[F11 - PP] Always (Telrenya)

[Jomei 0]

((OOC: 2 hours passed since Fateful Encounter thread)

The deep wounds on Jomei's body had healed over, leaving no trace of the blades of Michael and Lucifer having ever touched his body. However, the damage left a stain on Jomei's mind, never being able to escape the images of his health almost depleting and seeing everyone in danger, especially Telrenya. He made a vow to to help Tel find her lost brother.. obviously now, that was not possible for the man. Beatbox..Jomei knew the name. He was one of the ones who arrived when Jomei had escaped the Player Killers on Floor Four.. Had... he been the reason they knew of Beatbox? Was Jomei the reason he got killed? No, it wasn't possible... the PKers had retreated before the blonde man had even arrived. 

Showing no emotion, Jomei sat on his couch, his hands folded and elbows resting on his knees. He stared at the wall directly across from him, as if he were trying to focus on seeing through the digital plaster. His mind started to drift to what would happen now. Did they need to live the rest of their lives in fear? Hoping that their actions were not heroic enough to draw the attention of the cultists? No.. Jomei knew what his plan was.. and it was a crazy plan that he could not tell to anyone, or else they would stop him. It was a plan for revenge.

The man had been so deep in his thoughts, shivering from time to time, that, for the short moment, he had forgotten that Telrenya had joined him back at his house. Jomei's own plans were not the priority at the moment. With a blink, as if it signaled him switching gears in his mind like some sort of machine. He needed to be there for Tel, that was what should be his true focus. Helping the girl recover from the loss of her brother, as well as keeping her from doing anything rash.. like going after the cultists.. or worse. "Tel.." Jomei said softly, looking over at the girl.

[Telrenya 0]

The blonde woman sat on the cough beside the ginger-haired man, her knees pulled up with her heels pressing into the edge of the cushion. Her arms wrapped loosely around her legs, and her hands lay lifelessly against her ankles while she stared past her knees with an empty expression. Besides unequipping her boots and dismissing the rapier from hanging on her hip, she still wore her usual adventuring attire, lacking any motivation to swap out the white and gold outfit. The bright red stab wound no longer displayed on her chest, but it felt like the puncture that had been made had drained her and left her hollow. For a while, her mind was blank as the couple sat in sullen silence. Sometimes she would think back to the events of earlier, the traumatic scenes replaying in her mind. Sometimes she would think about the memories of her brother. No matter what fleeting thoughts passed through her mind, her face showed no reaction.

Jomei's voice cut through the thick silence, reaching her ears and causing the woman to blink. For a moment she didn't know if she could bring herself to look at him, but her head turned nonetheless and a little bit of life flickered in her eyes when they met his. A light sigh escaped from her lungs through her nose as she tore her gaze away and looked out at the dimly-lit room. She wasn't sure what to say or do. How to address the situation that had been thrust upon them, how to cope, comfort, or otherwise lessen the pain. But she had to try.

"I'm...really sorry for snapping at you like that." Out of everything that happened and all the subjects she could have started with, she felt the need to get that out first.

[Jomei 0]

After speaking her name to break the silence, Telrenya slowly turned her head to look at the man, after sitting with her knees pulled into her chest for so long. The two looked into each others eyes for a moment, Jomei noticing a slight bit of the sadness in her eyes fading as their gazes locked. After a moment, however, she turned back away, staring forward as Jomei had been before. Another second of silence passed before Telrenya spoke up, apologizing to Jomei for yelling at him. His brow lowered as he looked at the woman in confusion, his olive eyes darting to the side as he tried to remember when it was that Telrenya snapped at him. In the heat of the moment, she had shouted at the ginger for holding her back from chasing the cultist, as well as calling her by her real name. His eyes went back to the blonde who sat beside him. He turned his body so his knee was placed upon the couch in between him and Telrenya, his front fully facing the girl.

