Oh, aye. Not mine, don't sue. Santa not yet here, so no Esca as a present fer the moment *wighs*
~···*···~
II. Lotus flower
~Estranged Love
The soft light of a lonely oil lamp flickered with a sudden gust of wind; though the nights were getting colder, in the stables the warmth of the animals gathered under its wooden roof made it quite a comfortable place to be in. as it had been built right next to the mansion, the sparkle of laughter and conversation from inside the house faintly reached the dark-haired boy's ears, standing alone in one of the boxes. Carefully left on the fence that locked the box there was a saddle and a bridle, polished so meticulously that one could nearly see one's face on the shiny surface of the items. He patted Sloane's coat lightly, murmuring soothing words in the stallion's ears while he gently traced circular patterns around the star on the steed's forefront. The smell of fresh hay and of healthy horses was the sweetest and most welcoming odour he could think of, it made him feel at home. "'Morrow morning you'll give the lil' scamp a ride, won't you? And you'll behave as the wonderfully poised and elegant horse you are, huh?" he cooed in the stallion's pricked ears, who in response snorted and nickered softly, slightly shaking his head. The boy with pitch-black hair chuckled, picking a brush from the ground covered with dark golden straw and starting to disentangle the few knots there were in Sloane's silky mane. "Did that sound mean that you're not going to behave, or that you're not poised and elegant?" he grinned as he worked on a specially difficult knot near the horse's ears. "C'mon, you can't be beaten by some prissy horse like that Dappled of Mr. Schezar, now will you?" he took the horse's face in his hands and looked at him straight in the eye, black bangs covering his auburn depths.
Sloane whinnied softly, nudging his big head against the boy's chest, who scratched the right spots behind the thick cinnamon-coloured mane of the lively stallion. "Hey you big boy," he murmured softly, leaning onto the animal as if looking for support, his callous hands running over the shiny coat of the horse. "It's time to go to bed for you, Slo, don't you see Riallen waiting for me to brush her too?"
The horse boy, that's how they called him. Introverted and rather shy, the young man talked, soothed, whispered words of love and care into their ears, and they listened to him. He had been working at Aston Manor since he was a little kid, tall enough to carry buckets of water and drag the wheelbarrow full of hay up and down the stables.
Not a kid anymore, there were some things that hadn't changed. Such as, preferring the company of horses to other human beings, though being generous enough he could even include stray cats and dogs into the category labeled as 'potential friends' in his mind.
His eternally disheveled black bangs were covered by an old cap, his hands often stuffed in his pants' pockets; even when he had to dress properly to ride the Astons to some important social event, the cap that hid his eyes from the rest of the world never abandoned him.
"Ah, my beauty, yes, I'm coming," he smiled, walking up to a golden mare's box with his bucket full of brushes, a little sponge and some liniment, along with some resistant bandages. Just when he was about to open the door and step into the box, a soft ringing sound alerted him that there was someone waiting outside.
He knew no one was going to hear it in Aston Manor but him, as all the servants slept in the house and the chime of the bell was too soft to be heard from there. He knew it was the back gate's bell, the one only used by the house staff, so the person out there wasn't an important visit and was surely just trying to have fun for a while. He'd had some experience with that kind of people, naughty children that had nothing better to do than pull the bell chain until he had to leave what he was doing at the moment to chase them away.
But that night it was late, he was tired after a whole day of riding from one side of the city to the other, and the perfect evening planned in his head -spending his time checking in all the horses and finally sinking into his hay mattress next to the tack room- wasn't going to be spoiled by some beggar.
So he ignored the insistent sound until it stopped, and he finally heaved a long sigh of relief when it did.
"Err, sorry… I tried to ring at the gates but nobody came, so I decided to come in by myself…" a gentle voice, a pinch of shyness in it, came from the entrance of the stables. The raven-haired boy jerked at the sound of it, spooking the mare with his sharp gesture; speaking in soft murmurs to calm the young horse, he finally turned around to face a girl standing in the doorway, her feet set ajar trying to adopt a confident expression, though the illusion was partly ruined by the intermittent curling of her fingers and her lip, swollen from biting it repeatedly in a nervous sign. "Do you remember me? I'm-"
"The flower girl," he said bluntly, his mouth half opened, gaping at the girl who had appeared in his beloved stables in the blink of an eye, something to what he couldn't find any logical explanation.
