It's better to travel than to arrive. ((Zocano!))

[Anonymous]

It was a dark and stormy nightmare. The dark-haired young girl no older than sixteen had practically bounded from her bed. Well, the bed - that is to say, it wasn't hers so much as the inn's. One would be surprised at how difficult it was to find an Inn that was not placed directly above, around, or in the general vicinity of a tavern. As soon as bright-eyed Resa had found one fitting of her age, she had paid for a one-night room and fell asleep just as soon as her head hit the pillow, distinctly due to the fact that she had been exhausted as opposed to the fact that the bed wasn't very comfortable in the first place, mind you. Therefore, when Resa was abruptly awoken by her dream, she hit her head on the low wooden beam looming above the space where the room's bed was unluckily placed, and stumbling out of bed groaning and generally having a fantastic time.

Although what she could remember of her nightmare was gloomy and distorted, Resa could plainly see by the sunlight shining through the small window opposite the bed in the cramped room that her nightmare was most certainly only a nightmare. She pulled on her white sun dress, then kneeling on the floor beside the bed frame to pilfer through her light leather pack. She produced a small brush with rusted silver backing and handle from it and combed out all the knots in her pretty black locks before pulling them up into her usual pair of long pigtails.

Resa approached the window, sleeping rubbing at her eye with one gently balled-up fist. When she peered out, her grey eyes fell upon a glorious sight that immediately lit up her features - a library, residing across the road with books piled high against the windows, the golden print on their spines glinting in the trickle of illumination through the building's wooden awnings. A slightly incredulous "ha!" escaped her lips as she spun around and hurriedly gathered what few belongings were strewn about the tiny space, scooping them into her leather pack and flipping its brown flap closed. She hopped toward the door on one foot, securing a small black, very worn ballet shoe on the other before switching to do the same, the strap of her pack now safely across her chest with the pack itself resting on her hip - or rather bouncing momentarily.

Resa raced down the short hallway of doors, quietly scolding herself but delighted just the same. She couldn't believe she'd missed it - right across the street! She supposed she had been too exhausted to notice, and that was a long shot for Resa. It must have been early in the afternoon when she woke, as she, on her hasty way, had to dodge other Inn patrons who were about, preparing their leave or just checking in. She rushed by the desk in the front room of the Inn, halfway out the door before laughing and turning heel, skidding to a halt in front of the desk and placing the correct amount in coins on the wood's surface, then resuming her trek as quickly as before with a small salute and grin to the old innkeeper.

She managed to avoid most of the people going about their business on the lively street in front of the inn, but just as something caught her eye for a brief moment, she crashed into a rather tall figure and landed precisely on her rear. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you looked at it, she hadn't taken the stranger down with her. "Sorry! I'm having fantastic luck running into things and people today," she offered as an apology and explanation to the stranger, looking up to him. Resa shielded her eyes from the sun, which was blocking view of the person by way of shadow, and began lifting herself up with her other hand.

[Anonymous]

It had been a while, say a few centuries, since the demon king had been outside of the demon realm. All the haste, war, stress of being a king gets to someone that wasn't born a pure demon. Why had a king, who was in the middle of a war with rebels, come to Earth? "I need a damned vacation," He thought to himself in the moment. Humming filled his ears, the sound of tree leaves hitting each other, the sound of swords clanging together. It had been years since he's heard such in the demon realm. The forests, the lakes and the ice worlds, were all gone from war. The portal sealed behind him, it gave off the same sound as the forests, and the valleys. Zocano pivoted his head back, nothing but forest life. He almost smiled under his sadness. Under his mask there was a man filled with sorrow and pain, but all people see is a strange being. He was just another thing to fear, but Zocano wouldn't let that get to him. So he set off on his travels, he kept his eyes on a city not too far from where he was.

The city gates were before him, and he stared into the long path that was filled with buildings, groceries, road-side stores, people, and more people. Zocano slowly walked forward, the armor covering his legs clattered together as he moved. He looked to his side, a vegetable shop filled with tomatoes, celery plants, potatoes, and cucumbers. Zocano never laid eyes on those in centuries. He thought back to the first time he ate a tomato, the flavor erupted in his mouth, his tongue could almost feel the tomato. Zocano stopped thinking, he couldn’t bare to think anymore of his past. His body clenched together, his hands rolled up into fists. “Helen,� he mouthed to himself.

Zocano continued walking through Reajh, he peered around the streets. All the buildings, how different they were since he last stepped on Earth. He could tell the world has changed since then. Zocano stretched his shoulder, waiting for it, he heard a satisfying pop. Continuing to walk, he bumped his way through the streets, feeling the hordes of people crash into his sides. It was starting to get annoying and all these people were a pain in the neck. He just wanted to unsheath his blade and tear his way through the streets. But he’d control himself; he did not want to get attention to himself. His first time in this world, after a few centuries, and already a death sentence on his head.  That would suck.

