The warm sun shone onto her face, inviting her eyes to finally open and wake her from her deep slumber. They twitched irritably but eventually succumbed to the gentle request due to the lack of an excuse to do otherwise.
Her vision cleared, and she caught the ray of light which struggled from her window through the slim slit between the curtains and across the soft wooden floor until it finally reached her face. It had a pleasant warmth, and Luccia wondered if the temperatures outside were just as nice. She would find that out, later.
Turning her head to the side she frowned in unpleasant surprise as her eyes met nothingness. She reached out her arm and ran her fingers along the smooth and silky sheets. They were cold upon her touch, the warmth of the body that used to lie in this spot beside her having vanished long ago. She averted her eyes from the dismayingly empty spot and moved her head upward to look at the ceiling.
It was painted in a soft yellow tone, and Luccia found herself liking it more with each morning she awoke to see it. She had been opposed to this colour at first, but in the bright mornings, when she saw the rays of the early sun dance across the ceiling in an attempt to chase away the shadows of the curtains, she loved it. Loved how the yellow went bright when touched by the sun, but was beautifully unobtrusive and calming when the sun left it. A nice pairing of colours.
She saw the dance of the sun intensifying and shortly after felt a breeze on her cheeks. She turned to look at the window again, this time looking through the thin curtains to see the open window behind. Riddel had probably been the one to open it, possibly hoping it would wake her.
Luccia watched the sunrays for a few moments more, then decided to get up. As she did, her look fell onto the clock on the wall opposite of the large bed. She saw the black arms point upward in front of a light blue background and didn’t need to be able to read the numbers to know it was almost noon. She had slept late again, a bad habit that grew harder with each day to get rid of. She had become lazy too, a fact that Riddel tried every day to talk her out of, telling her that it was fine for her not to do anything for a change.
For a change Riddel said, but the truth of her having done barely anything above sleeping and reading all these past days and weeks still got through to her. Vacations were vile things to make her feel so useless, especially self-set ones of undefined lengths. They nagged at her, telling her she was wasting her time dozing all day. But Riddel kept telling her she had earned it, and there was little arguing with someone as hard-headed as her. If only anyone beside Luccia would believe this.
The thought brought a smile to her face, one that she still found uncharacteristic and odd but Riddel insisted to be the most beautiful and irresistible smile in the whole wide world. They still heavily disagreed on this when it came up, which more often than not ended in fierce pillow fights and one of them being pinned down onto the bed defencelessly. Which happened to be Luccia most of the time, her dislike of hitting Riddel even with something as harmless as a pillow preventing her from a certain victory. Riddel didn’t seem to have similar reservations, though.
Finally finding her glasses on the bedside table, which by now undoubtedly bore the spiteful prints of her searching fingers, she put them on, blinking at the sudden clearness. Her eyes searched for the clock once more, confirming her earlier suspicions. It really was almost noon.
‘No wonder it’s so quiet outside.’, she mused, walking over to the window to take a look outside. Hardly anyone was to be seen, except of a pair of kids leaving the house two stories beneath her, laughing while passing a red and blue leather ball between their feet as they walked. She knew where they were heading, and it was a strangely relieving feeling. It was enough for her to know. She walked from the window through the doorframe of the bedroom which held no door. Riddel had said it was in the way. ‘As in “in the way of watching her whenever she slept”’, Luccia thought with a chuckle as she stepped into the living room, sitting down at a set table she knew to be Riddel’s doing as well.
She also found a note under the little basket with a few slices of bread in it, as she knew she would. Luccia smiled as she took it and brought it closer to her eyes to read it.
‘Today’s guess is eleven-fifty. I know I’m right, so don’t pretend it isn’t so. There’s a letter for you on your bedside table if you haven’t noticed. If it’s him again, just turn him down. That guy really doesn’t know what he’s asking of you. Get me at three. See ya.’
The note was short as always, but Luccia never failed to notice the emotions Riddel had put in it, in a fine layer underneath which only her trained eyes could see. They were hidden to unsuspecting eyes, but Luccia always saw them, cherishing their endless value. This playful language, with so much love and concern hidden in those few, simple words. It amazed her every morning anew, so much that she kept all those notes somewhere even Riddel didn’t know to look. In case this dream of hers should ever shatter, she would always have these notes, and a few letters Riddel had written her on the rare occasions when they had been apart, over the last four years. Which hadn’t happened especially often, due to the bond that had formed between them, which pulled them together like the force of gravity. But Luccia knew that the most beautiful things didn’t last forever. As much as she liked them to, as much as she longed for it. She didn’t like to think about it, today.
On her way back to the bedroom to look for the letter she had missed earlier, her hand brushed past the sheets on her desk. She always let her fingers slide across them as she passed, as if to confirm that they still existed, that they were still there, waiting for her. It calmed her to know this. The paper felt dry and slightly dusty, yearning for her touch. She had abandoned them for a while now, but she wasn’t ready yet. She needed more time.
She passed the desk and re-entered the bedroom, only now realizing that she should probably bring the sheets in order. She had never exactly understood the concept of order when it concerned those small and insignificant things. She knew nobody would see the bed like this except of her and Riddel, and she couldn’t grasp the advantage it brought if the sheets were smoothed out. But the lack of something better to do and her wish to please Riddel made her do it anyway. She shook the cover once, then folded it on top of the sheets carefully.
Remembering the letter, she sat down on the bed, being aware that it would destroy her meticulous work this instant. She didn’t care, she had enough time.
The letter was thin and Luccia guessed there to be only one page in it. As usual. She was almost glad for it, it lessened the time she would unavoidably be wasting with it. The sender knew it too, Luccia confirmed as she glanced at the page after opening the letter without much fuss.
‘Dear Luccia,
I hope you are well. I haven’t heard of you in quite a while, and thought it necessary to confirm your well-being. I suggest a meeting in Termina in four day’s time, if it isn’t too much of a bother for you. I would like to discuss some of my thoughts regarding your work with you. I hope you are as kind as to give me an instant answer.
Yours sincerely,
Timothy’
The letter was as off-putting and awkwardly-worded as ever, struggling so hard to sound nice when all there was to it were simple orders, shouted from the mouth of an impatient man. She had never been particularly fond of him, but chose to work for him still. It was a small consolation that she hardly ever had to see him in person.
Her fingers moved to fold the letter again, but decided against it halfway and ripped it into halves instead. Standing up, she walked to the window to finish it. She tore the paper a few times more until all that was left were tiny shreds being carried away by a gust of wind that was so kind as to take this burden from her. She wouldn’t answer him this time.
