- 2 -
May looked at the mystery man down the isle from over the top of the book. She quickly noticed the boots and hat. He looked like one of those heroes from the multiple Western shows.
She put the book on the shelf, and walked toward him. "What was that?" she asked.
"I said, I didn't know dolphins could read," he said. The shadow that covered his face from the hat made his grin scarcely seeable.
"Oh my, I don't imagine I've ever met you? You look and sound familiar, but..." she started. He shook his head.
"I reckon we have," he said. May frowned at him.
"Where.?"
"Um, let's see.I'd say it was by Illusion Woods, Madeline." he turned and looked around, making sure no one was listening or watching. He bent down, and kissed her.
May wanted to push him back, but something *still* felt familiar about him. As soon as she could, she said, "Ash?"
"How'd you guess?" he asked playfully.
"What's with the getup?" May asked. Ash pulled the hat off, and gripped the brim of it with one hand.
"Just something new, I guess. You didn't even know it was me!" Ash teased, smiling, "What was that book?"
"Oh, nothing," she said. May saw the librarian walk past, inspecting the bookcases. "Just a book about Althena's Dragons."
"Hm! Lemme see!" he asked.
"Later, everyone's here," May said, looking past him. Nimbus, Cirrus, Heather, and Miles were trotting toward them. "That's Heather and Miles, and."
Ash turned and looked at them. "Nimbus! Cirrus!"
"Who would've thought! You and May hanging around in here! Why didn't you two come get us?" Nimbus queried.
"Er." Ash looked at Heather and Miles. He glanced at May. "Um."
"Ash spent half an hour keeping hidden with this-" May grabbed the hat from his hand, and pulled it down hard on his head.
"HEY!" Ash yanked at it, trying to get it off.
"Shh! Ash! Be quiet!" May hissed. Ash pulled it off, and threw it at her. May caught it, one handed, and put it on.
"Nah nah!" she vexed, running away. Ash smiled, and ran after her. Nimbus, Cirrus, and Heather sighed. Miles laughed.
THUD! They went to see what had happened. Ash was down on the ground; books scattered all over the place. May was picking them up, and putting them back.
"What happened?" Heather asked.
"I tripped over myself!" Ash growled, getting up, "I'm not used to wearing boots like this, and running..."
"Are you alright?" Cirrus asked.
"Yeah," he said.
"Let's get out of here before Ash knocks all the bookcases down with those evil boots of his," Nimbus suggested, grinning at him.
"Shut up!" Ash said. He followed May over to the door. Heather, Nimbus, Cirrus, and Miles left after them.
"Wait!" Lemina ran over to them. "Why didn't you come see me?"
"Who? Me?" Ash asked. Lemina nodded. "I was.busy taking care of a little business."
"Sure, what every you say Ash." Cirrus said, "The only business you had was playing western cowboy in the library."
"Huh?" Lemina looked at him. "What are they talking about?"
"This," May said, putting the hat back on Ash's head. Lemina smiled.
"Where's your gun, partner?" she asked.
"Lemina!" Miria Ausa, Lemina's mother, came outside. "I need your help, I'm making the-"
"SHHH!" Lemina said. Miria frowned.
"What?" she asked. Miria looked around at all of them. "Oh.oh!"
"I'll come in," Lemina said, "May, I need to talk to you about you- know-what."
"Ok." May agreed. "I'll be back in a moment."
Lemina, Miria, and May went into the Guild, and down into the kitchens.
"May, did you tell him yet?" Lemina asked.
"No, not yet. I want it to be kept secret from everyone...especially Ash. It'd probably just scare the wits out of him." May said. Lemina nodded, and ran off when Miria called her name. May left, and went back outside. "Where did the sheriff run off to?"
"Oh, he went over there, by the Star of Transportation" Heather muttered. May looked in the direction she was pointing to. And like she said, he was over there, looking over the edge of the fence, at the earth below.
May ran over to him. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Just looking around," Ash said. He looked at her. "What'd you do with Lemina?"
"She had to ask me something," May said. Ash shrugged, and went back to looking below. She laid her head against his shoulder.
A few hours later, they all sat in the dinning room. Ronfar, Mauri, and Leo were there. "What's going on?" Ash asked quietly.
