Chapter Text
To be honest, he didn’t know how the heck he let those brutes drag him in that nonsense.
Unlike them, Ruth was busy. He had several things to do: work, projects, research, chores that needed to be done (it wasn't as if someone else would clean his flat -which, by the way, started to smell quite unpleasantly). Even a much-needed nap would be better and more productive than being in that place.
Scratching the back of his head, he reclined in his chair deeper, trying to look at everything but the new person in front of him.
Small talks weren't his favourite thing in life. What's the point in superficial conversations where each new company was set on repeat with almost the same facade and the same topics?
Weather? It had been checked at least ten times in the last hour.
The restaurant? Yes, beautiful. Everybody had seen it.
Work? It was unbelievable how he got sick of having the same conversation about his job and awards more than fifteen times in a row. After a while, even bragging had lost its charm.
Food? Well, thinking about that, he hadn't eaten anything yet, not even a snack or an appetizer.
Where is the food?
He inspected the table in front of him and the nearby ones. The only thing on top was wine. Maybe the organisers were aware of how tedious the event could be and considered they would get better results if everyone were drunk.
Completely understandable.
At that pace, it would be needed to be insane to endure the whole night sober. However, food was one of his main reasons for coming here in the first place.
Touching his belly, he recalled the words that the orange brute said while trying to convince them to attend that special event for which he recently got passes.
'... There'll be free food,' were the words that reverberated in his head.
It sounded reasonably tempting at the moment. Imagine a fancy dinner, completely free, in a nice place Ruth could enjoy. It would be a good reward after all the hardships he had to endure in the last months. If he got the luck to have a bearable company in the process would be a plus. Although, it didn’t matter.
However, he didn't take into consideration a teensy-weensy, but ever so crucial little tiny detail within his calculations: his stamina for social interactions wasn’t as big as he thought. In fact, almost losing it all so fast wasn’t part of the plan.
"The weather is nice, isn't it?" A taut voice from the other side of the table pronounced the same sentence he had heard more times than necessary that night.
Really? Has human creativity become this?
Nodding absently, he looked at the other tables, wondering if the food would be worth the bothersome of having to pass through the same pre-programmed conversations on repeat when he spotted the leader of those brutes shifting his position every five seconds.
Oh! That was the other reason.
Riftan wasn't the type of man who showed interest in those activities or any activity that required a certain sense of manners or sensibility. Let's be real; everything about socialising wasn't part of his strengths. Not even think about romantic feelings.
After knowing a person for more than ten years ago, you learn a thing or two about them. One thing he learned about Riftan, aside from his sharp mind and physical skills, was that he had no interest in the opposite sex -or any sex-. It was baffling how that man would find himself in so many situations with women and men who had (literally and metaphorically) thrown themselves into his arms and still, he had no other reaction but clear disgust.
What could possess a person to even think about approaching that man? Has nobody seen those murderous eyes?
Anyways, just thinking about Mr Sunshine accepting the invitation to participate in a speed dating event was intriguing enough to make space on his busy agenda. How many other chances would he have to witness such a show in life?
‘This was a golden opportunity he would not let slip by.
Riftan was sitting a couple of tables from Ruth, just next to Hebaron's table. Saying he seemed annoyed would be an understatement. Even in the military, Ruth hadn’t seen that man so uncomfortable in his life. His aura was so dark, hostile as if he were about to kill someone at any moment.
Looking at the poor woman in front of Riftan, he scratched his head again. The young lady seemed frightened. ‘Like a tiny trembling mouse cornered in front of a panther. It was impossible not to feel pity for the girl or anyone who dared to try to be a part of Riftan's non-existent love life. She never stood a chance.
By God, why cannot he drop that attitude for a second?
Thinking about that, after hearing a positive response to Hebaron’s invitation, Ruth expected something different. Maybe, Riftan finally got some curiosity about relationships. Perhaps, he was feeling lonely, as anyone else would feel at a certain point in their lives. Or there was a possibility that the war affected him more than he would let others know. In the end, it didn’t matter what the reason would be Ruth was sure there was a logical explanation for his uncommon behaviour. And he was willing to discover that (for research purposes, obviously).
