[PP-F4] An Avalanche of Feelings (Jomei)

[Grave 0]

"Its not that.. Its just... I need to think about things.."

How could I not have expected her to say something like that? Stupid! I was just so desperate to spill my feelings to her... that I forgot that she would need time to actually think over my, and possibly her feelings. Hard to expect much from someone with no actual relationship experience, though. I watched helplessly as Jevi warped back to her floor, and I crumpled on the steps like some bundle of rags, hiding my head from the players around me. I probably looked like a begging ass to Jevi, now, and some depressed ass to everyone passing by. There was only one of those I really cared about, can you guess which one?

Before long, I pulled myself up and turned, sulking off back into Snowfrost. Maybe I was just blowing everything out of proportion, maybe I just had to wait it out... I did not know what to do in this situation. I mean, I loved Opal, but she was completely accepting of that fact and did not deny nor accept that I would have a chance... well, until after her training, at least. Jevi on the other hand was making it somewhat difficult, but it was not her fault... I probably just had to leave her be for a while...

[Jomei 0]

His plan for the day was to go to one of the tasty cafe's on this floor to pick up some lunch for him and Zandra, surprising her as she worked hard in her shop. He scratched at the small hairs on his chin as his body began to disappear from Floor Two, wondering just what he should bring to the girl, and if she was even home for that matter. As Jomei's body materialized onto the snow covered warp pad of Floor Four, he immediately felt the cold wind hit him in the face. The man felt warmer than his usual trips up here however, most likely thanks to his new armor that actually had sleeves, rather than leaving them bare. Moments after he stepped down the small step, the brown and white owl he had come to call his friend flew out of a blue light as well, taking perch on one of Jomei's leather shoulder pads. After giving a warm smile to the owl, he turned forward to start his mission, but was stopped when he noticed someone slowly standing up. 

Right next to him, with a distraught face looking both hurt and confused, was someone who he believed he met before... the name Grave. If he did meet him, it was most likely a short encounter, or passing glances. As he recalled more and more, he remembered the man to be from The Crimson Blades, Mack's guild.  Jomei turned his head to the man, cocking it slightly to get a better look at his face. "Hey lad, you alright?"  Jomei's brows were pinched together, showing concern. He then brought a hand up and placed it on his back, near the nape of his neck, patting it gently. 

[Grave 0]

I heard a male's voice nearby, topped with a smooth Irish accent, and only one person came to mind when Ireland was mentioned; Jomei. As little as I knew him personally, I had heard quite a lot from others about the ginger-haired male. I turned my lowered head to face him. "O-oh... hello there..." I greeted Jomei, simpering as he patted me on the back; his keen eyes easily realised something was fishy. "J-Jomei... what do you say I hook you up with a drink at a tavern or something?" I suggested, shrugging. "I feel... this might turn out to be a rather long story." I warned with a half-hearted chuckle. If he wanted to know what was going on, there was no harm in telling him; I had no reason not to trust him.

[Jomei 0]

Seemed the man remembered him by name as well, which was always good to know he left somewhat of an impression to remember that. From the way he greeted Jomei, he could tell that something was truly bothering him. What always came to his mind first, being in this world, was the death of someone close to him. From his next sequence of sentences, however, Jomei began to think differently about it. Grave offered to buy Jomei a drink at a local tavern, willing to explain the story to the irishman. Jomei, with no idea just what he was getting into, nodded his head. "Sure. I can't turn down a good drink." he said with a chuckle. He pat the man once more on the back before standing back up straight and walking with the sad man to the nearest tavern. 

