Disclaimer: I own nothing here.
Peacekeepers
Warning: Alcohol referenced in this chapter.
Chapter Fourteen - Bewildered
Cynthia once again found herself in the lord's tent, only this time as a guest sitting on her folded legs on one of the lush pillows bellow the dais.
As much as she would have liked to linger and relax in the bath, she had also been practically starving and the prospect of a proper dinner was motivation enough to get cleaned up quickly. She had also felt uneasy leaving Garchomp unattended for too long with those three newborn passengers.
Upon returning, she had been both relieved and happy to see Steven successfully mitigating an argument between Garchomp and Aggron. By the time they re-entered the lord's tent, she was glad to be able to sit and relax for awhile.
Since they had been introduced as married, she and Steven had been directed to sit where two seats had been purposely placed close together, which was going to get rather annoying considering they would be bumping each other throughout dinner.
On the positive side, though, practically brushing shoulders meant they could share covert conversations if they had to. She was also quickly distracted by all the food that the attendants were dishing out onto the small tables in front of them.
Her stomach growled angrily at the sight and smell of the huge spread and it took all of her willpower not to immediately start digging in like her Garchomp; after three long days of hiking all over the countryside, they would finally get to eat a proper meal!
By some miracle, she managed to wait and observe Aaron, who, with Lucario sat across from them. The other two seemed to be waiting for a word from Kenshin before beginning to eat.
Once the attendants had finished doling out all the food and made their exit, the lord raised his goblet of unknown contents as if to make a toast. "May our discussion be fruitful. Please, eat and enjoy."
With that, Aaron glanced across at his apprentices and gave a subtle nod of approval before he slowly began to eat. Steven and Cynthia wasted not even a second as they nearly attacked the food before them, though they both made an honest effort to be as dignified as possible.
After three days of just soup and berries, getting to eat rice and vegetables, among other things she was unfamiliar with, Cynthia felt like she was finally living again and had to consciously stifle a sigh of contentment.
Aaron and Kenshin had begun their business discussions, but she wasn't paying much attention to them, feeling much too distracted and tired. Once she finally decided to take a break from eating, she turned her attention to the cup of tea on her table.
She had expected it to smell like Aaron's peppermint tea, but instead it smelled spicy but with a hint of sweetness, which made her wonder what they had used to sweeten it. Taking an experimental sip, she immediately fell in love with the unique taste, despite the somewhat bitter aftertaste.
She suddenly really wanted to ask Aya how it was made but dared not interrupt Aaron's discussion. Instead, she turned to Steven and gestured at his own cup. "You should try the tea, it's very good!" she said in a hushed tone.
Steven seemed less interested in the tea than her, but he stopped eating long enough to humor her. He took a cautious whiff and blinked, seeming perplexed, as if he recognizing the smell. He took a sip and then turned back to her with surprise, as if his suspicions had been confirmed. "Ah, it's-"
"It's good, right?" she cut him off, feeling strangely excited to have him agree with her. She finished her cup and refilled it with the kettle left for them to share, the rest of her food momentarily forgotten.
"Well, that's not exactly-" Steven started to say but Aaron cut in with a grumpy look.
"Please pay attention, you two. We are about to discuss our next destination."
Steven chose not to finish his sentence but instead, grabbed the kettle and placed it on his table, which Cynthia thought seemed rather rude and greedy on his part. She frowned, not expecting him to suddenly portray such negative attributes.
Eventually, she mentally shrugged, thinking he must have a good reason for hoarding the remaining tea. Perhaps he was aware of some ingredient that caused stomach ache or the like. Regardless, she happily sipped her second helping and tried to focus on the discussion as Aaron had insisted.
"As I was saying," Kenshin said. "Lord Masamune of Avia has sent word that, although he genuinely opposes Dragnor's conquest, he has little choice but to submit to Nobunaga's demands."
"Dragnor is Nobunaga's kingdom," Aaron added when he noticed his student's confused expressions. "Avia is a kingdom that would bottleneck Nobunaga's forces from reaching the rest of the continent. The fact that Nobunaga has already conquered such an important territory is worrying."
