Author's Note: Not proofread, nor had gone through any beta testers.
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Kiara never felt so happy to finally be within familiar walls. That last mission had her on edge as it neared its end, not knowing if she would ever get through the hunt request in one piece. But finally, four hours ago and dragging the almost unrecognizable carcass of a rogue Gullinbrusti back to the hunter’s camp, she’d received the promised reward and quickly set off for home.
She tugged at her mount’s reins, urging him towards the stables where she could finally pat him down for a well deserved rest. It was early in the morning, with the sun just peeking over the horizon. As she passed through the main gates of the guildhall, she could hear the sounds of her early bird guildmembers as they moved about starting their day. The guild retainers had just finished switching as well, some of which had bid the crusader a good morning before moving onto bed or to work.
Before she knew it, her Grand Peco had stopped before the gates of the stable. She dismounted, opening the gates and leading him to his stall. The young warrior added some more straw to his nest, patting them down until she was satisfied that it was comfy enough for her precious mount. Quickly, she unhooked the reins and the saddle, then removed her enormous shield from his backside. The Grand Peco squawked in appreciation, practically bouncing towards the nest of straw, circling around it a few times before finally settling down and burying its face under a wing. He was snoozing not a moment later. The crusader smiled gently at the scene.
At least I know I’m taking good care of you, Hayai.
“Hey, Blue!”
She turned towards the source of the cheery voice. A tall, blonde lord knight had just walked in from the door leading into the main hall, decked in his full attire. He held his weapon in one hand, while the other held a stuffed rucksack.
“Good morning, Bertram.” She greeted back, hanging the reins on a nearby hook. She gave his form a whole once over. “Mission?”
The lord knight shook his head. “Nah, just heading home for a family reunion. Need to look respectable when I get there though, you understand.” He shrugged. She nodded in reply, too tired to engage in a conversation. With a curt farewell to the older man, she went into the main hall.
Her footfalls echoed loudly against the high ceilings of the corridors. No one else was in the hallways, and all the doors in this area merely led to a library or a private workspace. Kiara moved with quick, measured strides that belied the exhaustion she felt. She thought of her bed, the comfy mattress and the fluffy down pillows, all waiting for her to sink into them and lull her to the land of dreams. But not before changing out of her blood slicked armor and sweaty clothes.
I smell like a pig that hasn’t had a bath in years. She wrinkled her nose at the faint coppery smell mingled with some other odor she didn’t want to name. Dear Odin, would she have a hard time forgetting that smell anytime soon.
She turned the last corner. The hallway from there led to the bridge connecting to personal quarters. The crusader suddenly stopped dead at the sight of something unusual between two supporting pillars.
“Hm?”
Curious, she approached the still form and stared. It was a man, probably no older than Warrior, haphazardly leaning against the pillar and dozing without a care in the world. One false move and he could fall to his death. But as far as she could tell, he didn’t seem the type to move much when he slept. As quietly as her greaves would allow her, she crept closer to peer at the sleeping man.
Cute. Was the word she could aptly describe the man at the moment.
He had jet black hair, but it was a glossier shade than hers. His bangs were layered so that most of his forehead was covered by different strand lengths. The rest of his hair appeared unkempt, coming down the length of his neck. There was also a stubborn bit of hair that stood at the back of his head. The crusader also noticed that his skin was pale, a common heritage of people hailing from countries like Kunlun or Amatsu, amongst others.
His face looked so innocent as he slept, oblivious to her presence. There was not a hint of worry on his youthful features, not even a spot of blemish on his skin. He almost appeared to be a life-size doll hadn’t she noticed the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest.
Another thing she recognized was that he donned the robes of a High Priest. In other guilds, it was a usual sight to have High Priests wandering around the guild halls, perhaps dozing on railings as well. But here that was not ordinary. While there were more than a handful of them in total, she could count the number of acolyte classes on one hand. Why Wizzer and Warrior had such insanely high standards when recruiting the ‘holy class’, they never bothered to explain to her.
She shifted slightly, feeling her legs groaning in protest to the delay of her sleep. And then she noticed it. It had been too thin to be obvious, but now that she had her eyes trained more intently on his face, there across his nose bridge was a long, pinkish scar.
Probably from a fight with a swordsman. Or, she nearly shuddered at the thought, an assassin. Few weapons could ever mark someone like that. For no understandable reason, she could feel her heart going out to the man. It must have been terrible. She found herself thinking. Then again, what did she know of this man’s experiences? On the other hand, his whole presence had struck a curious chord in her. And once she was attracted to something, it was difficult for her to simply let go and forget.
Kiara had never seen him before, but she had been told of a recent recruit to the guild. That was before she’d set out on that hunt request. Now that she was back, she just couldn’t believe it to be this guy. However, his timely appearance before her and her idea about the two higher up’s standards for recruiting holy classes connected too well in her mind.
So this is the new recruit? He seems rather an oddball.
The man yawned, startling her out of her thoughts. He let out a small mewl of contentment before shifting a little more and falling silent once again.
She couldn’t help but feel a blush creep onto her cheeks. He was cute! Cute down to a capital ‘E’.
The crusader silently took a seat on the rail beside him, becoming a spectator to the slumbering ‘kitten’. She couldn’t help it. She’d watched the other males napping during the siesta hour many times. It was a pastime she liked, but none had ever been as attractive as this mysterious guy.
Kiara didn’t know how much time passed as she just sat there watching him. Exhaustion had retreated to the back of her mind for a moment, allowing her to engrave this moment in her mind.
She watched as he stirred and stretched like a graceful feline, the sunlight playing on his form making him look angelic as his eyelids fluttered open. She found his eyes beautiful, like a young leaf caught just right in a ray of sunlight. Those eyes stared sleepily at her. He blinked once. Then twice. Slowly, like one of those dramatic scenes she read in those sappy romantic novels, she watched him lift a slender hand and gently touched one cheek, her cheek.
“… Eh?” She blushed. His smile took away her ability to speak. This was-
“Kind of pretty for a boy, aren’t you?” He cooed. Somewhere deep within the recesses of Kiara’s subconscious mind, something snapped.
It never registered in the Priest’s mind the horror of his mistake until his vision suddenly turned upside down. He caught a glimpse of a wintry glare before he found himself in the air. The man's world was lost in a flurry of green as rustling sounds met his ears. His backside suddenly stung as he hit something hard on his short fall, only faintly aware of the echoes of pain in his mind before darkness consumed him.
END ENTRY.
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