.Eyes Of Void.

-29-

Mystery stepped out of the hold of her vines and onto my window sill, moving carefully.

"So, what are you doing here?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, walking backward until I felt my bed and let myself sit on it, twirling the rose around and laying it on the bedside table next to the potted Dragon's Blossom.

"I don't know how to say this politely." She said, looking for her words.

"In that case don't say it politely just spit it out mage." I waved it off, what could be worth impolite words?

"Okay... Audrey how the hell do you want me to get you to understand me when you lock your doors after slamming them in my face when I just wanna speak and fuck really? I could have hit my head falling back there."

"...Yeah that's not near polite, I never heard you speak in such way." She wasn't cursing but she was speaking her mind without a filter. How she said it is quite impolite but I expected worse, is this what she calls impolite?

"Because I never do, even you cuss more than I do. When I was shot with that bolt, that had been the first curses that left my mouth in a long time because not only did it hurt but I was worried for the two survivors and yours safety." Oh wow.

"How long?" I wondered, no one can live without cursing once in a while, letting out your emotions.

"Years, you have the knack of worrying me beyond reason." She said, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Well I do not do it on purpose." I said, a bit offended.

"Neither did I say you do."

"You are complicated." I sighed.

"I'll be to all and myself, I have no final idea about what I feel, I can't give it a name and you expect me too be able too."

"It isn't that hard to say if you fancy me or not." I said, annoyed that she was turning around the pot.

"It actually is, I am a mage Audrey not some free noble, no, I am property. I was taught all that can serve my owner, the queen and future queen. I was taught to dance, sing, cook, read, write, swim, fight and even speak all languages to satisfy the queen's demands not my own wishes, hers. Understanding emotions is useless to know, what am I? A jester? A skillful, serious and calm mage is what is always needed, I never learned! I will never learn! What the fuck! This feeling!! Right!!! Here!!!! Is!!!!!" She ended up screaming at me which left me stumped, not expecting this from her.

I tried saying something but she turned away from me, a hand on her face and the other on her hip, looking out the window before shaking her head.

Suddenly she started waving the hand on her hip as she talked again, keeping her other hand on her face for a while.

"After all why should I know of such thing? When would it be useful? Why would being taught to trust people be useful? To feel happy? To know how to deal with fear?" She face me, dropping her hand. "All that shit it was learned by us interacting with each other and is still nothing to what it could be. Yeah I don't trust people, I don't know how to, you think it is easy yes or no when your whole understanding of emotions is based on what you and your brothers and sisters in arms saw on others face to explain what they were feeling... No, the answer is it is not easy, I don't even know if I have the right names for some of the more obscure ones and I just got lucky I wasn't alone."

She shook her head and turned to look out the window again.

"There you go princess, another freaking secret of mine up in the air." She passed her hands on her face and up in her hair before cupping her nape for a moment and finally letting them drop to her side.

I stood and walked over, hugging her from behind, laying my head against her back.

"I do not know what I feel for you alright but you can't just go off or I sure as hell wouldn't be able to answer you." I let my emotions get the best of me... What heir am I to not look at all the sides of the story? "Say, what do you feel now, what did you feel before, you don't need to name it just describe it." I said, my voice coming out softer then it did since I first left her alone under the elm, realizing with just how much venom I was speaking to her with.

She was silent for a while, thinking.

"Hot... No more like warm, a warm fuzzy something, sometimes is weight sitting in my stomach and a few times like now an annoyingly fast heartbeat."

"Those are usually how people could describe how feeling love is like but it isn't this fast of a happening either, when I was younger I liked spying on the mages' from the astrologist's tower, you unusual hair being something captivating, hope it doesn't weird you out." I admitted it, trying to reduce the awkwardness between us.

I reached up and passed a hand through her hair, it feels softer then when I first did this, maybe she washed them? I rested my hand on her shoulder.

"I wouldn't say so as I did the same." She said as she looked back. "From the branches of the elm, keeping your family under surveillance when I was bored, your progress being the most captivating out of all."

I laughed at the coincidence, hiding my face against her back and cool leather of her uniform.

"So we spied on each other for who knows how many years, fate has an amusing way to work things out."

"It sure has."

"By the way, I liked the performance."

"Thanks I dreamed it up." I laughed again, well well well, seems like Mystery grew a funny bone while I was being mean to her.

"But did you mean it?"

"I didn't plan any of it out before jumping in so you could say it was from the heart."

"So what of now?"

"Well I do not know how I feel but could I court you princess?"

"Sure, it is always better than nothing and knowing more is to come just make my heart sing." I said, still hiding my face but now because of the blush on it.

"So, water under the bridge with the emotional troubles?"

"Water under the bridge."

"Good."