Author's Note: I wrote this oneshot as a giftfic for my best friend, known as phantasiagirl online.
Anyway, think of this as a "ZOMG THANK YOU" (and happy V-Day from your best friend) fanfic...for editing my crappy chapters...for putting up with my unpredictable and somewhat violent mood swings (THE ANGST!)...and everything else you've done for me! And I managed to write this without her figuring it out, which is a rarity in itself, because I always end up spilling the beans or she twists my arm until I tell her.
I'd also like to extend a special thanks to my friend DragonSage, who made thoughtful suggestions to help move the oneshot along and has been a dedicated reader of my work since the very beginning. I owe you one!
And the boar's hair thing? I made it up. I couldn't think of any other animal hair...so let's just pretend that in the Phantasia world, this is a true statement, yes?
NOTE: As of September 10, 2008, I have changed the oneshot's name from Silver Snow and Pink Blossoms to Like Oil and Water.
Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Phantasia.
Like Oil and Water
Chester stretched his arms, sore after his recent skirmish against a group of monsters. The others in his party seemed unfazed by the attack, but he felt weary and tired. They had many more months of training than he did, since he had been stuck in an entirely different time period, fending off Dhaos. He angrily bit his lip, realizing how much of a nuisance he must be to them.
Cless turned around and saw Chester lagging behind the group. "Chester! Are you all right?" he asked as he quickly moved to his side.
"I'm fine!" Chester snapped in reply. "I'm fine..."
Cless furrowed his brow, seeing the pain burning in his friend's eyes. He knew arguing would be a waste of his time, however, and he turned back to the others. "All right. If you want to rest for a bit, just let us know. We can stop at any time."
Klarth looked up to the sky. "It looks like it'll be getting dark soon, anyway. Why don't we stop here?" he suggested.
Cless looked visibly relieved. "Good idea."
Chester grimaced, but did not respond as the others rushed to set up camp. Every time he tried to help with something, they quickly brushed him off, telling him to rest.
'A dead weight! That's all I am to them!' he fumed, giving up as he seated himself in the shade of a nearby tree. He looked up and saw the sky was painted a crimson-red color; nightfall was not too far off.
"Mint and I will find food for dinner," Cless proposed as he listed off the chores to be completed. "Klarth, would you mind getting some wood for the fire?"
The summoner nodded. "Of course."
"Arche, could you finish getting set up here so everything's ready when we get back?" Cless asked, turning to the half-elven witch.
She nodded, twisting a strand of pink hair with her finger. "I'd be happy to, Cless," she said with a wink.
Chester watched as Cless, Mint, and Klarth left, each going their separate ways. He pushed himself up from the ground, quietly stringing his bow.
"You're not planning on going out to practice in secret, are you?" Arche asked from nearby. Chester cringed; he had completely forgotten about her.
"I don't want to be a dead weight to them anymore," he replied hotly. "I have a debt to repay to Dhaos. I have to be strong enough to face him."
She grinned slyly. "It's not very romantic, you know, just going out like that."
He rolled his eyes. "You already told me that. Idiot."
"Yeah, yeah," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Anyway...you know what tomorrow is, don't you?"
He gave her a blank look. "Tomorrow? We're...going to Heimdall, aren't we?"
"No, no, no!" she said, shaking her head fervently. "It's Valentine's Day, remember?"
He frowned. "No. I didn't."
"Well," Arche put a finger to her chin and smiled, "Cless has Mint, and Klarth claims that he has a beautiful girlfriend back at his home in Euclid. But you and I are all alone, aren't we?"
He raised his eyebrow impatiently. "I feel sorry for whoever would have to put up with you."
She folded her arms over her chest and scowled. "You're so heartless, Chester. I'm not surprised you're a loner."
"What are you getting at?"
Arche's anger seemed to evaporate at his words. "We-ell, since you asked... I was just wondering if you were getting anyone anything."
Chester sighed and shook his head. "Nope. I wasn't planning on it, either. Besides, I have work to do. I have to catch up on training."
She tiled her head to the side thoughtfully. "Is that all you ever think about? Training?"
He scowled as he quickly strung his bow. "I'd rather be thinking about training than worthless holidays."
Chester was surprised to see tears forming in the corners of Arche's bright eyes. "You're so mean! I'm not worthless!" she cried as she picked up her broomstick and pushed off the ground, disappearing into the twilit sky.
"I didn't say you were worthless!" he called, although he knew she was too far away to hear his words. "Idiot...!"
