𝑺𝒎𝒐𝒌𝒆 | 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍 𝑲𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒏 𝒙 𝑶𝑪

Twenty-Five

LOVE YOU GUYS but I'm so sorryyyyy

She got antsy patiently waiting in her room. 

Waiting for a knock, or anything really. She wanted him, and she thought she'd be assertive and do something about it.

She turned around, inspecting the wallpaper to occupy her mind. She then dramatically turned around as if her not paying attention for a second would have summoned him... but she summoned fire, not generals.

She flopped down on her bed and messed with her hair. She used to hate her hair, when fighting in the snow, the bright red hair was an inconvenience. Her lack of active combat and Genya had gotten her to the point that Jolana liked her hair.

There was a knock at the door, and she hurried over with a smile. 

"Oh," her smile fell when she saw who it was.

"I'm sorry Miss Sokolov. We just received word that the General had things he had to attend to tonight,"

"Oh," she repeated, she tried to make her face neutral rather than the frown that was trying to take over her face.

"Again, apologies. It seemed you were... quite excited,"

"Come sit here," she patted the seat beside her, "Come on Maksim, I won't bite," she flashed a smile. He obliged but was on edge, not sitting too close to her.

"What would you like to talk about, Miss Sokolov,"

"I told you to call me Jolana," she tried to seem nice, maybe an attractive guard would be a good distraction, "I've seen you every day for the last few weeks, you should call me by my name,"

"I guard you, we aren't friends. We aren't supposed to be. You are Miss Sokolov, I protect you," he said as if it were obvious

"Well what people should be isn't always what they are supposed to be," she discreetly put a hand on her arm

"Well..." he started as if he were about to start on a speech

"It's okay. I would never pressure you. We should just be friends is all I'm saying... if I'm supposed to be here for so long," she pulled her hand back

"You just want some company?" he clarified

"Yes just some company, I'm lonely. I'm like a kid, I need someone to play with," she pushed him a little, spurring him on.

"Okay then," he got up and looked around her room, his gaze landed on a book, "You read this book?" he asked

"Only a thousand times," she said enthusiastically, "It was the only book I read for about three years. I had to travel light,"

"My mother used to read this to me, they're mostly nursery rhymes if my memory serves,"

"My brother read them to me when I was too young to understand, then I read them once I got older. They're childish but comforting,"

"There's the one about the sun,"

"Bright as day, hot as lava, kisses your skin, the taste of the light sour like lemons and sweet like guava," she quoted from memory, "I've never had guava, couldn't afford foreign fruits,"

"I had the juice once, it was good," 

"Anyways, to continue," she sighed, "The sun loved the Earth and held it as close as she could, but they were too far. They orbit each other with the strength of three for the sun could only have the Earth if it was only the Earth and thee,"

"Whichever adult wrote this must've been very drunk," Maksim joked

She continued without skipping a beat, "The Moon would always be there to hinder the Sun, despite the beauty, grace, and fun. Tell them how you feel, for the looks are real. The moon was a parasite a piece of a broken world who leeches off the Earth,"  she quickly stopped. "Yeah they must've been very drunk," she chuckled and forced a yawn.

"Sleepy?" he asked

"Yeah..." she stretched out and laid on her bed.

Like a perfect gentleman, he left the room with a quiet goodnight. 

-

"You'll never guess what happened last night?"

"It's very early, but what my dear Alina happened last night?"

"General Kirigan and I had the most wonderful night-long conversation,"

Envy consumed her.

"What?" Jolana asked even though she was positive she had heard correctly.

"Well I know I've been teasing you about Aleksander and stuff, but last night he made his intentions very clear,"

The metaphorical green vines wrapped around Jolana's throat and she found herself unable to speak

"I know you guys are close so I want your approval before I entertain him further,"

"You do know he tried to kill me?"

"Well yes,"

"I'm going to say to you, what you said to me. Don't go getting yourself killed,"

"We're literally opposites, he couldn't and wouldn't do that to me. I'm needed to destroy the fold,"

"Well I thought he wouldn't do that to me Lina but here we are,"

"I love you like a sister, Jolana. You're like the big sister I never had, but you need to trust me,"

"I trust you but you need to understand, he can be fun, but you can't go getting attached. You saw how it worked out for me,"

"I promise I won't do the whole 'make out to kill thing'," she realized she probably wouldn't be able to convince Alina out of this, and the harsh approach was not the way to go with the Sun Summoner.

Jolana pulled Alina into a hug, "Be careful, Sunny," she whispered.

"I will, what's the worst that could happen?"