Chapter 3: …Where I Found You
Anya Harper was well into her shift at The Golden Maiden when one of the other servers approached her. Annie was a small wisp of a girl with sandy brown hair and a fiery attitude. She took it upon herself to look after the other girls who worked at the tavern. Anya eyed her friend curiously as she came toward her with a serious expression on her small face.
"Annie, how goes it?" she asked, putting her empty tray on the bar. The small woman looked around suspiciously then back at waiting Anya.
"Don't be alarmed, but there is a funny-looking blonde man at the other end of the bar. He's been watching you for awhile now." Annie answered in a low voice.
"Annie, men watch us all the time." Anya answered honestly.
"But this one is stranger than most!" Annie exclaimed as she tried to keep her voice down. Anya rolled her eyes and subtly switched places with her friend so she had the view of the bar's far end. She pretended to be keeping an eye on customers but in reality she was scanning the crowd for this strange man.
"He's wearing a red coat, a long, red coat." Annie murmured.
Anya barely nodded her head in reply, eyes still focused on the crowd. Most of the people were wearing dark or neutral colors so red should have been easy to spot. Sure enough, Anya found the table that Annie had spoken of; two women and two men were sitting there and one had a long, red coat and spiky, blonde hair. At that moment he seemed to be listening to his friends' conversation, so Anya took the time to get a good look at him. His odd haircut and clothing aside, Anya could see that he had a slender, handsome face and his expression was relaxed and kind. Even his bearing seemed that way, not one bit tense or hostile. Honestly, Anya didn't believe this man could hurt anyone and that Annie was just being paranoid like usual.
Then, as if sensing that someone was watching him, the man turned and looked directly at Anya. The waitress blushed in embarrassment at being caught but she couldn't bring herself to look away. The man gave her a small smile and a slight wave so his friends wouldn't notice. Anya could feel the corner of her mouth come up in a small grin. There was something so familiar about him, she realized. Just looking at this man brought butterflies to her stomach, like some infatuated little girl.
Who are you? Anya wondered. Then a curious thing happened. His eyes perked in interest and he tilted his head as if listening carefully to something.
Who are you? the thought echoed back but in a man's voice. Anya blanched at what she had done, something she hadn't done in years. She could see that the man was confused as well, confirming to the startled woman that it had actually happened. Before Anya could think further on it, a hand gripped her shoulder and quickly spun her around. She was then facing the owner of the establishment, Mr. Baxter. He had a concerned look on his face and he kept looking about which seemed to make his gray hair stand on end.
"Anya, I was looking everywhere for you! It's time to do the Harvest Ring and you're this year's Harvest Maiden! Let's go!" he said excitedly, the man bouncing slightly from nervous energy.
"Oh no. Not me, sir!" she protested but the shorter man wasn't listening. He grabbed Anya by the wrist, dragging the flustered woman to the center of the large room where there was a polished wooden dance floor. Anya looked around nervously as Mr. Baxter clapped his hands loudly to get the crowd's attention.
"May I have everyone's attention? Thank you! As is tradition in our town, at festival time each tavern picks a Harvest Maiden. This year our maiden is Anya Harper!" he announced loudly. Anya waved to the crowd, a weak smile on her face. A few whistles came from the mass of people and that only embarrassed her more. Mr. Baxter quieted the crowd down again so he could continue.
"Now I would like all the single gentlemen to make a large circle on the dance floor. We are going to blindfold our maiden," at that point another server came behind Anya and wrapped a linen cloth over her eyes sending her into sudden darkness.
"If our maiden chooses you, you will get a kiss and a free round of drinks tonight. Also, the maiden will be your escort and guide around the festival this week!"
A roar of cheers followed that last statement, causing Anya to groan inwardly. That's just what she wanted: to escort a drunken, grabby idiot all week. Anya sighed in defeat when she heard a rush of footsteps as men hurried to the floor to have their chance. Suddenly Anya was being spun around in place. She went around three times before she was stopped.
"Okay Anya, have at it." Mr. Baxter said and released her from his hold. The young woman weaved unsteadily for a moment, trying to get her bearings. She only prayed that she didn't fall and make a fool of herself. Thankfully, the dizziness soon passed but soon after she felt as if a magnet was at the core of her being and she was effortlessly being pulled along. She only hoped that it wouldn't result in a major mistake.
-)*(-
Vash quickly hurried into the circle with the rest of the single guys. Meryl and Millie had spoken strongly against it, but he had countered saying that it was only innocent fun. Besides, how could he pass up a chance for a kiss from such a pretty girl? Surprisingly, Wolfwood sat out of it and placated the girls, saying that Vash would never do anything to harm the girl, should he win. It was true. He may act like a womanizer but Vash actually had a deep respect for women. Truth be told, he had never even been kissed before and that's partly what made this event so exciting.
