[PP-Floor 2] Night Terror, with Teion

[Ryo 0]

At first, the name washed over Ryo with a blank stare. But then, all too soon the realization hit him. "P-Piera?" he said, so quietly that he doubted that Teion could here. He felt himself get ill, then dizzy. His stomach entered knots and wouldn't untie itself. He clutched his stomach, and his pore began to sweat uncontrollably. What does he say in this situation? What would he say? What was he supposed to say? He tried to think of something. He knew that Piera was fine, and didn't recognize him, thank [censored] for that, and didn't say anything. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm down. But he had to say something soon or else Teion would grow suspicious. "Uhm, she. She sounds cool?" He said running another hand through his hair. Dammit, that sounded so convincing, didn't it? [censored]. Ryo took a deep breath in through his nose and letting it out through his mouth. "I mean. She and I have a bit of a complicated thing. Ran into her at the Halloween party and it got kinda, weird. I don't wanna talk about it, if that's okay." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't dare tell Teion the truth. He would in time, but now was not that time. "Say, anything new from that bountiful Beau of yours?" Ryo said, desperately trying to change the subject at hand. He stood up and grabbed the second curtain from the wall, and began tearing it into strips.

[Teion 0]

Teion cocked a violet brow, turning to glance over her shoulder back at Ryo across the room. As she did so, she listened to his explanation of his and Piera's relationship, or whatever it was they had. Teion was simply surprised he recognized the name. Then again, she had no idea what Sophie had been up to all this time, both before and after they had run into each other in her smithy several months ago. "Oh, yeah. No problem." She replied simply when Ryo made it clear that he didn't want to dwell on the bespectacled brunette. She was curious as to what could have happened between them to have him dodging the subject, but she wouldn't pry.

She was just about to turn back around when Ryo hurriedly asked about her boyfriend again. Her taut shoulders fell as she shifted her weight, turning more properly towards him. "No, I...haven't gotten any new messages." She said slowly, as if the statement was obvious. It wasn't as if she had touched her menus after they got on the topic of real-world friends just a couple of minutes ago. Was he trying to get her to talk about him? "Uhm... His name is Aereth." She offered his username, perhaps only to keep Ryo from coming up with more alternatives to refer to the man.

Spinning back around, Teion pulled a hand up across the back of her neck. She hooked her violet locks with curled fingers, pulling her hair over one shoulder. She was just about to section it off to begin a braid when the toe of her shoe caught on something and tripped her up for a split second. Teion looked to the ground, spotting a crumpled section of a thin, medium-sized rug. Curiously, she dragged the worn material off to the side with her foot, uncovering what looked like a squared section of the floor with a copper ring that served as a handle. The metal looked to be covered with rust, the trap door of sorts seeming to be as unused as everything else in the abandoned shop.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo nodded, thanking Teion for respecting his wish about his past with Piera. She would know the truth, but not now. She deserved the truth, but his selfish need of wanting to be loved by Teion kept him from opening his mouth and telling her the truth. Ryos eyes widened. "Aereth. The Aereth? As in, the man who has been single handely responseable for at most 10 player deaths Aereth? You know he's got his name up on the monument board? It's like a high score with him." Ryo said, unhappy about the new situation. Of course it was Aereth leave it to him to fall in love with the girlfriend of the most bloodthirtsy man in Aincrad.

He dropped the conversation, more in favour of what Teion had found. "What's that there?" He asked, looking at the trap door. Ryo ignored  hia surroundings as hestares down the hole. Nothing. Nothing but darkness and the sound of water lapping. "Wait here, I'll check it out. It could be an exit." Ryo bravely said as he gripped the wrought iron ladder and made his way down.

At the bottom there was something, he couldnt make out. He took a step forward his face touching something. He gasped ,an took a step back. A red light had blinded him and had now lit up the room.around him we're small tables with water continuously filling and overflowing. Pictures lined the wall, of other players. "Teion, you gotta see this." Ryo said, investigating the room further.

