Private Tales Here We Go Again

[Arisa Lovelace]

Arisa stopped keeping track of how long they walked. She was painfully sober, uncomfortably dressed, and she smelled like Willis. Other people’s clothes often smelled like them. As they set up camp, Arisa watched from against a nearby tree.

“Some things never change,” the thief chuckled to herself. Pushing away from the trunk, she walked into the shadows of the forest in search of solitude. Coming soon upon a small stream, Arisa dropped her bag and sat down beside it.

It occurred to her then that she hadn’t brought the satchel with her. Willis tossed it too her after she changed. A surge of hope flooded her and she pulled it open, fully expecting to find booze. Instead she saw her dress and the heels.

“You fucking bastard,” Arisa whined under her breath. She tossed the bag and its contents to the side and let out a defeated sigh.

Smiling One

 

[Smiling One]

The more things change the more stay the same, in many ways Ari was different the last time Willis had seen her but there was just things that can never change like how they felt about each other. It was a silent trip through the Woodlands, Ari was starting to sober up something that she always lamented and the first noises that Willis heard was her grumbling.

The couple stopped at a stream to rest for the night away from the group, they had been traveling for hours and should reach the Mountain of the Sages by tomorrow morning at least according to Estu. Willis took out his waterskin dipping it into the stream to fill it up. "You left your bag back in the College," Willis said to Ari. "It had pretty stuff don't worry I didn't pry it open to take a look. I respect your boundaries."

The young man winked as he placed the Waterskin inside his small black bag. He was thankful that Ari relented and came with him, hopefully this mission it would go as smoothly but Willis couldn't help but shake off the feeling that something was off. Paranoia was a good source of wisdom at least that's what Captain Davis an the Monster Hunters had taught him. "Got any food?" Willis asked. "If not I'll go fishing in the stream and see what I can get."

 

[Arisa Lovelace]

“No,” Arisa groaned. She reached for the bag and tugged it closed. Throwing it in Willis's direction, the thief looked toward the bubbling brook. "I was hoping for some peace and quiet."

She waited a moment or two to see if he'd catch the hint she'd dropped. When he didn't, she pushed herself up to her feet. Brushing her hands off on the sides of her (his) pants, Arisa looked up at him. Thank the gods it was dark and he couldn't see the tears that threatened to spill over her cheeks.

"I shouldn't be here. I was hoping you'd be dead by now, so I wouldn't have to ever see you again," the thief said. She knew her words were harsh, hateful even. But she needed him to let her go, and he didn't seem to understand that. Arisa swallowed hard.

"Look, Willis. This is it. This is the last time I go with you anywhere. We can help these weird toad people, because they need the help. But after that, I'm gone. You won't find me ever again."

Her words had many implications, some of which were valid considerations in her mind. She turned away from him, exhaling. Leaves crunched underfoot as she began to walk away.

 

[Smiling One]

Ari had gotten closer to Willis to the point where he could smell her alcohol stained breath combined with her blueberry scented perfume presumably for her heist job. If they gotten this close years ago, it would've ended with them in a mess of sheets naked and giggling at one another. Ari was Willis' first and you can never forget your first no matter how many women you slept with. They were barely 15 when they did it and Willis returned from sailing around the world as a Pirate. Ari was waiting for him at the docks beaming at him she embraced Willis. She was fresh off working another heist and missed Willis' touch as he missed hers. One thing lead to another and the two gave a piece of themselves that night.

For a moment, it was the best moment of Willis' life. Compared to the many women he was with, Ari was one of the few women that he truly loved. Of course Ari had needs that Willis just couldn't fulfill, she wanted to get married and have a family oh how she talked about wanting a family despite living in squalor like Willis. He just couldn't do that, all he wanted was to be satisfied and unshackled. The more Ari and Willis slept with each other the more distant they became. Ari would tear up swearing that she would never see Willis again only to be fucking each other.

Part of Willis wanted to let go of Ari as well, she had her own dreams and Willis had his. Why be saddled with the emotional burden especially if it brings pain? However everytime Willis wanted to get close to Ari, a pang of guilt coarsed through his body. This wasn't an act of lust but..... love but why does loving Ari hurt so much? Willis couldn't see Ari's face but he could tell that she was about to cry, he silently brushed the tears from her face.

