BORED [Alecis]

The last time Rowan had come to the ruins they had been unusually populated with clio, mostly clio he knew. Now it was like it normally was; completely and utterly deserted. He could hear the crickets chirping and everything.

Why had he decided to come here, anyways? Just some random urge to? Had he thought that it would yield the same results as when he went to the tavern on a whim and found that letter?

Or maybe he was just bored.

Whatever the reason, it was a surprisingly nice place to be at this time of night. Nym was amusing herself by chasing the innumerable fireflies. The moon reflected of the lake beautifully. He briefly thought of Charlie and how they'd have to come here together sometime.

It was nice, sure, but a little boring without any other clio around. Too bad that probably no one was going to show up.

Alecis, again, wanted to be alone. Lately she had been depressed. Unless she, of course, was with Lior. And/or with... weeeeell, nevermind.

Alecis pushed that thought out of her mind as she walked slowly down the hill leading from the ruins to the lake.

It was peaceful, just what she wanted right now. Away from the world in this little piece of perfect. And, Alecis noted, it was perfect. Fireflies danced around her, lighting the night sky with tiny balls of yellow. They complimented the stars quite nicely.

Instead of going to sit under a willow tree like she usually would have done, Alecis decided to lay down on the grassy hill. Laying down, she looked up at the night sky. Quickly, she pointed out to no one but herself, the pair of dippers.

Rheis laid down beside her, and the two just relaxed. Something that both of them needed to do.

Nym suddenly perked up, distracted from the fireflies, and became very still. Someone or something else was there, she could hear them. She sniffed the air; the scent was familiar. Too familiar...

'What is it?' Rowan asked, noticing Nym's sudden change in demeanor.

'You're not gonna like this,' Nym replied, having recognized the scent. 'But guess who just showed up out of nowhere...again.'

Rowan knew who Nym was talking about at once. After all, who else was he unfortunate enough to run into every time he tried to relax? 'Oh, not again,' he groaned. 'Let's just get out of here before she notices us.'

They began to make their way through the ruins without being too obvious. It was hard, given the fact that their only light was the flickering fireflies. Without being able to adequately see where he was going, Rowan accidentally whacked his shin on a, uh, piece of ruin in his path. He managed to stay silent, but Nym let out a whimper of pain that echoed and carried across the ruins.

A loud yelpy whimper noise cascaded through the ruins above Leci. As she heard them, she was ripped out of her almost-sleep, and her head spun to face the noise. There, in the Ruins, was the one she had been trying not to think about. Rowan.

Butterflies fluttered in Alecis' stomach as Rowan bent down to rub his leg.

What should she do? Call to him? Ignore him? Make fun of him? The last one was definitely what she would have usually done. Antagonized him or something. But was that what she wanted to do now?

Honestly... the answer was no, but Rowan didn't need to know that. He already thought something strange was up. He had caught her staring at him one too many times that night at the tavern. And well, he was there that day at Froom, too. Yes, making fun of him was probably best...

Anyways, Alecis reasoned with herself. This must just be some sort of stupid phase. I mean, her like Rowan?

Yeah, riiiight.

But what would she say to him? She tried to think of an insult, of anything. But for some reason they weren't coming as naturally as they usually did. Alecis blamed this on her sleepiness. No way was it because she liked him. Ew. Who could like Rowan?

A little voice in her head laughed at her. What a fool she was.

"Hey! Rowan!" Alecis called, standing up, "What'cha doing out here?"


Laaaaammmmeeee. She moaned in her head. Why was she so lame all of a sudden?

"What'cha doing out here?"

Rowan was starting to think he was cursed to be annoyed by Alecis wherever he went. Then again, she didn't seem to have her usual mocking tone of voice. What was going on with her all the sudden? Was it because of Lior? Maybe he was "bringing out the better of her" or something.

But then why, at the Tavern, did he catch her looking his direction a few times? Was she looking for an excuse to say something insulting? But held back because Charlie and Lior were there? It was a bad explanation, but the only one that came close to making sense.

In any case, he needed to say something so that he didn't just stand there looking like a fool.

"Well, I was trying to relax," he replied to her, mentally ready for whatever was coming next.

'Jeez, why is he so defensive?' Alecis muttered to her dæmon.

'Maybe,' Rheis said, 'It's because he hates you. Just like you hate him, you know?'

"I don't hate him!" Alecis said angrily, out loud, on accident.

Embarrassed, she turned to Rowan and blushed, "I... I mean... I," Alecis couldn't think of anyway to explain what she had just said.

Rheis laughed his fox-laugh. At least she was making a fool of herself. Again.

Wait...what? What did she just say? Who was she talking about? Him!?

