Ever So Lightly- Book 1

10

 Jasper really was trying to listen to the boisterous mountain of a man sitting next to him. Lax, the name the man had given while introducing himself and shaking Jasper's hand so vigorously he was afraid his shoulder would dislocate, apparently ran this traveling show. He was describing all of the different acts the group boasted, in great detail, and Jasper normally would have been enraptured by what Lax was saying. He normally would have loved to hear stories about the different ways people lived, how they forged out a place in the world. Normally.

Tonight though, despite Jasper's efforts to the contrary, his eyes and mind kept wondering, only to settle, every single time, on the face that held those mystical green eyes. He was entranced by the mystery surrounding Zephyr, the mystery that she herself was.

Jasper could now see that his initial impression of the girl had missed the mark by leagues. She was quiet, but shy or timid weren't the right words to describe her. She obviously didn't let people in right away, a trait that Jasper was afraid was only going to be multiplied a hundredfold as a result of recent events. It seemed though, that once Zephyr had decided to trust someone, to let them see who she really was, that she gave in to herself completely, opening up to show a girl full of life and intelligence and wit, if a bit naive to the world outside of her small town. Jasper found himself drawn to her infectious spirit as she had begun to open up to himself and Bennet. Even now, as he watched her from across the campfire, he could see that spirit shining through, despite her best efforts to hold herself back amongst all of these new acquaintances.

Bennet seemed to be enjoying himself fully, if the way he was grinning up at the rather curvaceous woman leaning forward in front of him indicated anything. Jasper caught himself before he rolled his eyes at his friend, but a small smile played at the corners of his lips. He was truly happy to see Bennet having a good time, relaxing.

Their last few days had been life-changing, to say the least. Jasper hadn't had even a moment to think about what they would do. What would happen after they reached Faron? He guessed that they wouldn't really be able to plan anything until they reached the town. That cryptic letter that Agitha had written Zephyr hadn't offered many clues, but Jasper was beginning to wonder, to theorize about the whole situation. He needed to discuss what he was thinking with Bennet, for although his friend like to play at being vapid and shallow, he was every bit as intelligent as Jasper and most of the time quicker at catching details.

That hair, Jasper thought to himself, that shining silver hair. Has he put it together as well? How could nobody have noticed before us?

That last question is what gave Jasper pause in trying to solve the mystery surrounding Zephyr. His mind was wrenched from his thoughts though, as a small child bumped into Zephyr, causing her to spill the cup she was holding all over herself. Jasper watched as the boy was scolded, then as Zephyr and the woman Nakomi stood, to go get Zephyr changed into something dry he assumed. As Zephyr walked past, her eyes, those brilliant eyes, met his. He offered her what he hoped she would see as a sympathetic smile, and his heart felt as though it began to beat in double measures as she returned the smile, in the way she always did, as though she had been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to, her face turning slightly down, her cheeks turning just the slightest shade of pink.

What am I doing? I've only just met the girl!

Jasper had never had time for women. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in them, he most definitely was. But he had enlisted at eighteen, and his years since then had been solely focused on his career as a soldier. Sure, there had always been women around, and many had made their interest in him quite obvious. He had just never felt anything for them. So why was it that now, when his life was in danger more than it ever had been, when he didn't know where he would sleep the next night or where his next meal would come from, when women should have been the very last thing on his mind, all he could focus on was a girl with beautiful eyes?