December 31st, 1205

10:02 pm

Staying apart was simple. Fiona had been mobbed by friends from the moment they arrived at the Plaza, their smiles and shrieks pulling her into the crowd. Neithardt hung back, letting the music wash over him as he approached the revelers alone. It wasn't long before someone asked him to dance; it never was. He offered his arm in response and allowed the freckled woman to lead him onto the dance floor.

They danced with her back to his chest, as most pairs were doing for that song. It was fun, Neithardt would never say it wasn't. The smile on his face, though small, was genuine. He didn't say yes to the second dance. The young lady pouted but seemed to understand. After all, his focus hadn't exactly been on her.

Fiona was also having fun, dancing and cheering on the band with old friends and friends of friends. The music was upbeat, something you were meant to get completely lost in and she nearly did. But she couldn't stop herself from peering over her shoulder, looking through the crowd and seeing if he was enjoying it too.

He had a different partner every time she looked, leading them through steps she herself had taught him years ago. Always smiling, bowing to his partner at the end and thanking them for the dance before finding a new one.

Sometimes their eyes met, only to immediately break away. It was too dangerous to linger, they both knew that. There were always people watching, even in a celebration. One person might not notice every detail, but people talk and rumors spread. Books get written. Safer to look away as soon as possible. The risk wasn't worth it, no matter how painful it was to not take. It would have been safer still to not look at all.

The dancing slowly brought them closer, as quickly as they dared. Close enough for it to look like two friends bumping into each other and deciding to dance together.

It wasn't a slow song but it was slow enough to savor. The type of song where you were supposed to maintain eye contact as you danced. A song that let them pretend that this was their reality; that they could dance together without any fear of it being used against them.

But it was just one song. They parted with a curtsy and bow and their first forced smiles of the night.

How long would it have to be before they could safely dance again? Six songs? Five songs? Maybe four songs, if one of them was long.

What bad fortune they had; every song was long other than those they danced together.

Giving into a craving is dangerous. It became harder to let go with every time they touched. In the rhythms and the lights of the night; the consequences seemed so far away. Four songs became three. Three songs became two. Surely, no one would notice.

One of the girls Neithardt danced with asked him if the redhead was his girlfriend. He couldn't bring himself to say no. The look in her eyes told him to expect another book soon.

Then he was dancing with Fiona again and it was so, so hard to remember why he cared.

Being alone was really boring. Fiona had been pulled away the moment they got to the party and Fie and Elliot raced onto the dancefloor, so Sara was left without the two people closest to her. She didn't begrudge them for it, not in the least, but it did leave her with no one to talk to.

Normally this wasn't a problem; she could just get a drink and make friends with the other barflys. But not tonight. Sara knew what kind of person she was, especially without responsibilities keeping her in check. She didn't want to risk a repeat of last night, inconveniencing her friend and interrupting Fie. So, no alcohol.

But what was left? She didn't much like dancing, at least not with strangers. Maybe she should just go home. Yeah, and do what? She wasn't really in a sleeping mood. It seemed her options were be lonely and bored inside or be lonely and bored at a festival. Not exactly a hard decision.

So she just started walking, making laps around the edges of the plaza, taking in the smells of food vendors and the sights of carnival games she had long since mastered to the point of mundanity. It was a shame she had just eaten, some of the food looked pretty good.

"Find anything interesting?" asked Xeno. She had, of course, noticed him coming up to her but assumed he would walk past just as he had the last couple of times their paths had crossed.

"Nope," she responded.

"Yeah, me neither. I tried out that ring toss game though." He pulled out an inch-thick stack of prize tickets. "Got the top score."

"Oh, is that so? I'll have to swing by and get it back."

Xeno raised an eyebrow and the corners of his lips.

"You seem pretty confident. Feel like proving it?"

Well, it was something to do. And it would be fun to humble him a little after his stinginess with the fries. "You're on," she said. Sara turned on her heel and headed towards the ring toss, Xeno following behind. "Oh, and you're paying for the demonstration."

She got her rings, telling the man running the stall to put it on Xeno's tab. He watched as she made short work of the game, her every throw landing perfectly.

"What'd I tell you," she said as she got her prize tickets. The stack was just barely bigger than Xeno's.

"Alright, I have to give you that one," Xeno said, smirking as he held his hands up. "Congrats; you beat me when I didn't even know we were competing."

"Excuses, excuses," Sara crowed.

"Wanna bet?"

Sara looked at him with interest. "What did you have in mind?"

"We play every game." Xeno held up his prize tickets. "Winner take all."

"You're on. I am so gonna kick your ass," she said with a chuckle as they walked to the next game.

"Oh I love an over-confident opponent," said Xeno. "Makes it so much more satisfying when I win."

"It's only over-confidence if I'm wrong," Sara teased, smiling at him over her shoulder.