"You'll see," Nimbus replied.
"May! What is going on?" he turned and asked her.
"Ignore Nimbus, Ash. We're just having dinner."
"I have a screaming cake!" Lemina said. Ash looked at her.
"You have a screaming what?"
"A screaming cake! It literally screams when you cut it!" she said. Miria was putting everything on the table.
"It's quite fun, listening to it, except if you go deaf." Miria told Ash.
"I've never seen a cake that 'screams'." he commented. May looked at him.
"It's magic, Ash," she said. Dinner was started in silence.
"Who cooked this stuff?" he asked. Miria looked at him.
"I did," she said, "You don't-"
"No, no! I love it! I've never ate something so good. except my mom's cooking!" Ash said hurriedly.
"When are you bringing that cake?" Cirrus asked, "I want to see Ash jump out of those boots when he hears it!"
"How do you constantly find ways to taunt me?" Ash questioned sourly.
"It's simple to, so it's not hard to find ways!" Nimbus said.
"Here it is!" Miria set the cake on the cleared table, and stood back. It was big enough for 15 pieces. She gave the knife to Lemina, and sat down.
Lemina stood up, and held the knife an inch away from it. She looked at Ash, and asked, "Ready?"
"Shut up and cut the silly thing!" he said. Lemina sliced it open, and like suspected, it shrieked.
In surprise, Ash fell over, off his chair. He grabbed the back of May's chair, and ended up pulling it backward. "Ash!" she yelled.
Nimbus, Heather, Miles, Cirrus, and Lemina howled with laughter. Ash pulled himself up with the table's help. He helped May up from the floor.
"Ya, ya, shut up!" Ash said, sitting down again. May, who was sitting again too, put her hand on his arm.
"You can't say they didn't warn you," she said, smiling more and more herself, until she started to giggle. Ash slumped back in his chair.
"Ya, well." he mumbled. Lemina stood up, still giggling, and cut the cake the rest of the way. She handed a piece to everyone.
When they had finished, they said their good-byes, and left for Meribia, using the White Dragon Wings, which Lemina had given back. At 11:00 P.M., they all went to bed after a long day.
May looked at the mystery man down the isle from over the top of the book. She quickly noticed the boots and hat. He looked like one of those heroes from the multiple Western shows.
She put the book on the shelf, and walked toward him. "What was that?" she asked.
"I said, I didn't know dolphins could read," he said. The shadow that covered his face from the hat made his grin scarcely seeable.
"Oh my, I don't imagine I've ever met you? You look and sound familiar, but..." she started. He shook his head.
"I reckon we have," he said. May frowned at him.
"Where.?"
"Um, let's see.I'd say it was by Illusion Woods, Madeline." he turned and looked around, making sure no one was listening or watching. He bent down, and kissed her.
May wanted to push him back, but something *still* felt familiar about him. As soon as she could, she said, "Ash?"
"How'd you guess?" he asked playfully.
"What's with the getup?" May asked. Ash pulled the hat off, and gripped the brim of it with one hand.
"Just something new, I guess. You didn't even know it was me!" Ash teased, smiling, "What was that book?"
"Oh, nothing," she said. May saw the librarian walk past, inspecting the bookcases. "Just a book about Althena's Dragons."
"Hm! Lemme see!" he asked.
"Later, everyone's here," May said, looking past him. Nimbus, Cirrus, Heather, and Miles were trotting toward them. "That's Heather and Miles, and."
Ash turned and looked at them. "Nimbus! Cirrus!"
"Who would've thought! You and May hanging around in here! Why didn't you two come get us?" Nimbus queried.
"Er." Ash looked at Heather and Miles. He glanced at May. "Um."
"Ash spent half an hour keeping hidden with this-" May grabbed the hat from his hand, and pulled it down hard on his head.
"HEY!" Ash yanked at it, trying to get it off.
"Shh! Ash! Be quiet!" May hissed. Ash pulled it off, and threw it at her. May caught it, one handed, and put it on.
"Nah nah!" she vexed, running away. Ash smiled, and ran after her. Nimbus, Cirrus, and Heather sighed. Miles laughed.
THUD! They went to see what had happened. Ash was down on the ground; books scattered all over the place. May was picking them up, and putting them back.
