"Older once again, Nightingale," Endahren said. He smiled at the silver-haired man who had just arrived to his and Calvier's home. It was evening, and the three had plans to go out to celebrate the day.
"You know I never age," Nightingale responded calmly, and smiled back at him. "You should be careful of what you say, you old man."
"Me? Old? Never." Endahren laughed, and patted Nightingale on the head. "Anything you want to do today?"
"Not particularly. We'll see if something comes up later."
"If you come up with anything, tell me."
It would soon be a year since Endahren had moved to Bastok, chasing after Nightingale. Endahren didn't know if they had been happier back in San d'Oria, or now here in Bastok. He guessed it didn't matter. While the relationship between the two hadn't changed, there had been other trouble to Nightingale in San d'Oria. So now they were here. Eventually, Endahren knew he had to leave, but the time wasn't yet. And a lot could happen yet.
"I got a letter from Ellanore today." Ellanore, his fiancée. He wasn't quite certain how much of the situation she understood. Nightingale knew of her for sure.
"How is she?"
"She's...left. To go adventuring. I was pretty certain she was going to end up doing that, but it's still somewhat of a shock." Nightingale nodded silently. While he did know of her, Endahren had never quite managed to figure out how he felt about her and her relationship with him. They would marry eventually, that was something Endahren had no intention of changing if Ellanore herself didn't wish it. It had been settled a long, long time ago. He felt it wouldn't be right to break it now, not after all these years.
"I had that feeling too. Adventuring fits her, somehow." Nightingale looked thoughtful. Lately he'd been doing that a lot. Endahren was starting to suspect Nightingale wanted to go out himself, find some adventures. Sometimes, he could swear it was like an epidemic. Everyone he loved would eventually leave like that.
"Hullo. I thought I heard your voice." It was Calvier, walking out from his room. "Happy birthday and all." Nightingale thanked him. The two weren't especially close, but they got along well enough. Calvier sometimes joined Endahren and Nightingale when they went out in the evenings, although most of his spare time he spent with Irene, his fiancée. Irene was a nice enough girl too, Endahren thought, but she wasn't too enthusiastic about partying. Not that he really blamed her for not joining them, if you weren't interested you weren't interested.
"Shall we go then?" The three walked out, happy enough to forget all worries for the night.
Hi Ella!
Writing this in my lull time at the store, since it occurred to me it's been so long since I last wrote to you. Time has flown past here in Bastok, end the store itself is doing reasonably well by now. Calvier and his girl Irene - remember, I wrote to you about them the last time? - got engaged. A bit of a shocker, that. But I figure it's a good time for them, what with him expecting to take over the store pretty soon. Hopefully they'll find happiness.
Got a letter from Jenare a bit ago, says he's finally ditched his family and left to adventure. I thought you might be interested in hearing something like that, since you've always wanted to leave yourself. I don't really know what it is with all of you, sometimes it seems like all the people I get to know better want to leave everything behind for the uncertainty of fighting their way in the wilderness. I suppose it does have its own draw, though.
But my point was - it can be done. I know you're unhappy there.
Say my hellos to your family.
Endahren
Endahren sat down beneath a tall tree. He was out here with Ellanore, he had volunteered to take her out to Ronfaure to practice her bow skills on. He was no soldier, but he was fairly confident that together with Ella they could hold off danger enough to retreat to a safer place, if danger even approached this close to the city. Which was unlikely in the first place, as the forest this close to San d'Oria was heavily patrolled.
He looked on as Ella walked back and forth around the small clearing. She didn't feel like resting so soon after getting out of the city for once. Her parents usually forbid her from doing things like this, but this time Endahren had talked them over. He wanted to talk to her. Or at the very least spend some time with her.
He wasn't yet too certain how he would approach the issue in his mind, if he did it at all. He had just felt the need to do something for her, probably out of guilt. She was his fiancée after all, and what did he do all day long? Pine after another person. Not that he'd ever been very faithful to the engagement, but this felt somehow more wrong to him than mere fooling around.
Ellanore walked to him and crouched down, looking determined. He looked at her, surprised of her sudden approach. "The truth, please. Why did you do this for me?"
