We all looked down the hall at the three nobles passed out on the ground.
Confused, Orin asked, "What just happened to them?"
"Sleeping poison?" Aaron asked, also confused.
I shook my head. "No." I pulled out a lavender flower I had secretly taken when Leon started ranting.
Suddenly, a purple mist flowed back from Leon and his cronies to the flower and was absorbed into it.
^Thank you, Lavender,^ I said to her.
^No problem,^ she said back and left.
"An old trick I learned a while ago," I lied. "You didn't realize, but I was drawing a magic circle with this lavender flower while they were talking. Then, the 'salute' I gave them was me casting the sleeping spell.
"It's set up so that they pass out when they get more than 30 feet away from me. Though it does have the side effect of destroying the catalyst if it's too weak." I held up the flower and showed it as it started to turn to ash.
"So it's like witchcraft?" Zek asked. [1]
I shook my head "no. It's an ancient spell lost to time. My mother was researching them before she passed." I said. Lying about it being an ancient spell.
I put the crumbling flower on the table in front of me, and I noticed Ark was staring at me and the flower's remains.
'Did he remember something from when Lavender helped him with his dreams?' I thought.
I left the thought for now, got up, and started walking over to the three nobles, pulling them to the side of the hall so they weren't in the way of other people.
"Though if another egotistical noble comes here tonight, I'm throwing them out the window," I said.
Orin smirked. "I'll help," he said with a laugh, and I nodded in agreement.
Ark, who had been silent for most of the conversation, finally spoke.
"U-um…" His ears twitched. "…What if he does challenge you again and you can't refuse?"
I looked over and said, "Then I'll win."
Ark fidgeted. "…Are you sure?"
I gave him a lazy grin. "He is someone emboldened with pride because of the belief that nobility is stronger than commoners just because of his blood. What he doesn't know is that a farmer is stronger than him and could whoop his ass without a problem."
"I would pay to see that," Orin chuckled.
"Believe me, I would too," I said, laughing with him.
I noticed Ark seemed a little concerned, so I asked, "Is everything okay, Ark? You've been acting weird today."
He looked up. "Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm okay... I just... have something on my mind," he said.
I nodded, and we continued talking.
"So, Jack," Orin began, "as we were talking, our 'interruption' happened. If it wasn't under those circumstances, maybe some better ones, for example, would you have accepted the Headmaster's daughter as your wife?"
"No," I said instantly and bluntly.
"Why? According to the gossip we heard from the upperclassmen after your rejection, we learned she is apparently very beautiful, smart, and rebellious against her mother. Some of that seems like someone you'd like," he said.
I shook my head, "I don't look at the outward appearance of people or judge them by rumors: instead, I look at the inside, their personalities. Hence why I like you guys—you aren't vain or egotistical. You are honest with yourselves and don't look down on others. You have fun and work hard rather than expecting others to do it for you.
"The Rondo family is the same. That's why I am friends with Terra."
"As for the girl, I have never met her, so I can't judge her personality yet, but I don't have high hopes for the 'Headmaster's daughter' and her personality," I explained.
Then I added, "Also, I am gay, so..."
"Ah," Orin said, and everyone laughed—except for Ark, who looked confused.
"Sorry, but what does 'gay' mean?" he asked, shocking us all.
Aaron coughed, and I turned to him.
He said, "That kind of thing is not common in Bestia. It's not frowned upon, but you don't really see it."
"Ah," I said before turning to Ark.
"A basic description is that you're a guy who is sexually attracted to other guys," I explained.
Realization showed on Ark's face, and he blushed, realizing what that meant before looking away.
"s-sorry I just never heard someone say it before... but is ...that sort of thing ok? Liking guys, I mean," he said
Araki smiled and said, "Of course, it's fine. It isn't common, but almost everyone knows at least one LGBT person."
Ark looked at Araki wth his head tilted. "LGB... what?"
Zek spoke next, "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender. Lesbian is the same as gay, but for women rather than men. Bisexual is an attraction to both men and women, and trans means you were born one gender but had a surgery performed to switch to the other. There are others, hence the 'Plus', but that is all you need to know right now."
Ark took a moment before nodding. "So... liking guys is fine here in Rumia, or are other kingdoms the same?"
I nodded, "Most kingdoms don't really care who you marry." I paused, "Well... not the holy kingdom. They banned it and would kill anyone who does."
Everyone turned to me in shock.
"I didn't know that!" Orin said.
I shook my head, "I'm not surprised, they did a pretty good job of keeping it quiet. I just hope they don't try and spread it throughout the world, but I won't be surprised if they try."
Ark nodded and got back to thinking, but I could see a blush on his face when he noticed my gaze.
I glanced at the others. Everyone except Aaron (he still hasn't realized it about Ark) gave a knowing look but didn't say anything.
I chuckled, and we all continued to talk for a bit.
~~~~~~~~~
I had been racking my brain for a way to talk to Jack all day, yet I could never tell him.
Every time I got a chance, something would happen, or one of the others would come along.
I wanted to talk to him privately, but I never got the chance.
It was now the end of the day, and I was struggling to find a way to talk to him.
I wanted to talk to him before he left in a few days, so I had some time, but I couldn't help but feel nervous thinking about not talking to him.
