Chapter 20
Max came out of his dreamless sleep, slowly, unwillingly. It had been a while since he'd had such peaceful rest; why stop now? His stomach grumbled. Ah, of course. He hadn't had anything to eat, since...well, when exactly? Reluctantly, he climbed out of bed. Looking around, he noticed he was in his own room again, though he didn't remember how he had gotten there. Still dressed in his old clothes, for that matter. It didn't really much matter, in any case.
Max walked over to the blinds, and threw them open. The dazzling rays of the morning sun struck him, full force. He blinked, and not just from the blinding light. He had slept for the entire day? He was usually unable to grab more than a few hours here and there at the most...
Either way, it was time for breakfast. However, that meant leaving his room, and possibly running into people. Friends. Or were they still friends, now? Max found he really didn't much care. He was hungry, and tired. He would accept whatever they had to say, or do, in anger, in pain.
Someone had thoughtfully left Max a cloak; it was identical to the ones he had worn in the past. He picked it up, and slung it over his shoulders, fastening it securely. He remembered doing this exact same act years ago, but he was a different person then. He opened the door, and started to head down towards the dining room. He passed people in the hallway, of course. Was it just his imagination, or were they avoiding his eyes, stepping out of his way? He couldn't blame them. He could imagine why would they do so, anyway.
Max reached the dining room doors in what seemed like no time at all. He hesitated at the entrance; he could hear voices filtering through the doors. No matter, as this wasn't something he could avoid forever. His stomach was still rumbling anyway.
Max opened the door, and stepped through.
"So what're you up to, today?"
"Nothing much. I thought I'd just pick up some flowers for um, a friend."
"Yeah, sure. A friend. You just happened to accidentally fall over her, hmm?"
"Hans, pass me some of those sausages, will you?"
"Tao, don't be lazy; there's a whole stack over there on the buffet table. Just get up and get some."
"Come on, don't be greedy, give them here-"
"Jeez, stop reaching, you selfish-"
There they were, a familiar scene. Everyone eating together, laughing, joking. More cheerful these days; war put a strain on everyone, of course. But it wasn't that much different, still a collection of foolishly idealistic individuals, chasing for what they believed in with optimism and energy. Max remembered being one of those individuals, once. How long ago had that changed?
Someone noticed Max's entrance. The noise died down abruptly. They stared at him, and he stared back. Was that anger in their eyes? Or pity? Max slowly walked over to the buffet table, and scooped some food onto a plate. He carried it over to a table on the other side of the room, and sat down. He began to eat, paying complete attention to his food, not looking up, ignoring the silence in the room. Gradually, Max heard hushed whispers from where he sat. Discussing how best to deal with him? Whatever. He would do what they requested.
Max heard the dining room doors open again. He glanced over. It was Anri. Not dressed in a formal gown, but casually, as he had seen her in the past. She looked at the table where the Shining Force sat, and smiled. She started to walk over that way, but stopped after a second. She looked around, confused, and spotted Max. Her eyes widened in surprise. Max hastily went back to work on his food.
He heard Anri walk away, towards the buffet table. After a pause, which he supposed was for her to pick up some food, he heard footsteps coming his way again. Anri, of course, and probably with something to say as well. Mad at him for trying to sneak out? Probably.
He heard the chair to his right being pulled back, and saw Anri sitting down, out of the corner of his eye. He waited to hear what she had to say.
"Good morning," Anri said cheerfully. She picked up a piece of toast, slathered with jam, and started to nibble on it.
Max stared at her, nonplussed. What in the world?
The chair on the left was pulled back; he saw Lowe sitting down, carrying his plate. "Have you tried the sausages?" Lowe asked. "Tao can't get enough of them; she's already stolen two of mine."
Max heard a clatter of sound, and many footsteps headed his way, along with the distinct tank treads of Guntz, as well as the speedy wings of Balbaroy and Amon. One by one, Hans, Tao, Gort, Khris, and the rest of the Shining Force settled around him, chatting, laughing. Tao dumped some sausages on his plate, claiming she was full. Hans asked Max for some sausages, and before Max could answer, had already snatched two off his plate. This prompted Tao to scream at Hans for taking what she had given, to which Hans only smiled and winked.
