The Live Performance [Blaez]

"Alright! I-I'll try." Mae said, still somewhat insecurely, but at least she had Blaez's Support, so that was good. "One day, maybe..." Mae gave the stage a longing gaze before turning back to her two friends. "She's always like this, Blaez. Don't worry. She's much better than she says." Ayane winked at him, with a bright smile on her face, while Mae fidgeted timidly in the background.


Ayane asked... She was actually being cinsere about that too. She wanted someone to keep their eye on Mae while Ayane was away... Normally, Mae would be the one to say that... But since Blaez wasn't going to Japan with Ayane... She couldn't exactly ask that of him, now could she?

"W-Well... I won't get another chance in a while... if ever so..." Before Blaez had any time to react, she'd kiss him quickly on the cheek... A sort of farewell gift from her... "Just a little something to remember me by..." She'd say quietly before running off backstage, taking the lead to find Lou.

"I... I'm sorry if that was a little out of the blue..." Mae said apologetically, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I think... She's come to terms with that she won't see you again in person... and just wildly took a chance... the only chance she had. Please, don't look down on her for that... She really cares for you still, you know." Mae gave Blaez a gentle smile, before she walked together with Blaez following Ayane's rush backstage...

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Lou looked at Blaez with a thin smile, before standing up, and grabbing his black electric guitar. "Hehe, I can help with that, sure. Anything for Mae-chan's friends." He'd smile brightly at the three, before the lessons began. This time, he'd only learn the basic cords and general music knowledge, nothing too fancy, but by the end of it, Blaez could at least play a couple of chords pretty well... "Hehe, If you're ever bored, or wish me to teach you more, feel free to stop by. I'm sure we'll be here in Penecia for at least another week or two before we start playing in San Malarus." Mae turned to face Blaez afterwards. "Wow... You're getting pretty good at this already. I can't play a guitar to save my life. Ayane's better at that than I am..." The black-haired girl giggled sheepishly at the compliment. "Hehe... You were amazing, Blaez. I'm sure, if you keep this up, you could become a pretty good guitarist, like Lou." The man nodded. "You got some potential, kiddo. Don't let it go to waste."

NPC Introduction:

"..."That was a bold move from Ayane, Blaez didn't mind it, it was just a kiss on the cheek after all, it was harmless... Ayane really liked him, and she probably won't be seeing him again in person... that gave him an idea, but he'd have to wait, Ayane just rushed ahead, not that he was eager to do it, he wouldn't care if he didn't got the chance to do it, Ayane would be the one missing it.

"It's fine, really..."He paused for a few seconds and watched Ayane rushing ahead"...I will have a private talk with her later."If Mae asked anything about it Blaez would try to avoid it by changing the subject of the conversation or giving her vague responses, he didn't wanted to let Mae know his plan, she'd tease him so much if she knew about it.


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Lou was such a good teacher, he was able to teach Blaez the basics quickly, Blaez was able to play something by the end of the lessons... that day was way more productive than he thought it would be"Thanks Lou, i will try to drop by later."He was grateful for the lessons, if he had the money Blaez would buy a guitar and practice on his own, after the lessons were over Blaez would approach Ayane while everybody was distracted and say"Hey Ayane, can i talk with you in particular?"It was up to her, he wouldn't force her to do anything, though he doubt she would waste an opportunity like that.

"Alright. I understand, Blaez." Mae gave him a thin smile. "Thanks, by the way... Just... be careful when you talk to her, alright?" Knowing Ayane, she was probably in a very... vulnerable state of mind right now. Not that it was showing on her in the slightest. That girl had an exceptional talent for putting on a brave face when she needed to. "She's really something else..." Mae looked at Ayane in the distance before setting off to follow her friend.

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"Alright then. Take care, kiddo." Lou waved at Blaez as the latter went to talk to Ayane. Mae noticed it too, but she didn't pay it much mind. They could go and have their talk. To be frank, what was going on between them was really not any of her buissness...

"Umm... Yes, Blaez?" Ayane looked up at him with those red eyes of hers when she was addressed. "Sure." She'd smile warmly at him, in a very... Mae-Esque fashion. "You wanna go someplace quiet?" The girl wasn't talking about any place in paticular, but... would she want to talk to him in front of Mae and Lou? Not really... If this was going where she thought it was going... She looked at Mae for a brief moment, only to see the pinkette winking at her. Did she know what was going on?