[Grave 0]

With how down in the gutter I looked, I would not have been surprised if Jomei thought someone died or something similar. I guess I was dead on the inside, at least for the rest of the day. I decided it was best to tell him soon, before he really got the wrong idea, but I would wait until we were at least seated. We strolled on towards a tavern I do not believe I had visited previously. I strolled through, holding the door open for the Irishman to follow. I slammed the oaken door against the chill devil that lay outside, before hurrying over to a seat, lazily beckoning Jomei. "Alright, let me explain... it is likely not what you think..." I began to explain in a drowsy tone.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei nodded at the man who held the door open for him, and the two found themselves a pair of seats. Grave took a seat while Jomei stood at his chair, his hands resting on the back of it as Grave spoke. He reassured Jomei that it was most likely not what he was thinking, which was the death of a player. Jomei nodded at him, "Alright. Here.. I'll get us some drinks." The man tapped on the back of the chair before walking over to the long bar and got the attention of the bartender. Moments later, the man returned with two tall glasses of an amber liquid. He set one of the frothy drinks in front of Grave, placing the other in front of the empty chair that he soon after sat himself in. He then waited for the man to start his story of woe. 

[Grave 0]

I gave a small simper when Jomei offered to grab drinks. "Thanks..." I muttered. It gave me time to ponder over what exactly to say to the Irishman. When he set the drinks down, I was quick to grasp mine and begin chugging the frothy, golden beverage, feeling the cool burn of the alcohol as it traveled down my throat. I gently replaced the drinking vessel and looked to the ginger man. "Jomei... what would you do if you spilled all your feelings to the love of your life... and the way they responded led you to think they had no idea what to do about those feelings?" I asked, suddenly feeling like I sounded childish. "Y-you see... even at twenty four... I have had no actual romantic experience... and this kind of just happened now..." I droned on, hoping I did not sound like a little love-crazy child.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei brought the mug to his lips and took a slow sip of his amber ale, watching as the man prepared the story he was about to spill to Jomei. He began by posing a question, one about the revealings of love to someone, with a response that was not so favorable. He placed the drink back down on the table with a quick exhale before looking back up to Grave. He thought for a moment, realizing that his question was very familiar.. In fact.. a little bit too familiar. "I... have a feeling I know where this is going." he took another sip of his beverage. "Let me guess.. you told someone you loved them.. And they told you they needed to think about it?" He closed his eyes and chuckled for a moment, "Hit the nail on the head didn't I? Well... in fact. I know that situation all too well... and I may have been the perfect person to ask. I'm sure you know of Zandra, right? Well, she and I have been seeing eachother." he smiled as his cheeks reddened, rubbing the back of his neck. "A-Anyway.. a couple of weeks to a month before so.. After we went on a small adventure together. She revealed she loved me. Flat out, 'I love you'.. Now, I had known Zandra since my early weeks in the game. One of the first people I met. So I was very close with her. Though, at the time, we had the Floor boss coming up.. and I had a lot of things on my mind. So I told her I needed time for things to settle before I gave her an answer." He took another sip of his ale, realizing that he was only story-telling now, and not giving advice. "But.. As you can see now.. that worked out. Zandra had given me space, just as I had given her some. There was no pestering on the topic in the mean time. The rest is history." he sat back, crossing his arms at his chest. "So.. What exactly happened? And who's the lucky lady?" 

[Grave 0]

Wow, Jomei's prediction was terrifyingly accurate. "Holy crap, yes, spot on the head." I responded with a light chuckle. "You have experienced a similar situation hey? Alright let me-" As I was about to say 'hear', he mentioned Zandra. "Wait, Zandra? Wow... I actually did not know that! You know, you are a lucky guy, she is a very nice girl." My sudden depression was quickly lifted, partially by the alcohol taking hold of my mind, but also because of the way Jomei was approaching my query. "I apologize, I am pulling us off track, continue." I left the Irishman to press on. She had broken her feelings straight to Jomei, unlike my slow approach to Jevi, but the fact that they knew each other since Jomei's early weeks was similar to my situation with Jevi. In fact, I had known her since my first week, and I am sure it was the same for her. So, in the scenario Jomei was telling me about, he was in the same situation as Jevi, and Zandra was the same as me. "Wow... so I really did ask the right person..." I mumbled, before Jomei finished off. "Alright, so just give her some space and leave her alone is basically all I need to do? Sounds simple enough." I said with a sigh of relief. Then he asked what happened, and who the 'lucky girl' was. About time someone accepted the fact any girl with me would be lucky.

