[PP-F8] Dinner and Conversation

[Miaki 0]

High up in the trees of the eighth floor away from the heavy player presence Miaki was pacing back and forth waiting for Nikki. He owed her a dinner and there was no way the man would back down on a promise. They'd set plans for 8pm Aincrad time for dinner. His first idea was to take Nikki to somewhere on the fourth floor, her favorite place. But he then figured that she already knew everything about the floor and something new would be more romantic.

After digging deep through the <>, and his Col, he found out about a place that didn't seem to be noticed much by others yet. Not to mention it's being out of the way and rather pricey probably turned away the rest who took notice. The place was a restaurant housed in the top of a large tree trunk with branches leading out to the forest canopy was where the guests ate. The view was grand as you could look out and see the vastness of the floor and beyond.

Miaki was early thinking it was the proper thing to do. Instead of his normal battle dress and traveling trench coat he wore a long sleeve white button down shirt under an navy blue vest. He styled his strawberry blonde hair neatly as opposed to the hat hair mess it usually was. He wore black slacks and dress shoes.

Glancing at the clock in his field of vision he noticed it was getting close to 8. "Almost time." He took a deep breath and calmed his nerves.

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki had spent all day preparing for this dinner. It had been right after the boss fight, and it was a needed release from the stress of the previous days. Not only was it a chance to relax however, rather this evening was a date. She had been asked to dinner by Michael, or as he was known here, Miaki. She smiled to herself, walking along one of the suspended walkways of floor 8. Apparently up here, amongst the tree tops there was a place, a restaurant, where for a price players could enjoy a quality meal, and a wonderful view. It was supposed to be a romantic place with few distractions as few players had learned of it, and fewer still were willing to pay for it.

It was nearly 8 now and the sun had set a while back. The pathway was illuminated by suspended candles lighting her way like giant fireflies. Down below she could make out the glow of actual giant fireflies, and she couldn't help but let out a little giggle. As this was a proper dinner and not a normal day in Aincrad, she had opted to wear something a little nicer. Of course the only other clothing she had was suited to the frigid cold of floor 4 so she had needed to get something new made up. It was a long blue dress, seamless and very fine. It flowed easily over her body stopping inches of the floor. Along the left side was a single split that carried up almost to her waist, allowing her freedom of movement as well as the ability to show a little leg. Rather than the bun she normally kept her hair in, she had opted for a large and simple braid that hung neatly over her right shoulder. Several white flowers adorned the Blue braid. Since coming here she had never spent so much time preparing herself. In fact she had never spent anytime preparing herself. Normally she would hide under a cloak and carry on, but this was special.

Nikki continued to follow the path until she saw Miaki up ahead. He looked sharply dressed, much different from his normal casual attire. She smiled and waved, quickening her pace to reach him sooner. As she neared she could see he looked nervous and smiled wider. No one ever looked nervous to meet her, so it was nice. "Good evening sir... I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long." She said softly as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. She would have opted for a longer more dramatic impression, but this had been her first chance to eat in what seemed like days, and she was desperate to get started.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki watched as Nikki gracefully walked over to him. He gazed at her approaching with a dumbfound expression from her beauty. She wasn't wearing the simple blue dress he saw her in on the 5th floor that he thought she might wear. Instead she wore a seamless flowing dress with her hair braided with white flowers pined to it going down. He could not remember the last time he had seen someone so beautifully dressed before, she had a glow to her that Miaki could take his eyes away from.

Regaining some of his composure Miaki did a final check list in his head making sure he was proper himself. "Good evening sir... I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long." She said to him, kissing him on the cheek.

"Not at all my lady. I haven't been here long." He looked over her head to toe grinning. "You look... Look. Absolutely stunning." Without a doubt the sight before him was the most beautiful thing he had seen in Aincrad and even the other world beyond this one. Standing up straight he held out his bent arm for her to link to. "May I escort the fine lady to her table?" He said to her in a delighted tone.

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki giggled a little as she took his arm in hers. "My my.. you really are a gentleman arnt you. I cant wait to see what you have in store next." she giggled as she followed his lead. Everything here was so beautiful, and for a moment she thought they had the place to themselves, however one other couple remained admiring each other in the soft candlelight. She loved how different this place was from everywhere else she had been so far. She hugged tightly onto Miaki's arm now enjoying everything she could see.

