Chapter nineteen
A new player enters the field.
Pisti had the best day ever! Okay, perhaps that was exaggerating a bit too much, but she still had an awesome day. It started out with this really, really bad headache, but then, when she had slept for a bit, that headache had vanished. And because of the fact that the students were out on Principal Ugo's oh so boring trip, and not her cool, exciting one, she had the time to bathe alone at her leisure.
But now, she had grown bored of it, so when the students returned, she couldn't help but admit to herself that she had missed that troublesome bunch. When she spotted her favorite group, they were amusing, she rushed over right away. ''Hey, welcome back!'' she nearly yelled, before asking, ''How was your trip?'' Aside from Sinbad and Yunan, who were fairly excited, the others had a variety of reactions.
Both Ja'far and Sharrkan had an expression that said 'Kill me', Hinahoho seemed confused, Spartos nervous and Masrur looked the same as usual, she never could read that one. Judal seemed as if he wanted to murder someone. ''Believe me, you don't want to know.'' Hinahoho said, rubbing his temples. ''I'm going to take a nap, and try to forget about today.'' Sharrkan said, wandering off to his room. Spartos tapped Ja'far's shoulder, whispering something, before they walked off as well.
''I think I do want to know, seeing how you all are behaving very peculiar. I'm a teacher, I can help you.'' she said. 'You just want to know because you're curious!' nearly all of them thought. ''I'm going to read, first one to disturb me will get injured.'' Judal said, making clear he wanted, no, needed some peace, as he headed towards a place yet unknown. ''Just my luck. I get sick, when you guys go to a boring ass museum, and something interesting happens.'' Pisti complained.
''You weren't sick, you were hung-over.'' Sinbad said. ''Same thing, I was sick because I didn't have alchohol in my system.'' she said. 'I'm fairly certain biology doesn't work like that.' Sinbad thought, but then again, she was the teacher, so perhaps she was right. Pisti grew bored of getting no answers, so decided to pester Principal Ugo instead, if anyone should know more, it was him, right?
''You wanted to talk, then talk.'' Ja'far said, as he and Spartos sat at Spartos' room. The other roommates weren't present currently, and somehow, Ja'far felt at ease. ''My brother, Mistoras, he didn't do anything to you, right?'' Spartos asked flustered. Ja'far blushed as he thought back to how the red-head had carressed his hair. ''Nothing to harm me, I can assure you of that.'' Ja'far replied.
''He wouldn't harm a fly, unless the fly did something wrong. I mean... well, he tends to be overly sweet at times, and I know you are very close to Sinbad, so I wanted to make sure...'' Spartos stammered. Ja'far smiled as he nodded, ''Thank you. Nothing happened, really. Your brother is a good person, he just took care of me because I fainted, that's all.'' Spartos nodded. ''Ah, good, thank you. I don't want to upset either you or Sinbad, so...'' ''There is nothing between me and Sin, but he can be rash, so I understand your decision. Do you mind if I end our talk here, I need some sleep.'' Ja'far said.
''Sure.'' Spartos said, as they both got up, Ja'far left towards his room, and Spartos went in search of his brother. It didn't take long, as he found Mistoras at the bar, cleaning some glasses. ''Nii-san.'' he said, as he took a seat. ''You are too young to drink.'' Mistoras teased, as he prepared a glass of water.''I wanted to ask you something. About today.'' Spartos specified.
''Oh, about what happened, right? I can imagine. That little cutie, Ja'far, fainted, because of something weird that had happened. Your year is a really amusing one, or at least it seems that there is always something happening with that bunch. I wish my year had been like that.'' Mistoras said. ''Cutie?'' Spartos asked, raising his eyebrow. Surely he heard that wrong. ''Can you blame me, he's cute, and I've seen my share of cute people. But everything he does is just endearing.'' Mistoras said, putting some glasses away.
''Nii-san, don't tell me that you've...'' Spartos didn't dare to end his sentence. ''Fell for him? No, no, love doesn't go that fast. Love is something that grows on you when you spend time together. But your eye is allowed to enjoy something cute or beautiful every once in a while.'' Mistoras explained, a fond smile playing on his lips. Spartos remembered Ja'far saying that there was nothing between him and Sinbad, oh, now it made sense why he spent more and more time with Sharrkan. ''I suppose you're right.'' he said, smiling before heading to his friends.
Ja'far stood there startled. When he had opened the door, he hadn't expected to find Sharrkan, pulling his shirt off. ''Ehr, I was just getting ready for a nap.'' he said. ''Uh, yeah, that's fine.'' Ja'far said, before asking, ''Want me to close the door?'' 'God, this was so awkward.' ''Please.'' Sharrkan said, with a nod. Ja'far almost slammed the door shut, Sharrkan had seemed so tired.
