Author's Notes:
First things first: Yes, I do realize that a fantasy realm such as Riviera would not have a holiday based on a Christian martyr from Earth, especially not one that has since been re-formatted by greeting card companies. For this story, I put a temporary stop to picking at whether or not specific details make any sense with reality as we know it, and just plain had fun writing the best story I could. Maybe it worked, or maybe the whole concept is just plain silly - you tell me. As always, both praise and constructive criticism are appreciated!
This fic ties in to Zesler's comedy "April Fool's Day in Riviera". He makes a reference to an incident just before Valentine's Day, and when I began wondering what that incident was like, I came up with the answer: this story.
The milieu and characters of this fanfic are property of Sting and Nintendo. This story is set several months after the game, and (naturally) just a little over six weeks before "April Fool's Day in Riviera".
--
Valentine's Day in Riviera
plot - Martin III(details and resolution) and Zesler(original concept)
script - Martin III
--
"There," Fia said, giving the clothes one last good scrub. "That should do it."
She pulled them out of the washtub and began draping them over the clothes line, whistling a tune to herself. The sunshine washed over her face, and she smiled into it.
She loved hanging laundry up to dry. There was an indescribable sense of satisfaction that came with a job well done, a meditative calmness to the careful act of folding the clothes over the line, and a sweet anticipation for the gift of the sun's drying rays. She had done her half of the work, and now Mother Nature would do the rest. The thought of how happy Lina, Ein, and Grandfather would be to have fresh clothes to wear was satisfying as well.
A flapping of wings in the air disturbed Fia's thoughts. A few moments later, Serene came in for a landing.
"Hey, Fia. Where do we get paper around here?"
"Um... the Magic Guild, I suppose," she replied, holding a piece of clothing at a distance so it wouldn't drip on her dress. "Why?"
"Why?" Serene stared at her intensely. "Don't you realize what Friday is?"
The first day of school? No. A town meeting, maybe...?
"It's Valentine's Day!" Serene said, having run out of patience. "I've got to work on writing up cards, fast!"
"Oh. Well, I wish you good luck with those."
"Say, you didn't really forget it was coming, did you?" She grinned. "If I didn't know better, I'd have said it was the first thing on your mind. I mean, you're holding onto a guy's pants!"
Fia looked down from Serene's face to identify the dripping article of clothing in her hands. They were indeed Ein's pants, but... "I don't understand what you're implying, Serene," she said, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Ah, forget it," Serene winked. "Just a dirty joke. See ya!"
As Serene flew off, the implication of her statement hit Fia, and her face turned a light pink. She hung Ein's pants on the line, her expression grumpy now. Ugh, why did she have to say that?
Eager to change the subject, she reflected on how typical it was of Serene to get so worked up about a holiday. Ever since she'd known her, Serene always went into a flurry whenever a holiday came around. She wondered if it could be her way of creating a sense of normalcy, of forgetting all her lost friends.
Fia, on the other hand, had never taken much interest in Valentine's Day. When she was young, the simple exchanges of cards with awkward verses written on them seemed pointless and phony, just kids playing at being adults. And once she'd grown up a bit, it didn't seem worth squeezing into her schedule. Praying for peace and an end to sorrow was a much better way to spend her time.
Having hung up all the clothes, Fia dumped out the dirty water and headed back to the house to prepare lunch - she'd let Coco take the day off. Well, I'm sure Serene won't be the only one in Elendia making a few cards and decorations. Rebecca is probably into the holiday, and Coco of course. And I'm sure if Ein knows about Valentine's Day, he'll -
She froze. Ein. Valentine's Day.
Why hadn't she thought of it before? She had been longing to tell Ein how she felt about him, and what better opportunity was there than this?
She breathed a dreamy sigh at the thought. Fia had always believed in being calm, sensible, and cautious, except when people needed help. Ein made her want to do something bold and different. It was something about his nature. He was sincere, considerate, and brave, but above all, he had the purest heart Fia had ever known. That unique gift in him, more than anything else, made her own heart light up in his presence. To receive even the smallest bit of praise from someone so pure of heart made her feel important and special.
