Shy2Infinity
Professional daydreamer
Where is she?! He crossed his arms, surveying the parking lot with annoyance. Early on in the day time he'd watched Ariel ignore Jacob's advances with surprise. Though Ariel always did so in such a way that was completely different from Cheshire. For a moment he gave a rueful smile at the thought before growing serious. When Jacob wouldn't quit bothering her she finally gave in to going on the date, with a smile that hadn't at all suggested to how uneasy she was. The reason he'd known was because he knew Ariel way more than Jacob did!
He'd tried to talk Ariel out of going with him to the theaters but she only grew angry and defensive. With a glower at nothing he slipped his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number in then held it up to his ear. It took a few rings before the person picked up and she sounded worried,"Cheshire? Is that you?"
He sighed and spoke,"Yeah. It is." He paused a moment. If anyone knew where Ariel was at it'd be Mariana but now he wondered if Ariel wanted to keep her presence a secret. "Ariel's run off somewhere and I don't know where she might be at. Do you have any idea?"
"So that was what her call was about," He vaguely heard Mariana mumble. Cheshire was about to ask her what she was talking about when she spoke up,"She called a few minutes ago and told me that she was going to the place where all of this started." There was a slight smile in her voice when she next spoke,"She didn't want me to look for her nor did she want me to tell you. Can you please go find her and check on her?"
Slowly he nodded, even knowing that she wouldn't see it,"Yeah. You can count on me Mariana." When he hung up on her it didn't take him long to realize where she'd gone to. The park? Why would she go there? The park was the first place they'd met and they place where they'd been bound to each other by contract. Cheshire didn't even think that Jacob had been eying her until afterwards. When he thought about Jacob his blood started to boil, he better not have done anything to hurt her!
If this was about Jacob he would make sure that he never saw the light of sun again.
Cheshire frowned, took a step and then vanished into thin air. When he next came into being it was in the park where they'd first met. He looked around, his eyes taking in the smallest light and magnifying it. It especially helped when he needed to see in the dark. Still the first thing that he noticed was a sniffle and then silence as though the person was trying to be quiet.
He turned towards it and froze. Ariel was sitting on a bench, looking up at him with tear stained eyes. Oddly enough she was sitting in the exact same place he'd first seen her. When their eyes met she quickly looked away. Ariel's knees were pulled up to her chin and her hands were tightly wrapped around her knees. Somehow, in this moment, she looked small and fragile.
He heard her whisper,"I told Mariana to not tell you about me..." Cheshire started towards her and sat down beside her. Ariel wouldn't look up at him. She was silent, perhaps contemplating something. His ears twitched when he heard her shift the slightest bit. "It was stupid." Her eyes were glimmering with unshed tears,"The reason I didn't want to go was because I knew, deep down that this would happen."
Cheshire stared at her, eyes glinting in suspicion. He had a feeling he knew exactly what happened but still he needed her to say it,"...What happened?"
For a moment Ariel was silent. He didn't think she wanted to talk about it. He sighed and looked up at the darkening night sky. Ariel hadn't been in the right frame of mind when she came here. If he hadn't have known she'd come here she could've been in real danger. When she finally spoke his mind stopped working,"He dumped me." She looked away, sniffling,"You were right. Before, I never would've admitted it but you're right. I know he was a jerk but I can't help but wonder if it could've happened differently."
Once again his blood started to boil, especially as he watched her. She was usually so vibrant and stubborn, proud yet not arrogant. It was much more fun aggravating her making her angry. Yet this was the first time he'd ever seen her cry and he hated it. Almost before he could stop to think about it he scooted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her frail body.
He could sense that she was more than a little surprised but he didn't jump back or let go. His hesitance no longer mattered in this moment. It didn't matter that he was hesitant to touch her. What mattered was that he cheer her up and she seemed to respond more to physical touch than words alone (maybe that was all teenage girls?). "He was trash." His first words spoken were more than a little gruff with anger. He despised Jacob for making her feel this way! "He was rotten through and through." Jacob was going to pay for that, he'd messed with the mistress of a Cheshire Cat! "I'll kill him myself..."
Ariel's head was buried against his chest so he felt her shake her head,"N-No..." When she shifted away he thought she was uncomfortable to be that close to him but she only shifted to look up at him, her eyes glittering in the faint light,"He's... Not worth it." She was so close to him that if he leaned down just a little bit he could kiss her.
But he mentally shook his head. That wouldn't do. He'd pick and tease her when she was feeling better. He nodded almost imperceptibly,"I still could..." She shook her head again and buried her head against his chest again. Normally it'd surprise him with how much she needed his comfort but at the moment it made sense. She was in need of comfort from anyone even if it meant taking it from Cheshire.
Ariel's soft voice drifted up to him,"Well? What are you waiting for?" Blinking he looked down at her, eyes full of confusion.
"Huh?" His voice matched his eyes, heavily laced with confusion. He leaned back just a little bit to stare into her eyes. "What are you talking about?"
She looked away, appearing uncomfortable,"Aren't you going to tell me you told me so?"
He blinked, almost unable to believe she was asking that. With a sigh he brought her in for another hug,"And why would I do that? You're sad enough as it is." Maybe if they were actually arguing over something like normal and he turned out to be right he'd say so but this was different. Ariel had gotten her heart broken for the first time and she had no idea what to do or what to think. He promised himself that after he was done comforting Ariel he'd go look for Jacob and pay him a personal visit. Maybe not kill him, he'd promised Ariel he wouldn't after all, but he would make sure Jacob stayed away from Ariel for good this time.
