F22/PP <<Shocking Stallion>>

[Oscar 0]

Five quests were in the bag. Now there was just one more boss to defeat before the Scents of the Wild quest chain was completed. Their journey had taken them up and down (mostly up) Castle Aincrad. This quest sent them to the highest floor yet - Floor 22. Oscar waited in the teleport plaza for Cordelia. To say that he was excited would be a complete understatement. Not only were they about to complete a fairly long quest chain, but he and Cordelia were likely the first to finish it. It was definitely an auspicious moment. But, Oscar couldn't afford to count his chickens before they hatched. First they needed to kill the quest target. The bosses had become progressively more difficult the further along he went, so he had to wonder just how strong this final one would be. It had certainly gotten itself a lot of build-up. Oscar just hoped that the thing lived up to the hype.

FOCUSED DOG CONSUMED [+2 ACC -> +3 ACC DUE TO FILLING HOUSING BUFF]
EVASION DOG CONSUMED [+2 EVA]
TITAN'S STRENGTH CONSUMED [+3 DMG]

Spoiler

Oscar - Lvl 54
1110 HP
108 Energy
4 Accuracy (+1 Precision +3 Food)
3 Evasion (+2 Food)
22 Base Damage - (1 Base +7 Skill +1 Ferocity +9 Familiar +1 Athletics +3 Potion)
106 Mitigation 
12 Fallen
2 Burn
Savvy
Vampiric (Defensive)

Equipment
Tesseleth’s Fury | Fallen, Fallen, Burn, Burn
Tactical Outfitting Mk.III | Vampiric (Defensive), Savvy, EVA
Mythril Greaves |  +81 MIT

Familiar
Leeroy & Jenkins - Familiar | +3*Tier DMG

Battle Ready Inventory
Teleportation Crystal
Empty Inventory Slot |
Empty Inventory Slot |
Empty Inventory Slot |
Empty Inventory Slot |
Empty Inventory Slot |

Buffs
Well-Rested | -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat.
Filling | Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 slot.
Relaxed | Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
Col Stash | 5% Bonus Col from Monster kills and Chests
Squeaky Clean | The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25%

Skills
2HBA | Rank 5: +8 Damage
Light Armor | Rank 5: +25 Damage Mitigation
Battle Healing | Rank 3: Recover 3% Max HP every round while in combat
Concentration | +1 to your BD (3 turn cooldown)
Survival | Heal 15*Tier HP when out of battle
Parry | 2-turn CD, 5 EN Half damage of next attack and remove Stun/Paralysis effects
Meditation | 3-turn CD. Recover an additional (5 * Tier) energy. Getting hit by an attack before the beginning of your next turn reduces the energy recovered to (3 * Tier).

Skill Mods
Ferocity                   | Increases Base Damage by 1
Athletics                  | Increases Base Damage by 1, Max HP by 10*tier
Precision                 | Increases Accuracy by 1
Justified Riposte      | Successful Parries Stun Opponent, 3 Turn CD

[Cordelia 0]

"So you gotta promise me that even if something were to happen, you'll keep going."

Cordelia heaved a long sigh. Now wasn't the time to think about that right now. She shook her head and made her way to the teleport gate. She should be happy! This was the last quest in the chain that she and Oscar needed to do. After this, the two would officially be the first ones to finish the whole line! Exciting, right? She bit her lip. At least, she wished she felt more excited. The last quest they had done together seemed to have ended on a good note, but she still couldn't help but feel haunted by the thought that she might-- that she might one day lose him. . . if she did, she wasn't sure that she would be able to uphold his promise.

"Hey, Oscar!"

The girl hopped off of the pad and flashed him a smile wave.

"You ready to finally get this thing over with?"