As she stepped into the house and set about getting out the bread, jelly, and peanut butter, however, she frowned. Can it really be love that I feel for Ein...? If this is love, it certainly isn't what I expected. I thought love would be a handsome man coming to call on me once a week, with whom I'd discuss things such as his work and the weather. One day he would ask to marry me, and I would graciously accept. He would take me into his home, and I would wash his clothes and take care of Lina and kiss him when he got up in the morning.
If Ein were to marry me, I wouldn't want to wash his clothes while he was out working. I'd want us to wash clothes together.
And lunch, too... I want to make lunches with him. We'll each have a pile of bread and a knife, and he'll spread the peanut butter on one slice while I spread the jelly on another. Then we'll put our two slices together, and maybe we'll both blush, like it was a kiss, the peanut butter embracing the jelly. And then Lina will groan and say...
"Fiiiiii-a, when is lunch gonna be ready?"
Fia jumped. "I-in a minute! I'm making it right now."
Lina gave her a suspicious look as she thrust a finished sandwich at her and went out the door, her own sandwich still in her hand. She munched on it as she hurried to the magic guild. There was no time to waste with sitting down to eat.
She finished her sandwich in time to hop down the crevice into the Crystal Caverns. There was the sound of someone muttering "Huh?", and then she landed - not with her feet on the familiar rock floor, but with the whole right side of her body on someone who gave a yell just before they crashed to the ground.
Fia's eyes clenched tight upon the impact, so the first thing to clue her in to who she'd landed on was a groan. She leapt back from him. "My goodness - Ein! I'm so sorry!"
She grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. "Fia... it's okay." Ein shook his head, as though re-sorting scattered parts of his brain. "You know... usually you call ahead when you jump down the crevice."
"I know, I know. I was in such a hurry that I didn't think."
"Really?" Ein said with interest. "Why?"
"Um... I'm worried about Serene." She was so distracted by that wonderful cheerful expression of his that she was barely able to compose the lie in time. "She went here to make cards for Valentine's Day. I'm afraid she might be burying herself in the holiday to suppress bad memories..."
"Yeah... Maybe..." He looked thoughtful for a moment, then concluded, "Don't worry about her too much, Fia. It's just a holiday. When she's ready to talk about what she's suffered, we'll be there for her."
"Yes... you're right." I... I lied to him. What have I done?
"Um..." he said, looking bewildered that he'd managed to convince her so quickly. "I have to get going. I'm heading to the forest today."
"Of course! I left a sandwich for you at my house, if you need something to eat."
"Thanks, Fia."
He began climbing up out of the cavern, when a horrible thought struck Fia. "Ein! When I jumped down, did you... um... did you see my..." She blushed.
"I didn't see you at all, Fia. I mean, not until you landed on me."
"Ein, come on..."
"Y-you don't believe me?" He stared at her, incredulous. "But... you think I'd... Wait, I know. Look at the opening, Fia."
Fia looked up, and thus saw what she should have thought of in the first place: It was late morning, and the sun shining into the crevice was a blinding white light, with everything around it appearing as pure darkness to whatever dazzled eyes looked into it. "Oh. I... I'm sorry Ein."
"It's okay."
A moment later, Ein was gone, but Fia stayed where she was, thoughtful. Ein really is very respectful. I shouldn't have doubted him. But... maybe it's not just respect. If he did get a chance to peep on a girl, would he even be tempted to do it?
Now that I think about it, I don't think he would. He does make a suave comment now and then, but he gets embarrassed if anyone makes a deal about it. I think he says those sorts of things just to be nice. And when has he ever shown real interest in a girl?
An unhappy possibility was dawning on her: maybe he hadn't developed that sort of interest in girls at all. I'll have to ask grandfather about this. But first, since I'm already here, I might as well see about getting some paper.
Upon asking directions, she was guided to a fresh supply. Feeling conservative, however, she just took one sheet and folded it into her dress.
