"Rael...Rael..."
Rael groaned as she rolled over in her bed. She pulled her blanket over her head.
"Rael...Oh, now you don't want to be the early bird."
"Shut-up...it's our day off of class..." Rael tried to keep her eyes shut, trying to fade into that nothingness of sweet sleep. Suddenly, she felt a large force. The voice had been persistent, and started shoving her back and forth. Rael started to growl.
"Get up." The voice stated again, still shoving her.
"What?!" Rael threw the blanket off of her and quickly sat up. She was brought face to face with Avures who appeared to be dressed to go somewhere.
"Well first off, good morning." Avures had his hands clasped together.
"Avures...I'm sorry I exploded at you. I'm very sleepy. What is it?" Rael sighed and put her hand against her forehead.
"Happy birthday, Rael." Avures stood there.
"Wha-...you...you knew?" Rael's vision started to shake.
"Well, I deduced that you lied to me." Avures rolled his eyes before unclasping his hands. "Anyways...here. I made this for you."
"Avures..." Rael sniffled. Rael reached out and grabbed hold of what was in Avures's hands. She held it in her own hands and stared at it. A pearl necklace. Though, it had a few imperfections and misshapen parts, she could tell a great deal of care was put into it.
"Those aren't real pearls, of course, so it looks a little shoddy." Avures scratched the back of his head. "But I'd like to think it shines like real ones."
"It does...I-..." Rael quickly put it around her neck. The way it felt when she wore it...Rael walked over to her mirror. Avures was right. It had a strange glisten to it. It looked like the real deal. The image of it sitting on her neck...she looked over to Avures and back to her reflection. Her reflection was crying. Rael practically leaped from where she was standing and embraced Avures.
"Whoa!...easy." Avures raised his arms up as Rael squeezed the life out of him.
"I love it...I'm sorry I lied to you too...But, I love it so much...Avures, thank you!..." Rael whimpered as tears flowed down her face. "You didn't...you didn't have to do anything for me. I-but I really love it!"
"I wanted to make it. Of course, I had a little help too, and it's not perfect...but I'm glad you love it."
"I don't care if it's not perfect or whatever...you made it for me..."
"Rael..." Avures slowly pushed Rael off of him and put his hands on her shoulders. "You woke up a bit later than I expected...so I'm a bit strapped for time. I have to go make some preparations for later tonight. So I'll be gone until about...an hour out from sunset."
"What?! You're leaving?..." Rael put her hands on his shoulders.
"Trust me...I think you'll like it. Just make sure you're ready to go around then. I think you brought a nice dress with you when we came here, didn't you?" Avures looked over to her dresser.
"Uh-...Avures..." Rael took her hands off of his shoulders. She daintily grabbed some of her hair that hung past her shoulders. She lightly twirled it in her fingers as her cheeks and the tips of her ears flared a bright red. Her gaze averted his face.
"What is it?" Avures looked back over to her. He raised an eyebrow at her red face. It almost matched her hair and eyes with how much it glowed.
"It's just...I mean...you're coming on so suddenly-it's not really like you...but I li-"
"What are you talking about, Rael? It's not like that." Avures shook his head.
"O-Oh...right. Silly me." Rael breathed a sigh of relief, but also partial disappointment. She then slapped him hard on the shoulder. "Go do your thing then! I'll be ready by then."
"Right. In the meantime, I think everyone else wanted to hang out with you..." Avures shrugged as he started walking out the door. "See you later, Rael."
"I'll be waiting for you, Avures!" Rael waved as he closed the door behind him. She stared at the door and clutched the necklace. Rael sighed, before she realized what Avures had said. She frantically started to undress and redress herself with a fresh set of clothes. After all, everyone else was waiting on her...
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Rael exited her room, dressed up in a simple garb she usually wore on her days off. The other four of them sat outside in the hall, waiting on her.
"Happy birthday, Rael!" The four of them rushed over to her.
"Aw. Thanks guys." Rael smiled.
"So, what do you wanna do today?" Olicia grabbed Rael's hand.
"Huh?...I hadn't thought of anything." Rael looked wide-eyed at everyone else. "I guess I'd have just spent it waiting on Avures...speaking of which...what's he planning?"
