Chapter 2 - Camping and Dancing

As quickly as she could, Kara rolled off of the knight, blushing furiously. Standing up, she started to apologize, “I'm sorry! I thought you were a bandit, and, and…” She trailed off, as she noticed the knight was laughing heartily at her while he was trying to get to his feet. Unfortunately, the combination of his armor and the intense laughter made him fall back onto his backside. Thoroughly embarrassed by now, she continued, “And, ah, I'm please to meet you, Sir Bard… I think.”



Rolling over onto his belly, the unhelmed knight pushing himself to his knees. From there, he easily got to his feet. When he turned, she was once again struck by how handsome he was… She blinked, as he took the dagger from her hands. “Nice… Wonderful workmanship, excellent balance, perfect for throwing or stabbing… Good Damascus Steel, too.” Ignoring her rather unintentionally, he studied the dagger intently.



Profusely blushing, and insulted by his behavior, the young lady simply stood there, waiting for him to finish with the dagger and take notice of her again. `How… utterly rude! Looking at a dagger while I'm trying to introduce myself!' After a few minutes of looking at the dagger, the knight calmly reversed the blade and handed back the dagger. He grinned, “Sorry about that. I'm somewhat of a weapon connoisseur.” Then, noticing her furious facial expression, he said, “Oh! Where are my manners?” Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, Bard began an apology, “Sorry about scaring you like that. I didn't think your servant would tell you I was a bandit, even if my armor was covered up by my travel cloak.” He grinned again. “Then again, most ladies I know would have only been frightened out of their wits. I've never actually been attacked by one.”



Blushing and looking away, she mumbled softly, “Well, I did think you were a bandit…”



Still grinning, Bard patted her on the shoulder. “Don't worry about it. It's a compliment. Now, since I've already stopped you, why not go ahead and break camp here for the night? The gates of Mysidia will be closed by the time you get there, and I've never heard of them opening them back up for anyone less than Royalty.”



“O-okay, I guess, but where will you sleep?” Handsome as he was, there was no way Kara was going to let him sleep in her carriage. She wouldn't even allow Jark to sleep in there; he was stuck sleeping on top of the carriage in a sleeping bag, or, if it rained, underneath the carriage. Fortunately for him, it hadn't rained yet on their trip.



Nodding at his horse, the youthful knight replied waving his hand to the left, “I've got a sleeping bag over there, and it doesn't seem likely that it'll rain tonight. In fact, a nice campfire's all I'll need, and I can start that right now.” With a simple, “I'll be back later,” the brown-haired lad leaped onto his horse and rode away.



Kara was surprised at the knight's sudden departure. Usually, there was a bit of a lingering process after you meet new people… Blinking several times slowly, she turned back to the carriage. Jark was there, carefully taking down the camping items and her bags from the roof, where they were strapped in for travel. Walking carefully now, so as not to get the hem of her silken dress dirty (Ignoring the fact that the front was covered with dirt), she approached her elderly servant and took the bag he was currently holding. “Let me help you.”



Nodding, albeit reluctantly, Jark took another bag down, the cooking stuffs, and passed it down to her. “I'm sorry, my lady, that I didn't give you the all-clear signal. I offer no excuses, only my apologies.” Ashamedly, his steel-gray eyes looked down at hers.



Shaking her head, she quickly replied, “No, no, Jark, it isn't your fault. You didn't know he was a knight. Neither did I, until I hit that armor of his.” Rubbing her shoulder as inconspicuously as she could, the lady thought to herself, `Not to mention I'm going to have a bruise for days.'



Pausing as he handed Kara another bag, a thoughtful expression mixed with an amused twinkle in Jark's face bloomed in the elder man. “Well, it was rather funny to see you tackle him…”



Giggling, she lightly punched him on the arm. “Hey!”



Chuckling, the older man hopped off of the carriage's foothold with the last bag in his hands. “Well, if we're gonna stay the night here with that knight, why don't we break out the last of our flour and niceties, and you can bake up some of your biscuits!”



She frowned. “Biscuits? I can't cook biscuits, Jark. Last time I tried, they came out as black as Papa's beard.” Jark merely looked at her expectantly, “What? I already told you, I couldn't cook… Oh!” Giggling, she nudged him with her elbow. “They're called cookies, Jark! Not biscuits! But, yes, that's a great idea.” `Perfect, too, to apologize for attacking Bard…'



Later, all three were gathered around a blazing campfire, the wood it was feeding off of having been gathered by Bard. The pale moon shone brightly overheard, making the landscape both gleam with silver and dance with shadows. Even the knight's horse was silver, looking almost like a mythical unicorn. The campfire too, contributed to the scene, cackling and burning merrily, showering the travelers with warmth and casting a soft orange glow about itself.



