[F3-PP] Promised Date (Grave) COMPLETE

[Jevi 0]

Jevi watched as Grave shot out of the water by some unknown force driving him to do so. Performing a spin in the air, Grave's leg traveled around, similarly to how Jevi's sword did. She was even more amazed to see his kick resonate outwards with blasts of bright blue energy, cutting into the remaining bloat fish like blades. With this battle looking just about over, Jevi brought the Izunami back underwater, and shoved it into her waistband, her eyes still on Grave as he landed back towards the water. That was when she noticed that the look on his face seemed weird, like he was slipping out of consciousness. Her yellow eyes then darted over to his status bar, which was just under hers. That last attack had depleted his energy. ~"[censored].. that idiot." she said with a gasp as the man hit the water like a rock and sank under the surface. She did not let him linger in the dark lake for long. Taking in a deep breath, Jevi dove under the water and quickly swam over to Grave. She was no pro at swimming, but she forced herself forward with as much vigor as she could. Luckily Grave's pale body was easy to spot in the dark water, for Jevi could not keep her eyes open for long. Wrapping her arm around his waist and pulling his unconscious body into hers, she used her free arm and kicked her legs to get back up to the surface as soon as possible.

Once her head broke the surface, she took in another gasp of air and shook her head to remove some of the water from her eyes. Using her legs to move forward, Jevi floated towards the shore, holding Grave's head above the water. Putting both of her hands on his back, she pushed him onto the grass and rolled him onto his back, following him by pulling herself up next to him. ~Dammit.. come on.." His health was still pretty high, the only damage being from that one attack. Did that mean he would be fine? Or could it be like the real world, and he might need CPR or something.. She did not even know how to do that. She sat in a kneeling position, sitting on her heels and looking down at the man, waiting for him to wake up. Placing her hands on his chest, she leaned her body forward and placed her head on his chest. His heart, or what was simulated a heart in this virtual world, was beating. She then moved her head over towards his face, feeling that he was still breathing as well. She picked her body back up and let out a sigh of relief. ~"Thank God.."

The girl shifted her sitting position so her legs were on one side of her, knees bent, and her hand supporting her from falling. She gazed out at the water, which was now calm without the rainbow bloat fish bothering them. The silence was suddenly broken by her name being shouted out, causing her to quickly turn her body to look at the once unconscious man. He was now awake, looking like he just saw a ghost. Before any more words could be said, he threw his arms around her and held her tightly. After blinking a couple times in shock, she wrapped one of her arms around him. ~"Are you alright?"

[Grave 0]

'Are you alright?' she asked. Of course I was not bloody a alright, I was holding her in a traumatised state! "N-no..." I simply whimpered into the scarf-like fabric around Jevi's neck. I was so frightened, so scared that I had not been able to protect Jevi, and she was killed... I could only thank the gods that it was only a nightmare. "I... had a nightmare..." I huffed out. "You... died... to a monster in this lake." I continued to whimper for a while, before pulling away. "Let us get back to the diner before something like that happens, hey?" I suggested before sniffing, peeling myself from the now damp grass bad extending my hands down towards Jevi, a somber smile on my lips.

After we had changed, the trip back was rather silent; in the short amount of time we were out, the town had become less busy.  It was certainly much more peaceful, and I enjoyed being able to casually stroll down the streets with Jevi by my side. I felt like reaching out and holding her hand, to make sure I was not just dreaming again, and that my reality was not the one with the monster.  Tentatively, I shifted my hand to my right and brushed my knuckles against Jevi's.  I never wanted to lose her... I would not let that happen.

[Jevi 0]

So he had a nightmare while he was knocked out. From what she gathered, it took place in this very lake, and she was sucked down into the depths by something and killed. Must have been pretty realistic to spook Grave this much. The purplette shifted her legs so she did not need to depend on her hand to support her from falling. She brought her other arm up and wrapped it around Grave, holding him tightly for a moment to stop his whimpering. She then held him at arms length, hands on his shoulders. ~"Nothing killed me Grave.. I'm alive and well. Besides.. you know I wouldn't let some sea monster get the best of me." She spoke with a smirk and in a fairly confident voice. It seemed to work, calming him down. He then stood up and suggested the two head back to his diner. The thought of food changed Jevi's mood entirely. She grabbed Grave's hand to stand up, but really did not need it with the force she shot up with. ~"Yeah lets get going, I'm starving."