[Teion 0]

Teion paused for a moment with Ryo's reaction. She blinked, turning her attention back on him until she felt the corners of her mouth pulling into a frown. She had to resist a scowl, and yet she couldn't put her frustration into words. She knew that Aereth--that Max had plenty of virtual blood on his hands. He had admitted as much not long after they had first met, and despite how crazy it might have sounded, Teion accepted that side of his past. She believed that he never hurt anyone for the wrong reasons. And besides, wasn't that over now? She wanted to shoot back with some kind of remark, but a knot had been left in her stomach that stopped her from responding.

She turned her head away in order to bite down on her bottom lip. Teion didn't know whether to feel relieved or angry when Ryo so readily switched his focus to the small door she had unveiled. She simply did her best not to let her frustration show and to focus her attention on the inky darkness that lay on the other side of the trap door. She shrugged behind the man when he offered to investigate, "Knock yourself out." It's not like she would have willingly dropped herself into utter darkness.

"Huh?" She leaned over the opening when she heard Ryo calling to her over his shoulder. She took on a skeptical frown when she saw it seemed to be illuminated with a warm, red light. The woman sighed, giving up and kneeling down at the edge of the ladder before lowering herself down as well. "What the hell...?" She whispered the words. Teion turned and ran her eyes over the length of the small room. She couldn't recognize a single player featured in the pictures that covered the walls, but as she looked them over their placement and other little details made it more and more unsettling. Most pictures were fixed to the wall aside another, as if they were broken into pairs. More than a few featured a thick black 'X' drawn over the player it held, and Teion didn't want to dwell on what the markings meant.

"This is more than creepy. Wait, is that-?" She cut herself off when she caught site of something at the end of the room that had her move closer. On a thin string was strung over a sink, a single pair of pictures were hung, as if they were recently developed. Teion's eyes narrowed as she approached them, and once she made out their contents she froze up with the feeling of a chill running down her spine. She recognized Ryo in one, and her attention then snapped to the second where she stared at a candid shot of her own avatar.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo reached up grabbing a small square that held someone's image trapped. He flipped it over and noticed the fine writing. "Same handwriting as our poisoned note from before," Ryo said, noticing the fine handwriting. "So, Strangelove is our culprit after all. Not like, I had any doubts." Ryo said, looking at the picture. "Hey, is this? Me?" He said looking at the picture again. It was him, stepping outside his house on floor eleven. He tossed the picture aside. "This is some next level of creepy..." Ryo said looking at other pictures. He recognized some of them, but only in passing, like bumping into someone at the mall. Ryo jumped when the trap door above slammed shut. "[censored]!" He exclaimed check his pulse. "It, probably just fell shut, ill get it." He said, stepping by Teion and climbing the ladder, he heard something moving upstairs. "There's someone up there!" He yelled down in a whisper to Teion. Ryo began to climb faster his hands gripping the rungs of the ladder effortlessly. He could hear something heavy being moved across the floor, screeching against the wooden floorboards. Someone was trying to barricade them into the basement. Ryo hurried as fast as he could, his hands stinging from how fast he had to move. When he reached the top he slammed his shoulder up against the trap door, wanting it to be thrown upward. It bounced slightly but slammed back shut almost immediately slamming back into Ryo throwing him back down. Ryo's grip held firm on the ladder, preventing him from falling completely. But there was no way that he could get that trap door open again now. "Dammit! Hey!" He said, pressing up against the trap door, unable to budge it. "Dammit!" He cursed again, sliding back down the ladder to Teion. He didn't say anything, just pacing in the tiny room.

[Teion 0]

Teion scowled as she snatched the photograph from where it hung, bringing the image in front of her and ripping it in half. The item shattered into pixels once it was considered 'destroyed', and the violette glared around the room at the unsettling number of pictures that surrounded them. She didn't see another face she recognized, giving a tiny inward sigh of relief at the fact.

