An Evening Visit

"Dorma?" Barion seemed puzzled.

"Hello~ I came to visit."

She pushed straight past him and into the humble room before he could protest any further.

"Hum." She seemed disappointed, "A hero ought to rest somewhere cosier than this, don't you think?"

"I'm not a hero anymore, and please don't barge into people's rooms without permission."

"Nonsense. Think of it like when he had to share a tent in the wilderness."

"That was because we were poor and had nowhere else to go."

"In any case, I brought something that you might enjoy." She ignored him, instead placing her pack onto the bed, rummaging through its contents, "Give me just a moment…"

From the bag, she procured something that was like a small board, and a handful of wooden pieces which had been so intricately carved that one would think them a product of magic. Barion was visibly surprised by the objects, "...Tempana?"

"Do you remember the nights we wasted away playing this? We were at it for months, but you never managed to win a single game against me."

"That's not very fair. Barely anyone plays Tempana outside of the Lunar Dominion."

"I see your excuses haven't changed after 500 years." Her smile held within it a glowing self-confidence, "Why not do something enjoyable for once? Better than carting silver around in your old wagon."

"I enjoy trading, though." He blinked, "But, I wouldn't mind a game or two. It's certainly been a while since I saw a board outside of Khazman."

"A word of warning--I haven't stopped playing these past 5 centuries."

"I didn't think you had. Where's the enjoyment in crushing an easy opponent?"

"That's a simple question to answer." She beamed, "Because we're going to make a bet."

"Is this just a ploy to take some of my money? If you're struggling, all you need to do is ask for some gold, you know. I wouldn't let a friend down like that."

"Not that kind of bet, Barion." Dorma shook her head, "Because, in this match, the loser…"

She walked towards him, leaning close to his face and putting her lips right next to his ear.

"-has to do whatever~ the winner~ tells them~ to do~"

A tingle, like an electric shock, ran down Barion's spine. He was hardened to the temptations of the world, even a little cold to others at times, but if he was any softer, Dorma's sultry words would have had him melting in her palm. It was an opportunity that no man in the right mind would ever refuse--no, it would be better to say that it was like a dream come true for some.

"Dorma…" He muttered, "What's gotten into you, all of a sudden?"

"Ah, are you backing out?"

"Absolutely not." He replied instantly, "Let's play."

"If I were to cast a divining spell on you right now, I wonder what sorts of things I would see…"

Tempana was a simple, but ancient game that originated in Khazman before the establishment of the Lunar Dominion. As a result of the country's disconnected clans and rapidly-shifting borders during its early history, even studied historians struggled to place its true origin point. The set which Barion and Dorma once played on was an improvised board using stones and gold pieces to represent units, but the one she had brought before them today seemed like a board straight out of antiquity. He had a feeling it took up a regular spot in her pack.

The fact of the matter was that Barion had never been particularly good at the game, nor did he show any talent in comparably modern variations, like chess, whereas Dorma had been raised playing it almost every day. To say the odds were stacked in her favour would have been a tremendous understatement.

Not only that, but Barion's mind was somewhat scrambled. He wasn't sure how serious Dorma was being when she brought up the bet. It was quite possible that she was just teasing him. And, he had the feeling that if he lost, the result wouldn't be quite what he was hoping for.

But, having said that, once they began playing, those feelings started to melt away. The familiar rhythm of the game brought forward fond memories of nights spent beneath the stars in a dangerous land--a brief respite from the horrors he would encounter during the day. Whether he was good at it or not, Tempala, like Dorma herself, was a gateway that led towards an important remembrance.

Stalwartly, he placed a piece down, and the room fell silent for a moment.

"...Uh." His eyes darted across the board, "It seems I've won."

Dorma's eye twitched. She appeared to be in a state of irreparable shock.

"That- no…" She double-checked the positions of her pieces, "...What!? How could I lose!?"

"Evidently 500 years wasn't long enough."

"Impossible! You cheated! You must have done! You used magic!"

He acted confident, but Barion was also quite surprised at his victory. It seemed to him as if he had spent most of their game daydreaming and reminiscing, rather than trying to come out on top.

"What kind of magic would have helped win a game of Tempana?"

"You switched the positions of the pieces and then altered my memory!"

"No, no… there's no way I'd be able to cast a spell like that without you noticing…"

"Hah… it seems you really have grown, Barion." She sighed, "To have been defeated in my signature game… there's no greater embarrassment."

"But, even so-" Barion replied, "I'm happy that we played. It ended up bringing back a lot of memories from when we were travelling together."

"Hm." Hearing that, she tried to hide a smile from him, "That's nice of you to say."

Packing away the game board and the pieces, her expression suddenly became more confident.

"More to the point…"

Leaning forward, she placed a hand against Barion's chest, "It seems that your wish is my command for the rest of the night~"

"You were being serious about that?"

"Oh dear, I'm hurt. You thought I wasn't?"

"Alright, then." He said with a straight face, "Let's go."

"Go? Go where?" As she spoke, Barion suddenly grabbed her hand and began leading her out of the room, "Ah- hold on! Where are we going!? Barion!?"

When an opportunity presents itself, strike fast and without mercy. Don't allow yourself to become a slave to hesitation, for the moment you let your confidence waver--that is when evil shall be victorious. Those words resounded in Barion's head as he moved down to the bottom floor of the inn and out onto the moon-kissed streets of Gria.

After a few moments, Dorma calmed down and allowed herself to be quietly escorted. To her surprise, the two of them came to a stop in front of a clothing shop--one of the few that appeared to still be open at that late hour.

"Stay out here and wait for me." Barion said, entering before Dorma could reply.

"That's- mmph…" She pouted, "Just what is he planning?"

Barion was in that shop for quite a while, almost 15 minutes, before finally reemerging with a smile on his face.

"I got exactly what I wanted. Let's head back to the inn."

"Wai- just hold on for a moment, Barion!" Dorma's protests were in vain as he quickly took her by the hand once more, meandering back the way they had come and disappearing upstairs once they reached the inn. The girl exhaled once the door had been closed behind them, apparently exasperated.

"Just what was that about?" She asked, pinching her forehead.

Beginning to rummage through his bag of holding, Barion at first didn't answer her, but after catching hold of what he was looking for, he looked at her with a starry-eyed gaze. "I bought something. My order for you is to wear it for the rest of the night."

"You want me to wear something?" Dorma smiled, "As long as it's nothing too… too…"

Her eyes widened as Barion pulled out the article of clothing in question. Indeed, she could only blink as she witnessed it, a thin redness forming on her cheeks as he dangled it in front of her.

"If you wouldn't mind." He grinned, "Dorma."