"Tch, more of them…
Lon'qu gritted his teeth as he saw his greatest threats, hoards of them, walking in his direction.
Slyly, he slunk into the shadows and held his breath as they walked passed. In his hiding spot, he dared not move an inch for fear that they might spot him. And who knows what they would do to him if they did.
He was careful not to move until he could no longer hear the faintest trace of their footsteps. And only then did he risk a glance from out the corner of which he hid behind. They were gone. Good.
Women. He couldn't stand to be near them. There was nothing in particular that he had against them. In fact, during the heat of the battle, he could often forget about his gynophobia. But anytime he was near them in a normal situation such as this, he was forcibly reminded of a certain someone. Someone that he…
Lon'qu gritted his teeth and shook his head. Just like that he was thinking about things he didn't need to be. It was all because of those women that just past him. Blast.
He emerged into the clear, a little-light headed. Muttering small curses to himself, he set off.
What had he been doing again? Those creatures had interrupted his train of thought. His stomach reminded him with a rumble.
Ah, right, it was around the time for lunch. Suddenly, he looked up. Crap, what time was it?
Without another thought, Lon'qu rushed to the Dining Hall in the Castle for the Order of Heroes. Once, he reached his destination, however, he paused. Instead of going inside, he pressed his ear against the door.
His heart dropped. Sure enough, he could hear many voices within it's confines. Feminine voices. Perhaps if it had just been one, he could brave his fear of women for a split moment, but with this many voices…
Lon'qu backed away slowly. Perhaps he wasn't that hungry after all. Sure, he had skipped breakfast as well, but he hadn't been spotted yet, and if he left now, no one would know…
"Oh, hey."
"Ack!"
Lon'qu whirled around in terror. A woman stood in front of him, a very mundane expression on her face. She had snuck up on him!
The girl in the heavy armor suit blinked and pointed at the door.
"Are you going in?"
Lon'qu shook his head rapidly, his eyes almost rolling to the back of his head.
"Oh. Well, in that case, could you move? Going around in all this armor really works up an appetite. A girl's gotta eat, you know? ...Hey, are you alright?"
By this time Lon'qu had begun shaking. He managed to pull himself together for a quick reply.
"I'm fine!"
It came out a bit more curt than he intended to, but he couldn't really be blamed for that.
"Oh, alright then. Well, then….could you move?"
"R-right!"
And in the blink of an eye Lon'qu disappeared. Literally. The girl who was standing in front of him blinked and he was gone. She tilted her head in confusion, and wondered for a instant what that ordeal was about. But quite frankly, it didn't quite matter at the moment. There was food that needed to be in her stomach.
Lon'qu ran for as long as he could, but he ran out of energy a lot quicker than he normally did. Still, he had to get some distance between him and that girl. At last, he came to a stop at the castle's courtyard. Panting heavily, he looked around. No one else was here. Good. Lon'qu dragged himself over to a single large tree in the middle of the field and slumped against it to collect himself.
Lightheaded, he didn't quite know how long he lay against the tree. All he knew was that it had just felt like he had rested his head against the tree, when suddenly-
"Hey! Lon'qu!"
He perked up as he heard his name. That voice...he recognized it.
When he had first arrived in this new world, a blonde girl who actually resided in this world had approached him. She had asked if she could be his friend. However...she was a women.
She was quite the pushy type, and although Lon'qu had made it perfectly clear he wanted nothing to do with her sort, she had constantly pestered him to try and get him to accept her. It wasn't happening. He had made it a point to avoid her if he could, but she had not gotten the hint, and still seeked him out from time to time.
"Hey, Lon'qu! Are you around here? Someone told me you were being all weird again! Come out and talk to me!"
Crap, her voice was getting closer. And he really wasn't in the mood to deal with her this time. Lon'qu looked around for a place to hide. The courtyard was vast, but lacking in substance, and no matter which direction who looked, no place looked quite safe enough to hide him.
Sighing, Lon'qu gave up. He really didn't have the energy to scramble around and try to hide anyway. Maybe if he played it right, that women would let him off easy this time...oh, who was he kidding, she would never do that.
