Space & Time

**Big Team Base, common room #3, 17:15**

Elle lies on her chest on the carpet, propped up on her elbows with a pile of books and papers in front of her. She’s filling in a worksheet with a pencil - one that seems obviously unwieldy to the teenager - and her brow is scrunched up in focus. On the ground next to her sits GAIA, holographic body projected from a grapefruit-sized globe settled lovingly on a pillow.

“No - dear, that’s nitrogen. Oxygen is like this,” GAIA says, holding their hand up and displaying a picture of the correct answer.

“Oh.” Elle chews her pencil in thought. “And oxygen is… air? Why don’t they just call it air?”

“It’s not air, it’s part of air. And a lot of other things.” The display switches to a swirling mass of different molecules, all containing oxygen. Elle’s eyes widen, and they bury their head in the pillow in frustration - going right through GAIA’s insubstantial lap. GAIA pets their head.

“Uuurgh! How are they expecting me to understand these things! Everyone else has years of education in all these subjects and I - I didn’t even know they existed!”

Jaime decided to take the long way from the kitchen back to their room. It was only fair, it seemed, to stretch their legs a bit more, while they had a plate with a rather large sandwich and a pile of chips on top.

They felt starving all the time since burning off some of that Tarinian energy. They usually were a bit on the hungry side, but something about adding such a huge source of energy seemed to stretch them in strange ways. It was like they needed to create more of their own energy to fill the gaps.

The long way, though, took them past one of the common rooms where they see a distraught looking Elle, wailing with some frustration, and GAIA looking a bit forlorn.

Jaime knocks on the door to the common room, carefully balancing their plate with the can of pop, and needing, really, an extra hand so things don’t slip.

“Elle? Is, uh…. are you good?”

Elle looks up from the pillow, GAIA’s legs re-materializing now that there’s space. Their face lights up when they see Jaime, and they tuck a stray strand of golden hair behind a pointed ear.

“Jaime! Uh, hi! Yes, I am well enough. I am just having some difficulty with my schoolwork , but it is nothing I cannot handle.” Their eyes drift to the plate their friend is holding. “Having a snack?”

“I was, yeah.” Jaime carefully manages to sit down without spilling anything. They offer the plate a bit wordlessly to Elle, making it clear that they could take some if they wanted.  “I know GAIA is like, brilliant, and a computer, but maybe I could help, too? I didn’t have the most traditional schooling, but I know enough to be dangerous.”

“Gaia \*is\* very smart. They know everything! Except how dragons work. And centaurs. I had to explain those to them.” Elle says, reaching for the plate. “I will have a few potatfish fillets if that’s ok,”

GAIA smiles. “Yes, dragons and centaurs are somewhat out of my area of expertise. I have committed the data you provided to memory, however.”

They turn to Jaime. “We are working on Lancelot’s chemistry homework. And despite their assurance that they can handle it, I think they could use your help.”

“GAIA!” Elle exclaims in mock indignance.

“Yeah, you can have some chips.” Jaime says, trying to hide their brief confusion. Sometimes it was so easy to forget that Elle wasn’t from here, and, in fact, was from somewhere far weirder than Halcyon.

They unburied half of their sandwich from the pile of chips and took a big bite. “It’s okay, Elle. Chemistry sucks. I mean, like, it’s interesting. But at the same time….”

Jaime leaned over and took a look at the worksheet Elle had half filled in. “Where are you getting stuck?”

“I just get confused by everything, honestly. It was enough of a shock to me to learn everything is made up of very small orbs, and that there’s different kinds, and now they want to tell me that most of it is empty space, and air is actually an object or a group of objects and that I am made of the same things as a rock, and then they expect me not to argue or ask why. At my last test I got deducted a whole point because I kept asking how they know these things, and apparently I am not supposed to care about that.”

Elle chomps on some fillets and continues. “They also never explain what you can actually do with any of it. I was fairly adept at mathematics in Avalon, because they taught me actionable things - how to calculate the angle necessary to aim a trebuchet over a curtain wall, how to calculate the necessary supplies for a small army to cross a mountain pass, how to ensure you don’t underpay your servants - but Halcyon maths is all “this is this times this minus this’, and what can you do with it? Nothing!”

