On your mark!

Laun held up a map that was passed around to each group displaying the mountain and where each checkpoint was. They would have to stop at each spot and the riddle they had now was a clue to the answer they would have to give at the first checkpoint. After they answered correctly they would then get another clue for the next chepoint they would be headed too. It all seemed too complicated to her. she was never good at stuff like that but the prospect of being outside all day made her want to burst with excitement. She had to bounce on her heels just to expel the excess energy before she ran out the door.


She had dressed in her school gym clothes as everyone was required to do but had rolled the ends of her burgandy sweatpants to her knees so the bottoms of her legs were bare. They had gym shorts but Laun always felt they were to short so she rarely wore them. The school shirt was a standard grey short sleeve with the name of their school printed in small text above her right chest. A lot of girls wore their own light jackets over their shirts but Laun rarely got cold even in high elevated areas that tended to have cold winds so she hadn't bothered brining one.


Yogi stood next to her wearing a simple hoodie over his shirt and holding the small backpack that was also passed to each group. Inside were four water bottles for each person, a small med kit in case they got minor scratches, and four simple school packed sandwiches for when they wanted to stop for lunch. That hinted they would be out on the trail all day and it just made Laun more excited to get started. Being out in the open air under the warm sun would help her forget all her worries about everything that had happened the prior night and that's just what she needed. No boys, no annoyingly perceptive golden eyes, and no confusing thoughts!


Laun folded the paper map smiling broadly and looked around the room as everyone chatted animatedly about the scavenger hunt. The teacher who had just finished passing everything out motioned for everyone to be quiet then went on to explain the prize for the first group to finish the hunt.


"The first group to reach the finish line," she stopped to point at a spot on the map she was holding up indicating the end, "will have the privilege to pick the theme to our up coming school festival! Won't that be fun. Of course the theme will still have to be approved by the board but as long as you stay in the guide lines it will be fine." The small teacher put the map away and everyone burst out in talk about the prize.


Laun didn't much care about picking a theme for the up coming festival but she knew a lot of people here would love the chance for it. During the minutes that passed while they waited for the go signal her eyes had found the one person she was hoping to forget about today. It was strange how easy he was to spot in a crowd now it was like her eyes were drawn to him no matter how many people separated them. Her smile vanished replaced with an annoyed press of her lips. With a humph she turned away from him refusing to look around so as not to be tempted to look at him again.


A whistle shot out from one of the teachers and all the students began spilling out into the street and moving quickly towards the hills. Laun looked at her group as the walked out side. Yogi had shifted the bag into his back and was talking with June about the riddle. "Figure it out yet?" Laun moved closer so she could get a look at the puzzle.


Yogi shook his head and laughed, "I'm afraid I suck at this type of stuff."

-

Roel sighed as they followed the crowed out the door. Hiking through a forest and up a hill was the last thing he wanted to do. He figured thy would set through a few meetings then be free to wonder the town, but no. They had to implement some weird ass team training exercise that only a melon head would be excited about. His eyes ventured over to the green haired girl and he noticed how she seemed I bounce with joy. Yep only fruit filled air heads. His gaze turned to the other girl in their group for a brief moment before he turned back to his own classmates. Shoving the paper with the riddle at Dorian he said, "your smart. Figure this shit out."


Lynsey laughed at Roel, "aren't you just as smart as him? You have one of the highest grades in the whole school." Her dark hair was pulled back into a pony tail and she wore the short burgundy school gym short below her grey shirt and plain black shoes. Roel always did appreciate the girls summer gym uniform. It was one if the highlights of their school. She was walking on the otherwise of Dorian and had tilted forward to talk to Roel.


"Hey don't go spreading that rumor around." Roel joked with her then said with confidence, "I have no interest in wasting time on such things. I'll just answer correctly when we get to the checkpoint."

Claire scooted close to Roel, without Bay around she could cozy up to the man. "Oh please, everyone will know you're smart the minute they post the the grades from our finals." She bent her leg to scratch her ankle, she knew she was gonna regret wearing her summer gym uniform, but anything to get a little extra attention. She moved away to go in front of Dorian to look over at the clues. "Yeaaaah," She sighed and she twirled a lock of hair around her finger before looking up at Roel with a glossy pout "I'm going to be useless on this trip."

