[F11 - PP] Better Late Than Never <<Tunnel of Love>> (Telrenya)

[Jomei 0]

Though Valentine's Day had passed, and the ballroom had been emptied of all decorations of the Masquerade that was once held there, one thing still remained from the holiday -- the Tunnel of Love. Like something taken directly out of an amusement park or cheesy movie, the man-made river encased in a tunnel, its mouth formed into the shape of a large heart sat on the road adjacent to the large hall where the other Valentine's Day festivities were held. Most couples had taken the small holiday-themed quest the day of its release, or a couple of days after. Telrenya and Jomei, however, had been so preoccupied with completing the Dragon Hunter Anthology quest, their small fight after Telrenya's reveal, and savoring their engagement to each other.

Taking some time off after completing the tenth and final quest in the Anthology, the couple decided to take a few days to relax. The ginger stood out on the balcony of their Taft home, enjoying the light breeze that hinted at the oncoming change in season. Olive eyes gazed out over the rooftops, eventually locking onto the corner of the hall where the Masquerade was held. "You know.." Jomei started, before turning to Telrenya, "I think we may still have a day to try out that Tunnel of Love quest.. As cheesy as it may be, it could be fun." 

Spoiler

<<Tunnel of Love>>
Must be taken by two people. 
Unrepeatable

Rewards:

• Each player receives [1] Red Velvet Cake (Unique Consumable, grants +1 LD, +1 Prosperity)
• Married couples have their picture taken.

Requirements:

• At least one [1] page (20 or more posts)
• The boat ride takes 15 posts to complete.

Summary: 
A couple steps into a boat and rides through the tunnel of love. During the boat ride, players are encouraged to express feelings for one another and react to the scenery around them. The tunnel itself emanates a soft pink glow, with various decorations throughout. From the small villages spread out throughout the tunnel, tiny fairies will emerge from their homes and create illusions that display the journey that the couple has traveled together thus far. They are shown how they met, their first quest together, the first expression of love, and any other events that shaped the love they hold for each other. If players are especially smitten, the fairies may choose to grow closer to the players and their soft glow might dance playfully around them and the boat that they ride in.

 

[Telrenya 0]

"Hmm~?" The sound of Jomei's voice from the balcony cause Telrenya's head to tilt as she hummed out a small, curious reply. The woman sat cross-legged in the middle of their bedroom with Adere perched contentedly atop her right knee while Willow hovered closely enough to her opposite joint that the wisp could be seen as sitting on her left. Telrenya was scratching gently at the feathers beneath Adere's beak, eliciting a small coo from the owl. The trio all seemed to turn their attention on Jomei when he turned from the darkened railing he had leaned against, and Telrenya's head tilted just an inch further as he suggested the holiday-themed quest that seemed to have lingered a short time while players enjoyed the festivities around town.

"Tunnel of Love? You're right, that does sound cheesy." She echoed before adding her own comment with a small chuckle. Her hands tucked beneath her ankles where they crossed, leaning forward slightly as a smile broke out on her face a few seconds later. "Buut, it does sound kinda fun, too." She agreed. Her eyes turned back to the wisp at her left, Willow spinning in place to meet her gaze with bright white ovals. "I'm glad we didn't miss out on all the silly Valentine's stuff. It's overplayed, but I kind of like it." She admitted with a hint of embarrassment. She would perk back up, looking back to Jomei with a nod."So yeah, let's go check it out."

[Jomei 0]

Telrenya's agreement with the trite quest idea for the Holiday spawned a chuckle of Jomei's own. The man pushed himself from the banister he leaned on and took slow steps towards the blonde who sat on the floor, playing with each of their familiars. A warm smile spread across his face as he looked down at his fiance, Adere on one knee and Willow on the other. Once he stood just before Tel, he brought himself down to a crouch as to be more on her level. "Well the Masquerade was unique and fun.. so I wouldn't call that overplayed. But hey, if this Tunnel thing seems a lot cornier than expected, at least we could both get a good laugh out of it." he replied with a small chuckle.  Jomei looked to the tawny owl that sat on Telreya's knee, her dark eyes looking up to her companion. He brought a hand from atop his knee and rested it on the owl's head, his fingers gently raking through the feathers on the back of her head. "So, want to head out?" he said, looking back into Telrenya's chocolate brown eyes as he pushed himself up to his feet. Taking the few steps to stand in front of their dresser, the ginger replaced his lounging attire for a simple pair of black pants and a green quarter sleeve shirt, Erin's protection still hanging around his neck above the collar of his shirt. 

