Me: Welcome back, my lovely readers (who would be significantly lovelier if they doubled as reviewers ;D lol), to another chapter of Salvation!
Richter: Can't you pick on someone else to torment?
Me: Hmmm...nah. I'm not done with you yet, Rich-kun. ;)
Richter: Oh, boy. Lucky me...
Me: These author notes are very short, but I don't really have much to say at this point. :D sooo, take it away, my sexy redheaded love!
Richter: ...Eternal Wings owns nothing but this story, her characters...and a sick sense of humor for puting me through this torment.
Me: Heh. ;)
Chapter Four
"Phew. It's a good thing we came when we did...Genis and I were able to save dinner!" Colette exclaimed triumphantly as she placed everyone's plates in front of them on the table. Everyone, minus Colette, was already sitting at the dining room table, more than ready to eat.
"In my defense, I would like to simply say that I did not ruin dinner – I only got a little carried away," Raine insisted.
"Onlya little?" Genis raised an eyebrow at his sister.
At that point, everyone had began to eat. "Ah! It's so delicious...it's the best thing I've ever tasted before!" Ariel gasped after taking her first bite.
"You really think so?" Genis grinned, flattered.
Ariel nodded, enjoying the meal to its fullest. "Definitely! It's amazing! You and Colette made my entire day with this meal – it's to die for!"
"I didn't really do anything, to be honest...I only assisted Genis with the small tasks. He prepared most of the meal himself – my cooking skills are nothing compared to his," Colette admitted modestly.
"Don't feel bad, Colette...the same goes for mine when compared to someone of Genis' caliber. Mmm...! Genis, I swear you're some sort of kitchen god! Can I trade Richter for you? You're much more useful – and a lot less broody." Ariel shot her Guardian a teasing smirk.
Richter said nothing, ignoring his Bearer as he continued to eat.
"Hehe, I bet your cooking sucks." Lloyd grinned at the older man. Richter pointed an icy glare in the swordsman's direction that made him sweat drop, "Ouch...someone's a little sensitive about their cooking skills..."
"Seriously, Genis...you've really got to teach me how to cook like this! Even though I've only been here for a short amount of time, I've come to see that there's such a great variety of food and spices here! Where I'm from, it isn't like that..." Ariel trailed off.
"What do you mean? There aren't too many foods or spices that are only found in one place, unless it's something from exotic places like Latheon Gorge." The half-elven prodigy took another bite of his food.
"I guess you could say I'm from a very deprived area, then," Ariel answered. Before she could be asked another question, she turned her attention to the half-elven teacher. "Wasn't there something you said you wanted to discuss? I'm still eating, but I'm all ears."
"Well, there are a lot of things I want to discuss, but I think I should start by asking where exactly you're from. You dodged that question when Genis asked." Raine leaned forward.
"Where I'm from...that isn't an easy question to answer. It would take a lot of explaining..." Ariel trailed off thoughtfully, unsure of where she could possibly begin.
"Don't worry. We won't mind if it takes awhile," Raine replied.
Ariel pointed an uncertain gaze in the direction of her half-elven companion, silently asking for his advice.
"None of this is their business – you don't owe them an explanation. If you feel as though you should explain, say only what you must and keep it short," Richter advised.
The brunette took a deep breath before she decided how she should begin. "Alright. My name is Ariel Irving. I'm from a world much different from this one called Cyria. Cyrians are required to study the history of all three of the outer worlds – Cyria, Aselia, and Dherris-Kharlan – and the single inner world – Niflheim – so that we have at least some knowledge of our neighboring worlds. I've never been to Aselia before, so that's the only reason why I know what I know about this place. The way of life of all four worlds differ significantly, but one of Cyria's biggest distinctions is probably its social hierarchy. We have something similar to a caste system and it consists of only three social classes, but those three classes can be divided into even more specific subclasses, if desired.
"The highest class consists of angels and then only a step below them are the half-elves. But, because half-elves make up fifty five percent of the population while angels only make up ten percent of the population, they have a lot more power than the angels do so we of Cyria consider them to be the superior race. The top of the caste system truly belongs to them. All of the higher order of angels live together in a magnificent city similar to Dherris-Kharlan's Welgaia – they're the only ones capable of locating and entering it, though, so the rest of us don't know very much about it.