"Can't tell ya." Lylas shrugged.
"Please..." Rael put her hands together and begged, dragging Olicia's hand with her.
"No. I mean I actually can't tell ya cause I don't know." Lylas scratched the back of his head.
"Hmm..." Rael pouted and crossed her arms. "Fine!...I guess we can find something to do."
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And so, the four of them went along with whatever it was that Rael wanted to do. This partially evolved into whatever Rael and Bif wanted to do, as the latter proposed a game of "Hitball". The rules of "Hitball" were quite simple. The person who has the ball has to avoid getting tackled to the ground by the other players and avoid having the ball ripped away from them. Once that happens, whoever made the tackle gets to go next. Whoever goes the longest without being tackled wins.
Ventrix would sit out, deeming it a little too ruffian for his tastes. And, of course, with it being Rael's birthday, she got to go first. In the same clearing in the woods they had all been in before, they gathered to play. Ventrix would sit on the nearby stump and be the "referee". The ball in question was a simple yellow leather ball in the shape of a perfect circle. It's size was roughly eighteen inches from one end to the other. Rael took hold of the ball and inspected it. She kept looking at it for a few more seconds, before nestling it in her right arm.
"Okay. No magic! And none of your weird demon shit either!" Bif pointed to Olicia.
"Pf. Shut-up." Olicia rolled her eyes.
"Start!" Ventrix threw his right hand in the air.
The moment Ventrix signaled the start, Rael immediately took a back step to look at everyone coming at her. The people coming at her already were...just Lylas. As soon as Ventrix called it, Olicia had taken a moment to shove her entire body into Bif, knocking him over. It wasn't against the rules by any means, but perhaps counterintuitive.
"Hey, asshole! You're supposed to get her!" Bif slowly stood himself back up in front of Olicia.
"Hm. Sorry." Olicia slyly put her hands on her hips and looked away from Bif. He frowned, and then pushed her over in retaliation.
"Stupid bitch..." Bif muttered. Before another moment passed though, Olicia sprang up from the ground and tackled Bif below the waist, taking him down. The two of them then rolled around on the ground and tried to pin the other. As this happened, Ventrix, Lylas, and Rael watched on. No one would stop them.
"Well. Imma get ya by myself then." Lylas cracked his knuckles and turned towards Rael.
"As if!" Rael put the ball on her index finger and spun it around. "I'll have you know I coulda gone pro!"
"In a game I'm pretty sure blue-hair just made up? I believe ya." Lylas smiled. "Aight, Imma come at ya!"
"Try it!..." Rael tucked the ball in her right arm once again.
Lylas took swift steps towards Rael. The distance closed, Rael was intent on working around Lylas's attempts rather than trying to outrun him. Once he deemed himself close enough, Lylas made a full-on lunge for Rael. Throwing his entire body at once, he extended his arms out to reach for her. Rael, however, stepped to the side and dodged the attempt. Lylas ended up falling towards the ground, though, he managed to get his hands under him. Catching himself on the ground, Lylas quickly rebalanced and recovered right next to Rael. Using his position to his advantage, Lylas put all his weight on his hands to throw his weight and legs around, performing a sweeping kick with both legs.
Rael hardly had the time to react, taking to the air as she jumped over the attack. Lylas adjusted himself again, pushing himself back to his feet. Rael was still in the air, unable to avoid what was going to come next. Lylas clenched his right fist. At the same time, Rael brought her knees to her chest, waiting to kick out...and both of them stopped immediately. Rael landed back on her feet, and Lylas allowed her to do so as he lowered his fist.
"Are ya thinking what I'm thinking?" Lylas looked back over to Olicia and Bif, who were basically all but completely in an all-out brawl at that point.
"Yeah. This game kinda sucks." Rael lackadaisically tossed the ball to the side. "It's weird. I was into these types of games for the longest time too. Longer than anyone else I grew up with."
"Part of growing up, I guess...different tastes now, eh?" Lylas bumped Rael.
"Not really though. To be honest, I'd rather just fight. It's way more fun. Still physical. Just the way I like it." Rael shrugged.
"I imagine ya don't get to do that a lot with Avures."
