[OP-F13] Azure Holiday Party

[Ssendom 0]

Ssendom approached Daeron and company to check in on the matters of the attendee's of the party, it seemed as though everyone was thoroughly enjoying the food which put Dom a slight bit at ease since he spent over two hours cooking the entire meal. He noticed Daeron having issues with attention toward the conversation at hand, and whom he had lost his attention to made everything all the more juicy. Dom knew Codex as the two had a small expedition in the sands of the fifth floor when he helped him eviscerate the Sand Shark, the person the two were talking to he had never met before in his life yet that didn't stop him from interjecting himself into the conversation.

He cleared his throat when Red said something about joining the Azure Brigade, "Ah we are the most active and certainly the most powerful guild in all of Aincrad at this current moment. But, Codex has a point about Azure not allowing people to put in applications to join the guild we have to scout you and accept you first. The guild we have the closest ties too currently is Velvet Room and their leader is a good man and someone I am very good friends with." He chuckled knowing he is disturbing the conversation. Ssendom dropped his hand to open a menu and removed a alcoholic drink with a bow on it for festive reasons, "I always keep Alcohol on hand, don't you know how much of a drunk I am Daeron?" He asked rhetorically handing him the very hoppy drink, "I hope you like it bitter." He chuckled.

He returned his attention to the boy that was next to Codex, "Let me introduce myself, I am Ssendom one of the Commandants of the Azure Brigade with various other titles that are needless to speak of at the moment. I am the one who made all the food that you're currently eating, and the chocolate I make specially in my shop only. Those are the 400 col version that I am donating to this event. I make a much more lucrative version that people flock from all around to get." He explained about the chocolate, then remember he needed to put his item that was equally as big as him and almost as wide, he moved it next to the tree as there was no way for it to fit under the tree. He returned to the conversation that they were having and made to point to comment on who actually gave the player Rags the col for the event, but before he spoke he looked at how gloom Zel was then returned to the conversation, "And about Rags getting the col, yeah it was definitely Zel. He's probably the greatest guy that he Azure Brigade has, and it would be a shame if the guild lost him for any reason." He said out loud hoping to boost Zelrius up a slight bit.

[Zelrius 0]

He glanced up for a moment to see Kiru take a seat not too far away. He gave a sigh and hung his head down again. He regretted what he had said to her before the Forsaken Crusader and it seemed that she wouldn't forgive him. In all honesty: He did care about Keith but just despised the fact that she consistently chose the more than likely dead Keith, whom left them on their own, over the present Zelrius. For a while, it didn't bother him that much, with exception of when he was in the presence of Kiru. It just suddenly seemed the entire world turned against him at one moment. The golden haired Commandant hadn't seen Takao since the day in the Temple, Tristan disappeared off with Flints somewhere and was barely around anymore, Rebekah was but a ghost of a memory to him, Daeron had just come back, Erin had left him in that Inn room alone and crying like a little kid. So everything had built up and had taken its toll on his mindset, and here he was now, actively dealing with Kiru and having to face that he may have lost her, just like he lost everyone else. That's when the now Red-Black haired girl speak up from her seat, to which he looked back up.

Her words had struck him deep. To be honest: that is all he wanted at the moment, was to hear Kiru finally say those exact words. When she walked up to offer him the chocolate bar he didn't take it and instead stood up and hugged her. In that moment, he faintly remembered their meeting, running around the Ninth floor playing games and fighting slimes for fun. Tears slowly welled up in his eyes from under the Hydra mask as he embraced her and gently rocked back and forth. He was so caught up in that moment, he hadn't even heard what Ssendom said. He whispered quietly, in a choked, raspy voice. "Happy Holidays, Kiru."