Currently, I am standing in front of his door. He was inside, probably getting ready for bed.
I reached my hand up, my heart beating fast, and I knocked on the door.
*Knock-Knock*
I waited a few seconds, and Aaron opened the door.
He was surprised to see me and said, confused, "Ark? Is there something wrong?"
"N-no. I wanted to talk to Jack about something. Is he here?" I said, fidgeting with my hands as I was very nervous.
Aaron nodded and moved aside, showing Jack standing behind him, shirtless.
I couldn't help but stare at his toned muscles and abs, with a few scars here and there.
"My eyes are up here," Jack said.
I flinched and looked up at him, smiling.
"I-I'm sor—I didn't mean to interrupt anything. I-I will go," I said and turned to leave.
"It's fine, Ark. I was just getting changed," he said before grabbing my hand, stopping me from leaving.
He turned me around so I was looking at him. "Do you need help with something?" he asked.
I nodded. "I-I wanted to t-t-talk to you about s-something," I somehow stammered out as I was very close to his still unclothed chest.
He nodded, grabbed a shirt hanging over his chair, put it on, and asked, "What do you want to talk about?"
I looked at Aaron, then back at Jack, and said, "C-could we go to my room... it's kind of a..." I lowered my voice. "Private matter."
He showed a sign of understanding, nodded, and looked at Aaron. "I will be back soon."
Aaron nodded and went back to his bed.
Jack turned to me and said, "Let's go."
I nodded and led the way.
When we got there, I opened the door and walked in.
The door clicked shut behind us, and I suddenly felt trapped—not because of the room, but because of the weight of what I was about to say.
I sat down on my bed, my heart beating so loud Jack could probably hear it.
I looked at Jack, and his gaze met mine—sharp yet patient, like he could tell something was wrong but wasn't going to ask me until I was ready.
"So," Jack started, coming and sitting next to me on the bed, "what's up? Is it about your magic? Or..." His eyes flickered to my ears, then my tail. "...something to do with your werewolf side?"
I shook my head. "N-no, it's not that." My voice was barely above a whisper.
Jack looked at me and asked, "Then what is it?"
I hesitated. My heart was racing so fast it felt like it might burst. I knew what I wanted to say. I had played it out in my head a hundred times, yet every time I opened my mouth, the words refused to come out.
Jack sighed and shifted closer. Not too close, but close enough that I felt his presence more strongly. "Ark, you know you can tell me anything, right?" His voice was softer now, reassuring. "Whatever it is, I won't judge you for it."
I swallowed hard. My ears twitched involuntarily. "I-I know, it's just… It's not easy to say."
He tilted his head slightly, waiting.
I clenched my fists at my sides, trying to ground myself. Just say it. Just say it.
"I…" I took a deep breath. "I'm gay, and I think I like you."
Silence.
The room suddenly felt way too small. The air too thick.
Jack blinked, his expression unreadable. "You mean—"
"I-I mean… in that way," I blurted out, ears flattening against my head as heat rushed to my face. "I always get a weird feeling in my chest when we are alone... Lavender, one of your spirits, came to me last night in my dream and helped me realize it," I said.
Jack was wide-eyed after hearing that I knew about Lavender, before composing himself and saying, "Okay... continue."
Nodding, I did so. "I like you. I finally realized it this morning, and I… I was wondering if-if you'd maybe want to—"
I could barely breathe. My words tumbled over themselves, but I forced them out. "G-go on a date with me?"
My hands were shaking. I couldn't look at him. My mind was already preparing for rejection, for him to laugh, for him to be weirded out and never look at me the same way again. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe...
Before I could think of anything else, I felt Jack grab my arms, pull me towards him, let go, and position his arms around me in a warm hug.
I let a few tears fall as he hugged me, and I just buried my face in his chest, a relaxing and safe feeling filling my chest.
After a minute, Jack pulled me away a bit, used one hand to tilt my head up so I was looking at his face.
I stared into his deep brown eyes, handsome face, charismatic smile, and happy expression.
"Of course, Ark. I would love to," he said.
I closed my eyes in relief.
I felt such joy I wasn't sure anything could beat it.
I was wrong, I didn't need to fear asking him.
My eyes were still closed when I felt something warm press against my lips.
My eyes widened. Jack's hands were gently holding me, his lips firm yet soft against mine.
For a second, I forgot how to think.
By the time he pulled away, I was still frozen, my ears twitching wildly in confusion. He gave me that charming smile of his—the one that made my heart pound for entirely different reasons.
We only kissed for a few seconds, but it was the best few seconds of my life up to that point.
"Y-your... sure?" I tried to say, but my mind was still hazy.
"Of course I'll go on a date with you, idiot," Jack said, chuckling. "I like you too."
I opened my mouth. Nothing came out. My brain had completely shut down.
Jack flicked my forehead lightly. "You okay there?"
I made a strange noise and covered my face with my hands, trying to hide my embarrassment.
Jack laughed. "Take your time."
[1]: Witchcraft is a type of magic that consumes some type of organic material in order to cast spells. Voodoo is a good example.
Witchcraft is very powerful but feared and hated worldwide due to rumors spread by the Holy Kingdom.
Alchemy was originally a part of witchcraft, but was separated when people learned you didn't need to be a witch to make potions.