An End, and a Beginning

The morning after the celebration...

Ryker struggled to open his eyes, squinting as the morning sun swept over them from a crack in the curtains. His head was pounding fiercely and his mouth was dry as a bone, the aftereffects of a night filled with drinking and partying.

"Geez, is this what a hangover feels like?" he groaned as he sat up in his bed. It had been his first time drinking, last night, and he had perhaps a bit too much...

He yawned and stretched his arms up into the air, though when he made to lean to his left, his hand fell on a soft object that was laying underneath his blankets. He looked over to see Long Meiling sleeping peacefully next to him, his hand resting on her thigh.

It took a while for him to process what he was seeing, but eventually his eyes opened wide, darting to and fro to see if there was anyone else in the room, with them.

"Uh, Mini C? Nothing *untoward* happened last night, right?" Ryker asked somewhat nervously.

[No. She helped you to your room since you were dead drunk, but it seems she was rather out of it, herself,] Mini C responded.

[You both fell asleep... immediately... after collapsing on your bed.]

Ryker fell back onto his pillow when he heard that, not noticing Mini C's slight hesitation as he let out a sigh of relief.

"Phew. Guess I gotta hold back a little, next time..."

From what little he recalled of the night prior, he was peer pressured into drinking with all of Meiling's guards, and it seems like they didn't take it easy on him. Though he also remembered that he drank them all under the table, so he was proud of that, at least.

At this time, Meiling started to stir beside him, mumbling softly as she opened her eyes. There were a few moments of silence as she looked over at him, blinking absentmindedly, before she realized where she was and shot up with a short gasp.

"Mornin'," Ryker said, giving her a sheepish grin, "Uh, don't worry, Mini C said nothing happened, here, so..."

"Um, right..." she said, looking away and clearing her throat awkwardly. Yes, she was aware that nothing had happened, but... How could she have fallen asleep?! And right next to him, too!

And, if she were to be truthful... she couldn't exactly say *nothing* had happened...

A blush started to creep up her face as the events of last night began running through her mind, all the way up to where she volunteered to bring Ryker back to his room.

--

"Ugh, how are you so heavy?"

Long Meiling pulled open the door to Ryker's room, dragging him inside as he hung off of her shoulders with one arm, stumbling along in a drunken stupor.

"Hehe, thanksh for bringin' me back," he said with a giddy laugh, staggering back and forth on his way to the bed.

"Did you really have to accept *everyone's* challenge?" she asked, rolling her eyes. It seemed like every one of her guardsmen had wanted to challenge Ryker to a drinking competition, tonight, with the result being his current inebriated state.

"But I drank 'em all under the table, right?" he retorted, grinning from ear to ear with a drunken flush. Meiling just scoffed and threw him onto the bed, where he lay sprawled out, chuckling to himself every so often.

"Hey, good job kickin' yer shishter's ass, today," he said, slurring his words slightly.

"Thanks. I really couldn't have done it without you."

Meiling smiled gently, sitting down next to him and helping him get his blankets over himself. Ryker just waved her off, though the current state of his fine motor skills meant the gesture looked more like he was just flopping his arm around.

"No way, you really done... did it out there... You reallyyy..."

His words quickly trailed off as he fell into a contented sleep, snoring slightly with his mouth wide open. Meiling couldn't help but let out a quiet giggle, her gaze softening as she watched his peaceful sleeping face.

Maybe it was the alcohol, but she could feel herself starting to get emotional, a warm sensation welling up in her heart. Really, they had only known each other for a few weeks, now, but it felt like he had done so much for her, already.

Before she knew it, her face was mere centimeters away from Ryker's, a blush starting to rise as her lips brushed against his cheek.

"Thank you, Ryker..." she said softly. She could feel her face burning up; had she really kissed him, just now? Sure, it was just a kiss on the cheek, but...

It was a good thing he was still dead drunk, or she'd never be able to live this down.

She had no idea how she had ended up with her head down on the pillow, or how she had ended up laying right next to him. All she could hear was Ryker's peaceful breathing as she drifted off to sleep.

--

'Oh, gods!'

Just remembering the events of last night brought a furious blush to her face, and she quickly got out of the bed, straightening out her clothes that were all wrinkled from having slept in them.

{Yup, yup, nooooothing happened, at all!} came Bestie's sing-song voice from the compad, causing Meiling to freeze.

"Uh, if you say it like that, it makes it sound like something happened, you know..." Ryker said, scratching his head, but Bestie just giggled, while Meiling remained frozen where she stood.

'I'm... Such an idiot!'

How could she forget about Mini C and Bestie, last night? They... They saw the whole thing!

"Sir Ryker, the young miss is missi--!"

However, before she could have a meltdown about being seen doing something so embarrassing, the door suddenly slammed open, revealing Wang Yuhan standing there in a panic. Yuhan's frantic shout was cut short as she noticed Meiling by Ryker's bedside, though, who was looking back at her with a flustered expression.

"Ahem, um, everything is in order..." she said, awkwardly looking away and closing the door. Meiling just put her face in her hands, sighing in resignation.

"... I'll go explain what happened..."

Making sure he couldn't see her blushing, she left without another word, leaving Ryker in the room, by himself.

"Well, that was a thing," he said, grinning. Jumping out from bed, he quickly straightened his clothes, having Mini C help him to cast a spell that ironed out all the wrinkles.

