Mortal Flaw
Author's Note: Just felt like writing a little more in this fic. I may have lost the audience, but hey, that's what happens when you don't update it, I guess. Anyway, so far/
Chapter ONE: Glenn's foul mood and his dream.
Chapter TWO: Realization that he may be in love with Karsh.
What is to happen next? Will Karsh, too, come to terms with his possible sexual frustrations, or will he ignore them? He does love Riddel.. Oh the choices, the choices. :)
Present day: I wrote some of this chapter a month or two ago, perhaps longer; not so sure. I've decided what I want to do with the story when I continue it. It's hard for me to write it, because it deals with a lot of angst and emotion, but sometimes, that's what life hands us:D We fall in love who we fall in love with, right? Just the way it is. I wish the two would just let their guards down, but that's not exactly very realistic. There's a lot of layers there.
CHAPTER THREE:
Celebration, Part One: Knowing and Wanting
Daylight.
The sun's gentle rays pierced the thin wall of clouds that shrouded the eastern sector of the dark, gloomy sky, bringing with it a lush, warm glow to the greys, blacks, and hazy whites. It sparkled across the dew-ridden grass blades, danced against the Acacia Dragoon's quarters windows, and finally woke a purple haired man from his deep, dreamless slumber. He stretched uneasily with fists clenched and bare chest drenched in sweat; the night had been almost unbearably hot. It was always humid around this time in El Nido, and even when the sun went down, the heat did not subside. If he'd given a second thought to the day that lay before him, Karsh might have developed a better mood, but now, he felt like throwing a fist against the wall.
"Dammit.." He whispered. "Did I even sleep right?" He rubbed his hands furiously against his eyes while pushing back a clump of wet hair away from his face and atop his head. "I feel like shit.."
"Karsh..?" asked a groggy voice from the bed beside him. Glenn rose from his place amidst a heap of pillows and sheets and swung his legs across the side of his mattress. "Is there something wrong?"
"Nah. Go back to sleep, Glenn. It's only dawn. We got some time before the celebration."
Glenn nodded and buried his blonde head into the hollow of his patchy , blue-tinged pillow. He shuddered momentarily; it was anyone's guess that he had drifted back off to sleep as quick as that. Karsh watched the young man with sudden interest; the muscle in the boys back tensed up ever so slightly before unclenching as he took in two lung fulls of air. There was something beautiful in the way Glenn breathed, the purple haired man took notice. It slightly disturbed him; he didn't know what he was thinking. What did any of it mean? Why did his insides feel like this, like he wanted to turn the young man over and-
"I'd better go find Zoah and Marcy." Karsh told himself. "Might as well get the day started."
"Oh, it's so beautiful!"
Lady Riddel overlooked the sleeping town of Termina; Bellflowers clung to the streets, all a rich, deep blue in color, all interwoven with one another to form a carpet of sorts that draped the cobbled stone-sidewalks. She walked across them, feeling the silky texture bend underneath her delicate feet; the whole town looked like a floating, shallow sea. She smiled contentedly to herself. This would be a day she would never forget. With the feel of the soft, Spring breeze warm against her bare shoulders and the scent of blooming flowers mingled with the smell of ocean, she knew it would linger on in her memory for at least several years to come.
"Father, when will breakfast be ready?" Riddel asked Lord Viper. "I'm becoming quite hungry."
"A few minutes, at least." he replied. "Shall we go back up to the manor or shall I have it sent down?"
Riddel smiled kindly at her daddy while finding a Bellflower which had been caught between a crack in the wall. She lifted it as gently as she could and placed it between her fingers. "Would it be too much to have it sent down here? I would like to look around some more."
"No trouble at all." Viper replied.
Riddel walked further into the lushly decorated city, admiring the view of the ocean from the top of the stairs to where Lord Viper's statue stood. She moved slowly towards it, finding the railing with both of her hands, looking out at the sandy beaches and the waves which moved rhythmically upon them.
"Miss Riddel." came a voice beside her. Karsh, too, took his place at the railing while looking down on her with love.
