He saw her running up long before she ever reached him. Gyoro noticed her first, and in the beginning Ashton didn't even turn around. But then again, there was a reason she was here on the other side of the continent. So he'd listen. For a while.
She ran up gasping for breath in front of him. He felt bad for being so callous, but as far as he knew, they didn't like each other.
"Hello, Rena."
She looked up with effort.
"*Heh-huh* *heh-huh*A-ashton!*heh-huh*"
His compassion returned to him as he bent down to help her. She sat down on a bench near them, and Ashton sat down next to her. He patiently waited for her to catch her breath.
"...Ashton..."
Ashton looked away. "Why are you in Herlie, Rena?"
Rena frantically launched into an explanation. Ashton was uninterested until she mentioned Claude, which instantly brought his attention and he turned his head back. She now saw why he turned his head; his face was flushed with color. What feeling does he still have for me, she thought.
"I...I-I'm glad you came to tell us, Rena. But what exactly do you expect from us?"
"I'll tell you what she expects from us."
They both turned to see Chisato standing nearby, watching the sea. Her back was turned to them, but Rena knew that she'd heard everything. She turned around with tears in her eyes, an odd sight for Rena and Ashton. Yesterday, when the priest married them, she hasn't so much as sniffled.
"She waited until we left for our honeymoon so she could ruin our first short time of marriage!"
Rena was dumbfounded. "Chisato!"
"Why, Rena!? Do you have us so much that you'd want to ruin our first week, even month of happyness?"
"I don't hate you!...at least, I shouldn't."
Ashton was busy looking at the ground. Gyoro and Urunun hadn't shared the disgust for Rena, and she bent over and kissed both of them on their cheeks.
"Traitors", said Chisato.
"Look", Ashton said, losing patience. "We don't have much time, if what Rena's saying is true. Now, Rena, I ask again: What do you expect from us?"
"I need a favor. There's no one else I can trust to get Claude the best help in the fastest time."
They both nodded.
"Ashton, do you remember anything of medicine?"
"No, it's been too long."
"THen I need you two to go to Linga, and fetch Mr. Jean. He's Claudes best hope, as there are few people who know as much about medicine as him."
Chisato shook her head. "On our honeymoon?"
"It's not like I PLANNED this!", said Rena.
"Chisato, calm d-", Ashton began.
"So why don't YOU go to linga?", Chisato interupted, ignoring Ashton.
"Claude needs me there with him, it's too hard for him to take this without me."
"So you don't think he doesn't need u-"
"We'll go", Ashton interupted. Chisato glared at him. "It's the only way to help Claude. I'll go over to the fairyman and get our tickets changed to Hilton. You two wait here."
Chisato and Rena sat on the bench together: unspeaking, near unbreathing. The resentment in the air was thick enough to dig into with a spoon and eat like pudding. After a few moments of awkwardness, Chisato spoke first.
"I didn't see a ring around Claudes finger yesterday."
Rena glanced over. "What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing, Rena. It's just a little curious to me that he hasn't proposed to you yet."
Rena felt a little surge within her. "I'm sure he's just waiting for the right moment."
"You know, Claude won't wait around forever."
The sinking, burning feeling rose up again in Rena. "What does that mean?"
"I mean if you don't let him know you're interested, then he'll find someone else."
"Like who?", Rna asked increduously.
"Celine, perhaps."
Rena smiled triumphantly. "No way. Why would she want Claude when she has Chris?"
"She's a lustful girl, Rena. And Claude is a looker."
"You think Claude would take that offer?"
"Well, apparently he's not getting anywhere in the Rena department..."
Renas face brightened with anger. "Why, you-"
"Oh stop, Rena. Forget about what happened and remember that I'm a writer, and quite a cynical one at that."
Rena began to reply, but a drop of rain landed right on her nose. The both looked up to see the once bright evenign sky turn sheer black with sea weather. They looked back down at earth to see Ashton moving back towards them.
"No ships are leaving until tomorrow, there's going to be a bad storm. The captain gave us two vouchers at Herlie inn, we have to stay there night.
Rena spoke up against the increasingly loud wind. "I have to go back to get Claude!"
"There's no time! No bunny will come in this storm!"
Ashton removed his cloak, and was about to hand it to Chisato, but she adamantly refused.
"Give it to Rena! It'll be cold, but I'm used to the cold rain!"
Ashton complied, and the three ran for the inn, just as the rain began to fall.
----------------------------------------------------------------
"She'll be back."
"She promised she would be."
"Rena be back."
"Rena be come back."
"Rena be Rena Rena."