[Telrenya 0]

A smile stretched across her face as the Irishman closed the distance between them, "Mm, yeah! C'mon Willow," She gave a light jerk of her chin to one side and the wisp obliged by flitting up and looping around the girl's shoulder. Adere followed suit to leave her perch, hopping down to the floor before using her wings to carry her to the back of the chair that was tucked neatly beneath the desk at the edge of the room. Telrenya leaned forward again as she flicked through her menus for a change of clothes herself. Her lips curled into a smile with an outfit whose color palette was just too perfect for the occasion to pass by, and her avatar was soon adorned with a simple white dress with pink accents and a matching pair of tights reaching down her thighs. Pushing herself up to her feet, the blonde stood on her tiptoes and stretched her arms over her head for a long second, letting out a small sigh when she dropped back down.

The newly-engaged couple made their way from their home to the location of the quest in question, nestled conveniently behind the large building where the masquerade ball had taken place. "Hm?" Telrenya was almost surprised by the NPC that seemed to be responsible for the attraction: an incredibly bored-looking teenager who leaned so casually over his simple podium that she nearly mistook him for a player. He looked up at the pair and made no attempt to hide the roll of his eyes that followed. "Yeaah, welcome and stuff," He greeted them with a lazy wave of his hand through the air.

[Jomei 0]

Now dressed in more casual attire for the two's date, the man pulled on his sleeves so they would sit more snugly on his forearm before turning around to see if Telrenya was ready to head out. Jomei's face took a slightly surprised expression, which quickly turned into a warm smile, when he got a good look at the pink and white outfit she had chosen for the day. "That's a good look love." he said, taking the few steps towards her to close the distance between the two, "I don't think I've ever seen you wear that before. Very festive" ending with a small chuckle. Bringing a hand up, Jomei let two of his fingers gently glide through the blonde curls that fell in front of her ears and down over her shoulders with a loving smile on his face, "Alright, lets go." 

Passing through the familiar streets of the town the two lived in, the couple made their way to the opposite side of town where the Valentine's Day Masquerade had been held merely a week or two ago. Olive eyes turned to take in the hall where the dance was located -- the doors closed with no music to be heard from inside, and all of the red and pink decorations that could be seen from the windows were now taken down. As they continued just around the corner, however, a giant heart of the same color took center stage in his line of sight. The tunnel that held the quest was as stereotypical as it could be; a small boat meant for two players gently bobbed at the start of a man made river, which flowed into a dark tunnel, its mouth cut out in the shape of a heart. It was hard for Jomei to not snicker at the sight, especially when he caught a glimpse of the NPC who served as the tunnel's attendee. 

"Oh? What is this?" Jomei said, over exaggerating his speech a bit. He knew full well what this was, but he knew the two would get a good laugh out of his answers. The un-enthused teen let out a heavy sigh before forcing a smile, "This is the Tunnel of Love... Its a ride for couples that like... helps make their love stronger.. or something.." The kid sounded as though he was reading the lines straight off of a script, yet still failing to do so because of his lack of care. Despite, that did not stop Jomei with playing along. "What a coincidence! We are a couple. Say, why don't we give this a shot?" he continuously poked fun at the situation, trying to keep a laugh in. Stepping into the boat, Jomei took Telrenya's hand in his own to help her in as well. Once both players were seated, the small vessel began to drift forward into the tunnel, without another word from the NPC. "Seems relaxing at least." he said as he gave Tel a sidelong glance.

[Telrenya 0]

Between Jomei's act of enthusiasm, and the NPCs clear lack of any such emotion, Telrenya was holding her hand in front of her mouth, stifling laughter. The amusement of the whole set-up was already worth the trip, and so her curiosity piqued at the consideration of what actually lay waiting for them in the over-the-top carnival attraction. Her eyes ran over the various decorations that hung around the cobblestone bricks of the darkened tunnel, the small boat that bobbed atop the water, even the few small water lillies that sat on the shallow surface.

