Eina began forming her own interpretation of the events that had transpired around Vahn, and she wasn't that far from the truth. Recalling all the things he had explained, she realized there was something that he had left out which contradicted almost everything else he had done. She could feel her heart rate increase a bit as she asked, "Why did you decide to pursue me, Vahn? All of your other relationships with women seemed to have happened due to circumstance, but you've acted strangely toward me since the beginning. On the first day we met, you even confessed to me in front of the entire Guild."
Eina's words actually surprised Vahn, as he himself didn't understand how to begin his explanation. He couldn't tell her she was one of the characters he liked from the manga, and it seemed very awkward to say he liked to tease her unless he had a reason to do so. Vahn thought for a moment, and Eina waited patiently at the side without disturbing him. After hearing her point it out, Vahn realized that she was actually the only woman he had 'proactively' approached based on his own decision. He thought she was very beautiful, and the moment they had met he instantly wanted to tease her because it made him feel happy.
Vahn couldn't think of anything else, so he released a sigh while saying with a bit of apprehension, "When I first saw you at the Guild, I thought you were very cute, even beautiful with your emerald green eyes. I don't understand the reason myself, but whenever I see your poised and professional demeanor, I want to make you smile or flustered. It...makes me feel happy."
Eina's brows raised at his explanation, and she began to realize that she may be the first woman he proactively approached. He clearly didn't have a grasp on his own emotions, and even when he mentioned his relationships with Tiona and Ais, it was almost like he was being dragged along for the ride. Remembering how he explained his interactions with Chloe, Hephaestus, and Tsubaki, Eina realized they were trying to help him build relationships.
Unfortunately, though they empathized with him and wanted to help, they failed to account for the fact that Vahn was broken, and not simply traumatized. They did well to keep him from being taken advantage of, but after he finally experienced a relationship with a woman, they didn't reign him in and explain things. Now, almost immediately after his first sexual interaction, he was suddenly surrounded by women and girls that had expectations for him. Since he was so eager to please, he always gave in to their needs and worked hard to make them happy.
Eina was suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to take Vahn away from this City and raise him like a normal boy. She understood that everyone around him wanted the best for Vahn, but they had overlooked his character and allowed him to bear their burdens. If it was just one or two people, it might have been okay, but Vahn had mentioned more than ten! He was even learning to forge so he could impress Hephaestus while simultaneously supporting another Familia, and this was all while he was supposed to be recovering from serious injuries.
Vahn noticed that Eina was lost in her own thoughts and had a very serious expression on her face. He could even see that her aura was slightly chaotic, and he felt like he had done something to upset her. As they were very close to each other, Vahn reached out his hand and placed it on her head while channeling his [Hands of Nirvana]. Since she had styled her hair a bit, he didn't think it would be appropriate to stroke her hair and mess it up.
Feeling a warm energy enter her head, Eina looked toward Vahn who was showing her a gentle smile with a bit of concern in his eyes. She suddenly felt like her heart was wrenching in her chest and she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Eina, in that instant, felt a powerful regret emerge from her heart as she recalled everything he had said earlier.
She felt like, when he had confessed to her at the Guild, it was almost like a cry for help and she had failed to hear it. Back then, he hadn't built any of the relationships he had mentioned, and every relationship he had after his confession to her was at the initiation of the opposite party. Eina felt like, if she had accepted his feelings at the time and cared for him, he would be on the road to recovery, and not bearing the burdens of so many people. She could have taken him and bought a small house and lived together while trying to help him live a normal life.
Vahn was surprised when Eina suddenly started crying and he couldn't help but pull her into his embrace as he starting gently patting her back and softly saying, "I'm sorry, Eina, I didn't mean to make you sad..." The moment Vahn apologized to her, Eina couldn't hold back her tears anymore as she hugged Vahn's waist and cried. The more he comforted her, the more she felt like she had failed him. Now, even though she should have been the one to help bear his burdens, he was trying to comfort and relieve her of the pain and guilt she was feeling.
Eina continued to cry in Vahn's arms for around five minutes as he continued patting her back like he was comforting a child and gently whispering into her ear. He didn't know what he had done to set her off, but he knew it was his fault and wanted to make her smile again. Every time he saw one of the girls around him sad or crying, he always felt like the world around him was a little bleaker.
