The Tempestuous

She shook her head furiously, “You never have to pretend with us, Daniel. You should’ve just told us and none of us would’ve attended that play. It was trash anyway,” She tried to lighten the mood a little, but it was a half-hearted attempt that fell flat. She clasped his face in her hands and looked at him minutely, “But darling you don’t need to. You don’t need to handle this all on your own, you know that right?” Shaking her curls furiously she said, “No no, stop saying sorry. I am sorry that I didn’t realise this sooner. I should’ve talked to you, I should’ve known something was wrong.” Once again her eyes started stinging but this time she couldn’t bear to hold it back. A single tear fell on her sleeve as she hastily hugged him, hoping he hadn’t seen anything, “Hey, hey,” she said softly, “That was all just talk. You’re never going to lose me. I won’t let you.” She stroked his head gently, feeling his head on her shoulder made her inexplicably happy for some reason. She felt a strange surge of joy she hadn’t felt in weeks she couldn’t help smiling a little as she said, “Still, you do have to make it up to Florian and me, you know. We are not going to let you off easy!” But she quickly snapped back. Pulling back slightly, she looked at him seriously, “You can tell me what’s wrong in your own time Daniel, nothing you could ever say would make me love you less. Ever.”

A small weak laugh fell from Daniel’s lips at Vera’s attempt to lighten the situation, and he felt so overwhelmed with both gratitude and guilt that his vision began to blur as tears welled in his eyes. Leave it to Vera to try and make him feel better after what he did to her. So many times, people had teased him about his closeness to Vera. He always wondered why they never questioned his closeness to Florian when the differences between the two was as noticeable as the blue in the sky, and people always suggested that there was something more between him and Vera– something other than a lifetime of friendship and unconditional, unwavering love. His grandfather had suggested once when he was about thirteen or fourteen that Vera would make a good match for him. She came from a good family, after all, and he had known Vera’s grandfather for a very long time, too. Daniel thought the comment was ridiculous, never once considering the girl who he always regarded with so much fondness to be someone he would want for a wife– then again, at thirteen, Daniel didn’t have thoughts about who or what he wanted for a wife. It wasn’t years later until he understood what everyone was saying. When her smiles began to incite a foreign feeling in his chest; when long, phone calls ending made him miss her terribly; when he was always longing to see her whenever they were apart. His feelings for her had grown into something else, but it didn’t take too long for him to realize she didn’t feel the same. He should have been heartbroken, but Daniel was content with loving Vera the way he loved her, and if he could do that for the rest of his life without the fear of losing her, then he didn’t see a need to let her in on how he really felt. Which was why he was so, so terrified of losing her. She was the one constant in his life, and with so very little of that, he always clung to her desperately.

He leaned in to her touch, his right hand gently touching hers on his cheek. It should have comforted him that she was forgiving him now, and as Daniel met her gaze through cloudy vision, he wanted to break down and tell her about the truth about his father, about being an Arsonist– all of it. And the fact that he couldn’t… “No, it’s not your fault, Vera. It’s mine. You– You’ve always been the best out of all of us. I’m sorry.” I’m sorry I’m weak, he thought but didn’t have the courage to say; simply embraced her as he swallowed a sob that threatened to escape from his lips. He found it was useless to fight the tears, however, as they spilled anyway, running down his cheeks as he held onto her. After the death of his mother, and what with his father being the way that he was, Daniel began to depend on his two best friends even more than before without him even realizing it. But after the truth that his father dropped on his lap like a bomb, destroying what he thought was his life without him being able to do anything about it, he began to question so many things– including who he was, and he was so afraid of finding out and losing Florian and Vera in the process. So began his living in constant denial; in pretending that everything was fine. But hiding the truth had its way of messing up Daniel’s life, even if he tried to hold it together. His innate want to belong became even stronger, and his life became an even bigger mess before he knew it. He wanted to tell Vera all of that, but didn’t know how, so he simply held tighter, only pulling back when she did.

Daniel used the sleeve of his sweater to wipe his tear-stained cheek– never one to be afraid to cry in front of the person who’d seen him break down over the death of his mother– and chuckled softly once again, nodding his head as he said, “I’ll do what it takes, I promise.” Daniel looked at her, and as he met her gaze, his chest felt heavy at the sight of her glistening eyes. He touched her cheek gently, thumb moving over the stain her tear had left. “I’ll do better by you,” he said, his voice quiet. “Things will be better, I promise. We’ll have that grand time in college that we always talk about.” She shouldn’t be crying for him, or because of him. She deserved better than that– than him. And yet, Daniel would be damned before he would ever think of giving Vera up. 