"Well... her name is Jevi. She has tanned skin, purple hair and enchanting golden eyes. She uses one handed curved swords and is a Blacksmith." I explained, knowing that Jomei likely knew her. If he did not, I would have been surprised. "Basically, I have known her since my very first week, and upon our first day of knowing each other, I found I had an attraction to her, but sadly her girlfriend at the time, Shaya, stood as a wall between that and Jevi. Thankfully, at the end of the day, I did get a kiss on the cheek, my first, actually." I explained, grinning as I reminisced about that day. "Then we went on a quest together, <<The Traveler>>, I believe it was called... and we had a small falling out, because Jevi refused to accept my help, because she thought she would be stronger that way. With some wise words, though, I managed to get her belief to change, and she started accepting peoples' help more." That was the second time I had been with Jevi, and it was not particularly my fondest memory of her, but it was a fun one nonetheless. "And then... yesterday.  We took on the <<Avalanche>> quest... and she told me Shaya had not contacted her in ages, and she thought about moving on." This was the part where my eyes began to quiver from mixed emotions. "You see... I was crushing on Opal for a while before that, until I met up with her after her training, and I knew I had no chance. Thus, I too had to move on, and my eyes were opened to Jevi once more, who was finally free for me to try and earn the heart of. Over the past twenty four hours, I have certainly noticed that she also holds feelings for me. So, after we spent the night in bed together - yes, I realise that sound bad, but it was the only available bed - I confessed to her, and her exact words were 'It's not that... It's just... I need to think about things...'" Yes, those words stuck well enough for me to memorize them.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei smiled brightly at Grave's reaction to him and Zandra being together, "Aye. She truly is an angel. I've felt my life has really improved since our time together." He laughed when Grave noted the two were going slightly off track, "Yes, you're situation is the priority here." he said, placing his elbows on the table and leaning forward slightly, taking another quick drink from the amber ale in front of him. "Well.. be her friend. Don't just disappear from her life. But also don't suffocate her.. If that makes any sense." he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Jomei blinked in surprise when he mentioned the girl on his mind was Jevi the blacksmith. Jomei smirked, "Aye, I'm aware of her.. Only really met her once or twice, one of the times being a trip to her shop for a weapon. She seems like a nice girl." He listened intently as Grave went on to mention their first experience together, and how he immediately felt an attraction to her, but Shaya, who had been dating her at the time, kept him from being able to make any serious approaches. "I've met Shaya before as well.. can't remember if she mentioned dating Jevi or not at the time." Jomei shrugged his shoulders and went back to listening to the man. The next part of his story included a trip into the desert on a quest to find the Survival skill, otherwise known as The Traveler. Jomei shook his head, remembering how terrible of a time he had taking that quest.. especially since he was alone. Things turned out differently for Grave that time, for it seemed Jevi was reluctant to ask for help. Jomei nodded in understanding, but did not really have much advice on that topic, especially since it sounded like it worked out in the end. 

With his first words 'and then' Jomei knew that this would most likely be the climax of his story. Another quest, The Avalanche, brought the two together once again. He spoke of how Shaya and Jevi seemed to have a falling out, with Shaya disappearing on the girl for a long period of time without contact. Jomei frowned, feeling bad for the girl, and knowing her situation. His story switched up a bit for a moment, mentioning that he had feelings for Opal before hand. Jomei smirked and chuckled at the mention of feelings for Opal. He was remembering his own situations with the girl, "You had feelings for Opal? You know, funny thing is ... hm.. another time." he shook his head, feeling his story about Opal could wait. For now, he was giving advice about him and Jevi. Just as Jomei pushed off his tale, Grave continued on about Jevi. Jomei's eyes widened and he blinked in surprise when Grave mentioned the two spent a night in bed together. Well... thats a good sign as any.. But then he mentioned it was a situation of there only being one bed available, Oh.. makes more sense.Once the man finished,  Jomei sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Sounds like a fun time." Jomei said to break the silence with a chuckle. "Well.. my advice still stands. Its obvious she has feelings for you. You'll just have to be patient for her to give you an answer. But like I said, you can still be there for her. For now, stay her friend.. you're not her boyfriend yet."