Lowe leant out of the way as Tao reached over him, trying to stab one of Hans's sausages with a fork. "So, why are you here, Anri? Not a busy day?" he asked, cheerfully.
Anri leant back nervously as Hans used his own fork to skillfully parry Tao's raid. "Actually, yes," she replied, grinning. "I just told my advisors to handle everything like I would. They didn't like it, but they really couldn't do anything about it."
Hans looked up, startled. "Anri playing hooky? You must be a spy, in disguise." Tao used his distraction to finally snatch the sausage away, and immediately gobbled it down. She rubbed her stomach, sighing in satisfaction.
"How can you eat so many of those?" Diane asked. "They're greasy, and filled with fat. You're going to be sick after a few hours."
"Not to mention the havoc it would wreck on her figure," Hans added in.
"Like it would matter to you," Tao said, sneering. " You'll chase after anything that's single and female, won't you?"
"I am not!" Hans said indignantly. "I have standards! Too bad you just don't reach them."
Diane giggled suddenly. "Like that lady we saw you with a week ago? Does she reach your standards? I swear, she's as old as my mom. Or my mom's mom."
"She was not," Hans mumbled. "She was...thirty-ish."
Gort was following this conversation, amused. "I suppose after every beer, your standards go lower and lower, eh, Hans? Then again, you were always a lightweight."
"I am not a lightweight, old man!" Hans said angrily. "Care to settle this in a old-fashioned drinking contest?"
"You're on!" Gort roared. "Tonight, hard liquor only. Max can be the judge, right Max?" They both looked at Max. Max stared at them.
"I don't think so," Tao said, smiling. "I think Max was taking me out for a romantic night on the town, right? With a candlelight dinner, and dancing, and a long moonlight stroll on the beach," Tao murmured, lost in her own fantasy.
"I don't know," said Khris doubtingly, "the river's kind of far away from here. It also looks like rain..."
"Just like you girls to suggest such useless activities," Mae said, scoffing. "I'm sure Max would rather train with Ken, Luke, and I? Isn't that right, Max!"
Max stared down at his plate, not answering. He wasn't aware of anything but a quiet sense of happiness, which he tried to fight down. What right did he have to feel happy, after all, when so many had suffered? The feeling persisted, nonetheless.
"Where's Serena?" Lowe asked, looking around.
Diane and Tao looked at each other, and smiled. "Probably out with her new boyfriend," Diane murmured.
Max looked up, interested. "Really," he said. It was the first word he had uttered since coming to the table, and Diane looked at him, surprised.
"Diane and I saw them eating dinner yesterday," Tao explained. "We were going to join them, but I don't think they wanted to be interrupted." Tao and Diane both giggled.
Max reached out, and tried to get a feel of Serena's presence. He found her, at one spot, but couldn't sense anyone around her. He shrugged inwardly. She must have finished already.
Mae had a military to run, and Hans and company had soldiers to train, so they said their goodbyes, and departed. Lowe, Khris, and Gong headed to the hospitals, to lend their assistance. Guntz rolled off, muttering something about tune-ups. Balbaroy and Amon took off to attend to duties in Shade Abbey. One by one, the others left, to get to work on their duties, or in the case of certain people, go off to enjoy themselves.
Max glanced around. The dining hall had emptied out rather quickly. The only ones left besides himself was Anri and-
"How did you two get in here without being noticed?" Anri asked curiously.
"I'm always being ignored," Domingo noted in a hurt tone.
"I, along with many other talents, am a master of disguise," Jogurt squeaked out.
Anri decided not to think about how a giant hamster would disguise himself. She turned to Max, and smiled. "How about going down into the city? Looks like just the two of us."
Max hesitated, then shrugged. "Fine, I guess."
Anri was a little disturbed by his indifferent response, but shrugged it off. She took ahold of his arm firmly, and steered him outside.
"Sure, don't ask us along, we'll be fine," Domingo called out after them. The magical...thing...looked at Jogurt. "Why are we always being ignored?"
