So...ah, ehehe... long time, no update yeah? Sorry 'bout that, Christmas and all the other shit that happens in December took up a lot of my time and energy, not to mention my creativity. Sucked me dry like... something that sucks peoples creativity dry. Anyways, I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you'll enjoy the new year of 2011!
Again, thank you all that alerts and favs me! It's incredibly honoring!
Remy: Thank you for those incredibly nice words! I'm blushing as I upload this chapter, and hope that you'll enjoy it as much as the previous chapters!
Sakura Li-chan: No, no dear heavens no! No murdering just yet, but thank you for the nice review! I'm glad you thought the chapter was good, I was concerned... but yeah, cliffies are not really my favourite either but as a writer it's just so fun (and in this case, important) to occasionally y'know... BAM cliffie! Thank you yet again!
Kendecia: I swear, my parents were legitimately engaged at the time I was born! Please, believe me! To appease you, have another chappie. Thank you for the review!
Melkkoe: Fuuuuuu-! I... I think I got some kind of brain-freeze along with very very hot and red cheeks as I read your review. Thank you so much for the praise! I wasn't even aware that my humour was giggle-worthy to that extent. And the smut, well... I'm happy that you liked it, and I'll try to practice even more untill (spoiler maybe? nah, you've all expected it) next time, so it'll be even better. And now I'll stop gushing! Thank you so much for your kind review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Golden Sun, or anything associated with it.
Enjoy people!
"Yes." The voice whispered.
And his curiosity got the better of his carnal desire, and he opened his eyes
And he jolted upwards, flinging most of the pillows on the floor, with his heart racing in his throat like a jackhammer. The silk sheets clung uncomfortably, far too intimately, to his body, and a few beads of sweat travelled down his forehead to his neck.
"That didn't just happen."
Hesitantly, still shaking sporadically, he glanced down to his midsection and barely suppressed a groan of hopeless frustration as he saw the bulge that raised the covers slightly and felt the friction intensify as he shifted. He was boiling hot and with another sigh of irritation beyond belief he rose carefully, mindful of the erhm... strain in the more sensitive parts of his body, taking a minute to remember which one of the doors that led to the bathroom before groggily stumbling into the right room and into the shower.
About half an hour of cold showering later, he emerged from the spacious bathroom with a bit more dignity, only to realize that there was a woman in his bedroom, and with that he promptly felt like he lost the dignity he'd gained.
To say that he squealed would've been overdramatizing, but the sound Piers make could be likened to that of a highly undignified parrot's squawk. That the woman got surprised and squawked back, would however have been an understatement. She did let out a rather high-pitched squeal, while throwing her hands over her eyes in a vague attempt at hiding her sudden embarrassment. It was a poor attempt, seeing as her cheeks had flushed cherry red the moment she'd seen Piers walk out with only a big white towel around his waist.
Piers hurriedly stumbled towards the discarded bags on the floor, the one's he hadn't bothered to unpack the day before and cursed himself for not doing so, since his wet fingers was having a hard time with the zipper on the duffle bag. Using both hands were out of question, since he needed at least one of them to keep the towel in place, to cover his lower parts.
In the meantime, the woman shuffled backwards and through her stuttering she managed to press out: "I'm so so sorry, sir! I-I didn't know that... oh, my!" Her back hit the doorframe and she bowed hurriedly. "The breakfast is on the table, and there's a girl here to see you. I'll send her up shortly." And with that she was gone, far too embarrassed to stay any longer.
While wanting to run after the woman and apologize, even Piers in his stupor understood that that would only make things far worse, and he opted instead to get into the bag and put on at least a pair of pants first. Finally managing to get the bag open, he pulled out a pair of old black sweatpants (that really had been black, they'd just faded in the washing machine) and quickly put them on. As he busied himself with looking for a shirt, a smell hit his nose that made his stomach cramp up and mouth water. The scent was warm and slightly fruity; something in the lines of oranges and strawberries and, involuntarily, his stomach groaned pathetically as he remembered that he hadn't eaten anything since... was it at lunchtime yesterday? Yes, that would probably be right.
A bit reluctant (because he really thought he should get a shirt) he pulled his hands and head out of the large duffle bag and walked out in the spacious living room. And, true to the woman's earlier words, a large tray with a delicately arranged breakfast had been placed on the table. His nose had been correct; orange juice in a glass pitcher and fresh strawberries in a bowl were the things he'd smelled before. Beside those two things there were a stack of pancakes and a loaf of bread, and neatly stacked portions of different jams and a packet containing butter.