Endahren looked away and thought. She had gotten more perceptive recently. "I think a friend of mine is in trouble. I don't know much, but..." He fell silent. Ellanore put down her bow and sat down properly.
"Why would you come to me because of it?" Endahren didn't really know it himself. Perhaps it really was the guilt.
"Perhaps as an apology. I want to help him, but I'm fairly certain it will take most of my time and energy. It's... complicated."
Ella nodded, and looked away. "It's not good leaving your friends. You should help him." She sighed. "But I still do not understand why you would need to tell me about this."
"We're engaged, Ellanore. Even if it was decided for us, I'm still supposed to get to know you. Spend time with you. And don't get me wrong - I want to do that. It's not my meaning to ignore you."
Ella stood up suddenly. "Once, you said you'd support me. There would be no reason for me to do otherwise, even if I've never stated it." She strode farther away, but Endahren still saw she was blushing. He smiled sadly. And here he was, making trouble for their lives. He hoped no one would get seriously hurt by this mess. But now that he had the permission to do so, he wouldn't let Nightingale suffer alone. He'd attempt to help, no matter what it cost him.
He stood up and walked after Ella. There were rabbits to catch.
Endahren tried to sit still in his chair. It was dinner time, and he still hadn't said it. It was proving to be more difficult than he had thought, and he had already thought it difficult enough to begin with. There had been absolutely no chance to catch his mother - or even father! - alone since he had reached home after visiting Ella. And if Ella would contact mother for the specifics of the Starlight Celebration dinner tomorrow, he couldn't really push this any farther. He'd have to do it today.
"Try to eat now, darling. You shouldn't go to a business meeting with an empty stomach. You know how those always end up including copious amounts of alcohol, no matter what you try to claim." Endahren looked up at his mother's voice. Business meeting? His father was going to a business meeting today?
"Highly unlikely they'll have much anything there other than something to snack on. If nothing else, your presence will keep me in line," his father grumbled. Endahren suddenly felt dizzy. Did that mean his mother was going too? What was going on?
"Of course she'll keep you in a leash. You always go overboard, you deserve it." The absentminded remark came from Arienne. Did everyone else know what was going on but him?
"What...what's this meeting all about then? I didn't hear of it," Endahren remarked, trying to sound casual.
"Don't worry, son. It's just a small meeting to strengthen some ties and all, nothing important. Your mother and I will be gone the whole night, though." Endahren took a sharp breat, suddenly feeling slightly dizzy. That meant that this was pretty much his only chance to deliver the news unless he wanted things to get very complicated. Which he didn't want, not when he had done a bit of progress with Ella. Hopefully.
"Ah..is that so..." He squeezed his knife and fork tightly. No moment like the present, right? Endahren felt a bit sick. Arienne was there. He was going to hear about this for months, wasn't he? "Actually...there's something I've been meaning to mention..."
His father looked at him carefully, and frowned. "You haven't done anything stupid, have you?" Endahren laughed nervously. Suddenly he felt a bit like throwing up.
"Not stupid, no. At least I sure hope so. We can take in one more person for Starlight dinner, right? I kind of...sort of invited Ella over." He quickly looked down at his place and hoped his cheeks weren't burning too brightly. A silence followed his words, and it seemed to last for ages.
"Well now. That was...unexpected." That was his mother. Arienne started laughing.
"Good work, m'boy!" His father. He was looking at him with admiration. "Get 'em young, I've always said." That was followed by a small grunt as Felitte poked her husband sharply. Endahren could feel a definite blush all over his face. Damn.
"I-It's not like that. She's been a bit down lately, so I thought a little change of pace could do her good."
"You've been meeting her a lot lately then?" Endahren was startled by his mother's question. He hadn't remembered that they might not know even that much. After all, he hadn't really been forthcoming about it himself, so the only way for his parents to know would be if the Delouviens told them.
"Ah...ma-maybe a little."
"So that's where all the gil is going to. Don't pamper her too much," his mother nodded sagely.
"Give the boy a break, Felitte. Nothing wrong with buying a couple gifts for your woman."
