04: Action and Consequences
The city was abuzz with light, sound and colour. Alexa’s eyes flitted from place to place, a smile on her face as bright as her surrounds. Braiding light into her hair, she wondered idly if this was what the world would be like if everyone could hear La Chanson. Watching Vee watch a vendor flip some kind of dough, she felt a bittersweet pang of homesickness. She wondered what Maman was doing…whether Papa was happy, whether grandmère had ever been to this city and what it became at night…wondered if she was still walking in those footsteps.
Spider had disappeared - again. Eyes narrowing to pry through the crowd, she didn’t know where, but - her head snapped around. Was that one of the Ebon elves they had just seen? Jezz’ina? She leaned forward to peer through the throng, trying to look across the way. If she had seen someone, they were gone. And of course they were entitled to a good time too…weren’t they? She filed the information away to tell Vee later as she reached up to string lights around his neck. When he leaned down to help her, her lips met his cheek. “This…this is fun!” She whispered.
How could she have travelled so far, lived so long without this feeling? The crowd, the people, everyone felt the same. She looked across to see Lucas, who was watching a joust intently, and frowned.
His decision to stop drinking had thrown her. He’d been drinking everywhere they’d gone up to now - it had been his first impulse. Then a social occasion occurred where it was actually expected and…why not now? He had been happy to drink at the bar - 'but he said he does not want to be un alcoolique,' she thought, still watching him, brows furrowed. Suspicion had her questioning him (internally, mind you) the same way she had questioned Aquideion:
‘Why now?’
He’d been drinking the whole way - had been proud of it up until midday that same day. Why the change of heart?
And how long would it last?
And why did she even care?
With a flick of light laced hair, she could justify it easily: She cared about his physical wellbeing, of course. They were travelling companions, and they needed to keep each other safe.
Beneath that, as Vee had awkwardly mentioned, Alexandrie knew she was worried about her friend, whether she verbalised it or not.
Deeper still was something else, but that feeling was far away and very small, and she didn’t feel the need to disturb it with such trivial concern.
She thought back to the docks, back to how she had behaved. Spider said to be careful: the people on the docks would want to sleep with her.
Why hadn’t grandmère warned her? It seemed there was so much she didn’t understand about the intricacies of…of seduction, as Spider said. In her world, it was a dance - one she knew the steps to very well…better than most here. It led to all sorts of things - power, knowledge, understanding...And she wasn’t afraid of sex - not really, but…she hadn’t considered that her behaviour could genuinely lead there so quickly. Thinking back, this was a similar situation to the one she had experienced with Byron. Maman had left her to flounder there too. She hadn't meant anything by it - she didn't...she was just herself, and people seemed to like that.
Were people so easily manipulated?
Realising she was still staring at Lucas, she looked at the jousters. Watching a point scored, she applauded. She could see the skill needed, could see the physical prowess they had to show. She could see why Lucas would enjoy this.
Why was Spider so quick to agree to steal something for someone they didn’t know? Especially someone who…she didn’t know what wasn’t right about Aquideion, but something wasn’t, La Chanson and her own intuition had told her so. Spider’s willingness to show how good he was at doing things was going to get them in trouble.
“And on deck, Engwyr Lucas Edgewater!”
Eyes meeting Chevalier’s in horror, the two turned to Lucas, who was already pushing his way through the crowd. Following, Alexandrie looked up toward a ring just in time to hear Spider - Spider - declaring how incredible his brother was.
“Merde.”
