Darkness
Chapter 2
Author's Notes: First of all, I would like to thank all of my wonderful reviewers: karkashan, Rebel, Unknown 2008, Cloner4000, Nigtalea, , and Hopeless romantic. All of your lovely reviews were very encouraging! I apologize for the not updating in so long, but life has been chaotic for me. Hopefully, updates for this story will be much more frequent from now on, though I can't promise anything.
Well, without further ado, here is the second chapter of Darkness. Enjoy!
"I've missed you, too…Penelo."
He held her tightly in his arms when he spoke—a voice so smooth, so honeyed and deep—and never loosened his grip as minutes more elapsed. She was elevated from the ground, her arms bound around his powerful neck, her face pressed in the crook of it. As she inhaled, she breathed in his musky fragrance: an ambrosial fusion of mint and sweet balm. One of his sinewy arms wrapped around her small neck, the other winded around her legs, pressing them against his long, wiry body.
"Larsa…" Penelo whispered so quietly, entranced with this new sensation. A towering Larsa—so robust, so dominant, and yet so calm and gentle—embracing her so ignited a fiery stirring within her. She smiled to herself, relieved to know that the Larsa she knew five years ago hadn't changed entirely; he still held her passionately in his arms.
She raised her head from his strong neck and examined him. He had not responded to her…
"…Larsa?" She tried again, her eyebrows knitting together, puzzled. Still, he refused to move, his grasp on her firm as ever. She watched the blue eyes ceaselessly stare ahead, as if they were in a stupor.
Realizing words weren't going to break the spell on those wondrous eyes, Penelo opted instead to place both of her tiny hands on either of his cheeks, and force his face in front of hers. Finally, his eyes fell onto hers, and the dazed spell that had been cast upon them broke.
"…Larsa…?" Penelo repeated quizzically. "Is something wrong? You seem a bit…sidetracked."
She wasn't physically able to say another word after that. Her body blazed as his pictorial eyes focused on her own, as if perforating them. That incandescent glow within them always heated her up, and she could feel the blood flowing to her cheeks already.
"Oh, Penelo…" A soft sigh fled from his lips. His doe-eyed gaze on hers broke when he dipped his head down and rested his chin on her shoulder. "You are here again… You've finally returned to me…"
His lips weren't even an inch from her ear. Penelo was completely shaken up from his intonation. That voice so drenched with mellifluence…it was as if the air was stroking her.
"Y-yes," she stammered, "it has been quite a while since we saw each other in person. But Larsa, wouldn't you prefer to sit down and discuss this? I'm sure it'd be more comfortable for you…"
"I'm quite comfortable now…Are you not?" He murmured so gently. Penelo wondered why he was speaking so softly to her…it was as if every word he spoke was only meant for her.
She gave one last gentle squeeze around his neck before saying—
"I'd prefer to be on the ground when talking, if you don't mind. I've missed you, but I do want to see you when I'm talking, Larsa." She lifted her head and smiled as she said this.
Larsa's heart thumped evocatively at her smile. He remembered how much he loved seeing that smile spread across her beatific face whenever she lightheartedly teased him during their adventures together…He still loved that smile even now. Reluctantly and slowly, Larsa placed Penelo back on the ground. He positioned both hands on either of her shoulders and languorously gazed down at her. Penelo couldn't help but smile.
"Much better." She commented as she looked up at him. "You've changed so much, Larsa. I mean, you still behave like the Larsa I knew five years ago, but, my goodness, look how much you've developed! You must be over a foot taller than me now! The last time I saw you, you were nearly half a foot shorter than me…"
Penelo lopsidedly smiled and gazed ahead, nostalgically reminiscing on the journeys they experienced together five years ago. Had it really been that long since she last saw him? Her heart ached at the realization.