She followed Jomei's lead, taking his hand to keep her balance while she placed the ball of her foot at the lightly-swaying floor of the boat. Once they were both seated, the simple vehicle seemed to come to life as Cardinal nudged them forward. Telrenya finally allowed a small chuckle to escape her, keeping her hold on Jomei's hand as she gazed ahead to try and see what lay in store for them, nodding. "It is kind of nice." She agreed, a calmness settling over them as they left the city of Taft behind for the moment.

With only the fading light of the reaching sun illuminating their way, Telrenya's eyes were starting to adjust when a screen flickered to life. Off-center from the path their boat crawled along, her attention was drawn to it instantly. Just as she was beginning to make out the familiarity of the plain stone-paved streets and unimpressive buildings that made up the landscape of Urbus they were shown, Telrenya blinked in surprise when she spotted her own likeness displayed before them. The blonde was dressed in her typical white-and-gold combat attire, though her face wore an expression of anxiety and worry. She paced, arms crossed, until a familiar voice broke the silence. A small chuckle prompted a shift in what felt like camera work, and Jomei was shown stepping towards her.

"Excuse me miss, everything alright? You look troubled."

A wave of nostalgia hit her as she watched their first meeting play back in front of them. She was practically stunned, mouth hanging just slightly as the scene surpassed any suspicions she might have had about the deceptively simple boat ride.

[Jomei 0]

Shining the blonde a soft smile, Jomei helped her into the boat. The Irishman shifted his weight as the vessel bobbed a bit more as Telrenya added her weight, the man keeping his body steady as not to fall back into the water. Once the couple both found themselves safely inside of the boat, they took their seats. Almost immediately after sitting down, the two person boat gently began to float forward. The smile that lingered on Jomei's face brightened when he felt the gentle squeeze of Tel's hand upon his own. Nodding, the man agreed with the serenity of the boat ride, "Yeah. It's not very often you find a calming boat ride in Aincrad." the man said with a small chuckle. Just ahead of them, the dimly lit maroon walls of the tunnel ahead of them did not seem to hold any sort of decorations, or anything of interest for that matter.

That thought, however, was soon diminished as the image of a very familiar blonde appeared. She stood alone, pacing back and forth as her mind seemed to race through different thoughts. What is... Jomei thought to himself, before his own voice spoke out, and his image appeared on the screen, walking up to Telrenya. Olive eyes went wide, realizing that what they were watching was their first interaction in Aincrad. "This.. this is.." Jomei managed to get out, as the couple's past selves continued their conversation on the screen ahead of them. A warmness filled Jomei as the introductions between the two filled his ears, a small chuckle escaping his slightly parted lips. "Miss Telrenya." Jomei mirrored his on screen counterpart in a light voice, before turning to the blonde beside him with rosy cheeks and a bright smile. 

The recap seemed to skip through most of the quest that the two had gone on together, most likely saving time and just showing the two the more meaningful parts of their encounter. "We were such dorks.." Jomei said with a smirk as he watched their past selves stumble over their own words when expressing their openness to meet up again in the future. And as the two parted, the blush on Jomei's cheeks only deepened when he watched the two walk away, only for the vision of himself to turn around with a small smile to get one last look at the girl he had just quested with. Once the screen had faded from in front of them, the Irishman turned his chin to look at the blonde beside him, "S-So.. I guess we aren't just going to be floating through a dark tunnel after all."

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya's cheeks burned pink as she watched just how awkward and silly the two had been, and namely when she saw Jomei steal a glance back at the girl after their parting. She chuckled, silently agreeing with his comment beside her, and when she felt his olive eyes on her she shifted her gaze to meet them. If one of her hands hadn't still been clasped with his, she might have started fidgeting with them in her lap as she gave a small nod, still wearing a smile. "Mm, looks like it... But, I think I like home movie night." She jested at the odd set-up of the attraction, left to wonder just how much the slow-moving boat ride had in store for them. 

