[PP:F4] Is this the end? (Calrex & Teayre)

[Teayre 0]

As she grabbed Calrex hand before he went out the door Teayre smiled at him gently tugging him back in, shaking her head. “S-stay a while Cal… You wanted to talk about things… I guess now’s as good a time as any…†Looking up into his eyes she bites her lower lip, “Besides… We hardly see each other now… What with the guild and that…â€

 

Moving more into her room hoping her tugging on Calrex’s arm will bring him closer to her, she sits down on the couch gently patting the seat next to her. Taking her eyes of Calrex they drift up to the picture of the eagle and the snake and the red head sighs, before she begins to sigh and cover her face with her hands.

 

“Damnit Bel! DAMNIT WHY DID YOU DIE?†Yelling her rage out into her arms Teayre’s shoulders slump as her crying intensifies, the girl tries to wipe away her tears but seems to struggle doing before she finally slips off the couch sitting on the floor hugging her own knees.

[Calrex 0]

"Sure thing, I'll be glad to stay."

 

As Teayre led him into the her room he followed and sat down beside her, "This is a good sign at least. If she's wiling to talk then I can maybe discuss these things with her. It's been weighing on her that everyone can tell something's up. Even at the quest preparation meeting Ariel asked me if she was alright..."

 

"Damnit Bel! DAMNIT WHY DID YOU DIE?"

 

Calrex's thought were interrupted as Teayre yelled at the loss of her familiar once again. It seemed that even after their quest with Meokka the loss was still present for her.

 

"I guess it hasn't been that long since that quest took place. She must still be coping with it. I know that Meo said she's not one to get hung up on a bunch of pixels, but if it's anything like those old toys where you take care of a virtual pet...it might be similar."

 

He got up off the couch and knelt down beside Teayre, wrapping his arms around her as he gently nudged her so that her head could lean on his chest, "It's alright Teayre, go ahead and open up. You know I wanted to talk about some stuff that's been weighing on me. Well, this is included. I know we haven't seen a lot of each other recently, but the few times we have...well, it seems like you haven't been yourself, even when you were just with me. It was like you were holding something back..."

 

He gave a small sigh as he recalled the <<Guardian of Fire>> quest he had recently done, his eyes dimming completely for a second before the light returned, "A candle that burns twice as bright...no...I agreed to myself that would be only if she didn't let me in..."

 

He gave a warming smile as he gently brushed her hair with his hand, "I'm here for you Teayre, you don't have to hide anything from me or hold anything back."

[Teayre 0]

“I’m here for you Teayre, you don’t have to hide anything from me or hold anything back.â€

 

Shaking her head Teayre presses the hand that Calrex had brushed her hair with against her face, “C-Cal… I’m sorry… I’m so so sorry…†As she started to gently rock back and forth slowly Teayre entwines her hand with her fiancée’s. “I… I… I miss you Cal… I miss before the guild… Before Beleram… Before anyone… When we could just spend time together without having to deal with obligations…†As she began to sob again Teayre turned into her future husband’s chest.

 

“With Ariel and the guild and that… I went along with it because of what you said for the Azure Brigaide… I don’t really want to be in a guild at all, I’m thinking of leaving besides who even gives themselves the power to veto a council vote they can vote in?†Her teeth gritting she kept pressed against Calrex the coldness of the shop causing the small red head to begin to shiver. “W-when Meo wanted to get her familiar… I couldn’t say no… It, it wouldn’t of been fair on her, I needed to help her.â€

 

She looked at Calrex’s eyes before gulping and averting her gaze placing a hand on the boy’s chest as she begins to spiral her finger round and round. “When things started to run through my head it almost became too much… I know I was hurting you… I didn’t want that so I thought about it… Then… Before you grabbed me, I realised it’d hurt you more… I’m… I’m so sorry Callie-kun… I really am.â€

[Calrex 0]

Calrex listened quietly as Teayre voiced her thoughts about all that has happened, giving a calming breath as he held her close, wrapping his arms around her. "I hear you Teayre, I miss those days too. When we didn't have to worry about the responsibilities of being higher level players. Heck I still remember those outings that we took the first day after we became a couple, and when we went to the second floor."