“People don’t like asking why in general,” Jaime says, in what they hope is a reassuring manner. “But I think, people know these things because scientists did a lot of testing and math and invented new things so they could see better and figured it out. And knowing these things helps us understand other things better. So you kinda gotta just take it at face value. That what your teachers are telling you is true, even if it doesn’t make sense.”

They devoured half of their sandwich in between listening to Elle talk and their own response. Jaime totally understood hating school, and honestly if they had one good thing about their training, it’s that it was always practical. But even they learned the basics.

“But Halcyon math can help you do that stuff too, just probably in a different way. And they’re not really good at explaining what you’d use algebra for in real life. It’s just different scenarios than in Avalon. I mean. Assuming your math is the same.”

“It is, and I do alright in maths even here. It’s one of the few classes I am not falling behind on, other than French. It just feels like they expect me to be a scholar, or… expect everyone to be a scholar, when that is not everyone’s goal or purpose, and I don’t believe most people need to be scholars even here. Certainly not me! I need to know what I am going to encounter, the dangers and potential threats and values, and I will take that at face value.” She turns, smiling, and pokes GAIA’s hologram cheek with a potatfish fillet. “Like in space, when GAIA told me I could not breathe outside their walls, and that taking off my suit would result in death. That’s understandable, and I didn’t need to know why to achieve my goals.”

“It’s because it’s a vacuum.”

“I don’t know what that is, and I didn’t need to know! See? But now that it is brought up outside the context of a mission and there’s no real goal I get confused and I think about it too much.”

“No, I don’t think they’re expecting you to be a scholar. Or everyone….” Jaime sighs. How do they explain why we learn things? Why we go to school? Especially when they didn’t. And didn’t much want to go back, though, for completely different reasons. “School is more like, a round-about way to learn things. It’s not really so much about the facts, but teaching how to think critically, and research for yourself, and work together in groups, and speak in front of crowds. If you remember the chemical composition of salt, or what the whale in Moby Dick represents, that’s just a bonus.”

“Like, what if GAIA was lying?” They look at GAIA and their golden face, hoping they’re able to understand where Jaime is going. “Not that they would. If people always take things at face value, it can be easy to manipulate them. If you understand more of the why, and how to figure things out for yourself, the sources you trust…. You could also use the why to your advantage.”

“Gaia would not lie to me.” Elle says, bumping their head against GAIA’s shoulder affectionately. “But that does make sense. We are taught to be vigilant against deception and infiltration in Avalon, as well, and a healthy amount of suspicion is good to have.”

“But if that’s the case, why do they not want discussion or questions and ask for us to take things on face value instead? There would be more efficient ways to teach these things!”

“Besides, I think I am a good judge of character.” They wink at Jaime.

“I know GAIA wouldn’t lie to you. At least, not on purpose. But someone else could be. I think the issue with school for you, is, right…. you’re working on a different set of assumptions. We’ve been primed And this stuff is practical in it’s own way. We don’t get set on our paths as early as I assume you did. School gives people a chance to learn about a bunch of different things, and see what they like, what they’d want to dedicate their life to.”

Jaime flushes a bit, and laughs when Elle winks at them. “Might prove you wrong on that,” but they’re just teasing.

“I think it’s great that you’re so…. assured, and confident. Really, Elle. I’m jealous. But I guess school is kind of like a fairy tale? Beauty and the Beast isn’t really about a woman falling in love with a beast. It’s about looking past what you see on the outside, to the person someone is inside.”

Elle chuckles at that. “Considering I am supposedly a fairytale, perhaps that is the cause of my confusion.”

“You don’t go to school, do you? I haven’t seen you there.”

“No, I don’t go to school. My….training. Well. My training covered a lot of things. Basic math and science. Lots of biology and anatomy. Geography, politics. Languages... P.E. was a killer though.” Jaime tried to make it a joke, but perhaps they didn’t do such good job at hiding the way their voice cracked a bit.

“I felt weird enough joining up with the Big Team, at first. Going to school on top of that? No thanks. But don’t let Cyclone hear you say that.”

“I will warn you if Cyclone approaches. He is currently in the kitchen, and based on his usual movements I believe he will be there for about thirty more minutes.” GAIA says. “I am happy to distract him if need be.”

Elle sits up from her homework-nest, and puts the books aside. “Your training sounds similar to mine, if perhaps with different weapons, and less focus on dragons.” She rubs an eye and sighs. “Joining the Big Team was a relief to me. I had been under the command of someone for a fairly long time, and though I had some experience moving on my own, I felt somewhat… lost on my own in a strange world. It was nice to have companions.”

