Chapter 4 FINAL

The fallen leaves pressed against her boots, crunching in the process as Lesley ventured on inside the forest, trying to find the exact location. The crashing of the water nearby confirmed her thoughts though, as there was only one waterfall in the Veverian Forest.

A few moments later, Lesley finally found an opening in the endless number of trees. She spotted the familiar raven hair gently swaying in the air, while his face sported someone deep in thought. Gusion was sitting on the grass patch, his legs crossed together and hands supporting his chin.

As if sensing her presence, he turned his gaze towards Lesley and gave her a smile—almost one of relief and a bit of… longing?

"You came. With all the shenanigans happening the past month, I thought you wouldn't," He casually said as he watched her walk near him and towards a tree.

"I believe it wouldn't hurt to receive a thanks once in a while," Lesley remarked, her eyes meeting his amethyst ones. She leaned beside the tree, crossing both her arms together and watched as the water fall down the running lake.

Gusion raised a brow at her sentence, before he stared at her for a bit longer and finally diverting them.

"Your… hair has grown longer hasn't it?" As someone quite sensitive to appearances, he couldn't help but blurt out.

"Oh, really? I don't bother much with them anymore," Once again, Lesley replied and gave him a glance before returning her eyes to the scenery. She didn't bother add any unnecessary answers.

Honestly, it was awkward.

That thought ran through Gusion's mind as he gave a nod of acknowledgment, to show that he understood. This type of situation wasn't surprising at all, knowing that they were both from the opposite faction and finding a topic in common is nearly impossible.

Seeing that the man wasn't talking, Lesley opened her mouth, "The letter. You wanted to thank me?"

Gusion smiled like a fool, seeing her talk in her own accord before he nodded his head enthusiastically, "Ah, yes. Before that, would you like to sit next to me? I could do something about your hair while we talk."

"…"

Silence ensued for a moment and he noticed the quite inappropriate invitation he speaks of, knowing that they were both strangers at that time. But to be more specific, they were literally enemies.

Having been embarrassed, a light pink tint surfaced on his cheeks and ears. His face a bit warm to his own liking.

"Well- I-I think that was quite inappropriate. I am very sorry if it made you uncomfortable. However, I would really like it if you could sit next to me- No, I mean somewhere you know, near me so we could talk?" Gusion stuttered, his face evidently becoming redder as he was stared down by Lesley with a twinkle in her eyes and brows raised.

Seeing Gusion scramble with his thoughts made Lesley tug her lips up into an amused smile, her eyes creasing ever so slightly. He reminded her of how Harley would act whenever his secrets would ever be exposed by her.

"Sure, why not," Lesley moved from her spot and approached Gusion before she sat in front of him with her back facing the raven-haired man, leaving him in confusion.

"Um, I don't mean to offend. But, how are we going to talk properly like this?"

"…You said you were going to cut my hair," Lesley remembered how confident she was when she walked up to him and sat with her back facing him and her face flushed in embarrassment. Was he just jesting when he said he would cut my hair?

"Oh, oh! Forgive my forgetfulness, I thought you wouldn't have let anyone cut your hair so casually. What made you let me, though?" Gusion slowly gathered the braided hair in his hands, examining it with curiosity, "Is this natural?"

"Seeing how you carry your appearance with confidence, and me thinking that you don't look so bad, I suppose you could say that you probably look like someone who could be trusted in sense of fashion. And to your second question, yes, it is natural."

Gusion intently listened to her talk, liking the way her voice could be so smooth and velvety as she rolled off the words in her tongue. However, her first sentence caught his attention and he could feel something inside him dance in delight as he heard her.

"Was that supposed to be a compliment?" He foolishly asked, untying the blue ribbon that kept her hair in place and softly combed his hands through her silky hair.

"Yes, it is a compliment," Lesley closed her eyes in relief, her lips heaving a sigh of pleasure, "This is nice. I didn't know someone playing with your hair could be this relaxing."

"Oh, thanks," Gusion blushed, his hands working much more enthusiastically. After successfully straightening her hair out, he grabbed his black scissors inside his small bag and started snipping in the ends. The faint sound of the snipping made Lesley much more comfortable and she really liked the tranquil atmosphere, unlike her usual day to day time where almost fighting was necessary.

"Right, Lesley. What do you think makes up a good leader?" Gusion started a conversation as he worked around her hair with careful hands.

"A good leader, huh. What about you, Gusion? What do you think makes up a good leader?" Lesley asked back.

"Well, like the others; selfless, forgiving and merciful. You know, someone who is really benevolent."

