AN: SO SORRY FOR THE UPLOAD GAP. I've had writer's block, work, Smash Bros, and writer's block... gods! It's the worst case yet! Dr. Mario should prescribe me something to get rid of this atrocity! Anyway, Lyrics will have five chapters- this being the fourth. I figured that splitting the chapters up would be better so you guys have content to read as I finish working out the kinks in the last chapter. Sumia's backstory will be revealed next chapter, I PROMISE! :'(
Hey! you should totally check out my Youtube! It's under the name of "Osoji Nosferatu" and I may find myself changing my FF name to that in time. What do you think of that? Let me know!
Without further ado, please enjoy chapter 4 of Lyrics. :)
Hardly romantic, but charming.
Hardly elegant, but adorable.
Those were the words uttered by the waiters at Olive Garden as they observed Stahl and Sumia eating together. Their methods of observation were not creepy, per se, but it definitely could have come off as stalker-ish.
"Gosh, I reckon that that's the cutest couple I'da ever seen in ma whole life!" Donnel exclaimed, placing his hands on his hips and examining Stahl stealing a bite of Sumia's chicken alfredo.
"Yes, they are kinda cute together," Kellam exclaimed, peeking over his shoulder as he washed the dishes. "Betcha I could walk over there and stare at them right next to them and they'd never notice."
"Oh, I don't know 'bout that, Kell. Stahl seems to notice you more'n'often than others," Donnel replied, wiping down a table to make it look like he was busy.
"At least the interviewer was able to see me when I applied for the job..." Kellam mumbled shaking his head. "I wonder if what I have is a genetic problem or something."
"Don't talk science, Kellam," Donnel sighed, shaking his head. "Y'know I couldn't make heads'r'tails of it." Kellam knew this all too well, as Cherche had to tutor Donnel to help him get his chemistry grade up. However, Donnel was one of the brightest when it came to history.
"All I said was genetics! How is that 'talking science?'" Kellam exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.
"Just... no."
"All right, then."
The two turned back to their work and were soon lost in their task. However, the antics of Stahl and Sumia kept drawing their attention back to the couple's table. Sumia's gleeful laughter and Stahl's musical chuckle always managed to draw an eye of the patrons within the restaurant, as they were relatively loud, but hardly disturbing to the general peace. In fact, even some of the elderly couples shook their heads and grinned in appreciation.
"... then I figured, 'hey, if people don't treat me very well, then I think I should find something that does.' Thus, my friendship with animals was born," Sumia explained, resting her chin in her hands as she stared at Stahl.
Stahl eventually noticed. "What?"
"Oh, nothing. Just admiring your handsome features. I particularly like that dimple you have right..." Sumia leaned over the table as she spoke. "... there," she giggled as she poked his cheek.
"Meh, I was teased for those, actually."
"WHAT?" Sumia blurted, taken aback that someone would dare insult her man's cutest features. She almost spilled her drink.
"Yeah, back in elementary. Then when I started to say something about it, they began beating me up physically. Then I started taking self-defense from Frederick, who whipped me into shape- quite literally."
Sumia giggled. "Oh, so you're into that kind of stuff, huh?"
"What? …" Stahl paused, and stared blank-faced at Sumia, genuinely not getting it. "Oh... you dirty minded brat," Stahl mumbled as his face lit up from realization and embarrassment.
"Hehe. Just a part of getting to know me," Sumia replied with a wink. Oh, did she have some interesting fantasies lined up for use in that head of hers. One that had been particularly nonbelligerent was one involving Stahl and Sumia, along with harnesses and... colorful speech. She'd tried to suppress it, but lately it kept making its way to the surface, much to her dismay- and pleasure, in specific cases...
"Oh, boy," Stahl mumbled playfully. He took a sip of his beverage and leaned back in the chair. "Oh, yeah, what was it you wanted to tell me?"
"Well... I think that's better done in a place not public..." Sumia softly said, looking towards the table as she spoke. Her voice instantly became more solemn and her demeanor changed significantly.
