Bet he wanted his squad to win, though.
I decided I’d be happy if I could hit someone, anyone, before being captured. While the squads worked out equidistant locations for their bases, and marked the boundaries, I debated hiding versus making a stand and decided I might as well avoid stressing out my legs. We were a bit higher than Pandora, and the snow was deeper. I’d sunk straight past my knees and by the time I’d finished scrunching out a little bunker and building up the walls, it was waist high. I sat down so I wouldn’t be visible and made a pile of snowballs while listening to the chatter over the interface.
They weren’t being all deadly serious, fortunately. Lohn and Nils kept up a patter of shit-talk aimed at each other, and anyone who was hit usually said something on the lines of good shot, or laughed or groaned. Running in snow was also proving a new challenge. It was a while before anyone got anywhere near me – so far as I can tell everyone first tried to ambush the squad nearest to them, before making their way toward me. I certainly had a nice pile of snowballs by the time anyone came close.
Three teams came within range of my senses at almost the same time (I was shamelessly using my own Sight). Second Squad, Squad One and Third Squad. They were all approaching from different directions, but Squad One and Third Squad attempted to cut each other off, giving Second a chance to rush my fort.
They were coming in a tight bunch, which was a big mistake. I waited till they were almost on me then, lying relaxed in my bunker, simply lobbed as many snowballs as possible in a high arc into the middle of them. Combat Sight saved some, but the groans and laughter prompted me to pop my head up to survey the damage – Nils and Keer Charal brushing snow off and the whole squad having to return back to base. Nils gave me back my beanie as a prize, which nearly distracted me from Third Squad and Squad One, who both decided to take opportunistic shots. I fell over my pile of snowballs trying to avoid the shots, and then dissolved into giggles when Nils took one of them in the face.
"Nils dodge worse than I do," I said, trying to control my laughter enough to lob snowballs in something like the right direction for Third Squad and Squad One.
"Depends who’s aiming," he said with a super-sexy grin, wiping snow out of his eyes before following his squad back down the slope.
Third Squad and Squad One managed to destroy each other, so that by the time I poked my head out of my fort, only Eeli was left to fight. Eeli’s better at dodging than me, and her smile was at nuclear hyper-wattage for the rest of the day after making first capture.
Taarel, looking highly amused, took the rest of Third Squad on a slightly different course back to base so that they couldn’t confuse anyone coming after Eeli and me, and Eeli – huge-eyed and vibrating with excitement, but keeping very quiet – had me go ahead of her on a somewhat circuitous route in the same direction, using the cover of half-buried bushes. Since she’s not telekinetic, we couldn’t move very quickly, but the snow was broken up enough by then that it wouldn’t be obvious which direction we’d gone. Combat Sight only shows threats, and the other squads weren’t allowed to use Path Sight, so I actually had more of an advantage tracking than the Setari.
First Squad effortlessly took me away from Eeli – though I did almost hit Lohn before Zee got me – but then there was a really tangled battle between fragmented bits of squads returning from their various bases, which First Squad managed to survive losing only Maze and Alay.
Not letting your squad get fragmented was obviously an important tactic, as First and then Fourth proved. Just as First was approaching their base, Fourth ambushed – as much as you can ambush anyone with Combat Sight. Mori got me hard in the back as part of a relentless barrage which took out Ketzaren and Lohn. Mara immediately tried to capture me back, only to have her ball seemingly explode mid-air. I only realised what had happened when Zee’s attack went the same way, intercepted by another snowball.
"Nice tactic," Zee said, shaking her head at Ruuel as she picked ice out of her hair.
"Be prepared to have it used against you," Mara added with a grin, and waved at me before they both headed toward their far-too-close base.
Maze was already on his way back, and Ruuel signalled his squad to hurry up, before ducking down and blurring on ahead along a different route. He was smiling. Just ever-so-faintly. I suppose maybe it was more that he looked extra-alert and alive, with his eyes open wide, but definitely enjoying himself. The rest of his squad certainly was: even Sonn was bright-eyed. If Fourth’s base hadn’t been on the opposite side of the hill they might have won, but they ran up against Third, Squad One and Second, who held off ambushing each other in favour of taking Fourth down. With First coming up behind, there was an inevitable, suitably epic stand-off. I ended up tagged by Nalaz, and he and Taranza hastily hauled me off while Shaf guarded their retreat. And then Twelfth Squad pounced, having waited for the critical moment when almost everyone was heading back to their own bases.
It was great seeing how proud Twelfth Squad were of Zan. Even though half of them are injured, it was her strategy which had let them win. And so funny watching Zan being so very correct, but with her cheeks so pink, as the other captains congratulated her.
After that we had an every-man-for-himself game of hide-and-seek, where we tallied every time we hit someone, and every time we got hit. Ruuel won this effortlessly, which I don’t think surprised anyone, although Nalaz and Mara came close at stages. Afterwards we all went and had a big, hot lunch and everyone looked so relaxed and happy and of course I fell asleep.
Lohn and Mara are being my babysitters at the moment, though I’ve left them alone in the other room because I got the impression they wanted to snuggle. It was a really good day. I wish I could think of some way of thanking them properly in return.
Toward the end of the hide-and-seek, I’d headed off to one side to get a bit of a rest and make a stock of snowballs. For ease I was lying on my back, deep in the snow, watching the sky growing greyer. And Ruuel came near me. I felt him before he knew who I was – he was following my tracks I think. But something must have made him realise. Because he stopped, and then changed direction away from me.
"Too easy?" I said loudly. I was really angry, abruptly understanding just why Kajal is so infuriated by Ruuel’s refusal to fight him. And then I was nervous because Ruuel stopped, and came back toward me.
I didn’t try and throw snowballs – I knew he’d dodge easily – just lay there and tried not to be too wide-eyed as stood directly above me, giving me an incredibly foreshortened view of leg and his face. He certainly wasn’t smiling that time. My heartbeat went through the roof because it wasn’t the efficient squad captain looking down at me, but the person I’d glimpsed during his fight with Kajal, arrogant and annoyed. For that moment he was entirely himself with me.
Then he dropped a snowball directly on my face and walked off while I gasped and choked. But I had to laugh, and said: "Guess so!" as he walked away. I enjoy the oddest things.
After I’d had my nap, Maze told me that I’ll be heading back to Tare tomorrow. First and Second Squad’s coming with me, and Mara’s going to be whipping me into shape, and Zee overseeing my Sight and projection training. I don’t know if Ruuel recommended the change of trainers, or if it’s just they want the Sights squads here on Muina.