"You're… Ash, right?"

Sidelined. I was nothing to him but just the drapings that hung on the stage, the rickety floorboards that he pressed his feet against… an ornament piece that was obviously there but never needing any more than acknowledging that it was indeed there and then nothing more.

But I guess it was fair… you put Ash and I on a pedestal in front of an eagle-eyed audience, I guarantee you I could replace myself with a cardboard cutout and no one would have even noticed. Beside Ash, I was practically invisible.

And Leon was no exception to that irrefutable truth of the universe, those wide blue eyes of his stared one-way and one-way only, reflecting back a hint of shimmering emerald greens.

"Yes, that is I indeed," Ash slowly, warily affirmed, keeping close beside me. "To what exactly do I owe this sudden… interaction?"

Out of his battle gear, somehow he looked even more dashing and quite positively dapper mate - I haven't a clue how that was even possible, nevertheless, voila - he's got the flowing red cape, he's got the buckle and the belt, he's got the sleek leather vest that proudly protruded his chest, and pants padded in the thickest, finest leather.

From Jousting Knight to a Chivalrous Hero. He could be the poster boy for an actual main protagonist, in fact… not just any other protagonist.

"Are you supposed to be Leonardo The Hero?" I asked, just as I got done sizing him up.

He smiled at me, and his pearly white teeth actually twinkled. "Uh, yeah. I know, I know… don't have the abs or the forearms for it, but… hey, at least I got the face right, right?"

I stared dully. "He wasn't blonde."

"Fair enough," He shrugged. "Remember though, Devs did say his canon appearance isn't definite… he could look like anybody in theory."

In theory, yes. In actuality, however, I got a family photo stashed somewhere in my wallet to back me up, so when I say he has black hair, then yes, he does have black hair.

What a tragedy to see his legacy tarnished with those pretty-boy eyes, and pretty-boy face… damn shame indeed. If I have to start calling him Dad, I'm out of here.

Unsurprisingly, once my query had been addressed I reverted back into blending in with the background - he looked much more expressive anyway when he's looking at something he finds nice.

"Anyway, Ash," He curled one side of his lips, a half-smile that surely had sent many hearts a-fluttering. "Uh, yeah, I just wanted to say you were quite the challenger. I've never lost to someone before, and frankly, I never thought I would - until you came along, and… just wow, you know?"

Ash stared back at him, a sliver of bemusement in her tilted gaze. "Ah, I see. Well, I could say likewise for yourself, you were a worthy opponent… no doubt about that. A good fight, indeed, yes… wow indeed."

"You're very talented, Ash," Leon said, his voice low, his eyes soft.

She nodded, smiling stiffly back at him. "You show promise too."

"Beautiful too…"

"As are you - um, beautiful that is."

So I guess Ash's initial response to others' praises was to immediately imitate her best text-to-speech program voice and just repeat everything the other person said verbatim.

Noted.

"Where are you from, Ash?" He asked, blind to her awkwardness by the overwhelming sense of awe. "I've never seen you at this convention before. You're new, right?"

"In a sense, yes… I haven't yet grown accustomed to your people's customs," She replied. "But, I'm adapting well so far, I like to believe. As for your prior question, I fear I may not be able to answer that."

It was the most polite and nicest way to refuse to answer the question, but somehow Leon managed to hear the complete opposite - suddenly there was horror and panic, flailing his arms in front of him.

"Oh, of course, of course, I'm sorry - your privacy, right? I didn't mean to - really, I apologize. Of course, you can't tell me that. Stupid question, really, forget about it."

And because he freaked, of course, so did she. It's like poetry, this shit rhymes.

"Yes, no, it's fine! I apologize I can't answer, I didn't mean to distress you. We'll just move on, shall we? It's no problem."

Should be glad the judges have left already. Had they been here overseeing this whole interaction, they both probably would have won the prize for the most awkward exchange ever… and here I thought I was bad at interacting with others.

Suddenly, someone, somewhere at the other end of the stage sounded aloud, sliding into the conversation with all the grace and elegance of deer antlers headfirst into a glass museum.

"Leon, sir, I'm sorry, but we really need to get going now post-haste," The voice urgently, wearily, spoke. "The fan meetup is in ten minutes, and you still have the archery contest after, need I remind you that you haven't okay-ed your choice of bow yet? Please, sir, work with me here."