After consecutive “annoyances�, he felt a great thud on his chest. Zocano was thrown back a bit from the impact. He felt like yelling out and just tearing this person apart. Breathing deeply, he kept himself together and looked down at the civilian. It was a girl, no more than sixteen, and Zocano could only think of wanting to aid her. "Sorry! I'm having fantastic luck running into things and people today," he heard the young girl apologize. He saw her getting up; Zocano bent down and assisted her up. He placed his right hand around her back and his metal-plated hand held her side. He stood up with her and almost gave a smile under his mask. “It’s ok, been having the same problem myself,� he responded, “name’s Zocano.�

[Anonymous]

The soft clinking of metal attracted Resa's attention immediately, her eyes first meeting his armored hand, then traveling up his arm to lift her gaze finally to his face - or what would have been if she had a clear view of it. Now, however, it wasn't due to the sun - it was due to the man's strange, almost full-bodied armor. The smile that had slipped away with her fall quickly found itself resting on her lips once more. Resa was already intrigued.

"Nice to meet ya, Zocano. I'm Resa," she offered cheerfully before glancing about at the mass of people veering to avoid them. They were standing in the middle of the street, after all. He looked incredibly foreign amongst the sea of common citizens, which Resa noted upon realizing they were catching more attention than was ever in one's best interest in Connlaoth.

Resa peered back up at Zocano, tilting her head to one side. "Hey, you're new here, right? I'll tell you a few things about traveling through Reajh if you want. Come with me." It was more of a beckoning rather than a question, made apparent seconds later as Resa took his right hand and began leading him toward the library.

Resa pushed through the door and waltzed in, totally comfortable with her surroundings. A small golden bell jingled pleasantly at the odd pair as they entered. The library was modest and very small compared to the city's larger, official library which the girl had already visited, but Resa often found more joy in obscure little discoveries such as a corner library or bookstore as well as the off-beat books one might find within them, according with the place itself. After all, by Resa's logic, if something felt a certain way upon first impression then it probably was that way, and it probably formed a pattern amongst similar-feeling situations, places, things, and people.

Once they were inside, Resa ushered the intimidating character behind a set of bookcases, then releasing his hand and setting to work finding books of her interest. Meanwhile, she looked over her shoulder every few moments as she spoke, running a finger horizontally over the titled spines of a shelf of books set about eye-level with her from the ground.

"You looked so out of place," she began, laughing a little - not at him, but at the situation. "Like a lost, really heavily armored puppy. The first thing you'll learn about Reajh, which is probably true for Connlaoth in general, is that the common people don't welcome change or the unfamiliar very openly. They've been raised against that principle anyway," she said, her voice lowering as, standing on her tip-toes, she peered cautiously through the small space above the books at the librarian who looked rather harmless, even decrepit, but sharp and judgmental all the same. Old people were awfully bizarre, Resa thought.

"Say," she mused, turning to him with one hand still resting on top of the neat row of books and a curious questioning in her eyes. "What do you need all that armor for anyway? It must get hot," she reasoned.

[Anonymous]

This girl, Resa, she wasn't like anybody Zocano has met before. She doesn't scream or cower in fear. Maybe her curiosity, maybe she was just nice, but this girl was different. She kept a smile on her face, that smile pierced its way into Zocano's heart. He felt warmth inside him, warmth he hadn't felt in years, but he wouldn't get himself to think back to that time. The last time he laid eyes on her face, it was the day that those vile pure-bloods took her away from Zocano. His somewhat smile that had been on his face turned into a snarl, and he began to tense up. But his tense form was soon loosened when he felt a tug on his right arm.

Resa had grabbed his hand and pulled him through the crowded streets. Zocano was curious as to where this girl was taking him. And some new information about this world could help him traverse it with ease. He was being dragged through the streets, but he noticed something, they weren't bumping into other pedestrians. The civilians were avoiding them and he could hear a few converses about him, the "weird" one in armor. He didn't like to be talked about behind his back, even if these people didn't know he was once a ruthless king.

The sound of a bell broke his mind-set. Resa had dragged him into a library, but unlike others this seemed more of a local library. Its size definitely showed that off, the ones Zocano usually has sees are immense in size and thousands of books lined against there walls. But this place seemed to suffice for the girl.

Resa wasn't done dragging him though, and he ended up in front a bookshelf. Peering through his visor, his eyes raced through the books, he read through each spine. He glanced outside; he could see several people just watching his movements through the glass window. Just to play around, he reached for his blade that was sheathed on his back, and he could see them back off. He almost chuckled to himself as they did; toying with others was a habit for him when it came to simple civilians. He stopped and looked back at the books. There weren't many that seemed beneficial, but he reached for one anyway. Pulling the small hard-covered book off the shelf, he flipped it open and skimmed through the millions of words.

Moving his metal-coated fingers through the pages, he heard Resa speak. He kept flipping through the pages, reading the book and listening to Resa.  What she was saying answered much of his own curiosity. These people of Connlaoth, they seemed controlled and ruled over, just like his city. He thought back to those days, when he didn't rule the darkness, but the darkness ruled him. He thought back to when he was a tyrant not a peaceful king, a dictator with a real "steel" fist. He sighed to himself and kept studying this world through the limited books in this library. Removing his thoughts from the past, he heard Resa ask him something he wished she wouldn't.

He slammed the book closed and turned to her, she was peering out the side of the bookshelf. He placed the book back inside the shelf and slowly walked up to Resa. He kept thinking if he should just lie to her about why he wears this armor; he wondered if she'd believe him if he said he was the demon king. He stopped in front of her, and hesitated for a second. Then he moved his right hand over his left and fidgeted with his armor. Holding the armor that covered his left hand, he slipped it off gently revealing his bare skin. "This is why," He calmly showed her his scarred hand. It was completely burned and scars were all over his palm. "The rest of my body is just like this," Zocano said to Resa, "I don't think you'd believe me if I told you how it happened."

