(hey little devil that dwells inside
this angel's body, this angel's mind)
Why?
Why?
Why…?
No matter how hard Garnet analysed the situation the answers continued to evade her grasp like bees buzzing round her fingertips. It simply didn't make sense! Sure she had her theories, especially with the events that transpired yesterday, but honestly, it was a completely unprecedented exploit - even for Zidane! What had he been thinking? Why had he done it? Why?
Possible options ran through her mind for the hundredth time that evening: to prove a point? To get his own back? To tell her something? Show her something? Relay a warning? A hidden message? Was it just frivolity? A petty joke?
She considered the last but shook her head. If he had done it with flippant intentions then where had the playful smirk been? The twinkle in his eye usually accompanied by a flirtatious wink? And surely he would have openly joked about it; certainly wouldn't have tried (and succeeded - gods that was the worst part!) to hide it?
Why?
No!
All that playful flirtation was part of his mischievous nature; it was meaningless.
Right?
The very thought of what had passed between them bought back the feelings that had left her stranded in an ocean of unfamiliarity. Drowned her, more like. There had been a fair cauldron of emotion bubbling over and coursing through her veins. Simple, explainable emotions like embarrassment, anxiety (what if someone had seen?), violation, self-consciousness, outrage. Yet even these were clouded by the alien sensations that released wild butterflies in the pit of her stomach, made her skin tingle and colours appear more vivid. Excitement, anticipation, lust (yes, even that!) and lo-
No. Not that. Not yet, if ever.
Anyhow, it had been shocking enough to leave her speechless. Or at least, that's what she told herself. She could have cried out and alerted the group, but something held her back. What was it? She was indebted to his silence over the antics concerning his tail, but she guessed that wasn't completely it.
If she was to be truthful, she'd rather enjoyed it.
That self confession was enough to set her cheeks aflame once more and she fleetingly wondered if this was his way of getting back at her. Surely, after her brush with his tail thoughts such as these had tortured him, too. Perhaps this was payback.
But again, the solemn expression, averted eyes, the pinkish tinge to his complexion. So, what was it, then? A genuine, amorous gesture? Was she reading too much into it?
And so her thoughts circled back to the inevitable conclusion: why?
Garnet shook her head and sighed, curiosity remained unquenched but mollified for now. She returned her attention, instead, to the matter at hand: washing clothes.
The group had spent the day trekking through a vast meadow of thigh-high grass, dotted with colourful bursts of wild flowers. A brisk wind caused the grass to undulate, shiver and slide like snake scales. It would have been particularly beautiful if not for the grey sky and persistent veil of drizzle that dampened the mood (not the mention the environment) and made the grass sticky to wade through. It also hindered mobility, resulting in too many near misses while engaged in battle, so now their little group was dispirited not only by the weather, but the cuts, grazes and bruises too numerous to count. Garnet sported her own, too, despite Zidane's fervent attempt to protect her with his bulk, and the muggy weather made it ache something fierce.
A few hours before present, they'd discovered a shallow brook snaking through the hillside and set up camp behind the protective hump of a boulder. Usually they'd sleep beneath the stars around a fire, but when the rain didn't let up they pitched four tents and huddled in the openings, throwing mundane conversation back and forth with the buoyancy of a deflated ball.
Garnet could hardly bear it, and Zidane had been particularly distant and dispirited since his little… action earlier that day. Luckily, joviality wasn't top of the menu tonight, so no one thought much of his pensive mood and thus, suspicion was gratuitously averted.
At any rate, Garnet offered to take up laundry duty and Quina eagerly volunteered to assist (any duties outside camp had to be conducted in pairs for safety's sake) claiming that the weather bought forth the 'juiciest' toads. Garnet didn't complain but outright refused to eat one of the slimy amphibians the Qu offered her on their way to the brook, and almost threw up when he/she gobbled it alive and kicking in one bite.
Thankfully, Quina was not one for conversation (inclined to snuffle around in the undergrowth muttering to his/herself), which left Garnet pretty much alone with her thoughts and inevitably the events that had transpired just hours ago tentatively unfolded like petals on a flower.
Her and Zidane had said little to each other since the little escapade with his tail; just brief, necessary chat about sleeping, eating, battling and so forth. The normal flirtatious banter had vanished like mist on a sunny morning. She thought he kept a wary eye on her though, but often his expression was vacant, seeming lost in a cavern of thought. Thoughts about her, she presumed (and often fancied, though she would never admit such a thing). These thoughts were worryingly indiscernible and she began regretting her foolish endeavour. How was she to know it would fracture their friendship so? How was she to know he didn't like his tail being touched?
Yet all this changed on the plaza.
The flat plains they had been traversing the day gone had morphed into hills of gentle gradient and the grass had thinned out into rocky plateaus where scraggy weeds forced themselves between cracks. It was somewhat desolate compared to the grasslands.
