Serious:"Brief Interlude" Chapter for Avery Crusher and Arianne Greyson: "Just What the Doctor Ordered- Separated from the Crew, in Windmill Village" (Open to James. D Cook)

"Hmmm..." the wife crossed her arms in front of her and frowned, though not in a way that made her look angry or annoyed. More like she was thinking. "We were just asking about that too. It seems that there is no one around right now who can properly appraise it. The one who usually does that kind of thing is away on vacation. So we checked around and asked a few of the workers what they thought. By comparing their answers with the price we first bought it at, we came up with 12,500,000.*"

Twelve million and five hundred thousand? That was huge! Even if Arianne could pay for a night at a hotel and a couple of meals, Avery was sure that she didn't have that kind of money.

"Um...I don't think we can afford that right now," Avery confessed. "Not to mention that we're sort of pressed for time and...well..."

"Eh, just take it," the husband told him. He blew his nose again and then smiled at Avery. "We don't really need the money and we don't have anyone to leave the ship too. Except maybe my niece, but she's well off too, even more than we are."

His wife nodded her agreement. "That's right. Just make sure to take good care of it for us."

Avery stood there, blinking as this slowly trickled into his brain. He had just been given a ship... He turned towards the White Hart, hoping that this was not just some insane dream. It seemed to impossible for him to comprehend...in way it seemed even more impossible than the fact that Arianne liked him. Most of the people Avery had met in his life were very picky about what was theirs. They didn't just go around giving it away. Especially when it was something this big.

"By the way," the wife continued. "I heard that a couple of young people wiped out Slavo's bandits yesterday. Some of the witnesses claimed to have seen one of these individuals wielding a sword and the other a staff." The wife winked at Arianne and nodded towards her sheathed sword and Avery's staff, which he had placed on his back. "If you see these two, could you give them our thanks? Slavo has caused so much trouble for the people of this town. We can never tell those two how grateful we are for everything they did for us."

(OOC: *Sorry if this price seems unrealistic, but I have absolutely no idea what ships actually go for, even in real life. I just estimated from the technological level of One Piece and the necessity of ships that they would be about as much as a car. So taking fifteen thousand, the cost of a basic car in America, divide that by sixty, which is the price of a katana on Amazon, I came up with two hundred and fifty. Then I multiplied that by fifty thousand, which is the price of an ordinary katana in that Roguetown shop and it went up to twelve million and five hundred thousand. I hope that was the right way to calculate something like that.)

(OOC: Wow, I am seriously impressed that you actually went as far as taking standard prices from both the real world and from One Piece in order to accurately calculate the price of the boat rather than just coming up with a random number off the top of your head. That's really admirable in my books! And the price sounds perfect to me too. I mean, I really can't argue with that kind of logic- Oda is pretty vague with prices in the OP world anyway.)

Arianne's eyes widened a little at the price.
Even with all of the Beli that Eric had generously equipped her with, there was no way that she could afford that much. However, all was not lost, it appeared. As Avery began to sheepishly explain that they couldn't afford that kind of money and that they were short of time- the old man declared that they could simply take it!

She was stunned to say the very least..
This truly was a really wonderful day. Arianne briefly flicked her eyes upward, giving a silent thank you to God for she and Avery's recent good-fortune. Someone was clearly working over-time to look out for them.

Arianne listened to the woman and smiled wryly, bowing her head again. She understood perfectly. Maybe outright gratitude was too presumptuous and too risky for them...but they were certainly generous when it came to indirect gratitude!
The young scientist lightly tapped the hilt of her blade with her free hand, nodding to the woman. "Rest assured, madame, we'll let them know. I'm sure that they themselves are thankful that people around here are no longer living in terror because of that demon, Slavo and his gang."
Arianne smiled. "And we are also very thankful to you and your husband for your generosity. We shall take good care of her..."
She looked up at the White Hart's billowing sails. "I'm sure she contains many a memory for you both. We'll be certain to treat her with the utmost respect."

Her fingertips lightly stroked Avery's hand in her's. "Are you sure that there's not anything that you'd like us to do for you? We can simply take the vessel?"

(Should we timeskip after this to the point at which Avery, Arianne and Lawrence are actually on their way to Orange Island, or is there anything you'd like to do whilst they're still in the harbour or casting off?)

(OOC: Thanks, but that's just my perfectionist genes kicking in. And actually, I probably got it wrong considering that Franky paid 200,000,000 for that Adam's wood and that wasn't even the finished product. Though admittedly Adam's wood is supposed to be the best...but still.

