Over the next few weeks, Team Balisong trained hard with their mentor and coach, the former IG-1 pilot Lucia Cloverson, in preparation for their first IG-1 race. It was the middle of their training period when the team received a curious invitation regarding official IGPX business. Blair and the team were back at their apartment after having finished their day's training regimen. They were becoming less and less sore after their sessions, growing more accustomed to the exercises as they built up their stamina.
After picking the mail up from their mailbox downstairs and heading back up to the apartment, Blair sorted through it and stumbled upon a lavishly embroidered envelope addressed to the team. "Huh. I wonder what this is," she said, inspecting the envelope.
"What 'what' is?" asked Roxanne as she came up to Blair in the kitchen.
"I don't know. It's addressed to the team and it says it's from the IGPX Committee," said Blair.
"Seems a tad bit too ornate to be from them, don't ya think?" said Roxanne.
"Yeah, well. You can't tell until you open it up, right?" said Blair as she opened the envelope with her knife. She took out the card and read it over.
"So what's it say?" asked Roxanne.
Blair finished reading it and handed it to her. "Seems like we've been invited to some charity ball next Friday. Something about it being a pre-race event where all the IG-1 pilots come together to do something and I don't know. Never had to do this sorta thing in the IG-2," she said.
After reading the card herself, Roxanne placed it on the table. "I see. Sounds like a very formal event, meaning that we have to look our best. I bet lots of high-profile people and celebrities are going to be there too, and not just from the IGPX world," she said.
Blair let out an annoyed sigh, leaning against the counter. "Urgh, means I have to dress up, don't I?" she said.
Roxanne playfully scoffed at her, placing the card back in the envelope. "And what's wrong with that? You love dressing up," she said with a smirk.
Blair rolled her eyes and went around the counter back into the living room, taking a seat on a stool. "Yeah, but now I have to pick out an outfit, get it dry cleaned, etc. I wonder who's going to be at the ball thingie," she said.
"It's not like you're the only one who has to do that. We all have to get our outfits ready," said Roxanne as she sat beside her. "As for who's going, probably the usual big shots from the IG-1, like Satomi and Velshtein. Definitely those two. Maybe some other teams like White Snow and Sledgemamma."
"Mmmhmm. I guess we still have time. We can let Anko know about this when they get back. And I'm sure the Colonel and Coach are going to brief us all about it tomorrow morning," said Blair.
Roxanne gave a nod before getting up from her seat. "Well, I'm headed out. Want anything while I'm gone?" she asked, grabbing her jacket off the coat rack.
Blair thought for a moment, tapping a finger to her chin as she looked up. "Hmm… how about a box of sugar cookies? I got a sudden craving for those things. And make sure they're fresh," she said.
Roxanne chuckled and gave her a smirk. "Whatever. Sure thing, Hon," she said. She waved goodbye and left the apartment, heading down to the parking garage.
#
"We're going to be late! What's up with this stupid traffic!"
It was early in the evening and Blair and Roxanne were on their way to the charity ball, however, they were stuck in traffic en route to the convention center. Fortunately for them, and at the request of Roxanne, the two of them left early to allow them some cushion time in case of such an occurrence. They were dressed in their formal attire, riding in Blair's Viper with the top down as they tried to make it to the ball on time.
Blair, like her usual self, was wearing a custom tailored black fitted suit complete with a red shirt and skinny black tie. She was wearing matching oxfords as she didn't like wearing high-heels and the like. Her hair was done up in her usual ponytail and she had her trademark red-rimmed glasses on. She also had a set of black, leather driving gloves to compliment the outfit while she drove. As for Roxanne, she was wearing a black, ankle-length dress with most of her back exposed and thin straps over both shoulders. She had matching high-heels on and a simple gold necklace draped around her neck. Her hair was fixed up in a tight bun. She also sported formal black gloves that went up just passed her elbows.
"Settle down, Blair. That's why we left early, remember?" said Roxanne as she tried to find an alternate route using the vehicle's GPS.
Blair scoffed at the cars in front of them, inching slowly along as she revved her engine in annoyance. "Where did all these cars come from anyway? It's not usually this crowded at this time of day," she said.
"Maybe they're all headed to the ball?" said Roxanne.
"Pfft, maybe…," said Blair as she positioned her elbow on the car door, resting her head on her hand.
They continued along the congested road for a few more minutes before Roxanne found an alternate route. "Ah ha! Got it! Take the next exit; I've found another way to get to the convention center," she said.
