[PP-F11] Mewls & Mistletoe

[Telrenya 0]

The closer to the center of town they walked, the brighter Telrenya's face lit up. She had seen the tall tree that stood in the town square in the days leading up to Christmas, and she had even seen its lights shining brightly from the balcony of their second-floor bedroom. But this would be the first time she would make the trip to the busiest part of the city, seeing the festive decorations up close. All things considered, it wasn't that crowded in the space surrounding the teleport plaza of Taft. Telrenya's eyes sparkled in the glow of the colorful lights as she gazed up at the illuminated Christmas tree, awestruck by a sight she likely wouldn't come upon in the real world.

Well ahead of their path, another trio hurried across the plaza. This time the three were much younger, and luckily they were NPCs like the girl with the lost cat. As the oldest-looking one couldn't have been more than maybe eight-years old, Telrenya felt a hint of relief that it wasn't real children trapped in here that had caught her attention. The eldest that she had been looking at--a young, adventurous-looking boy--came to a sudden stop, causing an even younger boy to bump into him. Lastly, a girl that seemed to be somewhere in the middle caught up at a slower pace, stopping beside her friends. The eldest had been staring at the couple all the while, chestnut eyes dropping to spot their intertwined hands. "Eww, they're holding hands!" The boy teased the players much more loudly than necessary, unable to hold back an obvious grin as he seemed to anticipate a flustered reaction.

Telrenya's cheeks did indeed take on a slight shade of pink at the sudden encounter, but her eyes then shifted between the three children. The brazen leader, the youngest chuckling beside him, and the girl who simply stared up at them with wide, curious eyes. The blonde took on a small, mischievous smile. She turned her shoulders slightly, bringing her free hand up to Jomei's opposite cheek. Gently guiding him towards her, Telrenya pushed herself up to the balls of her feet and brought their lips together, lingering for a few seconds before she would eventually break away with a small chuckle.

Clearly not expecting such a display, the eldest boy was taken aback, eyes wide and bottom lip stiff with a flustered frown. Telrenya turned her attention back to the trio, simply flashing them a cheeky grin. The leader's cheeks turned pink for a moment before he hurried to gather his friends and continue on their way. The little girl's eyes only sparkled when they met Telrenya's again, and she seemed enthralled for a moment before she moved to take the hand of the younger boy--who seemed largely unaffected by the whole exchange--and pull him along to follow after the eldest.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's smile widened until his cheeks pushed up the bottom of his eye lids, watching Telrenya's face light up as if it were her first time ever seeing Christmas lights before. His hand gave the girl a gentle squeeze before his gaze returned to his front yet again. As the cloudy sky with the setting of the sun, the city depended on the strings of lights to illuminate the streets. Ahead of the two, Jomei spotted three young kids playing together, which brought a small smile on his face. One of them seemed to take notice of the couple walking in their direction. After turning to the other two with him, the three kids ran towards Jomei and Telrenya. It did not take long for the couple to realize that the group of kids were NPCs, rather than actual players. Though Jomei knew there were very young players in the game, it brought a bit of ease to his mind that these were not living people. 

His brows rose as the the group came to a stop just in front of the couple, the child in front's mischievous eyes staring at Telrenya and Jomei's hands. "Eww, they're holding hands!" the boy teased in a loud voice, placing his hands on his hips and looking at the two, as if expecting to see their embarrassed reactions. However, instead, Jomei simply laughed, and his eyes began to shift to Telrenya to see her reaction. A similar look on her face, one that was not going to be defeated by the playful teasing of the kids. In one motion, Tel's body shifted so her shoulders were more squared up with Jomei, and her free hand reached up and placed itself upon Jomei's cheek opposite of her. Raising herself up on the balls of her feet, and guiding Jomei's face down to her's, her lips met his with a kiss that would show that they would not be playfully bullied by a group of kids. Whenever the shy girl took the initiative like this, it always caught him off guard.. yet he absolutely loved it when she did. 