Veronica had kept her distance from the festivities, partly because she hated Halloween in general, never one for facades and with a deep dislike for anything factitious. The other reason was that she didn’t feel safe in Astor like she used to. After what had happened last year and at the play this year, she felt there was something very wrong with the place of late, and rather than put on her detective lens and investigate it like she would have done if she was in second or even her third year, it seemed to much to get into right at the fag end of college. She just hoped to stay as far away from it and hoped none of her acquaintances were involved in any way. 

However, just because she hated Halloween didn’t mean she was going to miss Camp Night. She had been caught up in a discussion with her grandfather and father about a particularly puzzling case and the video call had lasted much longer than she would’ve thought. Glancing at the timestamp on her laptop she muttered “shoot” under her breath before quickly composing herself, her grandfather hated emotional displays of any sort. Quickly finishing the conversation, she glanced at herself in the mirror but she needn’t have - she looked immaculate as ever. Picking up a beret from the dresser she angled it perfectly before walking out of her dorm with a spring in her step.

The scene that greeted her at the campsite was utter chaos. There was a blazing fire catching up and chaos all around. She couldn’t see clearly through the smoke but panic gripped her heart like an eagle’s claw as she desperately looked for her friends in the chaos. She knew both Daniel and Florian must be here and she couldn’t help trembling as she made her way through the crowd trying to find them. Suddenly a hand grabbed her shoulder and she turned around shocked but almost laughed with relief when she saw the person’s face, “Oh, it’s you, fuck. You freaked me out!” Sighing, she furrowed her eyes as she shook her head, “I can’t believe this is happening again. Is this some sick joke? Are all the events this year cursed or something?”

The possibility of losing the one person he valued over anyone else became too real all of a sudden that Daniel inhaled sharply and bit his lip, the threat of tears filling his eyes making them sting that he looked up and focused on the light on the ceiling to prevent them from falling down his cheeks. The heaviness he felt, and the lump in his throat that he tried to swallow past were the result of the culmination of everything that he’d been feeling that whole week, and the weeks prior, really; the guilt over having to lie to his best friends, the deafening silence that saw him out before leaving his home in D.C., the longing for his mother that he couldn’t help but feel when he was in his grandparents’ home, and the fear that he was gonna lose Vera. He was already regretting everything that he did as an Arsonist, but perhaps, the distance he was unknowingly placing between him and his closest friends was the one he regretted the most.

Daniel took the wooden chair by his table and placed it in front of Vera, plopping himself down so he was now sitting in front of her, gaze still averted, hands clasped in between his legs. He felt as if his heart was being ripped out of his chest at every word, and at the realization that his actions were dismissive of the many years they spent together. And that was the last thing that Daniel would ever have wanted to do. “It wasn’t my intention to flake on you and Florian. I just couldn’t– It was just… easier to pretend with other people, Vera. And I can handle these things– I can. And you know I usually do. Just that night…” At least he wasn’t being completely dishonest, but that did little to console him. “I didn’t want you or Florian to see that something was bothering me– that I wasn’t okay.” He managed to fool himself into thinking that he was doing this for her, but in the back of his mind, he knew it was mostly for him. He felt even guiltier at the look of concern on her face– somehow, it was easier to look her in the eye when she was angry, because he knew he deserved it. “But I’m okay. It’s okay now, and I’m just sorry. I really am. Please forgive me.” he said, taking her hands in his.

Daniel thought about everything that had happened– everything that had caused him to hurt her like this. He never wanted to be the cause of her pain, ever again. Ever since he began to care for her, there was very little he wasn’t willing to sacrifice for Vera. Even his own feelings for her, at one point, just so that he wouldn’t lose her. “I promise you, nothing like this will ever happen again–” he didn’t know that it wouldn’t, but he knew that he would do his damn best to make sure it won’t. “–and I’ll make it up to you. To you and Florian. If you’ll let me.“ Daniel’s voice caught at the last word, and he met her gaze, almost pleading, her hands still clasped in his. "I don’t ever want to lose you, Vera. I’m so scared I’ll lose you.” 

