You don't know me, do you?

Ping had started to walk back to the tree coming from Eris's temple: her long feminine dress, the long hair so well arranged, the make up... she felt so different... and she kept turning the ring Eris gave her on her finger: thanks to it, nobody could recognize her... Coming back to the tree, Ping changed her mind and walked instead toward the waterfalls: she wanted to see her reflection once again and... because... well, it was the place where her and Tulio went together so many times... it was kinda their place... maybe... maybe he was there...

Tulio was sitting by the waterfalls, admirering the water as it fell with such force to the ground.
His adventures with Jane had been amazing, and the vulcano was truely a beautiful sight, but he would always prefer the waterfalls. They were his favorite place on the whole island, he could tell without even knowing the whole island.
He slowly took off his shoes and socks before he let his feet into the water, feeling the warm water surrounding him.
He closed his eyes, just enjoying the quiet moment alone.

When she reached the waterfalls, she immediatly noticed Tulio: he was there, with his feet in the river, his face kissed by the sun... she breathed deeply: he couldn't recognize her... she had nothing to loose... slowly she walked toward the river, toward him even if she made it seem like she was walking only toward the water...

Tulio turned when he heard the rusling of grass behind him, as if someone was coming towards him.
For a split moment he had hoped it was Rose, hoped so that he could hold her close once again and caress her lips with new, soft kisses. Hoped that he could apologize for the way he acted last time... but it wasn't her.
Instead, a girl he had never seen was walking towards him, or rather, the water it seemed.
"Hello, fair maiden," he said with a crooked grin. Deep down he was suspicious of her, he had not seen her at the beach that first day of their arrival, so he knew for a fact that she had not been on the ship. So where did she come from..?

She stopped only when she had reached the river, her feet still on the bank. When Tulio smiled to her and greeted her, she smiled back widely feeling her heart beating faster "Hello" she replied laconical, looking at him. Only for a moment her glance went to her own reflection: the long green dress, the long black hair down on the shoulders, the make up that highlighted her eyes and her lips... she looked... pretty... but... would have Tuio thought so?

She looked gorgeous, and only looking at her made him feel like he needed to control himself.
He had Rose now, and no one else in the whole universe mattered to him. Only her. When he thought about it, he couldn't help but resent the last moment they had spent together and how it had ended. He was dying to get back to her to make everything good again. He had just been so upset over that kiss... maybe he had overreacted.
"What can I owe the pleasure of your company?" he asked and smiled charmingly at her.
She seemed so innocent and naive, and he could not understand what she could be doing her.
Also, the last few times he had come here alone, he had never seen anyone else around. Only him.

She kept smiling to him, looking at his face with her cheek barely red. "I wanted to have a walk... and i think that this place is so beautiful..." she replied shyly: it was difficult focus on what to say, without stutter, and looking his face... suddenly she realized that her voice in that moment sounded sweeter then usual... and she didn't even do it on porpouse...

He smiled back at her, but couldn't help but wonder why she looked like that. They had barely even met, surely she could not be blushing for his sake? Maybe she was just shy around strangers, or maybe just men.
Tulio stood up and quickly took her hand in his before he bowed down and kissed it gently, hoping this would help her get over her shyness. He would cause her no harm, and she needn't be afraid in his company. He could never judge a beautiful woman.
"Forgive me my rudeness, my name is Tulio," he said in a soft, charming voice, waiting to hear her name.

When he took her hand in his own hand she couldn't help but blush even more, feeling her heart that was beating so fast that it could explode! She smiled to him again at his phrase "Tulio... is really a beautiful name" she replied, biting her lips

He straightened his back and let go of her hand, but still kept his charming crooked smile.
"You needn't worry, my dear," he laughed softly. "I mean you no harm, quite the contrary," he said softly and smiled reassuringly at her. What was she so awfully scared of? It also hit him she hadn't told him her name.
"Won't you grace me with a name to fit such a beautiful face?" he asked softly, hoping she wouldn't deny him at least that.

She kept smiling to him, it was like she couldn't stop to: at his phrase she shaked softly her head "I'm not scared... i'm just not really used to stay with... men..." she replied almost honestly.
When she asked her name she kept herself to show a worried and surprised expression! The name! But she couldn't tell him her name... "My name is... Mulan" she replied in the end, with a new smile and a little bow

"A beautiful name for a beautiful lady," he laughed softly and turned, once again, to sit by the water. He was simply happy she had chosen to share her name with him. It sounded unusual, much like herself, so he supposed it fit.
"Do you come here often?" he couldn't help himself but ask, he couldn't shake the feeling of wanting to see her again.

