Chapter 12: Searching.Finding.Losing.
Cassie couldn't sleep. She was starting to get a headache from all the ale. She glanced outside, but couldn't determine the time. If she had to guess, she'd say it was about 1 or so. She kicked off the blankets and got up. She was going to go downstairs and get some water or something. The room was too stuffy and she needed air. She tried to get dressed as quietly as possible, but she accidentally knocked something over. she held her breath, waiting for someone to wake up, but when no noise was forthcoming, she opened the door and went downstairs. Nik heard some loud noise and decided to wake up Shane for protection while she went to investigate. "Shane, Shane! Wake up," Nik whispered. "I heard a noise. Come with me to go look." The two made their way downstairs as quietly as possible only to find none other than Cassie. "Hey Cass what are you doing down here all alone?" Nik said walking towards Cassie. "I couldn't sleep. My head's starting to hurt. So I decided to come down and get some water. You two care to join me?" she asked, including Shane in the invitation. "Sure I think I will I couldn't really sleep well anyway." "Shane you going to join us?" Nik questioned turning to address the half asleep Shane. Shane yawned and then sleepily responded, "Yeah sure I'll sit here with you two." "So why couldn't you sleep Nik?" Cassie queried. If they were going to stay up, they might as well have some sort of conversation... Nik began to blush but was thankful it was dark so Shane couldn't see. "Oh um...I don't know just thinking too much I guess." Cassie quirked an eyebrow. "Thinking about what?" she smirked. She could guess the reason, but it was fun to torment Nik. "Stuff...people...a certain person...." nik slowly trailed off to a barely audible voice. Shane just sat with a somewhat confused look but finally broke the silence with, "What's going on between you two I can see you both know something." Cassie glanced at Nik. "Well Shane, you're a guy, so you're not allowed to know this secret. It's a girls-only privilege," she smirked. "Just let it be known that it involves guys. And that is all you shall know." she figured it would be fun to tease Shane with info, but still keep it a secret so Nik wouldn't be embarrassed. Nik smiled gratefully at Cassie for her tact in giving a small hint without dropping the whole thing. "Yes Shane, some things only girls can know," she said smiling mischievously at Shane. Cassie looked to nik. "so shall we take him up on his silence and have a mini 3 am chat?" A smile broke out across Nik's face. She always did enjoy the 3 am chats all the girls periodically shared. "Yes I do believe this would be a good time for that. What shall we rant this time?" "Well, I think first and foremost on both of our minds, and Sherry's, are guys. So why couldn't you sleep? Really?" True, most of the 3 am group was sleeping, but 2 out of 7 was better than none, so it was always a good idea to take advantage of any ranting opportunity. "Well," Nik began explaining. "Ever since I saw him," Nik said motioning to Shane," I haven't been able to stop thinking about him...he's so different but I can't quite figure out what it is about him." "Well, I mean, he is from our time... maybe that has some pull in your thought-process... I mean, he knows the same general things you do, so it's not completely out of the ordinary I suppose," Cassie suggested. She never was good at explaining why things were the way they were. She was better with the whole 'he's rejected me, now what?' issue. "Of course, maybe you two just click... not to be clichéd, but it could be something along the lines of like at first sight?" she grinned. Nik sighed and looked over at Shane. "Yeah...I don't know ordinarily I'd say you were crazy for thinking that but this time with him I'd have to say you may be right. So how are things with you in the world of ever confusing guys?" "Well, much as I'd like to say they're good, I can't. You know Casey? Yeah, well, I partially couldn't sleep because I kept dreaming about him. Just can't get him out of my head. And not just because he's so cute either. He's just... I don't know... the tall, dark, handsome, and mysterious type. So..." she trailed off and shrugged. Truthfully, she was ready to go chase after him, but by this point he was probably already long gone. "Well Cass you have to go after him!" Nik said almost too loudly because Shane looked over curiously at the two. Nik began again lowering her voice, "does he know how you feel about him?" Cassie gave a rather sarcastic look to Nik. "Nik, I just met the man today! I mean, I know nothing about him... aside from the fact that he's handsome, has an incredible voice, and seems up for just about anything. I stole his sword for chrissake!" she was getting a little flustered. "I can't tell a random guy that I like him, especially since he has every reason to hate me," she frowned. "It's not fair." "Well the way I see it the length of time you've known him has nothing to do with it. I mean look at me and how I feel about Shane! Plus I don't know maybe if you'd quit beating up on all these guys you'd have more luck with them," Nik playfully nudged Cassie. "But in all seriousness I think next time you see him you need to try give him hints that you might be interested." "Yeah, you're probably right. But it's so much easier to beat the crap out of them than talk to them!" she laughed and winked. "But only problem in that plan is I'll probably never see him again," she sighed. "But oh well, it's just my luck. Anyways... anything else up on your end?" she meant it innocently, but when she thought about it again, she couldn't help but smirk. Nik smirked at Cassie's last comment. "Yeah too bad there isn't more up on my end," Nik smiled to herself and looked in Shane's direction. Turning back to Cassie she said, "Hey I have a thought! Why don't we go after your Casey?" Cassie looked skeptically at Nik, "Well, because he's probably miles away by now? I mean, the chances of finding him are pretty much slim to none." She thought it over for a few minutes. "Though your thought may have some benefits. I mean, we could at least get some air... right?" she looked slightly hopeful. She really wanted to be able to at least see Casey again, if not be able to talk to him... "Yeah I mean we all could use a good walk to get us out of this stuffy place." Nik looked around somewhat disgustedly. "We should take Shane along for protection though I think," Nik said winking. "With the added benefit of eye candy for you, right?" Cassie smirked. "I see right through your plot, you devious one. But good plan, very smooth," she laughed. "Well, I suppose the sooner we head out, the sooner we can catch up to him, if at all possible." She gave a toothy grin at the prospect of seeing Casey again and stood up. "Oh you know me too well Cass," Nik said shooting Cassie a smile. "I'll go grab Shane and we'll be on our way." Nik paused a second to grin after realizing the ways her last comment could be taken. "I'll be right back cass." Nik ran over to the dozing Shane, "Shane you're coming with us to go find Casey!" Shane looked up from his spot at a table and said, "Why what for?" "Because I said so now come on," Nik said dragging Shane to his feet. "Ok Cass we're ready u lead the way" "Right then." Cassie led the way out of the inn. Once she stepped outside however, she didn't know whether to go right or left. "Uhm, Houston, we have a problem. There are multiple ways to go, and I have no idea which to take. And I'm no Sherlock Holmes, so deducing