[Kiru 0]

A pit formed in my stomach when he didn't say anything nor accept my gift. "Crap, did I just anger him?" I thought while still holding out the candy like an idiot. He wasn't responding. It was already weird that he wasn't wearing a tux, but now he wasn't speaking. Just as I though this, Zelrius then stood up and did the last thing I expected him to do. Instead of leaving or putting on a facade he stood up and hugged me. Completely retracting the idea of him being upset with me I dropped the chocolate on the floor and hugged him back. The last time I saw him show any affection to anyone was to me the first day I had found out that Keith was missing.  Tears began to well in my eyes and I sucked in uneven breaths as we rocked slowly back and forth. I had no idea why but I was crying really hard. I guess some might call it relief? Tears of joy? Either way, I was glad to have such an important person back on my side. To be honest Zelrius was quite the scary person if you weren't friends with him, especially if you're like me and retaliate. "I'm sorry." I repeated while hanging my head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Zelrius."  

[Zelrius 0]

The tears broke through and began to stream down his face as she spoke again. "It puts me at a bit of ease to know that you don't hate me." He wouldn't dare go into detail: but thinking Kiru despised him was eating into him like the millions of other things. It was a comfort to the Blonde boy to know that someone he considered family didn't want to rip his eyes out. "Don't be sorry, It isn't your fault. It is mine," As far as Zelrius knew: everything was his fault. That was how he rationalized it. Too many things were bad for him, things that no one else in all of Aincrad had to deal with. He blamed himself for Erin leaving, it was his fault that none of his friends were around anymore, and it was because of him that everyone suffers another day in this hell hole. Or maybe you're the only one who hates it here? A voice whispered in his mind. He had taken that bit into account many times, everyone else seemed to be enjoying it here, and in all honesty, Zelrius should like it in Aincrad more than the real world, but life here was too painful for him. It was simple at first: Clear bosses, enjoy the days inbetween. Both of those were put to a screeching halt recently and there wasn't a lot anyone was doing about it. That's your fault too. You just mope and cry to yourself all day, no one else gets anything done. The voice told him, once again chastising himself for causing nothing but problems to everyone else. 

He pulled away from the hug, though both hands were still on her shoulders. His azure eyes looked into hers from under the hydra helmet, before taking a glance around. With a slight laugh he spoke in a low voice "We're causing a scene," He crouched down to pick up the chocolate bar, breaking it in half and handing one half to her. "I should probably leave before we ruin the mood of the party."

[Daeron 1]

The tears had been shed and moments came about, but suddenly Daeron walked over to the two, forgetting the alcohol Dom had given him. "Leave? The party has just begun, start over now by having a good time." He said as Daeron hinted to the musicians that it was time to play a slow song, "Excuse me Kiru, but can Zelrius have this dance?" He said smiling at the both of them.

(Short post had no clue what to type)

[Ace9 0]

Red knew the Azure Brigade had to recruit you, without you asking, but he wanted them to see his potential tonight. But he may have said it just a bit too loud. One of the commandments explained it to Red, but the other player walking off towards Zelrius-Holy crap it was Zelrius the dual wielder!!! And he was- He was crying????  The strongest player in Aincrad sitting their crying..... Wow... What could that mean for Red???? Red walked over to them, and overheard something about Zel leaving, to not break the mood... But this was HIS guild's home, His guild..... But everyone has their moments, and Red knew that. So Red decided to turn around and walk off, not showing any sign to Zelrius that he was over there. 

[Teayre 0]

Something was brushing against her cheek pushing it away she rolls over pulling them higher up over her head. Groaning as Calrex mentioned the party that the Azure Brigade would be holding for Christmas. Her eyes resting on the door as her blue headed partner gave a small chuckle, her eyes turned into daggers as she looked at him and flicked the covers off. Stepping out she walks out of her shop whilst her left hand grabbed him by his ear and twisted it, stopping only when her red coat was flapping around her.

 

Entwining her arm into his she enters the building instead of the muramasa at her side she has the Oikawa Kanashiki sitting neatly in its sheath behind her. The white wedding gown with spiralling red pattern on the back occasionally showing through her hair. As her eyes flick around catching sight of the people Teayre sighs before swallowing hard her jaw setting as she spots a certain black and red headed girl.