Calmly slipping back on the metal claw, he took the same book he was reading and flipped back to the page he left off. He thought if he shocked Resa too much, or maybe he just gave her a taste of her own curiosity.

[Anonymous]

A short, barely audible gasp escaped Resa's lips as he removed the metal claw. She stared up at him as he placidly replaced it and opened his book once more. A silent moment rolled by before she spoke again in an even more hushed tone than before, "Amazing."

A small "gah" noise followed. Resa shuffled her feet a bit, turning pointedly back to the bookshelf and lowering her head. A brief, musical little nervous laugh followed suit. "I mean, I didn't mean it like that," she said, almost stumbling over her words.

She looked up at him as he studied the book, pulling down one of her own entitled A History of War: Connlaoth. Resa's face was currently an interesting shade of red, but her eyes still practically glittered with attentiveness. "I mean, it's so unusual, it's just wonderful - gah, I mean in the sense that I wonder about it. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, though," she finished, biting her lower lip a bit. It was quite clear, despite her reassurance to Zocano of no obligation, that Resa wanted to hear.

In an attempt to rid herself of that particular pang of curiosity for the moment, she smiled softly once more, figuring that if he stuck around long enough, she'd find what she was seeking eventually, whether her notion was rather dangerous, unlikely, and impending of other things...or not.

"But hey, curiosity killed the cat. Who ever said anything about humans, right? Honestly, who makes up all those sayings?" She flipped through the book she'd taken down. It was full of graphic illustrations of bloody battles and all kinds of carnage. "Yeesh," she said to herself quietly, making a face before returning the book to its former space on the shelf. She pulled down another after some hesitation, and was pleased to find a finely inked portrait of a Fae woman on the hard-bound cover. That was more like it.

"Whoever they are, they must be angry for being so obscure next to their own words," she continued, gingerly fingering through the pages. She read a sentence or two and her smile grew warmer. "Zocano, do you ever wonder what it'd be like to have power? Must be awful. I couldn't deal with the responsibility...Too, what was it the old hag said - oh yea, too 'incorrigible'." She laughed again.

[Anonymous]

A smile couldn't help but wipe on his face, Resa was amusing nonetheless. This girl has quite a large want for knowledge for her age. "Maybe I should tell her," He calmly thought as he placed the book, which he finished skimming through, back on its shelf. He walked over to another shelf and slid his finger down each book. "No, nothing that interesting," He said to himself.

Zocano looked over at Resa who was going through a book. Listening to her words, he was oblivious to the book his hand had just grasped. Pulling the random book of the shelf, he opened it up and just started reading. It seemed to be about the royal families that ruled Connlaoth. The kings seemed more like dictators to Zocano, but he wouldn't want to question the hierarchy of this city. That would just get him into trouble, how much? He didn't want to find out. As he read the book, Resa continued to blunder on about random topics. He found it humorous how Resa could get such topics off the top of her head.

His eyes stopped reading the book, it was another question he just finds difficult to answer. "Ugh, well it’s more difficult than you think, like how the society will react if you or I become king," He replied uncomfortably. He thought of the day he became king. Well that was the day his life changed,  he had to wear his damn armor, forever. The day he loves and hates deeply. "Yah, it's really hard to have a lot of power, there's so much responsibility, and the stress got to me that's why I came here," He stopped talking.

"Oh great, me and my big mouth," He thought to himself. He just answered her curiosity, again. He closed his book and placed it quietly back on the shelf. "You don't suppose you didn't hear me say that," He was worried, he didn't want people to know he was a king, a king of demons to add to that. He poked his head out the side of the shelf and he saw Resa stand there with the book in her hands. Under his mask, his face was making a nervous expression. He would be in a lot of trouble if everyone in the city found out his little “secret�.

He pulled his head back and started to walk towards the door. The librarian stared at him at the front desk. His eyes were wide open and mouth slightly hinged open. The clanging armor could be heard in the entire room, and before he opened the door he tilted his head back. He looked at Resa, and thought that he shouldn’t just run from what he didn’t.  Turning back around, his hulking mass walked back, and his arms folded together.

“And so you know, I’m a king,� Zocano confessed, “where? In a galaxy far, far away� Joking a bit, he finally sighed and heard the silence of the room. Looking down at the girl, he frowned under his mask. His armor seemed more like a prison at moment, but he couldn’t do much about it. Except his mask, which he wasn’t ready to take off at the moment. Looking away from the girl’s face, he starred off into the street, there were some still peering into the glass. Their eyes were focused on him. “If you really believe me, just ask I really don’t have anything to hide,� Zocano almost wanted Resa to ask him, she felt like someone he could talk to with an open mind.

[Anonymous]

If you payed close enough attention, you might actually have been able to hear Resa listening. The girl listened with a silence louder and more brimming with yet unanswered questions than hardly anyone else's. On top of that, she was practically beaming, oblivious to the strange looks they were receiving through the checkered windows of the little library. "Wow," she whispered.