Just the same as Ryo, Teion gave a start and held her breath for a split second when their exit swung closed. Still a bit wary, she didn't object while Ryo moved to investigate. His newfound sense of urgency, however, caused her jaw to clench. "Wait, what?" She growled, stepping closer to the base of the ladder. She stared up at the closed trap door that refused to budge with Ryo's efforts. Letting out a muffled sigh of frustration, Teion moved to the side of the room, pressing her back against the wall and sliding down until she once again sat with her knees pulled in close to her chest. She pulled her arms around her legs and glared across the small space in front of her. "Alright, stuck in a creepy darkroom now." Despite her impatient tone, the girl's nerves began to act up. Her eyes flickered upwards for a brief moment, eyeing the red-tinted light that illuminated the room while she remembered the eerie darkness that the room had been covered in minutes before.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo kicked a table leg, the table shuddering slightly under the force of it, but his foot felt the pain of it. If it was the real world, Ryo would've most likely would've have broken a toe or two. He grumbled, trying to think of a way out of the situation that they were now in, but nothing came to mind. They both probably could move the bed, but they both couldn't fit on the ladder at the same time. The angle and force needed to just topple the bed by opening the trap door were beyond what either one could do alone. He needed to think, find an escape, something. Panic began to set in, followed by dread and depression. "I'm sorry." Ryo said, sliding down on the wall opposite Teion. He couldn't figure a way out, and he couldn't be sure that the room wasn't soundproofed in any way. So when rescue finally arrived he wasn't sure they could just call for help from below. Ryo tried to think clearly, but the damn sink constantly filling up, was starting to grate on him. Wait, a second, grate. Where was that water going? He flipped over to his hands and knees and crawled over to the sink looking under it. "Dammit, I can't see anything, Teion could you? I think there might be an exit there." He said, standing up.

[Teion 0]

"Huh?" She mumbled, barely catching his apology as she glanced at the man across the room. "Oh. Not your fault." She shrugged it off in a small voice.

Just a minute later, the woman cocked a brow as Ryo crawled over to the rectangular sink. She hummed a monotonous reply, picking herself up to her feet and moving beside him. Her eyes didn't have to search long before she spotted a large metal grate fixed to the ground underneath the sink. "Uhh," She mumbled under her breath, confused for a brief moment before dropping back down to her knees. She pressed her palms against the edge of the grate, tilting her head to the side as she inspected the area.

"Like... Trying to see down this thing?" She asked, leaning her torso a bit lower to the ground while her violet hair spilled over her shoulder. Her eyes scanned the space in between the grid of metal for several long seconds before she frowned. "No way. It's just dark, who knows if there's anything down there." She pulled herself up, sitting back on her ankles and pulling up her menus. With a couple of taps, the blackened handle of her axe appeared in her hand. Though the weapon was a bit unwieldy in the small space of the darkroom, Teion used the corner of the curved blade to hook into one of the many empty spaces between the metal. Using the weight of her body and a bit of forced patience, Teion pried the grate free with a tiny grunt of effort, the old rusted iron letting out a clang as it was jostled. She dismissed her weapon and frowned again, shifting back to her knees and staring nervously at the newly-opened dark hole in the floor.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo had seen the grate and had thought about stating it aloud. But, this raised an opportunity. Looking at Teion's outfit, she had several straps and form-fitting pants. While Ryo's face was pressed onto the floor, he figured out a plan. He shot back up and asked Teion to take a look, under the guise of it being dark and unable to see. He moved beside Teion and stood behind her as she crouched down. Ryo's eyes wandered as Teion went to the ground. Bent over at the perfect angle, Teion's butt was presented in the perfect way. No skirt, or over shirt to hide anything. His view was short as Teion sat back up. Ryo quickly swallowed, his face turning bright red. "I know, but it may be our only way out of here." Ryo said. Ryo watched as Teion pulled out her battle ax, and gulped in suspense. Teion crouched back over, trying to hook her ax on the grate. Teion's butt again was on display, but even better than before. Legs slightly spread, her hips wriggling as she moved. Ryo had to look away for a second to compose himself as he heard the grating pop off of its base.