"Tel, you don't need to be sorry for that. I understand. You were angry." he placed one of his hands on her upper back as he spoke. "I probably would have done the same thing if I was in your position.." He let out a sigh through his mouth, closing his eyes for a moment, "I was not going to let you chase after him. You saw what he did to me. I.. If I had let you go off and get killed, then I would not have been able to live with myself."He opened his eyes again and looked into the woman's, despite that she was currently facing away from him. His brow lip quivered as he spoke, imagining the horror of Telrenya dying at the hands of the dual wielding player killer. "Just.. just the fact that he hurt you.. was enough to set me off." The man flinched as he thought about the non-existent pain the man had dealt to him. Every time he had spoken up to defend Tel, he was hurt even more. The man pushed Jomei to the brink of his life, all because he could not stand him hurting the woman he loved. 

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya's fingers twitched before she lifted them for the first time in what felt like an hour. She placed her hand upon his knee after her turned to face her, turning her head back towards the man with a weak smile on her lips. "It's the same for me, you know..." She started with a pained expression. "I don't want you getting hurt, either. I don't want... I don't want anyone getting involved with him again." She faltered for a moment, but pressed on as her thumb gently stroked against the fabric of his pants. "I really can't bear to lose you, too...or anyone else."

She felt as through she had cried out all the tears her body could muster, and so only a stinging was left at the corners or her eyes while her battered heart felt strained. She gave a small shake of her head to try and dismiss the worried thoughts in her mind. She let out a tiny sigh to steady herself before shifting the topic. Her knees fell to the side beside his and she tucked her feet in beside her. With her free hand, she opened her menus and summoned the gold and blue sword from her inventory. She set the blade across her lap, running her fingers across the hilt and lingering around the golden orbs that adorned either side of the metal.

"Beatbox..." She chuckled at the simplicity of the name her brother had chosen. "Did you know him?" She asked, genuinely curious. Her expression had softened as she admired the weapon, serving as a memento to the avatar she hadn't been able to reunite with. The loss was still a fresh hole in her heart, but there was a loving warmth in her reminiscent smile.

[Jomei 0]

Despite the sad situation, Jomei could not help but form a smile when Tel expressed that she would not be able to bear losing Jomei, or any of their other friends for that matter. Using his free hand, he gently took the hand that rested on his knee in his own, his fingers wrapping underneath the palm of her hand. The man brought her hand upwards, giving her knuckles a soft kiss before setting it back down. Jomei's smile faded as the girl looked away, summoning her menus. Her eyes and cheeks were still red from crying, though no tears streamed down her face at the moment. He knew the pain she was feeling must have been unbearable, yet she was proving to Jomei just how strong she truly was. 

Soon after opening her inventory with a swipe of her hand, a blade appeared in her lap. The sword, adorned with blue and gold accents, Jomei recognized as her brother's sword that the mystery man had taken off of his body when he killed him. Jomei looked at the blade with a frown on his face, somewhat recognizing the blue and gold color scheme. He heard Telrenya speak up, asking if Jomei knew him. Jomei sighed and shook his head lightly, "Not really.." he took a moment before looking up to the girl. "But I have met him." Jomei situated himself on the couch, moving slightly closer to Telrenya, placing his arm around the girl's back, his hand resting on her shoulder, allowing her to rest her head in his chest if she wanted. "After I escaped from the cultists.. like I told you in the cave.. I was running out of energy, and my health was lower than I'd hoped it to be when trying to escape from a group of people.. Anyway. I had sent out a message to all of the players in the area, as well as friends. Eventually, your brother did show up." Jomei smirked, "I may have already been safe.. but Beatbox still showed that he cared, and came to see if I needed help. He was very knowledgeable with all of us.. and took our side when Zandra supported Lowenthal's death.." the end of Jomei's sentence trailed off as his voice lowered. "I also know that he fought on the front lines. My last boss fight I was at.. the one where.. I was paralyzed and kidnapped. I saw him, your brother... I can tell you Tel.. There's a lot to be proud of when it comes to him." Jomei rested his own head on top of Tel's, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry I don't have that many stories about him."

