Tell a Story/Memory to the OC Below!

"No, of course not! You're not talking too much," En assured with a small smile. "I can understand what you mean with a depressing life, I didn't have a very good one myself. But I'm glad to know that you had help getting introduced to some friends, and even finding love in between! You should talk more about it, you shouldn't be ashamed or embarrassed! What more happened at the beach? Did you keep those seashells? What about Jasper? Are you two a couple yet?" He leaned in. "Believe me, my daughter talks my ear off everyday with her love stories. I doubt you could talk more than her!" he laughed.

"When I was young, I was exiled, and because of that I travelled the world," the king recounted as he admired the stars. He noticed you sit besides him, but didn't seem to look at you. "I was a mess of emotions. One day I'd be happy, the next I'd be at my lowest. I never wanted to burden my friends, so I'd keep it to myself. But one day, I ran across a shrine. I wanted to go there for blessings and luck, and maybe to clear my mind, and there I met a young woman. She took care of the shrine and showed me everything about it. She looked distant and cold, and she didn't smile often, but the times she did, they were always so beautiful." He was quiet for a moment. "She helped me through a lot. I still have the charm she gave me. Well, I bought it off her, but still," he chuckled lightly, though his smile seemed sad. "It's pretty rare that a day passes I don't think about her."

The feline allowed her eyelashes to flutter as she listened to the white-haired figure speak.

"Ah, how lovely. It seems like you two are such a lovely pair," Saffron cooed, cocking her head and allowing her whiskers to twitch. Her head briefly shifted over to the sleeping toddler nested in the carriage.

"Keep that woman close to your heart, but keep that shrine closer. That's the thing that allowed you two to bond. Perhaps when you continue to express your curiosity, she'd probably open up to you as well?"

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Saffron squealed in excitement, gripping her fists together. She scooped up a tiny kitten and did a brief shuffle with her feet before approaching the second party.

"I'm gonna make my move today! Haven't I told you about him before? His name is Pumpkin Buttons...mmh, tall, scrappy, and handsome. I remember the first time I saw him at the bar. He mused me about the sea, and compared me to it. We spent the whole night talking to each other. Boy, does he have a way with words. Ooh, and Clyde is going to help me! Isn't that right, lil' guy?" she inquired to the gray kitten in her arms. He seemed more interested in his hand at the moment, gnawing at his fingers and letting out soft coos.

"Okay, so, here's my plan. We're gonna go on about our night—chill at the club, chat, dance. Ooh, but that's not it! I'm taking him to a walk in the park and I am taking him to my favorite hill. It's my turn to muse to him. Then, bam, I tell him my feelings, and I share every single detail that I love about him! And Clyde— Clyde will help me pop the question. I want to date Pumpkin so bad, and Clyde is such an important part to him. So...what do you think?"

Black silently listened to everything the cat was telling him. It sort of made him sad, in a way, because how the hell would he know what to do? He had only dated once in college, and that lasted for what, a week? Meanwhile, this cat was mad in love, and even already had a child. The child was actually really cute, and he'd occasionally smile down at the kitten named Clyde. He sincerely hoped that this would work out for her, because why wouldn't he hope for that? She seemed to be very excited for this, and he shouldn't be moping around about his own issues that didn't really matter when she was asking him questions... "Well, no, I don't believe that you've told me about this Pumpkin before." He glanced down for a moment, silently hoping that he wouldn't fuck this up too severely for her, "That plan sounds really nice, actually. I know I'd love it if someone asked me out like that. Nature can be beautiful, especially at night. And the compliments and the like sounds like a nice way to show what you mean, too, I suppose. And Clyde... Clyde will certainly be an asset to this, I imagine. Children have a way to people's hearts, at least for most." He shut his eyes for a moment, before reopening them and continuing, "I sincerely hope that this works out for you and Clyde. If it does, I hope you have a nice rest of your night together, and that everything works out in the future as well."