Spoiler

[STATS:]

LVL: 52 | HP: 1060/1060 | EN: 140/140 | 21 DMG | 90 MIT | 6 ACC | 1 EVA | 6 HLY | 2 [36] BRN | FRST AURA

[INVENTORY:]

☆ T3 Katana | Onimaru: PHSE, 6 HLY, 2 [36] BRN
☆ T2 Light Armor | Lakshmi's Defiance: T3 Light Armor: FROST AURA, MIT
☆ T2 Jewelry | Empress' Kanzashi: +3 ACC

[BATTLE READY:]

☆ [5] Standard Healing Potions [Heals 50 HP]

[CONSUMED:]

Super Armor Miso Ramen: +45 MIT
Super Sight and Speed Shoyu Ramen: +2 ACC, +1 EVA
Super Buff Miso Ramen: +2 Protein

[SKILLS:]

Non-combat:

Passive:

☆ R3 Fighter Familiar Skill: +9 DMG
☆ R3 Hiding Skills: +3 Stealth Rating
☆ R5 Light Armor Skill: 25 MIT
  > Athletics: +1 Base DMG, +20 HP
☆ Disguise: [Gain +1 EVA until the start of your next turn]
☆ Survival: [Increases out of combat health regeneration to (15 * Tier) per post. Grants immunity to most damage dealing environmental
attacks/effects.]

Combat:

☆ R3 Battle Healing

Weapon Skills:
☆ R1 Curved Sword Skill 
☆ R5 Katana Skill [+7 DMG/+1 BASE]
  > Ferocity: +1 DMG
  > Precision: +1 ACC
  > R3 Finesse: -3 EN to all SAs

[BUFFS:]

☆ RELAXED: Increases HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts
☆ ADVANCED TRAINING: +2 SP to a thread. Limit one use per month.
☆ TASTY: Turn 2 identical food items (same quality, tier, & enhancements) into a Lesser Feast.
☆ HARD-WORKING: +2 EXP per crafting attempt, +1 crafting attempt

 

[Oscar 0]

Oscar's eyes lit up when Cordelia joined him in the plaza. She had to be every bit as excited as he was. This had been a long and arduous journey. The bosses, while not exactly dangerous, were certainly interesting. He was excited to see what this last one had in store for them. He nodded jubilantly and beckoned for her to follow him towards the gate. They had to go find a specific lake and, apparently, the boss would manifest before them. At least, that's what Oscar assumed would happen. No one had done this before so even ol' trusty Concilator didn't have any information on it. The two of them walked in the general direction of the lake in relative silence. Oscar's nerves were flaring. He had never really gone ahead and done something before anyone else, so there was always a wealth of information to draw from. Not the case this time.

[Cordelia 0]

Cordelia bounded after him. After weeks, maybe even months of trying to finish this questline, they were finally at the final one. To say she was a little anxious was a huge understatement, but she was a tad bit excited for what this questline would end with. She had fought a bear, the undead, a big-ass fish, a literal mountain, and a puma. . . so how strange was this final boss going to be? Was she going to fight a giant fire dragon? A massive water serpent? Or something as random as a living island? There were honestly so many possibilites, she wasn't even sure if she had even gotten close to what it actually is. 

She drummed her fingers against her arm anxiously as they neared the lake. How tough was this boss going to even be? Would it be as tough as all of the previous ones put together? Would it have weird mechanics like that mountain and lich? Or was it going to be a straight up fight like the bear and puma?

[Oscar 0]

They continued onward in absolute silence. Eventually, the lake stretched out before them. The sun had set, the moon was hanging high in the sky. On the still waters, the reflection of the moon stared back at the two of them, amplifying the light from above. Then, there was the bray of a horse off in the distance. A third light appeared upon the waters, approaching them at a rapid pace. The creature cross the waters and as it grew closer, Oscar could see that it was a stallion made of pure lightning. As its hooves hit the shore, Oscar rushed in. He launched an Explode Catapult, striking the creature hard. Somehow, even though the being was pure energy, he was able to light it on fire. A bolt struck Oscar, dealing no damage but Paralyzing him. Oscar wondered if it had some sort of paralytic thorns or something. Either way, it was Cordelia's turn now.

Spoiler

[2]Oscar 1110/1110 HP | 93/108 EN | 22 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 106 MIT | 12 FLN | 36 BRN (BD8+) | SAVVY | VAMP-DEF | 44 BH [PARA]
[0]Cordelia HP: 1060/1060 | EN: 140/140 | 21 DMG | 90 MIT | 6 ACC | 1 EVA | 6 HLY | 2 [36] BRN | FRST AURA | 42 BH

Explode Catapult[x14] vs Taneuma ID: 138948 BD10 Deal 261 DMG Burn Applied

[BRN]Taneuma 1239/1500 HP | 275 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 75 MIT

[Cordelia 0]

Cordelia's mouth hanged agape as she watched a blinding blue and white creature near the two. A horse? By all means, the whole electric thing was cool, yes, but a horse? It was. . . cool, not for a last boss in a questline like this but it was. . . cool. 

