When Reader Meets Writer [Closed]

Aphelion shook his head, "No, no need to. Unless you'd be tempted by me treating you to lunch. That'd be fine." he chuckled and followed her lead, "Which way to your dorm room, then?"

"Oh, um, well, my dorm's just up ahead, really," Liseran said as she guided him along the corridors. "Oh, and please give me the honor of treating you to lunch. It's not every time I see an author, you know, and I'd like to make that time special."

She came to the dorm room that said OPAL on it and opened the door, taking the books from Aphelion before he could stop her.

"I'll be right back," she said. She closed the door behind her and placed the books down and got her purse before coming out again.

Liseran smiled.

"Thanks again for your help," she said. "Now, where would you like to go for lunch?"

Aphelion sighed at her first statements, "Well, when you put it that way... I guess you treating me works better." he followed her and was about to enter her dorm before she took the books off of him and enter, giving him no time to reach. He simply shook his head with a small smile.

When she came out, his smile widened, "Don't mention it Lise." he slipped out her first name but didn't notice, "I don't really mind. As long as there's no meat in my lunch I can eat, hmm, a lot of different stuff."

Liseran nodded as she placed a finger on her chin.

"Hmm...let me think..." Liseran said as she pondered on a place. And then lifting the finger away upon insight, she smiled. "I know this little garden eatery not too far from here. It's just a ride away. They have great salads and tofu and stuff, if you're into that. What do you say?"

"Salads are great, and always appreciated." Aphelion grinned, fixing his bag on his shoulder and folding his arms in front of her face, "Well, we can go now..." he started before pondering for a moment and scratching his chin slightly, "Actually... we could ride there on my horse if you'd prefer. It's always an experience!"

Liseran looked at Aphelion startled.

"H-horse?" Liseran said. "You have a horse? And we'd ride it? I've never ridden a horse before..."

She looked nervous once again and was twiddling her thumbs together.

"Well, it's pretty easy. I mean, once you know it. It's really all about having a bond with your animal. You see, there is riding, and then there is 'riding'. You can only force an animal to do so much, but gain its trust and you'll unlock a far greater potential." Aphelion started walking towards the stable, gesturing for Liseran to follow, "So yes, I have no problem giving you a ride. He can take it. You'l just need to sit behind me and hold on tight."

Liseran followed Aphelion now looking a bit hesitant. It was one thing riding a motorcycle and it was another thing riding a horse. She had never been good with animals in the first place and the thought of riding with someone other than Cheshire disturbed her.

"Y-you sure you don't want to take a bus?" she asked meekly.

Aphelion heard the worry in her voice and stopped in his tracks, his expression softening while he turned around to look at her and smile, "If you prefer, we can take the bus, no worries." he interlocked his arms behind his back and turned to walk towards the bus stop, "Haven't used one in quite some time..."

Liseran sighed in relief.

"I'm sorry," she said blushing sheepishly. "It's just that I've never been that good with animals, so a bus would be better for me. I hope you don't mind."

She then straightened up and smiled.

"But trust me! The place we're going to will be worth it!"

***

The bus ride had been normal enough on Liseran's part and she tried to engage in small talk, hoping not to sound awkward in any way. They eventually made it to a place called Elena's Garden, a small bistro near the docks. The pathway to the door was made of stone and covered with a trellis decorated in leaves in and flowers. On the inside was a small bistro. Liseran had them seated and a waiter came by.

"I'll have your Mediterranean Greek Salad," Liseran told the waiter. "Extra cheese."

She turned to Aphelion and smiled.

"Order whatever you like."

Aphelion looked at the menu presented to him. His inherently good nature prevented him from ordering something big, as to not strain Liseran's funds too much. He glanced over the prices and picked himself something, fairly cheap but not the cheapest as to not raise suspicion of saving Lise money.

"Exotic Fruit Salad for me then, please... with rainbow sprinkles please." he said, shifting in his chair to move closer to the table.

The waiter took the orders and left. Liseran had brought a book along. She glanced over to Aphelion.

"So, I was wondering, what's it like being a writer?" she said. "I mean, I write little stories myself, but it must be totally different writing novels and selling them off. You must be amazing to have already published multiple books."

"W-Well..." he blushed slightly at the compliments, "I just write in my spare time and when I finish a book I see about publishing it. I have a few drinking acquaintances with connections, and as I'm not the most well known author I actually publish the books for no pay... that is to say, the publishers keep all the money. On top of that I write short stories too, sometimes for favors. Recently I had to write an anniversary card." he chuckled a little before glancing back at her, "So you write as well, eh? I'd be interested in reading your work a little later."

Liseran looked a bit surprised and glanced sideways, twirling the hair at the tip of her ponytail.

"Well it's not write, write...just little story fragments here and there," she said hesitantly. "I don't have the dedication to really finish through anything so they're all just incomplete works of fantasy and horror..."

Aphelion sighed and smiled at her again, "I understand, it's hard to finish sometimes. If you want to get writing, you should find a genre and subject which makes you most comfortable, then draw out a simple story you want to tell. Sugarcoat it with some subplots, plot twists and general intrigue which keeps the reader, and most importantly yourself, interested. It's okay to quit for casual writing, but... if you want to be an author, you need to pull though the parts you don't like."

Liseran's eyes sparkled with admiration as Aphelion spoke, leaning forward as she listened eagerly and nodded.

"Gee, you really know your stuff," Liseran smiled. "Well, I actually have a piece of work that's close to finishing...and I think what you said could have helped. So thank you."

No sooner as finished speaking the food was placed down in front of them along with their drinks. Liseran straightened up and took her fork.

