"A simple trip to Silverpines doesn't automatically earn you loads of renown," Page stated, crossing the room to join Walter by the map.
Lara resisted the urge to punch her out by crossing her arms over her chest. She kept her anger in check, however, instead leaning back against the map table and feigning indifference. She raised an eyebrow at Page.
"I think I've more than proven myself," Lara said simply, surprised at how steady her voice was despite the anger she felt. "Shall I get you a list of references? I'm sure the villagers in the Mercenary Camp, Dweller Camp, Brightwall and the soldiers at Mourningwood Fort would be more than happy to vouch for me."
"That won't be necessary," Page said with a wave of her hand. "We have even bigger problems."
"Reaver," Walter said gravely, putting his hands down on the map and shaking his head.
Lara pushed away from the map not really liking where this was going. Logan had kept her away whenever Reaver visited the castle, but the little she knew about him, she disliked.
"A small group of fighters managed to get into his mansion," Walter continued. "But they never made it out."
"I believe they're still alive," Page added. "And you're going to help me find them."
Lara nodded. "Alright. I suppose you two have come up with a plan."
"Reaver hosts some sort of fancy secret society party every week," Walter explained. "We don't know what goes on, but we do know what the guests look like. It's the perfect chance to sneak in."
"Perfect," Ben piped in, surprising Lara. She had forgotten he was also in the room. "We sneak in, rescue our men and sneak back out. Reaver will never know we were there."
Page, who had stepped away while Walter had been talking, came back carrying a bundle of clothing. "Here," she said, pushing the clothing into Lara's arms. "You'll have to wear this."
"Great," Ben said, rubbing his hands together in excitement. "Where's my costume?"
"Sorry, kid," Walter said, patting Ben's shoulder. "We can't risk sending in more people. Page and Lara are more than capable of handling this themselves."
"What? I can't come? Even after saving the princess from Simmons and all those Hollow Men?"
Lara snorted back a laugh which she managed to turn into a slight cough. She knew all three were looking at her, but she kept her eyes on the garments Page had given her. She couldn't quite figure out what the costume was supposed to be exactly.
"Something you'd like to say, Princess?" Ben asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Well, I'd hardly call that rescuing," Lara scoffed. "Simmons was as good as dead, he just didn't know it."
"Oh, really?" Ben said, walking around the map to stand directly in front of her. "I seem to recall a slightly different story…one where you were on the ground, weaponless, while Simmons towered over you."
"Much like you in Silverpines, right?" Lara countered. "Except it was a white Balverine that had you pinned down."
"Anything to get you to touch me, sweetheart," Ben winked and threw her a smile as Lara felt her face burn in both anger and embarrassment. "I felt how your hands lingered over my muscles when you were feeling for broken bones."
"If you wanted to be touched, you should've just asked. I'm sure a kick to the groin would leave a lasting impression," Lara said through gritted teeth. "I should've left Silverpines as soon as my business was done."
"I didn't hear you complaining when you were enjoying a nice, hot bath that night," Ben responded.
Lara opened her mouth to spout off yet another retort when she heard Walter clear his throat behind her. "Er…not that I want to know, but what exactly happened in Silverpines?" he asked, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.
"Nothing," both Lara and Ben shouted at the same time, not breaking eye contact with each other.
Walter held his hands up in defense. "Okay, sorry I asked."
"Right," Page finally spoke up, looking from Ben to Lara. "As much as I enjoy hearing you two fight like an old married couple, Lara and I have to get dressed."
Though neither wanted to back down, Lara finally conceded, following Walter to the door so that she could change in another room. Ben's voice, however, made her pause just as she reached the doorway.
"Maybe I should stay and make sure no one spies on you," she heard Ben say to Page.
Lara felt her heart twinge at Ben's words. She silently chastised herself for such a reaction. Ben's and Page's relationship was certainly none of her business. She could care less what he said to Page when they were alone.
Then why was there an ache in her chest just thinking about Ben and Page as a couple?
Lara slammed the door behind her. Ben and Page were adults and within their rights to do whatever they wanted. Lara didn't need to get involved. She took a deep breath and resolved to, once again, not get sidetracked by the personal lives of others.
In the meantime, she had a party to get ready for.
Ben paced in front of the fireplace, keeping count of the minutes Page and Lara had been gone. They had left only a couple of hours ago, at the most, but it seemed like much longer. He didn't know what to do with himself. He was a man of action, always moving, always doing something. He hated being left behind. Swift had gone up to the castle and most of the men had gone to the local tavern while they all waited for their next move.
"Quit doing that, you're making me tired just lookin' at ya," Walter called out, two mugs of ale in his hands. He motioned to the seats in front of the fire, handing one mug to Ben as they both sat down.
Ben took a sip, relishing the bitter taste in his mouth. If anything, he knew the alcohol would at least help him relax. Lara's dog, Ares, moved over to lay down by his feet, and Ben absentmindedly reached down to scratch behind his ears. He looked over at Walter who seemed to have already gotten a few mugs into his system.
"How can you just sit there knowing that Lara might well be in danger?" he finally asked Walter.
Walter shrugged, knocking back the last dregs of liquid from his mug before clipping it back on his belt. "I taught Lara everything I know. Hell, I'm proud to admit she's even better than me, if you can believe that," he let out a laugh, fatherly pride lining his words. "It's been hard letting her go off on her own, but I trust her to do the right thing."
