The moon was gleaming brightly by the time they finally chanced upon a small hut.
"That can't be right," Sistine couldn't keep the spite out of her voice and Aem shot her a grin.
"Unless you enjoy getting poked in the back by roots and rocks," the dark haired girl peered into the paneless window. A gaping hole in the face of a structure built with mud, planks, and primitive cement.
The three wandered in. It's quite amazing how bright night can really be when the sky is not polluted with lights and when the moon is shining at full power. Moonbeams danced across the various objects in the hut, lighting the thin film of dust that lay over everything. Sistine ran her finger across the surface of a rickety crate that looked like it may have been used as a table at one point or another. Her finger came away coated in dust and she pounded her palm on the shimmery dress she still wore.
"It doesn't look like anyone's been here in a while," she said softly, garnering a muted scoff from Aem.
"It's an adventure, Sistine!" She insisted. Pulling open a woven basket, Aem glanced inside, "Look!"
B73 and Sistine crowded Aem, wondering what she might have found in such a desolate and bare place. The girl lifted a bottle filled with liquid out and lifted it high, out of the shadows. Suspended in the ochre liquid was a thick coil, which at first glance, looked like rope. But the Rho gave a little yelp as she discovered gleaming fangs glinting in the moonbeams.
Before the glass could shatter on the packed earth, B73 snatched it out of the air and set it gingerly on the crate.
"Anyone get the feeling that we're not supposed to be here?" He looked at both of the girls, "Stuffing a snake into a bottle seems like an ominous warning, don't you think?"
"Is our Beta afraid?" Aem narrowed her eyes at him.
"Wary would be a better word." He answered flatly, rubbing his index finger against the bridge of his nose.
"How about you, Sistine?" Aem's gray eyes gleamed, "Does Floaty scare you?"
The blonde girl, emboldened by her friend's presence, picked up the bottle that B73 had set down and peered into the liquid, seeking the snake's vacant gaze.
"I don't think this is a warning, I think this might be medicine," Sistine said finally. Popping the cork, she gave the concoction a little whiff before doubling over.
"Or not!" She made a choking sound in between coughs, passing the bottle over to B73 who took it from her and put the cork back on after giving it a tentative sniff.
"That's no medicine," he said with a small knowing smile, "it's some kind of moonshine."
"Moonshine?" Aem grabbed the bottle back from him and glared into it.
"An ale," he frowned, "or something like that–"
"Like those bubbly drinks we get during events?" An excited expression flashed across Sistine's face.
"Something like that, some of the boys make their own out of grain and wheat. But it's the first time I've seen one made from a snake." B73's face was wrinkled in apprehension.
The three appraised the bottle of snake wine before Aem broke the silence, "Who wants to try it?"
"Do you dare?" Though Sistine was eager before, the appearance of the snake did nothing to encourage her.
Without hesitating, Aem popped the bottle open once again and took a swig.
"It's not half bad," wiping her lips with the sleeves of her green sweater, she passed the bottle to Sistine who accepted it reluctantly but she too swallowed a mouthful before passing it to B73.
"This is insanity," he murmured before drinking deeply, though pleasantly surprised by its taste. The trio imagined that it would be reptilian or fishy, but it proved to be mildly sweet with a woody fragrance that lingered.
"You two are bad influences," he laughed, shaking his head.
"Who do you think left it here?" Sistine ventured after they had passed the bottle around a couple of times until only half left. The disappearing liquid warmed them and lowered their inhibitions, filling their heads full of cotton.
"Someone who wanted to make sure their wine stays hidden," hiccoughed Aem, the alcohol had left her drowsy and her eyes were at half-mast.
Giggling, Sistine looked at the snake which was slowly emerging from the amber liquid. She sloshed it around, "Someone's going to be surprised to find half of it gone. Evaporated by ghosts."
"I'm sure they wouldn't mind, if they knew how pretty the ghosts are," B73 had made himself comfortable on the floor. Years of hard labor has made him immune to grime, though the two girls kept their poise and remained standing. Almost like statues, the Beta boy smiled to himself.
"Are you calling yourself pretty?" Aem threw her head back and laughed throatily.
"Sistine thinks I'm pretty," B73's words were slightly slurred but his eyes were alert as they sought R16.
A rush of warmth stole into Sistine's cheeks and she pursed her lips together to prevent the gleam of her grin from betraying her thoughts.
"Not as pretty as Aem is, though," she said finally.
Her friend snorted in the dark, "Yes, we're all super attractive people who deserve to be in a Pleasure House together, but here we are in a disgusting little hut with no beds and a half bottle of snake piss."
"Someone doesn't sound pleased," fighting back a grin of his own, B73 turned to Aem who didn't look as agitated as she sounded.
"I'm not unhappy," she grumbled, but with the wine jumbling her thoughts, it was hard to keep her head straight, "I'm saying facts. We deserve a stunning sunrise!" She grabbed the bottle from Sistine and poured more wine into her mouth until the snake bobbed against her upper lip. A muffled scream of disgust evaporated in the back of her mind and she pushed the bottle back into R16's hands.
