Complete Vintergard Immortal Heroine: Tenshi and Sai Salvage for Scraps

[Tenshi]

For the first time since she began playing, Tenshi cursed her Cold Metabolism. As she charged against the blistering cold winds rolling through the abandoned ruins, she did her best to keep moving and keep warm. At least until they were safe. They being herself and Sai, her party member as always. After the last fight, the two had gotten separated for a moment as debris shifted and forced them to go around. Honestly the tigress would have just climbed over if not for the couple sentries she had to outmaneuver at the time. Thankfully, they had been on her side and not Sai's.

For some reason, that was the mindset she carried for the entire time she had been playing Terrasphere, and even after a week's worth of journeys over the last however long it had been now she had no idea why. It's not as though Sai was a helpless child. She skidded to a quick stop over the thin layer of summer snow on the ground to listen out for which direction snipey boy got off to, and she winced as the pain of cold against her open wounds caught up with her focus.

Ah, right. That was why. This sort of pain was something she was used to, but someone like Sai...

Her ears twitched and retuned. There was a humming nearby. Without wasting any time, she started sprinting around the wall off to her front-right. Sure enough, there he was. Sai, and a larger Overseer than the last the two had seen. She didn't care to stop and see what he was about to do. Tenshi leapt forward with a metamorphic boost from her then-feline legs, and smashed into it with both of her now-feline arms as she usually bore when attacking. She had pounced it well across the way from the sniper wolf, dragging it a zone away with her.

This was both wise and unwise in her case. Overseers were said to have an alarm system that would pull a lot more aggro by calling in more magitech sentries, so taking it out in one shot meant the battle would finally end here and the duo could get back to their stealthy salvaging approach. With how much force she put into smashing it with her claws, she wasn't able to get away from the even larger downside of fighting it as its self-destruct, self-defense protocol activated and doused the tigress with bits of molten shrapnel even as she tried to leap back away from it.

She huffed for air for a few seconds as she bled into the snow, with just enough HP remaining to last through the explosion. But then she looked up, and saw Sai, and started forcing herself to her feet as her UI declared the two were finally out of combat again. "Al...right...!" She put on a grin, but for once it didn't feel like Tenshi usually bro-ing it up with the wolf boy. It felt forced, like some rich person might see on their waiter. A customer service face. Her arms returned to normal and showed the more human reality of what tanking in Terrasphere could do to someone, and the tigress hissed as she winced through the grin.

Shivering, she crossed her arms tightly and closed her eyes for a few seconds. "H-H-Hey, c-c-come on... Th-There's s-s-supposed to be a s-s-s-safe p-p-place... The s-s-statue... Up Ah-h-head..."

@Sai

 

[Nobody]

Rolled 63 for Awareness

This place was awfully cool… in more ways than one! Despite the chilly air though, Sai felt pretty warm and raring to go! Except for several scratches he’d received from all the scrap metal flying around, he’d been okay so far, all thanks for Tenshi’s taking all the heat! … Metaphorically speaking.

He grew a bit worried as he lost her a moment to the debris piles and what resembled fog (though he wasn’t quite sure it actually was). Thankfully, her silhouette reappeared moments later, ripping past him with a ferocity that took him by surprise.

"Alright, let’s finish this thing, my gal!" He chuckled, gripping the handle of his gun, waiting a few moments, and then whipping around his cover, ready to fire! Only to see… Tenshi was dragging it away!? "Hey, wait up!" he called after her as he followed… at least until the self-destruct began its countdown. "Oh crap!"

Sai dove for cover once more, narrowly avoiding the cloudburst of shrapnel and molten metal. Nice! But wait, wasn’t Tenshi in the middle of that!?

Running up to the explosion site, Sai met up with a very beat up companion. "H-hey, are you alright…?" he asked, not really needing an answer from her to tell the obvious. Rushing forward, he took Tenshi’s arm and propped her up on his shoulders, helping her push forward despite the wounds. "Let me help. Gosh, your freezing! Maybe we should call it there for today and get some rest…"


@Tenshi

 

[Tenshi]

There was a time long ago Tenshi could recall where she scraped her arms really bad after falling while roller blading. It wasn't the sort of pain she ever looked forward to again, yet here she was willingly wrapped in it, and all for this guy. Before she could doubt herself over it for long, Sai came over to give her support. "H-H..." She gulped, though she struggled for a few seconds.

