Hello, hello. It's been a long time. So I wrote about half of this back in October (if I can recall correctly) and with my college semester recently coming ending, I sat down and whipped out the rest of this chapter. Took me about a week to finish the next half. I got the Kraken to help me out. And I doubt anyone will understand that horrible joke. (that I sat down and got crackin. heheh...no? nothing? ok whatever.)
Moving on.
So read it and tell me what ya think. Or don't read it and GTFO! (LOLs)
Enjoy.
Golden Days of Love
Chapter 7
Isaac walked in the middle of the group of his friends. Feizhi walked beside him very closely during the whole tour. They were finally coming to the end of the sightseeing. Isaac hadn't said much. He had begun to feel awkward around Feizhi, almost jumpy. He wasn't sure what to do about her, how he would tell her. All he could do was smile and be as polite as he could until he knew exactly what to say to her.
They hadn't exactly gotten the chance to talk alone though; his friends always seemed to keep him busy. And even if they got alone time, what would he say? The question repeated itself along with many others in his head like a persistent mosquito buzzing around his ear, except he couldn't casually swat them away. She traveled all that way just to be with him. That was obvious. He could see that plainly about her. The way she talked to him, looked fondly at him, walked next to him. His friends most likely knew too. It was simply all too obvious. Bless their hearts they hadn't said anything…yet.
But Jenna, what about her? Surely she must be confused about all this. To be quite honest, Isaac wasn't sure why she hadn't blurted out the truth at the first sign of trouble. But he was thankful for it. Or was he? Maybe it would be better just to get out with the truth and not tease Feizhi with the prospect of a future together. Many times throughout the day Isaac had thought of interrupting someone from whatever they were saying and spilling out the truth if only to alleviate the knotted tension he felt in his stomach. But he couldn't do that to Feizhi; he wouldn't do that to anyone – making something intimately private public and without remorse for feelings; it would be too cruel. Even though it seemed as if Feizhi herself was barely able to keep her feelings bottled up.
But Jenna…
The fact that she hadn't let out whatever it was she was feeling only meant that she was hurting even more. Her emotions needed release in order for her to be happy and sane. If she didn't get that release in some fashion -Isaac thought back to earlier when she pounced on Felix like a predator on wounded prey. Well, at least she got some release, albeit at the expense of Felix.
The tour had gone all the way around New Vale. Bits and pieces of chatter would filter into his head in between his thoughts. Garet and Mia appeared to be the lead tour-guides as they talked the most and had the most knowledge on the town. This perplexed Isaac slightly. Garet wasn't the best at remembering things, or so Isaac had assumed. And Mia wasn't a local. It actually amazed Isaac that they knew so much about New Vale. And he said so.
"Well, one day I'm gonna be mayor of this town," Garet proclaimed. "It's only proper that I know the ins-and-outs of New Vale and the land around it. You see," he leaned toward Feizhi, grinning with pride and boastfully thumbing his chest. "I'm the mayor's grandson!"
"The mayor's grandson giving me a tour? I'm honoured!" She said with a tone of light sarcasm and a returning smile. Garet kept grinning widely all the same.
"But Garet, don't the citizens of Vale vote for its new mayor?" Mia asked with a curt smile.
Garet's eyes darted quickly from side to side. "Uhh…maybe… Pssh, I helped save the world. It's in the bag!" Everyone threw on dubious expressions (except for Isaac who was lost in thought again).
"Yeah sure, Garet," Mia said cynically.
"I've heard you use that phrase before," Feizhi said. "What does it mean?"
"What, 'it's in the bag'? It means…uhh…" Garet stalled.
"It means that it's 'unanimous'," Mia chimed. "That it is a sure thing; it will happen."
"Oh, ok." Feizhi understood. Mia elbowed Garet with another curt smile expressing her superior intelligence, to which Garet looked away irritated.
"So, what about you Mia?" Isaac queried returning to earth for a moment. "How do you know so much about New Vale?"
"Well, I make it a necessity to know as much as I can about a place of current dwelling, mostly so I can find herbs, but also so I can feel more at home."
"Well you two know more than me. That's for sure. It's kind of embarrassing really…" Isaac mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Do you ever miss your home, Mia?" Feizhi asked.
"Well, of course. But life has led me here and here is where I will stay for a while, at least while I'm still needed. I'm sure I'll see Imil again one day."
