AN: This one-shot takes place during chapter 29 of The Winds of the Past. I've always been intrigued that Barrett's friendship levels go up so quickly, and that in combination with various conversations in the game sort of led to this. There are a few things that are briefly mentioned here that are from the main fanfic, such as Dylas being out of favor with Avani (Frey), but nothing that should greatly impact the reading of this story if you haven't read the other. Rated M for some lemoniness. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I'd love to hear what you think of it!

Three Little Words

Barrett had never imagined that three little words could change his life so much.

"I'm leaving you," Yue had said, flatly, early that morning as she packed her clothing. "It's over. I'm taking the kids and going back to my home town. It's for the best."

"For the best?" he'd asked, dazed and confused. "Best for who?"

"For everyone," she replied, then turned and faced him, eyes blazing. "You're hardly ever home anymore. You're always working—or so I had thought. Now I'm not even sure about that."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't bother to lie to me, Barrett. You're wasting your time and mine. I stopped by the school yesterday to say hello, and you weren't there. Not only that, but they told me that you'd been on a leave of absence for the past few weeks! Then, as if that wasn't enough, I also heard you'd been seen over in Selphia a lot lately—and even spotted going off 'monster hunting' with some green-haired lass."

She turned her back on him, resuming her packing. "Let's be honest, for once. You never loved me. I was just a rebound fling after Dorothy up and left you for Kyle. You'd never even have married me if not for Leonel. You hardly even touched me after we got married, except once when you were drunk. And I bet even then it was Dorothy you were thinking of, not me." She sighed heavily. "I'm tired of the lies, Barrett. Tired of pretending everything's fine, when it isn't. So I'm leaving. The kids and I will be happier not always wondering where you are or when you'll come home to us, and you'll have your freedom again."

Barrett watched her, too numb to try to stop her. Or perhaps he just recognized the truth of her words. He'd never really gotten over Dorothy—his first and only love. And she was right, too, that he wouldn't have married her if she hadn't gotten pregnant. He'd have ended the fling and moved on before long. Instead he'd found himself a family man. He did love his kids, though, and froze at the thought of never seeing them again. Finally, he said in a low voice, "If this is what you want, I won't try to stop you. But I'd like to see our kids from time to time. I'll send you money to help with their expenses. Just send me word where you're living once you're settled." And he turned and left.

When he returned to his house that evening, after another day of research in Selphia, he found it was empty. His wife—ex-wife, he supposed, or would be soon—had taken everything that was hers or the kids' with her. She had taken most of the furniture, too. Fair enough, he thought. She'd picked it all out herself, and probably had paid for at least half of it with her own income. He wandered through the lonely rooms, cringing a little at the emptiness of the kids' rooms and wishing he'd woken them to tell them goodbye. He was relieved, though, that the charade was over and he didn't have to pretend anymore.

He locked up and returned to Selphia by a late-night airship, preferring the inevitable airsickness to the desolation of the silent house. Luckily, there was a room available on the top floor of the inn. The two rooms on either side of him were also occupied by long-term lodgers. To the west was the reticent red-haired young woman called Raven, who was there in search of rare ores and who peddled smithing materials. The room to the east was occupied by the mysterious and intelligent man with a fox's tail and ears called Leon. He was the one that Avani had rescued, at great personal risk, from the tall tower of Leon Karnak, that mystical tower that had merged with the alien Forest of Beginnings. He'd played a small part in that rescue by providing the unique artifact that had summoned a return portal to Selphia.

Leon seemed to have settled into life in the town fairly well, and it also appeared that he and Avani had become more than good friends. He often spotted the two of them chatting and laughing together, and had caught some of the looks that passed between them. And Leon was rarely in his room these days… or nights, as was the case tonight. Barrett unpacked and went to bed, where he slept poorly, waking often and finally rising early.

Avani usually stopped to visit with Barrett when he was in town—chatting with him about his classes and school or asking after his family, and sometimes asking him to join her either in training or out in the field, fighting infestations of monsters. After a time, they'd become friends of a sort, though he wasn't really the sociable type. Still, he didn't object to her conversation as a rule—but that morning, he cringed when she asked after his kids. "Is something wrong?" she asked, peering into his peaked face anxiously.

"No. I'll talk to you later," he replied, quickly turning to walk away.