"Rena Rena Rena Rena."
"Rena."
----------------------------------------------------------------
~
She ran up gasping for breath in front of him. He felt bad for being so callous, but as far as he knew, they didn't like each other.
"Hello, Rena."
She looked up with effort.
"*Heh-huh* *heh-huh*A-ashton!*heh-huh*"
His compassion returned to him as he bent down to help her. She sat down on a bench near them, and Ashton sat down next to her. He patiently waited for her to catch her breath.
"...Ashton..."
Ashton looked away. "Why are you in Herlie, Rena?"
Rena frantically launched into an explanation. Ashton was uninterested until she mentioned Claude, which instantly brought his attention and he turned his head back. She now saw why he turned his head; his face was flushed with color. What feeling does he still have for me, she thought.
"I...I-I'm glad you came to tell us, Rena. But what exactly do you expect from us?"
"I'll tell you what she expects from us."
They both turned to see Chisato standing nearby, watching the sea. Her back was turned to them, but Rena knew that she'd heard everything. She turned around with tears in her eyes, an odd sight for Rena and Ashton. Yesterday, when the priest married them, she hasn't so much as sniffled.
"She waited until we left for our honeymoon so she could ruin our first short time of marriage!"
Rena was dumbfounded. "Chisato!"
"Why, Rena!? Do you have us so much that you'd want to ruin our first week, even month of happyness?"
"I don't hate you!...at least, I shouldn't."
Ashton was busy looking at the ground. Gyoro and Urunun hadn't shared the disgust for Rena, and she bent over and kissed both of them on their cheeks.
"Traitors", said Chisato.
"Look", Ashton said, losing patience. "We don't have much time, if what Rena's saying is true. Now, Rena, I ask again: What do you expect from us?"
"I need a favor. There's no one else I can trust to get Claude the best help in the fastest time."
They both nodded.
"Ashton, do you remember anything of medicine?"
"No, it's been too long."
"THen I need you two to go to Linga, and fetch Mr. Jean. He's Claudes best hope, as there are few people who know as much about medicine as him."
Chisato shook her head. "On our honeymoon?"
"It's not like I PLANNED this!", said Rena.
"Chisato, calm d-", Ashton began.
"So why don't YOU go to linga?", Chisato interupted, ignoring Ashton.
"Claude needs me there with him, it's too hard for him to take this without me."
"So you don't think he doesn't need u-"
"We'll go", Ashton interupted. Chisato glared at him. "It's the only way to help Claude. I'll go over to the fairyman and get our tickets changed to Hilton. You two wait here."
Chisato and Rena sat on the bench together: unspeaking, near unbreathing. The resentment in the air was thick enough to dig into with a spoon and eat like pudding. After a few moments of awkwardness, Chisato spoke first.
"I didn't see a ring around Claudes finger yesterday."
Rena glanced over. "What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing, Rena. It's just a little curious to me that he hasn't proposed to you yet."
Rena felt a little surge within her. "I'm sure he's just waiting for the right moment."
"You know, Claude won't wait around forever."
The sinking, burning feeling rose up again in Rena. "What does that mean?"
"I mean if you don't let him know you're interested, then he'll find someone else."
"Like who?", Rna asked increduously.
"Celine, perhaps."
Rena smiled triumphantly. "No way. Why would she want Claude when she has Chris?"
"She's a lustful girl, Rena. And Claude is a looker."
"You think Claude would take that offer?"
"Well, apparently he's not getting anywhere in the Rena department..."
Renas face brightened with anger. "Why, you-"
"Oh stop, Rena. Forget about what happened and remember that I'm a writer, and quite a cynical one at that."
Rena began to reply, but a drop of rain landed right on her nose. The both looked up to see the once bright evenign sky turn sheer black with sea weather. They looked back down at earth to see Ashton moving back towards them.
"No ships are leaving until tomorrow, there's going to be a bad storm. The captain gave us two vouchers at Herlie inn, we have to stay there night.
Rena spoke up against the increasingly loud wind. "I have to go back to get Claude!"
"There's no time! No bunny will come in this storm!"
Ashton removed his cloak, and was about to hand it to Chisato, but she adamantly refused.
"Give it to Rena! It'll be cold, but I'm used to the cold rain!"
Ashton complied, and the three ran for the inn, just as the rain began to fall.
----------------------------------------------------------------
"She'll be back."
"She promised she would be."
"Rena be back."
"Rena be come back."
"Rena be Rena Rena."
"Rena Rena Rena Rena."
"Rena."
----------------------------------------------------------------
~