Now being freed of this task, she turned her back to the still open window and walked over to her wardrobe, thinking about the most suitable clothes to wear. She knew it was warm outside, but having a seemingly innate discomfort in short clothes, she chose a pair of white trousers which Riddel had bought her only a few days ago. It fit tight around her thighs, but was comfortable if a little too wide around her calves. It was kind of a compromise between Luccia’s love for comfortable wide clothes and Riddel’s strange fancy of seeing her in tight garments. She never knew where that came from, for she thought of herself as too skinny and she found her long legs to be more in the way than actually appealing.
Luccia searched through the drawers until she spotted the shirt which she believed to go best with the white trousers. It had a simple blue colour with the exception of having white long sleeves. She knew Riddel would scold her for not wearing something with short sleeves, but the fabric was thin and Luccia was sure it would be fine.
She took off the oversized shirt she had worn for the night and exchanged it with her newly laid out clothes swiftly. However, a look in a long and slim mirror beside the wardrobe confirmed her suspicions. It wasn’t enough. Her long hair, which was untied and reached halfway down her back was ruffled and stood into all directions as if electrically charged. Her frowning and pale face also didn’t look like she expected it to shortly after waking up.
She headed for the bathroom with a wry smile on her lips. Four years ago, she wouldn’t have cared about such insignificant things, wouldn’t have bothered trying to look good to please anyone but herself, if at all. But things had changed, and she regretted not a single second she spent fretting over what to wear and how to look for the person who mattered the most to her.
A cold splash of water into her face filled her pale cheeks with a rosy colour, and as she combed her hair, trying to smooth it out to the best of her abilities, she looked satisfied with herself. Life was good.
She left her hair the way it was, not tying it to a ponytail as usual if just for the fact to prove to Riddel that her suggestions reached her. Even though she knew that she had never needed to prove herself to Riddel, who had always been too kind and forgiving for her own good. In fact, trying to prove herself to her had been one of Luccia’s worst decisions in her life. She didn’t ponder on it however. A long time had passed and nothing of her old life had remained until now. She didn’t like to think about it, nor was there any need to do so. She hoped it would stay like this.
She left the bathroom without another glance at the mirror. She walked through the living room and opened the glass door on the other side of the apartment that led to a small balcony. Recently she found herself spending almost all of her time when she wasn’t with Riddel here, and as the sight of fresh and glittering roses met her eyes, she knew this time hadn’t been wasted.
The balcony, despite offering a fairly beautiful view over the town, was used for these roses only, because the lighting conditions were the best here and Luccia hardly ever indulged in sights at the town anyway. There was only one person worth looking at for an extended amount of time, and it exceeded this view by far.
The balcony was divided into three sections. On the left there were red roses, which Luccia had tried hard to get into the shape and colour she wanted them to have. They had long stems and broad and supple buds of a unique red that was far lighter than the deep and waxen colour they usually possessed. Their thorns were thick and sharp, and Luccia knew they would hurt her the moment she touched them. But that was alright, they weren’t to be touched yet. Luccia smiled slightly at the sight of them. They were doing well.
The bush next to it bore yellow roses and compared to the red ones, their buds were long and slim, and with their stem smooth and free of thorns they looked more like tulips than roses. They looked innocent yet strong and incredibly beautiful. She knew Riddel always said they grew so well because of her vast knowledge of plants, but it was a little secret between the plants and Luccia that in reality, it was Riddel’s soothing and gentle voice which encouraged them to grow and shine. The way she watered them on Luccia’s behalf, but treating them so with so much more caring and gentleness than Luccia ever could. Luccia sometimes wondered if Riddel ever knew just how much of an effect her beautiful voice had on practically every living being. She probably didn’t, her modesty shielding herself from such thoughts. But that was all right, because Luccia would show her, over and over again, through these roses.
She took her time contemplating which one to take, and ultimately chose a fully blossomed yellow rose directly in front of her. It had the same colour as their bedroom ceiling when the rays of sun touched it. She carefully cut its stem to separate it from its bush, then turned to leave the balcony without paying attention to the third rose bush with its small and fragile variations of blue. She had tried to breed roses of a light blue for a long time, but so far had only managed to create a dark blue on roses which were too small and different for them to be anywhere perfection. But she didn’t mind all that today. She simply left the balcony, the yellow rose in her left hand.
With that rose still in her grasp, she left their apartment. Upon setting her feet onto the wooden planks outside she took a deep breath. It was still fairly quiet, as Luccia preferred it to be. Most people were in their tents and houses by now, avoiding the strong midday sun even though it wasn’t hot. This was what they were used to. Standing up early in the mornings to work hard until noon, then taking a long break and continue working in the afternoon. She used this time to her advantage, going on long walks while everything was still quiet and peaceful and hardly anyone around to disturb her.
She liked Guldove. Even though it barely resembled the village it had been in earlier years, it had kept its village spirit even as a growing town. It was a lot wider now, and most of the tents had been replaced by wooden houses, one of which Luccia and Riddel lived in. It was a lot more modern too, but Luccia had expected little else considering the example of the city closest to Guldove, Termina, set.
Four years ago, when the question of where to live had been raised, Luccia would have expected Riddel to suggest Termina, but to her surprise she had chosen Guldove instead. Luccia guessed Termina would have been too close to the mansion, a place neither Riddel nor her had ever been to since then. It was a place Riddel wanted to have nothing to do with, and even though Luccia knew she felt, as the original heir of the mansion, guilty for having left everyone there alone, she could perfectly understand her choice.
They didn’t even know what had become of the mansion until now. They occasionally met the Devas on their rare visits to Termina, but even when they met, their conversations were awkward and shortened by the unspoken enmity between them. Luccia knew, because even though she considered herself as neutral to almost everything that didn’t concern Riddel, she could see the glances she received from the Devas. They hated her, not Riddel. Hated her because she was the easy target to blame for everything that had happened. It was her who had betrayed Viper, and her to take Riddel from them, leaving them on their own. Luccia knew it was only natural that she would be blamed. And she accepted it.
Riddel on the other hand had never been able to look at the Devas in the same way again, even though she had never asked the Devas about what they had known of Viper’s doing or where they had been at the time all this had happened. So in the end, there was only one thing that made Riddel visit Termina every once in a while. It was his grave.
She still visited it at least once every month, to bring him some of the bellflowers he had loved so much. But recently Riddel even disliked visiting his grave, for fear that she would meet Glenn, as she had done more often recently. She couldn’t bear the accusing glare she received from Glenn whenever they stood in front of his grave, side by side. A glare that demanded a good reason why someone like Riddel even had the right to show up at his brother’s grave, after all she had done, and whom she had betrayed him with.
