Chapter 7: Eyes of Rippling Water
Nino and Erk sat on the bed in the Aura Room. Erk sat at the end of the bed, back against the wall. Nino sat in front of him, leaning against his chest. Today, Erk had used the yellow crystal, generating an aura of a candle-lit room. Nino was reading Finding Sanctuary Two to Erk.
"Must it be so? Jenna asked Veil, her voice..." She paused to examine the word. "K-why? Kwih... kwiver... um..."
"Go on, you're getting it." Erk encouraged her.
"Kwiver... quivering. Right?" She looked up at him.
"That's right."
"Her voice quivering. She looked at him, shaking. Veil simply nodded. But why? It's not fair. Veil smiled gently at her, and placed a hand on her cheek. He looked dir-eck... dire... directly into her eyes. We have no choice, my love. He told her gently. I wish it were not so, but it is. Don't worry, I will come back to you." Nino gasped. "He's leaving her?! No, he can't do that!"
"Read on." Erk said, sounding eager. "I wanna know how Jenna handles this."
"Right. Let's see... But... why leave at all? Jenna sobbed, tears falling. I will explain when we meet again. Veil assured her. He kissed her then, holding her close against his body. Jenna wrapped her arms around him, not wanting to release her darling. A short while later, Veil pushed her away from him. Farewell, my love. He said sadly, then dashed away. Awww!" Nino moaned. Erk lifted a hand to her face, and wiped away a tear that was forming. "That's so sad!" She sniffed. "Poor Jenna!"
"Awful." Erk sighed. "I wonder if they'll see each other again?"
"They have to! It wouldn't be fair if they're seperated all their life!"
"I think that'll do for now." Erk said, pulling the book from Nino's hands.
"Nooo!" Nino cried. "We can't leave it at that! I wanna know what happens next!"
"Then, we'll have to wait." Erk told her, inserting a bookmark to keep the page they were on. "I don't wanna wait either, but we have a writing lesson for you next. Then, I've got lessons with Lord Pent." He pulled her head back, and gazed into her eyes. "This evening, when the lessons are over, we'll come back, okay? Read the rest of the chapter."
"Okay." Nino smiled, looking into Erks' eyes. They seemed so much more gentle now.
The thing I like most right now... Nino thought to herself. Is the way we're sitting. Erk would never have sat like this with me before.
"What're you thinking?" Erk asked, stroking Nino's hair.
"Not much." Nino replied. "Just this, right now." Erk smiled.
"Don't you like it?"
"I do!" Nino gasped. "I really do."
"That's good." Erk patted her cheeks. "Anyway, we'd better get going." He put the book on the table, which he had put next to the bed. He then pushed gently at Nino's shoulders until she got off the bed. Erk stood up a short moment later, and stretched, groaning. "You're getting alot better at reading." He told her.
"Really?"
"Yeah. You read that really well." He pulled her into a one-armed hug. "I'm proud of you." Nino smiled to herself.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." Erk said softly, kissing her on the forehead. He suddenly released and stepped away. "C'mon, we better get back. I only have about an hour before my lesson."
--
Nino's writing lesson involved writing what she thought would happen next in the book. Nino liked it, as it used imagination as well as improving her skills. Erk enjoyed reading what her ideas were. Some of them were quite imaginative. Erk suggested that she write her own story, when she was better at writing and reading. Nino liked that idea. She then started writing down ideas for her own stories. At the end of the lesson, Erk went to his lesson with Lord Pent, telling Nino she could wait in his room if she wanted. She did so, and laid down on his bed, thinking. Her thoughts mostly involved what the next step would be. Erk already knew how she felt about him, and they were closer now. But, she had yet to actually ask him out, ask to be his girlfriend. That was what she wanted. However, she was afraid of asking. Erk might not be ready to be that close yet. He might push her away if she asked too soon. Now that she was so much closer to winning Erk's heart, her fear was building. To be so close, only to fail, was a scary thought. She knew that failure at this point would destroy her completely. She shuddered, then forced her mind to think of other things. Unfortunately, all the 'other things' involved Erk, and she found herself thinking of the fatal moment over and over again.
