Chapter 10
Disclaimer: I do not own Elsword nor its characters. Enjoy!
Raven sweatdropped as he was forced into a butler outfit. How exactly did he get into this? Why had they mistaken them for temporary employees? The workers did seemed to be stressed out about this ordeal though. He didn't think they would make a big deal in welcoming Aisha and he doubt that she knew either.
He was told to arrange some furniture, dust off anything that needs to be clean, and help out in the kitchen. He heard yelling on the second floor and he distinctly recognized it as Aisha's. Why she was screaming was beyond him, though he did have a hunch or two as to why.
"Lady Rena and Princess Ara have come back from their shopping!" A maid informed, and then looked at Raven who was finishing off in cleaning a vase. "Could you go help them with their belongings?"
"Sure."
Rena and Ara came back from shopping, and upon seeing unattended luggage on the floor, they tilt their head to the side. "Who's are these?"
"Do we have visitors?" Ara inquired.
"No...the only ones I'm expecting are -"
"Welcome back."
The two girls looked up, their faces written with more perplexity upon seeing the Blade Master decked out in a butler uniform with manners of one as well. They have a feeling that they were missing something really important here.
"Raven...is that you?" Rena queried. If Raven had place closer attention, then he would see Rena blushing. "Why are you dressed like that? Last time I remember, you don't even work here!"
"Ah, about that," Raven started. "There was -"
"REENNNAAAAA!"
The trio looked ahead to see a certain magician storming at them with an irked expression. Rena and Ara, again, were befuddled as to why the two were in their employee's uniforms. And Ara was also wondering why Aisha was here.
"You better have an explanation as to why you were out when we came here!" She seethed. The elf squealed in delight and tackled the purplette in a bear hug.
"Wha-?! Huh-?!"
"You're so cute Ai~!"
Aisha's cheeks flared in embarrassment and tried to pry the Grand Archer off of her. "Honestly Rena, be more serious about this! Just answer my question!"
"Um..." Rena furrowed her brows and mulled over Aisha's inquiry. "Ara and I were out shopping since I knew you would be coming, but I didn't expect you to arrive so early nor did I expect Raven to come along as well!"
She then examines them up and down. "But why are you two dressed in that uniform? Albeit they look adorable on you guys!"
"...Adorable?" Raven sweatdropped. That kind of hurt his manly pride in more ways than one.
"A-ah!" Rena stuttered with a red face, then waved her hands in front of her and shook her head. "T-that's not what I meant!"
"We were mistaken as temporary staffs and before we could explain, they rushed us off." Aisha explained with a huff; cutting the two adults' mini conversation short, if there really was one at all.
"Really?!" Rena tittered. "I'm so sorry! I told them to prepare for your arrival but I didn't think they would do this!"
"Don't laugh! And worst of all, I have to deliver a food tray to that Elbrat!" The purplette continued to gripe. "Do you know how tempted I was to spit in his tea or put poison in his biscuit?! And how I so wanted to beat that guy to a pulp when he laughed at me in my ridiculous clothes?!"
Rena and Raven tried to stifle their mirth.
"I wasn't laughing at your clothes," Came Elsword's voice. "And didn't you hear me complimenting you?"
Ara raised an eyebrow upon hearing that. She can't remember if Elsword ever complimented anyone on their appearances, not her, not even Elesis except when she beat it out of him. She felt a bit of jealousy at Aisha but shook it off, it shouldn't be that big of a deal.
Aisha turned and glared at the red haired idiot. "You laughed at me when I explained my situation while in this maid uniform. Is that enough of a clarification for you?"
"Oh loud and clear Grape." He smirked, enjoying the fuming purplette.
"Watch your tongue Cherry."
"You know..." He mused. "There are other ways of interpreting that threat."
"Hah?"
Raven was enjoying this while Ara blushed, thinking of what he meant by that. Rena, however, twitched an eye.
"...You repulsive little pervert!" Aisha pointed accusingly after finally realizing what the redhead meant.
He shrugged, "All I'm saying is that you should choose your words wisely."
"I don't need advice from a jerk like you!"
