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It was almost pathetic, Alys thought afterwards. She was walking arm-in-arm with Simon down the seafront promenade, both a little tipsy from the silly, sticky cocktails they'd shared in the bar. It was dusk, but in this fine weather the resort was busy, and Alys and Simon blended into the crowd. Which was exactly what she wanted, Alys reflected: an escape from the Imperial Betrothal and the fervid atmosphere in the capital, to a place where they were just anonymous holidaymakers. She rested her head against Simon's shoulder as they strolled in the direction of their waterfront hotel, listening to the happy chatter of the crowd and the constant low voice of the sea.
"You should dress like this all the time," Simon remarked, his hand running lazily over the floaty sundress that she wore over her skimpy bathing costume. "Not that it's not nice when you're all High Vor, but... this is very comfortable. I like it."
Alys laughed. "I admit," she said, "it's nice being a handsome officer's girlfriend rather than a Vor lady." Her smile widened. "I think it's a pity you put your shirt back on to go into the bar." She unfastened a button with a mischievous twist of her fingers, and Simon pulled her closer.
"Just you wait till we get back--" he began in her ear.
"Excuse me," said a pretty young woman, stepping into their path. "Do you happen to know what the time is?"
Alys sighed at the interruption, then frowned as she saw the line of the girl's chrono on her wrist under her low-cut peasant blouse. She reached for her purse, then caught a glimpse of the man standing casually right behind Simon. Simon's eyes met hers.
Alys opened her purse as if fetching out her chrono. "Oh, just let me look," she said politely. "Now, where did I put--"
The man reached his hand carefully into Simon's pocket. Alys's hand came up holding not her chrono but a small silver stunner, just as Simon seized the pickpocket's wrist and, apparently without effort, twisted and jerked, throwing him to the ground. Alys was distracted for a second by admiring how he moved, smooth and certain and strong. Then the girl snarled, lunging forwards for the purse, and Alys fired.
The ImpSec security detail rushed up a second after it was all over. Alys put the stunner back into her purse and wiped her hands fastidiously. Simon's foot was resting casually on the pickpocket's chest, his eyes dangerous. Alys swallowed, watching him. He certainly hadn't lost his touch in retirement.
"You're slow," Simon observed to the senior ImpSec man, who went red. "Take care of these two idiots."
"Yes," Alys chimed in, putting her arm around Simon again and kissing him, quickly, but with a promise of more, soon, and feeling his body respond. She wanted to be back in their hotel suite right now... "It's not our job to catch every petty criminal in the place. We're on holiday."