As the name left the person's lips, something within him got stirred. His eyes begun to see the very nature, structure, and essence of the person like a movie scene.
"Hey! Don't you remember me?" Still unable to recorgnize the actual person, he stood still, frozen, even to the extent of forgetting where he was heading.
'Leo… Leo… Leo…'
The name repeated itself in his mind countless times as he tried to remember the exact place he heard it for the first time.
Then the grip on his shoulder stiffened, as if the person wanted to rip out his very bone.
"Wait! Let me clear the black substance on my face. Maybe that's what's making you not see me well."
Laughter rolled from his mouth, forcing him to bend while holding his stomach—like an act of pain gashing in his abdomen. Joy filled the air as they both laughed—a kind of laugh only shared by long-lost friends. Immediately the person's face became slightly clearer.
Their warm laugh filled the space around them, making the crowd turn in confusion. In the blink of an eye, the laugh had transcended. The crowd now carried the laughter, nurturing it with joy, grooming it with great happiness as they welcomed both of them to join the cross-hand circle that had been arranged closer to the fire.
"How come you came here without informing me?" Leo whispered while clearing the black substance from his palm as he lashed it onto his chest.
"I was just carried by a musical note in the wind while enjoying the peaceful view of the sky."
As they danced, raising their legs in tune with the crowd, Leo and Oliver couldn't follow the pattern in their leg movement, so they stood for a while.
"Why don't we go to where the foods are..." Looking at the flourishing arrangement of foods, Leo whispered.
Without finishing his statement, his body was already turned in the direction of the tables.
"I am taking the lead..." His voice vanished little by little as the crowd's noise covered the air.
'Hmm, this guy and ladies, when will he put a stop to it'
Since there were blossom ladies with strong bodies and soft skin sitting on the edges of the table, with their arms stretched in support of their hanged bodies.
Leo couldn't resist, focusing his gaze at the partially slipped breast—its upper skin glittering as the rays of the fire caught it. Licking his lips in an aroused manner as he moved, all he could think of was to get hold of the well-fixed, soft, and delicate round silk meat hiding in the sleeve at the edges of the table.
'I think I have to get a good one today…'
"See, he's moving in our direction..."
Turning her head to the other ladies sparked laughter as they watched the strong, soldier-like bodybuilder walking towards them.
"Lysandra! Look at his shoulders, OMG..."
Blushing as they admired his fatigue, Leo could see the change in their movement as the distance became shorter.
'How should I start the conversation?'
Wearing a pretenders smile on his cheeks and palms placed at his jaw—scratching it for answers—he paused as he pretended to be looking for something.
'Yes...!' I've got it...
With so much joy, his pretense nearly got caught by the three ladies charming him, as it was just left with a microsecond for him to jump in excitement.
Closing his eyes in a cunning style. He moved with confidence, leading him to make his first shot.
'Um, um...'
With all the confidence he had gathered, standing tall and ready to speak, he suddenly found himself unable to continue. The sharp eyes of the third lady locked onto his, and it caught him off guard.
Her stare was intense, almost threatening—like something that could cut through him if he said the wrong thing. It wasn't just intimidating; it was unsettling. His words got stuck in his throat, and he swallowed hard, so hard that it made him choke a little. All because of the way she looked at him.
"Do you need water...?"
The question came from the very lady he admired and desired, her voice soft and calm, almost too gentle for the situation. It wasn't just the words—it was how she said them while moving her body. There was something in her tone that reached him unexpectedly, like it touched a side of him he wasn't used to showing. His expression changed so quickly—from stunned to awkward to almost childlike—that the three ladies couldn't hold back their laughter. They laughed so hard it echoed, giving rise to the branches of the trees, even making the fine-ass lady walking by with a spearlike wooden stick raise her eyebrows and let out a little chuckle of her own.
"Oooh… did she just smile at me? And with that look?" Leo's breath caught for a second. Her eyes had flicked toward him—just briefly—but it was enough. Message received.
He couldn't stop staring. His eyes were locked on hers, openly curious, maybe a little too direct. She caught it, and her head dipped, chin brushing her shoulder, the shy curve of a smile tugging at her lips.
"I'm… Lysandra," she said quietly. Her voice was low and soft, but there was effort behind it—like she had to push the words past a tight throat. Leo's intense, triangle-like gaze clearly wasn't making it easy.
"Lysandra… That's a beautiful name," Leo said, stepping forward and extending his hand. "I'm Leo."
She glanced down at his open palm—hesitated—then slowly reached out and placed her hand in his. Her touch was light, uncertain, like she hadn't planned on it. His grip was warm and firm but not forceful.
Before he could say more, another voice slid into the space between them—gentle, but with a teasing sharpness.
"Lysandra… Are you going to introduce us to your new friend?" The girl asked, her tone laced with mischief.
"This is Virelle," Lysandra replied, stepping slightly aside.
"Virelle," Leo repeated, smiling as he turned to her. "That's not a name I hear every day… No wonder. It fits. You wear it like it's carved into you."
He took her hand. Her skin was cool and smooth, her fingers relaxed in his. His eyes flicked down—then up—his tongue briefly wetting his lips as he let go.