Though, truth to tell, they really didn't notice.



Jark and Kara simply sat there; gawking at their companion as Bard busily shoveled food into his mouth. “Glmph mmph, great! Snarf, Totally awesome! I've never had cookies this *Crunch* good!” Trying to talk about eat seemed a particular ability of Bard's; Somehow, every single word of his came out as clear as if he spoke without food in his maw. “Glmph, ah! That was tasty! Though, cookies do make one thirsty… I'll be back; I remember a stream only a minute or two away. No need to drain the canteens!” Grinning at his newfound comrades with bits of cookie in his teeth, the young warrior jumped to his feet and bounded off into the shadows. For a moment, there was no sound but that of the fire, and the much louder sound of a large figure in armor clanking off in a seemingly random direction.



Then, Kara turned towards Jark, her eyes wide with shock. “I-is he human?!”



Gulping, the bug-eyed older man replied, “I've never seen another human being eat like that. Not ever Baron Dral.” In an attempt to regain his composure, he took a handkerchief and dabbed his brow. “Well, we certainly can say that he has a healthy appetite. Just as well that we're going to be at Mysidia tomorrow. I doubt we have enough to feed him much more than a single meal.



“Y-Yeah…” Almost unnoticeably, the young lady shivered softly. The young knight was handsome (quite cute in her mind) and she had begun to get the slightest bit of a crush on him. But… `He eats like a starved snow leopard…' she thought.



With a slight sigh, she laid back and look up at the stars that gracefully adorned the night sky. `Eiyaaahhh… The sky is beautiful tonight…' Smiling at the sense of peace that the sight gave her, the young maiden started to trace the heavenly constellations in her mind. There was the great Fox, most wide known of all the constellations, with the Three Hounds always at his heels, ever chasing him across the sky. There was also Odin, the great warrior king who had never died, but had arisen to the Heavens as a shining star to guide future heroes and wanderers. Indeed, the current King of Damcyan, Edward De La Fere, had used it as a guide to lead him to victory in the Great Goblin War of 46'. Oddly enough, however, the blazing Sapphos dwarfed Odin that night. Sapphos was, traditionally, the Damcyan goddess of women, and the Mysidian goddess of romance. It was a powerful omen whenever any constellation or star outshone Odin. `Very powerful...' though Kara, `Something to do with Sapphos is afoot. Ah, well… It's no omen to me. I wonder whose omen it really is…?'



Heaving a deep sigh of both relaxed and bored nature, she slowly closed her eyes to the world. She knew she should go back to the carriage before she fell asleep, but the carriage was cold, and it was so warm here by the fire… Slowly, her breathing stilled, becoming no more than a gentle lifting and lowering of her chest. Her limbs were made of lead, and the day's traveling and events came back with a vengeance, making all the more obvious the aching bruises from tackling Bard. Sleep was irresistible, so she simply let herself fall into its comforting embrace. “So…. *Yawn* Sleeeeeppyy….



~The Last Call, a bar in Mysidia~



Groaning, a dark brown haired lass slumped dejectedly on the table. Her cup slipped out of her hands and fell to the table with a clatter. This drew the attention of her two tablemates, one a brunette with longer hair, and the other with an odd mix of brown, blonde, and red hair. “Ugh…” Her two friends exchanged a glance, and the oddly haired one reached over and patted the sorrowful girl's hand. “There, there, Sam. You were too good for her anyways. You should just go out there, honey, and find a nice, sweet girl to take home and-”



“NO!” Reddened, bloodshot eyes glared up from the table. With a drunken blush across her cheeks, and her nose wrinkled up in frustration, she looked like a rather cute guy that had just a bit of a feminine look about him. Her short hair did nothing to dispel that illusion. “I don't want another one-night stand. I thought I had her this time. The One.” She slumped back down, sprawled across the table. “Maybe I'm not supposed to have anyone. Maybe I should just stop looking.”



Oblivious as she was in heartbroken self-pity, she didn't notice as her friend's hand abruptly left hers. What she did notice, however, was the sudden, warm embrace she found herself enveloped in. “Never, ever stop looking, sweetie. You just haven't found the right girl yet.”