Luccia knew those things, even though she had never accompanied Riddel to his grave. She knew that every time Riddel returned from his grave with tears in her eyes, she had met him. But there was nothing she could do about it, except hoping that Riddel’s love for her would always be stronger than their glares.
By the time Luccia looked up from where her eyes had followed the grain of the thick wooden planks beneath her feet, she had arrived at the entrance of the town. A walk that, with all the usual detours she had taken, had probably taken her almost two hours. Walking in silence was a pleasant way to simply idle her time away.
Luccia approached the building that despite of all the changes Guldove as a town had gone through, still looked almost exactly like it had a few years earlier. She doubted the owner would ever change it as long as it sufficed the way it was.
With still a little time to spare, Luccia leaned against the fabric-stringed wall next to the entrance, waiting. She turned the rose in her hand, regarding it from all sides. It was perfect now, but it would wilt all too soon. Still, it would serve for the day and fulfil its reason for living. It was almost cruel of her, Luccia realized. Even after spending what little talent she believed of having on such low biologics as plant breeding, it still resulted in cruelty and ignorance towards living beings. Her improvement wasn’t that great after all. She still caused suffering, as if she had never done anything else.
The faint sound of people talking behind the wall she was leaning on distracted her from her thoughts, and she knew it was her. She heard a laugh, short and brisk and unmistakably belonging to Riddel. Under different circumstances, it would have made her jealous. And indeed, the rose in her hand turned a little faster as if to compensate for what she didn’t dare to show. She smiled wryly.
A familiar humming came closer and as she heard the steps to her left, Luccia extended her left arm to stop her, the rose directly in front of her face.
“I’ve been waiting.”, Luccia said and smiled at Riddel, who looked at her in mild surprise. She reached for the rose offered to her, but Luccia pulled it back and smiled.
“No greeting?”, she asked and her smile widened, and for a moment she forgot how stupid she thought herself looking while grinning.
“A greeting?”, Riddel asked and her lips curled upwards in comprehension. She shot a glance to the side and with no one to be seen, stepped closer to Luccia until their breaths mingled and their bodies touched. She moved her head forward but halted for a moment to tease Luccia before their lips met in a gentle kiss.
“Did you mean this greeting?”, Riddel asked after they broke the kiss. “Or that other one?” She smiled as she saw Luccia’s pleased face turn into a frown, which soon turned into surprise as Luccia felt Riddel’s hands crawl under her shirt. Luccia blushed and quickly grabbed the roaming arms of a giggling Riddel. They kissed again, more passionate and hungrily than before.
When they parted, Luccia stroked Riddel’s loose hair behind her left ear and placed the yellow rose behind it as well, adorning her almost complementary hair.
“Yellow, the colour of envy.”, Riddel said with a playful smile, touching the rose affectionately.
“No.”, Luccia said gently with a shake of the head, marvelling at the beauty before her. “The colour of maturity.”
It was a compliment, but Riddel’s face soon greeted her with a mock frown.
“Are you saying I’m old?”, she asked, pressing her index finger onto Luccia’s chest dangerously.
Luccia chuckled at the contact and pulled Riddel close to her, her arms fitting comfortably around the smaller woman’s waist. “No, I’m saying you have the perfect age.”
Riddel looked up to her with questioning eyes. “Perfect age for what?” But as soon as the question left her mouth a look of comprehension crossed her face and she gave Luccia a scandalized look. “Do I even want to know?”
She freed herself from Luccia’s grasp and turned away as if to run from her, but Luccia quickly captured her again from behind.
“I don’t know.”, she breathed into Riddel’s ear, causing her to shudder in her grasp. Riddel squirmed and struggled to free herself, all the while giggling at the sensation of Luccia’s breath on her neck and simultaneously pleading for mercy, until they heard someone clear his throat next to them.
Riddel and Luccia turned around abruptly, but Luccia’s arms remained around Riddel’s waist, not about to let go anytime soon. As expected, it was Doc who stood in front of them, giving them a look that showed only half annoyance.
“I would appreciate it if you didn’t keep away my patients.”, he said and tried to look at Riddel sternly, but at the sight of her content and happy and almost girlish face couldn’t keep from smiling.
Riddel put on her most innocent face as she had always done when scolded, and looked around questioningly until she spotted a young boy standing at a safe distance from them. He had tears in his eyes and as Riddel lowered her gaze she saw the cause of it. He had a scratched knee. Fortunately, the wound didn’t seem to be too deep, for it only bled slightly.
“Oh, poor boy.”, Riddel said in surprise. “Come here.”, she called in her sweetest voice, motioning for the boy to come closer. He had obviously been wary of passing them, and with a look over Riddel’s shoulder Luccia saw it was because of her, for the boy looked at her with what seemed like awe but was more probably fear. Following Riddel’s voice he came closer, and Luccia had half a mind to scare him for staring at her so insolently. But she let it go, thinking it unfair to scare an injured boy, and watched him as he passed them and quickly hobbled into Doc’s practice.
“See you tomorrow, then.”, Doc said and nodded at Riddel, who had recently become a very reliable and much needed apprentice of his. Since Guldove had grown quite a bit over the last years, one doctor alone was hardly enough to cover the daily injuries especially the children incurred every day. Riddel was a great addition and the patients, old and young alike, completely adored her. As did Doc, who was both glad and proud to have someone like Riddel to his aid.
Riddel waved and, finally released from Luccia’s cutely possessive grasp, they walked away hand in hand, trying to look as innocent and unsuspicious as possible.
“I wonder why the boy was so afraid to pass us.”, Riddel chuckled, once out of Doc’s earshot who had gone inside his practice again. “Do we really look that strange?” She leaned into Luccia as they walked, enjoying the feeling of her strong shoulder underneath her head, moving in the same rhythm she did.
“He was worried about you, but too scared to act.”, Luccia answered as if it was perfectly obvious.
“Worried? Why should he be?”, Riddel asked surprised, and Luccia had to suppress a giggle at her utter naïveté. Riddel looked up at Luccia, who for all the world looked omniscient and mightily pleased about that fact. Sometimes Riddel believed that she really knew everything.
“He thought I was hurting you.”, Luccia said, a slightly evil smile on her lips, which was quickly copied by Riddel, despite her initial surprise at this revelation.