A loud ring pierced his ears, waking him from his internal ramblings. It was time to move to the following table.
He ambled to the chair indicated by the assistant, trying to keep a -not so obvious- eye on where his mates were placed. Now, Riftan was sitting almost next to him. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of what was about to happen. Finally, he would get some details.
“Do you know when the food will be served?”
Before he could take a seat, the young woman, with brown hair and tanned skin, at the table inquired. She looked exhausted or… bored… Maybe both.
“I expect soon,” Ruth said, sitting at the assigned chair. It seemed he wasn’t the only one worried about the food.
With a disappointed gesture, she proceeded to put her complete attention to her phone. At the same time, Ruth tried not to roll his eyes at the boring and quite uncomfortable situation that was happening at the table located a few kevets from him.
Riftan was sitting straight with his arms crossed, quiet. So unbelievably quiet. Even though his face was expressionless, something was unsettling in his aura. In the last rounds, it seemed that he said one or two phrases, at least. But now, no matter what the other person said or did, he kept silent. His body seemed tense with his jaw completely clenched as if he were restraining himself from saying or doing anything.
A frightening stillness.
Why is he here?
With the behaviour he was witnessing, Ruth was surprised his friend hadn’t stormed out of the place yet.
“Once you have chosen your partner for the rest of the night, you can move to the area where dinner will be served.” One of the assistants stated after the dark-haired woman on the opposite side of the table inquired about the food one more time, leaving them with a small reverence. Both of them were caught groaning in unison after the statement. Again, it seemed they were thinking the same thing.
He observed Riftan looking in the distance as if he was trying to dissociate his mind from the moment. Why would that man do something like that? He wasn't even trying to get to know someone which left his comrades questioning the reasons why his friend would be in that place.
With a hand on his chin, Ruth was lost in thought, reconsidering his decision to participate in that event. There was a reason behind his actions. He was sure about that. Someone could have said there was some political move if romance wasn’t the cause. However, that was very unlikely; Riftan wasn’t the type to be interested in politics, even though he had a high-ranking position within Whedon’s militia, and they were surrounded by some of the high-class members of the country.
After all, Riftan wasn’t the type of person who did things without thinking. Well, most of the time. So, seeing him doing something completely foreign to his personality was quite intriguing. Funny even. But, at that point, it was more uncomfortable than he initially would have thought.
And it was one of the things that Ruth didn’t want to witness at all.
“He’s quite attractive,” she said, grabbing a glass and taking a sip, “but I don’t think you’d have a chance.”
Ruth arched his brow, redirecting his attention to the woman at the other side of the table. ‘Confused by the sudden comment, taking his time to process her words.
"It seems like a lost battle." She asserted, turning her gaze from Ruth to Riftan and back to Ruth.
“Wait... WHAT?!” Ruth, who was resting his arms over the table, shouted, clumsily jumping from his seat - moving the table as a result of his theatrical movements, almost knocking the wine and his chair onto the floor. It was evident that his dramatic reaction attracted the attention of a good number of attendees.
“What kind of nonsense are you saying?!” He exclaimed, throwing his arms up to the ceiling.
“Relax. I’m not judging.” She interjected, raising her hands in defeat. However, it did little to appease an impassive Ruth. “I’d say ‘go ahead, you’ve nothing to lose ’, but that man seems… uninterested, to say the least.”
“I’m not interested in him!” He exploded, paying no mind to the unnecessary attention he was attracting, “I’m not here for that.” Ruth finalised, sitting again on his chair and crossing his arms - feeling insulted by the sole thought of someone associating him with Riftan in that way.
“If you say so.”
"Not even in the deepest desperation," Ruth said, starting to feel a growing pain in his head.
"Yeah…"
“I’m here for the food only. Nothing else.” He pointed, hitting a finger against the table to make his statement even clearer.
"The beefcake, I see," she quipped with a witty smile.