 

Her husband had slipped off to look at the tree whilst Teayre slowly moved around the room keeping distance between herself and the girl. Their last encounter had been less than pleasant and although much had happened since then there was something that the katana user couldn’t shake. Shuddering, Teayre moves slowly over to the tree before laying out about twenty or so different parcels each containing a different bauble or trinket. Looking down at her hand two earrings, both made of silver in a swirling circle pattern around a gem. There was one distinct difference between the each piece of the set, one gem is a black garnet whilst the other is a white star sapphire.

 

Closing her hand around them clenching it into a fist the red head looks over her shoulder towards that woman. Her mouth opened for a moment, before closing. Turning her head Teayre skirts around the edge of the room to the buffet table as a couple of players left it.

 

Nodding at Ssendom her hand slips the two earrings into the red sash at her belt. “Dom mind if I have a quick word, I’ve got an answer for you.” Gesturing to the side she helps herself to a bacon and egg roll, as she tucks in she speaks between mouthfuls. “After some time, I’ve decided to decline your offer. You are all strong players, you’re a good guild but the guild isn’t right for me. I don’t feel close enough to any of you to warrant staying in it. Sometime in the future maybe we’ll see how things go, for now however I’ve decided to make my own guild. Not a large one however one with a few close friends, my own little family.” Pausing Teayre takes another bite. “After the incident which caused my pking status, I’ve finally put my past behind me.”  Stepping slightly closer to him she swallows before giving a quick hug to the dreadnaught. “Thank you however. If you ever need to talk Dom, about anything, send me a message and we can discuss things over hot chocolate in my shop if you like?”

 

OC:

25 Good Items are placed at the bottom of the christmas tree. Containing a variety of ARTISAN items.

Miniature Masterpieces,
Trinkets,
Lucky Charms
Projects.

:)

Edited December 24, 2015 by Teayre

[Kiru 0]

I dug my face deep into his shoulder and spoke in a muffled. crying, tone. "I didn't hate you, I hated what you were trying to be. You trying to be like I was at the beginning of the game Zelrius, and that scared me. It annoyed me mostly that you couldn't see how important Keith was to me as well. I'm not going into details but for once in the game I felt like someone wouldn't leave me-- I was wrong. You left me too you know. You were always running in and out of missions and mostly leaving conversations to a few syllables. Though I knew we had a strong connection and could practically take on a boss together without even talking I felt like you were drifting farther away. Then things came crashing down on me in this virtual reality and I lost contact with everyone, you went off the map." I took a deep breath and lifted my head up. "But I was glad when you came back, disheartened when you left again. It's your fault, but it;s also mine. I was so wrapped up in my own problems that I couldn't take a second to see what what was going on around me." I finished and closed my eyes again, then opening them once more slowly. The hug ended after Zelrius pulled away, keeping his hands on my shoulders. I tried to find his eyes but there was a helmet blocking my view. I frowned and whispered back to him. "You know we've always caused scenes, so it's not weird anymore. You know?" I spoke in an equally low tone with a small smile. I sniffled and wiped my eyes with my sleeve. "If that's the case then I should leave too. Come on, you should really take that thing off, it's not very flattering you know." I teased, nodding at the Hydra Helmet above his head. From the corner of my eyes I could see one of the players admiring Zelrius. I chuckled and brought my attention back to the blonde boy. "It looks like you've got some fans too, you might want to change clothes." I laughed, crossing my arms. Another thing coming into my view was Daeron, who asked for Zelrius. "But of course. I can't be the only one hogging him all night now can I? I almost forgot that he was quite the idol!" I said, nudging Zelrius to go dance with Daeron. It was funny to me. Zelrius, one the strongest players was at a party but not being social. I sighed, knowing that this night would now be one hundred times better now that Zelrius and I finally weren't avoiding one another. I bit into the half of the chocolate bar that Zel had handed to me and smiled, Ssendom was so really good at making my favorite food.