"The middle class consists of elves and anything else that contains elven blood but isn't half human and half elf – they make up fifteen percent of the population. And then, the lowest class is reserved for humans and even lower than them would be every other race in between – we make up twenty percent of the population. All of Cyria's resources go first to the upper classes, so we of the lowest class pretty much get whatever remains and it's usually just barely enough to get by. Within the upper two classes there are social standings that divide the ranking of race even further, but that doesn't exist in the lowest class – we are all just as poor as the next. I wouldn't say we're dirt poor...so long as we're very careful and make wise decisions, we have enough to get by. We also build our own homes and make our own clothing – none of it's particularly fancy, but it does the job. We can't afford nice things or luxury like the other classes, though. We can only afford very little, so we all tend to live in villages and help each other out the best we can."
"A world where...half-elves are superior...?" Genis repeated, seeming to be in a thoughtful trance.
The Cyrian woman continued. "Cyria has always had little mana in it and Aselia has always had plentiful – It's been like that since the creation of the worlds. That's why the Cyrians hate the Aselians. You have so much mana, so many resources...and yet, you do nothing but waste them on meaningless wars, magi-technology and other petty things like that. Your world has a violent history full of selfish and greedy people...and the extent of persecution in your world, it's...horrible. They're things that would never happen in Cyria, so why is it that the goddess blessed you with the gift of mana but not us?"
"You said there is a social hierarchy in Cyria just as there is in Aselia. If that is so, how can there be no persecution?" Raine questioned.
"To say one race is better than another, or one race is lower than another, that is discrimination, isn't it? So there is discrimination, but we are all equally protected under the law – there are no laws saying this person will always be guilty and that person will always be innocent because we are all looked at equally in the judicial system. The discrimination we face is purely social and by separating the people, it's avoided," Ariel answered.
Colette frowned. "You live by separating yourselves? But separation doesn't solve the problem – it only causes the separated parties to become less and less tolerate of each other as time goes by. The Sylvaranti and Tethe'allans are proof enough of that."
The Bearer of the Right folded her arms before looking away. "…You guys were separated as an aftermath of a catastrophic war and years of rivalry and disdain – our people have always been separated this way, long before problems could be developed. We were never separated into worlds, only into standards of living, so everyone always was and always will be Cyrian – that was one thing that held all of us together, especially during troubled times, and no one could deny that. Besides, no one said that it fixed the problem...I said that it avoided the problem.
"Humans and other low races live together. Half-elves and some angels live together. Elves and others of elven blood live together. We live according to our caste system so that discrimination isn't open and all up in our faces and we also submit ourselves to the rule of the strongest race. Yes...the higher races may look down on the lower races and spit upon them, and the lower races may hold some form of resentment against the higher races, but they would never do anything to each other because the law would punish them harshly. When you forget your place in society, no matter what it is, no matter who you are...that's when you are persecuted and punished."
"So you simply accept the inequality of the social hierarchy of your world and make the best of it order to have as much peace and freedom as possible...hm. Is that truly the right way to live?" Raine asked, interested by this new world's social order.
Looking back at the Aselians, Ariel smiled bitterly. "'Equality'...is an illusion. I believe that both the people I do and don't like deserve to live in the same world as I do, because that's the way things should be, but even so...there is simply no such thing as 'equality'. There never was and there never will be, so there's no use in fighting a losing battle. That's why we simply do what we must. We do what we have to do to survive and be as happy as we can. After all...that's not a crime, is it?"
"Sheesh...she sounds like Zelos." Genis muttered.
"But we're asking you...do you think that's the best way that you could possibly live?" Lloyd looked at the eighteen year old, disbelief shining clearly in his eyes. "You should never say things like 'it will never be equal'. The only reason things aren't closer to being equal is because none of you are fighting to change the way things are. You're just sitting there and accepting it. If you ask me, the way you're living…that's the true meaning of being without freedom."
"I understand what you're saying – really, I do. But you have to look at it from the long run. If we fight the social hierarchy, the people will only become more divided and the greater the division, the greater the possibility of war. We don't want to end up like Sylvarant and Tethe'alla...we don't want war...the people in my caste couldn't survive a war. We already have very little...we don't want to lose everything. Fighting against the social hierarchy... that would be like us voting to worsen our lives. Wars and rebellions aren't in our favor...we don't have to be stupid enough to waste countless lives in a war like your Ancient Kharlan War to see that. Wars are meaningless...if one problem is fixed, a worse one arises," Ariel replied.
"Who said anything about wars? No one said you had to do that. There are peaceful ways to protest against things that aren't fair!"
