Hullo! There won't be a chapter of True Grit this week, I'm afraid, but I hope this cute little one-shot sates you.
So...the story behind it: StoneByrd tagged me on DA to list ten facts about Kyle. I did, and was thereafter inspired to write this little story about Kyle and Vara's relationship. Adorable, clean fun. ^_^
By the way, if you wanted to look at that list, my DeviantArt account is CupOTea16.
Frozen
"Looks like we're out of the antidote," Kyle said, rummaging through the knapsack as they stepped down from the porch of a plagued house near the North-Middle border. "That was pretty much perfect. We had just enough for this family."
"Mmm." Varasach lifted her arms and let him situate the pack on her shoulders. The brisk air sent gooseflesh up her arms. "Are we going back now?"
"Do you want to?" Kyle helped her into her cloak. "Eh...sorry. We probably shouldn't have walked out before I was done with the knapsack. You cold?"
Varasach shrugged and yawned, fumbling with the buttons of her cloak with gloved hands. "I weel get warm soon."
Kyle's eyes, while bright and cheery as usual, took on a gentler glow as he helped her button up. He lifted her hood over her hair and flashed his signature lopsided grin, white teeth shining. "We've got a couple hours 'till sunrise," he said, voice toned down as if to avoid damaging the delicate quiet of the snowy world around them. "If we hurry, maybe we can actually make it back in time for breakfast."
The past few days they'd finished their rounds late and had to scrounge up leftovers from the kitchen before Varasach took a nap.
"Or…" Kyle crouched and clasped his hands. Varasach nested her foot in his palms and he hoisted her into the saddle. "…we could grab a room at an inn nearby so you can catch a few winks. Then we could travel back in the daylight. I've saved up some spending money for just such an occasion."
Varasach's face warmed. Kyle did not need sleep or food. He could have used that money for any number of things more useful for himself- his boots were looking a little ragged, she noticed. He should be saving his money to replace those instead.
"I'll be fine," she said. "Let's go back."
"Come on," Kyle said, hopping unthinkingly onto his horse's back. "I've been dragging you around all week. You deserve something special."
"Thank you," Varasach said. "But no. Let's go." She grabbed her reins- which Kyle had handed to her before mounting his horse- and nudged the mare. The shaggy brown beast moved toward the nearby road willingly.
The mare was a gentle creature, but Varasach knew she could never be fully comfortable on its back. Growing up on the Dark Island, she'd had to walk to get to where she wanted to be. Her own two feet were a trustworthy form of transportation there, but here in the deep snow…well, she rode the horse, but awkwardly, and often begrudgingly.
When she reached the road she turned back- nearly losing her balance in the saddle- and saw that Kyle had not moved.
A soft sigh escaped Varasach's lips, sending a puff of steam into the still, starlit air. "What's wrong?" she asked, though she knew what his answer would be, and she had to work hard to hide a smile.
"I've been saving that money for you," Kyle answered. "I was just trying to do something nice…"
Varasach shook her head faintly, glancing up at the night sky. "I can make it home," she said, eyes back on Kyle and his equally shaggy gray and brown horse.
"I never said you couldn't make it home." Kyle's horse plowed through the snow toward her. He grinned impishly. "But please? Humor me."
Varasach could hide her smile no longer. She sighed exasperatedly and nodded, cold cheeks warming as blood rose to the surface.
Kyle laughed softly, unconsciously nudging his horse closer to her. He seemed to be of one mind with his mount, and it responded obediently to even his smallest gestures.
"Let's go, then," he said cheerily, and trotted up the road.
Traveling along the main Northern road, it took a little over an hour to reach a town large enough to have an inn. As they traveled at an easy pace down its mostly deserted main street, Kyle leaned back in his saddle and stared up at the sky. Light from the tiny sliver of the moon- and the pinkish predawn light- lit up his eyes, and he stayed quiet for a lot longer than was usual for him.
Varasach finally broke the silence. "What are you looking at?"
Kyle waited a long while before answering, body swaying with the gait of his horse.
"There are so many extraordinary things in this world," he said. "Look at those stars. How did they come to be up there? Why do those bright ones there stay in the sky until the sun rises, while others disappear at the first sign of dawn?"
Varasach blinked at him. "I don't know," she admitted. It seemed a strange question to ask. The stars were just there. They always had been. And they always would be.
