Episode 16

The fountain spray was like a mist, clinging around Alec as her body shook. The pain, the shock - she couldn't believe she fell for a textbook cliche.

A hand stroked her hair back.

"Oh, Sabriye ... " she wept, turned, and buried her face into the person's shoulder. It was only after a few seconds did she realize the body was harder than Sabriye's.

Alec looked at up, straight at black hair, black eyes and a worried expression. The person shrank back a little, as if uncertain of what she would do.

"Yuki," she spluttered. "F-fancy you cat-catching me like this."

Yuki stared at her, as if calculating something tedious in his head. Then his features cleared, and he leant forward, sifting his hand through the hair plastered to her wet face and tucking it behind her ears.

"What happened?" he asked.

Alec nearly frowned. Could she trust him? Nobody knew him well, so she guessed he wouldn't splurge anything out.

"Ta-Taylor." she said, body shaking as she spoke.

"He did something bad to you?" he asked.

"He ch-cheated on me,"

"How?"

The question took Alec by surprise. Surely Yuki couldn't be that ignorant? And yet there those black eyes bored into hers, questioning.

"A g-girl," she whispered. "He asked a g-girl out af-after ag-agreeing to g-go with me."

Yuki frowned. "That doesn't feel right." he declared, after giving it some thought. "It's unfair to you. Both of you had already arranged a time. It was very unhonourable for him to backstab."

Alec managed a laugh. "Y-yeah," she said. "It kinda sucks."

Silence by the fountain. Yuki had a brow furrowed, thinking hard.

"Can i comfort you?" he asked.

"Urm," she said, looking confused, "Okay."

Some more silence. A cloud drifted over the moon, blocking it out.

"How?"

This time Alec looked at him, questioning.

"I've never been faced with such a situation before." he admitted, hand up.

"Y-you can start by putting your arm around me?" she suggested, for jest more than anything else.

Yuki wrapped an arm around her body, extremely stiff, as if scared to touch her.

"Relax." Alec said.

He did so, and Alec moved closer beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder. They stayed like that, Alec drying her eyes.

"Your hair feels nice. Is this supposed to feel nice?"

Alec nodded from his shoulder. "It usually is."

The moon came out from behind the clouds, bathing them once again in silver.

*

The dance wore on, Ceri being there just as a wallflower. He had been asked to dance by some very drunk girls, probably a result of the beer Ross had 'accidentally' spilled into the punch bowl. Ceri stuck to soda. Ross had gone back to sleep. One by one the singles flitted away into the night, to sleep, and to fantasize about other people's dates.

Soon, only Ceri and Sabriye sat together, out of the way of the sea of couples swaying to music.

"Still looking for Alec?" he asked.

"Yeah."

They both looked out at the tranquility of the hall. It seemed so peaceful, as if the truce really was rock solid. Only the drone of a faraway scout plane reminded them they were still clinging to a dream - a period between wars.

"How long before we start fighting again?" Ceri asked, sighing.

"Not now, hopefully."

"No, i don't mean us. How long before we start fighting in a war again?"

"Oh," Sabriye turned and studied his face.

"The truce's lasted for a decade. Maybe it'll last for another?" she suggested.

"You think?" Ceri said. Their ops were increasingly more dangerous, as if Gillian was keen to speed up their training. News of distant technological marvels, and the scent of powerful magic carried by the wind from Black Moon were all increasingly worrisome signs that something big was about to happen.

"No," she said, looking down. "It won't last."

This depressing thought made them continue to look out at the happy couples. All of us here have been affected by this stupid war one way or another, Ceri thought. When will it ever stop?

A slow number came on. Ceri caught sight of Taylor and a snobbish looking girl leaving the hall.

"Shall we dance?" Sabriye asked, looking nervous.

Ceri raised an eyebrow. "You took too much punch?"

Sabriye smiled. "You wish. i'm doing you a favour."

"Nobody asked you to dance, that's why."

"The girls that asked you were all drunk!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

They looked away. But Ceri quickly turned back at her.

"You sure about wanting to dance?

"If you dance as bad as you spar - yeah, why not?"

Ceri frowned and held out his hand. Sabriye took it.


Taylor's blog extract
On the way back to Callie's room, i saw Yuki and Alec together at a fountain. I stared at Callie, who hadn't noticed, and then at them. Something felt wrong.

WTF?




Sabriye's blog extract
Something is wrong with the world tonight. I asked him for a dance. And although the dance was horrible, what he said (very little) about war wasn't. Is there more to him than the idiot he is?





Ceri's blog extract
I don't like her.

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