Summary: A moment of peace, as Saria hosts a small banquet. Vino has some interesting effects. And during this time, Dilandau makes a startling discovery...
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Saria didn't come out of the throne room for some time, but when she finally did, she looked emotionally deflated.
Following her now was an older woman, as regal as Hitomi had ever seen. Her black hair, only just beginning to grey, was swept back into a tight bun that rested just behind the small silver crown she wore.
On instinct before royalty, Allen knelt before the queen, lowering his head humbly. Awkwardly, Hitomi attempted a small curtsey, as she wasn't entirely sure of what to do in these situations. A stifled chuckle from Saria made Hitomi blush slightly, but the amused girl was shut up quickly with a cold glare from her mother.
"I offer you a warm welcome, Allen Schezar and Hitomi Kanzaki," the queen spoke in a smooth alto, deep grey eyes turning back from Saria to the pair, "Word of your trials has reached these borders. Be not afraid, young girl from the Illusionary Moon...you are safe within this city's walls."
"Thank you, your Majesty," Hitomi responded timidly, finding herself rather intimidated by the woman's strong presence. She could not, however, believe that she was safe anywhere so long as Aquaria roamed freely.
She was surprised by a touch on her face as the queen lifted her chin to look into her eyes. The woman's expression warmed considerably when she spoke, "Dear child...I do not fear this demon threat."
You should, Hitomi thought bleakly, though she said nothing.
"Your friend arrived late last night," she continued with a smile, "My daughter will take you to one of our banquet halls; I'll send word for him to meet you there." Allen and Hitomi both thanked her graciously as Saria walked past them, out to one of the main hallways.
"This way, you guys," Saria called, not turning to face them. Hitomi looked at her oddly for a moment, but she couldn't help but notice the tension between the queen and her daughter...she glanced at Allen, and his look told her that he was thinking the same thing. Saria's expression changed then, only slightly, but enough to be noticed...Hitomi could only describe it as her way of asking, if not pleading them not to ask any more of the subject. "Come on," she said quickly, starting to walk down the hallway, "We don't want to keep Van waiting."
This time, the pair followed, quietly. Unconsciously, Hitomi's hand found Allen's, and their fingers laced gently together.
Saria led them through several grand halls, eventually coming to a set of heavy oak doors. Allen had moved forward on instinct to open the door for her, only thinking to be chivalrous, but a quick glare from Saria cut him off as she reached for the handles of the doors and swung them open grandly, as though to make a point.
"I don't need your help with this, Allen Schezar," the princess spoke shortly, not bothering to look at him as she strode into the banquet hall, "I can do things for myself. Unlike the flocks of women I'm sure you've courted, I don't respond well to chivalry."
That last comment made him flinch slightly, as though the words had stung him, though he quickly regained his composure, and gave a respectable nod. "I apologize," he said quietly, his eyes cast slightly to the side.
For a moment, Saria felt slightly guilty; just from looking at the pair, she could tell she had struck a nerve. The hold between their hands had tightened noticeably, and a bit of pain was visible in both their expressions, as though they were recalling past wounds.
She was about to apologize when another voice came across the room, one that familiar to them, "Princess Lassen, Hitomi, Allen, I'm glad you've made it."
Saria grinned at this and spun to face Van, who was making his way over to the small group. "Don't you dare call me that, Fanel!" she called as she put a hand on her hip, "You know I hate it!"
"You two know each other?" Hitomi asked with a bit of surprise, raising her eyebrow slightly at the two of them.
The pair shared a grin, and Van answered, "Yeah, we've known each other since we were young...you see, Fanelia and Lassenia are sister cities. A lot of business has been done between them, so we were kind of forced to get to know each other."
Saria laughed, giving Van a playful smack across the back of his head. "Like you've ever had a better friend! Come on, you two...the cooks have really outdone themselves this time, I don't know how we're ever going to eat all this food..." She glanced over at the long tables in the center of the room, which were completely covered in all sorts of exotic and delicious-looking foods, and laughed again. "I told them to be creative, but I think they went a little overboard...!"
Allen, having gained back his confidence, looked to Hitomi at his side and gave a slight grin, nodding his head at the tables, "Shall we get something to eat, Hitomi?"
She returned the smile, nodding as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Let's!"
Unseen to them as they made their way to the tables, Van shot an angry glare at their clasped hands. Saria noticed this and raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything on the subject as she grabbed him by the arm and began to drag him over to the tables as well. "Come on," she said with a grin, "No use letting all this food go to waste."
They took their seats at the table, and stared for a moment in awe of how much there was in front of them. "Don't worry about wasting all of it," Saria said, grinning at the expressions on their faces, "Whatever we don't finish, the cooks and hand servants eat, so...it's really not a waste at all." With this, she stood and took one of the several bottles lined up on beside a platter of what Hitomi would describe as a cross between a turkey and pig. She pulled out the cork with a sort of skilled grace and took a quick sniff from the mouth of the bottle, then smiled approvingly. "Lassenia is known for having some of the best vino in all of Gaea," she spoke as she walked around, filling Van's glass first, then Allen's, then Hitomi's, then coming back to her own. "There's plenty here, so drink up!"