"That is a good leader, literally. But if ever you were under a good leader, would you think that he was doing his work well?" Lesley sighed and opened her eyes once she felt the wind caressing her face.

"I guess. As long as the people under him were fine, issues should not surface. I'm curious about your opinion on this, Lesley."

"I wouldn't want a goody two shoes to rule above me. I want someone who will be willing enough to take the risks of being a ruler and hide no truth from the masses just for the so-called goodness. Someone who has a clear conscience and no bad motives is what I think makes the best leader."

"How like you, I really like it. Anyway, enough of this talk, I've finished cutting your hair. Your hair today has really grown to a sizeable length andI cut until the half of your back. I feel that having long hair suits you the most," Gusion commented as he quickly braided her hair again and tying it with a different ribbon; one made out of silver and blue linings.

Lesley stood up and felt around with her hair, finding it shorter but much more efficient to move with. She gave a slight smile, "Thank you, I really appreciate it."

"Oh no, no. I should be the one thanking you, really. I'm seriously grateful to what you've done, and did you know how much guilt I accumulated whenever the day passed, and I still haven't talked to you?" The raven-haired man joked, a contented grin tugging on his lips. Today had probably been the most relaxing day of his life, just like Lesley. No complicated matters to worry about and fights breaking out. Just before Gusion opened his mouth, he finally remembered the most important thing he had to do today.

"Lesley, wait a sec." He said, fumbling through his small bag before retrieving a shining item that strongly reflected the setting sun. It was a ring, made out of silver which were carved with mysterious engravings, mostly of a circling dragon that chased a floating rose in the air. The center piece of the ring had a small but noticeable light blue gem that reminded her of morning sky that gave peace over her soul. The gem was engraved inside the silver band, with small pieces of it also circling the whole ring.

"For me?" For the first time in the past years, Lesley showed a very apparent emotion on her face. One out of shock and her unfeeling eyes swirled with a myriad emotion.

Gusion chuckled, watching the very first emotion that he saw on her face, "It's for you. I thought that thanking you wasn't enough, and I had this specially customized. Don't misunderstand though, I didn't buy this thinking that I owe you a favor, I am really sincere with this ring and I wanted you to know that I really had a great time with you, even if its just in a short moment of time. I hope that with this, whenever the time comes that we finally separate, you could look at this and be reminded of all the things that happened between us."

Lesley didn't know what to feel as she stared at Gusion slip the ring on her right middle finger, feeling the slightly cold texture on her warm skin. She didn't know why, but her chest started to feel heavy and her nose soured. The next moment she knew, her eyes were getting watery and tears started to fall on her cheeks unknowingly.

Gusion, who didn't expect this heavy show of emotions, was shocked and he had a hard time processing what happened. He watched as her clear tears make a streak down her cheek and fall down the grass, "W-Why are you crying? Oh please, I-I'm not good at comforting someone…"

Awkwardly, he pulled Lesley into his embrace, patting her back like a child.

"U-Uh… Please stop crying, I feel bad making you cry, seriously."

Lesley hiccupped, not knowing what took over her to such a serious display of fragility. Once she heard him speak though, her lips turned into an amused smile as she hit his arm, trying to get rid of the embarrassment that pooled her heart.

"I don't know what came over me. Expect that this won't happen again, as it is very embarrassing on my part," That was the only words that Lesley could form right now, as her mind was still processing the humiliation that she was currently being injected with.

"Why are you getting so polite, now? Haha, do not worry. You look cute when you cry," Gusion joked with his eyes creasing until it was narrow, trying to suppress the large smile that he had on his face. After all, it would deal a bad blow to his prideful lady.

While both Lesley and Gusion were in their own state of unknown happiness, the sun finally decided to take its deep slumber, slowly setting in the horizon while the sky started another heavenly transformation—hues of red and orange started to appear.

Lesley noticed this and motioned for Gusion to stand up now, who was still not quite over with her sudden crying, "The best, seriously. You should only show that face to me, got it?"

She sent a burning glare to him, though it did not work. Her cheeks failed to show off her seriousness, as it glowed brightly on her pale skin. While they started to walk towards the exit of the forest, Gusion kept making jokes about her—clearly in a state of euphoria as he learned that it was the very first time the detached woman showed her crying face to a man. The moon shone on both the person, casting a coincidental spotlight on them. While walking home, they started conversing with each other, occasional laughter echoing in the forest.

"Ah, this is utterly humiliating. Should I just kill myself?"

"Hey, watch your mouth, lady. Don't ever utter that again, alright?"

"Do not worry about it, figuring the time, I would probably respawn in about 40 seconds."

"Ha? What are you talking about?"

"…Nothing."