{Hehe, looks like your relationship with Meiling went up another level!} Bestie said while he went about his morning routine, the sly smile clearly audible in her voice.

"Oh, yeah?"

Checking his system notifications, he saw a few unread messages:

| Relationship with Long Meiling became: Close Friends(?) |

| Received: Nine Star Destruction Sword (Broken) x 1 |

| Relationship with Wang Yuhan became: Respected |

| Received: Guardian's Bracers x 1 |

| Relationship with Cheng Hui became: Respected |

| Received: Hallowed Jade Tortoise Shell x 1 |

"Hm."

He looked at the notifications wordlessly, an inscrutable expression on his face as he brushed his teeth.

[Something wrong?] Mini C asked, sensing his sudden somber mood.

"Ah, no, it's nothing," he said in return, getting back to prepping for the day, ahead.

"Guess we should start heading out then, right?"

There wasn't much for him to pack, and he walked out leaving his room tidy, looking forward to the day he might come visit, again.

--

"Young Miss, I'll miss yoouuuu..."

"Take care, Young Miss. We'll be waiting patiently for your return."

Wang Yuhan, Cheng Hui, and the rest of Long Meiling's guardsmen stood gathered at the entrance to the Long family's estate, saying their farewells to Meiling before she went off on her journey.

"Thank you, everyone..." she said, eyes misting up as she looked at each of them with a smile, "I'll make sure to return soon, so please keep the household safe while I'm gone!"

She hugged Yuhan, who was wailing pitifully, and saluted Captain Cheng and the rest of the squad. However, there was someone she was still waiting for, before she could leave.

"Hey, I'm here!"

She looked towards the estate with a hint of anticipation as Ryker came running out, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"Haha, looks like you're all done saying your goodbyes, already?" he observed, jogging up to them.

"Hmph, we haven't said goodbye to you, yet, silly!" Yuhan said, pouting playfully.

"Indeed. While it was only for a short time... I'm glad we met, Ryker, and safe journeys."

Cheng Hui, Wang Yuhan, and all of Meiling's guards bowed to him respectfully, a bow which he returned, in kind.

"Hey, I'm glad we met, too!" he said, saluting them with a grin, "I learned a lot, from you guys. I'll make sure to pay you back, someday!"

"Please, you've already done so much for us and the young miss," Cheng Hui said, smiling and returning the salute.

"Hehe, well, we'll settle what's what, next time. Make sure to take care of Yuhan while we're gone, alright?"

He elbowed Cheng Hui in the ribs as the captain cleared his throat, looking away in embarrassment.

"Where will you be going, next?" Meiling asked, curiously, unconsciously moving closer to him. Ryker thought about it for a moment, rubbing his chin, before he decided with a nod.

"I'll go east, where all those sects and stuff are!" he said, "Maybe they've got some info on where my friends might be?"

"Huh? Are you sure that's a good idea? The Great Void Sect should have a lot of enmity, with you..." Yuhan said with a bit of worry. Ryker just gave her a thumbs up, putting a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

"I'll be fine! Probably. And if I'm being honest, I just wanna see what's the big deal with them, anyway."

"Well, if that's the case, I can travel with you for a while," Meiling said, a smile on her face.

"Yeah? Where are you headed?"

"My mother's hometown. I wanted to visit before I went off on a journey, proper."

Ryker nodded, giving her a smile of his own.

"Sounds good, to me! Shall we get going, then?"

"A moment, if you would."

Ryker and Meiling looked back towards the estate in surprise, while the guards all fell to one knee in salute. Standing at the gate's entrance was Meiling's father, Long Junfeng, as well as her sister, Jingfei.

"... Father," Meiling curtly greeted, looking away from him.

"... I just wanted to say farewell."

He bowed his head slightly, looking down with a solemn expression as he spoke.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't there when you needed me, Meiling," he continued somberly, "And that I let the relationships in our family fall to where they are, today."

"But you're a strong girl, as you always were. You will make your mother proud, out there..."

His words ceased, however, as he felt a light tackle and embrace, looking down with shock to see Meiling burying her face in his chest.

"Stop ignoring everyone. And stop drinking so much. And quit letting the other families walk all over us," she said, her forehead firmly pressing into him.

"You'd better get your act together by the time I get back."

With that, she quickly released her hug, walking back to Ryker's side and crossing her arms with her back turned to Junfeng.

"... Yes. Of course."

He bowed his head again, smiling slightly as he did. He still had much to do, it would seem...

Jingfei, on the other hand, never looked at Meiling the whole time, pointedly looking away with crossed arms. However, as Meiling and Ryker moved to leave, she suddenly spoke up.

"I'll be stronger than you, again, when you return. You'd better be ready for a fight," she called out, causing Meiling to pause.

"... Hmph, we'll see about that. I'm looking forward to seeing your face when you lose, again, myself."

Jingfei just scoffed and turned to leave, heading back inside. Meiling also kept walking, though there was a slight smile on her face, now, her mood a little brighter, somehow.

Cheng Hui, Wang Yuhan, and the rest of her guards cheered and shouted more farewells as she and Ryker departed, the two of them waving goodbye as they left the Long family estate behind.

Just like that, one chapter in their life came to an end, and a new journey began...