"Look, why don't we try to find the Pleasure House again, tomorrow? When it's bright." Sistine pulled Aem towards her comfortingly and the girl nodded.
"Mm, sounds like a plan."
"If we can find our way out of here."
B73 and Aem's voices overlapped each other and the three burst out laughing, giddy from the effects of the wine. Though B73's concerns were unfounded. It turned out that Aem actually had a wonderful sense of direction – that, or she had a photographic memory – because she led them back to Rho house without so much as a detour.
By the time they could see the building, the night sky was illuminated by the coming dawn, chasing hues of indigo and dimming the stars. Once the two girls broke away from B73, they chatted sleepily about how attractive they found the boy and Aem mentioned that she would happily spend the night with someone like him.
It was a testament to their youth that when the tolling bell in the city square chimed seven times, they were out of bed quicker than a frightened squirrel, looking fresher than a daisy. After a quick breakfast of protein shakes and fruits, the two girls beckoned to each other constantly. An exchange of conspiratorial whispers between one dark-haired Rho and another tow-headed Rho persisted throughout class. They were halfway through their morning practice when R16 was called away to the office.
Unsure what to expect, R16 shot R18 a worried look before rushing to meet R100, heart in her throat. When she arrived, she could see a flurry of activity through the small gap left by a carelessly shut door.
"... most unusual... sure you understand... responsible for my charges..."
R16 pushed the door open, hoping the creaking door would alert R100 to her presence. She didn't feel comfortable standing at the precipice like a thief or eavesdropper.
Swallowing, she took a step forward, "R100, you wanted to see me?"
"Ah, yes," R100 stopped pacing and regarded one of her more talented dancers with an affirming smile but that smile surreptitiously slipped from her face as her steel gray eyes slid downwards to appraise the man seated in front of her.
From the back of his head, R16 imagined that he looked familiar, but she wasn't held in suspense for much longer as he turned to meet her gaze.
"Mr. Orion!" She exclaimed, a dainty hand shooting up to graze her lips. She was a picture of shock.
Pressing her lips tightly against each other, "Yes, I am aware that this is... highly unconventional..." a judgemental tone entered R100's voice, "... but Mr. Orion has decided to grace us in the middle of a working day and requested your presence."
The minder made it clear that there was no higher insult to be inflicted upon her than the blatant disregard for her academy's schedule.
Sistine could barely lift her gaze to meet Orion's dark brown eyes, so reminiscent of R18's. There was a subtle angle to their eyes that made them both intriguing and intense at the same time.
"I hope you would forgive the intrusion," Orion straightened up and proffered his hand, the sleeves of his brown suit seemed to be just a tad bit too long. Maybe district leaders aren't that much concerned with their appearances, unlike Rhos and their need to dress their best.
"But I thought we could pick up where we left off last night."
The words made R100's eyes go as big as saucers and she lost her composure as she spluttered, "L-l-last night?"
"Mr. Orion was present at Mr. Sisyphus' event last night," R16 filled in quickly, "in fact, there were quite a few Names about. I met Timon, Daphne, Theo–"
"Quite right," Orion agreed, "and I had promised to show Rho Sixteen the gardens, if I may?"
R100 sighed heavily, "I should hate to set a precedent..." Reluctance colored her voice though there was no conviction behind her words.
"Ultimately," The Rho's minder said in a final bid to turn down the district leader who looked on most amusedly, "it is R16's decision."
Sistine chewed the inside of her lip for a moment before appraising the man before her. She should hate to disappoint R100, but she could hardly say no to the beckoning thrill of adventure.
"Where are we going?" R16 smiled tentatively and met Orion's glittering gaze. He straightened from the armchair positioned in front of R100's office table and offered R16 his hand.
When she took it, he brought it up against his lips gently before guiding her out the door without a second glance at R100 who looked assaulted in the most uncomfortable manner. Huffing, she pressed down on her leotard and turned towards her desk and sat down. She glanced at the calendar that was mortifyingly filled with appointments inquiring after R16.
The girl had hardly turned heads in all her years of performing, and now one silly society paper was enough to change her entire life. R100 didn't know how she was going to manage all the attention.
R16's eyes gleamed as she looked out the window of the vehicle that Orion had come in. Anyone could call a car, but the cars available for each department varied. District leaders had cars that have a glossy black finish and luxurious faux leather seats that were made from hemp. Since entertaining or discussions played a significant part in their vocation, the seats were also spacious and made R16 feel like she was sitting on a cloud. Furthermore, district leaders were assigned their own Alphas as their routes often varied and didn't follow the Grid.
R16 couldn't see the Alpha from the back seat as a divider separated them. While ownership was an archaic idea, she couldn't help but feel slightly envious that she didn't have access to such luxuries.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I assume that you don't get many days off, do you?" Orion interrupted her reverie as he watched her staring out the car window.
"No," she looked at him and the sight of her light brown eyes made Orion marvel at how it made him feel. It wasn't so much as a jolt of electricity, but a surge of warmth that enveloped him in a comforting embrace.