"How do you even know if I'm what you said I am if you don't even know me?"
The purplette scoffed back at his question, "I will be wasting my time if I bother with wanting to know you. Beside, you're giving off the impression of an arrogant jerk who's also a pervert."
"Well," Elsword countered. "You're giving me the impression of an impertinent princess. Not to mention a cutting board." He said the last remarked quickly under his breath. Of course, it did not escape Aisha's ears and she inflamed.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!" She was totally referring to the former insult instead of the latter.
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO YELL GRAPE!"
"I CAN DO WHAT EVER THE LADY EL I WANT TO!"
"BOTH OF YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!" Rena screamed all of a sudden, infuriated. She smacked both Elsword and Aisha upside the head.
"OW! RENA!" both of them yelped in sync, rubbing their heads.
"STOP ACTING LIKE STUCK-UP LITTLE BRATS!" The demonic aura surrounding the elf's being caused Aisha and Elsword to shrink in their spot and Ara to squeak in fright. The purplette and ebony girl have never seen the gentle elf like this or that she can be so...monstrous. Elsword, already known this side of Rena, did not expect her to go off just now like a bomb.
Rena took a deep breath in and let it out, "Now, are you going to be like the good prince and princess that you two are?"
The two nodded obediently.
"Good~!" She transferred back to her cheerful self in the blink of an eye, causing everyone to sweatdrop. "Now, how about you take you to the guess room so that we can have a civilized discussion?"
"Rena, why are the staff welcoming us like there's going to be a party or something?" Raven spoke up at last, holding up a finger as if making a statement of some sort.
"What?" The elf blinked. "I didn't ask them to do that. I told them to prepare but didn't tell them to get ready for a welcoming party."
"..."
"Rena..." Elsword raised a finger to get a point cross. "I don't think you gave them much to go on..."
"Well," She tapped a finger to her chin, looking thoughtful. "I did tell them to make you feel welcome and that they should put more effort in it than the usual...oops."
"They mistook it." Elsword facepalmed.
Rena laughed sheepishly, "Sorry! I'll go tell them right now!"
"Can you two take Raven and Aisha to the guess room?" Rena called out to Elsword and Ara. The ebony girl nodded but the elf already had her back turned away.
"Let's go then."
"Wait," Aisha stopped them with the emphasis of her hand. "We need to change out of these."
Elsword almost split out his tea at Rena's words. He looked at the elf incredulously. Rena did not say what he had just thought she said. No way was he going to get tutored by the Grape head.
"I'm sorry, but could you repeat what you just said?"
"Since you said you were having trouble," Rena repeated. "I requested for Aisha to come to stay at Ruben and help you."
"..." He just blinked. "What?"
"You're not the only one that got a problem with this arrangement." The purplette muttered, biting into a cookie, sitting on the opposite of them with Raven.
"Don't worry," Rena assured, misreading his look of horror. "Aisha have excelled in any and all academic studies. She even tutored others before and they been doing quite well after that."
She then smiled, "So starting tomorrow, Aisha will be here to tutor you in whatever you have trouble with."
"Why -"
"I don't want to hear any arguments." Rena cut Elsword off sternly, wagging a finger back and forth in front of her.
...
"I can't believe you'll be staying with us!" Ara cheered, sitting in a chair in Aisha's temporary room. "This is great!"
"Mhm!" The purplette nodded happily, then sighed, flopping onto the soft bed. "But it'll also be like hell. I still can't believe you're engaged to that Cherry!"
"Cherry?" The ebony girl tilt her head subtly to the side. "You mean Elsword?"
"Yeah, the Eldork."
Ara frowned at the nickname. "He's not a dork."
"He is in my eyes," The purplette deadpanned. "In all honesty, what do you see in him?"
The ebony girl sighed dreamily, signaling to Aisha she was going to get a rant that she didn't want hear. "Too many to count. For one, Elsword's charming -"
Ugly.
"- Strong -"
Puny.
" -Funny -"
Glutton.
