She could feel him tensing beside her, but did not look over, feeling rather mortified herself that she’d actually asked that aloud.

Then that familiar laugh that usually meant he was panicked rather than actually amused. She noted distractedly that she’d never actually heard his genuine, amused laugh, and wondered if this was something to be concerned about.

As he explained, she began to wonder what he’d said about her exactly that made them think that. She blushed as he spoke of stories, wondered if that was how he viewed her as. It wasn’t that she had any issue with being seen as ‘the beautiful princess’, but as someone who’d been the hero of her own stories, she preferred to be seen as the former. She understood his meaning, though, and half glanced at him as she looked at her--did he think she was beautiful?

She didn’t know if she could believe him when he said it was just the kids making up stories, but she relaxed a little, the burden letting up a bit.

“No, no… it didn’t, bother me, per say,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “It’s just… it just surprised me, is all. I mean… if someone wanted to marry me, I’d prefer to hear it from them, and not from someone else,” she concluded, looking back at him with a smile.

“I also heard you’re quite popular these days. You probably have your pick of the ladies, huh? I’m sure everyone wants to be with the new hero of Enyalius. Including a certain lady by the name of… what was it? Adrasteia, I think.”

She was totally not trying to probe subtly for his opinion about other women.

It didn't bother her? Well that was good, right? The pressure eased up, just as she seemed to dig a hole even deeper for him to crawl down into. Had those rumors just signed a death warrant for a potential relationship with her? Because if things did go well then maybe one day he would want to ask her to marry him but no matter what she would have already heard it first from these rumors so she wouldn't want to say yes, would she? Doomed before there was ever even a chance. He looked over to see her smiling at him, and his stomach did backflips and his heart and head started beating each other up wondering how this conversation would have gone if he had only chosen option A. He would have undoubtedly messed it up, but maybe not so bad as -- well, nevermind, she still would have heard it from someone else first.

Doomed. 

In one conversational move she had politely rejected his affections and was all ready to pair him off with someone else. He felt completely crushed, and too far into his own head to catch on to the subtle probing behind her question. "Yeah, I guess," he answered, the defeat somewhat leaking into his tone, "I don't know much about them. Adrasteia -" he paused as it hit him that she must've talked to someone in more than just passing if she knew Adrasteia's name, and felt the hole deepen even further. There was no getting out now. "I mean she's okay, but she's just - " he stopped, not knowing how to describe her, "I mean she's pretty and all, but she's - " 

She's just a girl, he wanted to say. She's just a young woman and we share no common interests and she's practically at my heels whenever I turn around and it's annoying sometimes and she's over the top with trying to get my attention and -- but if Andromeda had brought her up, did that mean she thought they would be a good match for each other? A frown pulled at his lips as he shrugged lightly, unable to do anything else really. If she had met Adrasteia or learned enough about her to know her name, maybe she had seen something he had not. And now, knowing that this avenue might be closed to him forever, maybe trusting her in that was the right thing to do. Maybe he had just never given Adrasteia a chance, maybe it would be okay to settle for someone else. 

But she's not the full package, he mentally continued, looking over at Andromeda and lamenting the heavy feel of an unrequited crush. How could I think of her when I've been dreaming of you?


"yeah, I guess she's fine," he finally said, looking back down the hill. "Are, uh," he took a deep breath to press back against his soft pain in his chest, "Are you hungry? They should have dinner ready by now. It's not the best food, but it's food."

She didn’t quite understand his tone; why did he sound so depressed about being surrounded by admirers? She frowned as he spoke of the woman Kadera had mentioned, trying and failing to sense his general feeling towards her. She’s okay, just…? She’s pretty, but…?

He never finished his words, but he did think she was pretty. Was it nervousness that prevented him from elaborating? Maybe he did like her, despite what Kadera said about how apparently annoying she was. Then again, Andromeda had not met the woman herself and had only heard Kadera’s side of the story. She was very aware that the girl might be biased.

The idea that Nikos might think otherwise made her feel strangely unsettled.

Her attention returned to the conversation when he spoke again.

“Is that okay? I mean… I would love to, but I don’t want to impose.”

She was aware that this might not be a good time for them to have to serve a guest on top of everything, especially remembering the way they treated her. What if they spent more effort on wining and dining than necessary? She’d had enough of those in a lifetime and would much prefer a simple, intimate dinner among the people of Enyalius.

“Let me change to something more comfortable first,” she said, before letting go of her senshi transformation. She’d only transformed in order to be able to make the journey, after all. There was nothing to fight here anymore, and if that should ever change, she could switch back quickly. She was now wearing one of her more casual dresses. Though it was still more lavish than what the citizens wore, it was one of the simpler designs in her collection.

She smiled at him shyly, realizing that this was the first time he’d seen her in this form. “I’m sorry for the belated introduction; Sailor Andromeda is my title as a sailor senshi and Andromeda is the name of my planet. My true name is Princess Kira Alderran of Andromeda.”

He couldn't help but smile at her honest humility in response to his invitation. "It'd be no imposition. They would love to have you - you're more the Hero of Enyalius than I am." Her acceptance was made with a rush of a cool breeze at his side - only it wasn't a breeze, it was more like the feeling that filled the air a week ago, when one of the Senshi attacked - he turned towards him in curiosity only to find her changed. He couldn't help but stare. 

She had always been beautiful - from her tiara to her manacles to her warrior's attire and the way she held a sword - but now there was a softness about her that simply took his breath away. Her hair fell in soft curls about her bare shoulders, her sheath-style dress was of a color that nearly matched and highly complemented her eyes, the golden threaded belt at her waist emphasizing her figure but did not draw overt attention to it - she was stunning, and he didn't have a chance. 

Her shy smile made his pining heart skip a beat. 

