Why Now

--AZOUF--

I paced the room 86 more times before the other attendant came down to retrieve me. When a knock heralded a blond-haired teen, I sighed. This one I knew.

The Battlemage was on his way to becoming Battlemaster, but was currently supposed to be on a leave of absence. He had broken enough rules during a stint of 2 weeks that the Masters saw fit to suspend him from all active duty.

He also happened to be my ex.

Dressed like any attendant would be, he dropped the polite walk and look he no doubt had had plastered all over his face mere moments before. Instead he picked up his signature smirk and sauntered over before throwing an arm around my waist.

The nuisance.

"Azzi!" he grinned.

I barely refrained from slamming my fist into his smug looking face.

"Vulpus."

He pouted in mock hurt.

"Aw, come now Azzi. I'm hurt. You should at least call me by my first name, you will be stuck with me for the rest of the tournament. And there's still at least 20 minutes before you get to make your grand entrance."

I frown at him. Well, frown more at him.

"The other attendant said I would be going up momentarily."

He chuckles and cups my face as if I were an infant.

"You were, but they've hit a little snag so you get to spend more time with me baby."

Don't hurt him. Don't hurt him. Don't hurt him.

I, as gently as I can in my frustration, pry his hands from my face and push them toward him.

"Fine, Cielo. You stay on that side and wait for the proper time."

I wanted to also tell him to stay mute, but that is practically impossible, he talks as much as Lachlan, but without the high emotional quota to match.

He heaves a greatly exaggerated sigh.

"Alright Azzi. I'll just go sit in my corner of shame."

He wanders off to the area I didn't point him towards and sits down like a puppet with its strings cut.

That obviously doesn't last long, because as soon as I turn towards his general direction to resume pacing, he grins again. Leaning back into the plush couch and slinging his legs over the armrest.

"So how's it been Azzi Azzi? Dreary without me I presume. You never were one for silences or being alone."

I snort internally.

"I heard the other attendant they sent here had to bring that bore Lachlan to his family. What was he doing here? Not killing you with his uncultured speech and odd obsession with Pre-Cataclysm society was he?"

I just look at him, unimpressed. It's quite wonderful for channeling my frustration.

"I don't understand what he, or anyone for that matter, see in their primitive society. They hadn't even evolved enough to develop magic, the poor suckers. Still wholeheartedly believing in their 'science'. Ridiculous notion."

"You do realize that we still continue to use their science. Without their developments we would have never understood our magical cores as fast as we did."

I mentally face-palm. I shouldn't have even bothered trying to explain it. It has never worked before, yet I keep trying.

"Nonsense. We are clearly much better and would have figured it out in the same amount of time or shorter had we not looked at it through their 'science'. Anyway, my point is, they're primitive and a downright bore to even think about let alone study. We don't even need to know their history or science."

"It is OUR history Cielo, stop speaking about it as if we are not descendants of Pre-Cataclysm society."

Cielo grins triumphantly and I can't bite back the groan this time.

He leaps out of his seat and in a sing-songy voice, begins to cheer and point at me.

"You said my na-ame. You said my na-ame. You said my na-ame."

I'm now, unfortunately, looking forward to going into the arena.