"I'm f-f-f-fine..." Despite herself, she did lean against Sai to warm herself as much as possible. That gauge was frightfully low now that she really gave it a once over. Furthermore, as she blinked away the frost from her eyes that was mostly only there thanks to her own choice of racial trait, she began to notice the actual warning on her UI about imminent death due to low temperatures. "J-J-Just, d-... don't l-l-let go of m-m-me..." She didn't want to inform him outright that she was on death's door. It'd be a bit too dramatic for the boy who was only playing to try and relax while being as chill as possible. This was the most chill way the tigress could think to proceed.

Before she knew it, she had wrapped her other arm around Sai as her legs started to give out, numb from the cold and shaky from all the adrenaline of combat now allowing her to feel her pain and fatigue. She was pushing herself way too hard. For what? For Sai obviously, but why? She wouldn't go through all of this just because he seemed a bit pathetic sometimes.

"S-S-...S-Stop... S-S-Sai..." She had protected him enough today, hadn't she?

"I th-...think... the c-cold's gonna..." If she still had her claws, they would have been digging into his back, but even they would have slowly began to go limp on the wolf. "I'm s-s-s-so... c-c-cold..." She had to get him to pause, respite or not. She wasn't going to make it on these legs. Heck, she could barely even log out at the moment (at least she assumed).

@Sai

 

[Nobody]

"You sure don’t sound fine…" Sai answered quickly as Tenshi leaned closer. He had vaguely recognized how cold it was, but it never seemed that cold to him. Were the traits that substantial? Well, the two of them seemed to be living proof that they truly were. Even so, Tenshi was so cold, it was almost painful for him to have the living popsicle draped over him like this. Almost.

"I’m not letting go, don’t worry," Sai did his best to reassure her, dropping some of his usual chillax attitude for the moment in recognition of the seriousness of the situation. Even then, he didn’t grasp just how serious it was until Tenshi just about collapsed.

"H-hey, Tenshi! Tenshi!?" Frowning, Sai touched the side of his temple, his eye glowing as he activated his advanced investigation mode. She was that wounded!? That cold!?

Stopping for a moment, Sai let down Tenshi slowly, taking off his coat and draping it over Tenshi’s shoulders. "This is why I told you to pick out a winter outfit!" Sai scolded, shivering as a cool breeze struck his bare shoulders. The red light of a sentry turned in the distance, slowly heading their way.

"Come on, we need to get to that safezone." Without a moment to waste, Sai wrapped his arms around Tenshi and began to princess-carry her forward.


@Tenshi

 

[Tenshi]

The winter outfit... Right. She did mean to get one of those, but when she got a better idea of how strong the enemies coming at her would be, she decided to try and pump her defensive stats instead and try to stay warm by virtue of being able to cover herself in fur. Needless to say, it worked out as much as it wasn't right now. Next time she'd mind the cold for sure.

There were lulls in her focus as she fought to stay conscious. Tenshi had heard too many times that the last thing you wanted to do in subzero temperatures was fall asleep, so that was where her efforts were going. Yet she suddenly felt so comfortable. Why was she moving? She wasn't moving anything. She couldn't even feel her fingers anymore, much less be walking at such a dedicated pace.

With the wind no longer assaulting her entire body beneath Sai's coat, her wounds began to sting and burn instead, which jolted her awake just enough to realize that she was looking up at Sai, and beyond him the taller debris of the fallen ship and city, and yet further beyond that the sky. She was being... carried? She felt a strange ticklishness in her core, yet a pit in her stomach as well. This was the sort of thing she had wanted since she started playing Terrasphere, yet it felt... strange. She was being carried, but by the person she was trying to protect.

"S..ai..." Her tail curled down against his arm just a bit as she closed her eyes again. She was just going to trust him to get them to safety this time. It was hard to admit, but she probably wouldn't have if she had a choice. She didn't trust Sai, her own friend, and she hadn't really realized it until now. How cruel.

"I'm s...s...sorry." She muttered while she tried to warm up enough to get rid of that death timer. She wasn't getting much colder, and Sai's arms were like beacons of life at the moment, but it was still a dubious endeavor for now. It would be until they finally took shelter.

@Sai

 

[Nobody]

Sai took a deep breath to take in the situation as Tenshi seemed a bit out of it. It was incredible what a beating she could take, and likewise how easily shut down she was by some chilly winds. Then again, maybe this was a combination of both.