She couldn't help but glow with excitement and happiness, after everything Miaki had gone to such lengths to make her feel special, and she was so appreciative of it. She had guessed tonight that they were going to talk about what had happened, about their future prospects in this game. She knew that it wouldn't feel so big or bad if she had someone to share it with, so she was open to the idea, in fact she was ready and willing to make something official between the two of them.

Nearby she noticed a table tucked away on its own. It over looked the forest floor, and was surrounded by dozens of candles bathing it in a soft warm light. it had 2 chairs, and what looked like a bottle of wine waiting at it and she began to blush a bit. It was beautiful, and so much. There is no way she was worth all of this. "You really know how to make a girl feel like a princess."

[Miaki 0]

"As I may mentioned before. You can thank my parents for that. When I was homeschooled I got the chance to watch them and see how my mother reacts to different things. Hopefully I actually learned something from it and use it properly." Miaki walked her over to the silk cloth table and unlinked himself from her to grabbed one of the chairs at the table. He was as giddy as a school boy and it was obvious to anyone who could've seen him. He pulled out the chair for Nikki to take her seat in and pushed her closer to the table. "And I have some things in store for our evening together." He said as he rounded the table and sat himself down. "I might even just let you in on a little secret one of these days that relates to my observing them for years." He said with a wink.

He grabbed the wine glass and popped it open pouring them both a glass. As he placed the glasses down and began to sit comfortably an NPC waiter came over to them and bowed. "Good evening sir. Good evening ma'am. My name is Walter and I shall be serving you this evening. I trust everything is in order?"

"I believe so Walter. Thank you for asking."

"Quite welcome sir. Are you ready to place an order or would you like some time to make your decisions."

"Well I might as well start off with a lobster bisque."

"Very good sir. And what would you like my lady?"

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki sat down in the chair taking care not to show too much leg as she did. Normally she had little concern about her legs, but tonight she was trying to be classy, at least a little. She was grinning from ear to ear now as her chair slid in. She realized that no one had ever gone to these lengths for her before, it was amazing to feel so special. She looked up as her wine was poured for her, and giggled. She hadn't had the Wine of Aincrad yet, but was now suddenly looking forward to trying it.

The waiter had asked if she would be ready to order, but in truth she was so overwhelmed that she wasn't able to think. "Could I please have a few moments to think?" she asked. as she looked to Miaki. She was so excited about this. Nikki took a small drink from her glass closing her eyes and savoring the programed flavor that she was gifted with. It was full, and fruitful, with a hint of spice that almost reminded her of chai. Immediately she could feel the effects of it as her body began to warm up from the inside out.

She was thoroughly enjoying herself now for the first time in a while. She adjusted herself in her seat as she stared at Miaki. "Michael, this is so lovely. Thank you for this." She reached out to touch his hand as she spoke.

[Miaki 0]

Miaki reached for his glass taking a sip while Nikki decided to think longer over what she would like to have. That was fine with him, this was her night and as far as he was concerned they had all the time in the world. "Michael, this is so lovely. Thank you for this." She said reaching her hand across the table to him.

"It is my pleasure Abigale. You are worth every bit. And besides, you deserve it after you're amazing work in the raid yesterday." Images flashed in his mind of yesterday's fight and Nikki's iron strong will and expert leadership in handling the boss. He visualized several of Nikki's greatest moments attacking <>. Since his time in Aincrad, Miaki had never seen anything like it before. He saw a whole new side of Abigale with her focused mind and tactful leadership. "Yesterday was the most intense fight I have ever been in." He choked up for a moment trying to get the lump out of his throat. "It was also the most horrifying thing. I was so scared for awhile."

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki smiled at the compliment. She didn't think she did so well, considering her primary job was to get hit. It wasn't like she had a complicated task. Still though the physical remnants of her effort existed under her dress, in the form of large bruises across her torso, legs and shoulders. She had been lucky through most of the fight, having her armor absorb most of the damage she would have taken, but mentally she had created her wounds based off of what she had perceived. "We all did good. It was easily the best effort we have ever had." She spoke now to play down her own contribution.

