Kyuusho Halls

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

Rowan was surprised at how little awkward he felt now, and simply strolled away with his hands in his pockets, wondering if it would be that difficult to find Terra again. The prospect of that party had gotten his interest.

--End--

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

((I CAN’T BELIEVE ITS BEEN A YEAR! ))

“I’m glad there’s no party going on right now.” Janelle said as she walked besides Rowan, her arm hooked around his elbow. “Their music is awful and everyone is always so… stoned. Or drunk.”

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

((Yeah and I was looking at the restaurant the other day- it's been a year and a half since Leah and Enzo got engaged haha))

"I don't know, I thought the party was kind of fun," Rowan said. Of course the after effects were never fun, he still did it. He enjoyed himself in the moment and that was better to him than hating himself all the time, or even just wishing he joined the party. "Do you really not like them?"

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

((Wow, I can’t believe it haha. We’ve been moving really slow. We HAVE to do a time skip))


“I used to, but not anymore.” She said, since it had been a while since she had been invited to one. She was a literal ghost. “Now I just watch people get so wasted that it’s…. Embarrassing.” She of course knew he was one of those people, but he didn’t know that she knew… this was a little less complicated than what it seemed.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

((But why haha I don't think we have to go in real time))

He tried not to let his wince be obvious, because he didn't really want people to know he was one of those people. Even though he wouldn't stop even if they did know. It was just easier not to have the accompanied shame. "I feel like it's something people have to experience at some point though."

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

((I guess haha))

“Sure, but every night?” She asked, shrugging a shoulder as she looked around the hallway. “I personally think being sober is more fun, for some reason. More thrilling whenever you do something crazy.”

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"I guess," he said and shrugged the shoulder of the arm she wasn't holding. "But sometimes being drunk is the only time your mind is clear enough to have any fun at all."

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“There are other ways to clear your mind.” Janelle said casually, shrugging her free shoulder as well. “Whenever I’d be thinking too much about something, I’d date someone. Date or be with someone, I mean. Not necessarily something serious, unless I wanted it.”

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"That doesn't really help when dating was what you were trying to escape from," Rowan said and frowned because it was getting dangerously close to him just confessing he was the exact type of person she said she thought was embarrassing.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“It’s not dating unless you want it to be.” She replied, turning to look at him with a raised eyebrow. “There are some people who just want to be with someone one night, nothing more. I’m sure your friend Raelynn could tell you more about that, seeing as she does it a lot.”

This, she knew, was a fact he wouldn’t like. Especially not after his near kiss with Raelynn. Now he’d just wonder if this was what Raelynn had wanted with him- a fling. It would certainly explain why she was with him all the time. It wasn’t true, sure, but he didn’t have to know that. And Janelle didn’t have to tell him either.

Oh, how she missed being the mean girl.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"That's not the point," Rowan said but didn't elaborate. Being with other people didn't really have the appeal to him when he was still getting over it. He really did wince when she mentioned Raelynn and he wasn't sure if that made it worse that she'd basically run away when he'd tried to kiss her. Stupid stupid stupid thing to do.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“I don’t know, maybe it could help you.” Janelle replied, shrugging again as she continued to walk. “I know it wouldn’t be that difficult for you to find someone either. You’re a great guy, after all. A girl could do much worse than you.”

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"I feel like my ex girlfriend and I would have to disagree with you on that," Rowan said with a sigh. It was pretty obvious he was the problem. He'd the one to mess it all up, and he literally ruined her life.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

"I'm much better of a person than you think I am, if you really believe I'd care what others think about you." She replied, chuckling a little. "I only care about the opinion I'm forming with being with you."

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

Rowan fell silent then, for once not having a retort he wanted to say. His first thought was to say she would be let down soon enough, but for some reason he didn't want her to expect to feel ill of him. Flustered, he just muttered a thanks, though he wasn't sure how awkward it sounded.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

"What would you do?" She asked, looking back at him with a raised eyebrow. "If someone came up to you and said something awful about me?"

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"It depends on how bad it was," Rowan said. "As you can tell, I'm not opposed to fighting. reactions could vary from a strong threat to flattening them on the pavement." For himself, he rarely fought. But for others...he had no hesitation.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

Janelle couldn’t help but to grin at that, pleased with his response. “I can’t say I don’t find that attractive.” She replied, bumping her shoulder teasingly against his as they walked. A couple of years ago, Janelle wouldn’t have been this flirty- no, she didn’t have the need to flirt back then. But it was obvious to her that this was the kind of girl Rowan wanted- Fun Janelle, who flirted and teased. The one who encouraged his actions. Good thing she went everywhere he did and noticed these little things.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

Rowan breathed a small laugh but shook his head. "I didn't realize being prone to violence was so attractive," he said, tone almost teasing. It didn't escape him that he didn't really know her well enough to tease very strongly, but he hoped to work on that.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

"Oh, it is." She lied, smiling still at him in a way that wouldn't allow him to consider how fake this all was. Of course she didnt like it- well, she did, but not that it made her like him more. she liked it because of the chaos, but she wouldn't date someone who brought chaos anywhere he went.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"I don't actually like fighting though," he admitted. "Sometimes it needs to be done, and I'm not one for finding an alternative, but I don't like to do it." He didn't go looking for fights, but he didn't run from them either. And sometimes people just needed some sense knocked into them.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“True.” Janelle replied, looking at one of the particular nice paintings on the wall. She could see just the hint of red paint on it, though. “I wish I could find whoever vandalized them.”

