Title: Pragmatic
Author: Risa
Pairing: Jacques/Aila
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: All your Suikoden are not belong to me.
Warnings: It's, ahh, damn cute, in its own special little way. Then again, this pairing kinda tends to be.
Summary: Suikoden III; "… When you're done, will you take a walk with me?" said Jacques, and there was almost a semblance of discomfort in his voice, but Aila didn't pick up on it.

As usual it was a boiling hot day in Caleria, which wouldn't bother a Grasslander like Aila so much if the damn place didn't stink. By now she thought she'd be used to it, and hey, sweat wasn't the same rank stench of iron and commerce alla Vinay del Zexay, so she could still get by. After all, the spirits wouldn't have kept her hanging around Geddoe and his team if not for good reason. She stayed where she was needed, and clearly her strength was needed here. She wouldn't let them forget it either.

"What's a girl got to do to get a soda around here?" she muttered to herself, an off hand thought at best. She was always in the mood for soda, but she wasn't sure how comfortable she'd be at the inn by herself, putting soda after soda on Ace's tab when she knew he'd rattle on and on and on about it later, and it'd start a big argument between him, Queen, and Joker. She wasn't so sure she was in the mood for their bickering, but all the same she sure was thirsty.

"… I'll get you a soda," said Jacques, appearing around the corner completely out of the blue. She was startled, and a bit ashamed that she wasn't on her guard as she should have been. This strange place could be crawling with weirdos who want to get an honest Karayan girl into trouble. Could have been, anyway, but that didn't seem to be the case. Anyway, she heard soda, and the temperature suddenly went up ten degrees, a sure sign from the spirits that it was soda time!

"Great! Let's go right now," she said, running toward the inn. If they knew Jacques was the one putting soda on Ace's tab, Aila wouldn't have to sit through any bickering. She could enjoy the bubbly goodness without any gilt. Better yet, she wasn't alone now. Well, she had to turn around and make sure she wasn't alone, seeing as Jacques was so darn quiet. Indeed his was following, at a leisurely pace as he often did. It was a bit hot too run in the sun, but all the more reason to get there quickly. "What are you waiting for? Come on!"

"Right…" he said, now running up to her. Well, that was easy. Of course, Jacques was an easy kind of guy to talk to. He was nice enough, even if he was quiet. He said what he had to say and that was all. If you asked Aila, that was the way to do it. Excessive words were cheap anyway.

The two of them reached the inn together, and somehow it wasn't crowded with tons of patrons also chirping for a soda. That suited Aila just fine. Less people meant less stink, and she could certainly handle that.

"What flavor would you like?" said Jacques, seating her at the most isolated corner of the tavern they could find. He pulled her chair out for her and everything, and she didn't think much of it because it was Jacques. He was a pretty nice sort of person, if a bit strange, so Aila just ran with it. Besides she was getting a soda and some familiar company. That's all she wanted really.

"Grape, extra bubbly," she said, sitting back and calming herself. The sun was outside, the weirdos were outside, and Jacques was in here getting her a soda. She wondered how sodas were made, so once the Karaya Village was back in good shape she could open up a good soda shop. Cool, bubbly soda next to their typical spicy dishes would make for a meal made in heaven. It would be her greatest achievement, along with killing witches like that sorceress sooner so her clan would never suffer again. She'd have to get stronger, though, and considering whom her travelling companions were, that wasn't going to be an issue.

It didn't take long for Jacques to return with their drinks. She got grape soda, and he got grape juice. All was well, and oh how she loved how the bubbles prickled on her tongue, along with the strange, but sweet taste. The first sip was always the best, and damn was she thirsty. She knew better than to drink it too fast, though, or else she'd burp so loud that people all the way out in Dunan would hear it! Last time that happened, every patron in the room turned to stare at her. It was a bit uncomfortable having all those eyes fixed on her, so she made a point never to do it again, even if she was dying of thirst.

"Ah, that hit the spot," she said, finishing off the glass not too quickly, but at her normal pace. A pace that was quick, but not quick enough to have to burp a legendary burp in the end. She stretched out her arms over her head, cracked her neck, and got up to get another one.

Before she could take a step away from the table, though, Jacques got in front of her, placed her arms in his hands, and sat her down gently. "… Please relax. I'll get you another soda."

"I want melon this time," she said, and sure enough he went back to the bar to get her the next soda. He was nice, but he didn't have to be this nice. She noticed, too, as he was at the bar that he was paying for the drink with money out of his own pocket. From what she understood, Ace managed the money they made on missions, which paid for things like a room in the inn, items, and things like that. To make sure others didn't spend irresponsibly, Ace kept most of the money they made somewhere safe, and split very little pocket cash between the six of them.

"Here," said Jacques, taking back his seat across from her. He resumed his previous sipping of his juice, and of course saying nothing as he did so. That suited Aila fine, since she didn't like talking while she was busy enjoying her soda; however, the issue with the pocket money had her a bit concerned. Apparently sodas weren't cheap, and, well, she had her own pocket money to spend on herself, so why would he spend his?

"Why do you spend your potch on me?" said Aila, but not before getting in a sip of her soda. It was good stuff, and it didn't need to go to waste. All the same, it's not like her drinking his money away benefitted him in any way. What in the world was his deal anyway?

"… Because you wanted soda," said Jacques, as if it were a simple fact of life. It really was, too. Aila often wanted soda, but that wasn't the issue here.

"But what do you want? Is there nothing you'd rather spend your potch on?"

He didn't have to think about that really. "No."