Seeing his forlorn face, Vera couldn’t help but extend an hand to pat his shoulder. She had thought this would be an all-out war where she would pour out the bitterness that had been festering within her for the past week, but she had felt it slowly dissipate and get replaced by a feeling of longing. As if she wanted to get this over with as soon as she could so that they could go back to being how they had been all their lives. It wasn’t as if she didn’t feel bad at being ignored that day anymore, but hearing the earnestness in Daniel’s voice made her heart wrench - it was as if she had somehow ended up getting ignored because it was her fault. Her fault for not figuring out sooner that something was wrong. Her fault for not paying enough attention.

As he talked about the night, her eyes threatened to well up with tears but she restrained herself with tremendous willpower. She hadn’t seen him like this since he had lost his mother. If she thought about it carefully, that was the time when things went south. From friends who shared every little thing with each other, they had graduated into a strange limbo - where on the surface they were friends as close as ever, meeting every other day for lunch and partying till the wee hours whenever they felt like, but there was a sense of unease. As if something had gone horribly wrong but they were too scared to talk about it - as if talking about it would make it somehow real and they’d rather live in their Eden of belonging crafted from childhood memories where nothing ever went wrong. If she was honest with herself, the first instance of not being completely honest was her fault. The time when they were 14 and she had called Daniel to pick her up from the last protest she was ever a part of, she hadn’t known how to talk about it. She didn’t know how to explain what had happened to her so she had ignored it, simply stating she had had a fight with some of them. Difference of ideology, she’d said. She didn’t know if Daniel had believed her then, but she knew for a fact that she didn’t believe him now. There was something else, maybe something with his father that he wasn’t telling her about but for the life of her she couldn’t figure out what it was. Sure, Mr. Choi had never been particularly warm, she had noticed that right from their childhood, but it had never mattered, his mum was the nicest person Vera had ever met and she still felt it was her death that Daniel had still not been able to process. It was all conjecture of course. It helped to keep her mind racing so she wouldn’t blame herself completely for their downfall.

She shook her head furiously, “You never have to pretend with us, Daniel. You should’ve just told us and none of us would’ve attended that play. It was trash anyway,” She tried to lighten the mood a little, but it was a half-hearted attempt that fell flat. She clasped his face in her hands and looked at him minutely, “But darling you don’t need to. You don’t need to handle this all on your own, you know that right?” Shaking her curls furiously she said, “No no, stop saying sorry. I am sorry that I didn’t realise this sooner. I should’ve talked to you, I should’ve known something was wrong.” Once again her eyes started stinging but this time she couldn’t bear to hold it back. A single tear fell on her sleeve as she hastily hugged him, hoping he hadn’t seen anything, “Hey, hey,” she said softly, “That was all just talk. You’re never going to lose me. I won’t let you.” She stroked his head gently, feeling his head on her shoulder made her inexplicably happy for some reason. She felt a strange surge of joy she hadn’t felt in weeks she couldn’t help smiling a little as she said, “Still, you do have to make it up to Florian and me, you know. We are not going to let you off easy!” But she quickly snapped back. Pulling back slightly, she looked at him seriously, “You can tell me what’s wrong in your own time Daniel, nothing you could ever say would make me love you less. Ever.”

“Never were truer words spoken,” Reese agrees with Veronica, which in itself is a miracle. If someone was to overhear they might of found it very out of character but people seemed to have a twisted perception of her at times. She didn’t go around being cruel to people for no reason unless they gave her a reason, even if those reasons were sometimes just having stupid or ridiculous beliefs she could not agree with. There was a time for making friends and in politics you needed the right ones, not extra weight dragging you down to be with the fools that you were meant to step over on the way, “I’ve made a quick exit a few times here and there.”

It seems like a challenge, the dangling keys and the happy hour mention, she finds herself drawn to Veronica for more than just her elegance and class now. A woman truly after her own heart. Painted red lips tug upwards in each corner into a knowing smirk because unlike her twin Reese has had years of practice when it comes to holding her drink, especially in a room full of bigger bulkier men, “Trust me, Veronica Park, I’ll never let you down,” she promises, eyes alight with something unknown as she turns briefly looking at the road as they await their destination. She glances back, “I’m somewhat of a master when it comes to happy hour but you can lead the way.”

