I figured that as I work on the next chapter of my Tahorra story I could update this. I already have this whole story written after all. It's not like it takes much effort.
Dart raced to the entrance of the carnival, eager to see Shana's face and know what she thought of his matches. That and he would like to see if she could give him a speedy heal of his wounds that the attendants had tried to patch up. Although he figured she wasn't skilled enough yet to do so. "Shana!" He cried as he saw her, smiling brightly.
Shana perked instantly, waving with unbound energy. "Dart!" A certain life was even added to her light brown eyes upon seeing him.
Dart slowed until he stood right in front of her and Rose. "Hey."
Shana grinned from ear to ear, running her foot in circles in the dirt as she muttered shyly, "Congratulations on second place."
Dart nodded. "Thanks." He sighed softly after the word passed his lips. "I wish I could have won first prize for you though."
Shana shook her head. "It's okay, Dart. You looked very cool!" She assured, shrugging her shoulders faintly. "Besides…" she clasped her hands at her waist to create the perfect image of innocence. "…just having you safe is enough for me."
Rose leaned back against a wall, finding it was best if she didn't say anything at all. She knew if she dared she'd only end up criticizing which might not affect Dart, but it would definitely make his sweetheart mad.
"Oh, this person is…?" Shana finally noticed Haschel who had been standing by Dart for a minute or two now.
Haschel chuckled at her. "You only watched Dart, did you?" He raised a brow, poking fun. "Oh well." He laughed again. "Don't worry. It's universal, girls in love are blind!"
Shana grinned sheepishly. So even this man could tell? How sad.
Dart waved his hands frantically. "No, it's not that." He insisted, the tiniest hint of a blush finding its way to the surface.
Shana giggled softly as Dart grew the slightest bit embarrassed.
Dart sighed, rubbing his head. "You haven't changed, Haschel." He looked to Lavitz and then to the girls, pointing at Haschel. "He's never serious except when he's fighting."
"Ah!" Haschel pretended to be offended. "It's not…" He sighed in defeat. "It's true." His face fell some then. "But the goal of my journey is a serious one. I am looking for my daughter who ran away."
Dart nodded, remembering. "It was about four years ago when we met." He informed them. "It was when I was on my quest pursuing the Black Monster."
Rose showed signs of mild surprise as she glanced over at Dart, mumbling to herself, "Black…Monster." So he was a survivor.
Haschel noticed Rose finally then. "The tootsie over there is your friend too?" He nodded to her, flashing her a charming smile.
Rose's eyes instantly narrowed into thin slits, mouth curved into a sharp snarl. "Don't 'tootsie' me. My name is Rose." She said through clenched teeth.
Haschel's smug smile immediately fell from his face and he quickly turned his attention to the only other girl. "Well, which one is Dart's sweetheart?" He said in nonchalance, figuring one must be as he hoped deep down Rose was the one. This other girl seemed much nicer.
Dart started, spinning about to face Haschel in a hurry. "Wha-What are you talking about!" His eyes were wide and pulse rapid. "Besides," he said more calmly, "I told you about Shana many times!"
Haschel raised a brow at him. "Did you?" He shrugged as to say ok. "So, you still think of her as your baby sister then?"
Dart glared at him. "Stop that." He hit him lightly.
Lavitz had been formulating a plan as the others conversed, finally fitting the final pieces into place. "Hey Dart…" he walked over closer. "Here's the plan. Why don't you go around the arena just with Shana?" He swallowed a bit as he forced himself to say the rest. "Then, I can go out with Rose."
Rose's eyes grew exponentially larger and she found it hard to formulate a response of any kind. "What?" She managed.
Lavitz pretended not to hear her, grabbing onto her wrist with little care to half drag her along the dirt road away from Shana and Dart.
Rose's instinct to being touched instantly kicked in and she jerked her arm away from him before smacking him swiftly in the side of the head. "Why do I have to go with you?" She hissed in severe irritation.
Lavitz rubbed his head tenderly as he slowly got to his knees and then to his feet. "Just pretending." He whispered. "Really." He swore almost pitifully as he prayed she wouldn't hit him again.
The others just sort of stared as it all went down, reactions ranging from utter shock to high amusement. Dart was the first to snap out of it. "What do you think?" He shrugged, pulling his gaze from the odd pair to meet Shana's eyes.
Shana smiled sweetly, head tilted some. "Dart…it's a good chance. Can we do it?" He should have known she would have died to get such an opportunity. It was more a question of whether or not he was willing.
Dart didn't know. He knew what Lavitz was trying to do here, hook them up. But Dart wasn't sure if he really wanted such a thing. Shana was still just his baby sister; to be anything more seemed off…out of place in what he would like to be a perfect world. And once they crossed the line, would there be any going back?