Nikki gently tugged on her hair nervously as she looked around again. no one was watching them now so she turned to the side lifting up her braid to show one of many purple bruises adorning her shoulder which up until now had been hidden by her hair."Its hard to say I did good when Im the only one coming out with the bruises." She smiled as she covered her shoulder with the braid again and turned to look back to him. She touched his hand gently again still smiling. Nikki knew her bruises would heal with time as they did in the real world. "How long till we reach floor 10 do you think?"

[Miaki 0]

Miaki sucked in air through his teeth and involuntarily brought his free hand to his mouth. His eyes widened and he stared at the bruise on Nikki's shoulder. He knew she took some hard hits in the boss fight but he hardly noticed her react with more than flinch in the raid. "Oh my god. I-I had no idea." Michael suddenly felt a deep sense of shame that he hid behind Abigale so many times taking for granted her armor's special ability. He stared down at the table feeling a small cramp in his stomach. How could he have let this happen to her. He should've let himself take some of the hits from the boss sharing the pain.

She took his hand and smiled comfortingly. He didn't want her see him so worked up, this was her special night. A celebratory dinner to the woman he felt himself growing close to. He always saw women as a distraction from his studies. They were an investment that required time and money he would say and he didn't have either of them. But inside he felt that if he couldnt commit himself to someone then that someone deserved better and should look else where.

"How long till we reach floor 10 do you think?" She asked.

"I'm not sure. It didn't take long at all to scout out the 8th floor and nearly as long to organize an assault compared to 7... Hmmm I'd say we have a little time to rest. Captain Saix thought it might be a good idea for me to ease up a little bit with this next floor. Atleast with the scouting to which I agreed. Maybe he's right. I need to take things easy... Thing is though since I got myself going I haven't been able to stop. I don't even know how to....." Miaki never even thought of stopping. So much had happened since he was the noobie running around floor one trying to beat up plants and boars. He was focused on exploration mostly having not the levels or gear to take on the rest of Aincrad.

Then one day he found himself suddenly in the company of a ragtag group of players who were fighting on the front lines. The exact way it happened still confused Miaki but he suddenly found himself fighting against monster on floor 7 and taking on bandits. Then came the <>. That was its own thing entirely. Before reuniting with Nikki, he suddenly was thrown the role of leadership and thought it was too sudden and too much for him to handle. As a result he went on leave and found himself with Nikki. They'd been with each other alot since then.

After the boss room for the eighth floor was found Miaki knew he had to lead and took his role as Brigadier General. Fortunately for him Saix and Shark recognized him without question. They were even beginning to build an alliance to combat the rising threats in Aincrad.

All Miaki could think about was pressing forward, he didn't think to stop at all. He wasn't driven to liberate Aincrad to free everyone. That was just an incentive. He was fighting for the sake of clearing in itself. That was how a game worked. You played to win and Sword Art Online was no exception.

"Have you ever thought of slowing down Abigale? Like let someone take over for a while giving you a chance to relax? I always saw relaxing as seeing that places in between battles and exploring. But what about actually stopping for a short while. Not too long. Heaven knows what would happen if we were gone too long. But atleast for a while."

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki looked at him now slightly confused. "Slow down?" She had slown down. she took her time alone, retreated away from the world and found herself. However what she found was her fire. She knew that this came could be won, she knew that she might not be the one to do it, but she knew she could survive it. Slowing down meant losing momentum, it meant letting other push ahead, and falling behind. It meant that she might not be strong enough to protect others. She did see where Miaki was going with it, or at least she thought she did. To set up and have a life here, to enjoy and exist as if this life is real. To her though this was as real as anything else. She woke up, she ate, she loved, she felt pain and emotion. To her Aincrad was real.

