Xonel: I seriously appreciate all the reviews. Thanks guys. Unfortunately, I am very sleep deprived at the moment, so I will have to update this later to thank all my reviewers by name.
This chapter is actually the first of a two-parter. I'm not sure when exactly I'll get the next one up, but hopefully it won't take as long as this one did. Also, both of these chapters sort of tie in with the next few overall. In other words, these next few chapters aren't really one-shots.
On another note, if you're not familiar with marching bands at all, I recommend you watch a video on youtube (you can look up Mighty Oiler Band, they're pretty good) and keep the following in mind: The Honor guard is typically either at the very front or the very back of the band and can be identified as four or five people marching closely together carrying rifles, swords and flags (here in California its the state flag and the American flag. Behind them is the Color Guard; they all carry flags and do a lot of difficult and flashy twirling with said flags. The Drum Major is immediately in front of the band, usually wearing a white or otherwise distinguishable uniform, and carries either a baton or a mace. The band is next, they're the ones who play the instruments. Behind them is the Drill Team, which is similar to the Color Guard, except they don't have flags.
Too much information? Well, I'm a band geek. Sorry.
*UPDATE*: As promised, I give my thanks to dark drow, Rave, Moonlight M3lody, Catalyna Cullen, and PlatinumMew. I know it says so a few lines above this, but seriously guys! The reviews really mean a lot and they get me pumped up for writing the next chapter! Oh, and if you guys are wondering about Esthrina, yes, that is my cousin. And now, she will make a guest appearance later on. She asked for it, muahahaha! Er, ahem. Anyway.
Jay: Xonel does not Own Tales of Legendia. If she did, I would know.
Dressed for Success
Tuesday:
My immediate response was to squeak out a pathetic "What?"
I mean, sure the two of us had been, well, together for about five months now, but neither of us had done anything even remotely... "couple-ey". Despite Norma's constant prodding, hardly any physical contact had passed between us at all. Just the occasional handshake. Everything between us had been as it always had been, except that we spent a little more time together and he would occasionally offer to pay when I decided to eat out. We were both content to just let things progress naturally over time. We didn't want to rush things. We didn't want to act like any other typical teenagers and be all... well... hormone-induced.
At least I didn't. And besides, I think he was just as comfortable as I was having things that way.
So although I knew it would come sooner or later, I couldn't help but be momentarily shocked when he asked me to attend an official date.
Well, he didn't say it like that. Wow, it sounds incredibly stuffy when I say it. Am I really that uncomfortable when it comes to things like this? Even after these past few months?
"Eh?"
Senel's brow was furrowed. He obviously hadn't expected the initial answer I had given. Heh... He was so cute when he looked troubled like that. Just knowing he was genuinely concerned about my answer was enough to make my heart-
…
DARN IT VALENS, GET A GRIP!
And stop being so corny.
"Er, um... S-Sorry! My mind was wandering and I, er, didn't quite hear what you said."
Senel hung his head and I immediately felt guilty for making him repeat the question when I knew full well what it was. After all, I had read plenty of modern romance novels and it was quite clear that asking a girl out on a date was high on the list of "Most Difficult Things A Guy Has To Do In Life".
...Okay, wait a second. You did NOT just hear that. Chloe Valens does NOT read romance novels. Ever.
Senel took a deep breath. "A-Are you free Saturday night? I was wondering if I could take you somewhere."
That certainly wasn't the way he had phrased it before. Gee, he almost sounded like some psycho killer or something. I quickly suppressed a snicker at the thought and glanced up at him. He was still just as nervous, judging by the color of his cheeks and the fact that he was rubbing the back of his neck.
My expression softened, and a small smile tugged at my lips. Our eyes locked, and for the first time in a while, I felt the same intense feelings that I used to before when Senel still acted completely clueless. Perhaps it was because of Norma's constant pestering that I subconsciously started to think of our relationship as more of a chore. Or maybe it was because my duties had more than tripled since we defeated Schwartz not that long ago. Ever since then, Raynard had all of us helping out with the city when we could, and being the knight that I am, I felt compelled to volunteer for much of the work that needed to be done.
Well, whatever the reason, it didn't matter at the moment. Right now, my heart was so filled with emotion that it was near to bursting, and I couldn't help where my mind was wandering... I wondered what it would be like to hug Senel, to kiss him. Would it really be as great as those romance novels and shoujo manga made it out to be?