Resigned to his fate, he leaned his head back against the tree trunk, a feeling of depression wallowing in his stomach. Perhaps he would camouflage into the tree. Tuning out the annoying women's voice, he basked in the shade. The weather was nice today, and the clouds looked so soft. Out of the corner of his eye, a low branch caught his attention, partially hidden from his view. It was a peculiar shape, but seemed sturdy to hold onto…
"Aha! Found...you?"
Sharena jumped inside the courtyard, ready to capture her target, except...he wasn't there.
She frowned. She was sure that this was the place Lon'qu ran out to, but the courtyard was an empty field with no Lon'qus in sight.
For good measure, she called out his name again, though she knew he wouldn't respond. She searched around the shrubbery and the great tree in the middle, but to no avail. He really wasn't here.
She bit her tongue in frustration. He got the better of her this time, but when she saw him next, he better be ready for the conversation of his life!
From his perch, Lon'qu held his breath as he watched the blonde girl walk away. He held still for a few moments afterwards, just to make she wasn't coming back. Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes. It seems he had managed to avoid her sight.
Well, now that it was over, it was time to get down. Lon'qu looked down and did a double-take.
In his haste to get away, he had climbed quite high up this tree. The leaves around him prevented him from determining exactly where on the tree he was, but he presumed he was somewhere near the top of this thing. Damn, it was going to be more effort than he would have liked to get down. Well, he better get started.
Lon'qu turned around to search for his first step, and as he did so, his eyes met with another. Wide, green, and looking right at him.
In the darkness of the trees, Lon'qu couldn't quite make it out first. Squinting, however, he saw a small figure a mere few branches away from him. The first thing he could tell was the bright light of the figure's long purplish pinkish hair. After a closer look he could make out a light white and blue skirt. And the figure under it was shaking.
For a solid second, Lon'qu stared dumbfounded, not really comprehending the situation in front of him. And then it dawned on him. Unfortunately, that was also the moment the figure in front of him let out a small squeak.
Next thing he knew, Lon'qu had found a quicker way down the tree. However, it was going to be a lot more painful when he got there.
"Ack!"
Lon'qu sat up. He had a terribly frightening dream. The familiar face of that girl had appeared once again. And once again, it was filled with regret, sorrow, hurt, and betrayal. He had failed to save her again, and could do nothing but fall, fall helplessly away as her face got more and more distant, until-
Lon'qu blinked. Where exactly was he? The giant tree next to him reminded him. Ah, right, the courtyard.
Oh, he realized. Slowly, he took a look around. Sure enough, a short distance away, a figure stood watching him timidy.
A women.
The girl jumped as she realized he saw her, and made a movement as she wanted to run away. She held her ground, however, though taking deep and shaky breaths to do so.
"Uh, um..hi!"
Her tone was shrill, and she looked absolutely petrified.
"U-uh. G-glad to see you're awake! S-sorry!"
She bowed her head, and from this angle, Lon'qu could tell she was clearly shaking. She had just apologized to him, right? But, why?
"...For what?"
He tensed up and watched her cautiously. What situation had he found himself in?
"W-what?" the girl turned to look at him with eyes wide as saucers. "I mean, I'm s-...sorry!"
"No, I mean...why?"
"Ah…" the girl took a step backwards and she quickly averted her eyes. "I...I...uh…"
The girl shifted uncomfortably, as she kept stuttering incomprehensibly and taking steps backwards. Lon'qu found her behavior to be quite odd. Though, somehow, it felt familiar.
"I made you fall from the tree!" she finally managed to say. "S-sorry!" she quickly apologized again.
Lon'qu tilted his head to the side. Ah, he did remember falling. He had thought the sensation was from the dream, but-
He looked up the tree. He remembered now. So that squeak he heard was from this girl, huh?
He shook his head in disgust. Of course his phobia would have him do something like that.
"It's not your fault," he muttered. "I'm just not really good with women…"
"O-oh. Sorry."
"What? I just said it wasn't your fault. You don't have to apologize."
