Endahren woke up. From somewhere below came the scent of freshly baked bread. It made his head ache. He hadn't come home until late into the night, and could really use several hours of sleep more. He had even considered spending the night somewhere else since he knew he would inevitably be woken up in the morning here, but had decided against it in the end. Not that he would have had many options for that, since he hadn't had a gil to his name by midnight.
His cheeks burned when he remembered why that was. Nightingale, the boy had given as his name. Certainly not his real name, but it wasn't as if he needed to know the real name. Nightingale was good enough a name, and fitting besides. What he remembered of it, the boy sang like something out of this world. Although he admitted to himself that the impression might have been due to his severe intoxication by that point of the night, he had sobered up considerably after it.
Endahren sighed and wished he could have stayed asleep for a bit more. But judging by the position of the sun, someone would come disturb him at any time now, if he didn't quickly show himself downstairs. While the morning after Valentione's day wasn't the busiest day in business, that was no excuse not to be prepared for the customers. He looked out the window. The sky was partially obscured by clouds, although the sun still managed to shine too brightly for his tastes. There was frost on the window glass, obviously melting in the warmer temperatures of late morning.
He got up and wondered how Jenare's night had gone after he had left. He much doubted anything serious had happened, knowing his friend, but somewhere deep inside there was a part of him that was scared and whimpering in a corner. He supposed there was no denying anything to himself by now, but tried not to think of it. He'd get over this. He was never hung up on any one person for long. A good thing too, for he supposed Mr Delouvien, Ella's father, would kill him if he did. Even as it was he was constantly in trouble trying to keep a balance between his private life and his public life. Sometimes he wondered how long he could keep this up. Even his resources weren't infinite.
Having made himself look presentable, he scrambled downstairs for a bite of something to eat before work. This was going to be a long day indeed.
Endahren took a swig of his beer. He wasn't quite certain anymore how he'd ended up in an up-town tavern, but here he was. And he'd had a very bad day. First, he'd made the mistake of introducing that slut of a girl to Jenare. Then he'd left the two of them alone, and hadn't even been able to find Gellenneu and the rest of this usual gang, nor pick up a girl for the night. How he hated spending Valentione's day all by himself.
"Still moping away here in a corner?" The voice was bright and belonged to a silver-haired Elvaan youth that was approaching his corner. The boy was impeccably clothed and was wearing peculiar gloves. He was a bard, or more accurately, a bard's apprentice. The name he had given was Nightingale, and Endahren had talked with him earlier tonight. He was afraid he might've said a bit too much of what was ailing him.
"Yeah, still here. No place like a dim corner to drown your sorrows in." He saluted the boy with his mug and drank the last of it. Nightingale chuckled and supplied him with another mug.
"What, just mead?"
"If you drink, you might as well drink something sweet. All that beer's got to taste a bit dull after so many mugs of it." The boy smiled at him teasingly. Well, boy... this 'boy' was around Jenare's age even though he was so small, and he never called Jenare a boy anymore. Even though it might be true, technically. "And truthfully, you might make for better company if you clear your head a bit."
Endahren grimaced at him. That was technically true, but he didn't particularly feel like being sober tonight. He raised the mug of mead to his lips, and felt a light touch on his hand.
"I know I brought you that, but would you rather reconsider?" He looked down and saw the boy's honest grey eyes. Momentarily, the face was overlapped by another, a one with black hair. But the eyes, the eyes were the same... He took a deep breath and looked to the side guiltily. There was the reason he'd started talking with Nightingale in the first place. He reminded him too much of...
He put down his mug. "I suppose you're right. I think I'll be needing some fresh air, then." The silver-haired apparition smiled at him sweetly and helped him up.
"Let's go up at the balcony. It wasn't too crowded when I last checked." Well, of course it wouldn't be, Endahren thought as he followed Nightingale unsteadily. The upstairs was reserved for performers today. The tavern had apparently hired many to entertain their customers out on Valentione's day. Not that this place was ever really very empty, if what he'd heard was true. He'd been here once or twice only, but this place had a reputation for being one of the best taverns in the city. Also one of the more costly, and farther away from his home than he usually went when he wanted to have a good time. There were many perfectly good establishments closer to home if he wanted to do that.
When they reached the top of the stairs, a breeze of fresh air greeted them. The door to the balcony was left open to bring a little ventilation to the packed tavern.