Suddenly I noticed Senel's wide-eyed look. I also noticed that I was centimeters away from his face. I jumped back, slipped on the polished wood floor, and landed on my back. I stood back up, slowly, and quickly answered before he could comment.
"Y-Yeah, I'm free Saturday night. I would love to spend time with you."
Immediately Senel relaxed. "Oh, good. I've honestly been meaning to spend more time with you for months, but Will has me beating up monsters all the time, now." Wow. He must have been even more nervous than I thought to completely ignore my epic fail like that.
My smile returned. "I understand. I've been pretty busy as well, so its actually kind of strange that I'm not already doing something Saturday."
"Right. Well, for now I still have to take care of some monsters down by the port, so I should get going."
I watched as Senel left, closing the door to my room behind him, and my smile quickly turned into a frown. There were a number of things involved in getting ready for a date. Despite the fact that this was my first date, I was confident I knew how to handle the vast majority of what was involved. The one thing I wasn't sure of was what to wear. After all, I didn't know where Senel was going to take me, if it would be at all formal or the equivalent of walking through a park. I certainly didn't want to underdress, and the thought of wearing my usual Gadorian Knight uniform wasn't all that appealing.
I suddenly found myself in a panic.
...xXx...
I felt so completely stupid.
Sure, going to Shirley was, at this point, still out of the question. Yes, we were close friends, but asking her what I should wear while going on a date with Senel would be just like squirting a lemon gel straight into a gaping wound, minus the restorative properties. A knight would never do that to someone, let alone a friend.
Even so, I could have asked someone, ANYONE, other than who I did. Even Isabella would have been a better choice, and that's really saying something considering how scandalous her outfit is.
No. I had to panic and ask Norma, who sighed in exasperation when I voiced this complaint upon entering this shop.
"Three things. One: I'm sure I give waaay better advice. I mean, If you've got nothing better to do than follow Curtis around, that's pretty sad. Two: It's alright for women to show skin other than what's on their face and hands." I rolled my eyes at this. "And three, you really can't complain about anyone else's taste when your own outfit is the way it is. You gotta admit, it really does a great job of accentuating your... 'upper assets', and the way the belt hangs, well..."
"What do you mean? I've told you a thousand times that this is just standard issue for all female Gadorian Knights. It's not like I'm the only one who wears this."
"Well, how many female Gadorian knights do you see on the Legacy? Seriously, C, if that uniform is standard issue, the higher-ups have some issues."
I tilted my head as if to say "you got a point there". For the life of me, I loved my country, but even I had to admit it was run by a bunch of philandering old men. I had spent many a day wondering if they even let women become knights just so they could have some eye candy. Not something I would dwell on too long, lest I become overly-depressed.
"So anyway, what do you think of this?"
I groaned even before I looked. Norma had taken on a gleeful, treacherous expression as soon as I had first asked her for advice. So of course, I had been dragged immediately out of the inn and into one of the many clothing stores that seemed to be sprouting up all around the edges of Werites Beacon.
I looked and raised an eyebrow. "There is no way you're getting me to wear that... ribbon." Seriously. I think it was a shirt, but there was no way it would cover more than about a fifteenth of my upper body. I might as well just glue some feathers to my... Um. Let's end that thought right there.
Norma laughed. "Aw, come on! Senny would love it!"
I sighed and covered my eyes with a hand, shaking my head. I peeked at the "shirt" again, and before I knew it, I was imagining Senel's reaction to seeing me in something like that. I felt heat rush to my cheeks. Still... Perhaps he wouldn't be mortified. Perhaps he might, possibly, kind of-
"Geez, C! I was just kidding!" Norma had a genuinely surprised look on her face, as if she knew exactly where my mind was headed, and put the thing back on the rack. I turned and crossed my arms.
"I-I know you were... Can we be looking seriously now? I can barely stand being in these shops as it is."
"Okay, okay..." She went back to looking through the rack. "So you have no idea what kind of place it is?"
"Not a clue. He just said he wanted to take me somewhere."
"He can't make this easy, can he? Well, I guess we'll just have to go with something semi-formal to be on the safe side."
"You mean like a pants suit?"
Norma gave me a look like I had two heads. "You're gonna have to wear a dress, C."
