Lenalee was grateful that she spoke Chinese, because the venue's chaos was exacerbated by language problems. Almost nobody not native to China or nearby countries spoke Chinese, and while some of the staff spoke English, not all of them spoke it fluently enough to solve problems. It didn't help that not all of the dancers spoke English very well either. The Order did, but Lenalee had already bailed out a French girl who got separated from her chaperones, and it would probably not be the last incident of its kind.
Lenalee wasn't surprised when Allen asked her help in finding food. He was always hungry, even more so than Lavi and Chaoji, who asked to come along. There was an area with vending machines, most of it junk, but Allen seemed to have a high tolerance for it, and there were other things, too, like nuts and juice, even one with fresh fruit. It was one of the problems with dancing as half of a couple. She had to be strong and fit enough to dance while keeping her weight down, so that Lavi could lift her without too much strain. She could never be careless about what she ate.
"Aaaaaaaalllllleeeeeeen!"
A tiny girl shoved her way through a cluster of people and threw herself at Allen, wrapping both arms around his neck and kissing him square on the mouth. "Hiya!"
Allen stood frozen with astonishment.
"Road, what are you doing?" Tyki Mikk, elegant and dangerous as a panther, leaned against a wall watching his niece's antics with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm saying hi," Road said, one arm around Allen's waist and a hand on his chest. "Hi Allen."
It was the first time Lenalee had ever seen Road Campbell up close, and she really was tiny. Even though she was wearing platform shoes, her head barely cleared Allen's chest. Her short hair, left to its own devices for a while, fell in unorganized waves that stuck out at strange angles all over her head. She wore what seemed to have started out as perfectly normal clothes until she took a scissors and sewing machine to them, creating a jagged hem on her white blouse. There were other hellos like this being said in the room as dancers from different companies and countries were being reunited. It was only the Campbells and the Order who were left out, since people rarely spoke to them. Nobody wanted even the appearance of taking sides.
Allen finally seemed to come to his senses. "Road, what...? Get off me!" he spluttered.
"Why? I like you."
Allen looked wildly around for help, but Lenalee had no suggestions and Lavi was rapt. Chaoji just stared, his mouth open.
It was Tyki who spoke. "I dunno, mate. She kissed you. I think you're stuck with her."
"I'm not..." Allen began.
"I've never kissed Tyki," Road said, cuddling closer to Allen. "I think he's jealous."
"Uh uh." Tyki shook his head. "I don't want you liking me that much. That would be creepy."
"This is creepy," Allen said.
"Not it's not," she said. "You're not my uncle. Wow, that's intense!" She ran her fingertip along the line of his scar.
"Road!" Allen yelped, grabbing for her hand.
"I've never seen it uncovered before. I'm sorry. That must have hurt so much."
It was Lenalee's turn to gape at the sudden change in Road, from mischief to genuine tenderness.
"Thank you," Allen said. "Now will you let go of me?" He gently grabbed her hands and started prying them off.
"I don't want to!" she said, clinging harder.
"You'd better," Tyki said. "I think he's already got grounds to press charges."
"For what?" Road asked.
"Sexual harassment," Tyki said.
"This isn't sexual," Road said. "Don't be stupid! I don't know him well enough for that."
"It's definitely harassment. Come on!" Tyki held out his hand. "I want to give my food a chance to digest before I have to dance. My stomach's got jet lag."
It was such a strangely human thing to say, then Lenalee wondered why she thought it was strange. He was, after all, human.
"You said he's stuck with me," Road protested.
"I take it back." Tyki shifted his weight so he was standing upright.
"Go with Tyki," Allen said in a tone one might use with a small child.
"Ask me nicely," she said.
"Please!" It was the most heartfelt rendition Lenalee had ever heard.
"Okay." And with that, Road let go and half skipped over to her uncle.
"Sorry, mate," Tyki said, his hands lifted in the sort of gesture that suggested helplessness in the face of the inevitable.
"No problem," Allen said, then he smiled. "I'd wish you merde and all, but..."
Lenalee nearly gasped, but for half of her life, this man and his family had been her enemies.
Tyki blinked, then grinned. "Same, but I don't want to see this little poppet sad." He ruffled Road's hair, compounding the mess. "It's an ugly sight, trust me."
Road laughed. "Silly boys!" Then she winked at Allen. "Game on, right?"
To Lenalee's surprise, Allen broke out into a broad grin. "Game on!"