She grabbed his wrist, though, and refused to let him go. "Barrett, listen to me. I've known you for a while now. We've been on a number of campaigns together, fighting back-to-back against hordes of monsters. I consider you my friend, and I don't like to see my friends unhappy."

She looked around, noting the midday bustle of the town streaming past them as they stood on the busy street near the airship dock. "Here, come with me," she said, and dragged him along behind her. She went down a short flight of stairs that led into a tidy garden full of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. A well-maintained barn was nestled among a few shade trees, and he could hear the sounds of tame monsters coming from within, lowing and clucking and bleating contentedly.

There were three doors leading from the gardens into the castle—western, central, and eastern doors. It was through the eastern door that she pulled him, leading him into what was apparently the main chamber of her private suite of rooms. He looked around, blinking as his eyes adjusted from the bright sunlight to the relative darkness of the room. "Have a seat, Barrett," Avani said. "I'll make some lunch, and then we can talk. You like salmon, right?"

"Yeah, it's my favorite," he replied tonelessly. She raised an eyebrow at his lack of enthusiasm, but said nothing as she disappeared into another room.

He looked around the chamber—he'd never been into her rooms before. This was quite a large room, nearly as large as a small cottage might be. In the corner to his left was a large, comfortable-looking bed, neatly made up and covered with a sumptuous coverlet. Near the foot of the bed was a doorway with stairs leading up to a very solid-looking door. A large wardrobe stood between this doorway and a bay window hung with heavy draperies in the front of the room, facing the courtyard. A matching bay window was placed on the other side of her front door. Continuing around the periphery of the room, he saw an interior door that, presumably, led to the rest of the castle, then a large fireplace with a sofa and a couple of chairs arranged around a low table placed before it. Next, immediately to his right, was a flight of stairs leading downward, then behind him was two doors —the first being the one they had come through, and the second apparently leading into a kitchen, judging from the appealing scents of good food coming from within.

He sat gingerly on one of the chairs by the crackling fire, not at all sure he wanted to be there but also acknowledging to himself that he had nowhere else to go. He'd always been a loner, and nine years of marriage to the wrong woman had done nothing to alter that. The only one whose company he'd ever really enjoyed—had sought out, even—was Dorothy. But then she'd fallen in love with Kyle and left him. She was happily married to that day, with twins near his own son's age—a boy and a girl, both spitting images of their father.

As he was reminiscing, Avani returned, carrying a tray laden with dishes of grilled salmon, rice, pickles, and stir-fried vegetables, as well as a glass of juice and a large, frosty tankard of ale. She set the food on the small table at the center of the seating arrangement, handed him the tankard, and returned the tray to the kitchen. After pushing the table over a little closer to his chair upon her return, she sat on the end of the sofa nearest to him. "Now then, eat up before it gets cold," she said, smiling at him.

He hesitated, still feeling reluctant. But then his stomach growled loudly, and he became aware of a gnawing hunger as he realized he'd not eaten since breakfast the day before. Seeing her watching him with a knowing look in her eyes, he scowled and picked up his rice bowl. He took a small bite of his salmon, and thought it was the best he'd ever tasted. Then hunger overwhelmed his sensibilities, and he dove in, eating the rest of his meal voraciously. Avani smiled to herself as she delicately nibbled her small meal and contemplated him from the corner of her eyes.

When Barrett had nearly finished, she wordlessly rose and went into the kitchen, returning a moment later with reinforcements as well as a pot of tea. She placed the food before him, clearing their empty dishes and taking them back to the kitchen before returning to her seat. She sat sipping her tea as she waited until his appetite had been sated enough to allow conversation. "So… what's up, Barrett? You look like you haven't slept well lately, you're more close-lipped than usual, and it appears you haven't been eating. That's not like you. From the way you reacted when I asked about your family, I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess things aren't exactly hunky-dory at home. Is that it?"

"You could say that," he muttered as he reached for the tankard.

"You know, Barrett, I'm told that I'm an excellent listener," Avani said gently. "Why don't you talk about it? You'll feel better if you don't just hold it all in."

He hesitated, then shrugged, saying, "Whatever. It's just… Yue left me yesterday. Packed up all her stuff, the kids, and most of our furniture and left. Said she was going back to her home town."

Avani sat up straight, saying, "Barrett, that's terrible! I'm so very sorry."