[Telrenya 0]

As Jomei shifted, she promptly leaned into him and rested her head against his chest, simply enjoying the comfort his hold provided. She listened to his recollection patiently, giving his hand a gentle squeeze whenever he tread around an uncomfortable piece of his past. When he recounted Beatbox's kindness and courage, her heart regained a touch of its warmth and another smile lifted on her expression. She shook her head lightly at his apology, "No, thank you, just that means a lot. I'm really proud of him. It sounds like he never stopped being a big brother, in a sense." She took in a deep breath, letting out a light sigh as the air shakily left her lungs.

"In a way, I'm glad that at least I know." She felt for a moment that she might just be speaking to fill the air, but it felt a bit therapeutic to just air out her thoughts in Jomei's presence. "I can honor his memory rather than wander for as long as I'm here. At least there won't be any more uncertainty hanging over my head." She pulled her hand away from the hilt of the straight sword in order to slide it around his waist, returning his loose hold. At times like this, she was happier than ever that she had met Jomei. The thought of Death Adder finding her alone, and dealing with this aftermath without the Irishman by her side nearly sent a shiver down her spine. She wondered for a moment if she would have left her shop for the entirety of her remaining life in Aincrad under such circumstances.

"Uhm..." She started again, closing her eyes and focusing on the feeling of Jomei's body against hers. "I don't know when, but there are a few things that I want to do." She moved her hand slowly and gently stroked the man's side as she organized her thoughts. "At least, I want to go to the monument." She had heard of the Monument of Life during her abundance of time living on the first floor, but hadn't thought to visit the structure until now.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's kind words about Telrenya's brother seemed to relieve the tension hanging over her head. The girl never had the opportunity to see Beatbox while in this digital world, so she only could imagine what he had gone through up until this point. Jomei was happy to be able to fill in those blanks by speaking of his bravery and strength. The calmness in her voice signaled that her mind was more at ease than it was coming into this conversation. Jomei's gaze shifted over Telrenya's head to Beatbox's old sword, laying across their laps. He wondered if there was anything to do for the girl so she would be able to really honor his memory with that blade. The possibility of a Blacksmith changing the weapon type was always a possibility. Now was not the time to think of that, however, so he put the thought to the back of his mind. "I guess if you look at it that way.." Jomei replied when Tel admitted she will not have the uncertainty of where her brother was floating over her. As terrible and morbid that thought was.. it was very true. 

The woman's arm found her way across Jomei's waist, loosely embracing the man. Jomei closed his eyes as a soft smile formed on his lips, finding comfort with the girl next to him, despite the tragic situation at hand. His free hand did the same, reaching across Telrenya and placing his hand on her waist. Gently, the man pulled the blonde closer, giving her a comforting hug. "I can really get used to this." Jomei said into the girl's head. He let her go so that she could return to her regular sitting position. Her hand gently caressed the side of Jomei's body as she began to speak about things she wanted to do. One of those tasks was to visit the Monument of Life in the Town of Beginnings. Jomei nodded his head, "Yeah. We can do that.. I planned on going there soon myself. I have.. a lot of old friends I should visit." He was silent for a moment, trying not to let the thought creep into his mind as it usually did. "We should also try and contact Ruby at some point.. I'm just hoping she isn't still blaming herself for everything."

[Telrenya 0]

"Hmm..." Telrenya hummed lightly in agreement when Jomei made comment of getting used to this. She wasn't entirely sure if he meant their embrace, simply their shared company, or maybe all of it. Either way, she still agreed. She sat back up, pulling away from the man for a moment, and took the hilt of the sword in her hand. She deposited the item back in her inventory for now, and as she did so his mention of Ruby caused a knot to form in her stomach. The blonde woman had run far from the scene before Telrenya had been able to pull herself together. "Yeah..." She mumbled out, unsure of what else to say about her disappearance.

