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Finral approached carefully. Relaxed body language, open expression, casual interest. It was important to use the robe of a Magic Knight to impress, not intimidate. A few more steps, and he’d offer a casual hello before complimenting their dresses-
Instead, another man cut in. Finral paused.
The interloper leaned on the ladies’ table, but rather than choose a safe distance, he’d loomed right into the brunette’s personal space. Finral tensed when she leaned back, startled.
“You’re pretty cute. Wanna go someplace fun with me?” The man wasn’t even pretending to acknowledge the blonde. Does he really think she’ll abandon her friend to follow a stranger? This isn’t going to end well.
Right on cue, the brunette scowled. “I’m not interested. Go away.” The blonde echoed her, though with less certainty. Finral frowned, one hand going to his grimoire. It wasn’t his scene at all, but he couldn’t exactly do nothing if the man reacted badly...
Finral blinked when the man straightened, unaccustomed to Sunlander features on someone other than Yami. The man smiled, a little sheepish, and Finral started to relax. Okay, he’s not going to-
Then he spoke, still smiling, and Finral’s ears burned at the stream of Sunlander. Before he could stop himself, Finral blurted out, “Hey! That’s not the kind of thing you should say to people, is it?!”
All three jumped. The man looked especially startled. He even glanced to the side, as if unsure that it had really been Finral who’d spoken up. For that matter, Finral was wishing it hadn’t been him, but that had been really rude.
At least he seemed more bewildered than angry. “You… you knew what I was saying?”
Finral twitched. Oh. That was the confusion. With a flare of temper, he squared his shoulders and straightened his robe.
“I’m a Magic Knight of the Black Bulls, my captain is Yami Sukehiro,” who curses way too much in whichever language he feels like, “and you should apologize to these ladies.” The man’s eyes widened in recognition at the name. He glanced at Finral’s robe one more time, then stammered an apology and bolted off. Finral breathed a sigh of relief. That was stupid, what was I going to do if he really wanted a fight?
It turned out that the ladies were on a date of their own and uninterested in Finral’s charms either, but their heartfelt thanks were a sufficient consolation. As he wandered towards another cafe, Finral smiled.
I spend way too much time with that guy. Of all the things to pick up… I’m never telling him, he’d be way too smug.