He had looked forward to spending some time alone, perhaps he could try later. 'I could use a drink.' he thought, before heading to the bar that he had spotted in the main room. He sat down, as he watched the bartender putting some of his supplies away. When the bartender turned, his eyes widened in recognition. ''Hey, you're that man from the museum.'' he said.
Mistoras smiled, he was lucky enough to meet the petite cutie again. ''That's to be expected. I was the stand-in for miss Pisti. As I said before, I work here. How are you feeling?'' he asked, preparing some tea. ''Better actually. Less light-headed then there, little thirsty though. Could I get some tea as well?'' Ja'far asked. Mistoras nodded as he put the tea-bag in the cup with warm water.
''It's yours, so yeah. On the house.'' he said, pushing the cup towards Ja'far. ''How did you know what I was about to order?'' Ja'far asked, scrunching his eyebrows. 'He looks so cute, no matter what expression.' Mistoras thought, as he said, ''I didn't know what you were going to order, I anticipated you would be in for tea.'' ''Oh. Thanks, that was a good assumption.'' Ja'far said, taking the warm cup. He closed his eyes, as he took a sip.
''This... this is really tasty!'' he said, as he slammed the cup down. Mistoras chuckled, as he said, ''Thank you, I try. So, why are you here alone? Shouldn't you be here with Sinbad?'' Ja'far blushed, as he asked, ''Why should I be here with him?'' ''You two are dating, right?'' Mistoras asked. Ja'far turned extremely red, as he shook his head. ''Oh, so that's why it didn't make sense that you fainted after he had kissed you. I thought it was strange. I suppose you're dating that other silver-haired kid then. He was all over you after you had fainted.'' Mistoras said.
''I'm not with him, either. It's a complicated situation.'' Ja'far told him. ''Sounds like you have a lot on your mind. Want to share with me? It's always good to relieve your heart, and it's not like I know any of you personally.'' Mistoras offered, as Ja'far took another sip. ''I'm not going to discuss my problems with you, here, when all of the students can hear me.'' Ja'far said sternly.
''That makes sense, I wouldn't want my problems in the open either. I have a break around nine, I was planning on taking a bath in the hotspring outside. Why don't you come and join me, it's usually abandoned around that time. You can tell as much as you'd like.'' Mistoras said. ''I usually don't take baths with strangers.'' Ja'far replied.
''Well, you know my name, and you know I helped you when you fainted, so I must be somewhat friendly, right? What else is there you want to know?'' Mistoras said. Ja'far sighed, perhaps he had a point, and it was just a bath. He had taken one with Sin the other night, so this should be okay. ''I guess I can come and share my tale for a bit. Can I have another tea?'' he asked. ''On the house.'' Mistoras said, who poured another cup.
Sharrkan wanted to sleep, he really needed to, but couldn't. The kiss Ja'far and Sinbad had shared kept haunting him. 'I knew Sinbad was falling for someone, and obviously, that someone had to be Ja'far, but I still had some hope. Ja'far must be elated.' he thought, as he turned, and turned, but just couldn't find the right spot. 'And even if it meant nothing, Yunan means business. And then that other guy, I don't know what to do anymore...'
He sighed deeply, it's not like any of them even stood a chance against Sinbad, it was a funny situation. Jeez, why did feelings have to bother him, he had only offered his help, and now, he kind of started to regret that decision. Maybe he should call his brother, perhaps he had information, seeing he knew how to act on his feelings for Morgiana. Before he had realised it, he had already dialled Alibaba's cell. ''Nii-san, is that you?'' his brother sounded tired.
''Uh, yeah... just calling to see how you're doing.'' he said. ''Great. I had some visitors over today, they just left. I'm crashing on the couch, and going to make dinner in about an hour.'' Alibaba said. ''Visitors? Mor, you mean. What was up with that weird text you sent me?'' Sharrkan demanded to know. ''Mor was here, yes. Along with Rumuru and Alladin. Alladin was wondering why you didn't like Miss Yam's boobs, and then made a funny comment about you being a butt-person. So, that's why. Besides, there is some truth in it, isn't there? Are you making any progress with Ja'far?'' Alibaba asked.
Sharrkan sighed deeply. ''Nii-san, everything alright?'' Alibaba asked. ''Huh, oh, yeah.'' Sharrkan said. ''You're lying, Nii-san, that's unlike you. Did something happen? You didn't snatch his second kiss too, right?'' he asked. ''I didn't. Sinbad did.'' Sharrkan replied, remembering the way that Sinbad had pulled Ja'far into a kiss. ''Oh, cool. That's what Ja'far wanted, so he must be elated. I'm feeling sorry for you though.'' Alibaba said.