"And the moon," Kyle breathed. No steam escaped from his lips- a phenomenon that, when Varasach asked about it, Kyle had laughed and explained that his "lungs" had no moisture to release. "How does it wax and wane like that? How is its cycle so consistent through the centuries that we are able to use it as our calendar? And the seasons… How does the sun get warm enough to melt the snow? How do these trees get green, of all colors, when the sun warms them up?"
"I…don't know."
It was at times like these that Varasach was reminded of Kyle's inhumanity. He had been activated only a few weeks ago. All of this- the stars, the moon, the seasons- were new to him. And he took it all in with childlike wonder, curiosity, and innocence.
Kyle closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Then he exhaled- the cold, dry breath of a robot- and reopened them, smiling serenely at Varasach. He pointed over her shoulder. "We're here."
Varasach reluctantly turned.
They stood before a large, two-story inn. A sign written in Ninjagian graced the low fence surrounding its perimeter. Songs and laughter wafted past, along with generous patches of flickering firelight from the windows. And the unmistakably sweet smell of freshly baked bread.
"The Arrow's Point," Kyle said, reading the sign for her. "Whad'ya think? A good place to stay for a few hours?"
Varasach nodded.
Kyle dismounted, cloak fluttering as he swung out of the saddle, and opened the gate. He took up both horses' reins and led them into the courtyard. A stableboy saw them coming and ran across the yard to take the horses from him. Kyle nodded his thanks and handed the kid a coin.
"Th…thank you," the boy stuttered, pressing his fist to his chest and bowing.
Kyle smiled warmly and held his arms out to steady Varasach as she clambered clumsily from her horse. "You're welcome."
With a hand on Varasach's back, the pair crossed the distance to the inn and went in as the boy hurried off to stable the horses.
The Arrow's Point's door opened inward. Varasach paused, one foot through the frame, staring wonderingly at the interior.
Rows upon rows of tables lined the open area of the first floor. Patrons sat at many of these, enjoying a meal or large mug of some dark drink she did not recognize. The bread smell came from a room off to the side where she saw many women preparing food.
And the room was so warm. Varasach had not realized how cold she was until she looked at the three large fireplaces on opposing walls.
"It's a lot bigger than the White Rose, eh?" Kyle chuckled, nudging her forward so he could shut the door. Behind his smile, however, Varasach detected a tight wariness.
He scanned the room with a narrow eye, pulling his lips tight for a moment before his smile returned. Then he put his arm around her and veered forward and to the left, whispering in her ear. "I see a few Guards. We should go unnoticed. But…" His eyes darted to the far corners of the vast room. "…don't make eye contact with them for too long. Or better yet, just pretend they're not there. Okay?" He patted her arm and pulled away a bit, hailing the innkeeper with a wave.
The innkeeper- a gangly man in his late forties- wove around the tables toward them as quickly as he could, generously handing out "Certainly, Sir"s and "I'll be with you in just a moment"s all along his way.
"Good morning!" he said when he finally made his way to them, shouting over the din, a welcoming smile fixed to his lips, though it didn't quite stick in his weary eyes. "You're here for breakfast?"
"And a bed," Kyle answered with a grin. "We've been traveling through the night. Just popping in for a rest before moving on."
The innkeeper looked surprised for a heartbeat, but he quickly hid with a short bow. "This is an unusual place for travelers of your kind," he said. "Especially in the dead of winter. But…of course, of course you are welcome. I will have a bath prepared, too. We have hot water." He said this last part proudly: Varasach had already gathered that hot baths were as much a rarity in Ninjago as they were on the Dark Island.
"That sounds wonderful," Kyle said. "Thank you."
"Of course, of course." The innkeeper ran a hand through his thinning gray hair, as if trying to remember something. "Ah, here… Our tables are full right now…busy today…but I will have something hot brought to your room after your bath, hmm?" He dug into a pocket of his large apron and handed Kyle a key. "Upper floor, fourteenth door on the left. Does three silver klips sound reasonable for all?"
Kyle fished the money readily from his pouch and gave it to the innkeeper.
"Good, good." The innkeeper pocketed the money and glanced over his shoulder as he was hailed by other patrons. "Ah, my name is Uleiman. Just give me a holler if you need anything else." And with that, he was gone.
Kyle wasted no time in getting Varasach- shivering lightly and rubbing bleary eyes, up the stairs.
"I can't imagine working like that," Kyle said as they climbed the flight. "I mean…wow. Did you see how many different orders he was taking at once? He's almost as good as Cyrus with that multitasking thing."
