"It all started to feel weird after that kiss we had that one time. And then as time went on, especially after the war, this strong emotion within me seemed to increase. I can't control it." Jerry clutched his chest as he spoke with a blushing face.
His heart always raced whenever he thought of Ciara and he couldn't spend too long in her presence because he always ended up having dirty thoughts about his own friend.
He felt extremely guilty about that.
"I… I think I have feelings for her."
'No kidding.' Gawain once again rolled his eyes.
He didn't have emotions like humans did, but he could analyze behavioural data and deduce it to mean a particular thing.
Jerry indeed seemed to display all the symptoms.
"Then, why not confess to her?" Gawain finally spoke up, giving the most optimal answer to the dilemma Jerry currently faced.
"B-but what if she doesn't like me back? It'll make things weird between us." Jerry protested in worry.
"Things are already pretty weird between you guys, though…"
"I just don't want to ruin our friendship. Ciara is… she's too precious for me to lose…" He muttered.
Gawain was really uncomfortable now. He truly wanted to help the kid, but what could he say?
"If you don't do anything, you just might lose your friendship… and her."
Once Gawain's voice sunk into Jerry's head, his eyes widened and his blushing face took on a brighter shade of red.
"Y-you think she'll leave me for someone else?"
Gawain never said that, nor did he intend for his words to be construed in such a way. However, the very thought seemed to drive the young boy in front of him.
After calculating the probabilities in his head and weighing the chances of success, Gawain finally settled on the perfect solution.
"That's right. You need to be upfront about your emotion before it's too late."
"A-ah…"
"This is a wedding, you know? Lots of candidates for Ciara. If you don't make your move quickly, then…" Gawain narrowed his metallic eyes as he stared at Jerry
"... You could lose her forever."
Those words heavily resonated with Jerry as his eyes nearly popped with fear and his heart burned with pain.
"Will you allow that to happen?" The Automaton's voice echoed in the storage room.
"N-no… I c-can't…"
"I can't hear you."
"N-NO, I ca—"
"I can't hear you!"
"NO, I WON'T ALLOW CIARA TO BE TAKEN AWAY BY ANOTHER MAN!" Jerry raised his voice in determination.
"Now go, young lad. Go and claim your woman!"
"YESSIRRR!!!" Jerry, pumped to the brim, rushed out of the storage area to face his destiny.
No more running away! No more hiding! He was going to confront it all!
'Whew… took him long enough to leave.' Gawain smiled in satisfaction.
He could finally rest without interruptions.
>CREAK<
Suddenly, the door creaked slightly open and Jerry returned, poking his head into the storage hall.
"B-but… what if she doesn't like me back?" His tone was sullen, and Gawain could see signs of fear and anxiety on his face.
"Have faith. The worst she can tell you is 'no'."
With a smile on the Automaton's face, accompanied by a mutual nod, these two understood each other perfectly. They felt their emotions resonate with each other—a good consensus between man and machine.
"Thank you, friend."
"You're welcome… friend."
Thus, the doors closed once more, and Jerry left Gawain in peace.
This time, however, the Automaton wasn't just happy that he was left in peace. The smile on his face did not dissipate and his thoughts remained on the brave young chap.
"Go get her!"
*
*
*
"Hicc… hicc… I… I wanted… to marry her…"
Gerard was drowning himself in booze as he spoke with a slur. He appeared to be tipsy and his face was bright red, but he kept consuming the alcohol in his massive jug.
"I can't… bear… this…"
The grown Beastfolk—a king in his own right—began to wail and cry.
He was most likely the only one in the entire event who was resorting to tears—in a negative way, for that matter.
"Dad, calm yourself. Don't you have tons of wives already?" Asa sighed as he stared at his drunk dad.
"You wouldn't understand, kid. When you grow older…" Gerard gulped more alcohol and drowned himself in his sorrows.
Asa clicked his tongue and left his father. Instead of hanging around a complaining man, he went to a more interesting scene.
Aloe and Maro, all alone.
'Hehe. So it's finally happening, eh?' Asa grinned devilishly, deciding to sneak up on the two in order to hear what they were talking about.
Just looking at them, he could tell they had gotten much closer compared to a few months ago.
******
"It feels funny, seeing Kazen floating around. She used to be in my body, you know?" Aloe laughed with Maro.
They had talked about many things thus far and this comment of hers was only a way to slow things down. Small talk was always appreciated among good friends.
"Yeah, you never talk about that. How did it feel?"
"I really can't describe it. But I felt everything she felt and I knew she wasn't evil. She simply wanted to do the right thing."
After the entire saga, when Jared resurrected everyone, Aloe and Kazen had a long talk. The latter apologized to her and they even made up.
Considering how long they had spent together back when she was unconscious and how much Kazen taught Aloe about Aether—among other things—there was no way they would just drift like that.
Kazen's apology and Aloe's forgiveness brought them much closer to each other. In the end, they settled as friends.
Maro allowed her to narrate and describe her experience in full before he spoke again. "Well, I'm glad I get to talk with the actual Aloe."
"True. I'm glad that I get to talk to you with my body and soul intact too."
They clinked their glasses and would have talked even further. However… the most unexpected occurred.
And it would forever change their line of conversation.