"He's a bit of a bum. He doesn't like the real physical stuff...at least I thought he didn't. Lylas...can I ask you something?" Rael turned over to him.
"Go ahead, anything for a friend." Lylas turned to her as well.
"Well. It's just that. Whenever both Avures and I came here, and up to this point, he seems to have changed. He seems more...lively I guess. Different too." Rael grabbed her left wrist with her right hand. "Does he seem any different to you? From the day you met him to now?"
"Hmm...not that I can seem to figure. I guess recently he's been a bit more...sickly? But he ain't too far off from the guy who put himself on the line in my opinion. Maybe there's a fire inside him that lit up, ya know?" Lylas wasn't really sure what to make of her question.
"That's the thing. I'm...stuck. I feel like he's really coming into his own...and as his like, first friend, I feel really proud of him...but on the other hand, I feel like he's growing away from me. Like he doesn't need me." Rael averted her eyes from Lylas's gaze.
"I think ya would be surprised. I ain't gonna get into the details or big of it, but he does a lotta things with ya in mind." Lylas put his hand on Rael's shoulder.
"It's really strange...I always thought of him as a really close friend...but ever since he's gotten a little more independent...more inspired to do his own things...I think of him as more than that. But I'm also scared that he'll leave me behind as he keeps improving. I know that kinda sounds bad, but I don't know how else to explain it..." Rael let go of her wrist and took a deep breath.
"Oh...I get it. Ya like him...ya got a big crush on him." Lylas grinned as he patted Rael's shoulder.
"Kinda...but if you put it like that again I'm going to deck you in the nose." Rael's face turned a bright red.
"Look. It seems like I'm always the one giving advice, so I'll help ya out. Let me put it simply. You should make your feelings known in one way or another. And, you should make sure you understand his response loud and clear." Lylas took his hand off of her shoulder.
"I feel like I've tried that before...but it's always so hard to tell with his responses. He's...hard to get. I don't know if I can really trust his response. Not because he would lie, but because he won't make himself clear enough." Rael looked back to Lylas's gaze.
"He's coming back later, isn't he?" Lylas put his hands in his pockets. Rael nodded. "Well. If ya want an indication of that trust...be ready for when he comes back. If he's not back in time, and tries to explain a lot of things to ya, or doesn't say anything about it at all...I guess ya can't trust him to make himself clear enough...and it won't work out. But, if he's on time like he says..."
"Then..." Rael waited.
"Then...I think it'll all become a lil' more clear for ya." Lylas turned away from Rael. "Anyways...why are ya worrying about someone else so much on your own damn birthday? C'mon, let's go have more fun before ya gotta meet Avures."
"Right!...and, thank you, Lylas." Rael's eyes glistened.
"Of course, anything for a friend..." Lylas and Rael walked back to the other three.
After their talk, and getting Bif and Olicia to calm down, the rest of them went about doing some light sparring and talking. To them, it was just a nice, calm way to spend time. Before long, lots of time had passed. While the exact time wasn't known, the sky had made it all clear. Everyone had went back inside. Rael had went to her room in order to get ready.
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"I think you brought a nice dress with you when we came here, didn't you?"
Those words resonated through her. To Rael, it was like Avures was taking a step towards her. Making a move. Even if he would shrug it off, it meant something like that to him deep down. It had to. Rael clutched at the pearl necklace. Each one was slightly different from one another, not in a bad way, though. Even hours later, she still found herself loving it. But, it was time to get to work. She took a deep breath, walked over to her mirror, and sat down. Her reflection looking right back at her, she slapped her cheeks at the same time. She was going to do whatever she could to look good for Avures.
Firstly, Rael took out her brush and got to work on her hair. Her scarlet red hair typically had a little bit of volume to it, and went past her shoulders down to her waist. It very easily settled to flow behind her, and her bangs usually only covered her left eye. She rarely ever brushed it past basic maintenance, opting to just usually let it be long. The last time she had even put a lot of effort into it was during the orientation...this would change. Rael brushed it and styled it. She flattened out her hair and brushed it all completely either behind her or to the sides, perfectly parting it in the middle of her head. She then put in a simple black headband overtop to keep it in place.