"Don't be. I'll miss the kids, but to be honest…" and here he hesitated again, "…to be honest, I never really loved her anyway. And she knew it."

"Why on earth did you marry her then?" Avani asked, then clapped a hand over her mouth, exclaiming, "Oops, sorry! I know, it's none of my business."

Barrett shook his head as he took another swallow of the cool, amber liquid. "Doesn't matter. Don't worry about it." Another swallow, and he continued. "When I was younger—around your age, maybe, or maybe even younger—I'd fallen in love with the priest's daughter. Dorothy was her name. I was a loner, always had been. Just didn't care for the company of others. But she was… different. I learned to appreciate people a little more, thanks to her. But… then she fell in love with another man." A couple of long pulls at his ale as he thought back. "I'd never come right out and told her how I felt, although I think she suspected. I don't know. It didn't matter, anyway, once she married Kyle. I was… heartbroken. Then Yue came along, and she had this… this… bewitching way about her. I thought maybe I could forget Dorothy by taking up with someone else. I was wrong. I was just on the verge of breaking it off with her when she told me she was pregnant. With my baby. So I did what seemed like the right thing and married her. But I wasn't happy, and soon, neither was she. I tried to hide it, because I didn't want our son to feel our unhappiness. But I'm not good at that kind of thing—faking things, I mean. And after we got married, I could hardly stand to touch her."

"But didn't you say you also had a baby daughter?" Avani asked, caught up in his tale.

Barrett winced a little and drained his tankard. "Yes. The result of a night of heavy drinking. It was Yue in my bed, but… it was Dorothy that I saw. That's the only time I touched her after we were married, and Yuri was the result."

He picked up his tea and leaned back in his chair, closing his vivid azure eyes as he took a sip. A moment later he opened them again and looked thoughtfully at Avani. "I don't know why I'm telling you all this. I'm not normally talkative, especially about myself."

She smiled again, saying, "Like I told you, I'm supposed to be a good listener. People come to me with their problems all the time."

"Still…." he said, then with a shrug he drained his cup and set it down as he rose. "Thanks for the lunch. I guess I needed it more than I realized. I'll catch you later." And he was gone. Avani stared at the door where he'd disappeared for some time, looking thoughtful.

That night as she lay in Leon's arms, both of them still damp with sweat from their lovemaking, she gazed at him with a hesitant look in her eyes. "Yes, My Lady?" he said with a smile as he stroked her hair affectionately. "You appear to have something on your mind. What is it?"

"It… it's a little hard to explain. I have… I guess a favor of sorts to ask of you, but I think you won't want to grant it. You may even be angry with me just for asking. But… well, will you please hear me out?"

"Of course. Tell me all about it," he replied, looking surprised and a little concerned.

She sat up and turned to face him, the sheet loosely draped around her, and proceeded to explain. "You know Barrett, of course?"

He nodded; the knowledgeable but reserved Alvarnan scholar had consulted him a few times, inquiring about the old languages and scripts that Leon knew from his era.

She hesitated, then said, "He told me this in strict confidence, so please, Leo, don't say anything to him or anyone else. I'm only telling you because I need to, in order to try to help him."

Again he nodded; as the former Dragon Priest, he'd heard—and kept—his fair share of confidences. He looked at her expectantly, wondering at her hesitation.

"Well… it seems that his wife took their kids and left him yesterday. Apparently their marriage was not a happy one, and he couldn't even bring himself to touch her after they were married except once—and then only because he'd gotten so drunk he hardly knew what he was doing."

Leon shook his head sadly. "That's an unfortunate situation to be in. Divorce is probably for the best, though avoiding such a marriage in the first place would have been preferable," he remarked.

"There's more, though. It seems he was in love with a girl who loved another man. And I think he is in love with her still, even though she's apparently happily married. I think that inside, he's something of a wreck—a bundle of nerves and strain and fear and resentment, and probably a lot of other things as well. And… and I want to try to help him."

"Okay… so where does this favor you wish to ask of me come in?" Leon asked warily.

Avani took a deep breath, then averted her eyes as she replied, "I… I want to seduce him."

"What?" Leon exclaimed, sitting bolt upright. "How the hell is that supposed to help?"