"Ive thought about it... I did for a while... But Im needed here, with everyone. Id never be able to truly back down, even for a short while. But that doesn't mean I cant enjoy the time I have when things aren't fraught with danger." She gave his hand a squeeze as she spoke and smiled softly. "Here and now we've slowed down.. The world moves on but we are here in this moment forever. I've enjoyed all of our time together, and cant wait to see what tomorrow hold for us." She was lost on her words now, she had things she wanted to say, just no clear means of communication. She couldn't take her eyes off of him, so instead she simply waited, maybe he could say something to help her find the right words. Or maybe they could just sit here, comfortably enjoying each others company forever. Either way she was happy.

[Miaki 0]

The idea was absurd. Nikki was right, why should they slow down when they had finally sped things up. So many people were counting on them, how could they possibly stop now when they had made it so far. This moment was enough and he hoped for more moments like this to come. During the battle Nikki and Miaki fought with such synchronicity, covering each others flanks while protecting the others from harm. Miaki wanted it to continue all of time. He stared at her longingly. His heart beating in his throat. He started praying that this moment would last forever. What could the future hold for Miaki and Nikki. He pondered this many times and even fantasized the thought when Nikki was brought up in conversation.

"I've enjoyed every moment together with you as well Nikki. I treasure every second we've shared together and the prospect of many more to come. Im so glad we literally ran into each other in <>. I owe everything to that moment." He thought fondly of the kind woman that he met there never thinking that he would get to know her so well now. The impulsive moment they shared together in front of everyone just prior to the boss raid. He was in absolute bliss and he wanted to take it further. But how does one bring up something like that?

He decided to bite the bullet and test the waters. "Nik-... Abigale." He said, drawning himself into her eyes. "If you don't mind, I'd like to talk about us. We both kinda know where we've been. But where do go from here?... I-I want to take this to the next level. I've loved you since we first met and thought I'd never see you again when I finally started reaching the other floors. I can't tell you how many times I went to the fourth floor to see if I could find you." He was talking without thinking now, from the heart, and nothing was stopping him. "That day I saw you in the tavern only a week ago... I cant express how happy I was to see you again..." His eyes began to tear up and a few streaks of tears flowed down his face. His voice beginning to crack and choke up.

[Nikki Styx 0]

She had had no idea that she had made that kind of impression. Miaki had fallen for her right from the beginning. She blushed a moment, not really understanding why. In the real world, most people had found her to distant, or disconnected. They had not wanted to really be with her. The few that had stuck around for any length of time were either after her for her body, or the bragging rights of being with her. This was different though, they were locked in an alternate world where there were no bragging rights, where she was average compared to many of the girls, and where things were far too exciting to compare her to. yet despite all of this Miaki was here, with her, right now.

She smiled softly not letting go of his hand, but turning her head away for a moment. She had been feeling strange feelings all week. Excitement, and happiness. Joy and euphoria, concern and worry. And all of it was for this man. He had made such an impression that for the few moments where they were not together she could do nothing but wonder what he was doing or if he was ok. It could be a crush, or simple infatuation, but she couldn't afford to think like that. After all She could Die at any point, tonight, tomorrow, a week from now, there was no way to know. So there was no point in holding back or dulling ones thoughts or feelings, not when so much was on the line.

She turned her gaze back to him now as a pair of glistening tears rolled down her cheeks. They traced their way down her soft skin, before dropping free and pixelating. Tears in Aincrad were both haunting and beautiful. She smiled again, and tried to speak, choking on her first attempt.

She gave a small sigh, and took a sip of water, taking her time now to try and collect her thoughts into something she could share. "I'm so happy you found me..." Another tear rolled down her cheek, pixelating away like the first. "Ive been alone for so long... And all the time we spent this week... Its been so comforting. For the first time in a long time I feel like Im going to be ok." She squeezed his hand again as she used her free hand to wipe away another tear, this one dissolving on her finger. "If you never left my side I'd be all too happy."

[Miaki 0]

Michael began to struggle inwardly with decisions. His expression began to show hints that he was thinking as he shifted his face away from Nikki and spaced out. "Now? Wait, maybe this isn't the right time. No! This is the right time. You need to man up about it. But what if turns out to be the wrong time? But what if this is the only time? Then..."

"If you never left my side I'd be all too happy." She said to him, wiping away the tears on her face.