“Seriously? Are you even paying attention?” Ruth grumbled, rubbing his hair harshly.
“Yep. That’s why I saw you paying attention to Mr Smiley since you came to my table.” She said with a nonchalant demeanour.
“That’s not... We are just friends, ok?”
“Ouch! Friendzone. Feel ya.” she said, raising the wine bottle, leaning it towards his glass, “you’ll find someone else. In the meantime, take a drink.” She finalised, smiling at him.
‘This is going to be insufferable.
Ruth rubbed his temples in undisguised annoyance. It was clear it didn’t make sense to continue with that conversation. But why did she have to think he was interested in such stupid things? And what’s worse… with Riftan?! That simple thought would be a nightmare material for the following nights.
“Why are you here?” He inquired, rubbing his brow as if to soothe a headache. It was better to redirect the conversation to any other topic before he could suffer a stroke.
"I lost a bet," she sighed, looking at her cup.
Ruth arched a brow with arms crossed over his chest, pondering whether to ask for elaboration or ignore her. Would it be reasonable to engage in a possible interesting conversation? Or would it be better to ignore that woman for his own sake?
Looking at the atmosphere, it was probable that the number of reasons to regret having come to that place was increasing for Ruth and the most annoyed person in the room.
For Riftan, the little tantrum of the mage served as a well-deserved break from the living hell he had had to get through - for only God knows how much time he had been there. Little mattered the reasons for his childish ruckus. Riftan just needed something to distract himself from the moment.
Each time he had to change tables had been a torment, meeting a new snob on every possible occasion. If he knew the event would be packed with so many entitled, stupid rich layabouts, he wouldn’t have accepted Hebaron’s invitation.
He had nothing in common or an actual interest to be associated with them. But Agnes’ conversation moved something within him, making it incredibly difficult to ignore the opportunity.
Surveying the room, he started wondering if what he heard was wrong. It wasn’t as if Riftan liked to gossip or eavesdrop on other people’s conversations. It was a mere coincidence when he walked through the corridor of the training facility and heard the blonde talking over the phone about that event. At first, he didn’t even pay attention to the topic of conversation until she mentioned the name of that red-haired: Maxi, the one who had chased his dreams since he saw her in that camp for the first time - one of the youngest members of the infirmary unit.
Anyone would have known Agnes wasn't what someone would call a completely reliable source of information, but he had no other chance. ‘The moment he heard that both of them would be attending a speed dating in one of Drachium’s most famous restaurants, he was determined to seize the moment to approach her. If he needed to participate in a stupid event like that one, he would do it.
But he never had thought that would be so hard to accomplish. After almost an hour, there were no signs of that ginger.
And, it wouldn’t be as if he could ask for help - death would be a better destiny instead of such exposure.
What the hell am I doing?
He looked at the other tables, wondering how many were left. There weren't so many remaining tables he needed to visit, that was for sure. Therefore, that would only mean he was closer. He just needed to endure a little bit more.
However, something was missing, and Riftan couldn’t help but feel a sharp pain in his heart each time he looked at the other tables and found no sign of red hair - her red hair.
The fact of not being able to see all the people at once within the intricate structure of the room was even more irritating. What was the point of so many divider walls and sections? He needed to go through the whole process instead of skipping it and going directly to where he wanted.
And it wasn’t as if he had more choices. Every time he wanted to skip the nonsense, he was stopped by an employee or Hebaron. The risk of making a scene and ruining his image in front of her was high. ‘Just the idea of Maxi appearing in the worst moment was frightening enough to make him sweat. If he needed to play along to have a real chance with her, he would do it, that and more.
The bell rang again. It was time to move to another table.
Standing from his seat, he tried to look around one more time before reaching the following table. Why has this to be so complicated?
"No way!" A feminine laugh broke his concentration.
"It's true! Those brutes wouldn’t be alive if it weren't for me." Ruth smiled, tilting his head slightly back.