Edited December 31, 2015 by Kiru
cats

[Daeron 1]

Daeron couldn't help but laugh when Kiru said he should dance with Zelrius. "Kiru, I'm saying YOU should dance with him. Why the hell would I dance with him?" He said punching Zel in the arm lightly letting out a laugh. Daeron simply brought Kiru next to Zel and told them to have fun, and then walked away. Standing over by Dom he whispered something into his ear, "I say we invite Red into the guild, I'd train him and bring him up there. I want to make his wish come true. What do you think?" He asked quiet enough so that nobody but Dom could hear him.

[Coddexx 0]

A little thrown off by the scene that had just happened I felt pretty bad but it seemed a little better now they had made up. Regardless I followed suit with red and followed him off to the side away from the commotion looking at red I said. "You okay bud? I always feel a bit off whenever stuff like that happens but I can tell their better now let's enjoy the night it's still young. And we still have the gift exchange. Speaking of which what did you bring?" I smiled at him "that is if you don't mind my asking"

[Rebekah 0]

This girl had not read her messages all night, so she did not know that there was a party going on. Well, she did recall Kiru talking about it a while back, but forgot that was happening today. She had been away for long enough that she did not even know they were moving into a new building. Of course, she knew everything was happening, and tried to tiptoe her way to her room to change before she showed up for the party. There was no way the girl was going to show up in normal attire, it was a party and a special occasion, so she needed to get into a dress, and find a santa hat somewhere. She knew there were enough of those lying around that it would not be too hard to find one. However, before she could get anywhere near her room, everyone was here, so there was no way she was going to go unnoticed. She noticed a crowd of players surrounding Kiru, it was Daeron and Zelrius, and she was going to talk to her after this, but first she quickly needed to put down her stuff.

While it did not take long getting into a dress, she still could not find a santa hat, which was taking her forever. In the end she gave up and exited the room. Rebekah could still see that the trio was still talking over there, and saw that Kiru was motioning to have Zelrius and Daeron dance together. This was her chance to finally speak to Kiru, and the girl walked up to tell her "Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. By the way, this is for you, it is not for the party but rather it is for you. I hope that one of these days, you might find this helpful. This is a nice party that you set up, sorry I could not be of much help earlier."

Spoiler

Name: Blueberry Muffin II
Your Profession: Chef
Your Rank: Rank 4
ID: 33592
Roll: 11
Item Type: Snack
Quality: Rare
Enhancements: Fiber 2
Description: + 6 Damage Mitigation for thread.

 

[Lessa 1]

It wasn't that Lessa was late. Alyssa had had problems with keeping track of time, but her time in Aincrad had changed many things; Lessa was always timely, as she rarely had anything else to be doing. In fact, she had arrived half an hour early, as her guild mates were decorating and preparing the meals. She could hear voices and mingled laughter wafting down the hall, accompanied by the incredible scents of whatever was cooking. Something wonderful was taking place in another part of the guild hall, yet Lessa was content to sit on the edge of her bed. No, she was not late. She was just... hesitant.

Hesitant was perhaps understating it. She was terrified. The thought of interacting with so many people really put her on edge, especially when she paused to consider what players would most likely make an appearance. Most of them were among the players whom she considered ghosts, or people from another time. Whatever it had been, be it time or tragedy, many of her memories from her first six months in Aincrad had been locked away. It was not merely repressed memories; there were entire black holes when she tried to recall certain moments. Certain faces. Certain emotions, scents, and voices. And mixing with her ghosts only worked to draw attention to these empty spots.

But she had told Zelrius that she would go. In a moment of weakness, she had agreed to make an appearance, and she had regretted it ever since. The thought had kept her awake at night, and left a knot in the pit of her stomach that would not budge. Despite the negative feelings, the blonde knew she could not disappoint her guild leader. In attempt to avoid disappointing him, she had gone as far as to get ready. Instead of her usual rose armor, the Guardian donned black leggings, black boots, and an oversized red sweater that hung to her mid-thigh. Her top was on the frumpy side, but she was in no mood to show off anything more than necessary. In fact, she had dressed with the intention of flying under the radar.