It was also pretty strange, being able to (almost) effortlessly carry her along this way. Sai was about as lightweight as they came on the outside; out of necessity, really. Still, he really appreciated Tenshi’s protection. It felt so nice to have her there, keeping him out of harm’s way. Those nasty looking wounds only served as a reminder of how bad he could‘ve had it otherwise.

And yet there was also some guilt there as well. She shouldn’t be taking all this on her own, right? Surely, Sai ought to help out at least a little bit!

"Don’t be! You’ve done so much for me, now it’s time for me to return the favor."

Suddenly, a red glow reflected off the rubble in front of Sai, directly followed by a disturbing beeping coming from behind him. Crap crap crap! "Hang in there, I’m gonna make a run for it!"

Suddenly, Sai bolted forward, as best he was able with Tenshi still in his arms. He tore forth, the giant statue in sight, as the blasts of lasers and electricity struck to his left… his right… and then straight on the back! "Gah…" he groaned, pressing forward as another three drones joined from either side. Any moment, he prepared for another agonizing strike to the back…

…

But nothing. They remained in place, scanning the immediate area, before wandering off once again. "Whew… I guess we’re in the clear then…" Sai sighed in relief, wandering right up to the statue and setting Tenshi down. Her propped her up at the marble base, kneeling down close. "How’re you handling things? Is the jacket helping?"


@Tenshi

 

[Tenshi]

As she both heard and felt Sai getting shot, she winced, and the pit in her chest deepened. Despite her best efforts, despite having thrown herself as close to death as possible without crossing the line all the way, she still wasn't able to protect Sai. Talk about biting off more than you can chew. She'd have to step up her grind game.

By the time she was placed down, the only motions left beneath Sai's jacket were the shivers of one tigress popsicle. To his question, she groaned as she opened her eyes just enough to see him. "Y-Your... arms..." She muttered at first, but she seemed to realize how meek she sounded and put in the extra effort to speak louder. "Your arms w-w-were w-w-...warm..." She wasn't exactly going to tell him to come put himself on her or anything. That'd be a bit creepy sounding.

But she could really use it, she thought. It was almost all she thought at the moment. Sai was so warm, and she was still watching that timer on her UI. That was probably the biggest reason she preferred to keep her eyes closed right now. It was a lot different being fully aware of how long you had left to live and for what reason than just vaguely fearing that something might happen to you at some point that might kill you. It was a powerful discomfort that Tenshi wanted nothing to do with. Not while she was in so much pain, anyways.

"S-S-So... c-cold... Sai, h-help... m-me..." As she closed her eyes again, the only upside she could manage to grasp at the moment was that being out of combat once again would mean her wounds would continue to regenerate, especially thanks to her Metamorph mastery.

@Sai

 

[Nobody]

"A-ah, I see…" Sai nodded his head slowly, nervously considering what she was asking. It seemed awfully intimate, but she needed it, so it would be almost cruel not to offer the help. "Alright, here we go."

Taking a seat next to her, Sai wrapped her arms around Tenshi and held her tightly to his chest, trying to transfer as much heat as possible. He winced at just how cold she felt, but pressed on, hoping it would pass soon as she warmed up.

"You’ll be okay," he insisted. "You’re alright. Just hang in there and you’ll be right as rain in no time!" Sai had quite the bedside manner!

After a brief pause, he took the opportunity to ask, "Hey, Tenshi… would you like to switch roles next time? I’m not really that built for it, but… I can’t keep letting you take on everything by yourself, or you’ll keep getting hurt like this…"


@Tenshi

 

[Tenshi]

Tenshi always thought that her first time being this close to somebody would be a magical thing. Something that would leave her stunned and in awe at how significant a moment so simple could be. This... wasn't that, and she only became more aware of it the longer she laid against the wolf warming her. Even aside from it just being for survival, she wasn't used to being touched or held or anything similarly intimate, so it still should have mixed her feelings up a bit.

This wasn't that, this was... Sai. The guy who always called her his 'gal' and stole a headpat or two before logging off for the day without any semblance of suggestiveness. Even the way he was reassuring her that everything would be okay was as casual as could be. Their whole relationship was like something a bad fanfiction writer would line up for a couple of their favorite characters, but without even a hint of actual romance involved. It defied expectations, so maybe that was why it felt so strange. At the end of the day, the two played like a couple of friends in a video game, and that was all Tenshi actually wanted out of Terrasphere.