"Heh...you don't get it. Protesting is seen as forgetting one's place...merely complaining is seen as forgetting one's place...doing anything that so much as suggests you're unhappy with your caste and the way the system works can be seen as forgetting one's place! Once one is seen as forgetting their place, they have no protection...the law no longer applies to them because they're now outcasts! And if you're seen as an outcast, you're only subjecting yourself to cruel punishments and intense persecution. That goes for everyone of all classes. Things work differently in my world than they do in your world and until you've lived that kind of life, you simply wouldn't understand."
"I don't need to experience it to know that it isn't fair."
"Lloyd...if you believe that life was meant to be 'fair'...then you're horribly mistaken."
"Is that why you're here? Did you come here to get away from Cyria?" Colette interjected.
"No. I didn't come here to get away from Cyria - as hard as it may be for you to believe, I actually love Cyria with all of my heart. Even with its flaws, to me, Cyria will always seem...beautiful," Ariel responded.
Colette nodded, able to understand where the younger girl was coming from. "I can understand that. You love Cyria just as I loved Sylvarant and now love Aselia. It's my home... would do anything to protect Aselia."
"Then you understand why I'm here. I'm here for Cyria's sake," Ariel declared.
"And how exactly does that work out? Do you plan to destroy Aselia so that you Cyrians no longer have to deal with it? As Aselians, do you honestly think we'd let you do that?" Raine demanded.
Ariel shook her head. "That isn't my intention – let me explain. In Cyria, there is something called the Cyrian Salvation Organization, commonly known as the Cyrian Knights. They're being manipulated by Cruxis into thinking that the only way to save Cyria is by destroying Aselia-"
"Wait a minute, Cruxis exists in Cyria?!" Genis interrupted the brunette. "How can that be...we defeated them and their leader four years ago, right along with the Desians!"
"The Desians are something that exists exclusively in your world. Cruxis, on the other hand, has always existed in mine. For as long as Cyrian history has been recorded, the people of my world have seen the angels of Cruxis to be messengers of the goddess. They submit themselves completely and entirely to Cruxis. Cruxis is to us what the fake goddess, Martel, is to you. To them, obeying Cruxis is like giving themselves a slimmer of hope...to them, living to follow Cruxis' orders is like living for the true goddess herself," Ariel told the Aselians.
"I've had several ties to Cruxis since birth, so I never thought them to be 'holy' or any of the sort...I've always known they only used the goddess to their advantage. I know what Cruxis' goals and intentions really are...what they feed the public is so appealing and it almost sounds too good to be true, but then I remember that what they're trying to do isn't right. That's why I've decided to side with neither them nor the Cyrian Knights. I don't want to side with someone I know is wrong, even if it means everyone labels me a traitor."
"I assume that Mithos Yggdrasill was the leader of Cruxis in Cyria, just as he was in Aselia and Dherris-Kharlan? If that holds true, then how is Cruxis still able to function properly without him?" Raine inquired.
"You're the ones who went on the Journey of World Regeneration four years ago and two years later, you got involved with Ratatosk and the Centurion cores...so I assume you all know about Lord Yggdrasill's Age of Lifeless Beings. He had many disciples who supported his ideals – an angel of Cruxis named Celestin was the most dedicated out of all of Lord Yggdrasill's disciples. He honestly believed Lord Yggdrasill's ideals to be the only way to a truly peaceful world, so when Lord Yggdrasill died...he took over Cruxis because he felt as though it was his duty to carry out the Age of Lifeless Beings in Lord Yggdrasill's stead," Ariel began to explain.
"In reality, his ideals are modest. He wishes to see a united world where there is no persecution. But the way he wants to go about those ideals are seriously twisted. He wants to open the Niflheimian Gate, absorb the other worlds into Niflheim, and then transform everyone into a single, lifeless race. He's made the people of Cyria believe that he's only going to destroy Aselia in order to save Cyria, so the Cyrian Knights are supporting Cruxis one hundred percent. At this point, I'm probably the only one who has the power to stop Cruxis. I know that Aselia is a threat to my beloved home of Cyria, but if Aselia is destroyed, Cyria will be too. That's why I want to create a new natural order - an order where the four worlds can co-exist peacefully."
"How could this Celestin person possibly have the power to do that, though? Even with the power of the Eternal Sword, that's...impossible..." Colette whispered, clearly shocked.
