RINGS OF FATE
A low rumble echoed in the distance. Clouds gathered in the sky, overlapping and devouring the inky night sky along with its countless stars. A flash broke through the barricade of clouds sending a jagged blade of light down to a slumbering city, and following it, rain.
A pair of feet pounded against a brick path. Towering buildings whispered to each other as they watch a boy run toward a shop only to meet with shut doors and the 'FOR LEASE' sign he had not expected. Huffing and puffing, he walked away looking down and appearing grim. The lightning flashed again. Out of the corner of the boy's eyes he noticed something shiny in an alleyway. He approached whatever it was slowly. He extended an arm that was cold, and wet and picked up the object, of which was a dog tag. He admired the symbol for Capricorn etched onto it and caressed it with his thumb.
"That's it…," muttered the boy, falling to his knees and clutching the item close to his chest.
Noelle stepped back. Her dark red maroon cap darkened her green-blue eyes that were fixed onto a falcon that flew shakily in circles above her.
"Tsk. We're so close," she whispered to herself, lowering her gaze to a leopard that had its back turned toward her and was heavily wounded. It followed the falcon's circling with its wrathful eyes. Some nearby people turned to watch what was happening, seeking entertainment.
"My spirit is in bad shape; I have no more time to waste with you," complained a young man keeping his distance. The leopard turned around to attack Noelle, charging at full speed. It prepared for a leap. Noelle was petrified; its sharp, slightly bloodied claws and teeth seemed to reflect an image of her lifeless, mutilated body should the beast have attacked now. The falcon let out a cry and the leopard diverted its attention to a swooping figure with its talons poised to strike. It roared feeling the full impact of the talons digging into its flesh. Noelle took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. The fierce battle continued, each animal exchanging weaker attacks than they had before. Blood oozed from the leopard's left eye, and several cuts were inflicted all over its legs and body. The falcon had put most, if not all its energy into that one attack to protect its master, and now it was reaching its limit.
"Your bird is persistent. Give up already! It's a leopard against a falcon. My victory is assured," declared the man.
"Shut up," Noelle snapped, glaring. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the falcon dodge a fatal blow from the leopard. The leopard was also almost at its limit. Blood continued to flow from its eye.
Sooner or later, one of the two animals will collapse. Noelle could not watch this any longer and looked away for a brief moment until she heard the falcon let out another cry. She immediately looked back to see that the leopard had been weakened considerably, and that the falcon was putting all it had into its attacks, pecking and clawing at its enemy. The leopard roared and wobbled a bit, unable to see clearly. It tried to steady itself, but soon collapsed. Noelle gasped and ran over to the falcon. She reached out a shaking arm for the falcon to roost on.
"It's over now. You've done exceptionally well. Rest up," she muttered to the bird. The bird disappeared, returning to its ring. Noelle took off the golden ring and put it into the pocket of her coat "And as for you… I demand all the money you have and one dog tag." The man just stood there, frozen stiff, unable to believe that a leopard was defeated by a mere falcon. Noelle approached the man, her gaze fixed on him, as if analyzing his thoughts. Her long blonde hair flowed behind her. Noelle stopped about a meter away from him and lifted her leg. She stomped on the man's foot hard with the heel of her black boots, snapping him out of his trance.
"Argh! Ouch!" he screamed, holding his foot. "This is all I have; take it!" The man threw a bag of money and several dog tags at Noelle. Noelle watched as the man hopped off before picking up her prize that lay sprawled on the somewhat wet brick path. I should get back soon before another challenger attacks, she thought. She was just about to pick up the dog tags when she noticed a shadow in front of her. When Noelle looked up, she saw a little boy about ten years of age staring back at her with large hazel eyes that seemed to sparkle with eagerness.
"…Were you watching?" asked Noelle, scooping up the tags and standing up.
"Yeah," replied the boy, staring at the dog tags. "Can I trade my Capricorn for that Sagittarius? Please?"
"What?" Noelle looked down at the dog tags she was holding. She looked through them, and noticed that she had a couple of Capricorns already and only one Sagittarius. "Hold on. Why does a kid like you have a dog tag? You couldn't possibly have…"
"I found it," stated the boy. "So can we trade?"
