A/N: CONTEST ENTRY WRITTEN! Hee, it's been a while since I've entered it. :3 Anyways, this is for Rune Haven's contest, and the theme is Letters. Any other Rune Factory writers, drop by the forum and try out a contest or two! It's fun ^_^ ANYWAYS ONTO FIC SORRY FOR CRAPPY TITLE
Read It Later
Much can be said about the de Sainte-Coquille household when the maid is not deterred by something as inane as a simple deafening crash and the screeching of the household daughter.
"ARGH! Nothing is coming out right! This is stupid!"
Tabatha straightened up from her downstairs dusting at her mistress's call, and walked up the stairs, quickly and quietly hurrying to Bianca's door. She knocked lightly, then peaked her head in. "Miss Bianca?"
Bianca's arms were crossed on her desk, her fists balled up, and her head laying on them, an expression of defeat and anger marring her features. Her hair was splaying about around her, out instead of in her usual curled pigtails, and she was wearing pajamas instead of one of her dresses. "Tabatha, I can't stand this. Get me a drink."
The elven maid bowed. "Right away, Miss Bianca," she said dutifully. She glanced around quickly, seeing one of Bianca's jewelry boxes on the ground. Ah. So that's where the crash came from, Tabatha noted.
"Forget the box, just get going, Tabatha!" Bianca yelled, glaring at her. Tabatha bowed again.
"My apologies, Miss Bianca, right away." Tabatha turned and quickly walked out of the room. Bianca sighed, feeling a bit guilty for yelling, then scowled again at her desk. She brought the paper she was working on up to her visage, and angrily crumpled it up. "Worthless thing."
Bianca grabbed a fresh piece of paper and gripped at her pen angrily. She held up the pen – it was a lovely pen, navy blue, gold trimmings, dark blue ink; it was one of her favorite pens – and she thought of how annoying the pen was. It wasn't writing the right words, and dammit, it was all the pen's fault.
Tabatha returned promptly, setting down a glass of water onto Bianca's desk. The girl took a lengthy gulp of her drink, thanking Tabatha once she finished. "It's no problem, Miss Bianca," Tabatha said kindly. "You know, it's almost the holiday..."
"Oh, don't remind me, Tabatha!" Bianca hollered, cranky. She turned sideways on her chair to face Tabatha, pouting angrily. Tabatha blinked, a bit surprised, then resisted the urge to grin once realization settled in. No wonder Bianca was having so much trouble with the letter.
Bianca blushed, sensing Tabatha's amusement. "Sh-Shut up, Tabatha," she stammered, looking away. "I-I just..."
"I didn't say anything, Miss Bianca," Tabatha insisted in a singsong voice. Bianca crossed her arms, her face scrunched up in annoyance. "I'll leave you to it, okay, Miss Bianca? And if you want to talk, or need anything, just call."
Bianca sighed, watching Tabatha go. "Thanks..." she mumbled, even though Tabatha was already out of earshot.
Bianca could not properly express in words the utter boredom she'd felt that day. Same old town, same old people, she'd thought with a sigh. She held an arm up to shade her eyes, and looked up at the sky – it was a nice spring day, at least; not too hot or cold. Bianca suddenly heard a bit of conversation, and glanced towards the source – the farmer, Raguna, speaking with...hmm...Bianca wasn't sure who he was speaking with. The man bid Raguna farewell, and then sat on a nearby bench. Her curiosity was piqued, she admitted it. Bianca gripped her parasol a bit tighter and ambled over towards the man.
"Who are you?" she asked bluntly, staring downward at the man.
He jolted a bit, apparently not noticing her presence at first, then glanced up at her. His face broke into a soft smile, and Bianca couldn't help but find it...cute. She scoffed at the notion. "Oh...I'm sorry miss! I didn't notice you there!" He stood, standing taller than Bianca by a few inches. His eyes were an inviting blue-green hue, his hair was a bit long and brown, and his features were all kind and soft. "My name is Ivan." He bowed a bit before standing straight again. "And may I ask what your name is?"
"Pssh, my name is Bianca de Sainte-Coquille," Bianca informed him with an air of importance. "I see you aren't from around here. You seem pretty odd."
"Miss Bianca, such a pretty name for a lovely girl," Ivan mused in a singsong voice, smiling brightly. Bianca scoffed at how easy he complimented her, like it was natural with no ulterior motives, he must be a total airhead or something – but one couldn't deny her cheeks turned scarlet. "And no, I don't live around here...I'm a traveling merchant."
