Calm and Calamity

Chapter 35

"I do not see how this plan will work," grumbled Rin whilst she looked down, concentrating on where she was moving her feet.

"What plan?" asked Kai innocently.

"To plan to make..." Rin's face scrunched up and reddened.

Kai chuckled.

Rin glared at him, then growled through gritted teeth, "just shut up and keep dancing."

"You know it'll only really work if it looks like you're actually having fun."

"It'll only work if  he was actually fucking here!"

"Oh, he's here!" Kai gasped.

Rin's head jolted up; her eyes darted around until she noticed the guilty smirk on Kai's face. "Really?"

"Sorry.'' Kai cleared his throat, attempting to stop himself from laughing.

"It's not funny."

"Yeah, I'm sorry," said Kai, still sniggering. "But he is here now."

"I'm not falling for that again."

"No, he's really here." He motioned over with his head.

Rin dared to glance that way and saw Sumit exit from the water nymph building. He gave a very loud 'whoop' and joined the dancefloor, everyone cheering and laughing as he challenged Harmony to a dance-off. There was no competition, Harmony was the clear victor, but Sumit still gave it his all with unprecedented amounts of energy and enthusiasm with his rather odd and goofball dance moves. Rin watched on, a slight smile appearing on her lips from seeing Sumit having fun, but then it soured. He had barely given her a sideways glance.

The evening drew to a close as Calixte and Daina played the very last song. All of the prisoners slowly dispersed after helping clean up. Princess Alfreda and her servants left the settlement to return to their house to sleep, as did Corinna, Harmony, and Calixte, and Salim and Reggie to their tent.

Rin collected up her belongings when Kai approached her. She lowered her head. "I don't think it worked," she mumbled. "But thanks anyway."

Kai paused for a moment before responding, "you don't wear your mask as often anymore."

"Well, not much point." Rin glanced down at her white mask attached to her belt, the black writing swirling and twisting as she spoke. "Not a whole lot of fighting going on."

"I didn't mean that mask," said Kai. "Seems like you've... grown out of your shell a bit." And with those words, Kai bid her a goodnight before leaving to his house alongside Dex.

Rin reconvened with Ivette and Sumit, beginning the journey back to the trading outpost. Ivette and Sumit enthused about the music and dancing along the way whilst Rin remained silent and unconversational as usual.

*

Throughout the evening, Wendy had kept her ear against the walls of her room, listening to the muffled music and laughter outside.

What was going on? She thought to herself.

Intrigued, she continued to listen and softly hummed along to the song, then grabbed her soft toy giraffe and spun it around. She stumbled and collapsed as the chain shackled around her ankle wrapped around her. After picking herself up again, Wendy returned to the wall, squishing her ear against it as close as possible, hoping that she could hear the music more clearly that way.

Over all of the other chaotic sounds and noises of music, she could hear the voices of Dex, Kai, and Corinna. They were laughing and cheering and singing. Alongside Dex's voice were the sounds of young children screaming and giggling. Were these the 'imps' Dex had talked about before? She could always hear the imps running around outside of her room and was often accompanied by Dex's voice. It seemed that he spent a lot of time with them nowadays.