As the two's lips separated, Jomei looked into her chocolate brown eyes lovingly for a moment, sharing a small laugh with her before straightening up again and looking over to the kids. He looked at each of their faces-- the eldest child, who now held the flustered expression he hoped to get out of the couple on his own face, the younger boy, who did not seem to care much about the two's loving kiss, and the young girl, who's eyes glistened at the two as if she had just seen something out of a fairy tale. With a simple shrug of his shoulders, and a cheeky grin from Telrenya, the three kids ran off in the other direction. "Looks like you saved us from that ruthless bully." he teased Telrenya, nudging her arm playfully with his own, "My hero~" he ended with a laugh before leading the girl farther forward into the center of Taft.

Now in the city's square, the true height of the tree that stood behind the warp ring could be seen. Where it was not the tallest object in the city, it stood nearly as tall as the bell tower of the cathedral. Jomei's smile widened as he looked around, feeling as though the two had just stepped into a festival. Jomei's eyes trailed up the tree, but shot over to the side when he saw the same bell tower from before-- that gave him an idea. Tugging on Telrenya's hand, he looked over his shoulder at the blonde, "Follow me." he said with a smile on his face. With a hurried walk, Jomei led Telrenya across the square to the door of the ornate cathedral, which was just slightly opened. Inside, the sound of Silent Night could be heard being gently played through the organ pipes. However, enjoying the music was not what Jomei had planned for the girl. 

Banking an immediate left inside of the front door of the cathedral, Jomei and Telrenya came upon a large red curtain drawn along the wall. Moving the tapestry out of the way revealed an old looking door, one that seemed to not be opened very often. Pulling on the handle, the entryway opened to a large spiral staircase leading up the steeple. Taking the lead, and keeping her hand in his, Jomei led the girl all the way up the stairs, until they could feel the cool air from outside, and the sounds of the square below. Reaching the top of the steps, Jomei led Telrenya out from under the large bell and over to the stone railing, "Don't worry.. they don't ring the bell at this time. But usually players don't think that, so they avoid coming up here." Jomei's gaze returned to the view, the breeze gently blowing the bangs from his face, "..And I was not letting up the opportunity to see this view with you." The scene from atop the bell tower provided a perfect view of the city of Taft, not only being able to look down at the top of the oversized Christmas tree, but even allowing them to see over the walls around the city, at least as far as the darkness of night would allow them. Feeling another breeze caused Jomei to shiver a bit, before looking over to Telrenya. Unlatching the cloak at his shoulders, the man placed the green cape upon Telrenya, letting the fabric hug around her arms, as he hugged her from behind, letting his head rest next to hers. "Merry Christmas Estelle." he said in a soft voice. 

[Telrenya 0]

A soft hum worked up from her throat as she felt the gentle tug on her hand. She followed after Jomei with curiosity growing stronger, but she held her tongue before she asked the man where he was taking her. They entered the tall cathedral, leaving Telrenya's eyes to trail over the long panes of stained glass that seemed to glow with gentle refraction of the soft lights on the interior and the colorful, festive ones outside. Before she had the chance to lose herself in the peaceful atmosphere, Jomei continued to lead her along to what seemed like a somewhat-hidden passage with a set of stairs. Her brows raised, her urge to ask the Irishman to divulge his plans only growing stronger.

With forced patience, she followed along up the winding staircase until they emerged at the top of the spire, the cold winter breeze that rolled through Taft brushing against their cheeks and tousling their hair. The girl blinked, stepping closer to the stone border that stood between them and the rest of the city with eyes wide. Her free hand curled around the edge of the railing while she let out a stunned breath that took the place of words she couldn't find. The warm air from her lungs condensed and formed a small cloud in front of her face, and she soon replaced her awestruck expression with a wide grin. "This is amazing!" She exclaimed, her eyes drifting from the top of the lighted tree to the snow-covered rooftops to the faint scenery that lay beyond the city's walls. "Wonderful little secrets like this..." she breathed out in little more than a whisper, "It really makes me want to see all that this place has to offer before it's gone." Her eyes and smile shared a gentle longing at the thought of finding even more hidden treasures alongside Jomei.

