Oh My, I Messed Up the Story - Chapter 182

Alamar had been the one to clue Blaise in on the fact that he needed to get closer to her family if he wanted Abby to see him in a more positive light. They had ended up chatting when he visited the camp to get an update from Carrick a few days before the restriction on visiting the village was lifted.

“I know how she ticks after having her live with us so long,” he confided. “She would never be with someone who didn’t get along with us because Katie is her best friend. You are trying to woo her, aren’t you?”

Yes, but Blaise hadn’t thought he was being that obvious. “Is there anything else I need to do?” he asked somewhat desperately.

Their relationship had settled back into its comfortable pattern of conversation like before but there were some definite changes because of the ribbon incident. There had been a subtle undercurrent of something running through their interactions ever since.

Alamar shrugged. “Show interest in her world. She and Katie talk about it a lot.”

The advice was simple, straightforward, and something he had been planning to do anyway. He could make that work.

Every day once the training sessions were wrapped up, Blaise went to eat dinner with Abby and her family. His desire to know more about her only intensified the more she told him. She had led such a fascinating life before coming here and even now continued to try and recreate as much as possible.

He wanted to help her with that, he really did. He had already decided to stay here and take on a commander position to see her beautiful face every day and listen to her tell stories. Her world was more fascinating than anything he could see traveling.

A few of the other Warriors teased him about where he went every day after training was over. Many of them didn’t venture into town often because they had no interest in setting down roots here.

Kel and a few others visited the bakery frequently because the food there was better than the rations they normally got at camp. Sometimes they would hang out with some of the Kanta men they got friendly with during training. Other times they would try to get invited to dinner at pretty girls’ houses.

There was a lot of flirting going on but only Kel and Mitzi seemed to be making any real progress. He had already been to her house about six times.

Barracks were divided up by rank so he and Blaise were in the same tent. One night after everyone else was asleep, Kel sighed dreamily. Presumably his dinner date had gone well.

“Mitzi’s uncle likes me, I can tell. He and his sons run one of the mines around here and we spent a while talking about that before playing a strange game called Sorry with Mitzi and her aunt. Have you heard of it?”

“I’ve played it before,” Blaise replied tiredly.

“Right, I forgot who I was talking to. You spend all of your time with the sister of the woman who invented it. Those two really are quite amazing. You cannot go anywhere in town without hearing their names linked with praise.

“The clan leader knew what he was doing when he chose his wife. She is the perfect power behind the throne to lead the Kanta into the next generation. I only met her once but she left quite an impression.”

Kel yawned before continuing. “I am thinking of proposing to Mitzi at the end of harvest celebration. I want to get married before we go to Raisha so I can bring her with me.”

Blaise was startled. So soon? They had only been spending time with each other for about a month. He couldn’t help but compare that timeframe to the one Abby had once described. Mitzi was barely of a marriageable age here but would still be considered a child in Abby’s homeland.

His logic made sense though. If he didn’t marry her before going to Raisha they would be separated for a year and a half.

With a frown, Blaise realized the same would apply to him but there was no way he would be able to convince Abby to marry him so quickly. They may have been spending a lot of time together but he had yet to say anything about his feelings.

Sometimes he got the feeling that he might be special to her in some way by the way she smiled at him. But the moment would pass and he would remember that she smiled that brightly at her family too.

“What about you?” Kel asked sleepily. “Has Abby realized you are trying to court her yet?”

Blaise sighed. “No. She has not.”

“You would think going to her house every day would clue her in.”

Perhaps, but she thought differently because of where she was from. She might see this as regular friend behavior. He needed to ‘step up his game’ as Alamar would say. He had gotten that phrase from his wife.

“I cannot afford to rush things with her. She thinks differently,” he replied somewhat defensively. “I have to work at her pace.”

“If you say so. But be sure you have made your feelings clear before the mission is over. That way she will not have to worry that you may be going back to Shibatsu without her,” Kel advised. “I am going to sleep now. Goodnight.”

“Good night.”

Kel had an excellent point. If she did truly care for him, Abby could very well worry about him leaving again when the time came for the rest of the band of Warriors to go home.

Blaise had already made his choice—he would spend the remainder of his life here with her if she would have him—but she didn’t know that. He would have to convince her of his feelings somehow before that time came, which could be difficult considering all the time he would have to spend in Raisha.

She was too firmly entrenched in life here to be convinced to follow him. He would be lucky if she occasionally visited with Alamar when he came to check up on things.