"It… it might sound a little strange, but I'm hoping that it'll get him to… to drop his defenses, at least for a short while. And maybe if I can get him to just relax a little, then that whole tangled mess inside of him will begin to unravel. If he can begin to resolve things in his head and heart, maybe he can move past his fixation and be happy. I know it probably sounds crazy… but it's the only thing I can think of that might help him."

"So, let me get this straight… your favor is that you want me, your lover, to allow you to have a one-night-stand with another man? Is that it? And why do you want so badly to help him, anyway?" he asked, frowning at her, feeling pangs of jealousy deep down inside that he was unwilling to acknowledge even to himself.

She looked up at him, saying simply, "Because he's my friend, and I can't bear to see him hurting like this. And… you might not realize this, but we owe a lot to him. He was the one who gave me the ring that saved you—the ring that opened the portal to Selphia and pulled you through. When I told you that everyone in town wanted to save you, I meant it—even Barrett, who's not even from this town, wanted to help. And now… now he's the one that needs help."

Leon sighed, saying with a faint smile, "Well, I suppose he'd not appreciate it if I tried to seduce him in your place?"

Avani grinned, laughing, "No, I suspect not. I mean, you never know, but I've never seen any sign that he would welcome such advances."

Leon looked into her eyes. "I can't say I approve of your plan. And I'm certainly not happy to think of another man in your bed, though I do at least appreciate your candor." He frowned in thought for a moment. "What about Dylas? Will you tell him of your plan, as well?"

It was Avani's turn to frown. "No. You know that he has no say in what I do at this time."

"Does that mean that I do?" Leon asked her with a grin.

"Maybe not a say exactly, but you are entitled to an opinion, which Dylas is not—not for the present time, anyway," she replied.

Leon lay back down, staring up at the ceiling. "Like I said, I'm not happy about it, nor can I say I approve of it. But I said from the beginning that, as I was bound by a promise made long ago, I wouldn't tie you down, and I stand by that. If you feel this is what you must do, then do it. Just be very certain of yourself before you put your plan into action, because that is not a step that, once taken, can be undone."

He rolled onto his side and pulled her down to him with a wicked grin, saying, "And keep in mind that I might have to find other… distractions, to keep my mind off of what you're doing."

She laughed, saying, "Be my guest, just as long as you tell me first. You know I would never stop you as long as you're honest with me."

He nipped her neck, then murmured plaintively into her ear, "Can't you at least pretend to be even a little bit jealous?"

She flipped him over then and pushed him down into the softness of the bed, straddling him as she held him down by his arms and leaned down to kiss the tip of his nose, his eyelids, the sensitive spot on his throat right below his jaw line, and finally whispered into his mouth, sending little thrills down his spine, "I am insanely jealous," before covering him with her kisses.

The next morning, after her morning chores and her visit to the baths at the inn, Avani set out to find Barrett. She caught up to him in Arthur's offices, poring over some of the old scrolls there and deep in discussion with both Arthur and Leon. As she walked in, both Arthur and Leon lit up at the sight of her. Then Leon frowned, glancing at Barrett and quickly away, feeling that hateful, gnawing, ache deep in his gut as he realized her errand there. He excused himself, not wanting to hang around to watch his lover begin to seduce another.

As he hurried toward the door, Avani caught his hand, and held on to it for a moment, giving it a hard squeeze as she looked into his eyes, silently reassuring him. Then she released him, and he left. Despite his teasing threats, he knew he'd never seek out the company of another woman in his bed. He resigned himself to a fitful night alone in his room at the inn, and briefly considered spending it drunk before rejecting the idea—he didn't know what he might do in that condition.

After Leon's departure, Avani turned with a smile to Arthur, chatting with him briefly about a new pair of eyeglasses he'd added to his collection recently. Then she turned to Barrett with a cheerful, sweet smile, and said, "Can you come over for dinner tonight? I have more salmon, way too much for just me, and I could use some help eating it. So since you said it was your favorite, I thought perhaps you'd like to give me a hand?"

He hesitated, looking blankly down at her, and she clapped her hand to her cheek and exclaimed, "Oh! Or maybe you didn't care for my cooking…. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed…." She looked anxiously up at him through her long eyelashes.

"Oh, uhh, no. It was… it was fine. Good. I meant it was good," he mumbled, caught off guard by the suddenness of the invitation and by the captivating image of glimmering sea green filtered through the darker forest of her lashes.

