Chapter 4
Siblings and Suitors Part 2
Argyria was enjoying the Sky Show. The music coming up from the stage was a series of amazing rock hits from the opening bands. All her favorite people her age were in one spot- her childhood friends, her closest college friends, and her favorite mage. Even better, everyone was getting along! There had been some awkwardness when the guys first arrived. They were always a bit protective with new people, they felt like it was their responsibility to screen her outside friends. It could be a little frustrating at times, particularly because she knew that some of Evan's behavior was tinged by his innate jealousy of other guys; but she appreciated how much they cared and that they always ultimately left it up to her who to associate with. Evan might still have his hang ups, but he wasn't behaving nearly as bad as when they had been dating. Raistlin was seeming to take the guys in stride and she could tell he at least had Brian's seal of approval. Brian was fielding his brother and best friend, helping drag Raistlin into conversations with them when Norman wasn't chatting his ear off with Janet.
Those two being here, that was definitely helping too. Janet and Norman got along with just about everyone and it seemed like they had taken a shine to Raistlin's snarky sense of humor the longer they talked. Raistlin seemed more comfortable when they were involved in conversation, which was helping the others get an idea of what he was like when he wasn't being all mysterious and quiet on the edge of the group.
When Norman caught wind that "Race" was a bit of a sleight of hand artist, he started prodding the latter to give a demonstration. Raistlin tried to refuse, saying he didn't have anything with him for a show. Lexi, Brian and Janet started joining Norman in the good humored teasing requests for an impromptu show, telling him to improvise with things they had from the picnic set up. Raistlin tried to decline again, but when Argyria asked him to pretty please indulge them, he changed his mind. She got a half-hearted glare, but he agreed.
For the next half hour, Raistlin kept everyone entertained with disappearing napkins, napkins reappearing in intricate folds, tearing napkins to pieces and them reforming whole. There were disappearing coins, one reappeared folded up in a napkin in Norman's back pocket, coins dancing over his hands in interweaving patterns. He juggled a handful of small gala apples and made them seemingly disappear one by one, then revealed they reappeared in a stack behind Argyria.
Argyria could sense he sneaked in an occasional subtle cantrip to accomplish the illusions, but no one else was the wiser because he moved so deftly and street artists of their world were known to do similar illusions. When he finally called the little show to an end, he received applause from the entire group and some of the picnicking neighbors or passerby patrons who had stopped to watch. He gave a small flourished bow and took back up his spot on the blanket, now looking a little bashful at the attention. His faint blush became more noticeable when she gave him an appreciative peck on the cheek. She managed to keep her amusement about that to herself, not wanting to embarrass him more, no matter how adorable his reactions to the PDA were.
After that, conversation started blending enough between both ends of the blankets that Argyria no longer felt like she was sitting between two little camps. That was a good feeling.
The older rockers next to them had grilled up a bunch of burgers and hotdogs and invited them to all grab one of their choice, saying the impromptu magic show they had been given was worth a treat. The younger group accepted the offer and brought over some drinks and baked desserts for them in return. Lunch was spent discussing this Sky Show's line up, past line ups, and various outside concerts everyone had been to. The rockers obviously had been to far more than the young adults had and shared stories of some wild concerts they had been to. After lunch, everyone thanked each other for the spontaneous pot luck that saved each other buying things from vendors and the younger group went back to the shade of their little encampment.
Eventually, Brian announced he wanted to head to the carnival and play some games before Lacuna Coil got on stage. That led to everyone but Darlene, Lexi and Evan deciding to come along. Evan said he wanted to stay and enjoy some of the music as Shinedown was about to go on stage. Lexi and Darlene said they weren't really in a carnival kind of mood.
It was much harder to get through the crowd this time. The embankment was now filled with picnickers and the standing crowd for the concert was packed with at least three thousand people. Norman took up lead position, as people were far more likely to make room for the great big Viking, and the rest of them followed closely in single file before the crowd could close back over.
At one point, however, the crowd was just too thick. It seemed none of the other patrons were willing to shift from their lines for vendors or break up their huddles of conversations between lines. Victor called ahead to Norman that they should turn around and try getting through another spot.
Norman shook his head and said, "Hell nah. I've always wanted to try this." He turned back to facing front, cupped his large hands around his mouth, and bellowed out in his best Andre the Giant impression, "EVERYBODY, MOVE!"
And move people did, quickly, not having cause to know Norman was the archetypical gentle giant. Norman grinned as he sauntered past, laughing friends following in his wake. Even Raistlin was chuckling as that was the one movie he had been exposed to so far, he had seen that scene twice, and he recognized where Norman was getting his inspiration from.
When they got through the worst bunches of the crowd, Brian said between laughs, referencing a different beloved classic movie, "Fuck me, we cleared it."
More laughter ensued and Norman took a small bow, saying, "I can't believe that actually worked."
"You definitely Nat20'd that Intimidate roll," Argyria said, still giggling. "Good job, Norm."
"Gotta make myself useful where I can," Norman said in good humor. "And it probably helps I get a beneficial racial size mod for such circumstances."
Janet reined in her laughter enough to say, "Seriously, Gourry, whenever exams start getting me stressed this week, I'm thinking of this. I'll be giggling my way through them."
Argyria nodded in agreement but said, "Please don't, Janet. Cuz then I'll know why you're giggling, then I'll be giggling, and we're both going to get tossed out for disrupting exams."
"I should get you both a new bracelet to help then," Norman teased, "WWGD- What Would Gourry Do?"
Janet and Argyria spent the rest of the short walk to the carnival gate in giggle fits that were fueling the other's. Once inside, the crowd was still present, but not nearly as heavy. It was also filled with a far higher ratio of children, who weren't so inclined to stay in one place and block traffic because they were too interested in darting between activities, leaving their parents to chase after them.
Their group stuck together for the time being, wandering the outermost lane of activities to see what was being offered. The rides were mainly concentrated in the center and further back, with the booths in concentric semi circles towards the front.
Their first stop ended up not being a game, but the face painting booth. Janet and Argyria wanted little fairies painted on their cheeks with sparkles and leaves around their eyes. Janet got a little pink fairy on hers, and Argyria naturally opted for a blue one. The guys mostly declined to join them for this particular festivity, but Norman gave the lady $5 to paint a quick Triforce symbol from Zelda alongside one eye.
In response to some light teasing from Vic when he was done, Norman said, "Every scary Viking needs a bit of war paint. You can go track down some of those skirts Greek warriors liked so much."
Brian snorted back laughter to that and Victor gave a half-hearted glare as the girls started giggling at the thought of him wearing decidedly not war-like leather skirts.
Norman batted his eyelashes at Janet and asked, "What do you think, darlin'? Does this make my eyes look pretty?"
Janet nodded but couldn't verbalize a response through her laughter.