“I too could have done without school, though, even if it allows me to meet more people. If I have to study, I would rather spend that time learning about the people of Montreal, or the various kingdoms under Risganjan threat… I should do whatever I can for them, especially since I…” she makes a face and looks away.

“Thanks, GAIA. I think he knows, but we both pretend he doesn’t.” Jaime shrugs.

“Oh, yeah. We didn’t really deal with dragons at all. But yeah. Normal people…. I don’t know how to relate to them. We’ve just gone through a lot of different things. At least with the team, there’s some common ground. We both relate to trying to make up for hurting people. People get what feeling like a monster is like… People get the fear of getting close to people for something you can’t quite control. Normal people don’t get it. That, and at least I can pretend there’s better security here than at Big High.”

Jaime reaches out for Elle, putting their hand on their knee, comfortingly. “You did the best you could, with the information you had. It’s not like I’m totally blameless either. I’ve worked with the Host itself.”

“I know. I made the best decision for the battle, but not the best decision for the war. In light of the situation at WhiteStar, it was the correct path - we were unlikely to win without their help. But in the long run, it was not. Without us, they would not have pushed back the Host - Whitestar was a significant barrier.”

“As a Knight, I am a battlefield commander. My decision followed my training to the letter, and I was too focused on proving myself worthy of knighthood to think beyond that.”

She looks down at her fidgeting hands. “Now that I have my sword, I can see that was short sighted.”

She looks back up and attempts a smile. “I have - or had until recently, rather - no experience feeling like a monster, but I have dealt with plenty of monsters. Did I tell you I once dated a werewolf? She… might be a bad example, actually. I just mean…” Elle winces.

“I am not good at comforting.”

“But were you aware there was a war? Are knights supposed to win wars? Sometimes we don’t know what ripples our actions will have. And I don’t think either of us want either of them to be able to win. I just don’t see how we take down one without the other.”

Jaime laughs, squeezing Elle’s knee. “I get it. I’m not great at it either. And it’s sweet that you try.”

They let go of Elle and fold in on themselves a bit. “I just… I don’t know what we’re supposed to do. About the Risganjans. About the Host…. And I can’t help but feel like it’s not supposed to be our job, but we’re the only ones who are going to do something, you know?”

Elle shakes her head. “We knew the Risganjans were aggressive - GAIA told us as much -“

“My original purpose was providing intelligence on alien planets and species.”

When Jaime squeezes her knee, she puts her hand on theirs and squeezes it in return.

“- But we didn’t know that they would use the opportunity to expand. Most kingdoms retreat into themselves to lick their own wounds after a war.

I guess they aren’t most kingdoms.”

“Statistical analysis of known spacefaring species show Risganjans to be a Class D Aggressive species, a property they share with less than 0.7% of their peers.” GAIA pipes up. “Interestingly, some scientists associated with SPEAR have suggested that humanity itself should be classified as Class C, only one class below them.”

“Right. As for what we should do, I think we are in a bit better position - I know I can fight, and I know you can too.” She smiles reassuringly. “We just need someone to point us in the right direction. Me to wherever the fighting is heaviest, you to wherever you can destabilize their leadership best.”

“For all that I do not trust the League, I do believe they are fully committed to the defense of Earth. It is their home as well as ours - yours? And they would no more like to lose it than we do.

That’s why I joined them. One of the reasons.”

“Yeah, GAIA. We probably should. We’re not the friendliest bunch, even if we try.” Jaime flips their hand over so they have Elle’s hand in theirs. They can feel their life force radiating outward, and that’s nearly as comforting as their words.

“I don’t know about that, Elle. When we were on Tarin…. Ruenn showed up again, and he was trying to get the Tarinians to fight. It feels like, no matter what we do, the situation is going to get more complicated. And there are going to be ripples. And yeah, we have good fighters, you and me among them, but our team can’t take on a whole army. Even with the full power of the League behind us?”

They sigh, and look down. “I just don’t know if I can trust the League to make a decision when it matters. They’re too caught up in politics and appearances. In mopping up messes, instead of preventing them in the first place. And then how they send us to do their dirty work? Yeah, I’m pretty sure when it comes down to it, they’re going to want to try to save Earth. I just can’t help but think that’s going to be too late.”

