The dancers were beautiful.
Meisters chanted and played ipu heke while a group of female weapons moved in perfect harmony across the raised platform with muscle control that made Soul a little jealous. Their footing was as sure as any meister, their cloth dresses swaying with their hips. It was easy to lose himself in the rhythm of the chant and the flow of the dance. He bet their resonance was off the charts.
When they finished, Black Star leaned to him and said, "I don't get it."
"That's because you're a cultureless asshole," Soul said.
Star shrugged. "I'm okay with that. C'mon, let's make the rounds."
Soul wanted to meet the two men who'd been playing percussion. After he'd paid his compliments, he let Black Star lead him around and introduce him to several of the locals. He made polite conversation, Kid's voice echoing in his ears about propriety and representing DWMA as the Last Death Scythe.
The sun had been below the horizon for forty-five minutes by the time he could break away long enough to get some food. True to Black Star's word, there was a top-notch spread ranging from fresh raw fish to hamburgers. He loaded up on extra ahi poke.
Torches and an occasional halogen light lit the back patio of the rec center, which blended right into a beach lined with copses of trees. A small fire burned in a nearby pit, casting the nearby area in a warm orange glow. Save the stars, there was no other light. The sky was moonless. Had been for a while.
Soul swallowed his last bite of fish. It was near impossible to look at the night sky without thinking of Crona. Or rather, without thinking of his meister worrying about Crona. He'd liked the kid, but they were something else to Maka. He deepened his lean on the rainbow shower tree he was hiding under.
Black Star managed to find him anyway. "Soooooo. Did you see anything you liked?"
He lifted his empty plate. "Lots of things. Ate most of them."
Star took the plate and tossed it in the trash nearby. "You know what I mean. Any of the girls catch your eye? Devilish good looks are wasted on you, I swear."
Soul shrugged. "There are some cute ones, sure. The dancers were really talented."
"'Really talented,' listen to you. It's okay to use your eyes, bro." Black Star elbowed him in the ribs and nodded into the crowd. "Try using them on that one, for example. That is a nice honey right there. So nice."
He followed Star's line of sight to a girl's back, long and lithe beneath the pale blue string of her bikini top. Her hair was dark gold and shiny in the firelight, pinned atop her head with a clip. He followed her neck right down her spine to what he had to admit was a pretty stellar sarong-covered ass.
He gave a low whistle. It wasn't entirely for show... it was a nice ass.
"I would do things to that girl, man," Black Star said.
"Yeah, I could be into it," Soul agreed, grinning lazily.
The girl turned so they could see her profile, laughing at something someone nearby had said.
His smile evaporated instantly.
He and Black Star turned their backs on the girl so fast he was pretty sure they'd both gotten whiplash.
"Dude it's Maka," Black Star said in a rush.
"I saw," Soul hissed.
"Maka. Your partner Maka. Maka-Albarn-Maka."
"I said I saw."
"Oh gods I feel gross. I feel so dirty right now. I take it all back." He shoved Soul toward the bar. "Get me a mai tai to wash out my mouth. Get yourself one to wash out your eyes." He shook himself with a very audible "wharrbluh" sound.
Soul shivered too, and he hated that it wasn't entirely due to disgust. "The light's really low back here. She always wears one-pieces. How was I supposed to fucking know?"
"Did you see she has...?" Star raised his eyebrows and cupped his hands in front of his chest like he was grabbing a pair of invisible tits.
Soul smacked him on the back of the head. "Shut your face."
He rubbed his skull. "When did she get those, seriously? I mean, still nothing to write home about, but they're, you know, there."
"I said shut the fuck up, Star."
His friend surrendered. "All right, all right. Jesus, cool it with the big brother act. I would never do things to her." He shuddered again and made a show of gagging.
A throat cleared behind them and they whirled to find her standing there, arms crossed self-consciously in front of her chest.
"Nothing," Black Star said. "What? No. Nothing to see here. What?"
Her eyebrow arched in question. "What are you talking about?"
Soul released the breath he'd been holding and thanked Death that they'd keep their heads for at least a little while longer. She dropped her arms to her sides and he could practically see the muscles in Black Star's face straining not to look down.
"I have to be not here," Black Star said, hightailing it for the bar.
"What's with him?" she asked.
Soul shrugged. "I think your bikini is freaking his shit."
"Oh gods," she said, re-crossing her arms and hunching forward again. "Liz sent it and Tsubaki made me wear it."
"It looks, you know, not bad. Okay, it looks nice. You look nice."
She shot him a look out of the side of her eye. "Are you messing with me?"
He went to lean back against his tree, missed, and tried again, clearing his throat. "Don't look a gift compliment in the mouth."
Her mouth quirked up in a smile. "Thanks. Anyway, they started dancing." She gestured behind them to a patio full of people moving to a bassline he could feel reverberating inside his chest. "I wanted to see if I could get you to come dance with me. We're still on mission, after all, and it helps us stay in tune."