"Little Lina?" Norman asked Argyria.
"Proper Viking you are," she agreed between giggles. "I read somewhere, that Viking men and women would adorn their pretty eyes, back in the day."
"Damn right," Norman said with a nod. "Real men can rock the paints and the beaded braids." The latter was said with a grab and flick of the small braid, dangling beneath his otherwise pulled back hair, that had antique silver beads interwoven. "Now that I've smashed the machismo mold with the mighty hammer of Fukrulesnir, let's go play some games!"
Argyria looped her arm back around Raistlin's, he was looking faintly confused by the exchanges. "I'll explain all that later," she whispered in good humor as she let her friends draw ahead a little. "It's mostly guy stuff for here and Norm knowing Vic can take himself too seriously sometimes."
Raistlin nodded to that and said wryly, "You have some very colorful friends, I can tell that much."
Argyria nodded in agreement. "They're the good kind of colorful. Keep giving them chances, and I think you'll find they grow on you and become your friends too."
"You think so?" Raistlin asked with a raised eyebrow, voice faintly disbelieving now.
Argyria nodded again. "I think most of them are already liking you well enough. Engage a bit more without them having to prod so much, you might just find yourself some extra real friends here."
Raistlin gave a small shrug. "I suppose we'll see how things go, but I don't think I'd mind that."
Argyria grinned at that concession. "Well, hurray for that!"
"Hey, Ria, Race! You guys coming?" Evan called from ahead.
"Coming!" Argyria called back.
They passed a number of game booths before one caught Argyria's eye. Or rather, one of the prizes being offered and displayed up along the side did. There was a bunch of small plush dinosaurs, including some familiar brontosauri.
Raistlin asking "What is it?" brought to her attention she had stopped walking to stare at the stuffed animals. Her friends hadn't noticed them stopping and were wandering ahead again.
Argyria shook her head a little and she could hear the wistful note in her voice, despite trying to stay passive, as she said, "It's nothing."
Raistlin glanced in the direction she had been looking, then back to her. "Do you see a prize you want over there?"
Argyria shook her head again and said, "No… I just saw one that looks a lot like one I won for Hektor four years ago." She said in rueful humor, "Stupid vendors use the same suppliers and apparently that one is still in demand."
"Who is Hektor?" Raistlin asked, eyebrows knitting together in confusion.
Argyria blinked in surprise at the question. Then she realized it had never come up in conversations of her past, so of course he'd have no idea what she was trying to blow off. "Um… Hektor is my baby brother. Or, not so baby now, I guess, as he's going to be six in a few weeks."
Raistlin's expression started to shift to understanding, though there was still a bit of confusion left. "I didn't know you had a brother."
Argyria gave a little nod, then a helpless shrug. "I'm one of five, going on six. My siblings are all by my step-mother."
"That's a lot of siblings," Raistlin said, sounding unsure how to comment.
Argyria gave another shrug. She couldn't entirely keep the bitterness from her voice as she explained as briefly as she could manage, hoping to forestall future questions, "We're Greek; we like big families. Hektor is the only boy. I also have three half-sisters: Callidora, who we call Calli, who is ten; Eugeneia, who everyone calls Jenny, who's eight; and Harmonia just turned two last month. I haven't had a chance to meet her. And Lexi found out Kora is pregnant with Metaxas baby girl number 5 last time she talked to her mom. Apparently my newest baby sister I won't get to meet is going to be named Phoebe and she's due to be born in about four months."
Raistlin's expression softened just a hint as he listened and he said, "I'm sorry for bringing up such a sore subject."
Argyria shook her head again. "It's not your fault. I'm the one who noticed the dinosaur and let it distract me. It's stupid. It's just one of the few good memories I have with him. Darlene's parents had brought us to our first Sky Show here and I won the dinosaur by playing a different game. Kora actually let me give it to him like I hoped when I got home because his nursery was dinosaur themed."
"Sounds as though your step-mother isn't a very nice woman," Raistlin said, voice now distinctly disapproving.
Argyria gave yet another shrug, looking down. "Kora's actually a good mom to my siblings. She just didn't like me, didn't want my crazy rubbing off on them."
Raistlin tilted her face up, and now his expression was stormy. "You were not crazy. You were mistreated because they didn't want to try understanding your gifts and under the influence of whatever they were forcing you to take."
Argyria sighed and looked to one side, feeling like she was in danger of tears forming and trying to head that possibility off. "Maybe. But my siblings don't know the distinction. They just saw crazy big sister locking herself up in her room or going into manic fits of anger until the nurse sedated me again."
"Ria, look at me," Raistlin demanded, voice still sharp with underlying anger. She reluctantly met his gaze. "Whatever happened in your father's household, that wasn't your fault. Perhaps someday when your siblings are old enough to understand, you might be able to explain what really happened to them. Until then, though, stop allowing the blame of what happened to rest on your shoulders. That's not your weight to carry. You're not crazy, and you never were, even if they tried to drive you to that point with those damn drugs because they were too ignorant to understand how special you are. The real you is delightful to know and it's their loss if they can't see that."
Argyria could feel tears forming at that, but now it wasn't because her emotions were flirting with the edge of depression. She said quietly, "Thank you, Raistlin."
He gave a brief nod, released her chin, and a flick of his wrist caused a napkin from earlier to appear, which he offered her. That caused a disbelieving giggle of nerves from her, once again feeling like the twists and turns in her life were indescribably surreal these days. She accepted the napkin and dabbed at her eyes, then said with slightly better humor, "Your sleight of hand tricks really can be useful sometimes."
Raistlin gave a faint smirk to that. "I suppose they can be." He glanced around, then said, "We seem to have lost your friends. Do you want to look for them? Or should we wait for them to realize it and come find us?"
Argyria looked around as well, then spotted Norman waaaaay down the path, near the corner at one of the roller coasters. "I see Norm," she pointed. "Looks like he's already looking for us. The others are probably with him too, so we can just head that way so they don't have to backtrack for us."
Raistlin nodded to that and offered his arm.
Argyria hooked her arm around his, but before he could turn towards where they needed to go, she leaned up and gave him a brief but profoundly grateful kiss. He looked surprised when she pulled away, and she said by way of explanation, "Just wanted to say 'thank you'. I don't think you realize just how much hearing you, of all people, tell me I'm not crazy or horrible to be around means to me."
Raistlin gave her the softer smile she liked. "You're quite welcome, Ria. I meant every word."
The intuitive young woman nodded to that. "Yeah, I know you did."
He gave her a kiss to the forehead and then gestured in the direction of her waiting friends. "Shall we, before they form a proper search party?"
