Because You're Not The One
He was doing it again.
Wendy inwardly groaned as her brother approached her, trying to make it look like a 'pure coincidence'. There was nothing coincidental about it, she suspected. He was following her around, always trying to check up on her as if she was a child. Wendy was getting sick of it. It's not like she was exactly like their mother, a fussy and loud woman. Wendy only happened to look like her mother, with pink hair and a pointed chin, but the resemblances stopped there.
She decided to stay focused on the enemy before her. Maybe if he saw that she was busy, he'd leave her alone.
"Ya! Take that!" Wendy cried as her spear took another Bern soldier's life.
"Oh, Wendy! What a coincidence, running into you here!" Bors said.
Wendy rolled her eyes and pulled her spear back to her side. "Yes, Brother. We seem to run into each other a lot."
"Yes!" Bors was smiling strangely, and Wendy didn't like it at all. "Since I'm here, why don't we stop and talk for a while? Are you hurt? Is your armor too heavy?"
"I'm fine, Brother. Thanks for your consideration."
"Are you taking care of your spear and helmet well?" Bors kept prying.
"Yes."
"Are you eating properly? Are you worrying about anything? I am your brother, after all..."
"I realize that, Brother, but I'm fine," Wendy's irritation was rising.
"Have you made any friends? Any boyfriends..."
"Oh, so THAT'S his game."
"Brother!" Wendy's patience ran out. "Please, I really am fine. I do appreciate your concern, but you're not the one I want looking after me like this!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Wendy blushed. Drat! That's just what he wanted to know!
Bors raised an eyebrow. "Then, Wendy...who is it you DO want looking after you instead of me?"
Wendy didn't say anything. Now Bors was concerned. "Wendy, if you can't tell me, then that's a good enough reason for me to be worried."
"Fine..." Wendy sighed. "It's Oujay."
&-&-&-&
Oujay was replenishing some of his health when he heard the soft chimes of small bells very close by. Since it was part of the job to be on the lookout for any strange activity, Oujay went to investigate. Much to his relief, it was only Lalum.
His relief quickly changed to horror when Lalum turned his way and let loose a furious screech.
"Oujay! Stop spying on me and my dancing!"
"L-Lalum...I wasn't!" He tried to explain that the bell chimes made strange noises and they always had to be alert in case of ambushes, but Lalum wouldn't hear any of it.
"I was right in the middle of practicing Dance Number Six! And you just wrecked it!"
"I'm sorry, Lalum," Oujay tried to remain polite.
Lalum glared at him for a few more minutes, making him very nervous. But soon her glare lifted and her face was back to its smiling shine.
"Oh well...since you had praised me last time, I guess I can forgive you..."
"You must really like dancing," Oujay commented, hoping to make her forget her anger. Lalum was scary when she was mad. It seemed to work, because Lalum's face got excited.
"Yes, I do. It's my passion," Lalum said proudly. "Hey! Do you want to see?"
"See your dancing?" Oujay smiled. "Well, why not?"
"I knew you would!" Lalum did a happy skip. "I worked so hard on this. It gets so amazing near the end and...hey! Are you thinking naughty thoughts?"
"Wh-what? No!"
"I knew it! You were! I refuse to show you any of my dancing!" Lalum hissed.
Oujay shook his head. "Lalum, I wasn't thinking of anything dirty at all..."
"Tough," Lalum replied. "I'll only show you my dancing...if you agree to court me!" she smiled, thinking that Oujay wouldn't refuse her.
She was wrong. Oujay shook his head. "As much as I'd like to see your dancing, Lalum, I refuse. You're not the one I want to court."
Lalum froze. The mercenary noticed that her hands were shaking, but from anger or from shock, he couldn't tell.
"You...you're rejecting me?"
"Yes," Oujay said. "There's...someone else."
Lalum shook her head. "Who? Who could possibly..."
"It's Wendy," Oujay said proudly.
&-&-&-&
By the end of the battle, everyone was exhausted. Roy ordered Marcus, Alan and Lance to set up camp for the army. While waiting for her and Lady Lilina's tent to be set up, Wendy decided to seek out Oujay for some quality time together. Her mind was still on the fight and speaking with him always eased her troubles.
To her surprise and horror, she found Bors talking to Oujay. The words her brother was giving weren't very gentle and Oujay was looking more uncomfortable by the second. Wendy realized Bors was playing the role of overprotective brother and using the usual "you must go through me to get to my sister" lines.
"Brother!" Wendy shouted. Bors jumped a good distance in the air and Wendy marched towards him. "I told you that you do not have to look after me like I am a child! I am seventeen and I'm quite old enough to care for myself!"
"W-Wendy...I really don't think you are ready for a boyfriend..." Bors stammered. This only made Wendy angrier.
"And who are you to say so? You're not Father or Mother! I will agree you are my older brother, but that does not give you the right to play God!" Wendy's voice was getting louder and many of the troop began to stare at her. Miss Ellen looked ready to faint at such loud proclamations and Lady Lilina appeared to be very startled by Wendy's words. Wendy took a deep breath to calm herself, reminding herself that a knight must be calm and collected at all times...even off the battlefield.
