Ryo

Ryo scoffed. "Just because I've got long hair and you don't, doesn't give you the right to assume that I'm more feminine than you." He said as he teased the red-headed woman. "Besides, I think Pennyworth is out of my league. A man like that needs a woman who will treat him right." He said, defending his loyal butler. Ryo chuckled. "Yeah, a villain." He said half-heartedly. He had already been one of those. In every definition of the word. The number of people he lied to, cheated, stole from, betrayed, and sacrificed for his own personal gain was too great. He wondered if he would ever be able to forgive himself. He shook his head free of the thoughts that plagued it. He was already doing better. He had made friends, found love, and even joined a guild that helped him every step of the way. Or at least, what he assumed what those were. He shook his head again. "Sorry, hair was tickling me." He said, adjusting a strand of hair. Another excuse, trying to cover his troubling thoughts. He looked at Hestia as she said that she would rather not find a way to jail Ryo. He chuckled. "As would I. Let's get out of this place." He said, turning back around.

Erin quickly dispatched the Mimic, and Ryo looked at his own weapon. He needed to become stronger if he was going to compete with the likes of Erin, let alone Jomei and the rest of the frontliners. He gritted his teeth in frustration of his own weakness. "Well, that's that." Ryo said, happy that the mimic was at least taken care of. Then suddenly the walls gave way. "Oh, what now?!" Ryo exclaimed, his head whipping to the side. One Ant went to attack Kairi, and Ryo moved to action grabbing Kairi and rolling out of the way. Hestia had already moved in to call the three ants to her, howling at them making them think she was the bigger threat. Ryo set Kairi down as Kimi already leaped into action. "Kairi, stay behind us until your energy has recovered." Ryo quickly looked behind his shoulder, then back to Kairi. "In the meantime, let Ryo the Hero take care of this." He said, giving the woman a wink before standing back up the face the ants.

Without hesitating Ryo ran up to the front lines, his hand waving over his katana's grip. Kimi had rushed in, setting one ablaze in the process of kicking them both. The health bars barely moved as one took a step back on fire. "Right this one then!" Ryo said, readying his blade. Ryo drew his blade but his blade merely bounced off of the thick exoskeleton of the ant. "Damn!" He cursed and watched as the Ant went for the ever-vigilant Hesita.

ID: 98949 BD: 4(2-1+3) MD: 6 (5+1)
Group 1~
[H: 3 ][H: 3 ] Hestia | 916/950 | 73/92 | 3 DMG | 1 ACC | -1 EVA | 131 MIT | 24 Bleed (8+) l 28 Thorns | 12 Burn (8+) | Paralyze (8+) | 1 Regen | 1 Recovery
[H: 1 ][H: 1 ]  Kimi | 420/420 | 34/42 | 14 DMG | 3 ACC | 0 MIT | 7 Thorns | 12 Burn (8+) | 2 LD  
[H: 0 ][H: 0 ]  Ryo | 500/500 | 41/50 | 16 DMG | EVA 2 | Acc 3 | Mit 7
[H: 0 ][H: 0 ]  Kairi | 400/400 | 4/40 EN | 13 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 18 MIT

Group 2~
[H: 0 ][H: 0 ] Telrenya | 680/680 HP | 55/68 EN | 15 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 86 MIT | 
[H: 0 ][H: 0 ] Spencer | 320/320 HP | 32/32 EN | 5 DMG | 0 ACC | 0 EVA | 29 MIT | 1 Regen | 1 Recovery | 14 Thorns | 

Mobs~
Elite 1:  HP: (476/550)  DMG: (165)  MIT: (22)  ACC: 1  EVA: 1 Para | Burn(1/2)
Elite 2 HP: (460/550)  DMG: (165)  MIT: (22)  ACC: 1  EVA: 1

Ryo looked down at the ground as he walked with care. Kimi asked her question pertaining to what he was wanting to do, wanting to be. But his head shot back up when she mentioned Pennyworth. Ryo broke out into spontaneous laughter, his laughter echoing throughout the hall of Tartarus. "Pennyworth? What? No, no no no no no." He said, shaking his finger at Kimi playfully. "Pennyworth is my butler. The man works harder than your average NPC." Ryo said, having some fond memories of the man. "And as for your first question. I'm going to be a hero." Ryo said, looking down at the ground as he took careful steps. "I'm going to be the man that everyone looks up to for hope. And I'm going to be the one who clears this game and saves everyone." He said proudly. "Least, that's what I hope I can end up doing." He finished.

