Welcome to Gaia! ::

Harue practically fled down the hall, as quickly as she dared without outright running, her skirts lifted in her hands. Her cheeks were dusted with red and there was panic in her wide eyes as she turned her head from side to side, looking for some avenue of escape. And yet she could not bring herself to enter a room that was likely to be occupied; she did not want to be seen in her current state. It would be far too embarrassing!

She was embarrassed enough to begin with! She had been minding her own business when she was approached by a student she did not know. He had introduced himself as d**k Dickson and proceeded to say some admittedly lovely things about her, but it was hardly proper. They had only just met and he was not introduced to her by one of her brothers. They were certainly not courting and he had accosted her when she was without chaperone or companion. Was it really so common in other kingdoms to approach a lady so brazenly? When d**k had taken her hand in an attempt to kiss it, Harue had snatched it away without thinking!

Oh, she had not meant to be rude, but it was entirely too sudden and unsolicited. To make matters worse, well… That creature was hardly attractive to her. Harue just knew that she should not be so cruel; perhaps he was a very lovely person beyond his… less appealing visage. But she had neither liked the look of him nor the way he had looked at her. When he took her hand as though he had some right to it, she had feared for a moment that he might yank at her ribbon in the same fashion. And well she would not be marrying a man of such poor manners, tradition or no.

Still, reacting that way was terribly rude and embarrassing and that left Harue little choice but to flee before the man could say aught else to cause her further shame. But she could hear the footfalls of the fool man pursuing her! She had no choice; she needed to get out of sight.

Harue pulled open a door that was thankfully not locked and burst into a sitting room only to find her worst fears come true. The room was occupied! And the occupant was a man; she should not be alone with one man to escape being alone with another. Still, Harue quickly closed the door behind her and leaned her back against it. Perhaps her unwitting companion would not wake and she could pretend that this improper moment had never occurred.

The princess turned her flushed face away from the occupant of the room as an errant thought almost set her to fleeing again. She hated to admit that it had even entered her head, but… At least this this man was quite appealing to the eye. The rather prominent scar did not escape her attention, but it did not detract from his overall appearance. Perhaps this was what was meant when her stories spoke of a hardened and ruggedly handsome man; in truth she had always imagined someone like her brother Clint. Though she would not have expected the halo of soft light currently surrounding the man. Why, if he was the one to make such a startling advance…

No, that was enough of that. She just might faint if she over exhausted her imagination in this way. And that was to say nothing of how foolish she would feel if she allowed herself to become so flustered that she ran back out into the waiting arms of d**k Dickson, still out of breath from her first flight from him. Better to wait until he had surely passed.

Harue held her breath for a moment, hoping that the man in the room with her remained asleep and that the man seeking her from without passed without finding her. Ah, but she was not so lucky… Well, she would settle for one out of two. The glowing man within the room had awoken and was actually apologizing to her though she was the one to wake him. How very polite he was! And she would be terribly rude if she did not respond.

With a final nervous glance to the door at her back, Harue moved further into the room with quick and quiet little steps. ”Please, you have no need to apologize. It is I who must apologize for waking you. I would not have you discomfort yourself for my sake.” the pale princess insisted in a soft voice. She dropped into a respectful curtsy before the man, chin lowered though she could not help but to look up at him through her lashes.

It was unusual for someone to sleep in a sitting room where anyone might come across him. He must have been terribly exhausted. ”Please excuse my rudeness in asking, but have you found your room uncomfortable, sir?” Her own had proven more than sufficient, though she would be lying if she said that it was equally as well appointed as her room in the Siscian palace. But it went without saying that she had not seen the inside of anyone else’s room, least of all that of a man, and it was entirely possible that this man was not afforded the same comforts that she was.

”I do not mean to pry. I only wonder if something might be done for you.” And what did she hope to do about it? Silly girl. But Harue could not help but to feel a little concerned. It would not do for the man to sleep so poorly that he could not keep his eyes open throughout the day. Of course Harue had failed to consider that the light she had briefly seen emanating from the man might have contributed to his sleeplessness.

Harue could not help the faint blush that touched her cheeks when the man before her smiled with obvious amusement. Had she said something unintentionally comedic? How embarrassing; she was being quite serious! But the man was not being unkind and his expression was gentle rather than sneering or chiding. That much was enough to mollify Harue slightly. Still, she did not like to make a fool of herself before anyone, least of all a man.