As she made her introductions he quickly stood, dropping two stairs below her, and bowed in the way he had seen citizens bow to the royal family, and committed her name to his memory: Kira. 

"Princess Kira Alderran of Andromeda," he repeated, straightening, "How would you like to be addressed? Princess Kira Alderran, Princess Kira, ...?" he left off, wanting to make sure he knew what she preferred so he could make sure everyone addressed her exactly as she wished. "Oh!" he blurbed, "Are there any foods you don't like, or - " Like she knew his food. "Um... well nevermind we'll figure out some sort of signal. If you don't like something you don't have to eat it, okay?"

“Kira is okay, I promise,” she said, already feeling self-conscious. “I get needing the title for official addresses, but in casual situations I prefer to just be called by name.”

She blinked when he asked about food, then quickly corrected himself, and she let out a small laugh. “Okay, but I’m open to trying anything at least once. It’s always exciting to find new cuisine.”

She waited for him to lead the way, feeling more relaxed than she had in a long, long while. This downtime was precious, and though she knew she’d have to return to battle probably in the near future, she intended to cherish this time of rest as much as possible.

He really liked her laugh. 

The pair went back down the stairs, arriving just as the torches around the camp were being lit, the darkness setting in as the sun dipped below the horizon. The smell of food wafted around them, and Nikos headed directly towards the makeshift kitchens, Methodios joining them quickly and serving as a sort of escort through the village of tents. People waved or called their names to get their attention just to say hello, but Nikos wasn't bothered by it at all. Smiling, squashing that feeling of defeat sitting on his chest, he waved back, seeming to know everyone by name and current occupation as he called back to them asking how things went that day. All responses were positive and the quick, loud conversation ended without any sort of formal ending. Overall morale seemed great. 

They reached an area of mismatched tables and chairs, and Methodios gestured towards a table and peeled away from them just as a pretty young woman with long brown curly hair approached, giving Andromeda a sideways cross look, behind Nikos's back, before taking Nikos's arm familiarly.

"Good evening, Nikos!" she greeted, her voice a little too enthusiastic, "How was today? Could I get you a drink?" 

Nikos looked down at her over his shoulder, not exactly thrilled to have her hanging off of him, but would answer nonetheless, trying to be more open with her. If Androm-- if Kira thought she'd be a good match... Internally grimacing, he replied, "Today was good - we cleared a good 13-square block area. A few more days like today and Argive will be ready for complete rehabilitation. And sure, a drink would be nice, thanks."

"That's so far ahead of schedule! But then, with you leading us, Nikos, I'm not surprised. Tonight they broke out the wine casks in honor of Princess Andromeda being among us," she said, "How about some wine?"

Wine. Good. He'd need it. "That sounds fine - one for Kira, too, please. Oh, uh," he had assumed they had already met, but while he wasn't that great at reading people, he did see Adrasteia's obvious want of an introduction. "Kira," he said, looking over his other shoulder to the absolute vision in the firelight, "this is Adrasteia. Astasteia, this is Princess Kira Alderran of Andromeda, who prefers to go by Kira." He couldn't believe he was saying this - usually he depended on his unit to help save him from this woman, and here he was, inviting her to sit with him and Kira. "Would you like to join us for dinner?" 

Adrasteia's brown eyes lit up, "I would love to!" and she quickly released his arm, "I'll be back with a few wines!" and left, without so much as a 'nice to meet you' to Kira. 

Nikos looked back to Kira apologetically, though he wasn't sure why - he wasn't in charge of Adrasteia or responsible for her in any way, but still the slight felt like something he should take the blame for. Maybe because Adrasteia was Enyalian and he didn't want everyone to be judged by her standard. Not really sure what else to do, he approached the table Methodios had indicated and pulled a chair back for Kira. 

Spoiler:

She might not know what kind of food they served here, but she did know that they smelled good. She watched as people greeted the two men with her, how Nikos seemed to know everyone, how he was obviously falling into his role as the one they all looked up to effortlessly. Kira knew that invincibility was one thing, but that factor alone couldn’t have done this. Nikos must have had the right character to win these many people over as well, not just his strength alone. Invincibility does not a hero make. A guy who couldn’t be defeated who had terrible personality wouldn’t have been worshipped nearly as sincerely. Out of fear, perhaps. But these people clearly respected him, which was what a true leader needed.

As they neared a table and a woman approached, Kira frowned at the look she gave her, deducing quickly that this must be the infamous Adrasteia. The way she just hung on Nikos’ arm sent an unexpected shot of heat straight into her blood, making her feel irrationally annoyed. In that moment she decided that Kadera’s point of view must be the right one.

She watched their interaction, Nikos appearing pleasant enough to her, and then he introduced them and she nodded politely at the girl, unable to help feeling a certain kind of satisfaction at the apparent lack of title on Adrasteia’s part. And then… Nikos invited her to dinner.

It was only years of princess training that helped her face stay impassive even as inside she felt disbelief. Why? Why do they have to eat dinner with her?

Still fuming inside, she didn’t even notice the other girl had disappeared, and shrugged at Nikos’ look. She sat down on the chair he pulled for her, already dreading the long night ahead.

At least there’d be wine.

She was about to ask something else when Adrasteia returned all too soon—where did she store those wines, up her skirt?—and without much preamble plopped herself on the chair right beside Kira’s, even before she put down the bottles.

“Here we go! You don’t mind if I sit here, do you? I’ve heard so much about you and would just love to learn all about you! Are you really a princess? Like, the kind who’ll become queen someday?” she chattered as she uncorked the wine and poured the contents into glasses.

Kira blinked. “What other kind of princesses are there?”

Adrasteia let out a laugh that managed to sound both condescending and amused at the same time.

“You’re funny! She’s a funny one, isn’t she, Nikos?”

Kira stared at her, wondering if she was really supposed to sit beside her all night.