She wasn't left wondering for long, for just moments after the light of the first screen dimmed and disappeared, another came to life on the opposite side, preparing another scene for them to watch as the boat gently inched along. She immediately recognized the stone walkways with sparse, tiny flowers peeking through their cracks and the cottage-styled buildings. The pointed ears that townsfolk sported were a rarity on many others of Aincrad's unlocked floors, but with Delilah being a town the Elves called home, Telrenya was used to seeing them around. Once again, a previous version of Jomei stepped into frame, an expression of uncertainty painted on his face until his vision seemed to settle on something, or someone, and his features took on a bright smile. It cut to Telrenya, mid-conversation with an elven woman when the Irishman's hand came to rest on her bare shoulder.

The blonde in the boat laughed, quickly remembering the quest that Cardinal would go on to show them pieces of, focusing more on the direct exchanges between the two. "You really saved me there. If I'd gone on that quest alone at that level..." She exaggerated a light shudder, making light of the danger that she would have been left in alone with the treants. One snippet of their memories in particular caught her attention as she watched the two of them holding conversation, sitting at the edge of the small waterfall in the middle of the forest. He looked shy, getting only a couple of words out before Adere calling out to the man interrupted his thought, and Telrenya frowned. Her head tilted slightly to one side, "Ahh, now I'm curious all over again, what it was you were going to say." She remarked.

[Jomei 0]

"I agree," the ginger responded in a soft voice to Telrenya's comment about enjoying the scenes from their past replaying in front of them. The chocolate brown eyes he gazed into were darkened by the lack of light in the tunnel. Only mere moments later, the glistening of another screen just out of his peripheral vision brought light to her eyes yet again.Turning his attention to the screen, the man let out a short chuckle as he immediately remembered this day. It was that the quest giving NPC Jomei was looking for had found Telrenya first, and was asking for her assistance in clearing their homeland of giant tree-creatures. "Heh.. I really was happy to see you again. Thats for sure." the man said with a smirk, as he watched the face of his past self light up upon spotting Tel in the distance. 

Jomei let out a small sigh of relief when Tel reminded him about their difference in level at the time, and how much trouble she would have had were she to adventure out to help the elves on her own. "Yeah, I'm happy I caught you when I did. I felt really bad about taking you out on that quest.. I knew you had some trouble with taking on the wind wasps, and this one was more difficult than that. I really didn't want to put you in that kind of danger.." His frown only lingered for a moment, before he turned his chin to Telrenya and planted a small kiss on her temple, "Like I said, I'm happy I caught you when I did." Just as the first memory played out, the second did the same, skipping irrelevant moments of combat and focusing mainly on their interactions together. Despite not showing much of their bout with the treants, Jomei remembered the two fighting together very well. He could not believe the progress Tel made in level and power over just a few months. Now, the two worked together in almost perfect sync. 

One scene in particular caught Tel's attention, to which she asked about. Jomei's sentence was cut short by Adere's return, warning them of the commanding treants. Jomei's cheeks took a slight pink hue again, remembering all too well what he was going to say in that moment. "Actually.." he said with a bashful half-chuckle, "I was going to ask you to dinner.. A-After we were all finished with the quest." A free hand rose up to slip past his neck, gently rubbing at the skin under his orange hair. "We had gotten so caught up in fighting the boss that I forgot to bring it up after we got back to Delilah."

The ginger noticed two floating pink lights on the opposite wall, swirling around each other and moving in their direction. Two pink, fairy like creatures, that gave off a brilliant light, playfully circled the boat a few times before disappearing into the ceiling above them. The man's blush and smile remained, as he pulled  his right hand from Telrenya's grasp and gently slipped his arm around the woman's shoulder, pulling her close into a comforting hug. 

[Telrenya 0]

"What? Really?" She couldn't help but laugh. Her wide smile stuck as they reminisced, and she took a moment to think about how strange and wonderful it all was. "I'm glad." It was a blanket statement, but a truthful one nonetheless. She would have never expected a journey like the one she found herself on now, but it was moments like this that she decided she wouldn't trade it for the world. If being stuck in virtual space was the only way she would have met Jomei, not to mention all the friends and experiences she'd garnered up until now, then maybe it didn't have to be all that bad after all.

Her eyes widened in slight amazement when the small pink lights drew closer, and she grinned when they danced around the couple, their tiny translucent wings visible for just a second as they beat at the air. "It's really cute, and really cheesy," She chuckled as she was pulled into Jomei's embrace beside her. "but to be honest, I kind of like it." She admitted, her cheeks glowing a soft pink from their trip down memory lane. It was far from over, however, and another image flickered to life before them, her own voice prefacing the scene.