a path is pretty much not possible." She kept rambling like this for a few more minutes when the events earlier dawned on her, i.e., when she first met Casey. They had come crashing through the trees in the clearing, chasing someone from a village. So assuming that the castle was the opposite direction of the way they were charging, then they'd have to go right and hope they came across some clue or other. She started off to the right and hoped they'd find him sometime. They couldn't chase him for too long or they would be missed in the morning, and she still had to pick up some of her supplies. The three of them were plodding along when Nik turned to Cassie and said, "Uh hey Cass what exactly are we looking for?" Cassie looked to Nik. She really had no idea. So, of course, she made something up. "Well, I presume he would have either walked or taken a horse. And considering the hour, and the fact that he was chasing someone earlier, I'd say he's probably sleeping on the side of the road somewhere, or maybe in a small village. I mean, that's the most logical conclusion, right?" she looked to Nik for confirmation. She hadn't thought of that beforehand. Maybe going after Casey wasn't the best idea she thought to herself. "I would agree to that. Well everyone keep your eyes peeled for any clues I guess!" Nik announced to the small group. "We better find you Casey soon cause it's getting cold out and I think both of us could use some body warmers right now," Nik whispered to Cassie followed by a wink "Well, you've got your body warmer right next to you," Cassie retorted. "But I've got to keep searching." They had been walking for a while, and Cassie was starting to feel the cold. She was about to suggest they turn back when she saw the remnants of a fire up ahead. "Hey Nik, is that smoke up there?" she would wait to go approach as a group, just in case it wasn't Casey and it was someone dangerous. Nik strained her eyes to look into the distance. "Yeah Cass I think it is! Do you think it could be...?" Nik trailed off squeaking with excitement for Cassie. "I don't know. But let's approach with caution. I mean, you never know what it could be..." she trailed off and signaled for the other two to try to be as silent as possible. She ran through self-defense procedures in her head, just as a safety precaution. One never could be too prepared. But upon getting closer, she noticed there was only one person there, with a horse. The fire was almost out and the person was shivering. She got closer and was able to identify the person as Casey. She gave a big grin to Nik and stepped closer. Nik saw the lone person sitting there was Casey and she gave Cassie a big smile. "I think we'll hold back while you make your move on him," Nik whispered to Cassie winking Cassie smirked and gave a silent thanks to Nik. She stepped right next to him and was about to wake him up when a hand shot out and knocked her knee from behind, sending her to the ground. Casey, who was a light sleeper, had heard the voices and had been prepared to defend himself for a while. He got up quickly and would have kept attacking, but then he noticed whom they were. "You again? What do you want now? My axe?" he said sarcastically. Cassie didn't know what to say, so she just stared up at him stupidly. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but couldn't figure out what to say, or rather, how to say what she wanted to tell him. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" he smirked down at her, then glanced at Nik and Shane. "Perhaps you two can tell me why you chased me down in the middle of the night? There must be some purpose behind it," he waited impatiently for an explanation. Shane shrugged and replied, "Don't look at me those two dragged me with them!" Nik rolled her eyes at Shane and then responded, "Well we just thought we'd come out for a walk and have a little ...adventure." Nik grinned over at Cassie. "A little adventure, eh? Well, it's a bad idea for you to go on a walk in the middle of the night on a road like this. You have no idea what kinds of dangers you can run into on this road." He gave them a reproving look, letting a little bit of his concern for Cassie come out. After all, so far she'd been something he'd never seen before. She was able to beat him, live to tell about it, and wasn't afraid to talk to him afterwards in a dark corner of an inn. That showed guts, and he liked that quality in anyone. He shook his head and let his tough exterior fall. After all, it was too late in the evening to maintain that reputation. and he had been woken up from his sleep. Cassie looked up at him still, but she finally found her voice. "Yeah... uhm... I couldn't sleep, so I went to the bar to get some water, and Nik and Shane followed, and then we decided to get some air," she gave as a lame excuse. "And you just happened to run into me?" he smirked. "That was quite thoughtless of you, but almost endearing in its oddness." Cassie grinned at this and got up from her position on the ground. Nik walked over by Cassie as the two girls stood across from both their guys. Nik gave Cassie a mischievous look hoping Cassie would catch her same idea. "I think we all could use a little excitement light now to wake us up don't you Cass?" Nik said smirking Cassie grinned. "Yes, we all need to wake up. And since we don't have any caffeine readily available, there aren't many other ways to go about that, now are there Nik?" she smirked and stepped a little closer to Casey. "But what ways are there?" she grinned innocently
