Author's Note: Here's chapter two, already. I wrote all of this in school
today ^____^. Don't ya just love it when you watch a movie in class? Please
read and review, and don't tell my World History teacher ^_~.
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"I feel so sorry for poor Claude-darling..." Celine told Precis as they sat in their room at the inn after dinner. "He's so worried about Rena that he's not even going to go to the carnival tomorrow."
Precis frowned. "Darn, and Rena-'nechan and I were really looking forward to going together with Claude-san.... I wanted to go on a nice, romantic Ferris wheel ride with him...." Her eyes sparkled as she daydreamed.
"You can always go with someone else. Like Leon," Celine suggested. "He's cute."
The younger girl snapped out of her trance. "Go to the carnival with Leon!? He's such a brat!"
"... Or you can go with Ashton. I'm sure he'd be really happy if you asked him to go on the Ferris wheel with you." The sorceress winked. "He's head-over-heels for you, you know."
"Ashton...?"
"Sure. He's a nice guy. He always seems pretty lonely too, even though he's got Gyoro and Ururun. I bet it would make his day if you offered to go with him."
"I don't know him very well though..."
"I've known him for a little longer. He's really nice. He'll probably do whatever you want him to. Ashton seems kind of gullible like that; if he thinks that it'll make you happy, he'll do it."
"Really? I'd hate to take advantage of his kindness though..."
Celine laughed a little. "You probably won't have to worry about that. If you're with him, that'll be enough to repay him."
"Okay... then I guess I'll ask him...." Precis paused. "Wait, is he still mad at us?"
"Hmmm... I don't know. Want me to talk to him?"
"Sure, thanks Celine," Precis said as the Crest sorceress stood up and headed for the door. As she was walking towards it, someone knocked.
"Leon-chan!" Celine said as she let the kitty boy into the room.
"Ashton-'nichan won't let me in," he told her. "I knocked and knocked, but he wouldn't answer."
"I hope he isn't too angry at us..." Celine muttered.
"If he is, it's your fault!" Leon pointed at Precis. "You were the one throwing raisins at him."
Precis jumped up. "What the heck, you little brat! /You/ were the first one to actually throw food at Ashton!" she yelled.
"That was /Celine-san/, not me. And I'm not a brat."
"Sure you are."
"You're just jealous because I'm cuter than you and smarter than you and-"
"How is bragging cute?"
"I'm not bragging, I'm merely pointing out-"
Celine stepped in. "Stop it, you two. If you can behave while I go talk to Ashton, I'll get him to let you in, Leon, and then you and Precis won't have to tolerate each other anymore."
"No matter what happens, I am absolutely /not/ sleeping in the same room as /Precis/ tonight!" Leon yelled as Celine fled the room.
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Celine knocked on the door to Ashton's room, glad to be away from Leon and Precis's battle.
"Ashton, darling, open up please," she said sweetly when he didn't answer. Silence from within.
She knocked again. "I have a barrel for you, dear."
"When and where was it made?" he asked from inside.
"Uh... Herlie... erm... twelve years ago, I think...." She hoped that answer was sufficient.
"You're lying. All the woodcutters were on strike that year. Wood was hard to get, and it would have been used for ships, not barrels."
Celine sweatdropped. "Oh, wait, it says 'Hilton'. Sorry, my mistake."
"There was no barrel industry in Hilton back then. It only started up about five years ago."
"Ashton, you are such a loser..." Celine muttered under her breath. Then, louder, she said, "Can't you just let me in?"
"... Fine, it's open." He sounded far from happy, and maybe even slightly ill. Celine opened the door and stepped into the room.
Ashton was lying on his side on one of the room's two beds, his back to Celine. Ururun and Gyoro peered at her eagerly, grumbling. Celine walked up to Ashton-tachi and stroked both the dragon's noses.
"Sorry, I can't understand you two," she told them.
"They're asking for more raisins," Ashton moaned. "Please, gods, Celine, don't give them any..."
"Why not?"
"They made me really sick...." He sat up slowly, arms folded across his stomach.
"Oh... I'm sorry," Celine said as she sat on the bed beside him. "And we're all sorry about what happened at dinner. That was really immature, and we won't do it ever again."
"I forgive you... I feel so gross I don't think I'd have the energy to be angry at you anyway."
"Aww, poor Ashton-kun..." Celine hugged him gently. "I hope you feel better."
"Celine...?" Ashton said, squirming a little. "Could you please let me go? I feel like I might hurl again..."
The Crest sorceress let go of him and hopped off the bed as though Ashton had just turned into a bug. "So... are you going to let Leon in now?" she asked cautiously.
"Oh... sure... just as long as you tell him to be quiet and generally leave me alone until I'm feeling better..." Ashton said, turning slightly green.
"Okay. I hope you feel good enough to go to the carnival tomorrow," she said as she left the room.
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Well, that's it for chapter two. About the whole thing with Celine and Ashton and the barrel, for those of you who have only played the game, I don't think that they explain Ashton's barrel obsession there. In the anime though, Ashton says that he's a barrel enthusiast, like it's some sort of hobby. So I figured that he'd be very (read: disturbingly) knowledgeable on the subject of barrels. And the thing with the raisins, my friend and I have wondered for a while whether or not Ashton and his dragons share a stomach. I decided for this fanfic that they do. I think the answer to this mystery of life may be explained in the little mini-comic on the back of manga 4, but alas, I don't know enough Japanese (yet). If anyone could translate the little comic thingie and send me a translation, I'd be very happy ^^. Anyway, sorry to rant on so long like that. I hope you liked chapter 2, and I'll try to get chapter 3 up soon. Marching band season is almost over, so after (I think) this week, I'll have a little more free time to spend on things I enjoy, like drawing, cross stitch, and, of course, writing anime fanfiction. ^_^
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"I feel so sorry for poor Claude-darling..." Celine told Precis as they sat in their room at the inn after dinner. "He's so worried about Rena that he's not even going to go to the carnival tomorrow."