The laughter drew his attention back to the table in front of him. It seemed that Ruth was enjoying himself way too much. Riftan couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the scene. After such a dramatic show he made up some minutes ago, he was there sharing stories and laughing like he were with an old friend.
It was as if the mage knew no shame.
Before Riftan could reach the table, couples from all over the place started leaving for the next section. His heartbeat was running in a crescendo, flooding his senses. He looked at his surroundings through the sea of people moving and chatting, trying to catch her image. Anything: a glimpse of red clouds, the sparkles of her silver fire eyes that could warm everything on a winter night, or the golden dust that graciously adorned her pale skin.
He wasn’t ready to give up, not at that moment.
Ignoring the voice of the assistant, he strode through the crowd, trying to catch a glimpse of red hair or grey eyes. He moved his head from left to right, running his fingers through his hair, and looking at the couples disappear behind the greenery entrance. There was no sign of crimson and silver.
The tiny threads of hope he held onto were slowly disappearing.
Maybe, they decided they wouldn’t attend that event in the end. And Riftan wouldn’t blame them. However, if she wasn’t there, it meant he wasted his time and energy for nothing.
“Hey, Captain. Are you okay?” Hebaron grabbed Riftan by the shoulder with a concerned look, stopping him a couple of kevets in front of the host, who was checking all couples' passes.
Riftan rubbed his face harshly. It was foolish to think he would meet her like that. And what would he do or say? It wasn’t as if he didn’t have any opportunity before.
During those months in the Dristan War, he could barely stand in front of her. Each time he dared to say something, it was almost understandable in the best case. Most of the time, he would just say something rude, dumb or both.
Who was he trying to fool? He was doomed from the beginning. Even if she had come to that restaurant, there was no possibility he could do something positive for his own sake. In the end, that was one hour of his life he never would get back.
“Nothing, just…“ He wanted to leave that place and meant to say it. If he would have said: ‘I call it a night. Enjoy yourselves’, left the place, drove his car to his flat, and took a long bath to relax his body; he could have pretended that hour didn’t happen at all. That would have been so easy and less troublesome to do. If only he would have seen Hebaron in the eyes instead of stealing a glance across the greenery arc.
But, that moment she crossed the place at the other side of the arc, he lost absolute control of his body. Across the dining area entrance, delicately decorated with white roses and dark green foliage, the tiny silhouette of a red-haired lady in a blue cocktail dress was seen crossing the room to the right. She moved as if she were floating, with the end of her ponytail swaying graciously from side to side. It seemed as if the light were complotting with her, making her skin glow in harmony with her delicate features. She was a vision, and he was captivated by her.
Without thinking, his body moved. As if he was a mere piece of metal pulled by a magnet, letting the forces of nature act on him to reach his destination.
“E-Excuse me, Sir. You cannot enter without a companion.” The hostess said with a trembling voice, stopping his march to the entrance.
He met the eyes of the staff woman, watching her harshly and grimacing in discontent. Riftan was about to push her away when he looked back to his only reason to be in that stupid place, walking by the arm of a brown-haired man.
He was late. So fucking late.
At that moment, a sharp pain struck his chest. He felt numb, with his brain struggling to catch what was happening in his surroundings. The complaints of the hostess, Hebaron's voice at his back, and the chatters of the other members of the staff and couples; all the sounds around made him dizzy.
As he remained in his place, other employees redirected the people waiting to join the dinner area to the other side. Unable to move him. All the other couples were walking by his side while he had his feet glued to the ground.
That couldn’t end like that, could it?
Fuck it! He thought after what felt like an eternity. He didn’t come so far and endured people's bullshit for so long to give up easily. Who cares if she was with a company? If he didn’t have an opportunity, he would create one.
A mix of grey hair and an annoying laugh passed by his side, catching his attention by the corner of his eye and giving him an idea. After all, the only condition to access that part of the building was that they needed to go in pairs. Riftan only needed someone to pair off with until he could get close to her.
Ruth was with that bronzed woman from before, still immersed in the conversation. They walked at a slow, relaxed pace towards the entrance and gave their passes to one of the hosts before they could get access to the area where dinner would be served.
