The Guardian - A My Inner Demons AU Fanfic

Chapter Twenty-Four - Reaching the Limit

"Ava?"

"Ava..."

"Ava?"

"Ava!"

"Ava?"

Leif clapped his hands together in front of her face, trying to get the shorter woman to snap out of her daze, but it was no use. After a few more attempts, he frowned and gave up as he turned to Pierce. "What happened to her?"

To his surprise, the large Daemos wasn't even paying attention. He was looking back in the direction they'd just come from, his fingers ghosting over the corner of his mouth and his expression one of deep thought. The remnants of a blush tinged his cheeks, something that just made Leif even more confused.

Honestly, it was one of the weirdest things the former assassin had ever seen.

However, Lorelai didn't seem too concerned. "She fainted from the ride, duh!" She gave both Daemos a wide, trusting grin.

"Don't worry. She's not the only one scared of roller coasters." The shaggy-haired guy (Leif was pretty sure his name was Orin) tossed his head towards the other unconscious man on the bench.

"As much as Steve plays the tough guy act, he definitely can't stand them either." The blonde woman pulled out her phone and aimed it at the man. "Snapshot!"

"Kristen!" Lorelai moved in front of her friend, spreading her arms out wide to block her view.

"Relax, Lor. I ain't gonna post it. Just wanna shove it in Steve's face when he gets up."

Orin made a sound halfway between a laugh and a scoff. "You know she's going to post it."

"Hey!"

Lorelai sighed. "Yeah, I know. You guys should go get some food or something. We'll catch up with you later."

"R-really?!" The shaggy-haired man suddenly perked up.

"You sure, Lor?" Even as she spoke, the blonde woman turned her attention to Pierce almost hungrily.

"Yep!"

"Suit yourself." She suddenly approached the tall Daemos, who still seemed to be in a daze. "You know... since we got here late, this place will close fairly soon. We should make sure Ava's friends have time to see everything the festival has to offer." The blonde reached out and put her hand on his arm. "What do you say, handsome? Want to see what this place really has to offer?"

At her touch, Pierce snapped out of his thoughts. He looked at her as if noticing her for the first time. "W-what?"

"You don't want to be stuck here waiting on these two nerds to wake up. There are a lot of other things to see." She stepped closer, oblivious to his discomfort.

"I, uh - " He took a step back, removing her hand from him. "I would... prefer to wait here for Emerald to return."

Leif frowned as he watched the exchange. It struck him as odd how Pierce was suddenly so loyal to Ava's guard, but figured it might just be an excuse to stay close to the princess without revealing too much. He considered if he should intervene, but Orin saved him the trouble.

"Hey, come on. He sounds like a puppy waiting for his owner to come back. Leave him alone and let's go get something to eat!" Without waiting for her to reply, he began pushing the blonde woman away from the group.

"Hey wait, you dork!" Her voice faded as they both rounded the corner and out of earshot.

Lorelai sighed. "Good luck, Orin." She turned to Pierce, as something he'd said had caught her attention. "That reminds me... where did Em go?"