"Then you'll come?" she asked eagerly, her face brightening. "After all, you need to eat sometime, so why not let me cook something for you? We can make it an early dinner if you need to get to bed early or something. I'm flexible."

"I… I suppose I can make it," was his ungracious reply.

"Great! Can you be there around 19:00? Or would you prefer an earlier dinner?"

"No, that's fine, I guess," he said.

"Then I'll see you later! See you around, Arthur!" she called, as she darted out the door.

Arthur sighed as he watched her go, then turned to Barrett with a slightly envious look. "You lucky dog," he commented with a smile.

"Huh?" Barrett said, startled.

"Dinner with Avani—and even cooked by her, too. There's not a bachelor in town that wouldn't give his right arm to be in your place. And some that would give even more." Arthur sighed again, smiling despite his chagrin and shaking his head ruefully before returning to the business at hand.

Avani spent the rest of the day arranging things to her satisfaction. She set out a dress that she deemed perfect for the occasion: made of thin, white, gauzy material and trimmed with delicately knitted lace, it somehow contrived to be both innocent and provocative at the same time. She had a 'backup' outfit selected, too, in case the first one didn't do the trick—a short, full, violet skirt and a semi-sheer blouse in just the shade of pale lilac to highlight the vivid green of her eyes.

She completed as much of the food preparation in advance as she could, and set a bottle each of sparkling wine and white wine in the refrigerator to chill. She had seasoned some salmon steaks to grill, washed a bowl of fresh greens and pared some oranges for a salad, and prepared the ingredients for a creamy risotto. She had piled fresh, ripe, tiny strawberries she'd picked just that morning—probably the last crop before the winter snows began—into a large blue bowl, and she'd skimmed the cream from some fresh milk to go with them.

Once the meal preparations were complete, she cleaned her house and made her bed, having washed her bed linens first thing that morning and hung them out to dry in the warm late-autumn sun so that they'd be fresh and crisp and smell of sunshine and grass and fresh air. She placed a large vase of colorful autumn leaves on the table before the crackling fire and a smaller vase of flowers from her garden on the table by her bed.

Shortly before Barrett was due to arrive, she bathed her face and brushed out her long, pale green hair until it shone like silk, leaving it hanging loose down her back. Then she dressed in her simple white frock and dabbed the tiniest drop of scent into her cleavage—a custom blend that Arthur had acquired for her from one of his tradesmen, a heady fragrance of sweet white flowers with just a hint of spice to balance it. Finally, not wanting to seem too carefully dressed, she pulled an apron on over her dress and loosely bound a floral kerchief over her head to keep her hair out of her face while she cooked. Satisfied, she set about making the dressing for the salad while she waited.

Barrett almost skipped out at the last minute. It wasn't that he felt awkward about their talk yesterday—he'd never been shy and didn't care about things like that. It was more because he just wanted to be left alone, now more than ever. But then he remembered her worried look and how she had cheered up when he assured her that her cooking was fine and that he'd be there. So with a sigh, he pulled his jacket on and headed over to the castle, going to the back door as they'd done the day before. It was open, so he walked in and called her name.

She popped out of the kitchen, looking all fresh and green and white and dainty like a cluster of tiny white lilies in full bloom. He blinked in surprise—he hadn't seen her looking like that before. He'd only ever seen her in her work clothes or her armor, nothing so feminine. She wore a large white apron wrapped over her white dress, and carried a pair of potholders in her hands.

"Oh, hi, Barrett! I'm so glad you could make it! Let me just take care of a thing or two, and I'll be out in a minute. Make yourself at home!" And she whisked back into the kitchen. He was aware of a variety of mouth-watering smells—salmon, something creamy, a hint of piquancy, and something buttery and savory. He hung his coat on a hook by the door, then sat in the same chair he'd occupied yesterday.

Soon she came out, carrying a bottle of bubbly and two glasses in one hand, and a plate of some little bites of something or other. She set everything down on the table, saying apologetically, "I'm sorry I don't have a proper dining table right now. Mostly when I eat at home, I either eat at the kitchen table or out here. Someday when I have the time, I want to renovate one of the spare rooms so that I can have a proper dining room. But for now…."