She was trembling a little, he noticed absently, her small feet slipped into a pair of worn leather boots and no socks or stockings to protect her skin from the bite of the chill outside. The tattered dress she wore clearly didn't offer her much warmth, for it seemed a summer dress and it was not summer time anymore. He had learnt of a few beggars who had disappeared after a cold winter, frozen to death in some street where they passed unnoticed, starving, dying, with not a single wool blanket to wrap around their thin limbs.
Even though he didn't know where the sudden feeling of gentility came from, he hurried to her side and, taking her icy hand, he dragged her into the warm stables without saying a word. Yes, of course he knew her. She was the innocent girl who sold flowers next to the stables, the girl who looked like the angels her mother had described to him when he was little and had to sleep with his parents and brother to share the body heat. Angels are creatures of the heavens, my child, she had used to tell him, with gentle and sweet faces, eyes full of compassion and laughter. The angels bring joy to the world, Van.
Oh, and the heavens' knew the girl sitting on his mattress was exactly all that. Even covered in dirt and trembling, the smile on her lips was the warmest one he had seen.
"I'm sorry, my teeth just won't stop chattering," she smiled meekly at him, rubbing her arms vigorously to fight off the cold.
"Stop being sorry, you've done nothing wrong," the dark-haired boy turned his back on her, intending to resume the task he'd left midways because of her unexpected arrival. What had brought her to Aston Manor?, he wondered. Maybe she had no home and wanted to ask him to stay?
"Well, you see," she fidgeted, rubbing her hands nervously, "I had come to give Miss Millerna a… a message," the green-eyed girl explained, pointing at a beautiful bouquet of flowers on top of the wooden box she'd been carrying under her arm. "I… I need to give her those." When she saw his sceptical expression, she frowned. "Look, I know it's stupid to think that I could pop right into the house and hand her the flowers, but it's very important that they get to her!" she insisted, her emerald eyes piercing the dark-haired boy's ones, half hidden under his cap. He shrugged after a moment of silence.
"What is it, girl, that makes them so important to you?" he asked, curious about the fervent look on her heart-shaped face, her left cheek stained with soot.
"Will you please help me?"
"When you answer my question," he smirked with another shrug, stooping to pick up a brush.
"… because I think it will make her happy," she confessed, looking rather abashed, her gaze cast down as her toes curled unconsciously in her boots. The auburn-eyed boy was a little bit taken aback by her response, expecting anything but that. Why would someone who probably had no roof to live under want to make a noble woman like Miss Millerna happy by giving her a bunch of flowers? Was there a point to it?
"I already answered you, now it's your turn. Help me," she demanded fiercely. He held her gaze for a few seconds, and after a small hesitation he sighed.
"What name-"
"You said one question!" she protested heatedly.
"… must I give Miss Millerna when I tell her that someone's waiting for her in the stables?" he finished quietly, and her cheeks colored with a pretty shade of rose when she blushed.
"Mm, aye, sorry… it's Hitomi."
He observed her for a few more seconds, and then headed for the door that led to the kitchens and inside the mansion. "I'll be back soon. Look after the horses for me while I'm away, they seem to like your voice," he said as he walked away. Hitomi smiled; her eyes fixed on the form of the boy who had helped her, she lied back on the soft hay mattress and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the place, as the soft nickers and snorts of the horses lulled her to sleep.
~···*···~
"Is Feahan okay?" asked a worried Millerna the same moment she entered in the kitchens, her face flushed and her expression fearful. The horse boy grinned at her and cocked his head to a side; the concern that she showed for her horse was one of the main things that had made him warm up to the young noble.
"Milady, your presence is… urgently needed at the stables," he said, knowing that all the cooks' ears were listening to his words; if he slipped just once and gave away something that might sound suspicious, both the young Aston and himself would be in everyone's mouths the following day, but at the same time he hated lying. Hence, he decided to tell her a half-truth that would do no harm to anyone.
The pale blond girl stampeded through the door in a rush, and Van broke into a quick run to catch up with her, closing the door of the kitchens after him. Even though he could count on the maids to deliver a short message to Millerna telling her that the horse boy asked for her, that trust couldn't be extended to keeping secrets, and his intuition told him that the flower girl wasn't in the house for some common message.
