Set in the original region of Arciel, Legends Rising is a route-inspired, but not strictly route-based, Pokemon roleplay. Pick a faction, pick a class, and strike out into the wild to take on the League, master Contest coordination, research the mysteries of Pokemon and Arciel, and much, much more. Will you be a classic trainer? A criminal? A farmer? Choose your destiny on Legends Rising.
Everything was getting better, the moves were more complex and she could find herself falling right into step, feet crossing, spinning, just... moving, and as the stranger spoke, it took a few seconds for the words to register in her head, and then a soft smile bloomed over her features- oh Arietta was a big fan of the Tango, it was one of her favorites- behind foxtrot, of course! "Gladly, Dusknoir~" She moved fluently, and her eyes even began to sparkle, steps memorized at the back of her mind coming to light.
One step, two step, twisting, swirling, moving perfectly in time with the rhythm. She found herself laughing softly, moving as gracefully as possible while enthusing her movements, dipping the taller stranger all the while- everything was too familiar though, in her drunk mind she kept referring back to minutes ago, over and over again, Gabe- Gabe- Gabe- why was he ruining her experiences, even now?! Once the song ended Arietta found herself slowing down, almost uncertaintly. She didn't want to fall in the trap again.
"I believe I need a drink, Dusknoir- will you keep dancing? Or would you want to... get something too?"
As they continued to dance on, Koray was aware how the Gardevoir's spirits rose. Her step was just a little lighter, a little more graceful and then there was that smile. It truly was dazzling and he loved to see it, was glad that he had been able to help her forget her problems. If only for a moment. Surrendering the lead position willingly made it easier to adjust, and this time he didn't stumble quite so much. The twists and twirls were still perhaps a little clumsy, but they became more fluid with time. Perhaps it was just the complicated steps and surprise that had thrown him off before, who knew really.
The song ended all too soon, but when it did and he felt the Gardevoir slowing down, he was realizing just how tired the dancing had made him. Perhaps a drink would be just what he needed to recharge. "Certainly~, I wouldn't mind joining you. Perhaps some punch? Or were you talking about something stronger?" As tempting as that was, he wasn't sure that alcohol and dancing were a good combination. Well... that depending on Gardevoir, he supposed.
A giggle burst from her lips as the stranger agreed, how positively perfect- alright- okay. "Definitely something stronger, trying to get my mind to stop focusing on the little things~" She moved to twirl the stranger into step next to her, pulling herself from the crowd and trying to ignore the idea that any stranger around her could be Gabe- if she could just... have a drink and enjoy her time with this stranger, then everything will be okay!
As she neared the bar, she began rambling, "There's this really cool blue liquid here? I forgot what they called it- it fizzles when it goes down your throat? Has kinda a... sweet taste?"
When Gardevoir immediately mentioned that she wanted something stronger, Koray hesitated. Well... that was all well and good, but not exactly the best solution if recharging was the goal. The twirl was followed through pretty well, as was the step before he spun out of her arms and eventually let go of her hand. Gardevoir was talking again, something about a blue liquid... that sounded a lot like tequila, actually.
"Sounds intriguing but, how about we go for some punch instead, dear Gardevoir," Koray suggested, taking both her hands in his, smiling down at her, "I agree that a break would be most welcome, but my dear, it's hard to fly if there's too much alcohol involved." It was worth a shot at any rate. Koray didn't come to the ball to drink, he came to dance and it would be a shame to lose one of the better partners he'd had to alcohol's influence.
"Don't you want to dance with me more, Gardevoir? The night is still young after all~," Koray tried again, spinning her briefly just to make a point. If the earlier steps on the floor had been any indication, one more of that 'blue liquid' wouldn't be good for any dancing prospects.
Punch?! Why would she want punch? That'd hydrate her, which would make her think more- just who did this stranger think she was? "Oh, but it's easier to forget with a liquid that'd will me to do so." There was a shrug to her shoulders, and she had half the heart right now to pull right away from the stranger and go straight to the bar to grab that blissful blue drink- however turning back to the stranger and seeing the plea accross their eyes- hearing their voice... She let out a soft sigh.
"Look- fine. I... wouldn't mind dancing, as long as ou uh- please don't... try kiss me again- my uhm- one of my exes just... and... i don't know- I just wanna be distracted from it all, to be honest." There was a soft, nervous laugh and she moved over, now slowly going to the punch, slightly surprised that it got replaced so quick- espeically when-
No! Arietta! A soft 'tsk' left her lips and she moved to push some green locks behind her shoulder, refilling herself up some punch, "But before we dance... tell me a little about yourself- we may have the guise of- erm- anonymity, but I have to say, i'm interested."