'Ahahaha, she just talked to her daemon out loud,' Nym laughed, obviously not as intrigued by the outburst as Rowan. She noticed her clio didn't seem quite as amused. '...Rowan?'

'Uh...was she talking about me?' Rowan wondered, surprised.

'Given the fact that she said 'I don't hate him'...I doubt it. C'mon, who cares anyway? It was funny, that's all!'

"Um, just out of curiosity," Rowan said to Alecis, pretending to be nonchalant as if he didn't care, "Who don't you hate?"

'Or not,' Nym said with a "><" expression.

"I was... umm... Lior!" Alecis sputtered, "See, er... well..."

It seemed Alecis was failing tonight. Majorly.

"Really, is it any of your business?" she finally spit out.

'Heyyyy!', she thought to herself, 'That kind of sounded a little mean!' Maybe she was back on track! She smiled to herself.

"Maybe I was talking about my cat, or even maybe I was talking about...you." She whispered the last word so softly that only her dæmon could understand. And that was only because he could read her mind.

Okay... maybe she wasn't back on track. D:

Alecis had just done a whole lot of talking without really answering the question at all. Well, she had answered it, just with three different answers. And she'd had about thirty mood swings in the process. There was no doubt about it; she'd gone crazy.

Technically her second answer was right; it wasn't any of his business. But for some inexplicable reason he felt like he needed to know. He felt obligated to help out if something was wrong; and something was definitely wrong. "Okay, what is with you all of the sudden?" he asked--er, demanded actually. "Ever since Froom Valley you've been...I don't even know how to describe it. Did something happen? Was it something I did?"

Whoa. Why did that last question sound like he was asking for reassurance? It didn't make any sense to be feeling guilty. Maybe because, as much as Alecis annoyed him, he never actually wanted to hurt her. Get her to shut her mouth, yes. Hurt her feelings, no.

Alecis wished she could tell him what was wrong. So badly she wished.

But, she reminded herself, this was just some stupid phase. She would get over it, and soon they could get back to bickering back and forth.

But, she argued, maybe it wasn't just some stupid phase. What if she really did like him?

It didn't matter, she finally decided. Whether she really did like him or not, it didn't matter. Rowan didn't like her. And truthfully, it was her fault. She was the one that was always pushing for a fight. She was the one who always spoke first, just wanting to get him riled up.

And there was boring old Rowan, refusing to fight. Refusing to get a little dirty.

No, Alecis reasoned with herself, not boring--mature. Calm, cool, and collected. Three words that fit him quite well, Alecis thought. At least, what Alecis knew of him. How many times had she tried to get him to fight with her? Always he had been quick to shoot her down, too mature to fight with her. Quick to take the high road. And, Alecis knew, there was nothing wrong with that. He knew what he wanted, knew exactly who he was.

How immature she had been! But, playing with Rowan was fun... Suddenly, Alecis realized she loved being with Rowan. She always had fun, even when they were arguing-which was most of the time. He was so cute when he was mad...

Woah... had she seriously just thought that? Yes, a kick in her mind told her, she had. It also told her that Rheis didn't enjoy what she was thinking.

'Then butt out!' Alecis thought angrily. The fox left her mind, obediently. He didn't want to listen to this crap anyways. Though he did remind Alecis that Rowan was probably wondering why she was taking forever to answer his question.

Oops. She had entirely forgotten that Rowan stood before her, still waiting to see why she was acting so strange.

"No, it wasn't something you did, Rowan. Why does everything have to be about you? Why are you so self-absorbed?" Alecis snapped.

Instantly, she regretted it. She didn't like being mean to him. Not anymore at least. In fact, she hated being mean to him, it actually hurt her a little, inside.

Her face fell, and she knew the insult wouldn't sting as much, if at all. It was incomplete now that Alecis didn't get joy out of it.

Rowan sighed. Really, should he have expected anything else? "Whatever," he replied tiredly, "I won't bother worrying about you next time then." Something still didn't seem right, though. Alecis wasn't at all up to her usual standard of insults and snappy comebacks.

Now she was barely trying, almost as if she didn't hate him. Yeah right, he thought to himself. It had seemed like Alecis had hated him from the very moment they met. Why? he found himself wondering. Had he given her any reason way back then?

'Because we're from a different Eilemaiden,' Nym answered matter-of-factly.

No, that wasn't right...Or not completely, at least. With any of the other Overloridians she was diplomatic and even friendly. What exactly did she have against him, anyways? He had, of course, wondered this in the past, but only now did it really seem to be a pressing issue.

He wanted to ask but he was somewhat wary of whatever sarcastic retort she'd come up with. Well, she couldn't say he was being self-absorbed again...He kind of had a right to know why she was always antagonizing him...

"I've been meaning to ask," he lied, having only just now decided to ask, "what it is you have against me?"

