Okay, everyone! There is a poll on my profile page where you can vote for who you think I should pair up with Reyson. PLEASE VOTE! I will use whoever gets the most votes unless it's like a tie. Then I'll flip a coin or something lol. Otherwise, I can't really finish chapter 7, so I need your help! Thanks bunches! :D

Chapter 6 -- Eyes, In Which Leanne Gets Stylish

"Leanne, darling, I have a surprise for you!" Naesala exclaimed.

The heron siblings were in the middle of a game of chess. Leanne jumped up excitedly, knocking the chessboard over onto Reyson's lap.

"Oh! I sorry!"

"It's all right, Leanne. I'll pick it up," Reyson murmured. He eyed Naesala suspiciously.

She nodded and turned to the raven. "What is surprise?"

Naesala grinned. "You'll have to follow me into the bedroom."

"NO WAY!" Reyson shot up, scattering the chess pieces even more. "I knew you wouldn't wait! Leanne, you're not going in there without--"

"Reyson, shut up." Naesala rolled his eyes. "If I was planning on doing that, I wouldn't have come out here and asked her to come along while you were sitting right there. I'm not dumb."

Reyson threw the chess pieces onto the table. "Fine. Well, I'm going with you!"

Naesala led the two herons into his room and pointed at his bed. "It's right there, Leanne!"

Reyson only saw the bed, not what was on it. "Naesala! I'm not letting my sister get into that bed!"

"It's on the bed, Reyson! Honestly, I wouldn't want you along if I was planning on making love to your sister!"

Leanne ran over to the bed and squealed in delight. "Pretty dresses!"

Sure enough, five silk dresses were laid out on the bed. The seamstress had worked all night to alter them and had happily delivered them to Naesala that morning.

"Do you like them, Leanne?" Naesala asked as she picked up the dark green one and held it against her cheek.

"So smooth!" she replied. "I like very much! All my favorite colors!"

Reyson looked over the dresses and nodded. "Wow, Naesala. I never would have expected that you would go all out with..." Then he noticed that Leanne was holding the dark green one up to herself to see how it would look on her. He glanced over at the others and realized they were all similarly short.

"I try on?" Leanne asked excitedly.

"Go ahead, Leanne! They're all for you!" Naesala grinned. She absolutely loves them. Reyson can't say no to this!

She ran behind his changing screen to try on the dark green dress.

"Um, Naesala? Where, exactly, did you get all of these?" Reyson asked suspiciously.

"Begnion, of course!"

The heron's eyes narrowed. "From Begnion? Or from a Begnion merchant ship?"

"Details, details." Naesala casually waved his hand. "Where do you think I got any of this?" he asked, gesturing to the various trinkets lying around his room.

Reyson breathed a heavy sigh. "My sister, wearing stolen merchandise... But these look a little short. Are you sure they will fit her?"

"Oh, they'll fit her alright!" the raven replied. "See? Here she comes now!"

Leanne dashed toward them with a huge grin on her face. "I like! I like so much! So pretty!"

The silk hugged her form fairly well, but not too tightly. It had three-quarter sleeves and a gold trim. The bust line was not terribly low, but it did show a little bit of cleavage. It went down to her knees but had a slit up the side, reaching a little past her mid-thigh.

Wow... Naesala had to keep from staring. She has such really nice legs! And it's not too slutty!

Reyson gulped as she danced around in her new dress. "The slit... there's a slit... and it shows off her legs..." He continued mumbling incoherently until Naesala patted him on the back.

"Well? Do you approve?" the raven asked with a large smirk.

"D-does it have to be so short?" Reyson squeaked.

"Reyson, I like! Let me keep?" Leanne was putting on her best puppy-dog eyes now. "It so comfy against my skin!"

"Now, now! You can't say no to that look, Reyson!"

Reyson suddenly regained his senses. "Fine... you can keep it, Leanne. But don't go outside while wear--"

"I show to Nealuchi!" Leanne exclaimed as she ran out of the room.

They listened as the sound of her footsteps trailed off. Then Reyson turned to Naesala.

"You did that on purpose! You made it so that she would like it and I couldn't refuse it!" The heron prince glared at him. "That's practically lingerie!"

"It is not," Naesala casually replied. "If it was lingerie, the neckline would plunge much deeper, and I would have asked the seamstress to make it even short--"

Reyson groaned in frustration. "Just because she's wearing that kind of clothing still does not give you the excuse to mess around with her, you hear?"

"But, Reyson, she has such nice legs... You know what they say: if you've got it, flaunt it!"

"Oh, what I have I let my sister get into?" Reyson put his head into his hands. "If Father saw this..."

"Reyson, Reyson..." Naesala put an arm around his friend. "When you find a woman, you'll understand. Now then, what do you like in a woman? Legs, chest, butt--"

"None of that! I'm not a pervert like you!"