"Is something wrong?" Chester heard Klarth as he returned to the camp carrying an armful of wood. "Where did Arche run off to?"
"Oh...I said some something, and she took it the wrong way," Chester replied angrily as he leaned his bow against the tree trunk. "I just don't understand her."
Klarth smirked as he set the wood down and formed a small pile. "You've got to be careful when you're speaking to women like her."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well," he began as he carefully lit a fire, "sometimes women take the things you say and warp them to their liking."
"All I said was that Valentine's Day is a worthless holiday, and she stormed off."
"Ah, there's your problem. You may have been implying that the holiday was worthless, but Arche thinks that you're saying she's worthless, you see?"
"...No, I don't."
Klarth sighed exasperatedly and invited Chester to sit closer to the fire. "You've got to be more careful about how you word things. Besides, it's quite obvious she's got a thing for you. The two of you would make an interesting couple."
An indignant look crossed Chester's face. "Wh-What do you mean by that?"
Klarth laughed. "You're as clueless as Cless!" he said, putting his hand to his forehead. "But, I digress... You see, she was hinting that you should give her something for Valentine's Day tomorrow."
"Get her something? Like what?"
"Well, certainly not the usual," Klarth replied matter-of-factly as he fanned the fire. "You have to be unique if you truly want to win her heart."
"I do not want to win her heart."
Klarth smirked again. "You'll still want to get her something special so she'll stop hating you. It might make this trip a little more bearable on your part."
Chester flicked a small pebble with his finger, watching as it tumbled across the ground and stopped by a log. "What do you think I should do?"
"Why don't you make her something? It would be more heartfelt than just buying a gift."
Chester turned his gaze back to the pile of logs. He was good at crafting things from wood...
"That's it! I've got it!" He exclaimed, standing up and grabbing a log from the pile. "Thanks, Klarth."
"It was no trouble." The summoner replied, smiling knowingly as Chester seated himself by the tree and began to carve the wood with a small knife.
Chester woke up late the next morning, his eyes dull and dry from having stared into the fire for too long. He blinked a few times before yawning and stretching, only to realize he still held his carving knife in one hand. In the other was his handmade gift for Arche. He carefully studied it in the gray morning light, admiring the craftsmanship.
"Excellent," he couldn't help but say to himself as he pocketed the knife and hid the gift in his hand. He looked back towards the camp and saw that his friends were already awake and cleaning up the campsite.
Klarth was pulling his hat back on as he saw Chester. He smirked and nodded towards Arche, who was tying up her messy pink hair into her trademark ponytail.
Chester slowly approached her and waited until Cless, Mint, and Klarth were out of earshot. "Hey, um, Arche?"
As the half-elf turned around, her lighthearted grin quickly turned into a sullen frown. "Oh. Chester," she grumbled.
Chester forced a smile, determined to keep an upbeat attitude. "Listen, I'm sorry about yesterday."
Arche nodded, crossing her arms over her chest as he continued. "I didn't say you were worthless; I was just in a bad mood at the time. So please, try to forgive me, okay?"
"Well..." she murmured, her gaze falling to the ground. "I...suppose so..."
Chester held out his hand, presenting her his gift. "Happy Valentine's Day, Arche. I made this for you last night."
Arche let out a muffled squeal as she put her hands to her mouth. In Chester's hand was a small wooden hairbrush. The handle of the brush was decorated with carvings of beautiful, delicate flowers. She took it in her hands and studied it, poring over the careful detail of the wooden brush.
"The teeth are made of boar hair," Chester said quickly. "It's really coarse, but it's supposed to make your hair look a lot softer."
Arche's bright eyes sparkled affectionately. "Chester...it's beautiful...you really made this for me?"
He nodded as he nervously scratched the back of his head. "Y-Yeah, I worked on it all last night."
She jumped forward and embraced him. "Thank you so much! I promise I'll take good care of it, and use it everyday!" she said excitedly.
"O-kay...you're welcome..." He wheezed as she squeezed his stomach. "Arche...I can't breathe..."
She pulled away and quickly drew the brush through her thick hair. "It works so well!" she said as she stroked her ponytail. "This boar's hair stuff does make my hair silkier..."
Chester smiled again and put his hands behind his head. "I'm glad you like it."
Arche turned back to him and beamed. "Happy Valentine's Day, Chester."
"Happy Valentine's Day."
Klarth watched the exchange from the edge of the clearing, shaking his head and smiling. "Ah, to be young and in love..."