After that, she hurried to her grandfather's house. As always, Ladie watched her like a hawk as she went in, and her grandfather greeted her with a smile in his eyes; his beard was too full to tell if his mouth was smiling as well.
"Fia... It is good to see you. Have you brought me clean clothes?"
Fia started. "Oh, no... I forgot and left them at the house."
"There is no hurry. I think these rags can handle a few more days of my sweat. So, you must have come to me with something to talk about, then."
"Yes. Let me make you some of my tea, grandfather."
"That would be nice."
His tone was quiet, but Fia knew that Graham was addicted to her tea. As she started getting things out, she said, "I'm a bit concerned about Ein, grandfather."
"In what regard?"
"Well, he's a boy..."
"That is correct."
"...and boys are usually, um, interested in girls..."
"No, no. Men are 'interested' in women. And not 'usually'. Always. No matter how much they pretend otherwise."
"Well, Ein seems like a man now."
"Yes, he seems like one... but maybe he's not, yet..."
Fia sighed as she mixed in the tea leaves. "Well, how much longer do you think it'll be before he is one?"
"What's the hurry? He'll get there." He paused. "I wouldn't set your heart on Ein, my dear. There are already two or three women lined up to vie for his attention."
"Are you saying I couldn't handle the competition?" Fia demanded, fixing her grandfather with a glare.
"I'm saying you're too selfless and good-hearted to fight the competition. The minute another woman got the slightest grip on Ein's heart, you'd back off rather than spoil their happiness."
"Well, I..." She trailed off. "Anyway, I never said I was setting my heart on Ein. I'm just worried about him."
"I know. I was simply making sure."
"But..."
"Yes?"
"Suppose there was this boy I was interested in, and he had the same problem as Ein. Wouldn't it be a good idea to get him to notice me first, before he begins desiring other girls?"
"Is this about Valentine's Day, Fia?"
"Of course not! You know we don't celebrate that in our house."
"I thought maybe you'd have gone back to it." He smiled. "Ah, it's hard to believe that day has already come around again. It seems like just a couple months ago Lina was crying her eyes out because some boy gave her a Valentine saying, 'Baby, baby, stick your head in gravy, you still suck your thumb, and Fia wipes your -"
"That was three years ago, grandfather."
"Was it?" The elder put a hand to his chin, his face hardened in recollection.
"Grandfather... about getting a man to... to start desiring women..."
"Oh, yes." He slipped into an identical reflection, and Fia was about to prod him again. "I don't know about such things, but if you're really interested, I'm sure I can find something out with a bit of research."
"Thank you, grandfather."
She poured out the tea for them, and they settled down to enjoy it.
--
Fia awoke later than usual on Valentine's Day. She had visited her grandfather the previous evening, in hopes that he would have come up with something to help Ein. However, she didn't want him to know it had anything to do with Valentine's Day, so she couldn't ask him about it, instead simply making conversation and waiting for him to bring it up. He never did.
It wasn't astounding that he hadn't found anything out in that time, but it was very disappointing. There was no sense telling Ein her feelings if he couldn't react, no sense in Valentine's Day at all. She lay in bed for a good while, not feeling much sense in even getting up. It would be easier to just let this holiday pass her by without a murmur.
She heard a knock at the door. Lina darted downstairs, and Fia yanked the covers up to her chin and closed her eyes so that she would appear to be still asleep.
There was the sound of Lina walking to the foyer(or "shoe room" as Lina liked to call it), and then the door opening. "Hiya, Ein!"
"Hi, Lina! Happy Valentine's Day!"
There was a silence. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Well, that's okay. I just got this for you."
"Lina doesn't like chocolates."
The sound of Lina's footsteps stomping back towards her room was loud enough for Fia to hear, but she couldn't help but think mainly of the chocolates. She licked the roof of her mouth, already salivating in hopes that Ein would leave the chocolates behind so she could have them for herself. She had to remind herself that every pound gained was one pound less attractive to Ein.
"But Lina, these aren't chocolates. They're pieces of fruit cut into little shapes."
"Ooo! Really?" Again the pounding of feet, and Fia had to bite her tongue to keep from yelling at Lina to not run around the house. She really wasn't in the mood to talk to Ein.