"Roger that. Taking next exit," said Blair as she gripped the wheel.
After taking the new route, the two of them arrived at the convention center fifteen minutes after the doors opened, getting there fashionably late as was Blair's style. The exterior of the modern-styled convention center was completely illuminated by lights and the sidewalks were filled with paparazzi and fans of the IGPX. As Blair and Roxanne drove by, bystanders didn't hesitate to take pictures of them left and right, and with the top down, they had easy access to take a quick snapshot of the two celebrities. Being VIPs at the event, Blair followed the other luxurious cars and used the valet line instead of finding a parking spot herself.
As Blair moved in line with the other vehicles, ranging from high-end sportscars to luxury SUVs, news cameras covering the event surrounded them as they took pictures and video feed of them arriving at the charity ball. Blair kept a cool demeanor, occasionally waving with a smug grin at the cameras as she moved along. Roxanne did the same, giving the fans a show as she waved and smiled for the viewers at home. When they arrived at the entrance, there was a valet already waiting for them to park their car. Stepping out of the car, Blair relinquished her vehicle over to him as he got into the driver's seat. Afterwards, she briskly went around the front of the car and opened the door for Roxanne, taking her hand in hers as they walked together towards the interior of the convention center.
"Wow. There's quite a lot of uh, camera flashes and such," said Blair as she continued inside with her girlfriend in tow, wincing once in a while at the extremely bright camera flashes.
"Well this is the IG-1 after all. Everything is larger and grander here," said Roxanne jokingly upon entering the building.
Once they were inside, they bore witness to the massive crowds of people mingling and socializing in the grand atrium. All around them were rows of tables covered with platters of appetizers and drinks for the guests. Along with the food, there was live classical music playing in the background as VIPs of all walks of life schmoozed about. Blair and Roxanne had attended lavish balls before in the military, but nothing like this. Just by stepping through the door made them gasp with awe and surprise.
"I wonder where the others are. Surely Anko, Sarah, and the rest are here already," said Blair as she scanned the crowd with her eyes, looking for familiar faces.
"Yeah, but if we don't find them now, we'll see them once we're assembled in the main hall," said Roxanne as she held on to Blair's arm as they walked.
Immediately after entering, they started getting passing glances from people as they turned to greet the two pilots. Blair had never felt so important in her life as nearly all eyes in the room turned to her. Even in the military, she had never had this much prestigious attention on her and she absolutely adored it. With her trademark smug smirk, she gestured to the fans that got her attention while waving to others, being her usual playful self as she peered through one of her numerous pairs of slightly gray-tinted, red-framed cosmetic glasses.
Suddenly, Blair felt someone come up from behind and placed an arm around her neck. "Konbanwa! (Good evening!) Finally! Sarah and the others have been waiting forever for you two to show up. We're supposed to get our picture taken together as a team, so let's go!" said Miharu as she corralled Blair and Roxanne towards the rest of the team.
"Uh, all right. Lead the way," said Blair as she tried to keep pace with Miharu.
The three of them weaved through the crowds and came upon the photography station. Sarah, Lucia, and Maggie were waiting for them, all dressed in their formal attire. Miharu let go of Blair and joined her sister, standing beside her and behind Sarah. Blair and Roxanne joined the group, exchanging pleasantries with their other teammates.
"About time you two showed up. We're next for group photos," said Lucia as she gestured to the make-shift studio.
Blair and Roxanne looked over and saw a fellow IG-1 team, Team Black Egg, getting their picture professionally taken. When it was their turn, Blair and the team took their place in front of the camera, heeding the photographer's directions as he moved and posed them for the shot. Blair took in a deep breath and put on a cheery, wide smile as the camera flashed, capturing the team's majesty for all to see. Once the photo shoot was over, the team dispersed as Sarah and Lucia went off to mingle with the big-wigs of the IGPX world. The Anko twins went their own way to sample some of the appetizers while Blair and Roxanne walked around, saying hello to more of the fans that showed up just to meet them specifically.
"See any of the other teams?" asked Roxanne as they entered the sea of visitors.
"Eh, not really. Besides Satomi up there soaking in the limelight for the third year in a row, I don't see much," said Blair. Suddenly, she finally spotted a familiar face as her eyes narrowed towards him, though not one she particularly cared to see. "There, that's someone I know," she said, gesturing to a man with a nod of her head as she made her way over to him.
"Hmm?" asked Roxanne before looking over and seeing whom she was referring to. After rolling her eyes, she followed Blair over.
