Tides of Twilight - Chapter 10A: Like a Rook

Friends like these, you don't forget.

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Your story up until now, as it gains color.

~*~

You've been living in Eden for a few days now, during which you've jumped in and out of trouble with a young, careless journalist named Nael. Earlier, you accepted his offer to show you around the city for a while and to help you get started on your life in Eden, all in exchange for letting you be his new "exciting article" in the Tribune. Thanks to that article, you become slightly known in town as a local spriggan killer. 

Nael introduces you to a variety of people, many of which who speak of some young revolutionary. Your days and nights are filled with visions and dreams of a few recurring faces, one of which that always seems to be there. As well, all of your dreams are spectated by a mysterious Twilight Eye that simply watches and nothing else. The dreams appeared to have escalated after you took a strange glowing stone from its resting place inside the Sacred Tree while on a quest in Eden Forest. 

After settling in nicely, you gain interest in an elite organization known as the Brigade, which is supported by Eden. Intrigued by the thought of going out to see the world while embarking on missions and fighting epic monsters for the good of the people, you decide to apply for initiation into the Brigade.  

There, you are placed into an event known as the Coliseum with a handful of other initiates; ran cooperatively by the Brigade and the EPC. Yours and your fellows' skills and intellect are then put to the test against ferocious monsters. However, when it is your turn to step into the stadium, the Coliseum is suddenly invaded by a strange emergence of creatures that could only be described as coming from nightmares.  

It is then that the young man many people spoke of, and as you soon found out, the man appearing so frequently in your dreams, appears before you. Steffan- as he is known, aids you against these strange creatures for a while until another series of unfortunate events transpire. Eventually, everything is taken care of and you end up in a party later that night held in celebration for this respected young man's return after three long years.

~*~

You thought about telling Steffan of your strange dreams involving him, but decide instead that he is much too drunk at the moment to really give any proper responses. So, to hell with it! Might as well join them, you say.

You walk around the bonfire towards one of the kegs and pour yourself a drink. But as you make your way back towards Roki and Naaj, you hear Steffan holler at you.

Steffan: Heeey! (Points at you from across the bonfire, nearly tipping over while sitting down) I know that rookie! C'mere and sit here with me, right here! (Pats the ground beside him) Right here on this very spot, friend. 

You: Eh? (Stops) Me? Okay... (You make your way around the fire towards him instead)

Steffan: I was wondering where you ran off to, earlier! You know, with my sword and all... What was up with that? (Chuckle) 

You: (Nervous smile) Oh... You uh, remember that? 

Bear: (Laughs for no apparent reason) You know this greenhorn, Stiff!? Well polish my nuts and serve me a milkshake! Ain't that some s**t!? 

You: Whoa... Nice way to break the fourth wall there with a reference like that. I'm surprised nobody's done it sooner. 

Steffan: (Snickers and waves his hand in the air) Haaah, don't mind Bear when he's drunk... He's like... like those polar bears in the Coca Cola commercials, except with a beer instead of a coke! 

Annie: (Crushing her empty beer cup in her hand, eyebrows twitching) Enough with the lame references... Stop going out of character! Stiff, you're even more childish than when you left. 

Steffan: (Throwing his head back in surprise) Eh!? And you're still as mean as ever! You make Vero look like a teddy bear these days, Annie...  I mean he even gave me some ginger bread man legs earlier. Vero's the last person I'd expect to make me some kind of sweets. 

Annie:  You... (Looks at Vero who's sitting not too far to the right) You what? (("He wasn't supposed to give that to him!"))

Vero: (Also somewhat drunk) HEY! HEY-HEY-HEY! (Stumbling over to Stiff and pointing accusingly, though crookedly at him) I wasn't giving you the f*****g ginger bread man, you moron! I was throwing it at you... There's the difference, you see!? You just happened to eat it because you'd put anything in that big mouth of yours. And another thing- (Nearly tips over, using Annie's head as leverage to hold on to) ... S**t... can't stay up.

Steffan: Really?  Well, damn. And here I thought you baked me some sweets as a welcome back gift... 

Annie: 

Vero: (Shaking Annie's head as he keeps himself balanced) Don't screw with me, Stiff! Drunk or not, I can still bust you up... I found those ginger bread cookies in my mailbox, so they were some other loser's cookies! And YOU!   (Points at you angrily) 

You:  What did I do!? 

Annie: (Grabs Vero's wrist and pulls his hand off her head, hauling him down to the floor) The only moron who's going to get a busting here is you! (Appears a little more fierce with Vero than usual) 

Vero:  

Steffan: (Pats your shoulder and grins) Ah, you didn't do anything! Vero just wanted to tell ya how great ya did back there at the coliseum...