"I hope the food will be as good as they advertised," she said by Ruth's side smiling, looking at how the host registered their passes before guiding them to a table.
Before Ruth could reply, Riftan grabbed the mage by the collar of his suit jacket, pulling him back and almost lifting him with the action.
"Wha…?!" Ruth shrieked, looking at his surroundings, feeling helpless for the force applied to drawing him far away from the arc.
"You're coming with me," Riftan said, in a cold tone, not even looking at the mage.
"Wa-wait! What are you d…!" Ruth struggled, trying to break himself free of Riftan's grasp.
Riftan approached the hostess on his side of the entry with steady steps, dragging Ruth by the collar. The poor mage hassled under his powerful grip, screaming and writhing, trying to run away in vain. No matter what he tried to do, his weak movements were stopped by Riftan's force without effort.
Ignoring the murmurs, laughs, and complaints around him, Riftan demanded his access and a table. Meanwhile, Ruth, who was almost at his feet, opened his bluish-silvery eyes impossibly wide when Riftan extended his left arm to him, requesting his ticket pass. Dismay filled his body from head to toe.
‘This should be a nightmare . Paralysed, Ruth remained still, not believing what he was living. Why do these things happen to me? He was sure God kept punishing him for something he did. Maybe he was paying for the sins he committed in a past life.
"Quick. I don't have all night," Riftan pressured, shaking the mage to wake him from the trance.
"No! I already have a companion!" Ruth complained, still trying to escape from his captor.
"Don't make me repeat it, Ruth."
"Come on, mage. This is your big chance," Hebaron mocked before collapsing into laughter. His guffaws echoed through the hall, causing strangers to look at him.
“Why on Earth are you doing this to me?!” Unable to continue with his humiliation, Ruth fought with more energy against Riftan's grasp.
After a moment, he slipped out of his jacket, falling on his buttocks on the floor. Despite the pain, he ran as fast as he could to reach his companion without a second to spare - putting himself behind her and grabbing her by the shoulders like she was some sort of human shield.
"I've told you. I already have my date. Find yours as normal people do." Ruth whined from behind the woman.
"What the…?" The brunette woman stirred a little, almost hiding a mocking smile. Although without much success.
"Run!" Ruth blurted, grabbing her hand before pulling her inside the dining area with him. He was not disposed to give those men another chance to abuse him any longer.
"So bad. Better luck next time, Captain." Hebaron teased Riftan after the mage disappeared behind the green arc, patting him lightly on the back. “I’m sure you can find better prospects.”
Ignoring Riftan’s scornful eyes, Hebaron let out a boastful laugh. It was surprising how Hebaron managed to look unperturbed while part of the staff was trembling behind Riftan. He even wiped a tear that was running down his cheek, completely oblivious to the menacing aura of his Commander at the same time he continued cracking up jokes.
Riftan approached him slowly but steadily, in complete silence, overlooking the mocking comments of Hebaron and throwing away Ruth’s suit jacket. With a fast movement, he snatched a piece of paper from his comrade’s hand and handled it to the Hostess behind him, alongside his own pass.
“Uhh… Commander… What… What are you doing?” Hebaron questioned, perplexed. He gave Riftan a troubled look, hesitant of whether to see or not the moment when his leader registered both of them for the same table.
Covering his forehead with his hand, Hebaron paused before seeing his partner for the night through the corner of his eye. She was looking at him, irritation seeped from her pores. After regarding him for some seconds, she huffed and spat bitterly “I should have chosen the one with amber eyes,” before turning on her heels.
After finally getting access to the dining area, Riftan followed one of the waiters to their table, paying no mind to Hebaron's complaints. Before long, he noticed their table was next to Ruth’s. The universe liked to play with them, that was for sure.
As soon as Ruth saw them approaching the table on the side, he tensed; looking warily at both husky men and the places they were choosing.
Once Riftan sat on the chair aligned with Ruth unintentionally, the last, without hesitation, stood up, grabbed his chair, and dragged it as close to the woman accompanying him as he could - putting all the distance possible between him and Riftan.