"Well, there's only one way to prove it!" Resa exclaimed, capturing the attention of the book keeper as well as a few more passers-by. She closed the book she had been looking through - Origins of the Ancient East (including what once might have been known as Greek mythology, but now was a handful of only occasionally successfully translated stories) - with a satisfying thud.

Resa slid her small, slender hand into his once again, pulling him toward the front desk with a rather determined expression washing over her features. She placed the book she'd selected on the tabletop and requested politely to borrow it. Met with a slightly astounded silence as the book keeper merely gawked at Zocano, Resa brightly responded more to herself than to anyone in particular, "I'll take that as a yes. Thank you!" With that, she turned and tucked the book into her leather pack. Visible for a moment were its contents: a rusted old silver brush, two other hard-bound dark green books, a few black and white ribbons, something squished wrapped in a piece of cloth, a pouch that jingled lightly when she brushed her hand past it, and a few rolled-up items of clothing. This was all she had carried from the Orphanage. Resa thought it best to always travel light in case you needed room to take things back with you.

After securing her newly acquired reading material which probably wouldn't last more than a few hours, Resa guided Zocano to the door, pushing it open and proceeding forward through the parting crowd at a somewhat hasty pace. Funnily enough, she didn't really have a destination. It was coming to her! She just had to wait for inspiration to hit, she told herself, looking around once they'd reached the other side of the street. "Hmm." Resa tapped the pointer finger of her free hand lightly against her mouth, narrowing her eyes.

She spun around to face him, lifting his arm and ducking under it to the left rather than simply turning right, so that his arm was looped around touching her back. Resa moved oddly. She always seemed as if she were in a hurry when walking and when turning, she either shuffled her heels, turned tip-toed as if at a ballet, or invented one of these weird little loopy movements. "Say, do you have a place to stay yet? If you do, we can talk there. I'm practically dying to hear down here," she said with a small bend of her knees for emphasis. "And if you don't, I stayed at this great place earlier. The owner's really nice and didn't mind at all that I'm young - I'm sure he won't mind your mask." She then pointed, arm outstretched, to the oaken double-doors of the old Inn where she had stayed the night before, which they were now standing rather directly in front of. Resa also had an odd way of speaking about things as if they weren't presently at hand or right in front of her. "We just need somewhere to sit and somewhere that's not so crowded. Then it'll be a deal - you can tell me about stuff and I'll tell you about Connlaoth!"

[Anonymous]

Before he could say anything else, he could feel that same warmth from before. Resa's hand was holding his and she was pulling on it, dragging him to the desk. Zocano didn't mind it at all; he'd find it playful if he felt anything at all. The girl laid a book on the desk and asked for permission to borrow it. Zocano could just get a glance at the title before it was neatly tucked away into her satchel. "Well, she must like history," He quietly thought to himself. He took a peak into her bag before she closed it, and put his gaze back on her. Her elegant face, it was a smile that seemed to lighten even those with the most sorrowful past; even his soul. Resa reminded him of Helen; their smiles had both the same affect on him. It was that happiness that could pierce even his sadness.

He felt his hand being tugged on again, and now she had dragged him outside this time. The same jingle of the bell sounded as they left, and it rung through Zocano's ears. By that time he realized she stopped in the middle of the street. He wondered where Resa would take him next, a restaurant, a bakery, maybe even the palace that was placed cozily in the middle of the city.

Before he could even think any further, Resa had found her way easily into his arms. He blushed and a nervous expression appeared on his face. She led him in almost a dance routine, and his heart almost skipped a beat. He hadn’t felt like this since, since the last time he danced with Helen. You’d think he would smile, but there was a silent frown on his face. He stopped her, he didn’t want to think of Helen anymore, it was too much for him, and he just couldn’t think of hear without having a tear or two roll down his cheeks. Resa got his focus off of what his mind was set on; he realized he didn’t have a place to stay in this city. “No, I really just got here,� Zocano watched her point to an inn,� yah, I guess we might as well stay in that inn.� He looked over at the inn, and started to pull Resa along with him. He didn’t want to pull to hard, he might accidentally crush her hand if he wasn’t too careful.

Pushing the double-doors wide open, he felt the room turn silent. He felt uncomfortable again, glancing at each person through his visor he finally ended with starring at the inn keeper. Gently pulling Resa with him, he walked up to the front desk and realized he never brought any currency with him, not even his own. “Ugh, Resa, I don’t have any cash on hand,� He paused for a second as he starred at her eyes, “so, can you pay?� He paused again, still holding her hand. He kept his eyes on hers, focusing on those large grey eyes. He almost smiled, thinking about how close Resa was to Helen. He hadn’t realized, but he tensed up his right hand, which was still holding onto Resa’s.

“Oh, sorry,� He quickly pulled his hand back and kept to himself. Zocano turned away from Resa and frowned under his mask. He examined the room again, most of the inn patrons had already left in a hurry, but some still just sat in awe; their eyes fixated upon him and his armor.

[Anonymous]

Resa clasped her hands together and nodded once, only pausing for a moment to wonder before brushing it off, "Sure! I brought enough from the orphanage to stay a while, actually, so I've got it covered." She reached into her pack once more, pulling out the small pouch by it's twine drawstring and tossing it onto the front desk. Resa was invariably candid with her actions, words, and thoughts, but oddly innocent and unaware of any emotional ambiguousness of his as of yet.

