Julienne had not slept well. Archie could tell—and not just because Julienne had been complaining about his lack of sleep ever since his birthday. A purple shadow surrounded his eyes—not bags, his face was too perfect to develop bags. Just a shadow. But there was more. His shoulders slumped and his chest caved in when it usually puffed out. Fatigue had led to irritability. Of course, he had the grace to not take it out on anyone else, but Archie had caught Julienne punching the dirt after receiving a poor assessment from Quince. Archie had also noticed a new tick in Julienne. He would shudder, throw his head back, and rub the back of his neck. Archie had seen the gesture in Sutton plenty of times, but it was unbecoming of a Julienne.

Archie felt bad for his friend. But he preferred it over feeling bad for Blanche, who had managed to successfully avoid him for two weeks, and she was only getting better at it.

He shook the thought from his mind and looked around at the disappointingly-dressed ladies of Restaurant Row. The cold had driven them all into furs and scarves, and Mesan fashion could have certainly used a more creative approach when it came to keeping warm. Julienne was dressed worst of all of them with his bulky clothes and heavy hood. Anonymity trumped fashion, and he made Archie dress the same so that neither would be noticed.

"Aren't there guards in Labruscella for this?" Archie asked.

"They walk me back to the Academy, but I can't expect them to stick around the Academy all day waiting for me to go to the Cafe." Julienne pulled his hood further down his face. "Sorry if this inconveniences you."

"Not at all. Just curious. Actually, now Yarrow owes me a favor. Not sure what good that'll do me, but I'm sure I'll find a way to cash in on it."

"Well, if you want to be the one to walk me this way again, I'd consider it a favor to me. Yarrow is…"

"A psycho?" Archie expected Julienne to turn and protest or at least scowl. But Julienne's voice gave away nothing but understanding and fear.

"I appreciate the security he provides, but he values my life far too much over the lives of others. I swear he nearly fried an old man that tripped and grabbed me for support."

Archie thought of Barley's echoes and frowned. He hated how helpless he felt when he thought of his friend's suffering. He needed to change the subject. "So aside from enduring a siege from an unseen assassin, anything else interesting going on at the Cafe?"

"Don't undersell it. We endured a siege and almost had the grand king die on our dining room floor. Has Nori talked to you about him? Is he doing better?"

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"She's only been back to see him once. Apparently he was basically non-responsive. She's…oddly shook up about it. I mean, I like him. For as well as I know him. But she's…I don't know."

"Daddy issues," Julienne suggested.

"Maybe." Archie lingered a bit in front of a restaurant called Labruscroko. He peered into the window and beyond dimly lit tables to the kitchen beyond. A Urokan man wore a blue Chef's jacket in a Labruscan styling. "You ever been in here?"

When Archie looked forward again, Julienne was turned back to him and frowning. "Some bodyguard you are."

Archie rolled his eyes. No one was going to attack them in such a public place. "I wonder if Nori would like it."

"You move on quick, don't you?"

"What? No. It's not like that. Come on, let's keep moving." Archie turned Julienne around and pushed him forward. "Nori and I are just friends."

"Okay, Archie. Remind me of that in six months."

"Walk faster. It's cold." Archie gave Julienne another shove. He didn't want to think about Nori, so he thought about where he'd be in six months instead.

He'd have beaten Fern by then. And whoever else made it to the finals of their little amateur tournament. Maybe he'd be so popular that they'd give him another match. Or even have him fight against a pro. Blanche would hate that. Maybe it was good that Archie ended things now before they argued about him taking that next step.

He looked through the window of another restaurant. A couple made eyes at each other as they dipped bread into some fishy herb dip. Archie missed going out to eat. He thought back to those first few weeks when he and Blanche explored the city's cuisine. Maybe if he had tried harder, they could have kept that magic going.

His head spasmed to the left as he shook the thought away. Where would he be in six months?

He'd have finished with class by then. Colby's first. Hopefully Blanche would do alright. Then Pomona's. That'd be a fun end to the year. And then there'd be finals, and Archie already knew he didn't need to stress about that. He practically had his Green Jacket already. Blanche had said he'd look good in green.

Six months. Six months would put him in summer break. He missed Hawthorn and especially missed Picea, but he didn't see himself going back to Khala for a long, long time. Maybe he'd stay in Sain for the summer. The Tamani tree would probably be massive by then. Maybe it would still feel like Blanche.

Six months, six months. Maybe now was the time for him to go out in the world. He could settle down later. Akando and Cress had tried to get him to go to Kuutsu Nuna before. Maybe he'd go this summer. Him and Nori. She'd look good in green, too.

Archie pulled his hood back enough to let the cold wind encircle his head and wake him up to the present. Maybe this would be his future. Guarding someone rich and important. That seemed to be the career pivot for most arena fighters these days. He figured he might as well take it seriously and looked around for anyone suspicious. But after a minute of mind-numbing safety, his mind was back in the future and wondering what authentic Kuutsan brisket tasted like.

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