Lifting her hand up, the familiar grey menu box opened, accompanied by soft sounds of bells as she did so. In a moments time, Jevi was once again wearing her casual clothes, her body and hair mostly dry. She was happy for the game's mechanics that their bodies would not stay wet for long. She was also thankful that it was not cold out, or else she would probably end up getting sick.. if that was even possible here.

The two began their walk back through the fields towards Delilah Village rather silently. Even when they made it back to the town itself, most of the people had left or gone home. Everything was pretty much quiet. She could not deny, however, the alone time with Grave was.. nice. Her eyes looked down slightly when she felt Grave's knuckles brush against hers. She smirked, moving her head back up and giving him a sidelong glance. She gave in to his request, taking his hand in her own.

[Grave 0]

I smiled softly as I felt Jevi's hand enter mine.  Every time we touched in such a way, I felt like I had a goal on the side of getting stronger to help beat the game; I had to earn Jevi's heart, so that she could stay with me forever, so I could experience her touch every day... having a chance to be with her meant more to me than it would to any other man. I did not no whether I was just strange or needy or what, but just being given a chance was a treasure I had no intent of earning without effort. "Jevi... I would like to ask... was there anyone before Shaya?" I questioned, curious as to whether she may have had a boyfriend before she was with Shaya. "I mean, she is the only person you have told me about, I would like to know if you have any more experience than being with her." I explained so she would not get any suspicions about anything.

Before long, the cylindrical, smoke-bellowing diner came into view, and I swung the door open, letting Jevi lead me by the hand inside. "Right... I guess it is time to get to work." I suggested, smiling enthusiastically as I anticipated crafting an amazing sushi dish for the both of us.

[Jevi 0]

~"N-No." Jevi said in a quiet voice. ~"Shaya was my first .. relationship. Like I said, if you could call it that." she chuckled, though it was quite the poor excuse for a laugh. She took in a deep breath, she had a feeling Grave knew she had some history that she kept inside of her and had told no one.. and she had a feeling she would end up telling Grave some of it. ~Well... Shaya is the only experience I don't mind talking about.." Again, her voice was quiet and there was a bit of sadness to her voice, thinking about the 'other experience.' By the time she looked back up, they were already back at Grave's diner. Walking through the open doorway Grave had held open for her, she stood at the counter where she did when she first arrived, placing her elbows on it and intertwining her fingers and staring forward as Grave took the fish and began to work. She took another deep breath, ~"Grave... You know I.. care about you. I.. honestly... have. For a little while now. But I've tried to push it off and ignore it...I feel its only fair that I tell you about what I've been through and why I've acted like that." her voice was a bit shaky as she spoke, staring at her hands at first, but looking Grave in the eyes as her sentence ended.

[Grave 0]

I gave a small huff of acknowledgement. "Ah, I see." I said, as there was very little more I could say. However, her poor body language and the crap attempt at a laugh suggested something, and as much as I usually kept my nose out of that business, this was something I wished to get to the bottom of. Now was not the right time, though. However, it seemed I may be receiving the information quicker than expected. "Oh?" I questioned, as she mentioned that Shaya was the only one she minded talking about; she had more experience, but wished not to reflect on it. I refused to push her for more information, at least for the time being. As I began to finely slice up the fish meat, Jevi began to speak, and I halted my cutting, turning to face her. The purplette's eyes were full of sorrow, and lament... what she was planning on telling me had obviously ravaged her within for too long. "Jevi... if you do not feel like telling me, you do not have to. You can leave it for another time, when you feel more comfortable." I suggested, leaning against the counter, my eyes not leaving her piercing golden orbs.

[Jevi 0]

~"You see.. that's the thing." she showed a very slight smile, a sliver of happiness in the shroud of sadness that overcame her. ~"I-I am very comfortable.. with you." She let her comment sink in, for both Grave and herself before she continued, ~"And I know I can trust you, and that you're actually kind and won't treat me.. like that." Jevi realized now she was making reference to the other experience she mentioned, so Grave would have no idea what she was talking about. There was no turning back now. ~"I want you.. to understand me more. To know why I am the cold hearted bitch I am.. and distant from others. But also... the scared little girl on the inside." Now she felt like she was about to explain her whole life story.. which she wanted to avoid doing. Especially on the first date. She shook her head, ~"But for now, you wanted to know about my past experiences." She took in a shaky breath, looking back at her hands for a moment.