I groaned and hung my head. I had hated dresses as a kid and I hated them now.
Norma grabbed my hand before I could complain and dragged me out of the store. I breathed an audible sigh of relief.
"Don't be so happy just yet, C. We still haven't found a thing, and if you thought we were just gonna get a dress for you, you're sadly mistaken."
"What's with this 'we' business? I'm the one who's going on a date!"
Norma continued, ignoring my comment. "We still gotta find shoes, perfume, makeup, jewelry, and of course..." By now I was already horrified. Norma grinned before continuing. "We gotta figure out what to do with you're hair."
"W-What do you mean? I'm just gonna wear my-"
"You're not wearing that beret."
"Then I'll find a different one!"
"You're not wearing any hat of any kind, C."
At that point I wanted to fall to my knees and cry out to the heavens in despair.
"You're gonna have to leave your sword too."
That time I did. I still remember the looks people gave me.
...xXx...
Wednesday:
I really had to admit that I was surprised.
It was almost as if the very act of shopping cleared Norma of all immaturity and delight-at-other-people's-misfortune. Er... Alright, not exactly. It was obvious she was having fun tormenting me, but it wasn't as shameless as usual. One could almost say it was very business-like. For the first time since the incident with the Everlight, Norma seemed to really focus in on the task at hand.
In truth, it was kind of scary. And a tiny little voice of rationality that was somehow unaffected by the combination of Norma's behavior and the fact that I would soon be having serious one-on-one time with Senel was telling me that I should be suspicious. Unfortunately, it was a very tiny voice that, for the time being , went unheeded.
But even though I wasn't as suspicious as I probably should be, I was still plenty annoyed.
"Norma, why are we looking for things that I don't even need? We managed to find a dress last night." Yeah. And I didn't end up going to sleep until two in the morning because I had a lot of work that needed to get done afterward. I was not looking forward to doing that again.
Norma shook her head. "Wow, C. It really is amazing how little you know." I responded by crossing my arms and raising an eyebrow. "Alright, let me try to explain. You mentioned you used to watch Gadorian marching bands, right?"
"Y-Yes..." I said, somewhat embarrassed. Few knew that I had once wanted to actually play in Gadoria's Royal Corps. I had actually devoted a ridiculous amount of time to watching and teaching myself how to play a couple of brass instruments for that very purpose when I was young.
"Okay. Well think of it like this. In a typical parade, the main attraction is the band, right?"
"Right."
"But then you also have a drum major, who, although they do essentially lead the band and keep the tempo steady, they also do a lot of unnecessary baton twirling that's mainly just for show, right?"
"Right..."
"And then you've got the honor guard that carries the flags and a couple of swords."
"Yeah..."
"Then the Color Guard which also carries flags, only they twirl them around kinda like the drum major."
"I suppose..." I started to get the feeling that I wasn't going to like where this was going.
"And then you got the drill team in the back with all their hand clapping and what-not." I was silent. "Well, do you really think any crowd would cheer for them nearly as much if it was just the band without all that extra stuff? Not to mention they wouldn't walk away with nearly so many trophies at the end of a competition."
Dang. I was really backed into a corner here. I just couldn't think of a way to counter where Norma was going with this. I would be willing to bet gald that she had probably looked up all this information the night before just to argue against me. The sad thing was, it was actually impressive how much she knew about this topic. I hadn't mentioned any details of Gadorian marching bands to well, anyone.
"It's the same thing with an outfit, C. Yeah, you've got the dress. But if you really want Senny to be impressed, meaning if you want him to have that look that just says 'Whoa, I didn't know Chloe could be so drop-dead gorgeous', then you gotta go the whole nine yards."
I let out a breath through slightly clenched teeth. I hated how Norma always, ALWAYS managed to get the best of me like this. And I hated even more the fact that despite all my groaning and not-so-silent complaining, I actually was not suffering as much as I made it seem. I still hated all the accessories, shoes, perfume, and purses surrounding us. I even hated all the shops and their overly up-beat music. But if I had to be completely honest with myself, part of me was, to an extent, enjoying all of this. Why? Because darn it, I AM just as female as Shirley, Norma, and yes even Grune and it would be nice to receive a compliment on my appearance from Senel for once.