Ryo was surprised that Teion held onto him when the dance ended, her arms sliding over his shoulders and herself embracing him. Ryo went to pull away once, not sure as to why only to find himself unable to pull away from the woman. She spoke into his ear, her breath tickling his skin. Ryo looked down at the velvet braid that he could see, it, being the only thing he could see. He wanted to look at Teions face, but that was currently buried into his shoulder. She admitted to him, things that must have been hard to do.  That things weren't all okay, and that she was keeping to herself this whole time. He thought about what that meant, perhaps she still had feelings for Aereth or she didn't know how she felt at all. After the things she'd been through, the things she's seen, and the people she lost Ryo was amazed that the woman still had somewhat of a solid grip on reality. his train of thought was broken by her next words. That she was scared and tired of hurting people. She was scared or hurting people, hurting him? She then apologized if she was hurting him, and Ryo thought of cracking a joke saying that she wasn't squeezing hard enough to hurt him. But he held his tongue. It would be better to take her admission seriously, then play it off with some poor joke. He took in a deep breath through his nose slowly, and placed his hands on the woman's waist, slowly wrapping them around her to the small of her back. "Teion." Ryo managed to mutter out, still trying to find the words, and in what order they went in. Instead, he held her tighter, closer to him. "Don't be scared of hurting me, because you haven't been." Ryo said, still not happy with what he could muster out. "There's an event quest on the seventh floor." Ryo said, calmly. "Next to a lake, underneath the waterfall, if you sit there you'll be confronted by everything that's troubling you in the form of your inner demons. It's, horrible and grueling. But when you accept that all of it, is a part of you, it's hard to explain." He said, his grip losing on the woman. "It did me a lot of good. Made me calmer and at peace with myself. Perhaps, you should give it a try." He said, moving a hand to pet at the violet hair that was pressed against his shoulder. "But if today is helping you forget about things, who says that tonight has to end? Come with me back to my place. There's a party that I believe I'm late for. And I would love to have you over." He said, inviting the woman to the after party.

Ryo put his shirt back on. "[censored]. You right." He said, chuckling. He didn't want to redo the quest. At least, not today. Ryo's smiled disappeared as Jomei asked about what he did before he had all of his fancy things. his mansion, his butler, before he had met Lowenthal. He knew all about the troubling times he had with slavers and that group of people. Ryo cleared his throat, thinking of what to say. "I didn't do much." He began. "I did work for some private groups, some businesses. Traded goods and services. Acquired goods, and sold them. Did a bit of everything." Ryo said, shrugging his shoulders as he bent the truth as far as he could. "I retired from that and decided to be a full-time front liner slash adventurer slash the best person ever." He said, smirking at the man. "I really just want to be someone that everyone is happy to see. Be someone Lowenthal would be proud of, y'know?" Ryo said, giving out a half-hearted chuckle.

Ryo stretched, letting out a small yawn. Something about this place just drained him. He was mentally exhausted, and a bit physically drained. Frankly, he just wanted to go home and rest. "Yeah. So, tier one reward, not really worth our time. Let's go elsewhere." Ryo said, leading the party away from the dungeon, ignoring it for the time being. He yawned again, covering his mouth with an open hand. "So, what do you guys do for fun? Actually, what do you guys even do?" Ryo asked the pair. He didn't really know anything about them other than Hestia was bisexual, and that Kimi was either a performer or visited one recently and that they were both guildmates of his. "I mean, I don't do much except help Pennyworth around the mansion. You gals have got to have some sort of neat stories." He said, walking backward, so he could talk to them better.

Ryo chuckled at Teions quip about herself. "Do you have a come back for strikingly beautiful, or simply wonderful? Because I'd love to hear you poke some holes into that." He teased as the two continued their dance. As Ryo finished his heartfelt statement, he could hear the slight fumblings of instruments. Looking over he could see the NPC's set up to play their song. Ryo let out a happy scoff, one of almost disbelief. He slowed the movements down, turning the dance into a slow dance which was then cued up by the song that started up. Ryo continued his slow dance. Ryo nodded to Teion as she agreed with him that the night was going nicely, despite a few hiccups along the way. He remained silent as the song continued, gently moving Teion across the dance floor. The entire moment was, in a word, magical. And it was a moment that Ryo would never forget. Even with his thoughts of his past clouding his mind, the stress of the future clouding over him, or the threat of death around every corner looming before him. This singular moment erased all of it. He was at peace, he was happy, and he was clear. The only things that existed were Teion, and the soft smile that she gave him. Ryo was enjoying the moment so much that his heart and chest ached. But he ignored that small twinge of irritation and continued the dance. When the song ended, he stopped moving holding Teion at arm's length. Again, he said nothing. He simply smiled at the woman he had fallen in love with.