''No need, because I was helping him to get together with Sinbad, so, it was fine, I guess. But Ja'far wasn't necessarily elated, or at least not noticeable, he fainted after the kiss.'' Sharrkan said. ''Ja'far fainted? Okay, what's going on that camp? First I hear stories about getting lost, then kissing, fainting, harems... tell me about it, Nii-san.'' Alibaba said. ''Where did you hear all this?'' Sharrkan wondered.
''Masrur, he's a terrible gossip. Okay, to be fair, Hinahoho texted Mor and Rumuru, and they told me. I'd like to hear it from you, though.'' Alibaba said. ''Fine.'' he grouched, and told all of it. How Sinbad and Ja'far had gotten lost, how he had chased after them. And what had occurred in the museum today. ''This is only day two, how disastrous can you make it?'' Alibaba asked, as he smiled, ''Nii-san, we may have been joking about it for quite some time, but face it, you and Ja'far are good together. It doesn't sound like it's too late, Ja'far hasn't asked Sinbad yet. I think you would make him happy. And this Yunan doesn't sound like a threat, nor does Spartos' brother, cause he isn't attending school with us, so you won't see him anymore after camp.'' Alibaba explained.
''But.. my promise to Ja'far..'' Sharrkan tried. ''Your promise is very noble and all, but maybe you should be selfish for once, and give it a chance.'' Alibaba told his brother. ''I can't.'' Sharrkan said. ''Then suit yourself, but I think you're making the wrong decision.'' Alibaba said. ''I'll call you later.'' Sharrkan promised, before hanging up. He felt really tired. His eyes fluttered a few times, before he finally fell asleep.
Several minutes later, or so he thought, he heard a soft knock on the door. ''Come on in.'' he said, before the door opened softly. ''It's me. Do you mind if I come in?'' Ja'far's quiet voice asked. ''Uh, sure, I don't mind.'' Sharrkan said as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Ja'far softly made his way towards Sharrkan. ''I thought you were asleep?'' Ja'far asked, as he sat down. ''I was trying to sleep. I guess I was not as tired as I thought.'' Sharrkan said.
''Ehr, according to the rest, you were asleep. You've been sleeping while Sinbad came in here, who was talking with Yunan, and I love the guy, but he tends to be loud. Anyhow, I came to wake you up, because dinner is about to start. Afterwards, you can go back to sleep.'' Ja'far said. ''Oh...'' Sharrkan replied. ''What about you?'' he asked. ''I'm taking a bath after dinner.'' Ja'far replied. Sharrkan smiled, ''First kissing, then bathing together, you and Sinbad already seem married. Off to Vegas doesn't seem like a bad idea now, does it?''
Ja'far decided against throwing a fit, instead he calmly said, ''I'm not taking a bath with Sin tonight. I'm allowed to bathe on my own.'' It was a white lie, surely Sharrkan would ask questions if he said he was going to take a bath with a stranger. ''I'll see you in the dining room, then, thanks for waking me up.'' Sharrkan replied, teasing Ja'far seemed like bad idea. ''See you there.'' Ja'far replied, before getting up, then left. ''Yeah, soon...'' Sharrkan replied, as he got up, and pulled a shirt over his torso, followed by a pair of jeans.
He hadn't realised he had been this tired, and to be frank, he still felt tired now. Slowly, he made his way towards the dining hall, where he found Ja'far eating at a table with the others (being, Hinahoho, Masrur, Yunan, Judal, Koha, Spartos and Sinbad.) ''Oh, hey, there he is. Good morning, sleeping beast.'' Sinbad said, who noticed him. ''Beast?'' Sharrkan asked, as he sat down between Masrur and Hinahoho.
''I'm not calling you beauty, and in my defense, you have a beastly snore, so it makes sense.'' Sinbad replied. ''So do you.'' Both Ja'far and Judal replied. ''I do no such thing.'' Sinbad replied, sounding offended. ''We can hear you, and our room is down the hall.'' Hinahoho said, making the rest of the table snicker. Sinbad just pouted childishly, and crossed his arms. Well, not for too long, supper was way too good for that.
''I saved you a plate of curry. It's good.'' Ja'far said, as he shoved a plate towards Sharrkan. ''Nii-san made it, he loves making curry.'' Spartos soft voice added. Sharrkan was about to retort something, but was interupted, as Pisti had climbed on top of her chair, and shouted, ''Okay, listen up.'' ''Oh, god, what is she doing now?'' Koha asked, and the others could only offer a confused stare. No one ever knew what Pisti was up to.