A few moments passed, and Telrenya suddenly felt a weight on her shoulders, followed by a comforting warmth. Pulled from the splendor of their surroundings, she looked down to see the familiar forest-green fabric of Jomei's cloak draped around her. A second later, she watched as his arms circled around her and felt his chest pressing into her back as he held her close. The soft pink hue on her cheeks burned brighter while her smile returned in full force. His sweet voice traveled the short distance to her ear, and in return the blonde leaned her head to the side, gently nuzzling her temple against his with eyes closed. Her hands slipped through the crack where the edges of his cloak brushed against each other, and her fingers curled to hook themselves around his arms, holding them close against her chest. "Merry Christmas, Nick."

[Jomei 0]

Timeskip to after The Dragon Menace <DHA:3>

 

A bit of time had passed since Aincrad celebrated the holidays. All of the lights and decorations that spear across Taft, as well as the other main settlements of each floor, had been removed. Even the snow that had covered the steets to create that authentic ‘White Christmas’ feel had melted. The only thing that remained to remind players of the current season was the colder temperature, Taft included. 

 

The ginger haired player slept soundly, with the blonde woman he loved resting beside him in the bed they shared. Despite his olive eyes being closed, there was a feeling that Jomei had that almost seemed to creep its way into his dreams— the feeling of someone standing over him, watching him. It made the air feel slightly stale with unease, like the eyes that stared at him were physically pressing into his body. 

 

The man’s eyes shot open as he sat up, looking around their room. Everything seemed normal, Estelle sleeping next to him, Adere in the corner, none of his furniture out of place. The man took in a deep breath before exhaling, “Must be imagining things..” he said to himself in a half asleep mumble. His hands rose from under the blue blanket, rubbing the sleep from his eyes before turning his body, moving his legs out from under the sheet and letting his feet touch the floor. Now more awake, the man took another look around the room. If nothing was there, why did it feel as though something had truly been watching him..Was it.. possible for player homes to be haunted? His head shook, ridding himself of the ridiculous thought.

[Telrenya 0]

"I already said I love cheesecake..." Tiny mumbles left Telrenya as the girl lay fast asleep in the bed she shared with Jomei. With the wonder and excitement of the holidays having quickly faded, the players of Aincrad seemed to slip easily back into daily life. What would normally be celebrated as a new year in the real world put a different kind of weight on their shoulders, and the Holy Dragon Alliance seemed to be no exception when it came to a display of raised morale and spurred motivations. On this winter morning, however, Telrenya allowed her mind to indulge in some much-needed rest now that a generous portion of her free time was dedicated to training and adventure that often left her both mentally and physically drained.

The blonde's brows twitched slightly as her dream seemed to take a turn. "Ruby no, don't punch it," She muttered, a fraction of a troubled expression displayed on her sleeping face. "No stop, it'll bite you..."

[Jomei 0]

From behind Jomei, he heard the tiny mumbles of Telrenya.. but.. did she say something about cheesecake? Jomei turned, to look over his shoulder, to see the girl still fast asleep, her blonde curls pouring out all along the pillow and her face. A wide smile spread across Jomei's face, still finding beauty in the girl as she slept. "What did you say?" he finally said in a quiet voice, trying to hold back a laugh. The man brought one of his hands to the girl's head, gently brushing the hair that fell from her face, holding his hand at the back of her head, letting his fingers run through the blonde locks of hair, caressing the back of her head. It was unlike Telrenya to oversleep like this, though he felt that she had been hard at work lately in her shop and collecting materials, so she deserved the rest. 

A small look of concern formed on his face, his brows lowering to his eyes as he saw the blonde's own brows twitch. Hearing the girl mumble another phrase, this one about telling Ruby not to hit something. Jomei could barely hold back a laugh, bringing the hand that once caressed Tel's head to his mouth, trying to keep himself from making any more noise and possibly waking the girl up. That plan failed when Telrenya spoke the second half of the statement, about the same thing that Ruby was punching in her dreams possibly biting her. Trying to hold back another laugh, Jomei let out a snort, which only made it harder to keep from laughing even more, literally pressing his hand into his mouth to shut himself up. Once his laugh had subsided, the man knew he could not take anymore. Taking his hand away from his face, he poked Telrenya in the cheek gently, before leaning over and planting a gently kiss on the side of her head. "Good morning, love." Jomei said with a small chuckle "Oh man, did I learn something new about you.." he said with a mischievous smirk as she continued to wake up. "Did you have any idea ... that you talk in your sleep." he said, trying to hold back similar laughter from before. 

