Eyes on her

Chapter 5

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

~Flashback~

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[...] Clover Kingdom Capital, Central Square.

Two members of royalty sat across in a far corner. Whispers and stares were upon them, from their elegant and expensive clothing to their vibrant and exotic features indicating their royal descent, they were very much out of place.

A very displeased frown etched upon the royal woman's face. Tired and disgusted by the constant attention she picked up her things hastily.

"What's wrong?" — Nozel asked, confused by her abruptness.

"What do you mean what's wrong, this place is full of commoners who clearly never learned any manners" — she said with moderation.

"I no longer frequent this establishment so I did not know that it became..." — he searched his mind for an appropriate description. "Open to the public..."

"Let's get out of here then and find somewhere more appropriate" — she said as she was about to stand.

"No, we're already here and this shouldn't take long"

She knew what those words meant. 'Ah, now I get it, he just wants me to give in and continue like he did nothing wrong' - she cursed herself internally for falling for his so-called apology.

"Well, let's hurry this then, I have things to do" — she sat back down and took on a disinterested tone.

"We have already ordered, we will eat then leave" — he simply said.

She observed him closely, trying to comprehend this peculiar version of Nozel that invited her to eat.

"I think we should just get this over with, I want to finish my work and head back to the base, and you look like you don't want to be doing this" — she was still careful with her words, lest she wanted to endure another one of his punishments.

"I said we will stay, that means I have no problem with it, you are the one who wants to leave"

"That's not what I meant. You look like you're here doing, this" — she extended her arms all around. "While you look bored out of your mind about to pass out from it, you're slouching and you are quiet, you always get to the point" — she paused momentarily and recomposed herself. "You... are always in a bad mood whenever you have to meet someone casually".

'It seems I can no longer hide my weariness' - he considered her words. "Nothing of the sort, my disposition at the moment is simply relaxed. Since we are among commoners I see no harm in it"

"You never behave like this regardless of who is around, there is no reason why we should deviate from our norm. Let us simply resolve the matter and leave" — she did not like this new laid-back Nozel, she liked predictability and consistency.

"Nebra, stop being so difficult and accept what is being offered to you" — he straightened up.

She could tell he wasn't talking about his invitation. "Fine then" — she began to look through her documents. "At least you picked a secluded enough area for us to sit".

Nozel relaxed once again and enjoyed the silence. 'Again I am partaking in activities that simply prolong the outcome' - he knew she was right, he didn't want to be there. 'Not only am I partaking, I am initiating'

Again his eyes grew heavy, only with a few moments of stillness and his body grasped the opportunity to remind him of his condition. His exhausted state had the favorable side effect of bestowing clarity.