"Ellanore is only 13 at the moment. Too many gifts now will just spoil her rotten."
"I don't know...I sure would have liked an attentive fiancé like that when I was thirteen," Arienne smirked. "What have you given her? Something grand, I hope. I don't want my brother getting a stingy reputation. You'd better entertain her well, or you'll hear from your big sister, remember that!"
Endahren groaned. This wasn't really a family matter, it was his own private life they were discussing! He had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but things lately had been insisting on not going his way. The rest of the dinner conversation had only one subject - Endahren's love life, and what his family thought he should do about it. When the dinner ended, Endahren retreated to his room, exhausted. Who knew families could be so bothersome?
Endahren sighed. Again. He thought it might just be the lousiest birthday ever. Lately, he had been thinking a lot of his duties and obligations. It didn't make for the best way to spend your birthday, especially when the only person you could possibly talk to was a mere child. Once again, he sighed bitterly. Arranged marriages really weren't his thing, especially with a difference in age this big. It bothered him. It seemed that no matter what he did, he was confusing the girl badly. He hadn't wanted to do that, but he wasn't really an expert in how to treat 13-year-old girls. The ones he usually spent his time with were his own age. He supposed they had been 13 once too, but at that age, he hadn't paid any attention to them, and had just spent his time with his male friends. Back then, girls might as well have been a separate species for all he cared.
He stopped, cheeks flaming. He had really invited her to the Starlight dinner. He would have to inform mother of it now, he supposed. The experience might just make him die of embarrasment. He hadn't even meant to go to see Ella in the first place, and had somehow blurted out that question to give even some semblance of a reason for his visit. He supposed it hadn't been the smartest thing to do.
Slowly continuing his walk back home, he wondered if he shouldn't just stop trying. For now, until Ella grew up a little bit more. Maybe in three more years or so she would be capable of listening to what he said. At the present, the girl seemed so inexperienced and innocent that he didn't want to burden her with his worries. It would of course leave him with no one at all to talk to, but he could handle that. It would hurt even more if she downright rejected him if he tried telling his thoughts to her, she was likely to do that the way she was now, he thought.
He wondered what he could distract himself with. That would be sorely needed now, more than ever. Perhaps he should start reading more, concentrate on his studies. That'd please both father and mother for one, although not so much his friends. Friends, he called them, but how good friends could they really be since he never talked to them? They weren't the type to take serious talk well, and Endahren didn't want to talk to them in the first place.
He sighed again, feeling rejected, and made his way down the street. There was really no one else he could talk to. There was only Ella.
It had been quite a boring week for Endahren. Father had been busy with his business. Mother, for some reason, had become very secretive. She had taken up a habit of looking at him sideways when she thought he didn't notice, and whispering something with the servant girl Clara. Arienne was busy playing with her friends as always, and yelled at him whenever he got close. Not that she didn't really have reason for that, he thought the thing with the crayfish might have been too much for her.
Nevertheless, this situation with the family left him nothing else to do but to amuse himself with his little lackeys. Not that he ever called them that to their faces. Not very often anyway. It was just amusing how some of them would do anything he suggested.
Today was set to be nothing out of the ordinary. He was thinking of going out to his gang's usual meeting place by the port when it happened.
"Endahren! Oh, there you are. Don't go anywhere now, father has something to tell you." The interruption came from his mother. Looking at her, Endahren wasn't quite certain how to react. On one hand, he was somewhat glad he wasn't being ignored anymore, but on the other hand..the recent strange look in his mother's eyes had gotten stronger. It looked like she was excited over something, but of what Endahren knew of adults, they'd get excited over the strangest things, and most of them were not good news for the kids. They usually involved a lot of sitting around and listening to old men speak.
"What is it?"
"Just come along, you don't want to keep him and Mr Delouvien waiting." Delouvien? Wasn't that the name of the leatherworker family? As he followed his mother down the hallway he thought back, trying to think why a man like that would be involved. Had he done something to his family? Not lately, at least. But the more he thought of it the more he was certain that the man in question had been around suspiciously much lately.