''Tomorrow is a big day, so all of you are expected to go to bed on time tonight. We'll have to get up at seven, and gather in the parking lot at eight. We're going to a theme park, which is fun, but also a bit further away from here. To prevent such situations as monday-'' she eyed Sinbad and Ja'far when she said this, ''We'll have to come up with a tight schedule. If you do not stick to it, or break any rules, you will wait in the bus all day, while we have fun.'' she said, before sitting down.
''So, what ruckus are you two planning to cause this time?'' Judal asked both Sinbad and Ja'far. ''Nothing, we never planned them, they just occurred.'' Sinbad said. ''No, they occur to you, you drag me into the mess everytime.'' Ja'far told him. ''Hey, keep it fun. No one is waiting for a lovers' quarrel.'' Koha said, making both Sinbad and Ja'far blush, and the others that had witnessed the moment in the museum feel awkward.
''We'll just hang out together, all of us, and make the best of it. It's just an amusement park, we're supposed to have fun there.'' Hinahoho said. ''Sounds like fun.'' Ja'far nodded, at least with Masrur and Hinahoho around nothing too weird could happen, they were sensible and reliable. Spartos didn't seem troublesome, and Judal seemed to get along great with Koha.
They enjoyed the rest of their meals, before each heading their own way. ''Are you okay?'' Masrur asked, as he accompanied Ja'far to his room. ''Yeah, feeling better after the museum. It was just a bit unexpected, that's all.'' Ja'far replied. Masrur nodded, he hadn't seen it coming either. ''I didn't mind it that much, though. You probably don't want to hear this, but Sinbad's lips are really soft.'' Ja'far said, as he smiled.
''Almost as soft as Sharrkan's.'' he muttered under his breath, but Masrur was able to understand what he had said. He gave Ja'far a look, wanting to know what had happened. Ja'far realised that Masrur had probably heard him, and grew very, very quiet as they stopped walking. ''Sharrkan's?'' Masrur eventually asked. Ja'far nodded ever so slightly. ''You kissed?'' he asked. ''It was nothing. If anything, it's... It was a stupid reason.'' Ja'far replied.
''If you say so.'' Masrur answered, it was not his place to tell Ja'far how Sharrkan felt about him. ''This is getting out of hand, Masrur. I don't know what to do anymore. I mean, a coach is great, and all, but it hasn't actually improved the situation, and I have this feeling that there is a lot more going on.'' Ja'far complained. ''Relax.'' Masrur told him. ''How?'' Ja'far asked. ''Take a bath. Sleep. Read.'' Masrur listed his options.
''I could use a little alone time. Do you mind if I hang in your room, and read for a bit?'' Ja'far asked. Masrur shrugged, he didn't see why not, and his roommates were a lot calmer then Ja'far's roommates, the exception being when Sphintus and Titus were arguing. ''Great, I'll go and get my book. I needed to kill some time anyway.'' Ja'far said. Masrur gave him a look, but decided against asking, it really seemed his friend did need some rest. Soon enough, Ja'far had gotten his book, and they hung in Masrur's room.
Ja'far read till the clock struck nine. ''Ah, I must go. Thanks, and I'll see you tomorrow.'' Ja'far said as he shut his book. ''Where to?'' Masrur asked, wondering why his friend had to leave so abruptly. ''Taking a bath, that's all.'' Ja'far said. Masrur nodded, at least Ja'far seemed to be taking it more easy. ''Have fun.'' he said, and Ja'far nodded, before he went towards the bathroom, where he found Mistoras, undressing.
''Hey, there you are, I was already wondering whether you would show or not. I'm glad you did, the water's temperature is really nice.'' Mistoras said, as he finished undressing, covering his naked lower body with a towel. ''Shall we?'' he asked. 'So casual.' Ja'far thought, as he nodded. ''Go ahead, I'll be coming right up.'' he said, and Mistoras shrugged before he headed towards the hotspring.
'Should I really be doing this? He's just a stranger, and I hardly even confide in Sin about this. Then again, I can't tell Sin yet, that's why I was receiving help in the first place. But I don't have to tell him, I can always choose not to. Then again, holding this in is... I'm driving myself insane.' Ja'far thought, shaking his head furiously. It was just bathing, that was all. He did it with Sin before, and that should be way more terrifying, yet somehow it hadn't been. Maybe because it was Sin, because Sin made him feel more relaxed than anything else in the world.