Bianca's eyes widened in surprise. "My...that sounds like an exciting job." She was silent for a moment, observing him very closely. Ivan simply laughed awkwardly when she got too close, asking if there was something on his face. "No, nothing, I'm just interested," Bianca admitted. "I've decided! You will tell me about your travels! It's sure to entertain me."
"H-Huh?" Ivan asked sheepishly, not sure what he was getting into.
"Tabathaaaaa! I need youuuu!" Bianca whined loudly from her room. Within seconds, the dutiful elven maid was at Bianca's door.
"Yes, Miss Bianca?" Tabatha asked.
"I...I need you to help me decide on an outfit." Bianca pouted a bit, looking to the side. "Not even going to bother asking daddy, he'll be useless, so...it's a weird request, but just help me, okay?"
Tabatha chuckled. "Of course, Miss Bianca. Perhaps you're dressing nicely since it's a holiday?"
"Wh-wh-what are you implying? Shut your mouth!" Bianca cried, blushing. Tabatha only laughed again, asking to see what outfits Bianca was choosing between. Bianca held two dresses up; one a comfortable, casual (for Bianca, anyway) emerald green dress with silver trim, and the other slightly more dressy; a navy blue dress.
"Which do you feel more comfortable in?" Tabatha asked.
"Bah, it has nothing to do with comfort! Which do you think would look better, is all that matters," Bianca said.
"Well...hm..."
"Oh, you're right Tabatha," Bianca said, "the navy one is too formal, too much for a stroll, of course, naturally, naturally."
"Ah, well..."
"Oh, but I don't know," Bianca went on, "the navy one is so pretty, and I rarely wear it out, and it's not bad to wear it once in a while, and...and...you know damn well why I called you, which one do you think he'd prefer?" Bianca's face was absolutely crimson at this point, and Tabatha couldn't help but find it adorable.
"Oh, Miss Bianca, he'll find you spectacular in anything," Tabatha said, grinning ear to pointed ear. "But, didn't he once mention that he found you cutest in blue?"
If possible, Bianca blushed more, all while looking angrier as well. "That idiot..." she mumbled as she went to change into her navy dress.
"...another town I've been to is Alvarna," Ivan went on. "That's a nice place...it reminds me a bit of Kardia, actually."
"Oh, you've been to Alvarna?" Bianca perked up. "Some of my relatives live there! Goodness, little Rosalind and Max, they should only be eight or nine..."
"Ah, does Rosalind have long blue hair? And Max have blonde hair and green eyes?" Ivan asked with an expectant grin. Bianca nodded, and Ivan's smile widened as he laughed a bit. "Ah, they were very sweet children, they were."
"Goodness, I haven't seen those two in a while...both of them were a touch odd...but good kids," Bianca admitted. Ivan laughed a bit, and Bianca looked up at him inquisitively. "What's got you so cheery?"
"Well, I've just grown fond of you, I suppose, Bianca," Ivan admitted with a sheepish grin. "You're the only person that's ever been so earnest about hearing about my travels. I always worry that I'm boring you."
Bianca blushed, looking away. "W-Well, it's just that, there's nothing really better to do, s-so don't get the wrong idea...traveling just seems fun, is all," Bianca stammered. "Besides, I, unfortunately, would be more boring to talk about. I've been stuck in this town all my life. It's boring."
"Well, I don't know, Bianca," Ivan mused. "It's got to be nice to at least live in such a safe, nice town. And I don't think you're boring at all." Ivan smiled brightly and Bianca blushed harder.
"W-Wipe that stupid smile off of your face...!" Bianca yelled, crossing her arms. She looked down nervously. "Th-Thanks, I guess..."
"Mm, but it's getting dark," Ivan observed forlornly. "I think I have to go..." Ivan stood, but stopped short from walking off when Bianca tugged on his sleeve.
"You'll...come back next holiday, right...? J-Just out of curiosity," Bianca asked, red as an apple. Ivan looked surprised, and blushed a bit himself, then smiled contentedly.
"Of course," he assured her. "Nothing will stop me from coming back."
"Take it."
Ivan looked a bit confused, but nevertheless took the letter that Bianca was offering him. She looked extremely nervous and fidgety, which confounded Ivan further. "What's this, Bianca?"
"It's a letter, but...I don't want you to open it yet!" Bianca said. "I want...I want you to open it when you leave, okay?" She wasn't looking him in the eye. "And...read it then, okay? You got that? Don't read it now!"
It was the holiday, and Tabatha noticed how late Bianca was about getting home. She was beginning to get worried, but just then, Bianca entered the front door. Bianca entered slowly, trudging through the foyer reluctantly. The elven maid scurried over to Bianca, but stopped short seeing the desolate look on her mistress's face. "Miss Bianca...?"