"It's fine," Barrett said, eying the bottle doubtfully. He hoped she didn't expect him to open it, because he'd never done so before and didn't have a clue how. But luckily she seemed to know what she was doing, and soon she was filling two glasses with the pale gold effervescent wine.

She handed one to him, and with a smile, she raised her glass and said, "To good food and good friends!"

"Uh, cheers," he replied, carefully tapping his glass against hers before taking a cautious sip. He'd never had sparkling wine before—the bubbles tickled his throat and nearly made him choke on that first sip, but the next one went down more smoothly. It was fruity but not at all sweet, and he found that the flavor complemented the savory little pastries that she'd just pulled out of the oven. They chatted about his classes and his students, and he relaxed enough after a little while to tell some amusing anecdotes about his experiences as a teacher.

As soon as the sparkling wine was gone, Avani gathered up the dishes and excused herself for a moment. She returned a few minutes later, carrying a tray. She set two plates of food—salmon and risotto and some fresh, sliced cucumbers—and two bowls of salad on the table. She returned to the kitchen and reappeared carrying a bottle of pale straw-colored wine and a pair of wine glasses.

She slipped off her apron and the kerchief on her head, hanging them on a hook just inside the kitchen, and his eyes opened wide in surprise as he looked at her in her soft, clingy dress—he'd never noticed what an exquisite figure she had before. But then, he'd never really had the opportunity, either. As she opened the wine and poured it, he loosened his collar slightly, suddenly feeling a little too warm.

She handed him a glass and inviting him to eat with a smile. He was surprised by the quality of her cooking—the quick meal she'd prepared yesterday had certainly been good—excellent, even—but nothing like this. This was gourmet cooking.

After dinner, she again cleared the dishes away, and a few minutes later Barrett smelled the tantalizing scent of fresh coffee. Soon she returned, carrying a tray with a pot of coffee, some sugar and cream, a big bowl of luscious red berries, and a smaller bowl of freshly whipped cream. She poured the coffee, then exclaimed in alarm as she glanced down at her dress. "Drat, my dress is all wet! I must have splashed it when I was filling the kettle or something. Go on ahead and start—I need to go change."

She walked over to her wardrobe and opened it, looking inside for a minute before selecting some articles of clothing. "You'll have to excuse me—I don't have a separate dressing room yet, either," she said as she pulled the drapes closed over the windows.

Barrett choked on his sip of coffee, then started to stand up. "Oh, don't worry about it," Avani exclaimed, holding her hand up. "I'm not bashful. That is, unless it bothers you? I've found some people do get upset by nudity. Though of course it's not like I'll be completely naked." Barrett sat back down, looking somewhat uneasy as he tried to keep his eyes from wandering her direction.

She reached back to undo the zipper of her dress, but twist and turn though she might, she couldn't manage to unzip. After struggling for a few minutes, she sighed and turned towards her guest. "I'm very sorry to trouble you, Barrett, but could you help me? Clorica zipped me up, and I just can't seem to reach the zipper myself."

He stared for a moment, then shrugged and went to help. The zipper kept catching in the wispy fabric, so it took a few tries before he got it unzipped all the way. The dress slipped off her shoulders and to the floor, leaving her in her lingerie. She wore a silky lilac thong that displayed her smooth, firm buttocks to perfection. Her hips were full, her waist long and slender.

She stooped to pick up her soiled dress, then turned around to thank him with a smile. She wore a matching lilac bra that accentuated her full breasts, and he felt much, much too hot as he found his gaze sliding down her nearly-bare figure, from her shining eyes down her lissome body to her delicate feet and returning to meet her eyes momentarily before he flushed and looked quickly away, swallowing hard. She was too young, he thought. He had to be ten years her senior, if not more. And besides, she, too, belonged to another, he reminded himself, inwardly surprised at the bitterness contained within that thought. He looked back at her, saying, "You… you look a lot like Dorothy, except for your eyes. I'd never noticed before." He said it tonelessly—a simple observation.

He turned away to return to his seat, but Avani reached a hand out to him, holding him fast by his arm. "Wait," she said, softly. "I… I can be Dorothy for you, for tonight. Or at least, I can stand in for her." He looked at her, partly shocked and partly intrigued. She moved in a little more closely to him, putting his arms around her waist and tilting her face up to him just a little. Her mouth looked so… soft, so inviting, he couldn't help leaning down and kissing it.

