Oh

On the steps Clarabelle howled a sigh. "Caelan, are you stalking me? 'Cause I'm not in the mood." Dusk stepped from the road and blurred beside her.

"Look, I'm not Caelan and I wasn't stalking you." he stated and sat. "What's wrong?"

She held out both of her hands, keeping them separated, "Nothing." she interlocked them together, "Everything."

"Why are you quoting 'Kingdom of Heaven'?"

"Because I don't know what to say." frustrated, she crossed her arms, "OK, I do. Valkyrie Cain died."

His nose cringed, "She did? Of what?"

"Charmed arrow."

"Oh. And your sad?"

"She's- was, she was only fifteen, Dusk."

"Oh, well, I'm sorry then." he looked at her and scooted closer.

"Can you tell me now?" she pleaded, "I need to make sure one thing is certain, OK?"

He nodded, "The question."

She winced, "Yeah."

He sighed and looked at her, "The reason why I've tried to avoid you was because… I-I've never had anyone stick around so, so, so annoyingly close."

She smiled, "Oh, I'm sorry if it bothered you. It, it's just that-"

"Let me guess," he interjected, "you, like, have a crush on me, right?"

Clarabelle blushed, "That's one way of putting it."

"That's the problem, that's never happened to me. It just didn't feel normal." he rested her elbows on his knees.

"Is anything normal for you?"

"For me? Mostly." he smirked. "You know Sanguine, right?"

"No-eyes-ugly?" she said, feeling lighten up.

"The very same. Man, I hated working with that guy, that American damned accent, he even talked more that that Skeleton-" he faltered, "he must be pretty upset, huh?"

She nodded, "He punched his beloved Bentley."

"I feel for him."

"You do?" Clarabelle quietly gasped.

"Uh, yeah."

She perked up and stood, "Please don't tell me, I don't want anything to dampen my day more."

"Alright." she started walking "Her name was Mesmer, never bothered with the last name, I outlived her, though she died from Sanguine's razor blade."

"I said don't tell me!" she yelled back and pivoted to face him, "I am sorry though. D-do you think we could go for, like, coffee or something?"

He blinked, "At five, meet at the café-"

"Across from the green inn, got it." and she walked in the Sanctuary, blushing. Ravel looked at her.

"What on earth happened?"

"I don't think he'll be back anytime soon, Erskine."

"Damn it." he muttered.

I'm sorry, I'm pressed for time! Bye now!