For Her Hand

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Allie didn't know how long she'd been standing there on the sands with Seth. It seemed as though the moment she touched down that she'd forgotten how her legs worked. Did she move towards him? Did she jump back on Swanna and fly? She hadn't quite worked out exactly what she'd do the moment she arrived. The moment their eyes met, for some odd reason, she felt her heart leap a little after he'd addressed her with her title. Forsaking the thoughts that began to swim in her head, she kept her stern expression and took a confident step forward.

Now only a few feet away, she looked up into those deep blue depths of his and placed a hand on her hip while adjusting the strap of her bag with the other hand.

"So... how's this going to work?" Seth asked directly, earning a sigh from the redhead.

"Three days. I will be accompanying you for three days on your journey. During that time, I will be taking notes, so it will be in your best interest to treat me nicely. If I feel that I'm not respected in any manner, it will reflect poorly on how you do in this competition. It's simple, Seth. You graduated with top marks did you not? it shouldn't be too hard of a task to please me," Allie smirked, flipping her hair in a haughty fashion.

"Well there's a surprise. You actually did some research. Tell me, did you study up on the rest of the competitors, or was a poor attempt at finding dirt on me to hold over my head during the course of our time together?" Seth asked with a wry grin.

Allie huffed and crossed her arms.

"While I may not particularly like you, I would not be so uncouth as to do such a thing. Just who do you take me for anyway?" Allie fired back.

It had worked. Allie had kept eye contact with Seth, which was what he'd hoped for. During that short period of time he studied her posture, her eyes and the way she spoke, analyzing any unusual shifts in tone while she dialogued with him. She was indeed speaking the truth. And that could only mean one thing if she was.

"I'm going out on a limb to say that your mother had a hand in this..." Seth said after a few moments, earning a flustered glare from Allie.

"Smart aren't you? yes, she did tell me of your educational background, and while I am impressed... yes, you heard right, that doesn't change much of anything," Allie said sharply.

"I wouldn't expect it to," Seth shrugged. "So... are we just going to stand on the beach the entire time, or are we heading into the city?"

Allie thought for a moment. Shalour's beachfront was looking pretty lovely at the moment, and if she was being honest, she wasn't quite ready to head into the city just yet. Glancing about, she took note of Seth's team. Intrigued could only begin to describe what she was feeling at the moment. Clarity formed in her eyes as she realized the reason why Seth hadn't managed to defeat Korrina.

He was at a complete disadvantage at every turn!

"Are you in there, princess?" Seth spoke up, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Yes, and to answer your question as to what we're doing now, the first option sounds lovely. Time on the beach for a little while would do me some good," Allie replied casually, setting down her bag to open it to pull out her towel.

Seth took a deep breath and exhaled, clearing his mind so that he could focus. He knew why she chose the beach. His time started right then and there. Deciding that it wasn't entirely a bad idea, he turned towards his team to command them to continue their training. As his team continued their drills, he felt a presence at his feet, prompting him to look down to see Allie's Furfrou. She seemed to be curiously studying his team, so much so that she sat and followed their movements with her head. Taking note that he was paying attention, Furfrou looked up at Seth and then jerked her head slightly to the left, as if to tell him to look behind him.