Tales of the Abyss
Chapter 3
Impulse
There were no windows in the house, but I could tell it was morning. The room was still dark, but I could feel the emptiness in the bed; Tear's spot was unoccupied. I guess she had woken up before me and started her day. I wiped my eyes with my clenched hands, hearing footsteps coming into the room from the stairs to my right. Tear elevated back to my level, looking right at me with a red face and a small brown cup in her hand. My nose tickled with the scent of fresh coffee, mixed with some delicious french vanilla flavoring. I inhaled a big whiff of the smell, and I could feel my heart leap a little higher than it already was. Tear was wrapped in a soft, comfy black bathrobe, the ends barely passing over her knees. She walked over to me and placed the cup next to the lamp, and she smiled warmly at me.
"Here. It's fresh coffee."
I reached my hand over to grab the coffee, and I lifted the cup to my mouth for a small sip. Just as I thought, it was burning hot, just like good coffee should be. "Thanks."
Her smile widened a little. "You're welcome. I made it myself."
"Yeah? It's really good."
She kneeled down and kissed my forehead. "I'm glad you like it."
"I do. I could drink this every morning and night, but only if you made it."
She giggled. "Luke, I have some things to do today."
I blinked. "Hmm?"
"I'm going to Chesedonia to do some grocery shopping with Anise."
"Chesedonia? Why not here in Yulia City?"
"Chesedonia's got plenty of variety, and their goods are fresh and tasty. Not like here. I always go somewhere else to fetch food or supplies."
"Oh. I see, now."
"Anyway, you're more than welcome to stay here and make yourself at home. Hopefully, I won't be too long."
"All right. I'll stay here. For you." I leaned up to kiss her on her precious lips, and she giggled as soon as they touched. I broke away with a smile.
"I love you, Luke."
"And I love you, Tear."
"I won't be gone long."
"Okay. Have fun. And be careful."
I hastily picked up my clothes, which were scattered all throughout her room, dressed myself, and left through the stairs; I wanted to give her enough room to change and get ready to leave. Aren't I such a considerate husb-
Wait...Husband...
"I'll see you later, Luke," said Tear coming back down from the stairs. Guess I wandered off there for a minute. Well, longer than that; Tear had already come back downstairs and was ready to leave by the time she said my name. I quickly glanced over to her.
"A-All right."
Her beautiful blue orbs widened. "Hmm? Something the matter?"
I shook my head hastily. "N-No. Nothing's the matter."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah! I'm perfectly fine!"
She blinked in confusion. "Well, all right. I'll see you later, then?"
"Yeah! Definitely! I'll be here."
She giggled, and she reached for the door and opened it, walking out and on her way.
Man, that was close. What was I thinking? Husband? No way! Well, no, I mean...would she accept my proposal? I didn't even know HOW to propose to a woman. Sure, I've read stuff about it, where I'm supposed to get on one knee and hold out that little box and-
Wait...that little box...What's supposed to go IN that box?
I felt the need to escape this place, and so, I went back to the entrance and hitched a ride on the Princess Natalia once again. It was time to pay a visit to Grand Chokmah, where I would go visit Guy. Sure enough, the ship docked with no casualties, and I bolted off the ship and over to the palace. As I entered the palace, I dashed up the stairs and into the throne room, my eyes fixating on the emperor who sat in his chair but a few feet away. He glanced up to see me, and his face widened with a smile.
"Luke! Hey, there! It's been ages, man!"
I threw a cheesy grin. "Y-Yeah, it sure has."
He clapped his hands and grinned. "So! What can I, the great Emperor Peony, do for you today?"
"I need to know where Guy is. Do you know where I can find him?"
"Hmm...I had given him the duty of taking care of my Rapigs today. Perhaps you should check my quarters."
"Great! Thanks, Your Majesty!" I bolted out the door and over to his quarters, knocking on the door and greeting a rather dirty Guy.
"Luke! It's great to see you again!" He patted me on the back with his hand, and he ushered me into the room. He motioned his hand towards a chair, signaling for me to have a seat.
"So? What's up, Luke?"
"Uhh...Guy, I...I think..."
"Yeah?"
"I think...I need your help."
"Hmm? My help with what?"
I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. "Umm...well, you know when a guy asks a girl to marry them, he...he shows her a little box?"