"I told you to keep it short. You're wasting time explaining unnecessary things to them," Richter spoke up, deciding to wrap things up. "The outer worlds of Aselia, Cyria and Dherris-Kharlan are all connected by the single inner world, Niflheim. So just as Aselia has a Great Door, Cyria and Dherris-Kharlan also have a Great Door – in Cyria, they refer to the Great Door is the Niflheimian Gate or something else to that effect. Aselia's Great Door happens to be the weakest and the easiest to open – that's why Cruxis is targeting it. If they open the door and go through judgment, they will be able to obtain a certain power. With that power, they will be able to go through with Celestin's version of Yggdrasill's Age of Lifeless Beings.
"She," he paused to point his thumb at the eighteen year old sitting beside of him, "has decided to go through the Judgment process – there are two other people who have the same power to do so, but the second one sided with Cruxis and the third one's identity is unknown. It is absolutely necessary in order to reopen the Great Door safely and obtain the power vital to changing the natural order. Ratatosk and the Centurions have been dispersed throughout the three worlds and she has to make pacts with them before Cruxis does as the first part of the Judgment process. We came to Iselia because we believe Centurion Ventus is somewhere in the area."
"The Judgment process? How exactly did Ariel get from Cyria to Aselia in the first place? You haven't explained why she's with you or even why you were released from the Great Door. And what's this 'power' the both of you keep talking about?" Lloyd inquired.
"Any further explanations are not necessary. We've both told you more than enough. The rest is none of your concern – if you really care that much, piece it together on your own time," Richer replied icily, preventing Ariel from saying anything else.
"That's not the correct thing for you to say to us, Richter...you were going to ask if we knew anything about Centurion Ventus, weren'tyou? If you withhold information, we can also withhold information," Raine said in an icy tone that rivaled his.
"Professor! That wouldn't be fair. Aselia is in trouble and they're trying to protect it – it's as simple as that. They're doing all of this to save our home – isn't that reason enough to help them?" Colette admonished.
"We'd be more than happy to give you information about Centurion Ventus, but we really don't know anything...Lloyd and I have been searching the area for the last few days to see if anything out of the ordinary has been going on to cause this weird windy weather, but we haven't found anything yet...oh! We haven't checked the Temple of Martel yet! Maybe going there will give you some hints about the windy weather? It's probably related to Centurion Ventus, after everything you've told us."
"Then let's go." Richter stood up.
"E-er, wait!" Colette stopped the redhead. After receiving a questioning look from him, she continued. "Um, well...you see, it's dark outside right now and there have been a lot of monsters roaming around lately...plus, the two of you must be exhausted from all the traveling you must have done, too. So...I just...it would put my mind at ease if the two of you waited until daylight to go to the temple and spent the night here so that you could rest."
"No. Cruxis already has a two day advantage over us. We don't have time to waste," Richter said sternly.
"But Colette's right. We're both tired from traveling all the way from Asgard today by foot and you know it. There's no sense in going out of our way to find Centurion Ventus only to get our butts handed to us by it. We'll be better prepared after a night of rest," Ariel reasoned.
"Mama should spend the night because Isuzu wants to show her around Iselia tomorrow! Mama will let Isuzu, won't Mama?" Isuzu threw herself onto the brunette and gave her the cutest puppy dog eyes that she could possibly muster.
"See? Isuzu agrees with me." Ariel hugged the young girl to her happily.
"Looks like you're outnumbered, Richter." Lloyd grinned.
"...Hmph. Do as you like for the night, then. But no force in heaven, hell or earth will get in the way of us going to the Temple of Martel tomorrow, so be ready," The half-elf ordered before walking out of the kitchen.
"...Mama, the bad man is scary." Isuzu shuddered, burying herself in Ariel's arms.
"Hehe, don't be silly, Isuzu. Richter isn't bad...he's just a little broody and short with people." The brunette cradled the raven-haired child in her arms.
"Actually, Richter doesn't seem to be quite as short with you as he is with most people. The fact that he puts up with you willingly is proof enough. Even though he claims you frustrate him, he so easily allowed you to have your way just now. If he really hated you, if the two of you were really together just because you have to be, and if he really wanted to get your little mission thing over with as soon as possible so that he didn't have to deal with you anymore, he would have dragged you to that temple even if he had to do it while you were kicking and screaming, no matter what anyone had to say about it. He keeps denying it, but the two of you must really be good friends." Lloyd walked up to Ariel.
