In search for I (Open)

[Skorn]

Self reflection, it was something that Skorn avoided. It was strange that he started to call himself that. It was the only fitting word though. He had a gut wrenching feeling that it was right on the spot, he was worthless, despicable. This one day a year was the only time it bared down on him. The reason etched into his memories. February 19th, was the day his wife died and the name Mugen was forever lost. Today just so happened to be the day Skorn was brought to life.

Mugen as the name implied was a dream of the past. His dream had died along with his wife and this was forever his burden. Power is a tricky thing, in the right hands it can be used to save anyone. In the wrong hands it can destroy every life. And in rare cases power is worthless. Time seems to be the only thing that can effect how power is truly used. Time is the only reason Mugen couldn't of been there to save his beloved. Thousands of scenario's have played through his mind in the past years and in every one of them. He couldn't save her. Time prevented him from being able to help the only person he has ever loved. And now time had turned him to Skorn.

Waterfall city was the place to be for an occasion like this. The scenery was perfect, cascades of water pushing downward in the surreal city. Skorn sat at a local pub known as "Cascade." The tavern had an indoor area and an outdoor balcony snugged int tightly over a smaller waterfall. Skorn stood alone staring off the balcony into gleaming water. "It's funny, this very place used to bring life to me. Now all I feel is agony." He mumbled softly. Skorn had arrived maybe 10 minutes ago, and already had 2 bottles of full sake sitting beside him. Skorn took one cause he needed to feel it so much, it was his emotional crutch. With a deep sigh Skorn took more till something would happen. The first bottle vanished, not a drop left. He stood there unattached to the world staring off the balcony. February 19th, it was the only day he ever let himself drink till he couldn't remember anything. It was and will always be the day that haunts him.

Skorn reached down and pulled forth a locket. His eyes averted it with all their might at first but then caved as he peered down at his locket. With a simple click it opened and Skorn stared down at his lost wife. Her soft golden eyes peering right back at him. This was the one and only day of the year he would open the locket and look at her, he faced her and let forth his emotions.. For this one day he was Mugen. Tears began to stream steadily from his eyes leaving soft trails down his cheeks, and soon enough even his scar, the last touch his wife ever gave him began to bleed. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you.. My love." He whispered softly to the photo of his loved one.

A small hand reached out and tapped his shoulder.. Skorn froze for a brief second before turning his head to see who was there. It was the bartender for the outside balcony, "Can I get you anyth..." She trailed off as she saw the blood from his scar and the tears slowly streaming down his face... "I'll take some more, till something is happening." Skorn said softly as he turned and stared off into the balcony. The woman said nothing and trembled away. Could you blame her? To describe it better if Skorn was an onion he was peeled back as far as possible every layer of emotional defense gone. He was raw, He was Mugen once more. His eyes lingered to the endless stream of water as the locket remained open in his hand, the distant memories stinging his heart and mind. Here he stood in conflict with who he was, and who he is.

Skorn's Wife:

[Kurasame]

Waterfall city, a place still unknown to Tana, as she had only spent the few months she had been in the city in the guild hall training. She had yet to meet any guild mates, so she didn't know exactly just what the guild she had joined was like. However, she decided to go and explore the city first, before meeting fellow guild members, but she had no reason for doing so other than one: she had woken up this morning on one side of the city under a tree. It just happened to be the side of the city that was furthest away from the guild, so Tana decided to just wander around for the day, well skate around technically, considering the wheels that were now her feet. She got many curious glances from the townsfolk but she didn't care because she had barely had enough room to properly try out her wheels, and they were fast and fun to be on. She could go as fast as she wished as her eyes, having also been improved to see greater details, could pick everything up while she moved. It was then the eyes noticed something which instinctively made Tana skid for a moment to stop herself before turning back to the Cascade bar's balcony.

