It was a fortnight later that he found himself at the market again. As he
browsed through the kiosks, he found himself heading to where Marie's kiosk
was. But when he got there, he found the space vacant. One of the nearby
merchants saw him looking bewildered and laughed. "Looking for Suzie?" He
asked.
"Suzie?" He questioned.
"The sticher, with the custom embroidery?" The other man said.
"Why yes, yes I am." He said, now figuring things out.
"She'll be here sooner or later. Never sets up shop at the same time. Hardly ever even sets up shop. Once a week I tell you. That's it." Le Pieu smiled slightly, and walked off. He browsed through the market, and was about to leave when he literally crashed into Marie.
"'Ello. Le Pieu, if I'm not mistaken." She said, moving off to the side to allow the crowd to get past.
"Marie, I belive." Her eyebrows shot up for a split second.
"I didn't think you'd remember anybodies name unless they owed you money."
"Yes, well," he started.
"Yes, well, I was about to go get something from a friend of mine."
"Don't you have a shop to mind?"
"No, actually, that's just a hobby that makes money."
"So, what do you do?"
"Everything my father did."
"Which is?" He pryed. His mouth was betraying his mind. He wanted nothing to do with her. But yet he did.
"My father was a sailor, one of the finest on the seas." She said, turning around and starting to walk.
"Well, what happened?" He asked, hurrying to catch up to her.
"He died." She said flatly. He had the sudden urge to offer his condolences. No. no, he wouldn't. He couldn't. "What about you?" She asked him, turning to face him.
"They'res nothing to tell."
"Everyone has a story." She pointed out. "What's yours?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"I told you, now you tell me." She said, staring him in the eye.
"As I said, I have nothing to tell." She moved within an inch of him. She could feel the heavy, angered breath coming from his nostrils.
"You have something to tell, and I'm just going to have to force it out of you. Why don't you start with the story behind that scar?" His hand went up to his cheek, gently tracing the thin white line.
"This?"
"Yes, that." She said exasperatedly, walking away from the stand where she had just bought some fabric from.
"In a fight." It was the truth. He was fighting with Danielle at the time.
"Hah! I bet even the princess could beat you!" He smirked slightly at how true that was.
"Do you think you can?" He said gruffly.
"I bet." He stared at her.
"Bet what?" He said, grinning slyly.
"Depends."
"On?"
"What you're willing to lose." That was it. He was ready to do anything. She had hit his last nerve. He narrowed his eyes and stared at her. "I take that as 'We're on?'"
"Yes."
"Well then, they'res a grove in the woods about a mile away. I'll meet you there in two hours time." She said, before walking off. He was left standing there. What had this woman done to him? This woman, no, this GIRL, had completely changed him. It was almost as if he had..feelings.
He was going to stand her up. He really was. He didn't want to go. He didn't want to have anything to do with this...duel. or this girl. But he couldn't seem to bring himself not to go. He felt almost as if he had to. This girl got under his skin in a way that no one else had before.
"Suzie?" He questioned.
"The sticher, with the custom embroidery?" The other man said.
"Why yes, yes I am." He said, now figuring things out.
"She'll be here sooner or later. Never sets up shop at the same time. Hardly ever even sets up shop. Once a week I tell you. That's it." Le Pieu smiled slightly, and walked off. He browsed through the market, and was about to leave when he literally crashed into Marie.
"'Ello. Le Pieu, if I'm not mistaken." She said, moving off to the side to allow the crowd to get past.
"Marie, I belive." Her eyebrows shot up for a split second.
"I didn't think you'd remember anybodies name unless they owed you money."
"Yes, well," he started.
"Yes, well, I was about to go get something from a friend of mine."
"Don't you have a shop to mind?"
"No, actually, that's just a hobby that makes money."
"So, what do you do?"
"Everything my father did."
"Which is?" He pryed. His mouth was betraying his mind. He wanted nothing to do with her. But yet he did.
"My father was a sailor, one of the finest on the seas." She said, turning around and starting to walk.
"Well, what happened?" He asked, hurrying to catch up to her.
"He died." She said flatly. He had the sudden urge to offer his condolences. No. no, he wouldn't. He couldn't. "What about you?" She asked him, turning to face him.
"They'res nothing to tell."
"Everyone has a story." She pointed out. "What's yours?"
"Why do you want to know?"
"I told you, now you tell me." She said, staring him in the eye.
"As I said, I have nothing to tell." She moved within an inch of him. She could feel the heavy, angered breath coming from his nostrils.
"You have something to tell, and I'm just going to have to force it out of you. Why don't you start with the story behind that scar?" His hand went up to his cheek, gently tracing the thin white line.
"This?"
"Yes, that." She said exasperatedly, walking away from the stand where she had just bought some fabric from.
"In a fight." It was the truth. He was fighting with Danielle at the time.
"Hah! I bet even the princess could beat you!" He smirked slightly at how true that was.
"Do you think you can?" He said gruffly.
"I bet." He stared at her.
"Bet what?" He said, grinning slyly.
"Depends."
"On?"
"What you're willing to lose." That was it. He was ready to do anything. She had hit his last nerve. He narrowed his eyes and stared at her. "I take that as 'We're on?'"
"Yes."
"Well then, they'res a grove in the woods about a mile away. I'll meet you there in two hours time." She said, before walking off. He was left standing there. What had this woman done to him? This woman, no, this GIRL, had completely changed him. It was almost as if he had..feelings.
He was going to stand her up. He really was. He didn't want to go. He didn't want to have anything to do with this...duel. or this girl. But he couldn't seem to bring himself not to go. He felt almost as if he had to. This girl got under his skin in a way that no one else had before.