BLUE
“Hey there!”
Blue jumped and spun, only half awake. She was on her way down to the courtyard to meet Levi for kiti practice.
It was six in the morning on her first break-day from the Academy and they had pushed her schedule back by half an hour.
It was not enough.
Elaina stood at the end of the hall, waving. When Blue didn’t respond, she hurried over to her. “I’m glad I caught you. I was afraid I was late.”
“Caught me?” Blue blinked. How was the girl so awake?
“Yeah. I’ve seen you in the mornings doing those exercises with the Prizzoli. Levi, right? Well, I was hoping you’d let me try with you. I need a boost in our defense class, honestly.” Elaina bit her lip, her eyes pleading.
It was true. Elaina needed the help. She wasn’t bad, she was just younger than everyone else, and it showed. Even the students who hadn’t had any previous training at least had her in height and body mass, even the girls.
“We can ask.” Part of Blue wanted to keep this time with Levi all to herself, but was that fair? And maybe Elaina would want to join her in the evenings as well. When she worked on endurance. It would be nice to have a partner-in-misery.
“Thank you! I’ve been wanting to meet your guys, but it seems too rude to just… corner them. Do you think he’d let me ask some questions about the Prizzoli?” Elaina skipped along beside her. She wore the same cushioned shoes and formfitting, long-sleeved shirt that they did in defense class, but the bottoms were longer, more like yoga pants.
“You can ask.”
“Okay.” She nodded, the motion emphatic. “I will.”
“But after, okay?”
“Yes.” She gave another nod. “I’ll ask after. Um, do you have plans for after? I was thinking I could take you to the hairdresser I know.”
“Ask me again after.”
Elaina’s face fell.
Blue blinked and thought over her words. “Sorry. I’m still waking up, and you’re about a million miles ahead of me. I don’t remember what’s been planned for today. But if there’s time, I’d love to go with you.” She pulled forward a pale strand of hair, now more of a seafoam green than blue. “And I definitely need a refresh.”
Elaina sent her a smile brimming with joy. How the hell did this girl not have more friends? Then Blue remembered the way she could also go into prim-and-pedantic mode and her age disparity with the others in her class.
It was still dark out, and cold. Like, Blue-was-going-to-end-up-like-the-squirrel-in-Ice-Age cold—frozen in a solid block of ice. Luckily, the air was still, and she’d warm up soon.
If Levi says we have to do this outside when there’s snow… Well, that was not going to happen.
He was already down, standing in the corner of the yard they’d staked out at theirs. It was an open patch of grass, and when the sun did finally rise, the first rays would find their way through the buildings and hit that spot, warming it. Since they were starting a little late, that should be fairly soon.
“Hey, Levi. Elaina asked if she could join us this morning.”
The Prizzoli’s gaze fixed on her friend, and Elaina’s big eyes got bigger. “This is the one from the Academy.”
“Yup.”
“Very well.” He didn’t turn his back as Blue was used to, but stayed facing them, just as he had when he’d first started teaching Blue the kiti. “You will follow.”
Elaina nodded, though the movement was a little more subdued.
A soft breeze brushed over Blue, and she shivered. Neither Levi nor Elaina so much as twitched. “How are you not freezing?”
“Oh, I’ve never gotten cold easily.” She bit her lip. “He’s kind of… intimidating.”
Blue looked at Levi in time to catch his lips twitch into a smile before he donned his sober I-will-make-you-do-this expression. “Levi? Nah. He’s a teddy bear,” she whispered, sending him a wink.
His lips twitched again. “We will begin.”
He flowed into the first position, and Blue mirrored him. Elaina was a beat behind, but she did it. They ran through the sequence of the first ten figures without stopping. The second time around, Levi stopped to correct their body placements. Most of his attention was directed to Elaina, but a few times he fixed the angle of Blue’s foot or the rotation of an arm. Little things.
