Disclaimer: Kanrik and all the other miscellaneous characters that will soon be under his rule were created by The Neopets Team (TNT). The Ninja (MobianHero both here and on Neopets) wrote this story so it need not be posted, reproduced, submitted, or copied without her permission. Steal and The Ninja will love you long time ... with her blades.

Ah. For anyone who's wondering about The Ninja's other stories, they're undergoing a rewrite. They'll be fixed by summer.

Midnight Tradition

" You're late. " I muttered softly when I heard her approaching footsteps. It wasn't surprising for me to be a bit tense until I caught wind of her scent; sweet berries and Grog. Over a year had passed and that much still hadn't changed. She fell back into her regular routine faster than anyone, like nothing happened at all.

The brown haired usul came into my view from the right, and I could see that little changed in her appearance as well. She must have just gotten off work since her hair was still pulled back by a green ribbon hidden away in that thick winter jacket she had converted into a cloak upon her return. The hood hung off her shoulders so I could see the features of her face, that she looked slightly annoyed in my accusations.

" Some people have to work for a living. " Her words held a sting, but her face remained ever bright and playful.

I met her halfway with a laugh. " If you joined the guild you wouldn't have to work as hard. There's enough members now that we can go out in shifts and still make a lot of cash. " Of course I was expected to go supervise on most of the larger assignments. A minor technicality.

" No thanks. I rather like life and living it. " No argument there. My line of work was treacherous, but I had little doubt that Hannah could adapt. Her abilities were commendable to say the least. That was why I sought her out in the first place.

Leaning back against the tree, I did my best to ignore her comment. " I didn't come all this way so I could be belittled by a serving girl. " Not that I didn't enjoy the frequent arguments I shared with her. " You said you had some business with me in the letter -- "

" That's right! " The tone in her voice suggested she'd forgotten since then, causing me to groan a bit in annoyance. Her small bare paws went into the inner pockets of her cloak.

Soon she produced a little box wrapped in shiny navy blue wrapping paper, a neatly tied black bow to accent the rather plain design of the paper. The box was no bigger than one of my blades, but I still wondered what could be inside of it.

" Happy Valentines Day. " She smiled sheepishly.

My initial reaction was a frown. " You're a few months late. "

" I couldn't even find you a few months ago! " My mistake. We were forced to move location after a raid on one of our lesser branches, so the address he'd given her was incorrect. The box was then held out to me. " Take it. "

Witty comments aside, I was rather touched that she'd get me anything at all. The temptation to ask if she got anyone else anything remained but I decided against it. All that mattered was that she for whatever reason felt the need to give him a gift when she didn't have to. All I could say was ...

" Thank you. " All I could manage before tugging at the strings of the bow. It was the only thing keeping the wrapping paper from sliding off, so it fell to the ground along with the bow. Underneath was a textured white box, a strange aroma coming from it. The scent seemed oddly familiar. It sent chills down my spine. " What is it -- "

" Just open it. " She said eagerly.

I complied. Lying inside were four long rows of a food that made me shudder; chocolates. Each row was distinctive from the last with either white chocolate or dark chocolate mixed in with the milk. Already I could feel myself becoming nauseous, and it became worst with her explanation.

" It's an old barmaid tradition to hand make chocolates for pets you care for on certain holidays. " She said it with an air of pride for herself, which made me feel even worst. " Those chocolates are still fresh enough to melt easily, so they shouldn't be a problem to eat. "

Not for you. It was so tempting to say but I held my tongue. " I'm honored. " I immediately tried to put the lid back on the box, but her hand stopped me.

" Aren't you going to try one? " I looked down into her eyes and already saw the hurt caused by my actions. Her dark blue eyes held a shimmer of tears in them though they didn't fall. If it had been Masila or any other woman he wouldn't told her to stop trying to pull at his heart with that ... face.

Shoot. I slid the top under the bottom of the box so I could grab a handful of the most basic looking of the four types of chocolate. Five were gathered into my gloves hands, then passed to my mouth. She was right; the chocolate melted almost immediately after touching my tongue to create a creamy substance that warmed my mouth before I swallowed. It was sweet with a tangy bitter aftertaste which must have been caused by some other ingredient besides chocolate. Still, the taste caused my stomach to quiver before the chocolate even hit.

Suppressing a whine, I mentally told myself to be a man about what's bound to happen. " It's delicious. " A half truth. It did taste good, but I shouldn't have eaten so much.

Was I turning pale already? " Are you all right? " Her voice held concern for me, but there was nothing she could do about it now 'less she had a way of speeding up my digestion.

" Fine ... Just great. " The lies piled on. I felt myself getting a bit flustered while I stood, so I pulled down my hood. Pant. Pant. It was becoming quite obvious that I wasn't 'fine'. " Actually ... "

The world was spinning. I was going under faster than I did in the previous episodes. It must have been from a high concentration of the chocolate or. Thud. My back hit the trunk of the tree when I lost the will to stand. A hand was on my heated forehead instantly, but at this point I didn't know if it was mine or hers.

" Hannah, I -- "

This must have been frightening for her, but I tried my best not to go under immediately without an explanation. I could feel her easing me to the ground so I wouldn't fall, sitting against the trunk of the tree. She knelt down beside me, placing a cooled rag from her pack to my head soon after. The look in her eyes begged for an explanation but pushed it aside so she could take of me. I wanted to tell her that chances are I'd be fine in a few hours, or even that he was appreciative of her help, but all I could manage was a warning just in case she decided to repeat her 'barmaid tradition'.

" I'm ... allergic to ... chocolate. "

The End