Author's Note: Hey! I'm back! This chapter might be a little weird, but I swear I'm going somewhere with it. I thought of the coolest scene the other night, but I can't use it yet. I have to wait until the "almost end", which sucks because I really want to use it now. Anyway, I decided whether Darien will be good or bad (it has to do with my ultra-cool scene) but I'm not going to tell you which. *sticks her tongue out*
Joe: *smiling* I think it's my influence on her. I just love secrecy and painful anticipation that drives you mad. Of course, this is her story, so it can't be all that painful, since it sucks.
Free2BMe: He's just mad because I didn't tell him either.
Briar walked through the woods, taking in the scenery. He loved it here. The trees, the grass, the…everything. So many green things, so many growing things, it was beautiful. He walked slowly, carefully, trying to greet as many plants, trees, bushes, shrubs, etc. as he could. Briar…Briar…Briar… Briar stopped and listened. He began to navigate toward where he felt a pull on his magic. He stopped again in front of a patch of weeds. Briiiaaar… they whispered to him.
What? He answered. (A/N: My, that sounds dull compared to the mysterious(ish) whisper from the plant)
We've got something to show you. Come. Look. Briar stepped into the center of the weeds. There, on the ground was a large emerald. He gasped, his thief impulses kicking in. His fingers itched to pick it up and look it over. Though it had been years since he had wanted to steal anything, he could still appreciate the beauty of a lovely jewel. Briar bent to pick it up. Wait a minute, he thought, I'm bending down, I'm reaching towards the jewel…why am I not picking it up? Briar looked at his arms. The weeds were holding them tightly and refusing them to move further. Let go. Briar ordered. But instead of letting go, the plants began to move further up his arms. Let go! Briar ordered again, firmly. The plants only began to move faster, more desperately, binding his arms to his sides and reaching around his legs to do the same. Before Briar could do anything, a vine dropped down onto his shoulder and wrapped around his neck. No matter how firmly Briar ordered, or how much he coaxed the plants to release him, they only resisted him more fiercely each time. When the vine had completely cut off Briar's air supply, he got desperate. Having enough sense not to tear himself from the plants, thus killing them, he sent a wave of raw power at them. They immediately shrank back. Briar rubbed his neck and quickly stepped away from the crazed plants. Looking down, Briar saw that the Emerald he had been seeking in the first place was gone.
REWIND…AT THE SAME TIME AS PLANTS ARE ATTEMPTING TO MURDER BRIAR, DAJA IS IN THE FORGE…
Daja pumped air into the fire, getting it to the right heat. With the last pump of air, the flames jumped from the fireplace and grabbed onto her. The flames crept up her arms, sending tendrils climbing up her neck and down her legs. Her clothes caught fire. Daja, who had been startled into a shocked paralysis at first, leapt into action. She was alone in the forge, so it was up to her to put out the flames. She ordered them away firmly. Instead of stopping, the flames burned with renewed fervor. Her clothes were only ashes now and she battled naked, grateful she had closed the forge door. She hadn't planned on working with a terribly hot fire that day, but she noticed that the more she ordered the flames down, the hotter and more furious they got. When she could feel the heat radiating off of them, she got scared. This had never happened before. Daja did the magical equivalent of screaming at them to back down and, true to their pattern, they burned hotter. Ow! Okay, that's it. Daja gathered her magic inside of her and pictured it as a bucket of light. She poured it over the flames, visualizing it dousing them as if it were water. The flames wavered and shrank back into the forge. Giving a quick glance at the fire, she went upstairs to put more clothes on.
Tris walked down the path to the hub. She was hungry and Dedicate Gorse was always more than ready to supply snacks to get one through the day. As she walked, she hummed to herself and daydreamed about Darien. She was so consumed in such a daydream that she didn't notice the other person on the path, who also didn't notice her. As a result, the two bumped into each other. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't see-" Tris stopped short as she looked at the person she had bumped into. Two smiling green eyes looked back at her.
"No, no. The error is mine, fair maiden." Darien said as knelt and kissed her hand. "Please allow me to make it up to you." Tris smiled sweetly.
"And just how do you plan on doing that?" She asked him as he stood. He leaned down and met her smiling lips with his own. Tris deepened the kiss. When they finally came up for air, Darien swept Tris off her feet and into his strong arms. She giggled. Ugh! She thought, disgustedly, I sound like a lovesick schoolgirl! But in truth, Tris didn't care what she sounded like. She was in Darien's arms, and that's all that mattered. He carried her off and they rendezvoused through the afternoon.
A/N: First of all, yes, I know what a rendezvous is and yeah, I know it sounds weird there. But I think it also fits in a weird way. Anyway, I figured we needed a break from potential murders, so I tried to throw in some fluff. I'm not very good at writing it, but I think it came out okay.
Eve Eastborne: I just read your review, and those are all very good points. I wonder if I'm using any of them… (Let's just pretend that last statement wasn't a pathetic attempt to inspire curiosity at what may turn out to be a very predictable plot, okay?)