Closed Under Pressure

[Ricky Maze]

Under Pressure
Spring 12, 513 AV; 14th Bell

Ricky tried his best to keep his cool, he had been in a panic all day because of what he heard. Just today the word had been spread to the other officers of the town, and Ricky was to keep a sharp eye out for a dangerous man who was believed to have red eyes. Ironically he had already seen this man many times before, as a matter of fact knew him off hand. The idea that he was responsible for such crines was beyond Ricky, Valo was a sort of man who'd never hurt another soul.

That's why he was on his way to the his friend's place, to check in with him while he was on break. Valo had little places to be out in the daylight, unless of course he was invited to meet with Ricky. Yet this visit the guard was about to make would be unexpected, a surprise to be had as the artist would find a flustered Ricky dressed in the azure uniform he was proud to have.

The day was late in the noon and while Ricky was on his break he saw it as an opportunity to confirm if what he heard was true. From there his mind drew a big fat blank of course, as he had no idea what he would do should the rumors be true. 'Petch them, Valo is innocent. I know he is, he's gotta be.' If only the arguement was as convincing in his heart as it was his mind, he would soon find out though whether if Valo was this man or not. Very soon. Ricky arrived at Valo's door with a peer to the left and right, not a soul seemed to be around for the moment. With a couple good knocks, the guard waited until Valo would answer the door.

[Valo]

There was so very little that the artist would commit to these days, apart from of course art. The needlessness of sleep proved a blessing to him like any other. Needlessness of food provided him with freedom. Perhaps he was not yet the butterfly who shed his mortal coils for the promise of flight in his metamorphosis. Still that remoteness from mortality was the equivalent of one wonderful thing. Art was no longer a struggle for money in which he'd lay his very passion to hatred for the disenchantment of work he created. Alas art was blissful enjoyment and love once more. It was a knowledge to which he'd commit, much in the way of Sahova's mages who committed to the arts of magic. Soon, very soon he would become Mizahar's greatest artist.

A bang on the door had ripped Valo from his occupation at the early hours of the afternoon. A visit unexpected and truthfully he was hardly in the state to welcome guests. Well apart from the nakedness of his chest - for he simply could not bear to accidentally end up with paint stains on his beautiful clothes - and the genuine trait of an undead man which now bore no disguise; suffice to say the man's home was a complete and incredible entropy, for simply chaos was a word that bore hardly enough magnitude in reference to the state of the place. Thus Valo would think twice before blatantly opening the door to the visitor. The little wrist knife at hand, a weapon which he'd grown so very fond of. A readiness to investigate. A shirt quickly pulled over his back.

Much to his repose, no other soul but Ricky had come its way to his door step and with an initial relaxation - a moment to compose a manifestation of the joy, to see his dear friend once again, upon his face for such joy was now apparent - Valo opened the door to welcome the bear inside. A brief absence of thought, having forgotten to button up that shirt which was now languishingly draped over his form, leaving that most terrible of scars which crowned his otherwise beautiful chest. A scar which would not easily be missed for it twisted grotesquely upon his flesh.

[Ricky Maze]

There was a moment of satisfaction for Ricky when the door came open, yet when Ricky looked upon the scars the artist bore upon the chest his mind lost the entire train of thought it had assembled. There was great sympathetic understanding in how much pain Valo had to have suffered, thus it led to the idea of hunting down Hound once again for bringing this state of being upon his fared friend.

Ricky's face was slightly flushed from frustration plus the recollection of anger from before, and his eyes showed the sign of exhaustion as the recent days added to the number of testative trials. One would think the guard was constantly tired from stessing himself out so much, but for Ricky life was only getting exciting now. Apart from the present issue at hand. "Can we talk lad? I've the need to speak with ya about recent events."

In light of recent events Ricky imagined that Valo would like to know what all has happened, thus Ricky found that it wouldn't hurt to indulge the artist really. That would be after they were in the comfort of a secure area where only they would hear their conversation. For some reason Ricky lately was developing a sort of paranoia, as if someone was always watching him.

[Valo]

Exhaustion was apparent upon about Ricky's eyes as the artist took a moment to pay attention to the detail of Ricky's expression. The word's having worried him substantially. Talk? Talk of events? Oh this couldn't mean... could it?
"By all means." replied the artist, still up keeping that light heartedness within him to a certain extent.