However, they eventually came to a plaza that stopped short of a two hundred feet drop, the ground beneath a wild meadow. This plateau allowed flawless overview of the next bout of countryside they'd be trekking across (how Garnet's feet ached and how the blisters complained inside her leather shoes!) so they stopped briefly to survey aforementioned landscape, the mismatched gang fanning across the jagged lip.
Garnet stood close to Zidane. Eiko was chattering about how beautiful everything looked, Freya was ominously relaying her opinion on the then distant veil of rain and iron-clouds and Vivi was absently wrenching one of the scraggily weeds from its nook in the rock face. Garnet was so enthralled with the beautiful scenery that what happened next was more than a little shocking.
Something slid up her leg.
Its touch was initially so faint she ignored it, thinking it a stray breeze or someone behind her, but then the touch became more persistent, calling for attention. It became a caress.
Garnet froze. Her breath stopped sharp in her lungs but her heart suddenly beat with furious intensity in a way she had never experienced before. Not the kind of pumping experienced after strenuous exercise. It was painful yet pleasant thumping, as if her heart was striving for recognition inside her chest. She thought her entire body must be pounding with the beat.
Zidane didn't stir. All she could see was the astounding view and the back of his head, the curve of his shoulder, the gentle slope of his neck (when had she begun to notice things like that?) and she daren't look down.
For some reason she felt no fear. She knew it was not a monster, nor a tentacle like the awful vines that had ensnared her within the Evil Forest. This touch was too soft, too tender, too… considerate.
And truthfully, she knew what it was anyway. Perhaps that's why she didn't flinch away.
Her eyes remained fixed on the landscape, though they immediately stopped seeing it when the caress edged higher up her leg, inching above her knee and snaking up the inside of her thigh, causing her to tense and the breath to hitch in her throat. Her chest became ridiculously tight and a sudden hotness spreading across the pit of her stomach and between her legs sent alarm bells ringing in her ears.
It was his tail. His tail! His tail snaking up her thigh toward… toward…
She didn't know what to do. Should she move away? Stay put? Make a joke of the situation? Push him away? Call for Steiner? Was he molesting her? Was this the reason why mother had disallowed members of the opposite sex to enter her chamber? But surely this couldn't be violation. To be classed as violation one member of the party must disagree to such action and Garnet certainly wasn't objecting… But what did that mean? Surely she wasn't… enjoying….?
His tail suddenly crept an inch higher and her head felt full of air, like she would drift away if she didn't gain some purchase on the ground.
Just as the alarm bells became prominent - because she really should put a stop to it, and really, she will really - his tail coiled round the top of her thigh and stayed there, motionless. Now she was so close she could feel the warmth radiating from his body, and see the slight rise and fall of his shoulders and she noticed he smelt of rain and…and… of Zidane.
Garnet swallowed and it seemed hideously loud. She was acutely, painfully aware of her fellow comrades, still surrounding them and still oblivious - how she prayed this was the case! - but if anyone spotted the appendage's position she would surely die of embarrassment! What if Steiner saw? Or Eiko? Or Quina? Discretion was not a prominent personality trait in any of the aforementioned.
Suddenly she wanted it off. It was too much. Touching his tail was just a giggly game she'd played but this was completely different. It was… was… (dare she say it?)… sexual… and he knew it! Darn him, he knew it! He was taking advantage of her! How naïve did he think she was?
She blinked and breathed (how long had she been holding it for?) and took a careful step backward. His tail didn't relent its grip, however, and she stumbled a little, off balance. It constricted like a python and she vividly imagined his face splitting with a teasing smirk. Treating her like a child again.
How dare he!
She yanked her leg backward with all the strength she could muster and he yelped, fell to the ground, tail unravelling jerkily as he attempted (and failed) to regain balance.
And that's when she saw his expression. His cheeks were pink, like hers, and his eyes revealed nothing of their usual frivolity. Quite the contrary; they were quiet, tense, almost nervous. His gaze flicked upward to capture hers for a brief, unreadable second, then averted to the ground again.
Dumbstruck, Garnet could do nothing but stare.
"Zidane!" Eiko yelled. "What the hell are you doing?"
All eyes turned in their direction, any conversation briefly aborted.
Zidane scratched the back of his head and laughed a laugh that convinced even Garnet. "What? Can't a guy sit down for a second?"
Eiko cocked her head. "Oh. I thought you fell over."
"Blundering fool," was Amarant's take on the situation.
Zidane got up and stretched, back turned to Garnet, tail curling upward and fur stirring. "Alright people, let's mosey."
And that was the end of the ordeal (or so she assumed) and now Garnet was left with nothing but her circling thoughts, a lingering impression on her upper thigh and a fluttering, heady sensation in the pit of her stomach. What was it called?
Lo -
No, not that. Not yet.
Okay this isn't finished. Originally, there was gonna be more to this chap but I think I'm gonna shove it in a third, final chapter. Call it the 'Tail Trilogy' lol. I should've entitled this chap 'Zidane's Revenge' haha. Feedback always appreciated (hint, hint)!