"The weak are always frightened by the strong," Jogurt said impressively. They both went back to stuffing their face.
*
"Waiter, refill, please!" Serena shouted gleefully.
Aoshe looked at her, embarrassed. She was certainly above the threshold of what he considered to be a polite call. "Pardon me, but I think you're just annoying him."
Serena rolled her eyes. "What should I care? It's his job, and he's doing an damn incompetent job of it too."
Aoshe winced, certain that at least half the bar had heard that. "Oh, and can you please keep it down? You're making a scene."
Serena childishly stuck out her tongue. "So what? I have nothing to be ashamed of. If they have an problem with me, they can bring it right over here."
Aoshe noticed that a few people seemed willing to take Serena up on her challenge. "Still, at least, try, please? I'd like to not be thrown out of another bar for starting a fight...that's already happened in three. One today already.
Serena shrugged. "I covered the damages. It was only one or two tables anyway, the bartender overreacted.
Aoshe snorted. "It was five tables, several chairs, and a broken window."
"Wait, I don't remember the window," Serena said, scratching her head.
"Remember when that big guy was charging at you, and you tripped him?" Aoshe asked.
"He went through the window?" Serena wondered.
"No, but the chair he was carrying did." Aoshe corrected.
"Oh...well, I couldn't help that." Serena said glumly.
"Look, I have not known you that long, but is there something wrong?" Aoshe asked. "Unless regularly getting into bar fights is part of your normal routine, then I apologize."
Serena smiled wryly. "Well, I wouldn't say regularly, and it's usually more of a tussle than a fight." Serena's smile died. "Well, it's just that this whole situation has me kind of edge."
"You mean with Max?" Aoshe asked, although he knew the answer.
"Yeah..." Serena trailed off. "Just don't know if he's going to be alright."
"Max is a resilient man," Aoshe said, trying to comfort Serena. "He will overcome this, just as he always does."
"How the hell would you know?" Serena said, her temper flaring suddenly. "You don't know what it's like to be him, what he has to go through, all that responsibility on his shoulders..."
Aoshe thought about the armies he commanded, and his people, living underground, foraging moss and plants to eat. He let no sign of this pass on his face. "No," he said quietly, "I suppose I do not." He bowed his head in apology.
"I'm sorry," Serena said miserably. "You see? I'm striking out at anyone. Hell, I told you, someone I just met a few days ago, about my personal problems."
Aoshe looked at her carefully. "Why do you suppose that is?"
Serena shrugged. "I really don't know. Are you usually a sounding board?"
Aoshe smiled. "I do seem to spend most of my time listening to the problems of others." Those problems usually tended to revolve around trivial matters such as survival, and planning a war, but it was technically true.
"Now, please allow me to signal the waiter, and perhaps we will avoid an altercation so early in the morning." Aoshe suggested.
"Be my guest," Serena said, leaning back.
*
Max decided that being known as Max was a lot different from being Peregrin. As Peregrin, he had been mobbed wherever he went. People had flocked to him, boys had asked for autographs, soldiers had bought him drinks, young ladies had flirted with him. Now...
Max glanced askance at the empty path before him, and snorted. He watched as people quickly got out of his way. They whispered to each other as he passed by, talking to each other and pointing once he was farther away.
Anri glanced up at him. "You stand out in a crowd, I suppose?" she said lightly.
"Undoubtedly," Max said, rolling his eyes.
"It could be me, you know. Perhaps the people are just too awed by their beautiful and awe-inspiring queen." She tossed her long hair out to around her back, and gave an insolent shake to her head, which gave a little sway to her hair.
"You know, if you're trying to act arrogant, you shouldn't look as if you were trying to stop yourself from smiling," Max offered helpfully. "It gives the wrong expression."
"I'll remember that for the future," Anri promised. She stooped to look at a pair of earrings. "Pretty!"
"Why don't you buy it then?" Max suggested.
Anri smiled at Max. "Why don't you buy it for me?"
"You're richer," Max pointed out.
"True, but what would the people say if they saw me spending their tax money in such a frivolous manner?"
