Chapter 65 - Sixty-Three (1/2)

Beyond all the joking and teasing I could feel that Leo was somewhat nervous, holding me tight and walking quickly with wide steps. I sigh at that, making he look down at me, so I just simply ask:

”What is it? What is bothering you?”

”Who said something is bothering me?”

”Your face is enough.” For me at least.

”Uhm, good to know that you pay so much attention to it.” I roll my eyes at that. He could not lose an opportunity to tease me now, could he?

After a strange silence, however, he speaks as we get closer to the bathroom door.

”Is… stupid, is just that for a second I forgot that you were immune to fire, and seeing all that lava pour down on you… it was just a silly worry.”

”Is not silly if affected you. But don't worry, it takes far more than that to take me down; especially coming from my brother, uhm?”

I smile up at him as he opens the door, a small smile covering his lips as he nods.

”And it makes me glad to know you worry about me so much, but seriously can you at least let me clean myself in peace? I just need you to turn around…”

He stops, still holding on to me as a precious teddy bear, thinking about what I said, and grumbling back:

”If it is what you want then I'll be a gentleman… This time.”

I huff in response as he opens the door sideways to the bath, making me stop talking as I catch a trance of a smell that indicated that someone was inside; but who? All the others went to sleep…

Seeing my alert behavior Leo steps in with me, still carrying me as we got closer, hearing the sound of water moving as a black bareback comes to view from the person who was submerged in the water.

I narrow my eyes. It wasn't someone that I knew, for sure, as the man turns his face towards us, barely moving his stiff and straight body.

Was he bathing or playing statue?

His eyes passed by us, uninterested, as he simply turns back as if nothing had happened, but I was left to be mesmerized by his odd yet enchanting appearance.

What was he…? He had a black coal skin that shined like petrol on the light, dark short blue hair combed back and white petrifying eyes, with only a black circular halo right in the middle, having an almost death ghostly gaze.

And yet his oddity had some charm, a brutal charm added by the scars on his body, on his eyebrow and lip. One more look, however, gave away as I stared down at his pointy ears.

A dark elf!

Beyond only hearing bad about his kind, Leo reaction was as bad as one would expect, opening his leg and ready to strike a good kick at his face with his powerful legs if the other one tried anything funny.

We stood there for a while, nobody moving nor saying anything, until he stands, letting the water run down his body and shamelessly climbing out of the bath.

That's all I saw before Leo covered my eyes with his hand.

”Oi!” I could hear the other one moving, making me have a closer sniff over the damp humid place, and the usually metallic smell that covered his.

”No, Leo, wait! Is the Templar!”

”…What?”

The stoic behavior of the dark elf only makes me more sure that is him as I hear him shuffling in his clothes and simply leaving the place without uttering a word.

”…”

Just then Leo finally releases me from his grip, putting me down on a stool at the cleaning area, in front of some soap and a bucket that he filled for me.

I wait for him to leave as he promised… only that he didn't, he just sat there on another stool beside me, a sharp gaze on me as his arm supported his chin up.

”One: What the hell? And two: Weren't you going to be a gentleman and let me clean up alone?” Big emphasis on the alone there.

”You… you don't even notice do you?”

”Uhm?”

”How can you make me so crazy for you and yet you don't even realize the effect that you have on me…”