"Holy shit!" Lavi whispered as the pair made their way toward the door. "What did you do to her?"
"Nothing," Allen said, reddening.
"No, seriously," Lavi said elbowing Allen. "She likes you."
"She does not!" Allen said, elbowing Lavi harder.
"You have to tell me your secret."
"I don't have one."
"Lavi!" Lenalee said. "She's just trying to rattle him."
"No, I think she really likes him." Lavi turned his attention back to Allen. "She's mad about you, mate."
"She's mad," Allen said, "full stop. Can we get out of here now? I need to get changed."
"Why were you nice to them?" Chaoji asked suddenly.
"What?" Allen asked as they turned to look at him.
"They're our enemies," Chaoji said.
"They're dancers," Allen said. "It's a competition, and they're here to do their best, just like we are. There's no need to be rude or make a scene."
"But they made a scene," Chaoji protested. "Lenalee's right. What if they're trying to rattle you?"
"So what if they are?" Allen asked. "She can't rattle me unless I let her."
It left Lenalee wondering briefly what would rattle him. Nothing seemed to, not even Rouvellier, not really anyway.
"What did she mean, game on?" Chaoji insisted.
Allen smiled. "She knows I'm trying to win, that's all."
"But it's not a game. Think about what will happen if you lose."
What would happen, Lenalee wondered, if Allen lost? She had no idea. He seemed fearless, even carefree, no less dedicated than anyone else, but so unfettered by the threats that bound the rest of them that it had become a relief just to be around him. His smile was infectious, and his enthusiasm had carried more than one rehearsal past the normal breaking point, an antidote to the fear that Rouvellier spread like a virus. Allen's bizarre looks no longer bothered her. What bothered her was his absence in the studio, even if it was just a matter of him running a bit late.
"I can't worry about that right now," Allen said. "Right now, I need to eat and change, and when I get onstage, I have to be ready to do my best. I can't think about anything else."
Just hearing that made Lenalee relax a little, because that was what it came down to. Whatever else was happening, she was here to dance, something she'd wanted to do since she was a little girl. She'd almost forgotten about that. Somehow, her dream had turned into a nightmare.
Chaoji, however, refused to be mollified. "If you're their friend, you're not mine," he said. "Understand? You're a traitor." Then he left before Allen had a chance to say anything at all.
"It's all right," Lavi said softly. "He's just nervous."
Nervous was the Order's code word for scared.
"I know," Allen said. "He's up against it with Tyki. Will Rouvellier expel him?"
"Probably not this year," Lavi said, "but next time doesn't look promising. Chaoji's good, but his training was spotty when he was young. Right now, he doesn't have a chance."
"I'm sorry," Allen said.
"Let's not think about it right now," Lenalee said, taking her cue from Allen. "Let's get you to the dressing room, all right?"
Allen smiled at her and offered his arm. "Lead on! Please. Because I have no idea where I'm going."
After she dropped off the boys, Lenalee went to the room where the girls were changing to do her hair, grabbing an ice pack from the freezer before she sat down. Apparently, she hadn't quite saved her foot when she fell, because it was still bothering her. Not too much. Not so much that she couldn't put weight on it, but enough so that there were consequences when she did. She'd been elevating it as much as she could, and wrapping or taping it whenever possible, but it wasn't healing as fast as she'd hoped.
That was the problem with the Order on a War year. There was no chance to rest, no chance to recover. The only thing that mattered to the Rouvelliers was a win,
Ordinarily, she didn't give it much thought. There was too much at stake, but watching Allen and Road made her wistful. Road was a spoiled brat, but so were a lot of dancers, including Lenalee herself, and none of that would matter if it was just another competition. She could go out there, do her best, and maybe not hang out with Road but perhaps that French girl she rescued. Or Fou, but Fou wasn't really her friend, not because they didn't like each other, but because they couldn't afford to make friends. Fou probably wasn't going to be there much longer, and the end would be too sad for them to keep in touch.
It had happened before, and Lenalee had done some really stupid things in protest. She didn't protest anymore, but she was very, very careful about how attached she allowed herself to become.
She shook herself, then undid her ponytails so she could brush out and braid her hair. That wasn't her concern today. Rouvellier had warned her that if she didn't do better this time, he would be splitting her and Lavi up, and there was no way Lavi could stand up to Tyki.
She might not have friends, but she still had people she cared about, and she hated to lose them. Today, she had to out-dance Jasdero, no matter how much her foot hurt, or her heart, either.