Of course, she reunited with him at Ashe's coronation, and spent a splendid day with him catching up on lost time, but after that, life went on, and Larsa had to focus on his duties. They resorted to letters afterwards, about a parcel of paper used by each of them every week. All was well with the letters, but then money grew tighter for Penelo, and the letters sent and received between them abated. Penelo's income was barely capable of providing for Vaan and her, let alone three or four packages of paper monthly. She remembered she wrote to Larsa one day and excused her shortage of letters for busyness. In a way, she truly was preoccupied, but the predominant reason for her letter scarcity was indeed due to a dearth in money.
She had yearned to pay Larsa a visit within the five years of his absence, but with all the days consumed from soaring through the skies as a sky pirate, with all the hours spent on hunting marks with Vaan for extra gil, with all the responsibility of protecting, feeding, and sheltering the Rabanastran orphans—Penelo had no spare time for anything else. She conjectured Larsa was quite crestfallen with her absence—as he stated in every one of his letters—but she couldn't even describe the void she felt in her heart without Larsa. But now…life was different. Larsa had abruptly reentered her life once more, just as he had done so five years ago...
"…seven inches…"
Penelo came back to her senses. "I'm sorry?"
"I am six feet and seven inches tall…" Larsa delicately said. "I have grown quite a bit since last you saw me…"
"Yeah, you've really grown…" Penelo observed. "In a lot of ways…" She scrutinized his physique and frowned. In a lot of ways indeed…there was something peculiar about him…
"Larsa…how have you been these past five years?"
At first sight, one would be quite intimidated—as well as impressed—by his formidable build and colossal height, but with closer examination, Larsa didn't look that well.
Without a doubt, Larsa's facial features and figure had developed very harmoniously within the last five years. The delicate, pastel skin, the charcoal hair, the pictographic, brilliant blue eyes, the high cheekbones chiseled so aesthetically—the gods above surely hadn't deprived him of any beauty. Penelo's breath had been taken away the moment she had laid eyes on him a few hours ago. An artist's masterpiece, nature's beauty at its best, a gift from the gods—any girl who cast her eyes upon him for a moment most surely uttered—or at least mentally fabricated—such fantastic poetry. He truly was divine.
But that wasn't what she discerned after closer study. The beautiful white skin had a wan shade to it, the eyes, though bright and hopeful as she had remembered them to be, seemed somewhat agitated and fatigued. Already, Larsa's duty as an emperor had taken a toll on him…or was something else troubling him?
He emitted no response, but his eyes released a brief, troubled look. Penelo was quick enough to notice.
"Larsa…is something bothering you..?" She took a step closer to him and placed her hand on top of his. She nearly withdrew her hand the moment she made contact with him. His hand was curiously cold, contradictory to his usually warm body.
"Are you feeling well?" She pressed. "You look ill…"
"Perhaps…" He whispered almost inaudibly. "Perhaps some rest would revitalize me…I am rather tired."
"Yes, Larsa, please do get some rest…you look weak. Have you eaten yet?"
He brought one of his large hands to his cranium and massaged his temples. He looked emaciated and drained. "I needn't eat now. I must get some rest. Would you care to join me?"
His eyes were so imploring...she would never refuse him such a small entreaty.
"I will in a short while, Larsa…" She started. "But is it alright if I get a quick bite to eat? I didn't have the chance to eat on the airship."
He widened his eyes almost fearfully. "Please forgive me for my ill manners, Penelo. I hadn't even offered you anything to eat. How abominable… My sincerest apologies..."
"It's fine, Larsa. You seem rather unfocused. What you need now is some rest. Lie down and relax while I go get something to eat downstairs. Are you sure you're not hungry?"
"No, no…I'm fine. Thank you, Penelo." He shuffled through his tarnished vest pocket in search of gil, but couldn't find any. "Unfortunately, I am penniless at this moment. The chef, however, shouldn't charge you if you make mention of my name…"
"Okay. Thanks, Larsa." Penelo turned the knob on the door, and just as she was about to exit, Larsa spoke once more.
"Please…enjoy yourself, Penelo…but please return to me with haste… I've missed your presence."