He didn't react when Ari said that she hoped that he was dead. It was probably for the best for her sake, everytime Willis gets attached to a woman it always ends up badly. From Ayreal, Ghivri and..... Claire. The young man closed his eyes tight though ran after Ari. "You know we're always going to find each other again," Willis said. "I don't know perhaps this is fate Ari. There's just..... too much that happened since we last saw each other."

 

[Arisa Lovelace]

Arisa scoffed at Willis and turned her head away from his hand. The last thing she wanted was for him to touch her right now. It had a way of bringing her to her knees that she'd never understood, nor had she felt it with anyone else. Deep down, Arisa was certain she never would.

"There's always too much that happens to you. You've always got some sort of excuse that you use to entice me back into your arms. You stir up feelings I don't wan't anymore. We fuck. Then we go our separate ways. And my dumb ass let you do it again! You realize I can't buy my way out of this one, right?"

She lifted her chin, short, dark tresses parting so that her eyes could meet his. Arisa was afraid, and that wasn't an emotion that usually showed up on her features. The thief shoved Willis away from her.

 

[Smiling One]

Willis found himself stumbling back a bit, Ari had gotten stronger last time they've met. His mind was swirling with emotions as he frowned at his ex-lover. Being someone who was always on the road, there was usually a lot of things that happened to Willis. A lot good, a lot bad but through experience the young man was able to power through. But not this time, the stories he carried now aren't as tense and exciting to have Ari crave Willis' touch and spread her legs. It shrouded with darkness, guilt still weighed on Willis like a untied anchor dropping to the bottom of the sea.

For a brief moment, Willis could see Claire right behind him a mixture of anger and sadness was seen on her face. When Willis blinked she was gone was that really Claire? Perhaps. Willis was still haunted by what he did to her. Stabbing Claire in the abdomen ending her life, the fear in her eyes combined with the anguish in Willis' unleashed a sea of bad memories that Willis fought hard over the years to fight off. He was flickering between himself and the boy who clung to his hateful mother: Lost and alone.

"Ari," Willis whispered hoarsely as he closed the distance to her. "Do you remember who I was? Do you remember the boy?"

Willis didn't know why he's saying this, perhaps it was a way to somehow ease the guilt from his heart without telling her the details of what he did to Claire. Perhaps they were feelings that Willis buried deep, old scars that only Ari knew. "I'm slipping back into him Ari," Willis said looking away from the young woman. "This time I've done shit that I can't take of anymore."

 

[Arisa Lovelace]

"That sounds like a personal problem," came Arisa's retort, cold and forced. It was callous, but it was imperitive that she drive home her point. She needed Willis to understand her pain, but it was a sentiment she wasn't willing to reciprocate.

Arisa took another step back from him, maintaining the distance she'd created. Her heart ached, and sure, she was selfish, but didn't she have the right to be? The last thing she wanted to remember was the boy that stole her heart all those years ago.

"When we're done here, I'm gone. I won't be going back to Alliria, either. I'm not going to let you find me again, and no sob story you conjure will change that," the thief said. Her gaze turned back toward Willis, watching his features. "We've all done the wrong thing a time or two. So unless you've started killing people now, there's nothing you can say that will shock me."

 

[Smiling One]

Ari and Willis had always talked about their personal problems. She talked about wanting to escape the docks of Alliria to start a family and be a mother, about the stresses of being a sister and a parent to her brother. Ari was the first and one of the few people Willis confided his past with, if there was one thing that he hated in the world was his own past. Ari understood just like he understood her and the bonded over that, gave a piece of themselves through their struggles to survive. Willis knew as well as Ari that it was hard to break that connection because of all that.

"You know I tried to let you go," Willis said. "I wanted you to have the life that I couldn't provide Ari. But no matter what we keep finding each other, confiding in one another."

The young man gulped. "Slept together, I'm a Monster Hunter, Mercenary and an ex-Pirate Ari. I've killed so many people that I've lost count. I even......"

Willis shut his eyes clenching his fists in the process. "Killed an ex-lover a year ago, her name was Clarissa Mejure."

 

[Arisa Lovelace]

“Maybe I’ll be lucky and you’ll kill me next,” Arisa muttered under her breath. She wasn’t thinking when she said those words and almost immediately she wished she could take them back. It was too late for that, though. The young thief watched Willis, knowing that as much as she hated what he said, he was right. A low groan of frustration rumbled in her throat.

