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[For a moment, he sort of just blinks at Cedrik when posed with this extremely unusual question. Thinking about how he looks really… The idea of someone earnestly asking a haunt like him to… play games and have fun.

Smiling no less.

It feels cruel almost to reject the offer. But also. CEDRIK!!]

You should have Sakura or Aspen check your injuries.

[He will not ignore this little thing that he has done to another person.]

[ His arms drop back down and his smile shifts from hopeful to exasperated. With himself, not D. D is only being a good friend, reminding Cedrik to take care of himself rather than continue being stubborn, he can't fault him for that. ]

You have the right of it, as always...

[ Not that he'll give up on the idea so easily. ]

...so, afterwards?

[ Fun and games could do a 'haunt' like D some good! Cedrik is convinced of this! And it's probably better than the duel idea, though that is absolutely something Cedrik would like to try, as soon as he can get a real weapon. ]

[...

Cedrik is not going to give up on the companionship, D realizes. Please feel him metaphorically rubbing the sockets of his eyes with a few fingers, but in a fondly exasperated sort of way.

He really could just say no thank you. He's very good at being curt when he needs to be. Though it's usually with people grating his nerves or getting in the way.]

I'll meet you afterward.

[HE DOES NOT AGREE TO PLAY ANYTHING!! He only said he would join...]

[ Cedrik never gives up. ]

We have a bargain!

[ And he'll hold out a hand towards D to seal the deal.

Just wait until Cedrik realizes that there are prizes. Even if D doesn't play he may still end up with a souvenir. ]

[How does he get roped into these things…? Ok.

His eyes settle on the extended hand. He glances up at Cedrik, then down again. Hesitation keeps him fro reaching out immediately. Maybe he’s thinking of the innocent rabbit he tore into as a starved child.

Maybe he’s just thinking about the suffering her put on Cedrik earlier when he couldn’t control the equally hungry Shadow inside himself.

Slowly, he finally stretches out his surprisingly warm hand and takes Cedrik’s own.]

[ ...D does know what a handshake is, right? Maybe he should have gone for a fist bump instead?

In truth, Cedrik can make a good guess at why D is hesitant. Even if it was hissing nonsense back in the maze, his Shadow was sort of right about one thing. This is something D has avoided for a long, long time...Cedrik doesn't believe that he still needs to, but that doesn't magically make it easy to do.

So he is patient, his smile softening into something gentler, until D finally takes his hand. The warmth brings a memory to mind: recent, of a young girl's voice.

'May we please be friends?'

Cedrik chuckles quietly. ]

Thank you.

[ For trusting him.

He squeezes D's hand and gives it a firm shake! Back to the brighter present and away from the bittersweet past. ]

I'll not be long. Meet me back here?

[Nooo, don't thank him. He doesn't understand. Well, he understands why, but not why. He has done nothing on this night except torment Cedrik horribly in a corn maze, and now he must worry it will happen again. That, one day, he may actually kill (again?) Cedrik.

Politely, he returns the handshake with a firm one of his own. It belies a physical strength he seems to be keeping strictly in check.]

Mm. If either of them think you should rest, don't come back.

[This would only fall on deaf rabbit ears, he knows. Cedrik would come back anyway.]

[ Cedrik has an idea of how strong D is, now. The trouble is that D has yet to learn the same of Cedrik. Clearly, as soon as that's fixed, D won't need to worry so much.

Though D has figured out a good deal about Cedrik already, since he's already guessed the man's opinion on going home to rest. He clicks his tongue, waving a hand at the very idea. ]

Tsk! If they suggest it, I will send word. Leaving you here to guess at whether or not I'm coming is just cruel.

[ The wounds are minor, barely more than scratches. If he finds a healer out there who honestly thinks to go and have a lie down over them...he'll find another healer. Okay maybe he also was slammed into the ground pretty hard, but that just winded him for a bit! He's been knocked around far worse. ]

[CEDRIK.

There isn't anything D can do about this, so he does nothing.] Alright. [He isn't sure how to say he doesn't mind standing around for whatever length of time since, to him, time moves differently. Or did. Even a day is a drop in the bucket for someone like him.

He'd really just stand out here waiting, and once it had been too long, he'd leave.]

Tell them I will pay them for the trouble.

[He's the one who caused it...]

[ Poor D. There are ways to convince Cedrik to stop being stupid...unfortunately, those that know them best are all still alive. The closest one could get would require going through Cedrik's Door.

Cedrik smiles and waves D a (temporary) fare well. ]

I shall. See you shortly!

[ And in this case he will keep his word. Unless he comes to suspect that doing so would land D in hot water. In which case it was all a bizarre accident and Cedrik has no idea who the culprit was. Not that there was a culprit.

...

So he'll probably keep his word.

And off he trots, with every intention of returning as fast as he's able. ]

[Thinks about Sakura and starts sweating a lot. Oh n.