"S-sure thing… Please rest now, Larsa."
With that, she bound for the staircase and searched for the kitchen downstairs.
The kitchen was small and refined, with little café tables scattered around over an ornately tiled flooring. In the center of the kitchen was a large cooking grill, with every imaginable chef's utensils hanging from the walls beside it. A door behind the grill led to a wide freezer room that stored and preserved the food. At that moment, the chef was wiping off the grill from the previous meal cooked. As Larsa had directed her to do, Penelo approached the chef, ordered her dinner, and informed the chef of her acquaintance with the Lord Larsa.
"Ah, a friend of Lord Larsa, are ye?" The portly chef asked. "It would be as bad as treason to charge a good friend o' Emperor Larsa for dinner. No charge, miss." The chef grinned at Penelo, swatting her thick, red curls of hair from her face and washing her hands in preparation for the meal.
Penelo placed herself in one of the chairs at a café table and took pleasure in the lovely smells that wafted over to her from the grill: sautéed mushrooms over marinated Wu breast and grilled vegetables. After a good ten minutes, the savory meal was placed before her. It had been quite a while since she had eaten a hearty, gourmet meal.
Penelo was very attentive to her meal; she was relishing each and every individual flavor to the utmost pleasure, so much so that she didn't even take notice of her surroundings. And so, seconds later, her attention still undividedly directed towards her dinner, she received quite a shock and stop of heartbeat when she felt a cold grip lock around her arm. She froze, shifting her head towards the entity grasping her, and nearly fainted from horror. A ghost was staring intently at her, its icy grip on her tightening. The white blur inched its way closer and closer to her…
Penelo heard herself scream shrilly. She felt her chair tilt backwards and collapse to the ground with her still seated in it. She tried pulling her arm from its clutch, but to no avail. She continued screaming; she cried out for help, but the arctic mass hovered over her and covered her mouth with its icy bulk. What happened to the chef? Where was the clerk? Nobody was going to help her..! She kicked, she wriggled, but the figure only drew closer and closer to her…
She felt the cool presence glide across her face and skim over her ear. What did it want? What was it going to do to her? She tried punching the entity, but it soon held her hands behind her back. She felt her face thrashed against its chilly form, the hair on the back of her neck standing up from fear and the coldness.
"…Penelo…"
She didn't realize tears were streaming down her face until the cold form brushed them away. She tried moving, but its hold on her was too firm.
"Penelo…"
"What do you want from me!?" She managed to enunciate. She forcefully snapped her head away from the bulk and gazed directly into its eyes. She seemed to have lost her voice after that, for she merely gaped at it—at him—with an open mouth.
"…Penelo..?"
She heard the hurried footsteps of the chef finally approach her.
"My lord, my lord…" She panted. "Is everything alright!?"
"Yes...everything is fine… I must tend to her now, so I must ask of you to return to your former position at the grill, if you will…"
"Yes, yes… Oh my, I hope she is alright, though!"
A soft whisper imparted, inaudible to everyone but her: "Her life is not—and never will be— in peril…"
Still shivering from panic and the sheer cold, Penelo felt herself hoisted up from the ground and carried off away from the kitchen. She couldn't find any words to say…she didn't know what to think…
She was being taken upstairs. Soon, she heard the door to her room open, and felt herself entering it. Even then, she couldn't gather her thoughts together to speak. What was going on?
A blanket was draped across her shoulders. She sighed in relief as she felt the warmth return to her body. That was the only relief she could find in her current situation…
"Have you recovered from your initial shock..?"
She simply nodded. A few minutes slipped away between them in silence.
"I—"
"—I need to clear up a few things, please…Larsa."
"…Certainly."
She chuckled to herself, more out of frustration than anything else. Where to begin? "I…I don't understand…Everything seemed perfectly fine and calm, and then…" She sighed and closed her eyes. Her heartbeat quickened at the mere recollection of what had just transpired. She wanted to erase the image from her mind. "Larsa, why did you go downstairs?"