“I am sorry you went through what you did Willis, but that is a consequence of choosing the life you live.” Again she inwardly cursed. Those words were harsh. When she spoke again, her voice turned soft. “I don’t know what you want from me, Willis. If it’s sympathy, I’m fresh out.”

A heavy sigh left Arisa’s lips and she stepped around him. Settling at the edge of the brook, she found a decent sized rock to sit on as she watched dappled rays of moonlight dance on the water. It was beautiful, and if it weren’t for her present reality, however troubled it might be, Arisa might have seemed more sociable than she did now. Or maybe she just didn’t want to talk to Willis.

 

[Smiling One]

Those words hit Willis like a volley of arrows normally Ari was blunt but never before had she went for killing blows like this. The young man remained silent still reeling from Ari's verbal evisceration, she really wanted to do it. Ari wanted to let go of the relationship they once had, a consequence of the life Willis chose to live: Adventure and excitement which left no room for safety, security and a family which Ari desired.

Willis lumbered towards the rock that Ari was sitting on clumsily sliding next to her. "If you wanted to leave me," he asked his tone shaking and hoarse. "Then why did you choose to come with me Ari? You could've said no and left yet here you are ready and willing to follow me to a place that you don't know."

His eyebrows crinkled into a frown watching the moonlight shine upon the stream. Willis could see some a school of Fish swimming down river. "Why give me hope to pour the shit I was holding for the past year just so you can shut me out. You were the only person I can confide to and now you're trying to sever that bond that we had." Willis stared Ari sighing heavily. "But you decide to join me anyway why?"

 

[Arisa Lovelace]

"Because I can't say no to you," Arisa admitted, inhaling deeply. She could use a cigarette right now. Maybe more than that. Gods knew she needed a drink. The thief cast a glance toward Willis, scrutinizing him for a long moment. His points were valid.

"You don't happen to have any booze on you, do you?" she asked softly, her gaze diverting to the stream. She was done looking at him. It was too difficult. Her chest heaved as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Willis, if I don't shut you out, you will be the death of me. Do you understand that?"

Arisa waited for a few moments to see how quickly he'd respond before she suddenly moved again, reaching for the male. Her hands cupped his face and her mouth sought his greedily, hungrily, and passionately. There was a fierceness in her movement, a desperation usually kept deep inside her heart. When she pulled back, she met his gaze.

"You need to make a choice, Willis. If you choose me, I'll go with you wherever you go. If you don't, then I'm done. You won't see me after we're done helping the toads. I will disappear again, and this time I'll make sure you don't find me."

 

[Smiling One]

"And neither can I," Willis said his gaze still on the stream. He could see his reflection thanks to the moonlight a stony stare with a tint of sadness looked back at Willis. No matter how many women Willis was with and no matter how many he loved. The only woman that Willis can't say no to was Ari, she gave him a new life and a new purpose helping Willis kill the boy and let the man be born. Ari cared about Willis' well being as well as he for her.

Part of Willis thought that maybe they were meant to be together. No matter how much often they've separated, fate always finds a way to get Willis and Ari together. Every time it was always the same: Meet, sleep and have mixed feelings about the whole ordeal. It was an endless cycle one that Ari was determined to break this time but she can't. "I wish I did," Willis chuckled finally looking at Ari. "I don't want myself to be the cause of your suffering but I need you Ari."

Tears threatened to come out from his eyes it was very rare for Willis to tear up, the moment he left the boy Willis made sure to never cry but the past year coupled with his recent nightmares left him tempted to cry everyday. But when Willis was younger when he was that boy, Ari was usually there to comfort him. Before Willis could say anything, he felt Ari press her lips against his. A rush of adrenaline was felt as he kissed back passionately.

He wanted Ari, he craved her she was the first woman whom Willis gave himself to the first woman who said: "I love you" to him. Ari was one of his closest friends and lover. "Ari," Willis said placing his forehead against hers. "When I went on the boat with Captain Davis to live a life of Piracy, I wanted you to come with me. Every time we met, I always felt tempted to tell you to come with me but I couldn't muster up the courage. Yes Ari, yes come with me travel the world with me."

 

[Arisa Lovelace]

How many times had Arisa dreamed of hearing those words from Willis? A heavy, aching feeling twisted her heart. It wasn't entirely unpleasant, but it came with surprise and uncertainty. Moisture glistened along her lower lashes. Her tongue darted out, sweeping over her lips to savor any lingering taste of his mouth.

