Alright, Nia. You're the strongest Blade in the world. You've fought giant monsters, Flesh Eaters, the Empress of Mor Ardain, Titan-slaying machines from space, and even the Dark Aegis. You can handle talking to your crush at a party.
If only hyping herself up made it any easier for Nia to approach Zeke. Ever since the party started, it felt like he'd been avoiding her. Was she reading too much into things? It was a party, after all. There was a lot of mingling to do, and it had been a long time since Rex and Zeke had a chance to catch up. But still. The moment she decided to try spending some time with him, he became impossible to get ahold of.
"He won't buy it," Brighid said. "He'll recognize us instantly."
"I have already accounted for this," Mòrag said. With a flourish, she removed her hat and undid the rope holding her bun in place. Instantly, her hair spilled down and out, covering her shoulders and reaching almost halfway down her back. "A quick change of clothes, and I'll be unrecognizable."
The sight of Mòrag with her hair down was enough to snap Nia back to reality, at least for a moment, and she did her best to focus back on the scheme these two were cooking up.
"Finally decided to loosen up a little?" Nia asked, unsure of what had just transpired.
"No such luck, I'm afraid," Brighid said.
"It's a disguise," Mòrag said. "With such a slovenly and ungraceful appearance, Zeke will never suspect it's actually me."
"I think you'll need to do a bit more than that," Nia said. "What do you even need a disguise for?"
"Spacing out, are we?" Brighid asked. "There's nothing wrong with admiring from afar, but don't forget that we're here to help you take the next step."
"That's not—" Nia stopped herself. No point in denying it, since these two already knew. "Just tell me what's going on."
"It's simple," Mòrag said. "I can't kidnap you unless I have a disguise."
"Kidnap?" Nia asked.
"Precisely. Zeke has a penchant for heroics. What better way to confess your feelings than a daring, high-stakes kidnapping? You shall be the damsel in distress, and Brighid and I shall be the villainous blackguards come to steal you away. Zeke won't hesitate to leap to your defense, riding out to stop us as your knight in shining armor. And your being in danger will awaken his dormant romantic feelings and—"
Nia slapped a hand over Mòrag's mouth.
"Maybe try not to be so open about this in public, yeah?" she asked, glancing back at Zeke. Luckily, he was still talking with Rex and Tora, and it didn't look like he'd overheard.
"Oh relax," Mòrag said. "Zeke's powers of observation leave something to be desired."
"That's not really true," Nia said. "He notices a lot more than he lets on. That persona of his is just that. A persona. I can't quite tell if it's to throw people off or put them at ease or… Or what. But he's not some bumbling idiot. And I don't get the sense he enjoys playing the hero much, either. I think he does it because he feels he has to, more than anything."
"Been thinking about him a lot, have you?" Brighid asked, poking Nia in the side.
"And so what if I have, huh?"
"Nothing. It's good, in fact. Better to admit to it than keeping the feelings bottled up."
"All of that aside, I don't think Zeke is going to buy into such an obvious act."
"You don't?" Mòrag asked. "Are you sure? This is Zeke we're talking about."
"Sure, he might play along to be a good sport, but he'll know it's not real. And if me being in real danger didn't spark those feelings, then I don't think a fake kidnapping is going to cut it."
"Speaking from experience?" Brighid asked.
"A little bit, yeah. Back during our fight against Shieldwall, they caught us in a trap and tried to blow us all up. When it happened, the only thing on my mind was keeping Zeke safe. And then only a few days later, when Orion's men ambushed us and Zeke rushed off to fight them on his own, I was absolutely terrified of what might happen. Without that, I don't think I would've realized how much I love the idiot. But I've been in danger plenty of times myself, and I even got taken prisoner for a while during the uprising, so I feel like if that was going to do the trick, it would have happened by now."
"I think we've strayed a little from our initial goal, here," Brighid said. "The point isn't to get Zeke to fall for you. It'll either happen or it won't, and I doubt anything we say or do will change that. What we should be focusing on is providing you two the space and time to work out your feelings in a low-stress environment."
"Is that what we're doing?" Nia asked. "Because it feels like we're just screwing around."
"I mean, yes. You could call it that, too."
"We're not doing much of anything, at this rate," Mòrag said. "Ever since the party started, you two haven't said a word to each other. We're going to need to drag him away from the boys' club if we're going to make any progress."
"Why don't you ask an expert, then?" Pandoria asked, walking up behind Nia.
"What did Mòrag tell you earlier?" Nia asked, narrowing her eyes at Pandoria.
"Enough," she said, betraying a slight smile. "I can't think of a better person for him than you, really. But he's never been one to take the lead in a relationship, so that'll have to be up to you."
"You really think I have a shot?" Nia asked.
"I'd stake my reputation on it," Pandoria said.
"Well, that's at least a little reassuring, but—Wait, stop. Before that, isn't this your party? You shouldn't have to help me out on your birthday."
"Are you kidding?" Pandoria asked. "This is the best present I could've asked for. There's no way I would miss out on this."
"What about Kora? Shouldn't you be spending this time with her?"
"She wanted to pick Zeke's brain for dating tips, actually," Pandoria said, motioning back at Zeke. Kora had snuck her way into the group he was with and started badgering him with questions. "She should be able to keep him distracted until we have a plan of action, at least. And besides, did you three really think you'd get very far without my help?"
"We would've managed something," Brighid said.
"Maybe. But with me on board, you'll do a lot better than 'manage'. Like you said, we need to drag Zeke away from the others. But once that's done, you two need something to actually do. Something that feels natural and fun. He's constantly worrying about how overworked you are."
"Don't I know it," Nia muttered. "He really doesn't let up about it, either. Always trying to get me to take better care of myself."
"And you don't think that's indicative of anything?" Brighid asked.
"What do you mean? He worries about everyone. And I seem to have picked up a habit of making everyone else worry about me. It's not like that means anything."
"I don't know," Brighid said. "He did drop everything and uproot his life after you asked him to move in with you."
Nia could feel herself turning red at that.
"That's not how I would describe it," she muttered.
"We're getting sidetracked," Pandoria said. "The point is, if you take tonight to relax and cut loose, then he'll definitely take notice. We want him to know that you enjoy spending time with him. If you're genuine about it, then whenever you feel the moment is right to tell him how you feel, he'll take you seriously."
"Okay, but… That doesn't guarantee he feels the same way about me, does it? I mean, has he said anything about me, or… anything?"
"Not as such," Pandoria said. "But I have a good sense for these things. We've been together long enough that I can tell when he's interested in someone, and he seems way more interested in you than any of his past partners."
"Really?" Nia asked. "Because I can't tell what he's thinking at all."
"I doubt he can, either. I think he's been so focused on trying to do his job that it's not really clicked for him why he cares about you so much. Which is why you're going to need to make the first move."
"Alright," Nia said, talking to herself more than anyone else. "That sounds doable. I can do that."
"Good. Hold onto that confidence. Now we just need to find something for you to do. What do you normally do for fun, in your free time?"
"I…" Nia thought for a moment, but utterly failed to come up with an answer. These days, hanging around Zeke was about the closest her daily routine got to "fun" or "relaxing", and he'd been pretty absent the last few weeks.
"Nia…" Brighid said, starting to look a little concerned. "Even Mòrag and I manage to work in some time to relax now and again. What have you been doing these past few months?"
"This has been a problem way longer than that," Nia admitted. "Ever since I became a Flesh Eater, I've been bouncing from one crisis to the next. Fighting the Empress, trying to rally the Gormotti resistance, running from the Praetorium… It was a struggle just to stay alive, most of the time. Then Torna found me, and pretty soon after that I joined up with Rex and… Well, you know the story from there. The only way I know how to relax is to just… Stop. Find a hidden corner somewhere and spend an hour or two doing nothing. Lay on Dromarch's lap and look at clouds or something."
"That could work," Pandoria said, thinking aloud. "But it'd have to be more spontaneous, and trying to force it would probably backfire. And it might come off a little weird if we just opened with that with no lead-in."
"Well, what about you? Got any good ideas?"
"Of course I do. They don't call me Eureka for nothing."
"They don't call you Eureka at all," Mòrag said. "No one's ever called you that."