Black looked down at the ground, hesitant to talk about what was on his mind, before starting, "You know... When I was a little kid, I used to have this teddy bear. His name was Ivory, and he was this polar bear that had a cute little tuxedo on. I used to do everything with him. I'd eat with him, go to school with him, and when it was bedtime, I'd cuddle him until I fell asleep. He was my best friend, and a good one at that. He'd never get mad at me, he was always there for me when I needed him. One of my favorite memories with him was when we were adventuring outside because my parents weren't home and my babysitter had fallen asleep. We wandered into the woods and pretended we were lost on an island and were survivors of a boat wreck. I tried eating some leaves off of a tree like a dumbass, and I spat them out, but Ivory didn't judge my mistake. We had to do what we had to do! We were surviving, living and surviving... Until my babysitter found us, and had both of my parents tell me off on the phone. Damn, were they mad. Ivory wasn't mad at me, though, so I vented to him, and he understood." He seemed to get a little pensive as he continued, "... My parents took him away when I was 13, saying I was too old for a stuffed animal. I'm fairly certain they sold him or gave him away." Black certainly didn't want to admit that he still missed that teddy bear, even as a 25-year-old man who should have grown out of that, right?

Black silently nodded. "I guess it wasn't... But they really wanted me to be successful, so in their eyes, that meant taking Ivory away." He glanced down to the ground as soon as a dog was mentioned, silently listening as she explained her reasonings for the suggestion, and even offering to help him pick a dog. "Thank you, but... I'm not sure I would be able to take care of a dog, honestly. I can hardly take care of myself, how am I going to be able to take care of any animal if I either refuse or just flat-out forget that I need to eat or drink something that isn't coffee for once. Thank you, though, I appreciate that you want to help."

she smiled as she listened to him tell his story about ivory the polar bear. "that's so sweet!" she said when he was done. "it's really a shame that your parents got rid of him without your input. that's not very nice to you or to ivory!" she paused for a moment, thinking on what to say next.

"not sure if you want to hear this, but... would you consider getting a dog?" she asked thoughtfully, cocking her head to one side like a puppy trying to listen better. "i mean, a dog will love you the same way ivory did. the way you described your relationship with ivory reminded me of the unconditional love every dog has in it's heart. they listen well and will never judge you, and they forgive easily, too."

giggling, she added, "if you want, i can help you pick a dog. i know all there is to know about every dog breed under the sun!"

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sighing dreamily, she smiled wide. "a story or memory, you say?" she was quiet for a few long moments. "well... the only story or memory that comes to mind is my love story.

"i've known him since we were little kids. his life was so hard from the start, y'know? his brother had to raise him because their mom abandoned them, and lemme just tell you his brother was only ten. it makes me so sad... his brother was mom, dad, and big bro all at once. it really makes me appreciate my parents when i think about it." she paused for a moment, frowning a little, before continuing. "there was always something about him that drew me to him.

"i felt like even with all of his flaws, i'd never met someone so... perfect. even as we grew up, that never changed. i've always seen him as untouchable, and unstoppable, and overall just perfect." her eyes lit up speaking about this boy. "he was always chasing other girls though, which kinda hurt... but my mom told me to be patient. and patience paid off!!"

The teenager blinked slowly as he stared at the older woman. He listened intently as she regaled him about the origin of her relationship with her boyfriend, as well as his rocky start. It almost felt as if she were sharing a fairy tale with him; the teenager's former girlfriend had not been merciful to him, and he has been left worrying about a daughter that he longed to contribute to. The only thing the boy could voice was a grunt:

"Hmph."

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Aiden maintained his blank stare at the cup that sat in front of him. He maintained his focus on the bubbling carbonation, his expression remained uninterested. Then, he brought his lips up to the straw and sipped on his drink before lifting his head back up.

"I-I pet a goat once," the teenager suddenly muttered, unprompted.

"I-I was, uh, how old was I-I...four, mmmaybe five? A-anyways, I-I pat his stupid, little g-goat head and he rammed me-me-me down. Ssscared me-me-me shitless," the teenager stated before shifting his focus back to the cup.