He snickered. I could tell he found my lack of intellect amusing. "Yeah?"
My cheeks turned a little darker. "W-What goes in that box?"
His eyes widened at my question, and his face lit with a curious smile. "Why, Luke, are you thinking about marrying someone?"
"I...Err...Yeah."
He flipped over in his seat, and he managed to pick himself back up again. "I was only kidding, you know."
"Oh...Sorry. But I was serious."
"Oh? Then who? Who're you gonna-" He didn't even finish his question before he threw a twisted grin on his face. "Tear."
"Yeah. Tear."
He leapt to his feet and walked over to me, patting me on the back. "Well, damn, Luke! It's about time you two got serious. Congrats!"
"Thanks...I guess."
"But to answer your question, that little box has a diamond ring in it."
"A diamond ring?"
"Well, not always diamonds. Sometimes, it can be another pretty gemstone, like a sapphire or an aquamarine. It just depends on what your woman is interested in."
"Oh..."
"But most women like diamonds. They're supposed to be their best friends."
"But how? Diamonds aren't real things...are they?"
He sighed. "Never mind."
"So...I should get Tear a pretty stone, and put it in a small box..."
"Uhh...I don't think that'll work, Luke."
"Huh? Why not? You just said-"
"You have to know what she's in to. You have to know what she would want. Something she would want to wear."
Something...she would want to wear...
Hold on a second...
"Luke?"
"That's it! I know what she wants!"
"W-Whoa! Don't scare me like that!"
I shook his hand and bolted out the door. "Thanks, Guy!" I ran as fast as I could down the stairs and out of the palace, heading for the shop in the middle of town. As I walked into the store, I was greeted by genuinely happy clerks and even a few customers. I smiled and waved at them, making my way to the corner of the store to greet a salesman. I had seen him before during our journey, but I never really bothered with him.
"Oh? Well, good day, sir! What can I get for you?"
"Do you have any pricey gems?"
"Of course! Right this way!" I followed him to a small room in the back of the store, and he gestured his hand to a moderately-sized case of different kinds of jewelery. "Anything particular you're looking for, sir?"
"Just something pricey. Mind if I browse a little bit?"
He grinned. "Not at all! Please, do go ahead. I'll be in the front if you need me."
"Great. Thanks."
I started looking through the glass case, staring down at some rather flashy and shiny pieces of jewelery. As my eyes made their way down towards the end of the case, I felt a sudden tingle down my spine. My eyes widened, and my jaw dropped far.
"That's...!"
-TEAR'S POV-
Shopping with Anise...If she hadn't invited me, I wouldn't have come. But then again, we hadn't seen one another ever since Luke came back home. Chesedonia was always so lively and a little bit crowded, but it was good to see that there were still people here at all. If it wasn't for Luke, then this world would still be consumed by the poison of the miasma. That single act has made him a hero in its own right. The world knows him as their savior; I know him as my true love.
"Hey, Tear! Gnome to Tear!"
I snapped back into reality. "Sorry, Anise. What were you saying?"
She snickered at my dazed expression. "Thinking about Luke again?"
"Again? I don't know what you're-"
"Oh, come on, Tear. It's about time you stop trying to hide things from me. I can tell from your expression what-or who-was on your mind, little missy!"
Little missy? Hmm...but she WAS pretty accurate. I WAS thinking about Luke. And I still am.
"You two finally got serious! So don't try and hide anything, okay? That makes me feel bad when I don't know what's goin' on with my friends!"
I smiled at her consideration, however false it may have sounded. "Thanks, Anise."
She giggled. "So, tell me. Was he good?"
"What?"
"Did it feel good? Losing your virginity to Luke, I mean."
My entire face lit red, and I walked forward and away from Anise. I knew that something was going to come out of her mouth; I just didn't expect something like that. It wasn't until I took about ten steps without paying attention that I bumped into someone. I didn't fall to the ground; I just brushed off my clothes. I looked over to see who it was I ran into.
"Tear? Anise?"
"Noelle!" Anise shouted behind me. She ran up to Noelle and wrapped her in a tight, squeezing hug, and released her after about ten seconds of hugging her. "It's good to see you again!"
She giggled. "Likewise, you two! What brings you to Chesedonia?"
