[PP-F11] A Valentine's Breakfast Teion and Hestia (Tunnel of Love)

[Ryo 0]

Ryo turned his head to Teion, to catch her smiling. "If I'm anything, it's definitely stubborn," Ryo said, chuckling alongside Teion. "You seemed weirder. I mean, there here was this beautiful woman, all alone at a party. And she exhibited no interest in talking or making friends. What else was I supposed to do besides come up and try to be friendly?" He said, giving another chuckle. The ride continued, and the tone shifted slightly. It became less awkward, at least for himself anyway. The next set of flickering lights came in, and it showed a sunset. Ryo recognized the place immediately. The fields of crossing, a place the two had visited directly after a conversation at his house. It was a good time, a time that Ryo remembered fondly. "Wanna head back to there first after we're done here?" He asked, leaning over to Teion. But he kept looking on, on at the video memory that played. He looked, asleep. HIs shoulder slumped at the thoughts of it. "Can't believe I fell sleep then." He said, rubbing his forehead.

[Teion 0]

Teion frowned, something akin to a pout forming on her expression as he called her weird back, and followed-up with a quick compliment. "Tch, you're stubborn alright." She agreed with that statement at least, easily remembering time and time again when the man had exhibited such a trait.

Shortly after the first displayed memory faded away, another began. She easily recognized the location, even noting it as a place of interest marked on their holiday quest list. She watched herself laying in the field of flowers for a moment, before she would push herself up to look curiously at Ryo's sleeping avatar beside her. She remembered how tempted she had been to poke at the man's cheek, or wave her hand in front of his face to see if he had actually drifted off, and it was now that she was incredibly thankful she was spared the re-enactment of such a thing. Instead, the Teion of the past picked herself up and moved to a nearby tree. Ryo's question hit the air as she worked to climb onto a high-hanging branch, legs dangling off the side and swinging lightly as she occupied her time in the calm fields.

She chuckled lightly at his note of embarrassment. "Sure, why not. It was on that list, so if we're gonna get that quest done we might as well head to the ones we know." She reasoned. With little else of interest in the clip of their past, it soon disappeared and was then replaced with a new memory. Teion's shoulders grew rigid and her cheeks felt just a bit warmer at the sight--the violette's own entanglement in a mess of hanging vines. Beside her, Ryo's shirtless frame gripped his katana and worked to cut her free. Now it was her turn to be embarrassed.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo chuckled as he saw Teion's pout. "S-sorry. just saying it." He said, being truthful and trying to hold back some full laughter. The next scene sailed into view, and a more vivid picture played in his mind. If memory served right it would be when they ran into each other on floor seven. And as Ryo thought, he was correct. Teion fell from her perch, causing Ryo's stomach to turn knots as she did. "That was, quite the fall." Ryo said, not realizing how high up she really was. A different angle from that memory played before him. This time he could see Teion's full blushing face as his shirtless self-rubbed along her, trying to free her from her vine prison. "I kinda remember that. But, not like that. When did I lose my shirt?" Ryo said, chuckling as he rubbed the back of his head as he tried to remember that day, but for whatever reason it was he couldn't place it.

What was that day about? He kept asking himself. Was that before, the entire adventure in the caverns? He kept thinking trying to recall that day. He gave up, as the next memory lane trip was coming into view. He smiled, wondering what it would show next. Them accidentally waking up next to one another? The moment where he heroically saved Teion from the shadow beasts from the basement. No, it was something that Ryo hadn't remembered. Something he tried to forget or was helped to forget. The next scene was darker, this time at night. A hunched Ryo was digging through a cabinet of some kind. He remembered this. He found an antidote for the poison there. And suddenly everything came back, and he no longer wished to see this memory. His hand quickly reached over and gripped Teion's. His body softly shook, as the memory came back. His body hunched over as it played out. He had no need to look at the screen as it played out. His hand tightened it's grip as he could hear himself deliver gasping lines of love to Teion. The memory ended, and the boat lurched forward again. "Is. Is it over?" Ryo asked softly, scared to look up.

