Joy's voice trails off into silence. She stares down at the floor, trying to blink away the tears streaming down her cheeks. Despite her obvious best efforts to keep control, once a single tear had dropped, the rest could not be stopped. Her lips quiver soundlessly. Temptation watches her with an uncomfortable clench to the stomach. He feels completely unprepared for this situation, but at the same time, the sight of Joy's tears elicited a pained twisting sensation from within his chest -- like someone who had seen some of his own churning emotions had turned the tables and displayed what it looks like when someone else went through that similar suffering. For several moments he simply stands there in stunned silence. Then, tentatively, he moves to the bed and seats himself beside Joy. "I'm sorry," He murmurs. "That must have been awful. To lose your family like that. . ." Joy acknowledges with a wordless nod. She glances up at his face -- or what little of it she can see. How can one cowl hide so much? Even at close range, her friend Luke's face is hidden in shadow, but she did think she could see a few strands of dark-colored hair sticking out and framing the hidden face. "Do you know who the organization is?" Temptation ventures hopefully. "Who took your parents? Do you know where they were taken?-- and why?"
-last edited on Sept 12, 2018 8:44:01 GMT by Gnuehchcaz
Post by Gnuehchcaz on Sept 12, 2018 8:40:43 GMT
Joy spoke in a soft voice, "I don't remember the organization's name, and I don't know where or why they were taken..." She says releasing more tears, "...but I think I heard a couple of the members names."
"What names do you remember?" Temptation asks.
"I think there was a guy and a girl who led the attack and took my parents. The guy called himself Greed, and the girl called herself Envy."
Temptation's eyes opened wide in shock and surprise. He knew exactly what she was talking about, and he remembered those names from before. It suddenly occurred to him that Joy was a victim of something that Temptation was once part of. He was reminded of both good and bad memories of being in that organization that shivered down his spine.
"I... I... I'm sorry." Temptation said. For a while, he didn't know what else to say or what to react, so he took his sleeve and wiped the tears off of Joy's face. He hadn't seen Joy not look joyful before.
Joy heaves a small, quivering sigh, trying to regain control of herself. Briefly, she leans against Temptation's shoulder, subconsciously seeking out the comfort of companionship she'd been starved of for so long. At the gentle contact, his heart skips a beat. Still he wipes away the lingering tears, then -- slowly, cautiously -- lays his hand over hers. They sit in silence for several minutes. The sun casts dark orange rays through the dirty window of the apartment, warming the small room and embracing the two companions in light. Temptation thinks about what Joy had just told him. . . and how he was involved with it. This is wrong. You know it is. He suppresses a sigh of despair at himself. This has been going on for so long, longer than Joy even knows -- more than I know, even. This organization. . . if the people Joy mentioned are the people I think they are. . . Tell her, One side of himself pressed. Just tell her everything. The truth, what's been happening to the people you tempted away, like that man in the street. His stomach clenches at the mere thought of revealing the truth to her -- to the closet thing to a friend he'd ever had in his life. She'll think I'm a monster! So what? You are a monster. Deal with it. I don't want to be. . . not anymore. Then change. The persistent voice sighs. It's not too late. This. . . this is too soon. I need to learn more, to be sure. . . to be sure that I can help her. To hide the truth longer, you mean. To think. Temptation struggles internally with the nature he's lived with for so long and the new, purer thoughts that had arisen since the appearance of Joy. He's sure that Joy's story has something to do with his background -- even though in truth, he's not quite sure what -- and he wants to help her. Yet, at the same time, fear of what she'd think of him if she ever realized what he was haunts him. Briefly, he wonders if he could cheer her up by taking her to the festival taking place that night.
-last edited on Sept 13, 2018 8:00:18 GMT by Gnuehchcaz
Post by Gnuehchcaz on Sept 13, 2018 7:59:00 GMT
"Hey, Joy?" Temptation asks. "Yes, Luke?" Joy replies. "I was wondering if you wanted to, um..." Temptation had decided he would try to cheer her up with the festival. However, when he worded it in his mind, he realized it sounded like he was asking her on a date, which wasn't the best time to ask considering she just told her unfortunate story.
"... if I could ... take you to Merryleaf's Sandwich Festival tonight. There's some delicious sandwiches that will make you feel better." He asks, kind of nervously. "Yes, I'd like that. Thanks for offering, and... thanks for being here for me." Joy replies with a slight smile on her face. Temptation blushed under the cowl. Even though Joy couldn't see his face, she could tell he was blushing.
"Let's go." Temptation said as he got up from the bed and prepared to leave. Joy got up afterward and the both headed out of their room, with Temptation holding the door for Joy, making sure to lock it after they left the room.
