Selena had not been in Baska very long. She had only been teleported there a few hours previously and only moments later had to take part in a martial arts tournament. She only had herself to blame anyway. Selena ruffled her hair, then bringing her fingers through it to comb it when finished. Selena had actually been fighting her friend and team mate, Konstantin for the tournament, although she was not focusing on the results of said match, but more so the after math of it. At the beginning of the match the announcer had asked them to step in the middle, more than likely to shake hands, but although Selena wanted to Kon had not even given a slightest sign of budging. Although she did not show it, that action, or lack there of really hurt Selena. She had thought Kon was the more friendly out of the two of them but not showing any sportsmanship really made her think differently of him. She had at least said good luck, although filled with hatred and disgust.

Now however Selena was in the local pub of Baska. She had thought of just spending her time here for a while just because. No real reason just to spend time somewhere. Selena sat at the bar nursing a large pint of dark ale, one she had grown to love after the last time she was in a pub. Her captain Hikaru had introduced it to her and she had grown increasingly fond of it. Selena took a large gulp of her ale and wondered if anyone else would bother turning up at the pub for a drink after their fight. although Selena was not one for large social crowds, she wouldn't mind meeting someone she knew and having a chat. Sighing heavily Selena realized she was staring at the door. Taking her eyes from the large oaken doors she returned to her drink. If only him, she thought.

The first fight had been a breeze for Hikaru. It was so good that he  was now going out for a couple of casuals. He wasn't sure if that was the smartest thing to do but that was what was going to keep him sane and relaxed about the next fight. From the looks of it Selena and him were the last two in the team according to the brackets. Selena had taken out Kon, and LeeAnn had been taken out by someone. He approached the bar opening the door only to see a familiar blue haired woman. Curious as to whether she knew he was there or not, he figured he might as well try to have a conversation. Especially since the last time they met it had gotten a bit too festive he was curious as to how they're dynamic would be.

Would it be Awkward or normal was Hikaru's question but he figured trial by error was the best way to find out. As Hikaru approached the women, he looked at the drink in front of her and couldn't help but smile. It was a great choice, one of his personal favorite drinks. It's dark rich color allowed Hikaru to immediately pick up on what it was. As Hikaru sat down and the Bartender had already made his way over to serve him. "I'll have what she's having, she looks like she has great taste." Hiakru said looking at Selena with a smile.

As the door to the bar creaked open Selena caught the whiff of a familiar scent. Her face went slightly pink as she took a large gulp of the dark liquid occupying her glass. i really have to be careful what I wish for! She scolded herself as the creaking floor told her that he was making his way closer. As the creaking stopped Selena realized that Hikaru had noticed her. He was smiling lightly at her, his pink hair tied neatly behind his ears. He asked for the same drink as Selena, since she clearly had good taste. Selena smiled back lightly, the pink now gone from her face to it's normal colour. As the bartender went to get Hikaru's drink Selena would whisper "To be honest it's the only place where they can't water down their drink.". Clearing her throat once the bartender returned, Selena then looked at Hikaru. "So Captain, what brings you here? I trust you did well versus your opponent?" Selena asked. As she did, she rested her elbow on the bar as she turned to look at Hikaru, taking small sips of her drink. The atmosphere between the two was slightly awkward but Selena was determined to remove it.

Hikaru listened as Selena whispered in his ears about them not being able to water down their drinks. He smiled it was true. Usually, as the night went on the drinks became more liquid than liquor, but Ale usually came in a container which was brewed to have a certain exact percentage. Therefore it was a drink they had no power over. Selena questioned what brought him here, she did ask about how he did against his opponent at the same time. As she did that he noticed his drink was slid toward him, and Hikaru nodded at the bartender. "Keep a tab open please" Hikaru said to the bartender and the bartender returned a nod that Hikaru would just pay at the end of the night.  "I did well, it was a short one... and what brings me here? We'll I heard you were here so that was all the reason I needed."Hikaru said in a joking tone. It was poking at what had happened last time. However, Hikaru took a sip of his drink and spoke about the real reason he was there so she didn't take him seriously.

"but other than seeing you, I came out for a couple of casuals to stay relaxed and keep my mind away from just combat." Hikaru said looking at Selena. He was curious now as to her reason for being there. "How about you? you don't strike me as the casual girl out for just a couple of casuals." Hikaru said in response to Selena. He sat upright taking casual gulps of his Ale. He kept eye contact and kept this hand on his glass at all times.