He made up his mind. "I'm doing this!" Miaki thought as he let go of Nikki's hand and drew it to himself. His body was finicky and nervous as his fingers began to twitch. He looked left and right to see if anybody was watching them and only barely noticed the couple far off who were completely absorbed in their own romanticism. His heart was beating faster, as if he were in a tough battle against a high leveled monster. He looked down at his hands in his lap and saw that they were shaking. In that moment, Michael Lancer, the man who had become known as Miaki Murakami, the <>, the front liner, and Brigadier General of the <> was nothing more than a 21 year old boy with a choice. It was now or never.

Perspiration began to generate on his face as the system recognized his stress levels and triggered the appropriate reaction. Standing up suddenly his chair skidded back a bit as he looked back into Nikki's attractive eyes. "Nikki!" He said in a nervous outburst. His left hand slipped into the pocket of slacks and gripped a small object, a blue box that matched Nikki's clothes. "Abigale..." Without another word, the young man in the navy blue vest rounded the table walking towards the lovely woman in the long blue seamless dress and knelled in front of her. Looking up he saw her sweet face which was brightened by the blue braid she wore decorated with white flowers.

He pulled his left hand out of his pocket and revealed the small, simple blue box in his hand. He had rehearsed the words he wanted to say in this moment a thousand times over but as he looked deep into her eyes he drew up completely blank on any of them. Opening the small box revealing a small sapphire ring on a silver band he said. "Would you marry me?" He finally asked, saying the words as if they were the most sacred words a person could utter.

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki choked again as she raised a hand to her mouth. She was speechless as Miaki had proposed to her. This was something she could have never imagined happening in a million years, in the real world or here. She ahd seen so many players rush into suck things, and had seen so many problems occur, but they were different, they were lusting partners who had already built a relationship around the more physical side of things. Miaki and Nikki had only just kissed for the first time, but that was not a sign of their emotions lacking. In fact it was safe to say that Nikki wanted him to be with her, that if she could choose a partner in this game it would be him. It seemed that he shared that sentiment as he knelt in front of her.

Suddenly her mind began to race over the possibilities. They would be joined, inseparable, that was fine. She would always have someone to go to, talk to or argue with if need be, that was fine too. She would have someone who cared about her enough to go to great lengths, and she would feel the same. But then she had never been so far with someone. Even in the Real world the furthest her relationships had gone were boyfriends or girlfriends. This was engagement, a whole new step. But... With the right person... It was an adventure she wanted to experience. At the very least she would have a helluva story for back home.

A torrent of tears rushed down her cheeks as her smile widened. She nodded her head. still not being able to find the words. And then out of nowhere they stumbled out as if her brain wanted to match her bodies reaction. "Michael.... Yes... I... Yes" It was a jumble, but it was enough. She had consented, and agreed. He had asked and she said yes. That made it official, she was engaged. Nikki Styx was now engaged, and off the market. And she couldn't have felt better about it.

without another moment she flung herself off her chair onto Miaki knocking them both to the floor. Before he could speak she kissed him deeply. She held the kiss and him for as long as she could until she had to let him go to breath. "Yes Michael.. I will..." She said again as if the first time had not been enough. Her heart was racing now, like never before, and she loved it. She loved him.

[Miaki 0]

This was no small decision he was making. As far as Miaki was concerned, Aincrad was real. All of it, while still a programmer's construct, felt just as real as the other world. His friends, the floors, the fights, the glory, the near death encounters, it was all real to him and he treated it as such. Which meant that Nikki was real. In fact she was the most real thing he felt. Everything he felt about her was real.

While in the other world, Miaki was just Michael. A college student with ambitions to one day become a professor of descriptive linguistics and sociolinguistics. Never in his 21 years on earth had he dated a girl before. Sure he had his childhood crush and those occasion feelings of attraction towards someone; but they never went further than that. He didn't want to get into a relationship til he had finished most of his education. He didn't feel like he was capable of committing himself to someone. Even though dating wasn't a lifelong commitment it still required a lot of time and attention, something he couldn't promise. He felt that if he couldn't give someone his full attention then they were better off looking else where.