Slowly, and with a soft groan, Lessa pushed herself off the bed and onto her feet. A quick glance at the full-sized mirror revealed blonde ringlets and black bags under her eyes. Good as it is going to get, she thought to herself finally. Then, I have to go. I told Zel I would. The final thought was enough to propel the girl back into the hallway, and a moment later, into the crowded party room.

[Helios 0]

They won't care if I'm late. a young man thought as he wandered his way to the Azure Brigade guild hall. He assumed that with the amount of people at the party, they wouldn't even notice if he didn't show up. After getting the invitation, he had considered doing so. The black haired boy wasn't in much of a mood for partying, although he wasn't sure why. Nothing had happened that had changed his life. Actually not much had happened at all in the past few days. He had traveled here and there between floors, mostly looking at scenery but there were times when he ran into mobs as well. The boy had done some grinding with a few different friends on higher floors, hoping to gain some levels. Realizing the invitation said to bring a present, he opened his inventory, looking for something that he could give away. "I've got this katana... useless to me without the skill. Or there's bread and water. Damn, am I ever poor." he sighed. A smile formed on his face after that, and he managed a small laugh. "Whatever, i'll figure it out if someone asks what I brought."

Finally arriving at the guild hall, the boy examined the building. Helios liked the look of it. To him, it really fit the Azure Brigade. Being at the guild hall reminded him of the days when he was in the brigade. That was a long time ago. It didn't last long either. Fixing his hair a bit, he opened the doors to the building. The boy looked at all of the players gathered inside. Some were friends, others acquaintances, and some he had never seen before. He looked towards Zelrius, who was one of the few people he was excited to see, and noticed that he didn't look like he was in a great mood. I'll leave him be for now. Helios thought as he entered the party.

[Calrex 0]

As Teayre walked off to speak to Ssendom Calrex gave a nod as he took note. The last few times he had seen the brunette had been on differing positions: One as an opponent, another as an ally in battle, and another as a fellow drinking mate alongside Jomei. Nonetheless, he considered the young man to be a good friend, one that he hoped would be able to weather the hardships he was aware the self-titled Dreadnaught was going through in the world.

In addition to this, he made note of the fact his wife was wearing an outfit that made his casual combat clothing...scratch that. Everyone in the room, except for a small few, seemed to have dressed up for the occasion. "Geezes, it's like losing the Reveal skill has made me less observant in more aspects than one."

Quickly scanning around the room he moved over to a spot so that he was out of sight, swiping on his menu, "Geezes, I swear Meokka's over-attention to this detail in SAO is gonna haunt me until we get out of here."

With the press of a button the outfit he wore when he and Teayre had gotten married replaced his casual combat clothing. It was a black suit, with the lapel being a deep-sea blue that matched his own appearance in his armor. A similar colored tie was underneath, with a white button down underneath that. For his pants was a simple pair of black dress slacks. Lastly, for an added touch, was a blue pocket square.

Pressing yet another button his menu vanished as he gave a calming breath, moving some of his bangs as he put his hands into his pants pockets, stepping back out. Giving a quick cough he dispersed the embarrassed blush that came to his cheeks before calming himself. It appeared while he was gone something had happened between Zelrius, Kiru, and Daeron, but he figured since the two were close that he would leave whatever was happening with them. It appeared that Helios had just arrived, with another couple of character he did not know making their way around. Lastly was Rebekah and Lessa, whom he saw interacting with the others as well.

"Well...I'm certainly the odd man out at the moment aren't I, heh."

Closing his eyes with a small sigh he returned back to his spot, continuing to observe the gigantic tree quietly.

