Albel Nox shook his head two times as he waited impatiently for the others to get ready to leave. He was always finished getting ready about three times as fast as the others, and therefore ended up always grumbling to himself and wandering around the entrance of the inns they stayed in. Maria was done next, and she took a seat, after giving a flip of her hair. The movement never ceased to annoy him, and he glanced aside in irritation. Then again, he figured, Maria Traydor in general annoyed him.
Although he was a fighter, he was still a man, and he had taken a moment the first few days to look over the women of the group that he was forced to stay with. Maria was somewhat attractive, he had decided, but her attitude and her movements were so, well... ugh, that he had to restrain himself from wanting to wring her neck off. Of course, being in the maggot's group for so long had made him immune to most of her irritating qualities, but not all. Then there was Mirage, who was all calm and no personality whatsoever. He had heard the rumors about her strength, but until she was in the party, he had no clue if they were true or false. Knowing the other idiot Klausian, though, she should be somewhat formidable. To him, she seemed like the kind of person who couldn't think for themselves, though, and spent more time getting dressed up rather than fighting. Of course, he would be wrong, but how was he to know that?
When Sophia entered the group, Albel had immediately felt all sorts of irritation toward her as well. First of all, she was more than friendly with Fayt, which well, so was the others, so he could forgive that part of her. Then, she couldn't hold her own in battle in the very least. Plus, of course, her friendliness with Fayt made sure that she would never heal him over Fayt, even if he was more injured than the other man. That was annoying beyond belief. Then, it was the utter innocence of the girl that completely antagonized him. She had no clue about how it was like to be in the real world. Probably because she was a mere Earthling. But then again, so was Fayt. And Maria. He crossed that thought out.
Lastly, there was Nel Zelpher, who was the only one who seemed to be any worth anything in the entire group. Of course, she was also from Aquaria (those scum!) and wasn't so pretty anyway. Or so he tried to convince himself. Yes, she could fight, and fight well if provoked. Not as well as he, of course. No single person could really compare to Albel the Wicked. She wasn't plain looking in the least, and her personality was well enough to complement the man's rather easily. But really, the fact was, Albel wasn't interested in her either.
The reason for this was that he, contrary to how one may believe, was a man who wanted the stereotypical woman to call his own. One who would wait for him when he went off into battle and who would take care of him when he needed it. A woman that he could protect and hold when he needed to. And that. Was just not. Nel Zelpher.
But she was known for her good cooking.
And she knew how to heal and take care of him.
And she was just about weak enough for him to be able to protect if he really wanted to. (That is, granted that she'd let him of course.)
And she hated him.
That went without saying. It wasn't surprising at all, and he was somewhat glad that she did. He didn't know what he would do if she had spoken to him like Fayt had that night in Peterny. Not like what he said mattered anyway. They were all foolish dreams that would never really survive in the harsh reality of life. In a way, Nel's words had made a little more impact, since they were the solid truth and not some dallying concept that one who's been in many a battle could follow.
Albel frowned a bit, folding his arms as the others began to finish gathering. Said Nel Zelpher was trailing behind Cliff, who was chatting eagerly with Mirage beside him. The two confused the man sometimes. Mirage was obviously interested in Cliff, but he was so oblivious and instead pushing himself on Fayt--who for some idiotic reason in the world didn't seem to mind. And then there was Maria who was always looking annoyed at both of them. The heck?
Maggots.
Often times he wondered why he had allowed himself to be dragged along with them. Woltar had told him his charges would be taken away, but was it really worth fighting alongside such filth? He had to admit that he had gotten used to their company for a while until Fayt and co. had left temporarily. After they had, he had trained on his own and happened to stumble upon them when they were getting attacked by odd Vendeeni soldiers. He had given the others the cold shoulder again the second time they joined, showing only interest in fighting the so-called-"gods" that were taking over the regions nearby.