He grabbed the violet-eyed girl's arm softly, intending to calm her. "Don't worry, milady, your stallion is in perfect condition," he assured her, pushing the door of the stabled to open it and let her in. Some horses raised their heads from their food buckets and turned to stare at the newcomers, munching their hay parsimoniously.
"Then what…?"
Van strode to where he'd left the green-eyed girl a quarter of an hour before, and he found her lying on his bed, deeply asleep.
"Someone asked me to fetch you," he said in a murmur, sitting next to the blonde beggar to get a better look of her. "She was awake a quarter of an hour ago… she must be nackered to have fallen asleep so quickly…"
Millerna walked to his side and placed her hand on her mouth in a surprised gesture. "Dear heavens, it's the girl of the flower stand round the corner!" she exclaimed softly; her eyes were kind when they examined the thin frame of the girl, her dirty clothes and boots with holes in their soles. "What is she doing here?"
A small smile crept up Van's features. She looked so helpless and fragile on his bed… "You might want to ask her yourself, Milady." And, with a soft pat on the girl's shoulder, he tried to wake her up. "Hey, flower girl, open your eyes. Miss Aston is here," he whispered in her ear, wanting her to have a gentle awakening.
Bright green eyes were shot open in a second, panic filling them as the first thing they saw was a pair of auburn depths obscured by midnight black strands of hair, and a cap partly covering them. She got up brusquely while her cheeks blushed in embarrassment.
"Gods, I didn't fall asleep, did I?" she breathed, looking totally mortified. This was it, she'd made a fool of herself in front of Miss Aston, now they would kick her out of the house and she would be lucky if they allowed her to stay at the corner of their road. The horse boy at her side gave her a lop-sided smirk.
"Yes, I'd say that defines quite well what happened," he chuckled, placing both hands behind his head and lying back on the mattress.
"Don't worry about it," said Millerna with a compassionate smile. "But Mr. Fanel told me you wanted to see me?"
Van smiled crookedly at the noble when he heard what she'd called him. Millerna was the only person in the house who called him 'Mr. Fanel", apart from his father and elder sister. For the rest of people, he was just 'the horse boy', or 'the Aston's driver' in the best of cases. Oh, and Van for the elder maids, but he seldom heard that name anymore, as no one was close enough to him to have such familiarities with him.
"Err, aye, milady, I did ask him to help me…" the flower girl cleared her throat and cast a nervous side glance at him, and even though he could perfectly understand the message within her green depths, Leave… please?, he wasn't going to please her in that. Oh, no, she had been the one who'd intruded in his domains, fallen asleep on his bed, and she wanted him to leave now? Hah! No way, he thought, putting on a defiant grimace and making himself even more comfortable on his hay mattress.
Hitomi let out a sigh when she saw that the horse boy wasn't going to leave willingly; if he heard her message for Millerna, that would mean he would be involved into all the affair as well, but right now she didn't have much more time to spare there. Her grandmother was waiting for her at home to prepare something for dinner and put her to bed, and she was tired and sleepy. So, it'll be his problem.
"Someone told me to give you a bouquet…" she explained, walking to where her box of dried flowers was to pick up the bunch of flowers for the young Aston. She handed them to Millerna as she heard the horse boy scoff in an incredulous tone.
The young noble was silent for a few instants, her delicate hands caressing the petals of the lilies and blue bells. Soft locks of pale blond hair fell into her eyes, shadowing her face; when she raised her head, Hitomi saw the shimmering moisture of tears welling up in her amethyst orbs.
"It's Dryden, isn't it?" she drew a broken whisper, choked with emotion. "Fidelity in misfortune… Constancy…"
"… courage in adversity, resolution," the flower girl finished for her, placing one of her soot-dirty hands onto the young noble's shaky ones. "He told me to say they were from him, but I guess it was unnecessary," she smiled understandingly, and Millerna startled her when she threw her arms around her neck and hugged her tightly, tears spilling on the flower girl's half-bare shoulders.
"He found a way, I knew he would…" the mauve-eyed woman murmured in a strangled thread of voice, holding onto the flower girl as if she were her last hope.
So, it was true after all, Van thought, impressed by what he was seeing. Even though he didn't fully understand what was going on, he had caught enough hints as for to sketch a quick picture of the current situation in front of him. Millerna had said 'Dryden', the witty man that, for what he'd seen, seemed a close friend to the Aston sisters, but the emotion in the young noble's voice was not stirred by a mere friend. Lover, he realised with a surprised smirk. Good God, what have I gotten myself into?