Stahl noticed, of course. "Uh... how about my place? It's just a couple miles from here." Stahl coughed and motioned for Donnel to come and deliver the bill. The country boy walked over with a grin on his face and managed to brighten up the mood with his usual self, which comforted Sumia quite a lot. The rare occurrence of someone performing a random act of kindness always helped to alleviate her feelings of angst whenever she felt them in her loneliest hours. That reminded Sumia of one of her favorite albums, but she figured that she shouldn't be thinking about music at this particular moment.
"So I see Stahl here's gonna fit the bill for both'a ya," Donnel smiled. He set the payment book on the table for Stahl to slide his cash or card in. "Enjoy the cooking?"
"Oh, you know it," Stahl replied, sighing and sliding back into his chair. With a slight slouch, he peered up at his country friend. "How is pasta so amazing?"
"Beats me. I can't cook worth horse feathers. I'm just a waiter, so I guess I'll never know," Donnel replied dejectedly, slumping his shoulders in mock disappointment.
"Oh, that's okay, Donny," Sumia laughed. "If you were imprisoned in the kitchen all the time, you wouldn't get to charm all the ladies with your accent." She giggled when Donnel's face gave away the slightest traces of a blush creeping up his neck.
"Gee, uh, thanks, miss Sumia," was all Donnel said as he scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. With great haste, he gathered up Stahl's cash and hurried back to the register.
"Try not to burn the food on your way out!" Stahl called with a huge grin on his face after him, mocking the country boy's inexperience with the opposite sex. A few diners in the general vicinity noticed and either laughed with Stahl, for they had overseen/heard the whole ordeal, or they grumbled and turned back to their meal.
"You two seem pretty close," Sumia observed as they stood up and slid their chairs in.
"We are. Like I said, I train with him. I'm more of his teacher than anything, but eh, whatever."
"I feel like you mentioned this once before..." Sumia mumbled.
"Probably did. Oh well. Shall we be off?" Stahl asked, sweeping his hands towards the door in a very Stahl-esque manner. Finally, he seemed to catch onto the fact that Sumia really liked his wink and subtle hair flips, so he did just that as his hand reached peak of its sweep.
Sumia tried not to notice too greatly as his charming features once again stole her heart. She reminded herself that she'd fallen for this piece of eye-candy for more than just his cute, boyish looks. He had a good heart and an even better mind. And body, if 'training' emphasized working out, which she assumed it did.
As Stahl held the door open for Sumia, he couldn't help but catch an eyeful of her hindquarters. From the looks of it, he thought, she made an effort to keep in shape. He wondered what else she was hiding underneath her everyday garments. Then, he shook his head to clear his mind of the dirty thoughts flooding his head. It worked for a second- and literally, ONE SECOND, until his brain led him back into fantasy.
Who could blame him? After all, Sumia's figure was Stahl's favorite figure on a girl. Lean, muscular, with a small-ish bust. While his friends all through high school had preferred the larger boingy bits (Courtesy of his friend Nowi naming them that, as she had the figure of a young girl but the vim and vigor of a dragon) Stahl had preferred... he lacked other words to describe it except for Sumia's figure.
Not to mention she has a wonderful, caring nature and compassionate soul, he reminded himself, knowing that the exterior was just the first step in discovering someone's secrets.
That's what I'm going to find out soon, Stahl said to himself as he lowered himself into the driver's seat of his '02 Civic. The young man couldn't help but to feel a little nervous, and a good amount of pressure. Would he live up to the expectation of himself and Sumia? Most importantly, hers, he thought as he backed out of his parking space.
"So, Sumia, how did you develop your love for animals?" he asked, hoping to ease his pressure. He didn't know if she was feeling any, but he hoped to the gods that she was. That way, if he messed up somehow, they could laugh together about it.
"That kinda ties into my story, but I was sort of a loner. So I turned to animals to keep me company, and to this day they're still my best friends." Sumia leaned back in her seat as she spoke, and a distant smile crept onto her face.
"You asked that already, Stahl."
"Did I?!"
"Yeah," she chuckled.
He didn't know how or why, but Stahl knew it was a smile with sadness lingering behind it. After all, a smile didn't have to tell someone joy.
