[PP-F1](Guild Application) Looking For Safety (Emerath) ~ Complete

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana sat on the bed of the room in the inn that she had pretty much made her home for the past.... well, as long as she could remember. She would earn enough Col to keep herself able to stay there, but never any more, or any less. And never anything dangerous. Just small menial work for NPCs around the city. But, due to recent events, and after a chance meeting venturing out of the forest, Eliziana had found herself smack dab in the middle of something she wasn't entirely comfortable with. Joining a guild. She had contacted Emerath, who was prompt in his response, and chose to meet him in the safety of the safest place she knew so far.

Flints had told her stories, and while that had made her wary of the man that she may come to call Guild Leader, she was more interested in the possible safety net offered by being in a guild. Emerath seemed more than willing to take her on, despite her low level, and she was thankful for that. She supposed that with it being a smaller guild, he wasn't being too picky. She sat against the wall with her knees to her chest as she waited for the knock on her door that would signal his arrival, as thoughts continued to race through her mind.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Eliziana

[Emerath 0]

Emerath had received a message from a girl named Eliziana, and had been requested to join the guild. Supposedly she knew Flints, which Emerath found a bit odd considering Flints didn't really get along with many people besides the brothers. He shrugged though, and made his way to the first floor where she would like to meet. He was requested to come to a certain inn for the meeting, and a certain room. If he were a paranoid man, he might've smelled some sort of trap or something, but he didn't think he was quite at the point of making enemies like that. Though, alternatively, that could just be her trying to show her resourcefulness by requesting a certain type of meetup rather than just saying to meet up anywhere.

Simply put, though, Emerath wouldn't know until he made his way there to speak to the girl himself. So he made his way to the inn, as specified, and the room, as specified, after the innkeep explained where he would be able to find it. Slowly, he walked up to the door and gave it a light knock.

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana had been expecting Emerath, and yet she still couldn't help but jump when she heard a knock on the door. She gave a startled cry, and then quickly covered her mouth, hoping that Emerath didn't hear that. She slowly slid herself to the edge of the bed, and stood up, catching her breath from being startled. She was barefoot, and was just wearing a simple white tunic and brown starter pants. Basic starter gear. She had never thought to actually visit a tailor or get any sort of  wardrobe. She supposed that was one perk to living in a virtual world. No laundry, and one set of clothes could get you anywhere if you wanted it to. She pushed her glasses up on her nose as she reached for the door handle to take a look at the man who would hopefully become her new guild leader.

As she opened the door, she gave a bit of a gasp. Mostly because there was actually a person standing there. Which made little sense because she knew that. The man was dressed to the nines, in a suit and tie and a monacle, with the same fiery red hair as hers. But that wasn't what got her. What got her was the fact that she recognized him.

[Emerath 0]

Emerath watched as the door opened, and was a bit surprised at the reception she had given him, gasping and looking utterly surprised. He raised an eyebrow and looked the woman over. Simple starter clothes, most likely a hideaway since the game started then. Glasses, and similar fiery red hair to his own that ran in a braid along her back. He pursed his lips and crossed his arms, having been expected to be welcomed inside, but instead he was just being gawked at. This girl wasn't off to the best start, that was for sure.

Finally, after standing there being stared at for a moment, Emerath said, "You're Eliziana, correct...?" He asked, cocking his head. Wait. That name seems familiar... Emerath blinked at the girl standing before him, and looked her over once again. "Wait... Eliziana? Eliziana Winters? You... you used your real name as your in game name..." Emerath took a step back from the doorway, his eyes becoming a bit wide with realization. "Y-you're Eliziana Winters. M-my...." Emerath suddenly wanted to run as his heart began to hammer in his chest. This went from a routine guild application to something much, much worse.