"I can give him an answering message if you want me to, milady," the flower girl said softly, still hugged by the pale blonde. "No one will suspect from a simple tramp like me if I give him a flower when he comes by…"
Millerna beamed at her; it was a present from Heaven, the perfect, most discreet and wonderful way of communicating with Dryden without arousing any kind of suspicions in his father, who, even though kind and affectionate with his daughters, he was also a very keen man and rarely missed what was going on. He had already had a long chat with Millerna about Dryden when he overheard by accident a conversation between her and Marlene, where the youngest Aston had been explaining her cousin how they'd met Mr. Fassa at the opera.
Yes, she knew Dryden wasn't rich and that he wasn't noble, but it didn't matter to her as it did to her father; Grava only wanted the best for her daughters, good men who would be able to take care of them when he was gone, and in fact he'd found the perfect suitor. No one would ever say a word about Allen Schezar that did not fit the description of a perfect gentleman.
Millerna had to agree with that; Mr. Schezar was a wonderful man and it would make a great husband for her… only if Dryden hadn't already claimed that place in her heart. And her heart certainly didn't care if he was just the son of a merchant who'd lost nearly all his money in less than two years, it didn't matter that the future at his side wouldn't be as bright as the one Allen might be able to give her.
Hopelessly in love, something told her that she would be a fool if she let him go and disappear from her life, and she'd be damned before letting that incredible opportunity walk away. Oh, no, she was going to hold on to the hope the flower girl represented as if her life depended on it, something very close to the truth, in fact.
"Would you?" Millerna's eyes shone brightly when they delved into Hitomi's green ones. She nodded solemnly.
"I'm quite sure he might come tomorrow… what would you like me to tell him?" she asked with a smile, brushing a strand of loose honey-gold hair out of her face.
"Tell him that I won't give up either, and that I trust him."
Hitomi mused for a second with a small frown on her forehead, at which the pale blonde grew alarmed.
"What is it? Can't you tell him that?" she asked, her question laced with anxiety. The flower girl shook her head immediately, trying to calm the other woman's nerves.
"No, no, I was thinking of what flower I could give him to tell him what you asked… I thought I'd found the perfect one, but I don't know if I can get one now, the place where I used to pick them has been-" she interrupted herself, horrified of what she'd nearly blurted out.
That she jumped into run-down or abandoned houses with gardens or old green houses from where to pick the flowers, before the first sunbeams peeked from behind the mountains peaks and smiled down on the Imperial City. Only, that the old place where she usually got her irises from had recently been re-sold and was going to be inhabited in short, so she couldn't go in there anymore. But she definitely wasn't going to tell them that…
"… well, I just don't know where to get an iris right now," she finished, blushing even more when she felt the questioning eyes of Millerna on her, but if the young Aston had wanted to satisfy her curiosity, she didn't show any other exterior sign of it, letting the matter drop.
"Oh, we have irises in our garden," she gave her a delighted smile; after a moment of thought, her big violet eyes widened even more, and her grin widened. "Ohh I know what!"
Hitomi shot her a puzzled look. "What now, milady? You don't need to worry about that, I'll find some other flower I can give him instead…"
"No no, I mean it's perfect!" the pale blonde grabbed Hitomi's hands and twirled her around with a giggle, filled with a joy whose source the flower girl couldn't point out. Seeing the huge question mark written on the green-eyed girl's face, Millerna giggled again and sighed. "What would you say to working here for us?!"
The honey-blonde's eyes widened to the size of two big round saucers, looking completely flabbergasted. "W-what?" she croaked, finally finding her voice after a few seconds of frantic search.
"Yes, of course! I mean, you could work at the street for, say, maybe the whole morning, and then work for us in the afternoon!" Millerna chirped excitedly, her amethyst eyes shining brighter than gems. "I could get a message from Dryden every day, and you could give him back my answer in the morning of the next," she explained, stopping for a moment and scanning over the girl's clothes (or lack thereof). "You would surely do with some new dresses… we would pay you well," she offered, wishing for the girl to say 'yes' with all her might. "Would you want to live here, do you have a… well, somewhere to live?" she finished, having no idea of what the life of a beggar like her was like.