[Teion 0]

Teion's right hand pulled up to fidget with her long hair while Ryo filled the silence for a moment. She didn't offer a direct response, either not being able to tell if his question was rhetorical, or simply not wanting to try and refresh his memory by confirming the details that played out in front of them.

She wasn't sure what to expect next as they drifted along. 'Oh my god, it's going to show us kissing, isn't it?' She thought with a hint of dread, recalling the kiss Ryo had tricked her into at the base of the grassy hill outside of Urbus. The game did, indeed, continue with another scene that would display a kiss the two shared. But Teion's eyes widened slightly as she realized the circumstances around it. She froze, watching for the second time as Ryo collapsed in the shadowed potions shop. She suddenly felt a hand grab onto hers. Teion would've normally pulled it away, assuming that the man sitting beside her was attempting some romantic gesture to pair with what would've been the sickeningly lovestruck theme behind the attraction. But before she had even thought to do so, she felt how the fingers that curled around her hand were trembling. Her eyes were still locked on the scene on display, listening to her own distressed outcries, and Ryo's weak, playful comebacks. Her other hand moved instinctively and placed itself on top of his while she tried to swallow past the heavy lump that had formed in her throat.

"Yeah. It stopped." She said in a low voice, fighting to keep her own composure. The scene of Ryo's near-death in the potions shop had faded away, and Teion had half a mind to climb out of the boat right there and wade through the waters back to the entrance of this stupid 'ride'. A few seconds later, and she registered how she was holding onto Ryo's hand in her lap. The woman pulled her hand away, albeit not as forcefully as she would have under other circumstances, and she hurriedly moved to rub at the corner of her farthest eye before the hand dropped to the ends of the violet hair falling over her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

[Ryo 0]

His eyes could avoid the image, but there was nothing he could do to drown out the noise of it. The sounds of it all, his cracking and failing voice, the sound of tears and panic in Teions own. All of it brought up memories that he had hoped he had forgotten. Now here they were again, forced to be on display, probably all part of that sick NPC's grand design. The boat moved again, causing Ryo to sit up again. His head slumped down still, hanging low. His mind replayed the scene over, and over again until he felt a pull at his hand. Teion had let go of his hand and looked off. She asked a question, too see if he was okay. No. How could he be okay? He basically watched as his confession of love was disguised under the ruse of him dying. That the first kiss he had shared with a woman he had cared greatly for was under such duress. A memory that he had hoped stayed buried was projected onto a screen like it was some sort of home movie. He stayed silent not wanting to lie to Teion, but also not wanting to lie to her. He inhaled through his nose, before speaking. "What? no, I'm fine." He said, lying. "Don't worry about me none." He said, letting out a false chuckle.

The ride continued until it came to a stop again, showing off a long tunnel underneath the ground. Wait, wasn't this where they had? Ryo's face turned a bright red as he recalled the moment. It had shown Ryo stepping out into the hall, and shouting at nothing but himself. Ryo's faced turned even redder when the fairies had captured audio of his ramblings and had decided to play them back, for them both to hear.  "Th-that was supposed to be pr-private." He said, under his breath. Before the image of him slumped down against the wall. The scene changed from Ryo sleeping alone in the hall, to Teion joining him. Ryo woke up, and carried the woman back over to her bed and set her down on it. He reached down and covered the girl up before lying down himself and passing out.

[Teion 0]

Had she expected him to tell the truth? She had felt how his hand had been trembling, and the pressure of his distressed grip. Both of them had told her that he was far from 'fine'. Still, she didn't know what to in response, or how to act. All she felt that she could do was try to keep her own emotions in check and keep them bottled inside of her until this stupid ride was over and done with. Was this something that other players had been subjected to on this quest? Surely they weren't the only two in Aincrad to see their memories play out in front of them on this peculiar attraction. Maybe Sophie had managed to drag Lee onto the attraction. She made a mental note to prod the woman about it sometime later.