Would you like to switch roles next time?

The tigress heard his question just as the immanent death timer went away, and her eyes shot open just in time to see that. "Huh?" Her ears drooped down, and she curled and uncurled her fingers to try and get the feeling back in them. She didn't get off of him yet, otherwise she might drop back into the lethal zone again.

"S-Sure you can... It means you're not the one getting hurt, and you'd probably be more hurt than I am right now." She took a deep breath, but slowly enough for it to be warm. "As long as I can protect you..." Her head tilted down as she thought about something for a few moments. Whatever it was, it must have made her quite sentimental, as she wrapped her left arm around Sai and closed her eyes. "...... I don't mind being in pain like this, as long as I don't lose you, too."

@Sai

 

[Nobody]

Sai was at a loss for words. Her denial wasn’t surprising, but the sheer force behind her insistence… it was bizarre! Not only bizarre, but it clearly hinted at something deeper. And well… if there was ever a time to ask, this place was relatively private, considering how rare it was for people to head this way.

"Lose me too…?" Sai chose to focus on that part first. "Maybe it’s a little painful to talk about? You don’t have to if you’re not comfortable with it…"

What could she be referring to, anyway? A dead loved one? Maybe she just seriously loved a pet dog or something! "Look, I… I really appreciate you, Tenshi. A lot! You’re a lot of fun to be around, and you do so much to keep me from getting hurt, but… it’s just a game! If we die, we just pop back up again, remember?" Sai offered a reassuring smile, pulling Tenshi into a proper hug. "Relax. Nothing’s going to happen to me if I help out a little more, okay?"


@Tenshi

 

[Tenshi]

There was too much she disagreed with about what he said, and she wasn't exactly a beacon of social grace in the first place, much less just after coming back from death's door for a moment. As she was pulled into a hug by him, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him too.

So this is what a hug feels like...

That was about all she could really think for a few seconds, but as she thought of how to respond to Sai she began wishing that it had stayed that way. If we die, we just pop back up again. Sure, but then...

"Then why not just leave me to die and carry on with the quest? I'd just respawn anyway, right? Why... bother carrying me, or warming me up? It was just awkward for you, wasn't it?" The tigress wasn't usually on top of her own emotions when they flared up, so she hadn't really realized how bad of a mood Sai's casualness over the whole situation had put her in. Maybe she was just bummed out from not being good enough to protect Sai. Well actually, it was more likely that it was both.

It didn't really matter. "Look... I'm not going to like... unload on you, or anything, but..." She took a deep breath as she considered how to talk about this--which she was already not used to doing--and also be sensitive about it.

"When I started playing Terrasphere, I didn't think I'd be tanking. I was actually hoping someone else could tank for me and I could just let loose and hit stuff while trying to look cool and pretty. Obviously, that's not how it went... but I'm actually glad it happened like this instead, because..." She didn't look up at him at all, just trying to take the huddling for warmth for what it was while she focused on her words and how to un-awkward-ize them.

"I guess, if you had to think of it as role-playing, it's nice to be able to save somebody, for once. Outside of here... Well, I live alone, and I have no friends. You're-... Well... You're my only friend... Sai... and... I'd like for you to just... let me protect you. I don't have to cure any diseases, or have a million dollars in pocket to pay for any surgeries, or have to stop a car from running a couple red lights. I can just, take on a little more pain, and..."

Her eyes began to water all of a sudden, or at least it felt so sudden, but maybe they already had been before now. She hid her face in Sai's chest with her head tilted down slightly. She wasn't about to let this man see her cry over this. She was expressly trying not to let him feel bad about it. "... and I turn around, and you're still there, and... That's all I... want. So... just let me..." She trailed off as she realized both that she had made her point and that her voice was starting to show the sadness she was trying to hide. She couldn't help that she was a terrible liar, though. She had no interest in being a liar in the first place, so that was fine.

@Sai

 

[Nobody]

"W-well…" Sai stuttered for an answer as Tenshi brought up the idea of leaving her to die. Yikes. "I guess that just wouldn’t feel right to me, leaving you to die like that. Besides, there must be some sort of penalty for it, right?"