"And Piers? Sheba? You're not from around here, right? Do you miss your home?" Piers and Sheba glanced away awkwardly as if the question pained them. Feizhi looked as though she had asked something wrong. "Oh… I understand. You don't have to tell me."
Piers looked back to her. "I do miss my home, Feizhi. And I may continue to miss it for a long time."
"Y'know what?" Garet suddenly blurted. "Forget them, man. Who are they to say that you can't go back?"
"They are the Senate," Piers said unblinking, but Garet ignored him.
"So what? You saved the world, Piers. The rest of Lemuria would be overjoyed to see you. They'd welcome you back as a hero. You shouldn't let some old geezers tell you what you're gonna do."
"It's not that easy, Garet. But then again," Piers tapped his chin. "The Senate was wrong about Alchemy. Maybe they would let me return if they saw the error in their beliefs."
"Yeah, exactly man. You should go home." Mia shot Garet such a quick glance that no one, unless they were looking directly at her, would have seen the flash of irritation in her eyes.
"Garet, are you kicking me out of Vale?" Piers asked with a recoiled sarcastic smile.
"What? Er, no, I just… Uh… I meant, when you're ready to go home, you should and don't let what those old senate geezers said make you think otherwise."
Piers chuckled. "I'm kidding, Garet. I know what you meant."
Sheba was silent and had slowed down to walk behind the group during this bit of conversation. Felix had sensed Sheba's dismay at the conversation and so slowed down with her. He took her small hand in his and squeezed it gently. When no one was looking, she nuzzled her forehead against his arm for a second; a gesture which said "thank you".
The group found its way in the southwestern fields which were alongside the main road to the plaza. Garet was explaining what they were used for, which was crops, mostly corn. Garet had suggested, no, more like tenaciously persisted growing more corn in remembrance to Tolbi's delicious "Colosso Corn". There was an orchard too, opposite one of the corn fields. Apple trees and peach trees in full bloom were lined up in rows. In the middle of the corn fields was a lone tree that stood out like a massive edifice on a flat plain. The tree was big, its trunk wide, and its branches thick and good for climbing. It was in fact another hang out spot for the Hero Adepts. The nearly setting sun was bathing its leaves as they rustled in a breeze which caught Isaac's attention. To Isaac, the tree looked to be writhing and dancing like bright green flames.
His thoughts went to Jenna. The two of them used to spend a lot of time in that tree, even before Old Vale was destroyed. It wasn't as close to Old Vale though as it is now to New Vale, so it survived the destructive sinking of Mt. Aleph. Spending the day at the tree when he was a young boy almost assured a walk home in the dark. And the corn stalks growing there now were not there back then; it used to be just a field of tall grass. Isaac remembered he, Garet, Jenna and Felix used to go there nearly everyday as kids. And as they got older and began camping out of town, they would often set up their tents and a campfire beneath the tree's outstretching boughs. When they had all returned from Prox, one of the first things he and Jenna did was go sit together at its trunk. They had held each other in silence gazing on the land and enjoying each other's company.
Isaac wondered why she had left them today and why she was acting so distant. It had to be because of Feizhi.
She's not stupid. She probably sees what's going on here. And she doesn't know what my true intentions are. I haven't been able to tell her. I really hope this doesn't become a serious problem.
Something Garet said brought his attention back to the group. "Well, that's about all of New Vale. Let's head back for dinner. It's getting late and I'm starving!"
"You're always hungry Garet," Piers said.
"I know… I think I may have some kind of eating disease. Y'know? Like one where food tastes really, really good." The adepts chuckled at that.
"Actually there is still one spot in New Vale that Feizhi hasn't seen," Piers said.
"Oh yeah…" Garet agreed with him because he knew what he was referring to. "Starfalls! Although, that's not really in New Vale, but more like on the unofficial border of town. When we go there, we stay over night in the wilderness; it's kind of a long hike from here."
"Well, what is it exactly? Starfalls?" Feizhi asked.
"It's a magnificent waterfall," Piers answered. "Well actually a set of cascading waterfalls with pools and places to jump into them."
"Why is it called Starfalls?"
"Ah, to tell you that would ruin the surprise should you ever visit there."
