STRIPED GREEN
II. Noon
An hour and a half left, then we could retrieve my scarf and get a move on. Chris had cheered considerably, having upgraded her guarding equipment to two levels higher. I decided to let her sunny mood last as long as it would, and refrained from making any crass comments that would cause her to rage again. It was a little past noon, and the sun was bright upon the cloudless sky. In this heat my scarf would most certainly be well-dried. Restaurants and bars were starting to open, inviting people to dine and drink. I remembered how we had skipped breakfast that morning in order to inquire about the following forest's routes, and now that a nearby café bell was tinkling, I was reminded of my own pitiful stomach. Growling.
"Are you hungry?" I stopped rather abruptly in my tracks.
"I'm all right," She began, but I saw her try to avert her gaze from the inviting interiors of the restaurant.
"It's lunch time," I said decidedly.
She was in too good a mood to protest, so we entered to the delight of the waiter, and sat ourselves down in a neat little table. I couldn't help but think aloud. "This is turning out to be some sort of date, huh?"
"You wish," She hissed, a warning tone returning.
"Ah, but I do wish so. A café meal like this is rather intimate, don't you think?"
She raised her menu as a barrier between us in reply.
How cute.
Most of the time, when I'm looking at Chris, it's like I'm looking at a hero statue come alive. For all her insecurities, she's strong and her decisions (though her own belief in them is rarely sure), are always made for the good of all. Her pride only flares up when she's arguing with me – I know she bows her head, and shifts her eyes shyly away from her adoring fans, when they recognize her. Zexen weighs heavily on her shoulders, but she bears the weight without even slouching to afford her body some slack. Her knights depend on her and look up to her with blazing intensity. They'd fling themselves over a cliff for her – but she doesn't abuse her power, even then. I know lots of girls who would (like that ancient hag, who maltreated me, alone – imagine what she'd do with a harem at her disposal!)
Maybe that's why one can't help but admire her. She's not simple; she's got great things ahead of her. A destiny. A fate. Something so admirable, if it were a color it would be gold – or silver, as that seems to be her preference. Even dressed down in her causal clothes, without the shiny armor and carefully arranged hair, she looks regal. Like a goddess pretending to be mortal.
At other times, though, she lets down her guard and you can see she could really use some guidance. I'm under the constant awareness that even if we are somewhat looking for the flame champion, the person we're really searching for is Chris's father. Even if, when I speak to her about it, she tries to change the subject, or answers in a brusque tone, "I only want to know if he truly is alive, that's all," I can't forget how she actually shed a tear that time I spoke of him in Budehuc, or how she sobbed onto Yun's shoulder after the Alma Kinan girl explained some things about Wyatt. She was such a little girl sometimes, but she couldn't ever show it – what would her knights, and the citizens, think?
It could kinda bring out the big brother in me. I would remember Julie, feel a grate in my side because now we'd always be too much apart, and then would come the desperate urge to care for someone younger, and more fragile and in need.
But Chris wouldn't need that sort of help, or even if she did, she would never admit it.
Nobody ever seemed to want my brotherly advice.
The waiter had come by to stand eagerly, with a fold of paper in his hand and a napkin draped around his arm. I asked for his recommendations, then briefly considered a meal of marinated pork cutlet, before deciding on some steamed salmon. And water, under the prompting cough of Chris, because we really shouldn't waste money on wine. She ordered steak and mixed greenery, and water, too, and the waiter repeated our orders properly. When that was done and we had both confirmed his accuracy with polite tips of the head, he rushed away and we were left to stare at each other quietly because, well, the menus were gone.
"Stop staring," She grumbled.
"Why? You're staring back. And it's difficult for me to take my eyes off you."
She turned her head to give me cheek, quite literally, and stared out the window at the main village street, where several pigeons were beginning to crowd the citizens, bothering them for bread. I felt proud for a moment, thinking of how Dominguez wasn't dimwitted like the local birds. Then, since the thought wasn't enough to occupy me for long, I took to gazing at Chris again, my favorite hobby since we started traveling together nearly three weeks ago.
She really IS beautiful. I could go into long, passionate litanies about her stunning eyes, her lovely hair, the fairness of her flesh…but really, there's no need for that, and besides, I had to keep from liking her too much. There was the admiration, brotherly affection, and certainly the fondness any guy would have for such exquisite beauty. I'll admit too, that I do enjoy teasing her and aggravating her to some extent. But I can't stare at her too softly, or think about her too much.
She's Zexen, a knight captain, and she plays a big role in the workings of fate. Of all those things I'm certain. Who knows, before this whole ordeal is done she might even have a True Rune on her hand – a hand which is best left to one of her knights to take. Not that she'd even fallen for my charm so far. I was actually beginning to wonder if she ever would.
It was exactly why things hadn't worked with Sierra – we were too different.
Too different. Always.
I tried to embrace the thought of loneliness, even as my gaze on Chris melted into something more dangerously affectionate, but in order to snap myself out of it I managed to churn up some witty, aggravating remark that made her snap her head back and slap me on the arm, and I laughed, and she realized I only did that to annoy her. She'd started to grow hot with embarrassment and rage, but eventually, seeing how good-natured I was, she laughed too.
The waiter served us our meals and while I'm not in love, I did feel a tug somewhere inside me as I grinned at her and said, "Lets eat!" It must have been my stomach, though, because I was starving. I devoured the meal with much gusto.