"Mmm," Varasach answered with a yawn, and leaned into Kyle's one-armed embrace as they walked. Under his clothing his body was freezing cold, but she liked his touch too much to pull away, despite her desire to get warm. We will have warm baths soon, she told herself, exhaling shakily.
Kyle counted off the doors under his breath. At fourteen, he extracted the key and unlocked the door. They entered the room together.
A fire burned low in the fireplace. A single bed large enough to fit two people comfortably sat at one end. A wooden table, chairs, and tub also decorated the small room.
Kyle stopped in the room's center, looking around with a confused frown.
"One bed," he observed. He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "And…one tub. He must have assumed we were a couple… What now?"
"What's wrong with it?" Varasach asked.
"It's just…" Kyle held out his hands as he tried to even begin to explain it. "I guess…the way you grew up, you have no comprehension of…" He lowered his arms in defeat. "Ah, well. I don't want to bother the innkeeper and ask for a different room. I'll just go downstairs for a while. I might pick up some interesting news for Cyrus." He helped Varasach out of her cloak and slipped the knapsack from her shoulders. "Take it easy. I sent my Bird to Cyrus with our plans, and he won't expect us back until this evening. Lock the door after the maids come with the water."
"Mmm," Varasach replied with a shy smile. "Yes. Thank you."
"Absolutely." Kyle handed her the key and left the room.
With a jolt Varasach awakened, water splashing as her arms flailed. She spluttered and bolted upright, wiping her eyes, shivering.
I fell asleep in the bath, she realized, bewildered. She hugged herself and stepped shakily from the now lukewarm water, leaving wet footprints and splatters on the floor in her wake. How long had she been asleep for? A while, it seemed: her hands and feet were wrinkled, saturated with water. She tore a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around herself, dropping into a chair by the fireplace. The fire had been reduced to embers while she slept, so she tossed in a few small logs.
How long have I been asleep for? she wondered again. She looked at the window and saw a bit of sunlight escaping through the closed curtains. Many hours, apparently.
Varasach's heart rate slowed as she rubbed her face, yawning. Her long nap in the tub had done little to alleviate her fatigue.
It's not yet evening, she thought. She had time to sit by the fire and dry herself before she got dressed.
Her stomach growled then, disagreeing with her decision to stay in that chair. She needed to get up and find something to eat. How long had it been since her last meal?
Audibly and painfully, her stomach yowled again.
Too long. She got up and slipped on her clothing. Wringing out her hair over the tub before tying it in a long braid over her shoulder. Lacing up her warm boots, which she'd set before the fire to dry before getting into the bath. Then she reached for the knapsack.
It felt strange setting the knapsack on her own shoulders- had Kyle always done that for her? It felt even stranger to attempt buttoning the front of her cloak by herself. She gave up on the tiny buttons of the cowl after fumbling for a minute and left the cloak open, gray cloth rippling around her shoulders.
Kyle is probably still downstairs, Varasach thought, lifting the door latch. It did not give.
What? She panicked, lifting and pulling on the latch with all her might. She was trapped! Someone had locked her-
The key.
Varasach's heart stilled, and she turned to the table where she had left it. Right. I locked the door earlier. Like Kyle told me. Moons, she could be so absentminded sometimes…
She unlocked the door and pocketed the key, moving down the hall at a brisk pace. She felt so…lost without Kyle. She hoped he was downstairs at a table waiting for her. If he left without me…
No, her paranoia would do her no good. Kyle wasn't like Cole. Of course he wouldn't leave without her.
Thinking of Cole only fueled her anxiety, and she hurried down the stairs so fast that she tripped near the bottom, catching herself on her hands and knees. She stood, brushed herself off, and examined the now less crowded first floor. No one had noticed her fall, it seemed. Good. She was already blushing hard enough.
Being less crowded should have made it easier to find Kyle. It didn't. Varasach found herself wandering between the tables, avoiding eye contact with everybody as she searched. She could feel their eyes on her.
The room was filled with mostly men. Rugged travelers and Guards. Any women she saw were maids in colorful aprons, bussing tables.
"Ah! Good afternoon!" a voice to Varasach's right startled her. She turned and saw the innkeeper, Uleiman. The aged man's brow shined with sweat, and he wrung his hands in his apron. "My apologies. I was going to have a hot meal brought to your room as I promised, but your husband said to let you be. I can have something brought out straightaway if you'd like."
Varasach nodded, allowing the innkeeper's mistake about her status with Kyle to slide. "Where is he?" she asked.