The old man working as inn keeper with a gentle, heavily wrinkled countenance blinked at her from behind the counter, adjusting his over-sized spectacles on the very bridge of his nose. Resa counted out a few silver coins from the purse, pushing them forward on the wooden surface and counting aloud. She wasn't sure if he could properly see even through those thick lenses, and hated for people to feel swindled. She retrieved and replaced the pouch into her pack, holding up her pointer finger and informing the practically ancient innkeeper of the payment's coverage of a one night stay. The innkeeper gladly exchanged her coins for a small, bronze key and a few polite words. The pouch of coins wasn't nearly as deceptively noisy as it had been before, so Resa had only had enough for a single room. She hadn't given it a second thought before accepting the key, examining it like a lost relic for a few seconds before returning to the present.

Resa turned back toward her newly discovered, kingly companion and took a few steps backward toward the staircase leading up to the rooms corridor, beckoning him forward, "This way, Z-" Resa's mild revelry in the day was interrupted by a break in her former obliviousness to their surroundings - or rather, the gawking citizens surrounding them. She looked around the room, her expression falling for a moment and her lips pursing.

She willed the smile to return, with apparent success, and continued her backwards march toward the foot of the stairs, then ascending one step at a time in a rather wobbly fashion. Her feet nearly missed the few steps she'd taken so far several times, but she appeared rather determined to carry on backwards. It made things more interesting, she thought. "Don't mind them," she said on the third step to Zocano, lifting her arms a bit to center what little balance she was maintaining, albeit happily, "They're just not used to seeing real knighted sires from exotic and fascinating foreign countries walking around in their dinky little town." Resa announced it with the intention of spreading the little white lie, complete with a dramatic little bow and emphasis on her excessive description. It wasn't hard to tell that she was having some difficulty resisting laughter. The truth was much better than that, of course, she thought to herself, but her words might do the trick nevertheless without having to reveal her new friend's identity.

Sure, it was kind of - okay, it was a huge exaggeration on Resa's part concerning the actually rather formidable and major city of Reajh, but a little story-telling didn't hurt as long as it got nosy citizens off their backs - or at least kept them from saying nasty things in conspiratorial tones. Now, Resa, who had solved their problem for the time being with a little cleverness, was sure the tides would be turned. This was made obvious by the short-lived hush that followed and the slowly rising tumult of excited whispers that now consumed the area. At least the common folk would be gossiping up a storm about wonderful and silly romantic ideas instead of one of disdain and suspicion. This whir would last a night - perhaps two, and then they'd be back to their old assuming selves, but that simply couldn't be helped.

Resa was on the fifth step then, waving one hand toward herself to call him forward. "Fourth door on the left, Zocano. If you don't remember it too, I'll probably forget it by the time we're up there!" Things such as directions often slipped Resa's mind with incredible ease, whereas, oddly enough, she had an almost encyclopedic knowledge and memory of things such as fairy tales and various histories.

[Anonymous]

Zocano followed his new companion up the staircase, again in her playful personality she walked up the stairs backward. He didn't mind, Zocano just didn't want to accidentally make her lose her balance or he’d have to help her medically and he wasn’t much of a physician. Walking carefully past her, he strolled up to the door that Resa said was their room for the night. Kneeling down on one knee, he peered into the keyhole and focused on the gears inside. Waving his hand over the doorknob he silently hissed in demon tongue. "I don't really need a key, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to have to steal a room," He remarked, opening the door with a joyful look on his face.

The room had one bed, a bathroom and the windows had elegant curtains that glistened in the sunlight. The one bed didn’t mind him at all; Resa could sleep peacefully on the bed. He’d sleep while standing, but that is if he was to rest at all. Examining the room a bit further, he realized this might not be so bad at all . . . for one night. Thinking back to why he came here, he pulled a chair that was next to the wall and sat down; he came to relax and have a vacation. He leaned his head back on the chair and started to rest. It had been a hectic day with the girl.

There was a click that ringed inside his mask, but he completely ignored it. He started to dream, he started to dream about his past. This time, he wouldn’t be able to stop it. he’d have to hope Resa would wake him up. There was a hissing sound ringing through his ears, but again he ignored it. His head started to move around as he “slept� and he began to mutter as he did.

~Dream~
Looking down, there was blood swirling around his feet, this memory had been burned into his mind. He could remember this clear as glass. “No…� he said this both in the dream; and in the real world as he slept. Collapsing on his knees into the blood, he looked at the half-dead woman. “Not… again…,� he spoke again; his arms trembled as he reached for the woman. She spoke back with a voice that could calm a thousand demons. He gave a faint smile, one that only seemed that it was filled joy, but truly he was being tortured. He was being ripped apart from the inside. “Don’t cry, honey,� She said; but he couldn’t hold it in this rare emotion, and screamed like no one else would. Tears dripped down his face, his left hand moved across Helen’s chests and stopped. He grasped the poison-tipped arrow, but he did not remove it; he only held it.

His right hand was around Helen’s head and he gently lifted her up to him. “Please, before I go-,� She was interrupted by Zocano,�no, please, don’t… don’t leave me.�
Helen’s smile stayed, but it didn’t help Zocano’s internal turmoil. “You know can’t stop this,â€? Her breathing hastened, “so I just want to ask for one thing.â€? His fake smile appeared again, but more and more tears kept coming. “Anything,â€? He managed to say. “Let me see your face one last time,â€? Helen requested; and with no hesitation, he reached back and grasped the small cubic like covering on the back of his head. With one simple click, a large pounding sound filled the room.  

