"Oh, is that a couple ring?"
"Yeap, he gave me money to buy this couple's ring."
"Nice!"
"Who should I give this to?"
"What? Haha, decide that for yourself. It's best if you give it to someone you like and someone you'll spend most of your time with. I mean, it is a couple ring"
"Oh, do you want to have it?"
"Wh-what?"
"Come on, I am asking if you want to go out with me..."
Despite being a different entity, a household shares one mainframe system and there is no hiding the fact of that they all know what the other is doing. However, this doesn't stop the fact of limited knowledge and individuality.
.
The morning came and Alliexya hurriedly prepared breakfast. She was feeling distracted as that scene plays back in her dream. It was almost hard to imagine if there will be someone who can be with her. The events of Klarck's marriage and the proposal she saw from Spera, in his memories, really opened her eyes to how nice it would be to have someone whom she can happily spend her time and life with. There were talks of benefits in the marriage contract but truthfully, Alliexya felt that she just really want to spend time with someone whom she can have fun and be with.
As she called for everyone to eat, she received a message and some pictures attached to it. Recently, after their video shoot, she has constantly been receiving pictures from Malware, pictures of their ending success poses and some other random candid shots they took with his friends on their runs. Lately, Elrios has finally started their sales on a Marionette pet and the craze for it was just amazing. Some of those pics that Malware sent has him joking around someone else's Marionette pet.
"Morning, Allie." Klarck greeted as he reached the dinning room, placing his stuff down at the door, as a rule that they do when entering the dinning hall.
"Oh, you are up so early today. Is something happening? You are fully equipped right now." Allie asked as she handed his share of the bacon and toast, eyeing the weapons he placed at the door.
"Yes, I am heading straight to Elrios after breakfast. You see, Spera has finally found a seller for a Marionette pet and I am going to help her sort her money. You know how shy she gets with strangers."
"I see. So you will be the one to "buy" this pet for her and she will just be the one paying everything?"
"Yeap, I am just the one who will close the deal but there are no assurances. We might have competition since the sale for it is like "who gives the highest bid" or something like that. It's not only us who aims for the pet, especially when it has come to a cheap price." He then starts eating breakfast and greeted the rest of the household to eat as they came in.
"Eww, don't talk with your mouth full, Klarcky" Kritt came in and placed a newspaper wrapped item at the entrance before grabbing a cup of milk from the refrigerator and sat down where Alliexya placed Kritt's share.
"Morning Allie, Klarck, Sis." Alexeand greeted as he helped Claytte come in the dinning area and sits him on his chair.
"What's up with you bringing Claytte in?" Kritt asked, pointing the fork to their direction.
"I... am not sure myself, I just saw him lying on the floor outside my room." Alexeand started to look worried and confused.
"Ahhh... I tripped, I think... This has to be nothing... I mean, I just missed a couple of meds lately..." Claytte replied, grabbing his head from the pain he's feeling.
"Whoa, time out!" Alliexya stomped her way to Claytte. "Why did you miss them?"
"Well, I haven't been eating anyways, unless you are telling me to eat meds with an empty stomach. And... I am feeling really tired lately. I am mostly asleep and, I don't think I can resume leveling up for now..."
She then hugged Claytte and pats his head. "Okay, Claytte, please don't push yourself...no one is forcing you to level up. Let's take care of your health first and Alex, please try to make sure he's eating and taking his meds ok?
"Sure Allie, no problem." Alexeand replied with a smile, eager to help.
"Oh... But that means you can't level up too..." Alliexya tried to think for another solution, but the only option that presented itself was to take care of the situation herself. "I suggested it so I should be the one..."
"Nah, it's okay." Alexeand cuts her off from speaking any further and made sure that she would not need to be bothered about Claytte. Almost everyone knew that she's already busy with the guild and some things are just left unsaid when a certain someone always accompanies her in Solace. "I don't mind staying at home at all and I'm a full-fledged Rune Slayer now. You should all hurry and attend to your plans, really, I'll handle it."