"About a week ago...she called me over to her shop. We talked a lot." She leaned back into the man as she continued with a sullen expression. "She told me about a lot of bad experiences she's had...like with those other players." Her volume dropped at the mention of the same players who had taken Ruby hostage and worked alongside the man in black. She took in another shaky breath. "I found out that you've both been through so much..." A lump formed in her throat as the scenes replayed in her mind--Ruby, Spencer, and especially Jomei threatened, toyed with, and tortured. Death Adder's blades driving farther and farther down into Jomei's chest had the girl wrench her eyes shut. She pressed her forehead against his shoulder as she bit down on her lip. "God, I don't want you to die..." She choked out softly.

[Jomei 0]

Their conversation had switched from speaking of Beatbox to their mutual friend, Ruby. The two had met the blonde on separate occasions, only to have discovered that they were all acquainted somehow through the girl only a little over a week ago. Jomei had grown to trust the woman, especially being they both had gone through so much up to this point. After their experience with the player killers today, Ruby took all the blame for herself. She was the initial target of the man, and involved Jomei and the others as her way of pleading for her life. Jomei did not blame the woman for calling them to her aid, let alone blame her for everything that happened to them. After they had cut Ruby down from the tree, she had ran off.. wanting to be left alone for awhile. He let out a heavy sigh, "Yeah.. she told me about them while we were in the mansion.. Thats when I told her about what I went through as well." Telrenya seemed to choke up as she continued on, her breaths becoming shaky once again, noting that both Jomei and Ruby had been through so much. Jomei's eyes moved from the girl to the wall off in the distance as he thought about all he had been through up to this point; it was fair to say that it was quite a lot. The man brought up his free hand, placing it on his chest where the blades of Michael and Lucifer pierced through him. A shiver ran down his spine just thinking about it. The power of those swords scared him enough when they were in Zelrius' hands.. now they were in the possession of someone even more psychotic. 

Telrenya latched onto Jomei, digging her face into his shoulder, her words sounding scared and sad. Olive eyes looked down at the girl, and his arms wrapped around her, kissing her on the top of her head. "I know.. I won't. I'm not going to let myself die.. Just as I'm not going to let you die." Jomei let out a chuckle, which masked his own voice choking up a bit, "You and I are going to make it out of this game together. And then...And then I will find you in the real world." Jomei's voice was determined when he made the promise to Tel. He felt like it may have been a bad idea to make more promises, after not being able to reunite her with her brother while he was still alive. However, this was something he would do.. and if not.. he would at least make sure she got out. 

[Telrenya 0]

His words of reassurance brought her comfort, and his vow warmed her heart, but Telrenya already felt the tears spilling over. She simply nodded her head against his frame, as if to tell Jomei that she wanted the same thing. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she held him tightly. No mater how many times she tried to push them from her mind, the recent memories came back in different places--Ruby's despair, Spencer's fear, the man's twisted expression, the health bar that hovered beside Jomei inching lower and lower. Each frame of the scene seemed to have burned itself into her memory, as much as she tried to reject them.

Her shoulders bobbed lightly as her quiet sobs continued. It would have been different if it were only her pain she had to push through and heal from. But it wasn't so simple. All of her friends were involved, left with their own scars from the attack. Some wounds were more deep than others, but they hurt all the same. She sniffled a bit, turning her head to the side as Jomei's embrace and continued comfort would slowly quell her outburst.

"I just...don't want anyone to get attacked again." She got the words out once her breathing had steadied a bit. A few days ago, she would never even have thought they were at risk of such a thing. Then again, Ruby and Jomei had both shared their experiences of how they were far from safe in this world, especially from other players. It was naive of her to think that they were invincible. But what could they do besides hide in the safe zones for the rest of their existences here? "What do you think we should do?" She shakily offered the question to him, as if there was any 'right' answer.