Bianca looked up listlessly at Tabatha, coming to a stop. "I shouldn't have expected him to come back...I was pretty stupid..."
Tabatha winced and frowned. "Oh, Miss Bianca..."
"I'll be in my room," Bianca said, turning away from Tabatha. "S-So...don't bother me if it isn't important...!" Her eyes were starting to get glossy as she yelled, but she quickly turned and ran up the stairs. Tabatha sighed, and made sure that she'd bring a little extra cookies to Bianca's room tonight.
Bianca made sure to convince herself that no, she wasn't waiting again on this bench expecting him, because it had been three days since the holiday. He only ever came on holidays anyways, so she was just enjoying the weather.
She leaned back a bit, arching her neck upward and felt the rays on sunlight on her face. It was a nice, warm day – soothing day; she tried to push away all of the bad thoughts and focus on the warmth on her face.
...Bianca looked downward and growled almost inaudibly. Dammit, I should not be so depressed! Argh, I can't let stupid people like him depress me like this! Stupid, stupid, stupid!
"U-Um...Bianca?"
She paused in her tirade, and glanced upward. The sun was high in the air, shining behind this new arrival, framing his form but darkening his face a bit. But his eyes were a familiar blue-green, and he broke into a warm smile that Bianca had seen a thousand times before. "I'm sorry, did I keep you waiting...?"
Bianca was overcome for a moment, her words caught in her throat. She gripped at her parasol, and stared up at him. Then – "YOU IDIOT!"
"Ouch! Bianca...!" Ivan cried out, bracing himself from the onslaught of Bianca's parasol. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
"You ought to be!" Bianca finally ceased from assaulting the poor man, huffing and bringing the parasol to her side. "A gentleman should never keep a lady waiting!"
Ivan's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "You...were waiting for me?"
Bianca blushed at her slip, and looked to the side angrily. "N-No, I just...shut up!"
Ivan, meanwhile, was busy reaching into his pack, bringing a small jewelry box out. "I'm late because I had to travel to the capital...I wanted to get you something, and...you're pretty hard to shop for." Ivan laughed good-naturedly, opening the box.
Bianca gaped, dropping her parasol. Inside the box was a silver ring, an exquisite, sparkling green jewel in the center. "I-Is that...a jadeite ring?"
Ivan blushed, looking sheepish. "Well...I wanted to respond with this, to your letter...I figured, anything else I got you, you probably already had, so getting to the capital took a few extra days..."
Bianca was almost speechless. "This...this is exclusive to Norad nobility...how on Earth did you get your hands on it?"
Ivan chuckled. "It wasn't easy, but, it was worth it. Bianca, I...feel the same." Ivan was tomato red at this point, shuffling a bit shyly. "I-I'm sorry I took so long to come back...I tried to get here as fast as I could..."
Bianca was just as red, if not more so. "W-Well, it's not a big deal! No need to be so apologetic, geez." She was silent for a moment, avoiding his eyes out of embarrassment. "I can't believe...you went through all that trouble...you stupid man..."
Ivan laughed a bit, and suddenly hugged her, making Bianca squeak in surprise. "I was really happy to read it, Bianca...and if you actually want to be with me, I'd be honored." He kissed her cheek then pulled away, looking a bit embarrassed, but grinning.
"Took you long enough to come back..." Bianca noted, smiling a bit. "...The ring is lovely, thank you..."
Ivan took out the ring and slipped it on her finger, making Bianca fuss a bit about how she can do it on her own dammit she's a grown woman. She held her hand in front of her face, looking it over. "I've never seen it so close...it's beautiful...I sincerely hope you didn't have to resort to stealing this. That would make the present so much less heartfelt." She crossed her arms, but Ivan only laughed, assuring her that he acquired it through completely lawful means. He held both of her hands, smiling. Bianca blushed, but decided that oh, she could yell at him later, for now things were warm and right and she felt all fuzzy inside.
"That's right! Tell me what the capital looks like!" Bianca demanded suddenly. Ivan blinked, taken aback for a moment, then laughed, sitting down and obliging. "You should take me there sometime, you know. And tell me how on earth you got this present."
"I will," Ivan assured her. "I promise."
A/N: SO I'VE LOVED THIS COUPLE FOREVER WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG FOR ME TO WRITE IT and it also appears that I've turned Ivan into Ray but he struck me as sweet and adorable so it's okay, he just lacks the snark that Ray has courtesy of Kitsune no Tora's writing