At last it was just Steve and me, the camp noise far behind. We walked side by side beneath the rising sun.
"So on Sukra we just go and fight?" he asked.
I nodded. "Yes. Why?"
He let out a long breath, half a wish and half a joke. "Maybe we could take a normal vacation for once. Go to some other world. See the sights. Feel a different rhythm for a few days."
I rolled my eyes. "Which world out there is peaceful enough to have time for that? Everywhere I've heard of, someone's sharpening a blade or making a plan."
Steve shrugged, still hopeful. "There has to be one. A place where people don't care about wars and just… chill."
"Maybe the demon worlds," I said, surprising even myself with the image. "I've heard they live day to day. They fight hard and party harder. You could lose yourself there for a while. Just survival and meat on the grill."
He laughed at that. "Sounds brutal. I'll take it."
"So when do we leave?" he asked.
