It was still early enough for the corner store to be quiet. Kalon propped her elbows on the counter, leaning on them heavily to peer through the gaps in the beaded curtain that separated out the backroom.
Innit stood off to the side with his back to the counter, picking out random items to give his hands something to do.
“Those are good.” Kalon nodded to the packet of candies he held. “My friend’s mother makes them.”
“I ain’t much on the hard candy.” He put it back and started pawing the rack of leaflets on the town’s going-ons. “Reminds me too much of when I was a kid.”
“Ah, got it. I still hate the very smell of baked beans in tomato sauce.”
Innit’s eyes widened. “Tomato…? You mean ketchup?” He wrinkled his nose. “Y’all bake your beans in ketchup?”
Kalon was saved from explaining by the proprietor returning from behind the beaded curtain. She straightened up to give him room to place a small, clear box of sopping rags.
“Here you are, Miss Gousa. These should help your grandfather’s back pain a bit. Anything else?”
She looked at Innit. “Did you want anything?”
Innit looked startled and hastily shook his head, stepping towards the door.
Kalon smiled apologetically to the proprietor. She paid, and trotted after Innit as he retreated outside. She took brisk strides in her lacy knee-high boots to catch him.
“Did I say something?”
“No. I reckon I ain’t used to girls waitin’ on me.”
“Waiting on you, is it? I was unaware offering to buy you a snack qualified.”
Innit pulled the box of rags from her hands. “I’ll carry it.”
“Is this you waiting on me?”
Innit muttered something about unbelieve or ungrateful, but the smirk tugging onto his thin lips betrayed him. She gently nudged him with her shoulder. He bumped her back after a pause.
Kalon left Innit at the stairs as she headed into the basement dwelling to drop off the medicated compresses. She double checked with both Gramps and Grams that there was no pressing business, reapplied her scented oils, and headed back up.
“You’ve helped me make fast work lately. I can skip out today.”
“To do… what?”
“The same thing as here. Minus the building.”
She led him out into the sun and back towards the corner store. They kept going, crossing over the skeletal remains of the mass transport system, and veered north. The building thinned on the other side of a large boulevard, more trees and greenery appearing.
“That road will run into any of the ones going to Paris Colony or Marseille Colony.” She stepped up on a stone to step over the short wall it fell from. “Dijon was marked for a colony several times since the system was implemented, but the damage from the derailed trains and crashed aeroplanes was too much of a mess early on.”
“And now?”
Kalon shrugged. “Perhaps it is still on a list somewhere. King Ea does not seem very ambitious from all I’ve read. He must be satisfied with how things stand.” She grabbed at the weeds hanging in front of her with both hands, yanking them to no avail.
Innit pulled them to the side like a curtain.
Beyond lay a sprawling, overgrown lawn. The wide pathways were still visible by way of there being less grass. Wildflowers that were once not formed clusters but dotted the area at random. There were waterways and those were surprisingly well kept, as were what could be seen of various buildings at that location.
“This is random.”
“It was a botanical garden.” Kalon led the way through the weeds. “It wasn’t uncommon for cities to build them to give more nature to the area. Supposed to be calming or such. Colonies are full of them.”
“Colonies… right.”
She studied his sour expression, frowning. She grabbed his elbow and pulled him towards the nearest bunch of flowers.
“Look at these, Innit. Aren’t they lovely?”
“Reminds me of that book you showed me the day we met. Not the dead wife ones. The scenery ones.” He stared out at the overgrown garden. “What do you think of colonies? Do you want this place to be one?”
Kalon bopped the nearest flower with her toes. It was a thought that popped into her head, moreso with reading of the recent annexation.
“Rather an odd question. Colonies just exist. I don’t have any thought on them other than that. Oh, except that they remind me an awful lot of castles back in the Dark Ages.”
Innit stepped away to fully put her in his puzzled stare. The expression was so reminiscent of a cat confused over which mouse to chase that Kalon laughed, waving his further confusion off apologetically.
“Castles had the palace near the center for the ruler, but then walls that surrounded the town. They weren’t huge towns, mind you, but full of the most necessary shops and businesses. And of course, handfuls of the wealthy that managed lands outside the walls.”
He blinked. “That’s just ‘bout the same thing. Dice never–. Guess it ain’t make any difference if he noticed that or not.”
“Did he ever say what it was like inside the walls?”
“Suffocatin’.” Innit squinted into the bright sky. “He had this thing about stars. Said something about never seein’ them in the colonies. He tried teachin’ us the names sometimes, but none of us cared enough to learn.” Innit smiled sadly. “Even Branch, and I reckon she put in a bit o’effort considerin’ how she had a crush on him.”
“Have you heard any word from Branch?”
She patted his back at his head shake, tapping him again to get him walking. They moved along the waterways, looking for blooming lilies and frogs. They found their way to a mighty rose bramble where bits of metal arches could still be seen, as well as the top of a metal figure’s head in the center. They tried to brave the tangle to see this figure better, but the thorns were too much.
“It was worth an attempt.” Kalon sucked on the end of her pricked finger. “People try to care for these gardens every few months, but things such as taming the roses never happen.”