"Can't you just relax for a second?" He rolled his eyes at her. "You heard Kid. It's R&R time. And you know I don't dance in front of -" he looked around "- other people."
"Oh. Okay." She buried her bare toes in the sand. "In that case, there was another meister over there who asked me to dance, so."
"Right on." He held out his fist for her to bump. "Let your hair down and go get it."
She giggled and tapped her knuckles to his. "Don't just sit on the outskirts all night, okay?"
"Don't tell me how to live my life," he said, smiling despite himself.
After she left, Black Star returned with drinks in tow, handing one to Soul and downing his own in a few gulps. Soul tested his, wrinkling his nose at the oversweetened syrupy stuff coating his tongue. The bite of rum beneath it was its only saving grace.
They people-watched for a while before Star got bored and went to find Tsubaki. Soul finished his drink, enjoying the slightly cooler night air and the whisper of the trees around him. Every once in a while, another local meister or weapon stopped by to chat. Everyone was very friendly. He could get used to it.
He wondered if Maka was still dancing, or if she'd already given up due to the fact that she was absolutely terrible at it. Scanning the crowd of dancers, it didn't take long to find her when one couple moved out of the way to reveal her near the center of the patio.
She had let her hair down, literally and figuratively. Her locks whirled around her head and she moved back and forth with abandon, completely oblivious to her lack of rhythm. The tall Hawaiian boy she was dancing with didn't seem to mind. He grinned down at her while he traced his hands lightly over her back and hips as she turned.
When she twisted around with her back to the guy and sank down across the length of his torso with a little smile playing at her lips, Soul bared his teeth and moved across the sand. Before he could stop himself, he was tapping the other boy on the shoulder. The meister halted his movements and turned, his wiry black curls framing his face.
"Mind if I cut in?" Soul said.
The other boy blinked at him. "No problem."
Maka looked confused and a little put out as the meister took her hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles. "Thank you for the dance, sister." He winked at her and wandered off toward the food tables.
She watched him go and whirled back. "What the hell, Soul? We were having a good time."
"I changed my mind," he said, grabbing her hand and putting another on her waist. "I'll dance with you."
She huffed, but didn't pull away, putting her free hand on his arm and falling into their usual waltz steps. "You're the one who told me to go get it," she said.
"Well that," he nodded toward the other boy's back. "Was a lot of getting. Since when do you dance like that?"
"I don't know," she shrugged. "Everybody was dancing like that, and I never have. We're supposed to be having a good time, right? I thought I'd give it a try, and it felt nice. We never dance that way."
"That's because we don't dance at underground clubs while we're on ecstasy," he said.
She shrugged. "I thought it was fun. You're just mad because all you know how to do is this classy cotillion rich kid dancing."
He scowled. "I can... dance like that. I just don't."
"I don't believe you." She tossed her hair, and it was so uncharacteristically princess-y that he snorted.
"If you're challenging me, then I accept." He sounded a lot cooler than he felt. He looked around, feeling eyes everywhere. Crowds sucked. Dancing in crowds sucked even more. It felt like performing.
Even so, he moved his hand from her waist to her lower back, drawing her closer. They dropped their clasped hands and let their arms hang to the side, while the hand that had been on his arm moved up to grip his shoulder.
He listened to the music, to the low thrum of the bass, and moved his hips to the beat, bending his knees to dip lower. Heat rose up his neck as Maka took his lead and wove her hips side to side to match, positioning herself between his bowed knees so she could press up against him. Everything seemed unusually close. It wasn't like he wasn't used to her being so near. He'd wrapped his body protectively around hers dozens of times, keeping her safe from harm. This was different. This was weird.
Weird and very warm.
They'd come to the edge of the crowd. He could feel her breath through the front of his shirt, she was so close. Tentatively, because it felt like the thing to do, he floated his hand over her hip, barely brushing the skin above her sarong.
"See?" He heard her say. "It's fun."
"Get a rooooooooooom, horndogs." Black Star glided by them, sitting atop a keg on a dolly pushed by two other guys. He pointed at Soul. "You're disgusting, bro. Find yourself a church."
Soul and Maka snapped apart, a soft sea breeze sighing between them.
He buried his hands in his pockets, neck still hot. "And this is why I don't dance in public."
She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked away. An unfamiliar silence stretched taut.
"I'm going to, um." He pointed off into the distance. "Get some food. You need anything?"
"Nah." She shook her head. "I'm good."
"'Kay." He turned on his heel and went back to the tables.
He wasn't especially hungry, but he picked over what was left anyway. He'd just bitten into a strawberry when a girl with long red-black hair and multiple facial piercings reached in front of him to snatch a piece of pineapple.
"You're the Last Death Scythe, aren't you?" she said without pretense.
After he'd had a chance to swallow, he said, "I am. Soul Eater." He held out his hand for her and she shook it.
"I'm Jinah. So that stuff on the moon was pretty wild, hey?"
One side of his mouth lifted in a smirk. "You could say that."
