For Honor or Glory

Avalanche

Chapter 74

After a late lunch, Lorne insisted that Alex try to take a nap. Alex was still tired enough that she tried, but that didn't mean she was able to sleep. As soon as she laid down and the quiet crept in, her mind filled with thought after thought. Most of them had to do with the what-ifs. What might have happened if she had done things differently. However, those weren't the only things keeping her awake. Her conversation with Sephiroth had a starring role as well.

She had already acknowledged, at least to herself, that she cared about the general. She hadn't wanted to at first, not with how she knew it would hurt Genesis. Still, like she told Sephiroth, emotions were not logical.

That didn't mean she was ready to jump into something new. Now was not the time. She believed it would be best for everyone if those kinds of thoughts were pushed to the back burner for now. Feelings could wait until they were not still trying to figure out how to survive. Even so, she had a sneaking suspicion that the outcome would not change.

After nearly an hour of those circling thoughts tormenting her, Alex gave up on trying to sleep and got up. It was still mid-afternoon, so there was plenty of time for a game of chess. The hard part would be convincing Lorne that she was all right to leave for that long.

When she found the woman, she wasn't sure if she was glad that her brother was still there or not. It was a fifty-fifty shot that he might help her, or he might agree with Lorne that she still needed rest. That didn't keep her from speaking before either of the others could. "I know I should be resting, but I have too much on my mind. I was hoping to get permission to go play a little chess. At least it would keep me occupied."

Whatever Lorne had been about to say left her in a rush. She sighed before she said, "I understand. That doesn't mean it's okay for you to push yourself."

Alex shook her head. "I won't be. I can take it slow to go to the café, and from there I'll be sitting. There is no struggle involved."

Lorne crossed her arms and looked at Alex with narrowed eyes. That lasted long enough for Alex to almost concede, but she held out. Finally, Lorne sighed again and shook her head. "All right. I'll give you permission, but only until dinner. After that, you should be back in bed. I know you are mostly healed, but the surgery will take time to bounce back from, even with cures and potions."

Alex managed a small smile as she nodded. "I'll be sure to come back as soon as dinner is over." She then glanced at her brother and felt her lips tilt up a little more at the sight of his frown. She gave him a quick hug as she said, "Don't worry. I promise to take it easy."

He huffed to cover a smile that was forming, but he still said, "Don't think I won't come looking for you if you aren't back." Alex nearly laughed but settled for a smile as she waved and walked out. She hadn't taken the warning for granted either. Her pace was sedated as she made her way through the halls and toward the village center.

The halls were empty at that time of day, but even though there was no one around, the idea of a new match kept her from overthinking things while she walked. At least until she finally did run into someone—two someones actually.

Alex didn't recognize either man, but that didn't keep them from being familiar. She knew she hadn't seen them in the village, though. The thinner of the two stepped forward with a smile that made Alex take a step back. She wasn't sure why, but something about the two men made her uncomfortable.

She was getting ready to excuse herself and rush past them when the man that stepped forward said, "Ah, you must be the esteemed Alexandra Hewley. We have heard quite a bit about you since we arrived."