midnightstar

Since graduating from the Academy, life has been..interesting for Alisa, to say the least. She's been kept very busy, since she was upholding her promise to her mother on showing her the proper way to run the company, and it wasn't easy to put in those changes. Though it would have been a lot harder if she didn't have the support of those around her. But because of that, she hadn't been able to get time to get to visit Rean as much as she liked.

Translation: As much as she liked = every day. She did get to visit - or vice versa - at least on the weekend, and she talked to him almost every night thanks to the range on the ARCUS. Just as finished up for the night, she made her way up to the penthouse, glancing around to make sure she was alone (And you never know with Sharon) in order to take out her ARCUS once more and see if she could get a hold of Rean before bed. She was planning on seeing if he was in the area - alternatively, she was sure she could get away for a visit, if he wasn't busy.

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To be fair they DID sleep in the same room during their first field study. Though it was never just him and Alisa. That being said the moment he hears that awkward shyness and perhaps if he squinted, even a hint of disappointment, Rean quickly answered back

"No! no no no it's not like that at all! I...I would be more than happy to take you up on that offer." There was no denying how much he missed her and now that he had no real excuse not to get off this train at Roer, that feeling was emboldened drastically. Valimar's single eye rolled faintly before going dark again. His Awakener was really so very confusing sometimes.

Edited Date: 2018-02-22 04:10 pm (UTC)

Well, that's true. She holds her Arcus just a bit tighter, biting her lip to keep from smiling even more brightly, "O-okay! How far are you from Roer now then? I'll meet you at the station." Though he'll probably have arrived by the time she gets there. They've been talking for a while, and trains don't exactly stop for conversations.

It's nearly impossible to hide the eagerness in her voice - and there'll be no discouraging her from coming to meet him anyway. She's already heading out of her room to get her coat, a skip in her step.

He can feel her excitement all the way through the ARcus and the first impulse to say that picking him up was not necessary, gets immediately pushed to the back of his mind as he quietly shakes his head with a fond smile. "Let me check." He said and stepped out of the cargo car only to walk up to the nearest window until he found one giving him a proper glance.

"Oh I can see one of the main Orbal generators already. So probably less than ten minutes out." Oh dear she's going to run so hard to get to the station now wasn't she?

Hell yeah she is! "O-oh! You're so close! I mean - okay, then in that case, I'll see you soon, ..Rean." Very calmly, she waits for him to end his connection before putting her Arcus away.

And then she bolts down the stairs to the door, carefully makes her way to the elevator and takes it down to the lobby, where she nods polite, if hurried greetings to the people still on call there.

She doesn't run in the building obviously, but she definitely has a hurried pace, and she politely waves away anyone who tries to get her attention on her way out. Once outside, she sprints over to the escalator, waiting impatiently for it to move (TOO SLOWLY) to the ground level, at which point she full on runs towards the train station. If he hasn't already arrived, he'd either see her sprinting into the station (at which point she'd quickly walk like normal if she saw him looking at her) or she'd be there already, panting like she just ran a marathon in half the time.

"Okay then. I'll see you soon." Honestly it felt so good to have someone waiting for his arrival so eagerly. After all at the academy there wasn't anyone really waiting for him. Towa was busy up to her neck with graduating and everyone else from the class had already left. It was little wonder he mihgt have felt understandably alone at times.

But that would not be the case now as the train slowed to a crawl and then a stop at the station platform. "I'll see you later Valimar. Make sure you get as much rest as you need." Rean taps his knuckle in a friendly gesture against the giant's leg before slipping out and stepping onto the platform, craning his neck a little with a sigh as he looks from one end of the platform to the other to catch a glimpse of Alisa sooner. She just so happens to show up at the opposite end of the platform he was facing so she would have time to try and pretend she had not just run to the station as if her very life depended on it. Rean had stopped wearing his school uniform when on missions and was instead ssporting a much more adult looking outfit with the long grey overcoat and black pants with a black jacket and white undershirt. His hair seems to have grown out a bit and he also seems to have gained a few extra inches giving him a much more grown up look aside from the momentary glimps of weariness in his eyees when he finally turned his head around to finally catch glimpse of Alisa. His face splits into the biggest smile he has shown in months and he briskly walks over, almost breaking into a run of his own. Just in time for the train doors to suddenly his shut and the train itself to start rolling by without warning as it left the station. If he really wanted to, Rean could easily catcch up with his unusual powers but instead he watches the train with Valimar just roll away down the train tracks and out of sight.

