he wonders about his last moment on a ship. he’d been on the ocean before; theo knows this to be true. the flow of the boat against the waves and the rhythmic motion as it picked up speed all seemed familiar. maybe it was when he was a child. some forgotten adventure with parents too engrossed in their own lives to ensure their son remembers such a thing. or maybe they’d done something to cause his subconscious to forgot.

somewhat stumped by his own thoughts theo leaned his back against the cold metal of the railing, arching it to bring his head back. the glare of the sun forced his eyes to look in another direction as his friend speaks up beside him. it had been amusing to watch noel stumble, clinging to the railing where his feet seemed to plant themselves; refusing to move from the spot his body chose to give up on. there’s guilt in his eyes, knowing that this was far outside of noels comfort; but theo knew he needed to the reward from this little mission. it’d help in the long run with keeping both of them safe.

“aww, sea sick? i can hold your hair back if you need to puke.” he muses, attempting to lighten the mood with some (unnecessary) teasing. it was probably the last thing noel wanted to hear. his lips part to make another comment when noel apologizes, saying that (if he wanted) theo could leave to their rooms. instead of words theo laughed, rolling his eyes before his expression softened. “i’m not going to leave your side until you’re able to stand up without feeling the urge to vomit everywhere.” he says, “and if you’re not able to do that than i guess we’re both going to be stuck right here. at least we get a view.”

it’s funny to think that noel assumed he’d leave his side. the rooms dedicated to players aboard this ship and the npcs that walked the deck didn’t interest him; nor did the idea of going off somewhere on his own while his friend tortured himself over the railing of the ship. this whole adventure had been his idea in the first place, spanned out over time in an attempt to coax the boy into accepting the idea of leaving the safety of the town for a mere trinket. he would have gone on his own but problems would arise with that; and honestly, theo couldn’t find it in himself to believe he’d be able to do it alone.

if he were to die here than at least he’d have noel near by.

“probably a mix of both,” he says, shrugging at the idea. if someone could make a trigger that’d trap them all within a virtual world than he wouldn’t hold it against them to have them add those nice little details to make everyone's lives hell. “but hey, if you want to test it out you can. i won’t judge you if it happens.” the last thing he wanted to do was see noel vomit all over the floor but he’d spent too many countless nights drunk, head in his toilet regretting everything he's ever done to make fun of noel for letting his nerves get the better of him.

however at the question theo quiets, clicking his tongue as the same thoughts from before resurfaced. he hated thinking of his parents in the real world, and even now that held true. his breath comes out slow, laughing a bit as he straightens himself up, back still pressed against the railing and his eyes focused on the floor. “it’s funny, because i think i have but for the life of me i can’t remember.” he says before his tone hints at a bitterness he can’t quite shake. “i probably got forced into some gross dinner party by one of my folks. one of them might have slipped up and said they had a kid, so when they got invited i had to come because that poor sap remembered. they probably hated it ...”

he doesn’t want to make this awkward nor focus on the bad taste that enters his mouth as the final words drip from his tongue. there was no point in dwelling on his parents, nor their horrible skills in raising a child; and he knows noel didn’t mean to bring up this irritation in him. it was all his own doing. “are you … sure you’re feeling okay? looking at the ocean probably isn’t going to help so how about we go walk around for a bit.” he smiles, doing his best to try and ease the moment he’d almost had. pushing himself away from the railing theo extends his hand, offering it to noel. “for balance.” he explains, eyeing his hand to indicate what he was talking about. “i don’t want you bumping into anyone.”

while not too surprising theo was happy to see the topic of parents be avoided and with it the rather awkward response he had given in regards to such a simple question. he hadn’t meant to reply to noel in such a sharp tone, nor make the other even more uncomfortable than he already was. it was bad enough he had dragged the other out of his comfort zone and out to sea knowing full well of the fears that plagued them both. as theo's eyes glanced to the ground it was noel's voice that brought his attention back, reassuring him with the little comment made towards the reasoning behind his gestured hand.

his expression shifted, feigning shock at the accusation being placed on him. “wow, i would never.” theo gasped, doing his best to sound as appalled as possible. he and noel both knew full well that something like that just screamed theo -- and noel wasn’t completely wrong. though, this time around, he had meant it as a gesture of kindness than flirtation. “you know, if i wasn’t such a good person i’d be absolutely offended. but, i am so i forgive you.”