"I wanted to see you, Penelo."
"But you said you needed to rest, didn't you? So, why...?" She stopped for a moment to rephrase her question. "I don't understand why you decided to come see me after I told you I'd come back to this room shortly."
Everything was fine before you intervened. She thought to herself. I was relaxing, I was comfortable. Then everything changed the moment you came downstairs…
"I—my only intention was to be with you, Penelo. I merely wanted to talk…"
"But you said you needed to rest, didn't you?"
At that, Larsa sighed heavily. "I suppose you're angry with me..?"
She shook her head. "…No...I was just wondering why you didn't wait for me upstairs, like we had planned. The way you approached me in the kitchen really shook up my nerves. I honestly thought I was being kidnapped…or something of that sort."
It seemed like an hour passed before Larsa spoke again. "Penelo…" His gaze on her did not waver. He let out another long sigh. "Five years without you has indeed been taxing for me. I've missed you. I nee—I wanted to see you for so long that I suppose my anticipation to speak to you again rendered me impatient enough to disregard our 'plan,' and meet you in the kitchen… I'm so sorry I frightened you…Believe me; that was not my objective at all…"
Penelo fraudulently smiled and turned away from his gaze. "No need to apologize, Larsa. You just startled me, that's all. All's well now…"
She twirled around to face him again, barely able to look him directly in the eye. "But next time…why don't you call my name or something? Anything to give me the head's up before you seize me and keep me from eating my dinner." She forced out a giggle.
Larsa found himself smiling, relieved that she wasn't so frightened anymore. What an odd sensation…when was the last time he had genuinely smiled? "You aren't troubled or confused anymore, then?"
"Not at all. Thanks for clarifying, Larsa. I'm tired now, and you look exhausted, so let's get some sleep now, okay?"
"Surely it would do us both good." He stripped his shirt, vest, boots, and socks off, and casually plopped into the large bed. Penelo took out a nightgown from one of her suitcases and headed towards the bathroom to change.
"…Penelo?"
"Yes?"
"Where are you going?"
If Larsa hadn't cast such an innocent expression on his face when asking her this, Penelo would've been extremely concerned.
"I'm just going to change into my nightgown." She responded. "Then I'll come back."
"Oh…if you must. Come to me if you need anything."
He was really looking out for her, wasn't he? She hastily changed into her nightgown and slipped into the other side of the bed. She studied him for a moment, and finally concluded that he had fallen asleep.
But Penelo wasn't able to drift to sleep.
She couldn't help mulling over the kitchen incident. The cold grip around her arm…the blurry, white entity—was it all just a hallucination? It couldn't have been a ghost…it shouldn't have been, at least…
She examined Larsa again, took in all his features with her observant eyes. He seemed so at peace when he was sleeping. He truly was harmless. What she had seen in the kitchen and what she was looking at now were two completely different matters. One was a figment of her own imagination, and the other was her dear friend whom she hadn't seen for years. How could she possibly fail to differentiate between illusion and reality?
Besides…Larsa had made his point clear: he plainly missed her and wanted to spend the most time he could with her on their first day. Why had she failed to see that before?
With that in mind, Penelo deemed it a moot point to ruminate any further on the matter. What she needed was a good night's rest. It had been a long, long day for her, but the morning would bring her rejuvenation, and a whole day to spend with Larsa. She decided it was best to sleep the rest of this day away, and start anew, with fresh feelings, and no lingering thoughts. Finally, she felt her eyes close and her breathing deepen. Rest—that's all she needed.
But for some reason, even as she drifted into a heavy sleep, Penelo still couldn't erase the image of that figure from her mind.
Author's Note: This chapter was a bit shorter, but I hope you all liked it. I'll let you know in advance that the next chapter will be focusing on Larsa and Penelo in town. So don't worry, you'll be reading a lot more about these two :) Thanks for reading, and please leave a review telling me what you thought about this one!