"Wait, not so fast! Where's Fia? I have something for her, too."
Something... for me? ...No, no, you idiot; it's just going to be a silly card or some funny little trinket! Valentine's Day isn't just for lovers. It's not even mainly for lovers!
"I just saw her," Lina answered. "She's still asleep. Ooo, raisicots! Yummy!" There was a light scuffing sound, probably Lina grabbing the bundle of fruits, and again the pounding of feet. Fia bit her tongue until she was sure it would bruise. "Hwappy Vawenti's Day, Oin!" Lina called downstairs through a mouthful of fruit.
"Well, will you at least tell Fia I want to... see her?" There was a short silence, and then Ein sighed. Fia waited until his steps went outside and the door closed.
Well, there he goes. Off to give little, meaningless gifts to half the girls in Elendia, I bet. Little... meaningless...
She bit her lip, feeling doubt well up inside her. What if I'm wrong? What if he already is interested in girls, and I just didn't read the signs right? No, I know I didn't read them right! Ein's a gentleman; he wouldn't be that obnoxious about trying to get a girl's attention. And Elendia has lots of pretty girls who can steal a guy's heart. What if, in between all those little meaningless gifts he had, he's saved something special for the girl that's most special to him?
She shot up from bed, pulled on some more appropriate clothes, and dashed out the door. I've got to follow him... I've got to know which girl it is that he likes.
--
Fia followed him to the Undine Spring. Her heart pounded, ever suspecting that the next moment she would be spotted. She realized that she wasn't handling this very well; she had no experience at this sort of thing, and that made her hopelessly tense, as well as increasing the likelihood of being caught. The guilt at spying on someone, too, was becoming worse and worse. But she just had to know.
It can't be Lulu or Meute, can it? They're very fond of him, but he wouldn't go after a girl of another species, would he?
"Happy Valentine's Day, Meute!" He handed her a little scroll. "I wrote out that story you like to hear Molan tell. This way you can learn to tell it yourself!"
For a moment Fia's breath caught, but then Meute unrolled the scroll and she saw that it was barely a foot long. It couldn't have taken Ein more than ten minutes to write out.
"Thank you, Ein," Meute said bashfully.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Lulu!"
"You shouldn't give gifts to me," the sulky fairy said. "I won't appreciate them."
"That's okay. I didn't get you anything."
"Oh. That's good, I guess..."
"But Fia had these scraps left over from her sewing, and I thought you could use them." He handed Lulu two pieces of cloth that looked like thimble-sized pockets. "If you wear them on your wings when you take a bath, it should keep them from getting wet."
"See, that's a waste," Lulu said as she accepted them. "After using them just twice, I'll have forgotten it was you who got them for me."
"Fia made them for you," Ein corrected. "I just brought them over."
"Whatever. It's a waste of effort. And you thinking of me bathing just shows that you're as shallow as I always thought you were."
"What do you mean? Everyone bathes," Ein said, puzzled. "Lulu, I didn't mean to get you upset..."
"Just go," she snapped. "A thoughtful gift like this makes me feel like I might be someone special. Thanks a bunch for getting me all confused."
Ein turned and left, obviously seeing no good in arguing the point with Lulu. Watching him, Fia concluded, Well, at least it's not Lulu or Meute. She hid far back in the bushes as Ein passed by, and once he was at a safe distance, began to follow him again.
"And by the way, Ritz doesn't bathe!" Lulu called.
--
The next stop was the Crystal Caverns. Fia bit her lip as she watched Ein jump down the crevice. She didn't want to risk landing on someone again, so she'd have to call ahead when she went down - and Ein would probably hear. Her only chance was to wait until he might be out of range, and then drop in. Even then, she'd have to have a cover story ready; there were too many people about who might ask what she was doing.
Listen to me! Sneaking around, spying, preparing lies... May the gods forgive me. But I just have to know! She stepped up to the crevice, announced a warning, and dove down.
Ritz was hard at work, and Fia easily slipped by him to the entrance of the magic guild. She hid behind a rock there; Claude's voice could already be heard.
