Page 122 of The Pacifist
Jonah
Freya beamed like a Christmas light when I saw her on the balcony. Her head kept nodding a little as if she was counting.
“Are you excited?”
Without turning, Freya kept her eyes on the amphitheater below us. “Did Mila tell you we have sold out all five shows? There’s even a waiting list.”
“You have every reason to be proud. This was your idea.”
“Yes and no.” Her head turned. “My dad was furious when he first heard that the Council had withdrawn their approval to show the series in the Motherlands. He always intended to show it here in the Northlands. All I did was come up with the idea to make live events out of it.”
Solo and Willow arrived with Raven and Leo, and were all greeted by Khan and Pearl like Mila and I had been.
“Where’s Magni and Laura?” Solo asked.
Mila rose up on her toes and spoke in a low tone close to his ear. “Dad came up with the idea to sit among the audience. He wants to know what they really think about him in the show.”
“And Laura went with him?”
“Yes, they’re were snickering about their disguises like naughty kids.”
Willow, who stood close enough to have heard Mila’s words, leaned over the railing of the balcony and looked down. “Why didn’t we think of that?” With eagerness she turned to Solo. “Do you think we can still do it?”
“Sorry, but we’ve sold all the tickets.” Freya, who was still by the railing, said in a matter-of-fact tone. “I even made Laura and Magni pay for their two seats.”
“You did?” Mila laughed. “Freya, you’re a true businesswoman, aren’t you?”
She smiled. “I just pointed out that if they wanted to go incognito, they would need tickets to blend in with the rest of the audience.”
“Yeah, but you could have given them the tickets for free?”
“Why? Your parents have more money than most of the people down there. It’s all for charity anyway.”
“Fair point.”
Heaters had been placed on the balcony, making the chilly March air comfortable. “It’s a good thing most of them are wearing thick jackets. It’s going to be cold for them to sit on the stone seats.”
Freya gave a me a quick glance before throwing a nod to the area next to the scene where Nmen were lining up to buy beers and snacks. “Don’t worry, my mom and I made sure that there are cushions and blankets for sale.”
Taking a closer look, I saw plenty of audience members sitting on colorful cushions.
“The cushions even come with a small note encouraging people to donate them to charity after use. That way we can resell them at a discount next week and make even more money for the community homes.
“Hey, Councilman.” Leo joined us and held out his glass to mine. “Cheers!”
Clinking my glass against his, I took a large gulp of the amber-colored beer.
“We’re all ready for your celebrity love fest at the tournament. Magni made me responsible for the safety.”
With a grunt, Solo crossed his arms next to me but that only got him an eye roll from Leo, who sighed.
“Don’t give me any more shit about it.”
“What’s the problem?”
“It’s just that when Magni was indisposed after the accident, Solo took over as Commander, and now that Magni is back, Solo has to get used to not being in charge anymore. He’s pissed that Magni didn’t ask him to be in charge of the security for all the celebrities.”
Mila placed her hand on Solo’s forearm. “But I thought Magni explained to you why you can’t be responsible for the safety.”