Blair stalked her prey with a predatory gaze, covertly maneuvering through the mob of party goers until she was right behind him. Just as she was about to startle him by clapping loudly right behind his head, he spoke.
"Did you really think that would work on me, Captain?" asked Cunningham, looking over his shoulder as his eyes met hers.
Staggered by his awareness of her presence, and disappointed that her attempt at some playful fun was ruined, she withdrew her hands and stuck them in her pockets with a slight pout. "Pfft, always the killjoy, eh Fancypants?" she said.
"Well, you know me, Captain. I'm nothing more than a stuck-up, soldier wannabe, as you so clearly made it the last time we spoke," said Cunningham as he turned to face her.
Giving a slight nod, Blair returned to her perky self and crossed her arms over her chest. "Couldn't have said it better myself, Curedham," she said, poking more fun at the seasoned racer. "So how many celebrities have you shook hands with already?"
Cunningham smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "Not nearly as many as Takeshi and Team Satomi have," he said, looking up towards the main staircase where Team Satomi was. "But look there. Do you see the man currently shaking hands with Takeshi now?"
Blair huffed and looked to where he was motioning, seeing a well-dressed man in his forties talking to the captain of Team Satomi, Takeshi Jin. As she squinted to get a better view of him, her eyes widened as she finally made out who it was. "That's- That's Wes Guldstrand, one of the wealthiest men in the world! What business does he have with a kid like Takeshi?" asked Blair.
"I don't know, but Takeshi seems to be getting awfully friendly with him up there. He can't possibly be thinking of asking the world-renowned Wes Guldstrand to be a potential sponsor. Takeshi wouldn't stoop that low," said Cunningham as he continued to watch the two from afar.
Blair scoffed at all the attention Takeshi was receiving. "Like I care what that kid does. And why do you care? You… jealous?" she asked.
Cunningham didn't bite at her sarcastic jab, but instead merely gave her a smile and patted her on the shoulder. "And what ever gave you that impression? But do you see, the woman standing by his side with the face cover?" he asked.
Blair looked back to Guldstrand, focusing then on the woman Cunningham was referring to. She had a face mask that covered the lower portion of her face, starting from her shoulders and stopping right below her eyes above her nose. She too was wearing a suit, except hers was less tidy and stylish than Blair's; she lacked a tie, her top three buttons of her blouse were undone, and her blazer was fully unbuttoned. As Blair continued to inspect the woman, the woman all of a sudden turned towards her, meeting her awkward stare. The woman's eyes were cold and ruthless, piercing straight into Blair's soul.
Blair let out a small gasp and diverted her eyes away. "Who- Who is she?" she asked.
Cunningham shook his head. "I have no idea, but she's been shadowing Guldstrand wherever he goes, never leaving his side even for a moment," he said. He patted her again and began walking off. "I'll catch you later, Captain. I've got a few things to take care of before we're all gathered in the dining hall…" With that, he left Blair and Roxanne, disappearing into the crowd of people.
Having left to get a few bits to eat while Blair and Cunningham talked, Roxanne returned and handed Blair a small plate of tiny morsels. "Want any?" she asked, munching on a couple pieces of cheese.
"Sure," said Blair as she took one of the cheese slices and popped it into her mouth.
When it was time to gather in the main dining room, Blair and Roxanne met up with the rest of their team as they followed the flood of guests inward. When they arrived at the opening to the dining hall, there was staff there to point out where their reserved seats were. Since it was a charity ball, the members of the IGPX teams were split up amongst the tables, having to share them with the paying guests that wanted to sit with them. Fortunately for them, Blair and Roxanne got to sit together at a table while Sarah and Lucia sat at one and the Anko twins at another. After being told where their table was, Blair and Roxanne proceeded inside, finding their seats with their nametags placed in front of it.
"I hope we have some interesting people to talk to," said Blair as she took her seat along with Blair.
Roxanne shrugged, sitting down as well. "It doesn't matter to me. It's just a charity ball. All we need to do is keep smiling and be friendly. Then it'll be over," she said.
"I suppose…," said Blair as she skimmed over her silverware and empty plates.
More and more people began pouring in and their table soon filled up with guests. Along with the two of them, the people sitting at their table included a big-shot movie star and his wife, a famous tennis player, a couple of wealthy business owners, and a retired politician. While they waited, their fellow diners all introduced themselves to Blair and Roxanne, idly chatting with them for a bit. Feeling uncomfortable with being called Ms. Casing and Ms. Schultz, the two of them said it was all right to call them by their first names; being called by their last names without a military rank preceding it made them feel old. Once everyone had their seats, the Chairman of the IGPX Committee took to the podium and greeted everyone with a prepared speech, talking about the charity and the upcoming festivities. As soon as the formalities were out of the way, the dinner portion began with the staff bringing out everyone's meals.