His eyes strayed and landed on Nel, who turned her head a bit, seeming to notice his gaze. She raised an eyebrow, and he immediately looked aside, speaking to hide his awkward movements. "It took you worms long enough. We don't have all day, you know."
"Sorry." Fayt said simply, scratching his head sheepishly like he always did when he got scolded.
"Hey, chill out." Cliff stated, shrugging and giving Albel one of his trademark grins that the other man was tempted to claw out of his face. "We weren't that late anyway. We coulda been later, you know?"
"Yes. I know." Albel responded, his words hissed through his teeth. He fell into step as the others passed him by, taking care to stay right at the end of the line and keeping his eyes on anyone and anything but Nel who was in front of him.
Not like he cared, of course. To him, she was just a regular woman--or rather, scum from Aquaria. The others might have been easy with making the truce between Airyglyph and Aquaria, but it didn't mean that he would have to be happy about it. Which he really wasn't, though the news of Vox's death had brightened him just slightly. Vox's death had also meant that he had lost his rival, which was kind of a drag. The people in Aquaria were mostly worthless anyway, with a few exceptional fighters and healers. Otherwise, there wasn't much going for them. It always surprised him how they had been able to stand up against Airyglyph for so long with such a weak force.
"Albel?"
The man turned faintly as Nel's voice broke through his thoughts. He blinked twice, noticing that the surroundings around him had changed. Had he been thinking that long to not notice they had reached their destination? There must be something wrong with him...
His crimson eyes scanned the area quickly, then figured that he was simply in the entrance of an inn. Then he figured the others, with the exception of Nel, had gone off somewhere else. Inwardly, he did a double take, but outwardly, Nel only saw him flinch.
"..something wrong? You've looked like you've been drunk or stoned for the last few hours until we got here."
Leave it to the Aquarian scum to manage to insult him in such a calm tone. Albel the Wicked? Drunk? Stoned? Bah. He growled a bit. "I was just thinking. Where are we?"
"You don't recognize this? It's Kirlsa."
"Bah. I have my own room here. Why should I recognize this shabby place?"
In truth, he had figured it out before she responded, but that wasn't something he was going to blurt out. It would ruin his image, no doubt. Nel shook her head. "Well, I'm done babysitting you for now. Were you listening to Fayt?"
"............."
She took that as a no. Smart wench. "Alright. Well, we'll be staying the night here. We need to get rested up so we can keep going. You can figure that much, right?"
"I'm not stupid, fool."
A frown appeared on her face and he kicked himself inwardly. He couldn't really understand why, but he did. Not that he cared about if she was frowning or not. Not like he cared about whatever in Elicoor the wench was thinking about. Not that he cared if he had hurt her feelings or not. Or did he?
.....nah.
Wait, maybe....
No, da--it.
"I wish that you would be able to speak normally to your group members, Albel." she stated, her voice crisp. "Or should I say Nox?"
"Don't try it, maggot."
This brought him to remember the one time that he had tried to call them by their first name. Well, it had been a test at first, to see how the idiots would react. He had first tried it to Sophia, which was just a dumb idea. It had gone something like:
"Good night, Sophia."
Which was already horrible beyond belief and left a sour taste in the man's mouth. What made him even more sour was the expression she gave him, which was both fear and excitement. The worm was probably thinking they were making progress with him. She nodded. "'Night, Mr. Nox."
And then she had walked away. Mr. Nox. Ugh. He loathed that title. It didn't sound quite right. It made him sound old, too. He was used to Sir Albel and Sir Nox at times, maybe Lord so and so, but Mr.... was just not right. It was also part of the reason why he never bothered to include his last name in his introductions.
Maria was his second test subject, but she had not noticed at all that he had called her by first name, and she simply went on with her daily life like nothing changed. Mirage had given him a strange look but had also not said anything about it. Cliff and Fayt.... now they were a sight to behold. First it was Cliff, who's eyes looked as if they were bulging out of his head. For him, it was, "Cliff, what time is it?" (He had struggled not to add 'maggot' at the end of this question.)