“A pretty sharp boy.”, she said and laughed brightly. “If only he knew what you’ve done to me, corrupting a fair and utterly helpless maiden like me, robbing me of my blessed ignorance…”, she whimpered, bringing the back of her hand to her forehead as if about to swoon. Now it was Luccia’s turn to laugh as she gathered Riddel up in her arms and crossed a small bridge that led from Guldove, which was entirely built on water, to the isle next to it. After having crossed the bridge Luccia set her down again, both of them regarding the landscape in front of them as they walked.
The isle consisted mostly of volcanoes, which had become extinct long ago. The valleys and slopes in between lay fallow, nobody taking advantage of the fertile ground, which in turn lead to the growing of some of the strangest yet most beautiful flowers and trees Luccia had ever seen. Luccia loved this sight. This strange sight of seemingly dead ground dotted with rare and marvellous plants that left the observer speechless. Ever since seeing this land for the first time, she had made an unconscious connection with it. She knew that this scenery resembled her heart. It depicted exactly how her heart looked like inside. Most of it was dark and unused, but there were these few spots of beauty that she drew all her energy from. She knew that Riddel was the reason that things such as love, caring and the sheer joy of being alive could grow on this ground that was her heart, which had been so full of repressed emotions, trying hard to feign death.
Luccia’s hold of Riddel’s hand tightened unconsciously, and Riddel looked up from where she had observed the soft and hardly used path underneath their feet. Hardly anyone ever came here, mostly because there wasn’t much to do except watching the scenery, which Riddel was sure the people from Guldove had long grown tired of, most of them being natives.
“What is it?”, she asked, but received only a shake of the head as an answer. She let it go, knowing when Luccia didn’t want to talk about things that concerned her. Which still happened aggravatingly often, unfortunately. Riddel tried a different approach.
“Did you read the letter?” This made Luccia look at her, her eyes now cleared from her previous thoughts.
“Yes, it was from Timothy.”, Luccia replied, indecisive whether to laugh or to be depressed over that fact. “He probably wants me to hurry, as always.”
“Honestly, that man…”, Riddel huffed. “I’d like to see how he would do when being forced to write three books a year.”
Luccia chuckled at Riddel’s annoyance, glad that she wasn’t the only one who felt that way. “He just wants money. He would copy my books himself if he had to.”
“He’s crazy, asking you to work so much. He just doesn’t get it.”, Riddel said, the annoyance still evident in her voice. She would give him a piece of her mind the next time she saw him.
Luccia felt the Riddel’s tension in her hand, and leaned over to kiss her softly. “Let’s not talk about work, today.”, she whispered as she held Riddel’s head between her hands.
However, before Riddel had the chance to respond, Luccia’s hands had already grabbed hers, dragging her along as she ran down a path which lead to a secluded lagoon which was hardly visible for those who didn’t know where to look. They had been there many times before, so even while running Riddel had no problems to keep her footing on the steep ground beneath her.
It didn’t take them long to reach the small beach which was surrounded by mountains and volcanoes and only possessed a slim passage to the open ocean. It was the perfect place in every sense.
Panting for air, Riddel sat down onto the sand to take her light shoes off, the hem of her long and light green sundress fluttering in the warm breeze. Luccia lay down beside her, her hands behind her head.
“It’s beautiful every time anew, isn’t it?”, Riddel asked softly, watching the tiny waves roll in and out in a steady rhythm.
“Not as beautiful as you.”, Luccia answered promptly, not even wasting a glance at the ocean, instead focusing her attention on Riddel.
Riddel chuckled not without a hint of embarrassment. “Now you’re lying.”, she said, rolling over so that she came to sit on top of Luccia, who seemed unperturbed by the upcoming threat. “Admit it.”
Luccia simply smiled and removed her hands from underneath her head to clasp them around Riddel’s, pulling her down so that their lips could meet in a sweet and warm touch. It was this touching of lips that Luccia longed for, craved for with all her being, every single day of her life. It was magical, irresistible and utterly compelling, every time anew. She knew that the day she would find herself depraved of this sensation would be her last. If Riddel was ever to disappear, she could never bear it.
“Never”, she breathed, her purple eyes fixating Riddel’s slightly brighter ones. “Never…”
Riddel leaned in for another kiss, smiling as she did so. “You’re irresistible do you know that?”, she said gently, her index finger tracing the outline of Luccia’s face. Luccia smiled at that and stroked Riddel’s cheek, who pressed her cheek against Luccia’s hand like a cat, inviting the caress.
“Promise me that we’ll stay like this forever.”, Luccia then said, with a shyness that was almost unusual for her. Together forever, such a hopelessly cliché thought.
Riddel simply chuckled, dipping her head to shower Luccia’s face with kisses, mumbling “silly” with each gentle kiss. When she finished, she lay down on top of Luccia, listening to her slightly quickened heartbeat as well as her calming breathing. She was alive, they were alive. As long as this much was true, nothing would be able to tear them apart.
“Of course we will. There’s no one else I would enjoy spending eternity with.”, she whispered just loud enough for Luccia to hear. The words came easy, and if it had been anyone else Luccia would have thought that it wasn’t spoken with the same sincerity the words implied. But these words had come from Riddel’s mouth, and if she couldn’t trust her, she couldn’t trust anyone in the whole world and beyond.
“That’s good.”, Luccia breathed with obvious contentment, but couldn’t suppress a small grin, which was invisible to Riddel who had tucked her head beneath Luccia’s chin. “Because you would have a hard time getting rid of me.”
“I’ll better not try that, then.”, Riddel answered with a small chuckle. She didn’t look up to see Luccia’s face, but knew she was smiling as well. “Being stalked by you would be scary.”
“You don’t even know how scary I can get.”, Luccia spoke with a dark and superior voice. She tightened her grip around Riddel, who squealed in feigned fear.
“You know, you should use your accent. I bet it would be even scarier.”, she said between laughs and received a snort from Luccia.
“Never.”, Luccia said, entirely serious, prompting a curious glance from Riddel, who looked up at her.
“Why not? To be honest, I always thought you sound kind of sexy when you speak like that.” Thus the real reason was revealed, and Luccia looked at her with a questioning frown.
“No.”, she simply said.
“Oh please, do it for me.”, Riddel pleaded, playing her trump card: Herself.
Luccia wavered ever so slightly, but quickly recovered her blank expression. “Not even for you.” She saw Riddel pout, but remained determined. “I’m glad it’s finally gone.”
“Oh come on.”, Riddel prodded Luccia, intent not to give up too soon. However, Luccia shook her head firmly.
Riddel sighed, giving in for now. She would have to try another time. She felt a tickle at her bare feet, and it took a few more moments for her to realize that it was water. She turned around, seeing the waves reach up to her feet. She hadn’t expected the tide to come in so soon. She stood up and helped Luccia do so as well.