"Come now, there has to be something that makes you stare at a woman a little longer than you normally would," the raven continued. "Don't tell me you've never looked at a woman in a certain way before!"

Reyson looked at his feet and blushed. "Well... I guess I ad... admire..."

"Yes?"

"...Eyes..."

Naesala burst out laughing. "Eyes? You'll go for a woman with the captivating eyes, then? Not bad, not bad!"

"Look, Naesala, I'm not interested in finding a woman right now! I'm having enough trouble worrying about my sister!" With that, Reyson stormed out of the room.

Eyes, hm? I'll have to tell Nealuchi. We'll find the woman with the best eyes! Naesala grinned in satisfaction. We'll search all of Tellius if we have to! Then he'll get off my back because he'll be so distracted with his own lovely lady. Oh, this is perfect!

He happily strode down the hallway, sorting through all the women he had ever met before who had lovely eyes.

Leanne came bounding toward him, interrupting him from his scheming. "Naesala, thank you so much!"

"You're quite welcome," he replied, using a lot of effort to keep from staring at her legs. "Now, Leanne, do you know if your brother has ever fancied any young lady before?"

"I not know..." She sighed. "If he did he not tell me, because I tell you then."

"You would? You would tell me if your brother was attracted to someone?" Naesala's eyes lit up.

Leanne giggled. "Of course! Reyson so strict. He need a girlfriend."

"Leanne, I love you!" Naesala threw his arms around her. "We really are the perfect couple!"

"R-really?" She blushed. "P-perfect couple?"

Now it was Naesala's turn to blush. "O-of course! You know... we both like to plot against Reyson." The phrase "Propose now, you idiot!" kept playing through in his mind. "A-and other things..."

Leanne snuggled against his chest. "We are perfect couple," she whispered. Then she laughed and looked into his eyes. "Now we both sexy!" she exclaimed.

"Oh yes we are!" Naesala grinned. I think I have been a bad influence on her... Too bad, Reyson!

She pulled away from him so she could twirl around in her new dress some more. "Pretty pretty pretty," she sang.

I wonder if I could possibly sneak away and grab a ring, he thought. Now is such a good time... then again, should I bother trying to placate Reyson more?

"Naesala!"

"Yes, darling?"

Leanne smiled. "We go find woman for Reyson!"

"Now?" Naesala strained to keep himself from squeaking. He was almost confident he could propose to her any minute now.

"Maybe. We find Nealuchi. He know many ladies?"

Naesala laughed. "I don't know. I've often wondered that myself!"

They wandered through the castle until they found Nealuchi, who was admiring the garden.

"Nealuchi!" Naesala called. "Leanne and I need your help!"

"Of course! Anything for the lovely lady Leanne!" the old crow replied.

Naesala frowned. "What about me?"

"So, Princess Leanne," Nealuchi continued, completely ignoring the raven, "why do you need my assistance?"

"We looking for woman for Reyson," she answered with a giggle. "He need girlfriend."

"My goodness, my lady!" Nealuchi chuckled. "You're getting just as bad as Nestling!"

"But he does need girlfriend," she remarked. "You help?"

Nealuchi nodded. "I suppose your brother should get settled down soon..."

Naesala grinned. "Any suggestions? He told me he likes girls with nice eyes."

Leanne turned to him and laughed. "He like eyes? He never tell me that!"

"I coaxed it out of him," the raven replied with a smirk.

"Well, let's see... ladies with nice eyes..." Nealuchi thought for a moment. "If I do remember correctly, Lady Tanith of Begnion has captivating eyes--"

"Oh please, Nealuchi! She's a beorc!" Naesala shook his head. "Like Reyson would break that code..."

The old crow smiled. "You never know, Nestling. If General Ike's sister was older, she would have lovely eyes, too."

"Yeah, and Reyson's not going to commit statutory rape, either," Naesala muttered. "Isn't she like thirteen or something?"

"I am only giving suggestions, Nestling. Who did you have in mind?"

Leanne piped up. "A nice hawk? He like hawks as friends... He probably know hawk girl with nice eyes. We ask Janaff or Ulki?"

"I suppose that's always a possibility," the raven king noted. Though working with the hawks was not quite what he'd had in mind.

"There are also some lovely ravens right here in Kilvas," Nealuchi continued. "Remember that girl named Vika who disappeared a few years ago? Her whole family has beautiful eyes."

Naesala, of course, didn't remember that at all, though the name sounded familiar.

"Well, we have some ideas on the floor, here." Nealuchi nodded. "I'm sure we will think of others in time."

Leanne cocked her head in confusion. "I see no ideas on floor."

"It's an expression, darling," Naesala replied. "It means we have a few options to consider already. I suppose we'll just have to coax some more information out of that stubborn heron... Could you do that for me, darling?"

Leanne smiled. "Of course! I do my best!"