[Jomei 0]

More thoughts about today seemed to cross Telrenya's mind, she could not hold back her feelings anymore. Her lips quivered as the tears welling up in her eyes caused them to glisten.  As the droplets began to roll down the girl's still cheeks, she pulled herself into Jomei's chest. Her sobs were muffled as she cried into his shirt, her shoulders shuddering as she did so. Jomei looked down at Telrenya with his own sadness, not sure what to say to comfort the girl. Her pain on the situation was shared by him as well, so he knew exactly how she felt. He wrapped her arms around the woman and pulled her in tightly, letting her know that she was safe with him. "They won't" Jomei said with a shaky voice, however with less sadness, and a hint of anger behind it. "I will not let him hurt any of you.. ever again." His hands balled into fists, gripping loosely at the back of Telrenya's shirt. "I may have let you all down today.. as your guild leader.. as your boyfriend.. But you have my word." he took in a shaky deep breath, "If he ever shows again.. and threatens you.. or Ruby or Spencer... He will have to go through me.. I won't be as easy for him to take down next time."  Telrenya asked him what they should do about the situation. "Nothing." Jomei said almost immediately, "I don't think you guys should do anything. He's too dangerous. I've seen the damage that could be done with that Unique Skill.. and those two swords." Jomei let his emotions calm.. his anger, his sadness. He needed to be strong for Telrenya, and definitely not worry her about his own plans. "An old friend of mine, Zelrius.. he was once the owner of the Dual Wielding skill.. as well as the Blades of Micheal and Lucifer, the swords that.. that man used today.. Zelrius was once a player killer.. long before I met him. But he sought out redemption, and no longer killed. After that, he came into the skill and the swords. He was strong already.. but.. with those in his arsenal.. I swear he could have taken on Floor Bosses on his own. He called himself 'The Hero of Aincrad' and, truly.. we thought he would be... That was until our friend cut him down... I tried to stop him, but.. Oikawa was faster than me at the time." he let out a sigh, shaking his head, "But now... now that power is in the hands of a monster.. I'm.... I'm lucky to be alive." Jomei shook, imagining if the man had unleashed his full power on Jomei. "But.. I will still keep you safe. I will never let anyone hurt you again."

[Telrenya 0]

As her sobs died down, Telrenya pulled one hand away from the man's waist in order to wipe away the residual tears with the back of her hand. Once she had herself mostly composed again, she pulled away a few inches, placing her palms against the couch on either side of Jomei's hips to prop herself up. Her face hovered in front of his and her eyes locked with his with a weak smile. "You didn't let anyone down, trust me." She said softly. She shifted her weight to her right arm, lifting her other hand toward Jomei's face. She hesitated for a split second as if she questioned the acceptance of her actions, but then gently ran the tip of her finger from his forehead to his cheek, brushing aside his ginger bangs while offering him a warm, shy smile. "I think you're the bravest person I know."

After lingering a moment, her hand trailed farther down until it parted from his face and her hand came to rest beside his shoulder. "Don't worry yourself sick over me, though. I really ought to toughen up one of these days." She let out half a chuckle. Although it didn't occur to her at the time, news of Beatbox's death had resulted in the wilting of her drive. Even if she grew stronger and reached the frontlines, she wouldn't find him there.

[Jomei 0]

The tips of Telrenya's fingers slowly raised to Jomei's forehead, tracing around his brow and down his temple, pushing the orange bangs that hung in his face out of the way, revealing his other, usually elusive, olive-green eye. The soft, but warm smile that formed on her lips spread like a fire to Jomei, warming his cheeks and forcing the smile on his own face as well. As she looked into both of his eyes, she revealed to him that she was not disappointed in his actions today, and thought he was the bravest man she had met. Jomei's smile opened, bearing parts of his teeth as he let out a small laugh. While Telrenya was looking up at him in the moment, he leaned his head forward slightly, placing a gentle kiss on Telrenya's lips. "Thank you." Jomei said as he separated from her. 