“I get why. Those thorns pack a wallop more than you’d expect.”
Kalon snickered. “Some of the words you use….”
He feigned hurt, bumping her. She lightly pushed him aside, trotting off towards the waterway. They fell into a slow stride with Kalon balancing on the edge of the stonewalled ditch and Innit shooting her high heeled boots nervous glances.
“You ain’t answer if you wanted Dijon to be a colony. These gardens would get cleared up. You’d get to see what that statue looked like.”
“You assume they wouldn’t throw me out.”
“Why’d they do that? You live here. Your grandparents live here. Y’all run the library, which is very valuable and that automatically makes y’all great to keep ‘round.”
Kalon stopped. She spun on her heels; Innit visibly twitching with his eyes on her feet and hands ready to pull her away from the edge.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you joking?”
“I don’t get–? Will you step away from there?”
“It isn’t deep. I’d get a tad wet if I fell.” She crossed her arms. “You seriously haven’t caught on that I’m damaged goods?”
“What are you–? Kalon, just get away from there. I can’t focus on anything else.”
“I was hoping I wouldn’t need to state it.” She held herself tighter. “Why should I tell you? Why do I need to?”
“You don’t. Please, just–.”
“I do though! I can’t explain why, but I do. We’re trapped in limbo if I don’t.”
“I ain’t got a clue what that even means. Just….”
Kalon stumbled as Innit grabbed her and pulled her forward, away from the walled ditch. His thin fingers were buried into her shoulders, shaking. She could feel his heart pounding against her. She pulled back enough to read his face; his sky blue eyes were wide with fright.
He dropped his gaze. “You make me nervous standin’ there in those boots.”
She ducked her head to rest her forehead on his shoulder, still hugging herself tightly. “I fancy you.”
“Uh… I ain’t gettin’ how you make me fancy?”
She laughed, shaking her head against his shoulder. She stepped out from his hands and gave his wrist a tug.
“I think if we follow the water this way, it takes us to the stone gazebo. It’s quite lovely with the vines growing up the columns.”
Innit was lackadaisical about seeing the gazebo but did not fight her on it. He did not break her grasp either. He allowed himself to be dragged forward for several yards before she let go, falling into step next to him.
The walk to the gazebo was broken by stops to look at random flower patches or muse about exploring other pathways. She did lead them off the water for a detour, remembering a statue that was on the way.
Innit squinted and cocked his head. “What’s he tryin’ to do to that cat?”
Kalon sighed, rolling her eyes. “Honestly.”
The worn, bleached stone showed the figure of a naked man wrestling with a lion. Kalon grabbed the club between the man and the lion, pulling herself off the ground. She hung from it, her legs offering little help due to her tight, leather pants making her knees harder to bend.
“This is Hercules fighting a Nemean lion. It’s part of an extraordinary old story about bravery and overcoming grand obstacles. This type of lion couldn’t be killed with weapons, so Hercules–.”
“Strangled it, from the looks of it. You know I ain’t much for readin’ stories.” Innit circled the statue. “Why’s he wearin’ a leaf on his junk?”
“Modesty?”
They stared at the leaf a moment before bursting into laughter. Kalon took Innit’s hand as he offered it, releasing her grasp on the statue and half-falling off. Her feet dragged as he swung her away from the statue to prevent any chance of her stumbling into it.
Kalon ran her hands down his arms, stepping away from him. “Oh, there over your shoulder. That’s the stone gazebo.” She quickly walked ahead. “Hurry, Innit. It’s a nice spot for a break.”
“Why’re we hurryin’ for a break? You walk slow enough, you won’t need one.”
She slowed as she approached the gazebo, eyeing the large columns covered with vines and the domed roof. She entered tentatively as if the place was more solemn than an old structure more neglected than not in recent years. It was situated on a peninsula and set far enough off the path that the greenery had long turned wild and the trees made extra seclusion.
She breathed in the smell of solitude and nature, settling down on the cold, stone floor.
Innit stood by warily. He looked through the trees and vines as if he was not certain someone would not spring out at them.
“When I mentioned taking a break, I meant sitting and relaxing.” She patted the ground next to her. “Come. Do nothing for a tic. It does wonders.”
They sat in silence for several moments before Kalon noticed Innit’s leg starting to bounce. His posture was straighter. His legs crisscrossed and unrelaxed. She reached for his shoulder, but he sprung up before she connected.
“Sorry.” He groaned into his hands. “Sorry. I ain’t great at sittin’ still. My mind just–. I don’t know if it’s all that happened, or is happenin’, or–.”
Kalon climbed to her feet. “It does take getting used to. When I was still a girl, after I’d come to live here, I hated the silence. I think it has something to do with living in survival mode for so long, but I can’t be certain.” She smiled wryly. “Psychology books are not my favorite. Often too pretentious and woe is you.”
“Survival….” He nodded musingly. “Reckon that’s one word for it.”
She busied herself plucking the dead or dying leaves from the vines. She moved an inch to make room for him to join her in the mindless task. Her heart fluttered each time they brushed arms, reddening her cheeks. She kept her eyes locked on the vines.
