A Tale of One Deviant (Book One)

Chapter 109: Looking For Better Days

Gasp!

"Taryn!" I grinned and waved at him excitedly, like a little child, as he and some catkin girl walked up.

"Firea?" He blinked at me after staring for a while. "Oh, it's you. I was wondering for a while how Adoray managed to get a girlfriend and who that beautiful lady was next to him, but this makes more sense."

"Taryn, is that supposed to mean something?" Adoray was glaring at Taryn, who lightheartedly laughed like it didn't perturb him one bit as he introduced his girlfriend.

"Not really. Here, I want to introduce my friend to you," Taryn nodded his head to the strong willed girl next to him with burning passion in her eyes. Wow, where did he find her?

"It's nice to meet you, I'm called Klara. You are Firea?" She had gusto shining in her eyes, her personality so bright that I could practically see stars coming off of her.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you as well," I smiled grandly at the tall girl who seemed to share a similar personality to Hera, balling all of the hidden energy up inside her so she didn't going sprinting in circles just to tire herself out so she could interact like a normal person. I held out a hand to her, which she shook without a second thought.

"She's from Bytriste," Taryn explained when Klara seemed a bit confused with how polite and formal I was.

"Oh," she nodded her head, making an expression to show how she understood now.

"Where's Gabriel?" I asked. I haven't seen him in how long now? He's so elusive that it makes me think he's desperately trying to estrange me.

"He took on some job down by the wharf, saying he didn't want to go to the festival or some crap like that. It's amazing, even you're out of your hole this year," he spoke a bit disrespectfully to Adoray, who continued frowning, "and if anything I expected Gabriel to beat you in that race."

"Thanks," Adoray was looking at him like there would be no mercy later, if he ever came to him for medical help.

"Ah, n-no problem," Taryn seemed to pick up on that little hidden detail that Klara was oblivious to.

"Just trying to keep the world spinning," I shrugged with that slight smile, adding on to Taryn's words.

"Sure..." He was confused at my words, as much as ever. Seeing such an expression on her friend's face, Klara giggled and elbowed him in the side. He grimaced, showing it was obvious she didn't know her own strength, before speaking again with a bit of a labored voice. "Well, we've got an appointment to make. See you later," they nodded to us before walking off down the street. Blending into the crowd, Adoray and I continued walking. We were silent, we were talkative, we were provocative and argumentative through the whole of that time as we wound through the streets, arm in arm, for quite a few hours.

I think it was pretty late into the night, after having a few of those takoyaki sticks and the strangely familiar taste of Japan in my mouth along with a few prizes from playing some games, when we came to what would be the end of our trip.

"Ah, there's The Whistling Bard," I pointed at the sign of the bustling inn that Marinette owned. "Want to go in?"

"There's not much else to do," Adoray shrugged in the noise around us. He never smiled, not even once, although I was sure he wanted to laugh at me for some of the things I did that night. In an attempt to make him interactive, I stuck out my neck, which he promptly chopped off in every game I was not good at.

     Who'd have known he was good at festival games? I wanted a refund.

"I highly doubt that," I scoffed, listening to the sounds of games and screams around us as people won and lost, enjoyed themselves at the things they had set up days before. There was so much around us to do that it was ridiculous. "But yeah, let's go."