Nothing ventured nothing gained.

"I... well... Rowan...?"

What could she say? 'I'm mean to you because...' haha. She didn't even know why she was mean to him. 'I'm mean to you because you're boring. I'm mean to you because you are mean to me. I like bugging you because it bugs me that you won't fight with me.'

So many things she could say, but they would all be lies.

A truthful answer would be, 'I don't know.' But he would probably get angry. And, as much as she wanted the awkward to end, she couldn't bear the thought of him leaving. She wanted him to stay.

"I don't know, Rowan. Honestly... I just don't know." She said it in a sad whisper. "I guess the truth is, I don't have anything against you. Not at all. In fact, I don't think I can even find anything wrong with you... Maybe that's why?"

At the end, her voice perked a little, maybe that was why. But then, realizing she had just told him she didn't hate him, her eyes grew big, like she had just witnessed a murder. And, she blushed--hardcore.

Rowan was stunned. Did she just say she didn't have anything against him? That there wasn't anything wrong with him? (Even he knew that wasn't true!) This just...wasn't making any sense...

This was not the Alecis he had come to know over the past few years. Where was the caustic, mean-spirited girl who always had something to say about everything? Who was this stranger standing in front of him and...blushing? Was she blushing? Why was she blushing!?

Something was wrong. Something had to be wrong. Clio didn't just do personality 180's for no reason. He had to know. Contrary to what he said earlier...he was worried about her. Worried about the girl who made him cringe every time she talked to him. So against all logic, he asked the stupid question:

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Alecis' eyes slowly returned to their natural size. She said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Actually, maybe there is something wrong. You know, I think you're right. There must be something wrong."

She frowned. Her cheeks were still warm, so she figured she must still be blushing. Greeeaaaaat.

Okay...well...now Rowan knew that he'd been justified in wondering if something was wrong with Alecis...But he didn't know what...

'Why do you need to know so badly?' Nym whined. While she knew Rowan tended to agonize over things, usually they were important things. Like the star pieces. NOT the problems of a bipolar girl! 'C'moooooooon, let's stop talking to her and get outta here while we can!'

'Nym, if there's something wrong I want to know if I can help,' Rowan replied seriously.

'WHY?' Nym repeated.

Rowan didn't really have an answer to that one...It just seemed like the right thing to do. Or something.

"Well...if there's anything I can do...?" He said with uncertainty. Uncertainty of why he was suggesting such a thing. If a week ago someone had told him he'd be comforting Alecis in her time of distress he would have thought they were crazy. "I mean..."

But even he didn't know what he meant so he just trailed off.

There wasn't anything he could do. Wasn't anything anyone could do.

I mean, unless he proclaimed that he liked her, too. HA. That wasn't going to happen. He was happy with Charlie. Her stomach rolled, that thought didn't make her feel good.

Or, Rheis muttered telepathically, he could just hit you with a brick. Maybe then you'd forget about all of this and get back to being MY Alecis.

I'm still YOUR Alecis, Leci muttered back. I've just... changed a little.

"There really isn't anything you could do, that you would want to do." Alecis said calmly to Rowan who still had a confused look on his face. "It's my fault, honestly."

Rowan was still confused, and he was a little annoyed at himself for being so slow. Usually he was good at figuring things out, but he still didn't have a clue. "Um, sorry, but what's your fault?" he asked.

'''None of your business,"' Nym said telepathically, in a mocking imitation of Alecis. Well...that was probably what she was going to say, so Rowan didn't disagree.

"A lot of things are my fault. Haven't you noticed?" she said with a sad sort of laugh.

"But this one, this one is pretty big. And my fault. So, I guess it just makes it a little bit worse, you know?"

A civil conversation. Look'it that. Never would Alecis have dreamed that she would be having a civil conversation with Rowan. Though, she also never would have dreamed she would like him either.

Well it didn't seem like Alecis wanted to share her problems with him, and who could blame her? No one shares their problems with people they don't like...Well, according to her, Alecis didn't not like him. Or something. Well, Rowan wasn't going to push it. Alecis didn't have to tell him if she didn't want to.

He still had to wonder. She said it was 'big.' Was something going wrong in Cuir? Unlikely. She wasn't the type to show any weakness when it came to Cuir. Something personal then?

"I-I'm sure it can't be all that bad," Rowan said, almost forgetting who he was talking to. He was actually giving words of encouragement to Alecis. This was so weird. "I mean, it's not a matter of life and death, is it?"

"No, no," Alecis replied. "Nothing like that. It really doesn't affect anyone. Except well, three or four clio. But, it might not affect them. I mean..."

She was getting herself confused again.

"You see," she continued, "it affects me. But, in the near future, it could affect a few more... And it's my fault, really.

I feel... terrible. And..."

