Shadow Hunter

Solele let out a deep sigh- numerous weeks had passed; and a new bond, she had forged with Jason. Though he was kinda dull, once she got him alone, she managed to see the real him- which wasn't dull at all. She turned to him as they walked along a dusty road, as she asked, "Hey, Jason. Did you ever drop the ninja act?"

"Yeah..." Jason replied quickly. "I've been spending these months with you, when could I have had time for the 'ninja act'?" In truth, he wasn't lying. In these last few months, Solele had consumed his life. She filled his thoughts, and everywhere she went, he tagged along, never wanting her to get too far from his sights. She took him into the city, showed him around, and he even found himself enjoying it. The terrorist bombing from a few months ago was a distant memory for himself and all those involved. He only wanted Solele now. However, there was always the nagging in the back of his head that he couldn't shake away.

Solele pressed her finger to her lip in thought. "...Hmm. Still. That's...rather suspicious. But I'll believe you. Don't go behind my back on this one."

Jason shot her a rather bitter look. "You don't believe me, Solele? That stings you know. I wouldn't lie to you when you ask me outright."

"I was making a joke, calm down." Solele sighed, rubbing her head casually. "You know I trust you on this stuff, Jason."

Jason smirked, and leaned in, pressing his lips to Solele's. While this was mainly to distract her, Jason couldn't deny he loved the feel of his lips against hers, and sprung this on her for his own benefit.

Solele's eyes went wide open for a moment. "Wait, what? Now? Oh goddamn it Jason..." While she complained internally, she also felt a level of passion for him. So, she casually reciprocated the kiss without any complaints; though for the extra fun, she clawed on Jason's right arm, just to see his shock.

Jason, however, seemed totally immersed in the action, every thought of his focused completely on Solele, and his actions in this moment. In fact, the only thing his brain registered was that Solele had reciprocated his kiss; this lit his brain alight.

Solele suddenly backed up- as she pushed away from him, however motionlessly as it was. "Alright, alright, that's enough, Casanova-wannabe. I'll trust you on this one."

Jason chuckled to himself. He'd gotten to his objective at least, she wasn't prying anymore. Besides, he wasn't lying. "I'm glad we've gotten that across. So, what's on the to-do list today anyway? You always seem to have something you want to do, after all."

"Well," Solele paused momentarily- she tried to muster any coherent thought. "I wanted to go out, and just shop for a while. You know, nothing really hot-blooded or anything."

Jason smiled. "Of course. You pick out any place, Solele, and I'll be happy to go with you. Of course, we all know who will be carrying your things..."

"The problem is," Solele sighed. "You know how bad I am with most people. A lot happened between my people and humans. I can't deny it."

"You were fine before." Jason pointed out, and true to this, Solele had shown him several places that seemed to be frequented by humans. He was bewildered by her problems now, unless she was running out of places she was comfortable with.

"I know, I know. It's nothing." Solele was...flip-flopping between tolerating and detesting the humans. However, she knew for what it was worth, not all of them were bad. "Hmm. There's a nice market in the back alleys of the main town. Why not go there?"

"Alright!" Jason clapped his hands together. "Let's go see what they've got."

Through the hustling and bustling streets of the main town, Solele wandered through the crowds- though she kept a tight grip on Jason's hand, pulling him along as if she were holding him on a string. "Come on, come on." Her eyes seemed to be alight like stars; looking near and far.

Jason looked around the bustling marketplace in surprise and awe — he'd never seen this many people in one area. Adorio, the small town it had been, didn't have half as many people that were running around here.

"...the latest model, the Sealed Flame Blade!" A teenager a few years older than Jason himself was looking into a Magic Weapons store. "I've got to get it!"

He heard people gossiping about equipment, magical items, and the like, but even here, there are small restaurants and couples eating. He then looked at his hand, which was gripped firmly in Solele's, and actually remembered something his mother mentioned when he was younger. "Is this a d-date?" The very idea made him slightly pink in the face.

Solele didn't seem to notice this; she was too busy buzzing around like a bee on some kind of high. "O-Oh, Jason, look at this." On a reflex, she grabbed him and dragged him to a window. "It's a diamond." There was a brief pause. "Buy it for me."

Jason cast her a look. "Solele, this isn't going to be like the cat from two months ago, is it?" He asked, cautioning her. "The one you really wanted but then just neglected, so now it's attached to me?"

"It won't!" Her eyes sparkled, ironically, like diamonds. "I love jewelry. Now GO."

Jason let out a sigh. He didn't want to get it, but at the same time, seeing her smile made him feel warm inside. "Alright, let me go get it for you." He opened the store, a small bell jingling as he walked in. "Excuse me!" He called out as politely as he could, and a young girl walked out of the back of the store.

"Welcome!" She called out cheerfully, and Jason walked up to the register. He pulled out his wallet — it was, naturally, full of stolen money, but Solele did not know this — and gestured at the diamond. "I'd like to buy that."

"Oooooh." The girl grinned a little. "Is it for your girlfriend?" Her eyes swiveled to Solele, who was standing outside, greedily looking in. Jason's face flushed a bit. "Yeah, yeah it is."

She smiled brightly. "You two are rather cute together. Tell you want, I'll give you a discount. Only 50,000 Bels!" She apparently thought this was quite the deal, and Jason took a quick look at the original price tag of 100,000 Bels and decided he'd cut his losses. He gathered a few monetary notes from his wallet, stashed it in his pocket and took the rock, which the girl wrapped into a box.

"Be good to her, alright?" The girl replied, smiling as she slipped the purchase into his hand. "She's quite a catch, no?"

"Yeah...she really is." He nodded in agreement, uncomfortable with this woman's prying. Was this how people socialized? He shook his head, and walked out of the store, walking over to Solele. He handed her the small box. "Here it is. I hope you like it."

Solele's eyes lit up like...diamonds. Rather fitting. "...Oh, wow, how much did that cost you?" She'd actually feel bad if it took too much money out of his pocket.

"50,000 Bels." He replied airily. "It was a discount too, she said we looked...cute together." He struggled on the last two words. "Solele, don't worry about it. I'm always happy to get you something you want."

"Still..." Solele twiddled her fingers. "I don't want you to waste so much money on me, when you can use that cash on yourself, or to help your family. It makes me feel a bit bad..."

Jason smiled. "Calm down. My mother is doing...fine." He struggled on the last word. He hoped she was doing fine, but he hadn't seen her in two years, almost three now. "And you're part of my family now, Solele." His face was once again flushed a bit pink. What is with this girl that made him express these feelings. "This is your day, so let's do what you want."

"You're right, it is my day!" Solele grinned like a loon at this; though she did dial back her smile somewhat. Her cheeks were rosy red; though she glanced away, but she did grab Jason's hand, beginning to dash off.

"Solele, where are we going!?" Jason didn't object to her pulling him along, but he'd honestly rather just walking next to her as opposed to this quick paced sprint. Her scent was what was reassuring, and combining that with a calm pace, he may as well be the happiest person alive.