Secondly, Rael would work on her makeup. Though she was mostly poor, Misses Greene and George had occasionally bought her some simple tools for makeup. It was strange. It was maybe her second time actually using the stuff outside of just practicing for the fun of it. Before she even started getting ready, she had cleaned herself well. Her fair skin was free of any blemishes, a real blessing as she considered it. There were a few things she wanted to do.
On the first obstacle, she applied a light foundation along with primer to her face. Though it wasn't meant to change the appearance of her skin tone, she would use it so that the other pieces she wanted would look better. It wasn't hard, but it was certainly annoying. But after she finished it and settled it, she wanted to apply a bit of blush to her cheeks. It wasn't anything crazy, in fact, it was a very, very light amount. To Rael, it made her cheeks look the tiniest bit flushed, and she thought it looked cute on her.
Next for the makeup was using some highlighter. Like the blush, she applied it very lightly to just above her cheeks, and just beneath her eyebrows. After that, she got into using eyeliner and eyeshadow along with the appropriate primer. She drew black wings using her eyeliner. This part typically drove her mad since she always struggled to make them even. Though, once she liked what she saw, she moved on to her eyeshadow. This also tended to make Rael sweat. It was hard to pick good color coordination, especially with how unexperienced she truly was with the whole makeup thing. In the end, she went with a lighter blue color for her eyeshadow.
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For the last bits of makeup, she used a mascara to improve her eyelashes. And then, she applied lipstick and nail polish. The color of both she decided to match to her eyes. See, the one thing she struggled with, color coordination, was also due to the fact that her eyes and hair were different shades of red. Crimson red eyes, scarlet red hair. Darker versus lighter. So, when she practiced, she never could make a good final decision on the colors.
However, for the third and final part, Rael pulled out her dress and footwear. For her feet, she had a simple pair of black heels. The dress she had was about a year old, but she was certain it would still fit fine. It was a plain crimson red dress, made to fit with her eyes. It also made her hair stand out a bit, so she had a particular fondness for it. The dress wasn't entirely red. It had a dark yellow, sort of golden looking, lace that went down the middle of it, and overtop the shoulder area. The sleeves were short, and at the end of them were a white lace. This white lace was also present around the other exposed areas of her upper body when she wore it. That would be, the area of her chest above her breasts, and around the middle of her back where there lay strings to tighten the upper body of the dress.
Rael finished dressing herself, her full look coming together. And though she struggled with tightening her dress, she did notice that she wasn't able to tighten it as much as she had been before. She could only shrug, guessing that she had somehow grown some since last time. With her outfit finally complete, she evaluated herself in the mirror. It almost felt like she was staring at someone completely different. But that was her. She looked...beautiful in her eyes. She looked out the window. Avures was going to show up at any minute.
Rael quickly made her way out of the room and down to the front gate of the Academy.
Sitting herself on the edge of the fountain, her gaze shifted between the sun in the sky, and the front gate itself. She crossed her legs, and lightly swung them forwards and backwards against the stone of the fountain. She lay her hands together on her lap. As time passed, people passed her by. Back and forth, in and out of the Academy, Rael would glance at them for a second, and they would look back. Rael would look at the ground afterwards as she waited.
Rael would cycle through her ticks. Adjusting her dress ever-so slightly, checking her nails, fixing her hair...And, she would continue to wait. Rael started to feel nervous, perhaps even sickly.
"If he's not back in time, and tries to explain a lot of things to ya, or doesn't say anything about it at all...I guess ya can't trust him to make himself clear enough..."
She started tapping her fingers against her leg. Rael was going to take Lylas's words to heart. It seemed like the most sensible thing. Rael knew deep down that his observation and advice had merit. It just made her feel completely uneasy. What if Avures was late? What if she could never make how she feels known to him? What if he didn't care about how she felt? What if he never showed up?...
Rael continued to look down as she waited. As the sun clearly moved along, Rael felt her eyes get watery. She took her hands and carefully dried her eyes, not wanting to ruin her makeup. Her hands were shaking...
"Rael!"
Rael looked up. She could recognize that voice anywhere. All the fear and doubt in her heart shriveled away as she hopped off the fountain. In front of the Academy gates, a closed carriage stood. A well-dressed man was in the front guiding the horse. But it was the door that slid open on the carriage, and the person who stepped out.