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya's sleeping expression only became more troubled, as if the Ruby in her dreams was clearly not heeding her warning and would surely wind up getting hurt. Before any more mumbled, nonsensical phrases had left her mouth, Jomei's index finger pressed lightly against her cheek and caused the girl's brows to narrow as the gentle prodding led her to stir. As his lips parted from the side of her head, Telrenya let out a tiny grumble, her mind working slowly to pull her back to consciousness. Chocolate eyes fluttered open and quickly found the Irishman sitting on the bed beside her, addressing her as she woke with a stiffled amusement.

"Mm..?" She mumbled, pulling a hand from beneath the soft blue sheets to rub at her eyes in an attempt to dismiss the hazy cloud that clung to her mind. "Good morning..." The blonde wasn't so quick to snap to attention, propping herself up on one elbow and pulling her hand down to her mouth as a yawn worked its way up from her chest. Jomei's playful smirk caused her to blink with confusion until his words finally sank in. She seemed to be fully awake now as a pink tint of embarrassment colored the cheeks of a flustered expression. "E-ehh? What...did I say?" She asked, the question hesitant as she almost didn't want to know the answer.

On the other side of the Irishman, eluding Telrenya's attention for now, a playful familiar had reappeared in the room. Willow bobbed up and down gently in the air, their movements akin to some kind of ethereal jellyfish. Bright white oval eyes bore into the back of Jomei's head with a burning curiosity that couldn't be displayed on the Wisp's expressionless face.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei let the laugh out that he had been holding in at Telrenya's confusion. Despite the time the two had spent together now, there was never a moment Jomei had realized the blonde was a verbal sleeper. Bringing a hand up to wipe a small tear from his eye, Jomei toned down his laughing to a small chuckle. After taking a deep breath to try and compose himself, he spoke to the woman with a wide grin. "Well.. first you said something.. about cheesecake." It was tough for him to hold back another small laugh that caused his shoulders to shudder. "Then you were telling Ruby to stop punching something.. and that i was going to bite her." Again, Jomei broke out into a small laugh, this one not lasting nearly as long as the last. Seeing the visible embarrassment on Telrenya's face caused the man to smile sincerely. Inching closer to her on the bed, he wrapped his arms around the girls shoulders, pulling her into his chest. "Estelle, you are just too adorable. How did I ever get so lucky." he said with a chuckle masked behind his words, his eyes closing in contentment.

There that feeling was again... the feeling of eyes staring into the back of his head. Now fully awake, Jomei definitely felt a presence behind him. Slowly letting go of Telrenya, he looked at her for a moment, brows furrowed in concern. As quickly as he could, Jomei spun around to look on the other side of the room- empty again. "What the hell...." Jomei said to himself under his breath. "Am.. am I going crazy? Or does it feel like.. someone else is here, aside from us and Adere I mean" The man turned back to face Telrenya, curious to see if she felt the same way.

[Telrenya 0]

The heat in her cheeks stretched across the bridge of her nose in a deepened blush as Jomei went on to summarize her sleepy ramblings in between smal fits of laughter. The memory of whatever crazy dream she had been having had vanished almost as soon as she had awoken, leaving the girl embarrassed and confused. Jomei seemed to sympathize with her expression by the end of it, and she felt herself pulled into hug as he wrapped his arms around her. Telrenya let out a tiny grumble, as if she was pouting at the man, but her own hands soon slipped around his waist while she leaned against his frame.

"I remember my mom once told me when I was talking in my sleep." Their closeness made up for the very slight muffling of her voice in the midst of their embrace. "I passed out after pulling an all-nighter towards the end of the week. I...guess I tend to have pretty weird dreams when I keep myself too busy." She explained, recalling in hindsight how she had pushed herself a bit hard in the midst of exams and other schoolwork during that time.