"I…think he went out for a walk," Uleiman said, glancing at the door. "You just missed him. Hmm. He'll be back soon, I'm sure. In the meantime, please, have a seat. I'll have some stew brought out."
Varasach sat at the empty table the innkeeper had gestured to, thankful that her knapsack was empty enough that she could sit back in the chair comfortably. By the time she'd smoothed her skirts, food was being set before her. The maid smiled politely as she presented the tray's contents- a large bowl of stew, a few thick slices of steaming bread on a plate, and a mug of some dark, bitter-smelling liquid.
"Thank you," Varasach said.
"Of course. Give us a holler if you need anything else." The maid tucked the empty tray under her arm and disappeared into the loud bustle of other customers.
The stew was far too hot to eat. Varasach tapped the cup filled with dark liquid, frowning slightly. It smelled a bit like the wine that Cole enjoyed to drink.
She pushed the cup aside and went to the bread. Hard and crusty on the outside, but soft and chewy inside. She devoured two slices before she could restrain herself. When she did stop for a breath, she noticed that others were dipping their bread in the stew. She did the same, blowing on the thick gravy and meat chunks before sinking her teeth in deep.
"It's good, huh?" Another maid came up behind her. Young, about Varasach's age, with sparkling blue eyes. "I see you're not a fan of the stout, though. Sorry about that. I'll bring out some water."
The stout drink was taken away and replaced with a large mug of cold water. Varasach drank thankfully, then picked at the stew some more.
She'd never had a very large appetite. After eating those three slices of bread and about a quarter of the stew, she knew she could not manage another bite. She set down her spoon, looking around nervously, not sure what to do. How much longer would Kyle be out for? Would the innkeeper be insulted if she left the rest of her meal here and went out to search for him?
What if something's happened? she wondered, fingering her skirts. Kyle had warned her about Guards. What if he'd been taken?
This final thought pushed her to her feet. She abandoned her meal and rushed to the door, pulling it open, not looking back for fear that she would get an angry glare from the innkeeper, wherever he was.
She shivered in the sudden cold, squinting her eyes against the bright glare of sunlight off the snow. It took her eyes a minute to adjust. Then, still squinting a little, she entered the plowed courtyard and spun in a circle, examining her surroundings.
At one end of the courtyard was a large stable for the horses. Varasach ran in that direction. She could ask the stableboy if Kyle had taken his horse.
However, once inside, the stableboy admitted that Kyle's horse was still in the paddock.
"I saw him head that way, though," the young man said, pointing to the front gate. "About thirty minutes ago. He went left, down the main street."
Varasach thanked him and asked for her horse. Once mounted- another strange task to do without Kyle's help- she pushed the horse at a fast trot past the gate and onto the wide, busy road.
Grateful that she'd chosen to take her horse, she looked over the heads of the people, watching for a flash of Kyle's colorful scarf or his unruly mop of dark blond hair.
He must have left just as I woke up, she thought, clenching her teeth to keep them from chattering. If I'd gotten downstairs a few minutes sooner…
She kept a close eye not only on the milling people, but on the infrastructure. She didn't want to forget her way back. All of the buildings were made from faded brown brick, and most were no shorter than two stories tall. The tallest she saw had to be at least as tall as the evergreens she'd seen in the forest, and she had to crane her neck to see the top. It distracted her for so long that, when she looked back on the people, she cursed herself. Kyle could have passed her by and she wouldn't have noticed.
He would have noticed me, though. I can't have passed him yet.
…Unless he was in one of these buildings?
Varasach pulled on the reins, on the verge of tears. Where could he be? What if Guards had taken him? What was she supposed to do then?
She could make her way back to Cyrus' keep. She'd wandered the North long enough with Kyle while distributing the antidote that she could navigate the roads. Maybe. She and Kyle always worked at night, and she had to admit, everything looked far different during the day. She would probably have to ask for directions to the main road…
Look at me. Already acting as though I've been abandoned. She hunched low in the saddle, certain that she looked like a lost, frightened child to all these other people on the road.
She was no stranger to abandonment, and she was not afraid to admit it. Overlord had abandoned her in that cell years ago. She would have died if Cole hadn't happened to have been placed in that same cell weeks later.
Cole had abandoned her, too, and now spent all of his time with Chedva. But even before Chedva had been found, Cole had been distant, not sharing his thoughts with Varasach like he used to, treating her like he wished she'd leave him to his lonely misery.
Was Kyle leaving her, too?
What's wrong with me? Tearfully she nudged her horse. It shook its mane in what seemed to her a sympathetic gesture before plowing through the crowd. What makes me so…expendable to other people? So forgettable?
