[IC] Fateful Convergence

[Vocalia]

Having being told in detail about what happened by Arlia, Eryn felt a strong sense of sympathy and a desire to help, a desire as strong as that of the departed woman. "That small earthquake... It was him?" Eryn replied, sounding very sad and surprised. "Isaac, if it's not too much trouble, would you kindly take me to where he is now?" she asked, now set on making sure that Sean had the comfort he needed, just like how her twin sister had Nigel for support. "Are you sure, Eryn dear? I'll have you know that Sean isn't someone you should take on lightly," Arlia frowned, but then Eryn nodded with a kind smile. "I have a bit of an idea about what he could do. Don't worry, Arlia. I'll be careful." Looking back at Isaac, Eryn's gaze was one of a determine woman with a clear goal in her mind. "Isaac, if you would be so kind."

[Daxam]

Isaac nods and, smiling, says to Arlia, "I wouldn't worry too much. I can already tell you Sean would never even think about hurting her." Then, turning, he leads Eryn over to the stairs and says, "All you have to do is climb these stairs and you should come straight into the training room. Sean should be there." Then, as if deciding to add it at the last minute, he says, "Thanks for doing this, Eryn. It'll mean a lot to him."

[Vocalia]

"It's really the least I could do," Eryn replied with a polite nod, then slowly climbed up the flight of stairs until she reached the entrance to the training room, which was closed. As she reached for the door, she could feel the entire penthouse tremble again, making her squeak and hunch over to keep herself from falling, but once things calmed down again, she steeled herself, took a deep breath, and slowly opened the door to the training room, not knowing what to expect.

[Daxam]

Inside, the training room was riddled with holes from Sean taking his anger out on the poor room. The windows were shattered completely, allowing a gentle breeze to blow through the room. Sean, panting, was standing in front of one wall, his fist in the center of an especially large hole. Hearing the door open, he looks up and sees Eryn standing there. Shame instantly fills his expression as he pulls his fist out of the hole and sits down in the middle of the room, his back facing the demure woman.

[Vocalia]

Eryn was frightened to see the training room in shambles, clearly the work of Sean and his anger. "E-Excuse me..." she timidly said to him and entered the room, being careful not to step on any glass shards or concrete fragments on the floor. Slowly and cautiously, she approached Sean, but then she stopped as she was just an arm's length away from him and then sat down behind him. She felt that her words wouldn't do much to help, so she decided to try and get to him in another way. The auburn-haired woman gently placed one hand on his back and began to give him a gentle rub, her lips uttering no words but her touch conveying her desire to be there for him as a friend.

[Daxam]

Feeling Eryn's gentle touch on his back, Sean immediately feels the anger drain out of him, replaced by deep-seated sadness and regret. Turning around, he pulls Eryn into a tight hug, making sure not to hurt her, as he feels his eyes brimming with tears. "I...I let her die..." he whispers. "She died because I wasn't good enough to save her...and now it's happened all over again..."

[Vocalia]

""She"?" Eryn softly mused, wondering if Sean was talking about Sarah, but nonetheless tried her best to calm him down. She let him cry into her shoulder and gently wiped his tears with her hands. "Sean, I know how powerful you are and how you have tried your best to help her. Unfortunately, her condition meant that she wouldn't be able to remain alive, even with her wounds healed. I'm sorry about what happened, but please don't blame yourself over what happened. Nobody is at fault here. At least, nobody but the faction who shot her dead..."

[Daxam]

Sean shakes his head and says, "Not just Sarah...Anna, too..." As if her very name had thrown a switch, he starts crying once more, his shoulders shaking with each sob. Eventually, he calms down enough to say, "I...I was engaged, once. Five years ago." Sniffling, he moves away from Eryn's shoulder and sits down next to her, wiping his eyes as he continues, "We were out one day...getting things ready for the wedding a month later. Next thing I know, we're surrounded by these guys. I tried to fight, but this was before I was as strong as I am now, so I was easily beaten. They...they forced me to watch as Anna was tortured in front of me..." Taking a shuddering breath, he adds, his voice close to breaking, "Eventually...they left us alone, but it was too late...Anna died because I wasn't strong enough to protect her...Just like Sarah died because I wasn't fast enough..."

[Vocalia]

Eryn felt terrible after she listened to a piece of Sean's past, now understanding where his deep desire to protect stemmed from. "Sean... I'm sorry to hear what has happened to you until now. Nothing that I could say would change anything about it... But if I could offer a small consolation..." Eryn paused for a moment, then looked at him with a kind smile. "You still have us to help you out... and you have me. I can't do anything beyond my ability as an average human being, but I'm willing to do anything to help you all. You have been through some tough times, yet you still opened up yourself to me and welcomed me to your life. I want to repay you for that, so I want to be there for you when you need me. We all have to stay strong, or we would let their deaths be in vain."