"Stop it." She scolded herself. "It'll work. It'll work." She sat up, and looked over to a cupboard. The one that had Erk's diary. Nino fought with herself for a moment, then went over to the cupboard and pulled the diary out. She sat on the end of the bed, and flipped through to the latest entries.
-
Today I dug myself a rather deep grave. I was asked, as usual, to help Lord Pent and Lady Louise to pick out the decorations for the Summer Ball. I chose the most perfect things for bringing me and Nino together. Not what I wanted. I mean, I don't oppose the idea completely, but I'm still not over Ella. Then, to make matters worse, I asked if she could welcome the guests with me. I had a good, logical reason for this, but Pent and Louise saw it differently. Well, I'm going to try my new suit on now. I'll write more tomorrow, if I haven't killed myself.
Erk
-
Last night was interesting. I finally told Takarin my ideas for teaching. I had a pretty good time at the ball, too. Priscilla confessed her feelings to me, too. That was scary. I honestly had no idea how to reply, so I just walked away from her. I feel awful about it now. At least I apologised to her before she left.
But, enough about that. I need to write about Nino.
-
Nino gasped, and felt excitement building. What would Erk write? Nino read on.
-
She looked SO fabulous. I didn't even recognise her at first. I didn't know she could look so beautiful, especially considering her overpowering cuteness. Lady Louise must be a genius. Well, I'll leave out everything else that happened in the ball.
Nino confessed to me. She didn't actually say the words, but even I could tell what she meant. I'm still not sure how to react. Well, we danced, which was very nice. She seems to have improved since the time we snook into a dance hall in town. Maybe she's been practising. At the end of the night, I walked her to her room. It's a gentlemanly thing to do. Then, she gave me a book. One I hadn't read yet, as she promised. Brilliantly, it's the sequel to my favourite of all favourite books, Finding Sanctuary. Well done, Nino. Give yourself a pat on the head.
-
Nino did.
-
To my surprise, I ended up kissing her. Only on the forehead, but still. Maybe I'm starting to like her more? Who knows? Well, that's enough for now. Tomorrow, me and Nino are going to read some of Finding Sanctuary 2. I can't wait. We're going to the Aura Room, which is a brilliant place, as I've said about five billion times before.
Erk.
PS - Don't forget to take Nino to town next chance you get, Erk. If nothing else, we need to look for that hat again.
-
Nino gasped. Erk was going to take her to town again? As in a date? She smiled widely, looking forward to it. She blushed at Erk's comment on her dancing. Indeed, she had been practising.
"And he likes me more now!" She giggled to herself, hugging the diary. "Wow!" She heard footsteps outside, and quickly put the diary back in the cupboard. A moment later, Erk walked in.
"Get up, Nino." He said to her. "Let's get going."
"Going where?"
"Aura Room, remember?" He replied. Nino gasped, and leapt to her feet. The pair walked toward the Aura Room. When they stood outside the room, Erk turned to Nino. "Did you give yourself that pat?" He asked.
"Wh-what?"
"In my diary, I told you to give yourself a pat on the head. Did you?"
"Wh...wha... h-how did you-?" Nino found herself shaking.
"I found out after our first visit to the Aura Room."
"How??"
"Despite the mess my cupboards' in, I know perfectly where everything is. My diary wasn't in the place I'd left it."
"Oh, no! I'm so sorry, Erk!"
"Relax, it's okay." He pushed the brick that let them into the room. "I don't mind." He walked over to the dark blue crystal, and touched it. The ceiling and walls suddenly looked as though water was reflecting off them. "This is my favourite one." Erk told Nino, laying down on the bed. "C'mon over here, Nino. And shut the door behind you." Nino obeyed, and laid down next to him.
"I'm really sorry about-"
"I said it's okay. Read it all you like. It's not like it's got all my deepest, darkest secrets. Just stuff I'm thinking about at the time. I've got a different diary for my secrets."