For those few seconds, Zocano felt at peace with his life. He could finally gaze at Helen without the need to peer through a red glass visor. His left hand felt her heart beat. Thud. Thud. Thud. It continued to slow, until there was nothing left to feel. It took a few seconds before Zocano realized his only love was gone. “HELEN!� He screamed in violent sadness.
~. . . ~

He as well screamed in the real world, and threw himself upward. His drowsiness still fatigued him, and fell face first into the floor. His hand clenched together in anger and he became oblivious to the outside world. Unfortunately, he did not notice the latches that kept his mask attached to his face had detached when he fell asleep.

[Anonymous]

((Why is it that I can't hardly remember some of my friend's phone numbers, but I can remember all the lyrics to the Batty Rap from Ferngully? O_o I had an interesting day. XD;))

Resa's eyes were wide and her face pale when she hurriedly dropped to the floor in front of the collapsed Zocano. Her eyes darted over his bulky form frantically, and her hands found his shoulders and clenched them gently. Resa didn't have a firm grip naturally, but the state of things caused her to tense, contrasting oddly with the softness of her hands. It distressed her that she couldn't feel him through the armor - she felt as if she couldn't reach him properly, but Resa tried to raise his upper body nonetheless. She was failing quite horribly before she instinctively began shaking Zocano's shoulders, positively terrified of his sleep-like state. The setting sun deprived them of light little by little, and Resa's sensibility was fleeting with the light.

"Zocano! Zocano!!" Resa's gaze momentarily swept across the room, until her eyes rest upon him once more. At this point, she noticed that his mask, his helm, had detached itself slightly. Making a surprisingly reasonable decision considering the incredible stress of the moment, poor, sheet white Resa pulled the latches completely from their locked positions and carefully removed his helmet with shaking fingers, thinking that it might help awaken him or eliminate any risk of constriction to help him breathe and recover from this nightmarish state. Resa could feel her heart racing. The unsteadiness of her fingers spread throughout her entire body until she too were shaking very slightly.

Resa quickly moved to his side, hardly glimpsing at what his helm had concealed as of yet. She folded her arms underneath him and pushed with all of her weight. After what felt like an eternity of effort for the petite girl, she threw herself into his side once more with success - turning him onto his back. Now, she scrambled off from on top of him, careful not to hurt him (even though it would have been quite an accomplishment through his heavy armor), and placed a hand on his shoulder opposite the side she was on, leaning over him with fear swimming in her eyes. Resa looked upon his face, which had previously been so mysteriously concealed.

[Anonymous]

His eyes still heavy, he felt his hulking mass being turned. After a few moments of rustling in the background, he managed, with some effort, to finally gaze upon the real world. Yet, there was something different in the air, actually in his sight. There was no red tint anymore and his skin felt a heavy breathing on it. Slowly, he moved his right hand over his face. There was no tap or sound of metal, just a squishy feeling to it, and with his metal-coated hand he could not feel his soft pale skin. He had spent nearly 5 centuries under that mask, and had never been in physical contact with the sunlight.

The sudden realization that his mask was off had shocked him. In an almost reaction, he shot up and squirmed back against one of the hard wooden walls. His hands shook violently and looked back at Resa. “Did, you take it off?� He said, with almost a violent tone in his voice. A tear shed from his face and he quickly wiped it off, his recent dream still burned into his mind. He struggled onto his feet, and starred back at Resa without that annoying red color he always saw. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and walked toward his mask. Kneeling down and completely ignore Resa, he picked up the purple object and gazed into it. He smiled came on his face, “So this is how I look like with this damn thing on.� He chuckled and now turned to Resa.

“So, where should I start?� He sat down on the bed, and looked down at the floor. “From the start, or about something that’s just nagging at your brain,� He asked as he brushed his claw-like hand through his hair. He just realized how long his hair was, it had been uncut for centuries, but luckily his mask had burned off all the hair that got too long. But it was still neck length and fairly long.

[Anonymous]

Resa's mouth was hanging open. She stared at him blankly, her eyes still wide before blinking, coughing lightly, then closing her mouth and turning, scooting back against the bed's side frame, focusing on the floor as if a board or two had suddenly become intensely interesting. She pulled her legs up so that she was relatively comfortable, sitting with her arms cradled around her knees and her back straightening against the wood.

"Well," she said finally after taking a quick, shuddering breath. She wasn't shaking visibly now, unless one were looking particularly hard. Her nerves were still a bit on edge, though. Resa fidgeted with the hem of her dress where it was draped over her knees, fingers still twitching slightly.

Resa raised her eyes to him once more, looking up to her right where he sat on the bed, taking time to look - really look at him. He was incredibly pale; even more so than she had been a few moments before. She couldn't help but stare, especially studying his eyes. Resa had been able to see his eyes before, but only just. The shape and color of them was what captured her interest now, as before she had assumed them to be of some ordinary shade behind the red visor, while she could now clearly see that his eyes were a more vivid hue of his visor's, and his pupils were slit and almost reptilian in appearance. Color was returning to her cheeks slowly. Her eyes locked onto his. She took another, more relaxed and drawn breath before speaking again.