Still, despite that very small portion of me that was slightly thrilled at the prospect, something about the sheer shallowness of these shops and their contents just made my skin crawl. "Alright, fine, I get your point. But can we please make this quick? I feel like I can hardly breathe in here."
"Gosh, C. I never knew you could be this whiney."
I. Do NOT. Whine.
...xXx...
Friday:
I really don't know how much more of this I can take. We spent the entire day yesterday trying to find shoes. Thankfully that didn't grate on my nerves quite so much as the two days before, but it was still thoroughly exhausting.
Today is the day of true horror. I actually had nightmares last night.
Norma will be forcing me to come with her to several shops that allow customers to sample the merchandise. What exactly does that mean?
Hours of her having fun painting my face with make-up.
I'm hoping that if I lay here in bed long enough she'll think I'm completely overworked from training, sorting out paperwork from home, and helping out Raynard. If she has any sort of heart, she'll take pity on me and leave me the heck alone.
Right. Like that'll ever happen.
A sudden pounding knock sounded on my door.
"Rmmmmmm... go away..." My voice came out muffled from laying face down on my pillow.
As I had expected, the door banged open.
"Chloe! Something's going on! Father said he needs your help, fast!"
That wasn't the person I was expecting. I shot out of bed, fully clothed from dressing before deciding to try to make Norma leave me alone. I tugged on my beret. "Where is he, Elsa?"
"He's out in front, hurry!"
I followed Elsa at a run down the stairs and out in front of the hospital.
"What the-?"
Confusion hit me for a split second, then was quickly followed by a mix of something between irritation and searing anger, and dread. I felt so betrayed.
"Thanks, Elly! She never would've come out if I had tried to wake her up."
Elsa was gone- probably feeling guilty- before I could even open my mouth, leaving me with a grinning Norma.
"That was low," I said. "How did you get her to do that?" Seriously. Elsa admired me so much that it was creepy. I never would have expected her to trick me like that.
"Oh, I have my ways. Anyway, let's get going!" Norma spun on her heel, pumping her fist in the air.
"No." I crossed my arms. I had had enough. I was sleep-deprived. I was stressed out. I was worried about tomorrow. I was even sore from the past week of constant marathon shopping. And that's really saying something considering the fact that I always spend at least two or three hours in the morning training with the Eternal Sword which is almost as long as I am tall and half as thick. If there was ever a time to stand up for myself and not let Norma have her way, that time was now. After all, this was supposed to be about me and Senel. Norma didn't have any outstanding right to control as much as she was trying to. Besides, I had initially only asked her for advice, nothing more. Instead of exhausting and stressing myself out even further, I should spend the day getting the last of the week's work done, relaxing, and praying to Nerifes, Grune, the Creator, and any other higher powers that tomorrow goes well. If Norma wanted to have fun tormenting someone, then she would just have to find someone else today.
Norma looked me in the eye. "You already know you're coming, C."
I glared and stalked past her. "Shut up."
...xXx...
After five very long minutes of having my eyes closed, I finally stopped listening to Norma and looked in the mirror.
"I look like a raccoon!"
"Well, I wouldn't have messed up if you hadn't kept squirming!" Oh, I could hear the snicker in her voice. She was definitely enjoying this.
I grabbed the bottle of remover and a tissue and started to scrub my face clean. "Alright, I can't take any more of this."
"But that was just a fluke! And that was barely the first time I tried doing anything! Just stop squirming while I'm putting it on and it won't look bad at all!"
"Norma, are you trying to drive me insane?"
"Of course not, C! What would give you that idea?" There she went again with her imitation big round innocent Oresoren eyes.
I sighed. "I have a lot of work left to do before tomorrow, Norma. I don't want to be out as late as we have been these past few days."
Norma smiled and nodded. "Fair enough. We'll be done by late noon, no problem."
...xXx...
Late noon.
HA.
I collapsed face first onto my bed, fully intending to fall asleep without changing out of my uniform when I remembered a stack of papers that was waiting for me on my nightstand. I groaned, then reluctantly pushed myself off the bed and grabbed a pen.
Just one more night.
One more night until I could enjoy Senel's company.
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Yep. I was officially a nervous wreck.
...xXx...
Xonel: Hope you enjoyed! And don't worry, you'll all get to know exactly what Chloe looks like with her full ensemble (haha, band humor) in the next chapter: THE DATE.