 

"Honestly, I do wish I had more time to spend with her. Ever since we became engaged, and then suddenly council members of Absolute Pin..."

 

"With Ariel and the guild and that… I went along with it because of what you said for the Azure Brigaide… I don’t really want to be in a guild at all, I’m thinking of leaving besides who even gives themselves the power to veto a council vote they can vote in?"

 

As he heard those words Calrex gave another calming breath, "So...she's been only doing this for me...again..."

 

"I can see why people would think that. It would be one thing to have an actual council, but bearing both the King and Queen pieces gives her a lot of power. But really, I do have concerns about the guild, but moreso on Ariel's part. You remember how she referred to the Azure Brigade right? She called them 'family.' I can only begin to wonder how she felt when suddenly she was expelled from that. In a way, I guess I'm thinking the quickness of her forming Absolute Pin was some way of salvaging that feeling."

 

"When things started to run through my head it almost became too much… I know I was hurting you… I didn’t want that so I thought about it… Then… Before you grabbed me, I realised it’d hurt you more… I’m… I’m so sorry Callie-kun… I really am."

 

"She's talking about that time on the ninth floor..."

 

He gave a sigh as he felt the emotions run through him as he nodded, "No, I should be apologizing too Teayre. For pulling you into whatever things I've gotten myself into. I promised that I wouldn't lose myself to the focus of protecting you...I guess that with everything that's happened...I kind of forgot about it. I had gotten concerned about you too, since you said that you didn't care about yourself, only me. It...kind of made me think that the promise was one sided. That you wanted me to hold myself back, but it was okay for you to lose yourself in protecting me."

 

Calrex gave a small smile as he brushed Teayre's head, "I guess those words kind of threw me into pursuit of becoming stronger, in order to prove that I'm not someone you need to keep safe all the time. That...you could count on me, whether it be in the heat of combat or just sitting here discussing the things weighing upon us."

 

He gave a small sigh as he continued speaking, "I guess somewhere deep down I was afraid that the way you were acting...it was some sign that you were trying to shut everyone out, including me. If that were going to happen...well...if we're going to romanticize it..."

 

He felt his cheeks flush for a second as he continued speaking, "If I was only strong enough to fight back only my own darkness normally, then I'd work twice as hard, burn twice as bright so that I could keep yours at bay as well...even if it meant I could only do so for half as long. If it brought a smile back to your face, then nothing else mattered."

 

He felt a tear creep up on the side of his eye as he blinked, "I'm sorry, I guess I'm not really sounding like myself aren't I?"

[Teayre 0]

“C… Cal. It may sound kind of silly but… After the bandit raid’s over… Let’s… Let’s leave the guild. Go back to being solo players when we could just relax in the fields of floor two or go ice skating. When we wanted, when there was no hard and fast rules about what we can and can’t do except what we choose to do…†Pausing for a moment Teayre slipped herself closer to Calrex entwining their bodies as she sat on his lap her head resting on his chest her arms around his waist. “We’re just playing a game remember…. So we might as well enjoy it, take a break from the tough stuff and just have some fun. It sounds silly I know but… I think we’ve been worrying so much about getting out of this game for each other that we… that we lost each other a bit in the process…â€

 

Tears began to roll down her face again as she pressed into Calrex, her body shaking as she tightened her grip nuzzling him. “I’m not saying I don’t want to protect, you I don’t want to become strong. No I think we’re plenty strong at the moment…†she shook her head as Calrex said to her about needing to keep him safe. “No… I know I don’t need to keep you safe… I want to keep you safe Cal, I want to do my best so that you don’t get hurt… I know I can count on you as I have done countless times, but it doesn’t stop me every time wishing I could stop that one point of damage or that one status effect.â€

 