"Uh huh," Stahl replied. "Whoa! Stay in your own lane, stupid!" Stahl exclaimed, jerking the wheel to avoid a blue blur speeding past them on a motorcycle. "That's the fastest thing I've ever seen." Sumia's neck followed the quick motion of the car changing directions.
"Ah!"
"You okay?"
"Yeah... my neck's just tense. That sorta threw it out of its comfort zone," she chuckled, rubbing the side away from Stahl.
"You stressed out?" Stahl responded, settling back into his own lane. He looked over at Sumia who was still holding her neck. She turned to him as she began to rub it slowly.
"How... how did you know?"
"Psychology," Stahl shrugged. "You either slept on your neck wrong or you're stressed out beyond belief."
"You're right..." Sumia mumbled. "You're too perceptive, Stahl."
"Lissa actually taught me how to give a pretty good neck massage. The only I reason I remember that is because I was there when she stuffed a frog down Robin's shirt when he came to pick up Morgan and Nah from daycare, and she used a neck massage to trick him. I could work out the knots while you tell me your story at my apartment. Sound okay?" Stahl asked, looking over at Sumia and smiling.
Sumia groaned and pressed her body further into the bucket seat of Stahl's car. "That sounds amazing, Stahl." With a glint in her eye and a chuckle on her lips, she turned to him and grinned. "Now I have something to tell you about massages."
"What's that?" Stahl asked, tilting his head but keeping his eyes on the road. Hopefully there weren't any other crazy motorists moving at the seemingly-speed of sound down this road. Well, once they crashed, they'd live and learn- if they lived. Stahl was all for motorcycles, but he'd never ride one regularly.
"Would you know the difference between a massage therapist and a masseuse?"
"Nope!" Stahl replied cheerfully, not expecting the response that Sumia had in her arsenal.
"A massage therapist focuses on using technique to ease tired muscles and free up the stress in your joints. A masseuse, well... let's just say he or she leaves you feeling happy at the very end." Sumia added a not-so-subtle "If you know what I mean" at the end of her statement.
"Uh..." Stahl stuttered, not knowing where to take the conversation from here. "I can assure you I'm the first one, if at all. I mean I am definitely the first one, but I'm not a qualified masseuse- er, I mean massage therapist in any way," Stahl tripped over his words. "Boy... that came out horribly wrong."
"It did," Sumia laughed, cheerfully placing her hand on his shoulder. "It's fine, Stahl. I know what you mean, and I trust you. Okay?"
"Okay," he responded, somewhat hesitantly. Sumia was now beginning to show her playful side, which included an... interesting mindset. At the very least, he figured, she was opening up to him. And knowing that she'd been through a lot, (Albeit not knowing what that 'lot' was) he considered himself privileged to be close enough to Sumia so that she'd share her personal stories with him.
Stahl didn't really have any deep, personal stories. He was just... average. Nothing traumatic or psychologically difficult really happened in his life. However, he had plenty of friends who struggled day-to-day in his scholarly years, which kind of let him get experienced in comforting those in a time of trial. An uncomfortable feeling began to lodge these thoughts in his head, and he felt the need to inform Sumia before things got emotional... if they did.
"Hey, Mia?"
"Mia?"
The long-haired young man shrugged. "It seemed fitting, so I said it."
"I... actually like it," Sumia laughed. "I usually hate it when people nickname me, like Gaius calling me 'Stumbles,' but Mia... I can live with Mia," Sumia dramatically sighed, shooting Stahl a sideways-wink.
"Good. Hey, uh, I should probably tell you that I don't really have any deep or impactful life stories in my arsenal."
She sighed. "Stahl, what impacts people, really?" Sumia asked, turning her head to look at Stahl driving.
"Huh?"
"Does the person's actions or the person's stories impact others?"
"I guess the actions."
"Yeah, and I'm a living witness to that. So don't worry. You existing, here in the now, has impacted me more than you can ever begin to imagine. Not your stories, although I definitely enjoy them, don't even think otherwise," Sumia explained, turning her head back to staring at the airbag-holder as a blush crept up her neck. Thankfully, her long, brunette curls hid the crimson stain of emotion.