His hold around her gradually vanished, and the blush had drained from her cheeks when she met his concerned gaze. A touch of unease quickly filled her upon seeing his expression, but before her brows had the chance to match his she caught sight of a slight motion in the empty space of the room behind the ginger. Telrenya's gaze drifted just past Jomei until they fell on Willow bobbing gently without a care. Just then, the Irishman spun around and she watched as the familiar vanished in a hurry, leaving nothing but an empty bedroom for them to stare at. The man finally voiced his concern, turning back to her with a question. Brown eyes were still fixed on the space that Willow had occupied, waiting patiently until the playful--or perhaps shy--spirit reformed to stare curiously at Jomei just as before.

Turning her attention back to him, Telrenya looked thoughtful for a moment when she jumped to what would seem like a completely different topic. "Hey Nick, do you have any recordings handy that have your lute on them?" It took a second before she realized the redundancy of her plan, and the heel of her palm came up to collide with her forehead. "No, sorry, better question." She chuckled shyly as her hand fell to her lap as she sat on the bed beside him. "Do you have your lute on you? Do you think you could play something real quick?" Still without offering an explanation behind her request, she flashed the man an excited smile.

[Jomei 0]

Soon the man felt Telrenya's own hands gently wrap around Jomei's waist, causing the lingering smile on his face to stretch a bit more. He held the girl in his arms for slightly longer than he had originally planned, simply enjoying having her there and the warmth she gave off. Olive eyes would open as Telrenya began to speak, her voice slightly muffled as she spoke into his chest. He listened to her small story about a time in the real world when she had overworked herself, and her mom caught her sleep talking after she had passed out. Jomei smiled, his voice soft as he spoke, "Yeah.. And you've been working a lot to get your shop going lately, I don't blame you for wearing yourself out." 

It was no lie that both Jomei and Telrenya had been working a lot lately, at least on different ends. While Telrenya said she was focusing on improving her shop and searching for materials to craft with, Jomei had been doing a lot of work with recruiting for the guild, as well as running a quest line with another member of their guild, Erin. Though, the fact that Tel was working so hard, only meant that it would probably happen again. The man chuckled in a playfully sinister way, "I'll just have to set up a recording crystal next time so you can hear yourself."

After checking his surroundings for something that he could have sworn was staring at him, he turned to the blonde to get her input on the situation. She did not seem as disturbed about the situation as he had. For a moment, she looked as though she had been in deep thought, only to extend into a wide smile as she asked if he had recorded lute songs available. A curious brow rose, wondering exactly why she was looking for a song of his-- specifically one on his lute. After sudden realization, she switched her question to ask if he could simply take his lute out and play a song. He stared at the girl curiously for a moment before smirking and shrugging, "Sure. I don't see why not." 

Turning his body all the way around so his feet touched the floor, Jomei swiped his hand up to summon his menus. With a few other swiped and taps, the wooden instrument appeared in his lap. After setting the lute up in his arms and finding a nice position on the neck, he began to pluck at the strings, creating a soft melody that filled his room. 

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya pulled the lower half of her body out from underneath the sheets, still wearing a bright smile when Jomei turned to retrieve his lute. She crawled across the space between them, picking herself up to her knees and positioning herself behind the Irishman. Telrenya's chest pressed up against his back while her arms wrapped around him over the tops of his shoulders, taking care not to be too much of an obstruction between the man and his instrument. Her head hovered beside him, and she stared into the empty space of the bedroom. Chocolate eyes drifted lightly as she was unable to recall the exact position where she had seen Willow before they disappeared out of Jomei's line of sight.

Despite her anticipation, Telrenya found herself enjoying the gentle notes that his lute sung. She didn't have to wait long, however, for the reason behind her request to reveal itself. The little blue Wisp reappeared where he had been floating in the air up until seconds ago, bright white eyes now trained on the wooden instrument in Jomei's hands while it bobbed through the air to draw closer to the players. "There you are!" She exclaimed in a soft voice, smile stretching wider as Willow swayed from side to side to match the rhythm of Jomei's song. Telrenya grinned, turning her chin slightly to place a kiss against the side of the Irishman's head. "Meet my new friend, Willow. I wanted to introduce you sooner, but somebody wanted to show off how good they are at hide-and-seek." She pouted as her eyes turned on the familiar who was still enthralled with Jomei's performance. "But they seem to really like the sound of your lute, so I thought maybe it would lure them out." She chuckled softly.