[Ssendom 0]

It seemed like everyone was confiding something to Dom, Teayre came up and plead her apologies for not wanting to join the Azure Brigade. Ssendom merely smiled at her, "It's no big thing, I told you it was your right to accept or decline the offer to join the Azure Brigade. In fact-" He clears his throat for a second while whispering to her, "I think most of the Commandants need a break from serious work. Looks like something has got Zelrius downtrodden, Kiru needs some personal time I am pretty certain, I have a couple things to deal with about in guild related reasons, Tristan recently got married, and Rebekah is still a bit of an enigma to me. So being the only one who can deal with things as of current times I have a lot to work about, but I would like to set an appointment for your Guild and me to sit down in the Meeting Preparations Hall I had purchased here in the Guild Hall shortly." He finished whispering to her, and held out his hand so Teayre could shake it, "I hope we can do business later, and I won't reject you for the cup of hot cocoa. Bring Cal, and I'll make the dinner." He laughed as he stated.

He was just about to reach for some of the food he made cause hunger was starting to set in when Daeron creeped up and whispered to him, his entire hand stopped in place with the question that he asked, "I cannot accept him into the guild, we still have members who are below our currently prerequisite standards. Not that I wouldn't mind making him an Azure Brigadier, but I cannot simply do it and I know the vote will get declined by the other Azure Members. I am recommending him to the Velvet Room because I have really good standings with their Leader. Lowenthal will take good care of him and I know the other members in the Velvet Room will treat him like family. If he still wants to be an Azure Brigadier he needs to prove he is elite. And unfortunately, we have a status to uphold as being the strongest guild in Aincrad. I know it wears down on others that we're the strongest and have to prove it everyday. But it gives other guilds a purpose to have a goal to reach." He whispered back, having to take a more serious stand with his friend. He didn't like the fact he had to be stern about it, but he was still someone who wouldn't give false hopes, he made sure he gave reasons to his words, choices and decisions that were made.

He patted Daeron on the back, "But we can do something to make it a good Christmas." He smiled and headed off over to Calrex whom he recently had many a different scenarios with, "Good to see you again my good friend." He held his hand out to greet the Ultramarine Knight. Dom was in his usual attire; skin tight brown tanktop the put emphasis on his physique, Tattered brown pants that were frayed at the feet, twin brown belts with golden tips and buckle, long brown gloves on his arm, brown tabis on his feet and an unnecessarily long scarf that seemed to float in arm rather than just drop. "I see you made yourself look nice and tidy, by the way I heard from Teayre that you two made a guild. I am quite happy for you." His smile never faltering.

[Lowenthal 0]

The door blew open, and an eerie wind entered the room. Lowenthal stepped into the room. He had received an invitation for a party, and like hell he wouldn't attend. "Hey, sorry I'm late. What's going on?" Lowenthal said, bumping into Zelrius as he entered. The man had been crying, his face was still shining from his eyes, and they were red and puffy as well. "Well, Christmas is that kind of time i guess." Lowenthal said, rubing the back of his head. "So, do they know yet? Or nawh?" Lowenthal said, asking Zelrius a question.

[Zelrius 0]

The blonde haired Commandant lifted his Hydra Helmet and stored into his inventory, his facial features showing. What would be revealed looked like something out of a bad Zombie movie. His face was an ashen gray, the red rings around his eyes and blackened skin that were under those same eyes. However, all that aside, the golden haired boy smiled, a genuine curve, in happiness. "From the way it sounds, I'd say you want to hog all my time," He teased a bit jokingly.  Zelrius glanced over to Daeron, assuming that it was he who wanted to dance. That was, until Daeron explained himself and then the golden haired boy glanced back to the two-toned hair that belonged to Kiru.

