Jared woke up the next morning with a sharp pain in his chest. It wasn't any medical condition it was just that as much as he didn't want to admit it to himself, he was falling for Persha. All his emotional training and experience with his previous sabotage missions couldn't prepare him for this. His emotions were mixed and confusing, anger because he thought himself failed in dulling his emotions, happy because he had met someone like Persha, hesitant in completing his mission and anxious if he should hurt Persha's feeling by telling her the truth.
The Bard clutched his chest and went through a couple of breathing exercises to calm him down. His training of resisting emotional attachment to someone had failed him. He couldn't help himself when he was around Persha, his face would heat up, his chest would lighten and he'd start smiling whenever he would think of her.
It started while she was unconscious. Saga's plan went perfectly, though they had lost two of their numbers, the setup allowed him to save her and begin his infiltration of the guild. He arrived at the guild entrance carrying Persha's unconscious body, the poison was starting to blacken her arm and she was beginning to convulse. The gate guards recognized her immediately and let him enter. She was carried to the medical ward while he was questioned. After lying his way through the questions, it was decided that he could be trusted to some extent and he was allowed to see Persha. He agreed and he was escorted to her room. She was asleep and her arm was bandaged, her face was peaceful and very beautiful. He stayed in the room and was lost with her features and the hours just passed without him knowing.
Jared released his hold on his chest and looked down on the bed sheets. There were rips on sheets, which meant he had clawed at them again while he was having one of his nightmares. What caught his attention though, was the jacket he lent Persha hanging from the ladder backed-chair and that he wasn't drenching in sweat as he usually did after his nightmares. Jared smiled once he realized Persha had gone into his room last night and stayed with him through his nightmare.
After Jared pulled on a shirt he walked towards the dining hall. He couldn't find Persha anywhere though he recognized the emerald-haired sage who was eating with a silver-haired wizard. Jared walked up to them and the sage smiled once she had recognized him.
"Good morning!" greeted Jared. The two greeted him back cheerfully. "Do you know where I can find Persha? I have to…er…that is I want to thank her." The two gave each other a questioning look before the wizard spoke smiling shrewdly. "Persha usually dances in the King's Cavalry Inn, You may find her there."
"Thank you," answered Jared, giving a slight nod of the head in appreciation out of both telling him where to find her and second for not asking more about the subject.
Jared exited through the front gates of the guild house and began to walk towards the city's plaza and from there ask directions to the King's Cavalry Inn.
The streets were as crowded as ever and the vendors over exaggerated the cheapness or quality of their wares on their signs. Jared approached a female merchant who was selling an assortment of flowers. One rose that was encased in a glass case caught Jared's attention. It made him think of Persha immediately.
"How much for that rose?" Jared inquired, pointing to the glass case.
The merchant smiled toothily and opened the glass case. "This here is very valuable." She said reaching for the rose inside the open case. "It's a rare wither less rose, it'll stay as beautiful and flawless as the day you see her now. This will cost you around one million five thousand, and that's already cheap mind you."
Jared knew better than to take a solitary merchant's word for the price of a particular ware, but to know how much a wither less rose was exactly; he would have to scour every other shop who was selling it by chance, and he simply didn't have time for that.
He handed the merchant her zeny and took the rose. As Jared was walking away he felt like he was cheated and decided he could at least ask her where the King's Cavalry was. He turned around and caught the merchant with a sneer. She quickly tried to smooth out her face but made a poor job of it.
"Could you tell where to find the King's Cavalry inn?" asked Jared pushing the merchant's sneer out of his mind. The merchant enthusiastically answered Jared's question and even drew him a map. Jared suspected she did this because she actually did cheat him for the rose, at this point he felt his pouch was lighter than ever.
Following the merchant's map Jared found himself in front of a larger than average inn. The swinging sign outside displayed three knights mounted on Peco-pecos following a crowned man who had absolutely no resemblance to the real King of Prontera.