Those dark, deep green eyes. The black hair which now looked well groomed. It was evenly-combed, parting down the middle with his bangs being drawn more to the sides. He wore a black, button-up vest with a white, long-sleeve undershirt, a red bow-tie, and black pants. A brown leather satchel was slung over his shoulder. He even had a nice pair of black loafers. Even with all of the grooming, Rael recognized Avures. She carefully, but quickly ran up to the open gates. She stopped face to face with Avures.
"Avures!" Rael clasped her hands together below her chest as she looked into his eyes.
"Rael...you look..." Avures looked at Rael. There was so much effort put into her outfit and makeup, he hadn't truly expected it. Her face beamed and seemed to captivate his eyes. Her big smile, the way she highlighted it and her eyes. Her eyes...Avures found himself staring into them for what felt like an eternity. He could feel his face getting warm.
"Avures...stop looking at me like that." Rael lightly pushed Avures, giggling as she did so. The tips of her ears turned a soft red color.
"Ah...you look uh...beautiful." Avures still looked into her eyes.
"I thought you said this wasn't going to be "like that"...huh?" Rael bumped him again.
"Well-...I did ask you wear a nice dress...everything else you went and did on your own...so..." Avures scratched his cheek as he looked away.
"Mm...fair." Rael giggled again as she averted her eyes as well. Though, she did refocus on him again. "Then, for what it's worth, I think you look good too."
"Okay alright into the carriage." Avures wouldn't hear it as he stepped on in. He reached his hand out and helped Rael in as well.
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With that, the carriage started it's journey into Tumae, the capital city. Sitting next to each other, the two of them watched out the window of the moving carriage. There was a strange silence. Neither of them really knew what to say to the other during the ride. Each second felt like a year, and Rael wasn't sure what to say. Avures, on the other hand, was too focused to know what to say either. As the ride dragged on and on, Rael broke the silence.
"So...Avures...I-I really have something I want to talk to you about." Rael started to twiddle her thumbs as she looked down at her hands.
"Huh? Go ahead." Avures kept looking out the window.
"Well...I know you said this whole thing wasn't uh..."like that"...but I want to know how you feel." Rael sat her hands flat on her legs and looked at Avures.
"Feel about what?" Avures didn't look at her.
"You know...about us." Rael could feel herself trembling and warming up.
"How do I feel about us?" Avures turned to look at Rael. She nodded. "Hmm...I guess I'm...really thankful to have you in my life. Honestly."
"You really think that?!" Rael moved her face closer to his.
"Yeah...I suppose. But...you know how I feel." Avures shrugged.
"That's the thing...I feel like I don't." Rael's face dropped to a concerned look. "I wish you would communicate a little better."
"Look...it's hard for me to speak on how I feel. You know that. If you want a more satisfactory answer...I guess I'd have to say that I feel as if I don't really deserve you as my friend." Avures shook his head and turned towards the window to look out again.
"...do you feel any deeper about us?" Rael muttered out, looking at the ground.
"Rael, look. I-...oh, we're here." Avures stood up after the carriage stopped.
Sliding open the carriage door and stepping out, Avures helped Rael out of it and waived off the carriage driver. As it pulled away, Avures scanned the area and found what he was looking for. He did one last check of his person. His outfit seemed okay, and the bag over his shoulder still had the things he needed. Rael also checked over her outfit too, taking the cue from Avures.
"Ready?" Avures looked to her.
"Sure. Where are we going?" Rael awaited him.
"Right over there." Avures pointed to the other corner opposite of where they stood. Rael looked over. From what she could tell, it was some sort of restaurant. A fancy one at that too. The outdoor seats of this place made it very clear. Fine wooden chairs with purple cushions on the seats, dark wooden table with a red cloth adorning it, and even the waiters were dressed quite spiffily.
Without warning, Avures grabbed hold of Rael's right hand with his own left hand. As soon as he had it, he began to walk over to the place. Rael was so taken aback and surprised. He had such a firm grip on her hand, but it wasn't too hard. It was like a guiding force. Her heartbeat had jumped the moment he had grabbed her too. Though, without much more deliberation, if any at all, Rael and Avures crossed over to the restaurant.