"Indeed," Kenshin agreed with a grave nod. "Which is why it is imperative that we send ambassadors to Lord Masamune as soon as possible. However, with Avia under Dragnor's control, a certain level of discretion is needed..."
"Are you suggesting we hide our identity as peacekeepers and attempt to infiltrate the Avia capital as civilians?" Aaron asked skeptically.
"Not all of you," Kenshin replied. "For our plan to work, we will also need to simultaneously get all of the lords to the east on board with this coalition."
Suddenly worried, Aaron glanced anxiously between Kenshin and his new apprentices. Cynthia, however, was not following the conversation very well. She had just finished her delicious tea and was starting to feel a little dizzy but mostly just really sleepy. Her face was starting to feel really warm too, but for whatever reason it didn't seem like a concern.
She was suddenly grateful that Steven was sitting so close, after realizing she had unwittingly drifted to lean against him, shoulder to shoulder. Had he not been there, she surely would have simply slumped onto to the soft pillows and fallen asleep on the spot.
"Hm? Cynthia, are you ok?" Steven asked, obvious concern in his tone. "You didn't drink that much, did you?"
Her foggy thoughts grew annoyed at his questioning. She just wanted to rest her head against his and close her eyes for a little while, but he wasn't catching the hint, and it was just too much effort to voice her thoughts.
She was sure she had never felt this sleepy before in her life. Any ounce of propriety she should have had for the situation was like a scene of person on a small island shouting at her hysterically, except she was on a boat drifting away and she merely waved at them with a carefree smile.
"Oh my," Aya gasped with concern from her place on the dais beside Kenshin. "The poor thing. You had better put her to bed." Her gaze seemed directed at Steven before turning to her brother. "Please dismiss them, Brother. Surely they can be debriefed on the morrow, when fully awake."
"Yes, I agree," Kenshin said and summoned another attendant. "Show them to their quarters."
Cynthia heard Steven sigh in what she guessed was relief. He murmured an apology that only she could hear before curling an arm around her waist and helping her to a standing position. A fresh wave of dizziness forced her to grab a hold of his jacket, though he seemed to anticipate her unsteadiness and had braced himself.
"Can you walk?" he asked gingerly. He sounded so genuinely concerned that Cynthia had to consciously focus her eyes to meet his. She found that he did indeed look worried, which caused her to blink in surprise and alertness.
"Y-Yes, of course!" she practically squeaked, feeling suddenly self-conscious. Just what had he been suggesting? That she be carried? Certainly not! Stubbornly, she staggered out of his hold in order to latch onto his arm instead, assuming their usual positions for walking through an army camp.
Steven sighed again, but it seemed like for a different reason somehow. She didn't get a chance to inquire though, due to everyone exchanging "good-nights" and her forged husband promptly leading her away and out of the tent.
It was considerably colder outside as they followed the attendant through the relative darkness, their four Pokémon making surprised noises as they all got up to follow along.
Feeling the bite of the chilled air and seeing her breath billow in front of her, Cynthia sidled closer to the man that she was starting to consider as he very own anchor. Although her dizziness had abated somewhat since standing abruptly, it still lingered as a minor annoyance. But instead of feeling perturbed by the strange symptom, she felt completely calm and oddly happy.
Garchomp drew beside her master with a worried chirp, as if sensing something was off, the three Munnas adorned around her neck like a collar.
"I'm fine Gar," Cynthia said with a smile and gave the dragon an affectionate pat. "Just really tired is all."
Garchomp cocked her head and whined dubiously before giving Steven a pointed look, seeking reassurance from the only other person she could at least partially trust.
"It's alright Gar," Steven reiterated with a nod. "I'll explain later."
Explain? Cynthia frowned at that. Was he privy to something she wasn't? She never got the chance to ask him as their guide abruptly stopped and gestured to a large tent. "Here are your quarters. Your Pokémon are also permitted to stay inside with you, if you wish."