"...I guess that explains everything."

PHEW, she JUST made it as the train was pulling into the station. She didn't see Rean yet in the crowd of people stepping out of their own trains, but she did lean against one of the platform railings to catch her breath, puffing and huffing for a few seconds, before briskly making her way towards the side of the platform his train should be arriving at.

Hrm. She actually didn't recognize him at first, given what he was wearing - it was different from what he wore the last time they met. Still, when she sees him, she can't help but walk quickly towards him, almost running - and then the train leaves. Wh... well this works for her, you sly dog Claire. More importantly, while Rean is watching the train pull away, Alisa has already broken into a run to hug Rean tightly, tighter than when he was missing for that month. "Rean..!"

Honestly Rean could not even bring himself to be upset about the deception. Valimar was in good hands and it wasn't like anyone but him could even do anything with him. Besides he could always call him just by calling out his name. Rean had fallen for such an easy trick and yet that didn't feel so bad. Especially not when he hears Alisa the next moment and he turns around just in time to catch Alisa as she runs into his arms almost getting him to take a half step back before he closed his arms back around Alisa as well.

"Alisa~ It's so good to see you." No that wasn't all of it. To feel her warmth in his arms like this, to hear her voice like this without the ARcus as the intermediary. This almost felt like a dream and he takes a moment to tuck his face againt Alisa's neck catching the faint hint of perfume.

She couldn't even put to words how happy she felt when he closed his arms around her and tucked himself against her. Talking to him on the Arcus was nice, but this, nothing could replace the real thing - the feel of his warm body, the sound of his heartbeat. "It's been too long since ..." Since she's been near enough to him to feel him like this. She hums softly, "I've missed you, Rean." she admitted, with a bit of a blush.

Honestly he was almsot tempted to just stay like this in the moment but it was simply not the time especially when there was the promise of getting to stay with her for the duration of his stay here. Rean closed his eyes and let his hand stroke along ALisa's back while he squeezed her a little tighter.

"It really has. I've missed this so much~" Everything about Alisa really. Now that he had her in arms he was loathe to release her. They had to be making qutie teh scene on the platform come to think of it...

OH they were definitely making a scene. The platform had yet to empty out fully after all. But the way he was holding her was ...so soothing, almost like his headpets! She let out a long sigh, "Rean..." ... ...

Wait, are they being watched? Alisa lifted her head from his chest slowly, glanced left - where there was a pair of girls whispering and giggling. And where she could see behind Rean was a couple about ten years older than herself and Rean, and while they weren't giggling or whispering, they did have Knowing Grins(tm), politely looking away when Alisa caught sight of them.

Meep. Abruptly she pulled back, her face red as an acerbic tomato. "U-um! We.. should.. I... I think we're holding up the people on the platform." They aren't. "Erm.. do you have any things...?" He must have a bag or something, maybe?

Rean was completely aware of the audience yet chose to ignore it to the best of his ability since this was his little shred of happiness after a long drought of any kind of true joy for him. He chuckled and goughed into his fist with a blush of his own before reaching down to pick up his traveling suitcase.

"Just what I have in here." he answered before holding it slack at his side again. "Lets be on our way then." He said with an enthusiastic smile.

Stepping back from Rean, Alisa nodded, clearing her throat as well, "Right." Uh, now how does she break it to him that they were going to be alone...

Gah, maybe she was too hasty offering to let him stay in the guest room - but she'd missed him! Also, the penthouse was MUCH too quiet and lonely with just her. Still as she walked at his side, she stepped onto the escalator heading back to the Reinford Building, tilting her head to look at him a few times.

".. did you get taller?" She asked curiously. She hadn't put on a few inches of height herself but it wasn't nearly as noticeable as with him.

Well Rean was no better since he didn't suspect that they would have that entire penthouse all to themselves. If he knew that he would probably be a lot more fidgety and nervous just like Alisa. After all this was her home and he was there in her home and....no no no he couldn't let his thoughts stray that far off the deep end or he might make Alisa angry.