Before either of them had fully recovered, the next scene started playing. Ryo's voice caught her attention to bring her eyes back to the screen, the anger in his voice while his scolding was directed towards himself serving as an unexpected beginning. Teion blinked in mild confusion. Her mind struggled to piece together all the details, although the image in front of them gave her a good point of reference. The tunnel of the abandoned sewers, and the stone wall and door that made up the room they had stumbled upon reminded her of exactly which night during their entrapment this was. But what was he yelling about? She wracked her brain for a couple of long seconds before their earlier argument finally resurfaced from her memories. Her heart pumped her blood a bit faster as she recalled the criticism he had thrown at her when she revealed Aereth's name. Her jaw clenched slightly, and for a moment she was reliving the heat of his accusations rather than focusing on the new scene playing out before her. But she worked to keep her temper under control, and mulled over Ryo's small rant.

Then she watched the door open. She stepped out, rubbing at her eyes before she spotted the man asleep against the wall. 'Oh, yeah.' She thought. She had been crying just before that. The scene played out, and a light color of her own embarrassment brushed over the skin of her cheeks when she watched herself nod off against Ryo's shoulder, and she looked away when she saw her sleeping avatar in his arms. "That was an accident..." She muttered, as if she felt some need to defend her past self.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo chuckled at Teion. "Y-yeah, just an accident. I didn't mean to f-fall asleep in your bed." He said, defending himself for whatever reason and dismissing the fact that Teion had curled up in his arms. He rubbed the back of his head as the ride continued its journey through their 'romantic' love life. The next scene was the,m just holding hands. nothing more, nothing less. just the two of them holding hands as they walked through the fog that enveloped that tunnel. The tunnel turned forest, and forest turned cabin.

The cabin scene played out and Ryo watched with horror as he watched Teion get gripped, and pulled into that cellar. The footage continued and showed Ryo showing no hesitation as he leaped into the cellar. The camera followed as it kept up with Ryo. Ryo dispatched a few of the shadow beings, calling out for Teion. Demons raked over his body, causing his HP to drip slightly but his passive regen kept him stable. Finally, he reached Teion, slew the last of the creatures, and escorted her back to safety.

Ryo thought the clip would end there, but it jumped ahead to after dinner. Ryo made a joke about sharing a bed, to which Teion jokingly agreed to. Which caused Ryo to turn into a stammering fool. Ryo's cheeks flustered again. "Do I, really get like that?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

[Teion 0]

Teion watched in silence, the two figures on the projection walking hand-in-hand. It suddenly occurred to her just how often they'd done that. Even earlier today, glossing over the vague comfort she had offered a few minutes prior, she had found her hand placed in Ryo's at one point or another. The realization made her feel all the more uncomfortable about how close she'd been to the man, and she looked away for a moment while she was waiting for the scene to come to an end.

Instead, it simply jumped forward. They walked through the door of the cabin in the woods, and then Teion watched herself shove the large armchair aside while she curiously inspected the trap door hiding underneath it. She tensed up as she watched from a different perspective--an observer, like she was living out another bad memory as one would in a dream. Or in this case, more of a nightmare. The footage kept shifting, and she nearly flinched when she saw herself recoiling from the shadows that crawled along the basement.

Before she could release the stiffness in her shoulders and allow the breath she held to escape, the scene just pressed further. She had smirked, taking an opportunity to tease the purple-haired man, to which she watched him blush and stammer all over again. Rather than a sigh, air escaped Teion in a muffled chuckle after Ryo seemed embarrassed to see himself...well, embarrassed. Her hand curled in front of her mouth, where it had shielded her half-contained laughter a second ago. "Mmhm," She confirmed, wearing a small smirk. "It's pretty fun to tease you. Sorry." She tacked on a half-sincere apology.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo was taken slightly aback and shifted in his seat. "S-So I do t-talk like that?!" He said, mostly in surprise. "And wh-what do you mean, it's f-fun to tease me?" He asked her again, as the boat continued to shift and move along the track. Ryo looked down at his knees, then to his reflection in the water. Why was he smiling so much? He looked back up as the boat ceased. The next image played out, the two of them standing on top of the hill with the city in the background. Ryo appreciated the moment, this one more warm and colorful. Peaceful even. Until Ryo slipped up, and drug Teion down the hill. Even the camera fairy seemed surprised, jumping at the reaction and following the two rolling down the hill. The two landed at the bottom, Teion on top of Ryo. Ryo's face turned red, and he knew what happened next. He saw himself steal a kiss from Teion. He would comment on the exchange, but he kept to himself. Instead, he just enjoyed the moment, just as he did before. The ride continued stopping at yet another projection. This time, Ryo didn't remember it. Snow covered the picture, and a blip of purple revealed itself. Ryo cocked an eyebrow. He hadn't remembered braving the snow at any time, so this had to have been Teion. "Teion, what is this?" He asked, not sure if it was appropriate to watch or not.