"Sorry, no can do. This isn't a trading card game, boy. If I were you, I would get rid of that quickly before any unnecessary trouble stirs up," answered Noelle. She walked away. She was relieved to see that the boy had not followed her. The last thing she wanted to do was to protect a helpless kid from getting injured in another battle with a spirit that could barely fight.
Noelle entered a shop and came out carrying a bag full of goods. She hastily walked to a large building constructed out of bricks. Numerous fancy arch windows peered out at the world outside. Noelle climbed some marble stairs and entered the building, not even bothering to glance at the giant, magnificent marble columns that welcomed her at the entrance. She walked up a few more flights of stairs until she reached the third floor. Noelle approached the room at the end of the hallway and opened the door to be greeted by an extravagant living room. A fireplace sat at the end of the room and surrounding it was an armchair and a couch. A dark red, ornate floral rug stretched itself in front of the fireplace and shelves and drawers were placed on the other side of the room. Some paintings hung on the walls, but they looked dull and didn't seem to contribute to the brilliance of the room at all.
Noelle closed the door behind her and walked under a wide doorway facing the fireplace. Inside was a kitchen. She placed down the bag she was holding on a long, shiny, wooden table and began to sort out the items inside.
"I'll make something later, not hungry at the moment. I'm sure Jacques is more intent on resting up than eating at the moment," mumbled Noelle to herself. She put everything away and wandered into the living room. She took off her cap and maroon military coat and threw them onto the armchair, revealing what she was wearing underneath – a long sleeved, white blouse with a black satin ribbon tied around the collar, and black high-waisted shorts with suspenders and golden buttons.
Noelle sauntered toward a door next to the fireplace and turned the knob, entering a bedroom that was just as beautifully decorated as the living room. A circular floral rug sat in the middle of the room and was showered in milky daylight. The queen-sized bed seemed to entice Noelle to rid of the exhaustion she was feeling, but she ignored it, walking to sit down at a desk facing a window. She pulled a drawer open and searched its contents. She found a silver ring and held it briefly in the light before closing the drawer and putting it on.
"I'm summoning you. Come out, please," she demanded. There was no answer. "How long are you going to be defiant? I need you." She waited several minutes before concluding that it was no use. Noelle sighed and fiddled with the silver ring.
"You've been like this since the beginning. I was lucky enough to even pick-up another spirit," Noelle murmured. She rested her head in her arms and stared at the gleaming ring. "…Do you want something in return for your services or something?" Noelle closed her eyes, and reminisced of the day she joined the tournament. This triggered a series of images to flash through her mind – memories of failure and competition from her life before entering the tournament.
"…What compels you to fight so much so as you need me to that extent?" questioned a voice. Noelle sat up, astonished.
"O-Oh, so you did want something in return after all," she responded, heart racing.
"First, tell me the reason why you fight," insisted the voice. A silence dispersed throughout the whole room, as if it were a poisonous gas.
"I… wonder about that too. Hmm… I guess you could say that I partially wanted to do it for the sake of walking a different path, and partially out of boredom and curiosity," answered Noelle, after a long pause. "I have heard rumors about the grand prize and that it can grant any wish. I believe this will help me, but I never did like to cheat." She stopped for a moment before finally saying, "I don't really have an interesting reason, to be honest. If you live for the sole purpose of pleasing others for too long and move on from that, you feel lost because you were never really satisfied yourself."
"I see. Then suppose the grand prize was a wish, would it be alright to wish that I was not a ring spirit anymore? There is something I must do as a normal spirit," stated the voice. "I died before that person did so when I became a ring spirit I saw it as an opportunity to possibly meet her again, but things just don't work the way you want them to."
"That's fine, but… what if the grand prize wasn't what you wanted?"
"Then shatter me and keep the grand prize for yourself." Noelle didn't question further despite how confused she was. She slipped on the ring and looked up to see a tall, young male stand in front of her. His dark brown hair was slightly ruffled, and just touched his shoulders. He had piercing ice-cold, blue eyes that seemed somewhat lifeless. Hung around his waist were two holsters holding two handguns. The male extended a gloved hand.
"I'm Steiner. Thanks for your cooperation," he said. Noelle nodded and shook his hand.
"Noelle. Thank you too," she replied.
In the kitchen, Noelle was feeding the falcon tiny pieces of some sort of meat. The injuries on the bird had made very little progress in healing. Steiner seemed to be staring at the falcon strangely.