The girl recoiled as she watched the stallion deliver a bolt of electricity at Oscar, effectively immobilizing him. "Holy Jesus," she muttered quickly, unsheathing her katana to take it on. 

Her blade's reflective surface slowly turned into a pitch black as she dashed after the elemental creature. Cordelia held her katana over her head as she readied to deliver a San Ge, but unfortunately, an electric horse is uh-- pretty damn fast. Her blade slammed into the ground, splintering the earth just as the bright blue sparks of electricity whizzed by. The girl exhaled almost painfully as she ripped out her katana from the ground.

"Deep breaths, Cordelia. Deeeep breaths."

 

---

 

ID: 138949
BD: 1, Miss [fuk u rng]

[2]Oscar 1110/1110 HP | 93/108 EN | 22 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 106 MIT | 12 FLN | 36 BRN (BD8+) | SAVVY | VAMP-DEF | 44 BH [PARA]
[0]Cordelia HP: 1060/1060 | EN: 139/140 | 21 DMG | 90 MIT | 6 ACC | 1 EVA | 6 HLY | 2 [36] BRN | FRST AURA | 42 BH

[BRN] Taneuma 1203/1500 HP | 275 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 75 MIT

ID: 138950
BD: 2, Miss

[Oscar 0]

Spoiler

[2]Oscar 1110/1110 HP | 94/108 EN | 22 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 106 MIT | 12 FLN | 36 BRN (BD8+) | SAVVY | VAMP-DEF | 44 BH [PARA]
[0]Cordelia HP: 1060/1060 | EN: 139/140 | 21 DMG | 90 MIT | 6 ACC | 1 EVA | 6 HLY | 2 [36] BRN | FRST AURA | 42 BH

[BRN] Taneuma 1203/1500 HP | 275 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 75 MIT

Oscar was, unfortunately, Paralyzed. Thus he found himself unable to act as Taneuma wheeled around and attempted to attack him. Despite being a sitting duck, however, the energy-based horsey completely missed. Oscar found himself happy with this turn of events. After all, with the damage he'd dealt on his Explode Catapult, he had discovered that this fight was more of a marathon and not a sprint. Especially if one got paralyzed every time they managed to land a hit. The paralysis faded, but Oscar's opening to attack had escaped. He would have to wait until next round where, hopefully, he would be able to get a Fallen proc off on the creature.

[Cordelia 0]

She wanted to kick the bucket. Haha-- yeah, not only did she miss once, no, no, she had to miss twice. In a row. This is exactly why she had trust issues with her katana. Why. This-- this was the last quest! Why couldn't the universe just let her have this? It was unimaginably unbelievable. She was sure this whole questline just hated her! That must be it! She has never had this bad of luck, like, never. Ever, ever. Only in this stupid quest chain! It's not like these bosses were hard, no, no. They were fine, but why did she keep missing?

"In, out. In, out," she muttered under her breath, her chest slowly rising and falling as she tried to keep her breaths even. "Just hit it next time. No big deal. It's not big deal!" She exclaimed quietly, whirling around just as she watched the stallion charge at Oscar.

"Not a big deal," she repeated, "he'll be fineee!" 

---

ID: 138951
BD: 1, Miss [i hate my life]

[2]Oscar 1110/1110 HP | 93/108 EN | 22 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 106 MIT | 12 FLN | 36 BRN (BD8+) | SAVVY | VAMP-DEF | 44 BH
[0]Cordelia HP: 1060/1060 | EN: 138/140 | 21 DMG | 90 MIT | 6 ACC | 1 EVA | 6 HLY | 2 [36] BRN | FRST AURA | 42 BH

Taneuma 1167/1500 HP | 275 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 75 MIT

ID: 138952
BD: 6, Hit

[Oscar 0]