Argyria nodded and as he turned to lead the way, she released his arm to instead hold his hand so she could follow behind him through the crowd. Raistlin's fingers wrapped around hers with a little squeeze, bringing a smile to her face that he couldn't see. She didn't know how exactly, or why, her favorite mage had come into her life, but she was so very, very thankful he had. Moments that would normally have her wrestling with depression for hours or days, he swept in and cut them off before they could truly ruin her day. He even managed to light sparks of hope along the way, like leaving a little trail of his sunstones behind in her thoughts to keep the darkness of her doubts at bay.
.
.
.
Ria and her friends hunted down their favorite booth game once the group was together again.
Raistlin discovered "Balloon Pops" was a game involving the little inflated spheres being pinned to a board and darts thrown at them in attempt to break them. It could apparently be played by individuals, or by groups privately competing with one another. Prizes were awarded based on how many balloons one could pop from the five darts provided, with the biggest prizes being for multiple rounds of high performance. Popping four or more balloons over five rounds won a person an eight foot long stuffed snake or a four foot high dragon, bear, or "T-Rex". The tricky part was that the balloons shifted and moved with the wind or incoming air displacement from the darts, making it hard to hit one.
Raistlin declined playing as he had no practice throwing darts; that was something he hadn't yet gotten to with Yevgeny, and even then it would be with magic for most of their practices. Janet also declined, saying she couldn't even get the darts across the distance, never mind hitting the board. They stood to one side to watch the other four line up and try their luck.
Ria was the worst at the game, she could get the darts across the distance, but only averaged hitting one or two balloons per round. She didn't seem to mind much; her efforts earned her a row of brightly decorated pencils and pens. Victor and Norman were about equally successful at managing 2-4 balloons a round. Brian was easily the best out of the four, even with his glasses that would indicate poor eyesight. He never got less than 3 balloons a turn. By the end of thirteen rounds, Victor was claiming two smaller stuffed dragons, Norman was claiming a gigantic white bear and a smaller black one, and Brian had two huge prizes and a smaller one to claim. The attendant didn't look too pleased by that.
"Alright girls," Brian said with a victorious grin. "What'll it be?"
"Seriously?" Janet asked, looking pleasantly surprised.
Brian scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "What am I going to do with two huge stuffed animals? Yes, seriously. Which do you want?"
Janet pointed to the massive light brown teddy bear at the back of the stall. "May I have that one?"
"You most certainly may," Brian said with a nod, and glanced over to the attendant. The attendant sighed and untied the huge teddy bear, handing it to Janet. "Dragon Princess, your turn. Which do you want added to your hoard?"
That got snickers from Victor and giggles from Ria. After a few seconds she said, "As much as I would love a great big dragon, my apartment really doesn't have room for them." She looked over to the attendant and asked, "Could we downsize and get the three small ones they're equivalent to?"
The man nodded to that, appearing less grudging. "Yeah, you can do that if you want."
"Okay." Ria looked over to Brian. "I say we get four smaller lovies, and hand the extras out to random kids."
Brian nodded his agreement to that. "Secret Santa works for me."
"Way to make me feel greedy, Ria," Janet said in mostly good humor.
Ria shook her head immediately and said with a smile remaining, "No! You have a bigger room than mine and you don't have a terror of a kitty to worry about. You should enjoy having the big snuggle bear."
"So which do you want?" the attendant asked, clearly trying to hurry them along so others could play.
"I want that silver dragon, and we'll take whatever you have the most of for the other three," Ria said.
The man handed her the requested dragon, then gave Brian a t-rex and two teddy bears, one black and one white.
Victor offered Ria one of the blue dragons he had claimed, saying, "Still want a claim on my winnings? Or do you think these two will start fighting?"
Ria laughed at that and accepted the blue dragon. "Nah, I'll keep them in separate rooms until they learn to behave together. Blues and Silvers have different domains anyway."
"I'm sure you can manage to wrangle these young rascals into behaving," Victor said, making the blue dragon in his hands pretend to nip at Ria's hair and neck.
She giggled and swatted at the dragon, "Gah! That tickles!"
Raistlin watched the exchanges with a small twist of anxiety forming. Part of that was due to Victor's thinly veiled flirtations. A much larger part was how casually things like dragons and mentions of them kept popping up. This was the second time Brian had called Ria Dragon Princess or the like, and these toys almost made dragons look harmless, when all myths of them that he had heard painted them in decidedly malevolent lights. He was even wearing a dragon image on his shirt; something he hadn't second guessed doing until the worried thoughts began to form. He could only attribute the lack of consideration to the fact he was still working on absorbing the reality of the revelations from yesterday.
But the mage from Krynn did now know those tales from his world were true, that the mother of those dragons was real. If she was real, that meant her children were, and he didn't know what might draw her attention outside her direct names and titles. Could these "toys" or jokes or images on shirts act like some kind of alert for her? Where they were seemingly so profuse in this world, would there be too much for her to notice? That evil goddess and her minions were hoping to harm Ria in the relatively near future, yet Ria and her friends didn't know that. She was snuggling with her two new toys as she walked over to him, not realizing she was showering affection on idols of their enemy.
It took every ounce of self-control Raistlin had not to pluck the hateful things from her arms as she excitedly presented them to him, asking, "Aren't they adorable?! This one even kinda matches your shirt!"
The mage gave a tight nod, having to actively keep himself from screaming about what a perverse display this was under the circumstances. Ria didn't know, and this was decidedly not the time and place to even attempt some way to get those toys from her or change his shirt. He said as neutrally as he could manage, "Yes, it does."
Ria's brows knitted together, sunny smile fading as the figurative cloud of concern blew in. "Are you okay?"
Raistlin nodded, gaze going over her friends, whose attention were now gravitating towards their exchange. "Yes, Ria," he said, forcing a small smile as his gaze turned back to her. "I think perhaps lunch didn't settle so well for me, my stomach is feeling a little off." That last part wasn't a lie, he felt ill from the concerns he had at the moment.
Ria's expression remained concerned. He also had a feeling she could tell he wasn't being wholly honest with her. Still, she gave a little nod and asked, "Do you want to head back to the blankets and rest a bit? Or should we consider heading back home?"
Raistlin shook his head and said with as much reassurance as he could muster, "No, I'm sure I'll be fine. I just need to be a bit more careful from here on."
"You sure?" Ria asked, still not looking like she entirely believed him.
He gave a nod and said honestly, "I'm sure. I'll be fine and I'd like to stay."
Ria sighed and gave a nod, saying hesitantly, "Alright then. We'll keep you from the faire food and park rides then, just to be safe."
"That's probably wisest," Raistlin agreed. "Shall we see what other games there are?"
Ria nodded to that and then looked to her friends. "Did you guys see anything else you wanted to play?"
"There was a water gun game back that way," Janet suggested, pointing the way they had come from. "Prizes are glowy things."
"Glowy things are never amiss," Victor agreed.