"It's a—never mind, we don't have the time right now. I'll tell you later. I was hoping Nia would be able to come up with something on her own, to make it feel more earnest, but since that's not an option, we're going with plan B."
Pandoria grabbed a spoon and tapped it against her glass, getting everyone's attention. Quickly, the room went quiet as they waited for her announcement.
"I'd like to thank everyone for doing this," she said, looking around the room. "Really. It means the world to me that you'd all show up to celebrate like this. And a special thanks to Zeke, Mabon, Vess, and everyone else who helped organize. And I'd like to apologize in advance for derailing whatever else you had planned, but…"
Pandoria whirled around and pointed a finger at Zeke.
"We've got one last score to settle before we part ways, Zeke, so I say we settle up now."
"So it's come to this," Zeke said, his gaze hardening as he stared at Pandoria. "You really think you have what it takes to take me on?"
"Please. We both know I've got more game. And today, I'm going to prove it once and for all." Pandoria stepped forward and motioned around at the room. "I'm declaring a doubles volleyball tournament! Everybody who thinks they have what it takes, find a partner and come with us to the community field. We play for honor, glory, and most importantly, eternal bragging rights! May the best team win!"
With that, Pandoria set her glass down and went to join Kora, giving a knowing look to Nia.
"Sounds like fun," Mòrag said. "Brighid, what do you think?"
"I suppose we can spare the time," Brighid said. Around them, a few of the others started to team up, too. Mabon and Vess, Nim and Electra, Rex and Roc, Tora and Poppi… Slowly, teams formed and followed Pandoria and Kora out the door.
Zeke, however, just stood in solemn silence in the middle of the room. Almost lost in thought.
"Hey Shellhead," Nia said, walking up behind him. That seemed to startle him out of his thoughts.
"Oh, Nia," he said, turning. "Sorry, I didn't—Just trying to figure out what to do about this tournament thing."
"What's this all about, anyway?" Nia asked.
"Pandy and I spent a few months in an amateur volleyball circuit in Mor Ardain. We got pretty good, if I do say so myself, but pretty quickly we started competing to see who was the best. To the point where we stopped really competing with the other teams and started just trying to outdo each other. They gave us the boot after that, so we never really settled who was better. I just can't fathom why Pandy's dragging this back up now, of all times. It's been years, and we've never even done doubles before, either. We always played with a full team."
"I think she wants an excuse to show off in front of Kora," Nia said. Which might have even been true. But it was hardly the main reason this was happening.
"You're probably right," Zeke conceded. "Still, it feels weird doing this in pairs. Normally, I have Pandy with me whenever I need a partner for something, but…"
He made a series of inarticulate gestures with his hands.
"Feels weird, doesn't it?" Nia asked. "Not having that guarantee to fall back on."
"A little disconcerting, if I'm being honest. But I can't let that stop me. This may be Pandy's party, but I'm not about to let her upstage me at my own sport. I just need to find someone to team up with."
"Well, I don't have a partner," Nia said. "Why don't we team up?"
"Ah." Zeke glanced back at her, and his expression seemed… Hesitant? That was disheartening. Why would he be hesitant to team up? He would never have turned down an offer like this before. Was it because of Dromarch? He was still getting hung up on that whenever the subject of partners came up. Or maybe…
Was he embarrassed? The closest she'd ever seen him to being embarrassed was when Pandoria threatened to tell some of his more closely guarded stories, but this didn't seem quite the same. And she couldn't think of a reason why he'd be embarrassed in the first place.
Well, that wasn't true. She could think of one reason. He knew Pandoria well enough that he might have put together her real reason for declaring this tournament. But if that was the case, was he embarrassed because he was interested in her, or was he just looking for a way to let her down gently?
Her brain wouldn't stop coming up with worst-case scenarios, but after a point, she bit the inside of her cheek and managed to get her thoughts under control. She'd developed a bad habit of assuming the worst, these days, but that wasn't going to do her any favors here. If there was even a chance he felt the same way, then she needed to hold onto that. Going forward, she had to maintain a positive outlook.
Zeke was interested in her. Pandoria had said as much. Now she just needed to follow through and show him that she felt the same way.
"What's the matter?" she asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at him. "Not feeling up to it?"
"Hardly," Zeke said. "I just didn't figure you played."
"I'm a fast learner," Nia said. "And discounting Pandoria, I know you better than anyone else here. Seems like a pretty obvious choice to me."
"Well, when you put it like that, I guess so." Zeke shrugged. "Alright, yeah. Yeah. Let's do this."
Now that he'd committed to the idea, Zeke seemed excited. Which was a good sign, right? She could think of a hundred reasons why that didn't mean what she wanted it to mean, but she wasn't going to let herself overthink this. It'd defeat the point if she spent the whole time worrying about every little thing he did. They were here to have fun, and damnit! She was going to have some fun.
"What are we waiting for, then?" Nia asked. "Glory awaits."
"Well, before that, have you ever played volleyball before?"
"Nope," Nia admitted. "Never even so much as seen a match."
"Then before we start, we're going to need to get you up to speed."
"Explain on the way," Nia said. "We don't want Pandoria to think we've chickened out."
"Very true. If we're late, she'll never let me hear the end of it."
The two of them headed for the field, hurrying to catch up to the crowd that had left with Pandoria. Zeke explained the rules as they moved, and Nia was pretty sure she understood the basics. Land the ball on the opponent's side of the court, don't let them do the same. So long as they weren't up first, then she could probably pick up anything she missed from watching the other matches.
Once they reached the field, Nim used her powers to churn up a section of it, creating a temporary patch of sand to use for the court.
"Temperantia's beaches aren't much to speak of," Pandoria said, addressing the crowd. "But I figure this'll do. Now, if all the players would split into their teams, we can—"
"Not so fast," Zeke said, cutting Pandoria off. "You're playing in the tournament, same as us. We can't leave you in charge of organizing it, too, otherwise you might softball yourself when you're setting up the roster."
"What, you don't trust me?" Pandoria asked.
"It's the principle of the thing, Pandy."
"Fine," she said, sighing. "Do we have anyone who'd be willing to step up and organize the bracket? Maybe serve as referee?"
"Leave that to me," Zeke's dad said, stepping out from the crowd. Nia had almost forgotten he was here. "I'll be sure to organize a most interesting bracket indeed."
He glanced over at Nia and gave her a quick wink. Which probably meant he was in on Pandoria's shenanigans, too. Had they been planning this while he'd been out distracting her?
"I'll need a moment to collect all the teams and organize a proper roster," he continued. "While I do that, would you mind setting up the rest of the court?"
He turned to Nim, and Nia almost stepped in to ward him off. Nim wasn't too good with people. But to her surprise, Nim nodded and gave him a small smile.
"I'll do my best," she said. "Do we have a net?"
"We can probably find something in the shed," Electra said. The two of them headed off to retrieve the rest of the needed supplies, leaving the teams a few minutes to prepare. It was nice to see the two of them bringing out the best in each other.
Nia was going to ask Zeke some more questions about how this all worked, but he was in the middle of taking off his armor. And as he stripped off the jacket and started undoing the belts strapped around his chest, Nia completely forgot what she'd wanted to ask him.
She'd seen him without his top on before, and his jacket normally left part of his chest exposed anyway, so it shouldn't have made that much of a difference. But still…
She had to resist the urge to reach out and run her hand along his chest. She very badly wanted to go over there and… Well… She wasn't sure what, exactly. But she wanted to do something.
She wasn't used to this feeling at all, and it wasn't long before Zeke caught her staring. Then, for a brief moment, he drew into himself a little. Almost as if he was self-conscious, which she never thought she'd live to see. There was definitely something going on here if that was the case.
"Sorry," she muttered. "Just didn't expect you to start stripping down to your skivvies."
"Just taking the shirt off," Zeke said, brushing past the moment of vulnerability just as quickly as it had arrived. "I should've warned you, but there's going to be a lot of running around and diving into the sand today. Better to go topless than deal with sand getting under all my belts. I really should've said something sooner, though, in case you wanted to change into something sportier."