You: Um... He did? 

Steffan: (Rubs the back of his neck) Well, probably not, but... 

Bear: What are you talking about, Stiff? The greenhorn didn't even get a chance to compete, or so I was told... Those things arrived before the last initiate went up. 

Mel: (Gives up on trying to pry Annie and Vero apart, sighing) Uh-huh. That's what I heard too. Witnesses who were still escaping said that Zeek was nearly taken out by those things when he protected the greenhorn before Stiff arrived... 

You: (Nod) That sounds pretty accu-

Steffan: (Shakes you and interrupts) Aaahaha, you guys shoulda' been there! This rookie was throwing out all sorts of moves on those creatures. Doing back flips, parrying their razor sharp arms... I would be disappointed in this organization if you denied such potential into the Brigade. (Shakes you again, giving a light smirk) Isn't that right? 

You: (You freeze for a few seconds, staring at him before remembering the things you were able to pull off after Steffan had lent you one of his swords. You nod, somewhat reluctantly) Ah-Well... Yeah. 

Mel: Really...? Well, I did hear of another person who fought some of them away alongside Stiff, but I figured that was either Zeek or Lion. 

Bear: (Nods, glancing over at you) Yeah, same here... Huh. 

Mel: (Narrows her eyes at you in thought, giving a thoughtful look) Interesting~

Lion: I can vouch for that. (Arrives from the third floor's lift and makes her way over to the fire) By the time I got there, Rook over here was taking out one of the bigger ones outside. Sheesh, Rook, you were like an animal after that thing took out your pal. (Winks, standing beside the sitting Stiff and using his head as an arm rest) 

You: Um... Well... I was just... Wait, Rook?

Lion: (Nods) Mm! I don't know of any rookies that can pull that off on their first day of initiation... No, you've moved ahead of em' all. Like a rook. You act like it doesn't even matter what the next move is going to bring...

Steffan: Heh... Rook! I like that! 

You: Er, um... Heh. Thanks? (At a loss for words) (("Oh, no... Do they think I actually have as much skill as the next initiate, but are giving me a leg up just to be nice about earlier? Uh oh.")) 

Bear: Well I'll be damned. That's pretty commendable, kid. Good job. Here, have a bottle of the good stuff on me! (Not thinking straight, he chucks a fine bottle of rum at you, which you fear you won't be able to dodge) 

Steffan: (Reaches past you and catches it in his hand with ease, popping it open and pouring some in your cup) Well, Rook, I'd say you just earned yourself a welcomed stay here in the Brigade! Good to have ya. 

Bear: (Holds his own bottle up and gives a crooked smile) Welcome...! 

Mel: (Smiles) Welcome into the Brigade. 

Lion: (Leans over on Stiff's shoulders) Don't you let the Brigade down... Rook. (Wink) 

You: I... (Looking down at the rum in your cup) Don't know what to say. Thanks...! Thank you very much. (("Why would they... do that for me?")) I'll try not to. (You bow your head at Stiff and bump your cup with the bottle in his hand as he holds it to you. You all drink to that; Lion drinking from the bottle soon after Stiff) 

Annie & Vero: Zzz... Zzz (Sleeping on the garden grass still holding onto each other's throats, though in a comfortable manner) 

Lion: Aw, knocked out already. (Giggling at them) 

Bear: Hehehehe... (Uses a pictopearl to snap a picture) 

Mel: They look so cute together...

Steffan: (Chuckles and shakes his head, turning to look off into the distance with a somewhat reminiscent look on his face)

A few of the other members welcome you into the organization as the party commences. Well into the night, they manage to pull Lady Claire out of her office and have her reluctantly break tradition to announce the Coliseum's initiates who had made it that day, there and then. You of course, weren't on that list, but after being commended by Stiff and Lion, it was obvious that you were a part of all this now. The party ended up being somewhat of a welcoming ceremony. 

Roki and Naaj had made it in the list as well, though they congratulated you as if you had won a bigger honor than them. You half-expected Nael to be there as he usually is with his journal, but he wasn't. You remember to thank him later, and party on until you end up on the bed of your new recruit-level room...

~*~

You are drowned in a sea of sleep. 

Therein your soul; Guided by the tides of twilight.  

~*~

Author's Note

I'm sorry for the slow updates guys >_< Been getting hit with the procrastination disease a lot lately...

Reviews

[Buddha]

lmao @ the american pie reference... now im going to think of stiff as stifler whenever i see his name

break cracks me up

[okina]

Haha I love seeing the drunk version of everyones personality xD I hope everyone doesn't change their mind about the recruitment once they sober up >_>