Trailing off she squeezed the boy tightly before slowly extracting herself from him as she slipped out she stood up and put a pot of hot chocolate on and settled back down on the couch sliding up next to Calrex, As he started to speak one small phrase stuck in her mind “even if it meant I could only do so for half as long†She turned glaring at him, “If you’re only going to burn half as long Calrex, I’ll put give you some of my wick so that you’ll burn for your entire time… Understand?†Her voice was hard and bitter as she spoke, a small blush appeared on her cheek as she traced a small pattern on Calrex’s leg. She whispers one phrase. “Thank youâ€

[Calrex 0]

"Yeah, that's definitely sounding more and more enticing. But, since there's still time before the quest actually takes place I think it'd be best if I spoke to Ariel about this. You're right, we could just up and leave when it's over, but I've got too many people I trust in this guild now. I'm sure you know some of them: Skylar, Clarence, Hikoru...even my protege Takneil. People that I don't want to leave in a guild without a clear head. I want to inform Ariel about these things that concern us, so that she could possibly change the guild for the better. There's already a few people I can think of that could fill our positions and would perform better in them well."

 

"Get all of our affairs in order before leaving right?"

 

As Teayre went to go grab the hot chocolate Calrex sat quietly as he watcher her do so, a smile on his face. Once she returned he relaxed into the couch, nodding as Teayre responded to his romanticized statement, "Heh, hence why I usually avoid the romanticized analogies, but you're welcome."

[Teayre 0]

Looking at Calrex Teayre nods slowly a few more tears start to fall down her face, wrapping her arms around they boy her drink falling and spilling on the floor. “Cal, I don’t want to lose you ever okay.†Peering up at the boy she slowly smiles, “Besides… We need to start planning our wedding don’t we?â€

 

Squeezing him gently Teayre starts to push herself up sitting on her own, looking at Calrex her eyes that of a puppies she smiles, “Would you mind if we… We started the planning?†Reaching forward Teayre grabs one of her many sketchpads and a pencil before settling herself down next to her fiancée leaning into him.

[Calrex 0]

Calrex gave a smile as he cheeks flushed at Teayre speaking about the wedding, "Yeah, we definitely need to get on that."

 

Seeing the hot chocolate on the floor he prepared to get something to clean it up before it suddenly dissipated into crystals, "Oh right, expired items turn back into crystals. I keep forgetting about that fact."

 

With that he sat back down as he turned to face Teayre, "I definitely want to make this right Teayre, and I want you to have a wedding that will make you happy."

 

"Of course, with all of the stuff that keeps forcing us to put it off, sometimes I feel like I just want to get the actual thing done already and then have the thought out one with friends later on once all of the business was over. At least that way the two of us will at least be satisfied with it. But, that wouldn't be fair to Teayre. She wants this to be a big thing, planned out and everything, and I want to do right by her"

 

"So, what should we get looking at first?"

[Teayre 0]

Chuckling as Calrex got up to sort out the hot chocolate Teayre reaches up placing a hand on his cheek, “I love you Calnus, more than you know I mean it I really do.†As he sat back down and faced her Teayre and started speaking Teayre completely ignored his as she proceeded to discard the sketchpad and pencil and promptly pounced on him. Her lips caressing his as she lay on top of him on the couch. “How about we make up for all the time we’ve not been together first Cah-lie-kun?â€

 

Teayre smiled mischievously at Calrex before she gently nipped the tip of his nose, and rested her head on his chest her breathing beginning to slow as her eyelids fluttered shut. “C-Callie… C-could you t-tell me…†As she was speaking her voice faded off once as she fell into a very light sleep.

[Calrex 0]

Calrex's eyes widened in surprise as Teayre decided to suddenly discard the sketchpad, leaping on top of him. His face flushed at the sudden act as he gave a warm smile.

 

"How about we make up for all the time we’ve not been together first Cah-lie-kun?"

 

"O-Of course Narlia! It's certainly been a while since we've spent so much time together right?"