Her question snaps him out of his musings and he nods shakily.

"Ah yeah I feel like I have. I didn't get the chance to check by how much but even I noticed the difference. Especially just now when we um...hugged."

"Y-yeah, I thought so too.." There's that blush again, and she suddenly seems a LOT more fidgety now that tey were on the same level as the Reinford Building. But she tried to distract herself from that with idle chatter - wondering who he's talked to from Class VII last, sharing a few stories when she visited other cities and caught up with their friends. She doesn't even notice the slightly raised eyebrows they were getting when she walked all the way into the building and tapped the button to call the elevator. Which was a fine time to drop the bomb.

"So um... listen, Rean? There's something I didn't get a chance to bring up when we were talking on the Arcus." She folded her arms, passing through the doors

Rean couldn't help but take notice of the weird looks from the reinford staff as well but before he could really try to piece it all together, the two were now stepping into the elevator cabin while Alisa reached out to push the button to the penthouse floor.

"Hm? WHat is it Alisa? Is there a problem of some kind?"

"NO! No no, nonononnonnonono," Alisa answers quickly. He takes on so much, the last thing she wanted him to do was worry. The elevator doors opened, and she shot a glance around, scowling at one or two employees before they quickly averted their glances (with small grins) before quickly stepping onto the elevator with him.

"The thing is, I didn't get a chance to bring up that.. um, well that...we'll be ..urm..." Oh my she's just getting more and more red, "We'll be--"

DING, the elevator doors open and Sharon is standing in front of them with a bright, sunny smile. "Welcome back Lady Alisa. Hello, Master Rean~! My you've grown into a fine young man!" Smile smile.

Alisa goes dead silent, the red in her face changing to the white of shock. "Wha... w... wh--!!!"

That was a lot of no's. At any other time he would definitely consider that to be a suspiciously vehement denial of his question. Still this was ALisa and she often got like that when really flustered so he just took her words for truth.

But then what was bothering her. Something about the two of them being what... Rean was about to ask to try and help Alisa along. That was until the doors opened and lo and behold the ultimate maid was right there in front of them waiting for both her mistress and her dear 'friend?'

"S-Sharon!" He didn't even process the praise she opened up with since yeah no one never could get used to the fact that Sharon could seemingly be everywhere and nowhere with merely a thought.

On the one hand, at least now she couldn't say they would be alone.. on the other.. SHARON. This might actually be WORSE. There was no telling what the shipper troll of a maid would do to get her amusement! "Wh.. what are you doing here? I thought you were with Mother!?"

"Your mother requested me to pick up some documents from her office, but when I saw the two of you, I simply had to be here to greet your arrival. It's been ever so long since I've seen Master Rean too." Sharon answered, smiling as she beckoned the two of them into the penthouse.

"Are mother and grandfather actually getting along?" Alisa asked, warily. Then a moment later, "WAIT A MINUTE. What do you mean when you saw - When did you..!?"

"Fufufu," Sharon closed the door behind the two and followed them into the massive, MASSIVE living room. "As a matter of fact, I was privy to the romantic, passionate embrace the two of you were sharing on the train platform. In full view of e v e r y o n e."

"W.. WE WEREN'T IN A PASSIONATE EMBRACE!" Oh Alisa's gone from rosy to vivid crimson at this point, and Sharon is just eating it up.

"I suppose that's true," Sharon agreed, glancing over at Rean to check his reaction. "It was much too public a venue for that. Perhaps if i hadn't come back so quickly to meet you, on the other hand... after all it's been such a long time since the two of you have seen each other."

"S..Sharon!" Alisa fought the urge to look at Rean, stubbornly focused on the maid.

"Don't worry Lady Alisa, I won't be long. I must get back to your mother and grandfather soon - but don't worry, I won't tell her you'll be alone A L O N E in the house. With Master Rean. My my what WILL you two get up to in my absence..~ ❤"

"SHARON!" Alisa is just.. mortified! And so embarrassed. Which is exactly what feeds Sharon, so temporarily sated, she sneakily moves over to take Rean's luggage.

