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"Just when I'd started to drift off," Weisz scoffed. It was enough work to get to sleep, so being shaken back awake by a peculiar sound down the hall had put him in a sour mood.
It was probably nothing. By now he knew that the ship ought to make various noises throughout the day and night that were perfectly normal and meant that everything was in working order as it should be. However - over the past week or so new guests had been invited onto the ship, and he couldn't help but be a little on edge.
Nothing particularly new for him - he had gotten comfortable with the rest of the crew over the past three years, but that didn't mean he wasn't beyond putting his guard up around unfamiliar faces. Between Connor, Labillia and now Holy there was much beyond his control. He certainly trusted Shiki's decisions but there was still a part of him that couldn't help but play it on the cautious side.
He shuffled down the hallway wearing a pair of sweatpants and his signature hoodie. Walking past each of the personal cabins, he listened for that same noise he had heard not too long ago.
The sound of glass clinking against each other, which was peculiar. Until, that is, he realized the rustling was coming from the direction of Edens Kitchen. He sighed a bit of relief, but still wondered who on earth was up and about at a time like this.
Rebecca and Couchpo both appreciated the cafeteria's services, often sneaking in snacks together, but it was far too late at night for that even by their standards. He stuffed his hands in his hoodie's pockets as he turned the corner, wondering who the glutton could be.
To his surprise, he was met with long violet curls - a women holding a bottle of wine in one hand and a glass in the other. She turned to face him, and when he noticed the silky black night slip she was wearing, his face went red.
"H-Holy?" his voice cracked.
She locked her fierce purple eyes on him, her lips shifting into a sly grin.
"Pardon me darling, I didn't mean to wake you," her sultry voice sang towards him. "I find it troublesome trying to sleep without a glass. Care to join?"
Weisz was never much of a wine guy, rather he was used to the cheap spirits Sibir used to snag for the guys back on Norma. He wasn't surprised a woman as poised as Holy enjoyed it, though. Wine had a certain air of elegance. It suited her.
He could just go back to bed, her intentions seemed harmless enough - but then again, this woman had been shrouded in mystery from the moment she'd approached them on Planet Dahlia. A bombshell, to say the least, composed and never let her cards show. Weisz wanted nothing more than to see what lay beneath the surface, what she had up her sleeve. His face grew warm.
So maybe he ought to stay and have a drink after all, to stay on the cautious side.
For the safety of the crew. Yeah.
"If you're inviting me," he smirked, "I'd be a fool to decline."
"Great!" She returned the smile and picked up one more glass, "A glass of wine is always more enjoyable with good company."
They sat down together at the bar counter that lined the windows showcasing the stars and planets outside. The checkered sky of the Kaede Cosmos was quite a sight and much different than the Sakura Cosmos in which he had grown up.
"Kaede is something, huh?" Holy caught Weisz staring off. She had already poured her own glass, and now began to fill Weisz's. "Peculiar as it is, I find the skies here quite stunning."
Weisz stared down into his glass before bringing it to his lips and taking a swig. He winced as it burned his throat. It'd been some time since he sat down and had a drink, but this had a much nicer aftertaste than what he was normally used to.
"Yeah I guess. Bit too trippy for me, though."
Holy giggled, "Fair enough Weisz dear."
He watched as she took a sip herself, and even when the glass left her lips his gaze remained. Such full lips accentuated by deep red lipstick - his mind couldn't help but wander. He had never seen such a beautiful woman, let alone one that would even give him the time of day. Yet, here he was sat beside her drinking wine in the middle of the night.
Since they met, every time she turned to look at him, his temperature rose and he felt his mind begin to go blank. He all but crumbled under the gaze of her dark violet eyes.
These trivial feelings were futile, though. Her time here was limited, and there was always the possibility she was out to double cross them. The smile on her face, the pleasantries, all of it could very well be a clever ruse.
And yet, Weisz couldn't help the way she made him feel.
If nothing else, he figured he could at least enjoy a moment like this, no matter how fleeting. At least, he could cherish the memory, the small snippets of time in her presence.
"Holy," his eyes met with the stars once more as he took another sip. "What are the skies like in Yukino?"
Her eyes widened a bit before she smiled gently and responded, "They're breathtaking, though perhaps I'm a little biased."
"I think that's okay, it's where you grew up is it not?"
"Yes.." her voice trailed off. "I haven't been there in some time, though."
"Do you miss it?"
She was quiet for a moment, eyes lost in the sea of stars outside. The solemn look on her face shot through Weisz and he felt a pit in his stomach. Maybe he had overstepped a bit.
"Sorry, I shouldn't ha-" he attempted to backpedal before Holy cut him off.
"It's okay darling," her lip curled upwards into a half-hearted smile. "Of course I miss it. Many of my fondest memories are part of Yukino."
"I see. It must be special, then."
"Most people aren't all that fond of the cold," she mused, twirling a loose strand of her hair. "But the irony is that for all the chilly weather, I had never felt so embraced in warmth there."
Weisz felt a pang in his heart. She didn't have to say it, but he understood her loneliness, and he longed for that same warmth. He recalled how it felt growing up with his mother on Norma, and the chill that waved over him when she was gone.
"And despite the cold, wintery nature of Yukino you'll never see prettier snowfall. The way it coats everything in a crisp white blanket," Holy hummed, taking the last sip of her wine. "I've never seeing anything else that looks quite like it.
"It sounds nice," Weisz couldn't hold back a smile. Hearing her speak of something she was so fond of had his heart racing.
"When and if you and your crew get the chance I highly recommend taking in the scenery of Yukino."
He nodded, but on the inside wished that he could behold such sights with Holy herself. He imagined her rose coloured cheeks, breath visible in the cold air, surrounded by the glow of winter.
Nothing but a fantasy. He guzzled the last of what remained in his glass, burning his throat on the way down and dragging him back to reality.
"Anyways, it was a pleasure to chat with you tonight," Holy stood and held her hands behind her back, tilting her head with a grin. "But it's fairly late as is, so we ought to head back."
"Right," Weisz stuffed his hands into his pockets and got onto his feet.
Once he was up, he felt the warmth of Holy leaning in closer as she laid a gentle kiss on his cheek. His eyes widened in disbelief and he froze in place.
"Thank you for keeping me company, dear Weisz," she waved as she walked away, her violet hair swayed behind her, "It was much less lonely with you beside me."
When she was out of sight, Weisz clutched his chest, grasping at the fabric of his hoodie.
He wanted to see more of her, listen to more of her stories and memories, learn more about the Holy beneath her government title. He screwed his eyes shut, and clenched his teeth.
LIke everyone else in his life they would eventually part ways, no matter how desperately he wished for her to stay. Things always seemed to work out that way. After all, they lived in different worlds, so to speak.
It wouldn't last. She was bound to be but a memory.
A dangerously sweet memory.