[Jomei 0]

Soft music began to fill the small living space that Telrenya and Jomei resided in as his fingers danced along the neck on the instrument. The fingers of his left hand would press against the thin metal strings, while his other would pull at the same strings, creating notes of different pitches that formed a gentle melody suited for the morning. The ginger felt Telrenya's body press until his shoulder blades, while her arms snaked their way around his neck, holding him in a gently embrace as he continued to compose the pleasing tune. He felt the presence of the blonde's head, hovering just above  his shoulder and next to his own head. With a warm smile on his face, the man tilted his head to the side, little his temple nestle into Telrenya's for a moment, enjoying her loving hold on him as he played his music. 

Jomei was alright with this, sitting here playing music for Telrenya, her arms wrapped around him. He did not mind playing for the girl whenever she asked, and he hoped that they would have more mornings like this. However, as a figure began to slowly fade in before them, Jomei's eyes shifted to his front to the small, ghost like entity. His eyes widened with a tiny gasp, and for a quick moment, Jomei was concerned about the will-o-wisp that was now floating in their bedroom. However, Telrenya's exclamation calmed his nerves, but only made him more confused. After a quick kiss on the side of his head, with Jomei's eyes still locked on the white orbs that served as its own eyes, the blonde introduced the little ghost as Willow, her new friend. 

Piecing the pieces together, Jomei realized that this must have been the familiar that she used the Familiar Call from Jomei's workshop for... would make sense as to why it was attracted to the sound of his music. With a smile on his face, Jomei placed his lute to the side, looking across at the small creature as it bobbed closer to the couple on the bed. "Hi little guy, I'm Jomei. It's nice to meet you." he said, gently extending out the palm of his hand to try and pat the form on its head, wondering if that was even possible in its form. 

[Telrenya 0]

The soft and cautious way that Jomei greeted the creature caused a wide, warm smile to stretch across Telrenya's face. She watched Willow hover before the Irishman, its eyes following and lingering on the lute that he moved to the side before shifting over to the player. To Telrenya, their meeting was almost too cute for words, and she had hardly realized that Jomei was reaching out to pet the little spirit. "Oh, you can't--" She stopped her sentence when the man's fingers would have made contact with Willow's head. The wisp promptly dissipated, vanishing before them and leaving only empty air in the space around Jomei's hand.

Telrenya's brows turned up in a sympathetic concern, expecting the man to feel a surprise and disappointment similar to the one she had first experienced when the same thing had happened to her. "S-sorry, they do that to me, too." She chuckled nervously, watching the space the familiar had been occupying with hopeful eyes. Several seconds passed, and the woman was just about to let out a defeated sigh when Willow reformed with bright white ovals trained on the lute sitting beside Jomei again. The breath that would have been disappointed left Telreyna with a hint of relief instead. "Looks like they're warming up to you, at least."

[Jomei 0]

As Jomei's hand seemed to pat the head of the small ghost-like creature, its white eyes clamped shut before vanishing into thin air again. His brows lowered as his mouth hung agape, a small sigh of disappointment pouring out. His outstretched fingers gently curled back towards the palm of his hand as his arm attracted in defeat. The man felt as though he had done something wrong and upset Willow, before Telrenya finally spoke up to reassure him that the will-o-wisp had done the same thing to her on multiple occasions. The man turned his head to look over at the blonde, a small smile on his face. "Makes me feel a bit better, thought it upset it." Merely moments later, Willow reappeared in front of the two, and Jomei's wide grin returned to his face as well. The man chuckled when he followed Willow's gaze to the lute at his side, "Well.. hopefully he's warming up to me, and not just using me for my music." 

Jomei shifted himself on the bed so he sat a bit more next to Telrenya. Reaching behind the blonde, he placed the palm of his hand on the arch of her back before leaning in to kiss her on her shoulder, "I'm really happy you were able to tame a familiar of your own. I know you're not the best with animals, so I'm happy you were able to find one that suited you." Jomei's eyes went back to Willow, who floated in front of the two. "He's cute, suits you well." he said with a small laugh. On the other side of the room, Adere had finally taken notice of the new figure, her head tilting to the side curiously. She hopped from her perch and made her way over to the bed, hopping up into the space in front of Telrenya and Jomei, turning her body to look at Willow again, curious as ever. "Thats Willow, Adere.. no need to get jealous or anything. Hope you don't mind another friend hanging around." 