He couldn't tolerate the atmosphere for much longer, so he did something drastic and tilted Eina's chin and kissed the teary-eyed elf. He didn't do anything special and just gave her a gentle peck on the lips in hopes of lifting her mood a bit. Even if she was angry at him for doing so, it would be much better than having her cry into his chest.
Though she still had tears in her eyes, Eina immediately stopped crying as she stared blankly at Vahn's face. Seeing her expression, Vahn showed a gentle smile and said, "Please don't be sad, Eina, it breaks my heart to see you like this. I prefer your happy and smiling face a lot more. Why don't we eat lunch and try to enjoy the date? If not, I can escort you home and we can try again in the future."
Eina seemed to come back to life with his words as she began processing everything that had happened. She realized she had a very big decision to make, and it could potentially shape both of their lives far into the future. If she abandoned Vahn, he would likely continue to spiral downwards until he was eventually consumed by the weight of the burdens he bore. However, if she chose to be with him, she could very well become one of those burdens in the future.
Seeing the concerned expression on his face, Eina felt her heart twitch a bit and couldn't help but furrow her brows a bit. She was already too late to help him live a normal life, but if she tried hard, she might be able to relieve some of his burdens. If they started dating and became an official couple, she would be able to interact with the other girls in his life and help them understand the situation.
She also had the opportunity of refusing him and trying to help him fix things by talking to Hephaestus. She seemed to be very concerned about Vahn but was also the source of his greatest burden. However, if she did things in such a roundabout way, she might just be considered a busybody or someone that got in the way of their obvious affection for each other. Eina had no doubt that Hephaestus was as lonely as Vahn claimed, and she had likely placed all of her hopes into Vahn. If she made a mistake, she would earn the ire of the goddess and drive a wedge between herself and Vahn in the future.
If that happened, she would be forced to stand at the sidelines and watch Vahn's brilliance burn brightly before something inevitably forced the flame to extinguish. She didn't know if it would be the machinations of his enemies, or if he would be smothered by the burdens and affections of those around him. Turning toward the boy who continued to try and comfort her, Eina said in a very serious voice, "Vahn, have you decided who you are going to marry in the future?"
Though he was a bit surprised by the question, Vahn ruminated for a moment before responding, "I think I might marry Hephaestus, if she'll accept me. I'm not sure about the other girls since I don't want to restrict them. If they end up wanting to leave me in the future, I might feel sad, but I don't think I would be able to stop them."
Vahn wanted to keep all of his promises to the girls, but he never expected they would all follow him. He was just happy everyone gave him a chance to prove himself worthy, even if it was just temporary. Vahn was the most aware of how rapidly things had developed, and it was impossible to tell what would happen in the future. The only person he had absolute confidence in was Hephaestus.
Eina seemed to have made a decision after hearing his response, so she looked deeply into his eyes as she said, "Vahn, I want you to marry me. I won't restrict your relationships with other women, but I want to be your first wife. No matter what, I will never divorce you, and you can even leave me whenever you want." Though Eina knew she was putting yet another burden on Vahn, she believed that it was the best method at her disposal to influence the other girls around him. It also served the purpose of preventing some women from approaching him in the future, and it allowed her to be in close proximity to him so she could help stabilize his life.
To Vahn, it seemed like Eina was dead-set on making him more surprised with each question she asked him. He could tell she was serious, but he couldn't just agree outright after everything that had happened recently. It seemed like every relationship he was in spontaneously hit a critical point before he realized what was going on. However, seeing the look and concern in her eyes, Vahn didn't want to outright refuse her, so he asked, "Why so suddenly? This is just our first date, and there is plenty of time to worry about things like that in the future."
Eina agreed with Vahn's words, and she was the most aware of how quickly she was rushing things. Since she didn't want to be one of the girls that imposed themselves on him without explanation, she did exactly that and explained things to Vahn. In a very serious manner, Eina told him everything that she believed she 'understood' about Vahn and his past. She even made him consider that all of her deductions could be wrong, and wanted him to work through the matter in his mind to verify if her words were true.