^  |  Jacob chuckled as he listened to the android speak. "Holidays are fun, aren't they? I remember going to Florida once myself, with my wife and kids. The oceans there were very pretty; they look nicer than the ones where I live in New York. But, I wouldn't have ever guessed there would be so much ocean life in them too! It must be nice having a brother to tell you all sorts of cool facts." He couldn't help smiling as C caught himself thinking of the sea life and fumble a bit as he went back on track. Jacob felt at ease in C's excitement. He smiled again when he heard the giant duck toy's name. "Aww, Quackers is such a cute name!" Then upon hearing the accidental flipping of the duck, he took on a surprised expression, but then started laughing at the last thing he said. "If you think Florida's water is cold, then I wonder what you'd think about the ones up where I am!" 

___________

v  |  Jacob took a deep breath. "This one's one of my fondest memories," he started. "I was young then, around eleven years old, and my brother was a still cute little baby." His eyes had a faraway look as he recalled the scene.

"I was playing with Dally one day - oh, that's his name by the way, his name is Dallas- I think he might of... maybe almost a year old at the time. I was playing with him with some of the baby toys I managed to get. We were having a good time, he was making all sorts of cute baby noises,  and I was too, y'know, trying to communicate with him too in his way. " Jacob gave a little smile as he thought of his brother. 

"I think, at one point he had his arms up and was trying to reach something. I had a toy in my hand so I was asking him 'Do you want the toy? Would you like it?', something along those lines. Dally was babbling a string of baby words but when I paid closer attention to them, it sounded like he was saying the same two or three sounds over and over. So I said "Toy? Toy?" And held it up closer to him, but his little hands weren't grabbing it. Then,  listening again,  I realized his sounds, they were like..." 

Jacob hesitated a bit. "'Aah, oo, aah, obb'... ahaha, I tried." His face flushed a bit at trying to mimic the baby talk.

"But," he continued, " it was then I realized he was... he was trying to... say my name!" His voice started to hitch in his throat. "He was trying to say 'Jacob', so I put the toy down and asked him 'Me? You want...me? Jacob?' And his little arms started waving so much, so I picked him up and held him close to me. I told him 'I'm here, Jacob's here' and he started giggling so much! He was so cute!" Jacob's eyes looked glassy as he covered his mouth loosely with his hand. "I think that was one of the best days of my life, when he tried to say my name.  It made me feel really happy then. It still does, even now."

Jacob closed his eyes as he took another deep breath. His expression changed and looked as if he were in pain. "Y'know, I also feel kinda bad too," he said, his voice quiet. "I think of Dally trying to say my name much more fondly than when my own children were trying to call me 'dada'. I felt bad not being as excited for my kids than I was for my baby brother. But then again... I..." He voice trained off with a sigh, and a noticeable tear rolled down his cheek. "I miss him so much...."

He took in a sharp breath, his hand moving up to cover his eyes.  "I'm sorry... do you have a tissue?"

Taka leaned back in his seat, arms folded behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. This is weird, he thought to himself while half-listening to Jacob recount his memories with his baby brother. He wasn't even sure what lead to the two of them being here, all he knew was that he was hear listening to a guy call his baby brother Dally. Taka glanced over at Jacob when he tried to mimic baby talk, replying with an odd expression. Now it's weird, he thought. And it was lame! Lame as hell for a mob boss! What would someone like him want to know about babies?!
He was just about to vocalize it all when he noticed Jacob acting different. He looked over, spotting the watery look in his eyes and hearing his quiet comment. Taka pursed his lips. "I ain't got any brothers or sisters," he said. "So I ain't got a clue what you're goin' through. Not completely." He motioned to Jacob's face. "You're feelin' some intense grief. That's somethin' I can understand. Been in this job-- Hell, this life long enough, ya think ya get used to it but sure as hell don't. But... all that pain'n hurt on your face, I can still see some hope in them eyes. Kid's not dead, yeah? Mean he could come back." He leaned forward in his seat. "Listen, I don't know the guy's position, but I know ya both share some good memories. Lots of growin' up and carin' 'bout each other. Ya took care of him and ya clearly loved 'em, and the way I see it, he loved ya too. Not a lotta people got that kinda love with their family. Kid'd be dumb as hell ta throw it all away." Taka gave Jacob a shark smile. "So cheer up, eh? He'll turn up any day now!"
He stood up. "I'm sick'a standin' around'n mopin'. Let's get some drinks!"