at Casey. "Can you think of any?" He looked to her rather befuddled. She really was unlike any other girl he knew. She was so... forward. Yes, that was the only way to describe her. "I can think of a few, but none are fit for ladies of your stature," he grinned back at Cassie. "You'd be surprised what ladies of our stature are capable of. Right Nik?" she winked at Casey, then smirked with Nik. "Oh yes I'm sure we could teach you boys a few things about ladies of our stature," Nik said grinning while she edged closer to Shane. "You wanting a lesson?" Nik asked seductively stepping unnecessarily close to Shane while mischievously looking sideways at Cassie. "I...uh...I..." Shane stuttered unable to formulate a sentence. Cassie grinned at nik's advances. She looked at Casey and smiled sweetly. "Yes, ladies of our stature can show you many tricks. After all, we have very... interesting imaginations. Would you care to learn a few tricks?" she continued smiling. Casey was still awed by her forwardness. "I'm sure I could teach you a few tricks myself. But if you're so insistent on showing me, then by all means, display away." He smiled seductively, which threw Cassie off for a few seconds. She smirked at Nik, and then returned to looking at Casey. She stepped closer. "Where to begin? Any ideas Nik?" "Hmm...I'm thinking shackles...do we have any of those around here?" Nik looked around quirking an eyebrow. "Well Casey you have quite the selection of torture devices around here.... or shall I say potential pleasure devices..." Nik smirked. "Well Cass take your pick," Nik said motioning to Casey's strewn belongings on the ground. Cassie stepped away from Casey and went to his belongings. "My, my, and what would these be for?" she asked holding up some daggers. "You know, not everyone likes this sado-masochistic stuff..." she trailed off and went back to sifting through his things. Casey smirked to himself. Yes, these girls were definitely one of a kind. "I keep those daggers there in case someone tries to rob me in the middle of the night, so I can stab them. Or at least inflict some measure of damage." Cassie made a noise of acknowledgement, to let him know that she heard him, but didn't believe a word of it. "You know, out of all these options, I like the shackles the best. Though out here there's nothing to attach them to. And it's rather chilly. Shall we maybe head back to the inn? We still have our room rented," she grinned and stepped closer to Casey, shackles in hand. "Much as I would love to, I have urgent business to attend to at my... estate. And I'm not sure if I can afford the extra time, no matter how much I may wish to..." he trailed off at Cassie's pouty look. She had a rather good puppy eyes face, since she did have three dogs to learn from. "Of course, I suppose that a few hours delay couldn't harm much..." Nik smirked at Casey's last comment. "They obey so well don't they Cass! That'll be good boys for when we pull out the whips and chains.... we won't have to punish you as much," Nik finished winking at Shane Cassie smirked back at Nik. She grinned at Casey and stepped closer to him. She was cold and shivering. He reached out and pulled her into a hug of sorts. She cuddled into his embrace. Then she looked back at nik. "Should we go back to the inn? It's getting late. We don't want the others to wake up and not find us there. They'd all have heart attacks!" she wouldn't mind going back to the inn where it was warm. It beat the cold outdoors. "Yes let's make our way back to the inn...we don't want to have them sending out a search party or anything ...who knows what they'd find," Nik smirked. "Plus it is getting cold out here and it's bound to be warmer in the room. Come on guys lets go!" Nik lead the way back with Shane right behind, arms around her waist and Casey and Cassie trailing a few steps behind. Casey still had Cassie in a hug. He told himself it was to conserve heat. Cassie didn't care either way; she was just pleased as punch to be near him, especially this close. So she was getting sappy as sherry almost, but she could deal with it. Shackles and whips would still be in the deal, but there could be a little bit of romance in the mix too she supposed. They kept walking towards the inn. She didn't know what time it was, but she guessed it to be around 4 or so. "Well guys we've finally made it. What do you say we all go inside and get ourselves warmed up?" Nik said turning to talk to Cassie and Casey while taking Shane with her since she was reluctant to move from his arms. "That sounds like a plan to me!" Cassie said enthusiastically. She looked to Casey and asked his opinion. "I think it's a fine idea. Shall we then?" he opened the door and Cassie walked through it, though he held it open for the other two as well. "Well why don't you two go find a comfortable place to sit while Cassie and I go get us something to drink," Nik said addressing the two guys. "Come on Cass we'll go put together a collection of things to help us warm up," Nik said to Cass with a smirk Casey agreed to go sit and wait. He chose a seat at a nearby table and waited for Shane to take a seat. "So what do you think they have in store for us?" he asked Shane. Luckily, he was open to lots of things... Cassie walked up to the bar behind Nik. "What do we want to drink? Ale is a bad idea... gives you a killer headache. But we need something warm-ish... unless we're relying on the guys to keep us warm, like I'm betting you are for Shane..." she smirked Shane took a seat opposite Casey. "I don't know but with those girls anything's possible! But I'm willing to find out. " A smile flashed across Shane's face thinking of the possibilities. Meanwhile behind the bar, Nik smirked at Cassie's comment. "Oh you know you're are so planning to use Casey to keep you warm too you aren't fooling me. Now what to bring out to the guys...I think a little food could be a good idea! What do you think?" Casey smirked. "Anything is possible, yes. But I don't think we'll be complaining much. And judging from the smile on your face, you're looking forward to it." Casey grinned to himself. This entire situation was kind of fun... Cassie smirked at Nik. "Am I that transparent? And is it my fault that he's so warm?" she laughed. "And I think food sounds like an excellent option. Though we shouldn't keep them down here for too long or it'll be dawn. And then the others will be up soon. But we should give them some nourishment before we tire them out." She grinned slyly at Nik. "Yes they'll be needing their energy!" Nik said grinning back at Cassie. Nik walked towards the table where the guys were seated carrying some food and leaving the rest for Cassie to grab. "K guys we're back and with FOOD!" Nik said in that tone that every girl in that group of friends got when they talked about food. Cassie grabbed the rest of the food and sat down. "Mmmm... Fooooooooood," she got a glazed look in her eye. Casey poked her, and she returned to normal. "Thank you for the food, but I did eat before I slept. Which wasn't too long ago," he said "But believe me, Casey, you're gonna be needing your strength. So at least try to eat something," she suggested