"Right. Sorry."
"No, you don't have to say sorry…"
"Oh, right. Sorry.."
"..."
"..."
This wasn't going anywhere. Lon'qu sighed in exasperation. It was probably better to put this ordeal behind him, he thought, as he tried to get up to leave.
"Don't move!"
Lon'qu jumped as he heard the girl shriek at him, or he would have, but a searing pain across his back prevented him from doing such a task. So instead, he crumpled back to the ground in agony.
"S-sorry! But you landed hard on your back, and I-I treated it! But it's not done yet! So, please, don't...ah…"
The girl had rushed forward in the heat of the moment and as Lon'qu looked up, he could see her green eyes more clearly than ever. He caught his breath, as he recognized how close a women was to her, but before anything could happen-
Those green eyes widened in response, and the girl hastily backed away.
"S-sorry! I didn't mean to-" she stumbled over herself before continuing. "I-I mean, if it's alright, just lie there for a little bit, alright?"
Lon'qu nodded as he grimaced while the pain slowly subsided. As bad it was, he was somewhat grateful the pain was there. He was forced to put his attention on it rather than the situation or more specifically, the women in front of him.
He took a moment to peer up at the tree. If he remembered, he had been quite high. From where he was, he was lucky that the mild pain was all the inconvenience he felt after that fall. It could have easily been a broken back, if not worse.
In fact, no, luck was not the way to describe it. Had he fallen alone, his injury would have surely have been and felt much worse. But because of the treatment…
He sighed, resigned. He was a proud man of Regna Ferox. He knew what had to be done.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
"Eh?"
"For treating my back," he indicated to the women. It took all of his courage to do so.
"A-ah, it was n-no problem at all...I-I mean..." the girl glanced at him for a second, before quickly darting her eyes away once again. "A-anyway, since it's my fault...I figured it's the least I could do. if there's anything else you need...just l-let me know, okay?"
"it's not your fault. I've said this already," Lon'qu gritted his teeth as he mustered up his courage. "In any case, as thanks for treating me, I should be the one asking you if you need anything. Name it and I will see to it. I would like to settle this debt quickly."
"E-eh?! No, there's no need to...I mean...it's not a debt. I-I don't think you can move right now anyway...and" her eyes widened as she realized what she said. "I-I didn't mean...sorry!"
Lon'qu sighed as he was pelted with yet another needless apology. Nonetheless, It appeared he was stuck for a little bit. Though he wasn't going to complain, he did find the thought unpleasant. Especially with such a remorseful pair of eyes looking at him.
Seriously, did she not get it wasn't her fault? It was starting to get on his nerves. He was the one who was at fault here, for his own problems. She had treated him and he needed to repay her back for that. Lon'qu decided he'd probably be better off letting it go for now. Perhaps once she had calmed down, she would understand.
"So, you're a cleric?" He asked.
"Me? Well, no. I just picked up some healing here and there. Never know when it'll come in useful."
"Like now."
"Y-yeah."
Lon'qu had attempted to respond in a joking manner, but it fell flat. She must have still felt guilty about it. The fact that she refused to meet his eyes all but confirmed it.
Of course, his joking tone may not have exactly helped his case there. Not wanting another plethora of sorrys thrown his way, he tried to change the subject.
"So, if you're not a cleric, then…"
"Oh. Oh! I...I'm a pegasus rider…."
That was more like it. Her face brightened tremendously, but only for a second before looking back at him, as if she was unsure if she was allowed to be in such a mood. Lon'qu almost smirked. How ridiculous. But he held it in. Casually, he decided to keep with the topic.
"A pegasus rider, huh? How's that like?"
"Uh, well, it's...uh, it's like riding a flying horse…"
Well, duh. That was literally the description. Lon'qu decided to try a different direction.
"So what's your pegasus like?"
"Oh, Huey!"
And for the first time since he had met her, Lon'qu saw her smile. It was small, but genuinely happy. Lon'qu didn't know why, but he felt a sense of achievement when he saw it. Something inside of him triggered, and somehow, this situation seemed familiar. He wondered what it was.