~"In High School ... I didn't like many people.. and not many people liked me. I was alone. A lot. Especially after my father passed. I had no family, no friends. I was on my own. There was one person, though, who showed me some sort of kindness. O-Oli was his name." she had to force out the name, not wanting to hear or speak of it again. ~"Well, he sometimes stood up for me, and would be there just to listen to me whenever I needed someone. At the time, it was the closest thing I could find to a friend, even though, in reality, he was a pretty bad friend. He was not there all the time whenever I needed it, and never seemed to give me back any advice. I don't know how to explain it.. its like he didn't care much, but cared more than others at least. A-Anyway, aside from seeing him as a friend.. I started to develop feelings for him.. and thought I could maybe get the same from him. After I told him how I felt, because I thought thats how that worked at the time, he told me we could hang out at his place after school. I was excited to know I would actually be hanging out with someone that I kinda liked. Little did I know.. what waited for me there. I was drugged and..." she brought her hand up to her mouth, trying to hold back tears. ~"And... I'm sure you know where I'm going with this..." her voice was breaking as she fought to hold back tears. But little by little, getting it off her chest was helping. ~"....B-But the worst part... was he. told his friends. Made a joke out of me. Tried to make me out as some.. [censored].." She stood up straight and then turned to look Grave in the eyes, ~"That's why.. for the longest time.. my trust in others.. especially men.. was severed. And why I put up the front I do." With tears falling from her eyes and down her cheeks, the wet road the droplets took to her chin curved as she smiled softly, ~"T-That was.. until I met you. You changed me for the good.. and my trust in others was restored."

[Grave 0]

I smiled at her response. I was glad she felt she could talk to me about such things. "Alright." I quickly vaulted over the counter and slid into the seat beside Jevi at the counter. I could see the fear in her eyes; not fear of telling me, no. Instead it was fear of reflecting on her past, bringing back a memory she had done everything in her power to forget. I reached forwards and gently grabbed her hand to comfort her as she spoke, holding her firmly. "Well... I am ready to hear your story, love." I told her, before swallowing by anticipation.

The first part, as mean as it sounds, did not surprise me too much, although I could not place who caused the circle of dislike in the first place.  I began smiling widely when she spoke of Oli, the boy who had shown her more care than anyone else... but her hesitation with speaking the name suggested something terrible. My grin became a frown as I realised something was up. Everything she said leading up to the event - liking him, being asked to come over - only raised my suspicions even further. My nails were pressing heavily against my handwraps, and eventually began to tear through, digging crimson cross-hatching into my palm in frustration... and then she told me about the drugging, and with a massive jolt, I scratched four large cuts into my palm. "[censored]..." I growled, rage boiling inside me; anyone who would do such a thing to a woman - more so someone as innocent as Jevi - should have to burn hell for the rest of eternity, and if it had to be me to send them there, so be it. I only dug my fingers in further when Jevi continued talking about the way he treated her afterwards.

When she finished her story, and told me how I had rekindled her trust in people, I was trembling, more than I really should have... but too many emotions were fueling the intense shudder; rage, sorrow, pity, vengeance... but even so, I leaned forwards and embraced her, still grasping her hand while my other arm wrapped around her, and I pressed my face into her scarf, not uttering a single word. I just could not speak.

[Jevi 0]

Jevi could tell Grave's frustration for her story was building up inside of him. And who could blame him? Here was a guy, kind as can be, listening to the girl he cares about spilling a story about how she was taken advantage of and turned into a laughing stock. However, he did not lash out, much at least. Instead, he showed more concern and care towards Jevi, holding her hand and wrapping his other arm around her to hold her in a deep embrace. Jevi took in a very deep breath, and then exhaled out, closing her eyes. Her breaths were no longer shaky. She actually felt.. better. She had finally told someone just what had happened to her, and instead of being laughed at like the other kids in school did when they found out, he showed he cared. ~"Thank you." she whispered into his ear. After he pulled away from the hug, she smiled at him and wiped her cheeks clear of the trails of tears, ~"Now.. lets get back to making dinner."

[Grave 0]

I could feel Jevi loosening up in my arms, and complied when Jevi went to move away, shifting from the embrace to look into her teary golden eyes. She suggested I get back to making dinner, and I chuckled, leaning forward and kissing her wet cheek. "Sounds good to me." I said as I stood up from the stool and made my way around to the kitchen. I had to make her a stunning meal... one thing about sushi is its ability to fit any situation and provide a variety of moods. I might make a spicy nori roll to fit a wild night out, or a gentle tuna sashimi for a romantic setting. For this I planned on making a sweet and tender sashimi, as well as a few, slightly gentler nori rolls using the fish meat I had gotten. First things first, though, I had to finish cutting up the fish.

