Chapter 2: Waiting

When Juniper reached the theater, her stomach was churning so much, she thought she would have to cancel the date because she was sick. The last thing she needed was to throw up in the middle of The Only Girl for Me.

She tugged down one of the sunflowers on her wide-brimmed hat and breathed in its scent. Home. Nature. Safety. Her heart rate calmed and her stomach settled.

A few people stood around the entrance to the theater, but they were all in pairs or groups. None of them looked like they could be her date, but she'd left early, so it wasn't quite 4:00 yet. The clock on the corner of the street said it was 3:45. Plenty of time. She adjusted her hat and sat down at a small table a few feet away from the doors.

It was supposed to be a very good play. From what she'd heard, every seat was taken. She swallowed hard. The thought of being crammed in there, on a date of all things, made her feel suffocated, and she almost wished she'd said no when Athena gave her the ticket.

Almost.

She took a deep breath and crossed her fingers. A date set up for her by Thena. It had to be with Apollo. He would come, and smile, and they'd see the play together, and everything would be all right because he was right there.

Juniper got out the pink scarf she'd brought with her and knitted a few more rows to pass the time. As she did so, she listened in on the conversations held by the people outside the theater. They all were praising the actors in the show and talking about the things they heard. It was enough to make her relax and enjoy herself.

At least, until a murmur swept through them, and their animated chatter about the show changed to scattered whispers about murderers, the dark age of the law, and whether defendants acquitted by Mr. Wright should really be trusted in light of his forged evidence scandal.

She froze. It wasn't the first time, but no matter how often she ran into someone who identified her as a murderer or the courtroom bomber, it never got any easier. If she confronted them, she just wound up in a coughing fit from the stress. If she ignored them, it felt like an admission of guilt.

It just wasn't fair. Of course some people believed she was guilty no matter what the trial said, and of course some people couldn't accept that Kristoph Gavin was behind Mr. Wright's disbarment, but she didn't want to sit in a theater with people who felt that way about her.

Juniper steeled herself and looked up, ready to defend herself as if she was in court again, but no one was looking at her. The whispers and furtive glances were directed at a tall man dressed in black who stood just a few feet away. As for him, Prosecutor Blackquill ignored them but glared at the theater itself as if it was a personal enemy. He shook his head and leaned against the wall.

She gulped and lowered her gaze. Time to pretend she didn't know him and hope he didn't see her. Even if he wasn't a murderer, he was terrifying. Nothing could change that. Her faint memories of the man who used to visit the Space Center had nothing in common with the cold, nasty Blackquill who prosecuted her case. The Simon Blackquill of seven years ago was gone forever.

Still, he was willing to go to his death to protect Thena. There was more to him than met the eye. Guilt prickled her. Despite his air of nonchalance, maybe he was as hurt by still being considered a murderer as she was.

She looked up and gave him a polite smile.

He frowned for a moment and then walked over to her table.

Oh no. She gripped her braids. No, no, no, of all the things she expected to happen, that was not one of them. Surely he didn't want to chat. He was supposed to be cold and antisocial.

"Hello, Woods-dono."

"Hello, Prosecutor Blackquill." So, at some point he'd added the dono to her name. She stared at him and racked her brain for something to say. Preferably something that didn't betray her nervousness. She waved her hand at the annoying crowd. "Don't mind them, they don't know anything about you."

He smirked. "Ah, does this mean you don't bear me any ill will for prosecuting you?"

"What?" She put her hand over her mouth. "No, of course not!" Terror, yes. Ill will, no. "Unless you still think I'm a murderer, that is," she said, with a laugh that came out as more of a cough. She grabbed one of her sunflowers.

"I do not." Horrifyingly, he sat down across from her, although he drummed his fingers on the table and shot the theater another irritated look.

Juniper let out a nervous chuckle and looked around. No one new was in sight. It was almost 4. Whoever her mystery date was, even if he wasn't Apollo, she already liked him for rescuing her from such an uncomfortable position.

She fiddled with the edges of her shawl. Blackquill wasn't exactly the sort of person one could make small talk with. And it wasn't just that he was quiet—he somehow loomed even when he wasn't doing anything. No wonder the rumors about his guilt wouldn't die down. He always gave the impression that he could and probably would murder someone.

Blackquill gave the theater a death glare.

It had to be 4:00. And when that jerk showed up, she was going to give him a piece of her mind. How dare he be late at a time like this?

She took a few slow, deep breaths. All right, for Thena's sake, she would try to be civil to Blackquill. He wasn't a bad man, no matter how he came across.

"Are you here to see The Only Girl for Me?" she asked, after another look around to make sure any lost-looking gentlemen—especially Apollo—weren't in the area.

"Yes."

"I've heard it's supposed to be very good."

Blackquill snorted and looked off to the side. "Hmph. I suppose. If you like that sort of thing."

She frowned. "You don't? Then, if you don't mind me asking, why are you going to see it?"

