Lunar Palace

Chapter 6: Wolf

He was dreaming about Scarlet.

It was something he did often. On the days she had been on Luna, away from him, he had been dreaming about her every day. Constantly thinking of her. Feeling guilty when he didn't.

But this dream was different. Scarlet had been different-like she was these days. She wasn't like the Scarlet he knew, the one who wasn't afraid to say what she wanted to and ventured bravely into any situation. This Scarlet was aware of everything, and didn't say what was on her mind-which had drawn Wolf to her so much in the first place. The way she told the truth, undeniably.

He was sitting in the co-pilot seat of the Rampion, the nostalgia coursing through him. Strangely enough, he almost missed those days, those days when, even though they were all in danger, they were at least together. He hardly saw his companions anymore, the memories they had created months ago just that-memories.

But nothing was changing, he reassured himself. Everyone was just busy, and they weren't falling apart, not if he could help it.

Wolf stepped out of his bedroom, combing his hand through his hair and stepping down the hallway. He went down to the kitchen, grabbing a few tomatoes and eating them raw as he put on his coat and stepped outside.

The cutting air made his cheeks feel numb, and Wolf dropped the rest of his tomatoes into the deep pockets of his coat. Ever since he had started staying at the seamstress's shop, he had been investigating every morning-Levana's history, who she was connected with. But, despite searching and searching every day, he never found anything more than a vague lead.

The streets were busy and bustling, like always. However, Solstice Hayle's shop was in a quieter part of AR-4.

Today, he was questioning a former thaumaturge of Levana's court, who had since then transferred to the Order's side, and was willing to give any information asked. Wolf didn't trust her entirely, but she was the only available source at the moment.

Reaching a small, secluded street labeled,"Blue Moon Boulevard," Wolf knocked on a petite, cube-shaped house that was painted periwinkle blue and had a large picture window that looked out onto the street. Almost immediately, a short woman opened the door. She was middle-aged, and had a few stress hairs striping the brown hair covering half her face. Her eyes were ice-blue, and Wolf found himself, strangely, immediately suspicious of her.

"Welcome!" the woman said, warmly; her eyes shone with something that Wolf couldn't entirely pinpoint. "You must be Ze'ev."

"Wolf, actually," he replied pointedly. "And you are...?"

"Elixes," She said, opening the door wider, motioning for him to come in.

They sat around a small wooden coffee table, and she hurried into the kitchen, returning with a tray holding two mugs and a bowl of sugar. Wolf accepted one, and he slowly drank.The smells of fragrant tea wafted into the air,making Wolf realize that this tea was something Scarlet would have liked. He wished she was there.

"Do you have anything to say about Queen Levana that is not known to the public?" he began, setting down the cup and watching her, assessing her every move. If she decided to attack him, her position would offer her a good angle to give him an elbow jab, or an uppercut to the jaw... he would have to be prepared.
"No,"Elixes said confidently, her chin high. "I was a minor thaumaturge, at best."
Wolf nodded, sipping more of the sweet tea before continuing with his interrogation.
It lasted for an hour, the questions fast as a current, yet Wolf had gained nothing by the end of the hour. He left annoyed, and didn't look once at Elixes when she ushered him out. She had given him no information, no information at all.
Wolf stepped through the narrow street, walking out onto the main road. If he looked up, he knew, he could see the palace, tall and looming against the fog surrounding AR-4. Scarlet was there, inside those walls, playing a role that just wasn't her-a lady. As the girl who had helped take over Luna, it had been tradition to make her a noble. And, no matter how many times she had protested, she had finally agreed.
Sometimes, Wolf wondered what she was doing,right then. Was she having lunch? Accompanying Cinder to plan some party? Signing documents? What was it that nobles did other than that?
He tripped over the curb in his haze of thoughts, and, righting himself, gazed off into the distance, eating a tomato absently as he did. He turned another corner, stepping back onto the sewing shop's street. It was quiet, as usual, and Wolf went inside the shop, nodding at Jacin before retreating to his usual spot at the back of the shop, where a netscreen was suspended on a wall next to a small wooden desk and chair. Sitting down, Wolf pulled out the portscreen in his pocket, synced it with the net, and started analyzing the data.
It took him another hour to finish, and it was utterly useless. Sometimes, he only continued doing the work because, he felt, there was nothing else to do. There were many things he WANTED to do, of course, but they were all impossible. He wanted to see Scarlet again, but would she be glad to see him? They hadn't spoken in so long, sometimes Wolf wondered what had happened to their times before. And, worst of all, he couldn't go and approach her. If they had drifted apart, it would be painful to see her.
He closed the netscreen, getting up and walking to the front of the shop, where Jacin was arranging fabrics.
The former guard had decided to try and honor Winter's mother's name, by making her shop successful again. Needless to say, he wasn't succeeding yet. Wolf took a pale yellow fabric and helped Jacin organize them, all the while thinking that, never before, had he imagined the guard and the wolf hybrid to be shelving fabrics.
When Jacin was finishing, he finally turned to Wolf, a red silk still in his hands. "How did the interview with Elixes go today?"
Wolf shook his head. "Not good. She didn't offer any information I didn't already know."
"Still don't know why Cinder wanted you to look back on Levana's history," Jacin muttered, setting the silk between an orange and another red,"What's done is done. We don't need to know Levana's motives for world domination."
"OOH! YOU GUYS ARE MAKING A RAINBOW!!!" A familiar, over-excited voice made Wolf cringe, and he turned around to see...Iko.
The android was sporting a sleek blue wig today, with a fluffy pink skirt and a blouse that revealed a lot of metal.
Jacin frowned. "You're scaring our customers, Iko."
"Oh, Jacin, don't be ridiculous! There ARE no customers here!" Iko pranced past Wolf and stood next to the shelves, squinting at the red silk Jacin had just arranged. "Oh! Are you carrying silks now?"
"We've always carried silks," Jacin grumbled, turning away and walking to the back of the store. "Just be careful not to ruin anything!" He shouted from behind a desk. "Or I'll-"
Iko ignored him and turned to Wolf. "Oh! Are you working here, too?"
Wolf stuttered. "Agh... Too?"
Iko patted him on the arm. "Don't worry, Wolf-Jacin can't scare you any longer! I'm moving in!"