Ryo leaned forward into Teion as she fumbled, letting her use him as a steady brace. "Relax some. I shan't let you fall." Ryo said, smiling at her. "But, continue." He said, sorry to have interpreted her. She went on to explain all the courses she took. They ranged from interior design to business management. "A woman of many talents it seems. And, of many interests. I can get that." He said as he smirked at her. Her life sounded similar to his. He went to college for part of a semester but had to go to work when his mother was sick in the hospital. And later was told that she had died long ago and that he was just sending money to his drunkard of a father.

The dance continued, between the two. And they eventually grew silent. Ryo leaned his head down and shook it slightly side to side, erasing the thought from his head. "This is a nice moment. A very nice one." he began, his steps slowing down as he turned the waltz into more of a slow dance. "I really enjoyed tonight with you. And I'm, beyond words to say how I feel that you decided to join me today." Ryo admitted. "And I don't even care that we missed the party, the simple fact of that I was able to spend a moment with you was more than enough to make this day." Ryo said, giving the woman a smile. Any other couple would profess their love for one another, or even embrace for a kiss. But he and Teion weren't a normal couple. Were they even a couple? The thought plagued Ryo's mind for a moment, but it vanished. She already knew of his love towards her, and most likely that it grew stronger and stronger each and every day. And because he loved her, he would respect her. Ryo would only smile at her. He would not profess his love to her, nor would he move in for a kiss to be embraced. He respected the woman enough to not try to force her hand with such a thing.

Teions movements quickly caught up with his own. Ryo danced at a steady rate, letting Teion stay caught up with him. Ryo listened as she gave her answer. So, she went to college. That was kind of neat. He wondered what Teion would go to college for. English major, teach some students, maybe art or law? There was just so many things that Teion would be suited for, that he couldn't focus on one. His feet fumbled again, but he quickly recovered. "Funny story. I took it as an elective in senior schooling hoping to be able to either pick up girls or learn enough to impress some at a contest or something like that." Ryo said, still moving with Teion across the ball. "Unfortunately, so many males in my school thought the same thing that we have two elective groups. One with equal men and woman, and mine. With all men." He said, chuckling, remembering the looks on everyone's disappointed faces when they showed up. "A few stayed, and took the course semi-seriously. I mostly ended up dancing with the teacher herself. Not really a fun time, but a memorable one." He said, fondly remembering the moment. Ryo smirked. "You never bothered to ask, but since you're so curious." He began. "I enjoy cooking. Other than that, there's not much else I really go out of my way to do. I enjoy, a lot of things. TV, anime, reading manga, tabletop games, you." He said, smiling softly at her. "Then, of course, there are their things I dislike. Like cooked vegetables, chores, homework, being stalked by a French guy. Those sort of things. I guess I'm just really, bland." He said, shrugging a shoulder. "So, what did you go to college for?" Ryo asked.

Ryo blushed as Teion changed into her formal gown. As many times as he would see it, he would still become flustered. The ribbon matching her eyes, the way her steps seem to float above the ground as she stepped. Ryo swallowed his fear, his anxiety, any doubt he may have harbored inside himself to take Teions hand in his own. "It's been about two and a half years for me." He said, taking Teion's grip on his own. The lessons kicked in, and he instinctively pulled Teion in close to him. The many lessons he took, in an attempt to woo women were finally paying off. "Just, follow my lead. I'll guide you." He said, smiling at the woman as he began to move, slowly at first to let teion catch up. His foot moved swiftly, each one barely touching the ground as it did, his back was straight as a board, and his hands rarely moved. It was as if Ryo had turned to stone, yet he was flexible enough for Teion to follow, to lean on, and to follow.

Surprised by the woman's skills Ryo chuckled as they moved. "You're pretty good. Where'd you learn to dance like this?" He asked, curious as to how a woman of Teion's, attitude, would pick up ballroom dancing. It couldn't have been a secret hobby. Could it? Ryo slipped a tiny bit, lost in thought, but was quick to catch himself. "See? Out of practice." He said, continuing his motions as the two covered the court.