Dorian scratched his cheek and looked over the clues, he lifted his golden eyes to see how the other groups were doing, Most of them had already taken off and his eyes narrowed in on a particular group with a certain green haired girl that seemed to be doing particularly well. He reexamined the clues before shrugging and passing them off to someone else. "We'll figure it out when we get to the checkpoint."

Claire looked to Dorian and smiled "Well I hope we figure it out! I want that prize!"

June looked up at her friend when she heard her speak "Ah, no, not yet." She tucked back a stray lock of her mousey brown hair behind her ear which was tied back into two pigtails at the base of her neck. She leaned back close to Yogi again to peer over the list he held in his hands her big brown eyes scanning the clue over and over, waiting for some kind of revelation. "Oh!" She finally exclaimed after a moment before huddling in close with her team to whisper what the solution to the riddle was.

Cason peered over at them, "So, we have the first riddle done, so now we go to the first checkpoint and tell them our answer?"

"Right," June nodded and she looked over at him

"And then we'll have a test...thing to do there?" This whole idea sounded stupid to him. What's the point of coming out all the way to the hills just to make a fool of yourself in front of your classmates. He shoved his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie, his black eyes narrowing into a scowl. "I think I'm coming down with something, I need to go to the nurse."

June's cheeks puffed "You can't give up so easily, we'll be disqualified if you leave us." June was just as excited for the day's activities as Cason must have been, she hadn't signed up for physical activity on this trip. But it was a chance to hopefully clear things up with Yogi, if he ever decided to ask and she prayed he didn't.

She folded up the clues and put them into the pocket of her jacket. "Judging by how confused everyone looks, if we keep solving the riddles this quickly we'll finish this in no time." She gave him a reassuring smile and took off with the rest of the class.

Cason stared at her as he watched the rest of the group walk away from the starting point. He narrowed his eyes slightly before finally jogging to catch up with them. "Lets just make this quick."

-

The team flew through the challenges quickly until they came to one. "We have to catch a chicken?" Cason asked with no attempt to hide his contempt. "I knew this shit was stupid." He muttered.

-

June leaned over with her hands on her knees and panted between each word as she spoke"We, have been chasing, that stupid chicken, forever.' She rose to wipe the sweat that had beaded on her brow and sighed "Do you think we should just break for lunch?"

Cason nodded "I found a clearing not to far back. Lets just go over there." He lead them over to an open clearing and sat down to wait for Yogi to reveal the lunches that had been packed so lovingly by the teachers.

Laun took the spot across from Cason and sat stretching her legs in front of her on the cool ground. She messaged her lower thighs feeling the pleasant tingle in her muscles caused from walking up hill all day. The exercise had kept her preoccupied and she was feeling blissfully happy and all her nervous worrying had evaporated as she predicted it would. Not even the tedious puzzles and activities at each checkpoint could put a damper on her mood and the broad smile she wore proved it.

Yogi sat next to her and dug in the small green bag for the sandwiches. He found them and passed each one around then settled back to bite into his own. Laun took the sandwich when it was handed to her and pulled open the Ziploc mimicking the boy and taking a big bite from her turkey and cheese sandwich. It was too horrible and she had built up enough of an appetite not to care what it tasted like.

Once June sat and took her sandwich Laun looked over at her with a smile, “Guess I lied about not working out this weekend.” The other three in the group seemed pretty tired from the trip, Yogi had even stopped his attempts at making conversation with June, which he had been working on during the whole trip so far. Laun couldn’t help but think the boy was cute with his nervous and slightly dorky demeanor and by the way he so obviously liked June. She was about to take another bite, enjoying the peaceful quiet and the cool breeze with a movement caught the corner of her eye.

There in the bushes lining around the small clearing with its head popped up above the leaves was a brown colored rooster. Laun paused mid bite as her mind processed the absurd image as the rooster moved out of the coverings bobbing its head. The plain sandwich fell from her fingers and she jumped to her feet and flew past the spot between Cason and June. The others hadn’t seen the rooster and jumped from her sudden movement then Yogi called out to her but she didn’t have time to turn around. Instead she waved her hands yelling back that she had found the chicken and quickly chased the now fleeing rooster into the bushes.

Yogi got to his feet and fumbled with zipping his bag up and swinging it back onto his shoulder so he could chase after the girl. When he was finished he looked up to see that she had already disappeared behind the trees. “She’s gone.” He stated then looked at the remaining two, “did you see a chicken?”