Brian and Norman voiced their agreement as well. They all followed Janet towards the booth.
Along the way, a dark haired little girl noticed the stuffed animals in Brian's arms and cried out in awe, "Mommy! Look at the bears! Can we get a bear?!"
"Well now, hang on a moment as you're in luck!" Brian said dramatically, doing a heel turn to face them, before the mom could answer. "There was a stampede and we have too many critters we've caught."
"Really?!" the little girl squealed in delight.
"Really!" Brian said, crouching down. He glanced up to the mother, who was looking surprised, "If your mom thinks you're responsible enough to adopt one of these wily creatures, we'd be glad for your help!"
"Mommy, can I have one of the bears?!" the little girl asked hopefully.
The mother stuttered a couple noises for a moment, then shrugged and said, "If he's sure he doesn't mind, I guess that's okay."
Brian shook his head, "Definitely don't mind, ma'am." He gave a comical shake of his arm, making it look like the animals were trying to break free, which caused the little girl to laugh uproariously. "They're a wild bunch, we could do with a few less." He said with intentionally badly feigned seriousness, "But we take no responsibility for what happens once you let them loose in the house."
The mother started laughing at that and shook her head in amusement. "Alright. Nellie. You can have a bear, and make sure you say 'thank you' to the nice young man."
Little Nellie gave Brian a big hug as she shouted "Thank you!", knocking him on his butt, much to her mother's embarrassment and his friends' laughter. Brian stayed sitting, fixed his glasses back on straight, and waved off the mother's worried questions. "Nope, not her fault. That was these critters conspiring with her to cause mischief; they threw themselves back against me at the same time." He turned his hazel gaze back to the girl, who was giggling again. "Told ya they were a handful. You sure you want one?"
"Yes! Pretty please!" Nellie said, nodding vigorously.
"Which do you want?" Brian asked, holding them out gingerly, like they might attack again at any moment.
The little girl pointed to the black bear. "That one? Please?"
Brian nodded and held it out for her. "That one it is! You two even have matching hair! See, it was meant to be!"
Nellie giggled at that as she clutched the bear to her chest. "Thank you, mister!"
"No problem! Make sure to keep an eye on him and enjoy!" Brian said with a chuckle as he stood and brushed off his pants. He repeated "No problem" to the mother's thanks and waved goodbye to them. After they were gone, he turned to his friends, who were all looking various shades of amused. His gaze fell on Ria and he said with a grin, "You know, that was a pretty damn good idea you had. Making her day like that made me feel the best I have in months."
"Hurray!" Ria said, grinning back. "I'm glad to hear that."
When they reached the game booth, Raistlin declined joining again. He gestured to a park bench on the other side of the path and said to Ria, "I'm going to have a seat and relax a few minutes. You go have fun with your friends."
"You sure?" Ria asked, worried expression returning.
"I'm sure," Raistlin said, giving a small smile. He nodded to the line. "Your friends are waiting."
Ria heaved a sigh, but gave a nod. She held her stuffed dragons out, "Would you mind holding these for me while I play? I need both hands for this game and I don't want them to get dirty."
Raistlin gave the stuffed animals a mistrustful look, but took them from her. Better having these evil little idols with him than her. Ria gave him a questioning look, but he headed off her inquiries by saying, "There's already someone in line behind your friends. You might want to catch up with them."
Ria glanced over, saw he was correct, then looked back. "You sure you're good? I don't mind leaving if something's wrong."
Raistlin shook his head. "No, Ria. I want you to have fun with your friends. I just need a few minutes."
"Alright," Ria said. She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I hope you feel better."
Raistlin watched her join her friends in line, then went to sit on the park bench while it was still free. He set the toys to one side then pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket. He sent a message to Yevgeny. "Can't call, with Ria and her friends. Need to know, do books mention dragons in relation to Queen Bitch? Or images of them drawing Her attention?"
A few minutes later, he got back: "You are asking why?"
"I can draw conclusions from what I know the first is probably 'yes', but need to know for certain. Effects the reason I'm asking second."
A quicker response a minute later. "Yes, dragons mention in books. You are asking why?"
"Ria and her friends seem fond of talking about dragons. She bought me a dragon shirt. They won dragon toys from games. Wondering if it could act as a beacon and draw Her attention."
"I do not think so if not mentioning her directly. Not all dragons belong to her. We discuss when working tomorrow." Ten seconds later, "Try keeping little sister from conversations though. Just for being safe."
"Will do. See you tomorrow."
As Raistlin put his phone back in his pocket, a shadow fell across him as an elderly voice said, "I say, young man, would you mind if I sit here a moment?"
Raistlin looked up and saw an extremely old man with short white hair and a close cropped white beard smiling down on him, pale blue eyes cheerful amongst their wrinkles. The old man was pointing a plain wooden cane at the other end of the bench.
"Of course not, sir," Raistlin said, moving the stuffed animals closer to himself. He turned his attention back in the direction Ria and her friends were in, and saw they were chatting merrily amongst themselves, almost to the front of the line for the game.
The old man hitched up his earthy colored pants a little at the upper leg to give himself more slack, then eased himself down on the bench with a relieved sigh. He rest his cane between his legs and gave another content sigh. He let his gaze roam around, humming to himself.
Raistlin gave him a brief glance, but he knew old people acted in odd ways and turned his gaze back to where it had been, not wanting to be rude to the elderly.
"I say, young man," the old man said suddenly. "I don't think I've ever seen someone your age with stuffed animals in public before. Are they yours? Or do you have a younger sibling running about around here?"
Raistlin blinked in surprise at the question, looking at the old man, then down at the toys pointed to. He shook his head, "No, they're not mine or a sibling's."
"You look a bit young to be a father!" the old man said in surprise. "How old is the baby? Or are they a baby shower gift for the expectant mother?"
An embarrassed blush flared across Raistlin's cheeks and he quickly said, "No, no! I am not a father or expecting."
"Well then, why are you carrying around these little fellows?" The old man looked supremely confused as he squinted over at him.
Raistlin gave a sigh, glanced over at Ria, who was now playing the game with her friends. He said to give some sort of explanation, using terminology from this world, "They uh… Well, I suppose one could say they belong to my girlfriend."
"Oh!" The old man said, mercurial face lighting up. "Girlfriend, you say? Well that explains that! Times change but if there's one thing that doesn't, it's that the young ladies enjoy having their lads carrying around things for them, even if it looks a bit out of place and mismatched!"
Raistlin gave a wry chuckle and shook his head, still feeling a bit embarrassed by the subject matter. "I suppose you'd know better than I."
"So, how long have you and your lady been courting? Not long, I wager, from that new-love blush of yours?"