His stomach decided to happily growl at the sight, and Piers decided that yes, it was about time to eat something and he lazily sauntered over to the small feast he had been presented with, all the while having a slightly giddy feeling in his chest.
"It's actually kind of fun to get spoiled like this. It feels like I'm some kind of superstar or something."
Smiling to himself while entertaining the idea of himself as one of the top marine biologists of all time, or perhaps a revered scientist that'd discovered something life-changingly important, he nabbed one of the bright red strawberries and popped it into his mouth with a satisfied noise. The taste spread like wildfire through his mouth and it felt like heaven right there.
"Piers?" A female voice suddenly came floating from the door.
The young Frenchman turned around, still chewing on the berry, regretting that he hadn't put on at least a t-shirt before eating. He swallowed hurriedly while waving the female inside, inviting her in. "Mia!" He exclaimed when he'd succeeded in clearing his mouth from the strawberry. "I'm sorry, I was hungry so I- ah, you look amazing!"
And the young female really did. Sharing the same traits as her older half-brother Alex, her hair was blue and her eyes almost as piercing, although they were calmer and a bit softer in colour. She had an air of natural elegance and grace around her that many people seemed to get drawn to, however her humble and caring manners clashed with Alex's fiercely. Both siblings were pale skinned, but where Mia's cheeks held a healthy rosy tinge, Alex merely looked frosty.
Wearing a long midnight blue coat that complimented her thin but feminine figure, she seemed like the epitome of female beauty. She smiled and laughed softly at Pier's compliment. "Thank you, Piers. And please, don't mind me. I didn't mean to disturb you."
Piers shook his head at her words. "Polite as always Mia." He grinned brightly. "It's been a while, non?" He slowly craned his neck to get a better look at her, and discovered that she was clutching onto a pair of bags. "Do you want me to take those?"
In turn, she looked down at her hands that held the paper bags. "Oh! Yes, these are for you. Alex thought it to be a nice gift. It's clothes for the meeting we're attending to." She handed them over to Piers, who took them hesitantly.
"He... bought me clothes?" He managed to choke out, trying his hardest not to choke on the laugher that threatened to bubble up in his throat at the thought of Alex shopping for him. "Really?"
Mia started to take of her coat, while smiling back at him. "You find that so hard to believe? He only wants you to look your best when you meet with Mr. Newvale." When she was rid of the heavy coat, she hugged him tightly and said: "I'm so happy for you Piers, I truly am. And I hope with all of my heart that the business-proposal will be successful and enjoyable for you."
His heart seized up at her honest and heartfelt words, but he forced himself to hug her back. The girl was somewhat of a little sister to him (he'd never had any siblings of his own) and to lie her right in the face like this... it hurt, and he felt disgusting and pathetic. But, he reminded himself, it was for the greater good. And if Alex, her only family left, went into bankruptcy, how worried and sad wouldn't she become?
"Thank you Mia, it means a lot to me to hear that." He gently let go of her, not sure that he could manage to be that close to her and not feel like a liar, and held up the bags as a gesture. "I'd better go change if we're going to be there in time."
She nodded graciously and sat down on one of the couches, expectantly waiting for him.
"I never thought I'd sink that low..."
Shaking off the accusations his own mind threw at him with a bitter huff and a shake of his head, he hastily unpacked the bags to have something to distract him from his discomfort. Not actually caring what it was Alex had bought him, though he felt that he should care since the gesture meant a lot to him (Alex wasn't the kind of person who went out to buy you things every day), he numbly put the clothes on and grabbed a hairbrush since he deemed his hair dry enough not to cause problems if combed through.
Taking a last glance at the room, which he hadn't occupied more than a day, he realized that it all felt far too foreign for him to feel at home there. Even though he knew he wasn't supposed to actually live there for a longer period of time, he couldn't bring himself to call this place a temporary home.
"Maybe I could pick up some small things from home after the meeting. To make it feel more... like me."
He agreed silently in his head and then felt a bit bad for not appreciating the luxurious settings he'd been placed in. But, he wasn't used to it he figured, and what harm could a few of his own things do? None, came his conclusion.
"Piers? Are you alright?" Mia's voice drifted through the half open door.