Ryo's heart sank as the pair approached the now empty dance hall. Not a soul was in sight. No NPC's, no players, no anything. His steps echoed as they tapped against the marble. He too was surprised by the fact that they were just allowed in. "I'm not gonna complain. Maybe they left it unlocked for a few days. In case anyone wanted to use it for screenshots or just to explore the place." Ryo suggested as to why the doors were unlocked. Teion made the mention of it being like school after hours, which he knew nothing about. He cleaned the classroom after school, and then either went right home to do homework or went to work. He rubbed his neck. "Yeah, you think so?" He said, agreeing with Teion.

Ryo opened his menu and equipped the suit he wore earlier that day. He cleared his throat as he tied his hair back up. "Madam, may I say that you are much to ill-dressed for such an occasion." He said, giving a fake, snooty laugh as he did. He then held a hand out, waiting for Teion to change into the dress they had bought earlier. Even if they were by themselves, they could still enjoy the party, couldn't they?

Ryo watched as josei crushed the boulder. Ryo covered his face to protect himself from the debris that flew every which way. He looked back up to see Jomei, casually dusting himself off from the boulder. "No, dammit! I was supposed to break it!" Ryo said, upset more that he was weak then Jomei actually breaking the boulder. "I was, I mean, I was going to, but then you, I just!" Ryo took in a deep inhale, then let out a screech, unable to handle his frustrations. "I'm not gonna have to redo the quest again, am I?" Ryo asked. "Cause, I'm not letting that assbutt mark on my face again." He said, pointing to his now clean cheeks. It was then a notification appeared before him, granting him col, experience, and the Extra Skill: Martial Arts. "Oh. I guess not." He shrugged. "Hey, when I get a few more levels in, we'll have to do this again. A sort of contest, or something of the like. Hopefully, there will be two boulders we can beat up on." Ryo said joking now, feeling less upset about the whole ordeal. "So, any more questions?" Ryo asked, retrieving his shirt.

Ryo looked back at Teion to answer her question. "I actually learned a bit. School taught me, a little bit. What I needed to know at least." Ryo admitted. "Though only a little bit of it stuck." He said, giving the woman a wink. He would've liked to skip the party, stay and enjoy the stargazing more. But there would be more stargazing. "We should come back to here soon. Enjoy the stars some more." He said, smiling at the woman.

Ryo looked at the scene set before him. There was, no way they were gone all day. How long had they been gone? He opened his menu, looking at the time stamp for the floor. He shook his head. "Well, we're gonna miss it." He said, closing his menu. "There's no way we can make it there in time. It started about an hour or so ago. Maybe early if there was a big enough line." Ryo said, frustrated. He thought for a second, before coming to a realization. "Screw it. Let's go anyway. We may have just enough time to get there before the festivities end." He said, making his way to the event.

Teions words hit Ryo like stones as they were thrown at him. Why did he set this all up? Because they wouldn't have come if he asked them to? He ran a hand through his hair. That was a dumb answer. Teion mentioned her friend, most likely meaning Piera. And how would she feel about it if Ryo just came clean about it all now? He hadn't thought about that. How everyone else would feel. He worried about it sure but never thought about how they would feel about it. He only worried about how they treat him afterward. He was being, selfish. Ryo couldn't think of anything to say back, his mind was too busy trying to comprehend what it was he was actually doing. Who was he doing this for? For himself, or for them? Ryo looked up, his concentration is broken as the door was opened slightly. Two animals stepped in. A penguin, and a shark-dog-hybrid-thing. Teion referred to them as Little Noot, the penguin. But she had refused to name the Shark-Dog. Ryo squinted at the absurd adorableness of the two animals and Teion. He stood silently as Teion explained to him further. That she had looked beyond his sins of the past so that she could get to know the real him. He felt his eyes water, and he fought to keep his tears in place. Ryo swallowed, now ready to speak.

He took in a deep breath. "You're right." He said, agreeing with her. "Absolutely right. Doing this right now would be selfish." He said, taking a step towards Teion. "They'll find out, but in time. When the moment's right. Telling them now would ruin too many things." He said, wiping at his eye. "Ugh, there goes that ninja cutting onions again." He said, letting out a half chuckle as knelt down and began to pet the Shark-Dog. "Thank you Teion. For talking some sense into me. Pennyworth tried, but he just kept saying 'Master please reconsider' over and over again." He said, still petting the shark dogs, fur? "You made me think about it at least." He stood up after a moment and looked at Teion. Ryo took a step closer to Teion, going to pet the Penguin. "Can't be ignoring you now can I?" He said, reaching out for the penguin.