"Really?"
"No." Erk grinned. "My secrets are all locked away in my mind."
"Are we going to read some more?" Nino asked, looking over to the table beside the bed.
"Not yet." Erk replied, pulling her closer to him. "I wanna relax a little. My lesson was a little tiring."
"Alright." Nino snuggled against him. "So, when're we going to town again?"
"Next chance I get. You should know that."
"Yeah, but when's the next chance?"
"I'll know when it gets here. I think I've a free weekend next week. Wanna go then?"
"Sure. I'm free, too."
"What an amazing coincidence, that probably has nothing to do with Lord Pent and Lady Louise." Erk said sarcastically. "Those two have been doing everything they can to get us together."
"Well, I've asked them, sometimes."
"I'm sure you have. I must say, they're doing a surprisingly good job."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Despite my resistances, I've been feeling closer to you." He smiled, and hugged her. "It's almost annoying."
"Almost?" Nino felt excitement building. Erk felt closer to her! He was starting to like her!
"Yeah. I don't really mind it, feeling this close. But, I tried not to, and failed. That's the annoying part." Erk said, chuckling. Nino chuckled, too.
"You really don't like failing, do you?" Nino asked. Erk shook his head.
"Isn't this aura nice, though?" He asked, changing the subject. Nino let him.
"It is."
"It's my favourite. Did I already say that?"
"Just before you touched the crystal."
"Oh. Well, it's still my favourite."
"I guessed that."
"C'mon, it's awesome, isn't it? It calms me down the most. More than the other auras."
"Same here." Nino smiled. "It's really relaxing, and soothing. Why didn't you show me this one first?"
"I was going to go through them in order of how good they are. Well, in my opinion. But today, I really wanted this aura."
"Oh, I see."
"And, I'm really glad you're here, so I can share it."
"You are?" Nino felt the excitement grow. Erk wanted to share this aura with her, and not just show it to her.
"Yeah. I think this aura is best for two people. Don't you think?" He turned his head to look at her.
"I... guess so." Nino looked up at the ceiling, watching the reflected water ripple. She stared for a while, then realised that Erk was staring at her. "Something wrong, Erk?" She asked.
"No." He replied. "I was actually watching the rippling water effect in your eyes. It's pretty."
"Really?" Nino found herself blushing a slight. Erk simply nodded, still staring into her eyes.
"You know, there's something about that light-ish blue shining in your sapphire eyes. It's incredible."
"Thanks." Nino blushed brighter.
"It really is..." Erk mumbled, moving closer. "Incredible."
"Erk...?" Nino felt her heart pounding. Erk moved closer still, his face less then two inches from hers. "A-are you..." Erk didn't listen or respond, still staring into her eyes. Soon, he was within an inch, still staring.
"Hypnotic." Erk breathed. "So... alluring. I can't... stop staring." With a gasp, Erk shook his head and turned away. Nino stared at him for a while, wondering if he had been about to kiss her. She wished with all her might that he had. She got off the bed, and walked around it to the table that housed Finding Sanctuary Two. She picked it up, and showed it to Erk.
"Shall... shall we read some more?" She asked timidly.
"Later." Erk said, standing up and walking over to a corner. "Just... give me time to calm down."
-
A long time later, the pair sat on the bed, reading Finding Sanctuary Two.
"He left this for you, the hotel manager said. Your are Jenna, correct? Yes, Jenna replied, eager to take the note. The hotel manager handed it to her, and Jenna ripped it open." Nino turned the page. "Wonder what it says?" She asked Erk. Erk didn't respond. "Erky?"
"Hm? Sorry, I thought you were still reading." Erk replied. Nino looked, and saw that the next line was 'Wonder what it says?', spoken by Jenna. Nino chuckled at that. "Anyway, I don't know. Read some more, quick."