What Avures had been doing before now became a little more clear to Rael. As they entered in, they were greeted by an older looking man who seemed to recognize Avures. Rael knew he must have gotten a reservation or something. But still, a question lingered in her head. Where did he get the money to eat at this place and hire a carriage? Soon after the tiny back and forth, they were guided to an outdoor table. Avures went over to one of the chairs, pulling it out, and allowing Rael to take a seat there. She obliged, and Avures sat down opposite of her.
A scroll was handed to each of them. The menu. They both took looks at it. Avures decided on getting Orange-Spotted Blue Moss soup and a baked potato. That is, a soup made from the moss in it's namesake which occurs in natural blue or orange mosses when residual mana takes hold in it. Rael decided on skewered groal. Groal are large, dangerous lizards said to be a distant relative to dragons. Why anyone would go out of their way to kill and cook one was beyond Rael's understanding. But, that is what led her to make that choice. Having the menus taken away shortly after ordering, Rael and Avures were left among themselves.
Rael put her arms up on the table, interlacing her fingers and resting her head on top. Meanwhile, Avures seemed on edge. He tapped his fingers against the table. His foot practically bounced off the ground over and over. His eyes seemed to dart everywhere.
"Is something wrong, Avures?" Rael frowned. Avures sighed.
"No...nothing's wrong. Sorry." Avures gulped and leaned his head back, looking straight into the sky. An orange light overtook the sky above them.
"It's okay if you're nervous..." Rael gave a sly smile as she tried a new approach. "After all, this is your first time on a date...isn't it?"
"Huh?" Avures instantly leaned forward again and looked at Rael. The look in her eyes, her face, it made him practically melt in his seat. "I don't know if this is a date."
"You invited me out to dinner on my birthday. Just me and you. I'd say that's a date." Rael's eyes softened. "It's my first time on a date too. So don't worry."
"Water for both of you." The waiter had walked over to the table holding two glasses of water. He placed them on the table for the two of them, and departed once more. Avures took this moment to take a drink and gather his thoughts. Rael had always made those types of jokes, those types of gaffs. But, in recent time, it seemed as if they were becoming less and less of jokes. She seemed to be coming onto him, at least from what he could tell, but he was never good at indicating intentions. But, the way she looked at him seemed so sincere. Those soft eyes of hers...that smile...Did she actually like him like that?
But more importantly to him, did he like her like that? Thinking back on it all...she was the source of a decent bit of frustration for him. She had ruined two of his early passions, and Avures was too scared in the first place to make the necklace in front of her because of that, not just because it was a surprise. Not to mention, she had been really annoying to him before. But, as much as she joked about Avures needing her around, he knew that Rael needed him just as much. And in being honest with himself...Rael was the only person he liked relying on or having rely on him. The friendship they had since being kids had come a long way, but Avures felt like only recently something changed. Something really clicked with the two of them, for better or for worse. Avures couldn't put it to words, but they were closer, yet more distant in stranger ways. Avures finished his sip and sat the glass down.
Avures couldn't quite understand before why Rael was acting different. Regardless of obviously growing up, he didn't seem to know. It felt like there was a weight of different expectations from her. Even so, did he feel the same? Did he deserve to feel the same? He had always been there for her, and her likewise for him. Did he even have to ask if he liked her? The more he thought about it in those long-drawn out moments, the more obvious it became.
The reason he was trying so much harder at the Academy was because he didn't want to be left behind away from Rael, not just because he found a small passion. He made that necklace for her because he wanted to show his appreciation for her on her birthday. Him taking her out here was more than just a part of a scheme, Avures really wanted to do that. And the scheme itself was to make sure that Rael wouldn't die. He went out of his way, even after having his vision shrugged off by her, just to make sure she would be safe.
The image of that night popped into his head. That vision. That feeling...cold, dead skin. Her lifeless eyes which stared at nothing, the small parting of her lips. Avures closed his eyes, refusing to show anything of what he was feeling. He didn't want that to happen to her.
