Setzer's Night of Contemplatio - Chapter 1

Setzer walked the near empty streets of Twilight Town, his long purple coat hanging off his shoulders.  It was late and not many people were out.  It was one of the rare times when his "fans" weren't following him.  As much as he liked, no, loved the attention and adoration, it was nice to have some peace and quiet now and again.

A cool breeze kicked up as he rounded the corner into the courtyard.  He grabbed his coat to keep it from falling more than he was cold.  Sitting up on the back of a bench was the person he'd come to see, Sylvia. 

Sylvia, one of the few woman his age who didn't follow him around like a lost puppy, one of the many things that had attracted him to her.  She sat with elbows on knees and chin in hands, her long, lavender hair, just a shade or two darker than his Setzers, fluttered in the gentle wind.  Her eyes were on the twilight sky as it rapidly sped into night.  She was dressed in a simple two-piece outfit that seemed too big for her slender frame.  It was deep blues and greens that complimented her hair, with long, loose sleeves that hid alabaster skin.  Her long shorts stopped about mid-calf and her feet were in simple, leather sandals.  Hearing his approach, she turned deep, purple eyes to him and smiled.

"I thought you might be around tonight, what with summer ending so soon and all."  Her voice was soft with a hint of melody, even as she spoke.

Setzer smiled back, "Yup, the nights won't stay this nice for much longer."  He paused for a second; he'd felt like he'd said that before.  Shaking his head, he figured it was something from the previous summer.  He walked over and set next to her, letting his fingers brush her leg, as he got comfy.

The two sat in companionable silence as they watched the twilight turn into night and the moon start to rise.

Sylvia laid her head on Setzer's shoulder, "I don't want the summer to end, I'll miss our little rendezvous when it's colder out."

Setzer chuckled, "Why should they stop?  It never gets that cold here."

"I know, but I just can't think of a time other than summer when we get together like this."  Sylvia snuggled closer, slipping her arm under his coat and around an arm.

The funny thing was, neither could Setzer.  He was sure that the end of summer wouldn't have stopped their meetings, but he couldn't remember doing it any other time of year.  He tried to think of what he would have been doing once the summers ended but nothing at all cold be remembered.

"Sylvia, what do we do once the summer ends?" His voice held an edge of confusion.

She chuckled, "Who wants to think about that?"  Sylvia turned a petite nose into Setzer's warm neck, "Why dwell on what happens next?"

The taller man grabbed her arms and pushed her gently away, "I'm serious, what do we do once the summer's over?"  Try as he might, Setzer could think of nothing passed what the next few days would bring.  What was worse, he couldn't think of previous times either.  Not even other summers.  He knew he came into the struggle tournament as the reigning champ, but whom did he face last year?

"Setzer, you're scaring me?  Why are you so worried about what happens next?"  Sylvia's deep eyes held the hint of tears.

"Doesn't it worry you?  Think, Sylvia, what did we do last summer?"  Setzer's gaze was intense and his grip tightened on her arms, though still being careful not to hurt her.

The young woman tried to think for a minute, "This, we did this didn't we?"  For a moment, she seemed to be having the same problem he was, not knowing anything beyond this summer.  Her face held a question wrapped in fear and she looked up at him with a desperateness that made him shiver.

But it was short lived.  As quickly as it had manifested it was gone, replaced by her lazy smile, "What does it matter, we'll figure out something to do when the time comes, there's still the festival to think about."

Setzer sighed.  There had been something in Sylvia but it was gone.  He didn't want to frighten her.  Pulling the small woman against his chest he stroked her hair, "I'm sorry, I didn't meant to scare you."

Sylvia snuggled close, careful not to slide off the bench, "It's all right, but let's just enjoy the time we have left."

The man with the light lavender hair nodded.  Setzer felt bad that he'd upset Sylvia, and as he thought about it, he guessed it really didn't matter what they did after the summer was over.  After all, she was right, they didn't have that much left of it, they should enjoy it.  As he held the warm woman and watched the moon rise higher in the sky he couldn't remember why he'd been so worried.  By the time he was lifting Sylvia's dozing form to take her home, he realized how silly he felt for even thinking of it at all.

Why worry about the end of the summer?  They had such little time, why waste it?