Riftan just rolled his eyes at such ridiculous actions.
Through the distance, he observed the table of the red-haired lady. Riftan tried to determine the right moment to approach her and what he should say once the situation arrived. He didn’t want to scare her again and revive that incident in the infirmary unit during the war when instead of greeting her and trying to create a decent conversation, he ended up scolding Maxi for her lack of self-care (in a rude way).
No need to say those comments weren’t well received.
“It seems the mage is the only one having fun here,” A grumpy Hebaron said after emptying the bottle of wine that was on their table.
Passing his comrade's disgusted face, he looked at the mage’s table. Those two were enjoying an elated conversation again. ‘Talking about things he didn’t really understand. For a moment, he was surprised by their interaction. Even an annoying rascal like him could socialise so easily and naturally; while he was there, struggling to say a simple greeting word like Hello .
In a trice, their annoyance was transformed into uneasiness when the lively chatters stopped and the mage cast a spell over the table.
“Prove it. Let’s see what you can do,” Ruth teased, resting a hand on the table in front of her. Over his hand, he hexed a ball of wind. The sphere was floating a short distance from his fingers.
She looked at him defiantly while Riftan and Hebaron shifted on their chairs nervously. After having met Ruth for some time, they were very aware of how talented the grumpy mage was; although, sometimes he was capable of demonstrating a high level of intelligence and an equal level of stupidity. Otherwise, there was no reason to do something so dangerous in a public space.
Ignoring the tense face of Hebaron, Riftan started to number all the possibilities of that imprudence. Someone could get hurt, something in the spell could go wrong, and being surrounded by some of the wealthiest people in the country didn’t make it better. Everything in that scene could lead to a disastrous political incident.
Before Riftan could stand from his seat or Hebaron could say something, a feminine voice responded, accepting the challenge.
They looked nervously at how she positioned herself at an angle, ready to do something to the air sphere. To Riftan’s increased worries, it seemed the woman was also a mage. After an odd movement of fingers, a second ball appeared inside the one Ruth created, smaller in size and with an air flux hastened.
“Boring.” Ruth yawned unapologetically, unimpressed by her demonstration of magic control.
“Wait a minute, I haven’t finished yet,” She said, inclining her body over her right arm with eyes focused on the spheres.
The small one started moving, hastening its rotation and changing its colour. Sucking a bit of air, she threw a tiny ray of light that passed through the big sphere, striking the small one, making it collapse, shine and finally display several subtle colours for some seconds before disappearing into Ruth’s sphere.
“So cliché. I see there is no creativity nowadays,” Ruth sneered.
“Hey! It’s a classic. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“That’s a poor excuse for a waste of mana,” Ruth snorted while moving his hand to disappear the spell.
“Ugh. Now your turn. Impress me.”
She narrowed her eyes just before putting more of her concentration into crafting a slightly more complex challenge for her rude partner, who hadn't stopped teasing her since he displayed that little show earlier. While she hexed an oval with a small tornado on the inside with wind magic over her hand, Ruth rolled his sleeves theatrically.
It seemed he was ready to put on a show.
Hovering a hand over the oval, he let out a small white light from his index finger. When it touched its surface, a light covered the inside of the oval.
After inspecting the spell for a moment, he nodded with a child-like smile, “that would be enough.”
The woman and some couples at the nearby tables widened their eyes in awe the moment the light disappeared, revealing the inside of the oval. He replaced the little tornado with tiny sparkles floating within its limits. With each second that passed, it seemed the glimmer was growing in number.
“Touch them.” He grinned, encouraging her to do it with a few pats on the arm.
She regarded him for a few seconds with wary eyes. Still trying to decide whether to trust him or not. Analysing the spell, she didn’t detect any abnormality or something that could harm her physique or dignity.
‘Disappearing the oval, the sparkles fell over her hand bit a bit, as if they were so airy to dance in the space under the light that gravity didn’t affect them like any other object in that place. When the first sparkle touched her skin, her face brightened as her eyes grew wide. She could feel the coldness of that tiny thing over her, running her palm.