Though seeing Lowenthal changed his whole demeanor. He gave one more tight hug to Kiru and whispered in her ear. "Thank you for everything," And with that he released her and then yelled to call everyone's attention. He wasn't frowning, and there wasn't an arrogant smile on his face. Instead, there was a child-like grin that curved into his face. "As of this moment, I, Zelrius Blackfyre, Commandant of the Azure Brigade, Champion of the Clash of Blades tournament, Slayer of the Hydra, Ex-brigadier, Long term friend to Front-liner, and no longer your god damned Hero, Resign. I pass the torch to the Fool of the Velvet Room, Lowenthal. He is the only person I trust to take my place. Adieu, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Good luck clearing Floor bosses." With that, he gave one final hug to his friend Kiru and then turned to leave, exiting the guild hall and disappearing from sight entirely.

Edited December 31, 2015 by Zelrius

[Kiru 0]

I nearly spit out the chocolate when I realized what Daeron meant. It wasn't that Daeron wanted to dance with him, he was saying that I should dance with Zelrius. My cheeks burned red and I slowly rubbed the back of my neck, a habit I picked up from Tristan. "I am such an idiot." I thought but smiled to Daeron and Zelrius anyways. I was always really dense about understanding simple things. For example, I didn't get the hang of the battle system until I met Tristan, which was maybe a few months after logging in. Sure, I could recklessly throw daggers and all but I didn't necessarily know about skills and ranks, I still didn't. I took a deep breath. "I reckon that's not the best idea right now, as I would probably trip and die or step on his feet." I stated, knowing none of this was true. I was actually a splendid dancer, as I did come from a spoiled family along with many parties as a child. I would certainly dance with Zelrius if there wasn't literally everyone I knew and their mother here. It would probably even calm him and I down even more. But, as stated earlier we had already caused quite the commotion among the crowd. 

As Daeron left, Rebekah suddenly slipped in, handing me a gift. She explained it was for me, and not the party. It was a muffin, I loved muffins. "Thank you so much Rebekah, I'm sure I'll use it fairly soon." I said, and quickly hugged her before putting it safe in my inventory. This was the first gift I received tonight and so far it was the most useful thing I've gotten. After thanking her I turned back to where Daeron was. Suddenly another player dropped in. It was Lowenthal. I had battled him and sadly lost because of slight mishaps and major differences in strength. He immediately went to Zel, asking him if 'we' knew something. I stood, confused, but waited to hear the rest in case Zelrius would say something. To my surprise Zelrius hugged me for the second time today. It was only for a quick second but he nearly squeezed the life out of me before I could respond. He then turned and called everyone's attention. "This is it. Whatever is going on will end right here." I thought, crossing my arms and focusing entirely on Zelrius. As he spoke I stared at his face. Though he looked like he hadn't slept in a year and hadn't been eating he looked the happiest he'd ever been. I smiled and listened further. That smiled quickly faded as I realized what he was doing. He was resigning from The Azure Brigade. I was appalled at why he would do this, especially right after what just happened. Was this planned? Judging from the way Lowenthal was speaking it probably was. When he finished addressing everyone he walked over to me. I opened my arms wide and hugged him tightly, almost refusing to let go. "I don't know what your'e doing but please don't die. You're my only family left in this game. I whispered and released him. I just got him back and now he was leaving again. Presumably for a long time if he quit. I watched him leave, waiting for him to turn back but he didn't. He simply left, without turning back. I felt tears, I felt my cheeks reddening. I sucked in a deep breath and wiped my eyes. I turned back one more time to the door where Zelrius left, then back to everyone. I smiled brightly and stood tall. "Everyone! If I might have your attention. First of all, congratulations to Lowenthal, I'm sure he'll lead Azure to victory. Thank you for joining us today and I would like everyone to gather around the tree so we can commence the gift exchange." I waited for everyone to walk over to the tree while I stayed behind for a minute.

Edited December 31, 2015 by Kiru

[Calrex 0]

Looking over Calrex saw that Ssendom seemed to have finished his conversation with Teayre, now walking over as the bluenette gave his usual friendly smile, "It's good to see you too Dom. Yeah, with Teayre dressed to impress, it would only be fitting that I shot for the same standard, right?"