“Didn’t think it would come so soon.”, Riddel said and took a few steps into the water until it reached halfway up her calves, almost touching her dress. Luccia leaned down to fold up the legs of her trousers until they barely reached her knees, then followed Riddel.
“It’s pretty warm, for the season.”, Riddel said with a small smile as she turned around to see Luccia approaching.
“Yes.”, Luccia agreed, enjoying the feeling of the tingling of warm water on her skin, and the wet sand beneath her feet. The water was almost as warm as the already pleasant air temperature. “The streams take the warm water of Marbule here.”
Riddel nodded, satisfied with the explanation Luccia had given her, even though she didn’t fully understand. “It’s pretty warm now in Marbule, isn’t it?”
“Probably.”, Luccia agreed, looking up to the unclouded sun. It was still fine, but she knew that in a few weeks, it would get a lot warmer. She didn’t think she could ever get used to raw heat, and neither could her skin, who still bore the same pale complexion as ever. But then, she had never stopped wearing long sleeves.
“Let’s go there a little later then.”, Riddel suggested what Luccia knew was out of consideration for her. She knew Riddel loved the summer, while Luccia could only ever appreciate spring and autumn. Winter was still within acceptable limits, for the temperatures never got uncomfortably low in all of El Nido. But the summers killed her every year again.
The fact that she stood in the ocean in spring, mentally whining about the upcoming and supposedly cruel summer like a child would over the prospect of having to meet the evil stepmother made her chuckle. She really shouldn’t complain. By the time they went to Marbule, the temperatures there would have cooled down slightly. And if that wasn’t the case, they could always hide out in the cave during the hot noons, enjoying the fresh water and comfortable shadow offered there. As well as Heilel’s company.
They visited him a few times a year, each time staying for a couple of days. Most of the time passed in his company, and while Luccia had to admit that she also thought of their visits as a kind of redemption, it was Riddel who seemed to truly enjoy it. She would talk to him for hours, speaking enough for the both of them. She hardly ever stopped, even though she never got a response much more distinct than yes or no, which the dragon conveyed through his motions. Riddel didn’t mind this at all, all the time saying how glad she was that he was mute instead of deaf, so he could at least listen to her and answer her, given easily answerable questions.
“We should bring him something nice, this time.”, Luccia said, stepping closer to Riddel to wrap her arms around her from behind.
“Some souvenir.”, Riddel agreed. She would really like to give him one, it was the least they could do. After all, Riddel still blamed herself sometimes, for the things Luccia had done. If she had realized certain things earlier, nothing of this would have happened. But then, Heilel didn’t blame them, didn’t hate them for what had happened to him. Riddel liked to think that maybe, despite everything, he was enjoying his second life. Now that he didn’t have to feel pain anymore, but was also robbed of his ability to fly, he just might enjoy his life in Marbule, even if just a bit. The villagers certainly adored him, treating him like a god and sage. Maybe he really was one, always acting with so much dignity instead of being angry or aggravated like everyone else was at one point or the other.
Gazing at the small waves at her feet, Riddel wondered how long it would take them to cross the ocean and reach Marbule. It had taken them almost a week last time, mostly due to horrible weather. It was funny, how little humans were able to do, when in the end, it was still the nature reigning over them and not the other way around like so many were arrogantly thinking. In the end, the nature still decided where you went and what you did. She wondered what her father would think about this, he who had never really cared for nature at all and had always believed in the superiority of humans.
She wondered what he would think of her, now. Standing almost knee deep in the ocean, embraced by the person he would have never allowed her to be with, to be loved by. She had never had the chance to ask him, to see him reject or approve. He had been gone before she had been able to ask. Maybe, seeing them like this would simply make him laugh, due to the sheer irony of her life. She, who had been raised to be a fine lady, most probably to marry an equally rich suitor who happened to take her liking. Riddel knew that her father would have never thought her capable of leaving all of this behind, the money, the status, the special treatment, the needlessness to do anything. She knew her father would have never imagined her working like normal people, and even enjoying it. In the end, even though he probably had loved her, he hadn’t known her. At all.
But then, she liked to think that he had wanted someone to stop him, for he hadn’t been able to do it himself anymore. Maybe he even wanted her to do it, the daughter he loved. But wasn’t it always like this, thinking better of dead people than one would if they were still alive? It was a kind of instinct mercy that made her wonder at times. She wondered where he was right now.
“Where do you think the others are, right now?”, Riddel asked, breaking the long-stretching silence. Riddel sometimes thought that if it weren’t for her talking all the time, Luccia could go without for days. It was strange, really.
“I think Kidd and Harle are still pirates.”, Luccia answered, speaking that name without a hint of anger or resentment. She didn’t want it anymore. Four years ago, she had gone and visited Lucca’s grave again. She had apologized to her for breaking her promise, but had also told her about how happy Kidd seemed to be with Harle. She had hoped Lucca to be happy to hear that, to hear that at least Kidd was doing well, then one Lucca had cared about the most.
Luccia knew it had been pathetic, going to the place that wasn’t a real grave, for nothing of her had remained there, and talking to her. How unscientific. But it hadn’t mattered then, and it still didn’t. She would have to visit her again, some time. “As for Clair and Eve, I have no idea. I don’t know them well enough to make assumptions.”, she continued, a spark of regret in her voice.
She really didn’t know them, apart from being honest and brave people. They hadn’t met, in all those years. Everyone had needed their time to themselves, trying to deal with what had happened without having to think about all the others. Luccia understood it perfectly.
“I hope they’re having a good time. Like we all deserve to have.”, Riddel said, laying her hands onto Luccia’s encircling arms.
Luccia gave an affirmative grunt, and placed her head onto Riddel’s shoulder, inhaling the scent of her hair. She kissed the nape of her neck affectionately, and felt Riddel shudder ever so slightly, enjoying the touch as Luccia knew she would.
“Say it.”, Riddel breathed, trying to suppress a moan as Luccia’s hand travelled over her body.
“Ich liebe dich.”
“Eve…”, Clair moaned, thrusting her right hand forward to get her stone dagger into the ever-unrelenting sturdy surface of the cliff. “It’s too high, I…can’t do it.”
She was sweating and her hands were raw and almost numb with pain. Her legs quivered, both with weariness as well as trying hard not to slip on the sleek surface which hardly provided support even for her small feet. She wanted to disappear, right in that moment, and finally be done with this arduous task she knew would turn out to be utterly fruitless in the end. She genuinely hated mountain climbing, she knew this now.