By the time they had finished the usual ten repetitions, the sun had fallen on their corner, the sound of transports and voices filtered to them, and Elaina’s limbs trembled.
“Wow,” she said. “That looks a lot easier than it is.” She bit her lip and glanced between Levi and Blue, brushing a lock of sweaty hair behind her ear. “Can I—can I join you again?”
Levi tilted his head and sent Blue a questioning look. Blue nodded. He gave her a slight bow then turned back to Elaina. “Yes, you may join us. We usually begin at 5:50 in the morning.”
Elaina flung herself at Blue and wrapped her arms around her. “Thank you, thank you.”
Blue patted her on the back. “Um, not a problem. Kind of nice to have a partner in torture.”
Elaina squeezed harder, and the air was forced from Blue’s lungs before she finally stepped back. “You won’t regret this. I will be the best student.”
Blue let out a laugh and turned to Levi. “It’s true. She’s the perfect student. She’ll probably outstrip me in days, and you’ll wonder why you ever bothered with me.”
Levi’s eyes widened then narrowed.
Crap, had she said that aloud? She must still not be awake. She didn’t feel that way, not really. Ugh. Stupid insecurities.
“Hey.” Elaina shoved at Blue’s arm. “That’s not true. It took me a year to learn English, and you’re already speaking in Common and barely thinking about it.”
“If you have throwing blades, bring them next time,” Levi said to her new friend. “I will be up to the apartment shortly.” He directed the last to Blue.
Blue sent him a grateful smile for the deflection and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Then she grabbed Elaina’s hand and dragged her through the rear doors of the building. Delicious warmth enveloped her.
Hot shower. Hmmmmm…
“Blue?”
“Hmmm?”
“You can let go now.”
Blue looked to where she still gripped Elaina’s hand. “Sorry.” She let go.
Elaina rubbed her wrist and tilted her head. “That’s okay. Something upset you. What was it?”
“I don’t know how to explain it.” Blue rolled her shoulders. “How about this? Come find me in an hour. You know which is my apartment?”
“Yes.”
“I still need to double check, but I’m pretty sure I can steal the rest of the morning, if not more. Then we’ll have a girls’ day, and I’ll see if I can articulate what just happened.” Excitement filled her. A girls’ day. She hadn’t had a girls’ day in… way too long.
“You really want to go with me?”
“Of course.”
Elaina’s smile was blinding. “Okay. One hour. I’ll be there. I also know a really good dakash stand we can get some breakfast at.”
“It’s a plan.” Blue hesitated. “I’ll probably have Duri with me or one of the other guys. I know I said a girls’ day, but they’re really…”
“Protective?” Elaina grinned, then blushed. “And I don’t mind Duri so much.”
Blue’s brows rose. What was this? “Duri, hmmm?”
“No!” Elaina’s blush went from delicate to candy apple. “I mean, he’s too old for me. And Martikan. But I can enjoy the scenery, right?” She ducked her head.
Blue laughed. “Sure you can.” She hadn’t really noticed, but Duri was a handsome man. And not that much older than her, which meant he wasn’t all that old. What were the laws regarding age of consent and all that here?
“Don’t say anything, all right?” Elaina sobered. “I mean it. My aunt would lock me away like that girl with the really long hair in that Earth story if she got even a hint that…”
“You were lusting after an older man?”
“Yes. No!”
Blue laughed and slung her arm over Elaina’s shoulder as they headed for the lift. “Your secret is safe with me.” She paused. “How old are you? I don’t think you actually said. And Duri’s not that old, really.” Maybe this would be possible…
Elaina stiffened and looked away. “I’m only seventeen. I mean, technically once I finished my general schooling and entered the Academy I was considered an adult, but my aunt is a bit like your guys. Protective. Especially since I started so young.”
Blue gave her friend a squeeze and let the subject drop.
Today really was shaping up to be a great day, despite whatever that had been earlier with Levi. She keyed open the door to the apartment and bounced in. “Hello? Anyone?”