oh-so-subtly. He grinned. "Well, if you say so." And he dug into the food. Shane and Nik smirked at the little exchange of words going on between the other two. "So Nik, will I be needing my strength later and is that why you brought all this food?" Shane asked nudging Nik a bit. "Well I don't know Shane I guess you'll just have to find out won't you but in the mean time you better eat up just in case don't you think?" Nik said mysteriously while slowly and deliberately licking some food off of her finger. Cassie smirked at nik's display. Way to be subtle she thought to herself. She returned her attention back to Casey as she watched him eat. She should be hungry, but for some reason, she just wasn't. Casey finished his portion relatively quickly, since it wasn't much. She grabbed some random thing off his plate and munched on it, if only to keep herself busy. Casey finally felt her stare on him and he turned to her. "Is there a reason you're staring at me? Do I have something on my face?" he grinned "Nope, nothing on your face..." she trailed off, losing her train of thought. "Right then..." he smiled at her. Feeling a need to cause some mischief nik reached over and smeared something on Casey's face. "Well now you do!" Nik said laughing. "Guess someone better clean that off," she said glancing at Cassie with an evil grin. Oh two can play at this game! Cassie thought to herself. But first... can't let Casey go around with something on his face... she shot a glare at Nik, then turned to Casey. "You don't mind..." she left the question unspecified. He shook his head no. So she wiped whatever it was onto a finger and sampled it. It was something sugary and yummy. So, she switched gears and licked the remaining substance off his cheek. She licked her lips. "Mmm... Sugary sweet..." she winked suggestively. Casey grinned back at her in his little adorable way (if you haven't seen the show, you don't know the cute little grins he's capable of... oh, lemme 'lone!). Quickly, she grabbed some frosting of some sort and smeared it all over Shane's face. "Oh look, Shane, you've got something on your face... better clean that off somehow... *cough* Nik *cough*" she grinned sweetly at Nik, but her eyes said, "Ha! Eat that!" Nik stuck her tongue out at Cassie indignantly and then smirked. "Well I can't very well leave you like that now can I?" Nik said turning to Shane. "Hmmm how to clean you up..." Nik looked at Shane waiting for a hint of yes or no. Shane just sat there smiling and finally responded with a "be creative". So Nik proceeded to lean over and wipe off the frosting onto her finger tasting a bit and then offering the rest to Shane, which he took with a bit more enthusiasm than he intended to show. Cassie smirked at Nik's little show. She pulled her chair closer to Casey and decided to use him as a pillow. She rested on his side, and he put his arm around her. She smiled to herself. "Well then, are you two done?" Casey smirked at Nik. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself..." he grinned. "Oh, let them have their fun for right now... we'll have ours later..." she grinned mischievously, and he smiled back. "Indeed we will, my dear, indeed we will..." Nik and Shane stopped their "playing" long enough to look over at the snuggling pair across the table. "Are you two enjoying the show or going to put on a little of your own?" Nik asked smirking. "What? You want us to put on a show?" Cassie quipped. "I never knew you were into that voyeurism stuff, Nik," she grinned and stuck her tongue out.
Casey grinned. "Well, we have a request for a show, or at least an offer... and I'm never one to turn down a lady's request, so long as I'd agree with it... so what say you, Cassie? Shall we 'put on a show'?" he grinned slyly.
Cassie gulped. "A show, you say? My, my... I would prefer to do such things in the privacy of a room, unlike those two... although, I'm up for just about anything," she grinned back. Casey grabbed some of the sugary stuff and quickly smeared it on Cassie's face. She was stunned for a minute, before he took his finger and tried some. "You're right, it is sugary sweet." He tried some more. Soon, there was no food left on her face, but he didn't stop. Although Cassie certainly wasn't complaining. Nik and Shane sat for a moment laughing at the other two before resuming their own little food fight as one might call it. Casey and Cassie were immersed in their game of sorts. But when the bell above the tavern door rang through the room, the two stopped, albeit reluctantly. "Well, I should be going." Casey said sadly. "Yeah..." Cassie said from her new position in his lap. "I wish you didn't have to though..." she trailed off. "Will I be seeing you again?" "I can't tell you when, but you will soon, I promise you that," he said solemnly. "I'm just as reluctant to leave, believe me." "So here's a crazy idea... take me with you!" she said hopefully. "I'm sorry, my dear, but I can't. Perhaps under different circumstances, but as it is, it can't be done. I do have to return on urgent business... and if I were to take you with me, I'm afraid I wouldn't have much time to spare for anything." "Oh... I see then..." Cassie said depressed. "Then I guess I'll be seeing you around?" "You can count on that..." "So do you want your sword back?" she offered. "Keep it. I'll come back for it later. It can be a symbol. I'll return for the sword, and if I can't, then you'll have it to remember me by." Cassie, never one for goodbyes (they're always so depressing! lol), got off his lap. "Then this is goodbye for now," she said putting on a brave front.
He nodded, and got up. He kissed her cheek, gave her another dazzling smile, and left the inn quickly. Cassie slumped back down in the chair and stared at the wall. There was a beautiful sunrise outside, but she didn't pay any attention to it, she was too caught up in the last looks she shared with Casey... Nik and Shane had finally stopped what they were doing and noticed a very sad Cassie say good-bye to her dark knight. Nik got up off of Shane and made her way slowly to Cassie "Hey there Cass cheer up he'll be back I'm sure of it! After all what guy would leave his sword around right?" she ended with a comforting smile. Cassie grinned half-heartedly. "You're right. After all, what is a guy without his sword? And let me tell you, it's a very nice sword indeed." Cassie smirked and winked. She heard some noises from the rooms upstairs and some of the more familiar voices. She smiled at nik. "I guess our night of fun is over, huh?" she winked, and sat back in her chair. She munched on some of the leftover food and waited for the others to make their appearance... "Yep but this night will just have to be our little secret," Nik said looking at Cass and Shane and winking.