It'll... be fine. While he doesn't want anyone to know about this incident, he is fully ready to accept the consequences of his actions. It can't be as bad as whatever punishment awaits him for going along with Laurent at the Parliament House where a guard was killed. Wow.

There is nowhere for D to go, and he doesn't care for taking another trip through the maze. So he walks from where Cedrik leaves him on toward where Cedrik will meet him, haunting a different place instead.

And he really does stand there not unlike a statue, waiting. Doing so doesn't bother him. If anything, he spends time watching other people come and go, do their things. The croaking voice from his left hand, after some silence, starts heckling him gently, then giving him scolding warnings like he's a child; D doesn't really respond much to either.

But then at length they manage to amicably discuss the Shadow. Shocking.]

[ Ultimately Cedrik returns, though it takes more time than he'd have liked. Granted, any amount of time is more than he'd have liked... Sakura was thorough but he's sure he managed to get through it all without getting D in trouble. She also asked that he return for a 'check-up' in a few days which he'll probably remember.

For now he's just glad to find D right where they agreed to meet. Cedrik strides up, his bandaged arms covered under a changed shirt, all evidence of that ugly business in the maze properly cleaned up so it can be put behind them. ]

There, all is well now, see? [ He holds open his arms, a teasing smile on his face. ] You've naught to worry over, D.

[Hoping Sakura kicks his ass later (no). Maybe he will be in Netherworld jail later because Laurent is insane.

His eyes immediately drop from Cedrik's face to Cedrik's torso and arms when the man comes trotting up again. He scrutinizes not the work but the truth of whether or not Cedrik went to get help. Even if he can't see much, he can smell the assistance and the lack of blood. Okay, good.]

Are you well enough to be playing games?

[The only reason he isn't satisfied is because it had happened at all. This is what happens when you're so rigid about self control, then lose it.]

They all look more relaxing than anything strenuous, and Sakura does good work. I feel fine.

[ His gaze sweeps over the long row of stalls. Most of them are unfamiliar but can be figured out at a glance. Some others look to be straight from the Gold Saucer with a different, sloppier coat of paint. There'd been something about being careful to avoid re-opening the cuts...so, all right, he can pick the less physically taxing ones if it will help put his friend at ease. ]

...if that changes, I will admit as much and we'll go from there. You have my word.

[ He gives it because he's positive that he'll continue to feel fine for the rest of the night, of course. ]

[When Cedrik turns away to look at the stalls, D continues to watch the other man quietly. He won't argue. None of it is really Cedrik's fault anyway. D is angry at himself.

In a way, he'd rather hole himself away for a time.

Finally, he follows Cedrik's eyes to the stalls. There's luckily a hodge-podge of games, and they aren't stuck doing a bunch of physical ones. Well. Cedrik isn't anyway.]

Choose one.

[ There will be no holing for D, at least not for the immediate future, not if Cedrik has anything to say about it. Clearly, if Cedrik is simply 'okay' for long enough, D will believe it's true and forgive himself as Cedrik has.

That's his logic and he's sticking to it. ]

This way, all the interesting ones are further along.

[ Along the row there are a few that draw Cedrik's eye. One looks like the Crystal Tower Striker and another take on Cuff-a-Cur, both very tempting. But they would most certainly break the 'nothing strenuous' rule so he moves on.

He'll come back to try those later.

Finally he comes to stop before a miniature shooting gallery. Well-worn toy rifles line the booth while cartoon monsters with targets painted on their chests move back and forth on hidden conveyors. Every so often a 'reaper' swoops down from an opening in the ceiling, much faster than the other targets. A sign confirms it: hit the reaper to win the grand prize.

Cedrik looks back up at D. ]

What do you make of this one?

[Quietly (as usual), he walks with Cedrik along the stalls, pace unhurried. His eyes flick over them, but none ever really snatch enough of his attention to pay them more than a glance. He is truly so indifferent to having fun because it's not something he's ever taken the time to do.

For clear reasons.

He stops by Cedrik's side at the shooting gallery. The pretend guns receive a cursory look before he peers at the object of the game as it goes along. Hm. He is honestly more of a sword man, but okay.]

Are you challenging me?

[Will this be a duel now, Cedrik...?]

[ Cedrik honestly only had fun in mind, but the moment D asks if it's a challenge...

Something sparks in the warrior's eyes. ]

Well now I am.

[ Has he ever used a rifle before? No, but he used to practice archery. It's the same principle, right? Though it's also been decades...

The point is, as a fellow sword man, this could end up an actual even match.

On the other side of the booth, the Restless barker eyes the two men and feels suddenly nervous. More so when Cedrik marches right up and takes his position, looking back at D with a fierce grin. ]

[Will it be an even match…

He glances from Cedrik to the Restless manning this poor stand, and then he follows Cedrik quietly up to the edge.