"They wouldn't say anything after you threw them in jail. If a tree falls in the forest, and no one's around to hear it, does it make a sound?"
"Your logic is incorrect. The prison guards would hear, and the other prisoners."
"Are you saying you don't have a secret cell for prisoners located deep under the castle, barred by 9 magical locks, and taken care of only by deaf and mute guards? That's just bad planning. You never know which dangerous person you'll have to lock up."
"I'll make you a deal. If you buy me these earrings, I'll build your cell and let you be the first to try it out, alright?"
"Deal." Max dug through his robes, and produced a sack of gold.
Anri raised an eyebrow. "Do you need me to tell you the stupidity of openly showing an extremely large bag of gold, in the middle of a crowded street?"
Max shrugged. "Your bodyguards will take care of you, and since I happen to be in your company, me as well.
"Wait, I didn't bring any bodyguards," Anri said, frowning quizzically.
"Of course you did," Max corrected absently. Directly behind me, talking to the produce seller, man in dark pants and tunic, knee high boots, floor length black cloak. To your right, woman, short blond hair, long white dress, looking at the flower shop. The man has a concealed crossbow in the right pocket of the cloak, and a dagger hidden in his right boot. The arrow is tipped with poison, of course. The woman has a poniard strapped to her right thigh, and throwing daggers in her purse."
Anri stared at Max. "There's no way you could...alright, we'll see about this." She waved. "You," she said imperiously, pointing to the man in the cloak. "And you," she said, pointing to the woman. "Come over here." They came over, both looking somewhat confused.
Anri bent down suddenly, reached inside the cloaked man's boot, and pulled out a dagger. She disgustingly glared at the man and woman. "Ok, who are you two?"
"High Royal Guard, 3rd unit, Your Highness," both chorused simultaneously.
Anri glared at Max. "How did you know?"
Max shrugged. "First off, there are several distinguishing characteristics. The calluses on their palms are from years of sword practice. The freshness of their clothes indicates that they're not just common robbers or thieves. Besides, all military personnel walk as if they were in parade, all straight and stiff."
"The weapons?" Anri asked.
"The slight drag on the cloak on the right side suggested a weapon of some sort. I heard the clang of metal in the purse as she walked. As for the rest, I'll admit, they were just educated guesses. Men always hide daggers in their boots, and women always strap concealed objects to their thigh. I don't know about the poison arrows, but now that I think about it, it's a good idea.
Anri glared at Max. "You expect me to swallow that? You picked up a miniscule drag of a cloak? You heard the clang of metal and observed calluses from over fifteen meters away?"
Max grinned. "Caught, I see." He turned to the two guards, and although their expression hadn't changed, they seemed to be amused. "Tell Mae I'll take responsibility from hereon. That's an order."
"Sir." The two saluted Max, and headed off toward the castle.
"You knew beforehand," Anri accused.
"You're right in thinking that I couldn't possibly pick those details out from such a distance," Max said. "But you're wrong in thinking that I somehow prearranged this, especially considering I haven't been out of your sight the entire day."
"Then how...?"
"I just know Mae, that's all. After you were kidnapped, you really think she would let you wander off, without protection? I know that she knows that you would never agree to guards, so she had to do it this way."
"It still doesn't explain how you picked them out," Anri said grumpily.
"You've forgotten about one of my many abilities, the Sight," Max said, smiling in a superior fashion. I observed the aura's of two people following us from the castle; it wasn't hard to figure out what they were there for."
"Mae and I are going to have a little talk about the chain of command when I get back," Anri muttered to herself.
Max tossed her a tiny packet, wrapped in paper. "Here you go. Your reward for seeing the truth. Well, part of it, anyway."
"Thanks, I think." She caught the earrings, and stowed them in a pocket. "Whenever I look at these, It'll remind me of your true character."
Max smiled, and raised an imaginary glass to toast her. "To duplicity."
An uncomfortable silence fell between Anri and Max, as they avoided the issues that they knew would have to be discussed eventually. They continued to banter, in a familiar, comfortable, and ultimately meaningless way.