-

Laun followed the rooster for a good ten minutes and had almost lost it a couple times. Now she was hiding behind a tree watching the cautious bird as it bobbed around and jerked its head to survey the area. Once it thought it had escaped the girl it began plucking aimlessly at the ground and strutting around a bush. Laun moved quickly when the rooster let its guard down and jumped from behind the tree flying across the ground and grabbed the bird around its middle with her arms. She laid there on the ground keeping a firm grip as the bird beat its wings trying to escape. Once it had settled and accepted its fate she got to her feet, face and clothes now dirty from the fight and rooster tucked securely in her arms she took a look around her. “Uh-oh…” She mumbled and looked to her left then in front of her, then behind. She was surrounded with trees that all looked exactly alike, she couldn’t even remember which tree she had just been hiding behind.

Deciding she really didn’t know where she had come from she picked a direction and walked, calling out to June and hoping the rest of the group had come after her and wasn’t too far away. Minutes passed and she realized she wasn’t going to be so lucky. Damn, why did she have to chase this stupid bird. She glared down at the offending rooster, “I should cook you for dinner.”

Lynsey had been uncharacteristically quiet during the last two checkpoints and kept pace next to Dorian. She had been fretting while waiting for the perfect moment to pull the dark haired man aside and as Roel and Chloe began chatting about something and pulled ahead the girl took her moment and gently grabbed Dorians arm. In a quiet voice that was unusual to her normal tone she whispered to him as she came to a stop, "can we talk for a second? Alone."

Dorian hadn't noticed the peculiar change in the girl's attitude the further they climbed the steep hill, infact once she had gone quiet he stopped paying her much mind. His senses were too busy buzzing with all the sights, sounds and smells of being in the forest. It had been a long time since he had been back in the country and he was enjoying himself more than he thought he would.

He turned his face away from the warmth of the sun to look down at the girl beside him as she lead him off course. "Sure" he nodded even though he didn't think he could have said otherwise. The clearing they stepped in to was small and surrounded by dense trees that provided more than enough privacy for the pair.

June had jumped to her feet, well jumped to the best of her abilities considering how her muscles ached with the slightest movement. She didn't understand how her friend could still be so full of energy. She turned to Yogi and shook her head "I haven't seen that chicken since those wretched upperclassmen set it loose!" she said exasperated. "should we go after her?"

Cason's head lolled to the side to watch the green haired girl take off, "Eh, just let her go." He bit into his sandwich and turned his head back forward. "She'll find her way back to us, I bet she's got some weird sixth sense or something."

June frowned slightly as his comment and it took her a moment longer to tear her eyes away from the spot where her friend had vanished. "But, there's so many trees."

Cason shrugged "Just chill, give it five minutes."

Lynsey stood across from Dorian and pulled at the length of her straight black hair, a habit she had when she was nervous. She took a moment to collect her thoughts and was surprised at herself for what she was about to do. Never had she imagined that she would ever confess to a boy because she was a strong believer that the boy should ask the girl out but she had been waiting too long for this dark haired man to make a move and was beginning to get nervous now that his attention was being directed more towards that green haired slut. She would be damned if some lanky underclassman got him after she had spent months flirting and working her way into his circle while she had done nothing! She wasn’t even pretty and yet she saw how Dorian always snuck glances at her when she was around.

Lynsey had to stop herself from making a disgusted face as she thought about the girl and brushed her hair behind her shoulders to stop her insistent tugging. She took a breath and looked up at the man across for him, turning her glossed lips into a sweet smile and fluttered her eyes in a means to look cute.

Laun trudged tiredly over the foliage and through thick branches that grabbed at her sweatpants and scratched at her bare legs keeping a tight hold on the rooster settled in her arms. It was hard to tell how long she had been wondering in hopes that she would run into a class group or stumble upon one of the many trails that lead up the mountain but so far she had only managed to find more and more trees. She was about to take a break so that she could unroll her sweatpants when she heard voices from nearby and quickly headed in the direction feeling a huge amount of relief when she saw two silhouette behind some bushes. Just before she could burst though the bushes and finally not be alone she saw who the two were and her body immediately sunk to hide behind the thick leaves and her jaw closed on her cry of excitement. Unsure herself why she had just hid and feeling guilty that she might be listening into something personal she turned to sneak away but froze when she heard the dark haired girls voice, “I like you.”

