Kel found herself stumbling around the hallway in the dark but she could
care less. This was one of those rare opportunities where she could get
drunk without having any court ladies staring at her and later gossiping
about her masculinity with their "embroidery" circle. She snorted loudly
at the very thought of the ladies innocently sewing pretty little flowers
on the dresses they've decided to wear for the latest upcoming ball. Her
face disfigured at the very thought of a ball. The swirling ladies in
enormous gaudy dresses and dizzying laughter and giggles from the nobles
were too much for her stomach and she found herself retching on the palace
corridor. She still wasn't sober yet. Humming softly to herself, she
stumbled in the darkness, allowing her feet to carry her body somewhere
away from her room where Sir Raoul was probably still sitting, shocked from
her "outrageous" behavior.
Her feet stopped in front of a door and her eyebrows rose about an inch. She was standing in front of Neal's door. Neal, the guy she had a crush on when she was a page. Neal, the sarcastic yet hilarious charismatic best friend she had ever known. She felt her knees buckling from the amount of alcohol swirling in her blood and she slumped against his door. Her mind still bogged up from the alcohol, she forgot to knock on his door and fell asleep.
Neal woke up suddenly, hearing a soft thump on his door. He used his Gift to bring a small light into his chamber while groping for something hard as a weapon. He slowly approached the door and opened it cautiously, waiting for a thief to barge in and attack. Instead, he found Kel tumbling into his room, completely drunk and asleep. He sighed in relief and in exasperation. He dropped his makeshift weapon and snapped loudly. The glass globes installed in his room flickered on. He silently thanked Numair Salamin for installing this convenience in his room, even if he slightly didn't approve of his choice of a lover. He picked his best friend up from the ground and gently set her on his bed. The light in his room dimly lighted her face, softening her usually sharp features into something cherubic.
There will never be a chance to catch her off-guard again, Neal thought to himself as he gazed at his drunk friend. I might never get this opportunity. He leaned close to her face, soaking up all the lovely features of her face. His eyes traced her softly arched eyebrows, her long lashes, her small gently arched nose, and her full red lips. His lips parted gently and kissed Kel on the lips. He drank up all the sensory details of his kiss, embracing it because he knew he would never get this chance again. He then stood up from his bed, lied down on the floor, caught another glimpse of the woman he loved, and fell asleep.
~8~ "Neal! Neal! Wake up!" a female voice nagged him while a sharp finger prodded at his side.
Neal mumbled something incoherent and swatted the finger that poked him continuously.
"NEAL!" the voice screamed into his ear.
"I'm awake! I'm awake!" he shouted, lazily getting up from his uncomfortably stiff substitute for a bed. He was greeted by a pair of hazel eyes that were frowning. "KEL! Good morning to you too! What brings you down here on this very stiff bed of mine?"
"This is no time for jokes Meatball Head. Did anything weird happen between us last night?" she asked pointedly.
"Oh you mean how you started to come on me and told me to dump Yuki so we can run away and get married together?"
Kel took a step back in surprise.
"I'm just kidding, don't worry!" he reassured her, "There was no funny business. You just ended asleep in front of my door so I picked you up and let you borrow my bed for the day. Believe me, that was a BIG sacrifice."
Kel smiled gratefully at his ability to keep cool and comical at such an awkward situation. "Well, I'm really grateful for what you've done for me. I'm just not myself these days. I'm not that Yamani Lump that everyone knows and loves anymore."
Neal longed to reach for her to hug and comfort her at her vulnerable state but he resisted his desire in fear of destroying the friendship that he feared was in jeopardy. Instead, he sat right next to her and held her hand. "Kel, it's okay to let down your guard once in a while, especially for you because you always put up a front whenever something emotional affects you," he said comfortingly. Then he added, "It's all right to act like a human being once in a while you know."
Kel stared at him, his words sinking deep into her mind. She never really did express her emotions due to her Yamani training. Everything that she held close to her heart remained there and nowhere else. She didn't want to wear her heart on her sleeves as the cliché said and so she literally took it to meaning and held everything back behind her Yamani face. The blank expression served its purpose numerous of times, keeping inquisitive minds away from her problems, yet left her lonely without some sort of human compassion. He was right. She never really acted like a human, showing emotions and vulnerabilities once in a while.
Silent tears filled her eyes then fell, leaving a faint trail of salty water on her ruddy face. "You are right," she said softly, looking at the floor below. "I guess I never really did show my vulnerability. I just wanted to prove to the world that I was capable of being a knight and I discarded everything that was labeled as 'feminine sentimentalities.' Everything was hidden behind my Yamani face. I was being the human statue."
Neal cupped her face and looked at her sternly. "Don't call yourself the human statue. You showed compassion to those who were bullied by Joren. You fed and cared for your animals. You loved the people you protected back at that fort. Don't say you didn't have any emotions."
Kel looked at him, teary eyed. His smooth complexion was furrowed with love for his friend while his emerald green eyes glimmer with compassion. For a moment, her crush for Neal which she had attempted to quash rekindled and suddenly she felt like throwing her arms around him and kissing him passionately on the mouth. But she remembered his engagement to Yuki and immediately quashed her feelings for her best friend once again.
Neal felt a sudden change in Kel's eyes that shone with love which immediately dulled behind her tears. Unsure of what had occurred, he slowly dropped his hands from her face and looked at the ground which suddenly seemed fascinating.