It was not this cold last year. In retrospect, Fie probably should have expected that. Last year the city was playing the unwilling host to a demon; that probably warmed things up a bit. At least the dancing would keep her warm. But that had its own problems.

The music was so loud. Scratch that, it wasn't just the music; everything was loud. She could feel the bass of the drums in her chest and the air was filled with a constant hum as people tried to make themselves heard over the rhythm. It just kept getting louder as time went on and more gathered on the dance floor.

Mentally, she could tune out the noise and ignore the chill. She focused her thoughts on Elliot, how her hand felt in his and how he murmured in her ear during the slow songs. He had gotten better since their last dance at Thors Academy, leading her through steps she had never done before with ease.

"Have you been practicing?" he asked, smiling at her as she returned from a spin. She smiled back. He had noticed.

"Some libraries in the towns I worked in had books about dancing. I started checking them out and practicing when you told me about this," Fie explained. "Impressed?" she asked him through half-lidded eyes.

"Yeah." He pulled her in for a quick kiss, smiling all through it. Fie shivered as they parted. She could keep the cold from her mind, but her body was a different matter.

Someone who went to school with Elliot saw them and came over to say hi. It was short, just a hello, an introduction between them and Fie, and a good-bye. But it was just enough of a lull in activity for Fie to notice the ache in her head. She plugged her ears with her thumbs and rubbed her temples with her fingertips, trying to handle it while Elliot was distracted. By the time his attention returned to her, her hands were back at her sides.

But once she noticed it, she couldn't stop noticing it. Her head throbbed in time with the beat and she could feel herself wince with every new song. She tried to hide it, forcing her reactions down and keeping her pain and discomfort off her face. At first it was easy; she had so much to smile about. Her and Elliot were together, doing something he told her had been a desire of his since he was ten; dancing with someone he loved in the Plaza during New Year's Eve. Just thinking about it made her happy, but that was nothing compared to doing it for real. His look of not just joy, but contentment. The love in his eyes as they twirled across the cobblestone, equalled only by the love she felt in her heart.

It wasn't a matter of faking a smile and soldering on. Her smiles were genuine, they just kept getting interrupted. If it was only pain that would be one thing, but the cold December night air kept nipping at her exposed skin. She couldn't stop every wince and every shiver. It was only a matter of time before Elliot noticed.

His expression turned to one of concern. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Fie shook her head, trying to play it off. "I'm fine-" Someone nearby shrieked loudly as the chorus kicked in, the unexpected noise making her wince hard. She put up no resistance as Elliot lead her off the dance floor to a quieter part of the Plaza.

Away from the radiating body heat of the other dancers, Fie felt the chill of the night all the deeper.

"Is something wrong?" Elliot asked after a shiver.

Fie tightened her threadbare scarf around her neck, to no effect. "It's nothing," she said, trying to pull him back to the dance.

He didn't budge. "Are you sure?"

Fie opened her mouth, ready to lie, but found the words refused to come out. She couldn't lie to those eyes. "You've been so excited about this," she said with another tug on his hand.

"Fie, please," he said, pleaded really. She had to look away. "Do you want to go home."

Her eyes closed as she slumped, hanging her head. "Yeah," she muttered.

He nodded and planted a kiss on her forehead. His hand left hers and went around her shoulders, Fie instinctively snuggling into the warmth. "Thanks," she mumbled. "I'm yours."

"I love you too."

Something nudged the back of Xeno's shoulder.

"Here," said Sara. Xeno turned around and saw she was holding out a cardboard cup. Sara took a sip from a similar cup she held in her other hand.

"How generous," he said with a smile and tone that left it entirely up to the listener to decide how genuine or sarcastic they were.

"Pfft," Sara said, rolling her eyes just a little. "This is just repayment for you paying for all the games. Don't act like you wouldn't try to call in that debt."

Xeno tittered. "You got me," he said, still smiling. He accepted the cup, feeling the warmth of its contents even through his glove.

Sara turned her nose up and smiled cockily as they started walking. "I'm not the festival game champion for nothing." It had been close, coming down to the wire. The final score was eleven to ten, Sara taking it with a narrow victory in the water gun race.

She took a big gulp of her drink. "Ahhh, that hits the spot. Tea chases down chocolates so well."

"I'll have to take your word for it," Xeno responded. "Never had those kinds before."

"What a shame; they were so good." Sara looked at him from the corner of her eye and smirked. "You could have tried some. All you had to do was ask."

"I thought about it," Xeno admitted. He shook his head over-dramatically. "But you were enjoying them so much," he said. "Who am I to interrupt such passion."

"What a gentlemen," Sara wryly said. "I guess I should thank you for it. That passion was already too short as is."

"You could have gotten more if you didn't get the stuffed dragon for that kid," Xeno pointed out.

Sara shrugged. "Some things are more important than sweets. Don't tell them I said that."