Her outfit didn't really matter. Sure, her dress was pretty flowy, and to everyone else it might seem like hinderance in a situation like this. But she'd had this dress since before she'd become a Flesh Eater. In many ways, it was a part of her, and no matter the situation, it never seemed to get in her way. One of the perks of being a Blade.
But there was another reason to get changed. She had a front-row seat to watch Zeke work up a sweat without his shirt on. It was only fair she returned the favor, at least a little. So she enveloped herself with her ether, using it to change the structure of her clothing to better suit the situation.
With a flash of light, she was wearing an outfit she'd never thought she'd wear in a million years. Athletic shorts and a sports bra. An outfit she'd seen Pandoria wear a few times while training with Electra. It wasn't her style, and she normally wouldn't have had the confidence to pull it off, but right now, it felt appropriate.
"Damn," Zeke muttered, cracking a slight smile. "I didn't think you were going to do it right here."
"It's just ether," Nia said. "Changing clothes is pretty tame next to some of the stuff you've seen me do."
"Yeah, but y'know, normally you'd… I don't know, head to a changing room or… Something?" Zeke lost steam as he talked.
"Well, the clothes were there the whole time, I just changed their shape a little. It's not like I was actually naked at any point."
"Of course!" Zeke said, a little louder than was probably necessary. "I just—Anyway, not important. You look good."
"Thanks," Nia said. "It's not something I've worn before, so I wasn't sure how it'd turn out."
"I guess I have to give Pandy some credit. I wasn't sure how well this tournament would turn out for everyone else, considering only me and her were really into this sort of thing. But if it can get you out of your shell, then I guess there's nothing to worry about."
"My shell?" Nia asked. "That's pretty rich coming from the guy with turtle patterns sewn into all his clothing."
"I just mean that you've been so focused on trying to make this place work. It's nice to know that you're still you, despite all that."
Nia wasn't so sure about that. The only time she'd felt like "herself" was back when they were all travelling together. Being a Caretaker was important, worthwhile work, but it wasn't the same. Even if it was her idea, her responsibility, something about the job ate away at her inside. Even with Zeke here to keep her grounded, it still took its toll.
Zeke had known. Dromarch had known. They'd tried to tell her, and she hadn't listened, and…
Maybe it was a good thing she'd agreed to step down. She'd need to get the Gardens to a better place first, so the community could sustain itself without her, but after that was done, it would be good to go back to just being herself. Hopefully that wasn't too much to ask.
"I'm still me," Nia confirmed. "Hopefully that won't be a problem."
"Are you kidding me?" Zeke asked. "I couldn't have asked for a better partner."
"Even if I don't know all the rules?"
"Honestly, I'm not all that concerned about winning. We're here to have fun, right?"
"Are you going soft on me, Shellhead? I can't imagine you passing up a chance at bragging rights."
"Believe me, I'll take every chance I can get." Zeke said, smiling. "But there wouldn't be much point in doing this with anyone else. It just wouldn't be the same. So I can live with whatever happens next."
"Well don't count me out just yet," Nia said. "I'm not about to let Pandy snatch the crown away from us without a fight."
"Too right." Zeke pounded one fist into the other. "Let's get out there and show them the power of our Ultimate Volleyball Double Spike Combination."
Nia wasn't quite so confident in their chances, and she didn't know where he'd pulled that name from, but it didn't really bother her so much anymore. This was just who Zeke was. At some point, she'd gotten used to it. Started looking forward to it, even. Hopefully he felt the same way.
But that was something to worry about after the tournament. Right now, she was going to enjoy herself.
"I'm glad you're fired up," Zeke's dad said, approaching them with a clipboard he'd procured from… Somewhere. It wasn't the sort of stationary they had in ample supply around the Gardens, which made Nia suspect he'd brought it with him.
"Got the roster filled out?" Nia asked.
"Just about. And since you two are so eager to get into the ring, I thought I'd let you go first."
"Maybe not the best idea," Zeke said. "Nia hasn't played before, so I figured we'd go somewhere in the middle, give her a chance to watch and see how the rules work first."
"Oh?" Pandoria asked, sliding out from behind Zeke's dad. "Trying to weasel your way out of the match, are you? Who's trying to softball now?"
"It'll be fine," Nia said. "I think you explained things well enough. And I do enjoy a good challenge."
"Splendid," Zeke's dad said. "Then if you'll take up your positions, we can get the match started."
He beckoned them into the ring, and the two of them took their positions in front of the net. Zeke took the server's position, which left Nia guarding the net. And, she realized, standing face-to-face with Agate.
"Agate?" Nia asked, taken aback a little. She hadn't been at the party, so how had she known to show up here?
"Nia," Agate said, smiling what looked like a genuine smile. It was almost enough to make Nia suspicious. "I'm a little surprised to see you here, honestly. You always seem like you're too tied up in your work to have time for sports."
"We all have to unwind somehow," Nia said. She glanced around Agate to see Dahlia standing behind her with the ball.
"True enough." Agate nodded.
"I don't mean to be rude, Agate, but I didn't expect to see you here either."
"We were out on a walk when we stumbled across everyone gathered at the field. Electra explained what was happening, and it seemed like fun."
"Not going to be a problem, is it?" Dahlia asked, staring at Nia with a rather deadpan expression. At least it wasn't a glare, so… Progress?
"Of course not," Nia said. "The more the merrier, right?"
"Exactly my thinking," Agate said. Then she paused for a moment, casting a brief glance down at her feet. "And, I was also thinking that, perhaps this would be a shot at a fresh start. We've had our disagreements in the past, and I doubt that's going to change, but…" Agate sighed. "If we're going to be a community, then we need to act like it. I need to act like it. Holding onto old grudges isn't going to help us move forward. So as long as you're trying to put things behind us, I'm going to try too."
"I appreciate it," Nia said. "Really. That means more than you probably know."
"Speak for yourself, Agate," Dahlia said. "I'm just here to stretch my legs."
"She'll come around," Agate said, managing another smile. "And what better way to start than with friendly competition?"
"You want competition?" Zeke asked. "I'll give you competition!"
He flashed that manic grin of his and reached for his eyepatch. Nia could spot the telltale glow coming from under it as he spun up his Eye.
"Not so fast," his dad said. "This is volleyball, not some street brawl. No shenanigans allowed. That means no weapons, no ether, no Flesh Eater powers, and definitely no nonsense from the Eye of Genbu."
"The Eye of Shining Justice," Zeke corrected him.
"I am not going to call it that."
"We'll play fair," Nia said. "It wouldn't be any fun otherwise."
"Indeed," Agate said. "But don't think that means we'll be going easy on you."
"I'd be disappointed if you did," Nia said, doing her best to return Agate's smile. As weird as this was, she wasn't about to let it interfere with her day. She was here to have fun, so come hell or high water, she was going to have fun. "Now bring it."
"Very well." Agate glanced back at Dahlia, who immediately tossed the ball into the air and hit it. "Served" it, according to the proper terminology. Nia stepped back, preparing to intercept it, but the ball arrived with unexpected force.
A moment too late, Nia remembered that Dahlia's natural weapon was a ball. And, true to her word, she wasn't holding back in the slightest.
Still, Nia was no pushover either. Despite the force Dahlia put into her strike, Nia managed to deflect it back and up, sending it flying into the air.
"Just like that!" Zeke shouted, running back to intercept the ball. Then he served it back rather casually, giving Agate plenty of time to reach it.
"Is that the best you've got?" Dahlia asked.
"Just warming up," Zeke said. "When I'm giving my all, you'll know."
Dahlia and Agate passed the ball around a couple times, trying to get their positioning right, before serving it back across the net. Nia was left to intercept again, but this time she thought she'd try something Zeke had mentioned, hitting the ball back across the net rather than deflecting it toward her partner. The aggressiveness seemed to startle Agate, because she didn't managed to pivot in time, and the ball whizzed right past her.
"Point for Zeke and Nia," Zeke's dad announced. As she watched Cole flip the score counter, Nia felt a surge of excitement in her chest. She'd won them that point.
"You're not half bad," Dahlia said, retrieving the ball and tossing it over to their side. Nia almost ran to intercept it before she remembered that it was their turn to serve.
"Just wait 'till she gets going," Zeke said, flashing the opposing team a coy smile. As if she was their secret weapon or something.