[Telrenya 0]

The corners of Telrenya's mouth stretched into a wide grin. "It was amazing," She started, recalling the area deep past the trees of the eighth floor. "There was a place in the forest that had so many of them. I wonder what it would look like at night..." She wondered aloud in a small voice, staring at the small spirit floating in front of them as she imagined the woods illuminated by the soft glow of blues and greens that came off of the many wisps.

She sat back on her heels on the bed beside Jomei, keeping her arms wrapped loosely around him while Adere took an interest in the new creature in the room. The blonde watched with the slightest of apprehension as the owl made her way over, filled with curiosity while her onyx eyes stared at the ethereal figure hovering beside them. After Jomei's reassurance, Telrenya smiled softly and pulled one hand towards Adere. She hesitated with a fleeting fear that she might startle the owl, but continued to carefully run the tips of her first two fingers over the top of her feathered head, repeating the motion once it was clear that she did not mind the contact. She smiled softly as she pet Adere. "It's tricky learning how to be friends with them, but I think I'll figure it out." She chuckled.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's eyes trailed back to Willow, listening to Telrenya's story about where she first met the small ghost. The man closed his eyes and tried to imagine a small grove in the forest, filled with creatures that looked like Willow, illuminating the area. The ginger smiled, before his olive eyes opened towards Telrenya yet again, "You'll have to take me there sometime, I would love to see it." he said in a soft voice. As his eyes trailed back to Willow, he looked at the creature in awe. He had never seen something like it before, let alone many ghosts at all in Aincrad. A soft, breathy chuckle passed from his parted lips as he looked at Willow in pure fascination. 

As Adere jumped up onto the bed and turned to look at Willow with intense curiosity, Jomei tried to hold back a laugh, letting out small chuckles. His hand met Adere's side, gently petting at the feathers. She seemed to be completely accepting to Willow, not trying to attack, or looking at them frightened in any way. Olive eyes then noticed Telrenya's hand, hesitantly moving towards the back of Adere's head. Jomei could see the caution in her eyes as she neared the owl.. realizing that this was the first time she ever actually pet Adere. Finally, her fingers made contact, the tips of her two fingers very gently along the feathers of Adere's head. 

Jomei looked at the blonde with a hooded gaze, happy that she finally gained the courage to pet the owl. He had seen the two's relationship slowly progressing, and it made him happy to know that it had finally reached this point. His eyes returned to Willow again, who tried to mimic Adere's movements with their own head, causing the man to laugh softly. "I'm sure someone as caring, loving, and amazing as you will find a way.. Besides, it looks like you're already making great progress with Willow."

[Telrenya 0]

She nodded with excitement at the thought of revisiting that grove on the eighth floor together with Jomei. She wondered how Willow might behave around the other Wisps that they had lived among, now being considered a tamed familiar and acting friendly with her. The alluring thought of adventure nearly tempted the girl, but she found the safety and comfort of their home just too attractive to consider tearing herself away from it.

As she reached out to pet the owl standing beside them and her fingers ran over the smooth feathers atop Adere's head, Telrenya took on a small smile. She shifted her hand slightly so that her thumb gently stroked the familiar and the backs of her curled fingers moved down Adere's back. The smile on the blonde's face stretched a bit wider with the owl's calmness. If anything, she seemed a bit too engrossed with the creature across from her to pay Telrenya much mind. The small orb that represented the spirit's head cocked back and forth with each curious tilt of Adere's, and the soft chuckles of the man beside her were contagious as Telrenya let out a small laugh of her own.