Alright we should do the skip soon. But there's just a little bit more to do before the timeskip. Though I am tempted to just continue. Lost is getting restless. )

"Oh, go on," the wife said, smiling at Arianne. "It's sweet of you to ask, but you've already done more than enough already."

With a wave from the wife and the a wink from the husband the elderly couple turned and walked away. Avery was still dazed by the extraordinary gift and he turned to Arianne, staring at her in a blank sort of way.

"They gave us a ship," he informed her. He glanced back at the White Hart and then looked back at Arianne. "A real ship. One with sails. Not just oars. They gave us a ship..." Avery grinned as this finally sunk in. "WAHOO!" he yelled, pulling his hand out of Arianne's and sweeping her up in both of his arms.

Avery dashed towards the ship and sprang, using his cyborg leg to gain some extra distance, and landed on its deck. His injured arm was screaming with pain at his crazy maneuver, but in his overwhelming happiness Avery somehow didn't even notice.

This had to be one of the best days of his life, if not the best. Arianne was his girlfriend and he had a ship of his own! Admittedly Arianne owned a part of the ship, but he doubted that would matter much since they were together.

Avery kissed Arianne and spun her around in a full circle before setting her back on her feet and running up on the front of the vessel, looking out over the waves. He turned back towards Arianne and smiled broadly at her. He stepped down onto the deck and walked over to her and touched her cheek. His eyes filled up with tears and he swallowed hard.

"Th...this is the most...amazing day of my life..." he whispered. "...first I've got you...and now I've got a ship...what more could I ask for?"

There was a sharp bark from the shore and Avery looked around to see Lawrence staring back at him as if to say, 'What about a dog?'

Laughing, Avery easily cleared the leap back to shore and picked up Lawrence with his good arm. He jumped back to the ship and dropped his dog onto the deck before crouching next to him.

"Look buddy!" Avery said. "This is it! Our new home. Though we may not be spending as much time on here as we do on the Milky Way ship, but maybe we can convince Saki to let us set up some hammocks over here or something!" Lawrence wagged his tail, caught up in Avery's excitement. "What do you think, Arianne?" Avery asked. "Since you are a part-owner here."

(I admire your way of putting it! It would appear our skills compliment each other’s nicely. Though if that kind of reasoning is basic then my own mathematical skills must be foundational...>.< XD

Yeah, it's pretty bizarre that I'm directly empathising with Arianne in the sense that I'd like to join up with the Milky Way thread- and I know I've promised to- but I really do love our little AveryXArianne (Avianne?) time that we've got going on. Either way, I've added a little response and began a slight timeskip at the end. I'll let you make of it what you will, in regards to how close they are to Orange Island.)

Arianne felt an uncontrollable wave of happiness wash over as she watched pure joy set over Avery’s features. Mentally, she said a prayer of thanks once more and lifted a hand to stroke her boyfriend’s cheek in affection.
However, before Arianne could move, Avery had suddenly grabbed her up into his arms and leapt aboard the ship.
“Avery! Madre de Dios”
She let out a shrill scream of surprise, having not expected his actions at all and grabbed him around the neck, clinging to him tightly.
In normal situations like this, (rarely as they occurred to her), Arianne would have reacted with great indignation and annoyance- always proper and not one to make an open spectacle of herself.
But right now, she too, was completely overswept by a feeling of complete and utter glee and she found herself beaming with delight and giggling like a young girl again as Avery spun around with her. She watched Avery run around, grinning like a child at Christmas time.
His smile was such a wonderful one.