Once the attendant had departed, Steven cleared his throat objectively and took a step back. "Can you manage without me from here? I would... prefer to wait out here until you get... settled."
Cynthia scrutinized him for a moment, her mind feeling unusually sluggish, but eventually remembered his little hangup with sharing a tent. Idly, she wondered how he was going to deal with the situation, but merely nodded and graciously released his arm.
Suddenly without his support, she wavered a little, but before Steven could move to catch her, Togekiss quickly stepped in for her to lean on and proceeded to help her into the tent, with Garchomp following right behind.
Upon seeing the interior, it was no wonder the attendant had suggested they let their Pokémon inside; it was really spacious! Apart from a tiny, low table with a lit lantern sitting atop and a pair of sleeping mats set close together, there were no other furnishings inside, leaving much of the space open for their Pokémon.
She made a beeline for one of the mats and collapsed there, not bothering to separate them; Steven could move his if he was that bothered by the proximity. She only sat up again when Garchomp moved to lay beside her, making it easier to unhitch the packs that had been strapped to the dragon's back all day.
After fishing out her blankets, she plopped back on the mat, feeling absolutely exhausted. She was sure if the tent spontaneously caught fire that she wouldn't be able to even twitch a finger in response. She nearly fell asleep on the spot but managed to remember Steven was still waiting outside.
"Oh right... Kiss... Will you go... Tell Steven...?" The last thing she remembered before rightly passing out was feeling immeasurably content to be well fed, curled up in blankets, with clean hair.
Togekiss tipped his head in question at first, but quickly understood his master's broken request and obeyed with a soft chirp. Poking his head out of the tent flap, he gave the man's jacket a gentle tug, which seemed to be enough of a prompt to get the point across.
Steven nodded his understanding with a smile, though he took a second to take a deep breath, as if bracing himself. Togekiss wondered why the man seemed so nervous all of a sudden and chirped the question at Aggron and Skarmory.
The other two looked at each other and then back again, seeming just as puzzled by their master's behavior. Curiously, they all watched as the man pushed through the tent flap with what seemed like a great effort, as if there had been both a Barrier and a Light Screen for him to pass through.
He then spent another moment inside the threshold, just standing and staring at the woman lying fast asleep on her mat. He almost seemed to stop breathing until Aggron gave him an impatient, concerned nudge. "Ha, sorry guys, you probably want to get out of the cold."
Having come to his senses, Steven directed his attention to relieving Aggron of the heavy packs strapped to his back. Afterwards, he stepped over to pull the other sleeping mat away from Cynthia's, careful not to disturb her sleep.
Togekiss watched with a mix of fascination and frustration. Silly human, didn't he know they'd be warmer closer together? As male humans went, he seemed like a fairly intelligent one, so this peculiar behavior didn't make much sense.
Completely unaware of the avian's thoughts, Steven curled up with own blankets and blew out the lantern, leaving Togekiss no choice but to position himself between the two humans in order to keep his master warm.
It didn't make any sense. From Togekiss' perspective, the pair had spent half the day courting each other and the other half attached to the other's arm. But now they wanted to be as far apart as possible? He shook his head, thoroughly bewildered.
Humans were weird.
AN: I do not support the act of getting drunk, and therefore, just to clarify, Cynthia did not get drunk here, she just got a little tipsy and had a really good buzz going. xD Also, their respective views on alcohol will be addressed later.
/o/o/ Bonus scene: More private Aura thoughts.
Lucario: (watches Cynthia and Steven leave) It has happened again, Master.
Aaron: What's that?
Lucario: Lord Kenshin's Aura matches young Steven's. They both exude an ice-like fire.
Aaron: Hmm, interesting.
Lucario: What does it mean?
Aaron: Perhaps they're related?
Lucario: Really Master? That's the best you can come up with?
Aaron: Alright then, what were you thinking?
Lucario: That they share the same spirit that gets reincarnated after many, many years.
Aaron: ...Lucario, you've been reading those fantasy novels again, haven't you?
Lucario: That has nothing to do with the matter at hand, Master...