"We haven't been there in a while," Mia said. "The last time was at the end of last summer when we came back from our quest. We definitely needed the vacation after what we'd been through. Hey! You know? It's probably warm enough to start going there again. We should plan a trip to go soon."
Oh boy… I know where this is going…
"Yeah and we should bring Feizhi along for sure," Garet said.
Yep, I knew it. Thanks Garet, you've only made things more complicated. (Sigh). If they really do know what's going on, then they are definitely playing dumb or doing their best to make this difficult for me.
"Oh really? I'd love to go! It sounds magnificent!" said Feizhi enthused.
"It most certainly is," Mia said. "You would love it."
"Hey…" Garet said. "Where'd Felix and Sheba go?" The Adepts looked around. Felix and Sheba were nowhere in sight.
"I don't know," Piers said. They were here a moment ago… I think."
"Ah whatever," Garet shrugged. "I'm sure we'll see them at dinner."
The adepts reached the centre of the plaza. The tall Obelisk was gleaming in the orange sunlight as it usually did on days like this. Isaac in his spacey mood was easily mesmerized by its iridescent beauty. The colour of it was a dark purple, almost black. It shifted hues throughout the day; dusk made it darker.
"So, dinner at my place," Piers said. "Ivan and I are going to cook up some good stuff tonight so don't be late."
Oh, geez, Ivan's cooking again?" Garet complained. "Every time he cooks food, I spend a day in bed clutching my stomach."
"Well, to be fair, that was his first time cooking a real home-style meal. Nothing close to what we had to make out in the wild. It takes time, preparation, practice, experience, and lots of patience. I've been teaching him how to cook and he seems to be showing improvement."
"Yeah, sure… The last time he cooked, he decided to blast the chicken with lightning thinking it would cook faster. Ha! What a joke."
"That's because you pressured him to cook it faster."
"Details, my dear Lemurian, details," Garet said with a wave of his hand.
"Alright Garet, how about I tell you that I'll be doing all the cooking? Will that make you feel better?"
"Yes, in fact it will. Ignorance is bliss in my book."
"Very well then. Oh, and Feizhi, to get to my house from here, just go this way (Piers pointed northward). You remember which one it is right? From the tour?" Feizhi nodded. "Great, dinner's in a few hours, but you can come over earlier if you'd like."
"Couldn't I just come with you now?" Feizhi asked.
"Well, you could, but we usually all go home and wash up before re-meeting for dinner."
"Oh, good point."
"Isaac, you comin man?" Garet asked. They usually walk back to their houses together seeing as how they're neighbors.
"Uh…no. I'm gonna stay here for a bit." His eyes glanced over Garet momentarily and then returned to the Obelisk. "I want to, uh… think and, admire the sunset."
"Alright man, see ya later then." Garet left via the northeastern street and Piers went northward. Isaac returned to staring intently at the Obelisk. Feizhi and Mia walked off talking.
"Feizhi, where are you staying tonight?" Mia asked.
"I've rented a room at the inn."
"Now, now that won't do. Come, you'll stay with me and Sheba."
"Well, alright. But I'll stay in the inn just this night. I already paid for the room and all."
"I suppose that makes sense. Wouldn't be good to waste your money. Alright, see you at dinner." Mia ran to catch up to Piers; her house was near to Piers and Ivan's.
Everyone left. Isaac was alone to think and stare at this sparkling stone.
Wow, what a day! And here I thought it'd be like all the other days off. Feizhi showing up was quite unexpected. I kinda wish she hadn't come though. It's not that I don't like her; it's not that at all. It's just that I wish she hadn't shown up at that moment. I wish I could've had a head's up to figure out what I would do rather than trying to figure it out as I go. Going on that quest taught me how to think quickly and make split second decisions, but when it comes to this…when it comes to girls…I've got no experience. I mean, this would not be an easy situation for anyone even with experience with this kind of thing. But I might as well be ten years old again I'm so lost.
Girls…
Well, it's no use wishing for something to not happen that has already happened. I shouldn't deal any problem of mine with "what-if"s and "woulda-shoulda-coulda"s. Thinking like that won't get the problem solved. It will only get me caught up in an intricate spider-web of fantasies and eventually make me too scared to take action.
Heh, I feel like I'm starting my quest all over again.