...The list goes on and on that Ara never seemed to be running out of compliments for the red haired doofus. As Ara listed, Aisha was thinking the pretty little words of the exact opposite of what the ebony girl had used to describe Elsword.
Aisha thought that she was going to die if she hears one more good praise about the Elbrat. Both of them have COMPLETELY opposite views on the boy.
"I just wished he would look at me in a different light." Aisha sighed dejectedly. The purplette sat up on the bed.
"What?" Aisha replied slowly and incredulously. "He doesn't even return your feelings? That's the living definition of a jerk. I think you're wasting your time on an obtuse guy like him."
Ara frowned at the purplette's continuous insults. Why was she even jealous of Elsword complimenting her in the first place if Aisha didn't pay any mind to it?
"Why do you hate him so much?"
The purplette narrowed her eyes and grind her teeth together. She recounted the time that she had meet him at Elesis's wedding and what had followed to the Sakra Devanam. Ara giggled at the story but apologized right after.
"It was absolutely unforgivable!" The purplette exclaimed indignantly, raising a fist up to eye level.
"Aisha, that was only an accident," The ebony girl argued. "You can't hate him just for that."
"Hmph!" She folded her arms and turned away. She didn't hate him for that. She had hated for ever since they were little, albeit they only meet once. But she wasn't going to share something like that to Ara. It might be a little too personal for both of them.
Ara did her best to persuade the stubborn magician to change her mind about Elsword and to give him another chance but she just wouldn't budge.
"Why are you trying to coax me into liking him?" Aisha chastised. "Shouldn't you be worried about the competition since he doesn't like you that way?"
"If I want competition, there's plenty among his pool of fangirls." The ebony girl quipped nonchalantly.
The purplette snorted. "They must all not be in their right mind. Now, stop trying to convince me and deal with your problem with Elsword. I'm only here because Father told me that I have to."
Ara sighed. "It's not that easy when I don't see him half the time." She looked at Aisha. "Maybe you can help me?"
Aisha stared blankly at her. "I think you're asking the wrong person..."
When was the last time she had to deal with someone's love life? Never, that's when. So how does the Sakra Devanam expect her to help? It's not like she have any experience in this; the crush didn't count in the Elemental Master's opinion. She also have been spending most of her time reading, not socializing. Now, she have read many romance novels but doesn't mean she would understand anything about the topic of discussion. And the books always have predicable endings, or at least cheesy ones that she would be like, '...Really?' and close the book to never open again though she would never throw it out.
"But you'll be tutoring him!" Ara pointed out. "That means you have to see him everyday -"
"Don't remind me." retched the purplette.
The Sander princess ignored the interjection. "So if you could get him to come out or let me help you, things would go more smoothly!"
The magician raised an eyebrow. "How do you expect it to go more smoothly if all he wants is to ignore you?"
That word pierced through Ara but she refuses to give up, determination flared up in her eyes. "My goal is to make Elsword fall for me but it won't work if I can't even get close to him so..." She grabbed Aisha's hands and clamped them into hers, and then pulled off the best puppy dog eyes she have in her arsenal. "Please?"
"Urk..." The purplette edge back uneasily. She already have trouble saying no to pretty much anything and those pleading eyes of Ara just made it worst. After a moment of silent pleading, the girl sighed in defeat. "Fiiiiinneee...I'll try, no promises."
The Sakra Devanam was overjoyed and thanked Aisha for her assistance. The magician mentally cursed herself for not being able to deny a request even if it was to meddle with one's feelings, but Ara was a friend. Aisha felt that she at least need to help Ara with her task at hand.
Hope you like this chapter~!
To my reviewers:
ragna0011 - I love my EM too and I only thought of this scene up because I have a Royal Maid costume for mine *^* she looks so adorable in it! It was worth all the trouble of getting it!
Arrow-chan3 - Phew, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!
Astaria Mel Kanariane - Hehe, yep I'm just making Aisha suffer from embarrassment not. Sorry Aisha! QAQ
ReikaElementalVocaloid - LOL! That rage! XD But in the maids' defense, they were stressed out :p
Thanks for reviewing!
Until next time,
R, R &R~