Her hand moved from Jomei's temple, the hair she had brushed out of the way swinging back into place, hiding his right eye behind a veil of orange hair yet again. She told Jomei not to worry so much about her, and that eventually she would be able to handle herself. "I know I know. It's just.. you know how much I care about you. The last thing I can bear to see is you getting hurt. Even if you were stronger than me, I would still do everything in my power to protect you." he chuckled to himself, looking back down to the girl. "But I know you're strong, especially in your mind where it really counts."  Jomei was silent for a moment as the memory of the day flashed through his mind again without an invitation. The two seemed to have sat in silence for a moment before Jomei finally spoke up again, "Estelle is a beautiful name.. by the way."

[Telrenya 0]

As each of their warmth infected the other, Telrenya's smile grew wider when she got to see the man laugh. Jomei closed the gap between their faces, and the woman softly returned his kiss. He went on explain his protective nature, and Telrenya struggled to maintain eye contact through the twinge of embarrassment she felt from his caring words. It was a few moments later, when he made mention of her real name, that Estelle's eyes widened ever so slightly and her cheeks took on a bright shade of pink.

"W-well..." Her voice spilled out in nervous reaction before she was overcome with a short chuckle at her own fluster. She closed her eyes and sighed, pushing herself back to a sitting position beside the man.  Her eyes traveled to her lap where her hands withdrew themselves to, and a weak smile lingered on her lips. "Thank you." She said softly. Her mind traveled back to the piece of paper held in the man's black-gloved hand. Every piece of information he read off. "I guess you know a bit more about me, huh?" The thought of her personal information in Death Adder's possession nearly made her stomach turn. Her own words reached her ears and she blinked before hastily mumbling out, "I-I mean, it's not like, you know... It's not like I don't want you to...know these kinds of things..."

[Jomei 0]

As Telrenya, or Estelle as she confirmed was her real name, sat up next to Jomei, he had worried that he had reminded her of earlier today. However, she thanked the man, a small smile on her lips. Her brown eyes stared into her lap, only making Jomei worry even more that he had upset her. The ginger shook his head when Tel assumed that Jomei knew all about her now. "I heard what he said.. yes.. But after I heard him call your name and saw your reaction.. I figured out the point the man was trying to make.. I blacked and didn't think on the rest.. I was too concerned with getting him to stop, or getting free to remember the rest.." He looked over to her and smiled, "So.. I guess you'll just have to tell me the rest yourself.. When you're comfortable with it."  She admitted that she did want him to know these things, though he was sure that she would have rather revealed all of these things about her at a later date. Jomei's gaze went from Telrenya to his front, looking down at his own hands in his lap. "Nicholas." he said simply. "Or.. Nick. Whichever you prefer.. Not as nice as yours.. but that's my name." he turned his head to look at her, a small smile forming on his face. "I..figured if I knew yours, its only fair you know mine."

[Telrenya 0]

She was a bit surprised at his response, but it brought another smile to her face. She had felt for a time that Adder had spoiled her relationships, tainting their bonds with his malicious intent. In so many words, Jomei reassured her that's everything was much more normal than she was leading herself to believe.

A few moments of silence hung before Jomei started again with a single word--a name. It took Telrenya a moment to realize what he meant by it, but that moment was quick to pass and followed by the man's own explanation. She looked up at him with a blank expression before the smile returned to her features. "Nick..." She echoed in a small voice. "I like it, though. I think it suits you."  She still felt a bit bashful as the words left her, and she soon tore her gaze away from the Irishman's face. A touch of worry brushed against her, and she hoped that he hadn't told her with some sort of feeling of obligation to reveal his real name.

She drew in a breath through her nose, letting the air spill out from between her lips as she attempted to banish the troublesome thoughts from her mind along with it. She seemed to have plenty of those since the two had arrived back at Jomei's house, in varying frequency and intensity. She could only imagine how the man beside her was struggling all the same. Her sigh hadn't done the slightest bit to clear her mind, and soon she was thinking back on their other guild members. She had felt as though they had all been struggling plenty in their own ways before today. She wished again--unsure of how many times the plea had crossed her mind thus far--that they could go back in time and none of it would have ever happened.