Precis frowned. "Darn, and Rena-'nechan and I were really looking forward to going together with Claude-san.... I wanted to go on a nice, romantic Ferris wheel ride with him...." Her eyes sparkled as she daydreamed.
"You can always go with someone else. Like Leon," Celine suggested. "He's cute."
The younger girl snapped out of her trance. "Go to the carnival with Leon!? He's such a brat!"
"... Or you can go with Ashton. I'm sure he'd be really happy if you asked him to go on the Ferris wheel with you." The sorceress winked. "He's head-over-heels for you, you know."
"Ashton...?"
"Sure. He's a nice guy. He always seems pretty lonely too, even though he's got Gyoro and Ururun. I bet it would make his day if you offered to go with him."
"I don't know him very well though..."
"I've known him for a little longer. He's really nice. He'll probably do whatever you want him to. Ashton seems kind of gullible like that; if he thinks that it'll make you happy, he'll do it."
"Really? I'd hate to take advantage of his kindness though..."
Celine laughed a little. "You probably won't have to worry about that. If you're with him, that'll be enough to repay him."
"Okay... then I guess I'll ask him...." Precis paused. "Wait, is he still mad at us?"
"Hmmm... I don't know. Want me to talk to him?"
"Sure, thanks Celine," Precis said as the Crest sorceress stood up and headed for the door. As she was walking towards it, someone knocked.
"Leon-chan!" Celine said as she let the kitty boy into the room.
"Ashton-'nichan won't let me in," he told her. "I knocked and knocked, but he wouldn't answer."
"I hope he isn't too angry at us..." Celine muttered.
"If he is, it's your fault!" Leon pointed at Precis. "You were the one throwing raisins at him."
Precis jumped up. "What the heck, you little brat! /You/ were the first one to actually throw food at Ashton!" she yelled.
"That was /Celine-san/, not me. And I'm not a brat."
"Sure you are."
"You're just jealous because I'm cuter than you and smarter than you and-"
"How is bragging cute?"
"I'm not bragging, I'm merely pointing out-"
Celine stepped in. "Stop it, you two. If you can behave while I go talk to Ashton, I'll get him to let you in, Leon, and then you and Precis won't have to tolerate each other anymore."
"No matter what happens, I am absolutely /not/ sleeping in the same room as /Precis/ tonight!" Leon yelled as Celine fled the room.
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Celine knocked on the door to Ashton's room, glad to be away from Leon and Precis's battle.
"Ashton, darling, open up please," she said sweetly when he didn't answer. Silence from within.
She knocked again. "I have a barrel for you, dear."
"When and where was it made?" he asked from inside.
"Uh... Herlie... erm... twelve years ago, I think...." She hoped that answer was sufficient.
"You're lying. All the woodcutters were on strike that year. Wood was hard to get, and it would have been used for ships, not barrels."
Celine sweatdropped. "Oh, wait, it says 'Hilton'. Sorry, my mistake."
"There was no barrel industry in Hilton back then. It only started up about five years ago."
"Ashton, you are such a loser..." Celine muttered under her breath. Then, louder, she said, "Can't you just let me in?"
"... Fine, it's open." He sounded far from happy, and maybe even slightly ill. Celine opened the door and stepped into the room.
Ashton was lying on his side on one of the room's two beds, his back to Celine. Ururun and Gyoro peered at her eagerly, grumbling. Celine walked up to Ashton-tachi and stroked both the dragon's noses.
"Sorry, I can't understand you two," she told them.
"They're asking for more raisins," Ashton moaned. "Please, gods, Celine, don't give them any..."
"Why not?"
"They made me really sick...." He sat up slowly, arms folded across his stomach.
"Oh... I'm sorry," Celine said as she sat on the bed beside him. "And we're all sorry about what happened at dinner. That was really immature, and we won't do it ever again."
"I forgive you... I feel so gross I don't think I'd have the energy to be angry at you anyway."
"Aww, poor Ashton-kun..." Celine hugged him gently. "I hope you feel better."
"Celine...?" Ashton said, squirming a little. "Could you please let me go? I feel like I might hurl again..."
The Crest sorceress let go of him and hopped off the bed as though Ashton had just turned into a bug. "So... are you going to let Leon in now?" she asked cautiously.
"Oh... sure... just as long as you tell him to be quiet and generally leave me alone until I'm feeling better..." Ashton said, turning slightly green.
"Okay. I hope you feel good enough to go to the carnival tomorrow," she said as she left the room.
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Well, that's it for chapter two. About the whole thing with Celine and Ashton and the barrel, for those of you who have only played the game, I don't think that they explain Ashton's barrel obsession there. In the anime though, Ashton says that he's a barrel enthusiast, like it's some sort of hobby. So I figured that he'd be very (read: disturbingly) knowledgeable on the subject of barrels. And the thing with the raisins, my friend and I have wondered for a while whether or not Ashton and his dragons share a stomach. I decided for this fanfic that they do. I think the answer to this mystery of life may be explained in the little mini-comic on the back of manga 4, but alas, I don't know enough Japanese (yet). If anyone could translate the little comic thingie and send me a translation, I'd be very happy ^^. Anyway, sorry to rant on so long like that. I hope you liked chapter 2, and I'll try to get chapter 3 up soon. Marching band season is almost over, so after (I think) this week, I'll have a little more free time to spend on things I enjoy, like drawing, cross stitch, and, of course, writing anime fanfiction. ^_^