Since winding up in Aincrad he no longer had an excuse for looking for someone. But still he hadn't. Until today. There was something about Nikki that kept her on Miaki's mind all the time. Like a fantastic song that you couldn't get out of your head and was on an endless loop. That was Nikki. The amazing song that invoked love, joy, and absolute bliss. A song that he could dance and sing to all night long until he no longer lacked the strength.

And this song playing through his head called Nikki Styx, now known to him as Abigale Sticks, had flung herself towards him and was kissing him deeply on the lips. Miaki wrapped his arms around her and embraced her with his whole heart, kissing her back. His heart, now an pounding, endless drumbeat, was beating faster and faster as he held on to her for dear life. He knew she wasn't going anywhere but he couldn't help himself in the euphoric state which had him feeling spellbound.

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki held onto him a while longer, not caring now that other people had stopped eating to watch them. In fact she wanted them to see, she wanted them to see what hope was like in this game. If she could find someone then there was hope for everyone. After a moment or two she let go and rolled back to rest on her knees. She took a second now adjusting the cut away of her dress so as not to show anything off to the entire establishment. On the ground next to Miaki, lay the box with the silver sapphire ring in it. She had never even seen such gemstones in the game yet, and knew that it was certainly something special. She scooped it up and quickly slid the ring onto her shaking finger.

Another set of tears ran down her cheeks as she turned around and sat down leaning into Miaki and holding up her hand to look at her new adornment. If only her parents could see her now, would they be proud, or would they be upset? In the end it didn't matter because she was happy.

"Would you be ready to make an order now?"

Nikki looked up to see there waiter had appeared again and had a rather stern look on his face as he waited for there order. It took her a few moments to remember where they were or why this man was ruining this moment, but then it clicked. The restaurant, the people, they were here in the middle of this place making a scene on the ground. She began to blush as she scrambled to her feet , dusting herself off, and fixing her hair. The bluenette quickly retook her seat and looked up at the waiter. "Could I please have something with meat and veggies please?" She hadn't any idea what to order, but certainly this would prove to be a safe bet. After ordering she put her hand back on the table waiting for Miaki to return to his seat and take it.

"Very good miss. And for you sir?"

[Miaki 0]

Miaki was leaning in staring at the silver sapphire ring wrapped around Nikki's finger. If this was a dream he never wanted to wake up unless he was promised the prospect of repeating the events of this possible fantasy over. But it wasn't a dream. Nikki had said yes to him. He had asked her to be the one to support him and he support her in this world they lived in. They were committed to becoming life long partners in Aincrad, and maybe, hopefully, the other world beyond this digital realm. All of the time and energy he had put into this moment was worth it. He spared no expense on her and held zero regrets for it.

"Very good miss. And for you sir?" The waiter asked, interrupting Miaki's thoughts.

Miaki snapped to and broke his focus on Nikki's hand coughing to clear his throat after realizing the little display they had just made. "Huh, I'm sorry. What? Oh. Umm forget the soup, I no longer need it. I'll actually have the same as the young lady." He said glancing between Walter, Nikki's hand, and her lovely face.

"Very good sir. I'll have those orders brought out as soon as they are complete." He answered with the dip of his head turning around to go off taking care of some other guest.

Miaki leaned in and gave Nikki a quick kiss on the cheek before returning to his seat. Pulling his chair in closer to the table he scooped up Nikki's extended hand and brought it to his lips gently planting a kiss on it while retaining eye contact with her. So where did they go from here? Did they start planning the future or simply enjoy the moment. He was now running blind with their dinner date. He chuckled looking at Nikki and said to her. "I'm afraid I may be out of surprises tonight. I'm..." He choked up briefly. "I'm so happy that I don't know where to go from here." More tears of joy began to pour from his eyes. He was sure he looked like an absolute fool.

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki stopped to think for a moment as to how they would progress from here. She had never given thought to something like this before, having never gotten this close to someone. She sighed gently, pleasantly, and thoughtfully before speaking. "We could... We could move in together?" She asked as she began to ponder the idea. This of course should be the next natural step, but it was one that was now new to her. She had not lived with someone before, and she was now wondering what it would be like to live with another human being, in this world or the real world.

