A Past Revealed

Six- The Date

Jess's POV

As the day drew to a close, I began preparing for my date after I made sure Cadenza was brought back. I put on a purple tank top and some shorts, my fingerless black gloves, and a pair of tennishoes. My hair I pulled behind me into a loose ponytail.

I was in the kitchen, packing a basket with food, when Garroth came in.

"Um, Lady Jessica?" He asked.

"Yeah?" I asked back.

"What's going on?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm going on a date with Sly tonight to catch up on the four years we've been apart." I shrugged.

He nodded. "I see."

"Something you needed?" I questioned.

"Well, I was going to ask, if you were just hanging with some friends, and someone else started talking to you, and your friends noticed some signs that say the person likes you but you don't notice, and they tell you this when the person leaves, but you don't know if you like that person or not, what would you do?" Garroth asked.

I blinked. "That was a mouthful. But let me see. Honestly, if I was you, I'd talk to that person, tell them what your friends said, and ask them if they like you. If they don't, oh well. If they do, then, figure out if you like them back. Get the know the person better, learn more about them. Maybe if you end up liking this person it'll work out, or maybe it won't. You just have to see."

Garroth frowned. "So I should tell the person what happened and just ask if they like me?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It's good to be forward sometimes. In things like this, you should ask instead of assuming things."

Garroth nodded as well. "Okay, thanks." He left, and I turned back to the picnic basket.

Sly came in, dressed in a T-shirt and shorts. "Hey." He said.

"Hey yourself." I said back. We laughed and I grabbed a folded blanket on the table and Sly grabbed the basket.

We left the house, and I led him into the forest to the left of the path when you're walking up to Kiki's barn.

We stopped in a small clearing and I laid out the blanket.

We sat on it and pulled out the food. I had packed sandwich stuff, so we were making sandwiches as we talked.

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the others came to the gates to see the village." I laughed.

Sly chuckled. "They would do that, wouldn't they?"

"Of course they would. It's the guys and Kala." I snickered. "And their respective others. It'll be the first thing that runs through their, and anyone that can put up with them enough to marry or date them, minds."

Sly nodded. "That's true." We sat in silence, just eating our food.

Zane's POV (hahaha, didn't see that coming, did you?)

I was in the forest, trying to find a way to get to Phoenix Drop, to apologize for everything I've done, because I was under a brain washing potion keyed to my father, when I heard some murmurs of conversation.

I snuck to the edge of a clearing to see Aphmau sitting on a blanket with some guy.

"Oh, Sassmau's back in action!" He said in reply to something Aphmau just said. Sassmau?

Aphmau scoffed. "Girl, who you calling Sassmau? Uh-uh, that's my thing honey." She said sassily, snapping then putting her hand on her hip when she said 'honey'. Um, honestly I'm confused. That's not something I'll ever really admit.

The guy laughed, and Aphmau joined in. "Ah, I missed this." The guy said.

"Missed what? Me?" Aphmau asked with a grin. Did they know each other before Aphmau came to Phoenix Drop? Sounded like it.

"Of course." The guy replied. "But also this- just sitting together, joking around and having fun."

Aphmau nodded. "It has been awhile, hasn't it? Oh! So. How is Steven and Kala's daughter, Elizabeth?"

The guy laughed. "She's growing. Turning seven this year."

"Heh, she's Malachi's age." Aphmau said. "So wait a minute, you said Pbat had a daughter?"

The guy nodded. "Bella. She's about four, and she looks and acts a lot like a miniature female Pbat."

"Oh God." Aphmau said in mock horror. They both laughed. "I never honestly expected P to have a kid." Yep. Definitely old friends.

The guy laughed. "Neither did I." Then he frowned. "Hey, Jess, where by chance is that Sleven fanfic you wrote?" Sleven? What was that?

Aphmau grinned sneakily. "I'm not telling."

"Please?" The guy asked.

"No." Aphmau shook her head. Jeez, she's stubborn.

"I'll take you to Olive Garden seven times, whenever you want to go, and I'll double the bread sticks." The guy said. "Just tell me." What's Olive Garden?

Aphmau looked undecided. "Uhh..." The guy leaned in and kissed her. "Deal." She said. "It's in my library at the Asgardian Castle- the first shelf on the right, bottom left corner, within an empty notebook cover. The notebook has no pages." Woah. OK. These two were a couple.

The guy grinned. "Thanks."

"Now I remember why we call you Sly when your name isn't Sly." Aphmau grumbled. Haha, a fitting nickname I guess.

Sly laughed. "Yep. I'm amazing."

"Psh. You've never been amazing as me." Aphmau said, with a sassy hair flip. I am now doubled over, dying of internal laughter.

Sly was about to say something when I stumbled and rolled into the clearing.

"Zane!" Aphmau said angrily, standing up. Sly seemed confused, so he stepped back and let Aphmau handle this.

I stood up and brushed myself off. "Lady Aphmau, I came to apologize. Everything I've done here, to Phoenix Drop, I was under a brainwashing potion. They weren't my actions. I never wanted to find Garroth and force him to marry the Daughter of Scaleswind- I just wanted to be sure my big brother was alright. I never wanted to be evil, but my father made me." By now tears were streaming down my face and I made no move to stop them. "Please, believe me. I even faked my death to run away."

Aphmau took a breath.

Jess's POV

I used some of the majicks I had inherited from my mother to read his mind. It was all true, he was sincerely sorry and had been under a brainwashing potion. "I believe you."

"Thank you, Lady Aphmau." He said, wiping the tears off his face. Sly came over and took my hand.

"I'm not sure what's going on here, but it sounds like you'll have to explain this to the entire village." He said.

Zane nodded. "I will. Um, Lady Aphmau, can I talk to Garroth first?"

I nodded. "And it's Lady Jessica. Aphmau is my middle name. Ask someone about it. Hang on here. Sly, wait with him, I'll be right back."