The first Missioner, a little sloshed, replied, "Yeah they're not related; Seth could totally sleep with her." It was perhaps an unwise thing to say about another man's family, but the circle of friends kept up the banter.
"Na na, we know Seth's taste." A Missioner who had taken Seth under his wing during his first Task gave a playful shove to his shoulder. "Do you remember that piece of work you were chasing after, when you were fifteen?" The group laughed and reminisced about years past when they'd all been home, what nearly felt like a full lifetime ago.
***
When Seth had been fifteen, filled with that sweet and sour blend of energy, curiosity, and arrogance so common to that age, he'd fallen in with another young colony foster kid, newly arrived. Syd had been a piece of work, all right, vivacious and colorful, more angry than he and therefore more dangerous, which he had thought was an alluring characteristic for a girl to have. Seth had been giddy with the time he could spend with her, not least because he could feel Cassie's disapproval of Syd. He got a lot of satisfaction from pushing her buttons. She had been practicing letting go of her role as disciplining Parent, and giving ground to be more housemate or sibling, though he still had the years of Orientation under her tutelage to get through.
As Syd showed more inclination to be disrespectful and disruptive to the colony's system, tempting Seth into rebellion along with her, he keenly watched Cassie struggle to bite her tongue. She clearly wanted to tell Seth that the girl was bad news, reprimand them both, and/or forbid them from spending time together, but that was exactly the role of a parent controlling a child, so she refrained. He hadn't expected her to continue for weeks to simply take a deep breath and leave him to himself, but maybe his bilious rants had actually gotten through to her stoic reasonability.
Seth had continued to thrive on Syd's vitality, until she started to steal gear and supplies and to blatantly push against the rules that kept the community safe and healthy, and he really had to think for himself about what he valued. Eventually he had let go of his ties to Syd, and retreated back towards being the respectful citizen that Cassie had shown him how to be. He'd loved her for being genuine and sweet, and he grudgingly admired her drive, but he'd had to learn his lessons all his own way.
After a couple more years, he'd reached his age of majority, and soon had left with the Missioners to train on successful Tasks, only returning for scant months.
***
After the parade of visiting coteries had all arrived and Jubilee week had officially begun, the work in the background only doubled. Cassie had never been good at taking downtime when there was work that needed doing, and there was always work that needed doing. She didn't begrudge the revelers, though—that was the whole point of the week, after all—she just enjoyed being productive, and felt a bit overwhelmed by the crowds filling Maltic colony.
She'd retreated to the storerooms to organize the incoming supplies arriving with the visitors, and to set aside those being used for the activities scheduled for the following day. Already feeling harassed by the constant inquiries for various foods and amenities, she was exasperated to see Seth being nudged to the forefront of a gaggle of Missioners that she'd already several times denied access to the plum wine. She had acknowledged to them that it was indeed a favorite, but therefore was to be saved for the dinner feast, not squandered on those lushes simply because they were bold enough to ask.
Now, eyeing Seth over the invoice she was reviewing while unpacking a crate of stock, she asked him if he had a different request, or just thought he was going to get any different answer than his companions. He tilted his head nonchalantly and shrugged, nibbling on a sugared pear slice from a box in his hand, "Well, you did let all slack off the other day when I asked it of you. I suppose they thought you might fall for my clever arguments or my winning smile again."
A teasing smile on his mouth pulled one from hers as well, though she still shook her head. "There are enough barrels of ale out there to content them all for now. You don't get special treatment for having spent your childhood with me."
Seth pretended to pout. Sliding smoothly onto the crate edge to block her return to the chore he'd interrupted, he grabbed her hand and placed one slice of the pear in her palm as if to share, clumps of sugar grains wet with juice immediately falling to her skin. Keeping a firm hold of her hand cupped in his, he leaned over it and wheedled, "Come on Cassiopeia, give and let live. Everyone deserves something a little"—just as he lifted it and she expected him to make her eat it—"sweet"—he bent his head and ate it carefully from her hand himself. As he maintained his laughing eye contact, Cassie released a cry of playful outrage that he'd play that childish game, but her airflow cut off in confusion when she felt his tongue graze firmly across the sensitive flesh where the pear had been, and his lips close slowly to suck the juice from her palm.
It seemed a very seductive gesture to her, but she could not be certain if he'd intended it to be arousing or immature. She didn't know how to read the gleam in his eyes as he continued to look at her.
'Perhaps
, she reasoned to herself,
he just unconsciously flirts with all females out of the testosterone-fueled charm of his age range. Foolish boy.'
He'd even used the old pet name he'd had for her ever since he'd learned the names of the stars. She tamped down her sensory reaction, pulled her hand away, and found herself saying, "Alright, alright, go. Take one of the big jars. Just one!" simply to get him to leave. His face lit up and he saluted her as he stood, leaving victorious yet again.
Her fingers curled around her palm, which still tingled with the scratch of his facial hair. She remembered when he'd pined for that scruff to come in; when he was so excited, he'd shaved daily for two weeks before realizing that the raised skin was razor burn and not a beard growing in. As she got back to work, though, she kept seeing that moment of his eyes flashing up at her from under his lashes, as his mouth pressed open on her skin. She could swear that her heart was pulsing in her abdomen.
***
Cassie was annoyed that Seth had gotten his way so easily in both of their interactions so far. But, though it was easier to be irritated at Seth, she knew it was more reasonable to reprimand herself for giving way so quickly. And it wasn't like he'd stolen the wine and then tried to get away with it. All he had done was ask—yes, playful and teasing, but still honest and straightforward; he hadn't been manipulative or rude. It took assertiveness to step up and take action, in order to make a desired change, and he'd done that more for his friends' benefit than his own. She was nettled at her own apparent inability to tell him 'No', but that onus was on her. Thinking of the leadership he was demonstrating, her heart warmed. She was proud of the man he was becoming.
***
The Jubilee games had officially started. There were posters dispersed throughout the colony to announce what activities were being held where and at what time. Whooping and catcalling could be heard from various corners of the base as races were organized; everything from food-eating contests to speed dashes in costume. Food tables were available here and there to reinvigorate the contestants and spectators. Skilled performances would be given towards the evenings, once most people had been tuckered out by more vigorous activities of the day.
Cassie hadn't decided if she was going to participate in the martial forms display; she enjoyed learning the graceful flow of the forms, but they weren't as impressive-looking as the self-defense demonstration. She had already checked in on her students who were rehearsing for their own performance later in the week. Next she was hoping to make it to the Riddle-athon; she thoroughly enjoyed word games, and was interested in hearing any new riddles coming from the other colonies.