Selena fixed herself on her stool, shifting the lower half of her body to get comfotable. Hikaru told the bartender to leave the tab open. Oh yay more drunken shenanigans were afoot. As Hikaru fixed himself a seat and was served he answered Selena by saying that he had made quick work of his opponent. He also said he came here for her. Selena could almost her the recorded audience saying "awww" in the back of her mind. Although Selena thought it was sweet of him to say and also nice of him to try and poke fun at what they had done, she knew he only came for th tourney, as it was the only reason she came to. Despite this Selena also wanted to poke fun. Selena's grin dropped and she looked overly dramatic. Her looked as if she was horribly insulted by Hiskaru's words. "If that was true why didn't you call me the next day!" Selena said throwing her hand to her forehead and trying to sound comically sad. Even if she was teying to fool him her cover would be blown as a grin spread over her face.

Selena use the hand on jer forehead to fix her hair, then raosed the other to take a sip. Hikaru then revealed that he came here to relax which kind of surprised Selena since he said he wasn't tge type to be seen in a pub regularly. She couldn't blame him however she too cane to get her mind iff yhe fight among other things. He then asked her wht she was here, seeming to draw the same conclusion that she had thought of him, that she dod not seem like the type to be here. "Same as you believe it or not. I beat Kon in my first round but the match left a bad taste in ky mouth. He was acting like a real ass and wouldn't even wosh me luck, and he is meant to be the nicer one. Honestly even thinking about it makes we want to pound his face into the dirt again." She saod her mouth cirrled into a small snarl. Realising what she had said and who she had saod it infront of she cleared her throat. "Sorry, you probably dont care." she said returning to her drink taking the last few gulps of it. The bartender filled it up soon after and Selena went back to nursing it. "So what else relaxes you captain? Maybe  it'll work for me too. Need to get into the zone for these next few fights" Selena said with a smile trying to turn the conversation.

Hikaru scratched his head as she asked why didn't he call her. The tone and the gestured hinted to Hikaru she could be joking but Hikaru decided to play along with her " I did, I did! I guess you just missed it." Hikaru said in a playful tone as if he was innocent. Hikaru listened to Selena's problems. The look on his face showed he was engaged and slightly invested in the conversation. He listened to the tone of her voice, and saw that it clearly did hit Selena on a personal level the way she talked about it at least. it was weird how people were like that. One minute they were the best of buds, but when a crowd was around people often seemed to act differently It was the sad reality of the truth, there were people like that. However Hikaru wasn't one to talk bad about someone, and Selena spoke about how Hikaru didn't want to hear it. Hikaru wouldn't tell her to go on but rather he would propose a method of action towards her.

"Did you call him out on it? and hey at least you won." Hikaru said. if anything that would be a hit to his pride. Hikaru listened to Selena ask him what else would help him get into the zone. Hikaru thought about it and he didn't have much advice he was often calm when looking at situations. This was different. Sure he could fight, but without spells fighting wasn't the same. Hikaru thought about what often put his mind at ease in combat. "I guess the biggest thing that eases me is my preparation. Have you ever heard the saying Hard work beats talent, but only when talent doesn't work hard. I believe in that saying. I may not be the most talented, but I trust my work ethic and that gives me a peace of mind." Hikaru said explaining his reasons for being calm. He took a sip of his ale and was curious about the question so he continued "Why do you ask though? Cold feet?"