"He's the spirit in the ring I picked up. I call him Jacques," explained Noelle, glancing at Steiner. She stood up and went to wash her hands. Through the sound of running water, she could hear the soft rustling of feathers from Jacques, but no response from Steiner. Noelle looked at the clock that hung on the wall beside her; it was just past midday.
"Do you want something to eat?" she asked Steiner.
"Yeah," was his response. "Anything is fine." He looked out the arch window and watched the clouds gather.
The sound of chopping, slicing and frying echoed throughout the kitchen. The smell of food aroused hunger.
He doesn't seem to be any different from when he was in his ring, Noelle pondered. She could feel someone watching her, and noticed Steiner staring at her.
"What?" she responded.
"There's someone knocking from the other room," answered Steiner, calmly. Noelle quickly stopped what she was doing, turned off the stove and put everything down.
"Don't just sit there, then! Go get it!" she commanded. "Actually, never mind. I will." She took off, a bit flustered, but glad to be out of the kitchen where it was too awkward. Noelle opened the door, and looked around, seeing nobody. She was just about to close the door when a voice greeted her nervously. Noelle looked down and saw that the boy with the Capricorn dog tag from before was standing at the doorway. His knee was scraped and was bleeding.
"Oh, it's you, boy. What happened to you?" Noelle questioned with a slight bitterness in her voice.
"I saw someone with the dog tag I was looking for and asked them to swap with mine, but someone else tried to attack me so I ran, and tripped," explained the boy. "That Sagittarius, I really need it. Please!" Noelle sighed and opened the door wider, stepped aside and gestured for the boy to come in. He limped inside and watched Noelle close the door.
"Sit over there. I'll be back soon," she grumbled. "While I'm gone, think about your reason for causing me trouble." The boy nodded, and Noelle walked away into the bathroom which was behind a door next to her bedroom. She opened a cabinet and took out a bottle of disinfectant, and a box of bandages. When she came back out, she saw that Steiner was glaring at the boy suspiciously.
Noelle kneeled down and began to tend to the boy's scrape. He winced at the sting of the disinfectant, but didn't complain.
"What is your name, boy? Do your parents know you're out alone?" she asked.
"They do. I told them I would be back before dinner. My name is Jonah. What's your name, Miss?" replied the boy.
"Noelle. I… will listen to your story later. …Are you hungry?" Noelle. She noticed the boy's hesitation, but he nodded anyway. Noelle stood up and walked toward the kitchen.
"That boy has a dog tag. Is he an enemy?" questioned Steiner.
"He picked it up somewhere," answered Noelle. She continued her cooking. "He doesn't seem like he's an enemy, but this is Eden we're talking about. Anything can happen."
Jonah joined the two for lunch, and stuffed himself; he seemed quite hungry. When they finished, Noelle collected the dishes and dumped them into the sink to wash later.
"So what's your story, boy?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "Maybe if I like it enough, I'll give you the Sagittarius dog tag." Jonah cleared his throat.
"I have someone I like, but she doesn't notice me so I want to give her that dog tag. Her star sign is a Sagittarius," said Jonah. Noelle didn't seem to be impressed.
"If you give her that dog tag, you'll end up killing her," growled Steiner. "Don't you even know what they're for?"
"I've seen many people around have them. They look like some sort of trend. Are they not?" replied the boy.
"There's a tournament going on which is why you see people fighting each other now and then. They fight for these." Noelle held up the dog tags. "People kill for these so I'm sorry to say that if you give one to her, there may be a chance she'll end up dying. You are also at risk because of that Capricorn you possess."
"Then what should I do?" muttered the boy, looking somber. Noelle couldn't help but feel bad for him because his determination to please somebody reminded her of herself. Suddenly, she stood up and left the kitchen. She came back a few minutes later holding a teddy bear in her hands. Jonah took a moment to comprehend what Noelle was trying to do. When he did, he told her, "Thanks, but it won't mean anything if I didn't choose it for her."
"Then cheer up," snapped Noelle. She thrust the teddy bear at him. "Can you think of anything she may like? If not, let's browse some shops together." Steiner glared at Noelle.
"No way. It's raining outside. I hate the rain," he grumbled.
"Hm? It's raining? Noelle looked out the window. Outside, it was dark, and rain was pouring somewhat heavily. "You'll be staying inside your ring anyway, Steiner. Don't worry; I'll be wary of challengers."