 

He gently wrapped his arms around her waist as he continued to smile, his face still red as he looked at his fiancee's eyes before she rested her head on his chest.

 

"C-Callie… C-could you t-tell me…"

 

"Hm?"

 

Calrex looked down to see that Teayre had drifted off into a light slumber. He gave a smile as he rested his head gently on top of hers as he brushed the back of her hair, helping her fully drift off to sleep, "Whatever it is you want me to tell you, I'll tell you once you've gotten a good rest."

[Teayre 0]

Her head raising slightly after some time her breathing back to normal as Teayre opened her eyes slowly. “C… Cal?†Feeling a hand gently stroking her head Teayre wrapped her arm around Calrex’s body twisting and leaning up stealing another kiss from him. “Callie.†A huge smile grew on her face as she beamed down at her boyfriend. The hand that wasn’t underneath Calrex began to spiral around on his cheek slowly.

 

“Callie, I know I said before I wanted a bigger wedding… How about something small so that we can get married and get sorted before continuing on with what we want to do?†Pausing for a moment leaning in and grabbing another kiss from her soon to be husband Teayre shifts so she is lying down next to him rather than on top of him. “I was thinking maybe Oikawa, Kotori, Azazel, Hikoru, Takaneil, Clarence and Skylar of course, and Ariel maybe? I’m not too sure really what do you think guest list wise?â€

[Calrex 0]

Calrex's face flushed a deeper red as Teayre stole another kiss from him as he gave another smile, "Good morning silly, well, it's still evening, so maybe not heh."

 

"Callie, I know I said before I wanted a bigger wedding… How about something small so that we can get married and get sorted before continuing on with what we want to do?...I was thinking maybe Oikawa, Kotori, Azazel, Hikoru, Takneil, Clarence and Skylar of course, and Ariel maybe? I’m not too sure really what do you think guest list wise?"

 

Hearing those words Calrex's eyes widened as his face flushed as deep red as it could go, his heart racing, "You know I swear you're starting to read my thoughts Teayre. I was thinking the same thing a minute or two ago. As for the guest list that sounds perfectly fine."

 

"As for Azazel, it would depend if we can even find her again. She cleared out her contacts list, at least from what I can tell, so there's no way of locating where she could be."

 

"But yeah, if you feel the same way about having a small wedding let's do it. I'm getting married to you Narlia, not to everyone else, so the focus should be the act itself, not what goes with it right?"

[Teayre 0]

Nodding Teayre reached over the back of the couch her feet kicking the air as she grabbed the sketchpad and pen. Realising she couldn’t move much now otherwise she’d fall flat on her face Teayre grimaces. “C-Cal… could you help me please? I’m a little stuck… Oh god I really hope no customers walk in right now…†As she waited for Calrex to help her Teayre supported herself on one arm as she opened her pad to a blank page.

 

Feeling herself being lifted Teayre looks over at Calrex seeing him chuckle she glares down at him. “Oi! You’re not supposed to laugh at me.†Sitting down letting out a small ‘hmph’ Teayre took a pencil and began to draw a quick picture showing to Calrex. She sticks her tongue out at him, the picture was of a stick figure and a bucket of water being poured over him. A single word was written next to the picture and that was ‘Calrex’. “Anyway… Forgetting about the guests and that… What would you like to do about rings… Want to choose each others, get them homemade and so forth or?â€

[Calrex 0]

"I'm sorry Teayrie, I couldn't help it..."

 

"Wait..."

 

Calrex felt his hand slap his mouth as he just realized what he said, "D-Did I just call you a nickname?"

 

His face flushed multiple shades of red before he gave a calming breath, addressing Teayre's question, "I think it would be nice to get each others. I'm no good at making anything in this game, at least to the level of artistic beauty you're able to create. So picking a couple out, or maybe even designing them together would be something nice to do."

 

His face still flushed as he gave a warm smile, putting a hand behind his head, "Sorry about that nickname earlier. I guess I've gotten so used to you calling me Callie it just kind of came out as an answer to that."