After placing the plates to the sink, Klarck walked over to Claytte and gave him a gentle pat on the back, "try not to do anything stupid... for Allie's sake. And Alex, thanks for your voluntary decision, I'll leave this up to you for now and..." he then looks at the dinning room entry way, where he heard a familiar rhythm of footsteps coming in. "Ask Tatsuya to help out too."
Tatsuya came in, intrigued and puzzled with what was happening as everyone looked at him as he entered the dinning room and Alexeand nodding in response. "oh...kay...?"
With that, Klarck walked towards the entrance and grabbed his Destroyer and Silver Shooters. "Just help Alex take care of Claytte. I will be back to help out as soon as I am done with my work."
Tatsuya looked at Klarck in the eyes and gauged the seriousness of the situation. "I see. I will do my best..."
.
Klarck let out a sigh after getting killed and revived by Fiora upon finishing their run in Velder's Hallucination.
"Yo... what's wrong?" Fiora asked, feeling a bit guilty since Klarck usually just laughs after a Velder Secret Dungeon run.
"Oh, ah nothing... Something's happening with Claytte recently, it's almost a week and he is still in such a state."
"Ohh... I see. Hmph. Well that's the fate of them Diabolic Espers... Though, we are planning to house one sooner or later..."
"Ohh, you will have a DiE huh..." Klarck sat on his Destroyer as he received the reward of their efforts in clearing their daily quest. "But to be honest, aside from Claytte, I am more concerned with Allie."
"Ohh! What's with Miss Allie?" she asked as she sat in front of him, flipping the VH Coin they received.
"Well, I guess she's too concerned for all of us for her own good. Even though Alex and Tats is already taking good care of Claytte, she's still staying at home from time to time to help take care of him plus at nights, she would research until she falls asleep on how to help him somehow, with her magic."
"I see... that's really nice of Miss Allie. Though I don't think we'd ever have an Aisha. I don't think I can manage one."
"W-well it's all in the preference." Klarck's ECD suddenly vibrates and received a message from his beloved Nemesis that she finally got the Life Crystal for a Marionette. He smiled and looked at the device function of the marriage chat system. "By the way, Fio... do you plan on marrying anyone?"
"What?" Fiora quizzically looked at him and thought about it for a while. "Well, actually, straight out, the wedding skill has its advantages. But if possible, only the guys in this household are eligible. I mean, if ever there would be a marriage, the household will not want to take the bride's side, if possible."
He laughed, ""Guys"? You do realize that there is only you, Ris and Neo in your household. Neo's the only guy there."
"Yeah... and Lunaris is a bloody vampire, she doesn't need marriage skill." She stood up and started walking towards the bank and Klarck followed.
"Well then, what about it? Do you think you can ask Neo if he wants to marry Allie?"
"Whoa, you serious? Why her?" She froze and looked at him if he was kidding but it seemed like he was dead serious.
"Well, truthfully, skill-wise, Allie needs it more since she is really more fragile than what you think. Like almost every time she goes to a dungeon, she always finishes with low health and I guess this is also in preparation for Glave's challenges. I mean, try to consider it coz, if there was someone who'd marry anyone from my family, I'd hope it's someone among my friends, you know."
"I see... I kinda understand your point, I'll try talking it out with Accel then."
"Thanks."
"B-but why her?"
"Huh? Why not... her?"
"No, I mean... Isn't she going out with someone already?"
"Uhh... no? I don't think so." He looked at her puzzled at who this someone might be.
"Ugh, never mind."
.
"So... what is this about again?" Alliexya asked as she and Klarck waited around the Sander Accessory Shop.
"Well, to put it simply," Klarck scratched his head, feeling a bit unsure on how to explain to her that he set her up with Neo Accel, "you will just try to talk it out with Neo. He said he'd help you level up too..."
"But, I don't mind helping around at home for the mean time..."
"Ehh... no buts! You should go out with Neo for a change of pace." He froze as he realized saying "go out" to her. "Uhh hahaha... you know?"