"You know, you get this faraway look in your eyes pretty often, just for a few seconds...Like you're thinking hard about something. The only time I've ever seen anyone think that hard is when they're either about to do something horrible or they're remembering something they imagine might be better forgotten." She paused, looking more serene and sedate then than she ever had since they had met. Her expression had relaxed, though a wisp of a frown had settled itself where it was not welcome. Resa hardly ever truly frowned. Instead, her usual grin was visible to anyone who cared to look deeply enough, tucked away secretively into the corners of her mouth, resting until its next opportunity to visit her lips. Presently, though, she frowned.

"What are you remembering, Zocano? What...were you remembering?" She asked in a somber tone, tilting her head very slightly to one side. Resa could guess the shortened answer, but sought more information than 'Helen' - the name he had spoken in his delirium.

[Anonymous]

That same “fake� smile appeared on his face, the one that managed to appear in his nightmarish dream. Looking back at Resa, he had realized she had been eyeing him as well. A deep sigh manifested as he scurried through the wreckage of his brain for some answer. He probably realized now that he was talking in his rest. “Helen, she’s my wife,� He shook his had in disagreement, “she was my wife.� His eyes showed sadness now, but it was more of a depression. He looked away from Resa and stared at his mask, which had been lying undisturbed on the bed. Reaching for it, he pulled it towards him and held it in his lap as he gazed deeply into its visor.

“There weren’t many that were happy with my coming of royalty,� He was going to tell her the whole story, although he never ever told anyone of his past, “and after a few months almost all of the “pure-bloods� had seceded from the hierarchy.� As he was enchanting Resa with his past, he rubbed off a tear that had managed to free itself from the beginning of his story. “There had been half-breeds before, basically a demon with human blood, but none had the guts or even the reputation to try and become in any part of royalty,� He took a pause to look at Resa, “yet, I changed it all, and did what no half-breed had ever tried to accomplish.�

Looking down at the wood floor, he gave out a deep sigh. His mind began to focus more and more on Helen, and another tear shed itself. This time, it was left to roll down and fall off his cheek to the floor. All that was being concentrated on was what he was going to say next, a lie or the truth? Maybe he’d just make up everything else, and maybe even mix it up a bit. No, he was going to tell the whole truth, even if he’d crack to tell it.

“So… after they seceded, their new leader had declared war, and at the time I was skeptical since I just recently became a king and we were heavily outnumbered,� Zocano paused for a second to think, “but our will held out and we managed to survive a few battles, and luckily I had squeezed in a cease fire with the pure-bloods.� At that moment he stopped to feel his emotions erupting. His head hung low, his hair concealed his entire head and a few tears had hit the floor. “It, it seemed too easy for me, and I…I was right,� In his sadness, he pushed himself off the bed and landed knees first onto the floor, “those bastards had spies in our city, and they came to my room to try to assassinate me, but I wasn’t there.� More and more tears began to fall from his face, and although he was actually sobbing, the tears were enough to show how heart broken he is. “We were going to have a child in a month!� He screamed, crashing down onto the floor. He held himself up with his arms.

“Why,� He shook violently, “why couldn’t it have been me in that room!� He could barely move, but he kept trying to move his head. It was painful, not physically but mentally, he didn’t want to see anyone. Everyone he ever knew died, his brother is missing, his mother and father both deceased, and now his wife; the one person that ever truly loved him. “I HATE THEM,� He slammed the floor viciously, “I HATE THEM!� He continued to scream in fury and with that anger he still could barely move. But he finally locked eyes with Resa.

He could feel sanity again, the sensation of peace and calm in the air. It took a few moments, but he was in control of his anger again. “I met her in a city just like this, and Helen looked just like you,� an actual smile managed to peek out from under his sorrow. Wiping off another the last few tear, he laid back against the bed side, right beside Resa. “Is,� he looked over at Resa, “is there anything else you’d like to know?� He asked calmly, his eyes still locked on Resa’s.

[Anonymous]

Resa hadn't been afraid, she had been prepared for this next outburst. She winces several times and her expression was pained with sympathy as he yelled, but Resa was calmer now, more controlled. She turned to sit up on her knees facing his left side and returned his gaze, hands clasped together in her lap.

She wondered much about Helen, who he said she resembled so greatly, but thought it best to ask something else to divert Zocano's focus for the moment. She would ask when she felt it wouldn't pain him as much to think of his late wife, though Resa wasn't about to ask more about her death. She had lost relatives before, but never loved ones - only people she had never known, and so she knew that she could not possibly understand what he felt, though she could imagine. She wanted to know about the woman when she was alive. Resa had always adored love stories, though some end tragically.

Presently, however, Resa couldn't help but ask for details about his kingship and the divided court he had spoken of. Resa reached over to wipe the wetness from his cheeks where the tears had streaked them, then folded her arms on the bed's edge, resting her head and peering at him sideways.

"What do you mean demons? If you're half-demon, then where were you born and why...um, then...why aren't you...you know, evil?" It was an innocent question, though Resa understood how it might be taken the wrong way, but her demeanor was curious rather than prodding or accusatory. What she knew of demons originated from stories and legends, and they were almost always villains, or at the very least extremely shady and unreliable individuals. No malevolent qualities had yet been observed by the girl, and she was bound to stick with her first impression of kindness.