Haschel saw the indecision written all over Dart's face and could scarcely believe him. If he were in his shoes he knew what he'd do. And at that thought he grinned slyly. "Shall we go?" He offered, hooking his arm around hers and started to walk off.
Lavitz gawked at him an instant before snapping, "I didn't mean you, Master Haschel!" His new scowl fully showed his disapproval. Heck, if it wasn't going to be Dart it would be him! Not Haschel!
Haschel frowned, turning back around. "Oh yeah?" He feigned innocence. "It seems Dart can not make up his mind so I thought I could do it for him." He said simply, unable to hide his bright smile.
Dart shrugged, rubbing his head in slight nervousness. "I guess."
Lavitz grinned in triumph, handing him a handful of tickets he'd thought to buy before running off to get him. "Here. Play some games."
Dart then moved over to Shana's side. "We haven't had any time to relax. So…shall we?"
Shana's face brightened as it had when he'd first approached them. "Yes!" She nodded once fervently.
Dart couldn't help but smile at her as she grew so happy, even if he didn't quite share the sentiments. If it made her happy he'd do it. He'd just have to get back at Lavitz for this later is all.
Shana skipped along as they left the other three behind, a sweet serenity wrapping itself around her and blocking out all other noises but those made by them. "So, where to first?" She finally piped up, eyes gleaming with interest.
Dart shrugged in indifference. "Where ever you want to go." He smiled softly at her. Honestly he didn't want to be playing stupid carnival games. Only Shana could get him to.
"Hmm…" Shana tapped her chin thoughtfully. "How about that one?" She pointed her hand like a gun at it.
Dart followed her finger to the right stand. It was the one with the three men and their strange hats. He sighed. Well, if she wanted to then more power to her. "Ok."
Shana latched on to his wrist. "Come on then!" She laughed, dragging him as best she could over to her choice. She could hardly wait.
Dart rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm, allowing her to pull him along by not resisting until they reached the stand in a matter of seconds.
"Alright!" She cheered. "So how do you play?" She asked sweet as honey to the man at the stand.
"I'll be happy to explain." He nodded.
Oh, sure. See a pretty face and you'd do anything. Dart didn't like this one bit no matter if the guy was just doing his job or not.
"You try to find the man!" He said vaguely.
"The man?" Shana cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"Each of these men have on hats, see? And underneath one of their hats is a bird." He paused to let this sink in. "Well, anyway, I'll show you which one at the start but then it's up to you to remember where it is once they move around."
"Oh!" Shana thought it was an absolutely fantastic game. "Ok! Do it Dart!"
Dart started slightly. "What?"
Shana laughed. "Find the bird for me." She said simply, smiling sweetly up at him.
Dart frowned at her. "What? Why do I have to do it? I'm not the one who wants to play!" Dart argued in an almost whiney tone. Listening to himself after the words left his mouth he had to say that he sounded like a five year old to be perfectly honest.
Shana scowled faintly at Dart, mimicking how she'd seen Rose look at him once before when she wasn't pleased with what he'd done. "Come on! You can't just follow me! You have to play too!"
Dart searched for a reason he actually didn't have to do it. "Look, I'll play the next one, ok?" He tried, shrugging his hands.
Shana didn't think about it at all, she downright refused. "No." She sighed irritably. "Dart…this is supposed to be fun…" She mumbled, averting her eyes as she felt them become wet with potential tears.
Dart felt immediate grief wash over him, and he sighed, "Fine. I'll play." This was why she was better as his sister. Significant others don't have the ability to sway your ways with a tearful look, at least they didn't in Dart's mind. He thought that position was only to a sister, one who was so incredibly close to him.
Shana wiped at her eyes fervently, nodding faintly. "Ok." She perked to add, "And I'll help!"
Dart smiled a small smile as she offered, turning back to the man at the stand. "One ticket right?" Dart extended his hand out to place the ticket in the man's hand.
"Yes!" The man nodded his whole upper half of his body. "Have fun!" He snapped his fingers and the three men who had been sitting idly popped up to their feet, each lifting their hats up. The one at the right had it. And then they began to scurry around in a dizzying manner. It didn't help every aspect of their clothes were identical either.
The man snapped his fingers again and they scrambled to line up side by side.
Dart took this to mean he was supposed to guess now. "Um…" he tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know." He leaned in some as if this would help.
Shana laughed softly at Dart and his odd behavior. Even if he claimed to not want to play he was obviously getting more into it than he thought he would. This was something Shana loved about him.
"I guess the left one?" He shrugged, looking to Shana for confirmation.
Shana shrugged the same as him. "I lost track." She admitted.
All three men lifted up their hats, revealing the man in the center to be the one with the birdie. "Aw." The man sighed in false sympathy. "Sorry. You'll have to try again later I suppose."