"...the sweetest, cutest, most gorgeous pegasus around! Huey's the best! ...Ah."
Suddenly she stopped gushing over her pegasus as she turned her attention back to him. Lon'qu frowned, confused. For a second, her smile remained in his thoughts, and he had to wonder why. But he didn't dwell on it because, more pressingly, she had gone from being that joyous to looking like she was about to apologize again.
"Sorry. I shouldn't gone off like that."
He could tell she was about to say. Or something like that, anyway. Not wanting to hear it though, he cut her off before she had the chance.
"So what were you doing in that tree anyway?" He blurted the first thing that came to his mind.
"O-oh. Well, that..um."
Crap, it had the opposite effect. Her eyes started watering and she looked as if she was about to cry. How had he managed to screw this up? Maybe if he went back to the pegasus…
"It was because of you."
Her answer caught him off guard.
"Huh...?"
"Uh, it's not like it was your fault or anything!" she quickly blurted out, waving her hands in front of her face. Still, he was curious.
"What do you mean?"
"W-well," she took a deep breath to calm herself. "I was in here alone, having my lunch when suddenly you burst in here and...and well…" she looked up at the tree.
"Oh," she had been up there longer than him? Lon'qu marveled over the fact. "But, why?"
"Well, you see," the girl peeped at him before quickly looking away. "I...I sort of have a fear...of...men."
Lon'qu mouth dropped open. That...wasn't what he was expecting at all. So, she was just like him then. Except…
With shock, Lon'qu recalled who he was talking with. A woman. He was talking to a woman. He was supposed to have problems with women!
He didn't know how or when it happened, but somehow, he had forgotten the fact. For those moments, he was able to have a steady conversation with a woman, and he had been fine with it!
But, now...the instant he realized it, a familiar feeling of dread started to overtake him. He shut his eyes. No. Not again! That face...her face was appearing again! How many times did he have to endure this torture? The feeling slowly crept into him, taking over his mind. No...he couldn't take it much longer. He was-
"Sorry!"
"I said you don't have to say that!"
Lon'qu blinked.
...What just happened?
In front of him was the girl. She recoiled from him as he yelled at her, her eyes starting to fill with tears.
"I...sorry...It just looked...looked like you were in pain...and I thought it...it was because of what I said…"
...There was just no stopping this girl, huh? Lon'qu gazed incredulously as she continued rambling nonsense.
But...
"I-it's not you...I just have problems with all men...it's because well...there's no good word to describe it….I'm shy?"
That feeling he had…
It was still there. He couldn't help it. Just the mere thought about women, any type of women, made him shudder.
But somehow, here he was with one of them, and that feeling of dread...lessened. The face that had haunted his thoughts for years faded into the background. The girl in front of him sharpened into view.
"So like I said, I'm very and truly sorry…"
"Thank you."
"Sorry! Huh?"
Had he gone mad? Thanking a woman, not once, but twice in one day. No, this was normal, after all. If anything he had been dragged back from the pit of madness.
Something this girl had made him able to focus on her instead. Instead of the face from his past, he imagined a picture of hers. Disconcerted but still there, it slowly replaced the dread in his mind.
The girl watched him curiously from the corner of her eye, too confused to continue crying. That was good, Lon'qu realized. He didn't want her to cry. Nor did he want her to run away. He wanted something else…
That familiar feeling came back to him once more. The picture of the girl in his mind finally took shape. Lon'qu's eyes widened as he finally recognized his simple desire.
He wanted her to smile.
By now, the girl had changed her expression. She seemed frightened.
"I...but...weren't you going to scold me?"
"...Why would I do that?"
"I...well, I thought it was because I said sorry again."
Lon'qu nodded. He had figured it had been something like that with her. But then..
"But you said sorry again right after!"
A look of realization appeared over her face as she panicked.
"S-sorry! I mean…"
She stopped and hastily looked off to the side.