The paralysis had faded and Oscar was able to move again. What's more, Taneuma's next attack missed him by a mile as well. Things were evening out, despite Cordelia's failed attempts at hitting the creature. At the very least, neither of them had suffered any damage. Meanwhile, Taneuma had been on the receiving end of two full turns of burn while Oscar was stuck. Now, it was time to go back on the offensive. He launched another Explode Catapult, Tesseleth's Fury finding its mark and slicing straight through the energy-based creature's "hide." He did respectable damage, but it was a far cry from a Fallen proc. He'd have to be satisfied with that. What's more was that Oscar didn't find himself paralyzed again. Perhaps his initial crit had been the trigger. Or, perhaps, the ability was on a cooldown. Either way, he was glad to be able to move after attacking now.

Spoiler

[3]Oscar 1110/1110 HP | 79/108 EN | 22 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 106 MIT | 12 FLN | 36 BRN (BD8+) | SAVVY | VAMP-DEF | 44 BH
[0]Cordelia HP: 1060/1060 | EN: 138/140 | 21 DMG | 90 MIT | 6 ACC | 1 EVA | 6 HLY | 2 [36] BRN | FRST AURA | 42 BH

Explode Catapult [x14] vs Taneuma ID: 138953 BD5+4-2 Deal 233 DMG

Taneuma 963/1500 HP | 275 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 75 MIT

[Cordelia 0]

Cordelia's cheeks flamed in embarrassment and humiliation.

It was almost something to laugh at. Not once. Not twice! Three times! She had missed three times! This was a complete and utter joke at this point. Why her. Why now. Of all places and times to miss three times it had to be here? The last quest. The very, very last one?

The girl bit her upper lip. Complete and utter bull, that's what this was. Her shoulders sagged. She didn't even want to fight anymore. She just wanted go to a dark corner, cry, and maybe eat some ice cream. Maybe just face-plant into some mud. Maybe just tie a pile of rocks to her feet and throw herself into that lake. All determination she had just seemed to-- she didn't even know. Wither up and die right in front of her? Like her dreams? Like her will to live? 

---

ID: 138954
BD: 1, Miss [haha... HAHAHAHAHHAHA]

[3]Oscar 940/1110 HP | 79/108 EN | 22 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 106 MIT | 12 FLN | 36 BRN (BD8+) | SAVVY | VAMP-DEF | 44 BH -170
[0]Cordelia HP: 1060/1060 | EN: 137/140 | 21 DMG | 90 MIT | 6 ACC | 1 EVA | 6 HLY | 2 [36] BRN | FRST AURA | 42 BH

Taneuma 963/1500 HP | 275 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 75 MIT

ID: 138955
BD: 9, Hit

[Oscar 0]

Spoiler

[4]Oscar 1039/1110 HP [+44][+55]| 64/108 EN | 22 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 106 MIT | 12 FLN | 36 BRN (BD8+) | SAVVY | VAMP-DEF | 44 BH
[0]Cordelia HP: 1060/1060 | EN: 137/140 | 21 DMG | 90 MIT | 6 ACC | 1 EVA | 6 HLY | 2 [36] BRN | FRST AURA | 42 BH

Explode Catapult vs Taneuma ID: 138956 BD8+4-2 Deal 401 DMG Burn Activates
CD10, Vampiric Activates Restore 5% Max HP

[BRN]Taneuma 562/1500 HP | 275 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 75 MIT

Cordelia's third miss in a row prompted Oscar to stop what he was doing and turn his full attention towards Cordelia. Oscar had done his fair share of missing, but he never recalled missing his mark more than twice in a row. He had no idea what Cordelia could possibly be feeling right now. "Hey honey? You okay? Just breathe, alright." As he was distracted, Taneuma wheeled around in kicked him in the chest. He saw his health bar tank as he went sailing backwards. Fortunately, good ol' Battle Healing was there for him, alongside its friend Uncle Vampiric. Most of the damage he suffered was regained in an instant. Oscar found his footing and rushed the creature, slamming his axe down upon it with an Explode Catapult. Fallen and Burn activated this time, knocking the creature almost into the red. So at least there was that.

[Cordelia 0]

She was breathing. It was painful how hard she was trying to breath, really. 

"I'm fine! Really!" She exclaimed abruptly, turning around just as Oscar rocketed away. "Oh."