He let her continue, holding her close through the whole process. His eyes widened at one line in particular: "You’re my only friend." What an incredibly sad to thing to hear! Also a nice thing hear; in some ways, it was bittersweet. Tragic, but a wonderful thing to hear nonetheless.

"I’m glad I met you, Tenshi," he smiled, stroking her on the ears to help her relax a bit. "It’s nice to know I could mean that much to someone. Usually when people say things like that to me, it sounds kinda… superficial? Exaggerated? Anyway, I really believe you, and that means a lot."

Sai continued patting his friend, glancing off at the red, glowing lights in the gloom-filled distance as he considered an offer. He was her only friend? Then was all this just coming from some fear that if he felt enough pain he might not want to log back in? If that was the case, there was an obvious answer to that problem…

…but he couldn’t go doing that, could he? This intimate way she was cuddled into him. In fact, the entire character of Sai… wasn’t it all kind of a ruse? Angel felt almost like a totally different person! She was someone who might struggle to be friends with this girl in the same way Sai could. And so, perhaps that offer ought not to be made.

"I’m not going anywhere," he insisted again with a confident grin. "So don’t worry!”


@Tenshi

 

[Tenshi]

The tigress felt chills down her spine as Sai began to brush her ears with his hand. The good kind of chills, finally, as her temperature gauge was now finally at a much less concerning level than before. Though, she could only really tell by closing her eyes tightly to dismiss the tears that had been blurring her vision before. She took a deep breath in, and strangely took an all new comfort in the scent finally sparking at her no longer stinging cold nose. She was sheltered by Sai's jacket, and she was laying against his warm body... It could have been a thing of romance, but as always, Sai didn't seem to see it that way.

That was fine. The more she thought about things like that--her hopes and dreams, her fantasies--the more she realized over time how silly it was to desire things like that in the face of what she had with Sai being her friend. It was already more than she was ever willing to give up again, as she more or less had stated already.

As the two sat in silence for a while, Tenshi began to relax more and more as she warmed up and chased away her emotional demons in the wake of Sai's words of sincerity. It was perhaps the most sincere he had been with her since the day they met, and it still felt casual. That was just Sai, she supposed. Her face began to feel a lot warmer as she felt--and heard--something uncommon of her new form that she often forgot about: she was purring, which only made her bury her face against Sai once again.

I'm not going anywhere, so don't worry!

She took a few seconds of silence to burn those words into her heart. She wanted to believe it. She wanted to play with Sai more often, but his erratic schedule was already a hindrance in that regard. She wasn't about to start having anxieties about whether or not he would log on to play with her again.

He did always get on to play with her, but it wasn't that way at first, was it? It wasn't for her either until the two ended up meeting.

"... Hey, Sai?" She said, doing her best to stifle her involuntary cat vibrations. What she was going to ask originally never came out as she realized that the two didn't always only play when the other was online, so instead she thought of something else to say as quickly as possible. "... Thanks for letting me be myself around you. It's... I mean, yeah. That, haha..." She wrapped him in a tight hug, though she was careful not to be too rough with it. Mostly because she still didn't understand how to do it without crushing her own chest and was slowly becoming apprehensive of anything getting near her center of mass (but that was another story for another time).

"I didn't mean to get so emotional. I know you're like, trying to just relax and have a chill time. I promise I won't make this a habit..." She finally looked up at him with a grin and forced a chuckle to try and feel less awkward, though being in the upswing from her dramatic performance before was making her purr still, so she kind of just wanted to rip her voice box out of her throat.

@Sai

 

[Nobody]

Despite the obvious fact that the girl was absolutely freezing, Sai took a lot comfort in having her right beside him. It was a strange kind of feeling… possibly one that came from the (relatively) unfamiliar body he now inhabited. The joy of protecting the girl who felt helpless… at least at the moment. Any other time, it would ironically be totally reversed!

He couldn’t stifle the chuckle as he caught the purring noise though. His pointed ears tilted down just to hear it better: like tuning into a pleasant and hilarious radio station. The ever-so-subtle attempt to hide the shame only made it better!