“Just a little more.”, Eve called down to her. Clair looked up and saw that they were at least ten metres apart. This fact frightened her more than she liked to admit, and she wished Eve were down here with her. But Eve wasn’t, and this was solely a result of her not being able to keep up with her, as much as she liked to. Clair had to force herself not to look downward, into this abyss of swirling colours. They were already too high for her to properly define the outline of the shore. She couldn’t say where it ended and where the wide ocean began. Not that it mattered. She brought herself to look upward. Eve was right, they were almost there, maybe fifty metres more to go. But still, the prospect of reaching the top did nothing to lessen the pain in her limbs. She would get Eve for this, definitely.
“I can’t!”, Clair shouted angrily, her energy to do so still very much unexpired. She needed help, and Eve was shrugging it off like it wouldn’t cost her life if she were to let go out of sheer fatigue. She certainly wasn’t about to let her off with a sad ‘go on and leave me here, I’ll manage somehow’.
She sighed in frustration. It had been an entirely stupid idea. Following a strange-looking treasure map that led them up a steep and uninviting mountain. She wondered about the existence of persons stupid enough to hide a treasure on top of one. It was impossible, and yet she had agreed with Eve, if just to please her eagerness. Clair still thought that they would have been better off taking the money from the queen.
She looked up again, and if she hadn’t known better she would have thought the distance between her and Eve had grown. She was about to say something when Eve tossed one end of a rope down to her, the same kind she had currently bound around her stomach, which the other end tied to a stone dagger which was located within arm’s reach above her.
“Forget about that other one and tie this around your waist.”, Eve called, making Clair feel guilty through the unbelievable gentleness and patience in her voice. Eve always put up with her, no matter what.
Clair did as she was told, tying the new rope around her waist before loosening the other one which had steadied her so far. This steep cliff easily made her slip, and with any luck, the rope would hold her in case that happened. Clair had experienced this twice so far, and she had little desire to try her luck again. She honestly didn’t have much confidence in security if it was installed by herself.
Eve watched Clair as she followed her instructions, nodding approvingly to herself. “Now, just try, okay?”, she called down after Clair had finished. “I’ll help, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”
Clair smiled at that, but as she looked up to Eve her look of gratefulness suddenly vanished. “Eve!”, she yelled. “What’s going to hold us now!”
Eve just laughed at Clair’s worry, and to the latter’s dismay loosened the grip on the cliff with her left hand to give her the victory sign. “Don’t worry!”, she shouted with a frighteningly cheery voice. “Just don’t lose your footing now, it’ll be difficult for me to hold both of us.”
There she went again, laughingly pushing Clair into a bottomless hole of despair with almost obscene ease and insensitivity. She didn’t even try to relieve her, instead frightening her to death. Eve was cruel like that. Clair couldn’t help but laugh.
“I’ll get you for that!”, she yelled in between laughter, forgetting her aching limbs for a few blessed moments.
“Just try to get me.”, Eve dared her with a grin before turning around to tackle the rest of the way. It wasn’t that much of a climb after all.
Clair followed her example, trying to synchronize their steps to the best of her abilities and to her surprise, it really was easier than before, the rope around her waist tugging her upward.
Her relief was immense when she finally used the last bits of her strength to heave herself over the edge and lay down beside it, panting heavily.
“You’re crazy.”, she said, still catching her breath. Eve was kneeling beside her, and Clair clearly saw the drops of sweat trickling from her brows. Clair felt a tinge of guilt at the sight. She had been complaining all the time, when clearly Eve had had a hard time herself, even going so far as practically heaving her up here. But the feeling quickly vanished as Eve started to giggle, looking over to Clair with a proud grin.
“I didn’t have a choice, did I? I couldn’t have you dangling down there until the rope broke.”, she said truthfully, and Clair smiled. “Besides, I would’ve hated to go all the way down again to pick you up once you fell.”
The remark earned her a weak punch on the shoulder, but as she looked over to Clair, her eyes were closed.
“It was pretty hard getting up here, huh?”, Eve asked and stood up again, looking down the cliff they had just climbed up. They had climbed a few hundred metres and Eve had the ugly premonition that her muscles would be terribly sore later. But that wasn’t her biggest worry right now. They were here, finally.
“No kidding. I knew we should’ve taken the easy route.”, Clair answered, somehow managing to sit up despite her body aching all over.
“The easy route you say. Said route would’ve taken us at least a whole day to get here, not counting the exhausting heat.”, Eve answered, watching the ocean down below. It was dark and pretty when watched from high up. As she looked to the side she could clearly see Mt. Pyre and Fort Dragonia, the volcanoes surrounding it misting the sky with the steam that escaped their tops. “Just be glad we didn’t have to climb up there.”, she said as she took her heavy backpack off, enjoying the light feel of her shoulders.
Clair followed Eve’s gaze and groaned. Climbing up an active volcano would have been even more crazy. The one they were on had become extinct long ago, but was still quite close to Mt. Pyre. That was the actual reason why they had decided to climb the volcano’s steep side, which formed an for a volcano unlikely vertical cliff due to the lava having flowed directly into the ocean on this side, instead of choosing the theoretically easier route on the side which faced Mt. Pyre. But the heat close to it was incredible, and Clair would have constantly feared an eruption in which they would have no doubt having been caught up. She didn’t like it, but she had to admit that Eve had been entirely right about their choice, even though it had been strenuous. Even though Clair didn’t even want to think about moving any of her limbs at all within the next twelve hours or so.
“Hey, stand up and look!”, Eve’s cheery voice disrupted her pleasantness-yearning thoughts, and Clair lazily took Eve’s hand to get up. When she turned to see what Eve was pointing at her breath stopped for a moment. She had expected a deep crater, maybe a hundred metres deep, but there was nothing like that. Instead, they faced a vast pool of water which Clair would have confused with an ordinary lake if it weren’t for the fact of them being on top of a volcano and the extraordinary colour of the water.
“You've got to be kidding me. A lake? Here?”, Clair said, completely stunned.
“Seems like the rain filled up the volcano.”, Eve simply answered, just as surprised as Clair.
“Yeah, but…”, Clair breathed, taking a few steps towards the lake, “look at this colour.” She leaned down and gingerly touched the surface of the water, half expecting it to burn on her skin. But it was almost warm and soft, making her fingers feel funny when she rubbed them together under the surface.
“It’s…intense.”, Eve whispered, and also stepped closer. The water was blue but it seemed impossibly dense, so much that Eve could hardly see two metres beneath the surface. The water hardly reflected the bright sunlight and it seemed almost eerie.