"Jomei? Jomei, is that you?"

A flood of memories hit her as she watched herself, soaked with water, rush to a door inside of a musty-looking bedroom, only to freeze before her fingers reached the handle. A second later, they saw Jomei's shoulders drop with relief as his temple pressed against the other side of the same door.

Edited December 6, 2018 by Telrenya

[Jomei 0]

"Incredibly cheesy" Jomei replied with a light chuckle, olive eyes trying to keep up with the sporadic dance or the two fairy creatures as they orbited the couple. Telrenya's added on comment about how she truly felt about the two's ride so far and the accommodating light show caused the corners of his lips to pull even further into a wider smile, "Yeah. Me too." Just as quickly as the two fairies had made their appearance, they had vanished into the ceiling above them, allowing for the players' focus to return to another projection onto the tunnel's wall. 

Jomei's eyes fixated on the chain that hung from his past self's wrist, a charm representing that of a four leaf clover swaying with each step he took. The trinket soon disappeared off of his wrist in a white light, and moments later, Telrenya was placing it on her own person. The man simply smiled with no words as his eyes pulled from the scene for a moment to look at the hand that grasped at his lover's, the same chain still resting on her wrist. His eyes returned to the projected show.. providing the two with a view from the cursed mansion that was Jomei's "prize", cutting midway into Jomei's conversation with Ruby, who up to this point, was having mixed feeling about trusting the man.. I don't think this was exactly a nice moment we shared.. he thought to himself. His other words seemed a bit muffled, but from his tone, it was obvious he was pouring out his feelings and frustration to the blonde. The scene finally found Jomei's voice, focusing mostly on a single sentence "And Tel, I care about her deeply.. Which is something I have not felt in a long time.." Jomei let out a tiny laugh, his eyes shifting to Telrenya, "Well... guess the cat's out of the bag." he said with a playful smirk to end his joke. He continued smiling as the scene played out with Ruby and Jomei rescuing Telrenya, and meeting Spencer, the screen fading as Jomei rushed past Ruby and pulling Tel into an embrace, thankful that she was safe. 

As far as Jomei had remembered, the two had not shared any other moments together for the rest of that adventure, and his suspicions were confirmed when the scene faded to black, returning the wall to its pinkish red hue. However, the boat nearly slowed to a halt as the wall on the opposite side began to come to life, a few of the fairies from before flying by the two. The scene opened on a cozy tavern in the middle of Snowfrost on the fourth floor. The two players sat across from each other, simply making small talk. Jomei's attempts to hide the fact that he wanted this to be a date were much more apparent now that the two were together. The ginger ran a hand down his face with a small grown, "I was.. so awkward." he said with a chuckle, "I should have just told you it was a date from the start." 

[Telrenya 0]

She watched as Ruby's furious expression stood across from Jomei's determined look, and listened while he explained the meaning behind his actions that day. It was nearly impossible for her to stop smiling shyly, but she tried to play off the feeling by leaning back and making comment, "So that's what you two were arguing about. Hehe, for a little while I wasn't sure if you two were friends or not." She recalled rare times when the two might butt heads, although usually due to Ruby fiery temperament.

The scenes flickered away from dark and dilapidated hallways and the comfortable interior of the tavern replaced it. She chuckled lightly under her breath while their past selves awkwardly exchanged small talk, and Telrenya shifted enough to gently rub her temple against Jomei's shoulder. She watched in silence for a while longer as the boat drifted along.

"We can't stop finding trouble, can we?"

From this perspective, the look they exchanged for the briefest of moments had butterflies gently fluttering in her stomach and she squeezed Jomei's hand just a little tighter.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei simply nodded his head as the events of the haunted-mansion-esque quest played out in front of them, projected onto one of the walls of the tunnel. "Newly friends.. We hadn't known each other for too long at that point. But.. heh.. you know Ruby." he ended with a smirk, looking over his shoulder at Telrenya as the images to their side slowly faded. Only a mere moment passed before the opposite corridor wall sprung to life with light. The interior of a cozy tavern in the center of the Fourth Floor, the two players sitting across from one another engaging in somewhat awkward small talk.. or at least, Jomei was awkward. The man smiled softly as he felt the pressure of Telrenya's head as she rested on his shoulder, "I still can't believe you didn't see this as a date at first" he teased her in a lower voice. 