"Yes…?" he answered, getting a long moment of silence in response. "Hm? What?" he pressed for an answer, getting one together with a hug. "You mean the you that likes to purr from comfy head scratches?" he smirked, not wasting the opportunity to tease for even a moment. Though there was a more serious part to that question. Was Tenshi more like himself than he’d originally thought? Surely not: she’d mentioned several times that she didn’t have any big social life or anything. And yet, he still felt a huge connection from that statement…

"You too, actually," Sai nodded with an awkward smile. "Or, well… actually, I guess it’s more like… thanks for letting me be someone else," he corrected. That was kind of the gist of it, wasn’t it? He wasn’t unhappy with his real-world identity per-say, but being Sai… it was fun! Fun, and relieving!


@Tenshi

 

[Tenshi]

Though she whined at Sai's teasing, she tilted her head down more to unbury her mouth. "Yeah... actually..." It was true though. Tenshi literally only wanted to start playing in the hopes that it would help her feel more like who she always felt she should be, and undo how closed off and formal she was. Perhaps not formal like someone at some sort of upper class gala. Professional was more accurate. She didn't have anyone to casually lean against or hug, or even high five or something just as fleeting. "But don't go acting like you're not exactly the same way."

She laughed just a little, which sounded half happy and half sarcastic. She was working on that, she would swear to this if she were even aware of it in the first place. "Someone else, huh? I guess that's kind of what this is for me too, then." If not for the fact her tail was curled up as close to Sai as possible for warmth, it would probably be idly swaying about here and there.

"In real life, I'm nothing at all like this. It's like... if I could be anything like I am now, you can bet I already would be..." This time her laugh was much easier to distinguish as being forced. "Really, it's a good thing you've never met me outside of Terrasphere." She looked up at him with a slight smirk. "After all, if you're really nothing like Sai, you'd probably be too cool for me."

She took a deep breath through her nose and closed her eyes as she leaned her head against Sai once more, still reveling in the moment while it existed. Also still purring, much to her chagrin-but-actually-enjoyment.

"... Get it? Because you're a warm wolf?" The tigress chuckled.

@Sai

 

[Nobody]

"Well, I don't know if I'd trade places exactly, but... it's sure fun being Sai," he answered pensively, considering the words Tenshi was speaking with care. Whatever was being implied here, it sounded super personal, and not something to be taken lightly, so he wouldn't.

"H-hey! Sai is super cool!" Sai pouted, until Tenshi explained her joke more clearly. "O-oh... oooohhhh, hahah, I get it! Though, actually, there's probably some truth to that: I do normally get cold pretty easily. Maybe not as easily as you just did, but... yes."

And speaking of warmth, now that Tenshi was feeling considerably less popsicle-y, it was actually kinda pleasant just sitting here hugging. Sure, she was still a bit chilly, but not to the point of discomfort.

"You know, I'm actually really glad I had time to play today. I... well... the last few days have been really tiring, I'll just say that. So it's nice to just be able to sit here and do nothing for a moment." Sai glanced off into the distance, narrowing his eyes a bit. "Although, I might prefer if the view could be a bit less... Dystopian. At least my view of you isn't so bad, though! You have a really cute design!"

Sai didn't even seem to notice how that came off, viewing it more like the complement of an outfit.


@Tenshi

 

[Tenshi]

When she heard about Sai getting cold in real life easily, Tenshi shifted back into being his caretaker for just a moment. "You might need more iron. I know people say red meat is bad for you, but..." She chuckled. "Anyways, I'm no expert, but I've heard about that a few times, so if you run out of ideas you can give that a try, I guess..."

The tigress had long since soaked in the relaxation of the moment, with the cold wind brushing by her ears now more reminiscent of being in a hot tub in the winter rather than a sign of impending death. It was pleasant. She would even say everything up to this point had been worth it just to be able to enjoy this moment. Even her struggles in the real world before ever logging into this game.

But then snipey boy had to go and compliment Tenshi's looks, and in a way that wasn't actually casual. Not even just a little bit, either. My view of you isn't so bad! It didn't matter how platonic the wolf was trying to be, nor how much Tenshi tried to pass off his comment as yet another casual remark. This one hit her deeper than that, and it may have all tied back to her earlier revelation. She trusted Sai... but not that much.

"... Cute, huh?..." She mumbled.

She let his words rattle around in her head as her purring finally subsided, though more from how confused and wound up she suddenly was than from not being happy still. She was very happy. Too happy. That was the problem. She was just being built up by her own desperation. What if Sai was just really bad at saying what he felt? What if he was just really bad at not flirting? Both were possibilities, but leaving them both to exist was tearing the tigress apart emotionally.

