Power
"Are you trying to burn a hole in me, with the way you're staring so intently at me? Stop it, it's creepy." Said Valeria dryly at the man riding next to her.
The man in question, General Kirigan, being caught, only stared longer at her in concentration.
And then he blinked his eyes at her.
"You confuse me." Was the only thing he said, not denying the bit about him staring at her for the entirety of their journey.
Valeria scoffed at him, "I confuse you?" Here she then chuckles at the man, "You are the confusing one." She then pointedly said.
The both of them then stared at one another, which lasted for some time, until the General finally broke the quietness between the both of them.
Not that he minded it, for he could look upon her visage because of it.
He will admit that he could get lost in her.
But back to the matter at hand, she's speaking to him now.
"So, you're now speaking to me? I thought you were going to ignore my existence for a bit longer, to be honest." He said, with a raised eyebrow at her, with his mouth almost forming into a smile.
"I was, but I'm bored. And you're staring isn't helping the matter, it's really creepy you know? Did no one ever tell you that it's rude to stare?" Valeria said in response, with her mirroring his raised eyebrow at him instead.
The man stared at her even more, and then answered her after a moment, with his eyes boring into hers.
"I know some people who would be flattered by me giving them my whole attention, you know." he started saying in a sardonic manner, "And you're finally speaking to me, because you're bored?" He then looked incredulously at her.
"I thought you hated me, with the way you're acting towards me. " He then said with both of his eyebrows raised at her.
She scoffed, "Don't flatter yourself, hate is a strong word, you know."
This made the man even more confused, "Did you not lay your poisonous sword against my throat a while ago, which wasn't that long ago? And what was it with the whole speech you gave me, a Basilisk? Are you going to elaborate on that? Because frankly, other people would find it disturbing and with the way you were speaking to me…it most definitely sounded as though you were going to kill me." He said with a glint in his eyes.
Valeria gave him a smirk then, making the man almost squirm in his seat atop of his horse because of the sight of it…which again, Valeria did not notice.
"Oh darling, that wasn't me trying to kill you. That was me warning you. And if I wanted to kill you, you would know."
"And anyways, if that is the way you flirt, then I think there's some screws loose in those poor fools you were speaking of. Because, frankly, that is not flirting, it's disturbing. Try better." Here she then shakes her head, while giving him a pointed look "Or better yet, just don't, it's most definitely a lost cause on your part."
The man, seemingly out of his daze, then seemed to take offence to it, opening his mouth to give her a retort.
But before he could even try to utter a word, she raised her hand at him, "Don't interrupt me when I'm speaking, thank you." she said, and then continued on.
He strangely enough, complied and watched her with bated breath.
No one ever dared do such a thing to him, him.
He, oddly enough, doesn't mind it in the slightest.
It is rather refreshing, really.
Shaking her head at the strange situation she found herself in, with the strange man nonetheless.
'I should have just closed my mouth, and ignored him, the creepy staring be damned.'
" And anyways, don't even think about trying it on me. Not that it would work on me."
She then gave the, suddenly, tongue-tied (he really is a strange one, isn't he? ) man a humourless chuckle, all the while leaning closer to him.
"Or Alina for that matter."
Her eyes then glinted dangerously at him, making him breathless because of it for just a moment, but also because of how close he found himself in her presence.
He can definitely spot a lot of details on her visage now, more than before…
She has an adorable mole beneath her eye, it is rather small, but it is there…
It only enhances her beauty, he thinks in admiration.
But before he could continue his examination of her any further, especially her scent, her voice then pulled him back to the matter at hand.
"Because you'll regret it."
Oh right, her threat to his life, he gathers, which was about the Sun summoner?
Any normal person in this situation would be frightened, or at least a bit alarmed by the sudden threat to their life, which is the second time she’s threatened him…
But Alexander, on the contrary, found himself enraptured by her once more.
Especially because of the way her bewitching, emerald green eyes, that put shame to the gemstone (for it had nothing on the splendor that are her eyes) , glowed at him.
The darkness within him, especially, felt enthralled by it.
By the absolute power her gaze contained.
"I wonder how Ria is doing at the moment, I hope she's doing all right without us." Was Alina's worried voice.
Seeing her worrying, Mal put his hand on hers, squeezing it in comfort.
"I'm sure she's fine, it's Valeria, we'll see her soon enough. So don't worry." Mal said, while keeping his eyes on her worried ones. "Now breathe, Alina, Valeria wouldn't want you to faint because of all of your worrying now, would she? Now breathe and relax, okay?"
Feeling more relaxed because of the comforting look he gives her, and his hand in hers, Alina complies and finally breathes.
'In and out' As Ria taught them, when they were little and they were showing signs of sudden bouts of anxiety.
"And anyways, please don't, Ria will kill me if you do faint." Here he gives her a pointed look, all the while quirking his eyebrow at her, making her smile at him.
She already feels better because of it.
"Yes, that's better, smile." Mal cheered, and then quieted, this time giving her a soft smile. "Always smile, Alina."
She gave him an even bigger smile in response.
The both of them, forgetting about the pair in front of them, did not see the reaction both Heartrenders had because of the scene they had made in front of them.
With Fedyor beaming at the stoic and bulky man. Who then softened his gaze at his other half.
Both squeezing each other's hands.
After some time, when Valeria finally put some space between them.
At which the General visibly reacted to, until he then pulled himself together at the last second, which Valeria won't even read into…
Because honestly, she couldn't be bothered by the man and his strange antics.
Not in the slightest.
"So, you dofind me interesting, what with the way you said that you only began talking to me because you were bored." The General then says to her, his tone was filled with intrigue, while his eyes were looking at her in a curious manner.
'Do I intrigue you, just as how you intrigue me, Ms Cherniak?' Alexander asked himself, after he had questioned her.
'Did I not imagine it, from before? Was it true? The sudden feeling of…' He then trails his thoughts.
Because his gaze is once more locked onto her visage.
Yes, he could definitely get lost in her..
Valeria only gave him a blank look in response.
She then once more shook her head at the infuriating man.
"Firstly, once again, don't flatter yourself. I don't find you that interesting. " She dryly replied.
This made the General get out of his sudden trance.
He then smiled, not slighted by it in the slightest.
He, instead, is all the more charmed by her.
"And don't smile at me like that. It's disturbing."
The General then chuckled, it sounded breathy and dark in its timbre.
Which caught her by surprise for just a moment, before she then firmly ignored it.
"Well god forbid we become friendly then, Ms Cherniak '' The man then said with a charming smile towards her.
But she wasn't charmed by him in the slightest.
The opposite, really.
"Again, I don't find you that interesting, General. " She then brusquely said in response, turning her head away from him.
"You will." He only whispered in response, his dark eyes gleaming at her.
Valeria, not hearing what he said, only looked in front of her, wanting the journey to quickly come to an end.
So she could at least get away from the irritating man, that reminded her of someone else.
Someone that had died a long time ago, and won't ever come back to life again, for she had made certain of it.
They were once two halves of the same coin, the both of them.
But not anymore.
And she made certain of it.
Her eyes then turned cold at the thought of him.
Never again.