She stared at him, unable to hide the disbelief she felt. Her eyes closed when his forehead pressed to hers, her hands sliding down toward his shoulders.

Arisa cried often, but never in front of others. The youth had a past she'd never spoken of to anyone, just as Renzo never had either. Strangely, the thief never told Willis about her childhood. Yet she knew his past intimately through his retellings.

"And you promise to never leave me behind?" she asked, her breath catching in her throat. The woman sucked in a sharp breath of air, trying to ease the anxiety that crept up on her.

 

[Smiling One]

Willis closed his eyes as well gripping Ari's slender shoulders. He remembered as a child while they were playing that Ari wanted to get married to him. The boy laughed and thought it was a joke "boys can't marry girls!" he said. Even after receiving a punch in the face that the boy didn't get why she wanted to get married at six. But now in the moonlight under the stars, Willis silently hugged Ari. He yearned for her touch but he wasn't the type to stay around for long. Willis was a vagabond, a man who craved adventure and excitement whether it's from battling Monsters, people or just discovering new things.

Did Ari really want to follow him? Did she want to live a life of danger and uncertainty? She always wanted to settle down and have a family. Yet now she's giving up that dream of a normal life just to follow where ever he wanted to go? "Are you sure that you want to follow me?" Willis asked beginning to stroke her brown hair. "I just go based my gut, It's a path that I personally find exciting but I know that for you it'll be dangerous full of Monsters and people who want to kill you."

The young man sighed. "I'm a vagabond Ari," Willis said. "I'm a man with no home who will always wonder aimlessly on the road and will not settle down. If you're certain that you want that life then I promise I'll never leave you behind Ari."

 

[Arisa Lovelace]

"I wanted to follow you then," Arisa admitted quietly. "But I couldn't leave Renzo."

Much of Arisa's life centered around her older brother, though one might have thought it to be the other way around. When their parents vanished, Renzo was left with her in his charge. There was only a couple years between the two teenagers, but Arisa proved more mature than her brother. She always cleaned up his messes. At least, until Qieane ruined him. Qieane ruined them all. Everything. And now Arisa was alone, living in squalor and undoubtedly with another bounty on her head in the near future.

"I wanted you to stay, and I hoped and prayed that somehow I could convince you. Then Qieane left. Renzo followed, and I did too. We found a new home, created a family all of our own, and then Renzo, Velviare, and Joseph--" her breath caught in her throat, the youth struggling to find her voice again.

"Renzo, Velviare, and Joseph left for a job and they never returned. It drove Qieane mad, and it left me to raise Tristyn. Then she left, leaving us with no information. Tristyn went after her, thinking that perhaps she returned to Oriel. That is why I came back, Willis... Not to find you. To find my brother and Joseph, but... they aren't here. Tristyn is living in Oriel, in hopes Qieane might come home..."

It was word vomit, but it was more of the past that he didn't know, and it was only the tip of that iceberg. Her eyes closed, her head turning so that his forehead was no longer pressed to hers.

"I gave up my dreams, Willis," she said. "There's nothing for me in this world but you anymore. I lived in squalor so that I could ensure every bit of money I made would go to that boy."

 

[Smiling One]

The day Willis left with Captain Davis, he wanted Ari to come with him. Willis remembered holding her hands pleading Ari to go on the ship. He told Captain Davis that there was one more crewmember joining him, the Captain was a little apprehensive at first but given how he lost a third of his crew to Pirate Hunters the last time he was out at sea he allowed it. Willis was excited that day, it would be he and Ari exploring the seas together. Ari was the one who gave Willis the name helping killing the scared boy who pined for his mother. He owed her and besides she wanted to come with Willis on an adventure as well.

As soon as Willis told Ari everything, he saw her eyes shimmering with tears. Ari was unable to come with Willis, she had to take care of her family. Willis remembered his heart dropping like an anchor sinking to the bottom of the ocean he could see it in Ari's face that she wanted to come so badly but family came first for Ari. Some that Willis could never understand, yet here she is today broken, alone with her family scattered in the winds. Like he did to her and the other women he'd been with, a small part of Willis wondered if Ari wanted to travel with him out of fear of being alone or if she really wanted to.