The words were spoken quietly but they seemed to resonate in the small clearing and around Laun making her heart beat quicken and her fingers clutch tighter into the ball of feathers. Her eyes became wider and she finally jerked her head to look across the space to the man standing quietly before the girl. A long moment passed as both girls waited for the man to speak and answer the girls unasked question. Laun couldn’t see what type of expression he had but she did notice the second his lips began to move and she couldn’t stop herself from jerking forwards and jumping out of her hiding spot to stop him.

In her quick movements she hadn’t been paying attention to what was in front of her and her foot caught on a root and sent her sprawling forwards. The rooster in her hands stopped her from flinging her hands out to buff her fall and she landed ungracefully on her front side. The rooster had escaped seconds before being squished by the girl’s body and flapped angrily away then stopped and bobbed his head casually as if he hadn’t just freaked out.

Lynsey had jumped when the girl tumbled out of the woods, her heart had already been beating rapidly as she had been waiting on the man’s answer and this unexpected appearance of the girl almost made her scream out loud. Hand over her chest she glared at the girl as she got to her knees rubbing at the dirt that now smeared her cheeks and keeping her eyes down. “What the hell are you doing?” Lynsey bit out coldly, angry at who it was that had disturbed them. Where had she even come from?!

Laun lowered her hand and dusted them off on her sweatpants then slowly got to her feet, trying to waste as much time as she could before she faced the two she had just interrupted. Once on her feet and with nothing else to do but to face the cold glare she could practically feel she smiled innocently, “Um, don’t mind me…I’m just gonna…” She pointed at the rooster and slowly inched towards the bird to grab it but the bird moved before she could grasp it. It fluttered and came to a stop before Dorian then looked up at him and puffed his chest out in challenge.

Laun bit her lip and glared at the unruly bird, cursing it for being such a difficult shit.

Dorian's nerves had begun to kick in the moment they were alone. He had briefly considered that she might be confessing to him, but he doubted it since it seemed every time their conversation shifted towards relationships she very openly expressed her old fashioned views but when he finally looked at her, the expression she wore told him that's exactly what she was doing.

He shoved his hands deep into his pockets in an attempt to appear casual and to give her her time to speak. There was still a chance that he was mistaken and his head had just gotten big with the attention he had received from her and Laun last night.

While he waited for her to muster her courage he took the chance to examine her as she shifted nervously about, her nervousness now beginning to effect him. When she finally did speak it took him a moment to process what she had said. Even with his predictions coming true he couldn't stop his eyes from widening or the small blush that crept to his cheeks when she had finally finished her confession.

His gaze dropped quickly to the ground, he couldn't handle unwanted confessions like he was sure Roel could. Not that he didn't like Lynsey, she was a gorgeous girl with the way her dark hair fell down her back and the way her pouty lips glistened with her expertly applied gloss. There was no real reason to refuse dating her and his friend would probably call him a fool if he decided against it.

But unfortunately he couldn't return her feelings now. "Lynsey" He started with a sigh, his gilded eyes finally raising to meet hers as he brought his hands up to express the words he was now struggling to form.

"I-" He began but before he could get any further a figure suddenly burst through the bushes and he jumped at the sudden appearance. He didn't know who to focus on, the new girl who slowly stood before him or the chicken at his feet that was proudly circling around him.

It was such an awkward sight that he wasn't quite sure how to react and suddenly it seemed he couldn't stop himself from from laughing. It started as a small chuckle that he attempted to hide behind his hand, but the more he considered the whole thing, the harder it became to stop.

His laugh was loud in the tense silence that hung between the whole group. The expression Lynsey still had, and the fact that it hadn't just been Laun coming through the bushes, but a rooster as well. His shoulders shook with his laughter and he took a step closer to Laun once he had finally begun to settle down.

He wore a broad smile still, somehow he didn't find t all too surprising that this peculiar girl was chasing around a rooster and to be rather honest he was impressed that she had actually been able to catch it. "Are you alright?" He finally asked and he reached out to carefully pluck the debris that still remained in her grassy hair, his golden eyes gleaming with amusement.