"Mmm... Feels so good, it's getting a bit stuffy down there." Endahren agreed with the statement, although he hadn't even noticed it in the situation itself. He'd been too busy feeling miserable. He took a deep breath of the chilly night air and stepped out. It wasn't much colder than it had been earlier, and maybe even warmer. The weather was good enough to sit outside in, at least for a while. "Oh, we can sit here." Nightingale walked to a bench to the far right of the door they had come through and sat down, patting the space beside him. The moonlight gleamed off his hair, making them glow. Endahren swallowed. Once again, he saw a flash of a different person in Nightingale's place, and the thought of that person inviting him like this was really rather thought-evoking. Not unpleasant, but it made him think of things that could turn unpleasant if ever attempted to bring forth into reality. He cast his eyes up to the skies, stepped forward and sat down. Altana help him now, but he had no intention of backing down at this stage. And it's not like the boy wasn't attractive, far from it.
When he sat down, the boy shuffled closer and leaned on him. "A bit chilly here." Endahren sighed faintly and drew his right arm around him. "Not too much, I think." He looked down at the the boy - Nightingale, he should really learn to use his name - and stopped. It was a funny world. Before the last sunset, he had still been thinking of spending Valentione's with Jenare. Then Vera had shown up, and her being Arienne's fiancee's younger sister, and Arienne having unceremoniously dumped the girl on him so she could go have a peaceful evening with Vichuel, he had had no choice but to invite her with him for the night. He should've known it would mean trouble. He didn't know Vera too well, but he thought he knew enough.
"Stop frowning. It doesn't fit you." Nightingale lifted his head and looked directly at him. His face was close, Endahren could feel his breath on his face.
"How did you know I was frowning?"
"I could sense it. You get a sense for that stuff when you're an entertainer like me." Endahren nodded thoughtfully, and without thinking of it any further, drew closer to Nightingale and kissed him. His lips were a bit chilly, but soft, and his mouth was warm enough. It was sweet, sweeter than it probably should have been.
Endahren sighed and looked out at the sea, leaning on the railing. The sun was just setting, and the crisp air made his breath billow out in a white mist in front of him. It hadn't been a good day for him, although he supposed it had been for several others. Two others in particular, that exceedingly polite friend of his called Jenare, and that slut of a girl Vera. He supposed he should have known to expect something like this if the two were ever brought in contact with each other. Jenare was too young and naive, and that attracted girls like Vera. And for Jenare, attention from a girl like her was rare and welcomed, at least according to what he had seen before becoming too exasparated at his own stupidity. But maybe that had been a mistake too, leaving those two alone like that.
Endahren sighed again and sank his head in his hands. This wouldn't be good at all, he just knew it.
"Feeling better, Endahren?" He looked over his shoulder at the familiar voice. It was Jenare, holding out his cloak. He had forgotten it in the Rusty Anchor in his hurry to get out. But since Jenare was out here, what had happened to Vera?
"Thanks," he said, taking the offered clothing. "Yeah, I'm better. Ready to party all night!" While he didn't like hiding it, there was no way he would let Jenare know he'd been only getting moody because Jenare had paid too much attention to a girl. Pretending was the way to go here. And anyway, the experience might do Jenare some good. Loss of some of that naivety and all? Somewhere deep in his head, a small voice said that he didn't want that to happen even if it might be useful for his friend. It sure wasn't useful to him. He ignored the voice.
"You really shouldn't do that, your father would be angry. You drink too much in the first place."
"Oh, c'mon Jenare. It's Valentione's day and I don't have a girl! Even Ella's ignoring me. I deserve some booze."
"As long as you won't complain to me about your hangover tomorrow." Endahren laughed. They both knew he was going to do that anyway.
"Where'd you leave Vera?"
"I excused myself for a moment when I noticed you'd forgotten your cloak." Ah. So that was it. He felt a bit disappointed. For Jenare, saying that he'd excused himself for a moment really meant just that, and implied he was heading back in right away since his task was done. He never went back on his word, not that Endahren knew of.
"Ah, is that so... well, I think I'm gonna head out and go find Gellenneu and the others. I sure won't be having any luck here, you know." Of course, just an excuse. He didn't want to stay and watch Vera flirt with Jenare any longer.
"I'll be seeing you tomorrow then. Take care now." Endahren nodded, and they both went in their own directions, Jenare back into the Rusty Anchor to be enticed by that girl, Endahren deeper into the city to find his friends. Endahren supposed this would be a frequent occurrence from now on.
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 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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