Jared entered the inn and immediately saw Persha in the middle of her dance. He quickly found himself a table at the front rows. Everybody was entranced with her, she moved from one movement to another effortlessly. Jared remembered the first time he had seen her dance. At that time he didn't appreciate her skill as he did now since his mind was on his sabotage mission. Though now, he saw how great she was and his feelings for her were strengthening with each flick of her wrist or twist of her hips.
Persha glanced towards his direction and he slightly waved at her. She gave a split-second expression of surprise that was replaced by one of her beautiful smiles. Her dance continued for a couple more minutes before she ended with a standing ovation from everybody in the room. Persha curtsied quickly before she went on stage and directly to Jared.
"I can't believe it. What are you doing here?" she asked smiling
"I wanted to see you." Replied Jared. At that moment he felt the pain in his chest that he felt this morning return. He tried to perform his breathing exercises again, but every inhalation only caused quick stabs of pain. He had poured all his hidden affection for Persha into his words of wanting to see her and for a moment he had forgotten all about his mission and was lost in her eyes. He saw all the love she had for him and fully realized all the love he had for her. The urge to tell her everything was unbearable and it sapped him of his strength trying to fight it. He was afraid, afraid of what would happen to him once Lord Reginald found out, and even more afraid to hurt Persha and have to watch her cry, knowing it was his fault.
Persha began to sense something was bothering Jared. "Jared, are you okay? Is there something wrong?"
Jared quickly fixed his expression into a calm and happy one and said the truest thing he could say at the moment, since he could not bear to tell her one more lie. "You are so beautiful."
Persha wrapped her arms around Jared's "Come on Jared, let's take a walk."
They exited Prontera's much less crowded east exit. For a little while they followed the trail until Persha pulled Jared into the forest and they found themselves in a little clearing. In the clearing was a small park filled with flowers, a little marble fountain and two benches.
"I found this place the first time I joined Malacca," said Persha "It was ruined and forgotten so I decided to fix it up and have it as my own special place."
Jared could only admire the little park Persha had created. He wondered what it had looked like before.
"It's beautiful." Jared replied. Persha lead him towards the fountain and together they sat down on the marble rim. Persha ran her fingers through the water. "I come here whenever I need to get away from the life in the city, or to think about things."
"What do you think about?" asked Jared eager to learn more about Persha
"My mom, how she was like. She died giving birth to me. I never had a chance to know her."
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to remind you." Said Jared feeling very ashamed of himself and looking away from Persha.
Jared felt Persha's hand ouch his and he turned his head. Persha was looking at him, smiling. "It's nice to have someone to talk to about her for once." She said reassuringly. "My dad always said she was the most beautiful and kindest woman he had ever come to meet. She was a dancer as well, you know. That's why I decided to pick the same job class- to be like her.
"I didn't know your mom, but I think you are exactly like her; the most beautiful and kindest person I have ever come to meet."
Persha smiled the warmest and most affectionate smile Jared had ever seen her with. She bent towards Jared's face and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you Jared."
Jared smiled back before he cupped her face with both his hands and kissed her on the lips. Between them time seemed lost in the park. They talked about each other and revealed things they hadn't revealed to anybody else.
The sky was orange and the sun was beginning to set when they realized they were still outside. "Oh no," squealed Persha "It's getting late. We better get back to the guild house."
The two of them entered the city. The street lamps were already opened and the merchants had packed up for the night. They made their way through the empty streets without anything happening aside from a stray dog that barked at them.
They reached the guild house and Jared escorted Persha to her room. He stayed outside the doorway while she entered. "Goodnight Jared, I really enjoyed us spending time together."
"Me too Persha, see you tomorrow." He kissed her on the cheek and waited for her to do anything. When she didn't he smiled and turned to leave but Persha caught his arm.
"Please don't leave." She said
"Never,' replied Jared.
Persha smiled and they kissed, loosing themselves in each other's arms.