Cordelia shook her head. "Breathe, breathe, breathe," she whispered, pumping herself up as she prepared another San Ge. Breathe, breathe, breathe. Cordelia surged forward, raising her katana above her head one final time. Onimaru sliced through the electric horse, setting it aflame just after Oscar had. A bright light was emitted from her katana as she drove her katana deeper into the horse.

Cordelia ripped away her katana, watching as the horse's health surged to a few points away from zero. "Wait a minute--" Cordelia squaked, feeling herself lose her mobility as a large bolt of white hot electricity striked her. 

---

ID: 138957
BD: 9, Crit, [+7 DMG] [BURN PROC]
21+7=28x15= 480-37= 443

[4]Oscar 1039/1110 HP | 64/108 EN | 22 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 106 MIT | 12 FLN | 36 BRN (BD8+) | SAVVY | VAMP-DEF | 44 BH
[2]Cordelia HP: 1060/1060 | EN: 126/140 | 21 DMG | 90 MIT | 6 ACC | 1 EVA | 6 HLY | 2 [36] BRN | FRST AURA | 42 BH [PARA]

[BRN] Taneuma 83/1500 HP | 275 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 75 MIT -443 -36

ID: 138958
BD: 3, Miss

[Oscar 0]

Spoiler

[4]Oscar 1110/1110 HP [+44]| 39/108 EN | 22 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 106 MIT | 12 FLN | 36 BRN (BD8+) | SAVVY | VAMP-DEF | 44 BH [PARA]
[2]Cordelia HP: 1060/1060 | EN: 137/140 | 21 DMG | 90 MIT | 6 ACC | 1 EVA | 6 HLY | 2 [36] BRN | FRST AURA | 42 BH [PARA]

Explode Catapult [x14] vs Taneuma ID: 138959 BD10 Deal 261 DMG
CD10 Vampiric Activates - Restore 5% Max HP

Taneuma 0/1500 HP | 275 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 75 MIT 

Thankfully, Cordelia had finally managed to land a hit on the creature. Unfortunately, that hit also wound up being a critical. Oscar watched as a bolt struck his girlfriend, leaving her paralyzed. Even though both of them were at practically full health and there really wasn't much to worry over, Oscar was awash with a sudden sense of urgency. Seeing her defenseless flipped a switch in his head. He needed to end this fight now, not later. Luckily, Taneuma was sprinting over towards him. He launched another Explode Catapult. His weapon sliced through the creature. It shuddered and then fractured. Finally, it shattered into thousands of tiny shards. As a bonus, Vampiric activated and between that and his Battle Healing, Oscar found himself returned to full health. Although, Oscar was struck by lightning again and paralyzed, a parting shot as revenge for his final crit against the Stallion.

[Cordelia 0]

Cordelia blinked. It was over. Oh God, it was over. Six quests. It took six quests to finish this whole chain. She wasn't sure if she had ever felt so relieved before in her life. 

Her fingers twitched, the effects of the paralysis slowly wearing off as the tension of the battle faded away. She looked over to Oscar. He seemed to have been paralyzed just before the stallion had been killed off as well. A small sigh left her. She probably would've been good as dead if he weren't here to have her back. She probably would've been dead around five other times throughout this questline if it weren't him, really. 

She gently placed her katana back into its sheath, shaking off the last remaining bits of paralysis before she walked over to Oscar. "You really carried me throughout this whole line, didn't you?" She asked, laughing dryly as she rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment.

[Oscar 0]

"Under the advice of Counsel, I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it might incriminate me," Oscar said flatly. He couldn't move. The smart money was on not rubbing salt in the wound right now. He didn't know what it was, but it was something about this quest chain that just made it difficult for her to hit anything. Maybe he was bad luck? More likely some cosmic entity was holding a grudge against her. Tesseleth's Fury felt heavy in his arm. He was so used to putting his weapon away right after combat. Now that he couldn't it was like an itch that he just couldn't scratch. "I'm just glad it's over. That was so much work!"

[Cordelia 0]

"Well, it's a fact." Cordelia flashed him a small grin. She wasn't mad at him, if anything she was mad at herself, or the universe. Nevermind, she was mad at the universe. It seriously didn't make any sense-- she had buffs, she had the accuracy enhancements-- yet she missed. Three times. In a row. That was definitely the work of something above. Or maybe the game just hated her! Maybe Kayaba just wanted to spite her! You never know. She was in a world where someone could just pull the plug any day and kill everyone here.

