Fifth: Public Display of Affection

"So, who is she?"

"What?" Percival brought himself out of his little reverie to give his friend a confused glance. The two knights were sitting together in the bar, sharing a drink as usual, when Borus had asked him the sudden question. The blonde knight stared at him impatiently.

"Come on, I know there's a girl on your mind." Percival flushed slightly, choosing to take a sip of his beer to stall a reply. Borus knew him all too well: he had been thinking of Lilly again, and what he should do next to try and convince her he loved her. He had given her flowers, spoken his feelings, and showed an actual interest in her. What more did she want?

"You won't believe me if I told you," he predicted.

"Just spill it," commanded the blonde. Percival took a deep breath and spoke the name of his beloved:

"Lilly." Borus tried in vain to stifle a laugh. The dark-haired knight groaned, waiting patiently for his friend to calm down. He finally did long enough to see Percival wasn't laughing with him.

"Oh. You were serious." Borus's face shifted into a look of surprise. "What are you, suicidal?" He had expected a reaction like that and just shrugged it off.

"Hey, look at it this way: you don't have to fight me over Lady Chris any longer."

"Ah, Sir Percival! There you are!!" He sighed and rolled his eyes before turning to greet Nadir.

"Yes?" The masked man clasped his gloved hands together.

"I am about to put on another play. Would you like to be in the cast?"

"Uh… sure, I guess. What play?"

------

"The nerve of him! What do I have to do to get it through his thick skull?" she fumed, tossing a pillow across the room. Reed and Samus fled in opposite directions to avoid the projectile, but already their mistress was groping for more ammo. "What part of 'I don't want you' does he not understand?!"

"Miss Lilly, please try and calm down," said Reed. "Perhaps he truly does care about you."

"And perhaps you're an idiot!!" she snapped back, chucking another pillow in his direction. He quickly ducked out of the way. "The only people that care about me are my father and Lady Chris! And you two! Nobody else! And that's the way I want it to be, alright?" She stalked over to her bed and screamed into the remaining pillow.

"I think she's in love with him," whispered Samus to Reed; they both nodded in agreement. His mistress jerked up her head and gave Samus a death glare.

"What did you just say?"

"I-- uh, nothing," he muttered.

"Miss Lilly, Nadir is putting on another play," Reed announced hurriedly, trying to draw his mistress's attention away from the discussion. "Would you like to go? It might relax you."

"I guess so." As hot-tempered as their mistress was, it didn't take her long to cool down. Reed and Samus breathed a collective sigh of relief and the three of them headed down to the bar.

Already the bar was full of people eager to see the play. Lilly and her two servants chose a table near the middle so they would have a good view of the stage. Sometimes the plays were excellent, sometimes they were terrible, and sometimes they were just amusing: it all depended on who was performing. Lilly was not in the mood to be bored with a bad play. If it wasn't good or amusing, she was going to get up and leave.

The curtain opened to reveal the set for "Romeo and Juliet". Even this classic love story had been slaughtered by terrible acting, or the set suddenly falling over. Sanae appeared at the top of the balcony. Well, at least Juliet was going to be played correctly.

"Oh, Romeo, Romeo. Why are you Romeo? Refuse thy name, and I shall do the same." Right on cue, Romeo stepped onstage. At her seat, Lilly let out a growl of frustration.

"Why can't I go anywhere without seeing him?" she hissed.

"I take you at your word," declared Percival. "Henceforth I will no longer be Romeo." Sanae gazed down, a look of mock surprise on her face.

"Romeo, how came you here? The orchard walls are high and hard to climb."

"I would go any distance to be with the one I love," he answered boldly. "Even if you built up walls around your heart, still I would not rest until I was by your side." What did he say? That's not in the script! He turned his head slightly, just enough to look at the audience. For a moment his eyes landed on her and he smiled.

"What on earth does he think he's doing?" The play went on as if none of its actors had noticed Percival's adlib. What was all this about? Was this another one of his schemes?

"Madam, madam!" She blinked out of her thoughts and returned her attention back to the play.

"Romeo, I must leave you. I wish you goodnight a hundred-- nay, a thousand times over." Sanae turned and exited. Percival stood alone, clasping his hands to his heart.

"My dearest love, hear my heart. I don't care if you don't love me in return, but I beg of you: let me love you! Please, Lilly!" Her eyes went wide. Oh, no, he did not just say that. The room went deadly quiet.

"How DARE you!!" she screamed, rising out of her chair and storming out of the bar. She paused when she was outside, so angry she could kick the wall.

"Lilly!" That was enough to make her explode. She spun around and gave Percival the fiercest glare she could muster.

"You are simply intolerable!! What's wrong with you, anyway? No matter what I say or do, still you insist on humiliating me this way! You-- you are so stubborn!"

"So are you," he countered. He hadn't even cringed when she went off on him. His statement left her without any words. He was right, after all: she was stubborn. "You won't go down without a fight. And that's what I like best about you."

"So what do you think you're doing? Think that if you beat me down enough, I'm going to be docile and soft-spoken?" She was livid, all right. She wanted to slap him across the face, but couldn't seem to make herself do it.

"I wouldn't want you to be anything but yourself." She would have liked to believe that. He really was starting to break through her defenses. She had liked him before all this started, and the way he treated to her and spoke to her… No one had ever treated her like this before, except maybe her father. No!

"Liar!! You say that now just to win me over. But if I actually do give in, you'll want me to change! And guess what, buddy: I won't change for anybody!" She let out an angry huff and stormed off, purposefully swishing her hair in his face.

"Lilly, wait!" He was pushing her to her limit. She really would slap him if he didn't leave her alone. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she turned to face him.

"What is it?" she demanded.

"Tell me what you're afraid of." There was a deep silence and all Lilly could do was stare at him. What could she say to that? "I won't lose interest in you, Lilly. I think you've already thrown your worst at me, and I'm still standing. I swear to you I won't hurt you."

"Shut up!" she snapped. How had he known? How had he known she was scared he would go off and find another girl like he usually did? How did he know she didn't want to be hurt? "You want to know what I'm afraid of? I'm afraid of being forced to be something I'm not! I'm afraid of falling in love just to have my heart broken! There! I said it! I hope you're happy!!" Snorting angrily, she stomped off again.

Percival didn't follow her, and strangely, that made her feel a little sad.