Hitomi lifted the glass and peered into the dark maroon liquid with a bit of skepticism...after all, the last time she had drunk vino wasn't an altogether pleasant experience. Then again, that had been because of Aquaria, not the vino...she took a sniff, similar to Saria, and smiled a bit from the scent. It was tempting...
"Something wrong, HItomi?" Allen asked before taking a sip from his own glass.
"No, nothing," she replied as she followed his example and took a long sip from the glass. Her eyes closed as the taste of it spread through her senses and she smiled again. When she lifted the glass to her lips again, she drank more earnestly.
For a while, they simply sat and talked of meaningless things, enjoying the food and drink that had been provided to them. Before they knew it, three of the bottles of vino had been emptied.
"I...forgot how good this stuff was," Saria spoke with a lopsided grin and a slight slur to her words as she looked into her half-empty glass before bursting into laughter for no apparent reason.
Allen saw this and raised an eyebrow, though speaking to Hitomi when he said quietly, "It looks as though someone's had a little too much..."
In reply, Hitomi hiccuped softly and grinned.
"...and that someone is you, dear Hitomi," he added with an amused chuckle, shaking his head slightly.
"I have not!" she said, still grinning, "Not...had too much. I'm fine!" Another hiccup followed, and she giggled.
Allen scanned his present company briefly, noting that Saria was still laughing, and Van was slightly flushed but silent with a lopsided grin of his own. "I do believe I'm the only one not intoxicated in this room," he stated more to himself than anyone else, his amusement carried on his voice.
"Allen?" came Hitomi's voice, soft and sweet. He turned to her to see her emerald eyes cast up to him rather cutely, as though she were about to request something.
"Yes, Hitomi?"
She scooted her chair a little closer to him, somehow able to keep her balance, and she spoke again, "Do you think I'm pretty?"
Allen was beginning to see the danger in this; at all costs he had to remember that she was drunk, and not in her right state of mind. "You're beautiful," he said gently, and added, as though to remind himself, "And very, very drunk..."
Another scoot and Hitomi was sitting even closer, so he could see now that she was blushing slightly. "Allen? Will you kiss me?"
It was an innocent enough request, Allen thought. Still, he would take the safe route. He leaned over and laid a gentle kiss on her forehead and pulled back.
"No, silly," Hitomi giggled, shaking her head, "A real kiss!"
He bit his lip slightly, torn. Oh, how he wanted to kiss her...but in this state, it just wasn't right...don't take advantage of her drunk state, he repeated in his mind.
"Please?"
It was said so cutely, he couldn't resist it. "Oh, all right," he relinquished, leaning over once again to place a soft kiss on her lips. He let it linger for a moment before leaning back again.
Hitomi was grinning again now, nodding slightly. "That was good," she said, a mischievious sparkle lighting in her eyes as she stood up, and relocated her seat to Allen's lap. He barely had a moment to protest before she said quietly, "But I meant like this." With that, she seized her opportunity and leaned in quickly, pressing her mouth to his.
Her tongue fluttered lightly against his bottom lip before passing beyond to stroke softly, timidly against his. He was caught so off guard that he could barely move, and he felt a heat rising into his cheeks.
So soft...
Hitomi's hand slid gently back through his hair, as if to urge him to be more responsive. His hands shook helplessly, not knowing what to do. Every nerve in his body screamed; he wanted this, he wanted more, but he knew it would be wrong...
She's drunk, she's drunk...
Though every one of his instincts went against it, he gently pulled her back from his, breaking the passionate kiss. "No," he managed to murmur, shaking his head slightly, "I can't, Hitomi...you're...you're not yourself right now..."
She pouted slightly, but curled up a bit in his lap and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Oh, all right," she relinquished softly, nuzzling into him, "Maybe I am a little off...but just hold me...okay?"
Allen sighed softly to relax himself, feeling his muscles loosen from being so tense, and he gently wrapped his arms around her, murmuring with a bit of good humor, "That I can do, Hitomi..."
A moment of silence passed before she giggled softly, noting, "Your heart is racing, Allen." To this, he only smiled slightly, and closed his eyes, resting his head against hers.
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"Dilandau," Aquaria intoned melodically as she reclined against the roof of one of the castle's tall towers, looking down into the windows of the banquet hall across the way. "Amuse me. Wreak havoc on them, dear soldier..." A small smirk lighted her ruby lips as she turned her gaze to the silver-haired pyromaniac beside her, who returned the amused grin.
"Thank you, Aquaria-sama," he spoke before leaping gracefully down from the roof to the balcony below. He glanced up to the demon woman one more time before slipping stealthily into the room, staying close to the walls and in the shadows as he began his trek down the hallways to the banquet hall. With every step, his resolve to murder the lot of them grew, and a grin on his pallid lips became more and more demented.
When he peered around the corner, however, the grin immediately disappeared as his eyes widened in pure shock.
Sitting in a small window alcove further down the hall was the beautiful red-haired guard.
"Kara..." he breathed.
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Author's Notes: I apologize for this chapter being so late! I've been so busy lately! ^^;;;