The young dragonette had no answer for him. In fact she'd gone completely silent. When minutes passed and she said nothing he tilted her chin upwards and gazed down at her face. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was nice and even. She'd fallen asleep. He chuckled somewhat grimly, of course that would happen. He picked her up gently, one hand under her legs and the other wrapped around her back and then he teleported them back.
The promise echoed in his mind that he would go pay Jacob a personal visit.
He'd tried to talk Ariel out of going with him to the theaters but she only grew angry and defensive. With a glower at nothing he slipped his phone out of his pocket and dialed a number in then held it up to his ear. It took a few rings before the person picked up and she sounded worried,"Cheshire? Is that you?"
He sighed and spoke,"Yeah. It is." He paused a moment. If anyone knew where Ariel was at it'd be Mariana but now he wondered if Ariel wanted to keep her presence a secret. "Ariel's run off somewhere and I don't know where she might be at. Do you have any idea?"
"So that was what her call was about," He vaguely heard Mariana mumble. Cheshire was about to ask her what she was talking about when she spoke up,"She called a few minutes ago and told me that she was going to the place where all of this started." There was a slight smile in her voice when she next spoke,"She didn't want me to look for her nor did she want me to tell you. Can you please go find her and check on her?"
Slowly he nodded, even knowing that she wouldn't see it,"Yeah. You can count on me Mariana." When he hung up on her it didn't take him long to realize where she'd gone to. The park? Why would she go there? The park was the first place they'd met and they place where they'd been bound to each other by contract. Cheshire didn't even think that Jacob had been eying her until afterwards. When he thought about Jacob his blood started to boil, he better not have done anything to hurt her!
If this was about Jacob he would make sure that he never saw the light of sun again.
Cheshire frowned, took a step and then vanished into thin air. When he next came into being it was in the park where they'd first met. He looked around, his eyes taking in the smallest light and magnifying it. It especially helped when he needed to see in the dark. Still the first thing that he noticed was a sniffle and then silence as though the person was trying to be quiet.
He turned towards it and froze. Ariel was sitting on a bench, looking up at him with tear stained eyes. Oddly enough she was sitting in the exact same place he'd first seen her. When their eyes met she quickly looked away. Ariel's knees were pulled up to her chin and her hands were tightly wrapped around her knees. Somehow, in this moment, she looked small and fragile.
He heard her whisper,"I told Mariana to not tell you about me..." Cheshire started towards her and sat down beside her. Ariel wouldn't look up at him. She was silent, perhaps contemplating something. His ears twitched when he heard her shift the slightest bit. "It was stupid." Her eyes were glimmering with unshed tears,"The reason I didn't want to go was because I knew, deep down that this would happen."
Cheshire stared at her, eyes glinting in suspicion. He had a feeling he knew exactly what happened but still he needed her to say it,"...What happened?"
For a moment Ariel was silent. He didn't think she wanted to talk about it. He sighed and looked up at the darkening night sky. Ariel hadn't been in the right frame of mind when she came here. If he hadn't have known she'd come here she could've been in real danger. When she finally spoke his mind stopped working,"He dumped me." She looked away, sniffling,"You were right. Before, I never would've admitted it but you're right. I know he was a jerk but I can't help but wonder if it could've happened differently."
Once again his blood started to boil, especially as he watched her. She was usually so vibrant and stubborn, proud yet not arrogant. It was much more fun aggravating her making her angry. Yet this was the first time he'd ever seen her cry and he hated it. Almost before he could stop to think about it he scooted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her frail body.
He could sense that she was more than a little surprised but he didn't jump back or let go. His hesitance no longer mattered in this moment. It didn't matter that he was hesitant to touch her. What mattered was that he cheer her up and she seemed to respond more to physical touch than words alone (maybe that was all teenage girls?). "He was trash." His first words spoken were more than a little gruff with anger. He despised Jacob for making her feel this way! "He was rotten through and through." Jacob was going to pay for that, he'd messed with the mistress of a Cheshire Cat! "I'll kill him myself..."
Ariel's head was buried against his chest so he felt her shake her head,"N-No..." When she shifted away he thought she was uncomfortable to be that close to him but she only shifted to look up at him, her eyes glittering in the faint light,"He's... Not worth it." She was so close to him that if he leaned down just a little bit he could kiss her.
But he mentally shook his head. That wouldn't do. He'd pick and tease her when she was feeling better. He nodded almost imperceptibly,"I still could..." She shook her head again and buried her head against his chest again. Normally it'd surprise him with how much she needed his comfort but at the moment it made sense. She was in need of comfort from anyone even if it meant taking it from Cheshire.
Ariel's soft voice drifted up to him,"Well? What are you waiting for?" Blinking he looked down at her, eyes full of confusion.
"Huh?" His voice matched his eyes, heavily laced with confusion. He leaned back just a little bit to stare into her eyes. "What are you talking about?"
She looked away, appearing uncomfortable,"Aren't you going to tell me you told me so?"
He blinked, almost unable to believe she was asking that. With a sigh he brought her in for another hug,"And why would I do that? You're sad enough as it is." Maybe if they were actually arguing over something like normal and he turned out to be right he'd say so but this was different. Ariel had gotten her heart broken for the first time and she had no idea what to do or what to think. He promised himself that after he was done comforting Ariel he'd go look for Jacob and pay him a personal visit. Maybe not kill him, he'd promised Ariel he wouldn't after all, but he would make sure Jacob stayed away from Ariel for good this time.
The young dragonette had no answer for him. In fact she'd gone completely silent. When minutes passed and she said nothing he tilted her chin upwards and gazed down at her face. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was nice and even. She'd fallen asleep. He chuckled somewhat grimly, of course that would happen. He picked her up gently, one hand under her legs and the other wrapped around her back and then he teleported them back.
The promise echoed in his mind that he would go pay Jacob a personal visit.
