Solan's smile grew handsome and warm as a dimple appeared above his right cheek. His teeth, which were a pristine white, showed between parted lips as he grinned up at Kel.
He swept out a hand, "Please, join me, will you?"
Watching as Kel looked around for another place to sit, and seeing that she could not find one, Solan moved over. The rock he perched on was large enough to sit both of them with ease.
"I hope you do not think I am being too forward, but you can sit here." He patted the rock at his side, "If you want, that is."
Kel returned his smile. "Thanks," was all she said as she sat down.
Underneath his habit, Solan crossed one ankle over his opposite thigh as he turned to face Kel. With flowing ease, he reclined back on one arm and said, "Even if you don't agree, I know you are a legend."
Raising a hand as Kel opened her mouth to refute what he had said, Solan effectively stopped her. "We'll probably never agree on the subject, I can tell as much already. So why don't we talk about something else?"
Kel pulled a few errant strands of hair away from her face before replying, "Such as?"
"Oh, I don't know." Raising his hand with a Player's dramatic flourish he added, "I shall wait for you to procure the substance required for us to continue our potent exchange of thoughts."
With a laugh, Kel gently gave Solan a small push. As he rocked to the side, realization hit her like a ton of bricks. I just shoved a Mithran Initiate. That so can't be good! Pulling back her hand as though she had just touched a hot iron, Kel let loose a little shiver.
Without knowing that Kel thought she had just committed a horrible sin, Solan let loose a throaty chuckle and pushed her back. Unprepared for it, his thrust almost knocked Kel off the rock, but she reached out and grabbed his arm just in time to save herself.
Still laughing, Solan helped Kel upright. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't think you'd go so far!"
Looking into his face as he said this, Kel now felt completely at ease with the man next to her, as though she'd known him her entire life. She wasn't exactly sure how, but she knew they'd just become fast friends.
OOO
They returned to the fort together, after a lengthy discussion by the river bank that was basically about everything and nothing.
During that talk Kel learned that Solan had become an initiate at seventeen, making him the youngest in over three centuries. He told her, that by following in the footsteps of his grandfather, the late Master Si-Cham, he was fast on his way to becoming the Chief of the Masters, presiding over the Mithran Cloisters in the City of Gods.
In exchange for his tale, Kel told him of her life, how she had become the first know female page in a century and after eight long, hard years, finally earned her shield. She also told him some of the lesser know details about her run-in with Blayce the Gallan, as he enlightened her about what exactly it took to gain initiate, then Master, status.
His interest in her chronicle was as evident as Kel's had been when he was the one talking. Both seemed enthralled with the opposite, listening with rapt attention whenever the other spoke.
They entered the fort just after the sun had sank below the western wall. As a flushed Yuki came running out of headquarters, long hair streaming out behind her, Kel realized that she had been outside since eleven that morning, and she hadn't told anyone where she was going.
"Kel! Why must you always vanish like that?" Yuki stood, hands akimbo and head shaking as she finished, "We should collar you."
"I'm sorry Yuki, I am," Kel placed a comforting hand on Yuki's shoulder. "I never meant to be gone this long, but I got wrapped up in something." Letting go of Yuki, Kel reached back to grab Solan's hand and pull him forward, so she could introduce him to the Yamani.
Startled when her fingers could find nothing more than air, Kel whipped around. Solan was no where to be seen, and in the hard-packed dirt of the ground Kel couldn't see his footprints..
"Well, that's weird…" Kel mumbled. With a shrug she turned back to Yuki, and said, "There was someone here I wanted you to meet, but, I don't know where he went."
"What'd you mean, 'Someone you wanted me to meet?'" Yuki gave Kel an unusual look, "I didn't see anyone with you."
"What, really?" Crossing her arms underneath her chest, Kel asked, "Are you sure?"
A confused Yuki began to tap her foot on the ground, "Yes Kel. The only one I saw was you."
"Oh… He must have left right after we came through the gate, before you saw me." Kel heaved another shrug, "I guess I'll just introduce you later."
Yuki copied Kel's shrug, "Okay."
Before turning to leave, Kel inquired, "Did you need anything else?"
"No, we were just worried about you, that's all."
Kel shook her head, "Alright, thanks."
OOO
"That food was good," Kel said with a contented sigh as she flopped back onto her bed. "I needed it, too."
Solan's disappearance still confused Kel, but she tried not to put too much thought into in. He was a grown man and a Mithran Initiate, he knew what he was doing. She would see him again sooner or later.