I should follow Feizhi to the inn right now and explain everything to her, get it over with. I mean, I love Jenna, not Feizhi. Feizhi is chasing a dream that will never happen and she is chasing it rather persistently by coming all the way here. It's actually quite annoying. But that doesn't mean I'm going to be mean about it. I don't hate Feizhi; she is my friend after all.
But in reality, no matter what angle I come at this dilemma from, there's no way Feizhi isn't going to be upset about this. So, just go get it over with.
His mind was willing, but his body didn't budge. He was more or less paralyzed.
I know how this will end. In the end, the truth will come out one way or the other. But the manner in which it comes out is still entirely up to me at this point. Wouldn't it be better to stop this right now? while I still have the power to do so? before it gets out of hand? Yes it would.
Isaac forced his foot to move. It slid limply against the ground as if a heavy weight were balanced on his toes.
Come on! Move!
His Psynergy lashed out and literally moved his foot. Isaac lost his balance and fell backward. He hadn't intended to use Psynergy and it had indeed surprised him. It came out, he knew, because of his close proximity to the Obelisk, but it would have never happened if not for his frustration.
Wow, I'm pathetic…
He decided lying on the ground was appropriate for his mood, so he stayed still and shut his eyes to the blue sky above. Another thought tangent was about to arise when he heard someone's voice real close to him.
"What're you doing on the ground, silly?" It was a girl's voice.
Feizhi.
Isaac opened his eyes and cheery, leaf-green eyes met his vision from mere inches away. Even though he knew who it was, he was still surprised to see her, especially since her face was so close to his (close enough to easily kiss). He tried to hide the fear he felt with her being so close to him, but couldn't. He was, after all, thinking of her and the whole problem just an instant ago. Feizhi saw it but misconstrued it for embarrassment.
"You don't have to feel embarrassed." She backed away a bit. "I lay on the ground too when I think." Isaac sat up still looking at her with surprised fear as if she had really kissed him just now. "Actually, I was a little worried though." Her eyes angled down at the ground. "I saw you fall and then you didn't get up so…" Her eyes circled back up to meet his. "I came over to see if you were alright." She smiled lightly, almost hesitantly; her eyes flickered a mixture of uncertainty and wanting.
Isaac was dumbfounded; he didn't know how to respond to her. He just kept staring at her and she kept staring back.
I should really say something. If this keeps up any longer, she might move in for a…
"What's with that look? Is there food in my teeth or something?"
Isaac felt his head shake ever so slightly. She frowned a smile.
"Come on." She pulled his hand to get up. Isaac complied not knowing what else to do. Her hand was soft and gentle, yet strong which told him that beneath that flowery visage was quite possibly a killer martial artist (which was all the more reason not to make her upset).
They walked now, southward, back to the fields. Isaac compliantly let himself be led by her hand for a little bit.
"Where are we going?" He asked.
"You'll see when we get there." She said simply. Isaac stared at the back of her head, her lavender, braided loops and ponytail bouncing cutely with her every step, and smiled dazedly as Déjà vu overcame him. She had led him in much the same manner when they were in Xian to the view of the valley. The viewpoint where they had first kissed.
The sun was a burning orange circle above the western horizon as Isaac and Feizhi picked their way through the growing corn stalks of the southwestern field. It was at about this time that Ivan was comforting Jenna on her bedroom porch.
They came to a small clearing with a lone tree in the center. It was the tree.
"So you wanted to show me this tree, huh?" Isaac smiled slightly. This tree, this spot of all places. How ironic.
"I thought it would be a good place to talk and be alone."
Be alone…oh crap… I shoulda known that was what she was planning. But then, I think a part of me did know. Well then why did I let it happen? …I don't know…
"Well, this has been fun but I think we should go back now," Isaac said nervously. He made to leave, but noticed Feizhi wasn't following him. Instead, she was climbing the tree, and rather expertly too, like an acrobat.
"Feizhi, what're you-"
"C'mon Isaac. Climb up here with me. It will give us a great view of the sunset."
Isaac sighed and cursed in his mind. He grabbed a low tree branch and ascended the tree after Feizhi. As he climbed, memories of all the time he had spent here with Jenna flourished in his mind. With every tree branch he grabbed onto another memory flashed behind his eyes. Guilt poured out of his heart and pumped into his muscles making him feel almost too weak to climb.
