"I'm bored." The words left Florina's lips as a depressed sigh without her giving any thought to them. In fact, she had barely noticed that she had spoken at all. It came like a gentle breath, so soft that surely if she did not hear it, no one else would. But taking that into consideration, it must be said that Sain has remarkable hearing.

"What's that, my little flower?" he called over to her, mounted on his steed. The daily march was proceeding at a sluggish pace, and both he and his horse were becoming restless. The sun was boring down on them, and poor Huey was so exhausted that Mark granted Florina permission to give him a day of rest. His wings almost dragged on the ground as he walked. Florina felt so sorry for the winged-horse that she considered walking beside him to ease the weight on his back. Now, Sain and Florina lagged behind everyone else, partaking in idle silence.

"Excuse me?" Florina looked over at Sain with a curious look on her face. Sain only grinned.

"No, no, I agree. It is quite dull." So he had heard her after all. It only now registered in her mind that she had actually declared her boredom. Sain looked off, away from the legions that tediously trudged through the crags. Something, out beyond the borders of their troops, caught his eye. A mischievous gleam sparked in those orbs, and Florina was almost scared of what he was thinking. A wide grin stretched over his lips.

"Say…Florina," he spoke. "How about we go for a little ride?" Florina turned to look at him incredulously. He wanted to abandon the march to run off for some leisure time? She knew Sain loved to tease authority, but Florina could not be so bold as to dash off without permission.

"No," she mumbled her disagreement.

"Pfft, why not?" he snorted.

"Sain, we c-can't just leave!" Florina hissed. "They might need us." Sain shook his head in dispute.

"They have the entire army to back them; we won't be missed," he tried to convince her, though his light-hearted attempts were doing little to sway her opinion on the matter. "And we'll be near enough that we won't lose them, and if we hear any trouble, we'll come running." It was as simple as that for Sain, but for him, it was easier to disregard the rules.

"Sain…" Florina groaned, more of a plead for him to stay by her side with the rest of the troops than a complaint of his demeanor. After all, his carefree attitude charmed her, if anything. She just did not like having to see him land in trouble with Lyn and Mark, and the thought of being dragged into it was despised even more so.

But Sain had ignored her. With a kick of his heel, his horse burst into a gallop, away from the line of drudging soldiers. He let out a whoop of laughter, before pulling back sharply on the reins of his horse. He turned and beckoned for Florina to follow.

Florina looked down at Huey, still weary, but even he seemed to want free range out on the hilly pasture. With a sigh, she urged him forward, joining Sain at a slower trot.

"Come on," he jerked his head to gesture towards one direction, "before they see us." Only now, after his booming laugh, did he seem concerned about being caught. Yet, once again, he sprinted off before Florina could even try to make sense of it all. She followed, trying her best not to exhaust Huey too much.

They had already descended into the lower altitudes of the Bern Mountains. Green now marked the slopes, instead of harsh browns and the blinding white snow. Sain had even ditched his black coat. In a way, Florina was sorry not to see it on him any longer. Even it hung strangely off his thin frame and the color was too dark for his light behavior and appearance, it still made him look quite dashing.

Sain dismounted and let his charger graze on a patch of grass. Florina followed suit, taking a seat next to him on the ground. She sat on her knees daintily, pulling her short skirt farther over her knees. Sain seemed to take notice.

"I seem to like it just where it is," he whispered. Florina paused for a moment, knowing from his voice it was a joke and not his usual flirts but still unsure of what action to take to such a comment,. Then, as if it was natural, she punched him the shoulder teasingly as payback. He pretended to collapse in pain from the light blow. "Ah! Ah! I've been wounded! Will thy sweet, merciful maiden spare my life?" He threw his hand over his forehead melodramatically.

"Hm, it depends," she said, feigning a look of deep thought. She tapped her chin.

"On what?"

"Well, if you declare that you're a jerk—"

"Fine, I'm a huge jerk," Sain said, happy to comply.

"—and that I'm the most wonderful, lovely person in the whole wide world—"

"I think that's been established." Florina met this comment with a glare that clearly asked Sain if he wanted another fist of doom from the petite girl.

"—And, you have to become my slave." A look of mock terror crossed Sain's face; it froze in a contorted expression of fear.

"Does this mean that- gasp- I have to clean the stables for you?" he trembled.

"Yep," Florina returned cheerfully. Sain expired with a shuddering gasp and fell on to his back.

"Never mind my life! I'll take the honorable way out! Give me death!" With his fingers curled, he pretended to stab an invisible knife into his chest. Florina could no longer hold back her laughter and exploded into a fit of giggles. Sain, too, joined in on the laughter.

"Feels good," he admitted with a chuckle. "To act so young and silly again."

"Something tells me, Sain, that you never grew up in the first place," Florina snickered. He ruffled her hair in response, and she scooted away from his, avoiding his teasing hands. It reminded her of her youth in Ilia, when they would frolic outside in the snow, teasing and laughing with each other and reveling in the simple pleasures of life.

"See Florina, I like it when you're like this," Sain commented. "When you're not scared of me or stuttering so much." Florina nodded along silently. She could feel him watching her, and in a way, it made just a bit more self-conscious. She knew her hair was frizzing in all directions, and though she did not dare call attention to it by rubbing it away, she could feel a smudge of dirt streaking across her brow.

"I feel comfortable around you," she confessed gently. "I don't see you as a man any more."