"Wonder what it says? Jenna wondered, unfolding the paper. She read the letter. Dearest Jenna. I hope this letter finds you well. I also hope that this letter finds you some distance behind me. Why did you have to follow me, Jenna? I need you to stay home, and wait. I said I would explain when I returned. Please, Jenna, stop following me and go home. It was signed by Veil." Nino snorted at that. "As if she will. She'll follow him to all the corners of the planet. Right?"
"She sure will."
"Anyway... How dare he, Jenna screeched, crushing the letter into a ball. He should know better than that. Damn right, Jenna. Jenna turned on her heel and stormed out of the hotel. She guessed that Veil would have gone to a nearby shop to buy more food, so she decided to ask if they knew where he had gone. When Jenna arrived at the most likely shop, she walked inside and spoke to the man at the counter. She described Veil to him, and asked if he had been in the shop. The man stared at her and shrugged. Are you Jenna? He asked. Why, yes, I am. Jenna replied, surprised. But how did you know? The man you described came here earlier. Do you know where he went? Jenna gasped, gripping the counter. Yes, but he asked me not to tell you. The man said sadly. I'm not sure why, but he was quite insistent. He paid me double the price to buy my silence. That's not fair. Jenna shrieked. I have have to find him."
"Have have?" Erk asked.
"That's what it says." Nino pointed. "What does it mean when it says have twice?"
"It means someone made a mistake."
"Jenna made a mistake?"
"No, no, the author did. Or the editor, or publisher. Have have doesn't mean anything. It's a grammatical error. I'm surprised I didn't notice."
"Oh."
"Anyway, read on."
--
"Erk said he was going to use the dark blue crystal today." Pent told Louise in their room.
"Oh? The watery one, right?"
"That's right."
"Doesn't that one make Erk sentimental and clingy?"
"It does indeed."
"Think Nino might finally ask him out in there? Or will Erk do the asking? It's not impossible. After all, the water-ripple aura is the most romantic setting anyone could hope for. It seems to bring people together almost instantly." Louise grinned.
"There's no danger of Erk asking her out." Pent chuckled. "Unless he stares at the ripple effect reflecting in Nino's eyes. That might be a bit much for him."
"Oh, isn't that brilliant?" Louise gasped. "That looks so fantastic. It seems to make people a hundred times more attractive and desirable."
"It does, dear. If poor Erk stares into Nino's eyes while the aura's on, he'll probably be all over her."
"That sounds cute, but Erk'll probably mess something up. He's never been good at talking to other people, so asking one out must be near impossible for him."
"We'll see how things went when they come back." Pent smiled. "I've no doubt that Nino will ask him, eventually, while they're in there. And I've every doubt that Erk will refuse. He's too much of a gentleman, for one thing. He'd hate to see her crushed. Besides, he likes her, too. It's been obvious ever since he brought Nino back with him."
"I hope for Nino's sake that you're right. Goodness knows the girl deserves to be happy, after what she went through."
--
Nino had finally managed to read the rest of the chapter. She had wanted to read more, but Erk refused. It was now late, and both he and Nino were tired. He insisted that they go to their rooms to sleep.
"Why not sleep here?" Nino asked. She hoped that if they did, she would eventually get the courage to finally ask Erk out.
"Please, Nino." Erk sighed. "We've got lessons tomorrow, and I've got to be up at the crack of dawn. I can't tell how late or early it is down here, so I'll probably be late."
"Fine..." Nino groaned.
"C'mon, up." Erk pushed forward, making Nino stand up. Nino watched Erk as he stood up and stretch, yawning mutely.
Ask him. She told herself. Quick, before you lose the nerve. Erk strolled over to the red orb.
"Um, Erk...?" She began tentatively.
"Hm?" Erk asked, touching the orb. Instantly, the water-ripple effect disappeared, as did Nino's courage.
"N-never mind." She said, looking down to the floor. She cursed herself for her lack of confidence. Erk eyed her for a moment, then shrugged.
"Alright, let's go, then." He walked over to the wall, pushed the appropriate brick, and stepped outside. "C'mon, Nino." He called, conjuring a ball of fire. Nino sighed, and walked to him. "When we come here tomorrow, shall we put the water-ripple aura on again?" He asked as they walked back to the main area of the castle.