At least the laughter in his violet eyes (Violet? She would have sworn on her own soul that they were blue just a minute ago. Perhaps she was also a bit tired to have made such a mistake.) seemed to abate and his smile was filled with only kindness. And he did explain her faux pas which was kind of him. As a man who was neither her father nor her brother, he was under no obligation to instruct her, after all. He should have been able to simply enjoy the fruits of her proper teaching from home.

”I see. You do make a good point.” Harue admitted with a small and sheepish smile. She was certain she would have come to the same conclusion under most circumstances; she could not explain why she had made an exception for the handsome, scarred man. She did hope it was not because he was a handsome man; she liked to think that she was no longer such a silly and immature little girl. She decided instead that it was surely because she was so flustered after fleeing from another student and finding herself barging into the room with a lone man without warning. It felt like she was in the wrong even if she was not. ”Then allow me instead to extend my forgiveness alongside my concern.”

The man laughed again. This time Harue supposed she knew the reason without his having to say; it did seem silly to think that the rooms they were provided were not comfortable enough for sleep. They were not the most luxurious accommodations, but they were not untenable. But then what was stealing this man’s sleep so that he was sneaking a nap in a sitting room in the middle of the day?

Orange eyes settled on her and (Orange? No, no, no; they were surely violet before. Or perhaps blue, but certainly not orange!) as the man insisted that he had slept in both better and worse conditions before. So it was not the accommodations that were the problem, then.

Oh, the poor man… It seemed his troubles with sleep were a constant companion. Harue felt her little heart go out to him in his struggle. Everyone needed to sleep.

”Harue.” the princess responded, dipping into another curtsy as she introduced herself as fully as the school rules would allow for. ”Miss Harue Fushiguro Westbark.” She knew that her parents had never approved of the latest addition to her name, the one and only act of defiance that the princess could remember ever allowing herself. They had torn her brother David from her, and it was only through the miracle of her mirror, mirror ability that she was able to grow up with him in her life at all. She had never forgiven them for that, though she dared not speak out. All that she could do, the only act that she could bring herself to risk, was to take Clint’s chosen surname as her own.

”Might I ask your name in return, good sir?”

After a moment, Harue hesitantly added, ”If I may be so bold, perhaps there is a way that I could help. I have not tried this before, mind you, but I do have an ability that might help you to fall more deeply asleep. It would drain you a bit in the short term, but I should hope that a good night’s sleep might ameliorate that concern.”

Harue felt a smile form on her lips as the man before her insisted that her forgiveness was more than he deserved. He was very polite and quite charming, too. Even his voice was pleasant, pitched low, and calm. It had a certain element to it that she could not place, though nothing quite as evident as the twang her brother Clint spoke with. Why would she ever even want to be angry at someone it was so nice to be around? Especially over such a small and silly thing, improper or not. Of course she understood that his humility was common courtesy, but still.

There was a pause after Harue had introduced herself and she waited patiently, hands folded primly before her. One did not rush a man to speak while he was thinking. But what was he thinking about, she wondered? Had her name triggered a memory for him? He might be trying to remember where he had heard it. Or perhaps he was merely puzzled that an unmarried woman introduced herself with two surnames? Had she been married, it would be accurately assumed that Fushiguro was her maiden name, of course.

For the first time it occurred to Harue that someone might mistake Westbark for her married name after all. She wore no ring and still had her maiden’s ribbon, but not everyone was so observant and cultures did vary from kingdom to kingdom. She did hope that was not the case, but if so then it could not be helped. The last thing she intended to do was to erase her brother like her parents had done. Even if it was just from her name, Harue could not bear to do so.

Whatever thoughts had captured her companion, he shook himself free of them eventually and introduced himself. Sir Michael Sera! The title of a knight, presumably of Alore given the soft halo of light that she had seen surrounding him upon entering. It was difficult to reconcile what she had learned of Alorans from her eldest brother with the scarred and muscular man who now bowed before her. But she supposed if every Aloran was weak and easy to manipulate, the kingdom would have been usurped by now.

”Then Michael it shall be, but in turn you must call me Harue. Or if propriety will not allow, then Miss Harue will suffice.” It was true that she was a princess and he was presumably a knight, but their stations did not seem to matter at the academy. She was subject to the same rules and expectations as everyone else and had noticed nothing she would consider special treatment. If they were to be on equal footing in this setting, what was the harm in this man referring to her by her given name? Otherwise, should she not refer to him as Sir Sera? A fine name, but a small giddy part of her thought she would much prefer to call him Michael. It was so much more cozy and familiar.