As Adrasteia turned to immediately start talking a mile a minute to Nikos despite claiming that she wanted to know all about her, Kira reached for the glass of wine that had been poured for her almost automatically, glad to have at least one familiar sight in this rapidly distressing situation.

She took a really big gulp.

Kira took the seat he had offered her, but as he tucked the chair in for her - barely fumbling, despite the lack of practice, much to his relief - and moved to take the seat beside her, Adrasteia suddenly appeared and sat herself there instead. He paused - there was no seat on Kira's other side, and Methodios was taking the only available seat on the other side, leaving the only seat available to be the on on Adrasteia's other side. He took a deep breath and reset the grimace on his face to one of interest, and took his place on Adrasteia's right. The brunette turned immediately to ask Kira a question and Nikos poured them each a glass of wine, ignoring the look Methodios shot him for it, but his respite was not long. 

She turned back to him, brown eyes trapping him into paying attention, and launched into what she had done that day. Familiar names were launched left and right as she moved from talking about houses that had been cleared and cleaned to rumors around camp about people starting to couple up and how romantic it all was. He just nodded, almost continuously, having lost her train of thought minutes ago. His mother had always told him to never interrupt a woman while she was talking unless he wished her scorn upon him, but maybe she had never come across someone like Adrasteia.

This is whom Kira had thought would be a match for him? 

He took his glass of wine and took a long, solid drink, keeping eye-contact. It was going to be a long night. 



The food couldn't have arrived fast enough. A plate was placed before each of them, but as he moved to take his fork, Adrasteia just kept talking, making it impossible to eat while still appearing polite. 

"Nikos, you must be starving," Methodios cut in smoothly during a short breath Adrasteia took, "Dig in while it's still warm, man, I'm sure the lady's conversation would allow it." He laughed to take the edge off, the chuckle calculated and anything but real, but much appreciated.

Giving him a grateful look, Nikos reached for his fork but nearly dropped it with the suddenness of Adrasteia's attack.

"Oh, Nikos!" Adrasteia exclaimed, "I'm so sorry! You just such a good listener, I got carried away! Please, do help yourself! I have it on good authority that Naima made tonight's meal so you know it's going to be good - I heard she found the dried fruit in a cellar kept for the King himself, so it bound to be of the finest quality! I'm so glad she chose fruit as the garnish tonight instead of more root vegetables - I know, I know, they're much more plentiful because they last for so much longer, but tonight's a celebration, isn't it? It's good to let loose once in a while and -- "

He'd never eat. 

Maybe ever again.

As the night wore on, Kira became more and more impressed at Adrasteia.

Particularly, at how she managed to keep talking, seemingly without the need to take a breath nor think of a topic. She just kept droning on and on and on and at some point, for her own sanity, she tuned her out and enjoyed her meal. The food was actually really good, even if most of them she wasn’t familiar with. She just decided to try everything, and for the most part they suited her taste buds. If she were really curious about what something was called, she’d ask Methodios, who seemed more than happy to entertain her with bits of conversation.

Sadly, talking to Nikos was simply impossible with Adrasteia between them. Which Kira was sure was planned exactly that way.

At some point, she got so sick of hearing Adrasteia’s sickening tone whenever she called Nikos’ name with that special flirtatious emphasis she decided to take a gulp of drink every time the word came up. She took additional gulps when Adrasteia added a term of endearment like ‘dear’ or ‘darling’ (and three gulps for that one time she called him ‘pumpkin’ and five for ‘sweet puffs’).

Even with her heavy tolerance, she got intoxicated pretty soon.

And once she became loosened up and no longer caring about image or propriety, she grew more and more impatient with Adrasteia’s ceaseless talking.

“Nikos,” she cut off into one of the girl’s tirade about what she had done that day and how just helpful she’d been to everyone, raising her voice so loud Adrasteia was forced to shut up, before looking toward her scathingly.

Kira had no idea what she was supposed to say. She wanted to talk about something that only the two of them would know, but the only memory she had ever shared with Nikos was their adventure on this planet.

“Do you remember the Chimera that we fought at the agora? Would you believe that Achelois has managed to tame it? I guess she’s his—her—their—whatever, new master now. And do you want to know what she named it?” She burst out laughing for a good five minutes before she could finish in a loud whisper, “Wigglebottoms.”

His neck was sore from nodding so frequently, but as dinner wore on he had stopped the useless gesture, eventually just staring and half-listening as she continued to talk. He was starving, but his stomach was anything but empty, for though he had not been able to break into his stone-cold meal, he managed to continue to sip his wine, and the glass never stayed empty for long. At first it was to take the edge off and relax a little; he knew not to drink too much on an empty stomach from tall tales of other soldiers, but as she droned on, peppering her conversation with sickening nicknames he wished no one had heard ever, let alone no one had heard in reference to him from her, he took a drink in lieu of rudely requesting she not call him that. Before long the sips became gulps, and his head was near completely disengaged from her words beyond the growingly automatic petname-drink connection: 
darling: gulp. 
dearheart: gulp. 
sweet puffs: wonder why the world was so cruel as to present him an empty cup, a cup from which wine should have poured like nectar of the gods, and why he alone should wander into the darkest pits of hell to --- Pylaeus was a good man - nay, a Heavenly Being, for replenishing his cup with such resplendence in this, his time of greatest need.


The stars around the royal hill started to spin behind the brunette's head, and he would have been quite content to put his mind to sleep and out of this miserable existence, when suddenly a voice called out for his attention, quieting the tirade of impossible conversation, and Adrasteia turned to look at the beautiful Kira. She was gorgeous in the firelight, her eyes of ocean pools lit in such a way to bring out the soft greens and blues, her hair darker and yet highlighted by the flames to show the lighter shades of seafoam shining and shimmering about her shoulders, and her cheeks pleasantly flushed in a way that completely drew him in. Was she blushing? Why would she be blushing? It intrigued him, and he leaned forward towards her, putting his right elbow on the table for support, the wine glass hovering above his plate. 