[Daxam]

Sean meets Eryn's green eyes as she tells him that she was there for him and that they had to stay strong. Smiling, he scoots closer and wraps his arms around her, bringing her into a loving hug as he buries his face in her shoulder. "Thank you," he whispers, feeling his heart surge with affection for the kind woman in his arms. "Thank you for talking to me, Eryn. I really needed to hear those words...especially from you."

[Vocalia]

"I'm glad I could help, even by just talking to you," Eryn replied, happy to see that she had done something good with her regular power over words and emotions. She returned the hug with as much affection as he had for her, feeling her desire to connect with him growing stronger. For the time being, she simply let Sean vent his feelings onto her, letting him hug her for comfort.

[Daxam]

Long minutes pass until Sean sighs and finally lets Eryn go. As he parts from her, he places his hand on top of hers, where it stays, as he looks around the training room. Sighing, he says, "It's gonna be awhile before we can get back to training. I think Isaac and Hayley would be glad to hear that, but I promise, I'm gonna cry when I get the repair bill..."

[Vocalia]

"Well, it can't be helped, I guess." Eryn smiled, glad to see Sean starting to look to the future. "I can help clean up the room, if you don't mind, these glass shards could hurt someone, not to mention the concrete chunks... Why don't you use the time to cool off and, perhaps, have some time off to relax, in a way. I understand if none of you would want to do that, but starting over with a clear head is always a good thing," she said to him. "Also, umm... I know this goes without saying, but I promise I'll keep everything I've learned here a secret. I promise that on my own life."

[Daxam]

Sean smiles and says, "You don't have to, if you don't wanna. I don't even mean to keep it from everyone else. I guess it just never comes to mind to tell them about that. But, thanks, anyway." Standing up, he then adds, "And you're not gonna help out, alright? I have people who'll come in and get this place fixed up in no time. For now, I'll just say that the room's off-limits." With a grin, he says, "You and I are gonna go check out my favorite room, where I keep all of my otaku stuff. Ready?"

[Vocalia]

Eryn's face lit up as if Sean had just told her that he would give her a bag full of diamonds. "Oh! Oh! I'd be honored, Sean!" she replied, now sounding very giddy and excited, her sadness forgotten in a flash. She had always wondered what it looked like since Sean told her about the existence of the secret room where he kept his anime collection and manga, along with related memorabilia and trinkets, and she wanted nothing more than to see this room for herself.

[Daxam]

Sean grins and says, "Well, let's go!" Curling his fingers around Eryn's hand, he leads her downstairs and into the living room. "One second," he says to her. He then yells, "Attention, everyone! Due to...unforeseen problems, the training room is hereby closed until further notice! All training sessions have been postponed until the training room is fully operational once more!" Then, without a word, he takes Eryn's hand once more and leads her to one of the closed bedroom doors. Pulling out a key, he unlocks the door and opens it to reveal an otaku's paradise. "Feel free to look around as long as you want," Sean says with a grin.

[Vocalia]

When Sean said that the room was an otaku's paradise, he wasn't exaggerating. The entire room was choke full of manga and anime paraphernalia. Shelves lined up with mangas lined up in order, figurines decorating the top of each shelves and cupboard, and posters around the room were just a few of what was in the room. "Sean, this is amazing! Aren't some of these items a limited item? How did you obtain them all? Oh, I'd love to have even just a few of what you have here!" Eryn exclaimed as she drank in the room's vibrant atmosphere.

[Daxam]

Sean chuckles and says, "I got all this through careful trading with other otaku's and from various conventions all over the world." Hearing Eryn say she would love to have even a portion of what he has, Sean thinks for a few moments and, deciding she more than earned it, says, "Tell you what: You can go ahead and pick anything you want out of here and keep it. I don't mind."

[Vocalia]

"H-huh?!" Eryn turned to Sean, looking baffled and dumbfounded. Once the reality of his words sank in, she hastily shook her head and replied, "I-I can't! These are all your belongings that you have painstakingly collected. I can't simply come in here and take anything out of this room..." Try as she might, she knew how adamant Sean was when he had made up his mind, so she decided to offer what she considered a fair deal. "I don't have a lot of money on me, but if you would let me take anything I want, at least let me pay you back somehow."

[Daxam]

Sean opens his mouth to refuse, but then stops as a thought occurs to him. Slowly, a grin spreads across his face as he says, "Alright, you can pay me back..." Stepping closer to her, he says four words: "Move in with me." Before she can refuse, he says, "Think about it: You'd never have to worry about money again and you'll always be able to see your sister, whenever you wanted! Trust me, the pros definitely outweigh whatever cons there might be!"