*
Author's notes: Uh, they're on chapter 21, since I decided to split this in half. -_-
Max came out of his dreamless sleep, slowly, unwillingly. It had been a while since he'd had such peaceful rest; why stop now? His stomach grumbled. Ah, of course. He hadn't had anything to eat, since...well, when exactly? Reluctantly, he climbed out of bed. Looking around, he noticed he was in his own room again, though he didn't remember how he had gotten there. Still dressed in his old clothes, for that matter. It didn't really much matter, in any case.
Max walked over to the blinds, and threw them open. The dazzling rays of the morning sun struck him, full force. He blinked, and not just from the blinding light. He had slept for the entire day? He was usually unable to grab more than a few hours here and there at the most...
Either way, it was time for breakfast. However, that meant leaving his room, and possibly running into people. Friends. Or were they still friends, now? Max found he really didn't much care. He was hungry, and tired. He would accept whatever they had to say, or do, in anger, in pain.
Someone had thoughtfully left Max a cloak; it was identical to the ones he had worn in the past. He picked it up, and slung it over his shoulders, fastening it securely. He remembered doing this exact same act years ago, but he was a different person then. He opened the door, and started to head down towards the dining room. He passed people in the hallway, of course. Was it just his imagination, or were they avoiding his eyes, stepping out of his way? He couldn't blame them. He could imagine why would they do so, anyway.
Max reached the dining room doors in what seemed like no time at all. He hesitated at the entrance; he could hear voices filtering through the doors. No matter, as this wasn't something he could avoid forever. His stomach was still rumbling anyway.
Max opened the door, and stepped through.
"So what're you up to, today?"
"Nothing much. I thought I'd just pick up some flowers for um, a friend."
"Yeah, sure. A friend. You just happened to accidentally fall over her, hmm?"
"Hans, pass me some of those sausages, will you?"
"Tao, don't be lazy; there's a whole stack over there on the buffet table. Just get up and get some."
"Come on, don't be greedy, give them here-"
"Jeez, stop reaching, you selfish-"
There they were, a familiar scene. Everyone eating together, laughing, joking. More cheerful these days; war put a strain on everyone, of course. But it wasn't that much different, still a collection of foolishly idealistic individuals, chasing for what they believed in with optimism and energy. Max remembered being one of those individuals, once. How long ago had that changed?
Someone noticed Max's entrance. The noise died down abruptly. They stared at him, and he stared back. Was that anger in their eyes? Or pity? Max slowly walked over to the buffet table, and scooped some food onto a plate. He carried it over to a table on the other side of the room, and sat down. He began to eat, paying complete attention to his food, not looking up, ignoring the silence in the room. Gradually, Max heard hushed whispers from where he sat. Discussing how best to deal with him? Whatever. He would do what they requested.
Max heard the dining room doors open again. He glanced over. It was Anri. Not dressed in a formal gown, but casually, as he had seen her in the past. She looked at the table where the Shining Force sat, and smiled. She started to walk over that way, but stopped after a second. She looked around, confused, and spotted Max. Her eyes widened in surprise. Max hastily went back to work on his food.
He heard Anri walk away, towards the buffet table. After a pause, which he supposed was for her to pick up some food, he heard footsteps coming his way again. Anri, of course, and probably with something to say as well. Mad at him for trying to sneak out? Probably.
He heard the chair to his right being pulled back, and saw Anri sitting down, out of the corner of his eye. He waited to hear what she had to say.
"Good morning," Anri said cheerfully. She picked up a piece of toast, slathered with jam, and started to nibble on it.
Max stared at her, nonplussed. What in the world?
The chair on the left was pulled back; he saw Lowe sitting down, carrying his plate. "Have you tried the sausages?" Lowe asked. "Tao can't get enough of them; she's already stolen two of mine."
Max heard a clatter of sound, and many footsteps headed his way, along with the distinct tank treads of Guntz, as well as the speedy wings of Balbaroy and Amon. One by one, Hans, Tao, Gort, Khris, and the rest of the Shining Force settled around him, chatting, laughing. Tao dumped some sausages on his plate, claiming she was full. Hans asked Max for some sausages, and before Max could answer, had already snatched two off his plate. This prompted Tao to scream at Hans for taking what she had given, to which Hans only smiled and winked.