As she inquired of the Chimera he nodded his head, faintly remembering how surprised and relieved he had been that it had vanished when he exited the palace, those emotions nearly overwhelming him now as he looked to her in earnest, listening to her tale of Achelois, the healer, taming it, and then staying entirely still as she started to laugh. ... but the laugh was infectious. 

He didn't even know what Achelois had named the horrifying creature of nightmares, but he couldn't resist laughing along with Kira. "What did she call it?" he kept trying to say, but the utter joy in her laughter made it impossible for him not to laugh, despite not knowing anything. Her laughter died away and he was very careful to stay quiet as she caught her breath. He didn't want to miss it. 

Wigglebottoms?

"WIGGLEBOTTOMS?!" he yelled and slapped the table with his free hand - he hadn't meant to yell, and Methodios across the table nearly jumped out of his skin, so he shushed himself and repeated "Wigglebottoms?!" Or tried to. It came out more a laugh than anything. "The horrible creature of hell:" he interrupted himself with a laugh, his belly hurting,  "Wigglebottoms! Fiercest in all the lands!"

Adrasteia, having stayed quiet up til then, offered a polite little laugh, "That's very amusing! I once knew a dog with the name --"

"Wigglebottoms," Nikos whispered to Kira, putting his right hand across his mouth so Adrasteia wouldn't hear them, and snickered ridiculously.

Nikos repeating the name just made her laugh harder, and as he continued to add titles to it, Kira’s laugh became even more uncontrollable. The drunkenness itself already made everything sound funny, so this was like ten times more hilarious, and she didn’t understand why both Methodios and Adrasteia weren’t laughing, the former looking alarmed and slightly horrified, and the latter looking disgusted as if she had just smelled something rotten.

She giggled again when Nikos shushed Adrasteia’s attempt to interrupt the conversation. “Wigglebottoms! Did you also know that the ram head is really grumpy and bitter? Maybe that’s why he keeps spitting. Anyway, even the others don’t like him as much. I’ve seen the snake tail bite him on more than one occasion. You should see them when they’re fighting among themselves, it’s so funny! Though truly, nothing is as funny as its name!”

Adrasteia was looking really annoyed now, left out of this inside joke, and she attempted to take the pitcher of wine away. “I think perhaps we have drunken enough—”

“Wait!” Kira said in alarm, the thought of having the alcohol cut off and having to face the girl sober causing her nearly to panic. She tried to take the pitcher away from her, but in her excitement and buzzed state, every movement became amplified, and she wrestled it harder than perhaps necessary, and ended up sloshing half the wine onto Adrasteia’s dress.

There was a gasp, and everything stilled into silence.

It looked like blood, at first, through the haze in her mind, and for a moment Kira wondered if she’d stabbed the girl—because she had to be honest, the thought crossed her mind once… maybe twice that night—before she realized it was just the wine.

“Aw,” she said dejectedly as she looked into the pitcher and discovered that there was only a little left inside.

Then Adrasteia shrieked. “My dress! How dare—!” she looked red and about ready to explode, before she glanced at Nikos and remembered who she was speaking to. Her face immediately paled.

“S-sorry,” Kira stammered, momentarily shocked by the near explosion. “It was an accident.”

It was not entirely on purpose, at least.

The entire idea that the monster that had killed so many, that played with resurrected corpses, and that nearly destroyed them all, had separate and distinct personalities that could be annoyed with each other was hysterical. His wide golden eyes were focused solely on Kira, though the rest of the world seemed to be shifting around her, which made it more difficult and thus more challenging and thus even more rewarding when he could make her head stay put in his vision as she continued filling him in on everything she had found out about Wigglebottoms. A goofy smile pulled at his lips, his curling brown hair falling over his forehead as he leaned in. When Adrasteia tried to change the conversation he shh'd her and waved her off with his left hand, wanting her to be quiet so Kira could continue - the resulting struggle over the pitcher confused him, and he simply froze when the liquid spilled all over Adrestia's dress.

In the hazy light of the fire, it looked like blood. 

For a moment his pupils widened entirely, his breathing quickened, the sight only too easily recalling one of what were now thousands of battles in his head, where his enemies were already coated in impossible amounts of blood and yet continued moving anyway. Through the fog that slurred his movements and his mind, he released his hold on his goblet and clumsily made as if to draw a sword -- but his arm was caught before it even left the table, Methodios's hand catching his wrist firmly but not unkindly as Adrasteia shrieked and Kira apologized. The touch and Adrasteia's speech was enough to bring him out whatever had happened, and he looked towards his older companion with confusion. 

"Adrasteia, my dear," Methodios directed calmly, releasing Nikos and standing to walk around the table, "The accident was most unfortunate; you should attend to your dress before the stain sets in. Pray allow me walk you back to your tent that you may tend to it immediately." 

The girl pouted fiercely, glaring at Kira, but who could refuse Methodios? Sniffing with the indignity of it all, she took Methodios's proffered arm and allowed herself to be led away from the now nearly empty mess area.

Watching the two march off, Nikos turned back, trying to hide a grin. "She was mad," he tried to say seriously, but a snicker interrupted him at the end. His shoulders shook, though he tried to hold his laughter in. "Made her stop talking though." He snickered quietly, his whole torso shaking, as he tried to hold it in.

Bless Methodios and also a blessing upon his house.

Adrasteia was glaring at her, and Kira had to try so hard to resist the urge to not stick out her tongue at her, which was neither mature nor princess-like. She sighed in relief when Methodios managed to take her away.

Then she glanced at Nikos. Alone at last, again.