After sitting up to blow out the candle by her bedside, Kel fell back into a sweet, dream-laden sleep.
OOO
A quiet voice outside her door roused Kel from her slumber. Slowly, as to not make a lot of noise, Kel rose from her bed and dressed as she tried to listen.
After a few moments, Kel sighed. It seemed that her room was too well insulated for her to hear through its walls. Following some thought she figured that it was for the best anyway, because she really didn't need to eavesdrop on anyone.
Kel looked outside; the sun was just beginning to rise. Still moving softly, to ensure that the people outside her room wouldn't hear her, Kel finished preparing for the day.
It wasn't long after Kel completed her morning routine, minus glaive exercises, that the strange voices outside melted away into silence. Although the sounds themselves hadn't bothered her, Kel was relieved they stopped. Something about it made her uncomfortable, but she wasn't sure what.
"I'm just being paranoid," she whispered. Now that she didn't have to worry about being quiet, Kel plucked her glaive down from the wall and began her morning pattern dance.
Muscles tingling pleasantly, Kel cleaned her glaive and then placed it back on the weapons rack. After stretching once more, she headed outdoors, intent on getting some more food.
The mess hall was bustling with activity, the soldiers all trying to get food. Kel skillfully wound her way among all the bodies, making her way towards one specific table.
After a particularly tight squeeze between two men, Kel finally reached the table she was after. With a laugh, she reached down and plucked the toast out of his hand, then placed it in her mouth.
With a sly smile she finished off the toast, "Thanks Neal."
Neal treated Kel to a disdainful sniff, "Some people think highly of themselves, stealing a poor mans toast."
Laughing, Kel plopped down in a chair beside Neal. "You say that a lot, you know?" She helped herself to a piece of his ham as she waited for him to reply.
"You evil girl-child!" Neal roared, "I need my food! You can't have it!"
For amusement, Kel took another piece of his ham.
"EVIL!" With that, Neal grabbed his plate and tried to hug it to his chest, but only succeeded in spilling some of his meal onto the floor. Stunned, a forlorn look came over his face, "Say nay, say nay! Oh please, say nay! My nourishment! My life sustaining victuals! They have been sullied by the horror of the ground and evil females!"
Kel rolled her eyes good-naturedly, "Neal, you goof, you'll survive." Taking his plate from his hands, she set it back on the table, "You still have plenty of food, you didn't loose that much."
Standing, she clapped him on the back of the shoulder, "You always have been one for dramatics, you always will be, I suppose." She slid her hand off his shoulder, "I'll share my food with you."
As Neal mumbled that she had better, Kel once again wound her way through the room, headed for the servers.
Reaching them, Kel smiled in good morning as she gathered her tray and worked her way down the line. Coming to the end, Kel's smile widened as she saw who it was standing there.
"Solan, I wondered where you went! Kel walked up to him, "You just… vanished, yesterday."
"I know, and I'm sorry about that Kel. I had just remembered that I had urgent business to attend to, it had slipped my mind while I was talking to you." He turned his head away, "Please, forgive me?"
Surprised at his words, Kel said, "Of course Solan! Why would I be mad, it's not like I'm your keeper or anything."
"Oh, right." With that Solan gathered up his tray and wandered out of the building, leaving a recurrently confused Kel behind.
Unsure of what had just happened, Kel snatched up her tray and walked back to Neal. The healer's forlorn look had been replaced with a yearning for the food on Kel's tray.
Setting her tray down and laughing as Neal immediately went for her toast, Kel tried to put Solan and his baffling antics from her mind.
That would be Chapter 10, done! Yay! I'm listing to the Opening Theme of Xenosaga II as I finish this, and I really like that song. (A bit of useless information, that) Well, I'll get started on Chapter 11, and ask everybody to read and review Chapter 10!
Oh, and Solan's name I made up from a mix between Jennyvre Moss's Capalan, and megster's Solom. Just so you all know. Thanks to everyone who gave me a suggestion!
Sull
P.S.
To Phanogyph, I don't think I'm TP's clone, not that I'd care if I was, she's cool, but I don't think I am… No, I'm just me, but I think my writing style has been influenced be her somewhat, because I do read a lot of her stuff. Thanks though!
HeartKel you're right, Kel doesn't have to hide it anymore, but, well, I can't tell you the but as it would be a spoiler, but trust me, there is a reason they don't show that sort of thing in front of people.