Michael and Suze were both pacing up and down the kitchen, while James just sat at the dining table, fidgeting with his hands.
"...Maybe I should ask my boss. He could go to the Ethereal Plain and find her!" said Michael as an idea, but it soon got shut down by Suze.
"Find her in the Ethereal Plain? It would take way too much time! Not to mention it's basically impossible to accomplish!"
It has been close to an hour since they broke down the door and found Veronica's robe and Items discarded on the ground.
They knew straight away that she got transferred to the Ethereal Plain. What they didn't know is how? They also found another person's discarded clothing, but there were no IDs or anything useful for divination.
The clothing itself didn't prove to be enough. At least, that's what one of the residents in the basement said.
The only thing they could do is wait to see if Veronica manages to come back or not.
In the meantime, Michael kept throwing out plans, which he knew very well that wouldn't work.
One thing he hated was waiting around while doing nothing. He hated this feeling of anxiety and uselessness.
He was about to suggest another idea when a knock came from the backdoor, and someone tried to open it. Because the door was locked, they couldn't enter.
All three of them draw their guns, but soon they breathed a sigh of relief...
"Could someone let me in? Also, I would like to have some clothing or a towel or something!"
With quick movements, Suze opened the door wide without thinking. Veronica stood there for a moment, surprised and naked, then she yelped and covered herself with her hands.
Inside the room, Michael quickly turned away with a huge blush, while James was already covering his eyes.
Unlike the two, Suze wasn't embarrassed, and she looked Veronica over thoroughly. She was still wet with seawater, but otherwise she was alright.
A few minutes later, she sat at the dining table with the others. She was wearing a large blanket over herself, but nothing else.
They had already prepared a bath for her in the bathroom, but first, everyone insisted on knowing what had happened.
Veronica warmed her hands on a mug of hot tea, then recounted the tale of her first adventure in the Ethereal Plain. She told them everything about the Chaotic Order and only omitted to mention using the Theater as an escape route.
She instead told them that the earrings helped, but didn't go into details.
"...While running away, I haven't realized that I left the city-grounds and ended up a hundred meters above the Remote Sea. I then had to swim for a few kilometers before I reached the shore, then I had to run through the Harbor District naked..."
"I would've loved to see that," said Michael jokingly, and Suze gave him a slap to the back of the head.
"You've seen enough!" grumbled Suze, then turned back to Veronica with a kind, motherly smile... "I'm glad you are okay. It was the right choice to run from the Corrupted. You would've died otherwise!"
There was worry hidden deep in her eyes, but she said nothing else, just held onto Veronica's hand.
They stayed silent for a bit after that, but this attempt on her life brought a new perspective to her. At first she thought that even if they stayed in Hammon, they could stay safe, but now that the Chaotic Order was after her, this wasn't an option anymore.
"I have to leave Hammon..." said Veronica in a whisper.
Everyone around the table stared at her like she grew a second head, but before any of them could say a word, she continued...
"I have to leave Hammon to keep you all safe. I interrogated McLean before we entered the Ethereal Plain, and he made it clear that the Chaotic Order wants to kill me... If I leave, maybe they will follow..."
Her voice sounded meek and sad, but she knew what to do to keep her family safe.
Suze stared at her with a thoughtful expression, then her eyes went to James and, with a silent understanding, they nodded at each other.
A firm squeeze drew Veronica's attention to her mother's smiling face…
"Like hell you will. At least not alone... Gives us a week to get things straight, then we all leave Hammon! We can travel to Vindra, or one of the other large cities. They won't going to find you there!"
Michael also nodded on Veronica's other side. He held her other hand and gave a small kiss on the back of it.
"You really thought I will just let you leave... We go together everywhere from now on, at least... If you want to..."
With that, he pulled a small box out of his suit's pocket, and opened it.
Inside was an elegant golden ring with a large pink gemstone. Its housing was artistic and looked like tiny, thorny vines.