Cassie couldn't sleep. She was starting to get a headache from all the ale. She glanced outside, but couldn't determine the time. If she had to guess, she'd say it was about 1 or so. She kicked off the blankets and got up. She was going to go downstairs and get some water or something. The room was too stuffy and she needed air. She tried to get dressed as quietly as possible, but she accidentally knocked something over. she held her breath, waiting for someone to wake up, but when no noise was forthcoming, she opened the door and went downstairs. Nik heard some loud noise and decided to wake up Shane for protection while she went to investigate. "Shane, Shane! Wake up," Nik whispered. "I heard a noise. Come with me to go look." The two made their way downstairs as quietly as possible only to find none other than Cassie. "Hey Cass what are you doing down here all alone?" Nik said walking towards Cassie. "I couldn't sleep. My head's starting to hurt. So I decided to come down and get some water. You two care to join me?" she asked, including Shane in the invitation. "Sure I think I will I couldn't really sleep well anyway." "Shane you going to join us?" Nik questioned turning to address the half asleep Shane. Shane yawned and then sleepily responded, "Yeah sure I'll sit here with you two." "So why couldn't you sleep Nik?" Cassie queried. If they were going to stay up, they might as well have some sort of conversation... Nik began to blush but was thankful it was dark so Shane couldn't see. "Oh um...I don't know just thinking too much I guess." Cassie quirked an eyebrow. "Thinking about what?" she smirked. She could guess the reason, but it was fun to torment Nik. "Stuff...people...a certain person...." nik slowly trailed off to a barely audible voice. Shane just sat with a somewhat confused look but finally broke the silence with, "What's going on between you two I can see you both know something." Cassie glanced at Nik. "Well Shane, you're a guy, so you're not allowed to know this secret. It's a girls-only privilege," she smirked. "Just let it be known that it involves guys. And that is all you shall know." she figured it would be fun to tease Shane with info, but still keep it a secret so Nik wouldn't be embarrassed. Nik smiled gratefully at Cassie for her tact in giving a small hint without dropping the whole thing. "Yes Shane, some things only girls can know," she said smiling mischievously at Shane. Cassie looked to nik. "so shall we take him up on his silence and have a mini 3 am chat?" A smile broke out across Nik's face. She always did enjoy the 3 am chats all the girls periodically shared. "Yes I do believe this would be a good time for that. What shall we rant this time?" "Well, I think first and foremost on both of our minds, and Sherry's, are guys. So why couldn't you sleep? Really?" True, most of the 3 am group was sleeping, but 2 out of 7 was better than none, so it was always a good idea to take advantage of any ranting opportunity. "Well," Nik began explaining. "Ever since I saw him," Nik said motioning to Shane," I haven't been able to stop thinking about him...he's so different but I can't quite figure out what it is about him." "Well, I mean, he is from our time... maybe that has some pull in your thought-process... I mean, he knows the same general things you do, so it's not completely out of the ordinary I suppose," Cassie suggested. She never was good at explaining why things were the way they were. She was better with the whole 'he's rejected me, now what?' issue. "Of course, maybe you two just click... not to be clichéd, but it could be something along the lines of like at first sight?" she grinned. Nik sighed and looked over at Shane. "Yeah...I don't know ordinarily I'd say you were crazy for thinking that but this time with him I'd have to say you may be right. So how are things with you in the world of ever confusing guys?" "Well, much as I'd like to say they're good, I can't. You know Casey? Yeah, well, I partially couldn't sleep because I kept dreaming about him. Just can't get him out of my head. And not just because he's so cute either. He's just... I don't know... the tall, dark, handsome, and mysterious type. So..." she trailed off and shrugged. Truthfully, she was ready to go chase after him, but by this point he was probably already long gone. "Well Cass you have to go after him!" Nik said almost too loudly because Shane looked over curiously at the two. Nik began again lowering her voice, "does he know how you feel about him?" Cassie gave a rather sarcastic look to Nik. "Nik, I just met the man today! I mean, I know nothing about him... aside from the fact that he's handsome, has an incredible voice, and seems up for just about anything. I stole his sword for chrissake!" she was getting a little flustered. "I can't tell a random guy that I like him, especially since he has every reason to hate me," she frowned. "It's not fair." "Well the way I see it the length of time you've known him has nothing to do with it. I mean look at me and how I feel about Shane! Plus I don't know maybe if you'd quit beating up on all these guys you'd have more luck with them," Nik playfully nudged Cassie. "But in all seriousness I think next time you see him you need to try give him hints that you might be interested." "Yeah, you're probably right. But it's so much easier to beat the crap out of them than talk to them!" she laughed and winked. "But only problem in that plan is I'll probably never see him again," she sighed. "But oh well, it's just my luck. Anyways... anything else up on your end?" she meant it innocently, but when she thought about it again, she couldn't help but smirk. Nik smirked at Cassie's last comment. "Yeah too bad there isn't more up on my end," Nik smiled to herself and looked in Shane's direction. Turning back to Cassie she said, "Hey I have a thought! Why don't we go after your Casey?" Cassie looked skeptically at Nik, "Well, because he's probably miles away by now? I mean, the chances of finding him are pretty much slim to none." She thought it over for a few minutes. "Though your thought may have some benefits. I mean, we could at least get some air... right?" she looked slightly hopeful. She really wanted to be able to at least see Casey again, if not be able to talk to him... "Yeah I mean we all could use a good walk to get us out of this stuffy place." Nik looked around somewhat disgustedly. "We should take Shane along for protection though I think," Nik said winking. "With the added benefit of eye candy for you, right?" Cassie smirked. "I see right through your plot, you devious one. But good plan, very smooth," she laughed. "Well, I suppose the sooner we head out, the sooner we can catch up to him, if at all possible." She gave a toothy grin at the prospect of seeing Casey again and stood up. "Oh you know me too well Cass," Nik said shooting Cassie a smile. "I'll go grab Shane and we'll be on our way." Nik paused a second to grin after realizing the ways her last comment could be taken. "I'll be right back cass." Nik ran over to the dozing Shane, "Shane you're coming with us to go find Casey!" Shane looked up from his spot at a table and said, "Why what for?" "Because I said so now come on," Nik said dragging Shane to his feet. "Ok Cass we're ready u lead the way" "Right then." Cassie led the way out of the inn. Once she stepped outside however, she didn't know whether to go right or left. "Uhm, Houston, we have a problem. There are multiple ways to go, and I have no idea which to take. And I'm no Sherlock Holmes, so deducing