He tore his eyes away (with one last glance at the huge aquarium, just to properly calm his nerves) and walked out into the living area again. He smiled at her, trying to cover his inner turmoil, and waved with the hairbrush. "Sorry, my hair won't co-operate. I just have to brush it a bit more, okay?" He combed through his turquoise mass of hair. "How do I look by the way?"
Mia nodded appreciatively. "You look very handsome. My brother seems to know what suits you." She winked lewdly at him, a gesture so in conflict with the rest of her appearance that it made Piers grin. "I sometimes wonder how you two aren't married yet. Or are you satisfied with your... work relationship?"
Piers spluttered and the hairbrush caught violently in a tight knot of hair. "Mia!" He knew she was joking, and he knew there was absolutely nothing to it, but he dutifully played his part as the indignant older brother.
She laughed, a pearly sound that was just as clear and tranquil as the rest of her, and threw a soft pillow at Piers. It missed, which made him laugh at her, and she laughed even harder.
"I've missed this."
They'd hung out a lot in the past, mostly with Alex too, and he considered her one of his closest friends. She was very different from Alex, but still very much like him. He knew many, if not all, people got the first impressions of her completely wrong. Sure, she was beautiful and feminine and her caring and almost motherly persona made many think that she was a bit naive or meek. But deep inside that girl lay a strong-willed, playful and highly intelligent spirit that shone through her layers of good manners and soft speeches.
And although they'd been great friends, their time spent together recently had not been more than a few emails and a short phone call. Mia had achieved her greatest dream, and now she was the chief over her own hospital in a city almost a five hour drive from where Piers resided. It was an astounding feat for such a young woman, and many had challenged her for the position, but her medical expertise far outdid anyone else's and she was surprisingly good at running the finances and the staff supposedly (and more than probably) loved her.
"I'm only joking Piers." The young woman said, seemingly taking the marine biologists short silence as a sign of dislike. "But you really do look astounding."
He looked down on himself, and as he'd already felt, he was dressed in jeans (that were more fitted to his body than Alex' had been) in a faded black colour. Not the pair of jeans he'd chosen for himself, but he figured he had a moderately 'average' fashion sense. It could also be called 'boring' if one chose to be honest and slightly rude.
The top was nothing fancy, a white and crisp shirt, which he felt comfortable enough in. He sighed and gave the hairbrush a last yank through his unruly hair and gave the offending blue tresses a withering look. No set of clothes, no matter how expensive and fashionable they were, would look good on him if his hair still looked like a bird's nest. A bird's nest clearly made by a bird with some slight... interior design problems.
Mia giggled silently and motioned for him to come closer. "Here. I'll braid it for you, so it won't be so..." She obviously searched for a word that would be appropriate and still not offend him.
"All over the place." Piers finished the sentence for her, unceremoniously flopping down on the floor in front of her.
"Well, I would not say that... it's just a bad hair-day, I think."
"I've had a few of those this week..."
She didn't say anything else, but merely plucked experimentally with his hair for a few moments, before starting to braid it in a complicated, rather tight braid. It didn't take long, she was used to play with both Piers and her brother's long hair, and she finished it neatly by tying it up with a small hair band. Leaning back slightly, she surveyed her handiwork and patted Piers shoulder as a sign that he was now free to move his head in any way he wished.
"Do you want a mirror? I have a small pocket-mirror in my coat..." She rose to retrieve the item, but Piers followed her to the door instead of waiting by the couch.
He grabbed his own jacked while checking the watch that hung on the wall. "I trust you enough to believe it's completely fine. If it starts to slip loose you'll tell me, right?" She nodded an affirmative. "Besides, we need to get going. Traffic is crazy this time of the day."
The chatted, mostly about nothing at all and everything in general, just catching up and gossiping (the latter was mostly Mia), as they proceeded to leave the hotel (with a small wave to Kushinada, who smiled brightly at the recognition) to find a cab.
Ladies and gentlemen, Mia Mercury! Sweet girl, that one. Not much to say about this, except a fool you! to those of you who thought you'd get to know who Piers mystery-date was. Like most of you haven't already got your suspicions, right?
Thanks to all of you who read all the way down here, I love you lots, and please leave a review if you'd like. It's always incredibly nice to hear from readers! And, in my usual fashion, I send a big hug to everyone who took the time to read the story! Next chapter we'll leave Piers head for a while, and occupy a new one. Guess who's?