[Teion 0]

Her shoulders shuddered as she held in more laughter. "Do...do you hear yourself right now?" She managed through a snicker. A couple of seconds later, as she regained a bit of her composure, she replied matter-of-factly. "Exactly what I said. When you're embarrassed you blush like crazy and trip over all of your words. And it's really fun to tease you about it." Her thumb pressed against her jaw, curled fingers still working half-heartedly to hide a portion of the smile that she wore. The words had practically slipped out where she hadn't actually needed to offer an explanation, but she tried not to dwell on them as the boat drifted steadily forward.

Her hand had just dropped back into her lap when the next scene began to play before them. It only took a second or two for Teion to realize exactly what the projection was going to show them, and this time it was her turn for her cheeks to burn with a fresh blush. She watched as Ryo held out a hand to help her to her feet, and how he pulled her in close once he had done so, bringing their lips together in a stolen kiss. She tore her eyes away, glaring off to the side of the darkened tunnel until the memory would fade away like the rest.

She almost hadn't noticed that a new image had started playing until Ryo's mention of her name brought her attention back to the front. Her gaze narrowed a bit in confusion, trying to make sense of the snow-covered landscape. Where was this? When was this? And then, as she watched herself nervously pacing in front of the steps that led up to the familiar door of a Tailor's shop, cobalt eyes went wide. "What..." She couldn't find the words to complete her thought, but her hands soon balled into fists in her lap. Why were they being shown this? As if the wounds weren't fresh enough, the game had to record it all and play it back for her. And with the perfect company, no less.

It showed nearly everything. Her pacing stopped, and she shakily took a seat on the wooden steps. She pulled back more than once in the middle of her letter, sniffling and wiping away the tears that were quick to be replaced. Finished writing, the girl buried her face against the knees she hugged close to her while she simply sat and cried. And then, after slipping the note underneath the shop's door, she scrolled through her menus.

"I'm so sorry, Max."

The words were a whisper, but that hadn't stopped the 'love fairy' from picking them up. It was then that the Teion sitting in the small boat gave a small, almost involuntary sniffle of her own. With her head hanging, tears had run down her cheeks, falling and dampening the tan cloth of her shorts and the backs of her hands. "Why, would it show that?" She asked in a cracking voice, not expecting any kind of an answer as her nails dug into the skin of her palms.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo didn't know how to respond to the situation. How could he? He was just shown, something that he could only assume as her leaving a note for someone. Ryo tried to connect dots. Who would Teion be leaving a note for, and why was she so emotional about it? The detective part of his brain went wild with thoughts, and questions. One theory made the most sense to him. That was her leaving a note for Aereth, whose real name was apparently Max, or something of the like. Ryo looked over at Teion, who was quivering and crying. It hurt Ryo to see her like that. She must have left a note for Aereth, breaking up with him. It made sense. if it was any other note, then she wouldn't be acting like this at least on a scale such as this.

Ryo gritted his teeth. Here Teion was, the woman he loved, sobbing. And there was nothing Ryo could do about it. He remained silent as the ride went on. Light faded into existence as the ride reached its end. Ryo stood up, helping Teion out of the boat. Ryo's gaze snapped to the NPC who still stood there. "So, did you two enjoy the full experience?" The man asked. Ryo stood up to the NPC, staring into the NPC's eyes. "What, the hell was that last clip?" Ryo asked, angrily. The NPC shrugged. "I figured that you should know that they broke up. Now you have a cha-" The NPC was cut off as a right hook caught him across his cheek. "To hell with the safe zone. To hell with the consequences. And to hell with you!" Ryo shouted standing over the hunched NPC. Anger filled him. How dare this NPC think that Ryo needed help, that he should know that Teion broke up with Aereth. Ryo put a swift kick onto the NPC, making him scoot back a foot or two. Ryo stepped up to the NPC, grabbing his collar and lifting him close to Ryo. "I do not need your help. Nor will I ever need your help. The next time, you make Teion it will be the last time you do so. Are we clear?" Ryo said, not waiting for a response but instead tossed the NPC onto the ground. Ryo brushed off his own clothing and started to step away. he flashed Teion a smile. "You wanna go somewhere else? Maybe get a drink?" Ryo asked her, wanting her to feel better.