Raistlin felt said blush growing, even more embarrassed now, and he gave the old man an incredulous look. People in this world really had different sensibilities than in his, getting friendly so quickly with perfect strangers. First Ria's school friends with himself, then those other picnickers with their group, then Brian with that random little girl, now this old man.
The old man gave him an expectant look. "Well? Have I guessed correctly, or are you one of those deeply in love shy lads that always gets flustered about his lady, no matter how long it's been? From that British accent of yours, I suppose maybe it could be the latter. You boys from the other side of the ocean do tend to be more reserved. How did you find your way over here?"
Raistlin gave a supremely uncomfortable cough, clearing his throat, and tried to form some semblance of a proper response. Finally, he said, "My father is British, but I was born here. And the lady and I have only been courting a very short period of time, certainly too soon to be calling it anything of the nature you suggest."
The old man gave a gay laugh to that, eyes crinkling. "Oh, is that so? I say, you would be surprised how quickly love can hit you. I knew from the first moment I met my wife that she and I were fated. First and only love of my life, I'm a very lucky man."
Raistlin gave a small nod of acknowledgment to that. "It sounds so, sir."
"So how are you enjoying the festivities?" the old man asked, looking about at the crowd with a smile. "Jolly good time, isn't all this? Treats everywhere, kids running about in delight." He pointed with his cane down the way, "Dogs walking about to make friends with everyone. Not so sure about the music, a bit hard on the ears for my tastes, but I suppose it can't be perfect for everyone."
Raistlin gave another brief laugh and shook his head. "I would agree with you on the music, but I suppose overall it's been an interesting day here."
The old man nodded agreeably, bringing his cane back to rest. "So why are you sitting over here, instead of spending time with your lady? She run off to one of the restaurants up the hill to powder her nose?"
Raistlin shook his head again, then gestured in Ria's direction. "No, she's just over there, with some of her friends, playing the water game."
The old man looked in the direction, leaning forward and putting weight on his cane, eyes squinting a bit. "The ebon haired one? Or the red head?"
"The red head," Raistlin said, glancing over to Ria again. She looked like she was enjoying whatever they were doing, laughing with her friends and appearing to pay more money for another turn.
"Oh she's a lovely young lady!" the old man exclaimed, giving a teasing nudge with his elbow. "I can see why you're blushing at the mention of her, she's a maiden fit to be crowned Queen of the Spring."
Raistlin hung his head, trying in vain to keep another blush from appearing. "Yes, you are correct there."
"So I ask again, why are you are over here? Why not go spend some time with your lovely lady?"
Raistlin gave a small shrug and said, "I suppose I needed a few minutes to think and I wanted her to still enjoy her time with her friends."
"Oh? And what are you thinking on that you need think by yourself? Is it a marriage proposal? I know it made me nervous to think on, even knowing my lady was bound to say yes because she had been hinting so much. It might not be such a bad idea, but you really shouldn't rush these things. Have you picked out the ring yet? And if you'll take an old man's advice, I don't know that on Memorial Day is quite the right day for such a moment."
"No!" Raistlin exclaimed, shaking his head and looking at the old man in mortification. "Most certainly not anything like that."
"Oh?" the old man looked confused again, bushy eyebrows coming together and almost resembling a big fuzzy caterpillar slinking across his nose. "Then what could be troubling you on so fine a day?"
Raistlin gave an exasperated sigh, propping an elbow on his knee and lowering his head to his hand, pinching the bridge of his nose. This old man really was nosy and jumping to all the wrong conclusions. "It turned out to be nothing, I suppose."
"Hm?" the old man asked, leaning in a bit.
Raistlin lifted his head and said with resignation, "It was nothing."
The old man gave a thoughtful nod, humming to himself. "Ah… Nothing. Nothing is such a fickle thing. At times it can be the blank canvas on which one had opportunity to paint a grand masterpiece, and at other times it feels like it is such an absence of possibility that it could consume the whole universe into a great big void."
The old man patted Raistlin on the shoulder in commiseration, saying with vague sympathy, "If you'd take an old man's advice, young man, I would suggest you not let the nothings decide how they form. They'll undoubtedly want to take up more and more space, 'til they become that void. You lay out those nothings, tell them to stay put, and then get to work transforming them into somethings you'll be happier to look at. You have fine looking hands for it." This the old man said gesturing to the aforementioned hands with his age spotted one. "Long fingers, no breaks and cricks there. I bet you have excellent dexterity. Those are a proper artist's hands."
He now gave a small playful tap to the mage's forehead, causing the younger man to pull his head back, sitting up straight and glaring a bit indignantly at the invasion of his person. The old man pointed at him saying, "And you have a sharp look about you. I can tell that mind of yours is always working and can spot the nothings all too well, which is a double edged sword sometimes, especially for an artist. I'm sure whatever your medium, young man, you're very good at it. So show those nothings who's boss and create your somethings. You'll be happier for it, and I'm sure your lady will be as well."
The old man levied himself up by his cane as the younger stared at him. "I should be off now. I am hoping to obtain some of that sugary delight called 'Fried Dough' before I return home. You have yourself a fine day, young man. And remember, give those nothings a good what's-for if needed." He gave a little shake of his cane for emphasis, giving a solemn nod. "If you show them fear and uncertainty, they multiple like little baby plague rats feasting on worms under a fallen, decaying tree. The earlier you lift that tree up and stomp them out, the happier and healthier the forest of your mind will be. You can go about creating all manner of wonders when you're not worried about your ankles being bitten."
Raistlin gave the old man a slow nod. Even though it sounded like a bunch of gibberish at first pass, he could understand the advice such as it was. "Thank you, sir. I'll try to keep that in mind when the nothings come to visit."
The old man gave a pleased nod, blue eyes almost twinkling between the crinkled wrinkles. "I have faith you will; you're a smart lad."
The old man limped off into the crowd, with the younger watching him leave as he considered the impromptu advice he had been given.
From the other side of himself, several feet away, Raistlin heard Victor's deep voice asking, "Is it just me, or does that look like the Fizban cosplayer over there?"
"What?!" Ria exclaimed loudly, and Raistlin's face turned in time to see her eyes wide with surprise as she stood on her tip toes to try seeing what her friend could see. "Where?!"
Victor's eyebrows knitted together and confusion spread on his face. "Um… Hang on… Aw crap, there's too many people! I lost sight of him."
Raistlin gathered up Ria's prizes and walked over, asking, "Is everything alright?"
"Um, yeah," Victor said, still looking confused, gaze scanning the crowd. "I just thought I saw…" He shook his head and then said, "Never mind, it wasn't important even if I did."
Raistlin gave Ria a questioning look and she shook her head and glanced to her friends, expression clearly telling him now wasn't the time to discuss whatever it was. A sudden, sneaking suspicion came over him and he glanced the way the old man had left, then back at the group. He said with credible sounding interest in his voice, "So, were more prizes won from your games?"