"If Richter's any less short or any nicer towards me than he is most people, it's only because of the earring that he was destined to wear and can't remove, the earring that carries out the Will of the Goddess and binds him to me as my Guardian Knight," Ariel reminded herself. "If he wasn't wearing that earring...and if we had met under completely normal circumstances… I wonder...would Richter opt to be my friend? Would he even want to have anything to do with me? No…probably not. I'd end up causing him a lot more trouble than I'm worth..."
The brunette's thoughts were interrupted by Lloyd taking Isuzu from her. "I think it's about time for a certain someone to go to bed."
"But Lloyd, Isuzu isn't tired, Isuzu isn't tired!" The young girl argued. On cue, the eight year old let out an unwilling yawn.
"Oh, really? You're not tired?" The brunet raised an eyebrow at the little girl in his arms. In response, she only pouted.
Lloyd laughed. "Say goodnight to everyone, Isuzu. It's your bedtime."
"Fine, fine...night Mama and Colette and Raine and Genis! Isuzu will be rested and ready to play tomorrow!" The eight year old waved as the older male carried her out of the room.
"That's probably something we should be worried about, as energetic as she seems to be..." Ariel sweat dropped.
"Well, I'm bushed. Raine and I are going to bed. See you guys." Genis stood up and stretched before leaving the kitchen with his sister.
Promptly, Colette began to collect the remaining dishes and fill the sink up with soapy hot water.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Ariel asked.
"But you're a guest! Please, leave the cleaning to me," Colette insisted.
Ariel shook her head. "I would be a horrible guest if I simply ate and left you to clean everything up like everyone else did."
"That isn't true! Genis did most of the cooking, Professor cleaned everything up as we cooked, and Lloyd helped watch the food and played with Isuzu."
"What about me and Richter? We haven't done anything to help."
"But you have! Richter cleaned up his own mess and washed his own dishes while you were talking to us and you're doing the same exact thing right now, which makes the chore of cleaning up a lot easier. So you see, everyone did go out of their way to help me with the cleaning. Because you're all guests, I simply couldn't ask anything more of you!"
"At least let me wash the rest of the dishes. I won't let you say no."
"But...but you're a guest..."
"Colette..."
"...Um...o-okay...but only if you really want to...!"
"...Hey, Colette?" Ariel walked over to the sink and gathered soapy water in her hands.
"Ah...yes, Ari-" Colette was cut off by having dish water and bubbles thrown on her.
"Lloyd's right. You are a dork. But I like that about you." Ariel grinned.
Colette walked up to the brunette and splashed her with the dish water.
"Hey!" Ariel glared at the blonde, but was cut off by Colette smiling, "...You're mean. But I like that about you, too."
.
.
.
The two girls began to laugh. "I'm glad that we've become friends so fast," The former Chosen said as she began to rinse and dry the dishes that Ariel had already washed.
"Yeah...me too. But we have a serious problem." The Cyrian stopped said in a serious tone of voice. Once she saw the Aselian's expression of confusion, she continued, "...You and I are officially locked in a battle to the death! Let the soapy water flinging commence!"
"Ah! Ariel! That's not fair!" Colette pouted after having more soapy water flung at her.
"All is fair in love and war, my dear friend!" Ariel smirked.
"Hmph...take that!" The twenty year old soaked her friend with a huge splash of soapy water.
"Ugh! Colette!" The eighteen year old glared, only to have her friend smile back at her innocently. "Oh, excuse me. I'm terribly sorry, but...didn't you say something about everything being fair in war just a moment ago? Yes...I believe you did, teehee."
"...I'm going to get you for this!"
"Not if you can't catch me."
"I will! Hee-yah...! Grrr, get back here!"
"Hehe, sorry, I can't do that!"
"Fine then – we'll do this the hard way! So now, at this rate, instead of cleaning the kitchen, we're going to destroy it!"
For now, this is okay...isn't it, Colette? For now, you'll put up with someone as troublesome as me...won't you? I just want to be your friend...I just want this fun to last...for at least a little bit longer.
XxXxXxX
"...The two of you look like you had a lot of fun. I never realized how interesting cleaning the kitchen could be," Lloyd spoke to the girls as they approached him. They had finally finished cleaning up their battleground and drying their clothes from the complete soaking they had endured; their hair was still damp and served as clear evidence of the war that had taken place. The girls simply giggled, "Yeah, you could say that."
"...Do I even want to know?" He raised an eye brow. Once again, they giggled, which made the older male sigh, "Girls...I'll never understand them."