She paused.

"Oh, I'm sorry Rowan. I shouldn't bring you into this. I mean, not that you're one of those clio, I mean," she stumbled on her words. "I just don't want you to worry. Not that you'd worry about me. But... I mean..."

She trailed off. This was getting icky.

Rowan felt a little uneasy. Alecis had sounded extremely unconvincing when she said he wasn't 'one of those clio.' But then again, maybe he actually was being presumptuous and self-absorbed. This probably had nothing to do with him.

'That's right, nothing at all,' Nym agreed whole-heartedly. 'So let's forget about the whole thing and leave!'

'I can't just do that,' Rowan replied honestly, getting a little annoyed. Why couldn't Nym get that he was just trying to do what was right?

'Are you being righteous...or curious?' Nym asked shrewdly.

Damn daemon. It was impossible to argue when the opposing side could read your every thought and emotion. Still, Rowan wanted to think that he was doing this to be nice. Sure, he wanted to know...But it wasn't for no reason, it was because he wanted to be sure she was okay. But he wanted her to be okay so that he didn't have to worry about it anymore...So when it came down to it, maybe he was just being selfish.

"Maybe...maybe you'd feel better if you told those clio?" he suggested, only partially because he thought it was good advice. Another part of him wanted her to tell him. "If you're feeling guilty...well, you know. It'll make you feel better to let it out. I guess."

'The advice is good but the way you say it is terrible,' Nym sighed. She'd pretty much given up on trying to convince him to leave.

He was right. He was always right. But this wasn't just something she could tell them. I mean, the best course of action would be to try to forget about it, and maybe it would just go away. Right?

She shuddered at the thought of telling Rowan what was wrong. 'Rowan, I don't hate you, I like you. I want you to be with me even though you hate me. Haha, isn't that funny?' Yeah, riiight. Like that was going to happen.

Or telling Charlie. 'Charlie, I like your boyfriend. A little too much. I hate when you're with him.' Another no. That wouldn't work either.

And then... Lior. 'Lior, I really like you and all. And you're real, real pretty. And you saved me! And you're so nice. And I can't find anything wrong with you. But for some silly reason I also really, really like Rowan. Funny huh?' She sighed at the thought. But you know, he probably wouldn't care. He was so nice he would probably just be happy for her. I mean, they weren't dating-she was allowed to like other clio. Still.

"Rowan, I know you're right," she finally said-slowly, "but I just can't do that. I want to, I really do... I just... Can't?"

It was interesting he hadn't picked up on her problem, actually. Usually he was so aware of everything. But, Alecis was also glad that he hadn't found out. The embarrassment would be over-bearing. Then again, if he found out without her telling him, maybe it would be less embarrassing. Of course, it still would be, but maybe not as much. Should she leave a little hint? Not like a scavenger hunt, just a little slip of the tongue. She could make it look like an accident.

But how?, she wondered.

Rheis, even though he didn't agree with a thing she was thinking, knew that Leci kinda needed him right now. Slowly he walked over and rested his head against his clio's leg.

The little boost of encouragement was all Alecis needed.

"Rowan, I like you."

Well. That was blunt.

What. What.

Rowan stared at her, at a loss for words. Why was she saying that? Alecis hated him. Hated. In the past she'd never miss a chance to insult him. How could she possibly be serious? As far as he knew, absolutely nothing had changed in the past week that would result in...this.

'You know what they say,' Nym had to have her in-put. '''The worse you treat them, the more they like you.'''

'That's not true at--Hey, are you saying I treated her bad?'

'Let's face it...you kinda did...'

'But...only because she...seemed to hate me.' When Alecis had treated him like dirt, he'd had no problem sleeping at night after treating her the same way. But...if what she was saying was true...

No. He had nothing, nothing to feel guilty about. Alecis has tried to make him miserable every time she saw him from the moment they met. For no reason. And now, she comes out of nowhere and says she likes him? How could she possibly expect him to believe her?

"No..." he said, subconsciously taking a step back. He was suddenly feeling very defensive. "You don't. You don't like me. What are you trying to do?"

"Trying to do? What do you mean what am I trying to do? I'm doing what you told me to do, Rowan. I'm listening to you."

She was still stunned that she had said what was wrong. And now, he was twisting her words. Rheis stayed right by her, looking at Nym with wide eyes.

"But..." Rowan began, still unsure of what to say. Alecis had to be lying. There was no way...it just didn't make sense... "From the moment we met all you've done is try to make me as miserable as clio-ly possible. And I haven't exactly been decent to you either. Just a week ago you told me how you couldn't imagine why anyone would like me. Now you say you like me. You can't expect me to believe that."

Nym stared Rheis right back in the eyes defiantly. She, too, didn't trust the pair. Not one bit.