Though every fibre in his still body screamed at him that he will not like what was about to happen. Perhaps for now it was better to keep the illusion of cluelessness, innocent calmness and politeness, the same Valo he had always been. The same Valo whom Ricky knew well. The man spoken of to have a heart of gold and an impossibility of ill intent. A pleasant tranquillity about his expression as he fussed about the cottage for a moment, clearing up enough space for the fisherman to make himself comfortable upon the one singular chair which loitered within the interior. Only then had he propped himself up against the table opposite, slender fingers working meticulously to button up his shirt, taking no notice of the scarring as if the wretched thing wasn't there at all.

"Enlighten me, my friend. What are these events you speak of?" he finally said with the very gentle suggestion of a comforting smile. A gesture for Ricky to sit. "And do excuse the state of my home. As you can imagine I don't usually have the pleasure of such company. It is a lonely existence, that of an artist."

As was always the case, Valo's eyes lay upon his friend with no aversion. It was perhaps a habit of his, to stare so blatantly upon someone when spoken to. For it were the eyes of an artist who observed everything and everyone utmost constantly. And he did see that tiredness about Ricky. A gentler recession of flesh, forming lines there which otherwise didn't exist. A darker purple tone which lingered in that area naturally anyway, and such was the case with every human being, yet this time it had been so much more prominent within the sailor. A gentle drooping of the corners, so very marginal yet Valo had looked to his friends so many times that Ricky's appearance was memorised and there was definitely difference there. The difference he saw and took note of, for perhaps he was about to simply lie to Ricky as if truth no longer existed in this world, the man was still his best friend and he had so very much care for the wave guard who's face he now saw gently flushed in a convolution of emotion painted upon his face.

A note too of Ricky's Wave guard uniform and the evenly died navy material it was made from. As if painted on the canvas of the world, so pristine was it's condition. Thus the artist couldn't help but wander all the more, what was the purpose of this visit. and in this wondering perhaps he already knew. There was no way that, living in Zeltiva as he did and being a Wave Guard as he was, Ricky would not hear of the monster of East Street as they named him. By now he would very well be aware of the red eyed man that was hunted for atrocious deeds. And there was only one man who;s eyes were red that still lingered in the city and that man was non other than Valo himself. He knew what was about to come. Did you kill those people Valo? Was it your hand who struck them? And an answer was already present in the artist's thought... and a prayer on his mind, that Ricky was not to stumble into the other room where laid on the bed were his tools of the dark deeds which he had spent the morning cleaning.

[Ricky Maze]

Ricky took the seat with a polite nod of appreciation, he made sure to not plomp down as the manner would ruin the cushion. Ricky relaxed as the comfort the chair brought eased a bit of the tension he had, his attention became fully centered on Valo. "Aye lad, my place would be just as messy had I more stuff." Ricky admitted with a loose smile, were he not so stressed out with recent events then perhaps the smile would've came with little effort.

He wasn't sure how he could approach such a topic, truth be told Ricky wanted nothing to do with it period. Yet he was torn in two because of his disposition, both a friend and protector to the city, and therefore it was as if he were being forced to choose. Ricky valued his job highly, but Valo was an important person to him. Should the suspicions prove to be true, then Ricky would truly be lost on what to say or think. Such a loss was somethinf he had ti prepare for, and if Valo was observant to watch Ricky's features; he would see that the guard was definitely trying to find the ability to cope with this.

'Argh! I can't just come out with this and expect an easy answer... maybe if I ease in to the topic.' He thought hard as a rub on the side of his heas showed this, his expression a more troubled one now. "Well lad I've not a memory of what happened that night after ya left. Hannah, Tel, and I played a drinkin game and from there my mind draws a blank. The next thing I know I have no clothes on, and Hannah apparently left the city." He confided in hope that some of the stress would lift, which it did a little. When it came to sharing things with close friends Ricky had found that everything else came easier, a lesson well learned after last season's tough time. He wondered what Valo thought now, if the artist could tell whether or not Ricky felt stressed. The memory that he had yet to recall hardly was the bother for him, what he really stressed over was the murderer the guard was after. Never before had the thought of two important things becoming a choice would fluster him so much, and Ricky still hadn't the answer on what to do yet.

Even though he had doubts it was Valo, the facts Ricky had spoke louder than anything else. He didn't even ask the question and he already felt he knew the answer to it, which made the subject seem all the more impossible to approach. He would have to give it a bit before hand, just speak with Valo and muster the courage to finally ask for the answer he subconciously knew. His heart only hoped that deep down his assumptions were wrong, so that he wouldn't feel both a job and friendship were at stake.

[Paragon]

Ricky

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Investigation	1
Interrogation	1

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Keeping Trust in Friends

Legend Becomes Reality

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