AN -
"And you are going?" Asked Galena, sitting on Lara's bed as Lara brushed her long, blonde hair.
"Of course!" She said, turning to face her friend. "How could I refuse him?"
"Just remember that you can!" Said Galena. "You do realise how long you have known this man don't you? Two days! You met him the night before last; saw him briefly yesterday, when you saved his life. Then you went to a party with him, except you only spent the last part of the evening with him when you had two arguments. You saw him today and he kissed you. You are seeing him again tonight but you barely know him."
"I know that. It has been a bit fast but I can't help it." Lara sighed as she pulled her hair back and tied it away from her face with some thread. "Besides we are meeting in the gardens again, it is not like I'm going up to his room or something!"
"I suppose." Said Galena, going over to her friend to help her with her hair. "But just be careful OK? I don't want you to get hurt."
"Thanks Galena!" Lara said, hugging her friend. "I know that you are worried about me, but I would trust Yami with my life." She crossed to the door and let them out. "I won't be back late anyway, I only plan to stay for an hour!"
Inside the garden Yami sat, musing over the events of the past two days. Like Galena, Seto had been worried that things had been moving too fast for the couple. Now Yami was beginning to have his own doubts. He had never been in a relationship of any sort before and was not sure about what he should do next. He was brought back to reality by the sound of a voice behind him.
"You have no right to be here!" Lara said, standing in the shadows. Yami remembered how they had met two nights before and smiled at the role reversal.
"I may have no right to be here." He said, searching the shadows for Lara. "But when I find you." He threatened jumping headlong into a bush that moved. A second later a baffled looking bird flew out of the bush and perched on a statue, looking with one eye at the Pharaoh who was collapsed in a heap among the ferns. Lara emerged from a bush nearby, splitting her sides with laughter.
"Well?" Asked Yami, irritably. "Are you going to help me up?"
Lara laughed again, but held out a hand to pull him to his feet.
"Thank you." Said Yami, brushing soil and sand from him. "I brought you this." I said, pulling out a slightly squashed rose from inside his pocket. A pink petal fell off as Lara took the battered flower.
"It is beautiful. You know, there is a patch of these roses on the other side of the garden."
"I know." Yami confessed. "Tomorrow you may find one stem without a flower!"
They laughed as Yami took the rose and placed it in Lara's hair. He left his hand by her cheek and pulled her closer. They almost touched lips again before Lara pulled away slightly, causing Yami to falter.
"Is something wrong Lara?"
"No. Yes. It's not you.. I just feel that this is moving too fast for me. We have known each other two days, but I barely know YOU!" She admitted.
"I know what you mean. I feel the same way." Sighed Yami. "Perhaps we should slow down a bit."
"Yes, lets just talk for a while. We can take a walk through the garden and talk, get to know each other better."
"I agree." Said Yami and they set off, walking side by side through the beautiful gardens. They talked for nearly an hour about their pasts, the sorrow of losing their parents at a young age and of their lives now. Finally they stopped walking and sat by the little stream that ran through the garden. A cool breeze blew up and Lara shivered slightly, her thin servants clothes not offering her much warm. In an instant she felt Yami drape his blue cloak over her shoulders.
"Thank you." She said, wrapping the warm length of material around her shoulders gratefully. She moved closer to Yami and leaned against him, resting her head on his muscular shoulder. He rested his head on hers and put his arm around her for added warmth. Neither spoke, but a comfortable silence fell over them. After a while Lara stood up saying, "I should go now. I have work to do tomorrow and I need to rest."
"I will walk you home." Said Yami, getting up as well.
"No. It's all right. It isn't far and it is a longer walk there and back for you."
"Very well."
"Here, have your cloak back." Lara said, removing the blue cloak from her shoulders and handing it to Yami.
"No, you keep it!" He said, pushing it back to her.
"Well, thank you then." She said, replacing the cloak around her before faltering for a moment. "Goodnight." She said finally, standing on tiptoe to kiss Yami lightly on the cheek before turning away and disappearing into the night.
"So, how was it last night?" Asked Galena, once again sitting it her position on Lara's bed. This time she was watching her friend arrange a bunch of roses in a vase.
"The same as every other night." Replied Lara. "We talked and walked and he gave me a rose."
"How many roses do you have now?" Asked Galena again, eyeing the roses.
"Seventeen." Lara said. "One for each night we have met. Fortunately I don't have as many cloaks as that or I would truly feel like a thief!"
"Still only three cloaks?"