"I do have a hut by the river's side," the flower girl said serenely. "It's not very good, but I am pretty sure that my grandmother will want to stay there, and I can't leave her alone, no," she explained; then, her voice grew timid, a tiny smile curving her rosy lips. "Even so… I would really like to work for your family, milady…"
"Great!! So that's set," she squeaked in excitement. "You can come tomorrow after lunch time, or maybe you want to have lunch here? Whatever you want, just come in through the back gates, ring the bell and Mr. Fanel will open it for you, or any other staff member-"
"Oh, I think she won't need my help to come in," said Van in an amused tone, and both girls turned to face him; her expressions –the flower girl one of embarrassed guilt, Millerna one of horror to realise that he'd been there all the time, and consequently heard all their conversation- were so comical he had to fight back the urge to laugh.
"Mr. Fanel…" the young Aston whispered, gulping loudly. "You… you'll keep what you heard tonight a secret, won't you?"
Van shrugged. "Oh, did I hear something?" he said with a wink; Millerna let out the air she'd been holding inside without even noticing.
"Thank you," she smiled sincerely, gratitude filling her eyes, and then turned to the flower girl again. "I'm sorry I didn't ask for your name, though I see I don't need to give you mine, as it's clear enough you already know it!" she curled a lock of her pale blond hair around her index finger, scribbling down on her mental list 'Wash the girl's hair'. 'Twice', she added afterwards.
"It's Hitomi."
"Lovely name," she beamed at her again; the chime of a clock placed on a small table next to Van's mattress gave out what the time was, and the young Aston bit her lip at the realization of how long she'd been in the stables. "Oh Lord, I must go back… if not they'll come in looking for me. Mr. Fanel, please show her the way out, I'll see you tomorrow, Hitomi, goodbye and a thousand thank yous!" she exclaimed, as she practically ran to the door which led back to the kitchens. "Oh, and please, Mr. Fanel, do see to it, that she goes to the garden and picks an iris before she leaves!"
The door was slammed shut. Some of the horses pricked their ears at the loud sound and shifted restlessly in their boxes, though they were soon calmed by the dark-haired boy with a few pats on their necks and calming words.
"You seem to like horses better than people," he heard her say. Van let out a small sigh and shrugged his shoulders, not giving her any answer. "So… Mr. Fanel… could you please take me to the garden? I need to get back home as soon as I can…" she said cautiously.
"Don't call me like that."
"What?"
He turned around to look at her. "Mr. Fanel. It sounds really odd, but Miss Millerna and her family seem to like it."
She nodded shortly. "So what do I call you? 'Cause I guess we'll see each other quite a lot if I come to work here…"
"I s'ppose you can call me 'horse boy', as everybody does around here."
It was Hitomi's time to snort. "And I bet you like it as much as I do being called 'the flower girl'."
He seemed to consider her words for a minute. "… then you might call me Van."
The green-eyed girl smiled at him and offered him her skinny hand. "Pleased to meet you then… Van. Could you show me where I can find the irises?"
The raven-haired boy grinned back and headed for the door that led to the gardens. "Sure… just follow me."
~···*···~
Breakfast was one of the most important events in Aston Manor. Gathered around the fresh milk, toasts, jam and other edibles, the four members of the family discussed a wide variety of matters that ranged from plans for the day that lay ahead to social events that were taking place in the city and to which they'd been invited. The only thing Grava Efud Aston regretted was that he couldn't have a nice talk about politics, because the three other members were females, and weren't a very bit interested in that topic.
"How was the concert yesterday, Marlene?" he asked to the eldest of the three women at the table, a tall and beautiful blonde with ocean-blue eyes. She smiled widely, wiping a bit of jam from the corner of her mouth.
"They liked it a lot; did you know that Serena actually plays the flute? She's getting married next week, and she looks really excited about it," the young woman sketched a thoughtful smile that was perfectly understood by the two girls at the table, but whose significance remained a complete mystery to Grava, who didn't give it much importance.
"Serena Schezar you mean, don't you? Ah, she's a lovely creature… wouldn't it be wonderful if the two weddings could take place at the same time?" he commented looking at Millerna, who nearly spat out the milk she was drinking. Eries placed a hand on her sister's leg under the table to calm her and spoke serenely.
"Wouldn't that be a little bit too rushed, father? I'm sure Mr. Schezar and Millerna want to spend more time together before getting formally engaged and married… the more they know each other, the better, right?" she put in as she took another toast and sprinkled it with some sugar and cinnamon on the butter layer she'd applied before. She signaled a maid to come close and fill her cup with more coffee while she nibbled at her toast delicately, trying to distract his father's gaze from the other two women's faces, as they didn't exactly show a large amount of pleasure with the subject of discussion.