She should've been annoyed at that. He was talking complete bollocks and expecting her to live up to it. But for some reason, she believed him. Or, rather, she believed that he was being completely sincere. For whatever reason, he had full confidence she'd be amazing at this. And if that was the case, then she didn't have much choice but to live up to his expectations.
Besides, it would be a good opportunity to show off in front of him.
The match was almost a blur after that. The ball passed back and forth time and again, but Nia's head was practically empty the whole time. It must've been what Zeke had described as "the zone". And now that she was in it, Agate and Dahlia didn't stand a chance.
They put up a good fight, especially Dahlia, but Agate ultimately wasn't cut out for sports. She didn't react fast enough when it counted, and that allowed Nia to pick up quite a few points, despite her inexperience. It helped that she had Zeke backing her up, too, who was basically an unstoppable volleyball machine. No matter how crazy a move Dahlia pulled out, he seemed ready and waiting to counter.
"Game," his dad finally announced, after the ball hit Agate and Dahlia's side of the court for the final time. "Zeke and Nia take home the first victory of the tournament."
"Of course we did," Zeke said, beaming proudly. "I wasn't about to let us get knocked out in the first round. My pride's on the line, here."
"We lost," Dahlia realized, staring at the ball.
"Indeed," Agate said, doing her best to catch her breath. "It's my fault. I think I underestimated how much coordination this would take."
"Nah." Dahlia shook her head. "I got cocky. Didn't think these two had it in 'em. Guess I was wrong."
Then, after a moment, she walked around the net and offered Nia her hand.
"Good game," she said.
After a moment, Nia shook it.
"Good game."
With that, Dahlia left.
"Like I said," Agate said. "She'll come around." She too took a moment to shake Nia's hand. And Zeke's, too, who Dahlia had either forgotten about or intentionally snubbed.
"You put up a good fight," Zeke said.
"Apparently, not good enough. Still, I…" Agate paused for a moment. "I had fun. We should do this again sometime. I'll see you around, Nia."
After a moment, she too left, not bothering to stick around for the rest of the tournament.
Even if things still weren't one hundred percent back to normal, Nia was still taken aback by how much progress she'd just made with the two of them.
Maybe she should've started taking days off ages ago.
"Next up is Rex and Roc versus Mòrag and Brighid," Zeke's dad said, ushering them off the court as the next competitors took to it.
"Good showing out there," Zeke said, clapping Nia on the back.
"Yeah," she said, smiling to herself. "It was fun. Not quite what I was expecting, but exhilarating all the same. I can see why you got so into it, back in the day."
"There were other reasons too," Zeke said. "It actually all started as a way to pay off some debts, but…" He shook his head, waving the story off. "That part of the story isn't as fun."
"Even so, I'm glad we could do this. We make a pretty good team."
"Yeah," Zeke said. "That we do, don't we?"
The two of them found some seats and talked strategy while they watched the rest of the matches. It was almost surreal, to be sitting down with Zeke like this without having to worry about anything. And the more it went on, the more nervous she got about how she was supposed to confess her feelings in this environment.
But that was a problem for later. Either an opportunity would present itself, or she'd make one. But either way, for right now she was just going to enjoy this on her own terms. She was going to enjoy being happy.
Zeke made a desperate dive, managing to intercept the ball at the last second before it hit the sand. Frantically, he hit it back up, tossing it back to Nia, who knocked it high while he recovered. She'd learned astonishingly fast for someone who'd never played the game before. But more than that, she seemed to have an intuitive sense for how he played. It was almost like fighting alongside Pandoria, they were so in sync. They didn't even have to talk to each other at this point. One glance was enough to know what the other was thinking and plan accordingly.
Nia knocked the ball as high as she could, arcing it to come down right on top of Zeke again. Risky, considering the dive he'd just made, but Nia was counting on him to pull this off, and he wasn't about to let her down. He lurched up just as the ball reached him again, slamming his fists into it dead-on and launching it at an oblique angle. The ball sailed just over the top of the net and right for the edge of the court. Against most of the amateurs in this competition, it would've been a surefire victory.
But their current opponents had proven themselves anything but amateur.
Most of the teams hadn't put up much of a fight. Which Zeke hadn't minded. It was a chance to take things slow and enjoy himself in the early stages. But now that they were in the semi-finals, the gloves were officially off. And Electra and Nim packed way more punch than Zeke had expected.
Nim managed to make a dive and bump the ball just before it hit their side of the court. Then Electra sent it flying back at them with an open-palm strike. Zeke deflected it up and back, serving it up to Nia who met it in midair. She aimed for the opening near the back, but Electra managed to reverse course and intercept it just in time, knocking it over to Nim who sent it flying back across the net with a roundhouse kick.
Nim had put herself on one side of the court, and Electra was covering their back line. Which left one area wide open for a serve, if they were quick enough. So rather than intercept the ball, Zeke let it fly past him, counting on Nia to set things up properly. And she seemed to know exactly what he had in mind, because she dug in her heels and sent it flying up into the air.
But rather than wait for it to come back down, Zeke jumped up to meet it, spiking it into the opening to deliver their coup-de-grace. If he remembered the name he'd made up for their combo move, he would've shouted it, but over the course of the rounds he'd been having so much fun it had slipped his mind. So instead, he just smiled to himself as they secured the win.
Or so he'd assumed. But rather than covering their back line, Electra had moved forward, reading his move and positioning herself in the pocket he'd aimed for. With a smirk, she intercepted the ball just as it passed over the net, spiking it back down onto their side of the court. Nia threw herself forward to defend, but she came up just short, and Zeke and the ball touched down on the sand at almost exactly the same time.
"And that's the game!" Zeke's old man announced. "Electra and Nim will be moving on to the finals!"
"Yes!" Electra shouted, grabbing Nim's hand and pumping it into the air in a display of victory. "We did it! We beat Zeke!"
"And Nia," Nim muttered.
Zeke didn't really have much of a response. He just stared at his pupil, dumbfounded as to how this could have happened. He'd been so focused on making it to the finals against Pandoria that he hadn't even considered the possibility of losing to anyone else.
"We lost?" Nia asked, sticking her head up from where she lay in the sand.
"Seems like it," Zeke said. "I guess I trained you a little too well, Electra."
"I knew I could count on you trying to finish the match with a big, show-stopping move," Electra said. "You may be faster than me, but speed won't do you any good in midair."
"Well, a real man knows when to accept defeat," Zeke said. "You've demonstrated superb control and skill. With this victory, you have now entered the next phase of your training."
Zeke put his hands together and gave Electra a bow, which she immediately returned with enthusiasm.
"Hey, d'you think if I beat Pandoria, I'll be able to get into the Order?"
"Victory today certainly demonstrates that you've achieved mastery over your body. But to enter the Order, you must also master your mind. Physical prowess and ether mastery are useless without the wisdom and maturity to properly guide your actions."
"I see." Electra nodded. "How will I know when I've mastered my mind?"
"All in due time," Zeke said, nodding sagely. "The first step is to master patience. Only a patient hand can build a steady foundation."
"Of course," Electra said, as if it was obvious. The platitude Zeke had just come up with was basically nonsense, but the underlying sentiment was sound. Electric Blades learned to be hasty early on. After all, speed was the best way to make full use of their powers. But too many confused speed for haste, and if they couldn't figure out the difference, it often had disastrous consequences. With how eager Electra was to move onto the next big thing all the time, it seemed like exactly the right kind of lesson she could stand to learn. Hopefully before her haste came back to bite her.
"Now, if you'll excuse me," Zeke said, bending down to grab Nia, who was still lying face-down in the sand. "We've got to go snag seats for the finale."
Reluctantly, Nia pulled herself up, clinging to Zeke as the two of them trudged over to the sidelines and plopped down next to Mabon and Vess.
"Come to join the 'got my ass kicked by my pupil' club?" Mabon asked, scooting over to make room for them.
"She's come along remarkably quickly," Zeke said. "She's still not quite as fast as Pandy, but in a year, who knows? There might not be much left to teach her."
"Sucks that we lost, though," Nia muttered, collapsing into Zeke and resting her head against his shoulder as the two of them took their seats.