She smiled again whispering softly a 'thanks' at his phrase, then, when he sitted by the water, she raised a bit her dress and slip away from her shoes, sitting next to him but not close enough to actually touch him, and let her feet go in the water, keeping her dress a bit above the ankles to not let it wet "Sometimes... i do like this place, is so quiet, and the water is so beautiful..."

He couldn't help but smile amused to himself as he really took in what she was wearing. She was truely beautiful, there was no question about it, but he had never understood the female gender's obsession with fine clothing or makeup.
In his opinion women were far more beautiful in their own comfortable skin with comfortable clothing.
"It sure is," he agreed as he looked at the falling waterdrops, amazed at the shear power of the fall as well as the beauty.

While he looked at the falls, she looked furtively at him: there surely was something beautiful there, but she wasn't thinking to the water, nor to the nature...
It was so beautiful stay there with him, by his side... and his glance on her... it was a dream came reality, litterally, and it had been even more beautiful than in her dreams!
Her dreams... only think to her last dream made her blush again and she tried to hide her face turning on the other side

"If you don't stop that heavy blushing, I might draw the conclusion you have fallen for me already," he laughed, only teasing her of course. He did not believe his own words, it was absurd that a woman could fall that fast. It took time for a heart to start flutter. Attraction maybe, but a woman could not simply fall that easily.

She laughed softly, still a bit of red on her cheeks "Well, maybe i have" she replied teasingly. Where was coming from all that self-confidence? She had never been able to joke in that way... she felt so different in that moment, and it didn't even matter. All it mattered in that moment... was him...

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. It was true that he had started it, but most women would find it highly inappropriate to joke about something like that. He was not even sure if she was telling the truth or teasing him anymore.
He quickly snapped out of it, and shook the expression of his face before laughing softly.
"Had you only said that a few days before, I might just have been kissing your feet by now," he laughed, but made it clear he was serious. Before he had gotten with Rose, he would have been all over this new, gorgeous girl.
But after his engagement to her, everything had changed...

She felt her heart loose a beat at his reply: she couldn't even understand if it had been because of the idea that Tulio found her attractive or because of the disappointment it was too late for her. She however felt to die a bit inside, knowing that her and Tulio... oh well, but she wasn't even interested in it... it was just an experiment... she wasn't even herself in that moment! It was just... a game! Yes, a game! Her expression should have seemed surprised, thought deep inside more than surprised was disappointed, then, smiling again teasingly, she replied "Then what a pity i haven't met you a few days ago..." she winked jokingly at him then she raised on her feet, making a step toward the shoes with the feet still wet

He couldn't understand the disappointment on her face, was she for real? He had only spoken a few sentences to her, and she had already fallen so hard, he was breaking her heart just like that? Tulio stared at her in disbelief and stood up when she did.
"Miss.. are you well?" he asked concerned, walking in front of her, stopping her from walking away.

"I'm fine" she replied with a new smile, tilting a bit her head like she was surprised by the question. Then she looked again at the shoes, trying to slip one of her feet into it but, because of the grass and the wet feet, she loose her balance, starting to fall...

Without hesitation, or even thinking of his action Tulio plummited forwards, grabbing Mulan as she fell to the ground, softening the fall for her. He had been too far away to simply stop her from falling, but he hoped she hadn't been hurt.
He vinced under her from the pain in his back, but quickly let his hands fall to her shoulder.
She was lying right on top of him, but he still couldn't see if she was hurt.
"Are you ok?" he asked quickly, hoping she hadn't hurt herself.

She looked at him surprised: her mind went blank for a second. "Y...yes... i'm fine... thank you" she replied low "I-i'm sorry... i'm so clumsy..." she continued bluching because of the embarass and looking elsewhere, still without even realizing that she should have raised now. How could she be such a stupid? Why was she so horribly clumsy? He had to think that she was an idiot...

She was lying on top of his naked chest, and feeling the warm touch of a woman made his heart speed up whether he liked it or not. He did not mean to be unfaithful to Rose, and he would not be either, but a man's lust could not be tamed so easily.
"It's ok," he smiled at her. "I'm just glad you're ok," he continued, waiting for her to get off of him.

His naked chest under him... it was... it was... it was totally inappropriate. As soon as she realized she was supposed to get up she did, and fastly "again, i'm... really sorry..." she said again in a weak voice, then, rasing on her feet, she felt a pain at her left ankle and she couldn't keep a grimace of pain while she moved the body's weight to the other leg. After all she wasn't that ok... but she could handle a bit of pain