[Teion 0]

Saddened, guilty, and embarrassed, Teion tried to shift her focus from the memory that continued to replay in her mind even after it had faded from both of their views to calming herself down and quelling the flow of tears that had taken over her. She brought her hands up, rubbing at the skin of her cheeks and the corners of her eyes to wipe away the moisture. Her storm subsided just before the boat lurched to a stop, signaling the end of the ride. Teion hesitated for a split second, but accepted the hand that Ryo offered to pull herself to her feet and back onto the solid ground of Taft.

She was surprised to see the Frenchman standing in wait for the two players, though with how drained she felt in that moment she had no feelings left for the twisted NPC. Her mind was blank, and she hadn't the slightest idea what to do from here. It was Ryo's fist colliding with the side of the taunting man's face that jolted the woman to attention, eyes widening slightly at his furious display. Her pulse slightly quickened as she watched the man stand up for her and effectively silence the manipulative Frenchman. Seconds later, Ryo turned back to her and offered her a smile. As if nothing had ever happened.

"...Yeah. Sure." She responded positively enough after she had taken a second to process everything. Her eyes found the smooth, cobblestone ground as she followed Ryo's lead in silence. Her heart felt heavy for all sorts of reasons, and as if it wasn't already hard enough for her to talk to Ryo in any normal sense most of the time, she didn't know how she was going to manage it now. Teion's eyes picked up from the floor when she found what must have been their destination. Less crowded than the main plaza of the eleventh floor, a cart was set up to advertise the sale of shaved ice and similar frozen treats. A handful of tables, some sporting unfurled dual-colored umbrellas, were set up nearby.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo huffed as he walked at first, still angry at the event that had just transpired. But, he slowly calmed down as the pair re-entered the city of Taft. "C'mon. I know this place that sells shaved ice." Ryo said, trying to take his mind off of things. Entering the shopping plaza, Ryo noted the location quite easily as the multicolored rainbows gave away the position of the shop quite easily. Ryo stepped up the kiosk and ordered a snow cone with strawberry and coconut flavoring. "What would you like?" Ryo asked Teion, stepping aside with his snow cone so that Teion could order. After she had Ryo paid for the two of them and took a seat at a table. It had gotten warmer, at least warmer then what it was that morning. Ryo looked at the pamphlet they each had. The Tunnel of Love was stamped out for them, leaving the rest of the locations. But, if they continued throughout the list at the pace they were going at, they would miss the party entirely. Ryo sighed, not knowing what to talk about. "I'm not going to talk about it." He said, referring to the last memory played for them. "I respect you too much to try and pry on it, so I'm leaving it be. And with that out of the way," Ryo looked at the pamphlet again. "We could go to the Crossing Fields again. Get that stamped off." He suggested. "Or we could just chill on this floor until it's time for the party." Ryo said taking a spoonful of his snow cone.

[Teion 0]

"Oh, uhm," Teion was given the distraction of a menu, her eyes looking over the many flavors that the stall had to offer. They finally landed on one that made her decision easy, and she spoke up to the smiling NPC that stood behind the cart's counter. "Just banana, please."

She took a seat across from Ryo at an empty table, staring at her dessert a moment before she stabbed a small plastic spoon into the top of it. Breaking away a small section of ice crystals, she paused before moving it to her mouth and looked up at Ryo when he broke the silence. She thought on his words a second, taking in the bite of flavored ice and letting it melt in her mouth. "Thank you." She replied simply, then deciding to leave the topic alone as well. She mulled over the option he presented--continuing on with what was hopefully more simple, innocent destinations on their quest checklist, or staying put until the masquerade ball would open its doors. She shrugged after another small pile of sweet ice dissolved against her tongue. "We can go. Something to keep busy would be nice." She mentioned, welcoming the distraction of walking and exploring to detract from the previous barrage of unwelcome memories.

