The tall gentleman and the little bookworm

[Peyton]

It was a beautiful day in South City, Amestris. The birds sang, people chattered as they walked down the streets, and everything was peaceful that sunny Saturday afternoon. A young woman with fiery red hair was making her way down the sidewalk. She was trying to find a particular shop that specialized in alchemy texts. She needed one for research and her personal collection.

But, the complicated part was that she wasn't from South City. She was from East City and didn't know her way around. She wandered and wandered, trying to find that darned shop. Oh how she loathed traveling alone sometimes. Her sense of direction, even with maps, was very poor.

"Hnng, damn it where's that book shop!?" She muttered angrily to herself.

She turned a corner and waited for the traffic lights to show the white man, to show that she was allowed to walk. As she started to cross, someone who was blatantly ignoring the sign was about to zoom right through. This, however, was not to her knowledge. She assumed she was safe to cross.

[Sec Invidia]

Ah, a splendid day for a stroll. Sec had found his way from Pirate Island to the streets of South City's main landmass rather quickly, as the Sun had been far too warm and pleasant for the opportunity to be passed up. Besides this fact, he also had to pick up one of his many suits from the dry cleaner's, so he had a mission in mind as well. But of course, that mission could wait, as he walked down a sidewalk. He received a few strange glances as he walked, but not as many as when the pirates had first come to South; the general populace had become far too accustomed to him by then, to really notice, so it was only a small number of South City residents and tourists who stared up at the impossibly tall man, wondering if stilts were hidden within his slacks and platform shoes.

But they'd be proven wrong on that account relatively soon; as he walked down a street, he was about to turn onto a crosswalk, when he noticed a car barreling towards the crosswalk, and the lady walking in front of him, despite the sign. Moving quickly, in that mechanical way of his, he strode fast across the road, sweeping the woman up from where she stood, moving to the other lane of the road, just in time to hear the swoosh of a passing car, as a beer bottle fell from the driver's window, shattering just inches from the pair, whose clothes were swept up in the wind a little. Allowing the woman to stand properly again, he gestured for her to cross the road before another car came, as he did the same. Turning to her, he spoke, in that calm, nearly monotone, voice of his. "That was rather close, was it not? Are you alright, madam? Alcohol and fast cars should never mix, and that's precisely why..." Shaking his head, he looked down the road to see the out-of-control car topple a fire hydrant, spewing water sky-high. Some people... Oi...

[Peyton]

Everything was a blur at that point. One moment she had been crossing the road, the next she was in the arms of some stranger. She then noticed a car zoom straight past them. "Oh god I could have been a stain on the pavement," She said to herself in her mind.

As they both traveled to the other side, she got a glimpse of her savior. He was... SO TALL. He was a giant! And here she was, just this itty bitty girl. This certainly intimidated her, but she kept the feelings of intimidation to herself and walked onto the safety of the sidewalk.

"That was rather close, was it not? Are you alright, madam? Alcohol and fast cars should never mix, and that's precisely why..." She heard the tall man say as they reached safety.

"Uh t-thank you! You saved my life! I don't even know how I could ever repay you!" She suddenly blurted out.

She blushed and quickly shut her mouth. It was so unlike her to suddenly shout at people she didn't even know like that. But she couldn't help it, this extremely tall and wonderful person had saved her from becoming part of the pavement. She had to say something!

[Sec Invidia]

As he pulled off such a magnanimous rescue as this, Sec hadn't had time to exactly get a good look at she whom he had saved, only knowing that she was a red-head, and shorter than he, which really meant nothing, as "shorter than he" could mean anything from 4'6" to 7'2", or anything less than 7'10", considering he was wearing his platforms and hat, both of which added a few inches to his already insane height. Really, they weren't necessary. He wore the hat because it went with the suit, and because it looked nice, a little sharper, slightly less casual. But as for the shoes, he had no real explanation for them. Or rather, he once had one, and no longer did. Back in his days as a bodyguard, at the shocking age of fifteen, maybe fourteen, he'd only been 6'5", still an impressive height, but not as filled with lean, almost unnoticeable muscle as he currently bore. As such, he took to wearing his four inch platforms, to bring him up to a slightly bigger 6'9", to look more intimidating. By the time he hit his next growth spurt, booming quickly to a huge 7'3", he'd become accustomed to wearing the things, and didn't stop.