"Hmph." Steiner vanished, leaving Jonah looking baffled. Jonah soon lightened up. He seemed delighted that Noelle was going to help him.
"Thank you so much!" he exclaimed. "Let's leave when you're ready!"
"Yeah, whatever," replied Noelle. She walked slowly into the living room and put on her coat and cap. She stuffed Steiner's ring into her pocket, and took an umbrella along with her.
"So tell me why we're helping the kid," demanded Steiner.
"I mentioned something about living for the sake of pleasing others before and moving on from that way of life. When you're in that state, you don't really feel any meaning behind your actions and act unknowingly," explained Noelle. "Or maybe I just see a bit of me reflected in him, and would feel bad for not answering a kid's plea for help. Let's get going." She left with Jonah, leaving an eerie silence behind.
Jonah and Noelle shared an umbrella as they looked around. The rain fell hard, failing to penetrate the umbrella. They stuck close to the sidewalk and only stopped now and then for a short break.
The two walked around for what seemed like hours, but Jonah did not find anything that he thought may interest the person he liked.
"You sure are picky, boy," stated Noelle, glancing left and right in search of any foes. Jonah scratched his head.
"Sorry," he whispered just loud enough to be heard. He walked a little faster, occasionally breaking out into a dash, but Noelle was always close behind him, cautious of danger.
"Boy, stay under the umbrella. You're going to get wet," stated Noelle.
"I'm used to the rain, don't worry!" Jonah called back from ahead.
"Noelle. Perhaps you should take the Capricorn tag off of the boy before he gets into any unnecessary trouble," suggested Steiner. Noelle stopped in front of a shop that sold mirrors, realizing that she had forgot to retrieve the tag.
"Oh. How could I forget?" replied Noelle. She was about to call out to Jonah when she noticed an odd figure reflected on a mirror from the corner of her eye. Noelle turned around and her eyes widened at the sight of Jonah standing in front of a man with a long, shiny spear in his hands about to bring it down at any moment. Noelle broke off into a sprint, tossing her umbrella away. She skidded to a halt beside Jonah, and extended her arm in front of him as a gesture of protection.
"I don't want to die! Dog tag! Give me that dog tag!" wailed a woman behind the man with the spear. "C-cleaners! They're coming for me! GIVE ME ALL YOUR DOG TAGS!" Noelle clenched her teeth.
"Tsk. I should have taken away your Capricorn tag before we went outside. This is a nuisance," she muttered, slightly angered. "Sorry, Steiner, but this cannot be avoided." Noelle put on Steiner's ring and he immediately materialized. Steiner didn't look amused, but swiftly pulled out the two handguns from their holster. Noelle dragged Jonah as far away as possible.
"What's going to happen, Miss?" questioned Jonah, his voice somewhat shaky and croaky.
"Listen, don't leave my side no matter what. Also, hand over that Capricorn tag; it's because of that we're in this mess," demanded Noelle. Jonah did as he was told and took off the dog tag. The cold, wet tag was gently placed in Noelle's hand. Noelle grasped it tightly, and focused back on Steiner. She ignored the fact that the woman was still laughing, crying and wailing hysterically in the background.
"Your master has gone insane," stated Steiner. "Yet, you're still willing to obey her?"
"Of course. It is my duty to protect her," replied the man. He charged at Steiner, and then slashed at him. Steiner jumped back just in time, and fired twice at the spearman's leg. The spearman was able to dodge both bullets with incredible speed. He slashed at Steiner once more, but missed again. He threw multiple stabs at his enemy from all directions. Steiner seemed to be struggling to dodge all of the spearman's attacks. The spearman slashed down vertically. Steiner was just able to dodge it and was about to fire again when the spear struck him from the side.
"Steiner!" yelled Noelle. She squinted and saw that the wound was fairly deep; bleeding quite a bit, but it could have been worse.
"What would calling my name do?" shouted Steiner in reply. "Be quiet and let me handle this."
"Hand over your dog tags. I don't want to kill you," stated the spearman.
"I thought that there was some restraint in that attack!" growled Steiner, clutching the wound that continued to bleed. The spearman said nothing and began to charge up power for his next strike. Steiner took this as an opportunity to attack his opponent. He immediately withdrew his handguns, reached underneath his black coat, and pulled out a hunter rifle from his belt. He took aim in mere seconds and pointed his gun at the spearman. Steiner was shocked only for a brief moment when he saw the spearman dash toward him, but regained focus and shot. The spearman was hit, but it did not seem like it was effective at all. Steiner was not able to prepare for another fire for the spearman bolted past him and was making his way toward Noelle and Jonah.