So he settled into his spot like the rest of the men present and watched as the girl, Anya, was spun around. He was impressed that she had regained her balance so quickly. She took a few tentative steps one way then turned about and headed in Vash's direction, to the other side's dismay. Her hands were held out in front of her as she made steady progress his way. Vash could feel a knot from in his stomach from the anticipation and was slightly confused by it. Why did this matter so much? Why was he feeling jealous if she swayed toward another man? Unfortunately he couldn't begin to answer those questions at the moment because soon Anya collided with him.
Vash's heart raced as she gently ran her hands over his chest and shoulders, trying to get an idea of who he was. Soon her hands were gliding up his neck and as her soft skin touched his, he felt an actual shock go through him. If Anya felt anything, she didn't show it. She then brought her hands to his face, and Vash bent his head down so she could reach more easily. Her touch as she examined his face was careful and gentle, exciting Vash so much that it bordered between ecstasy and torture. Vash felt like his heart would burst from his chest if this kept up any longer.
Finally, Anya rested her hands on the back of his neck. She leaned into him and gently pressed her lips to his, setting fireworks off in Vash's brain. Apparently that time she felt it as well, because she pressed harder against him. Vash was so caught up in the moment that he didn't even notice the disappointed groans from the other men around him. To his dismay, the kiss ended and Anya stepped back a step. She removed her blindfold and looked to see who she had chosen. When she saw that it was Vash, a look of shock crossed her face. He smiled shyly and waved at her. The young woman was too stunned to speak and simply waved back at him.
-)*(-
Anya listened numbly as Mr. Baxter congratulated the blonde man. Her employer once again explained the rules of the arrangement and the man seemed to listen intently. Occasionally he would glance up at Anya, that shy look still on his face. She blushed each time and had to avert her gaze. How could she have chosen him? She traced her fingers over her lips as she thought about the kiss. It had been something else.
"Anya, would you like to know this gentleman's name?" Mr. Baxter asked gently, bringing her back to the conversation. Anya hugged herself and nodded quickly. The man extended his gloved right hand out, smiling widely. It was such a friendly, innocent smile that Anya couldn't help but smile back.
"Hi! I'm Vash!"
Mr. Baxter paled suddenly, taking a step or two back from them. He dabbed at his face with his handkerchief then stuffed it unceremoniously back in his pocket.
"You…You're not Vash the Stampede are you?" he asked nervously. Vash laughed loudly, waving his hand at them.
"No! No, of course not! Just Vash, that's me!" the younger man quickly answered. Mr. Baxter seemed skeptical but relaxed as Anya shook Vash's hand anyway.
"It's nice to meet you, Vash. Anya Harper, at your service." she answered politely. Once those two were acquainted, Mr. Baxter quietly left them alone. Vash led Anya to the table where his friends were sitting. Anya barely listened as they were introduced to her, she was still in shock over what had happened. Although she did notice that the dark-haired girl apologized for Anya being so embarrassed and that the man in the suit kept looking between Anya and Vash with an intrigued look on his face.
Anya ignored him and tried to be more involved in the conversation with the others. The taller girl, Millie, asked a lot of questions about the festival itself and the food that vendors would have so Anya did her best to answer as many questions as possible. While they were talking, she suddenly felt a nervous tingling in her stomach and her pulse began to race. Where was this coming from?
Why am I so nervous? This is crazy! a man's voice sounded in her head. Anya winced as she tried to push it away.
Get a hold of yourself, man! Don't blow this! the same voice said again. This time it was followed by images of Anya and the kiss and by the strong feeling of arousal. Anya coughed and quickly gulped down some water. She realized to her horror that she was reading Vash! Anya quickly tried to calm down and block him out. She had been so good at controlling her abilities before, the overwhelmed woman couldn't understand why now was so different.
"Anya, are you okay? You don't look so good." Vash said, a look of concern and worry on his face. She was about to lie and say that she was fine when another image sprang into her mind. An image of a little girl with white-blonde hair and a boy with spiky, blonde hair.
Hi! I'm Vash!
She became so pale it seemed like the blood just drained from her face. She couldn't speak from the shock. The same questions from earlier kept racing through her mind. Who is this man? Why was this happening? Why now? Anya finally couldn't take anymore and she stood quickly, her eyes still lock with Vash's, whose face was lined with worry.
"I'm sorry. I have to go." she said shakily. She then raced out from the tavern, leaving the others behind. She could hear Vash behind her, calling for her to wait, but she ignored him and pushed on. Anya ran and ran, focused only on getting home. Even in sandals she was amazingly quick. When she arrived home, in what seemed like to be minutes later, she didn't even stop to greet her parents. Anya just ran up to her room, locked the door behind her, and collapsed into her bed. After years of quiet, she could now hear everyone, feel what they felt and it was simply too much. Tears poured from her eyes as she curled into a ball, trying to make herself small. She hoped maybe then, she would get some peace.