“Don’t tell me this is the spot.”, Clair said doubtfully, remembering their goal.
Eve shook her head in surprise, remembering it as well. She turned to her backpack on the ground, and fumbled with a buckle to open it to take out a map from within.
“Um…”, she started. Unsure about what to say, she looked from the map to the lake and back, nodding gravely. “I think it is. At least somewhere around here.”
Clair turned abruptly to her, a look of anger on her face, untouched by her tiredness. “So you’re saying that someone dragged a treasure chest with whatever efforts up here, and drowned it in this lake, where it cannot possibly be retrieved? Don’t tell me you’re really serious.” The thought of having gone through all these pains, for nothing, made her feel sick.
“W-well…”, Eve said, scratching the back of her head. “Don’t worry, we’ll find something for sure!”, she exclaimed enthusiastically.
Clair hung her head at Eve’s hopefulness. She stared into the water, but her face didn’t reflect on its surface. “Forget it.”, she said, pointing to the lake directly in front of her. “If there’s something in there, its way too deep down. What a waste.”
She turned around to Eve to complain, but something hit her back and she lost her balance, falling face first into the water of the lake. She gasped, but quickly closed her mouth again as the water dreaded to flow in. It took her a few seconds to get her bearings underwater and reach the surface again. But when she did Eve was laughing hysterically, holding both of her arms in front of her stomach as if to keep it from bursting.
“What was that for?”, Clair spouted, parting her hair like a curtain before her face. She swam over to the edge and extended her arm towards a still laughing Eve. “At least help me out.”
Eve grinned and took her hand, but as she was about to pull her out of the water, Clair pushed her feet against the wall, causing Eve to fall into the water as well. Clair was glad Eve had taken off her backpack, or otherwise she would have drowned in an instant.
Clair climbed out of the water before Eve was able to react, laughingly standing at the edge and waiting for her to reappear. Eve only deserved it. With a smirk she held her breath, curious to see how long it would take Eve to get out. However, she watched with increasing worry as the air in her lungs slowly ran out without any sign of Eve whatsoever. The surface of the water was almost perfectly calm again, and after waiting ten more seconds after having started to breathe again, Clair jumped into the water.
She didn’t like the idea of opening her eyes in this mineral-heavy water, but did it nonetheless in search for Eve. Her sight was close to zero though, even with her eyes wide open. She couldn’t see her anywhere, although her ears soon felt a pressure as though she was at least ten metres under water. Against her will she had to dive back up, taking in the air in big gasps as soon as she reached the surface.
Eve had to be somewhere. Without thinking about any possibilities, she took a deep breath and prepared to dive again when she felt warm arms circling around her.
“Gotcha.”, Eve breathed from behind her, and Clair immediately turned around, her face flushed with both excitement and surprise.
“You scared me, you know.”, Clair whispered, her voice trembling unwillingly.
Eve chuckled at that, and swam with Clair, who clung to her, over to the edge of the lake. “You’re the one who pulled me into the lake in the first place.”
Clair felt the relaxing wall of stone behind her, knowing that she could get out of the lake at any moment. Swimming in the middle of the lake had made her uneasy. She didn’t trust her tired limbs enough.
“Well, you’re the one who pushed me in first for no reason at all.”, Clair retorted, but couldn’t resist a smile at the sight of Eve directly in front of her. She steadied herself with her hands on the edge beneath Clair, her grin even visible through the wet blonde tresses that hung all over her face. Clair thought she’d look a little like a drowned kitten, if it weren’t for that impossible smile.
“Touché.”, Eve said and chuckled. “But you have to admit that the water feels kind of nice.” She touched the wet strands on her face and felt their soapy texture. Their legs occasionally touched under water as they tried to keep their owners afloat, which wasn’t too hard since the water seemed to carry them almost effortlessly.
“It would be kind of nice if our clothes weren’t completely soaked. It would have been better to take them off, but you just had to push me in without warning.”, Clair said in fake seriousness as she looked down at herself, noticing that her thin light blue shirt had almost become transparent, while Eve’s crimson one hadn’t.
“Well, if you so insist…”, Eve said with a suddenly daring voice and Clair felt the presence of Eve’s hands on her hips, slowly moving upwards while tugging the hem of her shirt with them.
“W-well…”, Clair said quickly, grabbing Eve’s impertinent hands. Eve just smiled knowingly at Clair’s defensiveness. “It’s too late now, they are already wet…”
While Clair was still forming an excuse, Eve’s hands quickly struggled free from Clair’s limitations and removed the shirt with one swift movement. She threw the wet bundle in her hand about two metres away from them where it met the dry ground with a smack.
Clair immediately opened her mouth to protest, but was silenced by Eve’s finger on her lips.
“Don’t worry. It’ll be dry by the time I’m finished with you.” With that, Eve removed her finger with a smirk only to replace it with her lips which met Clair’s with passion.
Clair was taken aback at first, but soon melted into Eve, snaking her arms around her back. She still wasn’t used to it, being like this with Eve so openly and naturally. It had taken them so long to realize the true depth of their feelings for each other, even after all that had happened. It had taken so long, but Clair didn’t mourn one single day she had spent making teasing remarks to Eve that had caused her to blush ever so often. She didn’t regret one single day that had passed with her subtle advances, trying so hard to let her know, but at the same time wanting to have her realize herself.
She had been patient, maybe because she had known that Eve would get it someday, and maybe because she had known that they had all the time in the world. For nothing was ever able to part them. But she had wanted one thing above all: For Eve to kiss her, like this, because she wanted to with all her heart. As long as Clair had those lips all for herself, she didn’t need anything else.
Except of those hands maybe, which touched her so gently, so lovingly, trailing her skin in the warm water as softly and carefully as a painter would, stroking the canvas with lush colours and admiration of what he was about to create.
Admiration. It was the secret feeling she wanted to receive, and which Eve never failed to present her with. It was the ecstatic feeling of Eve’s admiring hands on her bare skin, her legs, her arms, her face, touching it not because of its beauty, but because it was real. It was the way how Eve’s eyes trembled faintly whenever the realization hit her that everything they did was real, and not just a dream that chose to vanish once the light of day intruded to chase it away.
It was this realization Clair wanted to see, over and over again.
‘I hope you’re never finished with me.’, was Clair’s sole thought as she completely succumbed to Eve and her loving caresses.
They forgot about the treasure and the entirety of their other worries completely until they found themselves lying on the ground beside the lake, hoping for the last rays of sun to dry their clothes, which they both knew wouldn’t happen. But it was warm, and they had gotten used to the clingy feeling on their skin.