The events played out as Jomei remembered that day, rushing after a player who had robbed another, finding him in a cave and convincing him to return the items back to the player they had been taken from, and then the cave in. Jomei watched as his past self placed himself between Telrenya and falling debris. Jagged rocks, icicles, and bunches of dirt and snow crashed down from the ceiling atop of Jomei, who held strong against the natural onslaught, all to just make sure Telrenya was safe and survived. Once the avalanche that had caused the destruction overhead had subsided, Jomei finally let out the breath he did not realize he had been holding. 

Jomei could not help but let out a heavy sigh as he revealed some of his troubled past to Telrenya, "Sorry I dumped all my baggage on you at once like that," he said trying to make light of the situation. His own situation that he had been through was nothing but bad memories now.. he had moved forward from all of that and it had made him a stronger man, a leader. However, hearing Telreyna's voice, with a bit of broken hope, ask if the game would "fix itself" tore a bit more at his heart strings. His eyes lingered towards his lap for a moment, wishing he could do even more to help "fix" this game so they could go back to living normal, safe lives. 

[Telrenya 0]

"It's weird..." She noted in a soft voice, running her thumb slowly across the back of Jomei's knuckles. "I still want to get out of here, find you and everyone else... Go back to school, and do all of the normal things that people usually do." Her cheeks turned pink as came up with the next words in her head, but kept herself from saying them aloud. Running through her--or their--future life events with what was now her fiance beside her sounded like just a little too much once she'd taken a moment to hear it in her head.

So, she moved on, "I still hope we can. But, in the meantime... I'm not so worried about it anymore." She admitted with a soft, genuine smile. She watched as their lips came together for the first time, and a soft pink glow dusted both hers and her memory's cheeks. "It's not eating at me anymore, so I feel like I can make the most of things lately. The front-line raids still make me pretty nervous... But even doing quests and fighting monsters is fun, especially when we can practice together." A chuckle escaped her lips, and she watched their past selves pick themselves up off the cave floor. "I never dreamed I'd be a sword-fighter."

[Jomei 0]

The thought that Telrenya had presented had never occurred to Jomei before. Living through this world together made it much more bearable, added a very large sense of normalcy to their lives. If it weren't for the different game mechanics and monsters, he could almost confuse it for his real life. "You're absolutely right." Jomei said through a sigh of relief, as if finally thinking about it released all the tension and stress of trying to fight to release their minds from SAO. "As much as I do want to get back to my life back in the real world... how long it takes doesn't matter anymore." he looked to his side into Telrenya's soft, brown eyes with a loving smile. "Yeah, being able to live this life with you and fight with a sword is pretty cool." he said with a small chuckle, "Probably couldn't do that in the real world.. at least without becoming a public concern." Jomei's eyes locked forward again, an expression of content washing over his face. "You know, I never really thought about it, but my life here as Jomei is much better and more exciting than Nick's in the real world. Not because of the swords or anything. It's just.. I feel more respected here, like I've made more of a name for myself. I feel stronger, important.. and of course, I don't have you in the real world." he added with a small laugh, "Not yet anyway." 

Before another group of images developed onto the wall adjacent to them, a soft melody filled the corridor. A pairing of piano and violin, complimenting each other in a composition that Jomei quickly recognized. However, the actual sound of the two playing together, now experiencing it from a third person point of view, made the tune much more brilliant than it already was. The screen finally came into view, the two players, each sporting more comfortable clothes than their usual battle attire, in the music workshop of Jomei's -- soon to be 'their' -- home. Jomei's fingers danced on the keys of the baby grand piano, combining single notes and chords that laid the ground work to the singing strings of Telrenya's violin. The song was one that the two had composed together, their own piece. "It's been a long time since we've played together." 

[Telrenya 0]

Her shoulders lifted a tiny bit as her smile grew wider, and then softened comfortably again. "Yeah... Me, too. I had some friends in school, but I was always really shy and...well, I still feel awkward and clumsy sometimes, but," she carried on with a light chuckle. "I feel kind of the same way." Her eyes drifted over the top of the dim tunnel as they made their way to him and her cheek playfully brushed against his shoulder. "I would say you've changed a bit. Since I first met you anyway. I think you were always very kind and selfless, but I think we've both gotten a bit more confident, and stronger. I've already done so many things I've never even dreamed of because of that."