Dart grumbled incoherent words beneath his breath as they walked away from the stand to find another.
Shana held her head lightly after a couple of steps. "I feel kinda dizzy." She admitted, looking up at Dart to find out his sentiments on the matter.
Dart snorted. "It's my kind of game." He completely forgot how at the start he had wanted nothing to do with it. "It's like a battle."
Shana didn't know what to say to this, so she said nothing. She hated how he always managed to turn things that were supposed to be fun into having to do with stupid fighting. It was top on the list too. Why couldn't he just relax and enjoy things for what they were? More importantly why couldn't he at least pretend that this was romantic?
The silence lingering in the air between them was grating on Dart's nerves. He didn't like it when she was so quiet and they were somewhere she wanted to be, doing something she was supposed to enjoy. So Dart stirred up the conversation some, rubbing his head. "So…what do you want to do next?"
Shana smiled again as he took the initiative. "Um…anything you want Dart!" She clasped her hands at her chest as they continued walking. "I am just happy to be alone with you." She sighed in content.
Dart couldn't help but smile with equal passion down at her. He so loved her smile, it had an enlightening effect on him. "Let's go look for another place then." He muttered gently.
"Ok." She cheered. "Let's go here then." She steered him over to another stand.
Dart was expecting to get another game like the birdie one, so when he bothered to take in the appearance he was pleasantly surprised. It was the stand with the fake nature setup made of cardboard. He was amazed that Shana had actually picked something he might get to throw objects in. He smirked unconsciously. "Cool."
"How does this one work?" Shana asked as she had before.
The man was happy to reply. He had had no participants all day. "You throw the balls and conquer the monsters!" He cried with undue enthusiasm, his hands acting as fireworks and popping open. "One ticket will make you a warrior!"
Dart raised a brow at this strange man. "And…?"
The man lost some of his spark at this. "And? And what? It's not complicated." He scoffed. "You throw these balls." He said slowly, pointing in slow motion as well. "At those monsters when they pop up from the holes or out from behind the scenery."
Dart growled lightly under his breath. He didn't like this guy one tiny bit. He was acting as if he was stupid or something. Which he wasn't. He got the concept; he meant what were the prizes. At the other stand he had just wanted to get away too much at the beginning to bother asking, but now he wanted to know. "No, the prizes."
The man rolled his eyes, disliking Dart as much as Dart did him. "Sorry, there aren't any prizes." He relished in the fact this would make Dart angry.
Dart, as he suspected, was angry. "What kind of game doesn't have a prize!" He threw his hands into the air in disbelief.
"This one." He retorted, crossing his arms.
"And you'd be the only one!"
"Dart…" Shana whined, pulling on his arm to try and get him away from this stand. They obviously weren't going to have any fun here. "Let's go somewhere else."
"No." Dart said firmly through clenched teeth. "I'm gonna play." He slapped a ticket down hard into the man's hand, glaring daggers into him all the while.
Shana backed up some, frowning deeply as she watched Dart sink back into his mindset of forgetting this was a date of the sorts and focusing only on winning this 'battle'.
The man set a bucket of rocks on the stand for Dart to chuck at the creatures that popped out. "Good luck." He said through clenched teeth.
"I don't need it." Dart sneered, picking up the first rock and tossing it gently in his hand.
The man snorted, rolling his eyes as he flipped the switch and everything burst to life. Small cardboard creatures sprung out from the holes on the set and peeked out from behind the rocks and trees. Some sort of sound effect was even making it sound as if the creatures were laughing.
Dart hurled one rock after another at the creatures, arms moving like a pinwheel in superfast motion. The strength behind his throw was increased tenfold like his speed as he pretended that the stupid game manager's head was on all of the creatures. The thought also made him smirk devilishly.
All Shana could do was stand back and sigh sadly to herself, hoping someone would notice and make her feel better. Someone like Lavitz. Thinking of him made her smile despite herself for a fraction of a second before Dart's voice cut through the air.
"Yeah! Eat it!" Dart yelled, hitting another one square in the face to bring his count up to fifty.
The man at the stand growled at how well Dart was doing in the time frame. So he decided he'd flip the switch up a notch to heighten the speed of his cardboard creatures.
Shana sighed again, thinking about wandering off to go do something on her own. Maybe she'd even go see what Rose was doing over there. In fact…
"You cheater!" Dart snapped, slamming his last rock against the stand as his game ended. "You did something! Now tell me what it is!"
The man smirked deviously. "Nope. It's all part of the game." He insisted.
"Liar!"
That's all Shana heard because it was that moment she decided that she'd had enough. She simply walked away from the two idiot men in search of a source of either entertainment or soothing. Unfortunately all she found was Rose.