Willis caressed Ari's cheek and softly pressed his lips against it. "I understand," he said. "I understand why you were so emotional every time we separate and get back together. You gave everything you've had to your brothers but they disappeared on you. Ari.... I never had a family before I didn't understand."

He didn't consider his mother as his family it was just some whore whom half assed raised Willis. The nicest thing he could say about her was that at least she put a roof over his head. "Perhaps you can do what I did," he whispered. "Just cut ties with them start anew."

The young man gulped. "By coming with me." he said closing his eyes his heart beginning to swell with excitement and possible regret. "Maybe..... by marrying me Ari."

 

[Arisa Lovelace]

"Joseph wasn't my brother," Arisa said, feeling the warmth of his lips on her cheek. A single tear freed itself and slid down her cheek. "I never had any other siblings, Willis. He was my fiance."

A shuddering breath left her lips at his suggestion, at the idea of cutting ties with those she loved. But was she really cutting them, if they had all left her behind anyway? She chuckled bitterly, then Willis suggested marriage.

The thief's gaze lifted upward, disbelief clear in the expression on her face as she regarded Willis for a long, quiet moment. Was that supposed to be a proposal? Or just an incentive, dangled in front of her? Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I'll think about it," she answered, warily.

 

[Smiling One]

He knew his proposal would affect Ari so much that she looked as though she got hit in the face by a Frost Giant. Quite frankly Willis didn't understand the words that came from his mouth, the young man sighed heavily. He poured all of his soul telling Ari about his past but he only knew a few things about her. Without thinking, the young man fell on one knee took out a ring. It was something that he found during one of his ventures in the spine and he didn't find any use for it.

Until now.

"Ari," Willis said holding her hand. "Please...... It's just that fate always brings together for a reason. I don't know what it means but I think maybe this is it. I'm not perfect Ari and you know that well, but you changed me Ari in more ways than one."

 

[Arisa Lovelace]

Arisa lost count of how many times she'd dreamed of Willis kneeling before her on that one knee, ready to present a ring for her finger. She lost count also of the times she wished badly for it as he actually did. Her gaze followed him, watching as he presented the ring to her in bewilderment. Her lip trembled slightly and she pursed them to keep them still.

It wasn't a fairy tale proposal, but it was something she still wanted to so badly. Was it a commitment she could make though? The thief looked at Willis for a long, quiet moment. Then, finally she lifted her chin slightly. Something akin to a smile teased the corner of her mouth despite her dour mood and she leaned toward Willis.

"If this is what fate wills, and if it's what I'll have to deal with for the rest of my life, then yes: I might as well accept."

 

[Smiling One]

For the first time in years Willis felt weak his knees became knobby as though with one small push they would collapse. The young man wanted to be strong in order to keep that weak boy away. Willis wanted to be that leaf in the wind, to be no longer be held down by the shackles of his past. He gave himself new name and sailed far away from the Allirian docks with Captain Davis. However Ari was the one person in his life that Willis could never forget she helped shape Willis into the person he is today.

The first woman whom Willis would make a commitment to.

Hands shaking Willis slowly slipped the ring on Ari's finger as soon as he did it, the ring shone bright with Elven symbols. "I'm not sure what it means," Willis shrugged chuckling. "But I can try."

Squinting at the white letters the words said: "lovers bound by fate probably an old Elven wedding ring. Shit who knew that the Elves were so cheesy?"

The young man mind felt like it was going to fracture in two, he was going to do it was he? This was a huge commitment it was saying that Ari was his and vice versa. Years worth of flirting and sleeping with women but the first person he's been with was the one for him. Never in Willis' wildest dreams would he be actually get married. Willis smiled getting up and kissing her passionately. "After this," Willis said between kisses. "You and me leave Elbion and go wherever the wind takes us."

 

[Arisa Lovelace]

"No plans, just wherever our hearts take us?" Arisa asked, her gaze falling to the ring. A half-smirk teased the corner of one side of her mouth upward as he remarked on the romanticism of the elvish ring. "I s'pose you never did get to know Qieane, did you?"

She returned the kisses, one after another, before she leaned forward. Arisa's hands perched upon Willis's shoulders before she pushed him backward to lay on the ground beside the bubbling brook. She straddled him, leaning down to snare another kiss from his mouth. Her fingers cradled the side of his head, twisting into his hair.