"Sure." Nino replied, feeling a little better. She thought she might get the courage to ask Erk out if they had the same aura again. Erk patted her on the back, gave her a quick hug, then walked toward his room. Nino walked toward Pents' study.
-
Nino knocked quietly on the door of Pents' study. So quietly, in fact, that no-one answered until she knocked again a little louder. Lord Pent opened the door, a small smile on his face. This dropped instantly at the sight of Ninos' miserable face.
"What's wrong?" He asked. Nino shook her head, suddenly forgetting what she wanted to say. "Erk didn't refuse, did he?" Nino shook her head again. "Oh... come in, Nino. Louise is here, if you'd rather talk to her." He stepped to one side, allowing Nino into his study. Nino walked in, and saw Louise, looking somewhat anxious, sat at a table.
"Everything alright, dear?" She asked.
"I'll leave you ladies to it. I think I'll go have a word with Erk." Pent left the room, rather quickly. The door shut, and Ninos' mouth opened.
"I didn't ask." She said quietly. "I almost did... I was so close. Then... Erky turned aura off, and I just lost my courage. I'm... I was too scared to ask. What if he said no?"
"Oh, Nino." Louise sighed sadly. "I understand you being worried, but there's really no reason. Erk wouldn't say no. He likes you, too. I'm surprised he didn't ask you."
"What makes you say that?"
"The aura that you used makes Erk clingy and sentimental. He told Pent that he was going to use it. Maybe he planned to ask you out?"
"Really?" Nino felt her mood brighten a little.
"Maybe. He doesn't usually use that aura. It reminds him of Ella. But, since he used it with you, he might have wanted to... ask you."
"Maybe." Nino agreed. "He did put his face really close to mine." She blushed as she remembered. "He kept saying how beautiful my eyes were. Because the aura was reflecting in them. Then he kinda... gasped, looked freaked out, or upset, or something, and turned away. He asked me to leave him alone so he could calm down. Eventually, we just read the book again."
"Wow. Erk's getting more confident around you. Don't be afraid to ask him out, Nino. He won't say no. He really likes you, I can tell. I knew he liked you ever since he brought you home."
"Ever... that long?"
"Yup. He wouldn't have asked us to let you stay if he didn't like you. He does have friends beyond Etruria, but he's never asked if any of them can come here. He visits them every so often. But you... he almost begged Pent to let you stay." Louise stopped, and stared at Nino. The girls' face was growing steadily redder.
"Wow..." Nino breathed, not believing what she was hearing.
--
"Erk, open up." Lord Pent said as he knocked on Erks' door. The door opened almost instantly.
"Lord Pent." Erk greeted him. "Is something wrong?"
"Yeah. Let me in." Erk stared at him, confused, but granted him access. As soon as Erk shut the door, Pent grabbed him by the shoulders. "What on Elibe were you thinking, boy?"
"E-excuse me, Sir?"
"Using that aura, when you didn't plan to ask Nino out. You know how it makes people. She was going to ask you, you know!"
"I know. But, she didn't. Obviously she isn't that bothered about me, if sh-"
"IDIOT!" Pent snapped, pushing Erk back. "She's afraid you'll turn her away. Erk, you should know how much she cares about you. Isn't that why you used the water-ripple aura? To give her courage? Or give you courage to ask her? So, why didn't..." Pent sighed, running a hand down his face. "What happened, Erk?"
"I think Nino was about to ask me, just before I turned the aura off."
"So, why did you turn it off? You should know tha-"
"I know, Lord Pent. She asked me when my hand was, like, a millimetre away from the orb. I couldn't move my hand away in time."
"...fine, fine." Pent sighed again, playing with his long ponytail. "But, the question is, what do you plan to do about it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Nino is quite upset that her courage failed her. She's worried you'll say no if she asks you. What're you going to do about it?"
"When's my next free day?"
"Tomorrow, if you're planning what I think you're planning." Pent grinned.
