I Have A Crush On The White Mage - Chapter 2

Author's Notes

"YOU WENT OUT WITH WHO?!" yelled Kiki, spitting her drink all over Theodore.

"Haha- well...she seemed normal to me. I'm not sure she's the same Alexia that you know based on your description." He gave a nervous chuckle. Kiki was a Red Mage, which made her capable both physically and magically, though partakers in Red were rarely as brash and audacious as she.
"She was really cute...but a little anxious. But that's to be expected, sometimes. I'm not sure she was used to being around someone. She got paralyzed and-"

Kiki slammed her mug on the table. BAM!
"Impossible! Alexia, the fair brown hair, the big axe and armor..." She hummed. It sounded like her. "She's a known up and comer, ruthless and fierce! Not the type to blindly run around and get herself killed." She took another swig.

Theodore rubbed his chin.
"Do you know anyone that's actually quested with her? Verified sources? I could have sworn it was her first time."
He thought back to hunching over and calling the Chocobo together. It seemed so different, but the very same girl slayed a Malboro in one swing.

Kiki grabbed Theodore by the hood, lightly tugging on him.
"Listen here, you little twink, if YOU went on a quest with THE Alexia, you're the luckiest guy on the planet! If you don't want to go out with her, I WILL!"
Theodore blushed. When did I say anything about romance...?

"There is only one possible explanation!", Theo noted that Kiki was not actually answering the question, or making coherent conclusions at all. It must be that juice she partakes in. Theo himself wasn't one for taverns and alcohol, but they're de facto meeting places for all kinds, which kept the atmosphere light.
"You ran into an impostor. Once you caught onto her, she fled the scene. THAT is why she ditched, and my poor little buddy had to come back to Jeuno all alone!"

He only pouted. That much was true. Where did she go? The Chocobo stablemaster hadn't seen her. Maybe she had business elsewhere, but...the look on her face as she teleported away suggested otherwise, didn't it? His stomach turned. Maybe he had misgivings.

SLAM!
The tavern door flew open, and the smashing of steel on the wooden floor announced the presence of a body. Even face down...it was her!
"Ah, a dead body!" Kiki pointed. The "dead" body started to crawl itself towards their table, face down! Eventually, she flopped over on her backside. She wore a weird expression, like she was having a pleasant dream.
"Alexia?! Are you okay? You're exhausted..." Theodore held his hands out instinctively, ready to heal.

"Hehehehe.....hehehe...! Theodore...I found you..."
Her head fell over to the side, as she began to black out.
"...burger..."
THUD!

"You started walking from Bastok?", Theodore said with widened eyes.
"Yeah..." She blushed and rubbed her head. "I was driven by hunger...and a desire to see you again! The two feelings made my legs move! But what should I actually say?!
"I forgot to set my home to Jeuno...I'm sorry." She sheepishly ate a french fry.
"I didn't really mean to abandon you." As she shyly looked up from her potatoes, Kiki's beautiful portrait entered the scene. Kiki had dark skin and light hair, the visual appeal with her red coat was strong.
"WHO is this gorgeous woman you're hanging out with!?" Alexia slid herself into Theo with a shocked face. "Please, don't be his girlfriend or something!"

"I was asking Theodore the same thing about you!" Kiki scoffed. "Theodore and I are questing partners, by the way. He's single and not my type."
"YES! Another stroke of luck! HE'S SINGLE!" Theodore quietly blushed in the corner of their booth, as if he could read Alexia's mind.
"I have my doubts you're the real deal, though." Kiki folded her arms. "After all, the clumsy, cutesy girl Theo described couldn't be the same notorious monster-killer."
Alexia threw her head back. "Agh! How's it possible that everyone knows me, and I still have no friends!?"

Under the table, Theo put his hand on Alexia.
"We are friends. We all but said so in the field, don't you think?" He gave her that reassuring, sparkling look.
"HE'S SO SWEET!"

"Hold your horses, hussy. We're not friends yet." The would-be friends eyes widened.
Theodore raised his voice. "Can't you be nice, Kiki? This is definitely the same girl I met yesterday. She's legit. It doesn't matter if she's that same Alexia you've heard about."
"Oh, but it does!" Kiki grinned. "If you're as strong as I've heard, you should be able to beat me in a duel. Knock me out, if you can. An impostor never could. And if you're capable of that, you belong with us!"
Red Mages were fond of dueling. They were fencers, wielding rapiers alongside both black and white magic. They weren't the best at any one thing, but contrary to Kiki's disposition, Red Mages are great team players and strategists.

"This is completely stupid! But yeah, I'll beat the crap out of you if you're offering!" Alexia cracked her knuckles and stared with bloodlust. "For getting in the way of my new relationship...! And did you seriously call me a hussy a second ago!? Who the hell says that to someone they just met!?!?"
Theodore sighed. "Kiki, Alexia, can't we all just get along?"
Kiki laughed. "Ha! Just heal us if something bad happens. This is getting along." She turned her head to Alexia. "Twinkie here will be our medic. Meet me in the fields after you're done here."
With that, Kiki stomped away out of the tavern.

For a moment, Alexia and Theodore were alone. They looked into each other's eyes before Alexia grimaced.
"You associate with a person like that? Why is she such a hater?"
Theodore chuckled. "Would you believe me if I said she probably likes you?" He sighed. "We've been working together for about two months. You're the fighting type too, right? You got excited yesterday as soon as a big monster showed."
That wasn't untrue, Alexia hummed. "Yeah, but I like fighting monsters and bad guys. Not sassy women."