Vahn listened in stunned silence, and couldn't help but retort in his mind that she had finally succeeded in stumping him completely. However, though he didn't outright agree with her words, Vahn understood that most of her speculation was actually true. Many of the things she was concerned about were the exact things that had plagued Vahn's thoughts recently. He knew better than anyone that he worked hard to please others while just being satisfied as long as they were happy. It actually placed a heavy burden on his heart and mind when others approached him, and he would almost rather do things for them than himself.
The thing Vahn didn't understand, however, was why Eina seemed to think marriage would help solve the problem. When he asked, she explained her reasoning even further and seemed to have a bit of determination in her voice. As far as Vahn could tell, she was essentially volunteering herself to act as his shield while still allowing him to act as he pleased. However, if he got out of control, she would be able to reign him in by exploiting his desire to please others. Yes, she explained that it was her intent to exploit the fact that he was 'broken' to help rehabilitate him. She wanted to bring stability to his life and didn't mind if Vahn never loved her as a wife. She even encouraged him to treat her more like an older sister that would always be around to give him advice.
Her words actually reminded Vahn of someone he had neglected a lot lately. As he had been so focused on his own thoughts and actions, he almost never initiated conversations with Sis anymore. It was only in the times when he was lost or confused that her voice would enter his mind and offer him a reprieve from his own chaotic thoughts. Vahn realized that Eina essentially wanted to take that role, and was willing to carry his burdens just so that he could be a little happier...
Within his mind, Vahn uttered a quiet sentence, ("Sis, thank you...for always being there, even when I neglected you.") In response to his thought, unlike the cold synthetic voice he normally heard, a gentle and womanly tone sounded in Vahn's head as she said, (*I will always be here when you need me Vahn. But it looks like I may lose part of my job now. Hahaha~*) For the first time, Vahn heard Sis laughing in his head in a happy tone. She seemed so much more human than he remembered, and was grateful that 'The Path' had given him such a great elder sister...
Vahn heard a notification in his mind and noticed Sis had purchased something from the shop without asking him. Within his inventory, there was now a pure golden ring with a faceted green emerald, identical to Eina's eyes. It looked like Sis was giving him a chance to turn the situation around a bit and act cool so he looked toward Eina and held out his hand before her.
Eina was a bit confused by his sudden change, but she could see clarity in his previously chaotic eyes as he held out his balled up fist toward her. Her eyes were drawn to the fist as it slowly opened and revealed a beautiful golden ring set with an emerald. Eina's mind exploded at the implication because she suddenly felt like Vahn always had the intention of marrying her at some point. She turned to look into his eyes and noticed his expression suddenly seemed especially affectionate.
Vahn slowly enunciated each word, "Eina, will you marry me?"
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Surprise Mother F*ckers!','The Vahnguard is now Official','How 'bout that subversion of expectations? Do you feel it now, Mr. Krabbs?')
Eina stared at the ring Vahn had presented her with a mixture of emotions that were hard to describe. She felt both happy, sad, concerned and excited, all at the same time. Each emotion seemed to compete for first place in her heart as she stared in abject shock at the ring in Vahn's hand. Though she asked him to marry her, she never expected him to already have a ring prepared. Now, the reality of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks as she hesitantly reached out her hand.
Vahn saw her apprehension and a bit of guilt started spreading in his mind. It wasn't until Eina looked at him in the eyes, and they both stared at each other for several seconds, that his guilt faded away. Perhaps because she had seen his care and concern but, after holding gazes with Vahn for that period of time, Eina suddenly smiled and held up her hand for Vahn. Though he was a bit confused, Sis whispered in his mind that he was supposed to put the ring on for her.
Vahn took Eina's delicate hand into his own as he slowly placed the ring on her finger with his excitement continuing to rise. He was a bit surprised that it was a perfect fit, and even Eina couldn't help but ask, "How did you know my ring size?" After Vahn had placed the ring on her finger, she continued to stare at it with a somewhat dazed expression as she asked the question. Vahn's thoughts spun rapidly in his mind before he gave the best excuse he could think of, "Maybe it was just fate. I didn't know if the ring would fit until I put it on your finger."
Eina looked at Vahn after he finished speaking and seemed to contemplate his words for a bit before a gentle smile spread on her face. She squinted her emerald green eyes as she placed her free hand on her cheek and said, "You're quite the smooth talker at times, aren't you Vahn?" Then, almost as if she had a sudden realization, she looked at Vahn and asked in a subtly teasing tone, "So, what should I call you now? Vahn, Husband, Darling, or is there something else?"
