AN: I usually try to shoot for 2000-3000 words for each chapter, but this one got so big that I had to split it in an awkward spot... Anyway, points to anyone that finds the Yona anime reference in this chapter.
-o-o-
"Of all the things to suggest!" Cynthia fumed, still clearly annoyed by the lord's suggestion.
Steven hesitated with his reply, his tone tentative. "There's no reason to get so upset about it. It's just acting the part, right?"
His attempt to diffuse her ire only seemed to focus it his way, though her glare quickly softened and she merely sighed in defeat. "Yes, you're right of course. But still, it's not something I'm agreeing to."She gave an obstinate sniff. "I refuse."
She didn't want to come across as petty, but suggestion that she was pregnant felt like a direct insult to her trim figure. She worked hard to stay in shape despite her insatiable need for sweet treats. She was suddenly craving a three layered ice cream cone but realized it most likely didn't exist yet, which put her in an even worse mood.
"Lord Shingen has a point though," Aaron replied lightly as he led the way to the armory tent, obviously having been listening to their debate."Whereas your feigned marriage should fend off most troublemakers,there could still be those audacious enough to harass a married woman, especially if you two should be separated for any reason.But-"
"Sir Aaron,"Cynthia cut him off, pointedly, causing both men to blink at her in surprise. "I thank you for your concern. But I'll take my chances."
"Suit yourself," Aaron said with an indifferent shrug and tried to look as though her icy tone hadn't affected him. He glanced from her hands to Steven's and paused his stride to address another matter. "Steven, may I ask why it is you wear four rings? Is it common to have four wives where you're from?"
"Huh!?"Steven nearly fell over himself in embarrassment while Cynthia tried to hide a sudden string of giggles behind one hand. He was glad her mood had shifted but not at his expense! "N-no, I'm not married at all!" he replied fervently, perhaps a little too fervently. "I'm simply an avid stone and ore enthusiast and my rings are a way for me to express myself as such."
"I... see," Aaron replied slowly, as though he were trying desperately to understand. He waited to address the issue further until they entered the armory and made sure the large tent was vacant. "In any case,whereas it may be normal wearing multiple rings where you're from,here and now it will give the wrong impression. Might I suggest you give the lady one of your rings and stow the excess for now?"
"You say that as if it's a simple thing," Steven grumbled as he and Cynthia stepped into the tent, their four Pokémon made to wait outside again. He took a solemn moment to remove his right hand rings and the one on his left index finger, leaving only his left ring finger band on.
With the relative privacy of only Aaron and Lucario as onlookers, Steven met Cynthia's gray gaze. She appeared bothered by the whole ordeal but held out her left hand, palm up, as if anticipating him to simply drop it there.
Steven frowned at the thought. Simply handing her the ring seemed so callous and wrong to him. All his life he had been taught to treat women with tenderness and care, and despite Cynthia viewing this whole affair as nothing but an act, he was resolved to give her the ring with at least some level of elegance.
"May I?" he asked, reaching out with his own hand palm up. Cynthia tipped her head with a curious expression but eventually turned her hand over into his without a fuss.
Sheepishly, and turning various shades of red, Steven glanced between her eyes and their hands as he slipped one of his rings onto her left ring finger, noting that it was a bit loose but not so much that it might slip off. "This was not how I imagined I'd be giving a woman a ring..."
"Funny," Cynthia replied with an amused smile, her own face turning a darker shade. "This isn't how I imagined receiving one."
With the deed done, Steven released her hand and stepped back to offer a partial bow. "In any case, until we get back home, I'm honored to serve as your temporary husband."
Cynthia could not find words to reply, so she settled for an embarrassed huff and a hand to her face to hide the next level of red burning her cheeks.The new metal band on her finger felt slightly cool and foreign against her skin, yet somehow gave her a reassuring feeling too. How odd.
"This is... difficult to watch," Lucario grumbled at Aaron, seeming disgusted by the whole affair.
Aaron chuckled in response and turned from the blushing couple. "Lucario, you don't have a romantic bone in your body, do you?"
Without missing a beat, Lucario replied with, "where would this bone be located, Master?" The Aura Pokémon made an honest show of attempting to examine his own chest. "Perhaps a rib, near the heart?"
Aaron loosed another string of laughter before refocusing on the task at hand, of finding suitable clothing for his charges, and unwittingly ignoring his pupil's question. He began browsing around the armory tent,avoiding the suits of heavy armor off to the left and focused on the folded piles of clothing lined up in the center, leaving the weapons section on the other wall for later.
"Some simple kimonos might do well," he said and smirked as he glanced to see that the pair had followed him. They were both still red as a dawn sky and finding anything and everything to look at besides each other. "What colors do you prefer?"
"Black," Steven and Cynthia chorused, startling each other into locking gazes and sharing an awkward smile.
