Building the Tension | ✔ | 18+

Chapter 31 - Close Quarters

Author's Notes:

Mature content in the section after the second break. Discretion is advised.

-=o0/&\0o=-

The rest of us were all standing outside of a café for lunch when Yuri came running up. He surprised me by giving me a giant bear hug, then pulled away and began looking me over like a parent might check a toddler for injuries after a fall. "Are you okay? I heard that you and Dimitri fought three Strigoi!" he said. Then he lowered his voice and said to me, "I'd hug Belikov, but God knows grumpy-pants wouldn't let me."

"Wow, news travels fast around here," I said, "but it was actually four."

I heard Lissa ask me through the bond, It was that many, Rose? You could've been killed! A new wave of worry came from her.

Yuri replied, "More like gossip than news, I'm afraid. There's not much else to do at guardian H.Q. when you're not on duty. I'll be sure to correct the number, though. Need to build up your rep with the other guardians, kiddo. How many did you personally take out?"

"Three," I muttered, not necessarily feeling like it was something I should be proud of.

"Belikov, did you talk to Alberta about a molnija ceremony for when we get back?"

"Actually," I said, "I'd like to get mine while we're here. Without a ceremony."

Dimitri nodded. "I'll talk to her about getting mine and let her know Rose would prefer not to have one."

I turned to face Dimitri. "You want a ceremony? For your mark for killing Brandon?" I asked him, in a low tone.

Dimitri looked at me with that same Zen face I'd seen a hundred times. "He is finally at peace," he said, "It definitely comes with its own sadness, too, but it's the least I could do to show respect for what he was before. To show that his suffering has truly ended. It may not be the same remembrance he got in his funeral ceremony when we thought he was dead, but it needs to be commemorated. Even if it is bittersweet. He would've wanted me to end this, and now I have."

After such a candid response, I could almost forget that everyone else was with us. "I understand," I said, "Do you think it's okay that I chose not to have a ceremony?"

Dimitri replied, placing a hand on my shoulder, "Roza, whatever you decide about your molnija is personal to you. Do what feels right."

I nodded.

"Well," said Yuri, ending the moment, "we should probably get you all some food and talk about room assignments. There's the café, so let's get inside and order lunch. I hear that they have killer BLT's."

After we had all sat down at a table, Yuri began, "So since there are six of us and two Moroi, I've booked us into two two-bedroom suites with a pull-out couch in the living room of each one. Field experience ends today, so I thought I'd put Rose with the princess instead of Christian. The Moroi each get a bedroom, of course. The others, I figured I'd assign based on height. Sorry, Rose, this means you get a pull-out. If you've got a problem with that, then grow a foot taller."

I laughed at that as Yuri continued. "Now, Dimitri's the tallest, and he's still technically Vasilisa's guardian, so I put him in the other bedroom with the princess's room. Eddie, you're shorter than me, so you get the other pull-out and I get the bedroom in Ozera's room. The bags should already have been brought up to the rooms. Here's a key for each of us."

Yuri handed room keys around the table. "We all fly back out at nine tomorrow, so be ready to leave at the front lobby of guest housing by eight thirty."