"Yeah..."He paused for a few seconds trying to think on a place"I have an idea."Blaez slowly reached for Ayane's hand and grabbed it and walked with her to much more private location, before doing anything he looked around to see if anyone followed them"Alright, i think it's safe now "He'd carefully wrap his hands around her waist and pull her closer to him, and without any indication he kissed her on the cheek"This was so sudden..."He whispered to himself, he had no idea of how Ayane would react, she probably liked it, but you never can be sure.

Ayane looked curiously at Blaez... Why had he approached her like this...? Well... Actually, now that the girl thought about it, she could think of a reason why... "Hm? You do?" Ayane asked carefully, before Blaez took her hand, and led her outside... The sun had set a long time ago, so the only source of light was the moon and the stars above them... Mae made sure no one followed Blaez or Ayane outside. She knew that the two needed this time alone...

"So... What did yo-" She stopped herself when Blaez wrapped his arms carefully around her. And then he kissed her back on the cheek... "Blaez... You..." Ayane said eventually. Her red eyes were locked onto his, before she carefully hugged him back... "Thank you..." She wanted to kiss him back so badly it hurt, but she resisted the urge to do so. // One step at a time, Ayane... // She thought to herself, trying her best not to let her feelings get the better of her. "It's quite beautiful here, isn't it?" Ayane said after a moment of silence. Well... This certainly was a great way to cap off an already wonderful night. She wanted to spend these last moments with him, and him alone... Ayane made a mental note to make sure she thanked Mae for this... Had it not been for her inviting Blaez to this, none of this would've happenend... Oh, if only she didn't have to leave... She wanted to stay here in Azores with Blaez and Mae. Why did School have to get in the way now?

"Yeah..."He looked up at the sky for a fe moments, it was already dark..."You're going back to Japan soon, right?"Ayane would miss him so much... He'd miss her too, maybe if they had more time they could become a couple"I wish you could stay longer."Blaez looked thoughtful for a few moments, he wanted to give something to Ayane, but he couldn't think on anything good enough... Sharing that moment with her would have to do"...I will miss you."If Ayane had to say or do something, Blaez wouldn't stop her.

"Unfortunately, yes..." Ayane said with a deep sigh, avoiding Blaez's gaze. Why was this so hard for...? They had barely known eachother and yet... "I would love to stay longer... But, well... My time here is coming to an end... I..." She really didn't want to go. There was so much left here that kept her wanting to stay... The beautiful locales, the people, her newfound friends... but most importantly Blaez and Mae. "I'll miss you too..." Now on the verge of tears, she couldn't take much more of this any longer...


She eventually managed to say, after a long internal struggle... "I know it seems silly, and reckless... But I really do... I'm... Sorry it had to turn out like this..." Ayane's embrace tightened somewhat... As if she was afraid that Blaez would vanish right then and there... "I really don't want to go..."

It could have worked out... if only they had more time with each other... or maybe it was better like that, considering the recent events Ayane was safer far away from Azores, and his own condition didn't helped either, maybe that's how it's meant to be, Ayane deserved better"...I love you too."He'd caress her hair gently, he felt bad for getting that close to her, it would be better if Blaez avoided that kind of relationship, he is bound to Azores forever, he'd just become a burden eventually"I wish things were different, i really do, but..."He looked down sighing"...I can't be with you..."It was the sad truth, she had to face it"...Just don't look back because of me, alright?"

"Why?" Ayane asked worriedly, her voice beginning to shiver somewhat. "W-What do you mean?" She didn't quite understand why he was saying this to her... "You can't be with me? Why? I-Is it because I'm leaving?" That was most likely the case... But what did she know? "I... I'll come back to you... I promise..." This really wasn't easy for the poor girl... She knew that distance relationships were difficult, if not impossible to maintain over long periods of time... "I just can't stand this anymore... I'm always left behind in the end... There's always something..." At least she could share this moment with him all alone... "Mind if I...?" but before he could answer her, she kissed him gently... "I'm sorry..." The girl avoided his gaze, as her tears rolled down her cheeks. "What was I thinking...?" Ayane was in quite the predicament. She loved him, yet... things just weren't meant to be... Would she ever find someone? "What do you mean? I... Just can't forget about you, now can I? Silly..." A gentle smile made it's way to her lips eventually. "Stay safe... Okay?"