"Alright. Now let's get this sink out of the way." He said, grabbing a corner of the sink. With Teion's help, they were able to easily move the sink out of the way. Removing the grate Ryo could spy another ladder. "Aha~" He said delightfully. "This has to be an emergency exit of some kind. In case the previous owner needed it." He said. "I'll go down first. You follow. And if it's too dark, just know that I'm here. Just like last time, okay?" Ryo said, his face still warm from the view he got earlier. He then began his descent down the ladder.

[Teion 0]

Teion took hold of the opposite end of the large sink, working to move the fixture out of the way and set the bulky piece on the ground. She let out a small sigh as she straightened back up, placing her hands on her hips at the sight of another ladder leading down into the dim passageway. Teion blinked, taken aback by the reminder of the potion that had left her in total darkness the day before. She froze up, a faint pink hue tinting her cheeks with embarrassment. "I'll be fine." She forced out, stepping up to the entrance when Ryo lowered himself through.

The violette frowned as she turned, making her way down after her companion of sorts had cleared a few rungs of the ladder. After they'd reached the bottom, Teion felt a quick chill run up her spine. The passage they'd been left in was larger than she had expected, but the tunnel standing ahead of them felt damp and unwelcoming. Small lamps hung from the ceiling in a single row with a generous space between them, their dull yellow light seeming as though they were reaching the end of their lifespans to leave the area just barely lit enough for the players to make out their surroundings. The soles of Teion's shoes echoed softly in the empty space as she took a step and a half forward, a growing unease nestling in the pit of her stomach.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo took his time going down the ladder. Not because it was just slippery and unsafe, but also because. Ryo's head turned up, looking at his partner in all of this, and her ass as it descended the ladder just as slowly. Ryo enjoyed his view as the two descended. Each cheek bouncing as Teions thighs moved her down the ladder. Ryo had to shake his head every now again, and double check himself to make sure he kept moving, or else risk getting run over by Teion. Ryo sighed aloud as his feet hit a wet and marshy floor.

Moss clung the to ceiling and gave off a slight yellow glow as it pulsated to brightly lit to dim. He grabbed a small stick from his inventory and a bit of the goopy moss and applied it to the stick. After creating a makeshift torch he handed it to Teion, as he pulled up his menu. "So, how did you meet Aereth. Literally, the most violent person in Aincrad." Ryo asked. "I wouldn't be asking if it was literally any other man. But, last I checked he's claimed at least 10. Maybe even more so since then." Ryo said, not liking the idea that the woman he loved was seeing Aereth.

[Teion 0]

Taking the torch Ryo had fashioned in her left hand, Teion stared down the length of the damp tunnel for a few long seconds before the pair would begin their journey into the unknown. Her eyes darted to the side and away from the man when he presented a topic of conversation that she didn't much care for. She resisted a scowl, settling on a small frown instead. "Remember when I told you I got stuck in a dungeon on floor twenty-one?" She started, the familiarity of the conversation nudging at the back of her mind. Her eyes fell to the floor while she continued walking, "He... As hard as it might be for you to believe, he's not a bad person." She said in a quiet voice. She shot Ryo a sideways glance before she would turn her attention back to the wet concrete in front of her feet. "Besides, people change. Right?"

