Author's Note:
I don't own Xenoblade and all character belong to their rightful owners.
Ugh, it's that time of year again. It's not much, but another chapter is another chapter, right? Expect long delays from here on out.
Enjoy!
The sound of a knock upon the door captured their attention. Pate stared at the wood in alarm and quickly brushed the remaining tears from his face. He pulled away from Reyn, who reluctantly let him go.
"Um…It's just me, Teanna." Oddly, her usually confident voice sounded timid. "Can I come in?"
"S-sure!" Pate called weakly.
The door swung inward and Teanna's lithe form entered. Her gaze swept over Pate and Reyn and she raised an eyebrow at the two. She focused back on Reyn.
"I wanted to talk to Pate, so if you don't mind…get the hell out." She pointed to the door as she spoke. Reyn hopped to his feet.
"Alright, alright, I'm going," He hesitated in the doorway for a moment and glanced over his shoulder at Pate. Reyn put a finger to his lips and winked, miming to Pate that their conversation would stay a secret. Pate flushed lightly but smiled gratefully. Reyn quickly ducked into the main room, closing the door behind him.
"Wh-what did you, um, want to t-talk about?" Pate brushed aside a strand of hair. He tried to tuck the piece behind his ear; however the short lock fell back onto his face.
"It's…You see…I…" Teanna shifted uncomfortably on her feet and she rubbed the back of her neck. "Aw, damn it all to hell!" Her sharp curse caused Pate to jump. She sighed heavily and turned her gaze back onto the High Entia. "What I'm trying to say is…" Teanna pulled at her bangs in frustration. "I could understand if you didn't like me, hell, if I was you, I wouldn't like me either."
"Um…I-I don't, um, follow…" Pate hesitated to speak. The woman seemed agitated enough and he was afraid to upset her further. Teanna sighed loudly again and dropped her arms against her sides.
"Listen, if you want to shot me to get even, you can do it. I mean, I don't know how good your aim is…but it's the least I could do, right? I deserve it, don't I?"
Pate stared wide-eyed at her for a moment. His confused expression melted away into a smile. He realized what she was trying to do. Laughter bubbled up in his chest and he couldn't contain it. Pate bent his head as he laughed softly into his fingers. The delicate sound caused a light blush to form in Teanna's cheeks.
"H-hey! Don't laugh at me! Can't you see I'm just trying to say, I'm sorry!" Teanna blurted the words she had been having such a hard time getting out.
"I-I know. I-I'm sorry. Your honesty, it-it's refreshing." Pate struggled to get the words out through his giggles. He raised his face and smiled brightly up at her. Teanna never thought she would see such a wide smile from him. It was enough and he didn't need to say his next words.
"I, um, forgive you."
"That's good, because I never would have let you use my pistols anyway." Teanna muttered, turning her face away from him.
"Th-thank you, for, um, healing me."
"Oh! It was nothing. I'm a medic, healing people is what I do. And it was my fault you got hurt anyway." Teanna waved the comment away. A sudden thought popped into her head and she faced Pate to ask the question. "Why'd you go down into the swamp, in the first place? You knew there was a chance that you might turn into a Telethia. You could have stayed up at the campsite."
Pate flushed as he thought back to the moment. He dropped his gaze to his hands and a blush worked its way onto his features. He studied his palm in slight wonder.
"…I don't know, Reyn…" Pate muttered the words under his breath. He shook his head and raised his eyes. "I-I don't really, um, know." He shrugged weakly. Teanna nodded in understanding.
"Alright." She smiled at him. "Thanks again for saving us."
"Y-you're welcome."
Teanna waved over her shoulder as she left the room. Pate watched the door swing close behind her. Silver eyes dropped back down to his hands and he smiled slightly.
He makes me feel brave.
End Note:
The first two of Rhodri's arts.
1. Researcher's Mentality
Aura that stops you gaining aggro
Attribute: Ether
Target: User
Range: Individual Target
Distance: N/A
Damage: N/A
Cooldown: 33.0 seconds
Effects:
Decreases aggro 55%
No aggro gained while active
- Effect Time 30.0 seconds
2. Ankle Strike
Whip an enemy's ankles, inflicting Topple
Attribute: Ether
Target: Enemy
Range: Individual Target
Distance: Close
Damage: 825
Cooldown: 14.0 seconds
Effects:
Suffering Break: Topple
- Effect Time 3.0 seconds