A few different muffled conversations had echoed along the tunnel as they drifted along, and if Telrenya wasn't reflecting so much out loud she might have caught some of them before the lights brought another few memories to life in front of them. Telrenya's former self holding a gloved hand out in a rather awkward greeting. A masked and hooded face nodded. The two of them, with her in full disguise, trekked along through forests, desert, and deep banks of snow. When Telrenya started paying attention to the memories, reliving some of them, and realizing that all the bits and pieces playing back did in fact really happen, she felt her heart skip a beat. The adrenaline shooting through her blood, followed by the rush of color to her cheeks. She visibly sunk into her seat, the edge of her free palm pressing against the side of her nose and cheek.

She intended to sit through these smaller interactions they shared in embarrassed silence, waiting for Nick to scold or tease her about it, but the visions tugged at her heartstrings with brief moments of their deadly encounter with the fourth dragon. She felt a tightness in her chest as she watched herself stumbling, pulling Jomei from the frigid waters of the lake, and again when she knelt over him in a panic. Finally his eyes fluttered open and the sound of coughing played to assure them he had lived through the ordeal, and the scene faded away seconds later.

Edited December 16, 2019 by Telrenya

[Jomei 0]

The vivid pictures that illuminated the wall of the tunnels brought about memories that Jomei had nearly forgotten about. Rather than standing beside a recognizable blonde, the projections showed snippets from the short adventures and fight Jomei shared with Telrenya's temporary alter ego, Erin. For a few moments, Jomei's mind played over what he knew about the false guise, and began to dig deeper into the elaborate ruse Telrenya had painted to make sure that Jomei did not learn about her secret escapades. It was, without any doubt, a smart plan, and if Jomei was untrusting, or had any reason to pay a bit more attention to the situations at hand, he may have been able to see that something was going on. He had to give her credit, convincing the player who shared the name she chose to join the guild and respond to any messages from Jomei in a matter that would not tip him off, even though the real Erin was a complete and utter douchebag, was ingenious. 

It did upset him that Telrenya felt the need to hide herself behind a mask in order to go on quests on her own, or put herself in danger to strengthen herself.. but he could understand why she felt the need to. Without realizing it, Jomei was holding her back from her true potential, from being able to become that frontliner she wanted to be so she could stand by Jomei's side. Knowing the dangers that players faced during boss raids first hand, the last thing Jomei wanted was for his love to be there. He stared forward, towards the pointed bow of the boat, gently bobbing up and down as it slowly propelled itself forward through the water. Finally, he let out the breath he had been holding, trying to think of what exactly to say to ease the tension that had grown. 

"I understand why you had to do it." the man finally said, nodding his head, "and you don't have to be sorry about it." He turned his head to look over his shoulder and kissed her on the top of the head, saying no more on the topic. His eyes trailed up once again to catch the end of their fight with the fourth dragon, and how Telrenya, or Erin, had pulled Jomei from the icy waters and saved him from death. Jomei scoffed, "I had completely forgotten about that..." he said, a bit in disbelief that it had ever happened. "Estelle, if you weren't there with me I probably.... Estelle, you saved my life."  Olive eyes looking sincerely, lovingly into her brown eyes as a warm smile pulled at the corners of his lips. With one arm still around her shoulders, he pulled Telrenya closer into his chest, bringing the other arm around to complete the hug. He held her in his arms for a moment before finally releasing her, sharing one more smile before looking forward yet again. 

Looking down the tunnel, Jomei could see the light that signified the end of their ride. Judging by the boats speed as it moved towards said light, however, he knew the memory of Telrenya saving Jomei was most definitely not the last they would be recounting. Coming to life on the opposite wall, Jomei turned his head to look with a smile on his face, wondering what happy memory pulled from their past they would show them now. That smile faded, however, when he saw Telrenya, himself, and the real Erin in quite a tense situation. "Oh, come on, they're gonna show us this too...?" Jomei said with a slight groan, knowing that this was a retelling of when Jomei found out about Tel's secret life and their first actual fight. 