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana only realized after her lungs started to hurt that she had been holding her breath. He hadn't initially recognized her, but then he did. She let out the breath in a long exhale, that turned into a whisper of the man's name. She stared at him for a long moment, registering his surprise, and his shock at seeing her. She was feeling her own shock, but it didn't seem to mirror his own, as she found herself stepping forward, a hand reached out towards him. "E-Eru..." she whispered, a bit more audibly this time, "Eru, I've... I've missed you so much!" And with that she leapt forward, wrapping her arms around his neck, tears beginning to stream down her face as she pressed it into his shoulder. "Where in the world have you been?!"

[Emerath 0]

Emerath was admittedly very shocked by the reaction of Eliziana, as he found himself backing away at her advance, to the point that he had ended up backing all the way into the far wall from her door, before he was finally caught in her embrace. She began to cry on his shoulder, asking where he had been. Slowly, he brought a hand and gently patted the girl's back, saying, "I've been... busy. You know, work... school... all that." He wasn't sure how to console her. It had been so long since he had seen her and the last time they had met was... Emerath couldn't even remember. That actually made him a bit sad. "I'm sorry I've been gone..." he finally managed to mutter, hoping that his words of apology might gain him a release.

Edited November 20, 2015 by Emerath

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana shook her head, as she nuzzled into Emerath's chest. "No, that isn't good enough!" She continued to sob, "I haven't seen you for... years. For all I knew you were dead! And now I find you... I find you HERE?!" She choked out the words before finally pushing away from him and staring at him through blurry eyes. "It took two years of not knowing where you were..." She turned away from him. She didn't want him to see her cry anymore. She didn't want him to have the satisfaction of that until he gave her a straight answer. "I'm here to be a part of your guild. I need to survive this death game. If you still care about me, then you'll help me, right? You won't just abandon me again?" She was shaking, and she was admittedly surprised that she wasn't stuttering with every word. But she supposed anger and pain could overcome being nervous.

Edited November 17, 2015 by Eliziana

[Emerath 0]

Emerath let Eliziana get everything out of her system. He had considered responding a couple times, mostly out of anger from her assumptions, but he held his tongue. Lashing out would only make things worse at this point. Besides, she had every right to what she was saying after the way Emerath had acted, and he had never even told her the truth. He had just run away. Finally, Emerath looked down the hall. A few of the other tenants had poked their heads out of their rooms and were looking at Emerath and Eliziana. Emerath blushed a bit and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. She is yelling pretty loud... the whole inn probably heard... Finally he placed his hands on Eliziana's shoulders and said, "Let's discuss this more in your room, my dear, away from the prying eyes and ears of strangers."

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana gave an annoyed shrug at Emerath placing his hands on her shoulders, brushing his hands away as she stomped into the room that she had rented for the night in the inn. "Fine, you are invited in, new potential Guild Master. Sorry I didn't prepare anything for the meeting. But there is water in the sink and cups in the cupboard. If you want food, go downstairs and talk to the innkeep." Her arms were crossed, and venom dripped from her every word at this point. At first, she had been happy and confused to see the man, but given his apparent nonchalance at the meeting, and the fact that he didn't exactly come running back into her arms, it was apparent that he didn't exactly share her sentiments. So now, she was simply waiting for him to explain.

Edited November 17, 2015 by Eliziana

[Emerath 0]

Emerath walked in behind her and gave a heavy sigh. He closed the door, while keeping himself facing Eliziana, and frowned. He didn't really go any further into the room as he ended up simply leaning on the door and looking at her from across the room. Had this been any other person, he would have taken everything she was saying as a serious affront and promptly left. But this was his past he was looking at. Something he had run away from to avoid the pain of having to face the truth. He sighed and made his way over to the cupboard, and grabbed a cup, filling it with water, and taking a drink. He liked that the game developers were kind enough not to replicate how gross general tap water was, instead making it as clear as spring water. A nice touch, and much appreciated.

Finally, Emerath turned to Eliziana again and said, "Thank you for the offer, now, about things. Where would you like for me to begin? Ask, and I shall answer. You have found me after all this time, and fate has brought us together. You deserve to know the truth."