[Ryo 0]

Ryo's teeth clenched. "There's a difference!" He nearly shouted. "There's a line, a line I never crossed. I lied, I cheated, I betrayed, and I hate everything about myself because of it. Can Aereth say that he dislikes all of the killings? All of that bloodshed?" Ryo counter asked. "I've seen that kind of person before. I've heard all the stories before, listed around by the psychopaths and sociopaths alike at the proverbial lunch table." Ryo said, still walking. He placed a hand on his chest. "I'm a good person. I kill only in self-defense. Yeah, four times to players half your level." he said, marking an example. He continued. "I kill to protect the ones I love. I murder to sate this lust I have. I kill because it's the only thing I'm good at." Ryo said, still listing all of the examples. A murder was murder, no matter the need no matter the situation. It was, wrong. "What does he do? Hmm? They all do something, some little quirk." He said, shooting his gaze over his shoulder.

"He keeps track? That's a common one among them all. Does he do it mentally, 'never forgetting their faces'? Or does he mark himself or his weapon of choice?" Ryo asked, his walking slowing down nearing a stop. "What else does he do?" He asked, thinking of other things. "Has he done the 'bring trouble' yet?" Ryo asked. "Couple of thugs show up, wanting you for whatever reasons? Then he shows up out of the blue, a wonderful white knight. Men he knew perhaps? I've seen this trick before.You see, this thug this one time liked this girl he met, and to make her 'fall in love' with him, he hired a few guys to go 'rough' her up. They were just to scare her, make her fear for her life. And when hope was lost, he would hop in, and drive them away. 'Saving' her life." Ryo said, recalling the tale vaguely. "Of course when he did show up, he couldn't afford the promise of thugs and bandits to be completely secret, oh no. He killed them. All of them. To keep the secret that he paid for them to be there. Sure, he's out of a bit of col, but now he's got a permanent source of tail on the side." Ryo nearly spat out. "And it's that kind of people I'm trying to fight against. Those kinds of people who would throw away life for monetary gain. For Col. For sex. For nothing." Ryo stood still, staring at Teion, forgetting that he needed to breathe after all of it.

"I'm." Ryo began, breaking eye contact with Teion. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't of. Let's just get out of here. The sooner we can, the sooner I can leave your life." Ryo said, running a hand through his hair.

[Teion 0]

Teion blinked, taken aback by his sudden anger. She pulled her face up from staring at the musty floor in front of her feet in order to look at Ryo, stunned for a few long moments at the start of his outburst. Her legs seemed to move automatically to keep carrying her forward at the same pace, but the more Ryo spoke and the more heated his words became Teion felt the heat rising in her blood as it pumped faster through her veins. Fresh adrenaline surged through her with every accusatory word.

And then he laid out a scene. One that was too familiar, and brought a numbing chill up the length of her spine. While her footsteps stopped, her grip on the wooden stick in her hand faltered and the item fell to the floor, the remaining moss continuing to burn weakly for a few seconds longer. Teion's wide eyes dropped along with her chin, and her hand moved on its own for the tips of her fingers to find her left temple. It was as if she could still feel a dull tingling--a ghostly reminder of that night out in the moonlit desert sands. Teion's heart beat faster in her chest, and her breath caught in her throat more than once. There was a flurry of emotions festering and clashing inside of her: anger and rage, panic and fear. But the emotions that rocked her the hardest were the doubt and subsequent guilt, the combination of which nearly caused her body to tremble.

Barely pulling her back to the present, Teion looked back up to Ryo just as his eyes left her. He offered some kind of apology before turning and urging them along. Just a minute ago, Teion wanted to shout at him. She wanted to ask Ryo how he dared pass judgement on the people he knew nothing about. But her voice was gone, replaced with a stubborn catch in her throat that taunted her.