[Ryo 0]

The violet-haired man smiled at Teion. "Perfect. We'll head out as soon as we're done with these." He said, happily taking another bite of his frozen treat. It didn't take them long to eat their sugary concoctions. Ryo threw away his trash and moved over to the teleportation pad. There, he teleported himself to the second floor. He rubbed his eyes as he stepped out, somewhat surprised. It was daytime on the eleventh floor, but here it was the dead of night. Ryo just assumed that the floors used a universal time scale, that it was a set time on every floor. Apparently not. Teion appeared behind him. "The sky's pretty clear. Want to go stargazing?" Ryo asked, looking up at the night sky. The dark night made everything so blue, the moon shone brightly yet the other stars didn't seem diminished by it. A sky without the corruption of smog and other gases.

Ryo remembered the way to the Fields of Crossing and it was there he had lead Teion. This time, instead of sitting on the crest of the hill, and looking down the field he instead stepped down into the field slightly as to have no trees block his view. Ryo sat down, looking up at the sky. There were so many stars, bright dots in the inky black that hovered above the two. Ryo lied down, crossing his arms behind his head. He rested his body against the cool ground, letting the grass tickle at his exposed skin. He took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly. He was relaxed, the most relaxed he had been for a long time.

[Teion 0]

After her avatar appeared in the center of Urbus, the feeling of the cool night air came as a surprise. "Weird..." She mumbled under her breath, feeling a slight chill moments after they'd stepped away from the teleport plaza. She split her attention to the path ahead of her that would lead them out of town and her menus, scrolling over to her organized inventory and making a single selection. Normally a piece of equipment that she only used for material or treasure hunting, a red scarf appeared, wrapped loosely around her neck.

When the pair had reached their destination, Teion took a few steps through the grass and scattered flowers while her chin tilted up towards the sky. She stopped and stared for a long moment until moving to take a seat against the hill beside Ryo. Her feet placed flat at first, knees bent while she fell back to let her shoulders meet the earth. She continued to stare for a while, taking in the sight while her fingers laced together on top of her stomach. The different colors, the soft twinkling of the lights that came from the stars. "I wonder if this is what it really looks like, somewhere." She vaguely thought aloud to break the long silence that had hung over them. She took a second before explaining further, her face expressionless while she looked up to the impressive night sky. "I don't see a lot of stars where I'm from. Lights and everything from the city kinda drown them out." The corner of her mouth then picked up into a small smile as she began to reminisce. "But I remember seeing something in a movie once, where all of a sudden there was a huge, amazing night sky, a lot like this one." Teion's head tilted slightly to one side, brows naturally raising a bit as her eyes traveled further up over the stretch of night overhead. "I've always kind of wanted to see something like that in person, but I never knew if it really existed, or if it was all just exaggerated. Like, if this," Her chin tilted up slightly to motion towards Aincrad's starry sky, "is just programmed to look prettier than normal, or if it really looks like this somewhere."

[Ryo 0]

Ryo looked over to see Teion, to his surprise lie down beside him. He figured that she would sit somewhere else, or lean up against a tree. But, it was a nice surprise. He turned his head back to the night sky, watching the stars twinkle endlessly as he did. Together they lied there in silence, enjoying the silence and the stars above. It was Teion who spoke, her turn to break the silence between the two. Ryo's head turned, to pay attention to her and her words. She didn't see a lot of stars where she was from, wherever that was. She then described the city, and Ryo could only imagine that. He didn't live in a city per say, but the weather messed with his night viewings. He remembered as a child how he would climb onto the roof of his house, and stare the few clear skies he did have. Never were they as clear, or as pristine as this. He blinked, and when his eyes opened he realized he was staring at Teion. A smile encased itself on his lips and he continued to stare.