"Just indulge her this time. To be honest, I think you'll win, and she'll be happy when you don't disappoint her. I suspect she was jealous when I told her of our adventure."
Blushing red, she turned away to hide it. It was only yesterday, but after a day's worth of walking, she had started to wonder if that day was a delusional fantasy.
"Uh, by the way. Why does she call you twinkie? What's that mean?"
Theodore looked down. The awkwardness was too thick to continue. "Let's focus on regaining your strength..."
"Verily..."

The wind blew as Kiki flourished her rapier, eyes locked to the gate as Alexia and Theodore entered.
"Awh, you two do look kinda cute together."
Alexia groaned. "Exactly. Can we call this off now?" "Eek! Did I actually say that out loud with him right next to me?"
"No way! I'm excited now!" Kiki danced a bit, bouncing on her feet. Alexia whispered to Theodore.
"I see what you mean...", Theo silently nodded. Alexia pulled out her axe, standing some paces away from Kiki.

"...Okay, so what do I do? It's not a duel to the death."
"We'll go by disarmament. If I let go of this sword, or you drop that axe, hehe~, the other is the winner.
"Fine with me!" Alexia yelled, recalling that it was just yesterday that she saw a cute boy and nearly sliced his foot off by mistake. But this was different. Theodore kept his distance.
"Erhm...go?"

Kiki held out her hand, and red radiated from her palm, the total opposite of Theodore's soothing glow.
"ENFEEBLE!"
Alexia began to charge, but as the spell was cast... "AH!", CRASH!
Her axe broke the ground, but this time her arms went with it. "Auh...uh..." She was overcome with a headache, but she couldn't let go.
"I didn't think you were gonna use spells...how is that fair!?"
Kiki turned up her nose. "Haah! Of course it's fair. You've got your skills, and I've got mine." She tapped her shoes on the ground, as if winning were a waiting game. "You must be familiar with Enfeeble, then? It saps your physical strength by nearly half."

This was a big problem! As a lady purely of the fighting arts, Alexia had no particular resistance to having spells cast on her. This wasn't usually an issue against most monsters, but in a situation like this...!
"Egh..." Alexia managed to take a step forward, lifting her back up and dragging the edge of her axe within the dirt.
"Half of my strength...is...more than enough!", Theodore winced, watching Alexia struggle like this was far less amusing than before.
"Not enough for you, soldier girl? GRAVITY!"

"GYAH!" An enormous wave of pressure sent Alexia back down to her knees, clutching onto her weapon was taking everything she had!
Kiki came closer, unaffected by her own spell, and placed her foot on Alexia's head.
"I'll release you, if you say pretty please! Tell Theodore you're sorry for ditching him and being a fraud." Theodore protested, stepping forward.
"Kiki, seriously, enough! Stop the spell!"

"I'm not gonna lose when Theodore is watching...!", her knuckles tightened, and her legs and arms were roaring, but fighting through pain was her specialty.
"Your spell...is no match..."
"Huh!?" Kiki's leg was thrown up, sending her toppling backwards. In that flash, Alexia struck!
"...FOR A LOVE SPELL!"
SLICE!!, the rapier was sent flying into the sky by a mountain crushing slash!

With the situation reversed, Alexia pumped her fist, stopping just before Kiki's nose. "I win."
Kiki was blushing with stars in her eyes. "Finally...I met a girl who could truly kick my ass if she wanted!"
"Uh, are you okay?", the warrior pulled her arm back. It seemed like no matter what emotion Kiki was feeling, she was just the type to ran hot.
"Theodore must be right...ugh. She DOES like me. I'm gonna unpack that one later, though. Eyes on the prize...Theodore!"
Kiki threw herself back up in flash, snapping out of her love-trance.
"You know what, kid? I like you. You're strong as hell, girl!"
Alexia yelled as Thoedore ran over. "NO, YOU DON'T LIKE ME! YOU TRIED TO CRUSH ME!"

Theodore sighed, casting Heal on Alexia and Kiki. For a moment, the two girls closed their eyes and let out an "~Aaaah~!". It seems like everyone likes being healed.
"Okay, no more fighting, right? Let's never do that again! Alexia can join the party?"
The girls recomposed, and Alexia held out her fist again, this time with a smile.
"Verily!" said the ladies in unison.

"Hey, uh, where's my rapier? It didn't fall back down." Kiki scanned around the area.
"Well, I hit it pretty hard." A sweatdrop fell over her brow. "If it's not broken...it might be a mile or two away!
Theodore and Kiki both went slackjawed.

"Kiki, why are you insane?" asked Alexia, as everyone settled back home in Jeuno. "That duel was probably the dumbest things I've ever done."
"Though I have a feeling I'm going to make more dumb mistakes around Theodore!"
"How am I insane?" she protested. "You're the one who walked a million miles back here to see my buddy again."
Theo and Alexia locked eyes for a moment. This day was way too hectic for any personal time. Alexia's eyes darted away from his shiny green jewels.

"He likes you too." Kiki laughed. "He was like, Ohhh, Kiki, I met the prettiest girl I've ever seen! And we walked through the forest so daintily!"
Theodore broke his gaze from his lady friend to his lady enemy.
"I didn't...say that exactly. Did I?"
Alexia blushed.

"Did he...?"

-To Be Continued-