[Telrenya 0]

Her embarrassment gradually shifted, Telrenya gladly pressing into Jomei's loving embrace. Her hand slipped around his waist, and she gave a small squeeze in return, letting his forgiving and gracious words sink in. She smiled, eyes closed until a thought struck her. "You know... It was a lot of fun sometimes. Pretending to be someone else. I used the same hair and eye color from the avatar I first made for the game," She chuckled softly, having almost forgot the appearance she had chosen when Estelle first made the 'Telrenya' she had planned to go on adventures in Aincrad with. "It almost made it feel like a game again." She mused softly, pulling away just before the next scene flickered to life. She grinned up at Jomei, "We should try it sometime! Dress up like the characters we originally made, and find some other quest to do."

The thought was cut short and she turned her head back to the front just to wince when Jomei's fist sent a shockwave into Erin's jaw. Her throat tightened as the memories of their pain played back, and Telrenya watched herself flee in a mess of tears and regret. The real her felt her brows scrunch and tilt upwards. She almost groaned herself, or slunk back down into her seat, but right after Jomei's encouragement she let herself just shake her head. "I don't know how I thought that all wouldn't bite me in the butt..."

The scene continued playing with a side-by-side shot, Jomei carefully leaning his forehead against the door of her shop while Telrenya paced back and forth on the other side. Eventually the door opened, and they sat down beside one another. The audio faded away, leaving a few seconds of them silently talking and weakly smiling at one another.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei chuckled, "Well I didn't even know what you looked like under the mask.. well, at least until now." he said, gesturing to the scene where Telrenya needed to remove her mask to breathe life back into Jomei after nearly drowning, "Interesting to see you went with the brunette look," he brought a hand up and gently ruffled the top of Tel's head, "Though I think I'm more into blondes now." Jomei laughed a bit sheepishly when Telrenya brought up the idea of playing out their old characters they created when they first booted up the game, "You know.. come to think of it, I honestly don't remember what my original avatar looked like. I'm pretty sure it still had the red hair and green eyes.. but its been so long that I just don't remember.." 

Jomei let out another small breath, "Well.. it was a good run up until then, but I guess you are right. With a guy with Erin.. it was only a matter of time before it all fell apart." His eyes remained on the scene, as Jomei entered Telrenya's shop and the two spoke in near silence, the mood slowly shifting as their conversation went along. He was no good at reading lips, but he remembered the conversation quite well. However, he was able to easily recognize the movement of their lips, and the immediate lightening of the mood as the two proclaimed their love to each other for the first time. The man smiled as the vision of the two embraced, "At least something good came out of that argument." The scene faded on the two of them hugging, like a cliche 'happy ending' to a movie. Jomei knew, however, that was far from the end of their journey together.

The setting of the next scene, which may have possibly been the final given their proximity to the end of the tunnel, started out quite dark. Jomei and Telrenya moved their way through the tenth floor, where all of the NPCs were undead and there was just an overall feeling of dread. Jomei chuckled and spoke with a sarcastic tone, "Definitely what I had in mind for a romantic getaway."  

[Telrenya 0]

Telrenya was smiling softly as the scene continued and eventually faded away. When they were shown another picture of the two of them approaching a large forboding castle deep underground, her muscles tightened. She knew exactly where this was. Once they entered the fortress and began to do battle with all nine of the lesser Dragon Knights, Telrenya gradually grew closer to the edge of her seat. She watched the fights like an action movie, grinning at every one of their flourishes and back-to-back strikes. The pace carried on when the two ran up the winding staircase to confront Varalys.

"That was the coolest fight I've ever been in..." She breathed out. "I still can't believe we pull off crazy stuff like that." She chuckled.

They had paused upon reaching the tall double-doors of the final boss' chambers, and Telrenya felt butterflies flitting around in her stomach. Her cheeks flushed, and her tiny smile involuntarily grew wider as she knew exactly what was coming. Preparing themselves to open the door and challenge the Dragon Knights, she watched Jomei drop to one knee in front of her, holding out the small ring box. Almost in tandem, the memory of Telrenya and herself put a hand in front of her mouth, and she nuzzled her face against his chest in her combination of embarrassment and joy. "That was some timing." She mumbled playfully next to his clothes.