Newlyweds, Aaron thought, both amused and exasperated. "I don't think they have black in this army, it's mostly reds, golds and white-"
"What about these?" Steven wondered as he and Cynthia managed to break free from their momentary stupor and approached a small pile of dark clothing. "They look comfortable, at least," he said, holding up a solid black jacket.
"Oh, those would be the uniforms for the ninja division," Aaron answered, stepping closer to inspect the clothes in question. Thinking for a moment, he nodded with approval as the couple held up their respective choices. Black jackets with cowls, black trousers and black fabric boots. "I suppose those will do. If nothing else,these uniforms will make you less of a target for harassment."
After the two had taken turns swapping clothes behind some bamboo changing panels in the corner, Steven frowned worriedly as he checked all his former clothes' pockets. "It seems I've lost my key stone," he answered when Cynthia inquired about his fussing.
She made a show of checking her own pockets. "Mine is gone too. I usually keep it in my coat pocket... Now that I think about it, I think Gar's mega bangle has been missing since we got here..."
Steven tried not to let the stone's absence bother him, but he almost felt naked now that he realized it had been left behind. He straightened his posture, realizing his entire body had slumped from the loss. He had survived without it before he was champion, he could survive without it now. "It's fine, I'm sure Celebi just left them behind with our Pokéballs."
Disregarding their chatter, Aaron approached and handed them each another garment.To Cynthia, a dark blue one, to Steven, a dark purple. "I suggest you take these overcoats as well, the people in this region call them haori." He moved across to the weapons section as he added, "you'll be glad to have them, because with the amount of traveling we'll be doing you'll need it as an extra blanket at night."
Steven and Cynthia shared a dubious look but donned the over-sized coats with indifferent shrugs and silently followed their guide. "As peacekeepers, you are each allowed to carry a defensive weapon in order to protect yourselves." He regarded both of them in turn. "Do either of you have experience in martial arts?"
It wasn't exactly a difficult question, but they both balked at it. To have at least some level of martial prowess was an unspoken requirement if one wanted to remain a respected champion. Because if you couldn't protect yourself, at least to some extent, then how could you ask your Pokémon to go out and fight for you?
When both champions started to answer at the same time, Steven made a gesture for her to go first. "Ah, well, yes I suppose I do. About once a month I train with Maylene at her gym because my own Lucario loves it so much," Cynthia admitted sheepishly, but her expression brightened at another thought. "Oh but I practice some tai chi every morning with my Lucario. Does that count?"
Aaron nodded approvingly, although he clearly hadn't understood half of the explanation, he took it as a yes. Steven felt himself droop when the Aura guardian turned to him expectantly.
He thought fora moment how to explain himself, deciding that since Cynthia used modern terms in her explanation then it wouldn't matter if he did as well. "Well, before I was champion I traveled around with Brawly for a time and we even trained under Bruno for awhile." He cringed a little and pulled a self-conscious hand to his head. "I uh,haven't kept up with the training though."
Aaron didn't seem to care if they weren't masters of the art, more like he just wanted a simple yes or no from them. "Good, then we won't need to start from scratch."
He handed them each a wooden katana; a slightly curved shaft of red wood with a simple, carved hilt. "These are called bokkens, mostly only ever used for training, but ideal for peacekeepers." He nodded approvingly as the two weighed the new weapons in their hands. "You can start training with these tomorrow morning."
As Aaron crossed to the exit, Steven and Cynthia shared another doubtful look,whispering to each other as they followed. "Did you ever train with these?"
"No, did you?"
"No,"Steven answered and frowned. He managed to tie the extra string from his belt (which he had previously questioned the purpose of) to the hilt, but quickly grew annoyed with the thing bumping his leg as he walked. "Do you think we'll have to carry them like this all the time?"
Cynthia's only response was an uncertain shrug.
Once outside the armory, Aaron turned to assess their new gear in the fading daylight. "You'll get used to carrying them with time." He had clearly overheard their mutterings but offered a patient smile."Come along now students, we have a long road to Kenshin's camp and there is still some daylight left."
-o-o-
AN:I am so glad I don't really have to address Cynthia's keystone yet. I really like the idea of it being in her lip gloss from the M8 trailer but since it's still unconfirmed I feel dodgy about it. As it is, I feel like I'm making a big assumption that Garchomp's mega stone is a bangle on her tail or something, since that's really the only part of her we can't see in the trailer...
/o/o/Bonus scene: Lucario and Aaron's private thought conversation
Lucario: "Master, if these two become any more obvious-"
Aaron: "Yes I know, but we have to let them realize it on their own."
Lucario: "Then, is this what denial looks like?"
Aaron: "Hm, maybe. But I get the feeling there's more to it."
Lucario: (sigh) "Are all courtships this difficult to watch?"
Aaron: (chuckle) "Only the good ones."