"Yes, the blue one, the purple one and the red one. After the third night I decided it would just be easier to wear one cloak when I met him, rather than have him give me his!"
"You know, when you two first started seeing each other I was unsure about it. But you seem to have taken a step back and, well, I'm happy for you." Said Galena as she made for the door.
"Thank you." Said Lara as she finished her arranging and fastened her belt. "Lets get to work then!" She said, as they left Lara's room. "So what are you up to today?" Lara asked.
"Kitchen duty, worse luck!" Moaned Galena, who hated cooking. "What about you?"
"I am on the shopping team, we are going to the market."
"Rather you than me, in this scorching weather a ride through the desert to the next town doesn't sound like much fun!"
"I don't mind really, at least I can ride Madrask. There is about five or six of us going. We are taking three carts with a horse pulling each and two people per cart, except I said that I would ride Madrask as he needs the exercise."
"Good idea. You'll be gone all day then, that is lucky!"
"Why?" Asked Lara, suddenly suspicious.
"Didn't you know? Apparently Lady Mai Valentine is on a return visit for a few days. I reckon you should stay out of her way, from you what you said she did on the night of the party it sounds as if she doesn't care for you much."
"The feeling is mutual." Sighed Lara. "I expect Yami won't be able to see me until she is gone, for safety's sake anyway."
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Asked Galena as they stopped outside the kitchens.
"Oh yes! I have to meet the others near the palace gates!" Exclaimed Lara, running off towards the stables. She quickly got Madrask ready and walked over to the gates holding his reins. She arrived just as the gates opened to admit a carriage. Lara recognised the insignia on the side as the Valentine crest. "Damn, she is here already!" Thought Lara as she watched the entourage pass. She felt a presence behind her and she turned to see Yami behind her.
"Greeting the guests are we?" He asked playfully, kissing her lightly on the cheek.
"No!" She replied, smiling as he put his arm around her. "I'm waiting for the rest of my friends, we are on the shopping trip today."
"Enjoy yourself. Personally I would rather be with you, I have to be stuck on hospitality work with you know who today!" Yami whispered.
"Yami!" Shrieked a voice as Mai bore down upon them. She swooped over to Yami but halted suddenly as she saw Lara and Yami so close together. Yami did not recoil from Lara but stubbornly kept his arm around her shoulders as he smiled at Mai.
"Lady Valentine, it is nice to see you again, you look very well." Yami said, without really meaning it. "You remember Lara? You met at the party a few weeks ago."
"How could I forget?" Said Mai as a subtle insult.
"If you will excuse me." Said Yami, more to Lara than Mai. "I have to go and arrange accommodation for Lady Valentine and her entourage!" Yami kissed Lara on the cheek again, saying, "See you tonight maybe." Before he nodded to Mai and left. Mai waited until he was out of earshot.
"Still friends with Yami then, slave girl?" She asked snidely.
"Oh, we are more than friends." Replied Lara. She had no intention of being polite to Mai after how Mai had treated her, no matter how rich or noble Mai was.
"Be careful talking to me like that." Sneered Mai. "Or you may find yourself the wrong side of a prison wall."
"I don't think so." Said Lara coolly. "Although I would appreciate being on one side of a wall, as long as you were on the other side."
"That may soon come true." Said Mai. "Except Yami will be on my side. Don't you know that he is just using you until I am ready to commit to him?"
Lara could not contain her hatred any longer, turning to Mai she spoke in a low voice. "Are you really deluded enough to think that Yami would ever like you? You are so vain and shallow that you don't notice what others think of you. You may be beautiful, but beauty isn't everything. I see you for what you really are, and it isn't much. You are a fraud Mai and if you really think that Yami would ever like you, then you need your head checked. Yami likes me because I am down to earth and honest and I treat him like a person. All you care about is Yami's status, you think that you will marry him but you barely know him. You cannot build a relationship on that! You probably will marry one day Mai, but it will be to a man who likes you only for your money. Then one day you will be on the wrong end of a dagger and your 'loving' husband will take all your money, just as he planned the day he married you. 'For richer, NOT poorer!' I think myself lucky that I am not you. It must be such a meaningless existence, knowing that the people around you are only there because you pay them to be, not out of choice!" With that Lara mounted Madrask and joined the shopping party that was leaving the palace grounds, leaving Mai speechless, standing where she was and looking like a fool.
AN - There we go! Umeko the Beatnik Emu, can you see the idea that you gave me? Mai's had been shown what she is like and now has the opportunity to become a better person, thank you for that idea! More action is yet to come, the shopping trip is a more important story than you may think!