"Oh, Colette...if you really don't mind me spending the night, where should I sleep?" Ariel turned to look at the blonde as she finished drying her hair with a towel.
"There are only three bedrooms – mine, Lloyd's and Isuzu's – and one guest room. Lloyd gave up his room for Raine and Genis – he's going to sleep out here in the living room tonight – so the guest room, the room you woke up in, is free for you. All four of the rooms are upstairs," Colette responded.
"Thanks, you guys. But...if that's the case, where will Richter sleep?" Ariel asked. "Hmmm... He can sleep in the guest room, too," Colette answered.
"Eh?!"
"Well, you don't have to sleep together – he can sleep on the floor or something. There's nowhere else for him to go... And I don't think he'd like it very much if he had to sleep with Lloyd in the living room, so..."
"Wow, Colette...you really don't have a problem with us sharing rooms in your house? That's surprising..."
"I know he's a boy and you're a girl, but I also know the both of you well enough so I think it will be fine. I've seen Richter protect you a few times today so I don't think he'd hurt you. And besides, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would try anything."
"I don't know, Colette...you can't always judge a book by its cover. For all we know, Richter could be a sex-crazed maniac who's going to force himself onto Ariel and have his dirty little way with her by-" Lloyd was cut off by Ariel elbowing him in the side roughly. "Ow! You didn't have to do that, you know...could've just told me to shut up...I was only kidding..." Lloyd winced as he rubbed his sore side.
"I appreciate the hospitality. Thanks so much for everything today and I hope the both of you sleep well," The brunette continued, ignoring the brown-haired swordsman's whining.
"Colette might sleep well, but I sure won't - not with this sore side! Ugh...I think you bruised my ribcage...ow, dammit...!" Lloyd muttered.
"Does it really hurt that badly, Lloyd...?" Colette tried to reach out for her companion and examine his side, but Ariel stopped her. "No, Colette. Don't help him. He completely deserved that."
"Did not!" Lloyd protested.
"Oh, please. I'm sure Richter would have done a lot worse than elbow you if he had heard what you said." Ariel rolled her eyes.
Colette laughed at her two friends' bickering. "I think you'll be fine, Lloyd. I've seen you get plenty of really nasty wounds in the past and you never cried once. You're really strong."
"Heh heh...thanks, Colette." Lloyd rubbed his head with a smile.
"It's the truth." Colette smiled back.
Ariel began to move towards the stairs. "Well, I'm going to go ahead and go to bed now. Goodnight, Colette. Goodnight, Lloyd."
"Alright. Sleep tight." Lloyd nodded.
"Goodnight to you, too! We'll see you in the morning!" Colette waved as Ariel ascended the stairs until she was eventually out of sight.
Ariel continued walking until she approached the guest room. When she opened the guest room door, she found that Richter was already there – he was quietly sitting in the corner directly in front of the bed and beside of the window with both his sword and his axe in his lap.
The brunette attempted to strike conversation with the redhead, but she quickly found that he was purposely ignoring her and eventually gave up. She continued to prepare for bed in silence – once she finished, she laid down in bed and stared up at the ceiling while waiting for sleep to come to her. More and more time passed as she tried her best to fall asleep, but her efforts were all in vain. Deciding that she was too restless, the eighteen year old sat up and ran a hand through her long hair as she exhaled noisily. At this rate, she would never fall asleep.
After sitting on the bed in silence for awhile, Ariel decided to break it. "Lloyd and Colette are so cute together and they get along so well. They'd make such a great couple and they obviously like each other, so I wonder why they don't date..."
"...Maybe the fact that they're together is enough for them," Richter sighed a response.
"Oh, my! He spoke – he actually spoke! Are you actually gracing me with your voice, my dear Guardian Knight?!" The Cyrian gasped teasingly.
"Hmph. Think nothing of it. You were just being bothersome. I decided I would save myself a lot of frustration if I simply responded," the Aselian replied.
"Heh, you should have figured that out the first time around!" Ariel grinned in triumph as she turned to face Richter. Once her eyes landed on him, her grin faded. "Oh...do you plan on sleeping there?"
"And if I say yes? Do you have a problem with it?" Richter narrowed his eyes.
"...You're as short as ever." Ariel let out a heavy sigh before she got out of bed and left the room.
Richter watched her retreating form. He almost wondered if what he had said had offended her. "No. She's just abandoning you," a darker side of the redhead thought.