His mother stopped at the door to the room his father used as a study, and to handle the official business of the store. He was getting vaguely uncomfortable. Nothing good ever happened in that room.
"Now, be certain to say your greeting properly, Endahren. And be polite to Mr Delouvien, can you remember that? It's very important." Saying that, she straightened his shirt, messed with his hair, and then knocked on the door. Endahren took a deep breath. This really did sound serious. Had one of this lackeys messed up and somehow the fault had ended up on his shoulders? If so, they'd be excommunicated from his gang immediately. He didn't know exactly what 'excommunicated' meant, but it sounded vaguely menacing, a fitting punishment for someone who'd gotten him blamed for the mistakes of others.
"Ah, Endahren, there you are. We've been waiting for you." Endahren smiled politely at his father and Mr Delouvien, and made his greetings. "Good morning father, Mr Delouvien."
"Good morning, Endahren. You seem well."
"I suppose I'm well enough, Mr Delouvien." How he hated this kind of pretension. Could they not just get on with it and tell him why he was here? Thankfully, this seemed to be the extent of useless polite phrases for today.
"Sit down, son. I suppose you're wondering why you're here." That he did, and more than just wondering - how about worrying? - but he replied something noncommittal and sat down to the free chair, wondering why he was given such courtesy if this was about some mis-identified prank.
"I suppose you remember when a while ago we met Mr and Mrs Delouvien along with their youngest daughter, Ellanore." That he did remember, although he hadn't remembered the girl's name. She was just a baby, he usually didn't bother with those. They had met during the Sunbreeze Festival, and the girl had ended up wanting a goldfish. Since he had been trying to catch one at the time to beat Ari, his sister, and didn't want to be distracted by some brat's wailing, he had promised to catch one for the girl, and had even done good of that promise. But now he was confused. This didn't really sound like he was in trouble after all.
"We took note of your kind action, young man. It is rather exceptional for one so young to act so courteously." Endahren was so enchanted by the praise that he nearly missed the significance of the next part. "Considering this, your father and I started talking recently. A nice boy like you with a good inheritance shouldn't go marry just any girl. You have a responsibility, you understand that?" Mr Endahren looked at him sternly.
His father continued, "Naturally you do, don't you Endahren? Which is exactly why Mr Delouvien here offered the hand of his daughter to you. I think this is a good idea myself, it will allow both our families a more secure future, a future where we can work together with no worries."
Endahren blinked. This wasn't quite what he had been expecting. In fact, he wasn't certain just what they were talking about, so he blurted out his thoughts without thinking. "You mean, MARRY? As in, with a GIRL?!"
The expression on his father's face told him quickly enough that this wasn't quite an appropriate response to the matter. He quickly corrected himself. "Excuse me. I mean, sure, it sounds nice." He was left blinking and wondering what he had just agreed to. The two adults continued their talking, but he listened only half-heartedly, giving the occasional polite but vague affirmative, nodding his head like he was listening. They wanted him to marry that squealing baby? She couldn't even talk properly! Just what had he gotten himself into? He swore then and there not to be nice to girls ever again.
It was a hot and humid summer evening. Occasionally, you could hear the sound of fireworks, shot from the walls of San d'Oria. The moon was shining somewhere above, but you couldn't see it due to all the trees. There were lanterns on the trees that lit the festivities. Endahren loved this. There weren't many opportunities to come out like this, but during the Sunbreeze Festival the Royal Knights kept the forest especially clear of monsters, so people could come out and play. You could see them occasionally in the crowd, sweating in their heavy armors, guarding the safety of the people. But this time, Endahren didn't really care about the knights. This was a festival, and they came around rarely enough as it was. Knights, you could see every day.
He was out with his family - well, mother and Ari, father had stayed behind to close the store and give last instructions to the hired guards, there to ensure no one would get bad ideas into their heads. He was set to meet up with the rest of the family soon, though. They were all wearing summer yukatas, as was only fitting for a family of their stature. Or so father said, Endahren didn't really care.