She allowed the horse to wander at its own pace, and after a minute wondered if it had already forgotten that this useless twig of a girl was sitting on its back.
The mare picked its way around the crowd delicately, particularly wary of playing children and loud merchants. Eventually the horse found its way to a wide river, and they followed it upstream until a smaller creek, frozen over, branched off from it. The horse wandered up that direction instead. Away from town. Away from the people.
Varasach didn't care. She knew she'd eventually have to go back to the inn- maybe Kyle would be waiting for her there- but for now she wanted to be alone with her thoughts.
The horse paused a few times, lifting its head, swiveling its ears. Then it would continue on, picking its footing carefully as the creek wound its way further from the main stream.
Eventually Varasach was able to breathe easy again, and though she shivered terribly, she was grateful for the cold breeze. It woke her up, took away the drowsiness that her nap had been unable to shake. It lifted her cloak and got inside her skin, carrying away her sadness. Most of it, at least. Good riddance. How stupid of her to think that Kyle would leave her! He'd gone for a walk, like the innkeeper said. He was enjoying the snow, and the sun, and the light breeze that played with the leafless trees and blew snow from the trees.
The horse snorted and pranced in place. Varasach pulled the reins gently and looked around, wondering what had the mare all worked up.
Then she heard shuffling footsteps ahead, and she bent low on the horse's woolly neck to see under the sagging, snow-laden branches.
Then she heard a voice. She urged the horse forward cautiously, drawing her cloak close to avoid getting snow in her clothes as she brushed against the branches.
She saw him at the same time he saw her, and they stared at each other comically for a moment, her shivering on her poor, snow-coated brown mare, him on a log above the frozen creek, one foot in the air, as if he'd been walking down its length and had paused mid-step when he saw her. His blue and yellow scarf fluttered in the wind, and snow stuck to his eyelashes and hair.
Kyle slipped from his perch and fell in the creek, breaking the top layer of ice with a crack and a splash.
Varasach cried out and leaped from her horse, getting her foot caught in a stirrup. She got a face full of snow before disentangling herself and running to the bank. "Kyle!"
Spluttering, Kyle stood in the center of the knee-deep creek, arms raised to inspect the damage. He looked more surprised than hurt, and Varasach ran onto the ice to reach him.
"Hold on!" Kyle exclaimed, holding out a hand to stop her. "I uh…think I weakened the ice. Go back so you don't fall in, too."
Varasach slowly backed up until she reached the bank. "Are you okay?" she asked. "I'm sorry, I-"
"I'm fine," Kyle said, grinning, shaking shards of ice from his cloak. He lifted a waterlogged boot and stepped up onto the ice. It splintered under his weight. He slipped and fell, splashing again, spluttering again. "I- Fine! No- No, don't try to come out here, Vara! I'll come to you."
Splaying his hands on the ice, he slowly slid up out of the water on all fours. When it cracked again he dropped to his belly, spreading his weight over a larger portion of the brittle ice, and wriggled his way to the bank. Varasach might have giggled at the sight if she weren't so distressed.
When he reached her, Varasach helped him to his feet. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly, touching his cold face. His clothes had already nearly frozen, and he walked as though his joints had stuck.
Kyle nodded, eyes confused but as bright as the winter sun above them. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Don't give me that look! It takes a lot more than this to hurt me." He grimaced. "My clothes are uncomfortable, though. What about you?" His grimace turned to a confused stare. "How did you find me, Vara?"
"I…don't know. Um, what are you doing out here?"
"I needed to get away from some Guards that were staring at me kinda…malignantly," Kyle confessed. "Sorry. I figured you were safe enough in the room, so I led those Guards on a wild goose chase in the woods a ways down there." He pointed across the creek. "I was on my way back across that log when you…startled me." He pulled back her hood, frowning. "Your hair!"
Varasach blinked. "What about eet?"
"It's frozen!" Kyle rapped her braid with a knuckle, and she realized he was right. "What are you doing out here all wet? You were supposed to take a nap after your bath! Why- Hey!"
Varasach took his face- veiled by a thin layer of ice from the creek- in her hands and kissed his cheek.
Kyle remained perfectly still, as though he were completely frozen by the ice, for as many heartbeats as there had been stars in the sky the night before.
Ice. Hosts, he was freezing. The frost bit Varasach's lips until she could stand it no longer, then she let him go.
"Vara…"
Or…at least she tried to.