Seeing the ring, Veronica's body trembled with excitement, joy, love and everything in-between. She didn't even know what to say, and just opened and closed her mouth a few times.
Michael stared at her with his usual dumb smirk, and in that moment, she lost all control.
Veronica jumped on him so fast that he had no time to react. In one moment, Michael was gleefully enjoying Veronica's flustered expression, and in the next, he was pinned to the ground with a mouth pressed onto his.
He also felt a foreign object enter his mouth, which he soon realized was Veronica's tongue. She seemed ravenous as she devoured his whole being.
Michael tried to reciprocate as much as he could, but the giggling and snickering at the table brought his attention away. He then tried to push Veronica away a bit, but after her ascension, she was much stronger.
It took her a good five minutes before she finally remembered where she was and stopped. She also forgot about another important detail... She was still naked.
When she jumped on Michael, her blanket fell to the floor. He kept his eyes closed during the kiss, but it did nothing to his ability to feel Veronica's breasts pressing on his chest.
With a huge blush, Veronica quickly retreated and covered herself. At the table, James was covering his face while Suze was dying of laughter.
Michael got up from the floor too and walked back to his seat. He seemed to be mortified. After this display, he began to rethink his previous proposal, but after taking a glance at Veronica's blushed, radiant face. He couldn't imagine his life with anyone else.
"So... Will you marry me?" He asked, while slowly taking out the ring from the box.
Veronica's eyes snapped to him, and with a raised eyebrow she said... "You seriously have to ask after that?... Yes, of course!"
Even though she tried to act mad, to hide her embarrassment, the smile on her face was persistent, and as Michael pushed the ring on her finger, she began to tear up.
She wanted to hug him, but then remembered her state of clothing and settled with holding his hand.
"Well, that was unexpected." said Suze after everyone's emotions settled a bit.
"Did you two know about this?" asked Veronica incredulously.
Her parents looked at each other, then laughed to themselves... "You think he would dare propose without asking permission from us?" said James.
"Don't underestimate Michael too much. He is a true gentleman and knows the protocol of marriage proposals!" said Suze, while giggling like a little girl.
Veronica had never seen her like this before. She was so giddy and girly. It was unnatural and made Veronica feel uncomfortable, but she endured it since it seem to make Suze forget about her worries.
She spent a few more minutes staring down at her new ring, then with a sigh she stood up and walked towards the bathroom.
Because the water was lukewarm, she finished in a few minutes. When she left the bathroom, the kitchen was already empty and so she headed up to her room.
Inside, she found Michael already waiting for her in bed.
"What are you doing here? Don't you have to get back to the Unbroken?"
He just smiled and motioned for her to come to the bed. She did so without question and sat next to him. Only now did she realize he wasn't wearing his suit, but a light nightwear.
"They can handle everything without me. I want to spend my the night with my future wife."
His voice was soft, and hearing the word 'wife' from his mouth brought a bright smile to her face.
They began a slow kiss, very different from the previous devouring. Veronica leaned on Michael, more until they were both lying on the small bed.
He took off his shirt, only breaking the kiss for a moment. It landed on the floor, where his pants soon followed.
He gently kissed her neck and peeled off her robe inch-by-inch. When they were both naked, the kissing continued, but when it was time to take action, Veronica stopped...
She looked away from his fiance and looked around the cramped room.
"What's wrong?" asked Michael, while making circles with his hand on her naked back.
Her eyes went to Michael, and she kissed him one more time. She then placed her head on his chest and hugged him tightly.
"I don't want our first time to be in a small room like this. I want it to be special and romantic..."
Hearing this, Michael just chuckled and gave a kiss on the top of her head. He didn't push her or try to convince her otherwise. Instead, he whispered into her ear... "Then we will wait until it is perfect!"
After this, they soon fell asleep in the small bed. It should've been uncomfortable for two people to sleep in it, but as they cuddled together, they felt content.