Putting a hand behind his head he gave a nod before returning it to his jacket pocket. "You are correct. Well, you could say it was really all Teayre's idea. Nonetheless, I'm glad that she's starting to find more people that she can call her 'family'. For the most part she really only opened up to me and Oikawa, but now it seems she's doing much better than before..."

His conversation was cut short by the Zelrius' announcement as he listened to the boy speak, the Ultramarine Knight's eyes widening in surprise for a second. It certainly wasn't something he was expecting, especially during such a celebration. However, he had a suspicion with the reputation that the young blonde now carried with the unique skill, it was certainly wearing on him. He made note of the difference in expression from the prideful grin the Blood Buccaneer usually sported, "I'll need to ask Tristan about that, or maybe even see if Zel's willing to talk about it. I highly doubt it, going from my past outings with him, but it doesn't hurt to try."

Looking over at Lowenthal, "...and what of Lowe? If he's taking Zelrius' place as a Brigade Commandant, where does that leave Velvet Room? Is he planning on promoting Jomei or another player? I haven't seen Piera or Lee around, so I hope that they still have enough members to stay active..."

Giving a small sigh to himself Calrex resumed his usual calm demeanor, hearing Kiru speak next, which made a bead of sweat form on the side of his head, "Shoot...that's right...gift exchange...crud..."

Edited December 31, 2015 by Calrex

[Oikawa 1]

Having only heard the blonde's announcement from outside his home, the blonde continued to rest against the walls of the guild hall as the other blonde exited. He watched as Zelrius strolled out into the distance. Not once looking back. It hurt. It hurt to see the one fellow aside from a select, that recognized his strength and allowed him to join the elite. Zelrius Blackfyre, Aincrad's hero, had walked away. Whatever his reason, it had to better than Oikawa's recent string of absences. Sighing, the blond closed his eyes, exhaled slowly, and entered the party. He had only one gift and it wasn't for anyone in particular but a memento from him of sorts to whomever could use it.

The chatter among the crowd was low yet loud at the same time. He glanced around at those in attendance. He recognized almost everyone there. His eyes widened even more as he spotted a familiar face that he hadn't seen in literal months. The two-toned hair, being a dead giveaway to exactly who it was. Offering Kiru his signature grin, he patted Calrex, Dom and Daeron on the shoulder as he maneuvered past them. Giving Teayre, Ariel, Rebekah, and Lessa slight shoulder squeezes as he moved past them, he nodded his head towards Lowenthal and Helios and even offered the newly admitted Commandant a handshake as he moved to stand near Kiru.

Allowing her to finish her speech, he politely held up a hand as everyone began to move. "Before we proceed with the gift giving, I'd like to share a few words with those in attendance. For those of you I haven't had the pleasure of meeting, I am Oikawa the Faint, Ex-Commandant and current General of the Azure Brigade. I'd like to officially congratulate Lowenthal on his promotion to Commandant. It is well deserved despite your record against me in bouts," the blonde explained with a chuckle. "That being said, you've more than proven yourself capable of being a member of Azure and I welcome you with open arms. Calrex and Teayre, although you guys aren't Azure, you guys are SC and despite Teayre hating the term, you guys are and always will be my family. If you guys ever need anything, I'll be here and for once I'm not going anywhere again. To those of Azure, I deeply apologize for my absence and any trouble it may have caused the guild. I am fully committed to our guild and what we stand for. Despite Zel's closing comments only moments ago, he will always be Azure and I think I speak for all Azure when I say he will always be welcomed back when he's done doing what he has to. With that out of the way, Kiru, I know you can't make use of this, but as a token of my appreciation to you and Keith, I offer you my first ever crafted Perfect item, my shield Inquisiteur. Please accept my gift and allow us to continue the festivities."

Bringing up the menu, the blonde offered the girl the shield and bowed before stepping out of the metaphorical spotlight and standing among the rest of Azure.