Laun bent her head down letting her bangs cover his view of her face while she took a moment to bite back a smile. His laughter was the contagious kind but she didn’t feel it was appropriate for her to be laughing, not with the burning glare at her back that she was getting from Lynsey who still stood where she had been since Laun had stumbled into the clearing. Brushing her hair back she looked up and gazed casually around giving him a small shrug, her lips twitched with the smile she still struggled to contain. “Fine. A little itchy,” she lifted her left leg back and scratched at the small cuts, made by her hike, that were now began to burn from the sweat on her skin.

Lynsey stood with her back rigid and her eyes burning with jealousy at the girl at the receiving end of her stare. Here she had just confessed to Dorian and before he had the chance to answer she had swooped in and once against stolen all his attention without even trying. Now she had the gale to look all innocent and shy before him like she wasn’t playing some game to entice him to like her.

Marching determinedly over to the two she looped her arm around Dorian’s elbow in a possessive manner and glared at Laun, “You would go tramping around the woods like a wild girl.” She turned to look up at Dorian, “Shouldn’t we go catch up with Roel and Claire before they get too far ahead? You don’t need us anymore right?” She gave Laun a look that clearly told her she should go the hell away.

Laun’s eyes trailed to where the two touched then back up to match the girls glare. It was obvious Lynsey wanted her gone but Laun didn’t want to leave the two alone together, so she smiled sweetly at the girl then looked up at Dorian, “I don’t really know where my group is, so do you mind if I go with you guys.” She looked past the two at the rooster that pecked at a leaf, “but I gotta catch that stupid rooster first.”

Dorian glanced down at the pale slender arm that looped itself through his own, then acknowledged her words with a nod. Who knew how far Roel had gotten without them. He was about to turn when he heard Laun speak "Let us help," He offered and his gaze again fell to Lynsey's arm which he patted gently before flashing an apologetic smile and pulling away.

With all three of them, catching the stubborn rooster was much easier than it had been the first go round. Even if one of the participants didn't do much more than stand with her arms crossed. Dorian wiped at the sweat that beaded his brow and let out an amused chuckle at seeing the rooster, irritated but comfortably nestled in Laun's arms. "That was more difficult than I thought it would be." He mused.

In the distance the sun's light was beginning to fade and Dorian turned his golden gaze to the setting sun. "We should hurry back or the teachers might start to worry."

Laun couldn’t contain her laughter as she walked next to Dorian and a highly annoyed Lynsey. The image she had of the taller boy, looking silly while he chased a rooster around the woods was unforgettable. Probably her favorite souvenir from this trip.

The walk was awkward with several tried but failed attempts at conversation. When one girl spoke up the other would be quiet and let the subject drop, or burst in and try to take over the conversation. Either way it ended with an uncomfortable pause and a greater reason to find their group as fast as they could. It wasn’t too long before they found the rest of their groups. First it was Roel and Bay as they had stopped and waited for their missing partners, then Laun found her group when they ended up colliding only a few minutes later. Yogi took over the responsibility of holding the bird, Laun was tired of carrying the heavy rooster.

After a brief moment while Roel towered next to June and glowered at Cason, not even trying to hide his dislike of the boy while June was there. The groups decided to part for the rest of the trip to avoid the tension that was building. As they parted, Laun couldn’t stop from sending glances back at Dorian and Lynsey. She was again confused by the way he made her feel. At the moment she was happy and angry at the same time. Happy that she had been able to interrupt the girl from getting an answer and mostly because she had got to spend a great moment with Dorian while they chased down the rooster.

A small part of her anger was for her conflicted guilt on interrupting a girls confession. Something that took a lot of guts. Most of her anger though, was directed towards the jealousy she was feeling towards Lynsey. Even after she had so recently told Dorian she wasn’t interested but that hadn’t mattered last night.

Laun blushed slightly and returned her attention to June during the duration of the trip. Once back at the hotel she quickly showered, changed into her pajamas, and told June all about her day. Soon she was in bed, covers tucked to her nose and fast asleep, images of a dark haired high school boy tripping over the foliage of the thick forest to keep her busy for the night.
-
Roel woke the next day feeling surprisingly refreshed since he had turned down a party that night. The reason he gave Dorian for skipping out on the party, since it was rare that he did, was that he felt sick. The real reason he didn’t want to go though was because of a certain freshman standing across the room from him now.