She didn’t wait for an answer but went straight to the fridge and dug out the jug of aipin juice. Huh. Didn’t look like there was more than half a glass left. Swishing the jug to make sure the pulp was well distributed, she opened the cupboard where the glasses were kept. It was empty. No, that wasn’t true. The bottom shelves, the ones she could reach, were empty.
Setting the jug down, she climbed up on the counter and snagged a glass.
And, yes, there wasn’t even half a glass. She shrugged. She’d just pick up more while she was out. She still needed to confirm her schedule, though. Where was everyone?
Sipping the aipin juice, she wandered from the kitchen, through the living room, and to her room. No one. Not even the piquets. Maybe Mo’ata and Forrest had taken them out somewhere? She shot the guys a quick message, finished off her juice, kicked off her shoes, and headed for the bathroom.
Where she tripped. Over a pair of Forrest’s underwear. There were little singing cacti on them. She grinned and chucked them into the laundry bin that sat under the counter. It was full.
I’ll have to do laundry later today. She only had a couple sets of the Academy uniform, and she was almost out of underwear herself. Looks like the other guys were as well. And that was fine.
Nothing was going to ruin her good mood.
She peeled off her kiti gear and tossed it in the pile, then stepped up to the shower to get the water going. The bathmat squished under her feet. Huh.
And someone had used her towel. They’d all gotten different colors, and hers was the blue one, of course. It was wet as well.
Her good mood dimmed.
It’s okay, I’ll just use a different one. She held on to that good mood like a barnacle to the side of a ship. Nothing was prying it away.
She adjusted the temperature on the water until it was just how she wanted it and stepped in, letting the hot water soothe her tired muscles and wash away the thin film of sweat and dirt.
Heaven.
Then she reached for her shampoo. The bottle was lighter than it should have been. Much lighter. She turned it over, opened the top and squeezed. Nothing came out. She shook it, waited, and shook it again. Still nothing. She had definitely had shampoo yesterday. She knew she had.
Dirty underwear, wet bathmat and towel, and no shampoo. The barnacle popped off the ship.
Oh, God, she was living with boys. At least there’s no separate toilet seat to leave up. The thought didn’t cheer her as much as she had hoped.
The bathroom door opened and steam swirled. “Hey, pixie.”
“You’re a dead man.”
“I brought you shampoo.”
She cracked open the shower door and held out a hand. “Okay, you’re not dead. Maybe bruised.” A bottle was placed in her grip. It looked like the right kind. She sniffed it. It was. She’d picked it out specifically because the scent wasn’t too overwhelming. Actually, it was almost nonexistent. “Thank you.”
There was no answer, and she assumed he’d retreated. She finished up her shower, used Mo’ata’s red towel, and took her time drying and braiding her hair. By the time she was dressed and had left her room, the bin of laundry had been grabbed.
Smart man.
Mo’ata, Levi, and Forrest had gathered at one end of the dining table, heads together.
“Elaina and I are going to have a girl’s day. We’ll take Duri with us.” She’d meant to ask, she really had, if for no other reason than to make sure there wasn’t anything planned in regard to the investigation, but she was still annoyed.
Forrest’s lips twitched, and he nodded, looking a bit like Elaina at her most eager. “Good idea. Um, sorry.”
Blue glared, then sighed. “Do you need me to pick you up some shampoo? Maybe a new towel?”
Mo’ata raised his hand. “The towel was me. I forgot we had color-coded them.”
“Nope, I’m good now,” Forrest said, expression neutral. “I picked some up when I grabbed more for you.”
“Fine.” She relented. “I’ll pick up some more aipin juice while I’m out; I drank the last of it. And I’ll hit the laundry when I get back. Anything I need to know before I go?”
“We will do laundry while you are gone,” Mo’ata said. “And work out a schedule for it. We also received two more reports of incidents on Turamm, and this time the agent that the boss has monitoring things there was able to get his hands on the full medical reports. It looks like the same thing. We have also gotten bios on all the suspected victims.”