A feeling inside Lon'qu resurfaced. It had long since been forgotten by him, repressed to the deepest pit in his mind. It was something he had thought he would never feel again. But now it was back. And Lon'qu could not help but to give a throaty chuckle as he saw the girl shy away from him.
She looked positively stricken.
"You're...laughing at me?"
He snorted and shook his head. She looked at him dubiously, and he could tell that she wanted to scamper away. However, that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to know more about this girl that had pulled him back from the brink of insanity. And he knew just how to do it.
"So, tell me more about that Pegasus of yours…"
Somehow, someway, it had gotten darker. They had been talking for quite some time, he realized, and he had learned quite a lot about her. Well, about her Pegasus anyway.
With a start, the girl looked up. She suddenly saw how much time had past.
"Um…" she cut off in the middle of explaining her Pegasus's favorite grooming spots. "I-If you're feeling up to it...could you try...standing?"
The man looked uncertainly at her, before he suddenly remembered. Slowly, he rose to his feet, stretching his back in the process to test it out.
"Seems like it's all healed up," he noted. "Thank you."
"Oh no, don't thank me…" she replied timidly. "I'm just glad...it all worked out."
"Yeah,"
There was a small silence after that, and he let her check to see if everything was alright. Though her mannerisms remained the same, as she barely glanced over him while she did so. Once she was done, she backed off to meet his face, an action she promptly regretted.
"I-is that all, then?" she squeaked, a bit terrified.
"Yeah," he repeated, continuing to fix her with a steady gaze. Well, that was good, then. The girl wondered if she had better get going. Her Pegasus was probably lonely, she had spent a lot less time with him than usual.
But before she could go, the man spoke once again, in a tone she had not yet heard from him. It was quiet, but earnest, words that came from deep inside him.
"I just want to thank you, again."
She stopped unsure of what to make of that. In her mind, she didn't really deserve any thanks.
"Ah, but-"
"Not just for my back," he continued. "But, for being here. You've helped me out far more than you could ever know. And for that, I thank you. Even though my thanks would barely be enough for what you've done for me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."
"O-oh," she wasn't quite sure how to react to that. She didn't quite know what he meant. And she still didn't quite think she should be thanked for her deed. But it sounded like he was happy. That was good.
"I mean it. Thank you."
"I-I see."
"You have my deepest appreciation."
"Y-yes."
"Thank-"
"Okay, I get it!" she cut him off abruptly, startling him in the process. "Geez, how many times are you going to thank me? It's embarrassing! Ah…" she caught his astonished look and instantly turned red.
What did she just do?! No, that wasn't her! There was no way she would ever have an outburst like that, especially to a man, but yet…
Her legs quivered and she shakily tried to retreat. She desperately wanted to vanish at the moment but no, she had to set things right first. Where were her manners, she asked herself as she lowered her head shamefully.
"I didn't mean to burst out like that. Sorr- ah."
She stopped abruptly as suddenly she remembered something the man had said earlier. To her horror, she could see him with a devilish look in his eye and about to open his mouth.
"N-no, I didn't say it, I didn't! Don't look at me like that, please! I didn't say it, I swear! Sorry! Ah..."
After a hearty laugh the man wiped a tear from his eye and spoke again.
"Thank you."
"Uh-"
"If you're going to say sorry, you're going to have to at least allow me to say thank you."
"I...okay then," she gave him a small smile. "I'm glad...I was able to help."
"...You have a nice smile."
"...Eh?"
"Would you mind if I kept it in my memory?"
"W-wha-"
She immediately turned red again as her mind began to panic. How could he say such a thing with such a serious face? Was he serious?
"I want to try and remember your face when I need to talk with other women. I think it may help me focus less on the...other one. "
...What did that even mean?!
"Please."
He was pleading with her. Oh no, he was actually pleading with her.
"A-all right."
Ahh! Had she really agreed to such an embarrassing thing? This man...was weird!
He nodded in satisfaction.
"Thank you."
"Oh no, not again…"
He chuckled a bit at that, and she couldn't help but to grin, just a little.