"You're from another realm, aren't you?" Resa's hidden smile had reappeared of its own accord, being that the girl knew it was probably not an appropriate time to go on grinning like a fool, but her interest had been sparked and was now a flame fighting to gain height. She repressed it by biting her lip, confident in her opinions, and lifted her head a bit with attentiveness, listening closely for his reply.

[Anonymous]

Zocano was amused by her question, and even thought when she was going to ask this one. He tried to smile, but his sorrow still hid over him in a shroud. It still had some control on his emotions, whether it is happiness or anger. He reverted back to letting his eyes wander the floor he now sat on. He thought back to where he was born, but it was all gone; everything before he became a demon king was gone. All he knew was what his brother told him before they last parted, and they didn’t leave on a happy note either. And at that instant his heart blasted in pain, he didn’t flinch though. Yet, he did move his hand over where his heart is and laid his palm upon the plating. The darkness he had been controlled by for so long still lay dormant inside him.

“I, I can’t really remember where I was born,� the pain had subsided, “all I really know is that I was born on this world . . . where? Not a clue.� Zocano began to pick through his thoughts for any information he could gather. He hesitated for a moment, thinking about why he’s telling this naïve girl about his past. Then he began to think of Helen again, and his mind continued its short work. “I know that my mother was killed by my father because she tried to stop his sadistic beliefs from consuming me,� he let out a deep sigh, “but that’s all I really know, everything else is lost in The Nether Realm.� Zocano thought Resa would ask about The Nether Realm so he was just going to summarize it quickly before he got annoyed. “The Nether Realm is the empty abyss where all lost knowledge and banished demons go, that was where my father lived . . . until I cut his throat.� He felt pleasure in saying, know that it was he who had killed his father in cold blood.

Zocano turned to look at Resa, his sadness had almost completely faded and he was ready to tell more about himself. He smirked as he thought about his next answer. “Why am I not evil?� He chuckled, “that’s because I was sadistically chaotic until I learned to control it.� The pain from before had come back, but now it was in his head. Stinging pulses of pain shot through his skull and surged down his body every three seconds.

He ignored it for now and continued. “Another thing the pure-bloods managed to pull of was taint me with Oblivion’s shroud,� he paused for a second, “that would be dad’s darkness, yes . . . my father’s name, Oblivion . . . he had made a deal with the pure-bloods, but I don’t have a clue what it was.� He was actually happy not to know; he’d prefer not to know what the hell his father was up to back then. “The darkness had made me evil . . . and it was the cause for me trying to kill my brother.� Zocano felt the pain coming back, and he knew he couldn’t hold it in; it would also cause him to fall into a coma if he didn’t. He turned away and stood up onto his feet. “Eh, is there a bathtub in these inns. . . damned physicians said I need to take a steaming, literally steaming, hot bath to keep my burns intact� He hated taking them, without having his armor he felt vulnerable and open; especially since he didn’t wear any clothes under the armor.

[Anonymous]

Resa nodded silently, still taking in all that he had said, and pointed toward an oddly short door on the wall to their far left. "Mhm, there." Inside there would be a large, oval-shaped wooden tub and a washing bowl atop a small table, a few large sections of cloth folded beneath it. The ceiling of the washroom was tilted awkwardly to where the ceiling was seven feet at one end and gradually descended to  four feet on its featureless end of the back wall.

Blinking a few times to shake herself from the daze, Resa sat up and straightened her legs out in front of her. She leaned forward and slipped off her shoes, not minding the loose black laces that she hadn't bothered the tie up her ankles in the first place, and wiggled her toes a bit, looking down at them as if she'd seen them for the first time. She took up the shoes and pushed them underneath the bed behind her. Resa sighed, glad to be free of the restriction. She looked up to Zocano where he stood. He didn't like being free of his steel skin, obviously. It puzzled her, to say the least.

"I positively detest clothes," she began again pointedly. "Shoes are the worst of the lot. I just feel like everyone would be a lot less tense if there were more bare-footed...ness in the world." Resa pulled the wound-up ribbons from her hair as she spoke, shaking her head lightly from side to side to let it tumble down her back into its natural place, now that she hadn't any real need of keeping it out of her eyes. After all, she wasn't frantically dodging other travelers here.

She also wanted to give herself something to do with her hands, which worked out quite well as she instinctively reached for the silver brush from her ragged pack which rested lumpily on the floorboards on the other side of Resa, where it had been disregarded during Zocano's first outburst.

The brush perfectly fit into the palm of her hand. The useful trinket was undersized, as if made for a child. She absent-mindedly began taking gentle strokes with the brush to straighten the dark tresses. Well, some people had blankets and other had torn and worn, faithful old dolls. Resa had her little silver brush, decorated by slightly eroded and tarnished leaf designs, seemingly elfen by craft. Like an instrument of comfort. Another airy sigh was heard. "Is barefootedness a word?" She wondered aloud. Another, non-rhetorical question occurred to her a moment later.

"Zocano, do you take off your armor to go to sleep? Whatever you have on underneath has to be a thousand times more comfortable, but the way you talk about it, it sounds like it's painful to be rid of it...I wouldn't have the endurance for that, personally."