Veronica grinned at the girl’s confidence. It was a fresh change from the many people she had to convince to open up. Reese seemed comfortable in her own skin which for Veronica, was the greatest judge of character. She hummed softly as they sped down the beautifully scenic road that winded down before them. She laughed softly at her mention of escapades, “Oh, nice, I’d love to hear about them. Quick exits always make interesting stories,” she laughed. “And what’s life without fun stories to tell, right? I mean even the worst fuck ups make such great stories that it’s almost worth going through them.” she mused out loud as she swerved the car expertly over a bender.

“Oh look, we’re here!” Veronica was herself surprised at the speed with she had driven them. Parking carelessly, she switched off the ignition. The hamlet was so quiet and deserted, parking was never a bother. “One of the only good things about not being in New York is this,” she said motioning towards her car, “Parking her in New York takes forever, almost like trying to find a leprechaun in Paris.” It was an absurd comparison but it was somehow funny to her. Glancing at Reese she said, “Well, if I were to lead, I’d order LIITs but I understand if that’s not your taste. You seem like a whiskey girl, to be honest.” she smiled as they entered the pub.

The disapproving look the school paper editor shot Mason Yoon as she spoke about why he had to be the official photographer of the All Hallows’ Fest as his apology for his poorly-done job at the play made the boy smirk, and wave a dismissive hand as he, finally, after almost fifteen minutes of back and forth, agreed that he would do his job. Perhaps, ‘agree’ was the wrong word, because Mason didn’t have a choice. As agreed by him and his Photojournalism professor, he would have to volunteer his services to the school paper and, in exchange, he’d up his average from a C to a B. Not that a C was bad, but a B was needed for him to continue playing for the varsity soccer team, and Mason loved playing for the varsity soccer team. It was like he was having a bad case of deja vu, really, for he had found himself in the exact same situation before, when he was in high school. “Yes, yes, yes, Camille, I’ll do it. You don’t have to grovel.” Another disapproving look, and this time, Mason laughed before walking away, his camera hanging by the band around his neck.

The sunlight felt warm on his skin as he stepped into the grounds and he opened his arms and quite dramatically took a deep breath in. He let out a satisfied ‘Ahhh”, and he was lough enough that he caught the attention of some freshmen sitting on the nearby bench, and one of them– the boy– scowled at him as he raised his hand to his head in a salute, while the girl just smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. He was done for the rest of the day, but he did have to buy some new film in preparation for the All Hallows’ Fest, and he was sure he would be consuming quite a lot, if Camille would have her way. Last time he submitted a single photo of the wrecked hall, she almost screamed his head off, and Mason wondered why she didn’t just take his suggestion to use some photo a student had posted on the internet. There were definitely quite a few. He was rummaging through his bag for his car keys, not quite paying attention to his surroundings as he walked, when he heard her voice, causing him to look up. “Huh, you’re the second girl to need my services for today,” he said, lips forming that trademark half-smirk half-smile of his. “Can’t say no to a trip downtown. Mine or yours?” He gestured to the parking lot. “I would offer to drive, but I want to give you the option in case you want to. Feminism and all that.”

Veronica clicked her tongue as soon as the words came out of his month. “I am not in need of your services Mason, I was being sociable,” she pursed her lips as she regarded the boy with some criticality. He wasn’t somebody who was usually on her radar but he was popular enough that Veronica had heard his name thrown around a couple of times. Something to do with playing ball she remembered vaguely. Not one for sports, she hoped he wasn’t one of those jocks who couldn’t stop talking about their game manoeuvres. Tilting her head slightly, she raised an eyebrow, “I hope you’re not going to make me regret this?” she asked playfully, “I don’t do this often, so if this goes south you’ll be the reason I never approach a stranger again.”

It was obviously an exaggeration but Vera has always enjoyed putting people in a spot. She wanted to see if Mason would back out or if he was up for the challenge. Her instinctive judging of personality had already begun in her head as she decoded his body language. The smirk, his swagger, made her believe this was not someone who would back off easily or shy away from a challenge. Fishing out her keys she pointed it at her car and looked at the boy directly, “And of course, it’s terrible behaviour to take two cars when we are going the same way.” She continued in a grave tone, “Carpooling is the least we owe to the environment, really.” She sighed as she looked away, mentally already cursing people who didn’t take reducing carbon footprint seriously. 