"We can't afford to be predictable. You know that full me twice saying? I don't think I'll be able to save my own hide again. That means Alliria's off limits too," the thief murmured. "It also means we're going to have to get me some new clothes. Think one of your girlfriends has a spare that might fit me?"

Her tone was taunting, a mischievous glimmer visible in the dark swirls of her eyes.

 

[Smiling One]

Willis smirked while Ari showered with kisses from neck to cheek, there was something special about Ari's kisses. Every time she pressed her lips against his skin he always felt like skyrocketing to the moon it was bliss, it was eternity. "Not much," Willis moaned kissing Ari back. "All I knew about her was that she kept giving me work and inconsistent pay. Sometimes that Elf would refuse to give me coin for no reason other than the fact that her ass felt cheap."

Qieane was pretty much the reason why Willis would usually be wary of employers. That paranoia served him well throughout the years. The young man was a bit shocked when Ari pushed him to the grass and continued to kiss him in which Willis was happy to return the favor. For this one night, they were alone and happy with each other. "You know me Ari," Willis said between kisses. "I always follow my heart and I got no problem leaving Alliria behind."

He can easily not take Monster Hunting contracts in Alliria and besides it was probably best to leave the city behind. Let the past die and form a future that's worth living for. "Well then," Willis smirked taking Ari's waist and placing on the grass. He kissed her neck while holding her hands, "there's always that dress......"

 

[Arisa Lovelace]

Arisa erupted into a fit of unexpected laughter. One might have considered it cute if it were more ladylike in nature. The young woman was anything but lady like though, and for some that was part of her charm. Her gaze met his and she grinned.

“You don’t know what to do about me in a dress, do you?” the thief asked, glancing toward the bag. “Other than take it off of me.”

Amusement flooded her voice, the woman’s mood shifting toward something more hopeful. Something innately happier. The prospect of a new life, of one less plagued by loneliness and doing what she had to, rather than what she wanted to, gave her the sort of hope she had not felt in years. It was more genuine in nature.

 

[Smiling One]

Willis smirked when Ari laughed, it was genuine fits of laughter rather than the passive aggressive chuckles she would give Willis whenever they fought. For the first time for what felt like years, Ari looked happy she no longer had to look over her shoulder because Willis would always protect her. She was his and he was hers, Willis had to admit that it did feel awkward getting engaged and that he would have a permanent traveling companion but he couldn't think of anyone he would travel with than his close friend.

Now fiancé.

"Hmmm," the young man gently grabbed Ari's hand guiding her towards the bag. "I can think of another reason," he winked kissing her hand. "As soon as you slip on the dress, I was wondering if you want to dance under the moonlight?"

His words were smooth and gentle rather than sultry and passionate. Willis thought he would never find a woman right for him. Each time he legitimately fell in love, it always ended horribly but with Ari part of him yearned for her. She has done so much for Willis when he was that boy the single source of light in an ocean of darkness. Fate had bought back together perhaps it was because they were meant to be with each other.

Willis kissed Ari's lips and smiled hoping that she can wear the dress again.

 

[Arisa Lovelace]

A dark brow arched upward at Willis. Putting the dress back on was far from the list of things that Arisa wanted to do at that moment, but there were worse things she could be doing. For one, she could be figuring out her way back to her employer, and that had a much less favorable outcome. She leaned toward the bag, reaching for it as if it were a chore.

“Do you even know how to dance?” Arisa teased, standing to her feet. “I hope you’re not expecting me to wear the heels too. Uneven ground is bad enough on the ankles without sticks holding you up.”

Her gaze swept the area in search of a suitable place to change, fully aware that it was unnecessary: Willis had seen her bare on more than one occasion. Something about changing in the open bothered her though; she did not feel safe, for lack of a better word. Tents were better. Somewhere where she could see every corner of the room was optimal.

Willis’s lips brushed over hers, briefly distracting her thoughts from covering up and back to him. Her heart fluttered, a feeling she had not experienced since the last time she saw him. And they both knew how that had ended: unfavorably for both. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, her hands lifted to cup his face and she pulled herself against him, returning the kiss with a lingering one of her own.

“Just don’t die on me,” Arisa murmured as she pulled back, a playful wink following. She meandered away slowly until she could not see his shadow near the brook and changed. When the thief returned, she was barefoot. The thin rays of moonlight that peeked through the forest canopy glimmered on the sequins of the gown, which hugged her comfortably.