"What happened?" Heather asked.
"I tripped over myself!" Ash growled, getting up, "I'm not used to wearing boots like this, and running..."
"Are you alright?" Cirrus asked.
"Yeah," he said.
"Let's get out of here before Ash knocks all the bookcases down with those evil boots of his," Nimbus suggested, grinning at him.
"Shut up!" Ash said. He followed May over to the door. Heather, Nimbus, Cirrus, and Miles left after them.
"Wait!" Lemina ran over to them. "Why didn't you come see me?"
"Who? Me?" Ash asked. Lemina nodded. "I was.busy taking care of a little business."
"Sure, what every you say Ash." Cirrus said, "The only business you had was playing western cowboy in the library."
"Huh?" Lemina looked at him. "What are they talking about?"
"This," May said, putting the hat back on Ash's head. Lemina smiled.
"Where's your gun, partner?" she asked.
"Lemina!" Miria Ausa, Lemina's mother, came outside. "I need your help, I'm making the-"
"SHHH!" Lemina said. Miria frowned.
"What?" she asked. Miria looked around at all of them. "Oh.oh!"
"I'll come in," Lemina said, "May, I need to talk to you about you- know-what."
"Ok." May agreed. "I'll be back in a moment."
Lemina, Miria, and May went into the Guild, and down into the kitchens.
"May, did you tell him yet?" Lemina asked.
"No, not yet. I want it to be kept secret from everyone...especially Ash. It'd probably just scare the wits out of him." May said. Lemina nodded, and ran off when Miria called her name. May left, and went back outside. "Where did the sheriff run off to?"
"Oh, he went over there, by the Star of Transportation" Heather muttered. May looked in the direction she was pointing to. And like she said, he was over there, looking over the edge of the fence, at the earth below.
May ran over to him. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Just looking around," Ash said. He looked at her. "What'd you do with Lemina?"
"She had to ask me something," May said. Ash shrugged, and went back to looking below. She laid her head against his shoulder.
A few hours later, they all sat in the dinning room. Ronfar, Mauri, and Leo were there. "What's going on?" Ash asked quietly.
"You'll see," Nimbus replied.
"May! What is going on?" he turned and asked her.
"Ignore Nimbus, Ash. We're just having dinner."
"I have a screaming cake!" Lemina said. Ash looked at her.
"You have a screaming what?"
"A screaming cake! It literally screams when you cut it!" she said. Miria was putting everything on the table.
"It's quite fun, listening to it, except if you go deaf." Miria told Ash.
"I've never seen a cake that 'screams'." he commented. May looked at him.
"It's magic, Ash," she said. Dinner was started in silence.
"Who cooked this stuff?" he asked. Miria looked at him.
"I did," she said, "You don't-"
"No, no! I love it! I've never ate something so good. except my mom's cooking!" Ash said hurriedly.
"When are you bringing that cake?" Cirrus asked, "I want to see Ash jump out of those boots when he hears it!"
"How do you constantly find ways to taunt me?" Ash questioned sourly.
"It's simple to, so it's not hard to find ways!" Nimbus said.
"Here it is!" Miria set the cake on the cleared table, and stood back. It was big enough for 15 pieces. She gave the knife to Lemina, and sat down.
Lemina stood up, and held the knife an inch away from it. She looked at Ash, and asked, "Ready?"
"Shut up and cut the silly thing!" he said. Lemina sliced it open, and like suspected, it shrieked.
In surprise, Ash fell over, off his chair. He grabbed the back of May's chair, and ended up pulling it backward. "Ash!" she yelled.
Nimbus, Heather, Miles, Cirrus, and Lemina howled with laughter. Ash pulled himself up with the table's help. He helped May up from the floor.
"Ya, ya, shut up!" Ash said, sitting down again. May, who was sitting again too, put her hand on his arm.
"You can't say they didn't warn you," she said, smiling more and more herself, until she started to giggle. Ash slumped back in his chair.
"Ya, well." he mumbled. Lemina stood up, still giggling, and cut the cake the rest of the way. She handed a piece to everyone.
When they had finished, they said their good-byes, and left for Meribia, using the White Dragon Wings, which Lemina had given back. At 11:00 P.M., they all went to bed after a long day.