She didn't really catch on what he said about going out, thinking that it is about leaving the house from time to time and not dating someone. "Well, okay. It's Neo anyways... though it is strange that he wants to level up with me all of a sudden..."
"Just think of it as your job as the guild leader!"
"Oh, about that..."
"Heyy~" Fiora waved towards Alliexya and Klarck as she playfully slapped Neo forward, causing him to grumble and walk ahead.
"Sup, Klarckeh." Neo greeted and gave him a quick fist bump.
"Yo!" Klarck immediately scratched his head after the fist bump, feeling a bit embarrassed to how he responded to his greeting.
"Well," Fiora grinned and heavily patted Neo's back, "go on, talk to Miss Allie and be nice, okay?"
"Urghh... fine and can you please stop that?" Neo leaned away from her and started walking to Alliexya's direction, "uhmm, can we talk somewhere more... uhh... away from them? for now..."
Alliexya smiled, "sure." They started walking farther from Fiora and Klarck as they also started to converse about something.
After feeling safer, being away from his Blazing Heart sister, Neo quickly fixed his hair, brushing it up from the side. "Okay, let's rak." He quickly tossed out his ECD and caught it without much effort then immediately sent out a party link. "Come on, bring me anywhere and everywhere."
She received the prompt and immediately accepted the party request, followed by a prompt that she became the party leader. "Okie, let's go to defeat Ran?"
"Hoho... Ran, nice. Want to rip that bastard again. I have some payback to do from one of Glave's Challenges. Come on, don't bother queueing anymore, you know why?"
Feeling curious and upbeat from Neo's jumpy character, Alliexya smiled as she asked, "why?"
"Hmph," with a quick flip from his Dynamos, he had a smug smile as he said, "Well, 'coz I'm Swag. Let's rak."
She laughed in amazement and they immediately got transported to the Halls of Water.
"Wha..." Fiora saw them disappear and walked a few steps forward. "That idiot! I bet he misunderstood me."
"Haha..." Klarck rested his hand on one of the columns of the shop and sighed. "Well, actually, I couldn't bring to say what this meeting was about to Allie."
"What?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Irregardless, I think that is fine an all, Klarck, but I am sure that I told him that this was all about marrying Miss Allie."
"Oh. Then he must have a plan of some sort to bring her into some dungeon run?"
She sighed and walk back to Klarck, where he immediately placed his destroyer down for her to sit. "Man, I don't understand Accel sometimes. His ego is just... out there."
"Haha, yeah," he sat beside her and smiled. "That's what makes him fun to be with."
.
"Oh man... it's Fallen Chloe." Alliexya casts a Blizzard Shower, causing the evil fallen archer to freeze in place. "I really hate it when she moves..."
Neo fires a blast downward, using his favorite Quake Buster skill to finish her off. "Heh, Quake Buster and Conqueror is the only skills you need in the world! Make sure you tell Freittz to get those skills."
"Okie, noted. By the way, thanks for going with me through this quest. No one is queueing to go to Halls of Waters nowadays. I must have missed the wave of people who quests for this dungeon."
"Well, stay alert," he sends his Dynamos ahead to defeat the other monsters lurking through the halls. "Jabu Jabu is next."
"Ughh... I think I hate all the mini-boss here. Why do they all have to be summoned here? Wait, I'll freeze Victor once I have enough energy to cast the spell."
"Sure. Just rak if you're ready... and one quick question... do you know why I am helping you?"
"Umm, not really. I mean, I would rather stay home for the mean time."
"I see. Let's go, almost Ran."
.
After killing Ran, Neo revived Alliexya from her fateful death by Ran's shadows and claws so that she can receive the Dungeon Clear benefits. "See that? No deaths."
"Haha yeah, you are so awesome fighting against Ran!" Alliexya laughed as the dungeon results tally up their progress.
"See, I don't need any wedding skill. So uhm... I'm sorry but I don't think I need to marry you."
"Wh-what?! Marry me?" she was too surprised for words, she tried thinking how this was relevant at all from their runs.