"You're really beat," Zeke noted, trying to remain as calm as possible with her leaning up against him. "I didn't think that last match had taken so much out of you."
"Neither did I," Nia said. "But after it was over, I just…" Nia made a vague expanding gesture while she tried to articulate her thoughts. "I don't know. All the fatigue caught up with me at once, I guess."
"You're a healing Blade," Mabon noted. "You're the healing Blade, the way I hear it. Can't you just snap your fingers and fix that?"
"Can't use my ether during the tournament," Nia said. "Wouldn't be fair."
Zeke almost brought up the fact that for them, the tournament was technically over. But for whatever reason, Nia was resting her head against him, and he wasn't about to put a stop to that. She was so close that she was practically on top of him. That had to be some kind of sign, right? Or was that simply wishful thinking? His capacity for self-delusion eclipsing his rational thought processes? It certainly wouldn't be the first time.
This was maddening. Everything he did felt like walking across a minefield, only he couldn't tell if he wanted the mines to go off or not. If she found out about how he felt, how would she react? Would she even take him seriously? If she did, would she feel the same way?
He wanted to think she would. Pandoria wouldn't have made such a big deal about it if there was nothing going on there. Would she? Was this all some kind of elaborate prank? Pandy's last laugh before they parted ways?
No. Nia wasn't like that. She wouldn't go through all this just to embarrass him. So the only explanation for how she'd been acting today was…
And on and on it went, thoughts spiraling through Zeke's head as he sat there, stone-faced, with Nia resting against his shoulder. And there was another problem to consider. It was subtle, but now that she was this close, he could hear her purring.
She was, without a doubt, the most adorable person in Elysium. And he felt a powerful, all-consuming urge to reach up and scratch her behind her ears. But he had no idea how she'd react to that. Was that even appropriate to do, or would she find it offensive somehow?
He felt trapped. So he went with the only option available to him, in such situations. He ran away.
"I'm parched," he muttered. "I'm going to go grab refreshments. You want something to drink, Nia?"
"Sure," she said, leaning off him to give him a chance to stand up. "Maybe find a blanket out there, while you're at it."
"I'll try my best," he said, giving her a small salute as he headed off. Immediately, he retreated to the makeshift concession stand Crossette and Boreas had set up nearby. Neither of them had originally been at the party, but the tournament seemed to be attracting people from all over town, now. Vale was here, too, handing out blankets, but as Zeke walked over to snag one, she shot him a glare.
"Here for a blanket?" she asked.
"Is… is that a problem?"
"Huh? Of course not. I'm handing 'em out, aren't I?"
"Sorry, it's just…" He shrugged. "Nevermind."
"Make sure you get it back to me after you're done," she said, handing him one of her several blankets.
"Will do," he said, taking the blanket and moving on to procure drinks from Boreas. Which didn't take nearly as long as he would've liked. He needed time to regroup and plan for how he was going to approach Nia, but right now, his brain could barely manage putting coherent sentences together.
"How's it going?" Rex asked, walking up behind Zeke. It startled him so much he nearly dropped the drinks.
"Good," he said, which Rex clearly didn't buy.
"Sure," he said. "Which is why you're over here, jittering like a custip."
"I'm doing my best, alright? I wasn't prepared for this much… That." He motioned at Nia while she wasn't looking. "It's overwhelming."
"What are you, twelve?" Rex asked. "Get it together."
"I'm trying," Zeke hissed. "Why do you think I'm out here, getting us drinks? I need time to regroup. Strategize. That sort of thing."
"There's no strategy to it," Mikhail said, appearing as if out of nowhere and putting a hand on Zeke's shoulder. "Thinking about it only makes it worse."
"Who invited you?" Zeke asked.
"I'm Head Caretaker," Mikhail said. "Did you really think I was going to miss a party this good?"
"Precisely. Don't you have better things to do than hang around here?"
"Well, I was trying to get Crossette to stop blowing up her workshop." He motioned over his shoulder at where she was preparing snacks for the onlookers. "But apparently she loves cooking as much as she loves explosives, so when she heard the tournament needed a refreshment stand, she dragged me over here to help her set up."
"Well, good for you. I don't see how that qualifies you to butt in on a private conversation."
"You want me to leave? Fine. I'll leave. But frankly, you look like you need all the help you can get. And I just so happen to be an expert in this particular field."
"What, embarrassing yourself?" Zeke asked.
"Among other things. But I've done this enough times to know that it's better to regret doing something than not doing it. You need to man up and tell Nia how you feel."
"How I—What?" Zeke asked, feigning innocence. He did not want to have this conversation with Mikhail, of all people. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Yeah, that's not gonna cut it. If you want to lie to me, try not to let your emotions show so obviously on your face. You're in love."
Zeke had avoided saying the word until now, but Mikhail was right. He was in love with Nia. And he had no idea how to proceed with that information.
"Alright, fine," Zeke muttered. "You win."
"Wow," Rex said. "Just like that, huh? You rolled over quick."
"Well, Mikhail isn't wrong. I need all the help I can get."
"First time?" Mikhail asked. "Wouldn't surprise me, with how much you used to move around."
"Hardly. I've been in plenty of relationships. Nia's just the first woman to throw me for a loop like this."
"Well, I can't exactly blame you there. She's dynamite. I applaud you for even making it this far without embarrassing yourself."
"Not helping," Zeke noted.
"Right. If you've done this before, then I guess I'll just skip to the pep talk."
"The what?"
"You're Zeke von fucking Genbu," Mikhail said, tightening his grip on Zeke's shoulder. "You have speed enough to match Jin and strength enough to match Aion. You're the most powerful Driver in the world. And none of that is the reason Nia asked you to be here."
"Pardon?" Zeke asked. That wasn't the direction he'd been expecting this to go.
"The Gardens already had plenty of monsters on the payroll before you signed up. We didn't really need another Caretaker or defender or anything. Sure, it's helped, but that's not why she wanted you here. The real reason is because she likes you. She enjoys having you around. You are one of three people in the entire world who can make her smile, and the other two are her Driver and her Blade."
"So, you think she feels the same way?"
"Not for me to say," Mikhail said. "I'm just stating facts. Another fact? She's not a very touchy-feely sort of person. She prefers to keep her distance, especially these days, and yet five minutes ago she was all over you."
"All true," Zeke conceded. "It just… It doesn't make the prospect of confessing any less intimidating."
"Well, tough shit. You gotta bite that bullet one way or another."
"Take it from me, Zeke," Rex said, fingers idly strumming on the Aegis Core around his neck. "It's best to just go for it. You never really know how much time you'll have."
"Kinda dark," Mikhail noted. "But not wrong. I made the exact same mistake with Patroka. I kept putting it off and putting it off and then, next thing I knew, I was hooking myself up to the Marsasnes' drive core for a suicide run. With the way things have been heating up lately, I don't think you're going to get a better chance, so if you don't do it now, you're going to regret it."
"You're right," Zeke said, nodding to himself. "You're right. I need to just take the plunge and get it all out in the open. Worst case scenario, she doesn't feel the same way and at least we know where we stand."
"That's the spirit," Rex said. "Now get back there and do us proud."
Before Zeke could respond, Rex shoved him toward Nia, and reluctantly, he went. Time to face the music.
"Sorry I took so long," Zeke said, holding the drinks out as he returned. Nia took them from him so he could lay the blanket down. "Rex and Mikhail ambushed me on my way back, and it took a minute to sneak away."
"You didn't have to rush back so quickly," Nia said, handing him his drink as they settled in on the blanket. Belatedly, Zeke realized it was only barely big enough for the two of them, which forced them to scrunch up next to each other to get comfortable. "They still haven't started the next match, and I know you and Rex haven't seen each other in a while."
"Neither have we," Zeke pointed out. "Feels like ages since I've been back, and as much as I love the guy, if it's a choice between him and you, I'd rather spend time with you."
"I…" Nia went quiet for a moment, and Zeke noticed that she was starting to go red in the face. It wasn't that hot out, was it?
"Well, any longer and the drinks would've lost their chill," Zeke said, moving the conversation along.
"In that case, thanks."
Nia pressed herself into Zeke again, and all the confidence he'd just had evaporated like the morning dew. How was he supposed to do anything when she was this close?