He seemed to be amused about something, though, and Kira was surprised when it turned out to be Adrasteia. His laughter was infectious, and though at first she clamped her mouth to try not to burst out laughing, she couldn’t help it eventually. Especially when he said that it had made her stop talking. She giggled and thought again about how pissed Adrasteia had been.

“Did you see her face? It was so red, I thought she was going to explode,” she snickered, the laughter escaping easily as if they were two kids who had just gotten scolded by their parents but thought it funny anyway. The sense of conspiratorial camaraderie made her feel better.

“But by the gods, you’re right. I don’t know anyone who could talk for hours on end without a break like that. How does she even think? I thought my poor ears were going to bleed. Also, what kind of self-respecting person calls another person ‘sweet puffs’?”

The alcohol had definitely gotten rid of her restraint, and now she was just spilling her thoughts without filtering them. “Why did you invite her to dinner? Did you actually like her?” she asked, the question that had been burning on her tongue all night finally slipping out.

His whole face transformed with disgust as Kira brought sweet puffs back to the forefront of his mind. He shook his head as though he had just eaten something that tasted horrible, then rubbed his face with both hands as though he was trying to scrub the memory from his skin, groaning and shaking his head at the same time. Her follow-up question string ceased all motion in him, and the fingers that covered his face spread so he could look out at her, his golden eyes looking at her in near disbelief. He lowered his hands, rested his elbows on his knees, and looked at her with a bleary yet attempting-to-be-critical gaze. "Why did I inVite her to dInner?" he repeated, slurring only a little, "You were trying to set me up with her!" He swayed in his seat with emphasis. "I thought it'd make you happy! YOu were all like 'I couldn't marry someone if other people -- marriage --' " he stopped himself, confused, apparently unable to remember the gist of their earlier conversation completely, and settled for just shaking his head, "But then you were like 'YOu're popUlar with the laDies, why not Adrasteia?'"

"I don't like Adrasteia," he said emphatically, his eyes finally locking on hers, his voice slowing, heart-rate lowering as their blue depths calmed him and yet excited him all at once. "I like --" you. The word caught in his throat, choking him before he could let it out, the conversation from earlier, while not entirely remembered, still weighed on him. She had already rejected him, and it still hurt - having her do it again in a more direct fashion would only hurt worse. He had taken the hint; no need to rub salt in the wound. "Someone else," he finished, tearing his gaze away from hers, feeling awkward and unsure but drunkenly proud that he had kept his "secret". 

...and then he saw his plate of food, and the words popped out of his mouth before he could stop them, his head changing gears completely. "Man I'm hungry." He reached for the food without even looking at utensils, and shoved some in his mouth. It was cold, but so good. "She kept talking," he said between bites, "I couldn't eat anything," he continued, "And I still don't know what she was talking about!" He glanced back to her, but was careful not to look her in the eye, "Did you catch anything?"

Nikos’ reaction was something she didn’t expect. He looked at her as if she was crazy, as if she should know the answer to her question already. And then…

“I was trying to set you up with her?!” she asked, completely flabbergasted. She thought she must have missed a word or two in there somewhere. No! I most definitely wasn’t trying to set you up with her!

“Make me happy?!” she almost practically screeched. “Why would that make me— what—” He had stopped making sense now, the word ‘marriage’ popping up again had made her tense up, but he didn’t finish the thought, and she, too, could barely remember what they’d talked about.

“That wasn’t what I said!” she protested. “I said you were popular with the ladies, including Adrasteia. When did I suggest that you should be with her?”

When he finally said, with all the sincerity, that he didn’t like Adrastaeia, Kira heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank the gods. I don’t think I could remotely like or respect anyone who actually likes her.”

She froze when he then went on to say that he liked—who? Who did he like??

Her heart skipped a beat for no reason. But he looked away from her as he said 'someone else', as if decisively saying not her, and she could feel it being crushed under the heels of this unknown person.

Her mind conjured the image of an unknown lady, beautiful, graceful, and strong. Someone with a pretty smile, beautiful hair, and…

She hated her already, and she didn’t even know her.

He continued talking—about food, she thought, she was only half paying attention—and she let him ramble, and eat, and it wasn’t until he asked the last question that she kind of forced herself to pay attention again.

“Huh? No… I just… I was drinking a lot, to be honest.”

She suddenly felt utterly defeated, and she didn’t know why. It was so frustrating. Usually drinking made her feel better, but now she was definitely not feeling good.

“Hey… do you think I could crash here? I don’t think I’m sober enough to fly home tonight.”

Kira had protested what he had said, but he was so focused on his own thoughts and attempted tirade that he hadn't paid much attention to what she had said, but 'I don't think I could remotely like or respect anyone who actually likes her,' stuck in his head, rattling around as he chewed and stared at the table thoughtlessly, not wanting to be reminded again of how she wanted nothing to do with him romantically and how that made him feel. At least he wasn't disreputable in her eyes anymore. And he wouldn't have to eat with Adrasteia again. He snorted. Which meant he could actually eat again. That she hadn't understood a word of it, either, made him feel better about not quite being able to follow the 'conversation' that had been more a soliloquy. 

It was quiet for a bit, and he was getting sleepy, the food in his stomach starting to soak up the alcohol and his muscles starting to protest from the long day, and the promise of another long day starting in mere hours begged his mind for rest. He pushed his plate back and looked at her out of the corner of his eye, taking in her visage in candlelight and trying not to remember it as the light amidst the darkness from which his planet had barely awakened, but he could not help himself. She was so beautiful, so radiant, that he could not resist memorizing her features, or learning how the fire made highlights in her hair, how it warmed the color of her skin. When she asked him a question he looked towards her, listening and attempting to understand what she meant, and miraculously understood the context clues.