She didn't bother to retrieve the dying torch from the ground. Teion only forced herself to move forward once again, her hand falling back to her side as she did so. He was right. The sooner they found their way out of this place, the better. Then, when she would finally feel the warmth of the virtual sun on her cheeks, she could return to Fortaleza. She could return to her smithy, lock the door, and stay there where she belonged.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo sighed, picking up the stick and reapplying moss to it again. "C'mon. We need light for further ahead, or you're gonna get more anxious then I've already made you." Ryo said, handing Teion the makeshift torch yet again. Thier combined steps echoed in the hollow chambers that ran beneath the ground. Minutes of silence turned into silence, and neither one still said nothing. Teion still most likely shocked about what Ryo had said, and Ryo ashamed of what he had said. There was a difference between him, and Aereth. There was. There had to be. Ryo didn't kill those players, it was those bandits that did. All they had to do was shut up and listen. Cries for help tormented Ryo's mind, for the first time in a long, long time. He just wanted it to stop. His occasional nightmares, the screams, the flashbacks, all of it. He was different than those men. Those who murdered for gain. He peeked behind him to see if Teion was following him. God, she must hate him so much right now. "I." Ryo began, unsure of what to say. "No." He said, shaking his head.

More minutes pass. He'd have a better idea of what to say if Teion spoke more, but she stood and followed silently like an emotionless doll. But Teion wasn't that, she was more much much more. The walkway continued for several more minutes before coming to a turn. At this fork, the pair could continue forward or turn to their right. To the right was a door. RYo equipped his katana and placed a ready hand on its handle awaiting for any monster to jump out at attacking them. But none came.

Inside the room was a rest station of sorts. Two beds, some fruits, and magazines. "We could probably take a breather here. "We've been walking for who knows how long." Ryo said, claiming on to the beds, allowing his feet to rest. Across from him would be Teions bed, where she could sit or lie down.

[Teion 0]

Arguing, or being stubborn, was pointless. She wordlessly took the torch that he offered again, and the two players continued walking down the length of the tunnel in otherwise suffocating silence.

As their starting point had already long since disappeared behind them, all Teion could think about was how tired she was. Not enough time had passed and she hadn't exerted enough physical energy for Cardinal to impose its standard exhaustion on her yet, but the only thing she wanted to do was sleep. The waves of anger and fear had ebbed, and she was left drained and uncertain.

On the other side of a plain-looking door, Teion's dull eyes looked over the simple amentities that the game had offered. Ryo had already climbed onto a bed when Teion entered the room, giving a short look around and soon succumbing to the temptation of the second empty bed. In Ryo's presence, Teion normally would have taken a seat, pressing her back against the wall while she hugged her knees in the same fashion she'd defaulted to several times over the course of their adventure. Instead, the violette crawled onto the bed and lay down on her side. Her knees still pulled in close to her as she curled her body, leaving nearly half of the bed bare while she stared over her bent fingertips. She was tired, but she didn't want to sleep. The air in the room was awkward, but she didn't want to talk.

Despite the oppressive grip of depression wrapping its tendrils around her, Teion spoke up in a small voice. "Just let me know when we're leaving again."

[Ryo 0]

Ryo lied down, trying to go to sleep. His feelings wouldn't allow him, however, as he just lied there uncomfortably rolling on the mattress. How'd he let himself get into this situation? He sighed and sat up. He wanted to apologize, but it wouldn't help the situation. He removed himself from the bed and stepped outside of the room, meaning for it only to be a minute. It was, roomier outside in the large hallway than in the room. No fresh air, but he could at least think aloud. "Dammit. Why'd I had to go and say that? I pushed it too far." He said, pacing his steps echoing in the empty hall. "I mean, she already hates you enough. Why not add more fuel to that fire?" He said, his pacing increasing. "I know I care, and she knows that you care. But there was a line I crossed, and now I'm not sure I even stand a chance in hell anymore." Ryo said, leaning himself up against the wall. Ryo slid down the wall, his head feeling the unevenness of the brick. He inhaled deeply, held his breath for a moment, and released it. And there he fell asleep. 

[Teion 0]

Teion didn't seem fazed with Ryo's tossing and turning, or when he removed himself from the room entirely. If anything, she felt the slightest bit of relief to be left alone. In the silence of the underground room, the memory of her last visit with Dael came to mind. Despite her last words to him, he hadn't spoken to the red-haired twin since, and she couldn't even remember the last time she had seen Eru. How far along had they all made it in this game? She had been to the twenty-first floor, recalling it to be the highest cleared floor to the extent of her knowledge. They weren't even a quarter of the way to clearing the game.