After a few more moment of mimicking the owl, Willow turned their attention on Telrenya. They floated leisurely above and over Adere's head until they seemed to settle into place hovering above the girl's right shoulder. She giggled softly at both the familiar's actions and Jomei's kind words, leaning over to press her lips against his temple once again. "You're just too sweet." She said softly. She then pulled away, taking in a deep breath through her nose and bringing her arms up to stretch over her head. Telrenya fell back onto the bed with a heavy sigh as the air was expelled from her lungs.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei's olive eyes followed the bobbing entity as it floated forwards to hover above Telrenya's shoulder. Adere watched the wisp with wonder, turning its head to watch it until it reached its destination.  Now feeling much more comfortable with their new flatmate, Adere hopped from the bed she rested on to the desk, where she could look out the window at the players and NPCs as they walked by their front door. A small laugh passed Jomei's lips as he looked at their 'guard owl', watching from her post. His eyes shifted to the side as they felt Telrenya's lips upon the side of his head, causing his smile to widen even more. Slowly, Tel's arms slipped from over the ginger's shoulders as she took in a deep breath, before falling onto the bed behind her with a sigh. Jomei turned his body to look down at her, the blonde curls spread out along the sheet behind her head causing him to chuckle a bit. The Irishman soon followed suit, letting his upper body fall back onto the bed, so his shoulders lined up with Telrenya's. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment in silence, just enjoying the company of the blonde next to him. " Back in the real world, I live in Kusatsu.. The apartment I lived in there was a lot smaller than the house here. Bedroom was about half the size.. didn't have a balcony, and it was on the same floor as the living room.. which was also a lot smaller than the one downstairs." He chuckled, "Definitely bigger than the room I had in college though."

[Telrenya 0]

"Hmm, I haven't been there before..." She mused in a small voice when Jomei revealed a more exact location of where he was in Japan before finding himself trapped in the game. She tried to picture the kind of place the man was living in before all this. "You lived on your own, right? That sounds...intimidating." She took a moment to find the right word, letting out a half-chuckle beside him as she recalled her own living situation before Aincrad was forced to become her new home. "It was only for a little bit, but James and I had our own apartment after I finished high school. He took most of the responsibility, but I still thought it was difficult sometimes." She admitted with a soft smile while she stared up at the ceiling.

Telrenya paused for a moment, playing back a memory before she spoke up again. "Ah, you said you want to be a teacher, right?" Her head turned to the side in order to face Jomei with a curious smile. She had remembered when he first started teaching her how to play the piano, before they had started writing and recording their music together. She thought it was very fitting that the man had told her he aspired to teach after offering his instruction in music.

[Jomei 0]

The ginger nodded his head with a smile, "It's along Lake Biwa.. right across from Kyoto actually." his smile widened a bit more into a grin, realizing that the two were not that far off in the real world after all. "Though I've never taken the trip across the Kyoto in a long time.. maybe once or twice when I was younger after we first moved." The two's lazy day conversation continued along, going into Jomei's actual apartment he had been renting. "Yeah, I was on my own. Originally I considered staying back in Ireland when I went back for college.. but after my mom got sick, I decided to move back so I could be close to her. Considered getting a room mate to make it easier at first, but since I had a bit of help from my parents, I figured I'd just find something tiny to live in on my own.. Aside from that it was.. simple enough. Got lonely at times, not gonna lie. But.. Not like I was living there too long before SAO came out."

His head turned to the side to listen to Telrenya speak about where she was living before entering the game. Her brother and herself had shared an apartment upon finishing high school. The man could not help but frown for a moment.. for the bond that the two siblings had shared was truly wonderful.. but now James was gone. Despite the fact that she has had the past few months to cope with his death in game, he was sure it would be a lot harder once it became a reality in the real world. Jomei could only imagine what her parents were going through. His gaze still locked on his, his smile reformed, along with pinkness in his cheeks. "Well.. maybe once this is over.. and.. we readjust to our real lives.. We can go back to this.. Living together." 

After a moment, Telrenya's head turned to look at Jomei, before asking more about his schooling. He knew that he had mentioned to Telrenya about his desire to become a teacher, though he had never actually gone more into exactly what. "Yeah." the man said with a smile, "I actually studied to teach math. But finding a job was a little slow, especially after moving back to Japan.. All my friends thought I was crazy for liking Math and wanting to teach it." he said with a chuckle. "By the way, I don't think you've ever told me what you went to school for."