Lowe leant out of the way as Tao reached over him, trying to stab one of Hans's sausages with a fork. "So, why are you here, Anri? Not a busy day?" he asked, cheerfully.
Anri leant back nervously as Hans used his own fork to skillfully parry Tao's raid. "Actually, yes," she replied, grinning. "I just told my advisors to handle everything like I would. They didn't like it, but they really couldn't do anything about it."
Hans looked up, startled. "Anri playing hooky? You must be a spy, in disguise." Tao used his distraction to finally snatch the sausage away, and immediately gobbled it down. She rubbed her stomach, sighing in satisfaction.
"How can you eat so many of those?" Diane asked. "They're greasy, and filled with fat. You're going to be sick after a few hours."
"Not to mention the havoc it would wreck on her figure," Hans added in.
"Like it would matter to you," Tao said, sneering. " You'll chase after anything that's single and female, won't you?"
"I am not!" Hans said indignantly. "I have standards! Too bad you just don't reach them."
Diane giggled suddenly. "Like that lady we saw you with a week ago? Does she reach your standards? I swear, she's as old as my mom. Or my mom's mom."
"She was not," Hans mumbled. "She was...thirty-ish."
Gort was following this conversation, amused. "I suppose after every beer, your standards go lower and lower, eh, Hans? Then again, you were always a lightweight."
"I am not a lightweight, old man!" Hans said angrily. "Care to settle this in a old-fashioned drinking contest?"
"You're on!" Gort roared. "Tonight, hard liquor only. Max can be the judge, right Max?" They both looked at Max. Max stared at them.
"I don't think so," Tao said, smiling. "I think Max was taking me out for a romantic night on the town, right? With a candlelight dinner, and dancing, and a long moonlight stroll on the beach," Tao murmured, lost in her own fantasy.
"I don't know," said Khris doubtingly, "the river's kind of far away from here. It also looks like rain..."
"Just like you girls to suggest such useless activities," Mae said, scoffing. "I'm sure Max would rather train with Ken, Luke, and I? Isn't that right, Max!"
Max stared down at his plate, not answering. He wasn't aware of anything but a quiet sense of happiness, which he tried to fight down. What right did he have to feel happy, after all, when so many had suffered? The feeling persisted, nonetheless.
"Where's Serena?" Lowe asked, looking around.
Diane and Tao looked at each other, and smiled. "Probably out with her new boyfriend," Diane murmured.
Max looked up, interested. "Really," he said. It was the first word he had uttered since coming to the table, and Diane looked at him, surprised.
"Diane and I saw them eating dinner yesterday," Tao explained. "We were going to join them, but I don't think they wanted to be interrupted." Tao and Diane both giggled.
Max reached out, and tried to get a feel of Serena's presence. He found her, at one spot, but couldn't sense anyone around her. He shrugged inwardly. She must have finished already.
Mae had a military to run, and Hans and company had soldiers to train, so they said their goodbyes, and departed. Lowe, Khris, and Gong headed to the hospitals, to lend their assistance. Guntz rolled off, muttering something about tune-ups. Balbaroy and Amon took off to attend to duties in Shade Abbey. One by one, the others left, to get to work on their duties, or in the case of certain people, go off to enjoy themselves.
Max glanced around. The dining hall had emptied out rather quickly. The only ones left besides himself was Anri and-
"How did you two get in here without being noticed?" Anri asked curiously.
"I'm always being ignored," Domingo noted in a hurt tone.
"I, along with many other talents, am a master of disguise," Jogurt squeaked out.
Anri decided not to think about how a giant hamster would disguise himself. She turned to Max, and smiled. "How about going down into the city? Looks like just the two of us."
Max hesitated, then shrugged. "Fine, I guess."
Anri was a little disturbed by his indifferent response, but shrugged it off. She took ahold of his arm firmly, and steered him outside.
"Sure, don't ask us along, we'll be fine," Domingo called out after them. The magical...thing...looked at Jogurt. "Why are we always being ignored?"