"Karsh, what are you doing up so early?" she asked softly. "You know you could have slept in, don't you? Can you not sleep, then? I don't blame you; it's all very exciting, isn't it? This is the first festival we've had since the last, a year to this day, to be exact."
Karsh nodded. He darted his eyes back and forth, back and forth to Riddel and to the sea. Riddel's purple mane danced around her as the wind picked up speed; it resembled a frayed cloth of fine silk, with each strand curling up over the other, rising above her head and curving with the weight of the wind.
"A few more hours and this whole city will be filled to capacity." Riddel spoke, her voice sounding both dreamy and distant. "Smells of rich food, sounds of merry laughter; I wonder why we don't have many more of these festivals. Perhaps we should?" She looked over to where Karsh stood with the question lingering in her eyes. "I know it was a lot of planning, but it wasn't all for naught, right? I believe this day will be something special."
Karsh nodded in reply. He found the atmosphere getting heavy with sudden awkwardness. His mind wandered back to bed; he could be laying there, sleeping peacefully, but where would he rather be? With his Miss Riddel, or in a comfortable bed? Both sounded so damn tempting.. Bed meant sleeping next to Glenn again. He wanted to be in-
Riddel giggled. "Poor thoughts kept from me? Karsh, it's not like you. Remember after the portal's closed? We'd sit here, talking all day, reliving the past and wondering what the future would hold for us. Now.." She hung her head low. "You don't talk as much. Maybe it's become a bit tiresome to you?"
"No, no, Miss Riddel!" Karsh replied hastily. "Not at all tiresome." He was having to part the ocean of words that leapt inside his head to find exactly what he wanted to say. "It's just that, with this celebration and all, I've been pretty worn out. Not that I didn't enjoy planning and plotting, but it's more than I'm used to, you know? Maybe afterwards we can talk again. You choose a place and I'll follow."
"Very well.. How about Arni? We haven't been down there in a long time. Who knows what we may find there." She huddled close to him as a sudden gust of cold air from the sea blew upon her. "Maybe we can help Schala/Kid in her search for the dimensional distortion, if it really exists anymore.. How would you like to see everyone else? They've all forgotten by now, I'm sure.."
"Let's be hopeful that they haven't." Karsh replied.
Riddel smiled up at him. "Yeah. Let us remain optimistic. Tomorrow might bring us another adventure or two, floating on this.. Blasted.. Cold.. WIND.. Ugh!" She shivered again.
"Shall we return to the manor, Lady Riddel?"
"No, no." she answered Karsh. "I am fine. Just a bit chilly out here, isn't it?"
Glenn threw on his clothes and tied his boots, noticing that a crowd had gathered throughout all of Termina. He ran as fast as his feet could carry him; smells of foods and liquors drifted on the breeze; his stomach rumbled restlessly as the scent of food reached it. He was scared that he was late for the opening of the concession stands, or worse; he'd missed the chance to spend a little time with Karsh and Lady Riddel.
"I'll take two orders of Squid Gut Pasta, please." he asked a vender as he laid 200 gil on the counter. He grabbed at the two steaming, individually wrapped plates and made his way through a wall of colorfully dressed people to where Lord Viper and his daughter stood.
"Glenn!" Riddel exclaimed as she saw him darting through the rows of folk. "For me? That's very kind of you."
Actually, it had been for Karsh, but it would be rude to deny her a plate of one of her favorite dishes. Glenn nodded meekly as Riddel helped herself to one of the orders.
"Where is Karsh at?" Glenn asked, having to shout as the crowd increased their volume in yells.
"He's somewhere off in town." Riddel replied. "Don't go yet! The Magical Dreamers are about to perform! Oh look! Kid's here!" She waved at a blonde dot at the entrance of Termina. Glenn squinted through the sunlight to see a very formal-dressed Kid and a partied-up Leena.
"Really, I have to go. I need to speak with him." Glenn forced the words, one after the other, as he tore away from Riddel's grasp. She watched him in dismay as he left the plaza and disappeared into the crowd.