The expression was priceless, and the spoken response was rather slow. "U--uhh....Yeah. It's uhhh....well you see.... ah, can't you look up there yourself?"
Albel hadn't been able to hide his smirk and had just excused himself that time. Fayt had been the only one out of the group to have questioned it. "Um, Albel, I know this might seem strange or something, but... Isn't this the first time you've called me by my first name?"
And to which Albel couldn't resist but respond, "Yes. Something wrong with that, maggot?"
Which basically ruined the whole idea of testing him. In other words, the sour taste didn't leave his mouth every time that he spoke one of the group's names. The only person he hadn't called by first name that day was Nel, who had been, rumors said, with Clair and discussing plans. After that day, he had returned to referring to the group members as he did to the random battles that they encountered on a daily basis. Worm. Maggot. Scum. Fools. The like. It just came smoother to him. No one questioned it, either. He supposed they just got used to it. And now this Nel Zelpher was asking him why he didn't speak normally toward them? Bah.
"I heard from Fayt that you actually called him by his first name once." Nel spoke up finally, disturbing his thoughts.
So that idiot had spoken about it. He sighed. At this rate she would think he only did so to him, which would be sure to spread some odd and unnecessary rumors. As if he didn't get those enough by his choice of clothing. Coolly, he glanced down toward her, noting her humored expression. "What would that be to you, worm?"
Nel folded her arms, all traces of humor disappearing from her face. "Now listen here, Albel Nox. I won't stand for being looked down upon. You know that we're all on equal levels in this group. You shouldn't talk like you're high and mighty and that we're only worms and maggots in comparison."
Oh for the love of all things holy. The scum thinks she could lecture him. His eyes instinctively narrowed as his clawed hand moved toward his sword. "And what do you think you can do about it, fool?"
He paused for a moment when he noticed her hand seemed to be somewhat trembling and he released the weapon. Still, her voice betrayed no fear. "I may as well do nothing, but I think we've known each other long enough not to--"
"Long enough?" Albel spat out suddenly, feeling a sudden burst of uncontrollable rage. He regretted when he spoke, but he wasn't one to back down. "Don't be confused, fool. Just because we're in the same group doesn't mean that we're buddy-buddy. To me, you're nothing but what you've been from the start. Aquarian scum."
To his surprise, she stepped forward, her eyes flashing. Instinctively, he raised his claw arm in case she thought to attack, but almost as sudden as she had stepped forward, she stepped back, her expression returning to normal. "....alright. Have it your way, Nox. And I was starting to think that you might not be as bad as I had thought in the beginning. I see I was wrong."
"Bah."
He watched her silently as she walked off, her body language completely showing her irritation. She was quick tempered, he figured, but then again so was he. Another trait they had in common. He folded his arms, then exited the inn as well, heading immediately toward his own room near Woltar's. Her expression of irritation followed him the entire way there, and he snapped toward the guards when they attempted to greet him. Knowing he was in a foul mood, they both backed down, opening the gates so that Albel could enter. Woltar was wandering on the first floor when he entered the area, and he raised an eyebrow toward him.
"Albel, did you come to visit me?"
"Don't talk nonsense, old man. The others are staying at an inn here. My room's still set up?"
"Of course." Woltar shrugged a bit, looking at the other man carefully. His whole presence was ominous, in an odd way, for he really seemed like a simple frail old man. "I never congratulated you about the Marquis. Though of course with your strength coupled with those Aquarians, that wouldn't be much of a surprise."
Albel took a moment to glower at the old man. He always knew what set him off. At least this time he had enough courtesy not to speak about his father. Without another word, he started toward the stairs, pausing only when he felt Woltar's hand on his arm.
"What do you want now, old man?"
Woltar's expression stayed neutral as he spoke, his voice full of his old wisdom. "You've been traveling with Nevelle's daughter, haven't you."
Nevelle. Albel took a moment before remembering that it was the name of Nel's father. He nodded once, and Woltar paused before finishing up.
"She is a very strong woman."