And so, he made it his personal goal. If tonight would be her last night, he'd be as honest as he could with her. Even as much as he struggled to communicate any feelings, Avures wanted to reciprocate. And the only way he would ever be worthy, is if he was successful in saving her.
After a long, awkward silence, Avures takes a deep breath and opens his eyes.
"Rael. I'm sorry."
"Sorry?..." Rael's heart stopped.
"I've never been good at communicating how I feel, especially not to you. I don't wear my emotions well, if at all, and I hardly ever change tone. I'm...not sure why it is. I wish I knew. But I will try to be as honest as possible to you from here on out." Avures gripped his chest where his heart was as he looked her in the eyes.
"Avures..."
"Even though we had talked about it, I still don't quite get why you feel this way about me...but I won't interrogate you. I don't need your reasons. Unbeknownst to you, I thought I had come to a conclusion...I thought I understood "us"...but only now do I think I get it."
"..."
"Rael. You've been there for me for most of my life. Even if I've never made most of my feelings clear, you've always been there to take my side. And I will always do the same for you...because you're my fri-No!..." Avures caught himself mid word. His expression lifted, taking form of a serious, yet concerned look that Rael had never seen. His entire body trembled. "To me, you're more than my friend...you're-...you-...I feel the same way about you."
"Avures..." Rael's eyes glimmered, her pupils grew as her eyes formed tiny tears. Her smile widened. Rael quickly wiped her tears clean. "You can't play with my heartstrings like that...that's so mean...going back and forth like that."
"Ah...I'm sorry." Avures face lost the bout of energy, but he could feel something swelling inside of him.
"I told you before...why I think so highly of you...I want to put it in a smaller phrase for you. To help you understand, because I know you sometimes struggle to. I'd promise you not to laugh...but I know you wouldn't do that." Rael giggled and drew her eyes away from Avures for a second.
"You don't have to..." Avures watched her. The tips of Rael's ears grew really red. The redness deepened, looking like she might explode from embarrassment. She looked back at him, lowering her head a little.
"The reason I think so highly of you...why I feel the way I do, as odd as it might sound...it's because...Avures..." Rael mustered up the courage to look up into Avures's eyes again. Rael smiled as widely as her face would allow. "You're my hero!"
"W-...what?" Avures stared at her in wonder.
"Oh c'mon! Think about what I said that night. Doesn't it make sense?" Rael covered her face with her hands and shook her head. "Don't make me repeat myself! It's so embarrassing to say aloud!"
"I heard you...don't worry...it's just when you put it like that..." Avures scratched the side of his cheek as his face turned a bright red. "I don't know how to respond to that."
"Well...you don't need to respond to it I guess! You've been way more open than I thought you would! It's enough to make my heart flutter and stuff!" Rael uncovered her face slowly and looked at Avures again. She saw his beet red face and giggled. "But, just remember that...won't you?"
"I will..." Avures gulped and stared at her eyes again. Her gaze went soft again, melting his heart all over again.
"You're my hero!"
Avures clenched his fist under the table and out of sight from Rael. It was all so sudden, so fast...but it filled him with desire. A desire to make sure that Rael would live.
A few moments past their talk, and their meal finally arrived. Avures had never had such a soup before, and merely picked it on a whim. To say he enjoyed it, however, would be an understatement. There was something so particular about the soup. It's flavor was rich, and sat warmly within his stomach. It was well worth it. As for Rael, she practically devoured the skewered groal. Even if it was considered a delicacy because of the stakes in obtaining it, she was surprised something so..."gamey"...was served at a restaurant like this. Still, she enjoyed it much more than anything else she had ever eaten.
The two of them didn't talk to each other as they ate, but rather, exchanged glances every now and then. Any time they locked eyes, Rael would giggle. And sometimes, Rael would swing her leg and lightly kick Avures's leg. In return, he would do the same. And though he enjoyed the small back and forth, he wouldn't show it. Though, after they were completely finished, the two of them sat there in silence still. Rael wasn't sure how to continue this. Avures was the same, but he was also waiting.
"So...I know you said you feel the same...but, what does that make us?" Rael swung her legs back and forth and looked to the side.
"I don't know...I feel like, there's more that needs to be done...I don't know if I'm ready...or if I deserve it."