That was why she had to ask him.

"Sai." Tenshi looked up at him to try and show him how serious she was trying to be as she frowned just a bit, but she couldn't keep her eyes on his face. Not before she knew how she was supposed to feel, because... well, Sai was definitely in the realm of cute to her, too. She glanced down, and to the side. ".... You don't... mean that, do you? Not how it sounded, I mean...?" Being vague with Sai was probably a horrible option, but being blunt... well, that wasn't her expertise all the time either.

"You're not the sort of person that would ever date me, right? You already have somebody in real life, don't you?..."

@Sai

 

[Nobody]

Sai brushed aside Tenshi’s caretaking without much thought. It was nice enough, but he had a pretty strict diet he had to follow in the real world, and how cold he got was probably the last thing he worried about when picking between a salad and a hamburger. Still, it was nice she was worried about him. It was appreciable, at least.

Tenshi’s initial reaction was more than enough to clue Sai in on the fact that something had gone wrong with his complement, but not quite enough to know what it was. Her flustered look, her taking the question suuuper seriously… suddenly, it began to click. And just as it did, Tenshi confirmed his suspicions by ramming the big question down his throat directly.

… Oh. Right. He was a cute guy, of course that wouldn’t come across as a simple complement! Duh. And boy was that a heated topic… so hot, the cool winds suddenly struggled to fight the red steaming of Sai’s face. He’d have to approach this super carefully.

"Well…… my situation is more complicated than that. I’m not technically supposed to date anyone." He’d hope Tenshi would just take that at face value and not question it, but it got around the awkwardness of simply answering ‘no’ without the important context that he’d rather keep under wraps.

"I don’t think you’d even want to date the ‘real me’ anyway. But you’re a lovely girl, and I’d be lucky to be your date as Sai, for sure!" He smiled for a moment, before it faded as he realized he might’ve just opened the door to making it official! Was that a problem? Maybe not initially, but how far could a game relationship go before it turned to the real world…?


@Tenshi

 

[Tenshi]

He wasn't supposed to date anyone? But if he was in Terrasphere playing as Sai so that he could be a different person, didn't that mean-?

There was no time to ponder, as wolf boy blurted out the closest thing to asking someone out short of asking someone out and left the tigress... many things. She froze in place for a second, this time figuratively, but then her sight hesitantly trailed up to Sai's face. How serious was he being? That goofy grin energy had left his face, leaving him looking at least slightly more serious than he usually did. This was big.

Her brow furrowed a bit. Her eyes widened. Her mouth opened a bit. The purring had even stopped. Tenshi was at a loss. After she said she didn't have anybody else, after he had said he wasn't going anywhere, did he really mean it after all? Her cheeks were already a bit pink from the cold, but now they really reddened as she glanced about his face to look for any signs of joking. But... there were none.

She finally blinked a couple times, then glanced down in thought. She was going to object on her own behalf, considering every reason she could give--and sadly there were many--for him to not date her. Then something dawned on her. Sai couldn't date in the real world. That meant she couldn't date the real Sai anyways.

"So then..." She muttered, mostly to herself as she nibbled gently at the tip of her tongue in deliberation. Finally, she looked up at Sai, and even got just a bit closer after a second. Her eyes stared intensely into his, and her arms tightened just a bit around him.

"Sai... You're not... joking with me, are you?" She blinked twice, adding a certain charm to her questioning. A delicateness, a thoughtfulness, a deliberateness. "You're always joking around... but I'd be even luckier to be your date than you would mine, and I know that deep down, so tell me... that you're being serious..."

@Sai

 

[Nobody]

It was as Sai suspected: she took it as a real thing! And while that might not have been his original intention, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to retract it. Tenshi was cute and while it felt a bit awkward to date a girl as a guy, certainly no one playing the game would find it strange, right? Those two identites… they‘d continue to be apart.

… And right now, Sai wanted to experience love! Something he was barred from on the outside, and yet was so alluring, so mystical, so beautiful; every time he saw it, or read it, or dreamed about it!

"Not at all: I’m being totally serious," Sai answered with no hesitation. "Just as long as you understand it can only be here. If I ever met you on the outside, well… we could only be friends. If you’re okay with that, than I am too! Is that… okay? … Tenshi?"


@Tenshi