"Ah, a goldfish booth!" Arienne remarked, pointing to the sign with familiarly-colored fish adorning it. She was all decked out in bright colors. While Endahren didn't care about wearing a yukata for Sunbreeze, Arienne certainly did. She had worried over her appearance for tonight the whole day, dreaming about festivities and bothering their mother with questions about this and that. But this was one thing that Endahren wasn't willing to lose to her in.
"I want to catch one!" He piped up before Arienne had had time to say anything more. Then he glared at her. He could still remember quite vividly how last year, Arienne had caught two while he had caught none. He wasn't about to lose this year, too. He had practiced secretly all through last week.
Arienne glared back at him in response. The two raced to the booth, picked up bowls to catch the goldfish into and bought a scoop for each. While the two started catching goldfish, their father arrived with some aqcuintances of his that he had met on the way. The aqcuaintances had with them a small girl, who observed Endahren and Arienne catching fish for a little while. The process seemed to interest her, although Endahren couldn't tell if it was merely because of the bright fish. He was rather annoyed that the adults had come close to the pond and his location to discuss matters, he was trying to concentrate on catching goldfish. He scooped down, ever so carefully, trying to ignore the polite conversation behind his back. The fish stayed still. Just a little more now...
"Pretty fish!" The clear voice of a young girl ran through the background noise of the festivities. The girl had walked right up to the waterline and bowed down to get a closer look at what he was doing. He hadn't noticed, being too concentrated on what he was doing, and the voice startled him. The goldfish he had just been about to catch swam away, and he sighed in irritation.
"Yes, aren't they. I'm trying to catch one, you need to be quite to do that," he said to the girl, and winked at her, holding a finger to his lips. The girl looked up at him with big brown eyes, and quietly went "ohhh..." Endahren wasn't quite sure if she'd understood - who knew of little kids like that? She was barely more than a baby! - so he walked slowly to a new place and started waiting again. Soon, another goldfish approached, pretty and golden. He smirked, giving a sidelong glance to Arienne to make certain she hadn't succeeded yet, and...
"Ella want one!" The goldfish got away. Endahren felt like saying something really bad to the girl. However, she had already turned away, yelling at her mother and pointing at the water. "Want one! Pretty fish!" The girl's mother turned around.
"You want what now? A goldfish? Oh, Ella dear, goldfish are hard to catch. Maybe you should do that another year, okay honey? You'll only get a cold if you get in the water."
The little girl pouted. A crease appeared between her eyebrows. "Ella want pretty fish..." She looked like she was about to cry. And on top of everything, Arienne smirked at him, showing that her bowl now contained a little goldfish in it. Endahren felt like groaning. The distraction didn't seem to be resolving itself very soon. This needed drastic measures.
"Tell you what, young miss. If you sit down there, I'll catch you a goldfish." The girl's now watery eyes turned to him. She seemed to be sucking on her thumb of all things.
"For Ella?"
Endahren nodded and smiled encouragingly. Or what he hoped was encouragingly, he was seething inside. If this little brat didn't stop this soon..! "Yes, for you. Sit down there now and be silent, okay?" The girl nodded, still sucking on her thumb, and plomped down on the ground. Endahren turned around and sighed. Now, goldfish, goldfish...
It took a little while this time, but he was determined to catch the next one. But finally it appeared. He brought his scoop and bowl closer to it...just a little closer... a quick scooping motion later he now had a goldfish. He turned around and grinned proudly, raising the bowl. "It's a pretty one, too, this fish!"
The little girl giggled and clapped her hands. She almost ran to the pond to get a closer look at his catch, but her mother had come to her when he was occupied and managed to catch her in time. In fact... Endahren blinked. He seemed to have gathered quite an audience, with his parents and the girl's parents along with Ari were all standing on the bank.
"Oh, that's not just a regular one, is it? The fins seem too big." That was the girl's father. Endahren looked at the goldfish while wading out of the pond. Sure enough, the fins seemed bigger and were flowing around the bowl with the water's movements. Was it important?
"If I'm going to catch a goldfish for a girl, it had better be a special one," he remarked as he handed the bowl to the girl. If he had managed to catch something special, might as well make the best of it. And Ari certainly had caught only a common one.
The little girl giggled again and took the bowl carefully. The good deed for the day done, he guessed.
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