“Snow?!” She diverted her gaze from the glittery snowflakes falling over her hand to meet Ruth’s eyes. He was sitting next to her with a confident smile, nodding proudly.
“That’s…!” She stopped, looking at the tiny snowflakes on her hand, not melting nor disappearing, just glimmering against the light. After staring at them for some time, the brunette finalised with a hum. “.... not bad.”
Chortling, Hebaron took the bottle of wine a waiter delivered over their table a minute ago, shaking his head in the middle of the murmurs from the nearby tables.
“The mage with more luck than me. The world is turning upside down.” He said before emptying a bottle - his second bottle in a row.
That would be a long night, for sure, and Hebaron was way too sober to survive.
Riftan rubbed his face, trying to suppress the urge to hit either or both of those troublesome men. He wondered if it was remarkably challenging for them to behave in public properly.
On one side, that orange drunkard was ready to flirt with a blonde on the other table, ignoring the heated partner of said woman. And on the other side, a stupid, reckless mage that should be recluded in his lab, instead of putting people at risk with his nonsense.
Remembering his only reason to be there, he put his complete attention to Maxi’s table. She looked beautiful under the dim light of the candlelights. The beauty of the white and red roses adorning the table paled in comparison. If only they had met before, now he could be in the place of the jerk who was accompanying her.
How could I approach her?
While Riftan was thinking of feasible ways to get rid of her partner, the brown-haired man accompanying her stood from his seat and walked away from her table - leaving Maxi alone.
Before waiting for the man to walk a proper distance from Maxi’s table, Riftan stood up and marched towards her. His pulse quickened by the minute. With each step taken closer to her, he could hear his own heartbeat throbbing in his ears.
That was his chance, and God forbid he would mess it up again.
"Hey, Calypse!" Someone shouted from behind him, but he couldn't care less about his surroundings.
As he watched her distant figure grow with each step taken, he couldn’t help but let his eyes wander through her pale complexion. From the delicious curls that tumbled gently in reddish hues to her tiny waist, passing over her white nape and narrow shoulders. Everything in her was breathtaking.
There was no clear memory of when the little mage bewitched his heart. The only thing he knew was the swelling urge of being a part of her life.
In front of her, he stopped, wiping his damped palms on his trousers.
Maxi was reviewing the menu, with her brows furrowed, trying to choose something edible between the eccentric names of the dishes and their unusual descriptions. Everything seemed so extravagant and out of the top.
She bit her lower lip while reading one of the descriptions: ‘Pâté of roasted indigenous legumes, paired with a compote of seasonal berries, served on hearty sprouted wheat bread ’. It sounded even more complicated (and expensive) than the potions she prepared in the laboratory.
Although it sounded oddly familiar, it wasn’t exactly what she would like to eat on a Saturday night.
Even if Agnes found a way to convince her to attend that event, she couldn’t help but feel out of place. Doing something so different from her usual routine and liking left her with an uncomfortable feeling.
Her normal weekends would be spent in the laboratory or hanging out with her friends, Sidina and Anette.
Sometimes, travelling with Agnes, she would visit Whedon’s capital and other important cities and centres across the country, participating in numerous activities of any kind. Most of the time, Maxi would be excited about the new adventures and discoveries they would experience in their journeys. Nonetheless, there were moments when Maxi regretted agreeing with her friend. And that day was a good example of that.
Reviewing the menu again and still clueless about what she should eat, she sighed. I should ask Sejour when he comes back.
It was better to wait for Sejour and his expert guidance. After all, he was used to this kind of environment. ‘Always moving between the most important and exclusive events and places in every country of the Western Continent.
She was relieved when they met in the second round; it was always better to meet a familiar face in those standoffish places.
Riftan cleared his throat after standing idle for some time by her table. Maxi was so concentrated on the menu that it seemed she didn’t notice his presence. Clearing his throat for a second time - louder, making her jump from her seat, snapping her head to the source of the sound, he tried to say something.