"The weak are always frightened by the strong," Jogurt said impressively. They both went back to stuffing their face.
*
"Waiter, refill, please!" Serena shouted gleefully.
Aoshe looked at her, embarrassed. She was certainly above the threshold of what he considered to be a polite call. "Pardon me, but I think you're just annoying him."
Serena rolled her eyes. "What should I care? It's his job, and he's doing an damn incompetent job of it too."
Aoshe winced, certain that at least half the bar had heard that. "Oh, and can you please keep it down? You're making a scene."
Serena childishly stuck out her tongue. "So what? I have nothing to be ashamed of. If they have an problem with me, they can bring it right over here."
Aoshe noticed that a few people seemed willing to take Serena up on her challenge. "Still, at least, try, please? I'd like to not be thrown out of another bar for starting a fight...that's already happened in three. One today already.
Serena shrugged. "I covered the damages. It was only one or two tables anyway, the bartender overreacted.
Aoshe snorted. "It was five tables, several chairs, and a broken window."
"Wait, I don't remember the window," Serena said, scratching her head.
"Remember when that big guy was charging at you, and you tripped him?" Aoshe asked.
"He went through the window?" Serena wondered.
"No, but the chair he was carrying did." Aoshe corrected.
"Oh...well, I couldn't help that." Serena said glumly.
"Look, I have not known you that long, but is there something wrong?" Aoshe asked. "Unless regularly getting into bar fights is part of your normal routine, then I apologize."
Serena smiled wryly. "Well, I wouldn't say regularly, and it's usually more of a tussle than a fight." Serena's smile died. "Well, it's just that this whole situation has me kind of edge."
"You mean with Max?" Aoshe asked, although he knew the answer.
"Yeah..." Serena trailed off. "Just don't know if he's going to be alright."
"Max is a resilient man," Aoshe said, trying to comfort Serena. "He will overcome this, just as he always does."
"How the hell would you know?" Serena said, her temper flaring suddenly. "You don't know what it's like to be him, what he has to go through, all that responsibility on his shoulders..."
Aoshe thought about the armies he commanded, and his people, living underground, foraging moss and plants to eat. He let no sign of this pass on his face. "No," he said quietly, "I suppose I do not." He bowed his head in apology.
"I'm sorry," Serena said miserably. "You see? I'm striking out at anyone. Hell, I told you, someone I just met a few days ago, about my personal problems."
Aoshe looked at her carefully. "Why do you suppose that is?"
Serena shrugged. "I really don't know. Are you usually a sounding board?"
Aoshe smiled. "I do seem to spend most of my time listening to the problems of others." Those problems usually tended to revolve around trivial matters such as survival, and planning a war, but it was technically true.
"Now, please allow me to signal the waiter, and perhaps we will avoid an altercation so early in the morning." Aoshe suggested.
"Be my guest," Serena said, leaning back.
*
Max decided that being known as Max was a lot different from being Peregrin. As Peregrin, he had been mobbed wherever he went. People had flocked to him, boys had asked for autographs, soldiers had bought him drinks, young ladies had flirted with him. Now...
Max glanced askance at the empty path before him, and snorted. He watched as people quickly got out of his way. They whispered to each other as he passed by, talking to each other and pointing once he was farther away.
Anri glanced up at him. "You stand out in a crowd, I suppose?" she said lightly.
"Undoubtedly," Max said, rolling his eyes.
"It could be me, you know. Perhaps the people are just too awed by their beautiful and awe-inspiring queen." She tossed her long hair out to around her back, and gave an insolent shake to her head, which gave a little sway to her hair.
"You know, if you're trying to act arrogant, you shouldn't look as if you were trying to stop yourself from smiling," Max offered helpfully. "It gives the wrong expression."
"I'll remember that for the future," Anri promised. She stooped to look at a pair of earrings. "Pretty!"
"Why don't you buy it then?" Max suggested.
Anri smiled at Max. "Why don't you buy it for me?"
"You're richer," Max pointed out.
"True, but what would the people say if they saw me spending their tax money in such a frivolous manner?"