a path is pretty much not possible." She kept rambling like this for a few more minutes when the events earlier dawned on her, i.e., when she first met Casey. They had come crashing through the trees in the clearing, chasing someone from a village. So assuming that the castle was the opposite direction of the way they were charging, then they'd have to go right and hope they came across some clue or other. She started off to the right and hoped they'd find him sometime. They couldn't chase him for too long or they would be missed in the morning, and she still had to pick up some of her supplies. The three of them were plodding along when Nik turned to Cassie and said, "Uh hey Cass what exactly are we looking for?" Cassie looked to Nik. She really had no idea. So, of course, she made something up. "Well, I presume he would have either walked or taken a horse. And considering the hour, and the fact that he was chasing someone earlier, I'd say he's probably sleeping on the side of the road somewhere, or maybe in a small village. I mean, that's the most logical conclusion, right?" she looked to Nik for confirmation. She hadn't thought of that beforehand. Maybe going after Casey wasn't the best idea she thought to herself. "I would agree to that. Well everyone keep your eyes peeled for any clues I guess!" Nik announced to the small group. "We better find you Casey soon cause it's getting cold out and I think both of us could use some body warmers right now," Nik whispered to Cassie followed by a wink "Well, you've got your body warmer right next to you," Cassie retorted. "But I've got to keep searching." They had been walking for a while, and Cassie was starting to feel the cold. She was about to suggest they turn back when she saw the remnants of a fire up ahead. "Hey Nik, is that smoke up there?" she would wait to go approach as a group, just in case it wasn't Casey and it was someone dangerous. Nik strained her eyes to look into the distance. "Yeah Cass I think it is! Do you think it could be...?" Nik trailed off squeaking with excitement for Cassie. "I don't know. But let's approach with caution. I mean, you never know what it could be..." she trailed off and signaled for the other two to try to be as silent as possible. She ran through self-defense procedures in her head, just as a safety precaution. One never could be too prepared. But upon getting closer, she noticed there was only one person there, with a horse. The fire was almost out and the person was shivering. She got closer and was able to identify the person as Casey. She gave a big grin to Nik and stepped closer. Nik saw the lone person sitting there was Casey and she gave Cassie a big smile. "I think we'll hold back while you make your move on him," Nik whispered to Cassie winking Cassie smirked and gave a silent thanks to Nik. She stepped right next to him and was about to wake him up when a hand shot out and knocked her knee from behind, sending her to the ground. Casey, who was a light sleeper, had heard the voices and had been prepared to defend himself for a while. He got up quickly and would have kept attacking, but then he noticed whom they were. "You again? What do you want now? My axe?" he said sarcastically. Cassie didn't know what to say, so she just stared up at him stupidly. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but couldn't figure out what to say, or rather, how to say what she wanted to tell him. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" he smirked down at her, then glanced at Nik and Shane. "Perhaps you two can tell me why you chased me down in the middle of the night? There must be some purpose behind it," he waited impatiently for an explanation. Shane shrugged and replied, "Don't look at me those two dragged me with them!" Nik rolled her eyes at Shane and then responded, "Well we just thought we'd come out for a walk and have a little ...adventure." Nik grinned over at Cassie. "A little adventure, eh? Well, it's a bad idea for you to go on a walk in the middle of the night on a road like this. You have no idea what kinds of dangers you can run into on this road." He gave them a reproving look, letting a little bit of his concern for Cassie come out. After all, so far she'd been something he'd never seen before. She was able to beat him, live to tell about it, and wasn't afraid to talk to him afterwards in a dark corner of an inn. That showed guts, and he liked that quality in anyone. He shook his head and let his tough exterior fall. After all, it was too late in the evening to maintain that reputation. and he had been woken up from his sleep. Cassie looked up at him still, but she finally found her voice. "Yeah... uhm... I couldn't sleep, so I went to the bar to get some water, and Nik and Shane followed, and then we decided to get some air," she gave as a lame excuse. "And you just happened to run into me?" he smirked. "That was quite thoughtless of you, but almost endearing in its oddness." Cassie grinned at this and got up from her position on the ground. Nik walked over by Cassie as the two girls stood across from both their guys. Nik gave Cassie a mischievous look hoping Cassie would catch her same idea. "I think we all could use a little excitement light now to wake us up don't you Cass?" Nik said smirking Cassie grinned. "Yes, we all need to wake up. And since we don't have any caffeine readily available, there aren't many other ways to go about that, now are there Nik?" she smirked and stepped a little closer to Casey. "But what ways are there?" she grinned innocently