Yes...that made perfect sense. She was abandoning him – not that it really surprised him. Just like he suspected, she was no different. She was just like all of the others, just like the rest of the people who had -
Suddenly, the brunette appeared again, this time carrying a blanket and pillow in her arms. She walked up to him, knelt down, and wrapped the blanket around him before whispering as she handed him the pillow. "I had only meant that you looked uncomfortable. That's why I asked. Not because I wanted you to leave."
"Hn." Was all the half-elf had to say in response. After waiting for him to get settled, Ariel took off his glasses slowly so that if he wanted to stop her, he could.
Surprisingly, he didn't.
"Can you see without these?" The Bearer asked.
"Yes. My vision is perfect,"the Guardian answered.
"Then why do you wear them?" She tilted her head in confusion.
"They're researcher glasses and they don't have prescription in them. They were a gift from a friend," He briefly told her.
"I see..." She gave him a nod as she stroked his long hair. Her fingers began to run themselves through his red locks gently and comfortingly as she softly hummed a sweet melody.
"...What are you doing?" Richter inquired after a few moments had passed.
"When I was a little girl, I had a lot trouble sleeping because I constantly had nightmares...so my sister would play with my hair just like this and sing me a lullaby that she made up – the one that I'm humming – every night to help me fall asleep," Ariel explained without stopping her gentle administrations.
"I'm not a child," Richter mumbled.
Ariel laughed lightly before apologizing, "Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry. But I found it comforting...so I thought that, maybe, you would, too."
The younger female stopped her gentle administrations and sat down beside of the older male. She raised her hand to feel the necklace around her neck and said to him, "...This necklace was hand crafted for me by my sister. It's been a long time since I've last seen her and I can't remember every little thing about her...but I remember that she was very kind and very gentle. The look she held in her eyes whenever she saw me was always so warm...I knew my sister loved me just as much as I loved her. But then...she died. She was murdered six years ago."
"I see..." The half-elf trailed off.
The Cyrian nodded again. "Yeah. Well, I told you something about me...tell me something about you."
"There's nothing for me to tell you or for you to know," the half-elf responded.
"I wish you would let me in more," Ariel sighed.
Richter retorted, "For what reason? It isn't necessary – if something isn't necessary, why do it? The longer we travel together, the more and more you're bound to find out on your own, but I generally prefer to keep things on a need-to-know basis. I'm not going to tell you anything you don't need to know. You shouldn't need to tell me anything I don't need to know."
"But I want to know as much as possible about the person I'm going to be traveling with for so long. Instead of prying, though, I'm just going to pay attention and open up to you – that way, maybe you'll eventually be able to do the same," the brunette told him determinedly.
"Why do you find it important to learn things about me?" The Guardian inquired.
"Well, the better we know each other, the better we'll get along, and the better we get along, the easier our journey will be. And, even more than that...I'm hoping we can become friends," the Bearer admitted. "Even though you try not to show it, I think you're a very nice and caring person. What do you...what do you think about me?"
"...I think you're a troublesome girl who should stop talking so much because she needs to rest and prepare herself to form a pact with Centurion Ventus tomorrow," the half-elf answered.
Ariel was about to protest, but stopped. She realized that the way that he had called her a 'troublesome girl' had not sounded nearly as martyred as usual. A happy thought flashed through her mind. "Is he getting used to me? Or, maybe...just maybe...I'm not as troublesome as he makes me out to be."
"...What are you staring at?" Richter demanded.
"Hehe...oh, nothing." Ariel stood up, smiling down at her Guardian as she clasped her hands behind her back.
"Hmph...I wasn't kidding before. Go to sleep."
"Okay, okay, I will. Jeez..."
Deciding to do as she was told, the eighteen year old climbed into bed. As she grabbed the blankets, she stopped and offered another smile to the twenty two year old, "...You should sleep, too. Goodnight, Richter."
"Hmph." Richter nodded to let the younger female know that he had heard her. Ariel laid down and pulled the covers over her.
This time, she would be able to sleep.
Maybe Richter and I will be able to become friends after all...
Maybe.
Me: And that's it! Aw, Rich-kun - you're actually being nice for once!
Richter: For once?
Me: -stops to think- ...Yeah. For once. :)
Richter: Tch.
Me: Hehe. Things are progressing nicely...! -begins to mutter quietly to herself-
Richter: ...Ignore her, like I always do. Read and review please.