one day. Or did he? Why did he keep putting his life on the line, night after night, when he had someone that it was worth living for? If he quit he could make his way some other way, manual labor or other tasks. Anything but a sword for hire. Sure, it was all he was good at, but that was because it was all he had done in his life. If he tried, Ryder was certain he could find something else.
With that thought in his mind, Ryder shut the door. He'd give it a few trials before he made a decision, but the idea of it wasn't all that bad. Why risk your life when you can live comfortably with someone you adore more than anything? He looked back to Bella, who was opening a few windows in the hope of some cool air. Both glanced to each other and smiled, Ryder's one of the warmest he had ever given her.

"Someone looks happy" she chuckled, opening the last window before looking over to Ryder. Before he could reply, a knock rang through the house. Ryder glanced to the door, his smile breaking immediately. It was late, and it was rare that people just knocked unless it was important. Judging from Bella's confused look, it wasn't anybody she was expecting. Ryder was currently unarmed, but it wouldn't matter. He could throw a punch strong enough to beat anyone that would try and come in, he was certain of it.
When he opened the door, a smiling man looked at him, a friendly face. Ryder gave him a small nod, not recognizing and waiting for him to talk. "Hi, sorry to bother you, does an Alj'ra live here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow to Ryder. Ryder pondered if he knew the name for a moment, relieved that the man was just a lost stranger. After a few trills, he shook his head, having never heard the name before. The man sighed and chuckled.
"It's alright, I'm sure he's around here somewhere" he nodded politely to Ryder. "Thanks anyway stranger, I appreciate it."

Behind him, Ryder heard a scream. His eyes jolted back to see two men in the house, holding Becca still. Suddenly he felt an arm wrap around his neck, the man behind him from before starting to choke him out. Ryder elbowed backwards in to his stomach, loosening the grip before smashing his head back to the opponent, fully knocking him back and to the floor. But it made Ryder dizzy, his head starting to spin. It wouldn't stop him though, he rushed forward to try and swing for one of the men. But his footing was lost, and he found himself on the floor.

Before he could get up, a foot slammed in to his face, knocking him unconscious.
word count: 1568
"The most dangerous people in the world are not the tiny minority instigating evil acts, but those who do the acts for them" ~ Suzy Kassem
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Never Again pt. 1 (Mature)

Ryder

Overview

What do you mean it ended there!? What happens next!? Oh, that's a cliffhanger and a half - and I suspect things are not going to go well for Bella. A lovely thread, well written and beautiful in it's simplicity. I loved some of the imagery you weaved into this with some truly gorgeous description. The only minor critique I'd give you is to double check names, as once, Bella became Becca. Anyhow - that's a very tiny minor point and this was a lovely thread. Enjoy your rewards, and PM me if you've got any questions!

Points

XP: 10

Renown: Nope

Loot

Nope.

Knowledge

Detection: Noticing someone from afar
Detection: Sensing if someone is suspicious
Discipline: Putting personal interest aside
Discipline: Hiding when something is wrong
Seduction: Kissing
Seduction: Keeping someones interest
word count: 137
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~~Red in hoof and claw... ~~


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