All the students stood out front of the hotel they were staying at. Standing in a line on the small amount of concrete that curved along a road you could pull up to check in. Their teachers were passing around pamphlets of the town and explaining the areas they were allowed to go and when they had to return to the hotel. Roel’s eyes trailed the female teacher he had spotted the first day when getting off the bus. His journey was only interrupted when he glimpsed familiar light brown hair and he looked up to see June and her ever present green haired friend. It was strange how intrigued he was with the girl, he found everything about her interesting and even though she turned him down constantly and always had her nose in a book he never thought of her as boring or uninteresting.

The teachers put them into the same groups as the day before and sent them on their way. Now, around mid day, Roel walked slowly behind Bay and Lynsey, uninterested in the girls current conversation of what they had bought and what else they planned to buy. He was soon distracted by an old looking sign for a temple and found himself separated as he climbed the steps towards a warn out building. Before he reached the front, he noticed another student was already there.

Roel stood next to the girl, who he now noticed to be June and smiled, “Are you making a wish?”

Dorian tugged down the hood of his jacket, he had gotten a late start this morning and because of it, no longer felt he'd make it to all the temples he had wanted to see. Not like he would be too upset from it, his head still pounded from last nights events and who knew if he could make it up the spiraling steps. In retrospect getting drunk two nights in a row might not have been the best idea, especially with such little time to recover. But with how awkwardly the scavenger hunt had ended he had wanted to finish the evening on a good note.

The road he walked down now was shaded with thick foliage that hung low over the souvenir shops that lined the edge of the forest. At least he'd still be able to get a gift for his Mom, sister and maybe something for Ramona.

June jumped at the sudden deep voice beside her and wasn't surprised at who she saw when she opened her eyes. This boy certainly had a knack for popping up at random times. "I just finished actually" she responded quickly. She hadn't seen him much during the scavenger hunt and it would have been a lie to say that she was relieved, but maybe a little disappointed too.

She turned to face him and tucked a strand of flaxen hair behind her ear which seemed to slip from it's spot every time to chilly autumn wind would blow"Did you come to make one too?"

Laun sat down on a bench stationed outside of a small book store, placing the few bags of souvenirs she had purchased on the empty spot beside her. They were told to stay in a group of four but that had been forgotten as soon as they were out of the teachers sights. Cason had been the first to leave and he did it so quietly that Laun had only seen a flash of his hair in the windows before he was gone. Yogi was next though he had stayed long enough to collect a few things for his younger siblings before waving his goodbye and running off. Now that the two girls were alone they finished exploring the few shops that lined the road and Laun decided to go take a break while June chose to go see a temple she was interested in.

Laun rubbed at her tired eyes, she had been kept awake by her mind running wild with strange thought of Dorian and Lynsey. While she still didn’t want to admit out loud that she was actually starting to get feelings for Dorian, she had come to terms with herself that she did indeed like him. She had been ignoring her growing feelings for him but she couldn’t deny them now that she was plagued with jealously.

With a sigh she wished she were back in middle school. High school was beginning to feel complicated and she wasn’t liking it one bit.

Roel watched June as his usual playful smile was replaced by a more tranquil look. His eyes trailed her fingers when she brushed back her hair, lingering for a few moments before they moved to the building in front on them. “Nah, I didn’t come to make a wish.” He moved to lean against one of the wooden pillars, “It’s just, I like the calmness that seems to surround old temples like this. It’s like everything goes quiet.” His gaze was caught by a flutter of a charm that was tied up and he reached up to tap at it. “Maybe the quiet is out of respect for the gods.” A paused passed before he looked down at her, “Do you believe in gods?”

Dorian regarded each shop window he passed with confusion. While he only had three people to shop for, it was proving difficult with all the options. Most people would be relieved to have so many choices but this just made it more difficult for the boy. He huffed in aggravation and briefly considered buying everyone a post card.

He finally paused infront of what was probably the pinkest store on the block, 'girls like pink' he reminded himself and he stepped inside.

He was hard to miss in the small shop. He was taller than the shelves and his dark clothing and hair stood out starkly against the varying pastel shades of the merchandise. A few salespeople attempted to help the young boy but were only met by an increasingly aggravated expression every time they approached him.