“Do you need me to stay? Start going through them?”
Mo’ata waved a hand. “No. Go do your ‘girls’ day.’”
Blue raised her brows. Was that a tone of condescension? Boys.
“I mean it, shopa. I forget sometimes that you do not have another woman to talk to. It is important to the balance.” He hesitated. “And if she knows anything else of Petyr?”
“Did Jason ever find out if Sarah talked to him?”
“Jason talked to her, and she agreed to see what she could find out but did not get back to him before he had to leave yesterday. He was a bit evasive, but it sounded as though she would come to you if she had any leads.”
Well, that was… weird. “Me?”
“I am not counting on her to do so. The boss has tasked a couple of agents with tailing her and the friend. Duri has identified her as Annaliese Poutil.”
“Okay. I’ll see if Elaina knows anything about her as well. Maybe there is another connection we can pull upon.”
“Careful there, shopa. We do not know this girl well.”
“I can’t imagine she’d be involved.”
“She is probably not. But do you want to have her become involved?”
“No.” She didn’t even need to think about it. Elaina was her first new friend, and she wanted to keep her safe from whatever this was. And yes, she could see the irony in this. Guess I know how the guys feel.
Mo’ata nodded. “Then go. And remember, part of keeping a cover is being able to conduct your everyday life. If that is going on girl dates with friends or gossiping or keeping up your studies or shopping, then that is what you must do.” His lips lifted in a grin and he spread his hands as if to say “what can you do?”
“Okay then.” She looked around. There was a vague sense of contentment from Garfield, but she didn’t see him. “Where are the cubs?”
“Asleep on the laundry,” Forrest muttered.
“What?”
“Yeah, I dragged it into the cleaning room, and they jumped in the bin, curled up, and went to sleep. Couldn’t get them to budge.”
Blue laughed. She could envision it perfectly. “Well then, I’ll leave them to it.”
The door chime sounded. “And that’s probably Elaina. Can one of you get it? I’m going to finish getting ready and message Duri.”
She hurried to her room and grabbed her blades. As she’d promised herself, she didn’t leave them behind anymore. Six more seconds and she had her coat on, scarf around her neck, hat and gloves in her hand, traveler mug in her shopping bag, and small wallet with her account card in her pocket. She was ready to go.
Elaina was standing at the edge of the living room when Blue came out, nervously eyeing the guys. Duri stood next to her and… was he hovering? Oooh. That inner matchmaker Blue hadn’t known she had poked its head up like a hedgehog that had scented the juiciest of grasshoppers.
“I should be back by—?” She sent Elaina a questioning look.
“Two? We’re going to get something to eat, then visit a hairdresser I know. Then I thought we could visit the upper market.” Her gaze dropped to the frayed hem of Blue’s jeans. “They have some good clothes shops in that direction, and reasonably priced.”
Forrest laughed. “Well, that’s one problem taken care of. I was afraid with Phe back on Earth you wouldn’t have someone to make you buy clothes.”
“Hush.” Blue crossed to him and bent to press a quick kiss to his lips. Then she did the same with Mo’ata and Levi.
They each gave her easy smiles and waved her on her way.
The trio was on the street when Elaina un-paused the conversation from earlier. “So, what was that this morning?”
“Not going to let that go?” Blue kept her gaze on the street before her. The nearest public transport station was a block away and three levels up. At least she assumed that was where they were going.
“Should I? It wouldn’t really make sense to. And it’s not good to keep things bottled up.” Elaina tugged her arm and led her to the right, down a narrower side street. This flowed into a broad boulevard filled with private transports and pedestrians. More apartment buildings towered on either side.
“You’re right. I guess it’s just all so new. Especially with Levi.”
“Yes. I thought you were only with the clansman and the blond one.”