"And when is N-"
"Tomorrow, if you're planning what I think you're planning." His grin widened. Erk grinned back.
"Lord Pent, I plan to take Nino on a date tomorrow." Erk said. He seemed a little nervous about the idea. Pent chuckled. This boy, who once upon a time couldn't talk to girls without saying or doing something to upset them, now had he confidence to ask one on a date. How he had grown.
"Then, I'll grant both you and Nino a free day tomorrow. But first, you'll need to plan the date. I think Louise would be a better person to plan it with, though. Since she's a woman, and I'm not." Erk nodded at this, walking over to his desk.
"I don't think I'd dare ask her to her face." Erk mumbled, picking up his quill and some parchment. He started to write quickly. "So, I'm going to have to ask you to give this to her." He folded the parchment, put it inside an envelope, which already had Ninos' name on it.
"Erk..." Pent frowned. "You've been thinking about sending her a love letter, haven't you?"
"Yeah..." Erk admitted, somewhat sheepishly. "But, I'm not sure what they should have in. I'd go by the books that Louise has, but..."
"Smutty garbage." Pent nodded. "I understand. You should send her a poem."
"Poem?" Erk stared at Pent, a bead of sweat appearing on his forehead.
"Yeah. Nino'd love it, trust me. She's an innocent, and it'd mean the world to her. No matter how bad it is." Pent knew of Erks' lack of poetic talent. "But first, plan your date." He took the letter from Erk, and walked out of the door. "I'll go fetch Louise." He said as he walked down the corridor. Erk closed the door after him, then sat down on his bed. A poem? Erk groaned, hanging his head miserably. Erk knew that his poetry was so bad that even Nino would hate it. He shook his head, trying to force himself to think of the date first, but the poem hovered around in front of his mind, refusing to be forgotten.
"Erk, I'm so proud!" A voice squeaked from the door. Erk looked up to see Louise peering from behind it. She then knocked and entered. "Asking Nino on a date! My little Erky, all grown up!" She hugged him tightly as he stood. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Y-yeah..." Erk groaned; Louise's arms were crushing his ribs. "I got that."
"So." Louise snapped, releasing him. "Let's get this date planned." Her smile was bigger than Erk had ever seen. "First, when are you going?"
"Tomorrow."
"Alright." She sat down at his desk, giggling when she saw the pre-addressed envelopes. "So, I assume you're going to town?" Erk nodded. "Well, there's plenty to do there. First, you have to go to the theatre. Take her to see a show. That's nice and romantic. I'll get you a decent seat." She hopped out the room, returning five minutes later. "So, I've sent someone to get the tickets for you. You'll probably arrive some time before the show, which is what you should do, so you should take her for a meal while you're waiting for the show to begin." She left again, and came back eight minutes later. "Okay, I've sent someone to reserve a seat at a decent restaurant for you. Now, after the show you should..." She thought for a moment. "Is there anything big going on in town tomorrow?"
"No, there's nothing going on until the carnival next week."
"Ah! Perfect!" Louise gasped.
"No, Lady Louise. It's not until-"
"They have demonstration shows all over town for a full week before the actual carnival arrives, Erk. Go take Nino to one of those. Something... is there an animal show this year?"
"I wouldn't know. I always go straight to the magic show."
"Yes, you do. Hold on, I'll go find out." She left the room again. Erk sighed. Were dates always this big a deal? Did he really have to do so much? Louise walked back in. "I've managed to find a leaflet for the preview shows." She announced handing it to him. "So, you can ask Nino what she wants to see. I'll make sure your ride waits all day for you, so you can take as much time as you like."
"Right." Erk nodded. "So, we're going to the theatre, then-"
"No, meal first. Meal, theatre, carnival preview show."
"Got it." Erk said, securing this in his mind. "When will the tickets and reservations get here?"
"Sometime tonight, or early tomorrow morning. I told them to come back as soon as they got them, regardless of the time. You're going to have to take her shopping, too." Louise continued to make multiple suggestions as to what Erk and Nino could do on their date.