the firm grip took theo by surprise, however he quickly took hold of the other, only to pause as the other made a scene. his eyes narrowed slightly, watching as noel leaned his body against him to the point where he had to adjust his weight to keep them both from falling over on the deck. “why do you have to be like this?” theo murmured, keeping his amusement at bay for now. he leans his body against noels, doing his best to keep the boy standing straight while rolling his eyes as the thought of them both slipping and falling to the ground entered his mind. “if you don’t stop it i’ll carry you instead,” theo starts, grinning as the idea pushes away any other thoughts. “you can pretend to be my wife and i’ll bring you to bed so i can take care of you properly.” that should do it.

as funny as his friend could be, theo couldn’t help but eye the boy leaning against him, silently judging him for the accusation. while the idea of using this as some excuse to hold the other's hand seemed like something theo would do, this time around he had meant it as a much kinder gesture. though, now he was regretting it. maybe that was why he said what he had, knowing full well the extent of his threat and how noel would react to it. they both understood that if noel slipped theo would happily obliged and pick him up as he said; though, the boy wasn’t going to let him get what he wants easily.

he feels noels weight leave his side, allowing him to straighten himself properly as he watches noel look in his direction. the question and remark that falls from his lips leave theos smile faltering under the pressure noel so easily places on him. everything about those words were rhetorical yet still demanding some sort of answer. theo understood the meaning behind noels posture, his words -- his threat. say the wrong thing and get in trouble or, if he was smart enough, climb out of the hole he’d already dug for himself.

instinctively theo clears his throat, falling to silence before letting out a laugh that’s a little too nervous for his own good. one would think after so long theo would avoid situations like this; or at the least know what words to say to make noel forgive him. “uh, well …” theo starts, trying to quickly fill the silence he’d made for himself to buy some time. “hopefully something you’d like?” he doesn’t mean to question himself, but by the time the words come out it’s far too late to take them back.

“you know, if you wanted to pretend you were that weak then it’s only right for me to take care of you. get you things, make sure you’re comfortable,” theo's mind finds a open door and, like always, he runs for it, attempting to explain himself in a way that noel might deem correct. “you wouldn’t need to lift a finger because i’d do everything for you. need something to eat? i’d get it. something to drink? of course.” his voice drops for a moment. he knows he shouldn’t say what came to mind; but like so many times before theo can’t find the ability to bite his words back. “if you need company through the night and someone to sleep with, well … it’d just be rude if i didn’t.”

one would have thought that over the time they’d known each other that theo would have been able to stop himself from falling into the same holes he dug himself day after day. however, whenever he was around noel it happened naturally. there was something about the way noel talked and, simply, how comfortable he felt around him that caused theos words to fall with ease. so much so that the same words and floods of compliments usually came back to haunt him, dragging him down as the other retorted until he was left to stand there, silent and submissive until the next passing comment came to mind. it was the same even now -- and as noel began to speak, listing out just a few of the things he’d done for him, theo was left to stand there, silent and biting at his lip.

nothing that was said had been a lie. his tendency to burn food had quickly caused theo to give up any attempts to cook anything complex and outside his range of understanding. for example, anything that required him to use his stove rather than a microwave. “i don’t burn … everything.” theo lied, knowing full well that he was stretching the truth rather thin. “and i helped you clean, so don’t act like i didn’t.” that hadn’t been a complete lie, though he can recall making sexual comments towards noel more than he had cleaned the counters. hopefully noel didn’t remember that.

he’s about to plead his case more when he feels the lurch of the shift, his hand finding the railing for balance. it’s the screams that fill the boat that his he hears, drowning out whatever else around them -- yet, despite it all, theos eyes are focused on noel and the nervous pitch in his tone as he talks. “hey,” he starts, pulling his hand away from the railing with more force than he had thought it’d take. there was fear in his eyes for a brief moment, scared of the unknown the monsters brought with them as they came from the depths of the ocean and onto the boat. but as his hands found noel's face, cupping it to bring his focus to him, theo let that fear fall back so the other couldn’t see. “it’s fine. we’re fine… i promise.”

there’s a small smile on his face, doing his best to ease the tension he knows is growing inside noel. “we need to go kill those things. it’s just you’re average monsters, no big deal. especially for my virtue, right?” he lets his tone be as playful as possible, glancing back behind noel to make sure they were okay before focusing back on the boy still in his hands. “we got this. it’ll be a piece of cake, than after we’re done i’m going to like a word with you over the very rude things you said to me.” his hands linger against noels cheeks for a moment longer than they should, brushing against them as theo drops his arms back to his side. “you can make it up to me by letting me carry you to the bed, and from there we can figure out something else. you know, details we can talk about while we’re laying there.”