[Grave 0]

It was much easier to get a message across when Jomei knew quite a few of the names I mentioned, and it helped that he knew Jevi... but when I mentioned crushing on Opal, Jomei seemed to have something to say. "Hm?" I questioned for a small moment, before dismissing it like I would a fly. I chuckled loudly when Jomei mentioned my night to be a 'fun time'. "Well... I would be telling a porkie if I said it was not while it lasted... but if I had not made a move... I do not know, maybe it was better that I did." I fought with myself, unsure of whether I did the right thing. "Yes, thank you, Jomei. You... really cheered me up quick. Thanks... a lot." I said, reaching across the table to pat his shoulder in gratitude. "Now... enough drama, let us talk about something else! We have this bloody good alcohol at our disposal, let us use it as well!" I suggested loudly with a grin, raising my empty flagon into the air.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei took a big sip of his ale, "You'll be fine, lad. Just do what you have to."  Grave's tone had changed by now, it really did seem like his words made it through to him and it lifted his spirits. He tried to hold back a grin to his own good deeds as he was pat on the shoulder. He did not know much about either of the two, Grave or Jevi, nor had he ever seen the two together to know just how well they hit it off. But from the stories he was told, and what the two went through, it sounded like he truly had a chance with her. He lifted his glass, "Hey, if I see her, I'll put in a good word too." he laughed and took another sip. "I agree, you've been telling me about this girl so much, I don't even think you've touched the drink." 

[Grave 0]

Before long I was guzzling my flagon of ale, slowly drinking myself into a stupor. "Yes, please do!" I accepted Jomei's offer to speak kindly of me to Jevi. "Hah, well I have emptied almost the entire damn thing now!" I responded, a gentle, drunken flush rising in my cheeks; that booze was some strong stuff. Before long, I had already set a second flagon aside, nothing but white, tasteless dregs at the bottom. The crimson flush was much more noticeable at that rate, and as per usual when I was drunk... "I'mma go get meself a Princess! Hic. I'm gonna save her from a - hic - dragon!" I rambled, completely falling out of my polite tone, now just a blabbering mess, spouting nonsense like a fire hose.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei sipped his own drink, his eyes widening over the brim of his glass as he watched Grave down the remains of his first and order a second almost immediately after. Jomei set his now empty first drink to the side and looked back to Grave, noticing quite the blush on his cheeks. The man could not help but chuckle as he began to down another drink. The Irishman politely raised his hand to the barmaid who was walking around delivering drinks, asking for another ale himself. By the time he had turned back to Grave, he was already downing another and began a drunken slander about getting himself a princess. Jomei laughed, "I'm sure you will lad, I'm sure you will. Just don't go getting yourself killed by any dragons while you're at it." 

[Grave 0]

"Killed? Pff, I'm im- hic - immo- hic - immortal..." I droned, looking at the ginger man stupidly. "Where's Kayaba? Llllet me at 'im..." I grumbled, swinging a flagon like some kind of bludgeon, nearly smacking Jomei twice. "Hehe... I wanna smack something... do you wanna smack something? We should go smack something..." I mumbled, unseating myself and nearly fall flat on my face as soon as I got to my feet. "Where'd this tightrope come from...? Silly rope..." I grumbled, jumping to the side as if jumping off of the 'tightrope'. Yes, when I am smashed, my imagination goes WILD. Beoreson already had to deal with my drunken state, and now that Jomei had invited me to drown my sorrows, a second sufferer was added to the list.

[Jomei 0]

Jomei sighed and rubbed the nape of his neck with his free hand, a sheepish grin on his face as he watched the silver haired lover boy stumble around drunkenly. Lifting the glass to his lips, he finished off the remainder of his drink.. sometimes he thanked his Irish blood and needing a lot more alcohol to get him to Grave's state. Sliding off of his seat, the ginger walked to his friend and placed his hand on his shoulder to keep him from falling, "Come on, lad, I think your sorrows are at the bottom of the ale-ocean by now." he laughed, adjusting Grave so his arm went across Jomei's shoulders. He led the man over to the counter and opened his inventory, sending over an amount of col to pay for the two's tab. With a friendly wave, Jomei led Grave out of the bar. 