Looking up at the balcony, her eyes zooming to see just what she wanted: it was a man that had stopped her. A man staring into a locket and crying at what he saw. It surprised Tana enough, this open, if slightly introverted, show of emotion from a man, whose kind were stereotypically known for not showing emotion as they thought it made them seem weak to their comrades. Tana thought differently, she respected the man who cried, but also grew slightly curious as to why he was crying. She wondered if the man had cried because of his alcoholism, Tana's eyes had noticed the sake bottles, and so, as she walked into the bar, she purchased a bottle. It was not for herself, as she could not actually drink because it would mess up her circuits, doing who knew what to them and to her. She had only experienced them once before, but luckily her father had stopped her from doing anything too violent, as she had become so due to her circuits being altered. The change was unpredictable, but definitely dangerous, if not to Tana then to people around her. So the sake was for the man on the balcony, as Tana made her way up to him.

As she reached the balcony, she circled the man from behind, as her eyes focussed on the picture within the locket, which was difficult due to how the man held it. However, without being detected she thought, Tana was able to see the woman, with her long brown hair and golden eyes. She was beautiful, but Tana just skated over to the railings, leaned her right elbow upon it, pulled her leg up to lean on the bars below, and she spoke to the man "She was beautiful. If you don't mind me asking, who was she?" She tossed the bottle over to him, to see if he would catch it or if it would land on the floor. It shouldn't break though, her throw wasn't the hard.

[Skorn]

It's funny how the world works. No matter how hard you try to escape something, it's the world and it's creatures that continue to make you remember that reality isn't how you choose it. With the constant sound of gushing water, and other people chit chatting. You would think Skorn would hear someone anyone approach him. Sadly that's not the truth his gaze deep into the cascading water, lost in memories the only sound to him was his own heartbeat. It's consistent pulsations thudding his ear drums. Only at times likes this could noise be blocked out so well, especially a time when he surrounded himself with it on purpose to not get lost.

Time itself seemed to stop on this day for Skorn and it really couldn't be helped. Muffled words and a soft thud deemed against his shoulder snapping him away from his memories. A single sake bottle fell to the ground and shattered. It wasn't the one that was thrown though. After the bottle made contact in a fast motion he closed the locket and pocketed it in the process of knocking one of his other bottles to the ground. People turned and stared for a brief moment before making a quick few snide remarks and returning to their business. "She is the only living part of a broken man." Skorn said carefully choosing his words with what seemed like angst.

In a delicate manner Skorn knelt over and began to pick up the broken pieces of the sake bottle. It was strange all the time she had been gone he always refereed to her as "Is" never truly accepting the fact that she was gone. The words "Who was she?" echoed in his mind. It's something that didn't carry much weight he assumed. Pictures stored in lockets were usually family and loves ones. The lady was right to assume she was no longer with us. The phrasing still bothered him for some unknown reason. In one of the larger sake bottle pieces, Skorn saw his own reflection. With a sigh he dipped his hand into the remaining sake and used it to wipe the blood off the side of his cheeks. Not moving his eyes to peer at the woman the entire time he finally spoke to her in a even tone. "She was beautiful and she is missed every single day." Skorn said softly. "I thank you for your kind words." Skorn huffed out with a sigh as he stood up holding all the pieces of the sake bottle in his hands. She is dead, and that's something the world tended to always remind him.

[Kurasame]

His words were, at first, cryptic, sounding like words a seer would speak to hint at one's future or, in this case, one's past. They were words for Tana to dwell upon What does he mean? Only living part of a broken man... Wait, it could be that. These were her thoughts on the matter, and she wished to speak her mind, but the man was not yet done, and so Tana was respectful to him and heard him out, as he reminisced about her, saying she had been beautiful and would be missed every day, before thanking Tana for what she had said. Those words made her smile, not a smirk or anything so foul, but a smile that showed Tana was glad that she had done good today, and helped the man, in some way.

