My left foot was a rock. I don't mean that in the sense that I could kick hard or knock someone out with it, I mean it literally had turned into a piece of stone where it had touched that cave snake's mouth. I sat there absolutely stunned, a towel wrapped around my waist on the side of a tub, feeling the cold lifeless texture of it in disbelief.
What the hell was I supposed to do? Magic was gone, there were no more potions or magical cures for this kind of thing. Come to think of it, petrification is magic, right? So why was this monster still able to turn my foot to stone if magic didn't exist without those statues or those fighting gods or whatever. I cursed and wished I'd paid more attention to the technical end of the magic stuff back in the day. I was really at a loss here.
I stood up and tried to walk around the room, compulsively. Maybe somewhere in my mind I figured I could walk just about anything off. It clumped hard against the floor, the noise making me shudder in disgust. My foot had turned to a God damned piece of rock.
The toes had frozen in place bent upward, as I was kicking them hard into the roof of its mouth when they last moved. This meant I could roll off the ball of my foot with my steps. I actually managed to walk pretty steadily. Still, I was struck dumb and really upset that my foot was indefinitely going to be a piece of stone. Maybe it'd be like this forever…
The washroom door opened, and I spun around on my bent stone toes. I saw Terra step in unaware, and then lean back in awkward surprise.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" She recoiled. "I didn't know you were still in here…I'm sorry!" I frowned. I'd been so preoccupied with my foot that I'd forgotten to take a bath and the water was probably cold by now. She fumbled with the door handle, trying to leave this horribly awkward encounter.
"Terra…" I said, very blankly. She hesitated, obviously looking to leave as quickly as possible. She turned around, still not looking directly at me. It's not like I was naked or anything. It's not like in our months of traveling through the wilderness together we didn't catch compromising glimpses of each other. What was the big deal.
"What is it?" She asked, pulling her bathrobe a little more tightly closed. Her green hair was down. It was matted and knotted after the day's events, but it still was pretty shiny. Her bare legs and feet were as white as the robe she was wearing.
"Look at my foot…" I tapped it dully against the tile floor, making that sharp clunk.
"What? What are you wearing on your…" I scratched my head, looking down. This was awful.
"I think the Mordris did it…when I kicked into his mouth."
"Oh, no, Sabin…" Her face sunk. The tension left her and she looked at me with terrible pity. I hated it. "This is terrible…let me…let me see it." She came over and bent down, touching it lightly with her long fingers. She felt where the flesh gradually met the stone.
"That's a weird feeling." I mumbled.
"I'd imagine…" she said, awed. It felt like I was gradually able to feel something as she moved her hand up the rock into skin, moreso as she reached the flesh. She lingered on it for a moment, and stood up. I didn't know what to say.
"There must be something we can do…" She wondered. I shrugged.
"Aren't potions and tinctures and stuff made from magic?"
"Yes, but there must be some sort of non-magical remedy though, somewhere." She looked like she was brainstorming. She was more worried than me. It was funny. Not really.
"Beats the hell out of me." I sighed, sitting down on the edge of the tub, tapping my new rock foot on the floor. Terra shook her head.
"What if you chip it? What'll you do?" She looked down at me, concerned.
"I guess I'll cement it up good." I forced a smile. "At least I won't have to worry about spraining it."
"Aw, well you can't just keep it like that, we'll have to fix it somehow. I'll figure it out for you, Sabin." She encouraged me. I bumped her hip with my fist lightly, smiling a little warmer. She staggered from the force, a little shocked.
"Oops…sorry. Just playing around…" I said, embarrassed. Almost thirty years old and I still didn't know my own strength. "But thanks. I'll really appreciate it. You know, not having a rock foot and all." She nodded.
We didn't say anything for a minute. I shifted my foot around uneasily.
"Well, I'm sorry for barging in, you can do your bath thing. Take your time." She turned towards the door. I stuck my fingers in the lukewarm water.
"Eh, I guess I can deal with it. I really should clean up after today." I looked at her for approval. She looked over her shoulder and smiled.
"Um, yeah. That might be a good idea." She opened the door.
"Terra." I called after her.
"Hm?"
"You wanna grab something to eat after I clean up? I mean, after you do your thing?"
"Something to eat?"
"Yeah, like at the tavern here. I could so use a beer after today."
"That's funny." She gave a small smile.
"What's funny?"
"Edgar asked me the same thing…you want to go with us?"
"Oh…Edgar. He did, huh?" I chuckled heavily. She immediately was suspicious.
"Something wrong?"
"No, not at all." I made myself grin. "I don't feel like seeing his ugly mug at dinner. It makes me lose my appetite. You guys have fun, I should just go to bed."
"Oh, be nice. He's your big brother."
"Yeah and we've spent quite enough time together today. You guys have fun." I repeated. I could tell she was uneasy. She waved her fingers goodbye and took one more look at me before closing the door behind her. Was she checking me out?