Albel recalled the conversation he had just had with her at the inn. "....yes." he admitted. "She is."
He watched Woltar's expression change for a bit, and he spoke, but Albel had to shake his head once before he could hear his words. Woltar opened his mouth again. "She is the kind of person I wish my daughter had grown as."
"................"
"Albel, you know that you are much like my son, correct?"
Albel rolled his eyes, starting to walk again. This talk was common, along with Woltar's advice about women. All that Albel had to say was that he didn't need Woltar's advice to catch a woman. They came flocking to him on their own. At least, until they figured out who he was. Then they fled like sheep upon finding a wolf in their pack. He didn't usually care about that though. They were all simpletons anyway. "Just be quiet, old man."
"Wait a moment." Woltar stated, shuffling his way toward Albel. The man frowned; Woltar could be quick when he needed to. His frail body was a very good disguise for him, that much every high ranking man in Airyglyph would know.
The ex-captain spun around, his expression all irritation. "What is it."
"Watch over her, will you?"
Albel blinked two times, then raised an eyebrow. "....what?"
"Nevelle's daughter."
"Is this about those blades you spoke about before? The ones that he had given you?" Albel rolled his eyes. "I saw them in her possession a while back."
"That and this have nothing to do with each other." Woltar stated, nodding his head. A small crooked smile appeared on his face. "And you've taken a liking to her yourself I can see."
He couldn't prevent the incredulous look from crossing his face. Him? Take a liking to an Aquarian? Bah. How foolish! That would never happen. He would almost swear upon it. But if Woltar said so.....
Woltar did have an uncanny habit of knowing things that not even Albel himself knew about himself.....
But he was wrong about that. And Albel could prove it. He again recalled the conversation he had with the woman in the inn. Shaking his head in annoyance, he spoke. "You're getting more foolish each year. She's from Aquaria. That place used to be our enemy!"
"Used to be."
D---. He had a point. Albel simply rolled his eyes again, starting back up toward the stairs. He could tell Woltar was following him rather easily, but when they reached the second floor, Woltar wandered into his room, leaving Albel to his. A frown appeared on the man's face. Well, it was true that Nel was attractive, but so was Maria. And he felt nothing whatsoever toward Maria, so that would mean he did the same for Nel. The last thing he needed to worry about was that anyway. He had his share of lust for battle, and nothing-- not even a woman-- would be able to control that part of him.
He took a seat on his bed, ignoring the maid in the room as he often did. The maid knew well enough not to spend time with idle talk and instead did as she was supposed to and exited, leaving the man alone in his room. A sudden chill ran through him and he lay on his bed, breathing a slow sigh. "That Aquarian scum?"
Curse that stupid Woltar for even bringing the whole idea up. And to make things worse right after he had acted, frankly, like a bastard toward her. Her words to him quite a while back were completely right. Woltar expected Albel the Wicked to watch over an Aquarian? He must be joking. It was good that he hadn't asked for him to watch over Sophia or Maria or one of the others, but really. Such a favor was asking a lot of this man who was now looking up toward the ceiling and clenching one fist to his side. He was trying to keep his eyes open, for every time they closed, he recalled the last words he had spoken to the redhead, and how she had stalked right out of the room afterwards.
Anyway, why would Nel Zelpher need anyone to watch over her? She could take care of herself. At least, she seemed like she could. Albel always acted mean to Woltar, but in actuality he owed the old man a lot, and whatever Woltar told him to do was basically what he ended up doing. Free will or not.
And this time it was anything but free will.
Why the heck did Woltar want him to pay attention to the Aquarian anyway?
"Nevelle's daughter, eh?" he frowned, his eyes involuntarily shutting. To his relief, the previous conversation had finally left his mind and he simply saw black. Slowly, in his mind, the redhead's image reappeared, though, and he shook his head a few times, trying to avoid thinking anything about a certain Ms. Zelpher. "......bah."
He would do as he was told, but never was he going to let on to that, of course.