It was the same everyday. He'd stand at the deck of the broken ship and watch the sun kiss the waters. He never tired of the scene; it always left him breathless.
Today, though, things were different. Today, Jacques was waiting for something else.
- -
Aila broke into a sprint. Jacques had asked her to meet him at sunset, and she was late.
It wasn't entirely her fault. She was just stopping by the tavern to indulge in the wonders of soda, but she ran into Joker along the way, and she let him steer her into the tavern, and she ended up listening to his drunk jargon. Normally, Aila would leave the old man, but her Karayan upbringing taught her to respect her elders. Besides, she wasn't quite so sober herself, and free soda was just too great an offer to resist...
She wondered what Jacques had wanted, and if he was still waiting. He probably was. Jacques was an incredibly patient man. Aila found herself respecting him greatly in spite of his idiosyncrasies.
Why had she let herself get so distracted? She owed much to Jacques, and he had never asked anything from her until now. The least she could do was show some punctuality.
She mentally scolded herself. What will Jacques think of you now? Strangely enough, she did care. Headstrong and stubborn, how the influencial bandwagon known as Everyone saw her didn't matter to her. She did things her way whether they approved or not. But Jacques... Jacques mattered.
Feeling guiltier in each passing second, she quickened her pace.
- -
Night had fallen in. Stars winked at him overhead, and the moon was a sliver of light that lent the ship a mystical glimmer.
Everything seemed so beautiful, then.
The satisfaction that came with the evening's serenity left no room for impatience. He lost himself in the rhythm of the waves, lost himself in the moment. A mist settled upon his azure eyes as his thoughts grew distant; briefly, he envisioned himself as a pirate, but instantly dismissed the idea.
The soft, rapid cadence of footfalls against the wooden floor brought him out of his reveries.
"Jacques!" The voice was undoubtedly Aila's. "I'm sorry I'm late! I was held up by Joker and--"
The torrent of words stopped abruptly. He could hear her frown. When she spoke again, she sounded calmer."How long have you been waiting anyway?"
"It doesn't matter," he replied. A pause, and then, "You missed the sunset."
She ignored his last statement and went on, the crescendo of awe evident in her tone. "Were you just standing here all this time?"
"The ocean is beautiful," was his sole justification. To him, it was reason enough.
Her dark curls swayed as she shook her head. Sighing, she took the place beside him. He was right-it was beautiful. But she doubted that she could stand still to watch the scene for hours.
"So," she began, breaking the silence. "What did you ask me to come here for?"
A minute passed with him not saying anything. She was about to repeat her question when he finally answered, "Happy birthday."
"You remem-" The exclamation stopped at mid-sentence as she started a new one. "How'd you know?"
"I know... many things." He did not elaborate. "Happy birthday, Aila."
And then he turned and walked away without saying anything else.
Aila didn't know how to react to this. She was going to head back to town herself when she saw something gleam in the darkness. It was a new set of arrows, neatly stacked in a quiver. She examined them. Griffin feathers.
There was nothing there that indicated the identity of her benefactor, but she already knew who left it. Her nose was starting to itch, and she felt the tears well up in her eyes.
She waited for the moment to pass, and then made a mental note to buy Jacques a soda tomorrow.
A/N: Do they even say "happy birthday" in Suikoden? Anyway, any comments or criticisms are greatly welcome.