"They wouldn't say anything after you threw them in jail. If a tree falls in the forest, and no one's around to hear it, does it make a sound?"
"Your logic is incorrect. The prison guards would hear, and the other prisoners."
"Are you saying you don't have a secret cell for prisoners located deep under the castle, barred by 9 magical locks, and taken care of only by deaf and mute guards? That's just bad planning. You never know which dangerous person you'll have to lock up."
"I'll make you a deal. If you buy me these earrings, I'll build your cell and let you be the first to try it out, alright?"
"Deal." Max dug through his robes, and produced a sack of gold.
Anri raised an eyebrow. "Do you need me to tell you the stupidity of openly showing an extremely large bag of gold, in the middle of a crowded street?"
Max shrugged. "Your bodyguards will take care of you, and since I happen to be in your company, me as well.
"Wait, I didn't bring any bodyguards," Anri said, frowning quizzically.
"Of course you did," Max corrected absently. Directly behind me, talking to the produce seller, man in dark pants and tunic, knee high boots, floor length black cloak. To your right, woman, short blond hair, long white dress, looking at the flower shop. The man has a concealed crossbow in the right pocket of the cloak, and a dagger hidden in his right boot. The arrow is tipped with poison, of course. The woman has a poniard strapped to her right thigh, and throwing daggers in her purse."
Anri stared at Max. "There's no way you could...alright, we'll see about this." She waved. "You," she said imperiously, pointing to the man in the cloak. "And you," she said, pointing to the woman. "Come over here." They came over, both looking somewhat confused.
Anri bent down suddenly, reached inside the cloaked man's boot, and pulled out a dagger. She disgustingly glared at the man and woman. "Ok, who are you two?"
"High Royal Guard, 3rd unit, Your Highness," both chorused simultaneously.
Anri glared at Max. "How did you know?"
Max shrugged. "First off, there are several distinguishing characteristics. The calluses on their palms are from years of sword practice. The freshness of their clothes indicates that they're not just common robbers or thieves. Besides, all military personnel walk as if they were in parade, all straight and stiff."
"The weapons?" Anri asked.
"The slight drag on the cloak on the right side suggested a weapon of some sort. I heard the clang of metal in the purse as she walked. As for the rest, I'll admit, they were just educated guesses. Men always hide daggers in their boots, and women always strap concealed objects to their thigh. I don't know about the poison arrows, but now that I think about it, it's a good idea.
Anri glared at Max. "You expect me to swallow that? You picked up a miniscule drag of a cloak? You heard the clang of metal and observed calluses from over fifteen meters away?"
Max grinned. "Caught, I see." He turned to the two guards, and although their expression hadn't changed, they seemed to be amused. "Tell Mae I'll take responsibility from hereon. That's an order."
"Sir." The two saluted Max, and headed off toward the castle.
"You knew beforehand," Anri accused.
"You're right in thinking that I couldn't possibly pick those details out from such a distance," Max said. "But you're wrong in thinking that I somehow prearranged this, especially considering I haven't been out of your sight the entire day."
"Then how...?"
"I just know Mae, that's all. After you were kidnapped, you really think she would let you wander off, without protection? I know that she knows that you would never agree to guards, so she had to do it this way."
"It still doesn't explain how you picked them out," Anri said grumpily.
"You've forgotten about one of my many abilities, the Sight," Max said, smiling in a superior fashion. I observed the aura's of two people following us from the castle; it wasn't hard to figure out what they were there for."
"Mae and I are going to have a little talk about the chain of command when I get back," Anri muttered to herself.
Max tossed her a tiny packet, wrapped in paper. "Here you go. Your reward for seeing the truth. Well, part of it, anyway."
"Thanks, I think." She caught the earrings, and stowed them in a pocket. "Whenever I look at these, It'll remind me of your true character."
Max smiled, and raised an imaginary glass to toast her. "To duplicity."
An uncomfortable silence fell between Anri and Max, as they avoided the issues that they knew would have to be discussed eventually. They continued to banter, in a familiar, comfortable, and ultimately meaningless way.
*
Author's notes: Uh, they're on chapter 21, since I decided to split this in half. -_-