"I'll take care of this - you two just relax~" Well. If they even notice her, but she'll stealth deliver Rean's luggage into the guest room if he notices and allows it.

Rean was only mildly in a better state than Alisa. His face had still gone completely beet read even if the main target of the unrelenting teasing was Alisas rather thn himself. Though the situations Sharon described were certainly taking root in his mind with ease. STartlingly so to the point that he just kept quiet after the first attempt to try and speak up. It seemed Alisa had a better job voicing her protests than he did at least.

He does notice Sharon use her shadowstepping skills to snatch up his luggage as little as there was but does nothing to stop it mostly because he realy really did not want to become the target of the teasing directly since it was plenty mortifying to be involved in ssecond hand.

"Ahahahah....I see Sharon is the same as always..." Reach chuckled very very awkwardly. SO they would be alone...all alone in a big place like this. Well now he would not be able to stop thinking about that fact. This was srisque to the maximum extent!

Alisa covered her face with both her hands when Sharon slipped out, still chuckling over the embarrassment from the two. Oh yes, this will sustain her for a week, tops. But now that she knew Rean was present, she would definitely be stopping in to check on them, both for support and trolling means.

"She never changes.." Alisa grumps, "I'm sorry about her." He was more than used to her trolling though, and when Alisa glanced over at Rean, her face reddened again.

God, now she couldn't get it out of her head - being along in the penthouse with Rean. "A.. and don't get any funny ideas either~!" She warned, just a bit flustered.

Because they were totally going to get funny ideas at some point.

This was actually refreshingly embarrassing in a way. It took him back to the first time Sharon had made her shipper commentary since the day she first arrived into the lives of Class VII. It felt nice. Very nice at that. If only also very very highly mortifying because goddess he's not able to get his imagination under control now.

"Oh-OH no no no of course I am not." Except he it but the ideas flooding his mind are not what he would describe as funny. He had dreamed of Alisa. Of moments just between the two of them. After all they were both young adults now and their flourishing love had grown over the months since their separation. Desires and deeper feelings had taken root only to now come roaring back up to the surface like a slumbering dragon roused from its hybernation.

Alisa narrowed her eyes and stared at him suspiciously, then nodded a little, ".. okay." She would love to hug him properly, but after what Sharon said -- not a good idea right now. She needed to calm her thoughts down.

"S-so..." Fidget fidget, "Do you want something to drink?" She could prepare a drink, that should calm them both down.

Rean let out the breah he'd been holding in after his reply. He wasn't sure Alisa would let that slip by but in the end she did so there was a hint of relief while his imagination kept betraying him at every step as he followed the fidgeting Alis a into the penthouse itself.

"Ah. Then I suppose if it's not too much of a bother, some coffee would be nice." Rean said, unknowing that Sharon would likely have heard that beore Alisa even made it to the kitchen.

Since Sharon hadn't left yet, and she certainly wouldn't want to leave without seeing to the guest first. Alisa smiled, motioning over to the couch, "All right, just... make yourself comfortable and I'll go -"

"Not to worry~!" Sharon interrupted, already emerging from the kitchen with a tray in which there was tea, coffee and some snacks. "Please help yourselves to this for now. I'll prepare a proper dinner for you both - I'm certain you're quite hungry, Master Rean."

"Hold on Sharon, wait -" Alisa protested, even as Sharon pressed the tray into Alisa's hands.

"It's no trouble at all my lady - you two have quite a bit of catching up to do." Sharon beamed, "I won't be long! You two just enjoy each other- oops, I mean, the snacks. ♥"

Sharon's eficiency was still bordering on the super natural even now. THen again that was to be expected of a Enforcer from Ouroboros. Honestly the fact that such an elite agent had willingly chosen to serve anyone other than her employer so faithfully and eagerly was one of the most baffling mysteries in the entire continent. He really wished he knew how all that came along but previous attempts to figure that out had ended in diversions or outright teasing about his relationship with Alisa or potential interest in older women.

"Ahaha...Still the same." he chuckled awkwardly before reaching over to take his cup and plate up, leaning in to take deep whiff of the aroma seeping up from the cup itself before turning his eyes over to Alisa.

"So um how have you been?"