The day had been relatively dull; then again, that was most days. Her lectures had been rather boring, there was not really anyone left worth wasting her breath on. Her Father wasn’t speaking to her after the many undignified texts that she had sent him about his sexist views on women and how she was going to find a way to make him suffer. Her Mother definitely wasn’t fond of replying to anything that could cause an issue and Isla was completely oblivious to the political battle that raged between the Kensingtons day and night, waiting for one of them to take the final strike that would set them apart forever. Reese knew soon that she would be less intent on sending her Father baiting messages and more intent on showing the world that the Mayor could be put out of favour by his very own daughter at any given moment. 

Veronica Park was strolling towards her, the normal air of radiance that she carried. She was the type of woman that made people stop and stare, she reeked of the luxury that most in Astor did and unlike most, she carried it as if she deserved it. She was elegance incarnated and surprisingly, Reese did not hate her for it. She was someone that she would of considered a worthy opponent, a delightful enemy to keep and possibly even someone she could entertain as a surface level friend.

When she drew close enough to hear what she was saying, her lips pulled up into a rather political smile. Perhaps that was as close to genuine as she got most of the time, “I wouldn’t mind, if I’m the company you want to keep today,” she responded with a more real grin, her gaze travelling to the way she was patting for her car keys. “Are you driving? Oh, we will make a grand entrance.”

Veronica rarely, if ever, paid any attention to the students in the years below her own. It wasn’t anything personal, perhaps just the golden age fallacy, where every generation assumes theirs is the best time to be alive, Veronica truly believed her own year had enough interesting people to skip unnecessary socialising over the ages. The other thing she truly believed was that if someone would make enough waves, she would ultimately come face to face with them, whether she liked it or not. It was how Astor worked and she’d lie if she said she wan’t one of the perpetrators of the social structure even though she consciously never participated within it’s ranks. But Reese had managed to stand out even within Vera’s dismissive glances. The girl definitely had fire in her soul and Vera always appreciated a little more spunk in the world.

Though most of their interactions had been until then restricted to Machiavelli corridors and the law section in the library, Veronica felt glad of an opportunity to get to know the girl. Taking her keys out of her pocket she pointed at the car to unlock it. “Well, cars are either good for a grand entrance or a quick exit,” she smirked familiarly at the girl, “and it’s been a while since I’ve done both in one day.” She motioned Reese to take a seat as she settled in. When she wanted to, Vera could be uncommonly welcoming, with an easygoing charm that was generally absent in her interactions with strangers. “I hope you can hold your own at happy hour?” she smirked as they drove out of the gates of Astor and turned to look at the girl, eyes glinting, “because I’m not going to let you down easy!”

In all the years that he’s known Vera, he has been witness to the many, many times she’d been furious. She was a wildfire when she was angry, and she blazed whoever was in her way. But not Daniel. Never Daniel. Where Vera was hot, Daniel was warm– lukewarm, in fact– which was why they complimented each other that way, and he had long since been in awe with his best friend who never backed down from a fight. She was frightening when she was angry, truly, but Daniel was always right beside her, fighting for her cause in his own way by making sure she was taken care of, whether she knew it or not. Which was why all this was new to him, and certainly for her, too. Because in all the years he’s known Vera, he had never once had her anger be directed at him.

His head bowed, he closed the door gently, and winced at her words. He opened his mouth to say something– anything in response to her words, but nothing would come out. Nothing, except, “I’m sorry, Vera. I messed up, I know.” He expected this, of course. But in all the scenes he’d play in his head of how things would go down once they spoke to each other again, he never once felt the gravity of the possibility of losing her. He never thought it could be possible. And that, amongst all other things, was the most terrifying to him. And he never once, for a second, thought that she would think that it was because of her– that because he was tired of her. He just felt guiltier by the second, the pit in his stomach growing at her words, and he looked at her and shook his head vigorously. “No! No, of course not! I’m not– I would never get tired of you. Never. I just–” He stopped himself, realizing now that even if he wanted to be truthful with her, he couldn’t. And perhaps that was the worst thing, because no matter how badly he wanted to be honest with her, he couldn’t be. No matter how badly he wanted to tell Vera about everything that was troubling him, there was no way he could. He told himself it was because he didn’t want to get her involved, but he knew the truth; that while he was afraid of what would happen if she ever found out, he was ashamed, too. 

