Fieran hurried out of the showers, only to find Merrik and Uncle Iyrinder waiting there. Merrik leaned more weight on hisleft leg than his right, lines of weariness around his eyes. But he was standing steadily.
Merrik held out a bouquet of some kind of flowers, tied with a scrap of fabric. “You are welcome.”
Fieran took the flowers. Merrik must have grown them as there weren’t any flowers to be had at Fort Defense. “I’m going to owe you for this, aren’t I?”
Merrik’s grin gleamed in his eyes with too much satisfaction. “Yes.”
Great. That wouldn’t be at all awkward, considering the girl Merrik would expect help wooing was Fieran’ssister.
Fieran sighed. “Fine. Linshi. Now…”
“Go.” Merrik waved a hand. Uncle Iyrinder gave him a nod.
As Fieran turned to go, a small group of the pilots of Lt. Hadley’s squadron hurried around him and bustled into the shower building. Even as the door slammed shut behind them, the startled exclamations of “General” rang out as the unsuspecting pilots found themselves face-to-face with an elf general in the communal showers for the low-grade officers.
Grinning, Fieran set off down the road, heading for the tram platform. As he strode past the hangar, various of the flyboys and flygirls leaned out of the hangar doors, calling out teasing advice or merely smirking at him. Tiny, Lije, and Stickyfingers were all grinning as they waved him onward.
He arrived as a tram was pulling in, so he was able to walk right on and take a seat.
After a quick tram ride, Fieran was soon strolling down the road past the mess, the commissary, and the communications building, until he reached the outskirts of Little Aldon. Though perhaps it should be called Little Dalorbor, now that the dwarves had taken over.
The dwarves bustling between the buildings halted to look at him as he strode past, making him all too aware of his heightand the very elegantly elven points of his ears. To those dwarves watching him, he likely seemed more elf than human.
The elves and dwarves currently didn’t have the animosity that the elves and trolls had had only a generation ago, but that was mostly because they stayed out of each other’s spaces. This new treaty—actually fighting at each other’s side—was unprecedented.
As he turned the corner onto the smaller side street, he found Pip pacing back and forth across the road, as if to make sure he couldn’t slip past her. She wore that same green dress she’d worn in Escarland, and it swirled around her calves each time she spun to march the other way. Her hair lay around her shoulders and down her back in glossy waves while the necklace he’d given her winked when it caught the sunlight.
She reached the far side of the road, spun again, and faced him. As her gaze landed on him, her dark eyes lit, a smile breaking across her face.
He held out the flowers. “For you.”
She hurried across the road, took the flowers, and sniffed them. “Linshi. These are beautiful. Where did you get them?”
“Where else?” Fieran grinned, the expression going a touch lopsided. “Merrik.”
Pip laughed, shaking her head. “I should’ve guessed. He’s an excellent wingman.”
“He’s also making sure I owe him so that I’ll be forced to return the favor as his wingman…while he’s courting my sister.” Fieran gave an exaggerated huff.
“Good for him.” Pip’s eyes sparkled with mischief. But the expression faded after a moment as she glanced over her shoulder down the side road. “Well, I guess we should go. My parents are waiting.”
Fieran’s stomach churned, but he pasted on a smile. He held out a hand, his nerves easing when she took it. He would face herparents with her at his side. Besides, they raised Pip and Mak. They had to be people he’d like, once they got past the parental interrogation.
“Yes, but first…” Fieran tugged her closer before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. He wouldn’t be able to do that once they were under the watchful eyes of her parents. When he drew back, he whispered in her ear, “You look beautiful.”
Her face flushed as she ducked her head. “It’s the same dress I wore in Aldon.”
“And you’re just as beautiful as you were then. Or as you are in your overalls.” Fieran pressed another kiss to her temple before he forced himself to put some distance between them, although he didn’t let go of her hand.
Pip cleared her throat and looked away from him. “Stop saying stuff like that or I’m going to be beet red.”
Fieran grinned and fell into step with her as they strolled down the road, swinging their clasped hands as they went. “Just to be clear, I’m to stop saying romantic stuff for now. That’s not a ban forever.”
“No.” Pip’s voice went a touch squeaky, her face flushing again. She stepped closer to him so she could nudge him with an elbow. “Not helping.”
Was it bad that he wasn’t at all repentant?
He forced himself to look away to give her a moment and instead took in the street around them.