Selena laughed lightly at Hikaru. Yeah right he called her. Selena knew he was only playing along but still she found ti funny. Setting her glass on the bar counter, she began to trace the rim of the mug with her finger as she then talked about Kon. Selena glanced a Look at Hikaru every now and then and luckily he seemed at least somewhat invested in what She was saying. Although he did not tell Selena to go on he did ask about it. He had wondered if she had called him out on his rudeness and tried reassuring her saying that she won anyway. "No haven't seen him since the fight. And yeah I won but - sorry never mind." Selena said with a slightly forced smile. Hikaru did not want to hear this. Selena quickly tried shaking all worries from her head as she asked her next question. Hikaru replied with preparation and said a little speech about talent and work.  "Interesting. From what I heard from Leeann, you were the most talented person she knew." Selena said. Although she knew he must of worked hard, it was very obvious in fact but Selena just wanted to bring up his sister. She said that she was going to finally Tell Hikaru everything about her past and Selena was anxious for her to do so. Hikaru then wondered why she had asked her question and suggested cold feet. Selena looked at him with a bemused smile. "Nah just the nerves. One of the participants will be a guy called Finn who beat me before and I'd rather not go down that road again if I can help it. Selena said truthfully. Selena rarely cared about nerves or the like but now she did. Was it the vast number of people that would be watching? Or that she was afraid that she was going to loose, or  that others would think less of her. Selena removed her hand from her glass and brought her hands together on her lap and began to fidget with them slightly. "Kinda weird thing to say I know but hey." Selena said with a wary smile. Selena took a long swig of her drink again before looking at Hikaru. She sighed heavily. She was already nervous and unfortunately could not prepare. "So what about us? Where do we stand after that night? I know it wasn't much but just making sure.". Unfortunately the words came out more blurted than as elegant as Selena would have liked. Before Hikaru could answer she chugged down the rest of her Drink, then fixing her hair, looking back at Hikaru with her deep cobalt eyes, now flashing with anticipation.

Hikaru was curious, the way Selena acted. It seemed like she did care about what Kon had thought. He figured the time that all of them had spent together being a team and everything could hurt someone. "You can say it, I don't judge." Hikaru said urging Selena to go on about Kon. He wasn't one to really get involved in these matters but seeing Selena's force smile didn't put him at ease. Rather it made him curious and also put a bit of anger in him. Hikaru listened to Selena's remarks to Lee Ann and he couldn't help but laugh when she said Lee-Ann told her that he was the most talented person she knew.

"Wow... That's funny, cause to me it's the exact opposite. I've been practicing magic a lot longer than her, and she's already almost at my level. If anyone is talented, it's her, but don't tell her that."

Hikaru said justifying his reasons for laughing. Though he wasn't one to go out and spout about the talent of his sister, or even really show how high he held her to many people because that wasn't where strength came from. Strength came from tough love in Hikaru's opinion. He rarely complimented her strength himself because he knew how she held him, and last thing he wanted was to give her an ego. Rather by not saying anything he sought to give her something to strive for. As soon as Selena mentioned Finn, the name rang up in Hikaru's head.

"Finn.. How do I know that name."

The mage thought to himself, then out of no where it rang up in his head. That was going to be Hikaru's next opponent.

"Finn, he's my next opponent. Hopefully he's not as intimidating as you make him sound."

Hikaru said. Then he took some fo his beer and Selena took a long swig before asking where they stood and that caught Hikaru off guard. He almost choked on his drink cause he wasn't expecting that question. She finished her drink after asking the question which gave Hikaru time to think. Then once she was done the attention was on him. It seemed like it was on him. She had referred to it as "it wasn't much but just making sure." Hikaru could easily play it off, but where would that leave him. Playing it off would have been the best decision, but Hikaru wasn't one too always go with the best decision, rather he spoke from his heart.

"I mean, your right. What happened can be seen as insignificant to most.."

Hikaru said now placing his left hand on Selena's He looked into her eyes. "But to me, it was a lot more significant then you'd think." Hikaru said. He continued to speak, but this time it wasn't the alcohol speaking like last time, it was actually him. "I enjoy spending time with you so i'd like to give this a try, but only if that's okay with you." Hikaru said curious as to what she would say. No matter what she said or how she reacted one thing was for sure. The team dynamic would never be the same.

Although she wasn't overly surprised, Selena was still glad that Hikaru at least pretended to care about what she had to say, although a small part of her still did not want to annoy him. "No it's okay." Selena shrugged a smile forming on her face as she surprised a laugh. She had only realized now how much she was acting like Lee, trying not to worry Hikaru, although Selena felt it was different for her and Hikaru as they were only colleagues as of right now. Although Selena felt her insides relax slightly as she spoke with him. Just having the knowledge of someone there to confide in made the knot in her stomach loosen.