"One, two.. Three.. Damn petals.." Karsh sat against the white, stone wall of Termina, fingering through a Bellflower with thoughts of how he'd present his wish to Miss Riddel. If he asked her to marry him, what would she say? What would General Viper say, as well? It bothered him to think of her gentle smile curving slowly upside down, or, if Viper was displeased at the idea, a long lecture on how a knight should behave. He didn't like thinking about it, but what else was he to do? He was madly in love with her.
She still loves Dario, Karsh, he told himself. She could never love you. You're pathetic.. You'd be better off alone, after all; who in their right mind would develop any type of feeling towards you, the brute, the insensitive bastard? He suddenly smiled. Great, I'm feelin' sorry for myself. Screw this! He cocked the Bellflower above his head and threw it into the twirling, blue waters below. Did he have the courage to ask her? Now? Of all days? She was so looking forward to a nice, joyous day in Termina, and he might be ruining it all. And yet, another part of him felt drawn to someone else; it was killing him to admit it. He kept forcing it out of his mind, over and over again, but-
"Karsh?" came a voice from behind, rousing him from his thoughts. "Why are you down here? Should you not be with Miss Riddel, keeping her company?"
It was Glenn. The sight of him sobered up his obnoxious pity and filled him with joy, or a sudden ache, he wasn't sure which one it was. He had a beautiful, soft face; Ag, Karsh, man, keep it out, dammit.
"I'll be right up, Glenn." He patted the warm stone beside him. "Come 'ere."
Glenn gave a short nod before traveling over to the place where Karsh sat. He looked up into the older, young man's eyes and felt his insides tremble momentarily. He couldn't stand looking at him that way; he just didn't understand it!
"I got a dilemma, Glenn. It didn't matter a few days ago, but it does now, and it's damn confusing." Karsh looked over to the young man with a kind, searching smile, one that gave Glenn a shudder of pleasure through his body. "See, I love Riddel, with all my heart, but.. I don't know if she feels the same way about me. I wanna ask her somethin' important.. But.. There's someone else I'm starting to feel something for, too."
"Who?" asked Glenn in an attempt to sound casual, mildly interested.
"Well, it's a secret. Both can go two ways; I could tell Riddel I adore her, give her a ring and ask her to be with me forever, or.. I could go the other route, ask the other person if they feel the same way, and take things from there."
Glenn felt confused. "How can you love two people at once? I did not think it was possible."
"Me neither. Damn, it's so confusin', you know? I'm torn.. I guess it shouldn't surprise me, as it was bound to happen sooner or later. You can keep denyin' stuff, over and over again, but it all comes out, towards the end, doesn't it? Glenn.. I.."
"Yeah..?"
"Glenn.. I think.. I'm in-"
He reached out his hand very suddenly as if to say "take it, Glenn, please take it. C'mon, take it.. Now.." Then, he pulled it back, before Glenn could raise his own.
"I want to know if you think I should ask Riddel to marry me." Karsh continued, feeling a wave of horror wash him over at the stoic appearance of Glenn's face, or is it really stoic, he thought. Maybe he didn't catch it. He's not the same.. He doesn't understand what I'm sayin, dammit!
"Karsh, you cannot!" Glenn blurted. "I cannot let you do this.. I just can't."
Karsh felt a surge of strange, undescribable joy flow through him. "Why not, Glenn?" he asked breathlessly.
"Because.. Because.."
Karsh felt his fingers reach out again. Take them, Glenn, please take them. He trembled slightly as Glenn's own began a steady rise, when-
"Hey, you two! I have been looking every where for you!" Riddel peered around the bend with a smile lighting up her beautiful face. "What are you doing? Let's go look around some!"
"A-alright!" Karsh said hastily. You're such an idiot, he told himself, letting that get the best of you. Riddel would return your feelings better than he would. At least you got some sort of chance with her.
"I guess.." Glenn, too, said. His fingers had almost touched Karsh's; he was certain Karsh
was conflicted because of him. It scared him a little bit, made him want to burst into tears, lose his prided control over a man, over a man!
He smiled at the two as if nothing happened and walked along with them towards the center of the celebration.
