Foxtails and Fairytales: Facades and Fables of the Phantom Prince

[Arc 11] Ch. 7 Delicious Smiles

Minerva

It's so stupid and wonderful, the more I pay attention to little things the more obvious it's become. It's probably because this is the first time that I've ever seen his guard down. As Hyde or Sebas.

How had I managed to find him? Out of everyone in the entire school, out of all the people in the world... how had I managed to fall in love with him twice over? Was it fate? I can't say. But I don't want this date to end prematurely because I called him out on it. I have until midnight.

Can I make him fall in love with me?

By my own merits...

I suppose I should be nervous, and I won't lie that I am. But for some reason knowing he is both Hyde and Sebas has put some of my worst anxieties to rest. He just makes me feel so safe. I can do this... I have to.

"Everything, huh? Can you give me somewhere to start?" Hyde asked as we moved through the crowd while I hugged his arm.

"Since we are hungry h-how about favorite kinds of food?" I stuttered even though my I thought I had my nerves under control I guess I am still pretty excited.

Hyde stifled a laugh. "I suppose this is where I say, 'anything mom used to make' or 'granny's homemade cookies.' But my childhood wasn't so simple. I never met my grandparents, war and other things took them from me. After being raised as a minor noble, circumstances forced me into traveling abroad."

I noted the similarities. Sebas's grandfather was killed by my grandfather. As for his grandmothers, it is common knowledge that the power struggles of the foxes don't allow many to die of old age.

"After traveling I discovered many new and interesting ways to view not only magic and life, but also food." He smiled as we made our way to the set of streets set up for selling food. "Which means the shortest answer is that I like all foods, but especially new ones."

He pulled me to one of the stalled and ordered two of something. then he handed me a piece of rolled flatbread filled with pasta, vegetables, and some kind of sauce I was unfamiliar with.

"What is this?" I asked as he led me away before I could take a bite.

"I don't know!" he grinned. His smile... it was so natural and honest. Had I ever seen his honest smile directed at me like this? My heart went into overdrive in reaction.

"Huh?" I made a noise. I was somewhat confused by the honest admission that he didn't know something. He always had an answer for everything, the part of me that was convinced he was wise beyond all shadow of doubt was unable to comprehend this development.

"The adventure is in finding out, don't you think? Maybe it's good. Maybe it's not made for our taste buds." He faced me. He held his up and touched it to mine for a toast. "Cheers!"

I was compelled to follow his lead. I raised the strange food to my mouth and noticed the odd smell too late. Something was warm, something was cold, there was also a crunch I hadn't expected. And to make matters worse its taste was truly foul. This sauce was a foreign fermented substance I couldn't understand, the meat was cold, the vegetables were hot, and the bread was soggy. I couldn't help but make a face and I looked at Hyde.

He had a mouthful and was stifling a laugh in response to the taste. He chewed once and I heard it crunch which only made me want to spit mine up too. Then he spit it out on top of where he took a bite and laughed. "That was not a good use of cold noodles and fried mystery meat." He laughed.

It was a hearty and crisp laugh of genuine enjoyment. Even in the face of something we both agreed was terrible he was so bright. It was like his very presence healed my heart after being so damaged for so long. Although we were both wearing some kind of disguising mask, he knew it was me he was smiling in front of.

Maybe this is what the Hostess was talking about when she said, you can meet someone new even if you already knew them. The perfect Sebas, the imperfect Hyde, the prince I knew and the Phantom prince I'd only heard about. Wrapped up into this person in front of me.

The real Sebas. Able to show his true self from behind the safety of a mask. At least that is what I think. It's what I hope for. It's what I'm falling in love with all over again.

"Don't worry about it. Let's try everything and only fill our bellies with the best." He held his hand out to take my food item which woke me from my stupor, and I followed his example. After spitting it out he threw them away in a garbage and took my hand.

"It was so gross." I giggled. I could still taste the heinous thing and remember the odd texture. But it couldn't compare to the feeling of him taking my hand. It was so warm, and I couldn't help but feel like I was flying. At last I wasn't being left behind. I wasn't feared, I wasn't hated, I wasn't reviled. And best of all, I could feel that he wasn't forcing himself to please me. He wanted to be here, with me.

"Okay, but this is the best part." Hyde pulled me over to a brightly colored stand. He squeezed through the crowded and returned with two skewers with something dipped in chocolate. "For every gross thing, you reward yourself with something you know is delicious. Here, try a bite, but be careful of it spilling."

Hyde held his hand under his skewer and took a bite off the top at an angle. I mirrored him and was rewarded with not only the wholesome flavor of chocolate but also the bliss of some sweet acidic yellow citrus fruit underneath. It was the perfect blend sweet and bitter, and the flavor completely washed away the bad flavor of the first food.

"The yellow fruit is called a pineapple and it only grows in certain tropical climates." Hyde explained. "Because this is such an influential port town, they have access to many exotic goods. Events like these also help sell and promote unfamiliar ones. It's not just the students who come for this festival, many people from all over show up for the party."

"It's delicious." I couldn't help but take another bite. I also couldn't take my eyes off of him. This was a completely different experience than the awkward teasing that we underwent with Meela. It was fun, genuinely fun. I can't really remember the last time I couldn't even chew properly because I was smiling so much.

"It's good, huh?" Hyde bragged. "So Red, what is your favorite food? Do you like salty, sweet, spicy-"

"Spicy! Anything with meat and might burn your tongue off." I declared almost too excited to care that I had shouted it. I was completely swept up in his energy.

"Then let's find something spicy." He said peeking over the crowd.

Hyde guided me to a stall where they had fried meat dipped in red sauce. The owner wrapped it in a leaf of lettuce with white grains. When I took a bite, I was in heaven. The sauce had a potent flavor, but the fluffy white grains gave it substance while the crunch from the lettuce felt like it belonged rather than being some alien sensation. The whole thing was warm and tasty. With the pleasant burn I began sweating and finished it before I could announce how wonderful it was.

Hyde muscled through it, and although he admitted it was good, but he wasn't as good with the extreme spiciness and we found a drink stand to slake our thirst. I giggled when he ordered a second drink of something called a 'smoothie' and he suffered through several 'Ice cream headaches.'