Daniel ran his fingers through his hair, sighing. “I know, and I’m sorry. I am– I truly am. There’s just been…. so many things going on.” Daniel looked up at her, and hoped his eyes conveyed how truly apologetic he was for what he did. He wanted to tell her the truth, but he knew he couldn’t, so even if he was being dishonest once again, he didn’t have a choice. He had to give her a reason– any reason. Otherwise, he could actually lose her. “It’s just… my dad, Vera. We, um, had a fight.” He tried to hold her gaze steadily with his. At least it wasn’t a complete lie. He was always good at that; at presenting another truth, so that he didn’t have to admit about the other thing. His dad has always been a cause of distress, and distraction for him, and while he would never have done such a thing to either Vera or Florian because of a fight with his father, he only hoped Vera would accept his reason. “Please forgive me. I swear, nothing like this will ever happen again. I value you too. So much. I just.. fucked up.”

Vera and Daniel’s friendship had never been casual. From the moment they had become friends, they had known that there was a instant connection that came from a place of deep instinctiveness, almost as if they had recognised something in each other that the world hadn’t yet. Vera, no matter how hot headed, always calmed down when treated to Daniel’s gentle warmth and affection. In all these years, especially after they became friends with Florian, it had felt like this connection had multiplied. She had really believed that. But now she realised, that it was more likely that it had dimmed. In the flurry of activity, of their impossibly complex lives, they had forgotten the simple pleasure of telling each other all their stories and laughing at the world in a way only two people perfectly in sync could.

It hurt her to look at him directly, his beloved face looked so small, woeful that it broke her heart. But Vera had never been one to wear her heart on her sleeve. His looked so guilty that a less stubborn person would’ve hugged him in an instant, it was just a party, it’s okay - they would say. And though for a split second Vera did think of just forgiving him, after all it would mean the end of the sinking feeling of loneliness she seemed to carry within her all the time these days, she brushed away the thoughts. No, now was not the time to be emotional, she needed some solid answers to put her racing mind at rest. She knew he was being honest when he said he wasn’t tired of her. She blew a raspberry looking at him sharply as she plopped herself on his bed, in a rather undignified manner, very uncharacteristic for Veronica. But she had never had time for graces around Daniel anyway.

“What is it then?” she spat, a little more emphatically than she intended, “What are these things that are going on and why the hell do I not know about them?” Her heart went cold when he mentioned his father. Her eyes widened, “A fight? It’s never just a fight with you father Daniel, who are you kidding?” She suddenly felt the pit in her stomach twisting in knots. Was she the one to blame? In her haste to top senior year and indulge unprecedentedly so that she had no regrets when college got over, had she ignored her friend so much that she had failed to notice that something was horribly wrong? Did he find her presence so lacking that he had had to share his plight with others? Did such a vast distance really loom between them and she was only just realising it? The creased lines on her forehead had eased and a shadow of concern loomed over her face, “I... Daniel, what’s wrong? Are you okay? What... what did he do?” 

All the time.

In the life of Veronica Park, nothing had the gall to be ordinary. From her Maserati Ghibli to  her custom-made Mont Blanc pens engraved with her name on them, everything she owned reeked of class. It was graceful without being overbearing, expensive, without being gaudy. In many ways, she supposed, she should have given up these things when she had set out to change the world, but she had realised that powerful people responded to power and having an aura of that power resided in these little things. They lent her personality a glittering edge which looked liked jewels from afar but when you got near enough your realised it was actually her pearly white teeth sharpened with words, that shone menacingly. Her impeccable logic could put people down much more easily than some bloated show of extravagance ever would. But when they got close enough to realise it wasn’t her money that was threatening, it was her mind, it was already too late, they were caught off-guard. Because money could be countered by many but very few could stand testament to Vera’s wit.

Having won another mock court against one of her classmates she was feeling restless. Winning against her peers in class had lost their charm. What seemed like a challenge earlier now had become commonplace. Most of the classes were still going on and Vera idlely contemplated getting Sebastian to send the chartered plane for a small two-day trip to Paris, maybe. But she dismissed the thought thinking of the number of questions the administration would have when she came back, not to mention the amount of logistics she’d have to figure out to find a spot in her parents’ busy schedules when they weren’t using the aircraft. Instead, she settled on driving her car to the town, maybe get a few pints. Strolling through the grounds, she started walking towards her car when she noticed a familiar figure in the distance, “Hey!” she grinned, she was feeling oddly sociable so she decided to go with her instincts, “Fancy a trip down town?” she said, patting her pockets to fish out her car keys.