"Stories? The hell ya think this is, a campfire?" Taka sneered. He awkwardly sat in his seat, looking around until his eyes fell on his body. "Alright, ya wanna story? I got the perfect one. See this?" He pulled back his sleeve to show three long scars across his forearm, nearly as long as it too. "Got it from fightin' a tiger. Yeah, that's right! Some shithead up'n put a damn tiger in my office! Better believe I was shocked as hell the minute I went inside! But I ain't let 'em get the best of me, hell nah! Punched it square in the jaw then kicked it away from me! Donated the furball straight to the zoo-- 'em and his owner."

Aminia's eyes widened the more Nobutaka spoke. Being raised in urban Clare, she had never seen a tiger before -- the most danger she would ever find herself in with an animal was with wandering spiders crawling into the family home, and thank the gods, her experiences with them weren't so aggressive. The young woman leaned forward in her seat, her eyes shifting to his scarred forearm. Her hand gripped her opposite arm in that instant, and her lip curled into a bewildered frown as she struggled to find the words to offer him.

"You must be very strong." she finally said to him, "Tigers are... how many kilograms large?" She cringed at the thought -- her ribcage being crushed by an animal twice her size, her throat done the same to. She had no reason to not believe Nobutaka, though it was such an insane thing to hear about. So, yes. Yes, he was indeed powerful.

"You're lucky that you were not defeated, that you didn't lose your arm or anything of the sort." Aminia carried on, leaving her seat to walk closer to the man, caution in her step as though she expected him to also beat her ass. Despite her previously awed expression, her face now held a quivering smile as she traced a finger against her cheek, and then twirled a strand of her curly hair around it. "Scars are far more handsome than stubs, though."

Don't start, lady.

"I've never been to a zoo." she hummed as she played with her hair, "The lord isn't fond of them, and my father simply didn't care for them, but I am curious. You'll show me that tiger, will you?"

"I do have a story, though! I promise... It's just not a story of mine." Aminia paused, letting out a quiet giggle, "It does also have to do with an animal attack, but... but not tigers!"

She leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs and placing her hands in her lap. Eyes bright, she peered up at the other party. "My father is fighting in the rebellion -- or against the rebellion, I should say. I wouldn't expect you to know the ins and outs of the conflict, but thankfully, that isn't important here... What is important, though, is that he's oftentimes out in the wilderness, far out of province. He wrote a letter to me some time ago, detailing that one of those birds attacked him and his people."

"Raptors are often easy to fight off on their own, you see -- they're just... somewhat larger, feathered raccoons, I would say." said Aminia, "But, the species that run in packs are the most dangerous, and my father told me that he and his men had been run through by an awfully large one... I don't like to think about the gory details, really, but they lost two men out in those swamps because of the birds. It just goes to show how dangerous those beasts can be, hm?"

"Wow," Ennette sighed dreamily with her hands on her cheeks. "Just listening to the music you gave me has been so wonderful. To be able to hear it in person, and to meet the First in person! Oh, I'm so jealous!" She wiggled around in excitement, cheeks bright red as she envisioned such a sight. If even to have those eyes on her just once--!
When Gabriella stopped her story, the princess shook her head. "No, don't be sorry at all! I love hearing about all these stories, especially when it relates to the music! Ah, to think you can work with them! It must be so amazing; every day filled with such lovely music! I'd love to hear more, if you'd be willing to share?" Nevertheless, she followed the tour guide of sorts. She followed... her friend.

