Akimbo ✓

27 : Freed

"What... exactly are we supposed to do?" Seraphina said from where she sat beside Ignatius. She was holding a rainbow umbrella over both of them but it was too sunny to be of much help.

Ignatius was drenched in sweat; he had never been without the AC for so long. "I don't know." He gulped down a bottle of cold water, and splattered some of it on his face and neck. From the Kayu Park, the group of people marched all the way to the Parliament building and they were now doing a sit-in protest outside it, on its huge front lawns. The people had erected make-shift tents and patio umbrellas, as if ready to stay there for the next few days.

Ignatius and Seraphina were sitting atop a low wall at the edge of the lawn with a Hawthorne bodyguard standing in attention a few feet away. She had been tailing Ignatius since the morning. Initially it spooked Ignatius out but later, when news reporters swarmed towards him like moths drawn to a flame, the guard shooed them away and since then Ignatius had been grateful for her presence.

"I never knew pride marches were this fun," Seraphina hummed, her eyes on all the people around them. Those at the forefront were shouting slogans and waving banners, while others sat talking and laughing amongst themselves. Some sat on the grass having a mini-picnic of sorts while others stood smoking. There were some people distributing leaflets to passersby, others debating with news reporters. Adrisa was one of them. Since the morning, soon after she left Ignatius to Seraphina's care, Adrisa had been answering questions asked by media personnel, most of whom were quite rude and asking insensitive questions, never once losing her composure. That girl blew Ignatius' mind! Speaking of blowing minds, though, there was one more thing about her that Ignatius did not understand...

"Do you think Drayden is Adrisa's ex or something?" he asked. It did not seem likely, considering how nice Adrisa was and how... not-nice Drayden was, but there was something strange about their relationship that made Ignatius curious.

Seraphina let out a laugh. "Why do you ask?"

Ignatius wordlessly pointed to his right. Couple of meters away stood Adrisa and Drayden, talking, and people seemed to have naturally parted to make space for them. Adrisa, in her simple shirt and jeans and a rainbow cap propped on her head, and Drayden, dressed in a full black outfit with dark shades, couldn't be more contradictory (again, let's not forget how nice Adrisa is and how not-nice Drayden is!). And there was something off about their conversation. Adrisa was scowling up at Drayden as she spoke while Drayden stood there with a perfect poker face, hands folded over his chest.

"Let's go eavesdrop!" Seraphina stood up, dusting her dress.

"What?" Ignatius did not have a death wish, and eavesdropping on Drayden Hawthorne surely sounded like a suicide mission.

"Come on," Seraphina pulled Ignatius to his feet, "it's tea! And by the looks of their faces, it's piping hot."

"I –"