at Casey. "Can you think of any?" He looked to her rather befuddled. She really was unlike any other girl he knew. She was so... forward. Yes, that was the only way to describe her. "I can think of a few, but none are fit for ladies of your stature," he grinned back at Cassie. "You'd be surprised what ladies of our stature are capable of. Right Nik?" she winked at Casey, then smirked with Nik. "Oh yes I'm sure we could teach you boys a few things about ladies of our stature," Nik said grinning while she edged closer to Shane. "You wanting a lesson?" Nik asked seductively stepping unnecessarily close to Shane while mischievously looking sideways at Cassie. "I...uh...I..." Shane stuttered unable to formulate a sentence. Cassie grinned at nik's advances. She looked at Casey and smiled sweetly. "Yes, ladies of our stature can show you many tricks. After all, we have very... interesting imaginations. Would you care to learn a few tricks?" she continued smiling. Casey was still awed by her forwardness. "I'm sure I could teach you a few tricks myself. But if you're so insistent on showing me, then by all means, display away." He smiled seductively, which threw Cassie off for a few seconds. She smirked at Nik, and then returned to looking at Casey. She stepped closer. "Where to begin? Any ideas Nik?" "Hmm...I'm thinking shackles...do we have any of those around here?" Nik looked around quirking an eyebrow. "Well Casey you have quite the selection of torture devices around here.... or shall I say potential pleasure devices..." Nik smirked. "Well Cass take your pick," Nik said motioning to Casey's strewn belongings on the ground. Cassie stepped away from Casey and went to his belongings. "My, my, and what would these be for?" she asked holding up some daggers. "You know, not everyone likes this sado-masochistic stuff..." she trailed off and went back to sifting through his things. Casey smirked to himself. Yes, these girls were definitely one of a kind. "I keep those daggers there in case someone tries to rob me in the middle of the night, so I can stab them. Or at least inflict some measure of damage." Cassie made a noise of acknowledgement, to let him know that she heard him, but didn't believe a word of it. "You know, out of all these options, I like the shackles the best. Though out here there's nothing to attach them to. And it's rather chilly. Shall we maybe head back to the inn? We still have our room rented," she grinned and stepped closer to Casey, shackles in hand. "Much as I would love to, I have urgent business to attend to at my... estate. And I'm not sure if I can afford the extra time, no matter how much I may wish to..." he trailed off at Cassie's pouty look. She had a rather good puppy eyes face, since she did have three dogs to learn from. "Of course, I suppose that a few hours delay couldn't harm much..." Nik smirked at Casey's last comment. "They obey so well don't they Cass! That'll be good boys for when we pull out the whips and chains.... we won't have to punish you as much," Nik finished winking at Shane Cassie smirked back at Nik. She grinned at Casey and stepped closer to him. She was cold and shivering. He reached out and pulled her into a hug of sorts. She cuddled into his embrace. Then she looked back at nik. "Should we go back to the inn? It's getting late. We don't want the others to wake up and not find us there. They'd all have heart attacks!" she wouldn't mind going back to the inn where it was warm. It beat the cold outdoors. "Yes let's make our way back to the inn...we don't want to have them sending out a search party or anything ...who knows what they'd find," Nik smirked. "Plus it is getting cold out here and it's bound to be warmer in the room. Come on guys lets go!" Nik lead the way back with Shane right behind, arms around her waist and Casey and Cassie trailing a few steps behind. Casey still had Cassie in a hug. He told himself it was to conserve heat. Cassie didn't care either way; she was just pleased as punch to be near him, especially this close. So she was getting sappy as sherry almost, but she could deal with it. Shackles and whips would still be in the deal, but there could be a little bit of romance in the mix too she supposed. They kept walking towards the inn. She didn't know what time it was, but she guessed it to be around 4 or so. "Well guys we've finally made it. What do you say we all go inside and get ourselves warmed up?" Nik said turning to talk to Cassie and Casey while taking Shane with her since she was reluctant to move from his arms. "That sounds like a plan to me!" Cassie said enthusiastically. She looked to Casey and asked his opinion. "I think it's a fine idea. Shall we then?" he opened the door and Cassie walked through it, though he held it open for the other two as well. "Well why don't you two go find a comfortable place to sit while Cassie and I go get us something to drink," Nik said addressing the two guys. "Come on Cass we'll go put together a collection of things to help us warm up," Nik said to Cass with a smirk Casey agreed to go sit and wait. He chose a seat at a nearby table and waited for Shane to take a seat. "So what do you think they have in store for us?" he asked Shane. Luckily, he was open to lots of things... Cassie walked up to the bar behind Nik. "What do we want to drink? Ale is a bad idea... gives you a killer headache. But we need something warm-ish... unless we're relying on the guys to keep us warm, like I'm betting you are for Shane..." she smirked Shane took a seat opposite Casey. "I don't know but with those girls anything's possible! But I'm willing to find out. " A smile flashed across Shane's face thinking of the possibilities. Meanwhile behind the bar, Nik smirked at Cassie's comment. "Oh you know you're are so planning to use Casey to keep you warm too you aren't fooling me. Now what to bring out to the guys...I think a little food could be a good idea! What do you think?" Casey smirked. "Anything is possible, yes. But I don't think we'll be complaining much. And judging from the smile on your face, you're looking forward to it." Casey grinned to himself. This entire situation was kind of fun... Cassie smirked at Nik. "Am I that transparent? And is it my fault that he's so warm?" she laughed. "And I think food sounds like an excellent option. Though we shouldn't keep them down here for too long or it'll be dawn. And then the others will be up soon. But we should give them some nourishment before we tire them out." She grinned slyly at Nik. "Yes they'll be needing their energy!" Nik said grinning back at Cassie. Nik walked towards the table where the guys were seated carrying some food and leaving the rest for Cassie to grab. "K guys we're back and with FOOD!" Nik said in that tone that every girl in that group of friends got when they talked about food. Cassie grabbed the rest of the food and sat down. "Mmmm... Fooooooooood," she got a glazed look in her eye. Casey poked her, and she returned to normal. "Thank you for the food, but I did eat before I slept. Which wasn't too long ago," he said "But believe me, Casey, you're gonna be needing your strength. So at least try to eat something," she suggested oh-so-subtly. He