She opened her eyes and saw Kyle staring at her with the same alarm that she now felt as she tried again to pull her lips away.
She was frozen to him.
In a burst of panic Varasach tried to back up, not caring what damage would be done to her mouth, but Kyle caught her by the shoulders and held her still. Her scream got caught in her throat.
Then, suddenly, she was free, and she stumbled back with a whimper, lips throbbing with the worst blinding hot pain she had felt in many years.
"I'm sorry!" Kyle said. "I would have warned you if I'd known you were gonna do that! Are you okay?"
Varasach held a gloved hand to her mouth, fighting back tears as she stumbled into his embrace.
"I usually just let my body get cold when I go outside, because it's annoying to have snow melt and get my clothes wet," Kyle explained. "It's a good thing that I am able to manually warm myself up, or we'd still be…stuck. Why'd you do that?"
Varasach had no answer. Kyle sighed and pulled her closer. She could feel that warmth a little bit as he kissed her forehead.
"Sorry," she whispered at last. "I was just…relieved. I shouldn't have done that."
Kyle lifted her chin. Soft, ever-smiling golden eyes made her a willing captive to his earnest gaze. He parted his lips to say something, but words seemed to fail them both.
Even the forest around them fell silent as she stood on her toes, bringing herself a little closer to him as he bent down to meet her. One warm, wet hand on the small of her back. The other went to her reddened cheek as he kissed her mouth.
Varasach stiffened, then let herself go, hot tears springing from her closed eyes.
Countless kisses had been forced upon her during her lifetime; some more recent than others, in varying levels of brutality. As she relaxed under Kyle's tender touch, she found herself thinking of her most recent savage kiss from Kozu: a secondhand punishment for Cole when he did not return with his prisoners- Kai and Zane- a little under two months ago. The memory almost made her pull back in fear: she knew only one way for a kiss to end, and she needed to flee before it was too late.
Kyle's hand slid up to her neck, now so warm that her spine shivered. She tried to remember what she'd done with her own hands, and found them balled into fists against his chest.
There was no need to flee from this. From him. She was safe. Safer than she had ever felt in her life.
The kiss faded far too soon. Kyle straightened a little, wiping away her tears with his thumb, eyebrows crinkled with concern.
"You," he murmured, "are way too cold." And he kissed her again, lightly, as he pulled her hood up over her frozen hair. "We should head back to the inn. And...let's not tell anyone of this, hmm?"
Varasach nodded, shaking as his hands left her face. "Cole would be angry," she said, smiling, voice far more tenuous than she liked.
Kyle chuckled. "I was actually thinking of Josi teasing us. But…yeah. Neither of them need to know."
Varasach dipped her head in the beginning of a nod, but was interrupted by a pair of voices across the creek.
"There he is!"
Kyle looked over his shoulder and muttered something under his breath.
"What?" Varasach asked.
"The Guards," Kyle said, a twinkle in his eye. He swept her up in his arms and set her on the horse, then mounted behind her. The mare whinnied her disapproval, but Kyle gave her no choice as he took up the reins and let out a shout, pushing the horse into a run. Varasach would have fallen off if not for his arm around her middle, keeping her steadily planted in the seat, her back against his chest.
Safe. Even with those Guards tailing them, tracking them, longing to capture them in the name of their King's so-called justice, she was safe.
She laughed at the clear blue sky, and Kyle laughed with her.
I was thinking of ideas for a kiss. And what immediately popped into my head was Kyle, Vara, and Josi doing something silly together, and Josi is just watching them giggling and being just totes adorbs, and she grabs both of them by the hair and smashes their faces together, screaming: "Just KISS already!"
...I did eventually scrap it, but I had to tell you. :3
I just don't know... This last scene didn't turn out at all like I'd planned. But after contemplating it for a while I decided that I had nooooo idea what I'd wanted in the first place (besides some comedy and fluff), and I was never very serious about this one-shot in the first place, so mistakes can be overlooked? :S I guess?
So recently I got to thinking about relationships between humans and robots, and I realized...wow, I would never condone that in real life! So what am I doing here? The KylexVara thing will have to go in the rewrite, I'm afraid, but I could not resist writing this fluff at least once. (let's just pretend that Vara's a robot too in this scene. Or something. Lol)
But don't fear for Jixal! In the rewrite Pixal's doppelgänger will be as human as Jay. :)
I hope you all enjoyed! Tips are appreciated for good service, all that jazz... And thanks, StoneByrd, for the inspiration!
I'll see y'all next week! God Bless!