Rose was leaned back against the side of one of the stands, looking as cool and indifferent as ever. Her eyes were bottomless pits of brooding beauty.
Shana timidly approached her, biting at her nails nervously. "Rose…?"
Rose lazily looked up, brow rising as she realized who it was. "Shana…" her flat line mouth turned into a slight frown. "Aren't you supposed to be doing something…somewhere else?" She didn't mean for it to sound curt, but it was something she couldn't help. She honestly wanted to know what had gone wrong.
Shana sighed bitterly, eyes locked on the ground at her feet. "Yeah…but Dart, he just…" she couldn't bear to say it out loud, not to Rose. She didn't trust her to feel sorry for her or comfort her at all.
Rose rolled her eyes, not moving from her spot. "Guys aren't worth it." She scoffed. "Don't be a baby and cry about it."
Shana felt her lip quiver. She knew she had made a mistake talking to her. She knew she wouldn't be able to act sensitive for even the slightest fraction of a second. It wasn't in her nature. "O-Ok…" she managed to squeeze out, biting her lip as she went off back toward Dart.
Dart had finished his fight now and turned to grab Shana. "Let's go, I'm tired of this-" he stopped short, eyes growing the size of bowling balls as he realized Shana no longer stood next to him. "Shana?" he said with ever growing fear. "Shana? Where are you!"
Shana thought she heard Dart's voice calling for her as she slowly returned to where he'd been fighting with that stand owner. But she didn't care for once. For once she was too distracted by her hurt feelings to care to any degree about him. Did that make her a bad person?
"Shana!" Dart cried out for him, a fear gripping him even though they were in no particular danger in this place.
Shana slowly raised her head up to see if she saw him coming toward her, but she did not yet. So she went on walking, changing her course to the exit of this stupid carnival. Maybe then she'd find Lavitz who she desperately needed in the moment.
Lavitz perked as he heard footsteps, smiling as he saw it was Shana. "Hey." He chirped, brow furrowing as he noticed Dart was missing. "Where is…?"
Shana turned her head away from him, biting her lip in order to remain calm.
"Shana!" Dart cried for the umpteenth time, sighing heavily as he saw her standing with Lavitz. "Shana! What are you doing? You scared me to death."
Shana looked sadly at him. "I was just looking around a bit more." She murmured unconvincingly, offering an equally fake smile to boot.
"Oh…ok." Dart didn't even think to question the sincerity of her words. He trusted her.
Lavitz did a mental face palm, seeing that this alone time had gone horribly awry. He sighed outwardly, rubbing his temples some as he tried to think of a way to fix this mess. "Well…" he started to say, changing course as he decided based on her expression she was no longer in the mood to play games. "Are you ok with this much time then?"
Shana nodded slowly, pained look never fading.
Upon seeing Shana's answer Dart answered without fear of her resenting his choice. "I got enough."
Lavitz scowled lightly at Dart's choice of words, expression turning soft as he looked back to Shana. "Had some fun?" He asked gently.
"Yes." She muttered near inaudibly. "Thank you, Lavitz." She couldn't say what she wanted to with Dart standing right next to her. If she did she'd just end up hurting him and she hated such a thought.
Lavitz's eyes held the sorrow he felt for her even though his words carefully hide the feeling while Dart was here. "I'm glad."
Dart quickly moved on from the situation, still blind to the fact Shana was sad because of how he had acted previously. "Now, we gotta get back to Bale!" He said with enthusiasm, arms crossed over his chest. "Otherwise, we'll be late with our report to King Albert." A broad smiled showed on his face.
Lavitz sighed in disbelief as he rubbed his held his head like it were hurting him because of Dart's behavior. "Dart, come this way." He shook his head, waving Dart on to the outside of the carnival area to so he could talk to him alone.
Dart shrugged, following him out with a half-smile now. "What is it?"
Lavitz felt much more at ease without Shana there to listen and look on with her awfully sad eyes. "Did you do something about it?" He then sighed with faint irritation.
Dart made a face at Lavitz that said, 'What are you talking about?' "I didn't do anything." He chuckled without any real pleasure or amusement.
"Nothing?" Lavitz shook his head in disapproval. "You didn't even take her hand?" He couldn't believe Dart. He had practically set them up for something, even the tiniest of moments. Yet Dart always seemed to ruin it one way or another.
Dart sighed, hanging his head to a degree. "Shana is not a baby anymore." He looked sadly up as he voiced this fact. "I don't need to go hand in hand."
Lavitz rubbed his temples, hand holding the elbow of this arm. "Dart, are you getting what I am talking about?" He better get it.
Dart sighed again. "I guess." He shrugged his shoulders. "But Shana is like a baby sister to me." He tilted his head to look back into the arena. "I can not change that."
Lavitz's frown deepened. "I don't think Shana thinks that way." He stated quite bluntly in case Dart truly didn't see it.