Still, he couldn't run away. He had to press forward. So he gathered all his courage and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, squeezing her in a tiny bit closer.
"I think I'm going to go help out with the concession stand," Vess said, standing up and dusting her dress off. "Mabon, if you would?"
"Duty calls," Mabon muttered, standing up to follow Vess. As he did, he gave Zeke a wink and a smile, and mouthed something like "good luck", though Zeke wasn't exactly sure. He was too focused on Nia right now. Trying to gauge her reaction to what he'd just done.
It took a few seconds, but eventually, she spoke up again.
"This is nice," she said. "It's been a long time since I've been able to relax like this."
"You've more than earned it," Zeke said.
"Doesn't feel like it, sometimes," Nia muttered. Zeke wanted to push back against that, but before he could, she continued talking. "Was it always like this for you, back in the day? Going wherever you wanted, doing whatever you fancied, that sort of thing?"
"Hardly," Zeke said. "It was a struggle to survive, most days. But Pandy and I carved out as much time to relax as we could manage amidst all the chaos."
"And if you didn't have to struggle to survive? What do you think you would've done then?"
"I was…" Zeke paused. This was broaching a topic he didn't really like to talk about, but if he was going to tell Nia how he felt, then he needed to at least be honest with her. "I wasn't in a great place back then. The biggest reason we got in so much trouble was because I insisted on throwing myself at every problem we came across. I felt like I had to, otherwise I'd be letting everyone down. I wanted so desperately to fix the world, and we only ever snuck in downtime whenever Pandy managed to drag me away from my latest crusade."
"Sounds familiar," Nia muttered.
"Ironic, isn't it? But the last few years have made me realize that I can't fix the world on my own. And coming here has helped me make my peace with that."
"So nowadays, you'd do things differently? Take more time for yourself?"
"I guess so. What's with all the questions?"
"I'm trying to get a sense of what the future might look like," Nia said. "After this mess with Spessia is over with, I'm stepping down, and I was thinking about taking some time to travel. See the world we've been working so hard to save. And I…" Nia paused for a moment. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with me."
"Are you… Are you taking me up on my offer, then? Partners?"
"Sure," Nia said. "Why not? If being with you is anything like today has been, then… Then that's where I want to be. With you."
That last comment hit Zeke so hard he had trouble keeping it together. But at this point, it was now or never. He had to go for it.
"Like I said, I'd love to have you," Zeke said. "And… There's something I've been meaning to say."
"Oh?" Nia asked, leaning up to look at Zeke. Something in his tone must've given away that this was serious. She frowned as she looked at him, trying to gauge what he was about to say, and that only made it harder to say it. But he had to go for it anyway.
"Well, the thing is, I—"
"Ladies and gentlemen," Mòrag announced, stepping onto the field and interrupting him just before he could get to the important bit. "Apologies for the interruption, but the finalists need a little more time to rest before they begin their match. So in the meantime, I've been asked to provide you fine folks with entertainment to tide you over."
"Oh no," Nia muttered.
"And I thought, what better way to entertain a crowd such as this than with a proper show of skill? So we're going to demonstrate what a Driver and Blade are truly capable of."
Abruptly, she pointed her sword at Zeke.
"Zeke von Genbu!" Mòrag shouted. "Many have falsely claimed that you are the most skilled Driver in the world. So today, we're going to put that rumor to bed for good. If you are the warrior you claim to be, then face me in combat and prove it!"
Zeke could feel all the eyes of the crowd on him, now. Which normally he was used to. He sometimes even enjoyed it. But it couldn't have been more poorly timed. He'd just poured every ounce of himself into trying to tell Nia how he felt, and now that that had been ruined, he had no momentum to speak of.
It took him a few moments to muster up a response.
"Well," he said, setting his drink down. "I can hardly fight you Driver to Driver without my Blade, now can I? And it wouldn't be fair to drag Pandy into this, seeing as how she's currently resting for her big match."
"You are a Caretaker, are you not? Surely you have other Blades who could fight alongside you."
Zeke quickly scanned the crowd, finding Obrona floating near Cole and his old man. The look on her face confirmed that she didn't want any part of this.
"None that I've trained with," Zeke said. "And it would hardly be a test of my renowned skills to take a rookie into battle with me."
"Attempting to weasel your way out, are you?" Mòrag asked. "I won't permit it. If you won't find a Blade to fight with, then fight alone. Either way, we are settling this discussion today."
"Well, I'm not his Blade," Nia said, standing up and drawing her sword. Her clothes flashed again, and instantly she was back in her usual outfit. Or, usual for how she dressed these days anyway. He still preferred her old outfit. "But we've fought together plenty of times."
Then she turned and offered Zeke her sword.
"And we're supposed to be partners, right? I'm not going to leave my partner in the lurch."
"Too right," Zeke said, standing up and taking the weapon from her. He expected it would feel ungainly, wielding a new sword for the first time, but as he swung it through the air, he was surprised by how well-balanced it was. Fighting with this wouldn't be too difficult to get used to. "And we can't very well deny the good people a show, can we?"
"Very well then," Mòrag said, drawing her second sword as Brighid stepped up to join her. "We'll take you both on!"
She rushed Zeke, and he met her with Nia's sword in hand. It was strange, fighting with a Blade weapon where he couldn't gauge the resonance, but Nia seemed to know exactly how much ether to give him even without that.
The two of them clashed, water against flame, and the grin on Mòrag's face was the widest Zeke had ever seen. She was really enjoying herself with this.
And as Nia came rushing in, firing a jet of water at their opponents, Zeke had to admit he was enjoying himself too. As a child, he'd dreamed of riding out to battle as one of Addam's companions, but it had been a long time since he'd felt that excitement. He'd learned the hard way how little romance there was to find on the battlefield.
Except, standing shoulder to shoulder now with Nia, he felt excited to fight for the first time since… Ever, maybe. Sure, he'd feigned excitement or lust for battle before, when necessary, but it was always in service to something else. A way to set his companions at ease or unnerve his opponents. A calculated façade, like everything else he'd adopted since his mother died. This was different. This was real and raw and more than a little alluring.
It took him a moment to realize that it wasn't the fight itself that seemed so exciting. Rather, it was the prospect of fighting as Nia's partner. The two of them had fought together before, but usually that meant something horrible was happening that took up the bulk of Zeke's attention. But this was just a sparring match, and without a real threat looming large in Zeke's mind, he finally had time to realize how stunning Nia looked when she moved.
The way her dress spun, the way the water shifted around her like it was a part of her, even just the expression on her face… She was beautiful. But the most exciting part was how every move felt like an invitation. Like she was leading him in the world's most violent and thrilling dance routine. It was completely different from how he fought as a Driver, and he was very excited to see where this would lead.
Neither of them needed to even say anything. They just acted. Nia spread her water around the battlefield, boxing Mòrag and Brighid in and allowing Zeke to unleash a blast of electricity at them with a snap of his fingers. They brushed it off like it was nothing, of course, but at this point, Zeke wasn't here to win. He was here to dance.
By mutual, unspoken understanding, Zeke took the lead for their next few moves, driving Mòrag back right into a large swell of ether that Nia had prepared. The water exploded all around them, and they created a massive swell of flames to match. Then, as they began their counter-assault, driving Zeke back toward a wall of flames, Nia took the lead again.
The way they could switch from leader to follower or frontline to support was something Zeke had never really experienced before. Being a Driver and Blade always came with a fixed hierarchy. An unspoken set of rules for how they could behave. And no matter how hard Zeke and Pandoria tried to mix things up or how much leeway their unique situation granted them, they always inevitably fell back into those roles. Driver and Blade. Leader and follower.
That didn't exist here. With Nia, he wasn't bound to any kind of roles or expectations. The two of them could do whatever they wanted, and it still felt natural. Right, even.
This felt right.
For the first time in more than twenty years, he felt excited just to be alive. If that wasn't love, then he didn't know what was.
And hopefully she was enjoying herself as much as he was. Hopefully that would be some kind of sign that she felt the same way. Because he really didn't want to screw up and lose this, now that he'd found it.
Which, of course, only made it harder to actually pull the trigger and tell her how he felt.