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana frowned at Emerath, the man was not making it easy. Regardless, she stood firmly with her arms crossed and said, "We had been dating for a year, and then two years ago you just up and disappeared. Why? What in the world happened? I always tried to tell myself that it wasn't my fault. But..." Eliziana trailed off and tears started to well up in her eyes again, "But if it wasn't my fault, then why would you react so coldly to me? What happened two years ago...?" 

Despite how hard she had tried to keep them in, and keep on the mask of anger, she couldn't. Her tears flowed freely now, and she couldn't keep herself focused on Emerath, instead just looking down at her feet.

Edited November 17, 2015 by Eliziana

[Emerath 0]

Emerath stared at Eliziana from across the room and had listened to her questions. He knew she would have many, and of course these were the most important. Emerath sighed and pushed himself away from the sink and walked over to her. "Alright... this won't be easy to say. So... I'm going to need you to bear with me." He took her chin in his hand and made it so that she was looking at Emerath again, and then put his hands on her shoulders as he gazed into her eyes. "I made a mistake. A big mistake. It didn't feel like a mistake at first... but it was." Emerath considered how that sounded and then said, "No, I didn't cheat on you. But, it was the thought of doing so and my almost willingness to go through with it, that drove me away." He sighed and wanted to look away, but he had to tell her the truth. He had to let go of this guilt over Teion once and for all. "I ran away from you, and from her, because I couldn't live with myself." And as one final note before Eliziana could respond, he put a finger to her lips and said, "And no, no matter how much you ask I will not tell you her name." He pulled his finger away and crossed his arms, brooding a bit over what he had just said. Despite that he had finally told the truth, there was so much of him that just felt more guilty.

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana had initially resisted Emerath's touch and his pull for her to look at him, but she sighed and gave in, looking at the man through blurry eyes. As she listened to his explanation, she couldn't honestly decide if she was angry or more sad. Emerath said he hadn't cheated. Normally, that's not something someone just believes, but with the man gazing into her eyes as he said it, she couldn't help but feel that he was telling the truth. Eliziana shook her head once he had let go of her again, and despite herself his touch had given her goosebumps. "S-so..." she finally managed, after a long silence of staring at her feet, "...y-you almost cheated. And then... you ran away. B-but... why run? Y-you're usually s-so.... honest!" She crossed her arms, her anger flaring up a bit again at the sudden inconsistency. Eliziana trusted everything in his story except for that. Running away was just not Emerath's style.

[Emerath 0]

Emerath was initially lost in his thoughts when Eliziana had asked him the same question that he had asked himself for the entirety of his absence. It would've been a simple matter to just come back, tell her the truth, and then if she forgave him, life was good, and if she didn't, he simply had to survive the fallout. Two years ago they were both simply young and in love, and would it have made much of an impact on Emerath's life if he had lost this woman? A year of time together was nothing to sneeze at, that was for certain. Perhaps it was these thoughts that had caused such a conflict to happen in the first place. But the more Emerath thought about it, the more he realized, "...I'm not sure if I would have been able to live with myself if I lost you. So, I froze things in  time, and ran away. In hopes that maybe I'd never see you again. That you'd move on. Be happy. All that. And it looks like, given how you reacted to seeing me, I was wrong."

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana listened to Emerath's explanation, and it only served to make her angrier. She clenched her fists and her knuckles grew white as she stared at Emerath, her yellow eyes piercing his emerald ones. "You just... you became a coward?! What happened to this man I fell in love with? The one who could stand up against the world and prove everyone who ever doubted him wrong, including me?" She took a few steps forward to close the gap between them and pointed a finger at his chest, still staring hard into his eyes, "You wouldn't have run away from the Devil himself if he were standing in front of you cackling and shooting fire from his fingertips, telling you that he was about to steal your soul, but you'd... you'd run away from me?! The woman you claimed to love?!"