"I hope I made the right choice," said Blair to Roxanne in a hushed tone.
"Well, it's not like you had many meals to choose from online. It was either chicken, steak, fish, or vegetarian," said Roxanne, placing her napkin in her lap.
"Uh huh. I just hope they don't screw it up," said Blair, watching as staff continued bringing out meals to the other guests. "I'm very particular about my steak."
"Don't worry about it, Hon. It's professionally prepared. Five-star, to be exact," said Roxanne.
Once everyone had their meals in front of them, complete with bread, salads, and drinks, Blair and the others began digging in. After taking a few bites, one of the table guests started up the Q and A session, beginning with Blair first. "So, like we said before, my wife and I are big fans of yours, Ms. Casing," said the movie star. "I'm sorry. Or rather, Blair, was it?"
Blair swallowed a bite of her salad and directed her attention towards him. "Why thank you," she said with a friendly smile. "And yes, that's correct."
"Yeah, my husband had to pay a pretty penny during the auction to reserve a spot for both of us at your table. Even though there are talented pilots like Mr. Jin or Mr. Cunningham present, he and I wanted to meet you and Ms. Schultz, here. I'm just so surprised that so many others wanted to meet you as well," said the movie star's wife.
"We're also so impressed that you're war heroes at such a young age. You must have lots of stories to tell from your military days," said the movie star.
Roxanne nodded, setting down her fork. "That we do. We've been through so much in such a small time frame that we could even write a book about it," she said with a chuckle. The others laughed as well at her humorous quip.
"Tell us more about your love life. We're all curious to know how you and Roxanne met and how long you've been together," said the famous tennis player as she ignored her meal, smiling at Blair. The others nodded as well, eager to hear what Blair and Roxanne had to say on the matter.
Blair was caught off guard by the tennis player's straightforwardness, as was Roxanne. "Our love life, huh? Well… what's there to talk about?" asked Blair with a nervous snicker.
"How did you meet? Where? And when? Everyone's been talking about the two love birds from Team Balisong," said the tennis player.
Flustered by being put on the spot, Blair was unsure of how to begin until one of the businessmen saved her by intervening. "I'm sure they'll do an interview for a big-time magazine detailing all of that, miss. Let's not bother these two too much about that and let them enjoy their dinner," he said, looking from Blair and Roxanne back to the tennis player. Blair sighed with relief, taking a drink of her water.
The tennis player appeared disappointed, but agreed, dropping the subject. The businessman smirked at the young tennis player then turned back to the two pilots. "I do, however, have a question of my own, but it has nothing to do with your romantic love life," he said.
"Uh, all right. Fire away," said Blair.
The businessman shook his head with a smile. "I'm afraid this question is actually for Ms. Schultz, I mean, Roxanne," he said, looking to her.
"Me?" asked Roxanne as she gestured to herself.
"Yes. I wanted to ask you if it's true that you speak German fluently," said the businessman.
Roxanne chuckled and looked at him with a smug expression. "Haben Sie Deutsch, Herr zu sprechen? (Do you speak German, mister?)," she asked.
Hearing her speak flawlessly in German, the businessman laughed as well and grew more intrigued with her. "Tat ich tun, Frau Schultz. Sie spricht sehr gut. Wo haben Sie gelernt, Deutsch zu sprechen? (Indeed I do, Miss Schultz. You speak very well. Where did you learn to speak German?)," he asked, equally as fluent. The table gently applauded Roxanne at her fluent speech as did Blair, who rarely got to hear her speak in German.
Content that she hadn't gone rusty, Roxanne continued on in English. "I was born in the United States, but moved to Germany with my parents while I was young; spent a good portion of my childhood overseas. I learned both English and German while I was in school, and my parents spoke to me in both, so that's why I can fluently speak both languages," she said.
The businessman was impressed and continued to give Roxanne his utmost attention. "Ah, I see. So your parents worked in Germany?" he asked.
"Why yes. They're both Air Force officers and were stationed at Ramstein Air Base for a while," said Roxanne.
"Are they what influenced you to join the Air Force?" asked the retired politician.
Roxanne sighed subtly, glancing away. "I guess you can say that," she said.