Isaac's heart pumped irregularly hard as the two of them perched on a thick branch that overlooked the western fields. The leaves of the trees were obstructing their view however, so Isaac, practically on instinct, used his Psynergy to move the leaves and branches out of the way giving them a clear view of Sol.
"Oh it's so beautiful!" Feizhi said in awe. Isaac glanced at her taking note of the expression on her face as she gazed at the sunset, and how the golden rays of the sun had changed the tone of her hair and skin. And how beautiful she looked. His heart hammered against his chest, each blow more guilt-ridden than the last.
He looked away feeling extremely flustered. He focused on the view spread out before him to try and calm his heart. Everything was bathed in amber light. The tree line at one end of the corn field splayed the light into rays that looked like numerous fingers. The distant western mountain tops were plainly visible on the clear horizon. In contrast to the amber sun, the sky above was a stark blue which became darker as the sun sank. It wasn't anything Isaac hadn't seen before during his travels. In fact he saw even more dramatic sunsets out at sea, but he still had to agree that it definitely was gorgeous. This sunset.
"Isaac?" Feizhi started. Isaac felt her eyes on him and his heart instantly revved up the beating. He felt his entire body tense up for a fraction of a second when she had said his name. He assumed she would keep talking and so kept his vision on the sunset. When she didn't say anything he reluctantly turned his vision to her thinking that what she wanted to say required his full attention.
"Yes?" He said. Their eyes met for a moment, but still Feizhi did not say anything. She looked confused and smiled awkwardly. Looking into her now jade green eyes, Isaac somehow felt better. His fear was not gone completely, but it had diminished drastically. He wasn't sure why he felt better. Maybe it was the look of distraught on her face that told him he had to be unfearful for her sake that made him feel better. Or maybe it was that just looking into her eyes calmed him and brought him tranquility.
His blue eyes looked on her kindly as he waited patiently for her to talk. But then she looked away, downward.
"What is it, Feizhi?" Still he waited for her to respond. She turned her head to him but did not look up. Instead, her hands moved to touch the golden bracelet around his wrist. Despite no skin contact, the gentle yet intense way she touched him made his body go delightfully frisson.
She finally spoke. "There's…so much I want to say to you, so much I've been wanting to say, but…I have no idea where to begin." Isaac stared at her unsure of what to say. "I mean, I thought this would be simpler. I thought I knew what I was going to say to you when I saw you. But, something felt…off." Isaac's thoughts went to Jenna. "Or maybe I was just more nervous than I thought I would be… I don't know."
Now Isaac looked away, thinking. He looked at the sunset. He should tell her the truth. Now. This very instant. But the thought of ruining this subtle feeling of pleasure that was welling up from nowhere seemed simply…
…wrong.
Lot's of things came to mind then on what he could do or say, but they all implied something that he didn't want to imply to someone who liked him and whom he didn't like back...
Or rather that he couldn't like back.
That thought surprised him. It came to him as if from someone else. As if from the depths of himself, there was another entity telling him what the truth really was. Couldn't like? No, that couldn't be the truth. Isaac didn't accept this thought as truth. He didn't even accept it as one of his own thoughts. He was certain that some deity was playing with his mind now.
He felt Feizhi's uncertain gaze on him. She was waiting for him to say something for surely she noticed his contemplative expression.
Isaac faced her. He looked into her jade green eyes and was captivated.
Stuck.
The thought arose again, his mind fumbled with it over and over. Couldn't like, couldn't like, couldn't like. There was a lot he wanted to say to her as well, but he had no clue where to start. Feizhi didn't look as if she was going to say anything more.
He was mesmerized by her eyes twinkling in the last rays of Sol. If someone didn't say something quick, this would not end well.
Or it may end great.
He tried to avert his gaze, but managed only to see the few, tiny, almost invisible freckles on the tops of her cheeks. And they were getting closer. And turning red.
Isaac looked back into her eyes. He could clearly see the detail of her leaf-green irises.
As Sol disappeared below the horizon, the thought came up again.
Couldn't like.
Did like.
I tell ya, this stuff I write is Grade A. No. Grade S! No. Grade SSS! Smokin' Sick Style, baby!!!
...Not really.
So... now review. Yeah, you review and I'll get back to you with a kind word maybe. It really depends on the review you give me.
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed thus far. And to anyone who has taken their time out to read this stuff.
Expect chapter 8 sometime next year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
-TLotW
...I miss Vergil...