Ria gave a grateful smile and held up a strange looking wand with a star on the end, that had little red, blue, green and white lights blinking inside it. "Prizes were won. Janet kicked all our asses."
"Oh?" Raistlin turned his gaze to the ebon haired woman and that's when he noticed she had a similarly blinking crown atop her head. "Well now, it seems we have two princesses in our midst."
That made Janet laugh merrily and dip in a curtsey. "Thank you for noticing, kind sir."
"So what booths do we want to shark next?" Brian asked in mischievous humor. "Or should we leave them some wares and break for some rides?"
"I wouldn't mind a go on a few rides," Norman said. "Looks like they've got their own version of Canobie's Turkish Twist."
"Can that even keep you pinned to the walls?" Victor asked, sounding a bit concerned by the prospect.
"Yes, it can!" Norman exclaimed with a grin and pointing at him as he said the sentence. "I slide a smidge when the floor first drops, and as it's rising and the ride's slowing, but I'm good. I lift my legs once it really gets whirling and for a few minutes I get to feel like I'm flying at light speed."
That caused Ria to giggle and nod, "I think that's one of my favorite things about that ride."
"So Twist it is?" Brian asked, looking around at everyone.
Janet said, "You all can go on, but centrifugal force rides make me a bit woozy. I'll sit this one out with Race."
"Aw, that's no fun," Brian said, looking genuinely disappointed. "We should find something we all can and want to do."
"How about after the Twist, we take a turn on the Ferris Wheel?" Victor suggested. "Even Race's upset stomach can handle that, and no crazy force on Janet."
Norman grinned and threw his arms around Victor's neck dramatically. "Oh, Victor! I never thought you'd suggest it!" He asked provocatively as the darker featured man tried ducking out from his arms and he tightened his grip, "You'll pair up with me, right, you big hunk of sexy?"
The girls and Brian were laughing at the two, and even Raistlin was chuckling a bit at Victor's clear embarrassment by the display.
"Dude! Off! Not cool!" Victor exclaimed before finally escaping Norman and then giving a visible shudder. He said with an exasperated laugh, "Sometimes I wonder about you, you crazy Viking bastard."
Norman gave a wink to Ria which caused her to giggle all the harder, then said to Victor, voice becoming almost effeminate, "Oh, my fine Adonis, you wonder about me?! Darling, here I was thinking I was the only one!"
Victor's glare was a bit more serious this time as he gave an irritated huff. "You have fun with that, Norman." He walked off towards the ride, straightening his shirt as he went.
"Gods, does he make that so easy," Norman said, now chuckling.
"Brings out your inner Loki, don't it?' Ria asked between giggles.
Norman nodded immediately. "You know it, sister. I'm secure enough to mess around with people, especially when they make it so much damn fun."
Brian shook his head, but he was still laughing a bit as he removed his glasses to wipe at his eyes. "Dude, one of these days, he's gonna belt you one."
Norman shrugged to that. "Eh, I can take a hit, and I know I'm earning it at this point."
Janet asked, "And what if one of these days he dials down the outrage enough to return fire on the teasing to try making you uncomfortable?"
Norman considered that, lips pursuing and head nodded back and forth a bit. Finally, he shrugged. "Well, I don't think I swing that way, but if I was going to find out for sure, Vic's got a pretty kissable face."
That comment got laughter from the girls and Brian and the latter started walking in the direction his indignant friend had gone.
Janet looped her arm around Norman's, saying in amusement as she dragged him after Brian, "You really are precious, you know that?"
"Dawww, thank you!" Norman exclaimed.
Ria watched her friends wander towards the ride, shaking her head with amusement as she worked to get her giggles fully subsided.
"You've definitely got some colorful friends, Ria," Raistlin said, not entirely sure what to make of them, but finding he did enjoy their company and the entertainment they so readily provided.
Ria nodded to that, grinning as she glanced up at him. "Yeah, they're pretty great."
"So, before," Raistlin said, voice more serious now, "Victor's comment about spotting someone. Was that our gift giving old man he meant?"
Ria's expression became less entertained and she asked, "Yes. Did you see him?"
Raistlin snorted back a humorless laugh and nodded. "That and then some; and I didn't even realize it. I'll tell you about it when we get back home." Ria nodded and accepted his arm offered, and he saw an odd little smile form as she did so. "What is it?"
She gave a small shrug, blush forming on her cheeks now.
That made him more curious and he asked, "Where are your thoughts now?"
Ria glanced up at him, then away. She shifted to holding his hand again and started walking ahead, pulling him along as she bashfully admitted, "I kind of like when you don't say 'get back to your home' or similar phrasings. It sounds nice whenever you just say, 'When we get back home'."
Raistlin blinked several times in surprise. He hadn't realized how his phrasing had changed, but realized now she was right and that it probably wasn't the first time he had said it in such a way. As he let Ria lead him through the crowd, he decided his subconscious wasn't wrong. He preferred that shift as well, and was rather pleased she didn't mind the slips as they had been.
Raistlin gave her hand a little squeeze, not having proper words at the moment to respond, and he could see they had already almost caught up with her friends so he didn't really have time to form them. Ria returned the squeeze and when she glanced over her shoulder to him, he returned her smile with one of his own.
Ria and her male friends got in line for the ride and left their various prizes with Janet and himself for safe keeping. Brian told Janet to feel free to pass out more stuffed animals if she saw a kid who would appreciate them.
Norman handed over his smaller bear for the "give away" offerings, but kept the huge bear with him, saying, "Nope, I'm taking this guy on his first flight with me."
The line for this ride was a longer one. In the twenty or so minutes Raistlin and Janet were waiting for the others to have their turn they ended up giving away the rest of the stuffed animals. The t-rex went to a darker skinned little boy with short hair and a missing baby tooth who got excited at the sight of it. He started rattling off information about the dinosaur to his parents and Raistlin; the latter had no idea what the boy was talking about because he didn't know the creature, but he could appreciate the boy's enthusiasm and apparent studies. A girl who couldn't have been more than four with her blonde hair in braids noticed Janet's great big bear and then her gaze landed on the little white bear. She exclaimed with absolute glee, "It's a santa bear!", and Janet gave the little girl the bear with an explanation that she was a summer time fairy who worked with the elves at the North Pole to find lonely animals a new home in between their busy winter season, the painting on her face was really a magical symbol that transformed her into "people size" to do her work.