So their company then resumed its usual silence, bar the drink sipping and any background clatter that they paid no mind to. It was a bit uncomfortable accepting the soda, knowing that there wasn't any way to return his good deed. Normally she wouldn't think that way, but something about Jacques was so complicated, though he made his words and his actions seem so simple. She never knew what to expect from him, yet she always could expect him to say exactly what was on his mind.

"… When you're done, will you take a walk with me?" said Jacques, and there was almost a semblance of discomfort in his voice, but Aila didn't pick up on it. She really didn't want to go back outside, though, so they agreed to take a walk upstairs into the only vacant room in the inn, where the six of them would be staying. Fortunately no one was around at the moment, so there was plenty of room to sit and talk. Somehow Jacques looked as though he were in a talking mood, which was bound to be interesting.

Aila took a seat on the lumpy bed she sometimes shared with Queen (that was, if the filthy floor weren't more appealing, which it often was) and removed her shoes. Somehow sodas made her feel like napping, which normally had to opposite affect on other people, especially children. Before she did that, she wanted Jacques to say whatever it was that he needed to say. It was the least she could do.

"You don't have to just stand there," said Aila, patting the seat next to her. Jacques got the message, seating himself beside her like it was nothing. It was strange with just the two of them around, but somehow it was nice, because Jacques was nice to be around. He was strange, but not a bad person by any stretch of the word. That, and he seemed pretty concerned about her welfare, going as far as to stop her from attacking her strongest enemies, just so they wouldn't fight back and kill her. He seemed serious when he told her he didn't want her to die. Normally she would have taken that as an insult to her power and the customs of her clan. He wasn't trying to insult her, though.

Thanks to him, she was able to accomplish so much more than killing just one of those big shot iron heads, who turned out to be deceived by Harmonia every bit as much as they were. How was it that he could see things that she just couldn't? She felt so alone at times, even though she was starting to get a much better understanding of the world, as Hugo had.

Her train of thought hit a little bump when she felt Jacques' hand on hers, rubbing it up and down a couple of times before sliding his fingers through her own. She did not oppose. After all, Karayans were generally an affectionate people. She'd been embraced by pretty much everyone in the village, from old Buta who sold spices, to Chief Lucia herself, and never thought anything of it. Outside of her clan, she found people weren't quite so affectionate and open. Well, Queen thought she was awfully cute and gave her a hug a few times, but other than that not too much of that was going on. Jacques was a strange guy, though, so she just went with it.

"Sorry if I spaced out. What's on your mind, anyway?" said Aila, with a hunch that she was missing something. It's not like she had mind-reading powers, just a keen sense of the spirits, who could do no more than guide her down the correct path.

"… Thank you for staying with us. I would have missed you," said Jacques, looking her in the eyes as he said as much. He wasn't a smooth talker by any means, but the look in his eyes had her feeling a sudden, tightening discomfort in her belly, and it wasn't from drinking too much soda. No, she knew that feeling. This was something else entirely.

"I'm needed here. Someone has to look after you guys," she said, not liking how the weight of his glance was somehow making her nervous. If she could look a large Salamander in the face before shooting it between the eyes without a sweat, why was it suddenly hard to look at Jacques, her own teammate? All he did was thank her for her hard work, after all.

"I agree. We need you, and… I like it when you're around."

Aila swallowed, and didn't know whether that or her heartbeat was any louder at this point. It was ridiculous to feel this way, a feeling she couldn't even describe because she'd never felt anything like it. She couldn't help but feel that, though his words were sincere, he wasn't saying exactly what he wanted to say. With nothing in particular to say in mind, she took a deep breath to calm herself. It worked all of maybe one second before Jacques cupped her cheek in his free hand, and just before she could figure out where this was going on her own, he told her what it was he wanted to say, "…… I think I've fallen in love with you."

Aila's mind completely blanked out, and all she had to work with was what she was feeling, and how she was already reacting to the situation. When he leaned toward her, she leaned in as well, and the two of them kissed like they never have before. Well, she never actually had kissed another man, not like this. Not where her blood was on fire, where her nerves were out of control, where her mind was so jumbled it was impossible to interpret any of it.

His lips were so gentle, as was his touch, and it made Aila crazy. Crazy enough that she leaned further into him, and suddenly their arms were wrapped around each other. Their kiss deepened to the point where their tongues came out, circling and lapping one another. She didn't know what this was, or how it came to be like that, but when a blurb resembling thought returned to her conscious, she pulled away from that crazy kiss to catch her breath, and that was it. Jacques confessed his love for her, and her body and her will accepted that without question, though she'd never imagined or even thought of loving him. This must have been the will of the spirits, driving her toward a good man to call her own. Who was she to deny it?

"A-all right," was all she could say, and for awhile Jacques just held her in his arms, not saying a word. She was afraid he had fallen asleep, given how quiet he was, but the tightness of his embrace suggested otherwise. The odd angle at which they were holding each other was starting to strain her back, so she pulled away from him and stretched out.

A silence growing in mass loomed in the air until Aila could no longer take it. She had just accepted Jacques as her lover, but where did she go from there? Damn, this whole thing was confusing to the point where it exhausted her. That lumpy bed with its stained, musty sheets never looked so appealing.

"So, now what?" said Aila, this time being the one to take his hand. He must have been surprised by her willingness to touch him, because his cheeks were starting to flush.

"… Whatever you want," he said. Somehow she knew he was going to say that, and again that suited her just fine. There was much about Jacques that appealed to her. She wondered how it never occurred to her that he made a wonderful companion. Well, no use dwelling on it. All she could do was make up for lost time.

Later, that is. With a yawn, she said, "To tell the truth, I just want to take a nap for awhile."

Jacques nodded, "Sounds good."

END