[Jevi 0]

Grave's lips upon Jevi's tear-moistened cheek took her as a surprise, her eyes widening for a moment and a very faint gasp escaping from her parted lips. It did not take long, however, for her shocked face to turn to one of comfort and happiness, the corners of her mouth extending into a smile, causing her eyes to close slightly. Her yellow eyes watched him as he rounded the counter again and went back to cutting at the bits of fish they had collected from their little adventure today. Jevi leaned forward on the counter and watched as the knife sliced through the fish with ease. She then looked back up at him, ~"Normally I'd offer to help.. but being I have the blacksmith skill rather than cooking.. I don't think the system would let me." She then looked back and forth along the back of the counter, looking for the small weasel, Hikari, who was in the area when the two left earlier in the day. ~"Wheres Hikari?"

[Grave 0]

I chuckled as Jevi mentioned how little use she would be if she attempted to help. "Yes, quite right, if you ask me... please, love, leave this job to the resident professional~" I taunted arrogantly, finally done with one of the slabs of fish meat... what would I do with the rest? Well, that is if there WAS any left! I reached for another slab, up on top of the pile... only to find one sitting on the bench. "W-what the hell...?" I wondered, looking around... then Jevi noticed Hikari was missing. "Oh, come on..." I groaned, spinning around and staring up at the rafters spanning the conical ceiling. "Right... who gave you permission to eat the fish?" I asked to the seafood munching weasel hanging from a rafter. She squeaked back and I scoffed. "What do you mean I 'offered you lunch'? I offered you breakfast, you orange twat!" I cursed the silly animal, who proceeded to poke a pink tongue at me. "Do not push my buttons, young lady." I scolded back, but she only swung back and forth tauntingly. "You little bitch..." I growled as I turned back to my work station and began cutting up the second piece.

[Jevi 0]

As her eyes searched for the small orange weasel, she heard Grave curse out. One of the fish that he was preparing to cut was suddenly missing. ~"That's strange.." Jevi said, turning back to look at Grave and over at the pile of fish to see if maybe he had misplaced it. It did not take long for him to realize just where that piece of raw seafood had gone. Looking up at the rafters above them, Grave's eyes caught the small animal high above them, munching on a large piece of uncooked fish. Jevi put her hand over her mouth, sounding out with a chortle as she did so. Grave seemed kinda pissed that his companion had stolen a piece of their dinner, but she could not help but find it hilarious. She listened as the two bickered back and forth, taking note of how Grave was completely able to understand Hikari's language. They really must have grown close for him to be able to do that. After Grave had given up, not before scolding the small weasel, he went back to work on preparing the sushi. Looking over at the man with a smile, Jevi stood up from the stool and walked over to where she saw Hikari was resting on the rafters. She put her arms up over her head towards the animal with a soft smile on her face, ~"He's so mean, right? I won't yell at you if you want to come sit with me."  She curled her fingers a couple of times, gesturing for the weasel to jump down into her arms. 

[Grave 0]

Soon the fish had been sliced into nice little sashimi slabs and dices for the nori rolls. "Right, time to get to work!" I said, cracking my neck as I proceeded to deal with the rice, humming a small tune as I did so.

Hikari looked down at her master's purple haired companion, beckoning her to her. With a curious squeak, she released her tail from the rafters and dropped into the girl's arms, curling up close to her chest and seemingly purring.

Hearing the rafters creaking, I turned around to see that Hikari was missing... and noticed she was curled up to Jevi. Turning to my side with my back to my bed, I muttered, "I am done, goodnight, go home..." Before falling backwards and crashing on the back. I raised my hand and pointed at Hikari perfectly over the counter. "You have now been disowned, go stay with Jevi..." I mumbled, waiting to see what hey both would do.

[Jevi 0]

Jevi, not able to contain the adorable ball of fur that was Hikari and let out a girly laugh of her own as the weasel landed in her arms and curled up. Jevi held the animal like a small baby as it nuzzled up against her bosom, purring quite loudly. The purplette turned to look at Grave with the animal in her arms, her face almost looking as it were trying to hold back excitement. On the other hand, Grave seemed pretty jealous... either of the fact Hikari was so friendly to Jevi, or because it was not him nuzzled up against her. He even jested that he was giving up the weasel to the girl. One of Jevi's eyebrows raised, and she slowly walked around the counter to look at the man as he laid on the bed. ~"Don't tempt me, or I will take her home." She said with a giggle before gently laying the purring fur baby on a chair. Taking another couple of steps around the counter, she plopped onto the bed next to Grave, laying on her stomach.