The last little black bear went to a brunette boy who was wandering the carnival with his dad and looking extremely shy, shaking his head no to his dad's patient suggestions for playing games or going on rides. Janet asked Raistlin to watch her bear, adding, "I know that look he has. My cousin has Down's and gets all overwhelmed by activities too. This will cheer up his day without having to make decisions or be around the games." Janet jogged over to them and made her "fairy" pitch again to the little boy and his dad. The little boy's face shifted to wonder at the story, and the dad was looking at Janet with gratefulness as he played along. The little boy ended up giving Janet a kiss on the cheek and a big hug as she gave him the bear, causing her to laugh and hug him back. When she returned, she had tears in her eyes and said as she rubbed at them, "Yeah, that was definitely one of Ria's best ideas yet. Is my face paint smudged?"
"No, the top of the fairy is just shy of where you were rubbing," Raistlin assured her. "There's a few less sparkles, but that's it."
Janet nodded, gave a sniff, then turned her gaze back to the ride. Raistlin did the same, leaning against the outer gate around the ride. Ria and her friends entered what looked like a small circular building of some kind, but he couldn't see from where he and Janet were what sort of activity was actually going on inside once the door closed and various hoots and hollers started up.
A few minutes later, the cacophony died down and people started exiting from a different door in the back of the ride, filing out from the opposite side of the wait line. Something that had happened for every previous round of the ride Raistlin had seen. Brian and Norman could be seen coming from behind the ride, but Ria and Victor were nowhere in sight as the other two approached.
"Where's Ria and Vic?" Janet asked, sounding as confused as Raistlin felt, and sparing him needing to ask.
"Vic said he wanted to talk to Ria a minute," Brian said, glancing back over to the ride, expression seeming ambivalent to his own answer.
Raistlin felt a nasty twist of jealousy and suspicion in his gut, one that he tried to tell himself Ria in no way had earned. That was undercut, however, by the knowledge that even if Ria hadn't earned it, he knew Victor had an interest in her. Given the faintly conflicted look on Brian's face, and the growing suspicious looks Norman and Janet were now giving Brian and the direction of the ride, Raistlin realized he wasn't the only one drawing certain conclusions as to what Victor wanted to talk to Ria about.
Raistlin had no idea how Ria would react if Victor was confessing he had feelings for her. Maggie didn't seem to think Ria felt that way, and Ria didn't seem to act like she was interested in Victor, but maybe him putting the option out there could potentially make her question things? Victor was, after all, a friend she had known for so long, and she didn't have to worry about him eventually disappearing to an entirely different world someday…
"Dude, not cool. You playing wingman right now for a ball steal?" Norman asked Brian, sounding mildly indignant.
Brian held up his hands in defense. "Not playing wingman. He said talk, and I'm not calling foul on a talk. That's up to Ria to call foul if she doesn't like what's said. I'm just tired of trying to ref things between him and Evan and others and I'd rather this just get played out and sorted however it's going."
"Uh-huh," Norman said, hardly looking convinced. He handed his oversize bear to Janet, "Naga, watch Mr. Bear for me while I step in as buffer ref? I know Little Lina ain't expecting this one and she doesn't need any more upsets this week."
Janet nodded, disapproving gaze on Brian a moment, then going back to the ride. Ria and Victor still weren't in sight. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea about now."
"What upsets have there been this week?" Brian asked with a hint of concern now, looking between the three who saw Ria more frequently outside group gatherings on the weekends.
"Janet," Raistlin said, trying to keep his ire in check. "Maybe you should explain. I think I'm going to go check on Ria with Norman."
Said much larger friend of Ria's was already heading for the back of the ride, and Raistlin followed after him as fast as he could without running to catch up. He felt less guilty about heeding that warning feeling in his gut as he did so, sparing an icy glare for Brian as he passed him. He shouldn't have expected Brian's loyalties to lie anywhere else, Victor was his closest friend from what he had gathered. For some reason, however, Raistlin still felt like this was at least on some level a betrayal to Ria for not staying to see what was said between her and Victor; and on a lesser level perhaps a betrayal of whatever rapport was between him and Brian, as he thought Brian at least respected his friendship with Ria enough to accept whoever was new in her life and whatever place they may be holding and wouldn't be party to undermining that.
Norman walked around the corner of the ride first, long legged gait getting him there about three seconds before Raistlin. The mage saw the big man's expression morph to shock as an arm shot out to bar his immediate path. Raistlin's gaze turned to the alley behind the ride and his own expression fell in shock.
Ria's back was to them, and she wasn't talking or fighting with Victor. The darker featured young man was leaned over, his hands on either side of her head, her hands on his, and there was a kiss inarguably being walked in on.
That anger the mage had been trying to keep contained? It bubbled up with a fury now, shattering the thin barrier of his icy demeanor, and it was a saving grace for Victor that he didn't know a proper fire spell right now. Raistlin's fury was also shifting to Ria as well, as it took two to kiss and she was there. How could she? After everything she had said? After everything that seemed to be forming between them? How could Ria, of all people, who was as far from a Miranda as he could imagine, be allowing this to come to pass?
Before he could do something he'd regret, or more accurately anything that could get him arrested, such as remove the dagger from his belt and launch it at least at Victor, Raistlin turned away and stormed back towards the exit. Had he really judged Ria that wrongly? Her fancy for him had formed quickly enough, perhaps it wasn't that rooted and was so quickly forgotten? Especially when she had a more reliable alternative to turn to? His rational side had warned him he'd get burned if he allowed things to develop with Ria, and apparently he was twice a fool for not listening to it.
Raistlin felt a huge hand come down on his shoulder just as he was about to go back through the gate. As he whipped around to tell Norman to unhand him, Norman was already letting go and pointing back in the direction Ria and Victor were in. "You want to see this."
"I saw enough, thank you," Raistlin bit out, turning back to leave with what shattered bits of his dignity remained.
"You can't be serious?" Victor's disbelieving deep voice echoed out with his shout, halting the mage's retreat through the gate. As Raistlin turned back yet again, he heard in response to whatever Ria was saying in her much quieter voice, "You're serious? Dude's been here just a week, and you're telling me somehow he's already in that far?"
Norman exchanged a glance with Raistlin, who was now trying to process what he was hearing against what he had seen. "I know that looked bad, but almost as soon as you turned, she was tossing him off her."
"No! I know it's not a competition! Fucking really, Ria?! I actually care about you, but in case you forgot, I'm 21! Unless I wanted cuffs tossed on me, I had to wait until your birthday. You seriously telling me I missed my chance by a fucking day? One day?"
As Raistlin and Norman both hurried back to break up the fight, moving at almost the same time, they head Victor shouting, "Gods damnit, Ria! Is that what you really think?! Fine, sorry I said anything! You know what? When that silver-tongued player goes slithering back from wherever he came and leaves you crying, don't blame me because you were so easily tricked! I'll have an 'I told you so' waiting!"
Victor almost slammed into Norman with as fast as he was coming around the corner, barely side stepping in the nick of time. He had a very fresh handprint forming across one cheek, and his glare was thunderous as it landed on Raistlin. "I don't know what pit you came from, but I hope it swallows you whole because I know this isn't going anywhere good and you're going to fuck everything up in her life!"