"You shouldn't crash here," he said honestly and with some small amount of concern - why would she ask permission to crash? Wouldn't that be something to avoid? "You can sleep here, though I'm afraid the tents we have set up may not be what you're used to. I would offer the palace but we haven't officially cleared it, and I wouldn't want you running into something unpleasant and unforeseen just in an attempt to find a soft bed," his voice was stronger, and more even, less slurring but more tired than before. He stood, and offered her his hand to help her to her feet. He seemed very well put together... until he laughed, during which it was clear he was still drunk. "Unless you want to go up there right now and clear it out really quick; with both of us up there it shouldn't take long, and you might not have to sleep on a cot if we're successful," he smiled almost teasingly, though he looked serious enough about the offer.

She rested one elbow on the table, feeling not at all hungry anymore, and wanting to just go to bed, lost in her thoughts about what kind of woman Nikos could possibly like, completely oblivious that he was staring at her the entire time. Up until the point where Adrasteia got involved, she hadn’t even thought about him that way. Even while Kadera was trying to set them up and talking about marriages, she had simply dismissed it as the children’s overactive imagination, as silly dreams that wasn’t even worth thinking about.

But then he’d invited Adrasteia to come to dinner. And then he’d admitted that he liked someone. And she couldn’t stop thinking about it…

She looked at him again when he spoke, and laughed. “Yeah, that’s what I meant. Sleep. I don’t really care about the accommodations, to be honest, I’ve slept in worse places during missions…”

But then he offered to help her up, and she hesitated before she took his hand, for some reason, as if afraid what the contact might bring. When she did slip her hand into his, she felt the tiniest of butterflies and wondered if perhaps she was way drunker than she’d thought. She swayed a little on her feet, thinking the fire felt a tad too warm, before the world realigned.

And then he came up with the idea to explore the castle, and suddenly all Kira wanted to do was buy a few more hours, alone with him, in a darkened castle where they were guaranteed privacy because no one dared to enter. This time, it would really be just the two of them…

“I think it sounds like an adventure,” she said, grabbing a new bottle of wine for sustenance to-go. “And you owe me a lot of conversation… since a certain someone monopolized dinner with her eternal monologue. You’re not too drunk to fight something if we come across bad things, are you?” she asked teasingly.

“It’s okay, I’ll protect you.”

The words that echoed her first promise to him slipped out before she could think twice about it, and as her cheeks warmed, she looked away, waiting for him to lead the way.

As she wavered he kept a firm yet gentle hold of her hand in his, not wanting her to fall and honestly enjoying the contact. Butterflies buzzed drunkenly in his stomach from the moment her hand rested in his until the moment she let go, and the idea that they could spend more time together was looking better and better by the moment. He had no chance with her, but he liked her and the way she talked and the way she acted. He smiled daringly as she grabbed a bottle of wine and agreed to the preposterous midnight mission, promising adventure and conversation, and his brows furrowed when she teased him about being too drunk to fight -- "Shspppsh," he returned eloquently, making a motion with his hands as though to brush off the false accusation, but then she said the words that had started it all, and his heart thumped painfully in his chest. 

I'll protect you. 

He wanted nothing more than to take her hand again and tell her how he felt, how much she meant to him, and how she had changed his life - even with Enyo's "curse" aside, but she had looked away. Phrases like that must come naturally an easily to someone like her; she had probably thought nothing of it, then or now; making something of it would be awkward and that wasn't going to match with the evening of "fun" ahead of them, so instead he laughed again, continuing on with what he was going to say before she had said anything. "Drunk or not, nothing'd attack me - you saw to that already, remember?" He turned to face the palace atop the hill and pointed towards it exaggeratedly - or was pretty sure he was pointing towards it anyway - and declared, "Let's go!"

He had found his way through the eating area with its soft lighting and into the dark tents before stopped and turned back to her exaggeratedly, one finger to his lips, unnecessarily emphasizing that they should be quiet through the camp, and made purposeful efforts not to step on any lines or kick any stones in the near-darkness of the night, picking his way towards his own tent and the steps beyond them. 

It took longer than he had anticipated, having to pick through tents in the dark and attempt to be quiet about it, but eventually they made it, and had nothing to face but the stairs. He turned back to face her. "Want a light or no?" he whispered loudly; there could be torches ready at the top, but, honestly, he couldn't remember. The night itself was bright enough for now, but within the castle? He had no idea.

“Right,” Kira suddenly felt dumb for not remembering that he didn’t need her protection anymore. Not from anything originating from this planet, at least. Would it matter if it was someone from the outside, if the battle took place here? Could she, for instance, hurt him, not that she would ever want to?

He didn’t really need her anymore, did he?

Suddenly, she wasn’t even sure why she’d come here. But as Nikos pointed excitedly to the palace, she figured she might as well spend the night and leave first thing tomorrow. Blinking when he motioned for her to be quiet, Kira struggled to pay attention to where she was going and not bump into things, which was somewhat hard when she was drunk enough to be wobbly on her feet. She also kept wanting to giggle every time she almost ran into a tent, imagining she’d crash into a bunch of unsuspecting soldiers, or worse… an intimate scene.

A thousand years later, they arrived at the steps to the palace, and he paused. She considered his question, then nodded. “I think that’s probably best. I’m not really at my best so I don’t want to run into pillars. I’d also prefer to see things coming if they’re going to jump out at us.”

Of course, the light itself could attract said things, but right now it seemed like a better idea than stumbling around blind (and drunk) in the dark.

“Do you even have a light with you?” she asked in confusion.

