Chapter 26: Evening Air
Her eyes opened not at all, giving her soul the impression of death. But her fingers clasped, closing around sand, and her bare toes wriggled around a desert of the stuff. Her nose and throat, which hardly got sick due to fresh air, exercise, and good diet, were clear enough to the point she hardly recognized them. Air entered and released as though it were a part of her, as if she were full of little holes all over her skin and all the nasty things drained out. The sand soaked them up, and she could feel it getting heavier, less malleable. The air wasn't cool, wasn't hot, yet felt blue, with hints of periwinkle hovering over the sand.
Their presence cut off the wind. Around titans, fifty meters tall, crested a soft wind, strong enough to move a windmill, but not enough to push her over rocky stairs. The titans were unmoving, only known by how they affected the atmosphere. They made no sound; they felt no necessity to be known. Yet she knew.
Someone put their hands around her face. Their skin was cold and wet with sticky tears. They didn't breathe, and heavy chains knocked against Edie's body. She recognized a thin tunic and leggings suddenly, feeling quite naked before this visitor, in comparison to her usual garments. But the stranger came no closer than a dual touch on the cheeks, imparting a desperate feeling of helplessness. Hot breath flew on her face, right on her nose and eyes, forming words and willing her to open her eyes.
"You're home," a voice whispered in her ear.
Edie opened her eyes to find her face buried in an unfamiliar shoulder, not inches away from an outsider. Blinking again, her sights adjusted, and combined with the scrunch of a black jacket, she put a name to the voice. His hand rested on her shoulder, willing her to wake up. Sitting up, she stretched a little and muffled a yawn.
"I…" She registered her surroundings. The barn in the distance, open fields, misty morning. "What time is it?"
"Around nine in the evening."
The evening dripped back. Finishing dinner, walking through the flower displays, sitting atop a stone walkway to watch a play, insisting that she wasn't nodding off, and…well, being on a horse. "I'm so sorry."
"It's alright. Perhaps nights aren't the best choice for date night."
"I can…go to bed earlier." He pulled on his horse's reins, ten feet from her steps. She slid off easily, both feet throbbing from inactivity. He dismounted and wrapped the reins around a fencepost. She gave a weak smile. "But I'm still not a very exciting person."
"Exciting is overrated."
Edie put her hands over her cheeks, but that stranger's touch had felt colder, somehow, despite her own skin nearly being icy. "I…had a dream. Not really a bad one, but not good, either. Unsettling. There were titans all around, and this person, but it wasn't something to see, you could just…tell." She squeezed her face once more and forced her hands off. "Sorry. It's ridiculous."
"Are you afraid of the titans?"
She thought for a moment. "I don't think so. No more afraid of them than dying. But there was something…strange about that place. I'd never been there before."
The captain reached up and brushed a single tear off of her cheek. "I'm probably just tired."
He pressed his lips together. "I won't keep you, then."
"Thank you for tonight. I had a wonderful time."
"Even with the city being itself?"
She made a face. "Most of the people were pleasant. Hori was, at least."
"He's a gem. But there's one village an hour south of here with wildflowers even more breathtaking than the city's."
"Oh, that sounds exquisite. I didn't even get to buy any sunflowers."
"Could you spare an evening in three weeks?"
"I can."
"Excellent." The captain untied his horse, a slight smudge of a smile breaking through. "I'll come at four, if that's alright."
"Yes, that's perfect."
"Well." He ruffled through his pockets for a moment and pressed a packet in her hands. The captain paused for a moment, looking into her eyes, before kissing one hand. With that, he mounted his horse, bowed his head once, and went to go. "Good night, Edie."
"You as well, Captain."
She watched him until he rounded both bends, heading back into the city, before realizing there was something in her hands, that her hand had been kissed, and that she had plans in three weeks.
"You idiot!" She mussed, smacking the back of her hand. "You were supposed to get him to call it off! What's with men these days, being so stubborn?" Edie stared at the sky for a moment. "It's because I'm nearly falling asleep. It wasn't a good time to talk about feelings." But on the other hand, she could hope falling asleep on the first date was a turn-off for most military men.
She paused at the stairs, suddenly realizing the gift bestowed at the last minute. Inside the bundle was a small pouch of tea, enough for two pots, likely. She sniffed and pouted immediately—Camellia Black. It was intoxicating.
"I shouldn't have bothered with the jasmine," she muttered, and headed inside with tottering feet.