[Emerath 0]

Emerath sighed and looked at the girl, the fire in her eyes. Emerath had managed to take this shy little flower and light a flame in her soul. Emerath's face softened and he stared back at her with a light shake of his head. A small smile crept across his face as he said, "You're right. I became a coward. I became a coward because I was afraid of one of two things. Lying to you, or losing you." Emerath reached a hand up and grabbed the hand that was poking his chest, and pulled it away, though keeping a grasp on it at their sides, as he continued, "You're right. I don't scare easily. Not from things that I'm certain I can fight, or things that I'm certain are scarier than they look. But... I will never allow myself to be called a liar, and I don't ever want to think about losing the things that are dear to me. That is the whole reason I became a healer in this game. To save those I care about most, when they need me most, in this death game." Emerath shook his head again lightly and looked away, "And well, I can't fight you. And I can't fight what I did. I can only accept these things, and accepting them meant one of two things happening that I didn't want to happen."

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana almost pulled away as Emerath took her hand, but as he spoke, she ended up allowing herself to grasp it. He's still the same Eru. For a moment... I was a bit afraid that it was Dael, or that Eru had changed... but it's still him. Her eyes welled up with tears again, and she found herself putting her free hand on his chest, and grasping his tie. "You... you idiot. There's a third option," she managed, trying to keep her voice from breaking. "I can forgive you, for the things that didn't even happen. For being scared. Goodness knows I get scared..." she wanted to look away, but she just stared at him through the blurry vision. Her eyes hurt from all the crying she had done, but the tears just kept coming. So much pent up grief, anger, everything, never having found any release after Emerath had left, all being let free in these moments. She gripped his tie, and his hand both, and used the grip on his tie to pull him closer to her, as she whispered to him, "Please promise me.... we're stuck here in this death game. Promise me that you won't run again... if you still feel anything for me that you once did..."

[Emerath 0]

Emerath stared into her eyes. His heart was racing. He wasn't sure exactly how things had gone in the direction they had, but as he found himself mere inches away from this girl he used to call his love, pleading for him to never run away again, he found any doubts he might've otherwise felt begin to melt away. When he had seen Eliziana standing in the doorway, and recognized who she was, he had told himself that he wouldn't allow this. He had made a mistake. He had to atone for his sins, and face his demons on his own. he had wronged not only her, but also someone who had become a close friend to his brother, and was becoming a closer friend to him over time. It felt like an eternity passed as Emerath watched the tears roll down her cheeks. The way the girl had acted, it was nothing like the Eliziana he knew. Nothing like the shy little flower that he had met in college. She was the only girl that Dael had never paid attention to. And the only girl that hadn't expressed any interest in Dael. She had wanted Eru. And even after years of absence, that hadn't changed.

Emerath wiped a tear away from her cheek with his free hand, and gave her a warm smile, "No. I won't run again. I promise. We'll survive this, together."

[Eliziana 0]

Eliziana closed her eyes at Emerath's words. "Well... that's a relief. Ever since getting trapped in this game... I've been alone. I haven't felt safe. I never really realized how much I relied on your courage when we were together... until it was gone." She squeezed his hand tighter, and stared into his eyes, "I... I've been... moving from inn to inn for... I don't even know... months now? Has it been that long since we became trapped here? Time blurs together in this game..." Eliziana shook her head. She wanted to wipe away her own tears, but she didn't want to let go of her hold on Emerath. She was afraid he would slip away again if she let go. So instead she pulled him closer, and smiled, "I'm going to hold you to that promise." He's the only person who has ever given me this courage. The courage to face even the scariest things. Eru, don't ever leave again... please, she thought to herself, as she pulled on his tie, and stood a bit on her tip toes so that her lips met his as she closed her eyes, Please...

[Emerath 0]

Emerath was a bit surprised at how forward Eliziana had suddenly gotten in the moment. But as she explained how his courage gave her courage, and how she relied on him, he suddenly understood where the shy little flower had gone. She hadn't gone anywhere. She was still the same girl Emerath knew from so long ago. She had simply found the source of her courage again, and she was embracing it. Emerath closed his eyes, and put an arm around her waist, accepting the kiss. I've been trying so hard to do this alone. Eliziana, I'm so sorry. I hope in time you'll realize just how much I've missed you. I certainly realize it now...