A few moments later, his smile was only inches away from hers and Avery suddenly swept Arianne into another sweet kiss.
She returned the kiss, leaning into his caress as he touched her cheek and gazed up at him lovingly. Arianne recognised the tears that were starting to form in his eyes.
They were akin to those starting to glisten in her eyes too.
“Avery,” she whispered in return, tender as ever. “I truly understand your feelings...because right now, I am just as happy as you...I’m completely happy to be here with you. I mean, this ship is so...perfect...both strong and beautiful.” Arianne looked from masts to sail alike. “And it was our own deeds in the name of good that got it for us, which makes it all the better.” She added with a slightly more playful smirk tugging at her lips. “And I think it was our...affection displayed in public that got the owners to notice us. That was a nice bonus, I think.”
She leaned down to stroke Lawrence’s head as Avery took his loyal partner aboard. “And don’t think that we’re forgetting about you now...”
Arianne chuckled softly under her breath, straightening. “I don’t think Saki will have a problem with us taking this boat along. She’s a lovely vessel for tendering to islands that don’t have deep enough reefs to dock in, not to mention that she’s in excellent condition and it would be a shame to waste her.” She smiled, shrugging. “And I can’t see why she wouldn’t let us keep a few hammocks here for some alternative accommodation. It would be handy too, if anyone was ever sick or needed a quiet place to rest or if you and I wanted some alone time for one reason or another...”
The young scientist blushed violently when she realized the subtle implications of her final statement and quickly changed the subject, in order to let the flow of conversation continue without any awkwardness. “So shall we cast off?” Arianne gave a bemused smile. “You’ll have to show me a thing or two about this though. I know how to cast a ship off in theory but I’ve never done it fro myself before...”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXHours later, the White Hart was smoothly gliding through the waves- the ocean sparkling and gleaming an azure blue as it reflected the cloudless, sun-drenched sky above.
Arianne stood at the helm, her hands gripping the polished wood of the wheel and a sheepish smile on her face as she followed Avery’s instruction on how to steer and chart courses.
Just having the power of such a vessel under her command made Arianne a little nervous and she began to tremble.
She looked up at him, over her shoulder. “Am I doing alright?”

(OOC: I don't think that's weird. A lot of factors of Avery's personality come from my own. Except he's a more perfect me both emotionally and physically. Except he has not been raised in the Church. So I'm almost imagining myself as him. Especially here in this post.)

Avery, who was standing just behind Arianne, smiled and nodded at her. "You're doing great," he told her. He looked up at Lawrence, who was standing near the front of the ship and looking out of the waves. Avery grinned and called out, "Ahoy skipper! Do you need anything?"

Lawrence had spent most of the last few hours exploring the ship from top to bottom in between sleeping. During one of his explorations he had found a couple of old, empty crates down in the hold of the ship. Behind one of the crates he had located a black, tricorne hat, which had the word captain sown into the inside of the brim in gold lettering. Lawrence had slipped his head under the hat and worn it ever since, hence the joke Avery was making.

Lawrence, hearing Avery's words, turned and barked at him. Avery frowned and shook his head.

"Sorry captain, but we don't have any dog biscuits on board," Avery replied. "You'll have to wait!"

Lawrence sneezed at Avery and returned his attention to the water in front of him. Avery just grinned again.

Unlike Lawrence, Avery had spent most of his time out on deck. He had made one run around of the place, but aside from that he had been sailing. Or teaching Arianne to sail. She seemed to have it now, so Avery backed off and sat down so that he could just watch her as she worked.

Her words earlier had stuck with him. About them maybe using the ship for alone time. Although he had managed to avoid blushing at the time, it had been a struggle to keep his emotions in check.

Alone time could mean a lot of things, of course. It could mean another kissing session like the one they had had last night. Or it could refer to them simply talking. Or...maybe it could even have sexual implications. Avery wasn't so sure how he felt about that. The male in him liked the idea of it, but at the same time he was hesitant. And this wasn't quite the same hesitancy as he had felt when he had thought about admitting his feelings to Arianne. That was simply a matter of whether or not he was ready to make such a commitment. This, however, went against all of the principles he had ever been taught while growing up.

Some might have said they were old-fashioned, but Avery's parents were completely against the idea of sexual relations outside of marriage. To tell the truth, after hearing their reasons, Avery wasn't too crazy about the idea either. Diseases could be created if one had too many partners...people could be emotionally damaged on all sides...not to mention, as a male, it could affect Avery's perception of women. He wasn't sure if that last one worked both ways. Even if it was just with one person, he wasn't going to take that risk. Not when if it could hurt Arianne. Her faith and beliefs might also come into play here and he did not want to violate those.

Arianne let out an encouraged breath and felt her body relax, becoming less nervous about steering the ship. Avery was truly the best tutor that she had ever had. Despite her constant second-guessing of herself, her nerves and her questioning, Avery remained calm and patient when teaching her to sail and she felt comfortable and watched over with him.
She smiled to him, nodding and turning back to the helm.

She watched their new "captain" bark from the front of the bow for dog biscuits and laughed softly, calling over to him. "If you're hungry, Captain Lawrence, we may not have any dog-biscuits but I have some wheat cookies in my satchel..."
Taking one hand from the wheel, Arianne fumbled with the flap of her bag and reached in to pull out a cookie for Lawrence. Eric had insisted that she carry them around at all times, in case she was in need of a sudden energy boost or if she happened to be stuck without the chance to buy food for herself.