"It's a tradition for my particular culture of sirens for people in the royal family to perform a song in front of everyone when we turn twenty. It's considered our rite of passage and proof of our royal blood, since our voices are different from a regular siren's. I was very excited to perform, and I did it really well! But..." He gaze drifted away and she distractedly fidgeted with the rose belt at her waist. "My dad looked... weird. I couldn't explain it. I could tell he was happy to see me and hear me, but he looked like he didn't want to be there. Not that he was bored, but like he was uncomfortable." She looked down for a second. "I remember him talking about how when he was the one who had to perform it was very bad. I wonder if it's related to that? I feel like that's the obvious answer, but I don't know why I keep having doubts..."

Xander directly paled. “Oh, my lady Enette.”
Absentmindedly the lutist thumbed his string, the chord was off so Xander fidgeted with his tuning key as he continued.
“I think he was... Worried. Not that he hadn’t any faith in you or your performance lady Enette. On the contrary even.” Xander smiled. “He talks about nothing else when I’m with him. He told me how proud he is of his children. And how good your performance was. But, as you said... The rite of passage is a difficult subject to him.”
Xander paused his fingers on the string. “I... If you want to hear my honest opinion about it lady Enette... I think he was scared. Scared that you had to go through the same hardship as he had,” Xander said. He released a breath that he didn’t even know he was holding.
“I’ve seen him on the road,” Xander said. His gaze drifted at his lute. Away from Enette.
 “Back when we both were younger. I was his music-teacher once. Freshly knighted and starry-eyed. My Emperor gifted me to Allegretto, to function as En’s teacher. I… I let him down, Enette.” Xander softly shook his head.
“Like I’ve said. I was young back then. Believed that I could even teach the weeds how to sing. Dumb and naive. I wasn’t even there on his rite. Too scared maybe to show up. I.. Hide myself behind the excuse that I was busy, but… I should have been there. No excuses.” Xander sucked in his lower lip.
“I sheltered him for a while after his banishment,” Xander shyly looked up at the knight in front of him.
“The road for him was... Harsh. He’d changed. Wild eyes, jumpy behavior... If your father wasn’t so...Kind of heart, he’d snapped for sure. I, I think he wanted to protect you from that suffering. Alone on the road with no country to call home.”
Xander softly shook his head.
“No father wished that upon his own children.”
--

Xander ran his hand through his hair as he beamed you a quick smile.
“Where I got Blou? Oh my lovely guest that’s a funny story,” Xander said. He picked the dodo up from the ground. The walgvogel pattered her feet in the air but seemed content. It was a behavior that you could be written off as instinct and not driven by flight.
“I bought her as a hatchling. Still wet from the egg. There is a tropical and exotic creature merchant here in Drakenburg… She was pretty expensive but,” his gaze dropped at his dodo. “Surely worth it. I had to get up early every day. Feeding her some kind of porridge,” Xander said. Then started to laugh.
“Oh my dear friend, that porridge smelled awful. Like mealworms and dates,” Xander said. His chuckle was still audible in his voice.
“Her first word was ‘dad’ though,”
“Dad, dad,” Blou cried out. “Blou is a lovely biird.”
“It may not come as a surprise but...Her second word was her own name, followed up by the word ‘beans’.”
“Beans!” Blou chipped in. 

--
Omg Xander is the kind of dad that helds up the queue in a supermarket to show the cashier photo's of his bird. Starchie I'm sorry

sam couldnt help but chuckle a bit to himself, "10 blocks of cheese does seem like quite alot. To each their own i guess. maybe next time i go to the store i should get some cheese... " he rubbed at the part of his mask where the paint had peeled showing the metal base, hed repaint it one of these days. "Now that i think of it i havent had cheese in like 10 years! And i cant remember why for the life of me."

-

"A memory huh... lets see." sam paused to think "i dont remember much growing up because of how sick i was. But i remember going to the park with my sister which one was it.. when i was around 8 because i had been feeling better. I ended up scraping my legs pretty badly, i remember how much it hurt... But my sister was sweet enough to take me back home and patch me up! Even though i got hurt i remember it fondly, and if my sister was still around i bet she would to!"