“It’ll never dry like this.”, Clair remarked nonetheless, the fingers of her left hand tugging meekly at Eve’s wet shirt which made a funny sound as it disengaged itself from where it had been glued to Eve’s stomach. They were lying closely together, and Clair had her head on Eve’s shoulder.
“Neither will this.”, Eve answered lazily. She lay on her back and looked upwards to the slowly darkening sky. She pointed into the direction where she knew lay Clair’s shirt, probably every bit as wet as before due to its bundled-up state. Neither of them cared.
“We’ll freeze up here then, once the night comes and the temperatures fall.”, Clair said jokingly and watched Eve turn her head to her. “Oh well. I guess dying is still better than having to live through the torture of climbing down again.”, she huffed, seeing Eve’s expression darken for a short moment until she felt the other woman’s hand on her waist, tickling her. Clair tried to ignore it, but all too soon burst into laughter, mixed with squeals.
“Now pull yourself together.”, Eve said in between her attacks. “You’re a knight, aren’t you?”
Clair laughed only harder at this question. “You know I only accepted that title because of you.” She looked at Eve as though it was perfectly obvious.
“So you would have declined if I had?”, Eve asked with a knowing smirk, which soon vanished as she saw Clair thinking about that question.
“Well...I guess I would still have taken it because it sounds cool.”, Clair responded and shrugged, but quickly broke into giggles as Eve’s hands returned to their previous task.
“Betraying me like this…”, Eve whispered dangerously as she intensified her tickling. “I guess this punishment is hardly enough for what you have done.”
Clair tried to stop her laughing to concentrate on Eve’s roaming hands, and finally got a hold of them.
“Oh come on, it’s not like we’re actually doing what knights are supposed to do.”, Clair said earnestly, but couldn’t keep her lips from tugging upwards at the sight of Eve’s pouting face.
“But we’re treasure hunters!”, Eve exclaimed as though it was the same as being a knight.
“Yeah, just pretend that it isn’t a kid’s version of pirates.”, Clair said sarcastically and gave Eve a quick peck on the cheek before standing up. She went over to the backpack Eve had carried with her, and retrieved a blanket from it which she slung around her bare shoulders. Then she took her still soaked shirt from the ground and shook it a few times before spreading it out.
By the time she had finished, Eve had also stood up and walked closer to the edge. She looked down onto the ocean and pointed at it. “Speaking of which…”, she started and glanced over to Clair to see if she was listening, then continued. “Isn’t that them?”
Clair came as close to edge as she dared to, then shook her head. “No, I think their ship is a bit smaller. The flag does seem similar though.”, she commented with a hint of disappointment. It would have been good to see them again, if only from this high up.
On the contrary to what she had said, she was actually glad not to be a pirate. It would have been nice to be with Kidd and Harle still, but in the end, she preferred to follow her own orders, or at least those imposed on her by Eve after long discussions. Never being sure of what was behind the orders given to them, Clair wouldn’t have been able to stand it anymore. And also, she was glad that being a treasure hunter hardly ever included fighting. In fact, they hardly ever used took their weapons with them, leaving them at the several inns and hotels they frequently used. As treasure hunters, they didn’t exactly compete with others, didn’t steal from anyone but those who were long dead and left behind treasures they had been sure no one would ever find.
Eve liked to think of it as the easiest way to make money, but in reality, Clair knew that Eve put a lot of efforts in it, continuously tracking down a variety of maps, letters or legends which in some way or the other dealt with treasures. It was hard, but Clair had to admit that they hadn’t especially been unsuccessful so far in finding about anything varying from ordinary treasure chests filled with gold to valuable accessories and strange relics they didn’t really know the purpose of, but managed to sell to collectors nonetheless. They weren’t exactly poor despite their utterly simplistic lifestyle, as Clair tended to call it. But the sad truth was that even after four years, they hadn’t been able to accumulate enough money to finally buy this cursed house at the beach they had been aiming for ever since.
Of course Eve, being unfeasibly optimistic in every way imaginable, always spoke of them being close to their goal, but to Clair, it seemed like a couple of light-years away still. Which wasn’t so bad in retrospect, for she didn’t want to think of a life that consisted of doing nothing at the sole expense of the house they wanted. At least not yet. So, despite whining all the time over the hopeless situations they seemed to get in, she was glad. Glad that she could still enjoy this, with Eve.
“It must be nice being down there…”, Clair sighed, still depressed at the thought of climbing all the way down again after the sun rose the next day. It felt as if they had come up here for the sole purpose of taking a dip, even though she did admit that the water had felt kind of nice. “Do you suppose I would survive it if I just leapt down and dove into the water?”
Eve chuckled at that, prodding Clair with her elbow. “I guess it depends on whether you can survive with a broken neck and various other shattered bones.”
“I’m really tough, you know.”, Clair answered with a superior voice and crossed her arms in front of her face with a proud smile.
“Well, see you tomorrow, then.”, Eve said with a grin as she patted Clair’s shoulder and walked away from the cliff. “Just try to land somewhere near the shore, I’d hate to swim far out into the ocean to get you.”
“Now you’re being mean. I’m trying to find solutions here.”, Clair replied with a fake pout.
“Solutions?”, Eve asked with a raised eyebrow. “I would think you’re trying to tell me in a not-so-subtle way that this is all my fault.”
Clair laughed brightly at this accusation. “You just look right through me, don’t you?”, she asked teasingly, not even trying to defend herself. She received a mock glare from Eve, but just shrugged and sat down, watching the sun slowly disappear over the horizon. It was a nice view, even though the sky was clouded and some clouds looked rather uninviting. Eve came to sit down beside her, a blanket around her shoulders.
“You think there’ll be a storm?”, she asked. The hairs on her arms stood up and she could feel the electricity in the air. She liked this feeling, the tingling on her skin. It was as if the air charged her.
“Looks like it. You know it would be just our luck if it happened to rain and thunder tomorrow.”, Clair said, not giving up her pessimistic view on things so easily.
“You’re looking for excuses again.”, Eve countered, but smiled shortly after. “How about we just make a flag of these blankets and have Randal and the others come save us? I know they’re waiting for this.” It was a joke, but Clair’s face nevertheless lit up at the suggestion.
“They have a good reason to worry about us.”, Clair answered, causing Eve to huff. “They look after us like little kids.”, Eve remarked.
“See? I told you.”, Clair said and laughed. She wondered where Randal and his men were right now, she knew they weren’t far. They were always somewhere close. Clair had st