Chương 104: [The First Time In A Long Time]

Training had finished with a last bit of one-on-one sparring for Leo. Kai wanted him to be as prepared as he could be for the festival tomorrow and he was happy with what he saw. The group of eight walked back through town in a loose group, the afternoon warm enough that nobody was in a hurry. Phil was already talking about the tournament—had been since breakfast if Leo was honest—running through scenarios with a confidence Leo didn't feel.

He felt good, but not knowing what to expect from the trainees from Stonehall and the other villages made him a little nervous.

"You think people back home would recognise us if we walked up to them as we are now?" he asked, to no one in particular.

"I mean, me and Luka probably, the rest of you maybe not. You and Parmo, I could probably walk into your kids' room and they'd think a stranger had walked in," Sam said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, imagine Tony's face. He spends all that time in the gym, then Leo walks in. He'd be both amazed and pissed off at the same time."

"I bet walking around would be weird in general. Like, we'd probably get that whole thing where hot women get stared at all the time," said Luka. Parmo smirked.

"You'd love it. All those men staring at you like that."

"Fuck off, you know what I meant." As Leo walked and listened, he noticed Shai beside him and smiled. He still needed to think of a way to ask her if she wanted to do something or go somewhere, just the two of them. So far he'd come up with the King John's and nothing else. Yeah, let's take her to the place we go just about every day to eat. Fantastic idea, genius. The group arrived at the flat, Leo reaching the door first. He took out his keys and opened it before heading up the stairs, Shai a step behind him.

He was halfway up when Phil's voice came from below.

"Have fun." The door shut. Leo stopped on the stairs and turned to look at Shai, then past her. It was just the two of them. Again.

"Another bright idea by Phil no doubt," he said.

"I wonder what he told Rika and Torren this time?" He turned back around and kept going up.

"No idea. They're probably in on it though. I didn't hear anything on the way back, so Luka and Parmo are probably in on it too."

"You think they set this up at training?"

"Yeah, definitely. Didn't you notice Phil being quiet or giving you stupid looks?"

"Now that you mention it..."

"Guy can't help himself. We'll have to get him back one of these days," said Leo while starting to laugh.

"Fucking idiot." Shai was smiling when she came through the door behind him. Leo went to put the kettle on while Shai settled onto the sofa. Her tail moved in a slow, easy sway behind her as she got comfortable. He brought two mugs through and sat on the other end of the sofa, not too close, not far enough to seem deliberate.

"Big day tomorrow," he said.

"It is." She curled both hands around the mug.

"Are you ready?"

"I think so. Sam's been putting bits in his storage all afternoon. I followed his lead."

"Good." She paused.

"Have you told Jake and Olly much about the festival?"

"Bits and pieces. They know I'm entering a tournament and I'm learning to use a sword. No doubt Olly thinks it's cool and Jake thinks I'm an idiot." He smiled.

"My mum is probably tearing her hair out with worry. She'll be fine though."

"How old did you say they are?"

"Fifteen and fourteen." She nodded. Her tail had gone still.

"You must really miss them."

"Every day." He turned his mug in his hands.

"It's the kind of thing where you think you're managing it fine and then something will just—" He looked at the table.

"I try to keep my mind off it. The chat helps. Knowing I can send them messages so they don't think I'm gone, but it's the longest I've ever been away from them." Shai said nothing for a moment.

"I'm sure if they saw how well you're doing, what you've accomplished so far, they'd be proud of their dad. Seeing you with the Sarren, compared to when I saw you five fight that goblin." She laughed.

"Bit of a difference." Leo grinned.

"Yeah, we had no idea what we were doing, did we? Man, that feels like it was yesterday." He paused and thought about whether he should ask his next question. He decided to go for it.

"What about your family?" he asked.

"You mentioned your parents once, I think." Something shifted in her expression, not sad exactly but softer.

"They died when I was young. I remember bits about them, but not a lot. Just feelings, really. The way it felt to be around them. My dad was a strong fighter, so was my mum. They died protecting some of the villagers who were out farming. Monsters had somehow got past the guards watching the border near the farms. They attacked quickly and in larger numbers than anyone could have expected. My mum and dad were nearby and held them off long enough for everyone to escape. Kai took a few of the others and found them.

I have the pelt of one of the beasts on the wall at home." She glanced at him.

"He took me in after. They were his closest friends; he'd promised he would if anything happened." This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Leo looked at her.

"I'm sad you had to grow up without your parents. They sound like they were amazing people." Shai smiled.

"They were. When I became a guard captain, Kai told me they would have been proud of the woman I'd become. I'm happy I can walk in their footsteps." Leo gave her a smile before he froze.

"Wait a minute. Kai?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Kai who trains me?"

"The one and the same."

"Kai who spent the first week making sure I was the only person on the field who looked like I'd just crawled out of a swimming pool?" The corner of her mouth moved.

"He was assessing you."

"Right." Leo thought about that for a moment.

"So he's basically your dad."

"Yeah."

"And everyone knows this."

"Yup. I think Rika told Parmo and Phil. So Sam and Luka probably know as well."

"Why didn't they tell me?"

"I think Rika made them swear not to say. No idea why," she said, and this time she smiled properly.

"I think you might be the last person in Monkhaven to have worked it out." Leo put his mug down and pressed both hands over his face.

"Oh god." He looked back up.

"Is that why he was going so hard on me early on? Because we're friends?"

"Sort of, but there's a little more to it than that." She tilted her head.

"He's also genuinely hard on everyone. But yes. He wanted to see what you were made of."