Kel cleared her throat softly and stood up. "Thanks for your help Neal. It really improved my mood."
Neal mumbled something between a "No problem" and a "You're welcome."
"I'll see you around," and she left the room, closing his door with a soft click.
"Ah. you stupid Meatball Head." Neal scolded himself as he grabbed a handful of his hair in frustration.
Her feet stopped in front of a door and her eyebrows rose about an inch. She was standing in front of Neal's door. Neal, the guy she had a crush on when she was a page. Neal, the sarcastic yet hilarious charismatic best friend she had ever known. She felt her knees buckling from the amount of alcohol swirling in her blood and she slumped against his door. Her mind still bogged up from the alcohol, she forgot to knock on his door and fell asleep.
Neal woke up suddenly, hearing a soft thump on his door. He used his Gift to bring a small light into his chamber while groping for something hard as a weapon. He slowly approached the door and opened it cautiously, waiting for a thief to barge in and attack. Instead, he found Kel tumbling into his room, completely drunk and asleep. He sighed in relief and in exasperation. He dropped his makeshift weapon and snapped loudly. The glass globes installed in his room flickered on. He silently thanked Numair Salamin for installing this convenience in his room, even if he slightly didn't approve of his choice of a lover. He picked his best friend up from the ground and gently set her on his bed. The light in his room dimly lighted her face, softening her usually sharp features into something cherubic.
There will never be a chance to catch her off-guard again, Neal thought to himself as he gazed at his drunk friend. I might never get this opportunity. He leaned close to her face, soaking up all the lovely features of her face. His eyes traced her softly arched eyebrows, her long lashes, her small gently arched nose, and her full red lips. His lips parted gently and kissed Kel on the lips. He drank up all the sensory details of his kiss, embracing it because he knew he would never get this chance again. He then stood up from his bed, lied down on the floor, caught another glimpse of the woman he loved, and fell asleep.
~8~ "Neal! Neal! Wake up!" a female voice nagged him while a sharp finger prodded at his side.
Neal mumbled something incoherent and swatted the finger that poked him continuously.
"NEAL!" the voice screamed into his ear.
"I'm awake! I'm awake!" he shouted, lazily getting up from his uncomfortably stiff substitute for a bed. He was greeted by a pair of hazel eyes that were frowning. "KEL! Good morning to you too! What brings you down here on this very stiff bed of mine?"
"This is no time for jokes Meatball Head. Did anything weird happen between us last night?" she asked pointedly.
"Oh you mean how you started to come on me and told me to dump Yuki so we can run away and get married together?"
Kel took a step back in surprise.
"I'm just kidding, don't worry!" he reassured her, "There was no funny business. You just ended asleep in front of my door so I picked you up and let you borrow my bed for the day. Believe me, that was a BIG sacrifice."
Kel smiled gratefully at his ability to keep cool and comical at such an awkward situation. "Well, I'm really grateful for what you've done for me. I'm just not myself these days. I'm not that Yamani Lump that everyone knows and loves anymore."
Neal longed to reach for her to hug and comfort her at her vulnerable state but he resisted his desire in fear of destroying the friendship that he feared was in jeopardy. Instead, he sat right next to her and held her hand. "Kel, it's okay to let down your guard once in a while, especially for you because you always put up a front whenever something emotional affects you," he said comfortingly. Then he added, "It's all right to act like a human being once in a while you know."
Kel stared at him, his words sinking deep into her mind. She never really did express her emotions due to her Yamani training. Everything that she held close to her heart remained there and nowhere else. She didn't want to wear her heart on her sleeves as the cliché said and so she literally took it to meaning and held everything back behind her Yamani face. The blank expression served its purpose numerous of times, keeping inquisitive minds away from her problems, yet left her lonely without some sort of human compassion. He was right. She never really acted like a human, showing emotions and vulnerabilities once in a while.
Silent tears filled her eyes then fell, leaving a faint trail of salty water on her ruddy face. "You are right," she said softly, looking at the floor below. "I guess I never really did show my vulnerability. I just wanted to prove to the world that I was capable of being a knight and I discarded everything that was labeled as 'feminine sentimentalities.' Everything was hidden behind my Yamani face. I was being the human statue."
Neal cupped her face and looked at her sternly. "Don't call yourself the human statue. You showed compassion to those who were bullied by Joren. You fed and cared for your animals. You loved the people you protected back at that fort. Don't say you didn't have any emotions."
Kel looked at him, teary eyed. His smooth complexion was furrowed with love for his friend while his emerald green eyes glimmer with compassion. For a moment, her crush for Neal which she had attempted to quash rekindled and suddenly she felt like throwing her arms around him and kissing him passionately on the mouth. But she remembered his engagement to Yuki and immediately quashed her feelings for her best friend once again.
Neal felt a sudden change in Kel's eyes that shone with love which immediately dulled behind her tears. Unsure of what had occurred, he slowly dropped his hands from her face and looked at the ground which suddenly seemed fascinating.
Kel cleared her throat softly and stood up. "Thanks for your help Neal. It really improved my mood."
Neal mumbled something between a "No problem" and a "You're welcome."
"I'll see you around," and she left the room, closing his door with a soft click.
"Ah. you stupid Meatball Head." Neal scolded himself as he grabbed a handful of his hair in frustration.