Chester x Arche - Another training session

Fwip. Whoosh. Silence.

Fwip. Whoosh. Silence.

Were the three sounds made in the dead of the night within the heart of the woods, the irritating cicadas chirping along with the occasional hoot of the owls who were searching for their prey. At least the specks of white decorating the beautiful ebony canvas along with the full luminous moons hanging there side by side provided some light.

Fwip. Whoosh. Thunk.

Finally! A hit! And a bulls eye too! With a determined smirk firmly planted upon his face, the azure clad hunter stepped towards the target to yank the arrows out of the target hung upon the lone branch.

It was another one of those late night training sessions he had participated in so that he would not worry nor burden the others with how weak he was while his friends were in the past, training against fiends and fighting for revenge while he was stuck, almost dying against a full blown assault brought on by Dhaos, the evil King.

It was unfair.

It was an embarrassment.

And to add insult to injury, that bitch of a half elf dared to call him weak! Sure, it was a while ago when she called him that but it still added a certain sting to him.

Fwip. Whoosh. Snap.

"Tch…"

He snarled through his teeth as he heard the snap of a twig. Was Cless really there again to give him some sort of lecture? Chester knew he was only looking out for him but it still hurt his pride a little. And those words Arche spoke to him too. Damn it, he wasn't weak!

"Chester…?"

A voice emerged from the tree. The voice of that half elf, Arche. She'd went to him before to apologise for her comment. That he did know. What he did not know was that every time he went on those training sessions, she had followed him on her broom simply to check up on him and his progress. It was only this time that she had decided to make presence known for a second time.

He glanced over at the pinkette before looking away from her with a light tint of red dusting his cheeks.

"What do you want?"

He spluttered out hastily while shooting another arrow, which missed. He couldn't lose his composure here, not in front of her.

An oddly hesitant Arche walked out from the cloak made of the shadows from the trees, her broom firmly held in her hand while her other hand was pressed upon her hip. Well, that was a nice way to greet someone wasn't it? She shifted her weight to the side, racking her mind to try and find something to say. But it seemed like Chester got aggravated by the silence which caused him to snap at her.

"If you have nothing to say, go away! I'm training!"

"Hey! I came here to see if you were ok you inconsiderate jerk!"

"Well I am so you can go away now!"

This really wasn't getting them anywhere fast.
Arche actually looked like she was hurt from his reactions. But she'd be damned if she ever showed him that. With a scowl on her face, she looked away from him, focusing on the sky instead.

The way each and every star was placed upon the rich dark sky… The way the beautiful orbs in the sky smiled down upon the blessed world of Aselia… No words could fully express the beauty that was witnessed, the beauty that had melted away the misplaced, minor anger in her heart.

A dreamy sigh passed her thin lips while her feet carried her a little closer to Chester who too was looking up at the heavens with a faint smile placed upon his features - Something which Arche soon witnessed and saw as an opportunity to try and strike up another conversation - A fresh attempt to win his friendship.

"You know, you have a cute smile ♥ You should do it more often"

"Shut up Arche, I smile plenty! You just don't see it!"

"Well it's still pretty cute~♥"

Chester could feel himself getting pretty flustered from her words, not to mention it was
evident from the deepening blush on his cheeks. Damn… How could she do things like that, things that stirred so much within him?

Arche herself was even questioning the same things - How he could have such an effect on her heart, cause all those butterflies within her stomach to flutter around aimlessly within the pit of her stomach. Chester was one of the most annoying, idiotic, big headed people she had ever met! And she was falling for him?!

Then again, the same could be said for Chester to Arche. Although he was still hesitant on calling it a crush. As far as he was concerned, she was just another friend of his. Annoying and boastful - But a friend none the less.

The awkward silence lingered around them for a little longer, the chirping of the cicadas amplified the surrounding area.
Another dreamy sigh from Arche broke the silence which in return caused Chester, who was too absorbed in the silence, to gasp in shock.

"Chester, don't be all night. It's another early start tomorrow~"

"Ok."

And with that said, Arche twirled on her heels, ready to get back to the inn. At least, that was the plan. Something stirred within Chester - A feeling that he hadn't felt in a while. He didn't want her to go. Not just yet.

"A-Arche wait!"

"Huh? Can't get enough of me~?"

And funnily enough, that actually seemed to be the case. Tch… It was a lot harder than he thought to actually thought to come up with an excuse for her to stay longer without sounding like a complete moron in the process.

"Stay with me a little longer. I'm almost done so we can go back together."

"C-Chester…"

In response to his request, she nodded her head with subtle joy, a light blush covering her cheeks. In all honesty, she was grateful that he asked her to stay for a little longer. It didn't matter in what context it was or even why he really wanted her to stay.

But to Arche, it meant that she had gotten on step closer.

She stood upon her tip toes and planted a quick kiss upon Chester's cheek - Something that both shocked and annoyed Chester. It completely caught him off guard.

"D-Don't do that Idiot!"

He complained as he rubbed his hand upon his cheek to remove the trace of her lips, an action that caused Arche to nudge him with an annoyed expression on her face.

"Don't call me an idiot, you, you jerk!"

"I've changed my mind, you can go now!"

"Tough, I'm staying!"

It was a very small first step. But it was bound to lead to a much stronger bond in the future. Their childish bickering was the last thing to be heard for the night for even the Cicadas had ceased their noise.