"WATCH OUT!" yelled Steiner, also running. Noelle cursed and stepped in front of Jonah.
The spearman noticed Steiner behind him and paused, leaned back, and threw his spear at Noelle. Jonah pushed Noelle aside causing her to lose her footing and fall over. The spear stabbed through Jonah, and like the way it ripped through his flesh, a scream tore across the momentary silence as the curtains gradually drew to a close on Jonah's life.
Steiner stopped, clenched his teeth and didn't even bother aiming this time. The spearman turned around to attack Steiner, but was shot in the leg yet he still managed to approach him and throw a powerful punch. Steiner was knocked back a couple of meters. He landed on both feet with one hand on the ground to steady himself, but his wound continued to bleed.
"All you had to do was to give up your dog tags," stated the spearman, walking away from Steiner and toward Jonah. "It was such an easy task and yet…" Noelle sat there, frozen. She watched as the spearman reached down to pick up his spear. The spearman held it high, Jonah's body dangling from the top of the spear. Noelle noticed Jonah's fingers twitch a bit, and covered her mouth, locked in a silent scream. She saw that Jonah's body was slowly, slowly sliding down the spear, leaving a trail of blood.
The spearman's master moaning and cackling echoed from the other side of the battleground. The spearman turned toward Noelle. I... can't be reckless here. Interfering would only mean putting my own life at risk. If I die because I intervened then Steiner's ring will shatter and then…
"I'll ask again. Hand over the tags," demanded the spearman, firmly. Noelle glanced quickly in Steiner's direction and saw that he had put down his rifle.
"Hey! Have you forgotten that I wasn't knocked down by that punch? Don't take your eyes off me yet!" shouted Steiner. The spearman turned around. "You keep telling us to give up, but we're not going to cowardly forfeit and become victims of the Cleaners!" Noelle swiftly stood up and backed off further without a sound.
"It's not over yet," muttered Noelle, eyes dark. I hope you're thinking about what I am, Steiner, she thought. Her heart beat faster, and her breathing was rapid. Steiner held his wound tightly and ran toward the insane master.
"Why, you…!" growled the spearman. He pulled Jonah off his spear and took off after Steiner. When he realized that he wasn't going to make it, he stopped a short distance behind Steiner, and threw his spear. Steiner kicked the master who in turn fell on her back. The spear landed next to her head, and she flailed around. Steiner pinned her down by stepping on her chest. He pulled out his handguns, pointing one at the master's head, and one in the spearman's direction.
"It's over. We win," stated Steiner. Noelle was now sprinting to Jonah's side, holding his cold, drenched body. It was clear that he was dead.
"Jonah… My most sincere apologies," Noelle whispered, embracing him. She felt warm tears slide down her cheek. "I'm so, so sorry." She watched Steiner in front of her, not too far away.
The spearman raised both his hands in defeat and Steiner released the master. He kneeled down, searching the master's pockets for money. He claimed a bag full of coins, and walked away. The spearman spat on his flailing master and cursed.
"The Cleaners will… come for us… We have nothing left!" he yelled, looking up at the dark sky that still continued to pour. The master stood up. She pulled the spear from the ground and charged at Steiner.
"Look out!" yelled Noelle. Steiner turned around and blocked the attack of the master. She was now silent, but a creepy grin was carved onto her face.
"Woman!" shouted the spearman. He tried to pull her back but cracks slithered up his arms and all over his body, as if they were snakes. He wasn't even able to question what was happening for he shattered into pieces that never fell to the ground, disappearing into thin air.
Even the spear in the spearman's master's hands fell into pieces the same way he did. The master stared at her hands in disbelief.
"A-Alex… My dear…Alexander!" she cried, holding her head in her hands. Steiner watched as the woman screamed the name "Alexander" of which he assumed was the shattered ring spirit's name. Noelle lay Jonah down, stood up, and approached Steiner.
"We need to go," stated Steiner, his tone of voice, firm.
"What about Jonah?" asked Noelle. Steiner turned around, and retrieved his rifle.