Her question had shocked Vahn, and each form of address hit his mind like a hammer blow. Vahn considered her words for a few moments, and it wasn't until she started laughing at his dazed state that he finally responded, "I think Vahn is fine...but Darling is okay if we're alone..." As Vahn spoke the words, he couldn't help but blush while Eina looked at him with a bit of a sparkle in her eye and a wide smile. They were already in close proximity to each other, so Eina leaned forward a bit and whispered into Vahn's ear, "Darling~" She put a lot of emphasis on the word and dragged it for more than a second.
Vahn realized that she was teasing him, and he couldn't help but imagine all the times he tried to tease her. It seemed as though they both liked to try to get a rise out of the other, or maybe it was just her trying to act the role of his fiancee. Regardless, though Vahn enjoyed the current Eina, he wanted to experience her getting flustered a bit as well. Seeing how quickly she recovered after accepting the ring, he wanted to do a bit more so, while she was whispering in his ear, Vahn licked Eina's pointy ear with his tongue.
Eina jumped like she had been electrocuted as she held her hand to cover her ear while looking at Vahn was an 'angry' and surprised look. Realizing what he had done, the blush that had only recently receded on her face spread up her cheeks and to her ears. She could feel both of her ears turn hot, especially her left ear which Vahn had just licked. It took her several minutes to calm herself as she kept getting a bit annoyed every time she looked over and saw Vahn smiling. Remembering that he said he liked to tease her, Eina couldn't help but feel there would be a lot of trouble for her heart in the future.
After everything had settled down, Eina started guiding the date a bit more and acting very attentive toward Vahn. The two enjoyed their picnic like a real couple, which made sense considering they were now engaged. Vahn felt very happy at the current situation, but he couldn't help but feel mildly bothered by how her affection had only increased to 93 before stopping. Even though he teased her a bit and tried to make her happy, the number seemed to be cemented in place for the time being.
When they were done eating, Vahn wanted to continue the date, but Eina stopped him and said in a firm tone, "Vahn, if we're going to get married, there are several things we need to take care of immediately. You already have a lot of girls in your life and several commitments to keep, and keeping our matters hidden will only escalate future problems. Since Hephaestus seems to be the most important person in your life, we should meet her and explain the situation as soon as possible."
Vahn hadn't expected Eina to suddenly take on a lecturing tone, so he just stood at her side and listened to her words attentively. He couldn't help but agree that she had a point and knew that it could be a problem if the girls he was in a relationship with finding out from a different source that he was getting married. Not just Hephaestus, but Vahn felt like he needed to explain things clearly to all the women that he had high affection with.
Agreeing with her words, Vahn led Eina by the hand towards Hephaestus's workshop. Though she was much more considerate toward him now, Vahn almost missed how affectionate she was earlier when she leaned against his arm. Though holding hands was nice, Vahn found out that he liked physical contact with girls the longer he was around them. He even tried to be bolder and place his arm around Eina's waist, but she slapped his hand away before firmly grasping it with her own. She gave him a serious look as she stared into his eyes and said, "Vahn, there is a time an place for everything. From now on, you need to learn to show a bit of restraint. Right now we're walking on a public street, so just holding hands is fine. Just to be a little more patient, okay?"
Vahn just nodded his head at her words and tried to mull over them as he continued leading the way. Remembering how his actions, especially touching people, had gotten him into several incidents recently, Vahn couldn't help but consider her words seriously. If he didn't learn to be more reserved and attentive, he would probably create a lot of future problems, and it seemed like Eina was trying to help him fix his bad habit. The fact that she was already acting so considerate and trying to help him better himself made Vahn feel happy in his heart and at ease in his mind.
As Vahn led the way, Eina was constantly paying attention to his facial expressions and body language. Though he didn't seem to be too aware of it himself, Eina knew Vahn couldn't conceal his thoughts because of how expressive he was. Just like he had no filter for dealing with people, he also had no control over his own expressions and feelings. She saw that he was seriously considering her words, and even seemed to be satisfied after coming to a conclusion in his mind. Eina realized that, though it might be a long road to recovery, with how receptive Vahn was, there was still hope that he could regain some normalcy in his life.
