The Faux Hangover

I woke to a gentle knock on my door and I groaned quietly. I knew it was Zierra, even from behind the door I could feel it like a sixth sense tuned specifically to her. Should probably get this over with. I crawled out of bed and tossed a jacket over me, hoping the fact that I slept in my suit pants and shirt last night would add to the ruse I was trying to portray. Glancing in the mirror, I messed my hair up a little more and ran my hands down my face, smearing what small amount of makeup I still had on and once I was convinced I looked the part I answered the door, appearing groggy. Zierra stood at my door with a warm smile that would have normally made my heart skip but instead made it break. She's still wearing my jacket.

Zierra's eyes scanned me and she bit her lip to keep from laughing. "You look a bit rough, Sapphyre. Did your talk with Lyon keep you up?"

I squinted at her like I was confused. "I talked to Lyon last night?"

Her grin fell, replaced with concern. "Yes. When we got home last night you said you had to talk to him about something before you went to bed."

"Huh, can't say I remember but last night is a bit of blur anyway," I scratched the back of my neck like I was embarrassed, and I really wasn't that far from it. I hate lying to her. Looking down at her eyes, which were usually bright and happy, dull with sadness almost made me change my mind. Almost. It's for the best. You can't change it now.

"How much of last night do you remember?" She tried to keep her voice light but I could hear the disappointment in it.

"I vaguely remember beating that Malcolm guys ass," I had decided on when I would 'lose my memory' last night. "Did the guards ever come and get him?"

"Sapphyre," her brow furrowed in genuine worry, "Malcolm is in the basement. You were going to kill him but I talked you out of it, said he could prove to be an asset if you taught him how to use his skills like you, Lyon, and Kari do."

I pinched the bridge of my nose like I had a headache. "I shouldn't be surprised," I chuckled when I looked back at her. "I do have a hard time telling you no." I can't just stop flirting with her. She's smart so she'll notice something's up. It all just has to go back to how it was before the kiss. I remembered Lyon telling me this act would come back to bite me and groaned internally, knowing he was probably right.

Instead of smiling, her concerned frown deepened and I flinched as she pressed her wrist to my forehead. "You're warm," she shrugged my jacket off and handed it back to me. "I knew you shouldn't have given this to me, Sapphyre, you caught a cold."

I took the jacket, albeit reluctantly, and ran the fabric through my fingers. "I wondered where this went," I gave it back to her. I want her to keep it. A good memory of last night. "I must have given it to you for a reason. So keep it. I can have another made, this one was a little tight in the shoulders anyway."

"But you got sick because you gave it to me," she sounded hurt, like it was her fault.

I sighed and poked her in the forehead. "I'm not sick, Zierra, I haven't been sick in years and even if I did catch a little bit of a cold I may not remember giving this to you but I can tell you that I don't regret it." I put more emphasis on not regretting it like I was talking about the kiss and not simply giving her my jacket.

"Then why are you running a fever?"

She went to feel my forehead again but I dodge her hand and swatted at it. "I'm fine, Zierra, really. It's probably just the booze wearing off." She would probably get suspicious if I told her I ran hotter than most people. "Did you come here to wake me up for a reason," I kept my tone light and teasing as I continued to swat at the hand she kept trying to feel my face with, obviously unconvinced I was fine.

"I had come up here to change shifts with you," she dropped her hand, frustrated that I wouldn't let her check my temperature again. "You wanted Malcolm on constant watch. I relieved Kari last night and you told me you would switch with me in the morning but I'm tempted to see if Lyon would take the shift instead given your current condition."

"I'm fine," I threw my head back, adding a dramatic flair to my groan. "I'll take the watch. Besides I should probably have a conversation with the kid. See if he's really going to be able to follow our rules."

She looked me over since I wouldn't let her touch me and finally stepped aside with a sigh. "Fine. Gods know I can't stop you."

"I'm sure you'd give me a run for my money," I chuckled and gently pat her head as I passed but I only made it a few feet before I felt her grab my wrist. When I looked behind me she was looking down at our hands and she seemed off. She looked wounded. She's hurt I don't remember.

"You don't have any memories from last night after your fight?" Her voice was quiet and it seemed to almost break. "Even bits and pieces?"

My heart rose to my throat where it choked me and it took me a long time before I could force it back down and answer her. "Not a thing. I didn't, uh, do anything embarrassing did I?"

She continued to stare at our hands before she let mine go and looked up at me with a smile that wasn't as bright as it usually was. "No I was just concerned for you. Memory loss can be serious. I'll be sure to have someone check on you often just in case it's something more serious than the alcohol," I opened my mouth to protest but she jabbed me in the chest with her finger, which hurt more than I thought it would, and gave me her best lecturing tone. "Don't try to argue with me on it either, Sapphyre, you won't win this one," her face softened. "You can lean on others some times too you know."

Then she waved and and made her way to the tavern side of the building to get breakfast and, as always, I waited until she was out of my sight before I let my façade fall. The short distance to the basement was elongated by my slow pace as the fresh memory of the pain I could see in Zierra's eyes leadened my steps. Once I was at the bottom of the stairs I took in a deep breath and turned my expression into one of indifference before rounding the corner and standing in front of Malcom's makeshift prison cell. He was laying on his back on the cot someone had put in there and was tossing, what seemed to be, a small ball in the air.

"I wondered when you would grace me with your presence," he mumbled. I could tell he was trying to sound cocky but he came off just sounding bored.

I pulled a nearby chair to me with my foot and spun it around before sitting on it backwards, resting my arms over the back of it. "Awe did you miss me already?"

He caught his ball and sat up, resting his elbows on his knees. "What do you want from me."

"Several things but first," I dangled the keys to his cage off my finger, "I want to see if you can keep up."