Instead of accepting his fondness and attention, instead, the penguin began to flail around some apparently not liking the man. "Whoa-kay?" Ryo cried out, taking his hand away quickly for fear of being nipped by the bird. The bird struggled in Teion's arms. Desperate to be free, the bird wriggled and flailed till it was free. The penguin kicked off of Teion's chest, landed on the floor and took off. But not before it had knocked Teion off balance and heading to the floor. Ryo reached out the grab Teion but did not want to step on the shark dog, and his grab was awkward at best. He too fell with Teion. Expecting to feel the hard surface of the floor, he was instead surprised by the soft feeling of a mattress. He opened his eyes now glad that his bed had broken his fall. He looked over at Teion who was also on the bed beside him. "I don't think he likes me all that much." He said, chuckling.

Ryo rubbed his temple. It was a decent feature, the auto-translate, nonetheless. But disabling it caused all sorts of issues it would seem. Teion really did seem not to understand a word he said. The looks on her face were priceless though. A mixture of confusion, and trying to understand. He could have admitted to anything, and she wouldn't have been the wiser. He could've told her the real reason of how he knew Piera, and she wouldn't have known. He sighed, before smirking at the woman as she asked her question. "Yeah. Right now you're speaking Japanese. Almost like as if you have been speaking it your entire life." He admitted. He raised a hand defensively. "Nothing horrible I assure you. Merely said that I've been enjoying our evening together. That's all." He said going back to lie down and look at the stars, and the visible nebula in the sky. He had meant it as well. He could see himself coming back to this spot regularly, even without Teion. He sat up shortly after, holding a hand down to the woman. "As enjoyable as this was, I believe that the party calls." Ryo said, not wanting to be too late to the party.

Ryo looked at Teion, then chuckled. "I see, it's a small joke. I got it." He said, before opening his menu, mimicking Teion. And sure enough, there was the option to turn off the auto-translate. He kept his own on for the time being and looked up at Teion who had pressed an option key. "Anata wa anata o ofu ni shimashita ka?" Ryo asked, unsure of what Teion had done. He looked at his own, then back to Teion. Perhaps, she did turn hers off. The bemused face she gave made that all clear. Ryo snickered. "Dakara, kore wa dō yatte anata ni hibiku nodesu ka?" He asked, before laughing again. "Sōdesu, anata wa ima watashi o rikai dekimasen." Ryo chuckled again before looking at Teion with a warm expression. "Teon, watashi wa anata to issho ni kono yoru o tanoshinde kitashi, korera no koto o motto anata to kyōyū shitai" He said, sincerely looking into her eyes before quickly looking down at the ground again. "Daijōbu, you can turn it back on now." Ryo said, laughing as his voice was translated back into English once more. "You can understand me now, yeah?" He asked, looking at Teion.

Ryo chuckled alongside Teion. That was a nice feeling. Sure she let out scoffs of air that were seen as laughs, or the offside smirk, but an actual chuckle. It was nice. She was nice. The way she spoke, the way she moved, the way she looked at him, everything about her was just, wonderful. Ryo smirked. "I was going to guess purple, but it just seemed so obvious that I had to guess Green. Or was it Blue, that I was thinking about?" He said, playing with the woman. "And yes, my eyes are naturally this color. Though, I think the game took some creative liberties with them. Normally, they're more hazel or goldenrod." He said, looking into her eyes. The shone in the night air, just like the stars above in the night sky. "Say, I've been meaning to ask you. You don't look, Japanese. So how is it that you're speaking it so fluently?" Ryo asked, curious.

Ryo nodded as Teion reached to a wish to settle upon. "Perfect." Ryo said, smiling back up at the stars. "Glad I could be of help." Ryo said, chuckling to himself. How long had the two been here together? I felt like only moments. Again, the two lied down in silence, before Teion broke it yet again. Asking him his favorite color. Ryo chuckled. "What brought that kind of question?" He asked, not needing to know the answer. He pondered it for a moment, thinking of all the things that he used to own before he was trapped. There was a lot of purple items. But also a bit of yellow. The golds and yellows brought out his eyes. Something about that color he just enjoyed. "Yellow." He said, reaching the conclusion. "I own a lot of dark clothing. And I feel like Yellow brings out my eyes more, so I wore that often as an accessory." He said, explaining his reasoning. He turned his head to Teion. "What about you? What's your favorite color?" He asked.