theo understood the fear he saw etched so deeply into noel's expression, or at least he liked to believe he did. he knew the hesitance that came with dangerous situations and hard acceptance that this video game could end either of their lives in an instance. but, just as he did when they had been told they’d be stuck in this game, theo quickly understood his role to protect noel from what triggered his anxiety. over time he had been able to work the other out of his troubles and, gradually, watched as he became more of himself in this strange world. but to survive they had to be stronger, and to do so it meant theo dragging noel out past the safe haven of the towns --

so when that fear struck again theo was ready to bring noel back as best he could. he had the utmost confidence in the other, even if this was their first, official fight. to theo there was nothing noel couldn’t set his mind to -- it just took a small push in the right direction to get the other going. hopefully, he could be that for noel. the smile, while hesitant, was what he needed to see, and theo quickly returned it with a far more confident one of his own. he wanted the other to feel at ease and the false bravado helped trick his mind from worrying about the looming possibility of death on their shoulders.

“aww, sweetheart. you’re going to regret that bet.” theo mused, watching the other retrieve their weapon -- ignoring the flutter of excitement as he did the same. it comes to a surprise how little theo has his weapon out, and the presence of the beads around his neck felt odd. tentatively his fingers went out to touch the weapon, tracing against the simple pattern adorned on each one as he listened to noel speak. he’s unable to speak the words that fell onto his tongue, cut off by a loud, animalistic sound. it hid the sound of loud steps, a creature on two legs -- scaled and dripping water -- attempting to follow the fleeing npcs to wherever they hid. it stopped a few feet before them, head tilted in confusion before it raised it arm, pointing its weapon towards them before letting out another screech.

instinct was strange. in the same moment the creature had stopped so did theo, eyes watching the odd monster come forth, an echo of however many more of these things hide below sounding off amongst the screams. it was only when the creature pointed its weapon towards them that theos finger lifted, sending one of the beads from his rosary out onto the creature; embedding itself into its body as it screamed. “i’ll target anything else that comes up, so go crazy.” theo starts, hesitating for a moment after the words fall from his tongue. “be safe too. i don’t mind taking care of you, but i’d rather not see my little house wife get hurt.”

theo understands that his short comment regarding noel's ‘favorite’ nickname of his being said wasn’t in the least bit needed. however, their game is far too tempting to ignore even in the worst of moments and, during a time like this, face to face with a monster, theo needed that sense of light-hearted familiarity to ease his nerves. his eyes were still trained on the screeching beast in front of them, eyeing it with caution and a fear that, if he chose to look away for too long, it’d all be over for them. however in the periphery of his vision theo notices the motion of the other turn and, despite the haunting thought that scraped its claws through his veins, he couldn’t help but be pulled into noel's presence. despite the danger -- the fear and worry -- he was, and always had been,weak against him.

their eyes caught for a second -- turning into a dragged out moment that theo thought wouldn’t end but rather return them to a simpler time just a few minutes ago. that their game would continue, uninterrupted by the creatures causing havoc around them. but the scream came and with it their attention was torn apart. instinct told theo to brace himself; to shove noel behind him to protect the other from what was to come -- but noel never needed protection and this time was no different. from behind all theo could do was watch as noel attacked the creature, and as the fight continued he continued to glance at the others health before back. it was only when the monster's body shattered into pixels against the hard flood of the ship did theo realize he’d stopped breathing, caught in awe at the others victory.

his smile matched noels once the other turned around the cheer, and with it theo laughed -- breathless and half-caught in his throat as he pushed his feet off the ground to move towards noel. he could feel noels passive take effect, quickening his pace until he arrived beside noel at a startling speed, ignored by the excitement that ran through his blood from watching the others display of power. his hands found noels, grabbing hold of them by the wrist without warning, pulling the other near him in a small twirl. that smile hadn’t left his lips and, just as before, his eyes couldn’t leave noel even if he tried.

“you were amazing!” he started, voice too loud for the situation they were in; but he was far too caught up in their victory to realize. “i don’t think you understand how cool you looked.” there was so much more he wanted to say and, as theo opened his mouth to let loose the flood of compliments hanging from his tongue another screech ripped through the noise around them. his grip loosened, his eyes finally being pulled to the distant shapes of two more creatures making their way clumsily up the stairs to where they stood. before noel could move out of range theo turned again to look at noel, smiling the same, wide smile he had when first running up to him. “let me give you something fun this time,” theo started, grabbing one of the beads around his neck and pulling it from the invisible cord that kept the others together. with it in his grasp theo pressed it against noels javelin, pushing down with little force to ease the bead into the weapon until it was gone. “try this.”

7/10

ACTIVE SKILL
ELEMENTALIST INTENT
fire: every basic attack is given a burn effect, dealing additional damage to the target over time.