"And you are going?" Asked Galena, sitting on Lara's bed as Lara brushed her long, blonde hair.
"Of course!" She said, turning to face her friend. "How could I refuse him?"
"Just remember that you can!" Said Galena. "You do realise how long you have known this man don't you? Two days! You met him the night before last; saw him briefly yesterday, when you saved his life. Then you went to a party with him, except you only spent the last part of the evening with him when you had two arguments. You saw him today and he kissed you. You are seeing him again tonight but you barely know him."
"I know that. It has been a bit fast but I can't help it." Lara sighed as she pulled her hair back and tied it away from her face with some thread. "Besides we are meeting in the gardens again, it is not like I'm going up to his room or something!"
"I suppose." Said Galena, going over to her friend to help her with her hair. "But just be careful OK? I don't want you to get hurt."
"Thanks Galena!" Lara said, hugging her friend. "I know that you are worried about me, but I would trust Yami with my life." She crossed to the door and let them out. "I won't be back late anyway, I only plan to stay for an hour!"
Inside the garden Yami sat, musing over the events of the past two days. Like Galena, Seto had been worried that things had been moving too fast for the couple. Now Yami was beginning to have his own doubts. He had never been in a relationship of any sort before and was not sure about what he should do next. He was brought back to reality by the sound of a voice behind him.
"You have no right to be here!" Lara said, standing in the shadows. Yami remembered how they had met two nights before and smiled at the role reversal.
"I may have no right to be here." He said, searching the shadows for Lara. "But when I find you." He threatened jumping headlong into a bush that moved. A second later a baffled looking bird flew out of the bush and perched on a statue, looking with one eye at the Pharaoh who was collapsed in a heap among the ferns. Lara emerged from a bush nearby, splitting her sides with laughter.
"Well?" Asked Yami, irritably. "Are you going to help me up?"
Lara laughed again, but held out a hand to pull him to his feet.
"Thank you." Said Yami, brushing soil and sand from him. "I brought you this." I said, pulling out a slightly squashed rose from inside his pocket. A pink petal fell off as Lara took the battered flower.
"It is beautiful. You know, there is a patch of these roses on the other side of the garden."
"I know." Yami confessed. "Tomorrow you may find one stem without a flower!"
They laughed as Yami took the rose and placed it in Lara's hair. He left his hand by her cheek and pulled her closer. They almost touched lips again before Lara pulled away slightly, causing Yami to falter.
"Is something wrong Lara?"
"No. Yes. It's not you.. I just feel that this is moving too fast for me. We have known each other two days, but I barely know YOU!" She admitted.
"I know what you mean. I feel the same way." Sighed Yami. "Perhaps we should slow down a bit."
"Yes, lets just talk for a while. We can take a walk through the garden and talk, get to know each other better."
"I agree." Said Yami and they set off, walking side by side through the beautiful gardens. They talked for nearly an hour about their pasts, the sorrow of losing their parents at a young age and of their lives now. Finally they stopped walking and sat by the little stream that ran through the garden. A cool breeze blew up and Lara shivered slightly, her thin servants clothes not offering her much warm. In an instant she felt Yami drape his blue cloak over her shoulders.
"Thank you." She said, wrapping the warm length of material around her shoulders gratefully. She moved closer to Yami and leaned against him, resting her head on his muscular shoulder. He rested his head on hers and put his arm around her for added warmth. Neither spoke, but a comfortable silence fell over them. After a while Lara stood up saying, "I should go now. I have work to do tomorrow and I need to rest."
"I will walk you home." Said Yami, getting up as well.
"No. It's all right. It isn't far and it is a longer walk there and back for you."
"Very well."
"Here, have your cloak back." Lara said, removing the blue cloak from her shoulders and handing it to Yami.
"No, you keep it!" He said, pushing it back to her.
"Well, thank you then." She said, replacing the cloak around her before faltering for a moment. "Goodnight." She said finally, standing on tiptoe to kiss Yami lightly on the cheek before turning away and disappearing into the night.
"So, how was it last night?" Asked Galena, once again sitting it her position on Lara's bed. This time she was watching her friend arrange a bunch of roses in a vase.
"The same as every other night." Replied Lara. "We talked and walked and he gave me a rose."
"How many roses do you have now?" Asked Galena again, eyeing the roses.
"Seventeen." Lara said. "One for each night we have met. Fortunately I don't have as many cloaks as that or I would truly feel like a thief!"
"Still only three cloaks?"