Now more thoughts flooded her mind. She had no idea where Miaki currently lived, or even wanted to live. Nikki had been living on the fourth floor for a long time now, tis chill and snow was comforting to her. Not to mention she had a delightful room at the local Inn, complete with fur rugs, giant fireplace, and the warmest, deepest bed ever.. It was big enough for 2 people easily, and offered many amenities that made it more home like. She wondered if he was interested in living with her at all now. Maybe in this game things were different, maybe players couldn't move in together, maybe all they could do was stay with each other.

"If you were interested.. I have a steady place... Its not much but it is cozy." Nikki figured there was no harm in throwing out the offer, after all she was engaged to him, and she was not oppose to living with him. Then the thought struck her that they would need to share a bed. She smiled an blushed as the idea crossed her mind of being curled up with him in her warm cozy bed, while a roaring fire warmed them. Its not like she was opposed to sleeping with him either as she had managed to already pass out with him while traveling.

This thought led to the idea of sex, and suddenly Nikki's cheeks flushed an even deeper shad of red. They would, could, have sex as well. It was something she had wanted to try doing, and there was no better person to try with than him. Of course he might think she was boring and plain, however she would cross that bridge when they got to it. For now she was just curious on hearing his thoughts.

[Miaki 0]

"We could... We could move in together?" Nikki suggested to him. The wheels in Miaki's head began to start turning as he processed everything that came with marriage. Including living together. Together. The thought brought up a warm feeling in his chest as he thought it through more. The idea of sharing a space with someone, especially Nikki who he cared deeply for, was exciting. Living together in the same space while living through this death game was an idea he could get behind. But where? Her next words answered this very question. "If you were interested.. I have a steady place... Its not much but it is cozy."

Where ever Nikki lived would probably be the best. Likely somewhere on the fourth floor. He remembered their first meeting where she told him that she would return to the floor in the mid afternoon before it was too cold. That would be nice. He loved the snow and where he lived when he was little used to get quite a bit. The idea was much better than anything Miaki could offer. He himself slept in random places from an inn on some floor to his alchemy shop on the sixth floor which was more of a cot.

"I'd like that if you are fine with it. I can't offer anything myself. I'm kinda of a nomad when it comes to where I live. I pick random inns on whichever floor I'm on and stay there or sleep on a cot I keep in my shop on the sixth floor and that is in more of a broom closet. It'd be crowded enough if three people were standing in there so I can't imagine two of us sleeping in that." He wanted to leap forward and kiss her again and again hugging her and shouting at the top of his lungs that he was in love and everyone should hear. But he restrained himself and simply looked into her eyes while taking a sip of the wine glass he had which he completely forgot about.

"What about guilds? I really think we should stay in our respective ones. You make a huge difference for the Ebon Vanguard and Captain Saix treats you like family. I couldn't take you away from that. Plus I'm trying to keep the Azure Brigade above water and make it the strong guild it has the potential of becoming." It was important to iron out all the details if they wanted to make this work. And did he ever.

[Nikki Styx 0]

Nikki suddenly felt bad for Miaki. She had not considered that all players had not managed to find stable lodgings, especially the larger players. Well now this settled the matter almost entirely. Miaki would move in with her, and that was that. she smiled at him. "I wont accept anything else on the matter. Tonight you come home with me... and you live with me from now on." She knew it was impulsive, but that was irrelevant now. She loved Miaki and was going to take care of him anyway she could.

He had also brought up some issues in regards to guild business. He had mentioned them staying in their respective guilds. This to her was a great idea for many reasons. For starters it gave them the ability to spread out and effect a larger amount of players in the game. She had also spent a great deal of time and effort with her guild fighting and building and contributing to make it what it is now. She knew Miaki had done the same for his, and she would never have asked him to leave. "I agree... We don't need to be in the same guild. We can cause more change by working the two separate guilds anyways I think." She smiled as she spoke.

Another thought occurred to her. What about other people? what would they think about this? would they think the guilds were weak and needed something like this to keep up? or would they think this is some sort of Nepotism that would allow both guilds to over look each others transgressions? They would need to make sure that they tried to keep their feelings out of guild business, for the good of their guilds and for everyone else. However that was something to discuss later possibly while curled up by a warm fire.