"Bon appetite!" she said.

Aphelion laughed, "Glad I could make a little difference and help." he smiled at her and dug into his own salad, mixing up the crunching of the sprinkles with the softness of the fruit, face contorted into childish delight.

"Hey can I see it once you finish?" he asked with a mouthful of mango before blushing slightly and swallowing, repeating his question.

Liseran flinched again and looked at Aphelion nervously before averting her eyes from him.

"W-well..." Liseran said. "I guess it'd be okay...but I'm a beginner, just saying, is all."

Liseran took up a bit of her salad and ate it thoughtfully.

"So, do you have hobbies aside from writing?"

"You're a beginner, so how will you improve without criticism?" Aphelion grinned and took another bite of his salad, chewing it before answering her other question.

"Training martial arts... Well, training is mostly my only other hobby. Spending time with my girl too, but mostly training."

"Martial arts..." Liseran said thoughtfully. "I've never been a fan of that, myself, but you must be pretty diligent to say that's your only hobby aside from spending time with your girlfriend."

Liseran let off a small nervous giggle.

"I just like to read things when I'm not with friends," Liseran said. "In fact, books are the only thing I was close to for all my life. So, that's another reason I was so excited to meet an author."

"Martial arts make me strong enough to protect what I love most... so I stick to it. Unlike others, I needn't use my weapon to battle. I can't afford to lose her, so I promise myself I'll get stronger and I'll protect her..." he said before blinking and chuckling awkwardly.

"Aaanyway... So books, eh? Myself, it was mostly scrolls of parchment, since we didn't really use books back home. And they were mostly instructional, so that's why I had to write my own fantasies."

"That's very admirable," Liseran smiled regarding his fist comment. "That reminds me a lot of what my own boyfriend would say. And I think it's amazing you don't need weapons in combat. It really is."

Liseran then listened as he talked about books.

"Wait, so you don't really use books back home?" she asked. "Where exactly are you from?"

Aphelion blushed slightly at her first statement, eating a bunch of salad in an attempt to hide it. He gulped it down when she mentioned his homeland.

"Oh, erm... A faaar away place. Jungle tribe. Sort of behind the times, so we still use horses, scrolls and don't really have technology... Though it's adaptable!"

"It sounds interesting," Liseran smiled. "I've never gone out in such territory. And some would agree with me to say sometimes technology hinders man's potential rather than excels it."

Liseran was going to say more, but she suddenly stiffened as she stared blankly at a wall. Her mouth opened and she began to speak in an almost trance-like state.

"An old woman is going to come through a store door and drop a penny..." she murmured. "When she stoops over, a man is going to come at the door and bump into her to get real mad. An argument will ensue and he's going to attempt to hit her...gunshots are fired..."

Liseran blinked and then flinched. She looked at Aphelion for a minute and then she inhaled.

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Aphelion," Liseran stuttered as she got up nervously, placing a stack of lien chips on the table. "I'm afraid I must leave. Please enjoy the rest of the meal, I assure it's paid for."

Without a moment's hesitation, she picked up her things and rushed through the door and into the streets.

Where is it? Where is it? Where's that store? she thought as she searched frantically.

Aphelion was about to answer her when he noticed her stiffen up. He blinked in confusion, and an even bigger one when she started murmuring, putting down the kiwi he was about to eat to listen to her words. Huh?

When she finished, he returned her look, scanning over her with a hint of concern in his eyes. And then she got up to leave abruptly. Something's not right... Aphelion's gut instinct yelled at him. As she left him money and dashed out, he immediately got up and grabbed the nearest waiter, "Here, we're done." he pointed at the cash on the table before going out to chase after Liseran.

Liseran scanned the streets. The store had looked like nothing more than a candy shop and the old woman would be wearing a badly green sweater. She moved around until she came to a light blue building the sign Craving's Confections.

Her hands hovered over her two bells, Weeping Cerinthe, but didn't pull them out just yet. She went inside the shop where little people were at the counter, asking for certain boxes of chocolates and candies. She then saw the old lady she had foreseen in the vision walking towards the door and she went to it to open it for her.

"Thank you, young one," the old lady said.

Liseran nodded. She was about to speak to warn the lady, but as her eyes lifted, the old woman was bumped by a man from behind.

"Hey, lady, can you move it!?" the man snapped.

The old lady looked at him, a bit surprised.

"Pardon me?"

"I said move it!"

The old lady still looked confused. And then she looked mad. "Why do you have to be so rude?"

The man, who wore a black suit, clenched his teeth and drew out a gun.

"Move it!"

Before he could think twice, a bright glyph glowed underneath him and dragged him to the floor. People turning to Liseran with her bells in hand, one of them pointing at the glyph.

"You shouldn't draw your gun on an old woman," Liseran said sharply. It was only then that she saw three more men in black rushing towards her with their guns drawn.

"Let him go or we shoot!" the men said.

Aphelion ran around the streets in search for Liseran, but had a tough luck finding her. That is until he resigned to asking around, and from people's testimonies gathering the general direction in which she went.

He rushed that way promptly, looking around to see if he could spot her, until he heard a commotion, and saw where it seemed to have gathered up. This might well be just a coincidence but...

Aphelion powered up his legs and on his next step launched himself into the air, at an angle which let him have a good look at the situation for his brief airtime, spotting a girl who looked just enough like Liseran. It didn't really matter as the other men had guns in their hands.

Hrmm... not good. Not at all. Aphelion thought at his jump landed him on the other side. Loading another, he jumped over the slight crowd that has gathered and aimed to land beside the leftmost guy.