She looked over at Avery again as she rifled for the cookie. He had suddenly grown awfully quiet and the look on his face was one that was pensieve but also rather troubled.
Feeling quite concerned, she pulled the side-lever and set the ship to a steady course before stooping to give Lawrence the cookie and heading over to Avery.
"Is there something on your mind?" she asked softly, moving to sit beside him. She looked up at the sails, their giant white plumes gently pulling the ship forward with the breeze's guiding hand and seeming to mirror the clouds above in the azure sky. Her eyes then travelled back to Avery's face.

(OOC: I write my best, I find, whenever I place myself in the position of the character. In this case, I can do it directly because Arianne actually was, in fact, raised with religious influence just as I was. In fact, she was raised with very heavy religious influence. I suppose the main difference is that she has no romantic experience whatsoever. Either way, in this particular scenario, her opinion on the above matter isn't going to differ so much from Avery's.)

"Watch out," Avery said as Arianne gave Lawrence a cookie. "You'll spoil him." Lawrence cast Avery a haughty look as Arianne came over and sat next to him. "I...guess so..." Avery said slowly in reply to her question. He blushed deeply and looked away from her. "...it's...well...kinda hard to talk about..."

To be perfectly honest, Avery would have loved to avoid talking about this until it became an issue. But if he just let it lie, it might confuse her and make her think she had done something wrong. And Avery never wanted her to think that.

"It's about what you said earlier...about...'alone time'..." If it had been possible to become anymore red, Avery would have done so right then. "...I guess...well, I'm just not ready...for that sort of thing..." He swallowed. "I mean...I'd like too...but would that really be something good to do...now? Even more so since it has only been a day...and, well...I guess this isn't really a good time to talk about that...it would be better to wait...until...we know each other better..." He looked back at Arianne nervously. "...besides, I don't want to...force you to do anything against your beliefs."

Completely flustered, Avery stood up and walked to the wheel, reaching back to scratch the back of his head as he did so. He checked on their positioning and direction, knowing full well that nothing was wrong with it.

The first thing that struck Arianne as Avery started to speak was his nervousness. He stuttered liberally and seemed to be turning a new shade of red every few seconds. 
The young scientist felt terribly confused at the actual content of his speech and she stared after him as he got up and walked away. 

He was edgy about spending some alone time with her? And why would that violate her fai- 
Oh no. 

Avery had taken her suggestion of using the White Hart for some "alone time" between them in the precise way that she had been praying that he wouldn't take it. 
Did he think that she really wanted...that...so early? And whilst they weren't married? 

Arianne felt both internally shellshocked and ashamed, her own face rouging up enough to match her coat. True, a certain portion of her badly wanted Avery in that way but fornication was just something that Arianne couldn't bring herself to believe in. 
And it wasn't just her faith. Her class upbringing was one of nobility. One in which sexual relations were not only confined to marriage but also to the purpose of having children. 
Pregnancy was another huge fear for her. Having a baby at sea was no joke according to Eric. 
And the antics of her promiscuous sister! As a younger teen, Elsinora's constant recounts of her encounters had left Arianne repulsed and having to spend a year of her life living in a brothel was the icing on the cake for her when it cames to her attitude about acts of lust. 
The diseases. The descriptions of pain upon one's first time. The sinfulness of conducting such an act outside of marriage...
The idea of sex alone had frightened Arianne since she was old enough to know what it was.

Arianne trembled as she eventually rose and walked over to Avery, swallowing. She could see how awkward this was for him too and she delicately placed a hand on his arm to reassure him. "Avery...I...I...when I mentioned alone time...I...I just meant time to talk...and maybe cuddle..." She dropped her gaze sheepishly. "...I didn't mean...." She couldn't even bring herself to say it. "I just can't...I'm not ready...it's too early...and we're not married...and there are so many risks...and...but, ah, someday...I think...of course, I like you enough but I...I'm sorry...I just can't..."
Arianne looked down, exhaling and feeling cowardly but coaxed herself to lift her gaze back up to Avery's again. "So I guess what I'm trying to say is...I really love kissing you. Shall we just enjoy that for a while first? Until the time comes..." Arianne was now acutely aware that her entire head was now as red as her cheeks.

