"Hmm, I wonder if anyone sells lizard tails around here..." Tharja wondered aloud as she gazed over the contents of each market stall that she passed by. She needed them for a hex that she was working on, and the army had finally made a stop for supplies, giving her the time to search for them.
"I'm sure someone sells them, my dear." Libra said, smiling at her as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. A small smile crossed Tharja's face as she glanced up at him briefly before turning her attention back to her search. They must be an odd sight for the occupants of this tiny village; a dark mage dressed in black holding hands with a white-robed priest. Tharja had indeed noticed the stares that they had been receiving all day, but she ignored them. She would not let the judgmental stares of strangers get to her.
"You would think that people would have better things to do." Tharja grumbled, casting a glare at a couple of men who were not trying to hide their stares. Maybe the stares were getting to her a little bit, just because they were incredibly annoying. Libra chuckled.
"Pay them no mind, my dear Tharja. They have no idea what it is like to love and be loved by a smart and beautiful woman. I certainly do." Libra said, bringing her hand up to his lips to place a light kiss on her knuckles. Tharja's face flushed as she adverted her gaze in embarrassment.
"Jeez Libra, now people will really be staring." Tharja said with a tone of annoyance, but the smile that crept onto her face betrayed her true feelings on the matter. They stopped in front of a shop that looked like it might have what she needed.
"I'll probably be here for a while. You might want to go see if your ax is done being repaired yet. It's getting late." Tharja said, her eyes gazing up at the rapidly setting sun.
"Ah yes, I almost forgot. I will meet you at the village entrance?" Libra asked. Tharja nodded in response. "I will see you then. I hope you find everything you need, dear." Tharja smiled as she watched Libra walk away, before she turned around and entered the shop.
It was dark outside by the time she left the shop, with a sack in each arm filled with various ingredients, as well as a few new books. She hadn't expected to find so much interesting things in this small village shop, and she couldn't wait to delve into the new books that she had acquired. She strode through the now empty marketplace as she made her way to the village entrance, but she was suddenly hit with the feeling that she was being followed.
Tharja's eyebrows narrowed as she saw a man walking towards her, and she spied another out of the corner of her eye. She bit her lip and turned suddenly down an alley between two houses. She reached a dead end wall and turned to find that she had indeed been followed by three men. They wore menacing sneers on their faces, and they reeked of alcohol. She didn't want to waste the supplies that she had just bought, but she might have to whip up a quick hex to deal with these cretins.
"May I help you?" Tharja growled, placing the bags that she was holding on the ground so that she could quickly pull out her spell book if she had to.
"Now, now, witch, we mean you no harm. We just want to have a little fun, that's all." the tallest of the men said, talking a threatening step closer to Tharja. The other two men laughed and followed suit.
"Just be a good girl and cooperate, and we won't have to hurt you." one of the others said, licking his lips in a revolting way that made Tharja want to vomit. What terrible excuses for human beings these three were. She was about to place a nice hex on them, but was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"I would not move any closer to her if I were you."
Tharja grinned as the three men turned around to find Libra standing at the entrance to the alley. He was smiling a serene smile, but his eyes held such an intense fury that caused the three men to look at each other nervously.
"Who's the pretty boy? Get outta here." the apparent leader of the three said, cracking his knuckles as he stepped towards Libra. The smile never left the priest's face as he hefted the ax up that he was holding and let it rest on his shoulders.
"Well, I do need to test to see if my ax was repaired correctly. And anyone who messes with my dear Tharja cannot be left to their own devices." Libra said, his voice lowering to almost a growl. An evil grin crossed Tharja's face as the lead cretin looked back at her, while the other two men were beginning to look nervous.
"Tch, this beauty is your woman, priest? Don't make me laugh! She's too wicked for a man of the cloth." the man sneered, "Let's teach him a lesson guys!" He charged at Libra with a raised fist, while the other two men pulled out swords and followed. Libra gracefully dodged the man's punch by bending backwards. He then quickly swung his ax, striking the man with the flat of his ax so hard that he was knocked off of his feet and into the side of the alley. He fell limp to the ground, unconscious.
While the other two were distracted watching their leader get trounced, Tharja cast a spell at one of them, sending him flying into the other one. They collapsed to the ground in a confused heap.
"Well Libra," Tharja said, an evil grin crossing her face as she walked up to one of the men, placing a foot on his back a pressing down hard, causing the man to grunt in pain, "how shall we deal with these gentlemen? I think a nice curse that causes a slow and painful death would be appropriate." The blood drained from the face of the man below her as he whimpered helplessly.
"My dear Tharja, you are much too hard on these men. They need a quick death, so that they may see Naga sooner to beg for her forgiveness." Libra said, the smile on his face morphing in to an uncharacteristically sinister grin that gave Tharja's a run for its money. The man made a strangled noise in the back of his throat before he passed out from fear. Tharja sniffed and gave the man one last kick before she walked over and picked up her bags.
"I could have handled that myself, Libra." Tharja said, turning to look at him with a raised eyebrow. Libra chuckled as he walked up to her.
"I know, my dear. But I wanted to be sure that they wouldn't hurt you. Plus you looked like you were having so much fun, and I couldn't resist joining in." he said, placing a hand on the side of her head as he ran his thumb over her cheek. Tharja smiled as her eyes locked with his.
"It seemed like you were having a bit too much fun. Rather dark for a priest, Libra." Tharja said, her heart beat quickening as he moved his face closer to hers.
"Yes, well, you know more than most that I have a rather...devious streak sometimes." Libra whispered, closing the distance between them as his lips pressed against hers. Tharja's eyes widened as Libra pushed against her, causing her back to press against the wall behind her. The bags fell from her hands again as he reached up and wrapped her arms around Libra, one hand clinging to his back while the other twined in his beautiful hair. This kind of public make out session was not what she expected from Libra, but she was certainly not complaining. When they finally parted, they both were panting heavily and looking a bit disheveled.
"Libra that...was unlike you." Tharja said, noting how he was somehow even more attractive with his face flushed and hair a bit of a mess.
"I'm sorry, Tharja. Just...hearing those men say what they did about you awakened a bit of a...possessiveness in me. It is rather unbecoming of me." Libra said, adverting his gaze as he flushed with embarrassment.
"Well, I guess our resident priest isn't as pure and holy as everyone thinks he is." Tharja teased, leaning up to place a kiss on his cheek. "I like it. Makes things more interesting."
"I'm glad that I can amuse you, my love. Shall we return to camp? It is getting rather late, and I would prefer not to be around when this lot wakes up." Libra said, picking up one of Tharja's bags as his free hand grasped one of hers. Tharja grinned and nodded, picking up the other bag and they began walking back to camp, hand in hand.
"Hey, Libra?" Tharja asked, glancing up at him, "Do you think we really make a good couple? We're just so different."
"Well, being different isn't a bad thing, dear Tharja." Libra said, chuckling, "We're like a black and white painting. Total opposite colors on the spectrum, but when combined, they can create a most beautiful masterpiece."
"How incredibly nauseating, Libra." Tharja said, rolling her eyes, but she couldn't stop the smile that spread over her face. They both laughed as they walked under the light of the moon, hand-in-hand like they were made for each other.