"That's rich coming from someone who would try to force their affections on a woman and then become enraged when it wasn't reciprocated," Raistlin snapped back, hearing Ria crying around the corner and that was the final thread holding his temper together being broken. He pointed sharply away from her direction and said with very real murderous intent bubbling out, "Get out of here before I rip you down from the self-glorifying pedestal you're already teetering on the edge of and throw your carcass into a pit for the harm you've caused!"
Victor had started to take a step forward, but then stopped, either because of the glare being leveled at him by the mage, or the warning noise that came from the much bigger man to his side. He glared back at them both, then gave a disgusted snort and shook his head. "You're not worth it," he said to Raistlin. "You may have Ria fooled, but I know a con when I see one. I don't want her getting hurt, but when you show your true colors maybe she'll learn a lesson from it." He turned away and started to leave.
"And in a stunning upset for this year's summer Olympics," Norman called after him sarcastically, "the Greek contender was knocked out of the semifinals and may have earned himself a permanent disqualification from future competitions for un-sportsman like conduct."
Victor's shoulders stiffened but he kept walking as he held up his middle finger and snapped back, "Go fuck yourself, Norman. You're just as bad of an influence, you wannabe cosplaying hack."
Norman rolled his eyes, arms crossing in front of himself. He glanced down to Raistlin, then nodded towards the alley. "You got her? I can keep watch, make sure there's at least no new incoming drama. Next round of people will be out any second though."
Raistlin nodded and said, straining to rein back in his anger, "Thank you."
Norman gave a nod back and turned towards the exit, back to the alley.
Raistlin sighed and followed the sound of crying around the corner. Ria was sitting in the furthest corner of the fenced alcove behind the ride, knees drawn up and shorter skirt of her dress tucked between them to preserve her modesty, face buried in her arms. He gave another sigh, wrestling with his lingering anger at Victor, as well as an uncomfortable inpouring of guilt for having doubted her, and a new strain of anger tinged by helplessness at seeing her crying. She had undoubtedly heard the exchanges with Victor, and that probably made things even worse.
Raistlin walked over and sat next to her. The ground was dirty, but he could discreetly cast a cleaning cantrip to fix their clothes when they stood. She didn't appear to notice his presence, or perhaps she was ignoring him. At the moment, it could go either way, and there was a whole slew of reasons she could be ignoring him. He wasn't sure what to say, or do, as he looked over at her.
The back door of the ride opened and people started to file out. The attendant at the door looked over at them, and as he opened his mouth to question what was going on, Raistlin shot him a warning glare and shook his head. The attendant took the hint and left things alone, gaze going back to the patrons leaving the ride. Some of the other people exiting likewise noticed them, but most ignored them on their own and the rest were given similar glares that stilled their questions and they kept walking.
When the alley was clear again, and the door to the ride closed, Raistlin let out a deep, frustrated sigh, then looked back over to Ria. Her crying had slowed and she sounded like she was trying to do a breathing exercise. He decided that was probably better for her than whatever words he could offer at the moment and kept silent, using the time to try gathering up his own thoughts and get his emotions back in proper control.
One of Ria's hands eventually left her legs and blindly groped for the purse next to her. She reached in when she found it, pulled out the napkin from earlier, and then brought it under the circle of her other arm to wipe at her face. When she was done, she heaved a sigh and lifted her head. Some of the flowers by her eyes were rubbed off, and the fairy was gone from her cheek. Some of the paint was on the napkin, the rest was on her dress sleeve. "Damnit," she muttered with a hitch in her voice. "Lexi just bought me this too."
Raistlin glanced over and made a small gesture next to her sleeve, and the paint disappeared as though being washed away into the ether.
Ria gave a small sniff then looked over to him, saying quietly, "Thanks." She looked back down and gave another sigh.
"Do you want to talk about what just happened?" Raistlin asked, voice managing what he felt was impressive stoicism considering how turbulent his thoughts still were.
Ria gave another sniffle and wiped at her eyes with a clear corner of the napkin. She said shakily, "Besides saying 'I'm sorry', I don't know what else to say."
"What do you have to be sorry for?"
"For this entire blow up. For not realizing Vic liked me. For handling it so badly. For all the upset it's caused, and probably more waiting when I leave here. For upsetting you like I can feel you are."
Raistlin sighed at that and looked forward. "Ria, like you told me, you're intuitive and empathic, not a mind reader. As for upsets, Victor is far more to blame for how he handled himself and his current mood, not you. As for myself, I'm angry with him, and I'm worried about you, but I'm not angry with you. You didn't ask for his advance."
"How much did you see and hear?" Ria asked, looking over in concern.
"Enough," Raistlin said briefly. "Enough to know what he attempted, and that he was being rebuffed for it." He gave another sigh, then met her gaze. "If anything, I owe you an apology for not having as much faith as I should have that you wouldn't be so easily swayed. And I'm sorry my presence caused such an upset by making Victor feel like he had to so abruptly reveal his feelings to counter it."
Ria lowered her chin to her arms, eyes closing in apparent thought, or at least trying to sort her thoughts. Finally, she gave a small shrug and said, eyes still closed. "It's not your fault either. You didn't ask to be here. As for Vic, he'll hopefully get over it eventually. His feelings aren't what he thinks they are."
"What makes you say that? Your senses?"
Ria gave a small nod, then looked back over to him, turning to rest her cheek against her arm. "He wanted to kiss me, but it felt more like it was him trying to claim a prize like one of his racing trophies. It's not the same kind of greedy attitude radiated by someone like Garrison, but it definitely wasn't the right kind of desire either."
It might be inappropriate to ask at the moment, but Raistlin couldn't stop himself from quietly asking, "And what do you sense when I kiss you?"
Ria gave a fleeting smile to that. "It's all the right kinds of things."
Raistlin gave a self-deprecating smirk to that. He didn't know if it was "all" the right kind of feelings he had, but he knew that the whole tangled mess of them ran deeply. He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss, not trying to hide any of those feelings.
Ria lifted her head a bit and kissed back instead of pulling away or slapping him like she had done to Victor.
Raistlin took that response as the quiet reassurance it was meant to be and eased away with a sigh, letting his forehead come to rest against hers.
"Maybe we should find a grassy patch of our own before we get too snuggly," Ria suggested, a hint of humor returning to her voice.
Raistlin chuckled at that and pulled away. "I would like to get out of the filthy little alley, yes." He helped her stand, a couple gestures cleaned both their clothes, and he led her out to rejoin with whichever friends weren't upset with them.
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A/N: Ortho! Glad to hear you're enjoying! Here's another I was just finishing up when your reviews came in.
