"How's
my little hunny?"
The crooked man grins his crooked
grin.
"Oh, g-good morning Chosen!"
She's already
besotted with him, it's easy to tell by the blush on her face. Not
the first, most definitely not the last.
"You're looking
particularly beautiful this morning."
I personally don't see
the appeal in that man.
"Th-thank you, Chosen, you're looking
very g-good as well!"
They say he's good-looking, and I guess
you could say that, if men that look like women are considered
good-looking these days.
"Why thank you, my beloved."
They
say he's got a smooth tongue, and I guess you could say that, if
lying, deceitful men are considered smooth-tongued these
days.
"Ch-chosen..."
They say he's got a way with the
ladies.
"Call me Zelos."
I'll give him that
one.
"Zelos, let's get out of this godforsaken place
already." I sigh. "I'm getting nauseous watching you toy with
that poor girl."
She looks up, startled, as if my existence
is a new development to her, even though I'd spent absurd amounts of
money at her shop just hours earlier.
"Aw, Shee Shee... I was
just having a little fun!"
I grit my teeth at the nickname
he's taken to calling me. I'd prefer even Banshee to this one.
My
anger is relieved slightly by the frail girl's apalled expression.
She must be stupid, or maybe being cooped up in a tiny village all
your life does things to your brain.
"You.. you..." She
works her jaw, but no words come.
"Sorry, hunny, I gotta go.
It was fun talking to you, if we ever come back here, I'll be sure to
pop in and say hi."
"B-but-"
"You didn't
think he was serious, did you?" I say, raising an eyebrow. "You
poor, poor girl."
I drop a few extra gald on the counter and
walk out the door after Zelos.
"Ah... it's the small towns
like Ozette that have the cutest girls," he chuckles, grinning
impishly.
"You're despicable."
"And you're
beautiful. I think we've had this conversation before, hunny."
"I
know we have. But you don't seem to get it, even after the hundredth
time."
"Get what?"
"Idiot Chosen."
"Part
of my charm, Shee Shee."
Urgh.
"Don't you even get
it, Zelos?"
"Uh... no?"
"It's not okay to
toy around with women like that! That girl believed you, she hung on
to your every word like it was scripture!"
"I know,
isn't it great?"
"No, it is not great! Augh!"
It's
no use talking to this guy. I stomp off in no particular direction,
fuming. I don't care where I'm going. All I want is to get as far
away from him as possible. Before I know it I'm deep in some
goddamned forest again, except this time I'm alone.
"Sheena..."
So
much for that sentiment. The Chosen's whining voice breaks through my
reverie like a knife.
"I despise you," I hiss through
clenched teeth.
He's standing several feet away from me, but it
feels like he's right next to me, breathing down my neck, or
someplace else I'd rather not think about. It's always like that with
him. He's practically got an aura around his pretty little self. It's
things like that that make me want to mar that flawless skin, break
those deceitfully fragile-looking bones, wipe the perfect grin that's
charmed many a woman off his face for good.
That's when I realize
that he really is that close, and it takes all my willpower not to
punch him all the way into Sylvarant then and there.
"Heh,
love you too, hunny," he breathes in a voice that would have most
women wrapped around his pinky in seconds.
"I don't—"
He cuts me off with his lips in what I'm sure he thinks is an
irresistible gesture. I really don't see it that way. I'm torn
between wanting to bite off his tongue or knee him where it hurts the
most.
"Arrggh! Sh-Sheenaaaa!" He doubles over in pain,
breath coming in harsh gasps.
I didn't want his filthy noble blood
in my mouth.
"Don't even try, Zelos. You knew it was
coming."
"Th-that really hurt, Sheena!"
Idiot.
"That
was kind of the point."
He pouts in that melodramatic way of
his.
"It wasn't very nice."
"Maybe you've
learned your lesson."
"Never."
He's got that
playful glint back in his eyes, that mischievous grin dancing across
his lips. He recovers pretty fast. He's probably had experience in
this type of injury before.
"Let's just get back to Ozette
before the others start getting the wrong idea about where we've
disappeared to."
"It can still be the right idea, you
know."
"In your dreams, Chosen."
"Hehe, I
know, I know."
Apparently he doesn't know, because he
casually drapes an arm over my shoulder as we make our way back into
town.
"You never learn, do you?"
"Shee Shee,
learning is overrated. Just take life as it comes, or else it's not
half as fun."
"Zelos, idiocy is overrated."
I
know it's a stupid counter, but I'm getting tired of this banter, and
all I want is the company of other women, or at least, more mature
men.
"You'll never know until you try it. I'd be all too
happy to help."
"No thanks."
Spontaneous as
ever, he kisses me again, because my reaction was so positive last
time. I have to admit, he's good at it, but this is Zelos. He's got
years of experience under his belt, no pun intended. I'd like to knee
him again, but I guess he really has learned his lesson this time. He
pulls away from me and flashes his trademark grin.
"Just so
you know," I growl, "This is not helping my opinion of you at
all."
"Don't lie, you're warming up to me. I can
tell."
"I'd never fall for a guy like you."
"That
doesn't mean a guy like me wouldn't fall for a pretty lady like
you."
"You need to stop being such a philanderer."
"You
need to stop being such a virgin."
My fist connects with his
jaw perfectly, as if it's meant to fit there. I guess it must be
true, then. We're a match made in hell. But a perfect one at that.