"Yes, you were quite right not to get me anything, Ein."
"That's good. Well, can I go in and hand out my cards to everyone?"
"I'm afraid most of the students are out. Is there anyone in particular you're looking for?"
"How about Cierra? Is she in?"
Cierra, of course! All that time studying with her, why didn't I suspect...
"I'm afraid not."
"Okay, no big deal. I can just leave her gift with you, right?"
"Of course. I'll be happy to distribute all your cards and such. Set them here."
"Wait a second, is Soala here?"
"Actually, she is. Do you have a present for her?"
"Yeah, I -"
"Someone mention my name?" It was Soala's voice.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Soala! I hope you don't mind that I got you something."
"Of course not! That's so kind of you. Can I see it?"
"Um... Can I give it to you in private?"
Fia's heart sank. It's her, isn't it. Still... I'd better make sure...
She waited until they had gone into the next room, then scooted along the hard floor past Claude's desk, all the while wincing at the dirt she was getting all over her hands and her clothes. Suddenly she heard Soala gasp, and she stiffened.
"Ein, thank you so much!"
"I knew that was one of the ingredients you were having trouble getting."
"You must have scoured half of Riviera to find these!"
Fia's heart sank still lower.
"Uh, no... I, uh... I actually just picked them from underneath my bed."
"You're kidding. I never find dust bunnies under my bed!"
Fia breathed a sigh of relief. So that's why he didn't want Claude to see!
"Uh, yeah... I guess I'm just lucky that way."
"Well, thanks for thinking of me. Happy Valentine's Day!"
Fia scrambled to her feet. She had to get out of the Crystal Caverns before -
"Fia?" She jumped, realizing to her consternation that she'd forgotten about Claude. "What were you doing down there?"
"Um... I dropped this herb I was bringing to Soala. I can't find it now."
"I see. ...You ought to take a bath; you're a mess."
Fia went red. "Yes, you're right. Excuse me."
--
Of course she had no time to take a bath. As she watched Ein climb out of the Crystal Caverns, she heard him say, "Now, where to find Serene..."
Yes, Serene. They've both had to deal with loss... they must be very close. Fia kept track of him as he went around Elendia, occasionally asking people if they had seen Serene. Before long, he headed down a little path through the woods. The seclusion, Fia determined, was very appropriate. This had to be it. Ein was about to try to win Serene's heart.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Serene!" Fia looked up, and spotted the arc sitting on a tree branch, pen in hand and a stack of papers on her lap.
"Don't bother me right now, Ein! I still haven't finished writing all my cards! I gotta hurry!"
"Sorry. Should I just leave my gift here, then?"
"You got me a gift?" Serene looked down at him, her cheeks turning a very pretty shade of pink. "Ein... you shouldn't have..."
Fia's conscience slapped her in the face. I... What am I doing? I shouldn't be watching this! She slipped away, covering her ears so she would not hear the private words exchanged between Ein and Serene.
She ran down to the Undine Spring to wash off the dirt and dust from the Crystal Caverns. It was mid-afternoon, a rather unpopular time to bathe, so there was no one about aside from the undines. Once she found a shallow area, which the undines naturally strayed away from, Fia had some much-appreciated privacy.
As the cool waters enfolded her, calmed her, it was hard for Fia not to laugh at herself. If only I'd stopped for a moment to think before running out, I would have realized how foolish it was to spy on Ein. All I had to do to find out which girl he's interested in is wait for the word to spread around that he's courting her. Besides, unless it were me he was after, it's none of my business. Just because I'm in love in Ein doesn't mean I can completely ignore common sense and decency. How would I like it if someone spied on me?
Well, at least I didn't see anything too personal or private. I probably should just laugh this little stunt off and try to be more respectful from now on. I hope Ein and Serene are happy together; I wouldn't like to see either of them get hurt.
After a few minutes of getting good and clean, Fia dried off and pulled her clothes back on. They hadn't dried off completely yet, but at least they were clean again. That done, she headed for home.