"Not a man?" Sain challenged the statement. Florina opened her mouth to correct what she said and covey what she really meant, but it was of no use. His voice rose a few decibels and picked up a shrill tone. "Not a man, say you! Why, hon, I am insulted! Look at this face; this is a manly face." Florina's panic melted away as she could not help but giggle at his antics.

"T-that's not what I meant," she panted. She sobered up but just a little as a smile was still present. "I mean, I'm not scared of you any more, like I am with some other men." As she said, a slight blush was painted on her cheeks, but Sain did not seem to notice.

"Well, I don't think of you as a girl then," Sain said. There was a flicker distress within Florina as he spoke those words, but she pushed it away, determined not to let it come to mind and torture her.

"I guess we're both genderless blobs, then" Florina joked weakly. Sain nodded, slipping his hands behind his head.

"Hm, what to do," he thought out loud, after the moment had faded. Florina flopped down on her back to imitate Sain.

"Shouldn't we be catching up with the others," she questioned.

"My dear, you are no fun," he teased. "Let's let them get eaten by a few Wyverns before we grace them with our fair presence." He paused for a moment, staring up at the clouded sky with a few splotches of blue amongst the gray. "How about… a staring contest?" Florina could tell that it was the best idea he could come up with, and as lame as it sounded, she really could not do any better.

"I guess so," she agreed, pulling herself so that her legs were tucked under her. Sain, too, sat up straight.

"Alright, I'll count to three, and then, we'll begin," he clarified the rules. "Ready?" Florina nodded, shutting her eyes until the countdown was over. "One, two, three!" Her sea-colored eyes snapped open and stared deep into his green ones. A few seconds passed before Florina realized that she was facing no mere enemy. He was skilled in the art of not blinking, as funny as that sounded.

Sain raised one eyebrow, challenging her. She defiantly glared back. More slow moments went by, and still, they were at odds. Florina knew that if she wanted to win this childish, but very prestigious, competition, she would have to start using her wiles. Though she did not like to have to go that far, it was the only effective weapon she could think of against Sain.

She gave a low sigh and twirled a finger through her hair. Sain looked amused but did not give in. Her shoulders raised in a kittenish shrug that oddly befitted her shy nature. To Florina, this was as far as she would- could- ever go with flirting, as she was not very experienced with it. Add that to the fact that there was not much to do without causing her to blink and her actions were limited. Still, her actions bemused Sain, and he caught a whiff of her intentions.

His hand darted forward and grabbed her. It was a surprise, and her eyelids almost fluttered, but she forced them to remain open. With his thumb, he stroked the back of her hand, and while her heart was racing, Florina did not show on her face. Her expression turned blank.

"Give up, Flora," Sain taunted. "You know you want to."

"Nope," Florina said, with as much coolness as she could muster. Was it just her or did he bestow upon her an endearing nickname. She leaned towards him and opened her mouth like she was about to say something, but her free hand had struck forward like lightning to slap him arm. His free hand, in turn, caught her without missing a beat.

Her eyes were now threatening mutiny, and she could see that his were as well. It was becoming harder and harder to force them open. Yet, they both persisted, glowering at each other. When he let go of her hand, Florina knew he was up to something.

That hand snaked around her waist and pulled her even closer. Sain rested his forehead against her, his gaze softening. Florina's heart thudded. His grip was tight; their contact was close. Their noses brushed against each other. Her pulse echoed in her ears, banging and clashing. His warm breath mingled with hers. Then, without warning—

Blink.

Sain's head drifted to her ear, where he whispered lightly, "I win."

---

After catching up to the rest of the army and creating an elaborate excuse as to why they ran off (involving stray wyverns and a dead rabbit), Florina was finally given a chance to rest. Huey seemed to enjoy the day's vacation, and he nuzzled her affectionately with his nose as she fed him. With a pat, she offered him a carrot, remembering fondly on the day's events.

True, Sain had turned her into a flustered mess, but she had thoroughly enjoyed herself. She hummed a light tune to herself, then noticed that Huey's water bowl was empty. With a sigh, she took the watering pail to the spring right next to the camp. While she fetching some for Huey, she would be a nice little sister and get some for her sister's mounts as well.

She bent over the water source, filling the pail with fresh mountain water. It was heavy to carry back; so, Florina had to grasp the handle tightly with two hands. However, on her way back, she tripped and the bucket poured forward, spilling half of the water and soaking her skirt.

With a frustrated grunt, Florina turned back to refill the bucket before anyone saw her sopping mess. Before she could take a few steps, a few sentences of a conversation reached her ears from a nearby tent. The voices were recognized as Sain and Kent.

"This is war, Sain," Kent chided him. "You shouldn't be chasing after a girl."

"Don't lecture me," Sain said, with a graver tone than usual. Kent sighed, knowing there was no way he could convince his comrade to give up his flirtatious ways.

"I thought you liked her, though," Kent said. Her? "You seemed to be so friendly with her, more than you are with most women, and it appeared she has affections back towards you. Why did you tell him about the flowers then?" Florina's breath caught; they had to be talking about her!

"I did like her," Sain said. "But not so much anymore. And besides, she never really liked me back, at least not in a romantic way."

"So, you don't regret giving her away to another man?"

"Not at all."

----

"Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" –Jabberwocky, Lewis Carrol

Author's Note: Frabjous day indeed! I got 100 reviews! I love you guys. I was going to wait another day to post this chapter, but oh well. Well, make me even happier and review this chapter as well. Cause you know you nearly died from the absolute fluffy-sugariness of it all.