The tennis player was impressed with Roxanne after hearing her speak. Curious, she then looked to Blair. "What about you, Blair? Can you speak another language like your lover?" she asked, an enthusiastic grin on her face.
Blair nearly spat out her drink after having heard Roxanne be so blatantly referred to as her lover. "Uh, yeah. I can speak Japanese fluently," she said after wiping her mouth.
The tennis player's eyes lit up. "Say something in Japanese! C'mon, give us a demonstration," she said.
Blair rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, speaking in Japanese. "(You're kinda cute and I wouldn't mind sleeping with you.)," she said, looking the tennis player dead in the eye. Since she figured no one at the table understood Japanese, she decided to have some fun with the woman.
"Wow. What did you say?" asked the tennis player as she clapped.
"Oh, nothing much. I just said how nice it was to meet you," said Blair, turning to Roxanne and giving her a discrete wink.
The tennis player didn't catch on to Blair's joke and smiled. "You two are so talented and awesome. Where did you learn to speak Japanese, Blair?" she asked. The others at the table were also curious, especially after hearing Roxanne's interesting explanation.
"Hmm, well… I too lived overseas during my youth, except I was born there, unlike my lover here," she said, snickering as she bumped shoulders with Roxanne.
"Were your parents in the Air Force too?" asked the movie star.
Blair shook her head. "Nope. My dad was a Navy fighter-pilot. Before he was stationed at his final post, he was stationed on board the U.S.S. Freedom, the largest carrier in the U.S. Navy's fleet. After that, he was transferred to Naval Air Facility Atsugi in Japan for a non-seafaring position, the place where I was born after he met my mom. Lived in Japan until I was like ten, then we moved to the U.S. when he retired from the Navy," she said.
"How sweet. Falling in love with a local," said the retired politician. "What does your mother do?"
"My mom? She was a school teacher. I… won't go in detail on how they met. It kinda makes me uncomfortable," said Blair as she scratched the ridge of her nose with her finger.
The businessman chuckled and turned to Roxanne. "All right, we won't push that subject much further. So, my German-speaking friend, I've heard that you are both college graduates. What did you study, might I ask?" he said.
Roxanne smiled, remembering her glorious college days with Blair. "Ah, college. Such wonderful memories. Well, Blair and I both graduated from Metro Carolina State University. I graduated with a B.S. in Political Science and minors in German, International Relations, and Military Studies. Blair, on the other hand, graduated with…" She looked to Blair, prompting her to pick up where she left off.
Blair caught her drift and cleared her throat. "…a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in both Japanese and Military Studies," she said.
"Impressive. Not only are you two strong and talented, but you're also book smart as well," said the businessman, giving an approving nod.
The tennis player was also impressed. "Yeah. You're lucky you have each other. If either one of you were single, I'd snatch you up like that," she said, snapping her fingers to emphasize the point.
"Oh, well- I'm flattered," said Roxanne, blushing slightly.
Blair, in contrast, huffed and frowned at the tennis player. "Thanks, but you better not get any funny ideas about my girl here. She's taken already," she said.
Seeing Blair eye her like that, the tennis player raised her hands up to diffuse the situation. "Whoa there, I didn't mean anything by it, Blair. I was just saying how you two strike my fancy, that's all. I'm not hitting on either of you, so don't worry," she said.
"If you say so. I'll take that as a compliment then," said Blair, sticking her tongue out at her with a wink.
The tennis player exhaled as Blair lightened up, taking a drink of her sweet tea before returning to her meal. The table continued to eat their dinner, sporadically pausing to ask Blair and Roxanne a question that popped into their head. After everyone in the dining hall had finished their meals, a few officials from the IGPX and the Chairman returned to the podium to say a few words. They thanked everyone for attending and said how much money they had raised for the various charities. To finish the meal, the Chairman invited each team to the podium to say a few words to the entire room. The first team up was Team Satomi, the crowd favorite. After them, each other team took to center stage, saying a few words to the patrons of the ball. Team Balisong was last, being the newcomers to the IG-1 world, and when it was their turn, the team assembled on the stage behind the podium.
Sarah, being the team's manager, started them off. "Good evening, everyone. Now I won't try to follow in the wake of my predecessors and give a long, drawn out speech on how we're going to do our best and yatta yatta yatta. I'll keep it short, sweet, and to the point. First off, I'd like to thank the Chairman of the IGPX Committee and everyone on his staff for inviting us this evening," she said, looking to the Chairman and giving him an appreciative nod. After that, she continued on to talk about the team's place in the IG-1 and their goals for the upcoming race. Once she was done addressing the crowd, she allowed each of the pilots and Lucia to say a few words before leaving the stage. Lucia was first to go, followed by Miharu and Shizune, and then Roxanne.