They walked through the lobby of the inn, noticing that other people were headed to Merryleaf's Sandwich Festival with them. The sun had almost set, and it was starting to get darker, but people started lighting candles and lanterns inside and outside of the inn.
"Wow." Said Temptation in surprise and wonder. "I've never seen so many lights. When I'm in the forest at night, I just see the light from the fireflies and glowing mushrooms, but here in the village... it's fantastic!" "It is such a pretty sight." Joy replied as they both walked out of the inn and through the alleyways and streets toward the villages central plaza.
As they got there, they were even more surprised by the amount of stalls and vendors lined up along the edges of the plaza. There was a variety of sandwiches to taste from, even some sandwiches that they had never seen before. The air smelled of freshly baked bread, melted cheese, spiced ham, ripe peppers, and many other mouth-watering ingredients. The center of the plaza was filled with chairs and tables for the guests to eat the sandwiches, as well as a tiny stage and podium for the band providing the background music.
Though Temptation himself was a little less than experienced in taking part in the Sandwich Festival, he'd learned enough about it by watching at a safe distance from the woods. He led Joy from stall to stall, each of them tasting sample of different sandwiches -- small sandwiches, big sandwiches, fat sandwiches, thin sandwiches, meaty sandwiches, leafy sandwiches, spicy sandwiches, sweet sandwiches, grainy sandwiches, pure white sandwiches, warm sandwiches, cool sandwiches, toasted sandwiches, sandwiches, sandwiches, sandwiches! Of course, there were other foods being sold and given out to the villagers bustling happily in the crowded central plaza, such as strips of grilled meat, salads, sweet fruits, cool, fizzy drinks, and even some sugary treats. The two of them tried out nearly every food they could get their hands on (and that Joy was willing to pay for). Going down to take part in the celebrations was a good choice; both Joy and Temptation loosened up and enjoyed themselves. The sky overhead grew darker, making the glimmering lights feel brighter and more enchanted in the night. "You don't know why this is a holiday, do you?" Temptation asks at one point, when they are leaning against a podium off to the side of the crowd and taking out the hot pepper sandwich samples they'd gotten. "No, I don't. Tell me," Joy replies, unwrapping her sandwich from the paper. "The villagers here tell a tale of an old hero who defended this town; John Merryleaf of Littletown," Temptation recalls the story he could just barely remember. "The way I remember it, there was dragon that was attacking this town, and John Merryleaf used his homemade sandwiches to lure the dragon away, deep into the northern mountains, where it was never seen again. This is supposedly the day it all happened, which is why everyone celebrates by having a sandwich-themed festival." "Really?" Joy's eyes light up. He shrugs. "Maybe. It's just a story, it's hard to say." He takes a bite of his hot pepper sandwich-- --And immediately hacks it back up, coughing wildly and eyes streaming. "Hot?" Joy's eyes dance mischievously.
-last edited on Sept 14, 2018 7:49:02 GMT by Gnuehchcaz
Post by Gnuehchcaz on Sept 14, 2018 7:48:53 GMT
"YEAH--" Temptation exhales loudly, "WhOoOoOo! It feels like fire!" and begins taking deep breaths very quickly.
Joy giggled for a bit, then joked "Maybe with that hot breath, you'll become the dragon."
Temptation wanted to laugh, but his tongue was burning, so he grabbed his cup of water and chugged it down quickly. Eventually, the heat of the pepper died down and Temptation could talk normally.
Eventually the sun had set, and the it became dark, but the moon and the stars lit the night sky. "This was such a great night, Luke." Joy said. "Agreed. Definitely can't go wrong with these sandwiches." Temptation replied.
The people began to gather in the plaza, and then something made a whining noise and crackled in the air. A firework rocket had shot into the night sky and exploded with hundreds of bright sparkles lighting the sky.
"Wow! Fireworks too!" Joy said in awestruck wonder. "Yep. It's a pretty big way to end the night." Temptation said. "I wish this night could last forever." Joy replied as she leaned her head on Temptation's shoulder. Like last time, this made his heart skip a beat, and he decided to hold her hand.
After a couple minutes, a guy with a pan of cookies came up to them and said, "Hello, would you like some chocolate chip cookies?" "Sure!" Joy said as she grabbed a cookie for herself and gave one to Temptation.
"Cheers!" Joy said as she brought the cookie to her mouth. "Cheers!" Replied Temptation. As he brought the cookie to his mouth, he the cookie's scent came to his nose, and it reminded him of something...
Wait, this is a familiar smell. He thought. He smelled it again, and his eyes opened up wide in horror.
"Wait! Joy, don't-" But it was too late. Joy had taken a bite of the cookie.
My irl friends (the few they are) are pretty much like family we've know each other so long. 
But since they know you, I'll accept that they are people of high repute and good character. 