"Of course, Eries, Millerna deserves better than a quick wedding like that," he said proudly. "How was the theatre yesterday, darling? Did you meet any of our acquaintances?" he asked, looking at the youngest of the three sharply; she gulped, but before she could find the words Eries spoke for her.
"No father, we didn't meet anyone but the play was nice," she lied smoothly; Millerna kicked her softly under the table, something which in their secret code was close to 'thanks for saving my butt'. "I think there is another one next week… oh, and there's a new opera at the theatre in a month, The Döppelhanger," the girl with navy-blue eyes told Grava with a small smile.
"Yes, I heard of that one too… I'd like to go as well," said Marlene in an interested voice. Grava sighed, placing his napkin on the table and taking a sip of juice.
"All right, I'll see what we can do," he smiled at the girls and felt a wave of pride inside him. He had raised them nearly on his own, and they had turned out to be fine women, beautiful both in mind and body, and as close as sisters could be. And he had to recognize that it wasn't that common in the noble houses, with all the envies and jealousies that arose between the siblings.
"Dad…" Millerna's voice was shy, and the fact that she'd called him 'dad' gave her intentions away: she always did that when she wanted to ask for a favour. "…I had thought that… well, you know the flower girl that has her stand at the corner of the road?"
Grava arched an eyebrow in surprise; he hadn't been expecting anything like that, but he nodded shortly, inviting her daughter to go on.
"Well… I thought that maybe… maybe she could come and work here for a few hours every day," she finished hastily, and his father had to blink several times to make sure he hadn't dreamt it all; he looked at Eries' and Marlene's faces, and for their expressions Grava knew that they'd already been told about it. He scowled.
"I don't know, darling… what do you want her for? We have Ruhm already to take care of the garden," he argued. "She's a beggar, what if she tries to steal something from the house? We don't need her… why do you want her here, Millerna?"
She sighed impatiently. "Ruhm is just a gardener, he takes care of the plants but Hit-… the flower girl has a lot of taste… mm… to decorate things, and make floral arrangements," she rebated. "It would be just a few hours a day, in the afternoon, and I'm sure she wouldn't take anything from home."
Grava chuckled. "My little naïve Millerna… you have to learn the ways of the world, darling. One cannot trust people so openly, and I really can't understand why you come up with this now, if you haven't been bothered by the absence of flower arrangements for years," he said, and Millerna bit her lip.
"Yes… since mother died," she completed in a murmur, and Grava felt suddenly guilty and responsible for the sorrowful expression that flickered across his daughter's face. "I don't know why, father, but I realized the other day that something is missing at home… and when I see that girl down the lane, she looks so cheerful, so merry, and her flowers are so beautiful, that it reminds me of mother. I… I miss her, dad," she whispered. "I thought that it might cheer the house a little if we let our garden into the house, as she used to do."
"Yes, Therese loved having flowers everywhere…" Grava murmured hoarsely; then he looked at Millerna, who was watching him intently, waiting for a response. He raised from his seat and walked to the window, staring out at the garden that surrounded the house.
Well, it could do no harm, could it?
"All right, Millerna… you can bring that flower girl in," he acquiesced, still staring at the garden, so that he failed to see the triumphal expression that crossed all three women's faces when they heard his words.
Step 1, accomplished.
Hitomi was in.
~···*···~
*hugs ye all* THANK YE!!