No matter, no matter, his mind returned to the present from its brief pondering of the past; he did that a lot, actually... As he did such, he heard a voice, and looked down to the woman. The first time he'd really seen her yet, he noted she looked young, not much older than eighteen, with a light complexion and a number of freckles. While not exactly what most men would consider hot or sexy, she was a rather pretty girl; or at least, most men would think such. As it happened, Sec had no real opinion as to her physical attractiveness, as he really wasn't like most men; he essentially had the sex drive of an asexual rock, which had taken many pledges of abstinence and chastity and such. Not that he couldn't be attracted to a girl, just that it took some time, and work, on her part. But of course, he was always a gentleman, so the usual apathetic awkwardness of his type of person were absent.

Smiling at her rather enthusiastic gratitude, he nodded. "You are most certainly welcome, madam. As for repaying me, I require nothing of the sort; I'm sure anyone would have done the same." Ehh... Not likely, but he was modest, and humble, so it was an acceptable assumption. In reality, most people would have waited for her to get hit, THEN tried to help... Ah well. Taking a rather low bow, still with a polite smile, he took her hand into his own, and in the gentlemanly ways that he'd been taught as a youth, he kissed the top of her hand, a rather brief, unremarkable kiss, of course, and stood. "My name is Secundinasci Amor Invidia. It is a pleasure to meet you, milady. Pray tell, what may your name be?" Somehow, his every word held a touch of 1800s formality to it, most would note. Not to mention the quite formal class with which he spoke, and always the slight Cretan accent, adding just a touch of poshness to his words, most of which were, as were some of his mannerisms, an anachronism to the time, in this modern age where chivalry has died and gone, replaced by casual greetings and a lack of respect for others, and for tradition. Ahh, yes, he truly didn't belong in such time as this... No matter, no matter... Returning to his original question,a bit of concern showing on his face now, he spoke once more. "At any rate, miss, are you alright, now?"

[Peyton]

She felt her face grow incredibly hot as his soft lips touched her slender hand. Her brain was screaming! This very very tall man, who was a gentleman and pretty good looking, had just saved her life AND kissed her hand! These kinds of things NEVER happened to her! Especially her!

Her heart beat rapidly as she stood there frozen, unsure of what to do. Time seemed to stop as he kissed her hand and slowly pulled away. Peyton was having a mini heart attack, it felt as if her blood pumping organ was going to explode!

"My name is Secundinasci Amor Invidia. It is a pleasure to meet you, milady. Pray tell, what may your name be?" She heard him state with a kind smile.

It took her a few moments to process what she had been asked seeing as she was still in shock, but she managed to choke out an answer.

"M-my name! Yes uh my name is Peyton Powers!" She quickly answered.

Oh god, now her body was almost trembling. This was so embarrassing and unlike her!

"At any rate, miss, are you alright, now?" She heard him ask in that polite way of his.

"Y-yes I'm fine! Thank you very much!"

But slowly as reason worked its way back into her brain, she realized he was just being nice. It was nothing special, he probably would have done it for anyone. Her heart rate slowed and some of the heat on her face disappeared. That was right, she was nothing special. Just a crippled girl with no significance to anyone. She wasn't pretty. She wasn't funny. She wasn't charismatic. Nothing special. Now she felt stupid for jumping to these ridiculous conclusions.

Suddenly she remembered she needed directions to the book shop that sold the book she wanted. Maybe he knew? Well it was worth a shot.

"Uh, you wouldn't happen to know where this bookshop is do you?" She asked him as she dug out a piece of paper with the name of the bookshop on it and handed it to him.

[Csilla Angelis]

{BUMP}

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