Micahael stood from his seat and Harue noted that he was very nearly as tall as her brother Ryo. It was very strange to find herself constantly comparing the men she met at Utopia to her brothers, but she supposed that they were the only men she had really known besides her father. In a way, it only made sense that she looked to them as examples of what to look for in a man. Not that she was looking in that way, of course! It wouldn’t be proper. Michael had not courted her. But if such a thing was to happen, well, a lady could not be too prepared.

But that was very much getting ahead of herself. At the present, she was offering to help Michael with his sleep problem and he did seem interested. Of course Harue knew she would have to be careful about how she described her power lest she make it any more obvious from what kingdom she hailed.

”All you would need do is allow me brief, skin to skin contact. And lest you begin to worry, I would only need to touch your hand. I have found that the amount of skin is far less relevant than the duration. My ability allows me to… How should I put it? I siphon energy from others. You are already exhausted, I know, so it may seem counterproductive. But if you’ve energy enough to remain awake in spite of that, perhaps it might serve you to be even more exhausted still, for lack of a better way to phrase it. At the very least I would like to try, if you are amenable to the suggestion. Though obviously in a more comfortable environ… for… you…”

Harue blinked and her cheeks filled with faint color as she thought about what she was saying. She was certain that Michael would agree that the only proper place to fall asleep was in one's own bed, in one's own bedroom. In other words, no place she ought to be with any man as a young, unmarried woman. ”I… I did not mean to suggest… Ah, that is…”

A lady should not stammer. She needed to get a hold of herself before he became impatient with her. That would be such an unfortunate development after Michael had been so pleasant and kind up to that point. Harue took in a breath and drew herself up despite the lingering blush staining her cheeks.

”The question of how to get you to your bed without inviting myself to your room aside, do you think it might be worth a try?”

Harue smiled brightly when Michael repeated her name. Miss Harue, she noted, but she was no less pleased for it. It was still a step more familiar than being referred to as Miss Westbark and she preferred it that way. Of the three names she had introduced herself with, only Harue was distinctly hers and she was delighted to hear it spoken by Sir Michael.

Once more Sir Michael had fallen quiet and Harue was quiet in turn. She had given her explanation and it was only right that she waited patiently while he considered her words and her offer. Even if she was still a touch uncertain of how she intended to make good on the offer without inviting ugly rumor. It would be trouble enough if anyone discovered she was at that very moment spending time alone and unsupervised with a man. She would of course rectify that situation as soon as she could, but not until she was certain she was not still being pursued.

As Michael’s silence stretched on, Harue found herself once more curious about just what he was thinking. She did not know, but it made her subconsciously stand up straighter, chin held up and eyes cast demurely down. Her hands were folded primly before her. She did not know what he was looking for, but she would not allow him to find anything but a perfectly proper princess of Siscia. Despite her unintentionally improper offer. And her improper presence alone in this sitting room with him. Unfortunate circumstances, but she would define herself clearly with her behavior so there could be no misunderstanding.

When he finally spoke, Michael considered their dilemma again aloud. It was certainly much better for everyone involved if the man slept in his own room where he could be as comfortable as he pleased. But the idea that she would enter a man’s bedroom was even more scandalous than their current situation; it was not even close! She supposed the solution was simple enough, though arranging it would be rather… embarrassing.

But it might be worth the embarrassment; Michael did seem amenable to her suggestion. They just needed to solve that one small, niggling detail. She did not dare say propriety be damned, though it was quite exhilarating to hear Michael’s half a mind to say so. Followed, of course, by his utmost consideration of her and her circumstances. Yes, he really was just the right amount of rugged to be still very attractive and charming.

”I will have to ask for a chaperone. With your permission, of course. I would not wish to speak of your dilemma to others without your knowledge. I could perhaps come up with some other excuse, if I must.”

A yawn more than escaped Michael; it crawled up into his mouth and wrenched his mouth open before bursting brazenly forward. Harue lifted a hand to obscure the small smile that she had tried to keep from her lips. It was terribly rude to find amusement in Michael’s situation, but she just could not help herself.

”I accept your apology, of course. Under the understanding that you will make it up to me in the future. We must have a proper conversation once you are well rested. One in a more public setting. I would be pleased to keep your company under more ideal circumstances.”

Sir Michael’s features reddened and Harue honestly wished that she could pretend that she did not know why. But it was obvious, was it not? She had mentioned needing a chaperone. It almost went without saying that a fine gentleman like Sir Michael would take note that she was currently without a chaperone. It was a little embarrassing for her as well, but Harue was taking it in stride as best she could. The alternative was that she could brave the hallway and hope that her pursuer had given up on her.