"You and me both," she sighed tiredly, her shoulders drooping. "I just want to go home and take a nap, maybe cry my eyes out, eat a whole tub of ice cream, really anything. I just feel like a million pounds had just been lifted off of my shoulders," Cordelia mumbled, letting out a small yawn as she stretched her arms above her head. 

[Oscar 0]

Oscar felt the paralysis waning. Slowly, feeling returned to his body. Eventually, he was able to put Tesseleth's Fury away. With his weapon out of the way, Oscar headed towards a large, moss covered log. He sat down on it and looked out over the lake. After slaying Taneuma, they had all the time in the world to sit down and enjoy the sights. And boy what a sight this was. "I mean, you could do that. Or we can sit here together and rest up a bit first." Oscar beckoned for Cordelia to join him. The way the moon reflected off of the lake was just sublime. He truly couldn't think of anyone else he would want to share this with. Maybe, just maybe, taking a minute to relax might knock the edge off of her frustrations. The sounds of the water ebbing and flowing over shore filled the air. It was definitely too good of a relaxing vista not to enjoy it.

[Cordelia 0]

"Or that too," Cordelia chuffed, shuffling over to the log before sitting beside him. 

She took everything in. It all seemed too surreal to her, like something straight out of a movie or picture. The pale moonlight reflecting off of the water made it seem like something straight out of an impressionist painting. The big city never really offered this, did it? She could look at thousands of professionally taken pictures and it would never compare to this. 

The corners of her mouth twitched up quietly. It were times like this that she wouldn't mind staying here forever. Just her, the moon, the water, and Oscar. 

Cordelia leaned against his shoulder before letting out a small laugh. "This reminds me of a movie I watched a long time ago," she murmured, breaking the somewhat silence. "It feels like a movie," she mumbled, closing her eyes as she let out another laugh. "Feels too good to be true, you know?"

[Oscar 0]

"It feels like a movie."

Yeah. It's absolutely surreal.

Oscar didn't know what it was, but there was just something about this moment. Maybe it was the relief from having this infernal quest chain done but Oscar was feeling a bit strange. Introspective? Was that the right word. Either way, he couldn't disagree with Cordelia's assessment of the situation. He looked at her, staring out over the water. The way the moonlight glinted off of her silver hair. He smiled softly and thought to himself,

I'm going to marry this woman.

And then she said something else. Something that really cemented his decision. 

"Feels too good to be true, you know?"

None of this felt real. When you got down to basics, being trapped in a video game that was designed to kill you just sounded absolutely ludicrous. But reality was often stranger than fiction. Case in point, Oscar had never really believed in the whole star-crossed lovers who meet by chance trope that was so prevalent in book and film. At least, not until it happened to him. He knew that he was just one unlucky critical away from losing everything. He had to hold fast to what he had.

"Hey Cordelia? Marry me," Oscar said. No pomp or fanfare, just a sincere utterance guided purely by his heart. There was power in his voice, hidden behind the almost-whisper. Everything he had experienced up until now - especially with her - felt like a dream. He really didn't want to wake up from it.

[Cordelia 0]

"Hey Cordelia? Marry me."

Cordelia's eyes shot open. She was sure that she had heard him wrong-- that something was certainly in her ear, but when she turned to look at him, she realized that he was serious. The gears in her head started to slowly grind together. 

She opened her mouth, then quickly shut it. How was she going to answer that? It was so abrupt and sudden that it completely dried out her vocabulary. And marriage? Of course, she's had thoughts about it before but she never thought it would come so soon. Was this something she should've prepared for? Should she be prepared for this? 

Her pale eyes scanned his face. This was the man who wanted to spend his entire life with her. Her heart bubbled with emotion she longer she held that in her mind. There was no other person she wanted to be with than the person in front of her. 

She reached out for his hand, entangling it in her own. She shouldn't have to be prepared for it, the answer had been in the back of her head for a while. She squeezed his palm, a smile blossoming on her features as she gave him a single nod. 

"Of course."