It felt like time had flown by. It was getting late now, and she really had to get going soon. This man had eaten up so much of her time, so much more than she initially planned. She was supposed to only stick around until she was sure he was okay. It had long been since that, however. But, she didn't quite mind it, strangely enough.
"I...should get going soon," she told him. He nodded in understanding. It didn't feel quite right leaving on that note, so she added, "If you need anything else, let me know, alright?"
On cue, the man's stomach rumbled. She glanced at it incredulously, and the man blushed and looked away.
"Ugh, excuse me. I haven't eaten anything all day."
"A-all day?"
"Er, yeah."
She took a moment to think about it. It was partially her fault, right? She had kept him here for a while, even after his injuries healed, so he hadn't got the chance. She should apol- no, that wasn't quite the right thing to do. The dining hall was likely closed at this hour, so that option wasn't going to work. All of a sudden, she remembered what she was doing before the whole ordeal.
"I...might have some food. From my lunch earlier. I didn't finish it because, well, when you- anyway!"
She cleared her throat and looked around nervously.
"I-it's probably around here. Ah," she suddenly remembered.
Walking over to the place where the low branch was, she hopped onto it and begun scaling the tree. After a brief moment, she returned, holding a disposal container in her hand.
Lon'qu watched her in amazement. She had scaled the tree quite fluently. When she walked up to him, he marveled.
"You're quite good with trees."
"Eh? Oh...um...well, I have a bit of….experience with trees…"
"I see…"
She turned her head as if remembering a memory and blushed again, but quickly shook her head to snap out of it. She held out the container.
"I almost forgot. Sorry, it's probably gone cold by now, but…"
"..."
"Er, w-what's wrong?"
"Well…I...I'll take it..."
"O-oh right. Then I suppose, I'll...um."
They stood awkwardly staring at each other for a moment. Finally, Lon'qu made the first move. Reaching out slowly, he carefully kept his eye on the container. Just as slowly, the girl lowered it into his hand. But for one brief moment, they brushed by each other-
"Ahh!"
Both of them jumped back, not used to this sort of thing. The girl was quick to apologize.
"Sorry!"
"No, it's fine-"
"My hand was trembling, and...ah."
"It's okay! I have it, see? It's okay…"
Lon'qu stared in wonderment at the container. He had accomplished many impossible things in his lifetime. But, although to many this wouldn't be such an ordeal, to him this feat may have topped them all.
"W-well, I hope you enjoy!"
The woman bowed her head. She was clutching her hand as if burned, and was steadily retreating.
"Huh?" Lon'qu blinked. "Hey, wait, the container."
"It's okay! Just throw it out or something. I've got plenty more at home. Anyway, gotta go!"
She was almost out of the courtyard by now. Lon'qu felt bewildered, but he could understand. After all, this was not to different from how he would act in a similar situation.
"One last thing!" he called out to her. "My name is Lon'qu! I never got the chance to ask you what yours was!"
The girl froze just outside of the exit. He could see her take deep breaths and shaking as if she were struggling. For a moment, he was afraid she would just dash out and never tell him, but just as he thought that might be the case-
"Flo-Florina!" She turned around and loudly squeaked at him. "My name is...Florina."
That was all she could take evidently, because the next moment, she was gone.
Florina. He would remember that name, Lon'qu thought to himself as he took a bite out of the meal. It was cold, but still very good. The best thing had all day. Well, the only thing he had all day.
That Florina was a fairly talented girl. Not only did he manage to talk to her, but she was also a pretty talented chef. She was lucky to have her cooking every day. If this meal was as good as it was cold, he wondered how good it must have tasted to her earlier, when it was still warm.
Abruptly, he froze. That thought lingered in his mind. He looked down at the meal. He had started eating a little while ago, but one quick look told him that he had not started while it was the whole product.
Suddenly, his hand twitched. Bewildered, he glanced at it as it continue to spaz. The part which brushed by Florina felt especially odd.
He felt a rush of panic. It wasn't quite the same as before, but his stomach squirmed all the same and his mind reminded him of the fact that the girl was indeed exactly that. A woman.
It appeared they both still had a lot to work on.