A/N: Entry for Fictober 2018, day 7.

Prompt: "No worries, we still have time."


One thing VFD always knew how to do was the traditional balls. The biggest one was hosted every October by the Duchess of Winnipeg. She received volunteers from all over for a fancy night of entertainment on October 9th, and the highest rank volunteers who did not reside in Winnipeg stayed in her mansion.

Being the daughter of a high-rank volunteer, Solitude Markson had been frequenting the ball ever since she became old enough to do so. She quite enjoyed Winnipeg, and had fun choosing her outfit for the night, but she didn't find the ball itself that enjoyable. A night out with people her age, some soda and a deck of cards sounded much better, though cheaper.

She had no choice, though, so tonight the 18 years old volunteer was waiting in the hall just next to the Duchess' ballroom, waiting for her date to arrive. Her date was the only person she knew that would be there and wasn't much older than her nor a complete bore. Her dress for the night was emerald green, her favorite color, long with a sheat cut. The upper part of it shone with sequins, that went up to the illusion neckline. She had managed to tame the top part of her wild curls, which she ornated with hairpins. She knew the ball had started some minutes ago, and she could hear the music and chat from inside, but she didn't want to enter without her date.

She did not have to wait long. Her date, Soledad Martí, soon arrived, looking more beautiful than ever. She wore a dress with a degradé color, that went from black on the neckline to navy blue on the lower part of the skirt. It reminded Solitude of the night sky, an effect accentuated by the white beading, and fit well with Soledad's blue eyes. It had an A-line cut, and only one shoulder strap. Her hair was tied on one side, and left free on the other.

"How do I look?" She asked Solitude.

"Wonderful. Enthralling. Amazing."

"You flatter me, Solitude." She giggled, approaching her. "You don't look bad yourself." She said, taking a strand of Solitude's hair in her fingers.

"Don't you like my dress, Sol?" She asked in a fake indignant tone.

"It's pretty." Soledad shrugged. "But I think I like you better without it." She added in a low whisper.

She pressed her lips to Solitude's, but the other woman pulled away just a bit.

"The ball, Sol."

"No worries, we still have time," Soledad said, kissing her again. This time Solitude didn't resist. She did take some steps back, but pulling Soledad along, until her back was pressed against the wall.

Talking about the future is always a dangerous thing to do, because one can never truly know what the future will bring, and each word they say have a big risk of being fake, even if the person saying them has no intention of lying. When Soledad said they still had time, she truly believed it, but she was wrong. She and Solitude didn't have time. When looking at the great scheme of things, the time they had to share with each other was very limited.

The time they had for their make-out session was also limited, because soon the door of the ballroom opened, and the two were caught by someone. That someone was an older man, a high-rank volunteer veteran to them both, their current supervisor and also Solitude's father. He cleared his throat, which made the two women aware of his presence. Soledad quickly stepped away from Solitude, who had her face flushed.

"B! Sir!" Soledad said, body stiff.

"F-father."Solitude stuttered.

B. Markson frowned in disapproval at them both.

"Arriving early is a sign of a noble person. Why are you two late?"

The two women failed at giving a coherent answer. The man sighed.

"What are you waiting for? Come on!" He said in a tone that wouldn't take no as an answer. He turned back to the ballroom, with his daughter and her date following.

Soledad grabbed Solitude's hand while he was not looking.

"My room or yours?" She mouthed to her date.

"Shut up!" Solitude mouthed back, eyes wide.

They squeezed each other's hand almost at the same time, and shared a look. B's interruption seemed just a small annoyance, as they believed they still had time. But even then, the time they had was running short.