[Grave 0]

I grunted when Jevi threatened to actually take the devil weasel home. "As you wish... I guess I can just find a new, less mischievous weasel, no problem." I threatened in return, directing my comment to Hikari. Of course I knew Jevi had no genuine wish to steal Hikari, it was simply fun and games, much like I had no intention of replacing the weasel; she meant too much to me. I gasped heavily as a body flopped onto the bed beside me, but I stayed still. "Who gave you permission to lay on my bed?" I taunted, lifting my arm off of my eyes to look at Jevi. "Do not bother answering, because permission is now granted." I added with a wink, turning my body so I laid on my side, and placing a hand on the middle of the purplette's back. "Do not distract me too much, I do have dinner to make, buuuut I would not mind putting that off for a little of your direct company." I said, chuckling lightly as I gently began to rub her back.

[Jevi 0]

~"Nope." Jevi said quickly, interrupting Grave's back rub. Turning her body, she rolled onto her back, away from Grave. She then sat upright and pulled her feet onto the bed, sitting cross-legged and looking at Grave. She placed her hands on her thighs and leaned forward towards the man. ~"You said you have dinner to make. I wouldn't want to distract you from that." she said with a chuckle. It was becoming pretty obvious to Grave that one of the ways to Jevi's heart was food, as it was with most girls to be honest. It was definitely a perk that she was getting friendly with a cook such as Grave. She scoffed and rolled her eyes, ~"Come on." she grabbed Grave's arm and pulled on it, trying to get him to get up and finish making her- .. them food.

[Grave 0]

With a sigh, I acquiesced and pulled myself from the bed, grumbling to myself. "Oh, fine..." I muttered, hoping I was going to get more time with her. I shambled to the bench and checked on the rice, which had finally become nice and sticky for the sushi. "Awesome." I mused as I began to make the sashimi, grabbing a collection of sauces and seasonings to sweeten the fish. I made sure to pull out the seaweed wrapping early so that I was ready as soon as I finished the sashimi and placed them on a platter. I laid the nori out and neatly pressed a mat of rice down, squashing it lightly and lining the fish down it, leaving the dressings out this time. I rolled it up neatly and sliced it into small circles, adding them to the plate. Having finished, I brought the platter over to the bed and set it down on the pillow. "Dinner has been served~"

[Jevi 0]

The girl grinned as the man stood up from the bed, muttering and complaining to himself that he had to do so. She shifted her weight and leaned in one direction on the bed so she had a view of what he was doing. The girl watched as he spiced and prepared the fish, putting pieces of it together with the rice. She smiled softly, for it truly seemed like he was putting a lot of effort into making this dish as delicious as he could. Jevi had no doubt that is would live up to those expectations. A couple of moments later, Grave returned with a plate filled with with sashimi and sushi, neither looking more delicious than the other. Jevi looked at the contents of the plate with wide eyes, marveling in how they came out. She was about to eat, but realized she had nothing to eat with. She chuckled at Grave, ~"Looks like you forgot something." Throwing her legs over the side of the bed, Jevi strolled back over to the counter where Grave prepared the food, finding two pairs of chopsticks among an assortment of eating utensils. She walked back over to the bed and brought her hand up to open her menu, this time being polite and unequipping her shoes before sitting back on Grave's bed in the same cross-legged fashion as she was before. Holding one of the utensils out to Grave for him to use, Jevi broke the ones apart in her hand and situated them so they sat right. She then gently pinched one of the nori rolls in between the two wooden sticks and brought it up to her lips, popping the small morsel into her mouth. ~"Mmh.." she sounded out in complete satisfaction over the taste.

[Grave 0]

I tilted my head when Jevi questioned a lack of... something. "What might that be?" I asked as I watched the girl get up and stroll towards the draw of various eating utensils. I slapped a hand to my forehead; how could I have forgotten the chopsticks? I was glad Jevi was on the job. I chuckled when she kicked off her shoes and sat cross-legged on my bed. "If you know how the Japanese eat... you should know that before a meal we are supposed to say 'itadakimasu!'" I said playfully as Jevi grasped one of the nori rolls and popped it through her lips, follows by a moan of satisfaction. "So? How is it?" I asked, tilting my head in anticipation.