A frazzled-haired woman with a giant pad held atop unironed sleeves rapidly approached, staring with eyes so heavy, it's a wonder she could even lift her eyelids.

"Ah, I guess that's my cue to go, sadly," spoke Leon, sighing loudly. "Kind of regret having so many things planned now… no free time for me…"

Guess life in glamour has its setbacks, doesn't it? Unfortunately, it's kinda hard to sympathize with that sentiment when he's got an actually bonafide secretary at the wayside picking up after him.

"Hey, I got an idea!" He suddenly piped up. "If you're not busy, maybe you could… come along? The meetup's not far from here, and you won't have to wait in line. Afterward, the archery competition, what say you for a rematch? I'm sure I'll - "

And that's where I placed my foot down, literally and figuratively… stepping up so close to him that I couldn't possibly be seen as trivial any longer.

"Sorry, but she has - we have prior commitments already," I told him, as firm as I could have said it. "We're meeting up with a friend at the guild, she's probably furious we've been keeping her for so long. Can't afford to waste another second."

That wiped the charm from his face fast.

"Oh, is that… is that so?" He turned to Ash who, without skipping a beat, immediately nodded her head at him.

At that, he found his smile again, apparently also recovering just as fast. "Ah, that's a shame. Oh well, perhaps I'll see you around instead, yeah?"

There I was, stepping an inch closer, my head moving to the contrary. "I'm not too sure about that, we got our own things planned… busy schedule and all, so, don't think so."

I think I saw a crack in his exterior, and if I didn't, then perhaps I just have an extremely vivid imagination.

"Well we'll see, won't we?" He replied, speaking more to Ash than to me, "I mean, it's a small world all things considered… perhaps I'll see you around after all."

"Sir…" The secretary interjected again.

"Alright, Sam, alright, you win, I'm coming," Leon said, feebly chuckling. "Once again, Ash… you fought well out there. I enjoyed my time with you in the ring. I really did."

He stretched out his hand towards her to which Ash took with her own.

Wish I could say they shook hands as platonically as a handshake could possibly be, but that would just be a blatant lie on my part.

To the point of discomforting he held onto her, maintaining that smile, maintaining that gaze… I was about to step in again, but then Ash tugged back and after that, he finally let her go free.

"Till next time, Ash," He said, slowly treading backward, his eyes never once straying from hers. "I'll see you around. I'll make sure I do. I promise you that."

Anybody else and that's a restraining order, but since it was him… he could walk away scot-free, and he did just that, bidding farewell with a single wave of his fingers.

His secretary bowed, excused herself, and promptly trailed along after him.

Something tells me that if he's ever as valiant as he was in the ring as he was outside of it, then there's no doubt in my mind that he's gonna make good on that promise to her.

Damn it.

Look at that, I got Nick on one side to deal with, and now here comes another challenger to keep an eye on. It's perfect, I got two eyes for a reason, after all, ain't like I got anything else I want to keep my focus on.

Simply splendid.

"What was that about?"

Ash still had her hand outstretched, her silvery locks swaying past a face baffled beyond belief.

"I think that's what you call flirting, Ash," I said, crossing my arms at the shimmering blond figure shrinking in the distance. "He was flirting with you."

"Flirting?" She blinked once, fronting me with a mild frown. "I… I'm not understanding…"

"Of course not," I said, sighing. "Don't worry, you'll never have to. We won't be seeing him again if I can help it. Dude's trouble."

"He is rather eccentric, isn't he…"

"You can say that again."

"He is - "

I stared at her dead in the eye, and she broke into a smile.

"I jest, Master."

Then I noticed something peculiar about her that I don't think even she had noticed… something light, something white… blending well with the sheen of her armor.

"Ash…" I pointed it out. "Your hand, it's that - ?"

She followed my gaze to the palm of her hand still outstretched. With a soft audible "Oh?", she drew her hand back closer towards herself, sinking both eyes to the flat, white sheet of paper perched atop of it.

"An envelope…" Ash said, holding it out in both hands. "It's been addressed to someone…"

I scooted closer. "I'm guessing you."

She squinted her eyes. "To the fair maiden in white who has thoroughly stolen my heart…"

"Yep," I said, feeling my lips go narrow. "That's you."

A love letter. Fuckin' knew it…

Shit doesn't even rhyme.