-xx-
Having paid a generous tip for the good meal, we left the restaurant and began heading back to the inn, as it was only a little more than half an hour left, and we might as well check out. We were engaged in a lively conversation about battle tactics, and I was personally coming up with different ways to make her smile each time it was my turn to respond. We rounded a street corner and that's when I saw one, and was forced to freeze.
"Let's go around the other side."
"What are you talking about? We're here already!"
"The scenery there is, um, better."
"Scenery? Nash, we're in a town. You sound as if you're scared of something."
Her eyes scanned the road for what could possibly be the origin of my discomfort, then saw it prowling steadily across her path.
"For once, I sincerely hope that you are joking."
"I'm not. I really, REALLY hate dogs."
She probably would've laughed if it wasn't keeping us from getting to our destination. I shrugged as if to say, can I help it? "Come off it," She said with some sort of firmness. "It's a dog, it couldn't possibly harm you." The mongrel fixated its eyes on us and wagged its tail, making these disgusting slurpy noises in its throat. It started edging nearer.
I wanted to back away, but either out of pride or anxiety, my legs were stuck to the ground. "I'm not afraid of them, exactly, yet it's been my experience that all dogs have a sardonic tendency to piss on me, chew my socks or get me filthy one way or another, and I'm not in the mood to test if this one's the same."
"Let's go," She tugged at me forcibly. I liked how she was forced to grip my shoulder when she did that, and it almost made me move – almost.
"Look, if my clothes get dirty, we'll have to wait even longer to have them cleaned."
"You said you didn't need proper soap and detergent for anything but your scarf. Now stop being so absurdly paranoid and let's go!" She pulled me harder this time and my feet finally came unstuck; I even wobbled forward a few spaces to steady myself. The dog, thoroughly excited by our appearance and supposed attempt to befriend him, came rushing at us with a lolling, drooling tongue. Chris laughed as if she thought it were cute. I was promptly horrified.
Seeing how we weren't going to get anywhere with it being near me, though, she humored it with a pat on its head then pointed in the other direction and said, "Go. Go." It went around in a circle and sniffed her boot. She used it to prod him away gently. I used this opportunity to slowly, discreetly creep away and go on towards the inn. It was a shame, of course, to have a girl save you, but I always knew that in this journey, it wasn't me playing the role of knight-in-shining-armor.
I suppose there wasn't a need for a head start, because after a moment the dog decided to leave us well alone, trotting in the other direction with its tail stuck up in the air. Chris smiled after it before walking brightly over to my side, smug at my phobia. I scratched my ear sheepishly as we continued on our way, then opened my mouth to think of a brilliant excuse.
"It's only because once, in one of my travels --"
She cut me off. "I want to hear the real story. Why?"
I sighed. "I was…getting to that. Well, if you must know now, my family once owned a dog, the spotted kind – a Dalmatian, yeah, that was it. I didn't mind it much for most of the time; my sister liked it best, so generally it was her responsibility to care for it. But one day I just attempted to be kind to it and rubbed its head, and it got all weird and leaped up on me and then peed on me, and it sniffed its pee which was on my pants, and licked it and…" I broke off to shudder, the memory disgusting me to no end. "…and ever since that day, I would go into my room and find it lying on my bed, or nibbling on my socks, or pissing wherever it pleased. I don't know why other dogs do it too. Maybe they sense my hatred and decide to punish me by making me stink, I dunno exactly." I closed my eyes as if burdened by this terrible fate of being chased by dogs all my life.
"I imagine my kids and my kids' kids will be cursed like this too, huh?"
"Aren't they?"
I stopped and stared. "What do you mean?"
She looked back at me, surprised. "I'm assuming you have children, since you're already thirty-seven and married, aren't you? Besides, I'd never question your fondness for certain improper…acts."
"Ah," I answered, taken aback. I hadn't thought of that. "Oh, well, nah. We don't have kids yet. The missus doesn't think she's ready."
Chris raised a doubting eyebrow but said nothing more. We walked in silence for a while, as I was so stunned at her having found a loophole in my wonderfully fabricated married life. She, in turn, seemed content enough with the origin of my cynophobia, and was also probably doubly satisfied at my torturous helplessness towards the stupid mongrels.
She suddenly stifled a laugh. "Nash, do you know what it means when dogs – well,expel on you?"
"I've never bothered to find out, no."
"Someone told me before that it's a way of marking their territory. The dog liked you, and that's why he did that, and also why he stayed in your room to no end after. You probably shouldn't have patted it. All dogs must like you, then, if they all act the same way." She put her hand to her mouth and smothered a giggle.
I sighed. "So that's it? Darn."
The sun moving slightly past overhead told me we only had half an hour left.
"In conclusion, I attract the dogs but not the girls?" I said this while flashing the most roguish smile I could.
She pushed me away, but it wasn't in a condemning manner; it was actually kind of lighthearted (dare I say sweet?), and I could see she was grinning as she answered, "Indeed."
A/N: Once again, liberties with Nash's hatred of dogs. And once again, I did my best to be realistic and accurate, but I'm sure there are many loopholes and troubles with the actual Suikoden plotline. I hope nothing was too mistaken, though.
If you read it and liked it, please review. All comments are appreciated. :D