So while the fight lasted, Zeke pushed all his anxieties to the side and did his best to live in the moment. To simply enjoy kicking ass as Nia's partner. He could worry about all the messy stuff after. Right now, he would take what he could get.
Nia knew leaving Mòrag to her own devices would backfire. As fun as the fight had been, it couldn't have happened at a worse time. The mood had finally been moving in the right direction, and Zeke was just starting to open up. She had felt really good about where things were going, and then Mòrag just had to step in and ruin it.
They hadn't even settled things conclusively, either. Just when it had started to heat up, the teams had finished preparing, and they decided to stop the fight and let the tournament proceed. What was even the point, then? Had she forgotten what they were trying to do and just decided to have fun on her own?
No, that wasn't like her. Mòrag didn't do "fun" for its own sake. It must have been part of some plan. But if this was the height of Mòrag and Brighid's planning abilities, then maybe she was better off doing this by herself. Because she'd been doing just fine up until then.
Nia was so busy trying to figure out how to recover the mood from before that she didn't even realize the match had ended. After what felt like hours, Electra and Nim had finally managed to squeeze out one final point. And thus, the student surpassed the master.
Though, it wasn't as if Pandoria had done this to win in the first place. The point had been to get Nia and Zeke to spend some time together, and in that respect, it had been a rousing success. But now that it was over, and things were starting to wind down, Nia was going to have to come up with some other excuse to stick with him. Because there was no way she was letting him go until he coughed up whatever it was he'd been about to say before Mòrag interrupted. It was almost too much to hope that he might have been gearing up to confess, but the possibility alone was enough to drive Nia mad.
"Yeah!" Zeke shouted, clapping as hard as he could as Electra and Nim were officially declared winners. "There's a new queen of volleyball in town, now!"
"I thought you'd have been rooting for Pandoria," Nia said.
"Are you kidding me? If Electra's good enough to beat me, then it'd be a stain on my honor if she didn't manage to take down Pandy too. This way, the question of which one of us is the better baller remains open for future challenges. And besides, what kind of teacher wouldn't be proud of his student making so much progress?"
"Well, it's hardly a fair comparison, now is it? I mean, you had me on your team, and I've never played before today."
"Yeah, but you're a natural, and you kicked ass out there today. I doubt I would have even made it to the semifinals without you to back me up."
"Normally, whenever you say something like that, I have this instinctual urge to argue the point," Nia said. "But I suppose I can learn when to take a compliment, now and then."
"Well, good, because there's plenty more where that came from."
Nia didn't really know how to respond to that, and she quickly turned away from him as she felt herself begin to blush.
Why had she even done that? It wasn't like she had anything to be embarrassed about.
"Going soft on me, Shellhead?" she asked.
"Maybe," he said. "Though, if you're this bad at handling praise, then it might be that I've just found a new way to torment you instead."
"Doesn't sound so bad to me," Nia muttered.
"Hm?"
"What was it you were going to say?" Nia asked, changing the subject. "Before Mòrag interrupted. It seemed important, whatever it was."
"Ah, yeah. That." Zeke paused for a moment. "It was nothing, really. I was wondering that, since you can apparently change up your clothes whenever you want, why are you still wearing your Blade dress? It seems like I haven't seen hide nor hair of your old outfit since before the Cataclysm."
"Oh." Nia deflated a little. It was certainly a disappointment, compared to what she thought he'd been about to say. But then again, his earlier tone had been a lot more serious. Maybe this was that chronic inability to take the first step that Pandoria had mentioned.
Or, at least, she wanted to believe that was the case. And if so, then all she had to do was find the right time to broach the subject herself.
"I hadn't really thought much about it," Nia admitted, keeping the conversation going. "I'd been wearing that old thing since my days in the Gormotti resistance, but back then, I was pretending to be human. And now that I'm no longer pretending, I guess…" She shrugged. "I guess there's just not much of a need, anymore."
"I wouldn't call it pretending," Zeke said. "As far as I'm concerned, you are human. And so is every other Blade."
"Really?" Nia asked. "How d'you figure?"
"Well, you're people, aren't you?" Zeke asked. "That's the only important bit. Doesn't make much difference whether you got squishy organs or a Core Crystal or even a bit of both."
"It's a nice sentiment," Nia said. "But I'm honestly not even sure I want to be human. No offense."
"And what's so wrong with us humans, huh?"
"Nothing, really. But this place was supposed to be a sanctuary where Blades could escape human-led violence. Living here in any form but this just wouldn't feel appropriate. I can't be giving priority to my identity as a human if I'm going to lead a country of Blades."
"Well, you won't be leading them for much longer," Zeke pointed out.
"Thanks for the reminder," Nia muttered.
"I didn't mean it like that!" Zeke insisted. "I'm just saying that, maybe it's not something you have to keep worrying about. You don't have to care whether people think you're a human or a Blade. Either way, you're still Nia, right?"
"I guess so." She shrugged. "Like I said, I hadn't thought about it much."
"Well, maybe give it some thought, is all I'm saying. It'd certainly be fun to break out the old gear while we're on the road, in any case. Go travelling like it's the old days again."
"It hasn't been that long," Nia insisted. "You don't get to start calling it 'the old days' quite yet."
"Well, whatever you want to call it, my point stands."
"Is that what this is really about?" Nia asked. "Trying to figure out our travel plans already?"
"This isn't about anything, I just…" Zeke waved his hands around vaguely. "Y'know. Just thinking out loud."
The two of them sat in silence for a moment, still pressed together on that blanket while the crowd thinned out around them. Pandoria and Kora were leading some of the others back up to the community hall, presumably to continue the birthday celebrations, and Zeke gave them a wave.
"I guess we should head back to the party, huh?"
"Maybe," Nia said. "But later. Right now, I'd just… I'd like to just sit here, if that's alright with you."
"Sure." Zeke shrugged. "Don't see why not."
"It's been so long since I've had a chance to relax like this," Nia continued. "It's really the only way I know how. Just pick a spot and waste a few hours doing nothing. It still feels a little indulgent, even now. Like there's something I should be spending my time on instead. Some pressing crisis that's about to upend my whole life. And instead, here I am, watching the clouds roll by."
"Not a lot of clouds to watch," Zeke noted. "It's starting to get late."
"Let it," Nia said. "We've got all the time in the world right now."
"Guess I can't argue with that." Zeke leaned back, settling in on the blanket, and after a moment's hesitation, Nia leaned her head on his stomach.
She could hear her heart pounding in her ears as she waited to see how he'd react. But when he finally broke the silence, it was with the last thing she'd expected to hear.
"Can I touch them?" he asked.
Nia froze up, her brain working in overdrive to figure out what he could have possibly meant by that. When she couldn't come up with anything that wasn't immensely terrifying or confusing in one regard or another, she tried to ask him what he was talking about, but all that came out was a small noise.
"Your ears, I mean," Zeke clarified. "They're just so…" He paused in the way he usually did when he was doing something with his hands, though Nia couldn't see them at the moment. "And they're right here, just staring me in the face. Is that a weird thing to ask."
"Sort of," Nia said, which was a severe understatement. "But I don't mind. Just be gentle, alright?"
"Always," Zeke said. Then, after a moment's hesitation, he slid off the hair ornaments that normally held her ears in place, moving as gingerly as possible. Then, with some trepidation, he put his hand against one of her ears.
It was a strange sensation, at first. Having someone else touch them. There was a moment of awkwardness while he figured out exactly what to do with himself. But then he settled into a nice rhythm, doing long strokes along one ear. It was weirdly nice in a way she hadn't at all expected.
"Actually, while you're up there, can you get the spot behind my ear?" she asked. "It's constantly itching."
That was a lie. She didn't really get itches like that, and if she did, she was more than capable of dealing with them herself. But this reminded her of Zeke's first night at the Gardens, when they'd accidentally shared one of the cots in the infirmary. He'd been scratching her behind her ears in his sleep, and it had felt good. She wanted to see if she could replicate that.
"Sure thing," Zeke said, more than happy to oblige. He got to work with his free hand, and the sensation on Nia's scalp was electric. It was strange that it felt so different with someone else doing it, but maybe it was something about how gentle he was trying to be. Whatever the case, it felt fantastic.
