Chapter 5

A Second Reading

Breakfast turned into lunch, which led to dinner, and ultimately, once again, the bar. He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy talking with the Card Reader and listening to her stories. She was actually very witty and could hold a decent conversation. It wasn't often that he'd find a woman this interesting. Talkative ones yes and plenty at that, but not actually interesting. Best of all, she could drink more than any man he'd ever met which made her a great bar companion. They'd gone on all day talking and bantering just as they'd done at the bar the night before when she got around to asking him what he was doing in town. He knew there wasn't much more he could do to avoid answering her.

"I suppose I can't keep saying I was in the area for a job, huh?" He'd lifted his drink to his lips and let the burning liquid sear its way down.

"Not gonna work tonight." She sipped her own drink, smirking at him. He knew she was reaching her limit already by the way she swayed in her seat. Considering he'd already seen her both on the verge of it and tipped over the edge probably more times than any living person has, it'd be a poor reflection on his skills as an S-Class mage if he hadn't figured out a few of her telling signs yet. But going back to her question, he searched for a way to answer and keep the pleasant mood between them going. No better way than to just come out with it. Giving her a shining grin, he snorted a laugh and leaned in close to her. With his face hardly even a few inches from hers, it was a little exciting to see how uneasy she became when he glanced from her lips up to her eyes.

"I came to see you, Cana." He watched with amusement as Cana instantly went from such a confident and poised woman to an inarticulate girl. As the pink on her cheeks deepened she sputtered out a couple words that may have been intended as a question, but they came out as more of jumbled nonsense. Unable to keep it back, he erupted with laughter and turned to sip at his drink. When he peered over his shoulder, he got a very displeased look from her as well as her usual playful strike to his torso.

"Well what did you want then?" She made the clear effort to compose herself and set her drink aside. Taking the hint, he twisted in his chair so that they faced each other.

It took him a moment to formulate a response. Usually, he'd blurt out whatever he felt like saying, but this was a personal matter and not one he intended to have taken lightly. Truth be told, he hardly liked considering his answers like this, yet being around Cana almost required him to do so for inexplicable reasons. It was beyond his understanding and not what he wanted to concentrate on. Though he'd had quite enough already, he suddenly found he needed some more courage from the cup in his hand and finished it, feeling no braver than he had before consuming it. No way around it. With reluctance, he set his emptied cup on the counter and let the bartender refill it unasked.

"That reading you gave me." Bacchus looked at her for a split-second, wanting to keep focused on her so that he might uphold some sort of casualness in his posture, but the courage he didn't have left him glancing down at the bar before looking back at her. "It didn't work." The words were almost bitter in his mouth as he confessed. She must have not realized the difficulty of the revelation, for when he looked at her, she had her brows knotted in confusion as if she couldn't recall what he was talking about.

"Didn't work? I don't understand." Bacchus felt some frustration build having to explain himself. This was definitely not something he liked doing at all. He wanted to pick his drink back up and wait for her to figure it out. A smart girl like her ought to be able to do at least that. Instead he drummed his fingers against the polished wood counter while he continued watching her ponder.

"Readings aren't meant to stop problems." His eyebrow quirked when she looked at him and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly afterward. This came as a shock to him. They're not? He wanted to rebuke, but stopped himself and settled for narrowing his eyes and letting her continue.

"The cards are only meant to help us understand what is happening and guide us through our troubles. They're not permanent solutions nor do they directly predict the exact future. We are still human and have free will." Cana's demeanor had gotten more serious leaving him irritated. The bar noises and even her very presence made him bristle now.

"Free will, hm?" His mouth twitched into a slight sneer. "I see. So this was all for nothing then." He grunted and reached for his cup, finishing the contents. It didn't take long for his impulsive decisions to take over as he pushed himself from the bar and stood up. "That's all I needed to know." He reached for the sack at his side. "Here's for the tab." Bitterly, Bacchus emptied more than enough jewel to pay for their rounds onto the counter and turned around, leaving the now bewildered brunette sitting there alone and stepping outside into the cool night.

An internal battle tore away at him as he walked down the street. Truthfully, he knew he wasn't angry at Cana or her explanation. She had not lied to him, so he could not fault her for his own embarrassment. He did feel some guilt for acting so rudely toward her just then, especially after how kindly she'd treated him during his visit, but he couldn't stop the building rage inside him and didn't want to take it out on her unreasonably. I shouldn't have relied on another person to fix my problem to start with. I was too desperate. The thought only made the battle turn in to a full on war as he grumbled his way toward the station. Lost in his vicious thoughts, he took no notice of the shoe that had come hurtling at his head and brought him to his knees upon contact.

Typically, Bacchus liked to believe that he had a heightened sense for danger and was able to avoid any oncoming attack, especially when he had been drinking. The fact that he was so preoccupied with himself that he couldn't duck out of the way from something as small and simple as a sandal wounded his already bruised pride enough to leave him kneeling there on the ground, clutching the back of his head. He'd already known who the culprit was and thought his assailant would have been pleased enough with that when she approached, but to his dismay, she glared down at him when they made eye contact.

"You're something else, you know that." The fighting inside him paused as he continued to stare dumbfounded up at her. "Did you think you could just throw money at me like that and walk away? That you could just drop in out of no where, deliberately lie to me, question me, then leave me in a bar with a few extra jewel and I would just take it, go home and have a good night's rest?" It didn't occur to him why she would be as upset as she was. He thought that was the kind of thing women liked. Obviously annoyed, Cana picked up her shoe and put her hand on his shoulder as she awkwardly tried to balance while putting it back on. "And stop looking at me like that." This couldn't have been the same Cana from the past day or so, or even from the bar just a minute before. When her shoe was secured, she offered him a hand to help him up. Taking it and standing, he was at a loss for what to say next.

"You were talking about your dreams, weren't you?" It wasn't much of a question, but she didn't ask it harshly. Her face had softened then, probably unsure if she should have said what she did. So she is smart after all. He felt his neck crack as he tilted his head from side to side.

"I don't know who told you that my card reading would get rid of them for you. I guess I should have explained that the time we were put in that room together."

"No." He exhaled slowly, deciding he'd best answer her in case she decided to throw another shoe at close-range. "I just wasn't a very good listener I suppose."

"Apparently not." Her fury had dissipated already, he noticed.

He was looking off into the distance when she tenderly punched his bare chest and brought his attention back to her.

"Come on." She turned and started walking down the block.

"Are we going somewhere?" He asked her and got a smug look in return.

"We're going to need a lot more alcohol if I'm going to put up with you and give you another reading." Cana's grin widened when he laughed at her and strode up beside her.

A/N: EARLY UPDATE! I'm going to be pretty busy tomorrow and I've already proofed this chapter roughly half a dozen times if not more. I have to admit I was a little stuck on this one. The first half came easy, but trying to get Bacchus to stay in character while going through a personal struggle is a bit of a challenge. So I'm sorry if he wavers from being in character and OOC.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Thanks again for the follows, faves and reviews! Until next time. -Betty B.