"I'll go get one," he slurred, holding up a finger to indicate wait one second and stumbled back the way they came, his hands out to stop him once he felt the rough and heavy fabric of his tent. Groping down either side, he reached around to where the torch was usually kept, but came up empty-handed. Confused, he stood up and stared to make sure that this was his tent, but after much deliberation he was pretty sure this was his tent, and the lack of torches on either side was unusual, but maybe someone had stored them inside? His hands fumbling, he managed to find the flap and stumbled in to squint in the dark and reach out blindly, his hands running over his armor from earlier - clean and stored properly now - and his sword, and he paused, feeling like that should make him think something...  ...  But he forgot. Straightening up, he looked around, and...

...Why was he in there?

He turned and fumbled for the tent flap and emerged, found Kira in the faint light from the stars, and nodded at her. Right. They were going to the palace. Staring at her, he realized she was waiting for him to do something, so he whispered loudly "I'm ready to go," and started up the stairs, concentrating on each step so he wouldn't miss one.

A few steps in, he turned back to her, "Do you have anything to --" and saw the wine bottle in her hand and smiled, "Can I have a swig of that?"

To be honest, Kira almost half expected Nikos to not come back when he wandered away, but then he popped back up a while later, as she was gazing absent-mindedly at the stars, wondering if they were the same ones she could see back home. As he told her he was ready and began climbing the steps, she followed, somewhat wobbly but still upright, and paused when he turned back, almost forgetting that she had swiped the bottle of wine from the dinner tent.

“Sure,” she swung it towards him, narrowly missing his nose, and giggled. “Sorry. Don’t know my own strength.”

Or balance, for that matter.

She waited until he took the swig before slowly advancing again, her brain whirling with ways to dig out the information that she suddenly desperately needed.

“So… you mentioned that you liked someone that wasn’t Adrasteia. Who is she? What’s she like?” she asked, trying to sound as casually as possible.“I mean… if you feel like sharing, of course. Maybe I can help… or something,” she added quickly with an unconvincing tone.

Her laugh made him laugh as he caught the bottle that had nearly hit his face. After adjusting his grip on the glass bottleneck, he gratefully took a log gulp of the somewhat-bitter drink, appreciating the feel on his throat, and followed her advance up the stairs. He was taking another sip when she spoke, and choked. As he coughed he took careful consideration for the bottle versus the stairs, saving it from what could have been its destruction, and took another sip to wash everything down and think up what he could possibly say to her, his golden eyes flashing from her to the stairs as he prolonged the drink.

Who is she? What's she like? She's like a cool sip of water after a drought, a fresh ocean breeze after a nothing but stale air, an impossibly steady burst of light against a dark and depressing backdrop of horror. With hair like the sea and eyes deeper than an ocean pool, she's like everything that was good or could be good in this world; and she was offering to help him get closer to her, without knowing she was who he wanted to get closer to.

"She's like... poetry," he replied slowly, unable to even look at Kira but feeling the need to answer her. He couldn't just refuse her or he'd risk alienating her, and he didn't want that. He didn't want to lie, either; but maybe he could manage doing all of it - telling her about herself in a way it wasn't completely obvious. In his inebriated state, he felt he could convincingly do that.

Her heart beat loudly in her chest as she focused on the stairs, concentrating on each step so that she wouldn’t fall, while she waited for Nikos’ answer.

The only one he gave was vague as hell. But it was also descriptive in a way that made her heart sink. Poetry. Poetry was beautiful, full of emotions, romantic. Poetry made you think of beautiful things, made you use carefully chosen words to describe something that made you feel special. Poetry was for… deep things. Things like love. Was Nikos in love with this woman? He certainly sounded like he was. An unexplained sadness and anxiety filled her.

“She’s that great, huh?” she asked, smiling ruefully. “Beautiful?” she prompted, eager to learn as much as she could about this woman. Maybe Methodios would know who Nikos was talking about if she could get some descriptive markers. Or Kadera. Actually, Kadera was probably the better choice - she was already invested in this, so she would make a great informant.

'She's that great, huh?' Greater than he could ever hope to describe. 

He left that question as rhetorical, what answers he could give too long and too obvious to reveal and so let it fade until her next, more direct query. Beautiful? "Like the sea after a night of storms," he replied, taking another drag at the bottle as they pulled themselves up the staircase that never seemed to end. "Her eyes draw you in, both calm and welcoming, but in their depths hold secrets - whole worlds that I cannot attempt to comprehend alone. Her hair appears impossibly soft and as long as you could wish; her countenance, her appearance... enough to rival that of a goddess. Yes, she is beautiful."

And hopefully he was still being vague enough that she wouldn't catch on to him. When would this staircase end?

The sea? She’s like the sea? The sea is mine, Kira fumed in her head as she heard about this comparison. Why would Nikos describe his crush as similar to the sea, of all things? There were so many other things you could compare beauty to. The sun’s radiance. The gentle and colorful flowers. The stars, even! Who even used the sea after a storm to describe a girl’s beauty?

She let out a weak laugh. “Wow, she certainly sounds… extraordinary.”

As Nikos kept describing her, Kira was beginning to regret this line of questioning. She didn’t need to hear him describe the girl of his dreams in these beautiful words. A goddess! She’s like a goddess now?! How am I supposed to compete with that?!

And then she stopped short. Competing? Since when was she competing? Kadera’s words must have affected her more than she thought. That was it; the children’s dreams had inexplicably burrowed themselves too deeply in her brain. Kira tugged the bottle away from Nikos, suddenly feeling a desperate need to drink. A lot. To forget all those thoughts that made no sense.

“Sorry, I feel thirsty all of a sudden,” she said by way of explanation before she gulped three mouthfuls of wine. “Must be all the climbing.”

Thankfully, they reached the top now, and she paused before the darkened palace. In her inebriated state, she felt like she could care less what was waiting for them in there. “So… which room has the best beds?” she asked.

