After waking up from his healing sleep, Alexandre washed his face and put on a fresh (and untattered) set of clothes. Then he left the resort and made his way to the restaurant Iwa.
This classic Chinese restaurant was small, but wonderful spicy smells wafted out from its kitchen to perfume the surrounding area. Iwa had been around since the Post-Pandemic Period, when Chinese nationals who'd managed to escape the Great Wave were fundraising to launch a campaign to recolonize parts of China.
Of course, once it became clear that almost every square kilometer of Chinese territory had been designated as a particularly dangerous Black Zone (a term used both for individual zones and for the deadly Virus Z-infected areas of the world in general), no recolonization efforts had actually been made.
Alexandre was shown to a small table, where he ordered a cocktail and waited for a quarter of an hour for his date to show up.
Finally, Latika arrived. She wore a pretty dress with a skirt that came to her knees, an outfit a little nicer than Alexandre's own—she hadn't had to rely on the few supplies packed for attending the Hunter Exam, after all! Aside from her clothes, Latika was a beautiful young woman with long, lustrous black hair and chocolate-colored skin. She looked to be about twenty-five, and her Indian heritage was apparent.
Latika stepped up to the table and crossed her arms, looking at Alexandre from head to foot. She didn't sit down.
Alexandre rose, intending to pull out Latika's chair. "Hello, beautiful."
In response, she slapped him across the face. "That's for lying to me last night, asshole!"
Alexandre gave her a crooked grin. "Believe it or not, I hate lying, especially to beautiful women. However, the mission always comes first. My purpose there was to gain intel about the final test."
Latika's stern expression melted into a smile of her own. "I know," she said. "That's why I'm here." Her expression seemed to say "We're even, now!"
Alexandre pulled out the chair and Latika seated herself. The restaurant specialized in spicy Szechuan and Hunan cuisine, so they ordered a six-course tasting menu that allowed them to sample a great variety of small dishes.
For a while, the dinner conversation was quite superficial—almost entirely revolving around the tastiness of the food and how the restaurant compared to others on Hunter Island.
Throughout all this, Latika seemed to grow more and more impatient, as though she were waiting for something that never came. At long last, she blurted out, "Explain how you managed to cheat your way into beating six academy students!"
Alexandre slowly chewed the bite of steamed duck breast in his mouth, thinking about how much information he wanted to reveal. At least, he swallowed and said, "I've been training for years with serums from the black market."
Latika's eyes went wide. "Are you insane!? When I signed up last year, I had a friend who, like you, bought black market shots to dope up for the test. He ended up in the military hospital in Philadelphia. They saved his life, but he lost the use of both his legs forever. Everyone knows that even the academy's own SGC strain must be administered under strict medical supervision, but here you are treating it like a stupid game!?"
Alexandre only replied, "You can't succeed if you're not willing to risk everything. It wouldn't be a risk if there wasn't a chance of failure. Your friend got unlucky. I didn't. You know, on the black market, you can find anything of any quality at any price. Yes, I took a risk. From now on, my doses will be as safe as possible. I have no regrets."
Latika rolled her eyes. "I'm certain you wouldn't be so glib about it if things had gone as poorly for you as for my friend. Winners have the privilege of acting stoic, but you can never tell how they'd act had they lost instead."
Alexandre didn't like the direction of the conversation, so he pivoted the topic. "As lucky as I was to survive till now, I'm at least as lucky to have met you last evening! It's not often that one meets an ethereal beauty in the dark of night. God has truly been smiling upon me." He added a slight affectation to his voice and put a hand to his heart, as though imitating a romantic poet.
It seemed to be effective! Latika blushed and smiled, then said, "As a general rule, Academy Militiamen are feared and rejected because we have the power to affect students' grades and to punish them. Many Militiamen feel uncomfortable in their role, rejected by the vast majority of other students. Even within the Militia, there's constant competition. People are always trying to stab each other in the back."
She thought for a moment, then said in a slightly lower tone, "I suppose I'm not used to people so openly dealing with me. I was very surprised when you asked me on a date. If I hadn't been so surprised, I don't think that I'd have agreed so readily. But don't think for a second that I'm an easy girl!"
Alexandre replied, "Don't worry, I don't like it easy. I rather enjoyed escaping from a hundred Hunters!"
"Novice Hunters," Latika corrected. "Not real Hunters!"
Alexandre waved his hand dismissively. "Yes, of course. But my point is that I love a challenge. Easy situations are far too boring, my dear."
By that time, they were both leaning toward each other over their plates of food, each grinning from ear to year. Despite their banter, there was no question Latika and Alexandre were very much enjoying each other's presence.
***
Though each dish was tiny, only a few mouthfuls, the courses added up to a feeling of fullness and contentment. The accompanying cocktails and green tea helped this along, of course!
At the end of the meal, Alexandre gallantly paid the check, then turned to Latika as though a fresh thought had just occurred to him. "You know," he said, "I've got a beautiful room at the Crown Plaza. It has an unparalleled view of the ocean. You should come see it!"
Latika replied, "Oh no, I really should have returned to the dorm by now."
"Come on," Alexandre insisted, "we've been having such a good time! It'd be a shame to part ways now. Just come see the room for five minutes."
Latika's expression was stern for a few lingering seconds… and then a mischievous glint shone in her eye. "Goodness, I hope it's not for only five minutes."
'Victory!' Alexandre shouted in his head.
***
Latika had assumed Alexandre had been bullshitting her about the view—she'd been on Hunter Island for a long time, after all, and had long grown accustomed to the seaside.
Yet despite herself, Latika found her breath taken away when she stepped onto the balcony and beheld the winter moon striking a beam of silver down across the water. At this height, in this location, her view was completely unblocked by any man-made structure. She felt like an empress standing in a castle tower in an abandoned country, alone except for Alexandre at her side. For a heartbeat, Latika felt as though she were seeing the ocean again for the very first time.
Alexandre ran his hand through Latika's midnight-black hair. She leaned into him as he kissed her, and within a few minutes the pair had fallen together onto the bed that was much more than large enough for them both.
The night was terribly intense.