Dart averted his eyes, nearly hating himself as he spoke of what had been on his mind since the day he returned. "When the war ends…I gotta go on my journey again to pursue the Black Monster." He tentatively looked over at Lavitz to gauge his reaction. "And I don't want her to be involved in that."
"Dart." Lavitz growled sternly, expecting him to listen closely with every ounce of his being. "Revenge doesn't solve anything."
Dart frowned, looking away again. If it was so then why did his hatred for the beast burn deeper with each passing day he lived.
Lavitz saw the hatred in the depths of Dart's eyes and pressed the issue. "I learned that from the death of Greham, the guy who betrayed my father, the guy who defected to the Sandora…the guy I hated. He said the last bit with a sad bitterness for both his father and, in the end, Greham.
Dart knew the feelings that Lavitz was experiencing better than anyone in the world. But their situations weren't the same. Lavitz was able to say this because he had exacted his revenge already. If Dart had asked him before then he knew Lavitz would have been singing a different tune.
Lavitz sighed softly, close to giving up. But not yet. "The person you should be looking for is not in your past. Right? You should pay attention to the present."
Despite his disagreement with all he had said, Dart couldn't help but smile a little. Lavitz was so persistent it was funny.
Lavitz couldn't think of any other way to put what Dart needed to do, so he finished with a shrug and a joke. "I'll accept a couple of drinks for this advice." He playfully nudged Dart in the side. "When the war ends, let's have a drink in Bale." He smiled as he turned about and headed back into the tent.
"H- Hey!" Dart stuttered, reaching out after Lavitz to have him stay. "Wait! Lavitz…" he had just thought of a good argument too.
Lavitz was surprised as he didn't see Shana right away. Had she disappeared on them again? She really needed to not do that. Even if it wasn't as dangerous as out in the forest there was still no telling what wacky occurrences would trigger with them. They had terrible luck. "Shana?"
Shana was standing back against a stand a ways away from Lavitz, trying not to cry as she waited for a miracle. She wasn't too picky either, just anything to make her smile again. But somehow she didn't see that happening right now.
"Shana?" Lavitz didn't sound frantic, but he was a bit worried. She had looked pretty pitiful as she'd struggled to keep control of herself in front of them before.
Shana heard Lavitz's gentle voice and looked up from the ground lazily, hugging herself for comfort as she wondered whether she should follow the sound of his voice to him or let him find her by chance. If he didn't give up then that meant he wanted to find her more than anything. And...she wanted to know if it were so.
Lavitz was becoming increasingly concerned about her whereabouts when he saw her standing alone in the corner with that same depressed look ruining her perfect features. He sighed in half relief half bitterness as he trotted up to her, showing a flash of teeth in his forced smile as he got close enough. "Hey…"
Shana pretended she didn't hear him in hopes that treating Lavitz how she'd been treated would make her feel better somehow.
Lavitz wasn't bothered in the least. "Come on, Shana." He extended his hand out for her take. "Let's sit." He didn't want to tell her that she had to tell him what had happened because he knew forcing a woman, any woman, to do something only made them want to do it less.
Shana didn't move for a moment, staring a hole into his hand. It was only as she thought she heard someone, probably Dart, coming back into the area that she changed her mind. She tentatively took his hand in hers and gave him permission to go with her.
Lavitz, however, didn't move. "Go where you want."
Shana cringed at these words. Dart had said the same thing, but their time together had ended so badly. She was rather afraid now would be the same.
Lavitz rubbed the back of her hand gently with his thumb. It was his way of attempting to soothe her to a degree. And it was also the safest way to do so. This way Dart wouldn't think he was being odd, even if he claimed to not think of Shana that way. Lavitz knew seeing he was losing his chance would ignite a fire within Dart.
Shana liked the feel of his skin moving as it was across hers. She actually found herself breathing easier thanks to the motion. And it was enough to get her to start leading Lavitz along to a nice quiet spot where they could be alone.
As they went they passed where Rose still stood up against the stand.
At first Rose didn't seem to care or even acknowledge what they were doing. It was after she did a double take to be sure what she saw had been real that she gave them a questioning look. She thought Shana was supposed to be Darts. What the heck?
Shana slowed as they came to a vacant bench at the rear of the place. There was not a soul within eyesight around the place either. This was perfect. So without a word Shana plopped down on the bench, expecting Lavitz to do the same.
Lavitz did, taking his hand back from her and putting them in his lap. "So, what's up?" He sounded so nonchalant to Shana that it was unreal.
Shana knew he knew what was bugging her, so there was no reason for him to be this way about it. "You know." She grumbled.
Lavitz shrugged. "Sort of. But I don't really know." He gave her the choice of expanding on the details or leaving things as they were. He was pretty sure he knew what she would do though.