He had always thought that Teion was cute before, but never had she been this, beautiful. He stared, more in amazement than anything. That, someone like himself would be blessed enough to be graced with such a being as her, was mind-boggling, to say the least. He turned his head back to the stars above. "I think it's a bit of both. In some places, I feel like the sky would like this. If not better. I remember, stargazing as a child, but it was never to this kind of quality." He said before scooting closer to Teion. He pointed up to the sky. "That one there." He said, pointing a particular star. "That should be, Polaris." He said, then tracing his finger to the next star. "And this one, connected to these ones make up the little dipper." He said, lowering his hand to his chest. "Oh?" Ryo said in surprise as he looked on. There he saw it, if only for an instant. A small streak of light against the sky, a shooting star, bolted across the night sky. Ryo let out a half chuckle. "Make a wish." He said, mostly to himself as he closed his eyes.

[Teion 0]

"Hmmm," A small hum of understanding left her after listening to Ryo's reply. It gave her a bit of hope, to think that there were places--oh so many places--she hadn't been to in the real world that might hold the same level of beauty that the designers of this virtual world had spoiled them with. It had been both amazing, and at times strangely hollow to see some of the impressive sights that Aincrad could offer, but right now it almost felt like a challenge. To find the same kind of radiance, wherever it hid, in the real world once they had managed to return.

"Hm?" Her tone quickly became inquisitive as her gaze pulled away from up above them to spot Ryo's outstretched hand. Curiously, she tried to follow in the direction he pointed, searching the night sky for the particular star and subsequent constellation he pointed out. "Oh," She had managed to find them, her expression shifting into a small, amused smirk at the inclusion of such a detail.

She was suddenly thankful that she hadn't blinked a second sooner. Teion's fingers separated, and she suddenly sat up with fleeting excitement as she spotted the brief ray of light that dashed across the sky. Half a second later, her shoulders relaxed and she let out a chuckle at her own reaction before lowering herself back to the grassy floor. "A wish? Hrm..." She mused, losing herself to the thought for a few seconds.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo closed his eyes, focusing on a wish. One couldn't come to mind. Well, fast enough that was. The first thing that came to mind was for Teion to peck his cheek. He chuckled, knowing that it would never happen. At least, not tonight. But, he settled on that one. He opened his eyes to Teion's musing. "And, don't tell me what you wished for. Unless you want me to know." Ryo said, chuckling and looking at the woman. He rotated his body, leaning on one of his elbows. "Here's a pro strategy for stargazing wish making. Close your eyes, and focus on the first warm thought you can think of. Be it the heat of the sands, the blaze of a forge, the fires of passion, anything." He said, closing his own eyes and imagining his wish. He waited a few moments before opening his eyes and returning to his lying down position.

[Teion 0]

"Hm, I thought it would be 'or else it won't come true'." She countered with lingering amusement. She then turned her head towards him, cocking a violet brow when he opened with the idea of a strategy for making wishes on a shooting star. His eyes closed, and her expression gradually softened as her gaze remained on the man's peaceful face for a few seconds longer than necessary. It would turn back up towards the sky before she had a chance to feel awkward or embarrassed, and her own lids slid shut as per his instruction. The twinkling stars disappeared, and she was left with the sensations of the cool air on her cheeks, the gentle brush of the many blades of grass against the exposed skin of her shoulders, and the single presence that she could still feel beside her.

More nights like this. The first warm thought to enter her mind once she had closed her eyes. Another small smile crawled across her lips, practically an automatic response as a new feeling of peace washed over her. Had it even been an hour since that nerve-wracking boat ride? It felt as though that, as well as many, many other bad memories were farther away than ever. She wasn't worried about danger, or anxiety, or heartbreak. "Mmkay. Got it." She said softly, eyes opening once more.

While she looked over the many stars, her eyes working to piece together possible shapes as if she might recognize some other constellations hanging overhead that she didn't actually know, a question escaped her. Perhaps she felt oddly compelled to continue filling the silence, or maybe she had some kind of desire to know more about the man beside her that she was of course far too stubborn to admit to. Whatever the reason behind it, one thing remained constant with the woman: her simplistic, unorthodox approach to striking up conversation. "What's your favorite color?" She asked, her relaxed gaze remaining fixed on the scenery above.