As Gardevoir tried again to convince him that punch was a good idea, Koray found himself chewing his lip a little. He really didn't know what else to say aside from another plea to dance with him some more. That seemed to work thankfully and he was able to steer her back over to the refreshment table and away from the bar. The condition not to kiss her again was met with a smile and a nod. "As you wish~. Apologies for that, Gardevoir. I only wanted to help distract you and instead added to the problem. It won't happen again without your permission," Koray stated softly, walking over to the punch bowl with Gardevoir.
He was willing more than willing to let the matter drop and get some punch. Maybe some food while he was over here. Yeah, those small sandwiches looked pretty good actually. Koray had just gotten some punch for himself and a couple of the finger sandwiches when Gardevoir asked, or rather stated, him about himself. At first, he hesitated, not quite sure he wanted someone to know him. Not when the whole point of this entire party was to forget the past, to forget his troubles and just dance the night away. Instead, he opted to eat his sandwiches first before even attempting to formulate an answer that would seem harmless enough. Maybe having her ask the questions instead of volunteering information would be better... yeah, let's go with that.
"I suppose I don't mind too much~. Ask away, but in return, I get a question for a question. Sound fair?"
Thank Arceus he wasn't going to do it again! Arietta nodded her head in understanding, sipping from her little punch cup as she simply watched the stranger. Would they wish to give her any info, or like, was she just going to have to dance further with them in awkward silence without really being able to bring up proper conversation? Oh- wait they had an idea! "So... like seven questions?" She moved to glance around the table, getting a good look at some of the finger food... ooooh.
She grabbed a little meat thing on a stick and moveed to take a bite, mumbling softly, "I'd be keen for that, like- that actually sounds fun!" She smiled then, turning to the stranger and pointing with one finger, "So then... have you always lived in Arciel? You have some accent I can't pinpoint- at least I think you do? The room has a weird atmosphere so I can't tell..."
When it seemed Gardevoir agreed to the idea, Koray smiled and nodded. Seven questions sounded easy enough. Hopefully they would be easy enough and wouldn't pry too much. He wanted to be able to keep at least some information to himself still. Eating another one of the sandwiches, he waited to see what else she had to say. "That's what I thought. Sort of like brief version of twenty questions," Koray mused, nodding as he sipped more of his punch. What could possibly go wrong?
Ahahaha... famous last words. Of course Gardevoir's first question would be about where he'd lived before. He hesitated, trying to think of a way to say this where he didn't give away too much. The ghosts in the room would help keep him anonymous right? Right... Spirits... please help me stay hidden from her sight... While he wasn't still quite sure how this spirit sensing thing worked but, he could feel the ghosts watching him so... that had to count for something, right? "I've... moved around a lot. But I was born in Alola," Koray stated after a moment, had passed, "That's probably the accent you hear."
Now... what question could he ask, what wasn't so intrusive and would also let him know more about her. Hmmm... "What else do you like to do for fun, besides dancing that is, obviously."
The stranger seemed hesitant to answer, and as she waited she bit down on her snack, taking in the flavour- for a brief moment she wondered if she was being too intrusive, but thought against it pretty quickly. Nah, this was perfectly fine, it''s not like she could really figure out much about the stranger anyway, and it made for a quick past time- right?
Maybe that was a selfish part of her speaking, everythings fine! Her head tilted as the stranger spoke about moving around a lot and being born in Alola- that... kinda sounded familiar, but she thought nothing of it, he was probably an army brat or something, or one of the kids who had to relocate a bit after the ultra beast attack, mmhm! "Alola? How tropical!"
Oh, now it was her turn? What she likes to... do for fun? Oh! Arietta tilted her head, thinking- how could she best answer this without giving away that she was THE Arietta Ostinato? "Well...I do love singing~" There was a soft laugh to her tone, "I do it all the time, especially with my friends- we're actually in a little group, I guess if you'd call it that... I unfortunately am not that good on the acting side of things so i'm not the full talent trio... but I have been in a drama or two for a guest appearance!" She put a finger to her lips and smirked, "Shhh~"
She paused for a moment, until realizing that she hadn't asked a question- oh! "What about you? Aside from dancing, what do you do for fun, Mr. Alola?"