Realising the man had no more to say, Tana regarded the man, who was now standing holding a broken sake bottle in his grasp, and spoke to him once again, "Only living part of a broken man you said, right? Am I right then to assume that this broken man is one who will not, or can not, move on from her passing, and thus stays in the past." Her voice had been straight, her face void of emotion as she said this but, once she had spoken the necessary words, she smiled once again and spoke, "I'm Tana by the way. Aratana Hajimari Kurasame, cyborg, mage and all round interesting person. And you are?" She just wanted to lighten the mood a little after what they had just been discussing. It seemed like the right thing to do.

[Skorn]

It's funny how the world, places people into your life. It's kinda like you never get to choose who you meet, it's more they just find you and you're stuck with em. It was strange but there are times in a persons life that they meet people who they just feel will have an impact on them. This was one of those cases for Skorn.

"It's not that I'm staying in the past.." he hesitated trying to find the right words.. His eyes still fixated on the broken bottle in his hands. "It's not worth explaining.. I do thank you for your kind words though." He had attempted to answer her question, but in truth the reason he mourned on this day every year was for him to know.. As the lady continued she proclaimed to be an interesting person.. That statement bewildered Skorn. Who says that? He left out a soft chuckle as his eyes finally moved from the broken bottle in his hands to make eye contact with her.

"Is it really up to you to decide if you're an interesting person?" He asked playfully his thoughts shifting from his deceased wife. "I am Skorn. He paused and then continued. "Just Skorn, a traveling man. He said with a smile. The fact that he could manipulate magic was really unnecessary in his opinion. "And what brings a lass like yourself to Cascade?" He asked in a soft voice. A Cyborg drinking was an odd thing, they did serve food at the bar too however Skorn didn't wanna pester to much trying to figure out if Cyborgs do everything that Humans do.

And here it was, an odd scene of a man broken to his core, and a cybernetic woman. The world has decided to push this woman into his life, and now it seems he would be stuck knowing her for an amount of time that has no bounds.


(OOC- Sorry for the delay!)

[Kurasame]

Tana had been curious about the man from the beginning and he definitely had some stories to tell but he had instantly said he wasn't stuck in the past which, to Tana, seemed like a outright lie. If he wasn't stuck in the past, he wouldn't be in a bar, drinking away all his problems while crying at a picture of the woman he once loved. If he truly had let go, he would be out in the world, actually doing things, and not seeming like he was waiting for death to come: that was no way to live and it irked Tana whenever she saw someone like that, someone who didn't want to live. However, he didn't seem completely void of feeling as he thanked Tana for her words, but it changed nothing about Tana's feelings about the man.

He finally made eye contact, which made Tana think he would finally join in the conversation but his first words to her were something of a joke, as he asked if she was one to decide whether or not she was interesting but then he finally introduced himself as Skorn, just Skorn, which just seemed like another lie. It may well be his name, which was unlikely, but it was even more unlikely that that was all about his name. But he said he was a traveler before asking why Tana was in the bar, which was a simple question, with an easy answer.

"Why did I come here? Well that was your fault really. I woke up today on one side of the city, the wrong side cause I'm part of the Melodic Siren's guild but, as I said I am a cyborg. There is many bonuses, such as the speed I have when traveling, and my eyesight which lead me to you. As I sped past the bar, I saw everything, and one of those things was your teared face. You were saddened, and I wished to know why and help if I could. Now I understand though. I didn't come here to drink since that could kill me, not sure on that front, and also I'm not hungry, it was purely the fact that I saw you crying."

However, as soon as she finished speaking, she felt something... wrong inside her. She instantly knew what was happening and began to speak once more, her voice full of worry, "Skorn, you need to go. Now. I said there were great things about being what I am. However, there is one problem. Every so often, I malfunction, and take on a completely different personality, usually hostile and evil. Run, because I don't know what this other me shall say or do, and I'll have no control over it. She may hurt you, she may anger you, or she may try to kill you or some other civilians. Please escape, it will happen soon. Tell everyone to evacuate the bar. Hurry, time is running ou-" Nothing more was said as suddenly Tana's eyes went dead and her head dropped. However, after a visible trail of light spiraled up her body, her head rose once more, but her eyes were red.

[Sponsored content]