Chapter 69: Tournament
At long last, the week came to a close, and the heroes began preparing for the tournament. With my usual training spot taken over in preparation for the tournament, I knocked on Soltair’s door, hoping he would keep me company.
"Ah, Xiviyah. I was hoping you’d come by," he said as I entered, "would you help me with these straps?"
I nodded, slipping behind his muscled frame to tighten the stiff leather straps of his armor. "The maids must have been busy. You’re shining brighter than the sun."
He chuckled, lifting an arm to allow me better access to a particularly difficult strap. "They certainly work hard. But what about you? It’s been a few days since you joined us for lunch."
My fingers slowed, but I forced them to keep moving. "I-I just got busy," I said, trying to sound casual. "Besides, you and Alex seemed to have plenty of fun together without me."
He tried to turn and catch my eye, but I danced around, attacking his armor with renewed fervor. "I know he was coming on a little strong, but he means well," Soltair said, finally giving up the chase.
I nodded, holding my tongue. Throughout the week, some of the other heroes tracked me down, as Korra did that first day. Soltair had invited me to join them almost every day for lunch, which I happily accepted the first time.
"A little tighter," Soltair said, flexing his back against his breastplate. As I tugged on the strap, he continued, "I think Alex was crushing on you a little, to be honest."
"I’d rather not talk about it," I muttered, blushing slightly. "He talks like that anyone wearing a dress."
"No, really, I haven’t seen him that forward in a long time, not since the first night we arrived, when he somehow got a maid in bed with him. The Pope was livid, let me tell you," he chuckled.
I hurried on, feeling a twinge of regret. Perhaps coming here was a mistake. "Oh? Somehow that doesn’t surprise me."
"Hey, you don’t need to be so distant," he chided, pulling away and facing me. "At worst, he was only teasing you. Who knows, maybe you’ve successfully seduced a hero to your side. One step closer, right?"