"We were just getting in some grocery shopping. I don't like to eat anything that stays in Yulia City for too long."
She laughed. "Yeah, fresh foods are the best foods!"
"Exactly."
"Tear? Are you all right? Your face...it's all red."
Oh, no...I had totally forgotten about that.
"She's just thinking about her first time with Luke!" Anise exclaimed, as if she wanted to let the world hear her. My face went even darker than before.
"Your...first time?" she whispered.
"It's not important," I whispered back.
"You mean...the two of you..."
"Yes. Now please. Drop the subject."
"O...Okay."
"Well?" said Anise. "We've got plenty of groceries. You wanna head back?"
"Sure," I nodded. On our way back to the ship, Noelle stopped in place and looked down at the ground, distressed. I turned to face her, grocery bags still in my arms. "What's wrong, Noelle?"
"Tear...do you think...Luke is gonna ask you to marry him?"
I dropped one of the grocery bags. Rats.
"S-Say what?"
Anise turned around with a grin across her face. "Of course! In fact, I'll bet you anything he's already got the ring ready and everything!"
There went the other grocery bag.
"Luke's not-"
"That's so romantic. I wish someone would go that distance for me."
"Well, what about Guy?"
She shook her head. "No...I...I don't think he's over that phobia of his. If he was, then..."
"I know," I comforted her. "But just give it time. Maybe he'll warm up to you."
"Yeah!" agreed Anise. "Maybe you should invite him to go with you on a cruise through the Albiore!"
"I...I guess so. Yeah, I'll fly to Grand Chokmah and ask him!" She ran off in the other direction, most likely jetting into the Albiore and going off to see Guy. Anise set my grocery bags, which were still on the ground, mind you, inside the ship, and she walked up to me, wrapping me in a hug. "Today was fun. I hope we can do it again sometime."
I looked down at her with a half-smile. "Yes. Me, too."
She ran off to follow Noelle, and I turned back to the ship and headed on home.
Back at Yulia City, I steadily made my way back to my house, the bags still in my hands. But to my surprise, the lights were all off, and Luke was nowhere to be found. I hastily set the bags down near a chair by the table, and I hurried upstairs to look for Luke. Nothing. There was only one place left to look, which was the flower bed. I went into the room, and sure enough, there he was, standing briskly in front of a small patch of beautiful selenias. I approached him with a smile on my face.
"Are you enjoying the flowers?"
He turned to me with a smile on his face, and I could tell there was one in his heart, too.
"Yeah. They're beautiful. Selenias are definitely the best."
"Yes, I agree."
"Tear..."
"Hmm?"
"There's something I wanted to give you."
I put my hand on my torso, and my eyes widened. "For me?"
He slowly walked closer to me, and he took my spare hand into his. I felt something hit the surface of my palm. It felt...like a box.
"I wanted to get you something that showed you how much you mean to me. How much I love you."
My eyes looked down at my hand, and in my grasp, there was a little blue box. I glanced back up at him, and back down at the box. My fingers carefully flipped the lid open, and they revealed the inside of the package. There was a little bit of foil wrapped around whatever was inside of the box, and when I removed the foil, my eyes grew wider than they already were. I felt this unsettling emotion welling up within my being. It wasn't a bad emotion...I felt happy. Overjoyed.
"Luke! This is...my pendant!"
He grinned at me. "Yeah. Sorry I made you waste it for our coach ride."
"Luke..." I looked back up at him. "Thank you...Thank you so much!"
He chuckled at my happiness. "But that's not all."
"What?"
He took the pendant and draped it around my neck, and he placed both of his hands on the sterling sapphire. His eyes gazed into mine, that green stare I had all but fallen madly in love with staring right at my tear-filled eyes.
"Tear...I'm no good at this sort of thing. I...I've only read about it before, but...I want you to know...how I really feel about you. I don't think I'll ever meet someone better than you. I'll never find another person that makes me feel this way. That's why...I want you to be with me. I want you to be mine. Forever."
"Luke...!" I could barely hold myself together.
He dropped down on one knee on the bed of flowers, and he gazed back into my eyes. I looked down at him with a wide, open smile. He took my hands in his, and he opened his mouth once again to speak.
"Mystearica Grants...will you marry me?"
