8. Just Because
Guy leaned against the balcony railing, tuning out the sound of the party in full swing behind him through the closed glass doors, and concentrated on the sights and sounds around him.
Keterburg was truly beautiful at night, light from the moon shining brightly on the crystalline snow covering the landscape. Distantly, he could hear kids on the playground, still determinedly continuing their snowball fight despite the late hour. It was only a matter of time before their parents went out to retrieve them.
Somewhere just beyond the trees surrounding Nephry's mansion, he could make out a pair of figures, huddling together against the cold and giggling to themselves. A pair of lovers, Guy guessed, smiling.
It was quite cold out, his breath visible in the crisp, frozen air, and he knew in a few minutes he would have to go back inside to warm up. But for the moment, he was content where he was.
"I didn't expect to find you out here."
Guy looked over his shoulder at Jade, who stood at the doorway in his usual uniform despite the formal dress clothes of those currently inside the ballroom. "I felt like getting away for a moment." He paused, then asked curiously, "What about you?"
"Mm?" Jade walked up to the railing and gazed out at the clear, cloudless sky and the stars and the moon. "Just because, I suppose."
Guy chuckled. "Just because, huh?"
Jade turned amused eyes to him. "Precisely."
"Well, that's as good a reason as any," Guy said, smiling.
Jade stood next to him, hair blowing in the chilly breeze, while Guy turned back towards the distance, no longer as aware of the need for warmth. The silence that stretched between them was comfortable, that of friends who felt no need to fill the space between them with awkward words.
And as simple and unremarkable as the moment was, Guy suspected he would remember it for the rest of his life.