"Great." He shook his head.

"I thought he just didn't like me."

"He didn't, particularly, at first." She said it easily, without cruelty.

"He's protective. He takes a while with people." She looked down at her mug.

"He's impressed with you, though. He might not seem it but when you know him properly there's a different side to him. He's actually quite a warmhearted person."

"I honestly can't imagine that."

"You might see it at the festival." Her tail had started moving again.

"He enjoys himself there. He usually enters the guard tournament."

"What else happens at the festival?" Leo asked.

"Food, games, competitions." She shifted slightly on the sofa.

"Dancing."

"Oh god, I totally forgot about the dancing."

"There are two kinds. One is a group thing, everyone together; there's not much to it, really. The other kind is dancing in pairs." She looked at him sideways.

"It's expected that most people will find a partner to dance with, even if you just ask whoever's closest. I danced with Torren last year. We stood out quite a bit," she said with a snort. God. She's cute when she does that. Hang on a minute. I could ask her. That totally solves the whole date thing, right? What if she says no? He looked at her. She was still smiling at him. Well, here goes nothing.

"So." He tried to meet her eyes.

"Would you—I mean if you don't have anyone you're planning to—""I don't," she said.

"Then would you like to dance with me?" She was quiet for a moment.

"I'd like that."

"Cool. I mean, nice. I mean, erm." He paused.

"I should probably mention I have no idea how." She laughed again.

"I thought as much. I can show you the steps if you want. It's not complicated."

"Now?"

"Unless you have somewhere to be." They stood up and moved the furniture back against the wall. He stood in the middle of the cleared space, feeling awkward but ready to learn.

"Hand here," she said, taking his left hand and placing it on her waist. Lower than he'd expected. She put her other hand in his.

"And here." He realised this was more or less just slow dancing. He'd done this before, so as long as there were no complicated steps, he'd be fine.

"Lower," she said.

"Don't worry, I won't bite." This coming from a woman that was part cat made him grin. He moved his hand down. She seemed satisfied.

"The basic step is simple," she said.

"Follow my lead at first and then we'll switch." She hummed something low and even, a rhythm more than a melody, and started to move. He followed, badly at first, finding the count, overcompensating when he lost it. She didn't say anything, just adjusted, waited for him to find it himself before starting again. By the third time through, he had it. He realised that the UI must have fixed his two left feet, because no matter how much he'd tried in the past, he simply had no rhythm.

All the movements he'd practiced with Kai also helped a lot. Man, if Kai knew the movements he taught me at training were going to help me learn to dance with his daughter... He realised he wasn't thinking about the steps anymore when he felt it. Her tail had moved from where it had been swaying behind her and wrapped once, loosely, around the arm he had at her waist. He didn't look down or stop dancing. It felt nice, so he smiled and continued to dance.

He kept the count, kept moving, kept his hand exactly where it was. A few moments later, she went still for a moment. She didn't stop moving, but he felt her notice it—the small shift of her attention downward to where her tail had found his arm without her meaning to. He pretended not to notice. She looked up at him. He met her eyes, smiled, and slowly, she smiled back. They continued this for a little longer before Shai stopped humming the rhythm.

"So? What do you think?" she asked.

"Yeah, I feel a lot more comfortable about it now. Thank you. That was really nice."

"It was." They ended up back on the couch with DBZ on the screen, the volume low. Shai's tail was curled beside her, not touching anything. Leo watched Goku arrive on Namek while his mind was going in circles. Okay, so she wanted me to ask her. That's pretty obvious. So maybe the lads were right. God, Phil is going to be insufferable. He glanced sideways at her. She was watching the screen. He wanted to pull her closer, to have her head resting on his chest while they watched, but he hesitated.

He didn't want to be the guy who overstepped. In his old life, he might have just sat there for three hours frozen in place, terrified of making a move and ruining the friendship. But things were different now. He was starting to trust his instincts more, and right now, his instincts were telling him the same thing his eyes were. She was leaning slightly toward him, her shoulder almost touching his, and she wasn't pulling away.

He didn't want to break the spell by asking, but he wasn't going to just grab her, either. Deep breaths, Leo. Just be natural. He shifted his weight, lifting his arm and resting it along the back of the sofa behind her head. He didn't move her yet; he just left it there, an open invitation. Shai didn't tense up. If anything, she seemed to exhale a breath she'd been holding. Leo took the plunge, slowly closing the distance and drawing her in.

He moved with a gentle, steady pressure, giving her every second to lean away if she wanted to. She didn't. She came willingly, tucking herself into his side as if she'd been waiting for him to finally take the hint. When her head finally settled against his chest, the rhythm of her breathing matching his own, Leo felt a surge of quiet triumph that beat any spar he'd won in the pit.

"You okay?" he murmured.

"Yes," she whispered, her tail giving a contented flick against his leg.

"Much better." Leo turned his attention back to the TV, though he didn't notice a single thing Goku was doing. He just closed his eyes for a second, enjoying the weight of her against him, and for the first time in a long time, felt content.

The door opened quietly. Shai hadn't moved in the last hour, her breathing slow and even against his chest, tail draped across his lap where it had migrated at some point. Phil went to say something as he walked in but froze. Leo looked at the door and put one finger to his lips. Six shocked faces looked back at him but didn't say anything. Rika's eyes dropped to the tail in his lap. Then to his hand resting on it. Torren smiled at him as the group walked, very quietly, past the pair into the kitchen.

On screen, Goku was powering up again as Shai slept on. Leo looked back at the television and stayed exactly where he was.