The sensation of heat became an electric shock as he covered her mouth with his own, awakening a primal need that had been too long denied. He pulled back, suddenly alarmed by what he was doing. "Wait… no… you-you're too young. I… I can't…" he stuttered incoherently.

Avani looked up at him, her eyes full of neither love nor pity—only a reassuring tranquility. "I assure you, I'm not and you can." She reached up and put her arms around his neck, pulling him back down to her.

Still he resisted, saying, "But you and Leon… aren't you…?"

"Yes," she replied calmly. "Don't worry, he knows."

His head swam from heat and wine and desire and confusion. "He… he knows?" he echoed dully.

"That you're here. That I want to be with you tonight."

He was keenly aware of her skin pressed against him, and his hands moved of their own accord, running down her back and over her smooth buttocks. "And… he doesn't object?" he mumbled, still dazed.

"I don't know if I'd go that far. But we agreed from the start that neither of us would attempt to tie the other one down, so we're free to pursue other… interests, as long as we're honest about it."

He looked at her curiously—he'd never come across such an unusual woman, or such an unusual couple. "Why…?" he started to ask, but she lay a finger over his lips, whispering, "Shhhh. Enough talking for now—it'll keep until later." And with that she pulled him to her and began to kiss him, and he felt the last shreds of his self-control and carefully crafted iron will floating away from him on a sea of green.

Leon lay on his stomach on his bed at the inn, his tail and ears limp and dejected, one arm dangling over the side, his face buried in his pillow. He tried not to think about Avani—the light of his days and his nights—doing all those incredible, delightful things she did to him… only doing them to Barrett instead. His ears drooped a degree or two lower, and he reached for the clock by his bed—the clock she'd bought for him. It was just past midnight, yet sleep was far from him. He hated clocks, hated the way their merciless ticking and tocking marked the inexorable march of time.

Tonight he was especially resentful, though. He tried not to listen for Barrett's return, he really did. But each time he looked at the clock, he was painfully aware that that his fellow lodger was still not back in his own bed, and therefore was very likely in Avani's instead. He replaced the clock carefully—he might not like clocks, but this one was special—a gift, given to him by her the day after they'd consummated their relationship. He groaned and buried his face back into his pillow. The cold, aching pit of jealousy that filled his core gnawed at him from the inside out as it grew still larger, and for the thousandth time that night he cursed himself for ever making that careless promise that bound him still.

Barrett startled awake, confused by his surroundings in the dark, unfamiliar room. He sat up, and felt a warm body stir against him. Still not fully awake, he jumped as a slender arm stretched across him, pulling him back down. He resisted, bewildered. Then more movement, and suddenly a lamp was lit. In the amber lamplight, he saw he was in a large, strange bed, and then he saw thick waves of pale green hair cascading over the pillow next to him, slightly damp where it clung to the glistening, naked figure lying at his side.

A split second later it dawned on him that he, too, was naked and slick with sweat, and then the memories came flooding back. Of Avani, fervently kissing him, pressing her nearly bare form against him as she ran sensitive fingers over his neck and chest, locking her doors, leading him to her bed. Of himself, hastily removing his clothing and her lingerie, kissing her lips and neck, caressing her breasts with his mouth and hands, exploring the soft green hair between her silky thighs as the sense of urgency in the pit of his stomach grew with his erection. Of the two of them, entwined, clinging to each other, moving to an internal rhythm that culminated in a release the likes of which he'd never known. He felt as though the hot flood that had exploded from him into her as they cried out in unison had carried with it years of heartache and pain. And then he'd slept in her arms—not a long sleep, evidently, but more refreshing than any he could remember in a very long time.

She rolled over, looking up at him with large, liquid eyes as her lips curved into a breathtaking smile. She reached up and traced circles on his chest, brushing against the light hair and making him shiver.

"Why?" he asked, looking down into her eyes.

"Because," she replied simply, "it was what you needed."

"Then we're… what exactly are we now?" he asked, frowning a little as he thought.

"The same thing we were yesterday: good friends who care about each other and help each other in times of need," she said gently. He opened his mouth to ask more questions, but she pulled him down to her and kissed him, putting an end to conversation as he felt himself eagerly responding to her touch.