"Don't worry," Xeno said, gesturing at her with his cup. "I'll keep your secret safe from Mr. Rocher."

"Yeah, long as the money isn't good enough," she teased.

Xeno shrugged and made a non-committal noise.

"Uh-huh, play innocent all you like," Sara said, side-eyeing him before taking another sip. "I'm not worried though. I'm sure Fie has all kinds of dirt on you she could tell me if I needed it."

"Mmmmm, yeah, probably," said Xeno. "Darn, and here I was thinking I would be able to retire early by spreading the deep dark secrets of the Purple Lightning."

Sara tittered. "Here's another unsellable secret for you," she said as she held up her cup. "Tea gave me my first ever scar."

"Oh really? How?" asked Xeno.

Sara sighed nostalgically. "It was the first time I ever made my own tea. I didn't realize how hot the kettle would get. Leaned against it by accident and got a nice little burn."

"Ouch."

"Oh, it sucked," Sara agreed. "After that I didn't touch anything in the kitchen without oven mitts on until I was nine."

Xeno chuckled. "At least your first scar was just an accident. I had warnings for mine and completely ignored them."

"This I've gotta hear."

"My mom came home with a dog one day," Xeno said. "A big ol' mutt she got from the pound to surprise me. He was kind of shy, didn't want to come out of his carrier and play with the excited little kid who was screaming at the top of his lungs."

"Oh no," Sara said, a sort of gleeful dread creeping into her voice. "What did you do?"

"Well, nothing yet. Eventually he got more comfortable and slinked out. I was so happy I gave him a hug."

"Bet he loved that."

"He did not. Barked and tried to wriggle out of my arms, I thought he was just excited like I was. Then he bit me on the shoulder."

"Serves you right," Sara said with a nod.

Xeno nodded right back. "Yeah, I deserved it. He took a nice chunk out too. Wanna see?"

"Sure."

Xeno undid his jacket enough to slide it down his arm and pulled his shirt collar as far sideways as it could stretch, just enough for Sara to see bright white scars studding his shoulder. She let out a low whistle. "Ouch."

"Bled all over the carpet and ruined my favorite shirt," said Xeno.

"What happened after that?"

"Well, my dad put him back in his crate while Mom bandaged me up and sent me to my room. I went to my room, turned around, and went right back. I heard them in the kitchen, talking about returning the dog. So I did the logical thing. I took his crate, brought him to my room, and locked the door."

Sara let out a single, barking laugh. "Really?"

"Oh yeah. I wanted a dog for years; I wasn't letting them just take him away right when I got one. I must have yelled at my parents through that door for an hour before they gave up. Didn't let him out of my sight for a month after that, just in case they tried to pull a fast one on me."

Sara shook her head in disbelief. "How old were you?"

"Eight."

"Ah; so old enough to know better," Sara said with a teasing grin.

"Uh-huh. Just like how I knew to not touch boiling tea kettles," he teased back.

"Hey, I never said I was any better," she said, nudging his side with her elbow.

Xeno playfully rolled his eyes as he reset his clothes to how they were. "Where's your scar, anyways?" he asked.

"Nowhere I'm showing someone in public," Sara replied. "One New Year's arrest for indecent exposure is enough for a lifetime, thank you. It's right here." She tapped near the bottom of her breast. "Not much to look at either way, just a little red splotch. Doesn't even have the decency to be shaped like anything."

"How rude."

Sara scoffed. "Right? One of my friends, Toval, he has one that looks exactly like-" A sudden ringing cut her off. She started reaching for her pocket, only to remember she was carrying a cup in that hand. "Crap. Could you?" She held the cup out to Xeno.

"No problem," he said as he took it. Her hand free, Sara was able to take out her ARCUS and turn off the alarm.

"Sorry about that, I set it to remind myself when to start heading back," she explained.

Xeno nodded. "Good thinking." He checked his watch and let out a hmmm. "I should have just enough time to wake Leonidas and get back to the house. Any chance you know the fastest way to the hotel?" He pulled a map out of his pocket and unfolded it. Sara gave it a look and traced a route out for him, making use of her time spent living in the city to point out short cuts.

"Perfect," said Xeno as he put the map away. "Thanks for the tea by the way. See you at the house?"

"...Nah," Sara said. Xeno raised his eyebrow. "New Year's traffic is hell, even on foot. I can help find routes around it and make sure you get back to the house in time for the fireworks. Wouldn't want to risk Fie missing her chance to watch them with her brothers.

Xeno's head tilted but his face betrayed nothing of his thoughts. "Fair enough. After you," he said.

"You know," Sara said as she walked past him. "If you took those sunglasses off, it'd probably help you enjoy the view. Might as well take in the sights while you're here." As she spoke over her shoulder, her hips found a slight sway.

"Oh don't worry," Xeno said as he followed her. "I've been taking in the sights the entire time."