But they were all trapped in the present, wounded from the aftermath, and struggling to stay whole under the weight of it. Telrenya only hoped that their souls would begin to mend with time, but she feared it would take an eternity. "Jomei..." Her uncertain voice snuck in between the apprehensive thoughts. She didn't know how he needed to address his own pains. What if he preferred to be alone? She tried to swallow down the mixture of unsavory feelings twisting around in her chest. "Would it be alright if I spent the night?"

[Jomei 0]

A shiver of excitement filled Jomei's body when Telrenya spoke his shortened name, hearing the woman speak that name, rather than his chosen username for Sword Art Online, made him feel.. just for a moment.. as if their relationship was existing in the real world. The two's minds may have been there, and, for the most part, this relationship was entirely real. However, it still was just a step down from being together as such in the real world. Jomei did not let that idea poison this moment of serenity and happiness for him, though. He looked back at his folded hands and chuckled, his index fingers drawing circles around each other. He was glad that he could have shared this moment with Telrenya, despite it being in the wake of a terrible incident that effected each of them.

There was another long moment of silence, which Jomei had grown used to. However, the old silences that the two shared, which were usually accompanied with the lack of knowing what to say to each other, were replaced by an eerie silence, that came with the thoughts of today's events running through each of their minds. How long would it be before the two, or the whole guild for that matter, could get over this and go on living their lives? How long would the four need to live in fear and sadness, knowing that there is a man out there who knows of them who could kill them all with ease? 

As usual, Telrenya broke him out of his thoughts as she called his name. The Irishman slowly turned his gaze to face Telrenya, curious what it was she wanted to ask. Continuing with her thought, Telrenya asked him if she would be able to spend the night. Jomei closed his eyes and smiled, "Tel, you know you are always welcome to stay.. Whenever you please. Like last time, you're welcome to stay in my bed and I'll stay down here." He smiled at the girl, hoping that her spending the night would make her feel safe from the horrors of this deadly man and his dual blades. 

[Telrenya 0]

For a moment Telrenya felt silly for the nervousness she felt when asking the man's permission to spend the night, but the smallest thought lingered that she hoped she wasn't making anything more difficult for him. No matter how much he would insist it was okay, she didn't like him resigning himself to sleep on the couch when she would stay over.

She gave a soft chuckle as a thought entered her head. "It makes me wish I had a place of my own to invite you over to." Her mind lingered on the topic, enjoying the thought of a more 'real' relationship with the man. Perhaps one with much less life-risking and tragedy. For the first time since they'd arrive back at Jomei's house, Telrenya pulled her legs back over the side of the couch and pushed herself to her feet. The action took more mental strength than she would have thought, but she turned to look at Jomei after doing so. "I'm going to get changed, then." She said with a soft smile.

The woman made her way upstairs to the same bathroom she'd found herself in on a handful of prior ocassions. Normally she would be bubbling with excitement at the thought of spending time with her newly-established boyfriend, but the tension that continued to hang in the air left a knot in her stomach instead. She let out a soft sigh, as if hoping to expell some of her pain along with it. Her opened her menus, selecting the same sky blue shorts and white camisole she typically chose to sleep in with her very limited selection of vanity clothing. The woman looked herself in the mirror, feeling as though it had been a long time since she'd seen her avatar's reflection. Now she could see exactly how much the last few hours had affected her. The wounds on her body were long disappeared, but the weariness in her expression and the absence of the warmth that previously resided in her eyes were apparent.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei smirked when as Telrenya rose to her feet, a content smile on her face. She admitted to Jomei that she wished she had a place of her own to invite Jomei over to. The man let out a small laugh, "Well, invite me over to check out your shop when it's all finished. Like I said though, you are welcome here any time. I really enjoy having you here." the man's eyes darted away from hers, a tinge of pink to his cheeks. "My house is your house." The thought crossed his mind of the two of them owning a house together. He smiled, wondering if their relationship would ever reach that point. Jomei turned back to the woman to watch as she made her way up the stairs. Once she was out of sight, he let out a heavy sigh, placing his hands on either side of him on the couch and staring up at the ceiling. He brought his hands up to his head and pushed his hair back out of the way. To say he was stressed was an understatement. Olive eyes clamped shut, trying to dispel the image of himself being cut to shreds and them impaled with the two swords. It pained him even more to imagine Telrenya being stabbed in the heart over and over. The man bit his lip, trying not to let out a distressed yell. 

