Silver Maiden

CHAPTER XXXVI - An Evanescent Dream

Bedivere was correct about his expectations. Riding through the streets of Mistral on the back of a motorcycle was a far cry from riding on horseback in the woods.

"I'm surprised you leaned so good on the turns with me," Yang said. "You got the hang of it pretty quick."

"You mean the Yang of it?" he said.

She chuckled with him as she got up off the bike, which self-balanced on the curb.

"So, where are we?" he asked.

"Doesn't look familiar to you?" Yang said.

He looked up at the establishment. It was the same place they had shared drinks at before the big battle for Mistral. The music wasn't as loud now as it had been that night. The sun was still up, just barely making its journey to the horizon. The night crowd was probably still sleeping.

"C'mon, big guy," Yang said, leading the way in.

"We're not going to get drunk again, are we?" he asked hesitantly.

She laughed. "No, they only serve coffee this early."

"Coffee? At a nightclub?"

"Café by day, club by night. Look at the sign."

He read the marquee. "'Day and Night Coffee and Drinks.' Clever."

She chuckled, opening the door for both of them. They grabbed an unoccupied table in the corner, ordering hot drinks from the waitress. The armchairs were comfortable, practically cuddling their occupants as they sat in them.

"I didn't know you liked frothy coffee," Yang said.

"I didn't know you liked tea lattes," Bedivere said.

"Green tea lattes."

"Of course."

"Here are you drinks!" the waitress said.

"Thank you very much," Bedivere said, handing her a generous tip.

"You really don't hold back, do you?" Yang said.

"One of a knight's first and foremost duties is courtesy."

"What about courtship?"

He stopped as he drank, glancing up at her over his mug. She was gently swaying to the soft electronic music in the background. It wasn't as high-energy as what would probably be playing in a few hours, but there was enough of a beat to it to compel anyone to at least tap the feet to the rhythm.

"C'mon," she said, leaning over the table to get closer to him. "Don't tell me you never did that thing back in your home world. I mean, you're a genuine, real-deal knight, right? Surely you had a lot of ladies back home."

He wiped his mouth as he set his drink down. She was smiling at him, her shoulders barely moving to the beat in the background. The music was accompanied by vocals sung by a woman with a soft, ethereal voice. It may as well have been a ghost whispering into his ear. He felt a foot gently touch his.

"So, you gonna give me the silent treatment?" she said with an even more flirtatious smile.

He couldn't stop the smile from forming on his own face. Hillphire was right about one thing. This was definitely a bad idea.

But sometimes it's the bad ideas that are so good.

She leaned her head on her hand, reaching back and twirling her golden hair with her finger. It was impossible for him to ignore what they had gone through in that other reality, where her desires and fears mingled into one as they shared passionate night after passionate night. It was worst for him because he lived all of those existences out side by side. He was simultaneously with Yang in lust as he lived a full life with Weiss in her ideal world full of love and beauty.