He thought about several phrases to say, the tone he should use, how to introduce himself properly, and even his body language. Riftan wanted to make a good impression and, hopefully, erase from her head the memories of their scattered (and uncomfortable) encounters months ago during the war.
His thoughts were running wild, recapitulating, selecting and discarding all the options he could think of. From cliché phrases, movie quotes, and dialogues he heard on sitcoms, even recalling the infamous pick-up lines of Gabel and Hebaron. He looked for anything that could help.
He needed a great start. Something memorable, unforgettable. Anything that could make a new starting point in their history.
When she locked eyes with him, he was ready to give it all in right there and there.
It was his last opportunity to get close to her.
And he was ready and prepared.
He got that.
That was his moment.
‘The D-day.
“Hi,” Riftan blurted, feeling as tense as he had ever before. It was worst than being on the battlefield surrounded by enemy forces.
“Hi,” Maxi replied, a light blush appearing on her cheekbones. She was starlet by the enormous presence that just appeared in front of her.
They remained in their places among the noise of the nearby conversations, people moving, and the silence between them. Riftan scratched his brain for some topics of conversation, but he found his mind blank.
Not now, idiot; just say something, anything.
“The weather is nice,” he said without thinking.
“Uh. Yes, I think so,” Maxi replied, trying to remember the weather before entering the building.
“It’s a nice place,” He said after a moment of silence, with an undertone full of nervousness.
“Yes… Um… very elegant…”
“I… I saw you from afar,” Riftan made a pause, hoping he would not look like a creep and scare her (again), “It’s been a while.”
“Oh… Yes. Eight months, right?” Maxi shifted in her seat, unsure of what she should do. She didn’t expect to meet the Command Sergeant of Whedon’s army in that restaurant or any place.
It was a strange sight. Even more, after remembering all the amicable encounters where he disregarded her support in the expeditionary units. It didn't matter how well-trained she was or her position within their ranks; he always disrespectfully treated her.
She wondered countless times how a person could be so terribly handsome and rude on an equal level.
It was such a pity.
On top of that, she didn’t know whether to feel happy or disappointed when the war ended and they were separated. Although, it wasn’t as if they were together either. While he was assigned to some port city in South Whedon, she ended up in Drachium with Agnes (after hopping between Nornui and the Continent for some time).
Every time they met, whether would be in the camp or the expeditionary units, they had a strange feeling spreading from the inside out.
It seemed that, after eight months, nothing had changed. Even in that restaurant, she couldn’t help to feel butterflies under his gaze, and he couldn’t help but let his nervousness lead his actions.
Sejour walked through the restroom door, taking a deep breath. The night wasn’t going as he would have expected. Although, it wasn’t like he would complain though.
The event wasn’t that bad. But it would be a lie to say Sejour would have gone if he knew what kind of event it was beforehand. In the end, it was his fault. ‘The moment he received Agnes’ invitation, he should have asked what speed date meant or at least done some research before accepting it without thinking.
Thankfully, having Maxi as his partner made the whole experience more bearable. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had a reason to stay there.
He stopped near his table, looking at the unusual scene in front of him with curiosity. Maxi who was still in her seat, had her face almost as red as her hair with her eyes fixed on a tall brunette man standing by their table.
Calypse? Why is he here?
After a few moments of analysing the situation, he put his hand on his forehead, watching the most lamentable display of courtesy and flirting he had witnessed - in his life.
Riftan was stumbling at his own words, apologising for his rudeness in every sentence. He seemed so nervous and indecisive, taking a step to the front and back constantly.
Wondering whether or not to save that man of himself, he barely contained the laugh when one of Riftan's movements knocked a bottle of wine, which, by the way, he tried to catch in the air quite clumsily. Who would have said that the man with one of the best records in war games was capable of clumsiness?
'Between his chuckles, Sejour looked at the ceiling like a man praying to God. After thinking about it twice - thrice, he sighed in resignation and stared for some time at the future couple before approaching them.
“I guess this is why I am here.”