AN: Hey all! I noticed that the Rune Factory section could use a little more yaoi, so I wrote some~! Feel free to review, I don't mind if I did something wrong and you point it out, or if you point out something that I could improve on. I'm not perfect and I never claimed to be. Anyway, read, hopefully enjoy, and have a nice day~!

It seemed like the dramatic tension was thick as the town's young men casually ate lunch together. Doug and Dylas had been staring each other down since the meal began, so it was only a matter of time before one of them made the first move. Such a scene was common, and yet there was always an air of excitement just before an argument. For now though, the others all tried to act natural.

"Forte's been shining her armour a lot more than usual lately." Keil said thoughtfully. "I think she's been trying to catch someone's attention."

"Really?" Vishnal said attentively. "Who is it?"

Kiel finished his mouthful of cake and said, "It's probably Le-" He stopped as he saw the fox's ears twitch. "I mean, that's a secret. She'd probably kill me if I told you she has a crush on Leon." There was a heavy silence then, and everyone glanced over to Doug and Dylas. Their eyes were still locked even though their food was gone. The tension was rising, but the others thought it best to continue acting natural.

To break the silence, Arthur took off his glasses as if to present them, looking like a proud father. "Lately I've been so busy that I thought I had misplaced these, but yesterday I realised I was wearing them the whole time."

Leon rolled his eyes, and no one else seemed particularly interested in Arthur's glasses talk. Only Vishnal seemed to shudder at the memory of trying to find a specific pair in the midst of literally thousands. Doug and Dylas remained silent. The tension had grown so heavy that even Porcoline peered out from behind the stack of clean plates that never made it to their tables just to see what would happen.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Vishnal nervously cleared his throat and looked around at everyone at the table. His duty as a butler made him want to rid this outing of the unnecessary tension. "So anyway-" but he was abruptly cut off.

"You only won that last festival because you cheated!" Doug declared finally with a forceful slam of his fist against the table. Everyone except Leon jolted up from being startled by the sudden clang. Dylas was ready to counter.

"I won because I'm better than you!"

"Yeah right! You have to resort to cheap, sneaky, underhanded tactics!"

"Your aim just sucks!"

"What did you say?"

Apparently the two were still bickering about yesterday's Turnip Festival. Doug was first up and got an amazing score. He remained in first all day until Dylas beat his score by a small margin. Doug complained that Dylas had more golden turnips thrown at him, and they had been arguing ever since.

At least the atmosphere had returned to normal and all the tension was gone. Everyone went back to their casual conversations despite the belligerent arguing.

Just then, Frey entered looking distressed and also oddly energetic. She seemed to light up when she saw all of the town's eligible bachelors in one spot and approached. "Hey guys!" She said with a smile. "I just noticed that I need a warrior's proof for this weapon I'm making. So, who wants to help?"

Of course no one jumped at the chance. The Leon Karnak was a dangerous place after all. There were a fair number of excuses thrown around, until Leon stoop up nonchalantly and said simply, "I'll do it."

These simple words delighted Frey, but of course the mischievous Leon wasn't done yet. He raised his voice slightly and continued, "after all, only the strongest of us could accompany you to such a dangerous place." A smug smile graced his face after he said that. Anyone passing by could easily see the confidence Leon had naturally, but that confidence had nothing to do with his strength. No, his arrogance had all to do with his ability to understand the human condition.

His words had the desired effect, as both Doug and Dylas turned their attention to Frey. Leon's assertion got their attention and hit just the right nerve to spark their rivalry. In unison, and with an almost aggressive certainty, shouted out "I'll go!" They then glared at each other and then raced to her side. Their eyes locked again, and the bickering began once more.

"Stay here dwarf, you'll only get in the way."

"I can handle myself just fine horse boy! Once we're done, we'll call you to pull the cart or something."

"What? You think you're stronger than me?"

"You're no steed, that's for sure." Doug said with a toothy grin.

"Guys, please!" Frey interjected, comically stepping in between them. "I could use all the help I can get. So uh, you both can come with me, if you want." Her voice was uneasy, and it was obvious. She didn't know if bringing them both was a good idea or not.

"Great, I'll find it first." Doug asserted, puffing out his chest and drawing his sword.

"We'll see about that." Dylas said, readying his gloves.

Frey only sighed. "All right, let's get going." And with that, they were off.

Silence fell over the restaurant. Leon took a seat and continued eating as if nothing happened. Kiel appeared to be distressed. "I hope they don't stay angry. They should keep a cool head or they might get hurt."

Leon shrugged. "At least it's quite now."

AN: That's it for the prologue! Come back tomorrow for the official chapter 1! Same fic site! Same fic writer!