He smirked. "Although I feel like an utter fool for saying this, I'm supposed to be meeting someone here for some sort of blind date."

Juniper clapped her hands over her mouth and gaped at him for a second before a coughing fit overcame her. Blackquill? Blackquill?

Oh, Thena, what did I ever do to you to deserve this?

She coughed and coughed, and every time she tried to stop, she caught a glimpse of the shadowy prosecutor across from her and coughed harder. People in the area were turning to look at her. She couldn't breathe. As a wheeze escaped her, she fumbled for one of her sunflowers, but another coughing spell disrupted her.

"Woods-dono!" Blackquill jumped out of his chair and hauled her to her feet. "You should see a doctor at once."

His genuine concern calmed her down enough that she was able to breathe into a sunflower. "I-I'm all right." Her guilt ratcheted up a few more levels. The terrifying image of Prosecutor Blackquill she held in her mind would have made a sarcastic comment about her coughing, not tried to help her.

He didn't loosen his grip on her arm, and she steadied herself against him without even thinking. All right. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.

"You just shocked me," she said. "You see, I—" A cough built in the back of her throat, but she swallowed hard and managed to compose herself. "I'm here…because I'm supposed to be on a blind date."

Blackquill released her. Wide-eyed, he looked as stunned as he ever had in the courtroom. For a long time, he didn't say anything, and then he finally smirked. "Hmph. Well, it's hardly a blind date if we already know each other."

She forced a smile. "Maybe she thought we wouldn't come if we knew."

He narrowed his eyes. "Yes, who would willingly go on a date with the Twisted Samurai?"

Juniper clapped a hand over her mouth. "No, no, no, I didn't mean it like that!"

His laugh could only be described as "evil."

She swallowed hard. If only she could go back in time and start the whole conversation over. The whole day, in fact. No, she would go back even further and refuse to take the ticket in the first place. Why did you think this was a good idea, Thena? Why?!

"Well," Blackquill said, "we have the tickets, so we might as well go in there." He didn't sound enthused by the idea.

"Yes, I guess so."

The gossipers by the theater were still in full swing. A few people shot nervous glances in the direction of her table. From the looks on their faces, they thought the UR-1 murderer was going to add a new victim to his list. Maybe they were taking bets on whether he would kill her before or after she blew up the theater.

A hacking cough shook her. "I can't do this." She hung her head. "I can't go in there with all of them." But Thena would be so sad if the date failed before it even began. "I guess… maybe I'm feeling well enough to at least try it… We better—"

"Silence!"

"Wh-what did I say?"

Blackquill scowled. "If neither one of us wants to go in there, why are we considering it?"

She brightened. That was right, he didn't even care about the play. "We could always go somewhere else, or…" Or admit this is never going to work and quit before it gets any worse.

He studied her for so long, her skin prickled and she nearly apologized and made her escape, but then he said, "There's an open air restaurant a few blocks away. Have you ever been there?"

She shook her head.

"You might like it. The tables are surrounded by gardens and trees." He smirked. "It's the only restaurant I can take Taka to without a lot of arguments."

"That sounds…nice, Prosecutor Blackquill." She hesitated. "Since this, uh, is a date, should I call you, uh, S—" She coughed. "S-Simon?"

Amusement glinted in his eyes. "From the tone of your voice, that makes you less comfortable with me, but I do not mind."

Oh good, he got a kick out of her discomfort. At least one of them would enjoy their date. She was going to punch Thena when she saw her.

I'm not uncomfortable with you was the polite thing to say, but she caught herself before such a blatant lie could come out of her mouth. Instead, she said, "I feel bad, just leaving like this when we have tickets to the show. I bet a lot of people really wanted tickets and couldn't get any."

He frowned. "What time is it?"

"Huh?" She looked around for the clock she'd checked before. "It's just a little after 4. Why?"

"The gardener's shift ends at 4," he said. "We'll need to hurry!"

That made absolutely no sense whatsoever. As he started down the street, she glanced back at the crowd by the theater.

One gossiper leaned toward the rest, her voice not quite a whisper. "I bet she's going to plant the bomb while he awaits the news. That's how they do it, you know."

Idiots. Juniper gave her braids a furious tug and raced after Blackquill.

#

Apollo reached the theater at a run. A fine impression he'd make on this date, being late.

He slowed down when he reached the entrance. A lot of people were there, but they all looked occupied. Most were chattering away to each other, something about Prosecutor Blackquill, from the sounds of it.

Geez, they couldn't give the guy a break. He almost felt bad for Blackquill. He was a nut, and a terror to face in the courtroom, but the phantom had screwed up his life even worse than Apollo's.

Enough. He would not spend the day moping.

And the good news was, his date was even later than he was. A nearby clock told him it was only 4:05, so she couldn't have gotten tired of waiting unless she had no patience at all—in which case, she'd probably be a lousy date.

Apollo settled down at a table where he had a clear view of the street, and waited.

And waited.