[Grave 0]

I was surprisingly conscious of the Irishman's hand upon my shoulder to steady me, and I looked him in the eyes drunkenly. "Has anyone- hic - ever told you that- hic - you look amazing with ginger hair?" I asked tipsily, at that rate having no restraint in what I was saying. He mentioned an ocean, and that is all it took to set me off again. "An ocean? Are we goin' swimming?" I asked with a drunken freestyle motion. "I like swimming..." I muttered under my breath, looking quite smashed. The ginger led me out of the bar, my arm across his shoulders. I am quite surprised, now, that he had yet to directly mention my drunkenness, and I appreciated that. However, the only thing on my mind at that moment was refraining from gobbling up the ice cream at my feet.

Spoiler

I believe this explains the current situation:

 

[Jomei 0]

The Irishman took the drunk compliment Grave had landed upon him and laughed, clenching his fingers around the man's shoulder in acceptance. "Not many people, honestly. So I appreciate it." Jomei readjusted, pulling on Grave's arm a bit so he could walk a little bit more easily, and because Grave's steps were a bit more zig-zagged than his own. As they walked out onto the snow covered ground, Jomei slowly walked with the man towards the teleport plaza. "N-No we aren't going swimming. Not in this weather at least." he said with another laugh at his comment. "Hm... Where do you want me to take you anyway?" the man asked him, not entirely sure where he was going with this plan. Would probably have been easier to just get him a room at the inn.. but to save money, maybe wherever his shop was would be easier.. if he even had a shop. He looked over at Grave, who looked quite focused on the snow on the ground below him, "You alright there lad?" 

[Grave 0]

The trail we left behind us was rather... messy, to say the least, without offending Frosty the Snowman. I frowned when the Irishman informed me of the poor conditions for swimming. "But... I wanna swim..." I complained, my eyes drifting randomly as I quite obviously began to give out. Jomei asked where I wished him to take me. "Take me to the Hundredth Floor..." I grumbled, before peeking up. "Wait... never mind... my shop's on Third... in Del... Delil..." I could not complete my sentence in my drunken state, combined with my drowsy tongue. "I'm perfectly fine..." I grumbled, before pressing my face close to his, a finger to his chest. "Are you okay there, lad?" I slurred, before pulling back and leaving Jomei to take me back from whence I came.

[Jomei 0]

"Third floor, got it." he said with a chuckle, since the man apparently wanted to head all the way up to Floor One Hundred. An impossible task for anyone at the moment, but he admired the man's drunken courage. He felt a drop of sweat run down his cheek as Grave pressed his face close to Jomei's, the fog from his breath in the cold air engulfing Jomei's face, a finger pressing into Jomei's chest. He mocked Jomei's question, asking if he was alright. Jomei's wide eyes closed and sighed when Grave stepped back, allowing Jomei to help him out with his walking once again. 

It did not take long, though it took longer since he was trying to help out Grave with walking, to get to the blue teleporting ring. Jomei stepped up onto the platform, pulling his wasted friend up with him. "Warp, Delilah." and in seconds, the two were engulfed in a bright blue light, carrying them to the Third Floor.

Moments later, the two found themselves in a warmer environment in Delilah village. Almost there, Jomei thought to himself. It was not that he did not enjoy Grave's company. On the contrary, he quite enjoyed his time getting to speak to the man he did not know much about. He smirked, hoping the two could quest together sometime, get to know each other more. "You might need to take the lead for me here.. I don't know where this place is exactly." he said with a laugh. 

Once the two ended up in front of Grave's place, without many other problems, Jomei pat the man on the shoulder. "It was nice getting to hang out with you Grave. We should do it again sometime under.. different circumstances." he said, rubbing the nape of his neck. "Oh, and go get that girl."