When Selena had spoken about Lee, Hikaru almost seemed baffled to hear that Lee had said that about him. He said that she had already caught up with him, despite having started later. He finished by saying not to tell her. Selena couldn't hold back any longer and began to chuckle. At some point, Selena had thought of Hikaru as somewhat arrogant, thinking he was the better, but after hearing this Selena was glad she was wrong. He very much acknowledged Lee's strength. Selena couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy and annoyance at those words however. Not only dd she call Lee out saying she wasn't fit for the role of co-captain in the team, but also accused Hikaru of picking favorites. Although somewhat true hearing this definitely made Selena feel bad, but she kept her face the same, a soft smile and her cobalt eyes gazing into Hikaru's. "Don't worry I won't tell. Gotta keep up that big brother role right?" Selena joked. "Besides, I doubt she would believe her unrivaled brother would call her his equal." Selena finished in the same joking tone.

Taking a sip of her beer after saying who was giving her the anxious feelings in her stomach, Hikaru spoke saying that Finn was his next opponent. Selena half chocked on her drink, but managed to pass it off as clearing her throat.Trying to hide to worry in her voice she then spoke to Hiakru. "Well be careful. I know it sound's stupid, but that guy is a very very good fighter. If magic was involved you'd have no problem, but his hand to hand is exceptional. Seriously do not take him lightly or you'll end up with broken bones.". Selena sighed as she finished speaking, her anxiety coming back not for her own sake but for Hiakru's. "And I'd hate for anything to happen to you." She added.

With the anxiety already beginning to bubble Selena still asked about their relationship and what the kiss had meant. She was half expecting an excuse or a laugh from him, saying he was only drunk. But he did not. His words weren't hard, but rang with an air feeling. He said that it would be considered rather meaningless to most, but to him, it meant more. Selena looked at him with a slight shock and daze, as if punched in the stomach., Speaking of which her stomach had turned into a gymnast and began to do a plethora of moves in her stomach. He said that he had enjoyed spending time with her and wanted to give it a shot. His hand was placed on hers. the warmth spreading over it. Hikaru would notice that her hand was oddly cold, however Selena did not bother take to take it away in case he saw it as a sign that she did not want him. Slightly lost for words she began to think about the possibilities. Selena was not expecting this, her heart now fluttering too as she began to think of them being more than team mates. "Heh, sure, why not?" Selena asked unable to keep a straight face at all as her lips curled into the biggest smile she had made in a very long time. She was quite happy for the first time in a long time. Selena leaned over on her stool and gave Hikaru a quick soft kiss on the lips, quite a bit more tame than the one they had experienced a few weeks ago. after sitting down, her stomach still doing cartwheels, Selena thought of the team. "Maybe we should wait before telling Lee. Think she said she was heading to Crocus since she lost to a guy named Rowan." Selena said as she began to think of how Lee would react. For some reason, Selena was not too keen on seeing the town of Baska up in flames from one little neko. "Anyway, I might go and hit the hay before the match. I don't need you distracting me and vise versa. Good luck tomorrow, Hikaru." Selena said leaving the bar, as well as leaving Hiakru with the bill. It was the first time Selena had called him by his first name, and she did not care! It was slightly abrupt, Selena knew this but she had to get her head straight before the match tomorrow. Although The only time Selena managed to get Hiakru off the brain was when she was asleep.

exit

Hikaru was happy Selena wouldn't tell, it was good to know he could trust her. Some stuff were better left unsaid and she seemed to get that. Hikaru nodded as she gave him advice on Finn and he didn't seem to think much of it only believing victory would be absolute. Apparently, his hand to hand combat skill was superb so Hikaru was excited to fight him. Hikaru was happy that Selena wanted to spend more time with him. The smile on her beautiful face was a good response for Hikaru and he waited for her to speak her mind but based on her initial smile he was confident the answer would be good. She play it off saying "why not?" before leaning in and giving him a soft kiss. He kissed her back, only to see she pulled away most likely wanting a more tame one. He didn't protest but rather continued to listen to what she had to say.

Hikaru nodded his head towards Selena. "Yes, I agree with that." He figured it would be best to keep it away from Lee too. He wasn't sure how serious they were yet so he would spare her from having to make any commitments to being her friend. Hikaru nodded as Selena had suggested that the two part ways so they didn't get distracted. Hikaru sighed and nodded. "Good night." He realized she called him by his first name and smiled watching as she walked out. Hikaru looked at the bartender and raised his hand asking for the check. He was just happy that the communication between the two was getting better. He had definitely took a step in the right direction.