"Oh yeah," Nia muttered. "I could get used to this."
"Going to take me a little while, I think," Zeke said. "But this certainly lives up to the expectations."
"Expectations?" Nia asked.
"Well, y'know, they look pretty fluffy. But the appearance really doesn't prepare you for what the actual thing is going to be like, y'know?"
"I really wouldn't," Nia said. "They're my ears, remember?"
"Right."
Zeke went silent, and for a while, the two of them just sat there, her head against his chest, his hands idly playing with her ears. She could feel him breathing beneath her.
"So what are we going to do?" Nia asked.
"When?" Zeke replied. "About what? Gonna need to be more specific here."
"When we're partners, I mean. Setting out to travel the world. Got any big plans?"
"You should know by now that I never have plans," Zeke said. "I just go where the wind takes me."
"I don't buy that for a second," Nia said. "You put on a lot of airs, but I know there's more going on in that head than you let on."
"Guilty as charged," Zeke admitted. "Truth be told, I hadn't thought that far ahead. Though, I guess we could always go with my old standby. Bounce from place to place and see what problems need fixing. It's what I've been doing since…" Zeke paused for a moment. "Well, I guess since my old man kicked me out. What'd that be, fourteen years? Fifteen?"
"Maybe," Nia said. "But I don't want to do what you've always done. Not that I'm opposed to helping people, obviously. It's just that after all this, I want to take some time for myself. So whatever we end up doing, it should be just for us."
"I'm not…" Zeke sighed. "I'm not very good at that. Doing things just for me. There's always got to be some other angle involved."
"Really?" Nia asked. "Always?"
"Prettymuch. I've got responsibilities, y'know? Everything I've been doing for the past twenty-odd years has been in service to that. I don't think I'd really know how to take time to myself."
"I suppose that makes two of us, then," Nia said.
"Yeah. It really does, huh?" Zeke laughed. "I mean, look at us. Two people always putting themselves last. Always worrying about how everyone else is doing and never taking the time to take care of themselves. We make a pretty sorry pair, don't we?"
"Personally, I think we make a great pair," Nia said.
"That too."
"Well, once this mess with Spessia is over with, you won't have any more responsibilities. You won't even have Pandoria to worry about anymore."
"No, but I will have you," Zeke said. "And maybe Dromarch."
"If he's well enough to come," Nia said.
"And besides all that, I've still got—"
Zeke's voice died in his throat, and suddenly his hands stopped moving against Nia's ears. After a moment, she sat up and shot him a worried look.
"Zeke?" she asked.
"Sorry," he muttered. "It's nothing."
"No," she said. "You always do this. You always pull away right when I think I'm getting a good look at the real you. Not this time. Tell me what is going on in that head of yours."
"It's…" Zeke stared at her for a minute, and the pain was written clear as day on his face. "I don't like talking about it, but if we're going to be partners, then I guess you should know." He took a deep breath and sat up. "When I was a kid, my mom and dad tried standing up to the Praetorium. Of course, I didn't know that's what was going on. They kept me in the dark. But they tried. Really, it was my mom's idea more than my dad's. And the Praetorium must've figured that out, because one day they sent assassins to the palace to kill her. That's how I got this."
Zeke tapped his eyepatch.
"Pandy did her best to protect us, but they had her outgunned. And I did my best too, but there's not a lot you can do in that situation when you're ten years old. Suffice it to say, my mom didn't make it. But before she died, she told me…" He paused again. "She told me a few things. Told me I had to be strong. That it was up to me to change things, now. To change the world. It took me a while to come to grips with what she'd meant, but once I did…"
He sighed again.
"It's a lot to live up to. Most days, it feels like I'm letting her down. Taking too much time for myself. Failing to make a difference. Watching people repeat the same mistakes over and over and over again and trying to set them right every time knowing they won't listen to a damn word I say. But I don't really have much of a choice in the matter because it's a job somebody has to do. Even if it's not enough."
"You've done more than enough," Nia said.
"No, I haven't. Nobody has. Nobody can. I realized that after I came here. Wanting to change the world is all well and good, but you can't do it on your own. After all, we didn't. We had each other when we climbed the World Tree. And we had the whole world at our backs, cheering us on. And we're not alone here in the Gardens, either. There's a whole community trying to change things. I recognize all of that, on a rational level. It's just hard to let go of my old way of thinking, sometimes. I've been at it for so long that it's hard to imagine living any other way. Case in point, I can't really imagine what it would be like to go travelling without turning it into some sort of crusade to right wrongs and defend the innocent."
"Well, that's what partners are for, right?" Nia asked. "For what it's worth, I think your mom would be proud of what you've done. Even if you don't think it's been enough, it's certainly more than anyone else has accomplished."
"That's not true," Zeke said.
"Present company excluded, of course."
"There you go." Zeke smiled at her, finally. "Gotta give yourself some more credit there."
"And when we go travelling together, I wouldn't be opposed to righting some wrongs and defending the innocent a little. When the need arises. But first and foremost, this needs to be about us. Doing what makes us happy. Having fun. So with that in mind, I have a question for you."
"Shoot," Zeke said.
"What would you do if you could do anything in the world? No responsibilities, no crises, no world-changing crusades. What is it you want to do the most?"
Zeke thought about it for a moment. Then, rather abruptly, he turned away from Nia. She thought she could see him blushing, but that couldn't be right.
"No idea," he said, entirely unconvincingly.
"Oh, come on. You've got to do better than that, Shellhead. We're partners, right? Tell me. What is it you want to do right now, just for you?"
"It's…" Zeke shook his head. "It's stupid. You'll laugh."
"I promise I won't," Nia said. "Just let it out."
"I…" Zeke turned back to her. Then, rather than say anything, he acted.
He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. A quick peck. Almost instantaneous. But even that small gesture made Nia's hair stand on end with excitement.
So much for not making the first move. It was do or die, now.
"You see?" he asked, smiling sheepishly at her. "Stupid. I—"
Whatever he was about to say, Nia didn't let him finish. Instead, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in close for another kiss. A real kiss this time.
After a moment, she broke the kiss, and the two of them just stared at each other.
"That was…" Zeke tried and failed to come up with the words to describe it.
"Electric?" Nia offered.
"Too cliché. I was going to say perfect."
"I hope not. It'd be a shame to get it perfect on the first try."
"Well, if there's more where that came from, then—"
Nia leaned in and kissed him again, a little more aggressively this time. She wasn't used to this, but now that she had a taste for it, she was really starting to like it.
"Does that answer your question?" she asked, pulling back and giving him a smile.
"I don't think there was really a question in there, but sure." Zeke gave her that stupid, dopey grin of his.
Nia placed her forehead against his and closed her eyes, taking a moment to just breathe things in.
"I can't believe that just happened," she muttered.
"Neither can I," Zeke admitted. "I never thought… I never thought I'd get to have something like this with someone as amazing as you."
"What are we calling this, then?" Nia asked.
Zeke thought for a moment.
"Partners?" he offered.
"No," Nia said. "You've had partners before, and so have I. This is different. This is special."
"Lovers?"
Nia nearly collapsed into herself at the mention of that word.
"Maybe let's not take things that quickly," she muttered.
"Boyfriend and girlfriend seem to work for most people."
"Maybe," Nia said. "I just… I love you, I admire you, I want to be with you, and none of those words really capture that feeling for me."
"Say that again," Zeke said, his smile widening.
"What?"
"The first thing."
"I love you?"
"That's the one." Zeke shook his head. "Sorry. Still having a hard time believing this is real."
"Your turn," Nia muttered.
"I love you," Zeke said, not missing a beat. Hearing that felt better than she could have imagined, and she could feel herself smiling without even meaning to.
"If you don't want to put a label on it, then maybe… Maybe we're just in love? And we'll figure out what other label to put on it later."
"Works for me," Nia said. She kissed him again, then pulled back and nestled her head into the crook of his arm. And for a while, the two of them just sat there, enjoying each other's company.
Nia hadn't ever felt like this before. But now that she was here, she never wanted this to end.
For the first time in a very long time, it felt like there was something to look forward to after all this. Someone to look forward to. For right now, that was enough for her.