Disclaimer : I do not own Suikoden.
Chapter One – Excuse
It had been there for some time already. And no matter how the building tried to blend in with the rest of the island, something about it just made it more special than the rest of Na-Nal. It had been rented recently, weeks ago, for a shop to run inside.
Something new always drew the attention of the townsfolk, of course.
When something changes in your habitual surroundings, you take your time to get used.
But this was taking too much time, and drawing too much attention.
They had a village inhabited by elves in the northern part of the island, so one opening up a rune shop wasn't big news, if not only natural, the place had it's mystique to it.
The size of the rune shop wouldn't matter, and not even how it was redecorated inside,every rune shop was bound to show off more than the other shops- crystal balls, expensive gypsy fabric curtains around the counter and all the other luxury.
So, how come the rune shop was still the topic around the town at this point?
" She said I'm real good at Wind Magic and stuff, when I went there to buy a rune, y' know , for sure I'm coming back for some lessons!" said one of the privates enthusiastically
"If she's a mistress, she's gotta be a good tutor, huh?" the one next to him followed
"I'd rather test her as mistress than as a tutor, hehe." the fifth in line couldn't resist
"That's enough, men ! You guys should all be concentrating in preparing for your guard duties." shouted the chief's son with this temper being enough to have his soldiers show him respect once again, concluding the previous discussion.
The young hothead, however , could not resist his own temptation to visit the shop.
A warrior could wield runes, after all. Always a great help to know magic, even if he evidently preferred a good fight knocking the enemies down with a slash of his sword.
So he had an excuse to look for something in the store. Talking of such things, excuses were the latest trend in Na-Nal. Every young male had one, and they were always looking for more, to get at least a glimpse or a chance to talk to the rune mistress.
The women, no. The "Object in Question" could be seen in her daily strolls to the hot springs and therefore be the cause of a "no husbands bathing in the springs" prohibition.
Axel was single and handsome, what did he have to worry about?
He'd might even to conquer her to himself alone.
Easily able to cut trough the line – mostly made of young men – he made his way to the shop.
The shop had been getting lots of visits lately ,in fact. And some even donated funds and some other ridiculousness with "hopes she would be able to maintain the shop's entrance garden" and some otherabsurd motivations.
Inside, his senses were charmed by the scents, the atmosphere, the magical colours – but that was not what he was there to be dazzled about, no, not even the crystal balls.
A blond clerk filled in for her most of the time – he directed himself to him and wasn't sure how to ask at first, but as a fellow man, he should be able to understand the immediate-following question :
"Could I see the Rune Mistress ?" - Axel asked managing to impose himself as the chief's son, second strongest warrior of the island.
"Even you, Axel, the chief's son ?" the clerk was getting tired of being tossed around, but he had to admit that since she came into appearance, the business was never-better.
" I want to ask the Rune Mistress something, you know." he tried to fix it, something reasonable to seek her out for, even if both of they knew the real reason – but no man dare speak of their shared intents to her, as if she didn't know the obvious.
"Jeane! The chief's son is here to see you!" he exclaimed loudly to the other side of the tent which covered the inner side of the store.
What followed was breathtaking, or at least it took Axel's breath away for a moment.
The silver hair much out brightened his without effort. Ponytailed and hanging to the side, it fit her snow-peach skin like it would fit a goddesses. She did look much like one with such unreal beauty and a white/beige tunic unrevealing not most of her body with boots and gloves adding it an adventurous charm.
This choice of clothing amazed the Na-Nal villagers even more than the other's travelers. Earning her nicknames that are better left unmentioned, out of envy or lust.
Her smile was soft and matching to her evaluating green eyes. She giggled.
"Oh, my.. What could such an important person want from this rune mistress? Welcome to the shop, sir. " she was alluring , her voice as a stream of dream that entered the heart of man. The strong and striking young man felt his skin flush.
At the moment, his body could not respond to it's thoughts.
"Good day, miss. I was looking…for…" – hebetter find a way to finish the sentence quick. But her eyes didn't stray from his face or bother at embarrassment.
She seemed just oblivious to his vocal-hesitation. And to the rubbing of his head, too.
Would even say he did it to impress her, such a strong biceps. Not that she was looking.
Or if she did, she evaluated motion-kept, gazing at him with those emeralds.
His lost sapphires could not combat her, lost at what too look at first.
"Do you require my assistance?" her voice was peaceful, as in a calming tone.
And managed to save him from confusion his with words, apparently.
"Yeah, I am a warrior and I wield a blade, but I think magic could always be of some help and I was looking for something…fitting to me, that I could use in battle."
The dashing lad pushed it to finish the sentence without sounding so lame.
Indeed, it seemed, now that you think about it, a convincing excuse.
And even helpful too, a rune would be useful, after all.
" A warrior's rune, it is then ? But you could perform well with a wind one, it's both offensive and supportive, too. A versatile source of help in battle, if I may say."
Her offer was just too attractive it was that hard to refuse, and who better than her to say your rune affinities to you ? Had to trust her, he couldn't really find any forces to contradict or at least even doubt the rune mistress right now. Just as said, he was only finding forces to keep his build still for the sake of hismanliness, or he would have fallen out of his legs some minutes ago.
"Is it, really? I mean, you serious? Whoa, never thought of that, I never knew…" – he was blushing not fully for his surprise, but because she was perceptive enough on him to delegate the right rune. Wonder if she could be more perceptive on other affinities of his. Like, perceive his abs, his thighs – which matched hers so well, his arms…
But the most difficult thing was doing as she asked him to.
"Now, don't move a muscle, relax….." she said as she affixed the wind rune.
His heart was pounding off his chest, and even as large as it was ,it sounded like a drum.
Keeping still was no problem, but relaxing with her around was quite…hard to ask for.
But when their eyes met, he forgot what exactly he was thinking – and the rune was affixed.
She giggled as she smiled him goodbye and he exited the shop ,getting used to his wind rune. With it in place, he had no excuse for her to touch him anymore.
And he was sure his father wouldn't mind, but inviting the rune mistress to his house for a night seemed distant, far away possibility – she could go, but she wouldn't stay.
Surely ,she wouldn't make an habit out of that, too.
He could go there regularly, but such a warrior would soon master the powers of his wind rune and his magic prowess wasn't spectacular – he wouldn't be able to push it further. What excuse had a warrior, then, a battle front, to visit a magic-specialized shop?
Well, he had none. But he never regretted affixing a wind rune, and later requesting to test his second best affinity, a lighting rune. But as much as he shared the bath on the hot springs with the men of Na-Nal, he could still never find an excuse to go to her side when they bathed in the same hour.
And all his other following bathes with his fellow were meant to relax the strain in their bodies, but they were always mentally pained for that she soon left the island and the rune shop in charge of the clerk, taken away by a, how they called him, "lucky bastard" and his gigantesque ship. She didn't need any excuse – suppose such unique things belong together.