Koray smiled when Gardevoir didn't press for more details beyond what he'd already described. Good... If she had pressed, he didn't know what his answer would be but he really didn't want to delve into his horrid past with a perfect stranger. Even if she was a really good dancer. It took him a minute to figure out a question to ask but the moment he heard the answer he stopped. For a few moments, he even forgot to breathe as the correlation between Gardevoir and Ara screamed at him. Stop thinking. This was a night away from her, away from the feelings she stirred inside him. Nevermind that the Gardevoir reminded him a little about Ara.
A few deep breaths and Koray was breathing a little easier. It... it was just a coincidence, just a coincidence. Gardevoir could be describing any group after all. Though guest appearing in dramas was pretty unique... and... was also something Ara had done. The playful way the Gardevoir put a finger to her lips made Koray smile nonetheless. Nevermind he was trying his best not to panic at the thought that this Gardevoir could very well be Ara. "That's pretty special~, congratulations," Koray mused, his voice soft as he tried to fight back the rising panic.
The question had him smiling easier again, glad to have such a simple one to answer where he didn't have to think. "I like to cook, paint, draw, and well, anything with hands really. I write sometimes, but not as often as the other two. I draw the line at building things however. That's not really my thing," Koray stated with a shrug. Right, he needed to figure out what to ask next. Hmmm... maybe something a little more harmless. "What's the best way to start the day?" There, harmless enough.
It was something special, it was sharing a opportunity and succeeding in it with her closet friends- it was something she'd probably treasure, even after the idol group had disbanded, whenever that may happen, and she could take experience from it in the long run. As the stranger began answering the question Arietta moved to grab another small bite to eat, eyebrow raised under her mask.
Oh, he likes to cook? That... also sounded oddly familiar, but cooking was a big part of Arciel culture so jumping to conclusions during their little quick-fire game would be utterly stupid. Writing, making things with his hands- except for building. A soft hum left Arietta's lips as she swallowed her finger food, tilting her head slightly, "So in other words- you're really good with your hands?" A giggle left her lips as she moved to place a finger at her cheek, "But no- that sounds fairly interesting, Dusknoir~ a creative type, I assume?"
Her hands moved to adjust her mask as the next question was asked, and she smiled- oh- the best way to start the day? There were so many ways she could answer this! She could bringup how she liked to listen to music when she woke up, or how she adored checking social media and ensuring her blog was updated... but her mind always reeled back to... "With a huge plate of waffles- but i'm a bit abnormal in the fact that I simple adore them just... utterly doused in sugar~ Call me a bit of a sweet tooth, Dusknoir!" Another laugh.
Oh, and it was her turn for a questrion again! Moving to twirl a piece of her dyed green hair around her finger she eyed the Dusknoir, in thought. "What about... what is your biggest regret?"
Koray took another sip of his punch after answering Gardevoir's question, chuckling softly at the innuendo of sorts she'd made. "Of course I am~," he mused, smirking a bit before nodding at the clarifying question. He enjoyed creating with his hands, trying new recipes, drawing, writing... there was just something special about it that was calming in an otherwise chaotic world.
Seeing her smile at his next question, he took the opportunity to eat another morsel, there were a lot of ways to answer the question. He was well aware of that, but instead she decided to talk about her ideal breakfast. That was fair but... it sounded ridiculously similar to Ara's horrid concoction she had him make one time. Koray might have paled a little bit as she described it and shook his head to push the thought from his mind. It was just a coincidence... it had to be. "That's horrible, Gardevoir. An insult to the waffle! A little bit of powdered sugar dust on a belgian waffle is delicious, but that's going just a bit too far," Koray more or less scolded, choosing to focus on the insult to food rather than who the favorite dish might belong to.
He had just managed to dismiss this eerie similarity when Gardevoir asked him her third question that had him nearly spitting out his drink. "Th-that's...-" Koray started to protest only to shut his mouth and try and figure out how he could possibly keep his anonymity while still keeping up this little game he'd initiated. Nearby, he could feel Rowan's concern growing and did his best to wrestle the panic down. No... there was no need to be concerned, he was perfectly fine... just... fine.
"I've... I've never been good enough. Not to my foster families... not in my relationships... probably not even to my adoptive father. Everyone just... leaves, eventually. That or pushes me away. I regret not being able to make them proud, to be good enough to stick around with," Koray eventually murmured, not quite looking at Gardevoir as he explained. Clearing his throat, he took a sip of punch again and looked back at Gardevoir, "What about you? What's your biggest regret?" If she was going to ask him such a loaded question, he saw no reason to have her answer it right back.