Lawrence would have laughed had he been able too. Avery and Arianne's heads looked like a pair of overgrown tomatoes. Lawrence enjoyed watching them interact with each other. It was even more fun than that bright screen with the images flashing across it. According to Avery the screen had been wired up to some kind of snail that sent the images to it. Lawrence wasn't so sure about that. If a dog couldn't do it, he didn't see how something as simple as a snail would be able to.

The dog quickly brought himself back to the present. They weren't done yet and he didn't want to miss a second of it.

Avery, on the other hand, did not find the situation as amusing as his pet did. He had made a huge mistake and embarrassed Arianne, as well as himself. It felt like he had made a hundred such mistakes over the last day. The real wonder was why Arianne was still here at all.

"Sorry," Avery muttered, feeling ashamed of his foolishness. "I thought maybe you meant...no, that was crazy...I shouldn't have assumed so much so soon..." He managed to force a small smile. "To tell you the truth...though the idea appeals to me as a male...I don't really feel ready either." He reached up and slipped his good hand onto the hand she had placed on his shoulder. "I agree...let's just stick with the basics right now. There's time later for...the rest later on. When we're married." His face had just been starting to return to its regular color when the implications of his last line, and how certain he had sounded when he had said it, hit him and he crimsoned all over again. "I mean....if we get married...and...oh blast...I messed up again..." Avery sighed and looked Lawrence's general direction. "Kill me Lawrence before I say something else that makes me look like a complete idiot." Avery then frowned at Lawrence's answering bark. "Well you don't have to sound so excited about it," Avery replied.

The scientist's face burned a little more as she garbled out, feeling the sudden, inexplicable need to add to what she had already said. "Ah...well...likewise, part of me does...like the idea too...but..." She exhaled and smiled again. "I just don't think I'm ready."
Arianne listened to him, feeling that wonderful warmth run through her at the feeling of his hand resting upon hers and also with the knowledge that the two of them were on the same page about this matter.

She gave a soft smile and reached up to take Avery's chin, gently tugging him to look back from Lawrence to her once more. Without taking her eyes away from his uniquely charming silver ones, she called over to Lawrence: "Don't kill your master just yet, Lawrence! I want to live out the future that we'll have together first..."
And with that, she leaned up and kissed him again, starting to feel a little more confident when doing so, her free hand sliding to run up his neck and into his soft hair- caressing as it travelled.
She parted a little, whispering against his lips. "You haven't messed anything up at all." Then Arianne resumed the kiss, letting her lips mould with and massage against his in a beautiful ritual that seemed so perfectly natural to her, despite being so new.

A sudden change in current jolting the boat suddenly coaxed Arianne to part from Avery to look around. Reluctantly, she switched her attention to the sails. "It would appear we've entered a new area of wind-speed...and we're being pulled by a new current..."
She smiled, looking up at him. "Which means we're in the catchment area of an island. With your sailing skills and my map-reading skills, there's no doubt in my mind that the island soon to be appearing within Captain Lawrence's view over there is Orange Island..."

Avery felt himself felt his blush go down, but it returned at Arianne's first words and what she has said about their future. Well, if what had happened so far was any indication, the future was sure to be bright.

Then they were kissing again. Man, how he had missed this, even though it had only been a few hours. He slipped into the simple motions, allowing himself to drink in everything about Arianne. Her appearance, her scent, her soft lips against his... Avery's hands, both of them, wrapped around Arianne, drawing her in close to him. Though he still felt some pain when he used his bad arm, the throbbing he had previously had to endure had been steadily growing weaker all day.*

The jolt that cause Arianne to part from Avery, also brought the young man back to his senses. He tried not to let his disappointment at the island's soon-to-be appearance. Suffice it to say, he failed miserably. Still, he managed to conjure up a small grin when a new thought occurred to him.

"I guess that means that we'll be back with the rest of the crew soon," Avery observed. "So let's not waste the little time we have left with just the two of us." He looked up and said, "Lawrence! Bark when you see the island. It should be coming into view within a minute or so. Maybe a little bit longer since we'll just be leaving the ship on its current course, but that's fine. We can readjust everything when that time comes." His grin broadened as he looked back at Arianne. "We've already been traveling for twelve hours. I'm sure that a minute or two longer won't hurt..."

With that taken care of, Avery slid one arm out from behind Arianne's back and slipped it beneath her knees. Then he lifted her and set her down on his lap. Leaning in he kissed her once more while the arm that was still around her slid up her back and wrapped around her shoulders.