When they turned a corner into an alleyway, Eina stopped her feet which caused Vahn to pause after trying to take a step. He looked at her with a questioning look as she said, "You did well to come this far, so let me give you a reward while we're alone." After finishing her words, Eina leaned forward and gave Vahn a peck on his cheek. Though she had wanted to kiss his lips, she hesitated at the last moment and decided to kiss his cheek instead.
Vahn was a bit startled by her actions and had his mouth opened as he stared at the now bashful half-elf. After she kissed his cheek, Eina started to blush a bit and was trying to keep a composed demeanor while she stared into Vahn's eyes. Though it was just a kiss on the cheek, Vahn felt very happy at the intimate action so he couldn't help but smile as he continued leading the way. Eina allowed herself to be pulled along this time, and she gave a relieved sigh after seeing how Vahn reacted to her action. She realized that he didn't need sexual or overly intimate contact to be happy, so she had hope that he could be reigned in earlier than she expected.
As they got closer to Hephaestus's workshop, Vahn couldn't help but feel a bit of pressure building in his mind. Both his and Eina's pace had slowed down quite a bit, and it seemed that the closer they got, the heavier each step became. Though Vahn believed Hephaestus would be understanding, he was still worried that she might be disappointed. Of all the people in his life, it was always Hephaestus's sad expressions that brought him the most pain. He wanted her to be happy all the time and never have to worry about being sad or lonely anymore.
Though Vahn thought it was both of them slowing down, Eina was very aware that it was Vahn feeling the majority of the pressure. She had only slowed her pace to keep in line with him, and now it almost felt like she was the one leading the way. Eina realized that the burdens Vahn had accepted were larger than she expected, at least in his mind. Now that he might make Hephaestus 'sad', Vahn was beginning to hesitate and she could even see a bit of fear and worry on his face. Gripping his hand a bit tighter, she began leading the way for the remainder of the trip.
By the time they arrived outside the workshop, Vahn actually had a subtle paleness to his normally healthy looking tanned skin. Eina could feel that his hand was clammy and had even turned a little cold to the touch. They two stood silently outside of the doors of the workshop as passersby gave them strange looks for blocking the path. It wasn't until a customer exited the building and almost bumped into Vahn that he finally managed to recover.
From his left, Eina asked him in a gentle and quiet tone, "Do you believe in her?" Vahn's eyes widened a bit as he turned to look into her emerald green eyes. He could see that she had a bit of concern in her eyes and that her brows had furrowed ever so slightly. Thinking about her question, Vahn muttered before he could form any thoughts, "Of course I do." His words seemed to wash away the chaotic state of his mind as he realized the foolishness of his own actions. Seeing Eina give him a nod and a smile, Vahn realized that he had been hesitating over nothing.
It wasn't just the burdens of others that weighted him down, but his own mentality and how he chose to deal with those burdens. Vahn realized that every time he hesitated or got lost in his own thoughts, there always seemed to be someone to care for him and guide him back along the right path. First, it was Klyscha, then Sis...after them it became Hephaestus...he even remembered how Tsubaki had literally 'beaten' him only recently because of how he was acting. Vahn released a sigh after realizing how fortunate he was to be surrounded by so many people that care for him.
Vahn looked into Eina's eyes and noticed she was smiling at him with an appreciative expression on her face as she spoke before he was able to, "I know, Vahn. Let's go." Vahn had wanted to thank her for helping him realize his errors, but she seemed to already have recognized that he had worked through things on his own. She even helped push him forward to prevent him from hesitating any longer.
Vahn suddenly felt a warm feeling spreading in his heart as he followed her into the workshop to meet the goddess that had done so much for him; the goddess that Vahn had learned to respect an appreciate more than anyone else in this record. Though he wasn't sure what it meant to truly love another person, Vahn believed that he would learn how when dealing with strong women like Hephaestus and Eina that put in so much effort to help guide him toward the future.
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Eina just wants a little brother','Vahn, slowly moving forward','Beginning of a fierce battle?')
Level 1 Vahn: https://imgur.com/a/zFOLFrT
Courtesy of https://www.deviantart.com/robusta-mania
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