Across Time

3 - Babylon

575BC

Druig

"The walls are plenty fortified, nothing is getting in here." I assure Sprite as we stand atop the barrier walls that protect the inner city. The people are still making their way through the gates when I see Anastasia manipulating the ground to make it harder for the deviants to move forward, giving the humans more time. Makkari is pulling as many people out of the way as possible, Ikaris is doing what Ikaris does, and Kingo is mad at Thena for killing a deviant he apparently called dibs on. A deviant comes out of nowhere charging at Anastasia. I swear my heart stops. Makkari pulls her out of the way and slams the deviant into a building. I need to thank her later. Anastasia looks a little shaken for a moment, but no one else would notice.

"You're staring again, Druig." Sprite pulls me away for a second.

"I am merely studying their movements and watching for any extra deviants." Sprite rolls her eyes before settling them on Ikaris again. She is in love, or at least obsessed with him.

"Now who's staring?" I counter her.

"You don't say anything about me, and I won't say anything about you." She says. "Deal." We continue watching from the top of the wall as Gilgamesh finishes off the last deviant. I didn't know the relief I would feel after seeing her walk in through the doors. Makkari speeds up here as Sprite disappears. "Watching again?" She signs.

"Always watching." I respond.

"Watching me or watching Anya?"

"Watching everyone, Makkari. I don't want you to get hurt." I try to deflect.

"You don't want to see Anya to get hurt." She calls me out. "Why don't you just talk to her?"

"She always looks as though she doesn't want to be bothered or is off somewhere with Thena or Phastos."

"She spends a lot of time in our library on the Domo. I bet she's there now." She tries to goad me into going to see Anya.

"I will find her tonight. I will talk to her, tonight."

"You better." She signs before walking down to the city.

I walked by the library to see if Makkari was right, and she was. Anastasia had a book in her hand and was talking adamantly with Kingo. Of course. I feel a surge of jealousy rush through me at the sight of her with Kingo. I try to logically work through it by focusing on how far apart they are and her body language. It only helps a little because he's still talking to her, and I can't find the courage to. Not in the way I really want to talk to her.

She looks beautiful in the moonlight, entranced by Sprite's story for the humans. As the fireworks fall, I notice them fade as she comes into focus and just like the first day, before we arrived on earth; she was all I could see.

Anastasia

Sprite ends her story and I scan the room, taking it all in. I see Gilgamesh and Sprite try and sit on the same seat as Kingo. It was very amusing. I notice Druig off in a corner with a couple of humans. I begin to make my way over to him, but Makkari comes in with some trinkets. She isn't paying attention to him, but I hear him say, "my beautiful Makkari" before she finally turns to him. She didn't hear him or watch it come off his lips, but I did. I suddenly can't breathe. I need air, but I continue to watch the exchange between them and the humans. Makkari signs to them and Druig translates. Nothing else happens and he says nothing else like that, but it still happened, and I heard it. The exchange ended, but I left. I couldn't see him with her anymore tonight.

I find myself walking in the night air atop the wall. "You look a little lonely up here Anya." Thena joins me.

"I just needed some air."