#viritualis

          Dagger was honestly surprised that he would actually come to a stop.           ...So this whole time, he was serious? “...” If anyone was at fault for all           that, it was Dagger. She always saw him as a flirty monkey boy who hit           on anyone wearing a skirt. Or were physically attractive. It was why she           never allowed him to see her as another fling victim or whatever people           called it. Sure, she may have used the royal status as her own excuse to           reject him every single time but... it was also to safeguard herself           whenever he was around. If only she was as honest and straightforward           as Eiko had been...

          She smiled a bit in turn as she watched him get on one knee. That           sense of deja vu occurring from when they had first met on the           beginning of their journey. Sure, it was awkward and funny to see him           be as formal as he could be considering how he’s never been one to be           a part of the noble world. It was exactly the world she had been           kidnapped from from day one. And while she had struggled to fit into           his world simply to blend in, it was still quite the journey. Not just to get           to her destination, but also in terms of blending in. For her, it meant           abandoning all that she knew in order to start fresh. To become Dagger.           Her, at the time, temporary alias.

          But it became apparent that it was seriously a necessary thing for her to           do. She was never the true Garnet Til Alexandros VXII that people           believed her to be. She was simply a replacement. And it was Doctor           Tot who told her that she used to have a horn. And it was her           suppressed memories that came flooding back that she finally           remembered where her true roots lied. Either way, she wasn’t sure who           exactly she was except her alias. It was the one thing she knew she           could cling onto because there were no lies. While Dagger knew she           could probably rely on Eiko to help her learn of the summoner cultures,           it felt weird relying on someone ten years younger for knowledge. 

          While the crowd started murmuring what was going on, some reacted,           but others had held them back. Fellow comrades among the crowd           seemed to know exactly what was going on. Dagger had finally chosen           to let go of the already broken chain that held her back. Even Steiner           seemed aware of what was going on, and the for once, the General did           not have to hold him back. They were under silent agreement that it was           alright for that young man to take her. If there was anyone outside the            Castle that the Princess would be safest with, it was him.

          Dagger had her arms wrapped around him as she hung on, her face           pressed against his chest. While it was embarrassing to be leaving so           suddenly in front of a large audience, there really was nothing more that           she wanted. There was that unspoken trust all around anyways. “Thank           you.” She murmured. 

Eiko chuckled as she nodded. “Sure! I don’t mind.” She answered as he lead her there. Eiko mentally noted the special that was advertised on the board just before they went inside.

Once seated, she looked around for a moment before looking at the bartender. “What’s your popular dish of the day?” She asked. Then she shook her head a bit, “Actually, just let me have that. I wanna try it anyway.”

          There was so much words she could yell out to him. But at the same           time... words could-- no, they’d hardly mean a thing. Especially between           herself and him. And it’s been years since she had last seen him... And           everyone had presumed him dead. But Dagger did not want to believe           it. There was no physical evidence. Just words. Rumors. The reason           why she did not choose to believe such words? Because as someone           who had traveled with him all this time, she knew he was literally a           cockroach. One who refuses to die no matter the circumstances, and           Dagger was not one to let him die. That was pretty much evident back           on Terra. She was always there to watch his back just as much as he           was usually there to watch hers. He had come to know her too well.

          It was all she could do to just run to where he was, tossing her tiara           aside and abandoning her pendant when it dropped from her neck as it           always was there. Sure she stopped to turn and watch it for a moment           as it was flying but... she didn’t allow another thought to cross her mind           as she turned once more to go back to running to him, literally flying at           him once she was close enough.

          This whole time, Dagger was definitely living a lie. And she knew it.           ..But no one else would have been able to understand. Not as much as           this thief would. No.. it was from the beginning that she had been living           a lie. But she was unaware of that until the time when they had all met           another summoner. A lone survivor. Until then, she was afraid of the           Eidolons that resided within her. And it was until they were forcibly           extracted from her that she didn’t feel right. It was then that she had           realized that they were with her from the beginning in order to protect           her. Just as much as Madeen was around to actively protect the other           summoner.