Shana bit her lip as she tried to find the right way to say this. Even without Dart around, she still felt bad down talking him. "Dart…he was just him." She chuckled in a pained sounding way, burying her face in her hands.
Lavitz sighed softly, looking down at his feet for a minute before he tried to defend Dart. "He doesn't mean to hurt you."
"I know…" she whined between her fingers. "But…he still does." She swallowed hard, trying to force the sobs to stay dormant. "Especially today."
Lavitz grimaced. "What happened?" He whispered, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her closer to him.
"Nothing good." She moaned. "First he didn't want to play the game I chose…then he fought with the guy at the next one…and-and…he couldn't stop looking at it all as a battle."
Lavitz figured it was something like that.
"I know it's not his fault." She shook her head slowly back and forth, wiping fervently at her eyes. "But you'd think that after so long he'd be able to understand a woman, understand me."
Lavitz wrapped his other arm around her front, hugging her warmly. "You just have to keep trying. Eventually he'll get it."
Shana felt a shiver run down her spine as she felt his breath on her neck. It was a strange feeling that somehow calmed her as much as it made her uneasy. She even felt like her tears which had been so close to falling were receding now. "Maybe." She supposed, nestling her head into the crook of his neck. "But what if I get tired of trying?"
Lavitz wasn't sure what to make of her choice of words, picking the words to his reply very carefully. "If you love him you won't."
Shana smiled wryly. "What if…there's someone else?" She looked sweetly up at Lavitz, acting as if this was a normal conversation in which she was speaking of someone else entirely.
Lavitz started, catching his breath as he looked back down at her with uncertainty in his green eyes.
"And…what if he gives me the attention I crave without me asking? Then what?" She shifted out from Lavitz's neck so that she was sitting up straight and looking straight on in the eye, his arms moving from around her back to his sides.
"I…" Lavitz swallowed hard, trying his best to go along with this the way he knew he should. "I guess you'd have to choose then. Are you happy chasing Dart? Or would you rather have someone who would love you the way you want to be loved?" It was getting weird talking about himself in third person. He wanted this charade to end.
"I don't know." She admitted, her hands placed one on top of the other in her lap as she tilted her head up some. "But I'd have to be sure the guy I was giving Dart up for felt the same. Otherwise…I'd lose it all."
Lavitz smirked faintly, moving a tentative hand up to rest on the side of her face so he could gently rub her cheek with his thumb. "I doubt that's an issue."
Shana's gaze was tender as he spoke these words and she smiled lovingly up at him. "I'm glad." She breathed, raising a hand to lay on top of Lavitz's.
Lavitz's hand slipped from beneath hers down to her chin so he could tilt it up further. "So…?"
"I think…" Shana had a split second instance where she thought on how this would affect Dart, but just as quickly as it had come it was gone again. "…I choose to be happy now." Shana leaned up for him, eyes closed before contact was made.
Lavitz leaned down to meet her halfway, lips locking with hers in a moment's time for a kiss.
Shana felt electricity jump between their lips and an unimaginably blissful sensation snake its way through her whole body instantly. She felt tingly, numb even, as she experienced her first ever kiss.
Lavitz shared her feelings, this being his first kiss as well. And he had to say it was absolutely perfect. Gentle, yet so full of passion it was unreal.
Shana slowly moved her arms around Lavitz's neck as the kiss deepened, pressing her body up against him as well.
Lavitz had his arms around her waist soon after he felt her hands on his neck, eating up every ounce of the moment.
Just as soon as it began it was over again as they were forced to break apart for air. Still, they weren't too sad about it. They were simply happy to have shared this moment together.
"That was…" Lavitz went to say something, but the words died on his lips as he realized he didn't know how to describe what had just transpired.
"Nice." Shana finished for him, smiling brightly up at him as she took her arms back from him and scooted over some.
"Yeah." Lavitz nodded. Sure, he'd go with that. "Oh!" He perked, digging in his pockets all of a sudden.
Shana watched him with a 'what the hell' kind of look. "What are you doing?"
"Ah-ha!" He cried triumphantly, pulling from his pocket two lengthy strings.
Shana stared blankly. "Um…string?" She laughed.
Lavitz shook his head. "Not just string." He wagged his finger at her. "Now let me see your Dragoon Spirit. He held out his hand to receive the item.
Shana shrugged. "Ok." She dug through her own pocket, finding what she required much quicker than he did his. "Here."
Lavitz caught it in the palm of his hand, looping the string through the hole in it and tied the two ends of the one string together. "Tada!" he presented it to her. "See? Now you can have it like Dart and Rose. Easy access."
Shana chuckled. "Thanks. It's nice."
