Kara Metallium !
P.S.: For those of you that reviewed...thanks for the encouragement.
For the disclaimer, see first chapter.
Chapter 2--It is Better to Have Loved...
A few days had past since Filia's mysterious dream. She didn't know what to think and shrugged it off to morning sleepiness.
Filia was washing herself in something Jillas called a shower. It was quite ingenious really. There was no mess of having to lug water; Jillas had piped water into a small closet and the water poured over the individual and drained out the grate that made up the floor. Filia washed her hair and hummed to herself. She turned the shower off and pulled a towel from outside the door and wrapped it around her body. She stepped out of the shower and walked upstairs.
Her hand was on the door when she heard Val's cry and she rushed into his room, hair soaked still clad in her towel. Lo and behold, there was the trickster priest cuddling, yes cuddling, the infant to quiet down. Filia stood shocked, eyes wide. The priest made faces at the babe and slowly put Val back in his crib, asleep amazingly enough. He looked up with his genki smile. Filia stared for a long while at the smiling priest. Then she turned around, her tail swishing from under her towel (it had appeared at the sight of Xellos), and went into her room and shut the door.
Filia walked jerkily to her bed, and sat down and put her head in her hand, one hand still holding the towel. She stared at the floor deep in thought.
Why was Xellos here? Why was he comforting Val? Why did Val allow himself to be comforted? But really, why WAS Xellos here? Had he come to annoy her? To kill her or Val? Was it a mission or merely something to pass the time? Did he come to see her, the way she imagined him to?
Filia shook her head. If Xellos wanted to kill her, he could have already, unless he was playing some sick twisted game. Filia's head spun at the millions of reasons of why Xellos was here. She stood and moved over to the closet. She smirked as she looked at her dresses. Maybe she should wear something to annoy him. Maybe, she could act as if she was in love with him, it wasn't too far from the truth, right? He could do any number of things. He could find that he couldn't stand her loving presence, and therefore she might scare him off for good. He could ignore it, but how long would he stand a dragon clinging to him? Or he could return the affection, truly or not.
Yes it was a risk, Filia decided. If he toyed with her feelings that could pose a threat, but at least she could actually feel what it felt like to be held by him. It was better to have loved and lost, then to have never loved at all.
Filia smirked at her clothes in the closet, chose a dress, brushed out her hair (it was practically dry by this time), and dressed. When she opened the door, she glanced into Val's room, but Xellos was gone. She skipped downstairs into the kitchen and started to make tea and food for lunch. A sandwich and a pot of tea was always good. Filia set the sandwich down on the counter and turned away to find a cup for her tea. She opened the cupboard and suddenly heard chewing. She glanced back to find the trickster priest finishing her sandwich.
"Ah, Xellos, care for some tea?" she asked politely. He didn't answer and she took that for an affirmative. Filia retrieved two cups, poured the tea, and set one cup in front of Xellos. He stared at the cup a moment, picked it up and sipped at it. Filia leaned on the counter right across from Xellos, her elbows propping up the cup to her face and she watched him over the cup while sipping her tea.
He didn't seem to be watching her and merely focused on his cup.
"So how's the beastmaster these days?" she asked with conveyed genuine concern. Xellos peaked open his eyes at her. Filia gave him a radiant smile. He shut them. Inside she knew with delight that the only emotions he was getting form her were positive ones.
He smiled at her.
"Oh the beastmaster is fine. How's the fire dragon king?"
She smiled at him.
"I'm afraid he's a little angry at me, so I really don't know."
He sipped his tea.
"And why is that, Miss Filia?"
She sipped her tea and leaned forward over the counter, lowering her voice.
"Oh, because I did something to upset him."
Xellos also leaned over the counter towards her, lowering his voice conspiratorially.
"And what is that, Miss Filia?"
"I fell in love."
Xellos raised an eyebrow.
"With who?"
She leaned into whisper in his ear.
"With you."
Filia kissed his cheek and pulled away. A moment later she was leaning against her counter sipping her tea as if she had done nothing at all.
Xellos opened an eye and stared at her. Filia finished her tea and set her cup down and walked upstairs. Filia reached her door and opened it and shut it. She turned around and ran right into Xellos.
Both of his eyes were open and stared down into hers. Strangely enough, Filia felt no fear, only excitement.
"Don't think you're going to get away that easily," he said, closing the distance between them, slamming her against the door, and kissing her.