Barrett mounted the stairs to his room at the inn as quietly as he could, carrying his boots. He wasn't sure what time it was exactly, but he knew it was very late. Despite the exhaustion that swept over him in waves, he felt lighter in spirit than he had in years. He closed his door behind him and collapsed on his bed, not even bothering to undress. A quick look at the small alarm clock on his bedside table showed that it was nearly 4:00. He'd thought he heard sounds coming from Leon's room as he passed his door, but he wasn't certain—surely he'd been asleep for hours by now anyway. He was pretty sure the entire town was sleeping except for himself. A minute later and he, too, slept, snoring softly in a deep, healing slumber.

He awoke late the next morning, and as he remembered the events of the night before, he stretched luxuriously, grinning broadly to himself. He went down to the baths and found himself face to face with Leon in the lobby, apparently just as he returned from a late breakfast, his ears and tail uncharacteristically limp. They both tensed slightly as their eyes met, an unspoken recognition of their shared intimate knowledge passing between them.

Then just at that moment, the door to the ladies' baths opened and Avani walked out. She spotted the two men, and exclaiming "Leeeooo!" in her exuberant way, she darted up to him and threw her arms around his neck, nearly knocking him over in her enthusiasm. His ears perked up and his tail wagged joyfully—his entire demeanor changing from wary and downcast to ebullient in the space of a single heartbeat. She gave him a kiss that lingered just slightly beyond what the elders of the town would consider tolerable for public display, then released him, grabbing hold of his hand instead.

"Hi, Barrett. I hope you slept well?" she asked, her eyes sparkling as she turned to him.

"Yes, very well. Thank you," he replied, with a wide smile.

Leon's ear twitched a few times, and he thought to himself somewhat piteously that he hadn't—he hadn't slept at all well. Even after Barrett's early morning return, he found he couldn't rest. He'd tossed until the sky began to lighten, then finally fell into a fitful, brief slumber, filled with nightmares from his past. He had awakened later than usual looking like something the cat—or his foxes—had dragged in, and only after breakfast and quite a lot of coffee had he started to look and feel human again. And now—now he was confronted with this man's scent so intimately mingled with that of his lover. It had been difficult enough to bear with Dylas, who at least had held a prior claim to her affection, but it was almost intolerable with Barrett. He gripped Avani's hand more tightly, waiting tersely for her to finish her conversation.

Meanwhile, Avani had moved closer to Barrett and rested her other hand on his arm. "Barrett," she said in a low, soft voice, "I did what I did last night because you are my friend, and I care about you. I couldn't bear to see you in so much pain—not from Yue leaving you, but from Dorothy leaving you. So I did the only thing that I could think of that might do you some good. Not out of pity, but because you're dear to me and I want you to be happy. I wanted to help you let go of your past so that you could reach out and grab hold of your future."

"I think you might actually have succeeded," he replied slowly. "I feel… I feel like a new man. I don't understand how you could have managed to effect such a change in just one night, but it appears that you did."

She smiled her radiant smile for him, and said, "Then go on, Barrett. Reach out to your future. Find your happiness." And with that, she turned and left, pulling Leon along behind her as she disappeared through the doors.

Barrett watched her leave, and as he watched her, he found that in all the places within him where Dorothy's face used to stare out at him, he now saw only Avani's face smiling up at him, peering with sparkling sea green eyes from under their thick fringes of lashes. His chest constricted for a moment as he the truth hit him—he no longer felt trapped in a fruitless infatuation with Dorothy, but he knew that he had instead fallen in love with Avani. And seeing her with Leon, he knew in his heart that this love, too, would be unrequited. But… somehow, he didn't seem to mind it so much this time.

She had given freely of herself, and somehow that gift alone had released him from the old ties that had bound him without entangling him anew. Now his heart was free. He heard the echo of her parting words to him in his mind: "Find your happiness."

He had never imagined that three little words could change his life so much.

Disclaimer: Rune Factory 4, most locations and many of the characters in the story, and the game's plot belong to Neverland Co. and XSEED Games. The story plot and some characters and locations are my own invention.

Photo Attribution: The cover image is titled "Love and romance" and is by Brett Davies, aka photosightfaces. It may be viewed on the Flickr website, photo ID 6720314493. It is available for public use under the terms of the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. I have not altered the image in any way, other than any resizing or cropping that may have occurred as part of the process of uploading it onto this site.