"Well, never mind the details, I guess." Neo laughed as he pats her back upon arriving back at Sander Village. "Just remember, I am too Swag to die. I am too Swag for marriage."
She laughed and decided to interrogate Klarck later for more details about this "marriage" thing with Neo. "Well, whatever it was, I guess I should still say uhmm... thanks for considering to marry me. Though I am still not sure how that came about."
He laughed again saying, "me too! I don't really know why this happened but it did. Anyway, do you still need another run? If not, I gotta run coz Fio is weirdly coming our way with such speed and a very angry face." He smiled though his face looked like he was in so much trouble if Fiora catches up to him.
"Oh, no, I am fine. See you some other day or something. Thanks for the Swag run."
"No problem." He went nearer for a quick awkward hug, patting her head. "Good luck with Claytte. Bye."
And with that, Neo signed out of Elrios, which made Fiora angrier than she already was.
"That... argh! Why did he leave?" Fiora held her head as it showed annoyance and eagerness to kill a certain someone.
"So... Neo said he won't marry me. Now, please explain what this is all about, my dearly beloved brother..." Alliexya smiled without any hint of happiness in her eyes.
Klarck simply laughed, making both of the girls feel stupid for getting worked up. "Wait, wait wait, I bet he told you that he was too Swag for marriage, right?"
Fiora covered her face from embarrassment. "That i-diot!."
Eventually, Alliexya started laughing with Klarck but they were both laughing for amazement, not amusement. "Yeah. That's exactly what he said."
.
Malware couldn't believe what he just saw. He wasn't sure what was happening and him being too far to hear what they were saying was no help to the crazy imaginations he is starting to think. The friends he was with noticed that he was frozen stiff, looking at the direction of the accessory shop with no one in view.
"Yo dude, were you listening to the plan?" Ziell inquired as the group were all looking to the accessory shop to see what was there to pique Malware's interest.
"Malware? Is something wrong?" Yukari went nearer and tried to get his attention, which she successfully did.
"Oh, Yuka, what's up?" He asked, as he snapped out of that fixated trance and managed to smile to her.
Ziell and the other guys shook their heads in disbelief to the ploy they thought Malware was doing, to only respond to girls. However, Yukari was just happy to see him turn to her.
"N-nothing really... we were just wondering what you were looking at so seriously over there." She nervously replied.
"Oh that." He shrugged his shoulders, trying to pull out the humor from the situation, he looked at them sheepishly. "Well, you approached me now, so I guess it worked!"
"Ohhh!" and "Wew!" resounded in the group as they started laughing and continued on their plans for fun and jokes.
Everything seems to be happy and fun again but later that night, as Malware reached home and stood in front of his room smiling, he grabbed the door knob and opened the door. The darkness in the room was dawning on him, staining black the happy feeling he was feeling. He lets go of the knob and steps in, every step made him felt weirdly frustrated. His Dynamos slowly closes the door behind him as he lifelessly jumped to his bed.
"The hell..." he uttered as he turned to the wall, not really sure what this feeling is.
A knock came to the door. "Zed? You won't eat dinner?" Xhelare opened the door and scanned the dark room while she taps aimlessly on the wall for the light switch. When she finally switches it on, she almost screamed seeing a weird aura around Malware and his Dynamos are just scattered around the floor. "Wh-what happened here?"
"Nothing happened, what's wrong with you." He turned to look at her for a second but then he quickly went back to face the wall.
"Okay... I will tell Spera to come over then..." she slowly backs away and closes the door.
"Oh, come on, turn the lights off!" He sent one of the Dynamos for the light switch and missed, lacking concentration to control them properly. "Dang it..." As he got up and walked miserably to turn the lights off, the door opened and Spera stood there, cross-armed.
"And what is this about? Did you just throw one of your Dynamos towards Xhelare a while ago?" She stared at Malware with a very angry expression.
"What?" his voice sounded raspy and he is just feeling more tired and confused about what's happening now.
"I heard a thud on the wall."