An insult to the waffle?! Her mouth opened wide, "But the waffle just isn't sweet enough, Dusknoir! And it's the only way to make it taste perfectly decent- there's no other breakfast creation that can compare- and wake me up quite like it. Truly, you're just uncultured in the art of sweet things~" It was a jest, since he did say he was good at cooking, and she only hoped he would take it as such.
However, he seemed almost... hesitant to answer her next question, and she pushed her lips together awkwardly- was it perhaps too far? Her hands moved to rest at her hips and she debated cutting in and offering a new question until he answered, throwing in a rather... sad and depressing answer. Never being good enough? Her mouth formed into a frown and she moved to place a hand on his lower arm, attempting to be comforting. "I'm sure it's just as issue with them, Dusknoir- you seem like a great guy- if you even are a guy. If they don't like you- then they suck. You just gotta find the right person!"
That sounded like decent advice to a stranger, and for a moment Arietta was oddly proud of herself- well- at least until the stranger threw the same question back at her. Instantly the girl felt her stomach drop and her hands drew off of him, into her chest. "Biggest...?" She hesitated...
There was so many things she could regret- she could say she regets a relationship, or letting people in. She could regret spreading rumours, telling lies to keep herself afloat- she can regret being an asshole to people who are just trying their best and she could probably regret her career choice- in the near future where she's not young and won't get paid for it. She fidgeted, pulling and pushing at the fabric. "I... have many regrets, Dusknoir. I think my biggest is building my whole life around the necessity of love."
There was a soft tone to her voice, a defeated tone that made her toes crawl and she shifted, he probably wanted more... "I-I love, love- like- it makes me feel compete- I think without it i'd just be a pile of goo with no substance to me at all- but at this point it's become so... like- uh- uhm- important to me?" She was rambling, and forced herself to take a breath. "And I kinda regret all the stuff i've done because of it- the worst bit is I don't really... wanna change- because it just makes you feel so good- so whole."
There was a soft noise that left her lips and her hands instantly went up to cover her mouth- Arceus she just... spilled her guts to a stranger- she could fell her eyes burning and averted them. It was fine, the stranger didn't know who she was. "F-Favorite colour?" She practically forced out the question now- one familiar- one she asked all her love interests. A question that required no thought.
Koray rolled his eyes at her defense of the sugary sweet waffle monstrosity Gardevoir liked so much. Right. He could make a better waffle blindfolded without it being coated in sugar and whatever else. Still, he... didn't really enjoy being asked what he regretted and was more than a little uncomfortable now. Ironic how he now felt like he could use a drink after doing his best to convince Gardevoir not to do that exact same thing. Gardevoir's touch made him start a little but the words were reassuring... and it helped... sorta. "Yeah... I guess so," Koray mumbled half-heartedly.
When it came his turn to ask, he simply returned question and watched as she retreated, fidgeting. Maybe he should've thought of a different question after all. Oh... and she started to answer after all. That was... good, right? Except when she started to answer he... was having a hard time not drawing a correlation between what she was saying and what he knew of Ara. Deep breaths... stop thinking, stop thinking... It wasn't Ara... it couldn't be Ara. He wasn't going to let himself think about her, not tonight. Tonight was meant to be fun and not dig up ghosts from the past that continued to haunt him.
Of course when Gardevoir started talking about love and the things she regrets because of it... Koray was having a hard time breathing. It felt like something was weighing on his chest. There was. No way. This was Ara. It couldn't be. And now Gardevoir was getting emotional and Koray didn't know what to do. Didn't know what to say. If it was Ara... it... it would explain so much but-... Stop it. Tonight wasn't about Ara. Tonight was about dancing, about forgetting his troubles. But what if his biggest problem was literally staring at him.
Right. It was his turn to answer a question. Moving on. Favorite color was easy enough. He could answer this easily... "Well... it's hard to pick just one. I like a lot of browns, but teal's another one I like too. Does that count?" Well, it was an answer at the very least. Right. Now it was his turn to try and figure out what to ask. "What are you most likely to be famous for? It could be something silly like sheet folding if you like," Koray asked laughing a little. Maybe that would lighten the mood a little?
She was freaking out, especially after answering such a loaded question and having to say... all that? Did she really open up so easily to strangers?! What was wrong with her? Why was she like this? Moving to wring her hands and hide her shaking, she'd barely remembered that she'd asked a question until the Dusknoir spoke once more- and her face went pale.