"Yes, the blue one, the purple one and the red one. After the third night I decided it would just be easier to wear one cloak when I met him, rather than have him give me his!"
"You know, when you two first started seeing each other I was unsure about it. But you seem to have taken a step back and, well, I'm happy for you." Said Galena as she made for the door.
"Thank you." Said Lara as she finished her arranging and fastened her belt. "Lets get to work then!" She said, as they left Lara's room. "So what are you up to today?" Lara asked.
"Kitchen duty, worse luck!" Moaned Galena, who hated cooking. "What about you?"
"I am on the shopping team, we are going to the market."
"Rather you than me, in this scorching weather a ride through the desert to the next town doesn't sound like much fun!"
"I don't mind really, at least I can ride Madrask. There is about five or six of us going. We are taking three carts with a horse pulling each and two people per cart, except I said that I would ride Madrask as he needs the exercise."
"Good idea. You'll be gone all day then, that is lucky!"
"Why?" Asked Lara, suddenly suspicious.
"Didn't you know? Apparently Lady Mai Valentine is on a return visit for a few days. I reckon you should stay out of her way, from you what you said she did on the night of the party it sounds as if she doesn't care for you much."
"The feeling is mutual." Sighed Lara. "I expect Yami won't be able to see me until she is gone, for safety's sake anyway."
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Asked Galena as they stopped outside the kitchens.
"Oh yes! I have to meet the others near the palace gates!" Exclaimed Lara, running off towards the stables. She quickly got Madrask ready and walked over to the gates holding his reins. She arrived just as the gates opened to admit a carriage. Lara recognised the insignia on the side as the Valentine crest. "Damn, she is here already!" Thought Lara as she watched the entourage pass. She felt a presence behind her and she turned to see Yami behind her.
"Greeting the guests are we?" He asked playfully, kissing her lightly on the cheek.
"No!" She replied, smiling as he put his arm around her. "I'm waiting for the rest of my friends, we are on the shopping trip today."
"Enjoy yourself. Personally I would rather be with you, I have to be stuck on hospitality work with you know who today!" Yami whispered.
"Yami!" Shrieked a voice as Mai bore down upon them. She swooped over to Yami but halted suddenly as she saw Lara and Yami so close together. Yami did not recoil from Lara but stubbornly kept his arm around her shoulders as he smiled at Mai.
"Lady Valentine, it is nice to see you again, you look very well." Yami said, without really meaning it. "You remember Lara? You met at the party a few weeks ago."
"How could I forget?" Said Mai as a subtle insult.
"If you will excuse me." Said Yami, more to Lara than Mai. "I have to go and arrange accommodation for Lady Valentine and her entourage!" Yami kissed Lara on the cheek again, saying, "See you tonight maybe." Before he nodded to Mai and left. Mai waited until he was out of earshot.
"Still friends with Yami then, slave girl?" She asked snidely.
"Oh, we are more than friends." Replied Lara. She had no intention of being polite to Mai after how Mai had treated her, no matter how rich or noble Mai was.
"Be careful talking to me like that." Sneered Mai. "Or you may find yourself the wrong side of a prison wall."
"I don't think so." Said Lara coolly. "Although I would appreciate being on one side of a wall, as long as you were on the other side."
"That may soon come true." Said Mai. "Except Yami will be on my side. Don't you know that he is just using you until I am ready to commit to him?"
Lara could not contain her hatred any longer, turning to Mai she spoke in a low voice. "Are you really deluded enough to think that Yami would ever like you? You are so vain and shallow that you don't notice what others think of you. You may be beautiful, but beauty isn't everything. I see you for what you really are, and it isn't much. You are a fraud Mai and if you really think that Yami would ever like you, then you need your head checked. Yami likes me because I am down to earth and honest and I treat him like a person. All you care about is Yami's status, you think that you will marry him but you barely know him. You cannot build a relationship on that! You probably will marry one day Mai, but it will be to a man who likes you only for your money. Then one day you will be on the wrong end of a dagger and your 'loving' husband will take all your money, just as he planned the day he married you. 'For richer, NOT poorer!' I think myself lucky that I am not you. It must be such a meaningless existence, knowing that the people around you are only there because you pay them to be, not out of choice!" With that Lara mounted Madrask and joined the shopping party that was leaving the palace grounds, leaving Mai speechless, standing where she was and looking like a fool.
AN - There we go! Umeko the Beatnik Emu, can you see the idea that you gave me? Mai's had been shown what she is like and now has the opportunity to become a better person, thank you for that idea! More action is yet to come, the shopping trip is a more important story than you may think!