Surely he had… surely. Harue did think she was comely, but surely not enough for that man to become so quickly obsessed. Perhaps she could have left at any time… Perhaps she was prolonging her stay in the sitting room for other reasons. Oh dear. Harue tried to brush that thought aside lest her embarrassment become more apparent.

Sir Michael spoke up with a suggestion for a chaperone and Harue smiled encouragingly. He seemed so hesitant, but if he knew someone appropriate for the situation then she would be more than happy to hear it. It was paramount that she choose someone that Michael would feel comfortable sharing his dilemma with. A female, of course. One whose character was beyond reproach. She would not hurry him, that would be rude, but she did hope that her open expression would make him feel more comfortable with sharing his thoughts.

He mentioned a sister and Harue clapped her hands together in excitement. That was the perfect solution! And she would have the opportunity to meet a family member of his. What better way to make appropriate connections to this charming, handsome man? ”I am not at all opposed. Your sister would be the perfect person to ask.”

Harue shook her head very slightly as Sir Michael disparaged his own abilities as a conversationalist. Then she dropped her eyes sheepishly though a soft smile lingered on her lips. ”I have found you to be very charming, Michael. I must say, given that you are not at your best at this time I very much look forward to our next encounter.” She would not say too much more lest she seem entirely too eager. He had a wonderful laugh, was he aware of that? She thought she could listen to him laugh for hours. Well, so long as he was not really laughing at her; that would be devastating!

Sir Michael offered his arm like the gentleman that he clearly was, despite their unusual circumstance, and Harue gently lay her hand upon it. Her smile was brighter than she realized; her little heart was taken with the gesture even though she knew that literally any gentleman should have offered the same at the bare minimum. The fact that it was Sir Michael was… Oh, dear. She should not allow herself such frivolous and unseemly thoughts of a man she had only just met.

”Thank you. I do apologize for imposing. I know that I should have left sooner, but… well…” This time embarrassment did color her pale features and her eyes moved to one side. ”I was being pursued by a young man. I suppose he was harmless, but I… Well. To put it as bluntly as I will allow myself, he was not nearly as charming as you are. He was far too bold. I will admit that he very much startled me and I fled from him. You must think I am very silly for such a reaction.”

Butterflies made a merry jig in Harue’s midsection as the hour of eight drew near. There was nothing to be nervous about, she tried to convince herself. She would enter Sir Michael’s room with a chaperone and touch his hand. That was all the contact that she would need for her ability to have effect and it was hardly scandalous to touch a man’s hand. Everything was arranged perfectly; Harue had no doubt that a sister of Sir Michael's would bear true witness to the chastity of the events that would transpire. So why did she still feel that maddening flutter in her stomach?

There was a knock on her door and Harue took a breath to compose herself before taking calm, measured steps toward it. It would not do to rush herself and seem too eager. Though perhaps it was fair to admit, if only to herself, that she was eager to see Sir Michael again. He was so kind and handsome and his sleepy rainbow eyes had such a charm to them. But she should not give thought to such things; this was not a social visit. She had offered a favor, that was all.

Harue made polite small talk with Sir Michael’s sister as they made their way toward his quarters. It was tempting to ask questions about Sir Michael, but she refrained; it would feel just a little rude to pester the woman for intel when they were not yet even friends. It was certainly not a good way to start what she might hope could become a sisterly relationship. Harue had never had a sister, but if she and Sir Michael were ever to get married… Oh, but she was not meant to be thinking of that at all. This evening’s visit had a very specific purpose.

The two reached their destination and Harue waited, allowing the sister to knock and call for Sir Michael. After all, she was more familiar. The door opened and Harue smiled up at the man who filled the doorframe so nicely and somehow looked even more rakishly handsome than before sans vest and with a few buttons undone. Harue let her eyes drop slightly, hoping to banish those thoughts back to the dark where they belonged, and dipped into a polite curtsy.

”I only hope that I truly can be of assistance to you.” She then swept into Michael’s room with his sister and made every effort not to look around. Much. Lowered lashes hopefully hid her interest in the space occupied by and belonging to the charming Sir Michael. ”Fortunately the rest of my afternoon was rather quiet and uneventful. I do hope that yours was similarly pleasant?”

How strange to step up to a man’s bed for any reason. Well, she supposed it was not as though she planned to climb in like some wanton harlot. Or perhaps be tossed onto the mattress like a heroine in one of her books, all flushed cheeks and heaving bosom. Harue decided to redirect her gaze to a bedside lamp. That was much safer; none of her books ever mentioned anything about lamps beyond lighting or snuffing them.