Lavitz beamed, slipping the necklace around her head for her. "There." He then went to working fast to do the same with his Dragoon Spirit. "And for me." He put his own on, finding it rather stupid looking. But it was much easier to mess with, as he'd told Shana a moment ago.
Shana flipped her Dragoon Spirit around between her fingers as she stared contentedly at Lavitz. "Thanks again, and not just for the necklace."
Lavitz grinned. "No problem. I'd do anything for you."
Shana blushed lightly, leaning in quick to kiss him again.
"Shana! Lavitz!" Dart's voice reached them, sounding a mixture of annoyed and worried.
Both jumped slightly in their skin at the sound of his voice, not having expected it. "Oh! It's Dart!" Shana jumped up into a standing position.
Lavitz frowned a bit, standing up more slowly beside her. "He probably wants to go on to Bale."
Shana nodded, sighing. "Yeah…probably."
But it wasn't Dart who they saw come around the corner first. It happened to be Rose.
"Rose!" Shana cried cheerfully, walking over to meet her along with Lavitz. "Is it time to go?"
"Yes." She said with clear irritation. "And please God go tell your other half to shut up. His yelling is driving me insane!" Her eyes were narrowed into slits and she was seething.
Shana stifled a laugh at Rose's appearance and behavior, knowing to cross her would be the end of all good times for quite a while. She might even slap her like she'd done to Lavitz.
Rose growled lightly under her breath and raised a brow as she noticed the sides of Shana's mouth twitching up and down constantly. She knew what it meant, but she also knew there was nothing she could do that wouldn't kill Shana for it.
"Shana!" Dart's voice came again, him flying into view an instant after. "Shana!" He cried this time in relief. "There you are." He hugged her briefly. "And you too Lavitz." He nodded to him.
Lavitz nodded back, only slightly nervous that Dart would somehow be able to tell what had happened previously and might not approve.
It was quiet for a minute as everyone looked from one to the other before Dart snapped out of it. "Well! It about time we go, don't you guys think?" He crossed his fingers behind him that Lavitz wouldn't jump on him again for wanting to leave rather than play games with Shana.
Lavitz shrugged in indifference. "Yeah, ok. King Albert is probably getting worried since we've been gone so long." He chuckled at the thought.
Dart's eager meter flew through the roof then. "Alright!" He did a fist pump. "Let's go!" And he was zipping away.
Rose rolled her eyes at him, following after at her own pace. She had no desire to race back to that town anyhow. It was so bland.
Lavitz and Shana brought up the rear, going even slower than Rose was. As they went Shana slipped her hand into his effortlessly, feeling as if nothing else really mattered at that moment.
Rose gazed lazily over her shoulder to see if the other two were coming or what. What she saw made her eyes widen marginally and became one of the few moments she could honestly say she was shocked. Lavitz and Shana…she certainly hadn't seen it coming.
By the time they neared the exit of the town everyone was walking in an even line and ready to make the long trek back to Bale.
Only as they went along there was suddenly a sharp scream of utter terror from a woman in a yellow dress. She scrambled like crazy away from the exit, nearly running Dart clear over.
"What the-" he broke off mid-sentence as he saw exactly what, his eyes growing wide.
Limping into the town with a arrows covering him and a spear protruding from his chest, visible from both the front and back, was a Bale soldier who was barely clinging to life. He groaned, reaching out for anyone at all, before he collapsed to the ground.
Lavitz jerked away from Shana, racing forward to kneel by the knight. "You-You are a knight of Basil!" He was frantic. "What has happened!"
The knight shakily lifted his head up off the ground to look at Lavitz with blurred vision. "Sir...Lavitz?" He could scarcely believe it, almost willing to bet he was losing it. "I'm…glad." He clutched at his heart, the searing pain of imminent death taking hold. "At least I won't die in vain…"
Lavitz's breathing had quickly elevated and his fear was climbing. "What's going on!" He demanded harshly, knowing it was too late for this soldier at this point. But that didn't mean it was too late for Bale!
The soldier struggled to get it all out in time. "Sandoras…surprised us with an attack…His Majesty Albert…is in captivity…" He moaned.
"What!" Lavitz snarled, eyes catching fire.
"The king...Hellena..." and his body went limp, heart stopping.
Lavitz sprung up, shaking his head back and forth in shock. "No…" he hissed, fists clenched at his side in shear loathing. "King Albert! I'll save you!" He shouted to the heavens, shooting into a run.
Dart started, jolting out of place to catch him. "Calm down Lavitz!" He snapped, twisting Lavitz's arms back behind him. "Pull yourself together!"
Lavitz struggled with all the power in him plus some to get away from Dart. "Let me go!" He snarled, kicking as a last resort. "I gotta go! King Albert!"
Suddenly Haschel was zipping down the road toward them, doing a stunning front flip over them to land directly in front of Lavitz. He did a swift turnabout upon landing to punch Lavitz hard in the gut.
