Plutonian

Chapter 28

The sound of the door shutting jolts me from my restless bout of sleep. My hands run across the sheets, feeling strangely empty for some reason and the bareness next to me makes me sit up and stare at the table expecting to see Lucian eating. I rub my tired eyes, surprised that I had slept through the night without any disturbances. Did Lucian even sleep last night?

I get up silently and walk over to his dining table where an assortment of food has been laid out for me already but there is no sign of him.

I sit down and stare at the empty seat of his wondering if he had gone to work already. My eyes scan his room for the clock he had taught me how to read. The small device sits on top of the table in his study and I see that it was only seven in the morning.

Aside from the time he had to travel for a nearby expedition, Lucian rarely left for work so early. A flicker of worry settles in the pit of my stomach which I quickly brush aside to be nothing. I doubt he is still angry with me after last night. There isn't much to be angry about anyway.

Setting aside my thoughts, I walk over to his large bath room and wash up at a leisurely pace seeing as I have woken up early and have ample time till the morning drills. 

I take a few quick bites of food before rushing out to head to the training center. 

When I reach I notice people gathering in the center already to begin the morning drills and I rush over to join them. I see Rosie standing towards the back and immediately stand in the row next to her.

"Someone looks chirpy today," Rosie mutters as she stretches her long and lean arms over her head. 

"I do?" I mimic her stretches and the soreness in my muscles becomes excruciatingly apparent. I wince and bend over in an attempt to touch my feet which proves to be equally as painful while Rosie does it like she is made of rubber.

"Yeah, you look more relaxed than I saw you yesterday. Considering the circumstances," She observes me from the corner of her eye while her body contorts into various painful looking positions. 

"Really?" I unconsciously touch my face wondering what's so relaxed about it. Maybe the extra amount of sleep? But that brings me worries of Lucian and about whether he slept at all. 

"Well don't get too relaxed. They're announcing our opponents today."

Her words cause a familiar jolt of apprehension to rush down my spine and I can feel a sense of unease spreading through my veins like the dull burning of dry ice in the South. I don't think I will ever get used to this feeling and I turn to look at Rosie wondering how she had been able to do this for the past four years. 

Thankfully, Aries our instructor has joined us and we begin our morning jog. 

I am able to keep up with my new and improved stamina so I maintain pace with Rosie who doesn't even look like she's trying. Although after a few rounds, it slowly becomes obvious that she is actually keeping in pace with me. 

As we jog steadily around the center, the memory of Rosie and her companion at that Humanoid cafe I saw last night slips into my thoughts and I turn to look at her.

"Can I ask you something?" I ask through gulps of air. 

"Sure," She replies in a smooth voice unlike my own. 

"What do you do after training hours? Are humans allowed to leave these quarters?" We finally stop running and I bend over and wipe the sheen of sweat across my forehead with the sleeve of my shirt.

"Of course we are. Just like the paramours, fighters are also allowed into the city after we have completed our training. Some of us even work at restaurants and cinemas to earn some money which we spend on ourselves. That't actually the best part about being a fighter and paramour. They allow us to interact," Rosie sits down and begins her push ups.