"Wow... I've never though of myself as impactful. I guess it's because I was focusing on how I haven't done anything super extraordinary... at least, on the surface, like fighting eldritch monsters and serving under a great lord and his tactician or something like that. But the present... is what we live in," Stahl exclaimed, waving one hand to emphasize his statement. "And what I do in the present is what people know me for, so... I guess it's okay to assume that people can impact others with their past, or their actions in the now, or both. Deep thoughts, huh? And we haven't even gotten to my apartment yet!" Stahl laughed, turning a corner onto an exit ramp that led into a quiet little neighborhood.
Cedar and oak were prevalent; it was a quaint, modern little city with a small amount of crime that was generally peaceful.
Stahl loved living here. After all, his landlord, Anna, liked him and he got discounted rates on his apartment. His thoughts were interrupted with the sound of OMI's "Cheerleader" coming on the radio. Sumia had turned the device on, hoping to alleviate the silence with some music.
"Gods, Stahl, I love this song!"
"Uh... oh! This one! It's catchy, with a bit of house-music influence mixed in," Stahl replied once the chorus hit.
"House music?"
"Er... I'll explain later," he chuckled, not wanting to lose himself in a long, drawn-out explanation of the differences of electronic music.
Sumia just shook her head, smiled, and began to sing along with the radio.
Oh, I think that I've found myself a cheerleader
She is always right there when I need her
Oh, I think that I've found myself a cheerleader
She is always right there when I need her
"Pretty cool message, I like how the music today is becoming more positive towards a one-on-one relationship in lieu of a cheating one," Stahl noted, tapping his fingers on the wheel as he drove down a suburb road.
"Yeah, like 'Honey, I'm Good," and "Billion," huh?"
"Hey! You know Billion, too?"
"Uh-huh. It's such a cute song, how could I not know it?"
"I love it to pieces!" Here, once this song finishes, let's put it on," Stahl suggested, pulling his Galaxy out of his pocket and plugging it into the auxiliary.
The soon-to-be in love duo had fun grooving to the uplifting and catchy beat of the song before switching to "Billion."
"Now that I think of it..." Stahl exclaimed, looking over at Sumia as he drove down an alleyway, "This song shares a lot of similarities with how we met."
"You're right!"
Stopped me in your tracks
The very first time
Had me goin'
The very first night
Waved goodbye, your keys locked inside
I knew you were the only one
"Keys and cars," Sumia laughed. "Wow."
Way funnier than anyone knows
"If one can learn to appreciate your dirty sense of humor," Stahl prodded, poking Sumia in the shoulder. She stuck her tongue out at him and pushing his finger away.
Seven billion in the world baby
I only wanna be with you
I don't want another girl baby
I only wanna be with you
Waiting for you all my life
I can't wait another night
Sumia blushed.
"Is it warm in here? I think it's fine. Your face's red," Stahl ignorantly pointed out.
"No, I'm fine. Really," Sumia hastened to explain that she was NOT even considering what the song was saying to apply to her in her life. Sure, she liked the guy, but the lyrics... they just held too much meaning. Too much meaning, too much risk... and a huge reward, she found herself thinking, as she weighed the options.
You're the only one for me
You're the only one I need
Search the whole world, far and wide,
Looking for your pretty eyes
"You've got a great voice," Stahl complimented, pulling into his designated parking space. Though it wasn't assigned, everyone parked in their unspoken spot. Made it easier for everyone that way.
"Thanks, Stahl," Sumia replied, smiling. "You're not such a bad singer yourself."
He just chuckled and withdrew the keys from the ignition. "Shall I show you my humble abode?"
"Yeah! It took a while to get here, but the ride was a lot of fun. You're a lot of fun to be with, y'know that?"
"And you as well," Stahl replied, holding out his arm in a dramatic, gentlemanly way of escorting his now-friend, soon-to-be girlfriend into his apartment.
They couldn't help but feel extremely nervous. Nothing this real had ever happened to either of them before. But they'd make it work. Without a doubt, with the fear and nervousness in the hearts, they knew it would work out, somehow.
As lovers.
AN: Didja like it? Then let me know in a review! Don't forget to follow and favorite! As always, thanks for reading, and I'll check back in with you in the next blip of content of whatever I write!
