They were in a remote area on a hill, overlooking the festival. There were lanterns few and far in between, so it was far darker than normal. Even though she was holding on to his arm, the walk was awkward beyond anything Ryuma's ever faced. The last time he seen her, she looked like she was mad, but that didn't look to be the case seeing her now latched on to his shoulder.
She let go of him to stand upon the lookout. The two took that moment to gaze up at the colorful mix of pink and purple night sky with all its stars, galaxies, and nebulas. A sky so high and far away, that Ryuma could only wonder what those were up there.
"I really do enjoy looking at that up there," Ryuma blurted out. That was a hobby of his to see when it hit this dark. He didn't know why he felt the need to tell her though.
"Just so you know, I'm still mad," Clara said.
Ryuma's face fell flat at that answer. Maybe he should take a course in reading woman. "Well I'm sorry I didn't live up to your expectations,"
"It's not that you didn't live up to my expectations Ryuma, you betrayed it," She folded her arms.
{She didn't call me wonder-boy?}
"I don't get it. Why was it so important that I be the one that won? Don't tell me you're that lazy," Ryuma complained.
She turned her back to him this time. "This isn't about that,"
"Then why the hell are you so mad? I just want to know what's going on with everyone. What the fuck happened after I passed out?"
Clara ignored him and just kept her back turned to him.
"Oh ok… you're going to invite me up here just to ignore me," Ryuma asked.
"Well I think I deserve to have my questions answered first,"
"You can ask all you want. There's nothing I'm hiding," Ryuma said.
"Oh really? I want to know why you threw the match," Clara asked.
Ryuma froze. Out of anything he thought she was going to ask; he didn't think she was going to ask that. "I mean… well… is that really important?"
"I knew it! I had my doubts, but no matter how much I replay the end of that match in my head, I just keep feeling like you could have won that. So I was right," Clara said.
Ryuma sighed. "Ok… you're right. When it came down to it, I loosened up and let Toga throw me out. I didn't want to win anymore,"
He could see her eyes searching him back and forth. "But why? You had the match, why did you give that up?"
"It's because I saw you,"
Clara's mouth just hung wide open after he admitted that. He could see the shock on her face. "What?" It was all she could ask.
"It's like I said… I saw you, and I thought it was better if I lost the match,"
"Why would seeing me make you want to throw the match?"
"Didn't you throw the match?"
"Well yeah, but that's different. You had purpose. You fought through twenty-eight other people. You were undoubtedly the strongest. You deserve to be in the order. You would have been a way better priest than any of us," Clara said.
"Honestly… I would have. But I wouldn't have been a better priest than all of you," Ryuma said.
"What's that supposed to mean,"
Ryuma started pacing slowly on the top of the hill. "Clara… I wanted to join the order to save as many people in the lower world as possible. During my last clash with Toga I realized something… if I knocked him out now, I'd be knocking twenty-nine priests out, who could be saving twenty-nine people. I realized, no matter how much stronger I am than them, I can't be in twenty-nine separate places at once. The truth is… it's more important for more people to be saved, than it is for one person to be guaranteed safety… that's all there is to it,"
It got silent. Ryuma knew he unloaded a lot. He really didn't think anybody was sharp enough to have noticed the dive he took.
Clara started smiling. She even chuckled. To Ryuma, it seemed more, sad than it was resembling anything cheery. "Wow you really are wonder-boy," She got up close to him and put her hands on his face. She shook her head slowly. "But you have no idea how the world works, do you?"
Now it was Ryuma's turn to search her face for any clues. "What do you mean by that," She backed up off him and walked further away. She looked out over the hill and out into the festival. "So are you going to tell me why me giving up got you so upset?"
There was another round of silence. "Wonder-boy… have you ever asked any one of your classmates why they wanted to become priests to begin with?"
Ryuma blinked. He tried to think back, but now that she asked, there wasn't one person in his class who's motives he ever questioned. "Well no, but what does it matter. All there is to do is fight the demons. What other reasons does there need to be?"
"Hahahahahaaa…" It was out of character as far as he knew Clara, but she held her stomach as she couldn't hold it in anymore.
Ryuma's face soured and was getting annoyed. "Care to explain to me what's so funny?"
"Wonder-boy. Not one of the twenty-nine people you took out, is joining the order to protect the weak from demons. You're the only one… which is why I wanted you to win,"
"If that's true, then what about you? You're one of the twenty-nine people," Ryuma said.
Clara walked back up to him. "Let me repeat myself. Not one of the twenty-nine people you beat, is in it so they can protect people from demons. You're the only one,"
{So even she wasn't in to protect people.}
"No, there must be someone. Toga…"
"Wants to become a guard for the high edicts. You think someone like that is thinking about fighting demons and protecting the weak. He can live a comfortable life never seeing combat,"
Ryuma looked down. Why didn't he ever realize something so blatantly in front of him. He never really considered that a person's drive or reasons were crucial factors for becoming priests. Just so long as they joined the order, than they were willing to give their lives for the safety of the people in the lower world.
"Even so. Toga's a good guy. It's not as if…" Ryuma thought about it for a second time. Over his conversation with Clara, he almost forgot what was wrong with everybody else. "That's right. Toga and the rest of the students. What happened to them after I knocked out?"
"Really? You want to know about that now? Did you forget I left after you lost?"
Ryuma rubbed his head in frustration. Of course she wouldn't know. Nobody was going to tell him what happened.
"I'm kidding wonder-boy. I came back once I heard all the commotion. If I remember correctly, the remainder of the class wanted to lynch you for what you did. If not for muscle head over there, you might not have made it back. Even took the liberty to carry you back,"
Ryuma actually breathed a sigh of relief. That meant he was right about Toga. He wasn't mad at him over the whole edict thing like everyone else was. If that was the case then, why did he avoid speaking to him?
"I'll warn you though, from what I heard, he was also aware that you threw the match. If anything, he seemed more upset about it then I did,"
Well that explained one of his earlier questions. It was no wonder Toga didn't want to talk to him. He probably thought that Ryuma was looking down on him or wanted to spare his feelings.
Clara stretched her arms. "Welp, if that's everything you needed to know wonder-boy…"
"Clara wait!" Ryuma called.
She looked at him one last time.
"I still gotta know… why are you up here, and not down there? They should be going through the ceremony by now. Was it not that important to you? You said it yourself that you're not in the order for the stated reasons. If not… then what are you really after?"
Clara raised one of her eyebrows at his question. "Please. You wouldn't catch me dead at a venue like that, celebrating that we all managed to lynch a guy who only lost because he forfeited. That's just not my type of crowd," She chuckled and got seductively closer to him. "But if you must know what a want. My goal is to find a boy," She was inches from his face. "Or maybe I came here to find a man,"
Ryuma froze at her advances. To be honest, he didn't exactly push her off him.
Clara pulled back at the last second. "Once I get done with that, I'll never have to work another day in my life," She started walking away towards the festival. "But I think that's enough with the questions wonder-boy. Just make sure you get home safe,"
He watched her walk away. What was with that girl? For somebody who held a resentment for people's faulty motives for joining the order, she certainly had the most selfish reason. Why she chose a roundabout way of doing that, Ryuma couldn't tell. With the looks and seductive charm she had, she could've done that without all this extra.
Ryuma touched his chest and could feel the beating of his own heart. Was it wrong to admit that he felt an attraction? If it was one thing he was thankful for, it was his poker face.
He turned around and headed home. Everybody should be good by now, so there was no reason to stick around the festival anymore.
He just hoped that everybody would have an exciting time tonight… For many didn't realize… That the Skylands would never be the same after tonight.