grinned. "Well, if you say so." And he dug into the food. Shane and Nik smirked at the little exchange of words going on between the other two. "So Nik, will I be needing my strength later and is that why you brought all this food?" Shane asked nudging Nik a bit. "Well I don't know Shane I guess you'll just have to find out won't you but in the mean time you better eat up just in case don't you think?" Nik said mysteriously while slowly and deliberately licking some food off of her finger. Cassie smirked at nik's display. Way to be subtle she thought to herself. She returned her attention back to Casey as she watched him eat. She should be hungry, but for some reason, she just wasn't. Casey finished his portion relatively quickly, since it wasn't much. She grabbed some random thing off his plate and munched on it, if only to keep herself busy. Casey finally felt her stare on him and he turned to her. "Is there a reason you're staring at me? Do I have something on my face?" he grinned "Nope, nothing on your face..." she trailed off, losing her train of thought. "Right then..." he smiled at her. Feeling a need to cause some mischief nik reached over and smeared something on Casey's face. "Well now you do!" Nik said laughing. "Guess someone better clean that off," she said glancing at Cassie with an evil grin. Oh two can play at this game! Cassie thought to herself. But first... can't let Casey go around with something on his face... she shot a glare at Nik, then turned to Casey. "You don't mind..." she left the question unspecified. He shook his head no. So she wiped whatever it was onto a finger and sampled it. It was something sugary and yummy. So, she switched gears and licked the remaining substance off his cheek. She licked her lips. "Mmm... Sugary sweet..." she winked suggestively. Casey grinned back at her in his little adorable way (if you haven't seen the show, you don't know the cute little grins he's capable of... oh, lemme 'lone!). Quickly, she grabbed some frosting of some sort and smeared it all over Shane's face. "Oh look, Shane, you've got something on your face... better clean that off somehow... *cough* Nik *cough*" she grinned sweetly at Nik, but her eyes said, "Ha! Eat that!" Nik stuck her tongue out at Cassie indignantly and then smirked. "Well I can't very well leave you like that now can I?" Nik said turning to Shane. "Hmmm how to clean you up..." Nik looked at Shane waiting for a hint of yes or no. Shane just sat there smiling and finally responded with a "be creative". So Nik proceeded to lean over and wipe off the frosting onto her finger tasting a bit and then offering the rest to Shane, which he took with a bit more enthusiasm than he intended to show. Cassie smirked at Nik's little show. She pulled her chair closer to Casey and decided to use him as a pillow. She rested on his side, and he put his arm around her. She smiled to herself. "Well then, are you two done?" Casey smirked at Nik. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself..." he grinned. "Oh, let them have their fun for right now... we'll have ours later..." she grinned mischievously, and he smiled back. "Indeed we will, my dear, indeed we will..." Nik and Shane stopped their "playing" long enough to look over at the snuggling pair across the table. "Are you two enjoying the show or going to put on a little of your own?" Nik asked smirking. "What? You want us to put on a show?" Cassie quipped. "I never knew you were into that voyeurism stuff, Nik," she grinned and stuck her tongue out.
Casey grinned. "Well, we have a request for a show, or at least an offer... and I'm never one to turn down a lady's request, so long as I'd agree with it... so what say you, Cassie? Shall we 'put on a show'?" he grinned slyly.
Cassie gulped. "A show, you say? My, my... I would prefer to do such things in the privacy of a room, unlike those two... although, I'm up for just about anything," she grinned back. Casey grabbed some of the sugary stuff and quickly smeared it on Cassie's face. She was stunned for a minute, before he took his finger and tried some. "You're right, it is sugary sweet." He tried some more. Soon, there was no food left on her face, but he didn't stop. Although Cassie certainly wasn't complaining. Nik and Shane sat for a moment laughing at the other two before resuming their own little food fight as one might call it. Casey and Cassie were immersed in their game of sorts. But when the bell above the tavern door rang through the room, the two stopped, albeit reluctantly. "Well, I should be going." Casey said sadly. "Yeah..." Cassie said from her new position in his lap. "I wish you didn't have to though..." she trailed off. "Will I be seeing you again?" "I can't tell you when, but you will soon, I promise you that," he said solemnly. "I'm just as reluctant to leave, believe me." "So here's a crazy idea... take me with you!" she said hopefully. "I'm sorry, my dear, but I can't. Perhaps under different circumstances, but as it is, it can't be done. I do have to return on urgent business... and if I were to take you with me, I'm afraid I wouldn't have much time to spare for anything." "Oh... I see then..." Cassie said depressed. "Then I guess I'll be seeing you around?" "You can count on that..." "So do you want your sword back?" she offered. "Keep it. I'll come back for it later. It can be a symbol. I'll return for the sword, and if I can't, then you'll have it to remember me by." Cassie, never one for goodbyes (they're always so depressing! lol), got off his lap. "Then this is goodbye for now," she said putting on a brave front.
He nodded, and got up. He kissed her cheek, gave her another dazzling smile, and left the inn quickly. Cassie slumped back down in the chair and stared at the wall. There was a beautiful sunrise outside, but she didn't pay any attention to it, she was too caught up in the last looks she shared with Casey... Nik and Shane had finally stopped what they were doing and noticed a very sad Cassie say good-bye to her dark knight. Nik got up off of Shane and made her way slowly to Cassie "Hey there Cass cheer up he'll be back I'm sure of it! After all what guy would leave his sword around right?" she ended with a comforting smile. Cassie grinned half-heartedly. "You're right. After all, what is a guy without his sword? And let me tell you, it's a very nice sword indeed." Cassie smirked and winked. She heard some noises from the rooms upstairs and some of the more familiar voices. She smiled at nik. "I guess our night of fun is over, huh?" she winked, and sat back in her chair. She munched on some of the leftover food and waited for the others to make their appearance... "Yep but this night will just have to be our little secret," Nik said looking at Cass and Shane and winking.