'Just relax. Maybe he can offer some advice as well. Not that I'd make him my coach, because Sharrkan is doing really well.' Ja'far thought, before undressing, ending up covering his lower body with a towel as well. He made his way towards the spring. He could faintly see the steam of the bath against the dark of the night. Mistoras was seated, his eyes nearly closed as he took a deep breath, clearly enjoying himself.
Ja'far climbed in, and Mistoras smiled, before opening his eyes. 'Wow, his skin is really white. Almost as white as his hair.' Mistoras thought, as he said, ''So, I'll cut right to it, do you want to talk about your situation, or not? You don't have to, because, if this is for relaxation, then we just share idle chatter.'' ''I... I don't know. I mean, I want to, if only to say it out loud and to hear what someone else is thinking, but it's a little private. And I don't know you that well. We just met each other.'' Ja'far said.
''True.'' Mistoras said. ''Then again, Sharrkan and I barely knew each other, other then by name, and then he became my coach, so I don't see why I can't tell you.'' Ja'far mused. ''Coach? This is going to be an unusual story, isn't it?'' Mistoras asked. ''Better be prepared.'' Ja'far warned, playfully. ''So, from hearing that reply, you're going to tell me?'' Mistoras asked. Ja'far nodded. ''Cool.'' Mistoras replied, prepared to listen to whatever the petite teen had to say.
''I really, really like Sin a lot, but I don't posses a lot of knowledge on love. In fact, I don't know anything about it, or at least, nothing about how to flirt, how to engage a relationship, that kinda stuff.'' Ja'far started. 'So innocent.' Mistoras thought, as he nodded. ''So, as it had become glaringly obvious, or so I think, Sin doesn't know, Sharrkan offered to help me out. A lot has happened, and we must be making some progress. I think about asking Sinbad out pretty soon in fact, so I must have gained some confidence, but that doesn't come without risk.'' Ja'far said.
''Naturally. Asking the one out always comes with a risk, but to be honest, Sinbad would be a fool to turn down someone like you.'' Mistoras said, gaining a confused look from a very pink Ja'far. ''Water too hot?'' he asked, but Ja'far shook his head. ''That was very kind of you, but that was not the kind of risk I was talking about. For some odd reason, Sharrkan wants to take more distance after I get together with Sin. I can understand why, I mean, we're not even that close, but I don't want to lose him as a friend. And so, I have these doubts, but I really want to be with Sin. I always dreamed of it, and now I am so close thanks to Sharrkan's coaching.'' Ja'far said.
''But you don't want to lose Sharrkan either, I can understand that. I don't think you're actually losing him though. It sounds like you two grew closer then before, and no one helps someone out if they don't get along.'' Mistoras said. ''The thought hurts me, but... Sharrkan has no good reason to keep me around. I still don't know why chose to help me in the first place.'' Ja'far replied.
''I can think of a reason or two to keep you around. So, the reason you fainted at the museum was because you were kissed by your crush. That explains a lot, I was already wondering what was going on. You two look adorable together. Then again, you look adorable by definition.'' Mistoras told Ja'far. Honestly, he understood Sharrkan's reasons. The thought of losing someone so precious to someone else must be painful.
Ja'far turned even redder this time, before he muttered, ''You flatter people too much. Stop it.'' ''I only say flattering things to those I think deserve them. So, tell me more about what happened so far. Or anything else.'' Mistoras said, as he thought 'He's adorable when embarrassed, maybe I should tease him more, or perhaps keep on giving such compliments.' ''It's kind of a long story, you know.'' Ja'far said. ''I've heard my share of long stories, I work at a bar in an inn.'' Mistoras replied. ''Fair point.'' Ja'far said, before telling a few things that had occurred up till now.
It wasn't until eleven before he finished the story. ''Wow, that's really something. And school has gotten more fun, jeez, I wish I was still there. Pisti was a year behind me when I still attended Sindria high, but she sounds like a hell of a teacher. I'm actually studying to become a teacher. That is why I moved here.'' Mistoras said. ''More like a devil of a teacher.'' Ja'far said, before adding, ''You'd be a good teacher. You did a good job of chaperoning, and seem to care enough about strangers to help students out when they are in need.'' then he yawned, it was getting kinda late.
This time it was Mistoras' turn to blush. ''Better head to bed. It isn't healthy to stay in such hot water for such a length of time anyway. I heard you are going to an amusement park tomorrow, so you'll need your sleep.'' he told Ja'far. ''See, teacher material right there. Stern when needed, but you're right, I should head to bed. Getting this off my chest really helped, so I'm glad we talked. Spartos is lucky with such a kind big brother.'' Ja'far said, as he got up, and climbed out. ''Sleep tight.'' he said, before heading back to the dressing room. ''Sleep tight.'' Mistoras said softly, once Ja'far had left.