Bors looked very startled. Oujay was staring at both of them with wide eyes. He had known Wendy was a very strong willed girl, but to be capable of such anger towards her own brother...
"Bors," Wendy suddenly said, her voice eerily calm. "I do not need you to take care of me anymore. I can take care of myself and I am capable of taking care of those around me. The reason I became an armor knight was so you would not have to protect me all the time. It wasn't only to serve Ostia and help with this war."
"Wendy..." Bors whispered, realization dawning in his eyes. "You're really serious about this?"
"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't," Wendy replied. Bors only nodded and turned to Oujay.
"I...guess I have nothing left to say then, Oujay. Treat my sister well. She's the only family I have left, you see..."
"I understand, Sir Bors," Oujay said, bowing his head. "I swear on my life she won't have any reason to be upset when she's with me."
Wendy smiled and took Oujay's hand. The blue haired young man blushed and wrapped his arm around her. Bors turned away quickly so they wouldn't see his smile.
"I shall be going, then...Wendy, just remember we're still siblings, alright? You may be growing up, but that doesn't mean we can't still talk."
"Yes, brother," Wendy replied, her smile growing wider. "Thank you..." she whispered as Bors walked away. No one, except Oujay, had heard her.
"So Wendy...did you need to see me?"
Wendy looked up at Oujay and nodded. "I juat have a lot on my mind from the battle...could we relax together?"
"Of course..." Neither one seemed to notice or care about the stares they were getting from everyone else as they walked away. Thany was giggling cheerfully at the realization why they were so close. Fir was smiling and secretly wishing the one she admired would come as close to her as she wanted to be to him. Sue looked bemused and many of the men were simply rolling their eyes, not caring about love in a war.
Roy was startled when Lilina came up and put her arms around him. "I always knew she liked him...I'm so happy he likes her back!"
"L-Lilina..." Roy blushed.
"Oh don't be so shy, Roy."
"Easy for you to say..." Roy thought.
&-&-&-&
Over near the campfires, Echidna had smelled something very strange wafting in the air. When she went to investigate, she found Lalum there, mashing many vegetables, bark off a tree, leaves and too much salt scraped off an ocean stone together. She was mumbling something about "that damn Oujay", "pervert who just wants a free dance", "that girl's not as pretty as me" and "stupid naughty thoughts." Satisfied with what she mashed together, she dumped it in the boiling pot, making an even more unbearable smell waft up.
"At least my cooking stays good!"
"Oh heck no...I better go warn everyone not to eat that stew," Echidna thought in horror.
Wendy inwardly groaned as her brother approached her, trying to make it look like a 'pure coincidence'. There was nothing coincidental about it, she suspected. He was following her around, always trying to check up on her as if she was a child. Wendy was getting sick of it. It's not like she was exactly like their mother, a fussy and loud woman. Wendy only happened to look like her mother, with pink hair and a pointed chin, but the resemblances stopped there.
She decided to stay focused on the enemy before her. Maybe if he saw that she was busy, he'd leave her alone.
"Ya! Take that!" Wendy cried as her spear took another Bern soldier's life.
"Oh, Wendy! What a coincidence, running into you here!" Bors said.
Wendy rolled her eyes and pulled her spear back to her side. "Yes, Brother. We seem to run into each other a lot."
"Yes!" Bors was smiling strangely, and Wendy didn't like it at all. "Since I'm here, why don't we stop and talk for a while? Are you hurt? Is your armor too heavy?"
"I'm fine, Brother. Thanks for your consideration."
"Are you taking care of your spear and helmet well?" Bors kept prying.
"Yes."
"Are you eating properly? Are you worrying about anything? I am your brother, after all..."
"I realize that, Brother, but I'm fine," Wendy's irritation was rising.
"Have you made any friends? Any boyfriends..."
"Oh, so THAT'S his game."
"Brother!" Wendy's patience ran out. "Please, I really am fine. I do appreciate your concern, but you're not the one I want looking after me like this!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Wendy blushed. Drat! That's just what he wanted to know!
Bors raised an eyebrow. "Then, Wendy...who is it you DO want looking after you instead of me?"
Wendy didn't say anything. Now Bors was concerned. "Wendy, if you can't tell me, then that's a good enough reason for me to be worried."
"Fine..." Wendy sighed. "It's Oujay."
&-&-&-&
Oujay was replenishing some of his health when he heard the soft chimes of small bells very close by. Since it was part of the job to be on the lookout for any strange activity, Oujay went to investigate. Much to his relief, it was only Lalum.
His relief quickly changed to horror when Lalum turned his way and let loose a furious screech.
"Oujay! Stop spying on me and my dancing!"
"L-Lalum...I wasn't!" He tried to explain that the bell chimes made strange noises and they always had to be alert in case of ambushes, but Lalum wouldn't hear any of it.
"I was right in the middle of practicing Dance Number Six! And you just wrecked it!"
"I'm sorry, Lalum," Oujay tried to remain polite.
Lalum glared at him for a few more minutes, making him very nervous. But soon her glare lifted and her face was back to its smiling shine.
