Phoenix was looking at ten new crossbows, all of them being placed on the table in front of them by House-slaves, and her mouth went dry. She didn't want to do this, just like she didn't want to stand in front of a roomful of Masters and shoot at things, but he was smiling, his eyes so bright and full of light again, his sun-kissed skin looking so warm and tanned. She knew she couldn't say no then, no matter how much she wanted to, no matter how much she believed that this was a mistake as he leapt up onto the table, banging his boot on the top and making all those slaves turn around to look at him.
"Listen up," Belfire said, and soon the room was quiet. "From now on we'll have a few hours everyday after training to do what we want, but," he said, nodding a quick nod and staring around the canteen. "If any of us do anything stupid or slack off in training, it'll all be over for everyone, remember that. Nobody ruin this for the rest of us, alright? Phoenix," he said, turning to smile down at her. "Will be running a class with her crossbow if any of you want to join. I see about ten here so you can try tomorrow if you miss out today."
For a moment there was nothing but silence, for a moment it almost looked like she would get away with not having to do this, but then she saw Mia's hands darting, grabbing one of those crossbows and smiling. She looked like she was about to say something, her eyes half-closing, her face so bright and light, but then Bolt snatched that crossbow off of her, turning his back to her as he sat on the bench so she couldn't steal it back. Mia turned to glare at him, her eyes so cold and dark, but then she took another crossbow without saying a word. Phoenix's blood ran cold, watching Bolt push and press and click at buttons and tossing it from one hand to the other as he looked up at Belfire, a bright, wide grin on his face, and Belfire laughed when he jumped down from the table, patting Bolt on the shoulder and shaking his head.
"Try not to hurt yourself," he said, and Bolt laughed, looking back down at the crossbow in his lap and then back at her.
"Come on, let's go," Bolt said, and she was about to get up, but then there were others, so many there was no doubt she would be doing this again tomorrow.
There was something in her throat when she stood in front of them on the sand, something she had to cough a few times to clear, and then she propped her own up against the wall.
"Mia, can I see yours?" she asked, and the girl held it out to her.
Phoenix ran over it with quick and practised fingers, checking the parts, testing the mechanisms, some part of her lighter, some part of her heavier the longer she looked at it. Everything was the same, just the colour a little muted and darker and those scanners by the trigger only working like a switch to turn it on. It wasn't easy to give it back to Mia, Phoenix's hands a little slow, her shoulders a little stiff. Phoenix knew that there was no point, that she shouldn't be worried that they would steal it, but it wasn't easy, her mouth so dry, her face so tight when she cleared her throat again.
"You have to activate it," she said, her voice so quiet, not at all like his had been when he'd stood on that table. "Press your fingers here, you should feel it if it worked. I-," Phoenix cut herself off, seeing those faces, all bright and expectant, and all of them looking at her, and she had to clear her throat again, lifting her crossbow up higher and showing them. "The clip is here, push on the sides and it'll slide out. If it's full, there'll be thirty bolts inside, just replace it when you run out, but keep the clips, they're hard to make."
She stared at it in her hand then, suddenly not sure what to say, her breath catching in her throat. He'd made ten in one night, ten crossbows and twenty clips in the time it would've taken her just to refill her own. She shook her head, her eyes suddenly so heavy and full of tears and suddenly she was so small. She cleared her throat again, wanting to say something, wanting to do anything, but stand there staring and fighting back tears.
"Wait, you made these?" Mia asked, her eyes so big and bright, her eyebrows rising.
"No," Phoenix said, shaking her head. "Just this one… I found-,"
"Wow, Phoenix, what can't you do?" Mia said, looking down at that crossbow in her hands and shaking her head, but Phoenix didn't know what to say to that, something in her heart lifting, something like a crease, something like a wince on her face.
"When can we shoot?" Bolt asked.
"Now, I guess," Phoenix answered, but she wasn't ready to hear that bolt zip past her, lodging in the wall above one of the targets with a loud crack.
"Bolt!" Mia gasped, rounding on him and trying to knock the crossbow out of his hands. "You could've shot her!"
"Well, I didn't, did I?"
For a moment she could only stand there, only hearing that crack of the bolt hitting the wall, but then she heard it, the sound of him laughing, so soft, so warm and her skin tingled. Belfire sat on the steps, watching them with his face so bright, those metal bands in his hair shining like gold in the evening sun, and she laughed too, a soft, quiet laugh, shaking her head and turning back to the others.
"Yes, Bolt, you could have shot me," she said, but it was those smiles, those laughs, somehow they stayed with her long into the night.
When was the last time she'd felt that good? When was the last time things had been so easy?
"You were good today," Belfire said, his voice so soft and warm, and she looked at him, turning to lie on her side and nodding.
"I liked it," she whispered, and that smile on his lips grew bigger, reaching his eyes as he laughed.