I looked down at my stomach. I hadn't eaten at all today and my muscles had tensed a lot; they were swollen up at the surface of my skin from overuse. I looked pretty jacked. Maybe she was checking me out. Whatever. She was impossible to read, anyway. I sighed, tossing my towel on the sink and sinking down into the bathwater that was almost chilly at this point.
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It was nightfall by the time I walked up the patio to my dojo, empty-handed and thoroughly cramped from yesterday. I hitched a ride on Edgar's snowmobile, and we made the journey back to my neck of the woods in just over two hours, which felt like ten hours because I had to listen to him talk about Terra for the entire trip. How he absolutely swept her off her feet with his charm in the romantic atmosphere of a dingy coal-miners tavern. Give me a break. We'd worked with this girl for months during our quest, and somehow one magical evening in a shithole bar changed it all.
I didn't care. I just didn't want to hear about it. Terra was weird. She made me feel weird. If I didn't have to have that much to do with her, it was fine with me. I had no ill feelings toward her or anything. Like I said, she was just weird, that's all.
Edgar was going back to Figaro castle for more tools and to look through the archives to see if anyone by the name of Gideon had lived in the kingdom over the years. We knew Terra was anxious to believe he was a preserved Esper, but the fact that he could be some dead Knight was a lot more feasible of an explanation.
Terra stayed behind in Narshe to say with Arvis and his men and watch over the body. She said she was going to try to research ways to cure my petrification in the meantime. I figured I'd get back to my schedule until further notice. I had classes to teach, guys to train. Plus, I just didn't need to be around Edgar and Terra any more than I needed to.
I opened the large wooden indented doors to my home/dojo, feeling relaxed to finally be home after yesterday's ordeal. I looked around the foyer, seeing that the lamps were still lit and flickering gently. Leila must have left them lit to make it seem like I wasn't away. Smart girl. Not like I had anything worth stealing. Except my gold statue. And if someone stole that, I'd be somewhat relieved, to tell the truth.
I sighed very enthusiastically as I pulled my coat off and tossed it onto the floor. I kicked the shoe off my stone foot, and pulled the other one off with my hands. I left them haphazard on the mat by the front door. With my one foot that could still feel I squeezed the carpet with my toes and felt immediately relaxed. I looked up after stretching my toes.
Leila was standing in the sliding doorway to my dojo with her hand on her hip and a dusty rag dangling from the other hand. Her mouth was hanging open in disgust, eyebrow raised, her short dark hair in her face. I immediately looked over at the coat and wet shoes I just tossed on the floor and almost burst out laughing. Whoops.
"You pig." She said, shaking her head. "I'm so not picking those up." I couldn't restrain myself from chuckling.
"I'm sorry, babe, I'll pick 'em up."
"You better. I don't bust my ass cleaning this place up every day so you can trash it the second you come in the door." She smirked. I walked over toward her very carefully, trying to accustom myself to walking on my stone foot without limping.
"Hey I told you to only come by twice a week. You didn't have to…" I kissed her on the cheek, her face hard and tense.
"I get paid to work every day, I'm not a freeloader." She said, stubbornly. "Someone's gotta keep this place in order."
"You're great, hon. You really didn't have to but I'm glad you did." I attempted to butter her up. I don't think she ever smiled, just smirked.
"Yeah well, I was about to leave. I guess you want something to eat, huh?"
"I could get it myself, it's no big deal. You worked more than I planned as it is."
"No, go sit down, I'll make you something to eat." She insisted. What a tough little housekeeper she was. Maybe if she'd come to me under different circumstances I'd be training her to fight instead of having her fix me dinner and scrub my floors.
"Oh if you insist." I smiled, hugging her. She didn't budge in my arms. I get it, you're little miss independent. You don't need someone to take care of you. You could be a little affectionate sometimes, though. I let her go after a second and she walked off toward my kitchen.
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"Sabe. C'mere, it's ready." She was busying over my tray at the counter, making sure it was all set right. For such a hard-nosed individual, she had such a fuss for fine detail. I watched her fix it just so from over her shoulder. Her movements were practiced but careful. I looked at her worn, deft hands folding my napkin and I suddenly felt exceptionally guilty.
"So are you leaving then?" I asked.
"Uh, yeah I'll be out of your way in a second if you'll let me finish preparing your dinner…" She scoffed. I slapped my forehead.
"No, I didn't mean it like that. I mean, like, do you want to stay?"
"For what?" She asked, almost annoyed. I rolled my eyes.
"I don't know, you want something to eat, too?" She laughed at me.
"Sure yeah, now that I've made yours I'll make myself something so you can watch me eat it after you're done. No thanks, I'm fine."
"We could share that, I'm not that hungry." I lied.