Ben slowly nodded, taking another sip of the ale and sitting back in his seat. He had seen Lara fight, knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself, but he still couldn't stop himself from worrying about her. He stared off into the fire, frowning. What was it about her that drew him in?
It had started as a challenge, trying to break through that wall she always kept up. But now it was more than that. He enjoyed teasing her, seeing that fire in her eyes. He enjoyed making her laugh, even it only happened when he got hurt. Most of all, he enjoyed just being with her, something he hadn't felt with any other woman.
Ben let out a sigh, draining the rest of his ale. There was something still bothering him, though. Something he had kept to the back of his mind since she had first mentioned it. He turned over to Walter, who seemed to be dozing off.
"Who's Elliot?" Ben asked, reaching over to nudge Walter's arm.
Walter sat up, eyes flying open at Ben's voice. "Elliot?" Walter repeated. "Where did you hear that name?"
"Lara," Ben said plainly.
"And what exactly did she tell you about Elliot?"
"Nothing, really," Ben said, thinking back to the conversation with Lara at the camp site outside of Mourningwood. "Just that they're engaged…and that's about it."
"Lara said that?" Walter asked, the drowsiness that had been in his eyes now fully gone.
"Yes…she might have said some other things, about loving him and whatnot," Ben said, dismissing the idea of Lara being in love with Elliot with a wave of his hand.
"I see," Walter replied, suddenly taking great interest in a piece of lint on his shirt sleeve. Ben had the nagging suspicion that old Wally was trying really hard not to look into his eyes.
"Well," Ben prodded, "who is he?"
"Elliot is…well, he's…"
"What? What is he?" Ben implored, urging Walter to continue.
Finally, Walter sighed, looking defeated. "Look, kid," he said, eyes finally shifting up to glance at Ben. "If you want to know more about Elliot, you'll have to ask Lara." He seemed to be looking for the right words to say next. "All I can tell you is that he and Lara are childhood friends…the only friend, really, that Lara was allowed to have."
Ben looked toward the fire again, not really content with Walter's answer, but knowing that he would get nothing else.
"Is there a reason you asked?" Walter posed the question quietly, and Ben felt it was better to tread carefully with the answer.
"N-not really," Ben answered, trying to keep his voice as level as possible. "Just curious."
"Curious, eh?" Walter's eyes narrowed, and his face took on the seriousness of a father looking down at his daughter's potential suitor. "Or are you taking an interest in her?"
Ben sputtered out a laugh. "Pffft! An interest? Me? N-no, of course not. More like watching out for her…as a friend. Wouldn't want for her to get hurt." He offered Walter a weak smile.
The older man seemed to consider his words for a moment before finally accepting them. "I'll be the one to do the hurting, if you know what I mean." Walter emphasized his statement by cracking his knuckles.
Ben was saved from answering when a small boy ran into the room, chest heaving with exertion. Ben recognized the boy as a street urchin, one of many that the Resistance paid to act as messengers. Ben jokingly referred to the group of boys as the "Bowerstone Irregulars"…a name derived from a book he had once read about a detective who would use the same method to gather information.
"Sir Walter," the boy cried out, clutching his chest as he fought to catch his breath. "King Logan is about to make a speech, sir."
"What about, boy?" Walter asked, outwardly portraying the same anxiousness Ben felt.
"Don't know, sir," the boy continued. "The citizens will be asked to gather at the castle shortly for the king's message."
Ben's heart pounded in his chest as his mind tried to fathom just what exactly the king had prepared. "This can't be good," he whispered.
Walter nodded in agreement, throwing a few coins into the boy's hands. "Meet Page and Princess Lara outside of Reaver's mansion. Let the princess know that she is to meet Captain Finn outside the castle gates."
The boy bobbed his head in agreement, throwing out a quick salute before running off to run his errand.
Walter moved around the room, stuffing some clothing into Lara's pack. "Take this to Lara," Walter said, shoving the pack into Ben's hands. "Go and find out what Logan has planned. I hope to Avo it's just another decree and not…well, let's not think about the worst. Neither of you can be seen, do you understand?"
"Aye," Ben acknowledged, pulling on a long coat and a cap. "We'll come back as soon as we can."
AN: Apologies for the delay…real life sucks, sometimes.
Disclaimer: The "Irregulars" belong to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
As always, a big THANK YOU to iNf3ctioNZ for taking the time to read this. Go take a look at Masses to Masses and Masses to Masses 2 (the latter of which has almost 900 reviews!) in the Mass Effect world. :D
And, because I always suck at review replies…
Panda.T3a: Thanks! Ben has some work cut out for him, but I'm sure he'll break her down eventually. ;)
LoveTheCrazy: Yep, Ben is a Hero in his own way. :) Blossoming feelings, indeed.
bunniesarecool80: Hope this tickled you some more! I love finding Ben's notes and then just walking around hearing his voice, lol. :D
Kenzberry: Those poor chickens have been kicked enough! ;) Though, I have to admit, it is fun to do, lol. Thank you, and I hope you keep enjoying it! :D
Pinned back Wings: Isn't Ben just awesome? :D Squeee back to ya! :)
Sam Belk: Yay! He is a little annoying, isn't he? :) Thanks!
Alice Shadowrunner: I love bits of fluff…glad you enjoyed it! :D
Next chapter: Logan's big announcement!