A bit of rest might do her good, she decided, and lay down on the end of her bed. After a couple minutes, however, she was startled by a knock at the door. The next moment, it swung open. "Fia! You're still in bed?"
She sat up. "Ein! I thought -" ...thought you'd be with Serene longer than that.
"What?" Ein prompted. "What did you think?"
"I thought... you might have seen me around earlier. I was very busy."
"Oh, that's right, I remember. Claude said you had something for Soala." He looked at her a bit closer. "You're not too tired, are you?"
"I'm fine," she said, folding her hands together and smiling. "Thank you for asking."
"That's good. I got you something for Valentine's Day, but it's a bit of a walk to where it is."
"A walk would be very nice," she answered, getting up.
They headed off to the woods - not the part that Serene had been hanging out in, Fia noted with relief. At first they were quiet, but as the silence drew on, Fia continued to ponder the thoughtless, disrespectful way she'd been lying and sneaking about. With smooth, strong certainty, she determined that there was only one way to cleanse her soul of this day's actions.
"Ein, I have a confession to make," she announced. "When you were giving out your gifts earlier today, I was spying on you."
Ein started. "Huh? Why?"
"I don't know," she said, staring at her hands and wringing her fingers together. "I was just interested in what sorts of things you would give to the other girls, I suppose." Well, it's not the whole truth, but it's close enough. Telling him the things I was feeling this morning would just embarrass him.
"...Well, that's okay. The fairies here follow me around almost half the time, so I'm getting used to being spied on. It's just... it doesn't seem like you."
"I know. I won't do it again."
"And you won't tell anyone about the dust bunnies, will you?"
"Of course not!" She smiled at him a moment, but then a thought struck her. "But... I thought you'd be more worried about whatever it was you gave Serene."
"You didn't see what I got for Serene?" Fia shook her head. "Well, maybe you can tell me if this was a good idea or not, but I gave her some seeds."
"Seeds?"
"Uh huh. I thought maybe if she spent some time raising and nurturing the little plants, watching those new lives spring up, it would help her get over... you know."
"That's a very good idea," Fia said brightly. "I've done some gardening, so I could give her advice if she needs it."
"Thanks, Fia."
She paused, not knowing whether to be relieved or sad that he wasn't interested in Serene either. She didn't like the thought of another girl getting Ein, but it was so frustrating to think that no girl could possibly grab his attention. "Ein... why all these gifts? Are you sure you aren't getting your holidays mixed up?"
"Oh, I'm always stumbling on gifts for people, everywhere I turn. Sometimes a gift just can't wait, like the moondrop for Meute, but usually I like to save them for a holiday. I didn't get any of these gifts just because of Valentine's Day." Before she could comment on his thoughtfulness, he pulled aside a branch and announced, "Here we are."
All she could see was a clearer area of the woods. "What is it?"
"Shhhh." He carefully sat down, and motioned for her to do the same. "Just wait a little bit."
She did as he said. There was only stillness for several minutes, but it was finally broken by a soft yet very conspicuous movement. Fia peered at it, and saw... "A baby faun!" she whispered with delight.
Ein whispered back, "The mother's probably hidden nearby, keeping watch. We'll probably spot her if we stay here long enough."
Fia just stared in rapt attention as the faun gazed about himself, as though in wide-eyed wonder at the entire world. After a moment it reached out to give a modest nibble at some leaves.
"This is a wonderful gift," Fia said softly.
They sat there, watching with a shared quietude and respect. She could scarcely remember when she'd ever felt so close to Ein before. Yet he did not lean over to kiss her, or put his arm around her shoulder, nor even lay his hand over hers.
And to Fia's surprise, she was relieved at that. It would have been confusing, awkward; she wouldn't know what to do in response, or even what to feel. Maybe we're both too young for romance, yet. Maybe grandfather was right... there's no hurry.
She listened to the breeze rustle the branches and leaves, watched the faun's ears perk up at the sound. Watching him, Fia thought of how beautiful the young creatures of Riviera were.
How beautiful, she added, with a content smile, that they pay no thoughts to becoming adults.
END