From beneath his cloak, he produces six coins and sweeps them onto the top of the counter; three for him and three for Cedrik. When he takes up the rifle, he doesn’t pause to look it over, and doesn’t hesitate with uncertainty as it rises to notch against the front of his shoulder. He doesn’t lift it to look down the barrel, though, instead holding the end pointed at the counter.

Waiting.]

[ ...maybe not so even.

The guns Cedrik has seen the most of were all gunblades, all single handed weapons. Blessedly, he does not follow his first instinct to hold the rifle in front of him like he would if he were borrowing it from Thancred. The stock isn't shaped for it, it has to be cradled in both hands.

...Cedrik gives D a side-long look and quietly mimics his stance.

The Restless reaches out quickly, sweeping the coins off the counter and darting back out of the way. ]

"Three coins for five shots...you have one minute after the bell...if you don't take all five before it rings again, you forfeit the rest!"

[ Cedrik focuses his gaze on the range, adjusting his grip. He tenses...

The bell rings. ]

[The obnoxious camouflage of looking like you walked out of a medieval fantasy world, but really it's just 12,090 of Earth's future.

D is very conscious about having a fair duel. When it comes to fighting, that is. If people challenge him, he doesn't mind, he quite likes it, but he wants it to be equal. There are a lot of things about him that aren't fair at all. And this isn't equal, he thinks. This is a lot like the games he plays when ignorant humans challenge him to things they'll never win, like drinking.

Not that Cedrik is ignorant, nor that Cedrik won't possibly surprise him.

There's no way for him to turn off the senses he's gained from being a vampire. Even when the bell rings, D doesn't lift the rifle. Through the cacophony of noise around them and the noise from the stall, he listens for the sound of the mechanisms hidden away. His eyes stare, unfocused, at the lines where targeted monsters clink back and forth, passing him by. He waits like this, patiently, silently, for several long moments as if he's forgotten what he was even doing.]

...

[ In contrast, Cedrik snaps into motion. The rifle is lifted up, instinct helping him find the sights and stare down them, both eyes open. It's been decades...but he remembers being taught how to hold a bow, how to look past the wood and arrowhead, how to see where it will fly and where it will land.

That's his first mistake. The memory tells him to aim higher, and with his first shot he misses the back targets completely, the pellet thumping against heavy canvas instead.

There's no drop off, of course. Cedrik clicks his tongue and adjusts to try again. ]

...

[ Distantly, he's aware that D hasn't taken a shot, that he hasn't even moved. Cedrik hopes that doesn't mean he's throwing...no, D wouldn't do that. He'd better not be.

Cedrik's second shot hits. A toothy basilisk drops down from the middle row, though it was a near thing. Another adjustment and Cedrik has it. He's always been a quick learner, especially with weapons...which thankfully includes toy versions of them.

Third shot, a harpy in the back row drops. Fourth shot, another. The fifth...Cedrik holds it, adjusting his aim higher up. The reaper will swing down once before the bell rings again. He could take the safer bet and go for the target's he's proven he can reliably hit.

He's taking the risk. ]

[Cedrik continues to shoot the targets and is actually quite good at it. D keeps waiting. The Restless manning the stall finds D crazy, but also an easy money maker. Imagine losing all of the shots by not playing? After paying? Thanks.

Another, larger set of gears begin to click over the continuous sound of what's already running. He can hear them grinding. Suddenly and all at once, D's eyes refocus, and he swiftly lifts the rifle up to his shoulder without making the movements jerky. He pauses for only a second, then he fires.

The pellet springs out to hit the reaper right as it swings down and into view. Cedrik is free to also attempt a shot before it gets knocked backward. Carefully, D lowers the rifle, pulling the lever forward to roll another pellet in the chamber. Then he places the rifle down again on the counter.]

[ Cedrik's got a set of ears on him as well--but he's not used to the ruckus all those mechanisms are causing. It's hard for him to pick them apart from one another. If he had enough time he could star learning the differences but 'less than a minute' is not quite enough to figure it out.

Instead it's D that Cedrik notices first, hearing the cloak move and seeing the rifle lift up from the corner of his eye, it's just enough to tell him what the dhampir is aiming for. The reaper. That has to be it.

Cedrik sees it drop and squeezes the trigger. It fires almost in sync with D's--almost. His own pellet zips through the air, just missing the target as it swings back out of sight. No luck. ]

Damn that's fast!

[ Cedrik lowers the rifle and he's laughing, the thrill lingering even though he's lost. D's good! But with practice, perhaps...?

Zenos was absolutely wrong about the Warrior of Light, by the way. Completely and utterly incorrect in his assessment. ]

[HELP not zenos with bad takes.

Without saying anything yet, D lifts a hand and points at one of the prizes hanging above them. It takes the Restless a moment to get recollected after the wild shot, but they finally step up to retrieve the prize.

As soon as D gets it, he turns and offers it out to Cedrik: a simple, foam broadsword. Black. Looks kind of like Guts' sword really.]

...It wasn't a fair challenge.

[If he's anything, it's honest.]

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