((OOC: *One Piece healing. Ya gotta love it. ))

((OOC: Oh yeah! Getting smashed to a pulp in one frame and coming back good as new in the next; who doesn't love it? By the way, love the profile picture. That's representing the Organisation LIKE A BOSS. ))

Arianne gave a sudden, rather undignified squeak at being lifted up all of a sudden. For a brief second, she felt an odd mixture of wonder at Avery's flawless strength even when injured and relief that his arm was starting to heal.
But this brief moment was immediately overtaken by Avery's kiss, his gentle passion completely capturing every inch of Arianne's psyche. She murmured a soft agreement against his lips before gently slinging both arms around his neck.

She pulled herself closer to his warmth. It was a sunny day but as far as Arianne was concerned, the temperature was sub-zero if she couldn't be close to Avery's wonderful natural body heat.
Even the feel of his body against hers.
He was so strong and firm, trained and toughened in physicality...yet his touch was so tender and delicate. Every touch he laid upon her skin felt so perfect and caring- from his fingertips to his lips. His form also made her feel so safe- his strong legs beneath her, one organic and as warm as the rest of his skin and one mechanical, the feel of its structure secretly tantalising Arianne's scientific mind and providing another active stimulus for her to enjoy. His arms held her so securely too as they kissed- as if he was protecting her.

She allowed one hand to travel down his chest, her fingerips tracing the line of each sculpted muscle beneath the cloth of his clothes. Her lips gently meshed with his, mirroring the act of two fighters sparring. Neither claiming dominance nor giving into passiveness but working to enhance the other's experience.
Arianne breathed in Avery's sweet scent again and feeling so blessed to have found him.

In just a few short moments of kissing, he had already succeeded in teaching her quite a few important things.
Number one, that a single, fleeting moment of affection can be worth so much and provide more soul-shocking euphoria than hours of full-on romance.
Number two, that there is a place where two people can slip away to- a place where the world is perfect because it only concerns the two of them, a place where two people have nothing to worry or care about other than each other and where one can shiver and move as slowly as a snowmelt river even when one's heart is beating faster than the speed of sound and one's face is burning crimson.
And finally, that within this world- a single minute or maybe two can feel like an eternity...and that eternity would never be enough.

Satisfied that Lawrence was loyally on watch, Arianne pushed all of her navigational worries aside and instead, let herself be fully taken in by the kiss.

In that moment, Avery was happier than he had ever been. If heaven was anything at all like this, he would take it in a heartbeat. All of his hesitancy and doubts and fears were gone. Regardless of what the future might hold for them, right then she was all that mattered to him.

It suddenly hit Avery that his life would never be the same. Perhaps that should have been obvious to him right from the start. Even so, having that realization now made all the difference in the world to him. Lawrence...the Milky Way Pirates...his brother and sister...his friends from the Fair Pirates...they were all precious to him in their own unique ways, but Arianne was special. And no matter what happened to him or where he went, even if he had to leave everyone else behind, he never wanted to be parted from her again.

Lawrence finally spotted the island coming into sight. He turned towards Avery and Arianne to let them know that they were reaching their goal. What he saw stopped him. He looked back at the island, keeping silent. It was still a speck far off in the distance. There was no need for them to get ready just yet so he would give them another minute or so together.

Lawrence felt a mild pang in his heart. It seemed to him that Avery had found someone else to love besides just him. That thought made him sad, but at the same time he realized that had their positions been reversed and Lawrence had found a female bloodhound that he liked and who liked him, he would have loved her more than Avery. It was the way life worked. Friends and family were all still very important, but they took a lesser role in one's life. Besides, even though Avery and Lawrence might not have as much time together, Lawrence had a whole crew of people to take care of him now. His tail thumped lightly against the deck. To him it looked like the future was indeed bright for all of them.

((OOC: You certainly had all the bases covered in the last post. There was no way that I could measure up to the romance in a pro post like the one. So to try and make up for my shortcomings, I'll just leave ya with a short music video that I think sums up this thread nicely. After that, this post will probably be my last unless Arianne has anything more to say or do that requires a response from Avery. Otherwise it's time to rejoin the Milky Way Pirates. See ya there. ))

((Awwh! I'm flattered! Thank you for saying so. I really love my romance sequences! LIFEHOUSE! Love it. You and Me is also an amazing song choice of song and I really do think that it perfectly fits the thread. I don't think that there's really any more for Arianne to say. I'll see you in the Milky Way Thread too. ))