[Teayre 0]

"I'm sorry Teayrie, I couldn't help it..."

 

Teayre dropped her pencil as it clattered to the floor, before it burst into many crystals her whole body froze as a smile eluded itself onto her face. A red tinge long forgotten began to shimmer across as her eyes fluttered gazing at Calrex. “Tearie... Tear-ie… T-er-rie!†Teayre began pronouncing her name in several different ways the redness on her cheeks becoming more prominent as Calrex babbled on about things. As Calrex started apologising Teayre shook her head as she snapped out of her little reverie. “I’m… I’m sorry Callie-kun, what were you saying… I wasn’t really listening…â€

 

Teayre picked another pencil and began to draw a ring on the piece of paper the black and white band had a celtic knot etched into it as Teayre slowly did it, however in the design she cut the knot off half way and started on another ring on the other side it appeared to be an exact mirror of the  ring she had just drawn.

[Calrex 0]

"Eh...I was saying that we could maybe design each other's rings, that way it's something specific to each of us."

 

Calrex's face remained flushed and seemed to stuck there as he noticed Teayre's face flush in response. He felt a smile come across his face as he kept his hand behind his head. With that he shifted over so that he could get a good look at what Teayre was drawing, "That's looking really nice there Teayrie!"

 

"I...guess I should start using that nickname more often. She's called me by a nickname for so long it's only proper that I should have a nickname for her right? As long as I avoid using it around other people, heh."

[Teayre 0]

“That’s looking really nice there Teayrie!â€

 

As Calrex complimented her work Teayre pulled her hood up around her head, the redness had spread across her whole face. If it wasn’t enough that Calrex had complimented her he had also used her nickname he had just thought of for her. “C-Callie!†Teayre began to protest before stopping and looking down at what she had done. There was now a great big line through both rings, pausing for breath she puts the sketchpad down on the coffee table before gazing up at her fiancée. “You know we still need to set a date… How about the first of July?â€

[Calrex 0]

"July 1st? Yeah, that sounds like more than enough time to get something small put together."

 

As Teayre pulled her hood up Calrex gave a smile as he already figured why she did so. He gently wrapped his arms around his fiancee as he leaned against her as he rested his head on Teayre's shoulder, "If you want to have it sooner or later, I'm fine either way. But I'm just glad that we're getting married."

 

He felt his face flush even further as he gave a quick kiss on the top of her hood before resting his head on her shoulder once again.

[Teayre 0]

As Calrex got close to her Teayre couldn’t surpress a smile and turned round just before he rested his head against hers. “Cal… I can’t wait there’s not long now then… I guess we’d better send a PM out to everyone… Where shall we have it done?†As Teayre began to spurt out a lot of information she didn’t let go of Calrex once her head firmly nestled into his chest, one of her hands placed on his cheek as he rested his head on her shoulder.

 

“What about that garden on the second floor Cal? It’s secluded enough that no one will intrude and yet big enough we will be to get everyone in, then we can go the High Fields after or something… Don’t just stay quiet it’s your wedding to you know, what would you like to do. Don’t give me the ‘whatever you want Teayre’ thing either… I want this to be the third best day in our entire lives for both of us…â€

 

The red head began to blush, putting more pressure on her head she wrapped her arms around Calrex's torso and squeezed.

[Calrex 0]

"Heh, the third best? I'm curious what you think the first two are."

 

Calrex's face remained flushed as he thought of the two areas Teayre suggested, a smile coming to his face. The garden she had mentioned was the first place they went on their date to the High Fields while looking around for picnic supplies. It was probably one of the two floors that held the most fond memories of him and Teayre. The second was this floor, the fourth.

 

"The High Fields is definitely a place I want to have on there, but for the actual wedding I'm kind of conflicted between the second floor and the fourth. Both have a lot of fond memories, so I would like it to be someplace special, although the garden is a great place in my opinion."