June stared up at him, a little surprised by the honesty of his answer. She had expected him to say something cheeky like it was a great place to bring girls, but this was the second time he shared such personal information with her and it was hard not to admire the subtle softening of his features or the gentle lull in his voice and she wondered if he wore this same expression when he held her not even a day ago. "No I don't" She answered quickly so her thoughts wouldn't stray too far from her "But I've always enjoyed researching their stories" She hid a soft laugh behind her hand "There's this one story about the god of wind getting turned into an otter by a vengeful lover. This is supposed to be his temple"

Laun had looked up just in time to see a familiar head of dark hair before it disappeared into a door that had the words ‘ichigo pop’ bedazzled with pink and white beads. The chance to see the man in such a girly store was overwhelming so she grabbed her bags and crossed the street. She could see him easily through the windows and stifled a laugh as she watched him shuffle awkwardly around the brightly colored isles.

After she noticed a few failed attempts at help by the saleswomen she stifled her laughter and entered the shop, a bell chimed when the door opened and then slowly closed behind her. Trying not to be caught she snuck around the isle and quietly positioned herself behind the boy, “I never pictured you as a pink lover.” She glanced around at the vast array of pink stuffed animals on the shelves around them.”

Roel smiled at the familiar story, “I’ve read about that one. The hawk god who was betrayed by his lover, the water goddess, because she believed him to be unfaithful. I had a book about it when I was a kid, it was one of my favorites because the god was saved thanks to the help of humans.” He swished his arm around as if he was wielding a sword, “I would run around the house with a fake sword pretending to be the swordsman in the story, it would drive my nanny crazy.” He laughed at the memory as he pretended to sheath his sword.

Dorian whirled around and shot an irritated glance at the voice behind him "I don't love pink" He spat before realizing who it was and his gaze quickly softened and he let out an embarrassed laugh. "Sorry" He muttered and he scratched the back of his neck as he set down the horrendously gaudy handbag he held in his hand. "I just get stressed out when shopping for gifts." He looked down at the selection before him before picking up a figurine of a unicorn and making it prance towards the girl beside him "Especially when it comes to girls."

June couldn't contain her laughter as she watched him brandish his imaginary sword "I always pretended to be the priestess!" She admitted with an excited bounce "I'd always try to heal my cat" She let out a soft sigh once her laughter subsided and she glanced around the temple, the amusement still clear in her features.

Laun fought to keep from laughing at the boy as she snatched the ugly bag from his hands and stuffed it behind one of the piles of stuffed pink bears. Hopefully no one would ever find and actually buy the handbag. “I’m gonna take a guess that you’re shopping for a sister, who…” She took a glance around at the merchandise, “is much younger than you and really into pink?”

“I always thought the priestess was hot,” Roel admitted, stepping towards her with a playful smile. “It took saving the world before the swordsman was able to capture her.” He was now standing before her slouched forwards so that their gaze was more level. He was about to say more but then seemed to decide against it and almost pout at her.

“I’m not patient, like the swordsman,” he stated as he pulled away and faced towards the shrine again with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders hunched forwards. One of the small statues caught his eyes and he glowered at it before speaking softly, “not if it’s something I’m serious about.”

Dorian chuckled at her assessment and shook his head "Nah, She's actually older," He paused a moment "and the more I think about it, I'm realizing I don't think I've ever seen her in pink." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, messing his already unruly curls. "But don't girls usually like this kind of stuff?" He asked as he gestured with a shrug to the whole store. "I mean, could you really resist these adorable toe socks?" He asked as he pointed down to a baby pink pair with pigs on each toe. Then suddenly the realization came to him and a broad smile played upon his lips "Ramona!" He exclaimed quite pleased with himself and he stalked off to the back of the store.


June stared at his back and let out a quiet huff "Well," she started matter of factly "If you remember correctly the priestess desired the swordsman as well" She rose her chin in challenge but the way she awkwardly played with the strap of her bag betrayed her confidence "But the priestess was a little scared, and she was busy with school, and it didn't help that the swordsman had a reputation!" She gasped a little at the realization of how much she might have revealed and she quickly added "But it doesn't matter, because it's just a story!"