"I'm one of the local weapons. Fire spear. Maybe you and I will get to go on the next run together and I can see you and your meister in action. I bet she's wild to watch, too." The girl craned her neck around Soul, presumably looking for Maka.
"Pretty accurate description of Maka, actually," Soul agreed. He noticed the curling vine tattoo twining up and around the girl's shoulder. "Weren't you one of the dancers?"
"Ee-yeah," she said, pausing to suck on her pineapple.
"You were all excellent."
"Thanks," she smiled, craning to look around him again. She gestured with her chin. "So, your friend. Any idea if they happen to be interested in people who happen to look like me?"
He blinked at her, then looked over his shoulder to see Black Star and Tsubaki talking with another group before turning back to the girl.
"Knowing him, probably. I have to warn you, though, he's an acquired taste."
"Pfft," she waved her hand. "I meant the pretty one."
He raised his eyebrows and looked back at Tsubaki. "Oh. Uh. You know, I've never actually asked."
"Well, then I'll have to ask for you. It was nice to meet you, Soul." She clapped him on the arm and stuck another piece of pineapple between her teeth before heading off.
As he watched her go, the boy who'd been dancing with Maka earlier came to take her place. Soul eyed him warily, but he looked relaxed, watching the girl-weapon with a half-smile as she chatted Tsubaki up.
"I see you met my weapon partner," he said. "Jinah tends to move fast and get to the point." The boy held out his hand. "I don't think I ever introduced myself. I'm Keon."
"Soul," he said, accepting the boy's handshake. It was solid as stone - the grip of a meister.
"The Last Death Scythe, yeah. We heard all about what you did. Nothing but respect for that."
"Thanks. Wasn't all me, though. I had help."
"Ah right, Maka is your meister. She's something, that one."
"Something, yeah." Soul shifted, his shoulders tensing. "Look, about that. She tends to get pretty wrapped up in work, so if you were hoping for..." He ran his tongue over his teeth without finishing his thought. "Just don't expect too much."
Keon regarded Soul carefully. Not with challenge in his eyes, just like he was giving him a once over. His gaze lingered a little longer on Soul's chest than anywhere else. He raised his hand in apology.
"I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't know."
"Didn't know what?"
He tilted his head and furrowed his brow. "That you two were a thing."
"Wh... what?" Soul sputtered. "I'm not... that's not... it's not like that, with us. I just don't want you to get your hopes up."
The boy laughed. "Don't you know your own soul?"
"Of course I do," he said, bristling. "It's an awesome soul."
Keon nodded. "Yeah, it's a good one. Strong despite its flaws. Loyal. A little dark, but you keep that in check. Full of music." He touched the side of his nose. "But like your meister, I can see deeper inside, and I see a spark."
"The hell does that mean?"
The boy reached out and tapped him twice on the sternum. "You got Pele's heat in you, brother, and I'm no fool. I know better than to get between the fire and the sea."
Soul just stared, and Keon decided to take his leave, stretching his arms to the sides.
"Jinah and I live just up the road," he said. "House with the blue door. If you find you need backup, you give us a yell." He clapped Soul on the arm, just as Jinah had. "It was good to meet a Death Scythe. I'll see you."
He watched Keon wander back toward the crowd. What a weird guy. What did he know? They'd only just met.
"Are you skulking again?" said a voice from behind him.
He jumped and grabbed his chest, whirling. "Christ, Maka. Wear a bell."
She scoffed. "It's a party. If you weren't expecting people to come up to you at a party, you're denser than you look."
His heart continued to pound, the unexpected jolt of adrenaline setting him on edge. He shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm gonna take a walk."
"Okay." She popped a berry in her mouth. "I could use some air."
He thought about telling her he wanted to be alone, but it'd be pointless. She'd just pry. So he shrugged as she tagged along. They picked a path that wound through a nearby copse of trees between the water and the homes that lay nestled further up the road. They didn't talk. They didn't need to.
The rainbow shower trees were thick here, and Maka kept reaching up to palm the cascades of yellow and pink blossoms. Her hair occasionally glinted in the sparse streetlight from the road above them and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. With her locks loose around her shoulders like that, he kept thinking she was someone else.
He blamed the lack of light for the fact that he nearly tripped over the body before Maka grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back. The back of her other hand was pressed against her mouth.
Now that they were on top of the guy, Soul had no idea how they hadn't smelled him before. He coughed into his own hand, eyes stinging with the smell of burnt hair and flesh. The man's eyes were open and glassy, his mouth trapped in a silent scream. The whole left half of his body was burned clean away. It was as if something had taken a cauterized bite out of him, scooping his soul out in the process.
There was a slight rustling, followed by Black Star dropping from the trees above.
"I swear, if you two are coming back here to get freaky, I'm gonna hurl," he said as he came up behind them. He stopped when he saw the man. "Oh shit. I might hurl anyway."
Maka straightened, a familiar look in her eye. "Pre-kishin," she said.
Black Star sighed. "Looks like R&R time is over."
"Yeah," Soul agreed.