fanharcharizard: *grins* why, thanks a lot!! Lol, I'm sorry if ye didn't get ev'rythin' o' Yukari… I know she's quite difficult te understand sometimes, I made up some words, an' changed spellings o' some words te make her way o' speakin' different from the rest ^^… as fer Van… well, ye saw what he is *hugs Van* hehe, even so, him bein' a king, prince or pauper, it's in the eye o' the beholder ^__^
sqeekers: *blushes* woow, thank ye!!!! ^____^ an' here me update, hope ye like what came next ^^
Starry Eyed Wonder: HEY SIS!! *grins till her cheeks hurt from so much smilin'* Nono *puts hands up* I didn't change Yukari's way o' speakin' ^___^ I like her a lot too.. me dear psychologist who does make sense ^_~, lol!, aye, I think that's quite what can happen with our lil roguish girl o' the streets… *grins* Shiddles, ye made me soo happy with yer review!!!!!!!!!!!! Lol!! An' are ye gonna try it on Bil? XDD… Dry!! *hugs Dryden* love him too, also me fav aft Van!!!!! The guy is the best, I love his sense o' humour!! *grins like mad* I also think Yuki would make a great columnist, megod, no one would be safe from her!! Mmm an' I might illustrate them, aye aye ^____^ hehehe, thanks fer the idea girl!! An'… *looks at sis* hey, where are yer updates, huh? Missyy, ye write too!! But well, if it's fer our baby, then I'll just bite me nails an' wait 'til ye 'ave time… *gins like mad an' hugs ye wildly*
Burnt Ashes: Aye, Dryden is me fav chara after Van ^__^ an' now they're both in… thanks fer the kind review!!
SabineballZ: ^^ aye! He's the horse boy… hehe, no, this time he's not in disguise ^_^ I s'ppose ye could glimpse some o' their past relationship in this chapter… they'd met, but didn't even know each other's names… they had seen each other many times, as they live in the same road, but were not close friends, nothin' like that… I hope ye weren't disappointed at me makin' him a horse boy an' not a noble *sweatdrops* I was tryin' fer somethin' different…
dawnsama: ^____^ lol! needn't be sorry, I was glad te get yer review 'nyway, I'm flattered at ye reviewin' all o' me stories! *grins* oohh!! Thanks, I must write that down right away, The Lil Matchbox Girl ^^ I went crazy tryin' te find that title in English! I was quite tryin' te write somethin' different from what I had read around here, though I dunno if I succeeded… aye ^^ Van does work fer rich ppl, but as ye see, Hitomi is in now, too… kinda… hehe, hope the time te wait wasn't that long fer ye *grins*, thanks a million fer reviewin'!!!
dreamingofflyingaway: ohhh!! *nods wildly* I understand ye, also 'ave a stupid an' temperamental internet connection? *pats computer* in me case, that is extendable te me whole lil machine… *sighs* oh well… hey, I'm glad ye liked the dialogue ^__^ Yukari has a life o' her own, one doesn't need te think 'bout what she'll say, it just comes out effortlessly! Hehe, the action just started… though not quite as a romance… *yet* ^_~ lol! as ye said, aye, thank the mighty banana fer holidays!! *does a lil dance o' thanksgivin'*
Dreamboat Annie: ^___^ hehehe *hugs* don't ye worry!! I know what's like, all that work… ugh U_U an' I totally agree with ye, 'tis not fair makin' ye work last day o' work *snorts* in any case, seems as I should bite yer teacher's head off, ne ^_~ I'm waitin' impatiently fer yer e-mail ^.^ Turkey, lucky ye… *grumbles* happy that ye liked 'Kari, I love that girl *hugs Yukari* well, here is more!
Kaurin: ^_________^ sorry that ye had te wait 2 days fer Van's entrance *sighs* 'nyway, I'm happy that ye liked it *grins like mad*… hehe, well actually the flowers 'ave a very important role in this fic, Dryden is quite the romantic, aye ^___^ *blushes crimson* thanks again fer all the kind comments an' praises, they really keep me goin'!!
Rhapsody's Song: As ye just read ^^U they didn't quite know each other… but aye aye, Van is definitely an 8 ^__^ thanx fer the review!!
Niffer: Wow, thanks a lot!!! ^__^ here is next chapter!
aradow: hehe, Yukari's way o' speakin' was quite fun te create, but sometimes I had te think 'bout what words te make up… she really uses a funny vocabulary ^^ I'm glad that ye appreciated it, thanks tons fer the review! An' aye, even though this time I was one day late, updates will come regularly ^_^
AN/ Aye aye!!
Finally, Van in the picture, an' fer good *grins like mad* One can plainly
see that I am a horse freak… aye, 'tis true ^^UU… This is one o' the longest
chapters this thing has ^_^ hehe, I was up till 1AM te get it done *groans*…
this is what 'appens when one has too many thin's te do an' too lil time
te do them *sobs*
The names
o' the horses are Celtic-based *grins* but I don't remember the meanin's…
not important though, twas just a curiosity ^_^
Oh' an' a
very Merry Christmas te all o' ye!!! ^.^
See ye next update, 3 days from
t'day *grins*