"What about him? The Cleaners will be here soon. There's nothing else for us to do here," snapped Steiner. He gripped Noelle's wrist tightly and dragged her away, walking quickly. "For someone to live, somebody else must pay the price." Noelle wanted to argue, but something stopped her and she felt an annoying acceptance for what Steiner said wash over her.
After some distance, Noelle heard the sounds of laughter in the distance, and dared not to look back, ignoring the strong urge to because of Jonah.
The pair silently entered the shadowy apartment complex illuminated only by the dim light from outside. They didn't even bother to turn on the lights. Noelle lit the fireplace and fell on her knees. She watched the grotesque flames flicker and glow wickedly; it was as if they were laughing at her.
"…Are you going to shower?" questioned Steiner, taking off his coat, and setting his weapons aside.
"…No, you can go first. It's warm here. The bathroom is next to my room on your left," replied Noelle, taking off her cap and coat. Steiner left the room.
As Noelle listened to the soft sound of rushing water, she began to go over the day's events starting from her victory against the leopard. She thought about how everything was going so well throughout the day until Jonah sacrificed himself for her. She sighed.
"How strange. It doesn't seem like Steiner cares much about what happened to Jonah," she muttered to herself. Noelle closed her eyes and drifted off into a sleep. She awoke a short while later to Steiner's voice calling her.
"Noelle. You should shower and change out of those wet clothes before you sleep anywhere," said Steiner in a low voice. Noelle nodded, and did as she was told. She entered the bathroom, towel and clothes in hand, and shut the door. She put aside her stuff and ran her fingers through her slightly wet hair. Noelle pulled at her blonde hair, and it seemed to shift a little; it was a wig. She took it off, and put it aside, revealing much shorter hair of the same color. Noelle undressed herself, stepped into the shower, and turned on the water, letting it envelope her in its warmth.
Steiner was sitting on the couch, watching the fire flicker and turn. It twirled and leapt as if it were dancing without a care in the world. Steiner remained seated and motionless for a while before standing up to look out the window.
Below, he could see many people walking under their umbrellas despite the fact that it was still raining, although not as heavy as before. He noticed two people running around frantically without an umbrella. A woman and man seemed to be asking people nearby about something. Abruptly, the woman stopped in the middle of nowhere and covered her face. The man embraced her, consoling and comforting her. Steiner heard footsteps and saw that Noelle had come out of the bathroom. He was astonished to see that she had such short hair.
"Is… that you, Noelle?" he questioned. "Your hair…"
"I dislike short hair so I wear a wig," responded Noelle, rubbing her hair with a towel. When she had finished, she tossed it onto the armchair and sat down in front of the fire place. "I wonder what Jonah's parents are doing right now…"
"Probably searching for him," replied Steiner, leaning against the wall.
"How do you feel towards what happened to Jonah?" asked Noelle, turning to face Steiner. Steiner paused for a moment before answering.
"I was a personal guard for the daughter of a very famous aristocrat so I was taught not to be bothered by death," he said. "I do feel remorse to some extent, though."
"I'm bothered that I couldn't even grant his wish," Noelle muttered. Steiner walked and stood next to Noelle.
"…Well, it's not like you can go to the past and save him. All you can do is keep moving forward," he replied, a hint of irritation in his voice. "Grieve now, but I expect you to be ready tomorrow for whatever comes our way." Noelle appeared surprised at his declaration, but her face soon twisted into an expression of annoyance.
"Hmph. You speak some wise words. Fine. I'll sleep it all off," she snapped. Noelle pulled Steiner down so that he was sitting next to her, and rested her head on his lap. "I'm tired anyway." Steiner sighed.
"Tsk. You're going to catch a cold out here. I'm not going to be a blanket for you in the middle of the night, idiot," he said through clenched teeth.
"Then go get a blanket…" mumbled Noelle. She was already drifting off to sleep. "Say, Steiner… How is your wound?" Steiner pulled up a bit of his shirt to inspect the injury from the battle before.
"I've bandaged it myself. It has stopped bleeding a long time ago," he replied, but Noelle gave no reply. Steiner looked down at Noelle, and saw how tranquil she looked. He couldn't help but reach out his hand and brush some hair off her face.
The two remained that way until Steiner's eyes couldn't stay open for any longer and he, too, fell asleep. The fire also fell into a slumber, and burnt out. The room became dark, waiting for the sun to throw its blades of light across Eden the next morning.