Ryo rubbed his hands together. "Alright, Kimi! More treasure." He said, a glint appearing in his eyes. But something seemed, off about the chest. Something didn't sit right. The chain around the chest was in a different position than the other chests he had seen, the wood was a different color, and the box seemed to be moving. Not only that, but Kairi's own familiar was 'sniffing' around as if trying to find a familiar scent like a dog would. Ryo reached out for Kairi, who had moved to open the chest. "Kairi don't it's a-!" Ryo called out, but it was too late. The lid was thrust open, and Kairi's own mimic deflected a blow, saving her from taking damage. "I was gonna say, it was a mimic. Here I am!" He said, shouting at the beast, his blade becoming undrawn and slicing through the monster. "Dammit. Just as we got our energy back too. Hestia lure it! Kimi, can you one shot it?" Ryo asked noting the change of health he had dealt with his own weapon.

ID# 97889
BD: 3+3=6 | Gen Getsu Used(-8 Energy)(128 DMG dealt)
MD: - (Not Used)

Group 1~
[H: 0 ] Hestia | 950/950 | 92/92 | | 3 DMG | 1 ACC | -1 EVA | 131 MIT | 24 Bleed (8+) l 28 Thorns | 12 Burn (8+) | Paralyze (8+) | 1 Regen | 1 Recovery
[H: 0 ] Kimi | 520/520 | 52/52 | 11 DMG | 3 ACC | 18 MIT | 7 Thorns | 12 Burn (8+) | 2 LD
[H: 1 ] Ryo | 500/500 | 42/50 | 16 DMG | EVA 2 | Acc 3 | Mit 7
[H: 0 ] Kairi | 400/400 | 26/40 EN | 13 DMG | 2 ACC | 2 EVA | 18 MIT

Group 2~
[H: 0 ] Telrenya | 680/680 HP | 68/68 EN | 15 DMG | 4 ACC | 3 EVA | 86 MIT | 
[H: 0 ] Spencer | 320/320 HP | 32/32 EN | 5 DMG | 0 ACC | 0 EVA | 29 MIT | 1 Regen | 1 Recovery | 14 Thorns | 

Mobs~
Mimic: 302/430 HP | 129 DMG | 

The butler straightened his back. "What he plans on telling the others?" he repeated the question, unsure of what to say or do. He swallowed his pride as his master butler, and have decided this would be the best course of action for his master, he told madam Teion everything. "He plans on revealing his, past work' to the others. I'm unsure of what details, or how long he plans on going with it. But I know that it will end badly." Pennyworth said, explaining what he could. And with that, the purple-haired woman bolted out of the room and up the stairs.

Ryo stood hunched over his dresser when he heard footsteps approach his room. Must be pennyworth trying again to talk him out of it. But it was too late, he had his mind set on it. They all needed to know the truth about him. About how much of a monster he was, and the steps he planned to correct it. A knock came, and Ryo rolled his eyes and let out a sigh before moving to open it. "What is it now Pennyworth, whoa hey!" He said, moving into an exclamation as Teion forced herself into his room. "Te-Teion? What?" Ryo stammered before meeting Teions serious gaze. He swallowed. "He tattled." Ryo said, sucking on his teeth once. "I plan, on telling them what I did. That I sold people into forced labor, slavery." Ryo said, meeting Teion's gaze. "But you already know that." He said, cursing under his breath. 

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

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

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

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

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

Ryo peered down the winding staircase, not liking the sound of rattling chains and spooky noises that emanated from within. "Now. I'm not saying no, but." He said, trying to come up with a good excuse as to not go into the dungeon. "We could be biting off more than we can chew. I know Kimi and I spent a lot of energy fighting the Banshee." Ryo said, wording it as best as he could. "And we could wait here for our energy to refill, sure. But do we really need the dungeon? At our level, we're way overqualified. If anything, It may be a waste of time." Ryo said, coming up with yet another excuse. Now that he thought about it, that last one made more sense. They were all way overpowered on this floor. The Banshee was supposed to be a threat, but the three of them made it quest to look like child's play.

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