As she grabbed the wine bottle from his grasp it was like a rug had been pulled out from underneath him. He stared at his empty hand, unable to move forward until he figured out what had happened, the sudden change just beyond his wine-fogged grasp. As logic struggled through the swamp of inebriation, he continued to trudge up the stairs, feeling embarrassed for keeping the drink to himself, her explanation finally hitting home. He nodded in agreement about the climb, but continued to focus on just how selfish he must have been with the drink, the notion that he hadn't been nice bouncing around in his head until their feet left the last step and arrived on the lawn of the acropolis, the castle looming before them, lit above by the stars. 

Her question got his mind moving in a forward direction again. He cleared his throat, "I'd bet the royal quarters," he replied confidently. "We just... gotta find where those are." He started forward, tripping over his own two feet but managing to catch his balance before he fell, his arms shooting out to either side for stability. He waited - feeling very proud that he hadn't fallen - for the world to stop spinning, and continued to move towards the entrance. Speaking in a loud whisper, he reasoned, "If I were King I'd want a window, so we can probably stick to the outside." He strode forward, opened the door, and paused, "Unless I wanted a window that looked into a courtyard. Then we should look on the inside." 

The room within was dark, and yet he knew the layout from the last time they had been there. The starlight barely filtered through, though, so any residual matter on the floor could be an issue - as could the murderous ghosts lurking in corners. He stepped in and held the door open for Kira. "Psst," he whispered, his golden eyes staring into the darkness, only slightly concerned with the pillars being blurry and wavering occasionally in his sight, "Where's the light?"

The idea of a royal bed certainly sounded really good right now. Kira followed Nikos, and as he stumbled, she instinctively tried to catch him, but he seemed to save himself at the last second. Her own sudden movement made the room spin too, and then she, too, had to rebalance herself. So much wine. So much spinning. She tried not to giggle at the irony of him talking about if he were King, considering that seemed like what the people wanted to happen anyway.

She considered his options, and was about to suggest they look inside first, when he asked her for the light. “The light?” she blinked momentarily, before she looked around ever so slowly on her person. Nope. Nothing glowy there. Then she looked back at him. Nothing glowy there either. She turned around slowly toward the stairs. Nothing bright as far as the eye could see except for the tents in the distance.

Finally, she turned back to Nikos.

“Um… I thought you were the one who was going to get it. Where did you put it?”

Maybe it was in his pocket?? She didn’t think any light could fit in one’s pocket, but there were all sorts of magical things in this world. Besides, she knew that one song that said to catch a falling star and put it in one’s pocket to save for a rainy day. Not that she had any idea what good a falling star would do in a rainy day…

Earthen songs were weird.

After a long pause, she replied, pointing out that he was supposed to have grabbed it. He thought back, trying hard to remember... and laughed lowly in an attempt to keep it quiet. "Hahahahha, woops, I left it in the tent," he looked back at her, smiling broadly in apology. "Sorry about that! I know," he whispered conspiratorially, the "whisper" so loud it shouldn't even be classified as such, "I'll go first. If whatsername is in there or a ghost is in there or the undead are in there, they'll avoid attackingmean' we'll be able'ta see'em." His words were slurring, but he nodded convincingly. "'Sides," he continued, "You can probly see pretty good in the dark, right? Pretty'blue eyes c'n---" he froze, his eyes doubling in size. 

Pretty blue eyes. He called her pretty. His cheeks flushed, the slip of the tongue a betrayal so deep and so obvious he didn't know what to do with it - she would know now, and there was no coming back from -- but the longer he waited the more obvious it became and he would just do better with just rushing through the rest of it right?! "Seewellinthedark iswhatIhear okaylet'sgoin."  And with that, he ducked away, carefully creeping through the room, wincing when his sandals slipped on some dried matter of some sort. Probably blood.

There was a doorway to the left and he made his way in that direction, but as a noise whispered through the air, he froze. Ghost. "Shhhhh!!" he hissed in warning, and waited.

Kira nodded drunkenly at Nikos’ plan to go first. “Sounds good.” She jolted in surprise when he called her eyes pretty, blinking and wondering if she’d imagined it. Pretty blue eyes? He thought her eyes were pretty? What did that even have to do with being able to see in the dark anyway? Thankfully with her clouded brain, she didn’t dwell that much on it. She barely understood Nikos’ next words, so she just nodded vaguely and followed a few paces behind him.

As it turned out, seeing in the dark was very hard and she was not particularly good at it. She paused when she heard the strange noise, and then jumped when Nikos shushed her. Without realizing, she clutched his arm with heart beating loudly in her chest, instinctively looking for his protection. After all, he was the one immune to all danger in this planet. Maybe if she stuck to him, that would extend to her too?

“W-what is it?” she whispered on his ear, imagining terrifying wraiths and soul suckers that he spoke of often.

ShE tOoK hIs ArM?! 

The flush of his cheeks deepened as he tried not to look down at her hands, or notice how close she was, or pay attention to how warm her skin was, or how close she was or how things suddenly smelled like the sea, or how close she was and how much closer he wanted her to be. His heart pounding in his chest should abate, but then she whispered in his ear and a tingle traveled up the length of his spine, making the little hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and sending goosebumps down his legs. He would have become entirely too distracted if it weren't for the fear in her voice; it grounded him, made him try to ignore her closeness to focus on listening.

He waited tensely, his free hand held in the air as he held his breath, listening, then forgetting what he was listening for, then staying quiet because maybe she said to stay quiet? but then remembering that he said be quiet. But why.... the noise! Right! 

Well if it were an undead, it would've found them by now. Same with a ghost. So they were good. He straightened. "Nevermind," he nodded factually, "it's gone."

The door ahead of them creeped open and he shot both arms out protectively, "NEVERMIND IT'S BACK!"

A creature, small and furry with a long tail and pointed ears trotted into the hallway, looked towards them, and, unimpressed, padded away. 

"It's a cat." Nikos whispered, unable to say more until his head caught up with the sudden change in information.