“It’s you.” Innit was holding his red shirt out to his nose.
“Pardon?”
He tinted pink. “I kept smellin’ this smell. I reckoned it was the library since that’s where I always smelt it, and was confused why I could still smell it….”
“Oh….” She rubbed at her neck, stepping away from him.
He closed the gap. “It’s nice.”
She moved closer, smiling coyly. She gently touched his cheek, watching him gulp and flinch. She did not back off, instead pushing up against him and dragging her fingers towards his ear.
“I won’t hurt you.”
She waited, her long eyelashes lowered and lips parted slightly. She felt his trembling hands on her back, her hips. She felt his warm breath on hers, breathing it in. She dug her fingers into his back and neck, pulling him in to ensure they connected. Her heart missed a beat when they met, then went double speed to make up for it.
She winced as he shoved her against a column, quickly throwing her weight up against him and raking her black painted nails through his platinum hair, around his neck, over his chest. She pulled away to catch her breath, craning her head back to let him at her neck.
Her knees wobbled, but seconds later, she was thrown aside with a frightened yelp from Innit.
“Someone’s watchin’!” He pointed a thin, shaking finger through the vines. “There! Across the water! Someone in the bushes!”
Kalon staggered up on her boots. She followed Innit’s line of sight, biting her lip against a laugh.
She cleared her throat. “That’s another statue.”
He turned red to the tips of his ears. “Why’re y’all puttin’ statues out there to scare people like that!”
She pressed up against his arm, combing at his short hair. “Killed the mood a tad, didn’t it?” She kissed his neck, stopping from planting another when his body tensed up. “Sorry. Was that no good?”
“I… don’t know. Maybe we just stick to the mouth for now.” Innit touched his neck. “I ain’t sure what’s goin’ on if I’m honest. I wasn’t thinkin’ a moment ago.” He touched his mouth with a shaking hand. “I don’t reckon I’d do anything like that if I was in my right mind. What if….”
“It was fast.” Kalon stepped away from him when he refused to meet her eyes. “I don’t believe I was thinking clearly as well.” She smiled impishly. “It was fun though.”
“Seems like an understatement.” He cleared his throat. “I reckon being friends will be awkward, but I like hangin’ out with you. We need to go back to that.”
“Sure.”
“It’s just… with what went on recently, and with my childhood, and I guess yours…. There’s too much we’d have to talk out, and I ain’t ready for none of that.”
“I understand, Innit. I already agreed.”
“I don’t want to be right on the nose with it, but… diseases….”
“Innit.” Kalon took his face in her hands. “I know. I’m great at suppressing. I’ll pretend this never happened.”
He looked wounded but nodded. “Good. Good. We can just go back to like we never made out.”
“We need to meet up tomorrow. To prove to ourselves we are mature adults that can remain friends.”
“Reckon that’s the logical thing. The library?”
“We’ll come back here. Not this exact spot, of course. There are grape vines and a cute orangerie we haven’t explored.”
“I don’t know what that is. Guess you can explain it tomorrow.”
---
The orangerie was musty, overgrown, and lacked proper light with half the glass windows covered with molding particleboard. Kalon did not notice this. She kept a firm hug on Innit’s torso, gripping at the back of his shirt. She kissed him greedily, giggling when he cursed quietly as his bitten nails clawed uselessly at her leather corset. She dragged her stiletto bootlet up his calf, losing her balance with him pushing against her. She held tighter to stop from falling, but only succeeded in pulling him down into the pile of mildewing storage.
They lay groaning and inspecting their bruises for a minute.
Innit groaned. “We ain’t just friends.”
“No joke.” She rolled onto him. “I'm perfectly fine with that.”
She kissed him deeply before standing to help him up. Her knees went weak as he pulled her back in for another.
He surveyed her corset and footwear accusingly. “Let’s get outta here before we get tetanus.”
-------
Dijon is a significant hub right now with a large train station/train yard and an active airport, so it'd be hit hard with the technolgy collape. When you look at some of the very large cities that end up colonies, they have transportation systems too, but their airports are farther away then you think. They'd still get significant damage, and some are not in the same exact spot as they are right now because of that, but they became colonies more due to international name recognition, or something like that. So, Dijon is just one of the hundreds of cities that is kept on a 'if we want another colony' list. I almost had Innit confirming to Kalon that he did get all her heavy handed comments about her past, and comforting her on it, but that's not Innit. At least that wouldn't be him at this point. He absolutely does know Kalon and he share a similar trauma, but he also absolutely won't confirm that outloud. (I had to put the 'fancy' comment in there too because 'I fancy you' just sounds so funny to my American ears.) Oh, and the botanical garden is real. The stone gazebo is a replica Temple of Love, and I think the statue across the way staring at it is a Venus/Aphrodite, but I'm not sure since I can't find much specifics on it. I just knew when I was mapping the garden path that Innit was going to freak out over it whether a kiss was involved or not.
I've caught up-ish to what I'm writing, so we'll see how long until the next part. I'm editing and rearraging as I go.