Browns- browns and... browns and teals- fuck- no- no fucking way. Arietta felt like she was choking, was she choking? This was- that was- her hands reached for her face and rested there for a few moments as she stumbled through her thoughts- brown and... teal... were.. Korays- she'd know because the colours were distinctive, she'd known because she'd gone for months with his colours staining her hair.
This was- fuck of course. Of course, Arceus has it out for her. Of- of course- but she couldn't be certain- she couldn't be- what were the odds, what really- really were the odds- running into Koray after Gabe- again- both exes... on... the same night... kissing her- on the dance floor- flirting- what- no. No no no- she had to stop- she had to breathe.
Arietta let out a soft, shaky breath before moving to stare at the 'stranger' now, eyes meeting there's with a pained expression. "To...be famous for?" It was soft, and she moved to press her hands tightlyto her chest, to hide the shaking- she had to be sure- she had to make sure- before she lost her absolute shit- if she saw any form of recognition- anything at all she'd run, run right back into the ball, run away. She'd have to.
"For being an idol." For what it was worth, her voice stopped quivering, if only for a moment to say that. Her voice, barely a whisper now continued, as her gaze went to survey the room. "For being... an idol...- with- my friends- i'dd be known for my dance moves- my choreography- for... being known for my groups specific pokemon typing- we... we use dark and fairy type pokemon- a-and... and..." She took a step back, away from the stranger, she was rambling, she was going on- if she didn't see them move, if they didn't understand it'd be fine- it wouldn't be the first person she'd revealed her identity tonight.
Softly, she managed out, "And we'll also be famous for... being a p-pop punk idol group, actually- i'd love to be known for... all of these things...we'll...i'll most likely be famous for them." Hr voice shook as her hands only tightened around herself, soft breaths, maybe... maybe it wasn't him- she... another question- go. Go.
"...H-Have you...ever known somebody famous- or been... very...very close to somebody...famous, stranger?"
While he could see how badly Gardevoir was freaking out, Koray didn't really know what to tell her or what would calm her down at this point. It was hard enough to try and convince his mind not to fixate on how similar she was to Ara with... everything. But then, the way she reacted when he told her what his favorite color was? It didn't make sense. At all. "Are you alright, Miss Gardevoir?" Koray asked after a moment, his voice growing concerned when he saw that pained expression.
When she repeated his question, Koray bit his lip and nodded. The way she said it sounded scared almost? He had meant the question to be something fun, something to take their mind off the heavy question they'd both answered. Unfortunately... it backfired. Horribly. The first words were easy enough to reason away. 'Idol' could mean anything. Just because it was Ara's goal as well didn't mean that it was her. Deep breaths... deep breaths... it's ok... It... wasn't her. Right?
Of course any doubt went out the window when Gardevoir started to get more specific. With every word she spoke, Koray could feel his chest tighten. He couldn't breathe. To make matters worse, his chest felt like a spike might as well have been driven into his heart. Arms crossed his chest, trying to mask the pain. By the time she had finished, Koray's knees felt weak and his breathing was coming in ragged gasps. Clutching his heart now, he bent over, trying to find some relief from the pain. Arceus, it was Ara. It was Ara... on the night that wasn't supposed to be about Ara. He'd been dancing with Ara. He'd been having fun dancing with Ara.
Her question might as well have fallen on deaf ears. All Koray could hear was his heart thundering in his ears. It felt like he was dying and after a few moments of just barely hanging on to the table, he collapsed, curling up into a ball as he tried to protect himself from the searing pain. Rowan felt the instant Koray started to panic and immediately materialized back in the ballroom from where he'd been playing with the other ghosts. A series of concerned and panicked sounds were the only thing the Phantump could get out as he flailed and tried to get some sort of response from Koray. Of course, other than a few wheezes and rasps, Koray wasn't in any shape to even try to communicate.
Post by Arietta Ostinato on Nov 19, 2019 6:13:08 GMT
She’d been waiting for some reaction, something that’d cement into her head that this was definitely Koray. But she hadn’t really been expecting what she got. At first the stranger looked uncomfortable, terrified, and then they jerked over and... a phantump that she’d become vaguely familiar with flew over. “Fuck- of...of fucking course- w...what- how....Koray?!”
Fuck- fuck. Shit. It was Koray- he wasn’t okay- she... she had to... another... Arietta knew it was in her best interest to bolt, to run far, far away- but he was in pain, and Arietta was both slightly drunk and would feel utterly awful if she left him here. Swallowing down how fucked she was feeling, how ironic it was that she ran into Koray after Gabe again- how the- how...