Daniel had been trying to sleep for the most part of the evening. Trying and failing. There were too many things going on inside his head– too many thoughts that he couldn’t quite push away, causing him to toss and turn all night. Kellan, as per usual, was nowhere to be found, and Daniel wasn’t surprised. He was always running about, off to places Daniel couldn’t even think where, and for the moment, a small part of him hoped he was with him instead. He was itching for a drink, and he oddly felt too pathetic doing it on his lonesome. He thought of calling Florian, but he felt guilty enough about him being interrogated, and he thought it would be selfish of him to wake his old friend in the middle of the night for a drink, just to appease his own guilt. There was Vera, but he hadn’t spoken to her in a while, and he was certain she was still furious at him. And she had every right to be.

Vera. The calming music blasting softly from his airpods did very little to stop himself from thinking of her. He missed her, badly, but he was too afraid, felt too guilty to even show up at her dorm and apologize. He never once flaked on an agreement, the play being the first incident, and even if he was sorry, the damage had been done. Then there was the Mira of it all. Hiding about his being an Arsonists from his two best friends was hard enough, and hiding from Vera that he’d spend a good part of the evening with someone she didn’t always agree with just made him feel all sorts of bad. He turned on his bed again, one airpod falling out of his ear and onto his pillow. It was just as well, because he would not have heard the knock on his door if it hadn’t.

To say he was surprised to hear her voice on the other side of the door would be an understatement. Daniel quickly stood, knowing well that she would actually do as she threatened if he didn’t open the door, but there was no chance of it happening. Because Daniel wanted to see Vera, despite the heavy feeling in his chest, but he simply looked at her in astonishment as soon as the door was open. He was glad to see her, but he was definitely surprised. “Hi,” he said softly. “What are you– What are you doing here? You know you’re not supposed to be here at this hour. Come in before someone sees you.” He opened the door wider, stepping aside for her to come in. 

Vera slipped inside quickly as soon as he opened the door, eyes flashing, lips pursed, defiance in her step, as if making it clear that her coming all this way wasn’t a white flag, it was more of a red one. She crossed her arms firmly across her chest as she leaned back on the door and smiled at Daniel. It was a grim smile, more frightening than comforting - “So, you’re alive?” She straightened his collar as she continued, “And look at that, in tip-top shape. Not even a limb broken!” Her voice was like a knife slicing through butter, smooth but with an unmistakably sharp edge.

It had taken every ounce of her love for Daniel to overcome her ego and come visit him. In fact, if she was going to be truthful about it, it was not actually the love. Love was kind, forgiving even - it made her believe that he must have had a good reason, a valid cause. Love had faith, it was gentle. But what brought her to his room that night wasn’t love at all, it was spite. She had seen him flitting around in moments during the entire evening, inexplicably busy, a frenzied sociability that was uncharacteristic even for him. She had only gritted her teeth though, refusing to dignify this blatant disregard of their relationship with a response. For a brief moment when she saw him talking to Mira she had even considered never speaking to him again. Later as she replayed his behaviour she kept thinking he’d be back soon with such a sound reason that it would all make sense. But he hadn’t. And she didn’t see it. She saw absolutely no logic no matter how many times she analysed the evening in her head, and nothing maddened Vera more than illogical behaviour.

“I don’t know Daniel, after all these years are you finally tired of my jokes, had enough of my thoughts?” His complete dismissal of the bond they shared could have no other explanation. But despite her severely wounded ego she put on a brave face, “I just wish you’d have told me instead of sneaking around to mingle with what I assume for you, must be better company!” She gave him a long piercing look, “I think I deserved a little heads up - it’s a pity when someone I considered my greatest ally, perhaps even above my parents in some instances,” she hadn’t intended to give away so much and her voice quivered for a brief second before she managed to regain her composure, “I mean, someone I value so much, can’t even bring himself to be honest with me.” She looked away, refusing to let him see her eyes that reflected a very different emotion than the caustic aggression her words were laced with.