Worlds Apart

Festivities

The next day I rise, Eadric is already gone. I did not even hear him leave. I think back to last night, how angered he was by my declaration, knowing I do not trust him yet. But could he possibly trust me? Not now, not so soon. But still, as honest as my declaration was, it was cruel, and may end up being completely unfounded if he proves himself to be a truly honorable man, not just an ideal King.

Quickly I make it to the washroom, removing my clothing the second the door is shut behind me and fill the tub quickly, not even bothering to heat it before I get in. The cold water helps to numb my body, removing the warm sensation from my cheeks and chest by the time I am nearly completely submerged. I use the soap on the shelves to impatiently scrub the dirt and blood from my skin before plunging all the way under, where I immediately follow with the same soap to wash my hair. The little accents braids at the base of my hair are somehow still intact and I cannot help but feel that I will not be taking them out for quite some time now that they have been in for nearly a week now. They are probably knotted all the way up to my roots by now. I sigh at this, lying still in the copper tub for a moment longer before finally pulling myself out, where I dry quickly and put on my underclothes before walking to my dresser to change. I dress into the first tunic I find which happens to be a neutral brown, then pull on a pair of similarly cool toned pants, a darker variation of the tunic. As soon as I finish lacing on my shoes and pulling on my gloves, I am up, pulling my hair into a quick ponytail, tying it off higher up on my head in a weak attempt at pulling the shorter layers around my face into it. Most of them and the lower layers fall out the second I have finished securing it, but then again, I did not exactly take the time to smooth it out so I guess it is to be expected. Nevertheless, I finally leave the home, making my way to the clinic to treat patients with Kiche for the day.

I actually stay until nightfall, exhausted by the time Kiche finally dismisses me. But as soon as I exit the tent, I see all of my friends barreling towards me in a rush.

"What? What is it?" I ask them, full of concern.

"Your husband is a god!" Jackie boasts before turning to Carter to wrap an arm around his shoulders. "This one somehow managed to convince the monarch to allow us to throw a little gathering in the town square just like we used to back at camp before, you know, war happened." She then plants a kiss onto his cheek, causing his cheeks to flush a deep red as I smile to him in surprise.

"Seriously? You guys convinced Eadric to allow us to have a party?"

"He's actually really sweet, Aurora!" Alice assures me. "He just said that we need to be mindful of those around us and shut it down by midnight."

"The curfew is a little bit of a ball breaker, but we should manage the stress just fine with a little bit of the Lunaluceat they were so willing to give us. Tis a party fit for delinquents, as one would call us!" Brian adds cockily, and I smirk at that. Delinquents we are, delinquents we shall be. But something else tugs at me.

"Did he say anything about us still having to work tomorrow?"

"Well, that's the catch. We still have to work no matter what condition we're in, but who cares!" Jackie states, her ponytail bouncing as she jumps onto Carter's back who, a light stumble aside, is quick to carry her weight. "We get the night to party and it's only seven! Come on, Aurora, you've gotta let us do this!"

"No shit she does, and anyways, didn't you get thrown into the glasshouse for knocking out ten guards or something?" Brian asks, a wry eyebrow raised with a goofy grin spread across his face.

"It was two knocked out, one injured, alright? I'm not some kind of an animal." I say, and they all laugh at that. Our volume draws the attention of some Grounders who had been walking the streets as they stop and are watching us curiously. I will admit it bothers me some, especially when I see a group of guys around our age smirking towards us condescendingly, as though we are children beneath them, incapable of breaking the rules or showing any emotions aside from submission or fear. Yeah, they need to see how we do things.