"Neither am I. Besides, it's such a dull meal you always have me make. I'd never eat it." She turned back to the tray, fiddling with the silverware she'd already set. I moved closer to her, grinding my teeth as my stone foot bumped the floor. She didn't notice it.
"You don't like me, huh?" I ran my hand down her back gently. She arched it and squirmed.
"Grow up." She said, defensively.
"It's all right, you don't have to. It's not part of your job." I said quietly, my face near her ear. I put my other hand on her waist. She tensed her body. This wasn't going real well.
"Sabin…" She said, almost freezing in place. I squeezed her taut waist, not really even knowing why or what I was doing it for. I heard her breath come heavier through her nose. She swallowed. My hands slid themselves down to her hips. She was very solid feeling, and tense as a rattlesnake. I leaned my chin on her shoulder. She slowly put the fork and knife back into place. I could see her dark eyelash flutter a little beneath her messy bangs.
"Stay?" I whispered in her ear, towering over her, craning my neck downward. I could see her face grow weary and almost tired looking. Leila wasn't a day over twenty but the expression on her face was twice that.
"No." She protested quietly. "This is stupid." She added, biting her lip. "Stupid." She whispered, her eyes closing. I couldn't tell if she was angry or scared.
"I'm sorry…" I whispered with a sigh, sliding my arms back around her waist in an embrace. I really was regretting whatever had come over me. She tugged at my arms reflexively. I started to let go when her nails squeezed my forearms gently, sliding to my big, blockish hands. She took one of my hands in hers and felt it, the permanently swollen knuckles, the squared fingertips, all the callouses. The blisters from pulling the rope yesterday. She traced her fingers slowly over them, turning her body toward me very slightly.
I clumsily grabbed her chin and kissed her on her pursed lips, feeling her rushed breath on my face. Both her hands were still clutching my other hand tightly, she stood still as I kissed her, her lips parting slightly. I slid my tongue through her small mouth, feeling her wispy short hair brush my nose. Her eyes were closed shut, eyebrows raised a little.
I pulled my hand out of her grasp and picked her up by the waist, kissing her neck. I felt the pulse in her neck punching against my lips. Her strong, short legs squeezed around my hips, her ass bumping into the countertop. Her fingers wound tight into my hair and pulled as I kissed her under the jaw.
A few minutes later we were on the soft carpet of my living room floor that she carefully cleaned every week. I was over her on my elbows and knees, making her body jerk roughly with my hips. Her leg bent over my collarbone, the smooth skin of her calf touched the stubble on my face. I held her hip bones tightly, her hands gripped my wrists as she gasped silently.
The initial rush had cleared, I was working her over now with a steadier mind. It bothered me a little how quiet she was. She kept holding her breath and biting her lip and grabbing my wrists. She wasn't like the other slutty hero-groupies I'd conquered. I wasn't sure if liked it so much.
Competitive, massive athlete. That was me. She was playing a mind game, trying to hold out on me. I knew that's what she was up to, using her legs to slow me down, arching away from me. She was trying to see if I'd really give it to her or if I was all talk.
I raised my hips up off the floor more, sliding my knees back, kissing her ribs and stomach, forcing her to let go of my hands and grab my neck and my hair instead. I leaned my weight into her, bucking with that same hip power that tossed guys off me in the dojo.
She cried out and sucked her breath back an instant later. Yeah? That's what you like? I knew it. I railed her harder, shamelessly. She gritted her teeth and yanked my hair. I gently bit into her shoulder. Maybe not that gently. Her eyes squeezed tight and her lips parted over her teeth. I knew this was it. I smiled wide, she gasped.
"It's okay baby, let it go." I whispered in her ear.
"You're hurting me, Sabe…" she whimpered, pained, barely audible. I felt a pang in my stomach. My face reddened.
Stupid moron. I cursed myself without saying a word. Fucking stupid moron. I stopped moving, too embarrassed and frustrated to know what to do. This whole thing was a ridiculously bad idea.
"Shit, Leila…" I mumbled, apologetic, hanging my head. She slowly pulled my head and shoulders closer, kissing me on the forehead. She started moving her own hips gently, steadily, pulling herself to me with her legs. Her lips caught mine. She softened and kissed me back. Her tense, hard body seemed to thaw against me. I moved back into rhythm with her. It was hypnotic and smooth. It was timeless.
Before I knew what happened, she was timidly moaning in surrender between kisses, her muscles tensing in pulses. She slowed and relaxed into the floor, her solid, hard form now soft flesh. I hovered there over her as she breathed, head turned to the side, her big brown eyes opening. They were a little glazed over as they wandered around.
"You better pick that stuff up." She muttered, motioning with her head toward my coat and shoes in the foyer. I smiled, relieved to hear her speak, my racing blood starting to cool. She smiled back. It wasn't a smirk. It was a little smile. She hugged me around my chest and back, cradling herself under me.
"I'll get it tomorrow." I said, kissing her again.
I didn't want to think about tomorrow.