Blair was last to go, and when she took her place behind the podium, she calmly adjusted the microphone and glanced around the room. "Hello, everyone. I'm Blair Casing, Captain of Team Balisong. I'd like to just take a few moments to personally address my fellow racers, if you don't mind…" She grinned and searched for the pilots scattered throughout the room. "Team Balisong is here to stay, and if you think you can tread on us like some common newbies, you're wrong. We're going to rock you, and we're going to win! Team Balisong, HO-AH!" With that, her fellow pilots joined her in the traditional Air Force chant as Lucia slapped her forehead in embarrassment. Sarah gave an approving smile while Maggie just smiled behind Lucia.
After Team Balisong had their share of the publicity, they returned to their tables as the Chairman took his place back behind the podium. "Well, those were some inspiring words from our esteemed pilots, wouldn't you say, folks? Now that we've all had our fill of food and fame, I recommend you all to remain for another hour of socializing and merriment. There will be refreshments and desserts for you all out in the main atrium. There, you continue to mingle with the pilots and their teams. There will even be a fireworks display out above the track in thirty minutes, so that should be something worth staying for," he said. After a few more words, he released everyone from the dining hall, allowing them to stay to enjoy more entertainment or proceed on home.
When Blair and Roxanne left the dining room, they went off and did their own thing while the others stayed behind to entertain more fans. They took their time walking, heading to no particular location as they wandered about.
"I'm glad that's over with," said Blair as she stretched her arms out in front of her.
Roxanne held Blair's hand as she turned her head towards her. "Oh c'mon, it wasn't that bad. Our table was actually pretty nice, apart from the overly curt tennis player," she said.
Blair snickered, tenderly grasping on to her hand. "Okay, I actually kinda liked her despite her puckish personality," she said.
"Yeah, I guess. So what did you say to her exactly?" asked Roxanne.
Smirking, Blair looked to her and said, "I told her that she was cute and that I wouldn't mind sleeping with her. Course she didn't understand any of it so a win for me," she said.
Roxanne rolled her eyes playfully, shaking her head as well. "Geez, you're such a tease," she said.
"Yeah, but I'm your little tease," said Blair, nuzzling her nose against Roxanne's shoulder.
"Course you are, Hon," said Roxanne, rustling Blair's hair with a giggle.
After picking up a few dessert items, they took their plates and found themselves outside. It was a bit nippy outdoors, so not many guests were with them at the time. Blair and Roxanne made their way over to the edge of the balcony, looking out into the distance to see the city around them.
"Ah. It's so calm and nice out tonight," said Blair, resting her head on her hand, gazing out onto the track. She took off her glasses and placed them inside her jacket in a pocket.
Roxanne set her plate down on the railing, looking out as well. "It is, isn't it?" she said.
Blair sighed peacefully with a smile. "I'm kinda glad we didn't have to tell them how we met. It would have been a long-ass story," she said.
"Indeed it would have, but after she mentioned it, I couldn't help but reverie in the memory of it," said Roxanne.
"Yeah. Me too," said Blair, suddenly realizing that more and more people were joining them outside. "There's a lot of people coming out. Something must be going on."
Roxanne glanced at her watch then looked to the crowd amassing on the balcony adjacent to them. "It's almost 9:30, so the fireworks are about to begin," she said, turning back to Blair.
"Fireworks…" said Blair before popping a piece of chocolate into her mouth. "Now that brings back memories, don't it?" she said as she chewed the chocolaty morsel.
Roxanne took a bit of chocolate as well, biting into it and letting it melt in her mouth. "Very good memories. The best of my life so far I'd have to say," she said, snuggling up close to Blair. Suddenly, the night sky grew ablaze as the fireworks began exploding high above them, sprinkling their beauty against the black canvas.
Blair smiled warmly, holding Roxanne against her. "Want to take a trip down memory lane?" she asked, looking deeply into Roxanne's beautiful eyes after swallowing her chocolate.
Roxanne swallowed hers as well, moving her face closer to Blair's. "Yes I do," she said. As the explosions of the fireworks continued to sound off in the night sky above, Blair closed the distance and kissed Roxanne lovingly, gently caressing the back of her head as they locked lips in the brisk summer breeze.