Elle frowns sadly. “Maybe. But we will try our hardest and resist until the very end. Everyone I’ve met here, all of our companions - I have the utmost faith in their valour, their steadfastness, their willingness to do what’s right. That includes you, in case you’re wondering.” They smile and boop Jaime on the nose. “And while I am not an official representative of the crown in any matters beyond military, I can confidently say that if it comes to that, we can evacuate Earth to Avalon. I don’t believe the Risganjans can access the spirit realms.” She looks away, at GAIA for a moment, then down at the floor. “It worked on Thea.”

“And what about the Host?” their eyes flick to meet Elle’s. “If we defeat the Risganjans…. could they be a new threat? It feels like they kept each other balanced, in a messed up way.”

“The Host…” Elle’s breath catches. “The Host is vast, and powerful. Far more so than the Risganjans. I… honestly, I have some difficulty believing the Risganjans truly managed to push them back.” She fidgets with her sleeve. “They’re brutal. The type of people who’d torch a village if they can’t capture it. Or destroy a planet utterly, as they have done. It’s why we partnered with the Risganjans to begin with…”

“Maybe they truly have captured Ominus. A tyrant like that, his absence could cause his entire empire to fall apart. It would explain a lot.”

“They’re a consideration,” Jaime says. “And if what you say about the Sonata is true….” They trail off, not wanting to think about it. The entire universe? Rewritten? “I doubt he could be held seriously for long. If Ruenn is looking for him, or trying to free him, or just fucking everything up….”

“It feels like we’re caught between two impossible enemies, you know? And I can’t help but feeling so fucking \*useless\* in the face of huge space empires, and like…. this shouldn’t be our problem, right? We’re kids.”

It sounded like they were trying to convince themselves more than Elle.

Elle smiles ruefully. “I formally gave up my childhood when I became a knight. Before, really. That’s how it’s supposed to go. There’s a ceremony and everything.”

“That doesn’t mean I agree with it. I might have, a while ago, before I came here, but no. It shouldn’t be. There should be other people who deal with this. It shouldn’t fall to us.”

“It shouldn’t even fall to Earth to deal with either Risganja or the Host in the first place, though. We got involved, but we should never have been on their radar. We are like a village compared to their kingdoms and empires, their gaze should never have fallen on us… But it did, and we have to deal with it.”

“For what it’s worth, despite how much I want to go home, I don’t intend to leave you while this is happening. I will see it through.”

“I don’t know what the Sonata can do. They are very powerful.” A sense of awe permeates her voice. “It is palpable even being near them. Hearing them consumes you. Even if they aren’t capable of the calamities we fear they are, they are capable of much… I watched a woman die to protect them.” She sighs. “If the memories weren’t enough to bring me nightmares, the worries would be. If we somehow defeat the Risganjans, will it allow Ominus to regain power and fulfill his plans? Would it be better to leave the Risganjans to fight the Host? It would be nice if we could let them at each other, but we tried that and it got us here.”

“It feels like there are no good options, and I’m lost. This isn’t what I envisioned myself doing as a Knight. I… I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I had envisioned… fighting beasts, bandits, protecting villages, helping to rebuild bridges, even wars and dragons… I can handle those. I don’t know what to do here.”

“I wish I had something reassuring to tell you.”

GAIA’s hologram hesitates, then puts their arms around Elle. The holograms flicker where they touch her body.

“I mean, I gave up a lot of my childhood in a way, too. But still. I don’t feel remotely prepared for this. I wasn’t supposed to be…. fighting intergalactic space empires. I was thinking it’d be, you know. Smaller, Earth politics. Even if I could….”

They trailed off, not finishing the end of that sentence. Their life would be so much different, if they could have done what they were trained to do. Jaime doesn’t really want to know what it would look like.

“At least I’m not alone?” Jaime looked up at Elle, hopefully. “And you’ve already dealt with both the Host and the Risganjans. You understand them a bit more.”

Jaime looked from Elle to GAIA. “And you help too, of course.”

Elle looks up at Jaime, then smiles and pulls them into the hug.

“If I knew we were going to be hugging, I would have brought my biped body out of storage.” The GAIA dot says.

\_\_\_

GAIA‘s hologram stands up. “If the two of you do not mind, I have some statistical analysis I was looking forward to running. While I am capable of being both here and doing that at the same time, I enjoy the feeling of giving a single task my undivided attention at times.”