"Oh, that wasn't throwing it to her, I was aiming to off the lights!"
Upon closer inspection, Spera lightened up and entered the room. "So, what is this about, you look happy just a while ago."
"Aww come on, please don't ask. I'm just frustrated, okay? Do I have to be happy all the time? Sheesh."
"What got you frustrated?" She asked as she sits on the bed.
Malware sighed. Knowing his cousin, there was just no way to escape the interrogation. "Okay, I saw a friend who was... FLIRTING with someone, and it just annoyed me. I mean, seeing them happy bastards annoy me and remind me of my past."
"Oh, but you know, a lot of the people in Elrios are like that anyway, and who from our friends are being like that? Should we crush them?"
"No, it doesn't matter. I told you, I just got annoyed and that was it."
"Hmm... okay. If you say so, but will you still eat dinner?"
"... F-fine. I'll eat."
"Good!"
.
Even after getting a good meal before bed, Malware just couldn't sleep. He tumbled and turned as he felt irritated. He got his ECD and looked through the pictures stored in his device. Unconsciously, he had been saving Alliexya's pictures and had sorted them into one folder. Looking at all of her smiling pictures and some stolen shots he got of her through their time together, he just got more riled up. He drops the device to his bed in irritation. "Damn it. DAMN IT! What the heck is happening!?"
When he tried closing his eyes, all that pops out of his head was a loop of that scene. Alliexya, arriving back in Sander from a dungeon run, laughing and enjoying her time with this Add that he doesn't know of. Then the worst part happens, that Add hugs her and whispered something in her ear, making her blush. It was just unacceptable! He was the only one who should make her blush like that, he should be the only one who could touch her like that, not like some Add that he doesn't know of! This was becoming a never ending scene, a nightmare!
The sun was already rising when he finally got up and decided to end this nightmare. He looked for Alliexya's number in the ECD and started composing a message. Apparently, when it came to that point, he just blankly stared at the device. What was he going to write? He started to write [Good morning.] as a start but this was just making him feel silly. "This is not the time to say good morning!" He mumbled to himself as he erased the greeting, only to end up writing it again. "Fine, her morning might be good so let's just put that there." He continued to write something and erase it again and again until suddenly a knock came.
The door flings open after three seconds of silence followed the knock.
"Oh, so you were awake." Spera smiled and tilted her head in delight. "You are also starting to have no manners at all, now come on. Breakfast is ready!"
Malware was busy trying to compose the message so his Dynamos carried him down to their dinning room.
"Wow, Zed's been busy with his ECD. Who are you sending a message to?" Xhelare asked as most of their household was already seated and was eating breakfast.
"Nothing, give me a minute will you?" he said, as he continues to type and erase the message.
Spera pouted. "Now, now. This thing is... confiscated!" She swiftly stole the device and leaped to the other side of the dinning room and read the only thing written in the message. [Good morning.]
"H-hey! Give that back!"
"Wow. Good morning?" Spera shook her head in disbelief. "All this time since you were in your room, this is the only thing you got to write for... Oh! It's for Allie!"
A laugh escaped from Xhelare. "You know, Zed. If you want to talk to her, don't say it in a message." She asks Spera to give the ECD to her and she typed in, [Can we meet up? Wanna talk about something.] and hands the device back to Malware.
He looked at the content and somewhat felt at ease. "S-sure, let's just send that then..."
"Wait, let's not forget to put in your heart felt name as the sender!" Spera took the device again and typed in, [From your one and only, Malware.] "Aaand, SEND!"
"Oh no you didn't!" Malware took hold of his ECD and saw the Message sent prompt.
The other members of the household simply gave him pitiful pats on the back as he was frozen still in his awkward position until suddenly, his ECD prompted for receiving a message.
"Oh, she replied so fast~" Spera sat on her drones and hovered around the table in great delight.