Lavitz sucked in a sharp breath as he felt the air instantly leave his lungs. And in the next instant his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he went limp in Dart's hold.
Shana gasped, hands flying to her mouth. "Oh my God!"
Haschel wiped his hands together, "Sorry about that." He chuckled, rubbing his head nervously. "But he was just going to hurt himself."
...
Lavitz's blank mind slowly came back to reality, his eyes slowly fluttering open to reveal the familiar scenery of the doctor's room. "I am…" he muttered, everything still a bit hazy. "King Albert!" He yelled, eyes shooting open as he snapped up into a sitting position.
Haschel firmly crossed his arms over his chest, sending an intense look at Lavitz. "You idiot!" He said sharply, shaking his head. "When knights lose self-control, their lord can not be saved."
Lavitz knew he was right, so he forced himself to twist around and up into a standing position more calmly than he intended to at first.
"And only you can save King Albert now." Haschel said matter of factly, stern look never fading.
Lavitz started; about to lose the little self-control he had all over again. Every muscle, bone, and tendon in his body was aching to kick it in to high drive and kill the sorry bastards who dared kidnap his king!
Haschel turned, walking to the opposite end of the room with his hands clasped behind his back. "While you were sleeping, I went to get a feel for the situation." He turned back to Lavitz, taking a seat on a stool to explain. "Bale is under occupation. So, I don't think the remaining knights can do anything."
Before Haschel could go on Lavitz burst out. "What about King Albert!"
Haschel didn't comment on his rudeness, knowing that when something was really important the mind focused solely on that. "He offered himself up as a captive so that the people in Basil could be safe." He answered simply.
Lavitz growled angrily, slamming his fist against the wall out to ease his frustration. "Just because I defeated a dragon…!" He snarled at himself. He hit the wall a second time. "Why was I all whooped up!"
Shana frowned deeply at seeing him in such distress. She hated it and automatically went over beside him, locking her arms around his lowered one. "It'll be ok." She soothed, resting her head on his shoulder.
Dart raised a brow as he watched Shana go to Lavitz's side and act so strange. He didn't understand what she was doing either. There was no need to be over there by him to reassure him of things turning out well. So…why?
Haschel shook his head, brushing off Shana's actions and Dart's reaction to it. "There is no time for procrastination." He growled firmly.
Dart nodded firmly. "There's no choice!" He cried fiercely, doing a fist pump. "We must venture forth to Hellena!"
"We are taking the king back, aren't we?" Haschel mused, knowing the answer.
"We still have time!" Shana insisted with extreme enthusiasm.
Rose scoffed at them, flipping the hair from her eyes. "If you are going to go, make up your mind quickly." She hated sitting around idly when there was work to be done just as much as she hated people who sat around and talked about doing something instead of just doing it.
A certain tainted light came to Lavitz's eyes at all this support. "Yeah! That's right!" He smirked devilishly. We are still here!" Then an idea struck him as he moved an arm around Shana's waist. "But how about you, Master Haschel?" He asked with genuine interest.
Haschel shrugged, smiling faintly. "I've gone so far, I might as well just go too." He chuckled.
Lavitz's brow furrowed slightly. "What about your daughter?"
Haschel waved the notion away with a hand. "Don't worry about it. I have already been looking for her for twenty years." He grimaced at saying the length in which he had searched fruitlessly. "Going with you for a little while won't make any difference." He sighed.
Lavitz sighed in gratitude, bowing his head some. "Master Haschel, I can not thank you enough."
Haschel chuckled. "Don't worry about it." He thought of something then as he replayed Lavitz's words. "But can you call me just Haschel?" He cocked his head to the side some. "Master Haschel makes me feel…uneasy." Old was more like it. "That includes you too, Shana." He snickered.
"Okay, Haschel!" Shana said cheerfully.
Haschel sighed in content, loving the sound of Shana saying his name. "It feels good to be called by my first name by a young girl."
Rose was getting tired of sitting here. Were they going or not?
"Now!" Lavitz snapped back into furious fighting mode, a snarl set on his lips and eyes burning angrily. "Let's head for Hellena!"
Dart turned swiftly on his heel, the first out followed shortly by Lavitz and Shana who still held onto each other. Haschel was right on their heels too, Rose the last to go. She turned slowly around and walked out the door, only running to catch up after she saw everyone else was out of her sights.
The doctor found himself to be rather depressed by such violent choices. Still, it did mean one good thing. "I'll have lots of things to do."
I'm afraid this story kind of sucks. Like, I like it and all, but the way the paragraphs are so short bugs me. Like a lot. What do you think? Idk. Also - LavitzxShana because I can! Sorry, I had to say it. Well, review!