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

Rowan frowned a little. "Well...actually I did it," he admitted, wincing. Surely she wouldn't think quite so highly of him after she knew, yet he said it anyway.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

"Oh." She replied, not saying anything else for a moment. "Good thing it wasn't permanent, then. they got rid of the pain pretty good and I dont even know how I noticed it."

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"Who do you think was made to scrub it off," he said with a heavy sigh. The punishment for that and the fire had been wretched, but at least it was over. The only thing he learned was not to get caught again. Next time he'd get a hat. "This one is kind of nice, but some of the others we tagged were really ugly."

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“They were also priceless paintings.” She added, shrugging a shoulder even if she was a tad annoyed. Something he said peeked her interest, though. “We?”

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

Rowan shrugged a shoulder as well, because the word priceless didn't make sense to him. It didn't really make sense considering anything could have a price and value was arbitrary on things like paintings. "Yeah, I worked with someone else, but I'm not going to out them," he said. He hadn't told anyone when he'd gotten in trouble the first time and he was going to stand by that.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

Janelle studied him for a moment before she finally realized who it could have been. But if he didnt want to tell her... "Have you ever gone outside of this universe?" she asked, changing from the awkward topic.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"Yeah, I grew up elsewhere," Rowan answered, relieved by the other question. He hadn't really wanted to stay on that long and have her figure out who it was. He was....pretty transparent when he tried not to be.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“What was that like?” She asked, perking you now because she had always wanted to travel. She had been born and raised in this stupid place and they never actually slowed her to leave it- much less now.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"Very different from here," he said vaguely as he considered how to explain further. "Everything was...duller there. More grey. And the atmosphere was different too. Like....everyone knew there were vampires, but it still felt like it was a secret of whether you were one or not. I don't know if anyone really would have judged since there were very few openly violent ones, but...it was still something you just didn't tell people."

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“Oh.” She said, tilting her head to the side as she considered it. “I take it that vampires weren’t the only creatures there? You had witches and whatnot, correct?”

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"Yeah, definitely. But it was the same sort of thing. We all kind of knew each other existed and that was it. I'm sure I knew more than I think I did," he answered. "Why do you ask?"

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“Because it’s strange to think of a world like that.” she replied, shrugging a shoulder. “Here, everyone knows who you are- knows who your family is and whatnot. You take pride in letting others know how great your lineage is.”

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

He made a face, since that sounded really...pretentious? "I guess? I mean, we don't really talk about anyone before my grandparents so I wouldn't call that much of a lineage," he said. He'd been telling himself not to think about his other grandmother. She hadn't come looking for him yet so he wondered if maybe that meant he was somehow in the clear.....somehow.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“My clan was one of the oldest families of witches in Val’Jalon.” Janelle said immediately, smiling at the memory of all the campfires they held for them in their honor. “One of the most traditional too. After my fathers passing, I would have been the leader but…”

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"Did something happen?" he asked, but he knew something had to have. Otherwise she wouldn't have used the past tense so much. He hoped it wasn't too sensitive for her to talk about somehow.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“My brother happened.” Janelle said, her voice turning sour before she cleared her throat. “Kaden, my brother, had been training his entire life for this too. He had an advantage I didn’t have and beat me.”

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"You had to fight for it?" Rowan asked. It wasn't an unheard of method of succession, but it was a little archaic. It didn't really make sure the best person for the job was in power either.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“It’s more of a… mental and spiritual fight.” Janelle explained, shrugging a shoulder. “Nothing too brutal like fist fights, I mean. Just whoever held more power.”

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

At this point, Rowan was unaware of how serious this fight really was, so he just couldn't picture it. "So what, it goes like one of those strongman things where you hit the thing with a hammer and see how high you can get it?"

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“No, it’s only a fight between the both… heirs?” She said, huffing because she didn’t know how to explain it to someone outside of family. “So… yes, maybe. Where the hit is to each other.”

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"But you said you don't hurt each other," he said, frowning a little. It didn't quite make sense to him, but mostly because he had absolutely no clue what she was trying to explain. He didn't even know of something close to that.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“Not physically. It’s… it’s complicated but it’s also necessary.” She said, rolling her eyes. “And it had been all I wanted since I could process thoughts of my own.”

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"Can't you just challenge him again? Or is there a code against that or something," he asked, since it seemed to him that would be easy. Just...redo it. Start over and win this time. Especially since now she knew his trick.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“It’s a one time thing.” She said, looking at the hall ahead of them instead of looking at him because then he’d see how miserable she felt.

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

He glanced at her, noticing that her mood had changed from how she was in the beginning. He frowned slightly but didn't press any further. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, unsure what else to say.

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“It’s not your fault.” She replied. Looking back at him and giving him a sad little smile. “It was mine for having underestimated him. You’re already doing so much by being here and…and speaking to me.”

[☣ EMᕈRESS SERΔ ☣, Supreme Mod of Overcomplicated Projects]

"It's barely anything, but....I'm glad I can be here for you," he said and patted her arm lightly. It was the only thing he could do that wasn't awkward because of how she was holding his arm. "Do you not get to talk to anyone much?"

[Evelin ☪️ Queen of Witches]

“No one listens.” She replied, shrugging a shoulder once their little moment was over. This technically wasn’t a lie, either. “You’re the only one that ever bothers to.”