Shut up- shut up- shut up. She was panicking, eyes wide. “...R-Rowan...” her words were shaky and she instantly moved to attempt to grab at Koray and help him up, “He... outside, he needs air. Help me- arceus.”
She should run, become Cinderella and leave... but she didn’t, and she was- she was probably going to regret this.
Am I dying? Koray was pretty sure this was a heart attack. It felt like he'd been run over by a train. The walls were closing in around him and he couldn't breathe, he was going to die.. Rowan was nearby, Koray could feel it, could almost hear the Phantump's concerned voice in his mind. Almost. His mind was spinning, racing a thousand miles an hour. Was he going insane? Maybe. He didn't hear Ara's words, was only barely aware of someone helping him up.
Rowan was quick to help Ara with lifting Koray and managed to lift up his arm enough to help prop him up. Koray was at least able to sort of walk out with Ara, albeit leaning a bit heavily on her. "I... sorry..." Koray managed to rasp out, wheezing even as he clutched at his chest. Arceus, what was wrong with him?
While Koray attempted to apologize, Rowan instantly let out a series of concerned, if scolding sounds. He had no reason to be sorry and just... ;3; get better Koorrraaayyyy.
Don't think, Arietta, walk- walk. She had to get Koray out, she didn't know what was wrong with him- she didn't know what to do- but... she had to help- obviously. A hand weakly attempting to guide him outside she moved forward, opening doors and keeping quiet until she was able to lean him up against a wall and get hi to sit down- think- think- Arietta- think. She was practically suffocating under the mask and quickly took it off, putting it on the ground. "...Arceus- don't sorry me- what the fuck..." A hand was run through her hair- what was she supposed to do- hoarse breathing brought her back to her thoughts and she bit down on her lip hard- shit- right.
Practically stumbling over to Koray she moved to grab his wrist, as if checking his pulse and heart rate. "...Can you breathe, like... like... at all?" She seems hesitant, she didn't know what was going on, but he was both panicking and being sorry for the shit happening to him- why did that infuriate her? She moved to drop his wrist back to his lap, moving in to check his temperature, glancing to Rowan as she did so. "...Stay close to him, like, l-like... shit do comforting things- curl up in his lap, nuzzle him- something he can register as helping? I...I don't know what's going on- I might need to call the hospital?"
No fever, right, okay. She paced for a few steps, scrunching a small portion of her hair up in her hand before unscrunching it- think. It took a few more moments before she bent down to Koray's level, watching him- she was... wary to comfort him, and was fighting everything in her body that was telling her to do so- she was too fuzzy, too full of confusion to really comprehend anything. "Fuck I need a drink.." It was mumbled, and she eventually let go of her hair.
Right- yeah. Focus on Koray- time to try fix another ex- thik- what can help- you don't matter right now Arietta- think. "Koray- can you breath with me? Gonna go in... like... I dunno... five seconds- out like eigh- on my count, yeah?" She waited a few more beats before taking a deep breath in, "One- two- three..."
With as much pain as he was in, Koray hardly noticed when Ara moved him outside or when he was helped to sit down. Leaning against the wall combined with the fresh air did help, albeit a little. He could only manage a nod when she scolded him for saying sorry, still trying to breathe while feeling like death could still claim him at any moment. Ara was saying something again, asking him if he could breathe and Koray managed to shake his head.
Rowan didn't have to be ask twice before he snuggled close to Koray, cooing with concern as he tried to be comforting as possible. The Phantump didn't know exactly what was wrong, just that everything seemed to be wrong with Koray and he couldn't do much aside from be there. Well, that seemed to be what Koray needed at any rate. Arms wrapped around Rowan and it seemed that Koray was able to breathe a little easier. That was good, right? In fact, Koray was curling up with Rowan, burying his head against the Phantump. That was helping... a little. It helped him to concentrate on Rowan instead of every doubt and every fear crashing onto him. He hadn't wanted to think about Ara tonight, he had just wanted to dance. To forget about the problems that had surfaced since that day. And now...
Ara's voice pulled him from his thoughts, barely managing to focus on her words. He wanted to go, to just leave but... that would mean he had to somehow... stop dying. Right, all he had to do was breathe. Just... breathe... The breathing was... helping surprisingly. His chest wasn't as tight and the rasps eventually grew steadier. The shaking even eased up a little. It... was working? Yeah, it was working...
It took a little bit, but eventually Koray's breathing evened out. He no longer felt like he was dying... that... was a good thing. Why was just breathing helping? No... don't think. Just breathe. Everything was fine. Just fine...
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