“Okay, my heart. Don’t forget we were going to Rhiannon’s for dinner later.” Elle follows them up, and leans in for a kiss, the GAIA dot’s projectors whirring as they put extra energy in to provide some form of resistance. GAIA smiles and the dot makes a bleep as the hologram fades.

“Would you like to take a walk with me in the greenhouse?” Elle asks, bowing and holding out her hand like a gentleman asking for a dance.

Jaime smiled, and wrinkled their nose when Elle tapped it. Something about them just made Jaime feel so hopeful? That even after everything they’ve done, including to Elle’s own daughter. Their ability to forgive. Their confidence--that Jaime was a good person… It was inspiring.

“I wouldn’t put it past them to figure it out, eventually….but if Avalon has more knights like you? I think we’ll be in good hands.”

Jaime takes their hand, bowing a bit before they do. “I think that’d be lovely.”

—-

Sunlight streams through the glass panes of the building, illuminating a large space filled to the brim with plants of all sorts. The garden had been beautiful before, but it had really flourished since Lily started tending it, and it showed.

Elle sniffed a large, bright orange flower as they passed it, and turned to gesture for Jaime to do the same.

“I love this place. The castle in Camelot have extensive gardens as well, and though they were off limits to visitors on all but some days of the year, the squires and pages were sometimes ordered to guard it and attend guests. It was always my favourite duty at court.”

Jaime hadn’t been spending much time up in the garden, but it was nice to, especially now that the weather was warming up. The sun warmed their face, and they leaned in to sniff the flower that Elle had pointed out. It was lovely.

“Did you ever sneak in and just walk around? I know I didn’t have a lot of freedom, even if I wanted it. At least until the end.”

Mischief twinkles in Elle’s eyes. “Sometimes. We thought we were very smart and sneaky, me and Art and Guin. We’d steal custard tarts from the kitchens and hide and throw them at each other in the gardens. I’m pretty sure they knew and just turned a blind eye, though.” Elle says, bent over a patch of flowers they had noticed a few days prior when having tea with Lily. When Jaime turns back from sniffing the flower, Elle gently reaches out one hand to the side of their face, brushing some of their hair. When they pull back, a large Gardenia flower adorns Jaime’s hair.

“You look amazing.”

Jaime turns bright red, and they bite their lip. They could feel the flower against their cheek, the light scent permeating the air. Elle was just so much. And in such a perfect, charming, chivalrous way. Something about them made it so easy for Jaime to believe in all of the things that they wanted to be. That maybe….all of the bullshit they went through was for a good reason.

“I-” God, why were they so bad at this. At saying those things. Or what they felt. They ducked their eyes, before mustering up the courage. “Thanks. You do too. I mean, I think you always look good. Even without a flower….”

They trail off, too awkward to continue.

Elle smiles, and blushes slightly as well. “Thank you. It is nice to know I look nice even without any effort. I’ve never really worn any makeup - it doesn’t seem to do much for me? But I usually spend a lot of time on my clothing, at least.” They gesture down, at what they were currently wearing: jeans, a Rescue; The Girls t shirt, and a blue zipup hoodie. “I was having a bad day, though, so…” Their hair was pinned up in a loose bun, tips of their ears only barely poking through at the sides.

“No, you’re… you’re radiant,” Jaime says, before flushing again. Did they just say that? “Even in a hoodie. And yeah, chem homework sucks. And other stuff, too, probably. There’s been a lot going on."

Jaime glances around the garden for a flower that would suit Elle. They find a small bush, with a lovely purple flower, a burst of gold pustules in its center. Jaime carefully extracts one of the flowers and offers it to Elle, shyly.

Elle bows her head, so Jaime can reach.

Jaime tucks the flower behind Elle’s ear, smiling at them when they raise their head. “But the flowers always help.”

Jaime turns to Elle again, growing a bit more serious. “It is just homework that’s got you down today? Cause if it’s more than that, we could, uh. Talk?”

Elle smiles as she stands back up, raising a hand to summon one of her mirrors and admiring her reflection in it. “Thank you.” She sighs and looks a bit distant at the question.

