Ashtarte

Ears twitching at thundering footsteps Cleo observed in silence the large band of knights residing in armor Fion also supported. Rustling of clothing and the clanging of their armor ceased once they had come to a halt in front of the destroyed house. A few moments speedily passed where absolutely nothing transpired until one of the knights shouted what sounded like a command. "Part for the Commander!"

The soldiers, faces void of emotion, shuffled in two different directions ensuring there had been an established path. Confidently walking along the created path seemed to be a tall - he'd say 5'10 - woman dressed in a peculiar silver uniform fit for high rank. Her face was partially obscured by a black-and-white masquerade mask but her cold dead grey eyes shone through.

Those eyes, though passing over him like he was a mere bug, caused Cleo to shiver and his stomach to flip in a sickly manner. Unable to handle meeting eye contact he shifted his attention down at the ground. Wrapping his arms around himself in an effort to both comfort and push locked memories away, his hands squeezed tightly around his skin in hopes pain followed.

Only to realize he was currently residing in a virtual world thus he felt no pain.

"Private Fion!" Her loud commanding voice devoid of emotion just her eyes set off another shiver. His eyes slipped closed tightly squeezing them in hopes he could will those rising memories.

"Right here, ma'am!" He faintly picked up Fion's response, however, without knowing his reply further merged the line between virtual and memories.

Feeling the air around him practically shift, he peeked one of his eyes open. At his surroundings and his position - curling up into a ball in the corner of his bed - his eyes flew open. Breathing quickening, he searched desperately around him unknowingly reenacting the exact scene he packed away and had thrown in the trash. His desperate searching halted in the face of an angry woman bursting open the door. Her face was shadowed and her words muffled but his body acted on instinct, remembering each and every tiny little detail.

Suddenly he jolted back from his memory with a hand gripping his upper arms. It was Fion - who stood in front of him eyes filled with worry. "Hey! Kid? Can you hear me?" Slowly nodding his head Fion slumped forward a tiny bit releasing a sigh. "Good, you scared me, kid."

"Private Fion."

Fion unhanded him swiftly, turning to salute his commander. "Yes, Commander Imyra?"

"Why is it that you are touching that filthy creature?"

"Huh…? Do you mean the kid?" Eyes flitting between his commander and Cleo, he expressed his confusion with his question.

"Yes. That is a vampire child."

Eyebrows furrowing at the information he observed Cleo for a whole minute before responding to his commander. "So?"

{ FION's FRIENDSHIP LEVEL HAS LEVELED UP. YOU GUYS ARE NOW LOYAL FRIENDS }

(This woman is rude! If I could I would hit her with a stick! (ง'̀-'́)ง)

(And I'd join in.)

(GASP! The great Ester would!?)

(Yes now shush.)

Commander Imayra's voice grew sharp and colder than it had already been, seemingly shifting the air around them. The air grew suffocating that almost everyone there was choking. "Private Fion. You should know the stance we withhold. I implore you to think over this decision extremely seriously."

Shrugging his shoulders, "I don't need to think about anything." he smirked which seemed to wholeheartedly annoy Commander Imayra.

"I see. In which case, both of you are now banned from Helda City. And no you will not have any opportunity to retrieve your items." With a flourish of her imaginary cloak, she turns around and hurriedly walks away in the direction they had come from.

(Dramatic woman. Everything about this is so dramatic.)

"Fine by me," Fion replied - probably feeling the need to have the last word.

****

CLICK!

Shutting permanently for the two of them, their gaze at the large wooden gates as they click shut. Whilst Fion mumbled to himself standing off to the side of him Cleo fumbled messily through everything that happened.

His lips parted as she spoke aloud a question currently conquering any other thought. "Is being a vampire bad?" His attention moved to Fion who froze. Cleo observed the many emotions that flickered upon his face before the other finally managed to form a reply.

"Being a vampire isn't bad per se…it's more like humanity hates each and every one of them for something that happened in the past." Fion shook his head expressing his utter disappointment. "Some humans find it hard to let go of the past. Some can't let go of their future. And some just…don't even try. We are all a mixed bag, which can get pretty confusing, but there are some of us who don't care."

Cleo understood the words that left his lips - because in real life he was a human who held on tightly to his past. Such a tight grip that if you were to exchange such a thing with a person they'd die from choking.

He was also someone who doesn't even try.

Tilting his head and releasing a small hum, Cleo spotted something bright red in the corner of his eye accompanied by various other colors such as purple.

Before they were both interrupted Cleo felt the need to ask Fion one last question. Ruby-red eyes narrowed in seriousness, "Are you a player?" he asked.

"Am I a player? Huh? Do you mean, uh, hooking up with a lot of ladies?" Scratching his head sheepishly at Cleo's sudden off-handed question, he couldn't help a small blush form on his cheeks in embarrassment. "Nah. I'm a loyal guy."

'Seems he isn't a fellow player. That's a bit strange.' Cleo frowned.

"CLEO!!!"

Quite a familiar voice cried out practically shattering his precious eardrums.

(Pfft. Imagine if blood started dripping out of his ears HAHAAHA (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ)

"Shut up bastard," Cleo hissed out glaring at the redhead who wandered up to both him and Fion. His brother Ash, known as Ashtarte in-game, was accompanied by a small party of three other people who Cleo took no note of. Rather, his eyes roamed over his brother's avatar curiously - as he tended to be very weird with his chosen game avatars with a creator involved.

Going through his ear and out the other, the insult was rendered into a paste. Ash instead set his focus on Cleo's tiny little avatar. "Oh my god! You're so small! Why did you choose the height of a child?"

Feeling mortified at the providing of fuel for his brother, Cleo pouted childishly, turning his head away. "I didn't, it was chosen for me."

"What do you mean?"