Laun watched him, unsure if he had truly liked the pair of pink socks and if he expected her to answer the question. She did not like the socks but he was talking excited and she didn’t want to ruin it for him by saying no. Thankfully she was saved from her conflict when he took off towards the isle set against the back wall. She followed after him curious at who Ramona was and came to a stop beside him. The whole section of wall he was standing before was covered with pet fashion. Dog and Cat clothing hung in bags with the article picture on the front. Pink camo furry hoddies, hello kitty jackets, even socks and hats. Most of the collars were so decorated with beads that it was hard to look at them, though some of the more simple ones were cute.

“You have a cat?” She asked looking up at him.

Roel let his shoulders relax and looked down at her, humor brightening in his blue eyes as he dropped the story. “You say that as if my reputation is bad.” There was no point in trying to deny how he was with women. He had enjoyed their company and did not regret it.
He moved closer to her, his voice low and serious, “You don’t have to be scared around me June. I would never hurt you.”

Dorian barked a laugh "No way, they're too stuck up." He fumbled around in his pocket for a moment and pulled out his cell phone. "Ramona is my dog." He explained as he moved closer to the girl and offered her his cell. The screen saver was of him and the aforementioned pet. His arm was draped lovingly around her neck and her bright blue eyes that were a stark contrast to the black and white of her fur gleamed with happiness.

"Well..It's not great either" June scoffed under her breath but quickly clamped her mouth shut when he stood before her. She stared up at him as he spoke, her brown eyes narrowing as she surveyed his face for signs of sincerity. "I don't believe you." She said firmly then crossed her arms across her chest. "There are multiple ways to hurt someone," She began "Like now for instance, making me look at that horrendously crooked haircut!"

Laun:-takes the phone from his hand and looks at the picture. The dog was cute but her eyes were drawn more to the dark haired boy and his smiling face. Lets out a small laugh and holds the phone up, showing him the screen- You have a goofy face in this picture. -It was clear how much he loved his dog by the silly broad smile and she had a sudden feeling of ridiculous jealousy towards the animal, she wanted to see him smile like that in person. preferably towards me...Her eyes rose to meet his as she thought this.

R: -His hand flies instantly to his hair and he looks at her with an offended look- Horrendous! My hair is fashionable! -reaches out and points at her- I least I don't have the typical bookworm hairstyle.

-laughs and takes the phone away from her- I do not! -gives her a slightly pout look before putting his phone back in his pocket and turns back to the arrays of collars and finally picks one out- do you have anyone to buy souvenirs for?

Bookworm!? -reaches up quickly and covers her hair- my hair is practical and symmetrical and that's exactly why I chose it!

-holds up the bags she was carrying in her hands the whole time- Yep, but I finished buying their stuff already. Look!- reaches into the bag and pulls out a small extremely detailed statue of a monkey- I got this for my grandpa, he collects monkeys.

-Stares at her for a moment before cracking up, holding onto his sides- only you would pick a haircut for those reason. Should you say something more like, 'It makes me look cute," or "Its the same as my favorite idol." Those are things normal girls say.

-looks at the monkey impressed and chuckles- this monkey looks like an old man. -glances up at her- is this why he collects them?

-frowns at him when he laughs at her- I don't have time for such frivolous things as that -gives him a firm expression- and I don't have time to waste here with you either, the natural history muesuem closes soon so I have to get going -raises her head defiantly and starts past him-

-Looks at the monkey and laughs- It does. -puts it back into the bag and shrugs- I've never really asked why he likes them so much. But he's been collecting them since he was younger so its probably not because they are old looking.

Hey, hold on. -grabs her arm and turns her to face him, putting both hands on her cheeks and smiling with a hint of lingering laughter- This haircut does make you look cute. So cute it makes me want to kiss you. -leans in quickly before she can react to what he had said and gives her a small peck on the lips. It was tame for him but he didn't want to risk scaring off his little mouse.-

-Goes to the register and pays for the collar and puts it in his bag before nodding towards hers- There's more than just the statue in there, Did you get something for a boyfriend perhaps? -He hesitated a bit at saying boyfriend, but he was curious-

-She didn't have time to process what was going on before she felt the gentle pressure of his lips against hers and then the sensation was gone just as quickly as it had come. She stood frozen, staring up at him and a fierce blush rose up on her cheeks. she pressed her lips together hard to stop the trembling- What was that for!? -she shouted before punching him weakly square in the chest, she had avoided his other attempts for a kiss, how had he snuck this one on her-