“Homework is part of it, but I also just feel out of place. I don’t really fit in at school, and I am very far away from home. I feel lonely even when I am with people, and it… makes me feel guilty. How could I feel lonely when spending time with my girlfriend? With my best friend? I don’t know if I just don’t care or…” They walk over to a bench in between two trees, shaded from the sun, and sit down, hoping Jaime will join them.

Jaime sits next to Elle, leaving a bit of space between them. They’re still close enough to offer a comforting hug, if they desire though. “I think it’s okay to feel lonely, even with people you love. Like, people don’t understand what you’re going through. What you’ve been through. They can’t get it, not really. I mean, Mini gets some stuff, with me, but even she doesn’t really get it, you know? It’s not the same. And that’s isolating. To have no one that can really, really understand.”

They pause for a bit, but continue. “I can tell you care. About the team, about Halcyon, about the planet. And your time. Your people.” Me, they think. Even if they don’t say it. “Even if you’re lonely inside...I think it’s okay. I mean, not that you should be getting ‘normal teen’ lessons from me.”

"I would like to get lessons from you, if you'll let me." Elle says, scooting a bit closer. "I would also love to give you lessons, if you would like that." She bends forward to look them in the eye.

Jaime flushes again, with Elle so close to them. Everything seems so intentional. So serious.

“Um, what do you...mean?” they ask, voice cracking at the end. “I’m not….normal, or, um. Good at being a teen. But I like spending time with you?”

“Hmmm.” Elle chuckles dryly at herself. “I should be more forward, huh.” She swings her legs, looking up at the glass panes above. “Are you seeing anyone, Jaime?”

Oh. Oh. Jaime turns pink. “Um, I am? Mini and I we just…. kinda started dating.”

They look down, then back up at Elle. “But we’re both fine with seeing other people? I’d just, um. Want to talk to her first? Before anything else.”

“Minerva! I should congratulate her the next time I see her, she has good taste.” Elle winks. “I wanted to kiss you, but I thought…”

They frown, and tug at their hair. “I… read the stories recently. About me, I mean. They aren’t kind. I thought I should… ask. I don’t want to cause anything…”

Jaime furrows their brow, “What stories, Elle? And asking is always appreciated, it’s sweet.”

Jaime reaches across the bench and pulls Elle into a hug. “I’d be more than happy to take a rain check, on that kiss. Okay?”

"The old books. About Arthur, and me, and Guinevere. The Grail, the affair, me causing the downfall of Camelot with my inability to control my feelings…" She picks at a nail, tugging at part of it that had broken off during her morning exercise. "They're apparently very well known. I've been hearing about them for a while so I thought I should read the-" Her ramble is cut off by the hug, which she gratefully leans into.

"Is this a bad time to mention I don't know what a rain check is?"

Jaime gave them what they hoped was a comforting squeeze, and put a hand on the back of Elle’s head, keeping them close.

“Hey, It’s okay. Those stories aren’t about you. They’re some other Lancelot. You’re not your self from the future in this timeline either, right? You’re not who they all thought you’d be. Weren’t you the one who told me that people will accept you for who you are now, not who they think you should be, because of our past? Or, well. Your future, I guess.”

They pull back from the hug, smiling at Elle fondly.

“A rain check…. It’s like an IOU?” They realize Elle probably wouldn’t know what that is either. “Like, if you are supposed to do something, like an event, and it’s cancelled because of the weather, or whatever, they’d give you a rain check, so you don’t have to buy another ticket. Usually because it was raining. So…. I’ll talk to Mini. Just to be sure. And then I’ll get back to you?”

“I guess I did say that, huh.” Elle laughs into the hug. “I suppose I never thought to actually apply that to myself.”

She nods when they pull back, returning the smile. “Thank you for that, Jaime. Both the explanation and the hug. You’re a good friend, and I hope I didn’t put you in a difficult position with my flirting. I… know I can be a lot, sometimes, and… well, maybe it can be hard to tell when I am serious?”

“I am content to wait until you’ve talked to Minerva. She deserves that. I’m happy she has you, actually… she seems lonely, sometimes. She has a lot of pressure on her, I think, and her type - they put it all on themselves and try not to bother anyone else with it. She deserves someone to share it with.”

“Until then…”

She cups Jaime’s face in one hand, and lean forward to kiss their other cheek, gently. When she pulls back again, she smiles.

“I hope that was okay.”

Jaime gives Elle a small, half smile, cheeks still tinged pink. “Yeah, yeah it was.”