"Oh well...since you had praised me last time, I guess I can forgive you..."
"You must really like dancing," Oujay commented, hoping to make her forget her anger. Lalum was scary when she was mad. It seemed to work, because Lalum's face got excited.
"Yes, I do. It's my passion," Lalum said proudly. "Hey! Do you want to see?"
"See your dancing?" Oujay smiled. "Well, why not?"
"I knew you would!" Lalum did a happy skip. "I worked so hard on this. It gets so amazing near the end and...hey! Are you thinking naughty thoughts?"
"Wh-what? No!"
"I knew it! You were! I refuse to show you any of my dancing!" Lalum hissed.
Oujay shook his head. "Lalum, I wasn't thinking of anything dirty at all..."
"Tough," Lalum replied. "I'll only show you my dancing...if you agree to court me!" she smiled, thinking that Oujay wouldn't refuse her.
She was wrong. Oujay shook his head. "As much as I'd like to see your dancing, Lalum, I refuse. You're not the one I want to court."
Lalum froze. The mercenary noticed that her hands were shaking, but from anger or from shock, he couldn't tell.
"You...you're rejecting me?"
"Yes," Oujay said. "There's...someone else."
Lalum shook her head. "Who? Who could possibly..."
"It's Wendy," Oujay said proudly.
&-&-&-&
By the end of the battle, everyone was exhausted. Roy ordered Marcus, Alan and Lance to set up camp for the army. While waiting for her and Lady Lilina's tent to be set up, Wendy decided to seek out Oujay for some quality time together. Her mind was still on the fight and speaking with him always eased her troubles.
To her surprise and horror, she found Bors talking to Oujay. The words her brother was giving weren't very gentle and Oujay was looking more uncomfortable by the second. Wendy realized Bors was playing the role of overprotective brother and using the usual "you must go through me to get to my sister" lines.
"Brother!" Wendy shouted. Bors jumped a good distance in the air and Wendy marched towards him. "I told you that you do not have to look after me like I am a child! I am seventeen and I'm quite old enough to care for myself!"
"W-Wendy...I really don't think you are ready for a boyfriend..." Bors stammered. This only made Wendy angrier.
"And who are you to say so? You're not Father or Mother! I will agree you are my older brother, but that does not give you the right to play God!" Wendy's voice was getting louder and many of the troop began to stare at her. Miss Ellen looked ready to faint at such loud proclamations and Lady Lilina appeared to be very startled by Wendy's words. Wendy took a deep breath to calm herself, reminding herself that a knight must be calm and collected at all times...even off the battlefield.
Bors looked very startled. Oujay was staring at both of them with wide eyes. He had known Wendy was a very strong willed girl, but to be capable of such anger towards her own brother...
"Bors," Wendy suddenly said, her voice eerily calm. "I do not need you to take care of me anymore. I can take care of myself and I am capable of taking care of those around me. The reason I became an armor knight was so you would not have to protect me all the time. It wasn't only to serve Ostia and help with this war."
"Wendy..." Bors whispered, realization dawning in his eyes. "You're really serious about this?"
"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't," Wendy replied. Bors only nodded and turned to Oujay.
"I...guess I have nothing left to say then, Oujay. Treat my sister well. She's the only family I have left, you see..."
"I understand, Sir Bors," Oujay said, bowing his head. "I swear on my life she won't have any reason to be upset when she's with me."
Wendy smiled and took Oujay's hand. The blue haired young man blushed and wrapped his arm around her. Bors turned away quickly so they wouldn't see his smile.
"I shall be going, then...Wendy, just remember we're still siblings, alright? You may be growing up, but that doesn't mean we can't still talk."
"Yes, brother," Wendy replied, her smile growing wider. "Thank you..." she whispered as Bors walked away. No one, except Oujay, had heard her.
"So Wendy...did you need to see me?"
Wendy looked up at Oujay and nodded. "I juat have a lot on my mind from the battle...could we relax together?"
"Of course..." Neither one seemed to notice or care about the stares they were getting from everyone else as they walked away. Thany was giggling cheerfully at the realization why they were so close. Fir was smiling and secretly wishing the one she admired would come as close to her as she wanted to be to him. Sue looked bemused and many of the men were simply rolling their eyes, not caring about love in a war.
Roy was startled when Lilina came up and put her arms around him. "I always knew she liked him...I'm so happy he likes her back!"
"L-Lilina..." Roy blushed.
"Oh don't be so shy, Roy."
"Easy for you to say..." Roy thought.
&-&-&-&
Over near the campfires, Echidna had smelled something very strange wafting in the air. When she went to investigate, she found Lalum there, mashing many vegetables, bark off a tree, leaves and too much salt scraped off an ocean stone together. She was mumbling something about "that damn Oujay", "pervert who just wants a free dance", "that girl's not as pretty as me" and "stupid naughty thoughts." Satisfied with what she mashed together, she dumped it in the boiling pot, making an even more unbearable smell waft up.
"At least my cooking stays good!"
"Oh heck no...I better go warn everyone not to eat that stew," Echidna thought in horror.