"Mm...I get that. As long as you don't change your mind on me." Rael looked up at him and smiled.
"I wo-" Avures felt it. Someone was seeking him out using the same trick he used to find George.
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"Remember how you found me? I'm going to be tracking the culprit using my ability, so that I stay hidden from him. When he starts to make a move towards you, I'll use my mana to track you. You should feel it as soon as I do it. Duck into the nearest alley, and I'll catch up to ya, lad." George made motions with his hands to help explain.
"Why not pincer him in the middle of us or something?" Avures tilted his head.
"It won't do, lad. These kinds of guys are strong. Real strong, but also cunning. They won't dare fight in the middle of the streets or anywhere a guard can see. And if they know they're being put into a fight like this...they won't come out."
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"Rael, let's go!" Avures practically jumped up from his seat and grabbed Rael's hand.
"Wha-Avures! We haven't paid yet!" Rael was moved onto her feet suddenly.
"C'mon!" Avures reached into the satchel with his free hand and tossed a large bag of gold onto the table. Though it was wasteful of the money George had given him, he had no time to think on it.
Avures pulled Rael along as he ran down the street. Such urgency seemed extremely out of character for Avures, but Rael wasn't going to question it. The sun had set by this point, and the only thing illuminating their path were occasional lanterns. Seeing as they were now about a mile away from the restaurant, Avures picked an alley, and yanked Rael down the way with him. They then traversed through a few more twists and turns in the back alleys. The idea was to put themselves in a decent position to be able to run away if needed, but to also be able to trap the culprit as well. Though, Avures didn't find any good spot. He eventually settled at a four-way alley. Stopping near the middle, Avures and Rael quickly caught their breath. The area was dimly lit with a single lantern at where all the paths intersected.
"Avures...what's gotten into you?" Rael raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Pulling me back into a secluded place like this?...it's so...raunchy."
"Shut-up. That's not what this is." Avures shook his head in protest. A slicing and stabbing sound suddenly pierced their ears...
"Ah!...Avures!..." Rael's face turned into one of shock and pain. She looked back at her left shoulder. A small, circular looking blade stuck out of her shoulder having torn through her dress. A trail of blood slowly poured down her shoulder and back.
"Rael!" Avures grabbed a hold of Rael. The circular blade then vanished in a small puff of smoke, leaving the wound.
"Avures...I don't feel right..." Rael's eyes slowly fought against her own will, shutting inch by inch. Her body soon went limp in Avures's arms.
"Rael..." Avures trembled as he felt the burden of dead-weight upon his arms. Avures carefully lowered himself onto his knees while holding Rael in his arms. "No no no..."
Avures examined the wound...it was nowhere near lethal. Avures's brain scrambled for what to do. He checked her pulse...her heart was still beating, and she was still breathing. Avures fumbled around, then getting an idea. Placing his hand on her forehead, he layered his mana over her and within her, examining her body...he found it. The attack that struck her was laden with a curse. Focusing, he pumped his mana throughout her body and purged the curse. Though his expertise and mastery in Manipulation and Enchantment was getting up there, and could be used to purge negative effects from someone, they couldn't be used to heal wounds. Avures quickly tore off the right sleeve of his shirt and wrapped it around Rael's injured shoulder, tying it off after. He then tried to shake her...to no avail. He figured that he must have been too late in purging the curse. And whatever that curse was...was apparently just meant to knock her unconscious. As Avures continued to do what he could to get Rael to come to...he could hear footsteps echoing, getting closer.
Avures turned to the source of the footsteps. Walking down the opposite end of the alley towards him, getting more illuminated by the faint light in the center as he approached. Approaching in a dark-gray, hooded robe with dark pink ends on the sleeves and hood...pink buttons that go down the center of the robe...wearing black boots and dark-gray gloves. A pale-skinned man with a soft looking face and wide eyes got closer and closer. His hair could be seen under the hood ever-so slightly, showing a messy light blonde hair-do. As he reached the intersection point, standing at least ten feet away, he stopped.
They locked eyes. Avures's breaths became short and sudden. His hands trembled. The man softly clapped...
"Well-done! Bravo! Good job bringing the girl to us! We are now one step closer, my brother..."