"It's... complicated..."If he'd explain the situation to her it would only make things worse"Ayane, you're lovable person, i doubt any of your friends would want to leave you behind... but sometimes people have to part ways."It's sad, but they had to accept the hard reality.

A kiss?He was surprised that she didn't tried it until now, Blaez decided to not stop her"Don't cry..."He'd bring her closer to him and hug her trying comfort her"Don't worry about me, i will be okay."Blaez would spend a few moments with Ayane until she was feeling better, he didn't wanted to say goodbye to her without the resolution of her feelings about Blaez, better deal with it now than neglecting it... if Blaez was in her place he'd have ignored his feelings though, it was hypocritical of his he part but he didn't cared.

"Ah... I see..." Ayane said, trying to keep a smile on her face, which she failed at keeping for any long period of time. "You... think so?" The girl looked somewhat insecure on that subject. Mae was basically the only person who had stuck with her for any longer period of time. She could tell that Blaez was being honest though... "That doesn't make it less painful though..." She really didn't want to leave, but she had to. Ayane knew that her time here on Azores was limited... Had she been better off not meeting Blaez? Of course not! Ayane was happy that she'd met him... To hear that he loved her too was... invigorating. Kept her going, despite knowing that she would be leaving him behind...

"Blaez... I... I..." She could even finish that one sentence before everything just fell apart. Ayane let it all out. All her sorrow... "I don't want this night to end..." After all, she had just kissed him. The first time she'd actually done something like that... and he seemed perfectly fine with it. And it was truly an unforgettable, and quite frankly, magical moment when their lips had met... She would not forget this night... Ever... "You sure...?" Ayane asked worriedly. "I'll come to visit here during Halloween... so at least we won't be away from eachother that long... Will you wait for me?" She'd ask, tilting her head to the left slightly. What would his answer be...?

"I will."He wanted Ayane to get over him, but he couldn't say no... Maybe it wouldn't be a train wreck, maybe that relationship would work well... Hope for the best, prepare for the worst they say"I don't want it either, but i think we should get back now...He'd grab her hand and kiss her on the cheek again"Let's go, Mae can't wait us forever."Blaez would walk slowly holding hands with Ayane, he had decided on giving that relationship a chance... maybe they could be happy together.

"Y-Yeah... You're right." Ayane's cheeks reddened a bit after he kissed her on the cheek. "I need to get back to the Refugee center anyway, so..." And the two returned inside, where Mae was talking to Lou about something. They stopped as Ayane and Blaez returned. // Looks like things went rather well. // Mae thought to herself, looking at the two actually holding hands. That was a good sign. "I guess it's getting rather late. You kids should go back home. I know Penecia isn't all that rowdy at night, but I can't exactly speak for San Malarus. Be careful, alright?" Lou looked at the three teens, somewhat worried. "Heh. We'll be fine. Don't you worry about us." At that moment, the door swung up for the second time, followed by Kinaku entering the room. "Mae... Thanks for coming here today... Say, do you have a place to stay? I heard the dorms..." Mae nodded before her mother could continue on. "Don't worry, I got things under control. I have my friends to thank for that." It really was thanks to them. Without their support, Mae would most likely have ended up on the streets... Thankfully, that was not the case. "I'll see you around then, sweetie... Take care." And with that, Mae and the others said good bye to Lou and Kinaku, as they left for the station, back to San Malarus.

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"I guess we're splitting off here then." Mae said when they returned to San Malarus Station. "Blaez... Thank you for everything..." Ayane smiled widely at him. Something had clearly happened between the two... And that something was definetely a positive thing, that much was certain. It really was nice seeing Ayane smile like that. A Refreshing sight indeed... "Take Care, Blaez." The two girls said in unison, before they left... Or at least one of them did. Ayane lingered for a while, waiting for Mae to get out of audible range before she gave Blaez a gentle kiss on his forehead before she left. This might actually work out in the end...

"Don't even mention it Ayane..."She looked so happy... if she only knew, Blaez would try his best to keep his promise, he didn't wanted to make her cry"...Bye..."He wanted to spend more time with her, but at the same time he wanted her safety, and he knew that it would be dangerous for Ayane to stay in Azores and from him...things were so confusing at the moment... Blaez thought about his choices during the whole trip, was he really making the right choices?

[Blaez left the scene]