Tears welled at the corners of her eyes before silently sliding down the side of her face, across the bridge of her nose, and slowly soaking the thin pillowcase beneath her head. The girl just cried, curled up on a bed in the middle of some underground passageway. She missed her friends, family, and the simplicity of the life she used to have.

Teion couldn't be sure of how much time had passed before her tears finally ran out, and she sniffled as she pushed herself up to a sitting position. She picked herself up to her feet that carried her to the door. The violette stepped outside, wondering for a moment if Ryo had simply left on his own. Cobalt eyes soon found him, however, falling upon his avatar that sat against the wall. His eyes were closed, and she simply watched the steady rise and fall of his chest. Was he sleeping? Surely the movement and slight noise from the door would have caught his attention otherwise. Teion's gaze drifted over to the empty space of the tunnels before moving back to Ryo. Her shoulders dropped slightly, almost in defeat, and she walked over to sit herself beside him. With her feet pressed flat on the ground and her knees pulled up, Teion's fingers laced together loosely in front of her ankles.

It didn't take long for a wave of exhaustion to hit her. She had planned to keep watch, or something of the sort. The room behind them had seemed relatively safe, but regardless of the fact that they hadn't seen a single monster down here since they left the potions shop, that didn't mean there wasn't a possibility of danger...right? Teion fought off sleep for several minutes, but eventually she lost her battle. Having just drifted off, the girl's head fell to the side until her temple met Ryo's shoulder.

[Ryo 0]

Ryo was nuddged awake, his eyes slowly opening. Had he fallen asleep here? He looked over to his left from where the nudge came from and noticed that Teion had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He stared for a few moments, not sure if he was still dreaming. Ryo used his free hand to move a strand of violet hair from Teions face. She looked so, wonderful. Ryo softly smiled as he rested his head back against the brick.

Why had she come out? It wasn't because she was worried about it was it? Either way, just because there had been no monsters yet, didn't mean that there wasn't any. Ruo nudged Teion, and when she refused to move he sighed out in frustration. He slowly turned around and picked up the woman in his arms, cradling her as he carried her back to her bed.

As he liked her down, he noticed the damn spots on the bed, where she had been crying. Ryos face scrunched up, at the thought of it. He pulled the blanket up over Teion, and sat on the same bed. And when his eyelids grew to heavy, his body refused his mental commands. No, don't lie down beside her. There's a bed over there for you. Ryos body moved on it's own. As he lied down beside the violet haired woman, and fell asleep again.

[Teion 0]

It was rare for Teion to sleep so soundly. Perhaps the combination of mental and physical exhaustion had managed to catch up to her. Whatever the reason, the violette didn't stir when she was nudged, when she was picked up and carried, or when she was placed back on the bed.

Hours passed before Teion finally felt the world around her again. Her brows lightly twitched as something like movement beside her disrupted her dreamless sleep. Although she wanted to ignore it and allow herself to drift back off, Teion tried to push the cloudiness from her mind and force herself to wake. Her eyes fluttered open and she struggled to remember when and where she had fallen asleep. A second later, Teion's cobalt eyes widened as they met with Ryo's sleeping face, less than a foot of distance between them.

A scarlet hue burned at her cheeks and ran across the bridge of her nose, and her heart began to pound in her chest while her mind scrambled to shake off the remaining drowsiness and bring her last conscious memories to the forefront. She was in this room earlier, but then she had gone outside. Ryo had fallen asleep against the wall, and then...

Teion propped herself up on her elbow, pulling back a bit so their faces weren't quite so close. She froze up, still unsure what to do in the situation. "R-Ryo...?" She stammered, her bottom lip stiffening in a frown when the man didn't respond. She hesitated again, waiting a few seconds before pulling her hand forward and poking the center of Ryo's forehead.