Eventually, the man let his arms fall back to the side, exhaling a large breath at the same time, looking as if he had exhausted himself. So many thoughts were going through his mind, keeping Telrenya safe, as well as helping her cope with the murder of her brother, making sure Spencer was okay, making sure Ruby was fine. He was not even sure if he was capable of being a guild leader again. His eyes opened up as he stared upwards, a small scoff escaped his lips, "Well Lowe.. looks like I failed another guild... First Velvet.. Now this.. Doesn't matter if its a new guild or not, still looks like im The Fool"  The man picked his head up and sat up straight, before raising to his feet. Since Telrenya had gone upstairs to change, he figured he could do so in the living room. Opening his menu, he switched out of his town clothes and replaced them with a sleeveless black shirt and grey pants. The man then turned towards the stairs and went upwards towards the room. As he emerged into his bedroom, he saw that Telrenya was still in the bathroom, getting herself ready for bed. She had already finished changing her clothes, from what he could see since she had left the bathroom door open. 

She had not noticed him walk into the room, for she was currently looking at her reflection in the mirror. He took in a deep breath through his nostrils, and exhaled past his lips. The man slowly walked into the bathroom, trying not to startle the girl as he did so. He stepped behind the woman and took a look into the mirror, his shoulders and head appeared just above the top of her blonde hair. Before she had a chance to ask Jomei about what he was doing, he wrapped his arms around the girl's waist, and nestled his head into the side of her neck. "Estelle.. I didn't have the chance to tell you.. Just how sorry I am about what happened to your brother. I was so worried about everyone getting hurt that... it had slipped my mind. I just wanted to say how sorry I am.. that you needed to find out this way." He took in short, shaky breath before continuing. "I want you to know.. that I will always be here for you. I will stay by your side until the end." 

[Telrenya 0]

Left alone on the upper floor, Telrenya stood in front of the mirror, running a hand through her hair and just losing herself in thought for a long while. For the longest time, she had thought of Sword Art Online as what many other players originally had: a game. She was careful, kind, and always tried to give her best effort. Her life had become a game, and for a while, that wasn't so bad. There wasn't anybody to bully her until she did their homework for them here. There weren't impossible assignment deadlines here. There wasn't the vague uncertainty of the future, or the question of how she would make a living after her and her brother eventually grew independent of each other here. She was supposed to be free in this world, but the past couple of weeks had her feeling more trapped than ever.

Motion from behind her reflected in the mirror and caused the girl to blink while her mind returned to the present. She watched Jomei's figure for a moment while he walked up behind her while her mind caught up. Had she been gone long? She wasn't sure. She was about to settle on one of the several things she thought to say or ask the man, but before she could do so she felt his arms wrap themselves around her. As if she wasn't already struggling to form a sentence, his silent embrace had her grow a bit flustered. His chin rested against her bare skin, causing her heart to beat a bit faster as she stared back at the man's reflection.

When Jomei had finished speaking, she hadn't yet realized the moisture that had beaded at the corners of her eyes. It was as if she had lost herself again, like she wasn't really there when the tears silently rolled down her cheeks. She blinked a couple of times, returning to reality and the blurry scene displayed through the mirror in front of them. Surprisingly, her tears were not those of sorrow, pain, or mourning. Her body slowly turned, interrupting his hold so that she could face him, lifting her chin to look up at Jomei with eyes still glistening. A soft smile appeared on her lips, growing wider while she looked to him with a loving warmth in her eyes. Telrenya lifted her arms and embraced the man, holding him as tightly as she was able. "Thank you...Nick." Despite the tears streaming down her cheeks, her voice remained calm and warm. "I can't thank you enough..."