After a few minutes of silence, Sam leaned back into the hug with a sigh. “Fine… I won't, Sisi.”



The cheery elder girl gave her a quick squeeze, then stood up. “Okay. Now, I'm gonna take my delectable little morsel of a girlfriend out on the dance floor. I expect a smile on your face by the time I get back, Hon, or else…” She let her words trail off with a mischievous grin. Offering her hand to the third person at the table, she led her girlfriend across the dance floor, where they were quickly lost from sight amongst the enormous crowd of dancers.



For a while, the last girl left at the table made little movement from the position she was in. Then she began to laugh. `Sisi… You're priceless.' The shorter, but older girl had been the brunette's best friend for two years, since she was sixteen. In fact, she was also her first girlfriend. Even feeling as down as she was, the memory of the time Sisi had slept with her brought a blush to her cheeks and a smile to her lips…



~Two Years Ago~



Two women laid in bed, covered in but a sheen of sweet and a thin white sheet. They were content in each other's arms, basking in the afterglow of their earlier activities. “Why,” mumbled one drowsily, “did you do that?”



Giggling, Sisi, lying on top of her, kisses her collarbone. “Because you're cute, sugar.” She purred softly as a kitten as she trailed her fingers down Sam's sides. “Are you sure you've never done this before? You're very good.”



She blushed, a faint rosy glow about her cheeks and other, unmentionable, places. “No, I've never done this before… But do you believe me now that I'm not a boy?” Running a hand down the purring girl's back, she used her other hand to brush her bangs aside.



“Oh, I knew you weren't a boy…” The smaller girl nuzzled into the crook of her lover's neck. “Though, if you had been I wouldn't've complained.”



For a short time, there was silence again, Sisi drifting off into the gentle caresses of slumber, and Sam lost in her own thoughts. Then, just before sleep claimed the Sisi, she spoke up. “Hey… Sisi?”



“Mmmn… yes?”



“Umm… I like you and all, but…” She trailed off, wondering how to continue.



“But…?” Sitting up a bit, the shapely elder girl looked her straight in the face. “You aren't attracted to girls, dear?”



“No, no, no,” she blushed, “Last night was wonderful. Its just…” She paused a moment, to plan her next words carefully. Then, taking a deep breath, she finished, “I like you, but only as a friend. No offense, but I wouldn't be able to stand being around you every waking moment.”



“Hmm…” With a sly look upon her face, Sisi moved around until she was straddling Sam's hips. “Too bad, babe,” she purred into the boyish girl's ear huskily, “But I think I can survive… So long as we can keep doing *this*” Slowly, too slowly, her hand-



~End Flashback~



Blushing profusely, she cut off the memory right there. `As nice as that thought is, this isn't be nest time or place for that.' Sighing, she sat up again and took a sip of the beer in front of her. `I wish Susan hadn't left me… I thought we had something special, that it was love…' Gazing around the bar, her eyes made their way slowly to the window, left open to let the breeze flow in and cool down the sweaty dancers. Looking out, up into the night sky, she noticed the star Sapphos, shining brightly in the sky. `Sapphos… The goddess of love…' slowly, a small smile drifted across her face. `Maybe she wasn't the one… Maybe…'



“Whew!” Coming seemingly out of nowhere, Sisi plopped herself down into the seat across from Sam, startling her. Grinning happily, she looked her friend over. “You're smiling! What brought this about?”



“Just memories, and a bit of superstition.” Still smiling softly at her best of friends, she went to take another sip of her drink. Stopping halfway and blinking, of course, as she caught a good look at her cheek. “Sisi? What happened to your cheek?”



Laughing, the oddly haired girl lightly touched the enormous red handprint on her cheek. “I tried to grope her out on the dance floor… I don't really think she's decided to be quite so open as you or me. Too bad… Fate's such a hot little minx in bed.” With an exaggerated sigh, the cheerful young woman watched her best friend collapse onto the table again, shaking with tears of suppressed mirth.







~Author's Notes: Well, here's chapter two, folks! Now that I've completed this, I'm gonna take a slight break and focus on my RPing and writing a story for the Evil Spring Fanfiction Contest. Still, though, that doesn't mean I'm gonna stop writing this! Much thanks to the real Sisi, who beta'd this chapter for me, and tons of thanks to all the people who reviewed my story; It really helped me out a lot. Much thanks to everyone!

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