“Mo’ata and Forrest. Yes, I was. But…”
“It helps to say stuff out loud sometimes. That’s what my aunt says, anyway. I haven’t decided if she’s right or not. Sometimes I get in even more trouble when I say things than when I just keep them in my mind.”
Blue snorted. She allowed the silence to stretch between them as Elaina guided them through another narrow road and then went left. This new street was a little quieter, the buildings a little less tall, the paint faded and stone stained.
“It’s silly. Stupid really. I’m not even sure how to say it, exactly. And I don’t really feel that way. I mean, I know Levi would never feel that way about me, but… he hasn’t been out in the worlds much. His life as a Prizzoli guard kept him pretty isolated, even from his own people. He hasn’t ever had a chance to figure out what he really wants. What if he decides he doesn’t want to be part of the prida or doesn’t want me or finds someone he likes better?” God, I sound like a whiny brat.
“This is the same guy who left his people to follow you back to Karran, right? Seems like what he wants is you.”
“Well, that’s not exactly what happened—”
“Besides, so what if he does?” Elaina picked up her pace. “We’re almost there. You’ll love it. They really do have the best dakash. The ones with fruit and cream are the very, very best.”
So what if he does? Elaina made it sound so simple. But weren’t these the same fears she’d had with Forrest, with Mo’ata? And wasn’t this the very kind of thing she’d returned to Karran to discover? So what if Levi ever decided he wanted something else? Did she want him now?
Yes. She did. And why was she even arguing with herself about this? There was a kernel, a little seed of… disbelief. Because there was no way something as grand and strange and wonderful as finding her way into a universe of worlds full of adventure and then finding men to have those adventures with could have possibly happened to her. Five men to love and—
Five. Love. Her own words came back to haunt her. I’d regret it if I didn’t even try.
Just like that, she wanted to run back to the apartment. She wanted to see their faces, even though she’d left them there barely a half hour before.
And she wanted to pull Levi into her room and lock the door. She didn’t want to wait for any more disasters to force her hand. That was like waiting for a funeral as an excuse to go see your family. Eventually it would be too late.
“Here was are.” Elaina pulled Blue from her thoughts as she stopped in front of a slightly run-down food stall. They were on the edge of the apartment district, where housing and shops started to mix. Elaina stepped up to the open window, neatly trimmed in red, and said, “Two of the berry and cream, please.” Then she sent Duri a shy smile. “I mean three.” Then she handed over her own account card.
“Oh, you didn’t have to—”
“Consider it a thank-you for letting me intrude on your training this morning.”
“You really are welcome to join any time.”
The stall proprietor, a balding man with a round face and sour expression, handed over three cloth-wrapped bundles. “Bring the napkins back.”
Blue took hers. Heat filtered through and seeped into cold fingers that had turned a faint violet. She flicked back a corner of the cloth to see golden pastry, and her mouth watered.
“Eat it quick. They won’t stay warm long.” Elaina bit into hers, moaning slightly as a dollop of red and cream clung to the corner of her mouth.
Blue copied her and let out a matching moan. It was like pastry-covered cheesecake. “I’m coming here every day,” she said around a mouthful of goodness. “I don’t care how fat I get. These are amazing.” She took another bite, and her eyes slid closed. She barely registered the hand on her arm, steering her from in front of the stall and to a less busy area at the side of the street.
“Right?” Elaina was as oblivious. “And if I work out like I did this morning, I have the perfect excuse to indulge.”
Duri stood over them both, an expression of mixed disapproval and amusement sending his lips wavering. Finally he smiled, shrugged, and bit into his own breakfast, though Blue noted he kept his attention on their surroundings.
In minutes the confections were gone. They wiped their hands, turned in the napkins, and set off for the nearest public transit stop. Blue’s mind wandered back to thoughts of love and hesitation.
She linked her arm through Elaina’s. “Tell me what you know of courting customs. And if you know of a place I can pick up something, um, sexy.”