"But we have been to the Botanical Gardens and Museum," she shared, "which garden are we visiting today?"
"We can go anywhere you'd like to go," he answered, reveling in her company, "have you been to the beach?"
"Once, I think. I was quite small, I think I was still in Prep where I was Rho Two." She turned back to look out of the window. There was never really any reason for them to take a transport as everywhere they needed to go was situated conveniently nearby.
"Are we going to the beach?"
"Do you want to?"
"I... don't know. Where do you usually go on your off days?"
"I don't have days off," he admitted, "even on days I am expected to rest, I find myself swept up in parties or meetings."
"Well," she turned those ridiculously warm eyes on him again, "where do you want to go?"
They went back and forth a few times, both trying to gauge what the other was not saying until they came to an understanding that neither had any strong opinions on where they would prefer to spend the day. At last, it was agreed that they would visit a different district due to R16's curiosity.
"Do you think I could visit another Rho Academy?" She asked, "Wouldn't it be funny to meet another R16?"
"Why not? But I doubt she would be as lovely as you are." Orion's words were firm and sincere, though they made R16's stomach flutter.
"Do you think that there's another Orion out there?" The moment the words left her lips, R16 froze, for fear that she might have overstepped and it wasn't an appropriate question to ask. But Orion didn't even falter as he chuckled.
"I'm sure there must be. Our names are all given based on an ancient human civilization called the Greek, as I'm sure you must have learnt in Prep, and I doubt there are enough names to go around without repeating any of them."
"Yes," R16 nodded, "even the numbering system is based on the ancient Greek numerals: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta..." she ticked off one by one until she finally reached, "... Omega."
"Why do you think we borrow so many things from the Greek?" It was an intrusive question to be sure, but it wasn't enough for Orion to spend time with R16, it was almost imperative that he learned what she thought, and she didn't disappoint.
"I personally believe that it's because the Greek were one of the earliest human civilizations that were not lost to history, existing right up till the Great Collapse," clearly R16 had given it some previous thought, which brought a smile to Orion's lips.
"But," R16 paused, thinking about her classes back in Prep school before she started at the Academy and dancing full time, "didn't the Chinese continue to exist even after..." she squinted and scrunched up her face as she tried to bring the year to mind, "... three thousand over years of history... making them a civilization that is much older, still?"
"I believe it is much more political than simply which was the oldest existing civilization," Orion said, one corner of his mouth tugging upwards into an amused smirk, "when the Great Collapse occurred, China and America were engaged in a power struggle... seeing as Greece was one of America's strongest allies, I'm sure you are able to conclude for yourself who won that battle... but the world is trying to move on, and in an attempt to remove Society from historical rivalry, we adopted Greecian names and numbers. It's nonsense, if you ask me. Human history is steeped in blood. If I had any say, we'd have our own system instead of borrowing from a fallen empire."
His impassioned speech left a grin on Sistine's face and she whispered conspiratorially, "Are you allowed to say things like that?"
"Probably not," he laughed, "but you're easy to talk to."
"I get that a lot..." R16 bit the inside of her mouth again, thinking of whether she could bring up what she wanted to talk about. Finally, she decided that since he could be candid with her, it must mean that she could be candid with him, too.
"The funny thing is, I was hardly ever popular until the society papers made me out to be a Madonna. I don't think I've learnt about her in my lessons before..."
"If you're asking why you're suddenly getting so much attention, that was a very clever way of asking, and I almost fell for it... But I'm going to tell you anyway, because I'm sure you'll be getting even more proposals in the coming few weeks. There's been a renewed interest in repopulating. Our numbers are not multiplying the way we had hoped–"
"–and I'm being paraded as a prime candidate?" The words left a revolting taste on her tongue. It was almost as bad as being called a breeder.
"Yes," R16 appreciated that Orion didn't sugarcoat his words, "and in a couple of weeks, mark my words, there would be another girl being splashed on the front pages."
"What about lab babies? Aren't they much more ethical?"
"At one point, we thought that it would be much easier on Society as a whole, but when natural reproduction is free... why should resources be put into lab-grown babies?"
Sistine gave a non-committal grunt, acknowledging what Orion had said but not completely agreeing with him.
"It sounds like Society is misleading us, somehow." Thoughts about babies and breeding were running through her head and all she wanted was to speak to Aem about it. She would be able to put her finger on exactly why Sistine felt uneasy.
"I'm sure you don't like the idea of being paraded as some kind of brood mare," even as he chuckled, Orion sounded genuine, "but it's nothing more than encouragement for people to take interest. There is no grand conspiracy. We want higher birth rates, and we're making thinly veiled suggestions rather than commanding the masses to procreate."
He waited in silence until Sistine finally lifted her eyes, "You can always say no."
A practiced smile appeared on Sistine's lips. As a performer, smiling came naturally to her and it never feels forced. But it also meant that she was playing a role that was expected of her and not one that she naturally is. That, she realized, is why she feels so much more comfortable with B73. She never had to put on her mask, at least, not yet.