"I'm glad."
That warmth, that easiness was still with her when she woke and still with her when she sat at that table with her bowl of porridge. The others smiled at her when they passed, they nodded and cheered for her when she was sparring, but it was a while before she realised that burning in the pit of her stomach was something sweet and light, one that had her counting down until those crossbows were brought back out and she could see them all smiling again.
Finally they were in front of her, more slaves than before crowding around their table and waiting to see if it was their turn, but then she saw a face she didn't expect to see as Lyca nudged her way to the front, a few other slaves making way and one handing a crossbow over to her.
"Lyca," Cassie called, and she jerked her head, calling her back over to their table.
Lyca looked like she wanted to say something, her face a little tight, her eyes flicking down to the crossbow in her hands, and then she put it down, heading back over to Cassie and sitting beside her. Phoenix didn't know what to say then, a part of her wanting to see Lyca smile too, but she only shook her head, taking the others out to the sand and running through what to do again. She was watching them fire, watching them smile and laugh and feeling that heat in the pit of her stomach when it suddenly grew warmer.
"Bolt!" she heard, and she turned, seeing Belfire standing on the steps with something in his hand, waving it at the boy and grinning.
"What did you do to it? It's huge," Bolt said, running up to the steps and shaking his head, his eyes so wide, his eyebrows so high and they only went higher when Belfire laughed.
"I got more from the infirmary," Belfire said. "Ready for a real game?" he asked, and Bolt looked up at him, a smile springing to his lips, and then his hand whipped out, snatching that ball from Belfire as he raced to the side of the yard, tossing the ball, bouncing it off the wall and letting it land in the sand.
"That's one point," Bolt said.
"That's cheating," Belfire said, bending to pick up the ball and to brush the sand off of it, but then he threw it, catching Bolt by surprise, but the boy was quick and he caught that ball before it landed back in the sand, then they were both racing, taking turns to toss and catch it and see who would drop it first.
It wasn't long before they were both sweating, doubling over and panting whenever they had the chance, but then Bolt made as though to throw that ball hard, his arm all the way back, his face scrunched up in a scowl, and then he only tossed it, grazing it up against the wall so softly.
Belfire didn't stand a chance to catch it, not after running so far away, his eyes going so wide as he rushed to get back in time, but someone got there first, diving to the sand and catching that ball for him. Mia looked up at Bolt, her eyes so bright, a grin on her lips as she tossed the ball back to Belfire.
"That's cheating," Bolt said. "We're not playing teams."
"Nobody said that," Mia said, standing and brushing the sand from her knees.
"I won't play two against one," the boy shook his head.
"You're not scared, are you?" Mia asked, that grin on her face growing bigger, her head tilting to the side.
"No!" Bolt snapped, his face flushing red, his eyes narrowing into thin slits. "I pick Lyca," he said, and Phoenix's eyes flicked to the woman, watching her face scrunch up in a scowl.
"No," Lyca said.
"Come on, Lyca, you have to-," Bolt shook his head.
"No," she cut in.
"Phoenix then," he said, folding his arms across his chest, his cheeks even redder, and Phoenix felt all those eyes turn to her, not knowing what to say, not wanting to do it.
"Ha!" Belfire laughed, his eyes so bright, his skin pink and glistening in the evening sun. "Let's go. Mia and me and you two," he pointed. "Losers buy the beers after work."
"Bolt's too young to drink," Mia said.
"I'm not, Mia, shut up! And we're not going to lose! Hurry up, Phoenix!"
Phoenix didn't know why she followed, only that Belfire was laughing and smiling and she wanted to keep him that way. It was easy to catch that ball, easy to throw it too, much easier than she'd thought it would be, her heart so light, a smile on her lips, but that was when Belfire knocked into her, pushing her out of the way and making her miss the ball. He smiled, laughing a light laugh when she glared up at him from the sand and he turned, waiting and watching to see where that ball would be next. but Phoenix caught his ankle just in time, tripping him up and making him miss it and she thought that they would win then, but Mia came flying, her steps so light, her eyes so bright as she dived for the ball.
She turned, tossing that ball against the wall and Bolt couldn't get there in time. Phoenix heard it land in the sand, shaking her head and letting Belfire's ankle go, and then she heard him laughing, a big, loud laugh as he jumped to his feet.
"Mia!" he gasped, reaching for her and squeezing her shoulders. "Cough up, Bolt, I'm thirsty."
"Phoenix lost too," Bolt said, his voice so quiet, his face so tight, and Phoenix laughed, she couldn't help it, watching the colour rise to his cheeks and his shoulders rise.
"Back to your rooms."
Phoenix looked up then, watching all of them all go so stiff and the colour drain from Bolt's cheeks as she sat up, seeing those Implants flicker, his face so blank and slack she didn't know what he was thinking.