[Good morning too Mal! Haven't seen you in a while. When should we meet? Haha, is that a thing now? the One and only part? Anyways, just tell me the details then, I'll be there. :) From (your one and only too XD) Allie~]
Everyone was pushing in to see what the reply contained but Malware quickly pocketed his ECD and started eating really fast. "I am not sure when I'll be back." He immediately said as he finished breakfast and placed the plates on the sink before running off to his room.
.
It was just before lunch time when Malware decided to meet up with Alliexya. Sander wasn't that busy at that time, so he waited for her under the river bridge, escaping the reaches of the morning sun. When Alliexya finally arrives in Sander, she quickly opened the guild app and confirmed that Malware was already at Sander. She wasn't really the type to ask much, so she checked the map before heading towards the bridge.
"There you are~!" she happily said as she jumped down the bridge.
Malware jolted a bit from hearing that surprisingly cute, playful greeting she made. "Y-yo..."
"So what's up?" she excitedly asked as she leaned beside where he was leaning.
"Well, it's been so long since I last saw you 'coz... you had things to take care of but I... saw you yesterday with some Lunatic Psyker. W-what was that about?"
"Oh! That was Neo. He is part of the guild." She quickly brought out her ECD and pointed out his name in the guild list. "He's under Fiora's household."
"Fiora? You mean that Blazing Heart?" He started to see the connection and felt relieved but the relief didn't last for long as he heard what follows.
"Yup, they were planning on marrying me and Neo yesterday, which was quite a shock of a proposal."
"Wait, you said no, right?" He blurted out, not really conscious of what he was saying anymore. "I didn't get any sleep because of that!"
"Huh? I... wasn't able to say anything since Neo rejected the idea anyways..." She blinked in confusion to how he was reacting to all this. "Uhmm, why would you... even lose sleep... because of that?" she started to blush bright red as her own words was misleading her to think what she thought Malware was getting at from this conversation and that very question dawned on him too.
"Wh-why?" Lost in contemplation, he remembered the whole agonizing night he just went through. The anger he felt when she was with some other Add beside her... the feelings of wanting to monopolize her all to himself... What was this feeling? Deep inside, he knew what it was but maybe he was just unable to really believe it himself. He knew love was not a game. Personally, he has been through that and knows the risk of it.
An awkward silence followed, especially when there were people passing by that bridge now and then. He was confused about his feelings, but something was telling him that it was now or never. Feeling nervous with the accumulating crowd going to Ariel and Camilla, he grabbed her hand and pulled her further in to the tunneling bridge, to give them more privacy.
"Uhmm, Mal...?" She nervously squeaked as she felt her heart racing as they came to a halt.
But before he could let her say anything else, he turned to her. Grabbing both of her shoulders, he looked straight into her eyes. "Allie. I really think that no one else can make you happier, not even Neo or especially any other Adds out there. I believe that you enjoy the time we spent together and even if it was short, I think there really was something going on between us, right?"
She was speechless but her heart was beating so loudly that she just doesn't know what to say.
Feeling a bit nervous with the silence that she is replying him with, he went into a slight panic. "W-well, I know that it is not a common occurrence for Add and Aisha to be together but despite all that I think it's the person is us that counts... and uhh you don't need to be conscious of appearances and all that, if there would be some issues, I am ready to defend you and... uhmm that... damn it! My head's going in circles!" Out of his frustrations he banged his hand on the wall side of the bridge, pinning her to lean on the wall as he sorted his thoughts. He started to think that he was pathetic for going around in circles, it was so unlike him. And as if there was something that nudged him back to his usual self, he swiftly looked back at her and said, "What I was trying to say is... be mine, Allie."
Dang it. That is it, I am ending it here. Hahaha wow. Pls, feel super free to comment. Gosh, I am also nervous trying to write out this confession. This is brain wracking! I don't know with you all but I was screaming while writing this. haha
Btw, if the word counts keep increasing per chapter, feel free to tell me to lessen them if it is that needed, frankly, there were still more stuff that I plan to put into this chapter but I will stop here for now.
Special thanks for Yuuko for helping suggest the setting of their confession~
Disclaimer: Elsword is not mine~ See you in the next chapter!