Ridoc

The training yard was packed, with cadets sparring in pairs and the usual chaos of Basgiath in full swing. But as always, there was a certain... calm when it came to Ridoc.

He was there—leaning against the wall, chatting with a few of the other cadets—but his eyes? They were always on you. You caught him glancing your way from across the yard every few minutes. A subtle look, one you had come to recognize. It was the same look he always gave you when the rest of the world was too busy to notice.

The two of you had kept things quiet—just the way Ridoc preferred it. No one needed to know about what you shared. Not yet, at least.

But today, something felt different. You weren’t sure what had changed, but it was there, lurking beneath the surface. The way his eyes followed you when you moved across the yard, the way his grin seemed just a little too intense whenever you caught him looking.

You tried to ignore it. Tried to focus on your sparring match with another cadet.

It wasn’t until the sparring was done that you realized the shift.

You were wiping sweat off your forehead when you noticed a cadet—a third-year you didn’t know that well—approaching you with a grin that made your stomach turn.

“Hey, nice moves out there,” he said, stepping a little too close for comfort. His hand brushed against your arm casually, but there was an intent behind it that made you freeze.

You took a step back instinctively, but the cadet didn’t seem to notice or care. “You’ve got a real fire in you. If you ever want to train together, let me know.”

He leaned in just a little too much, the warmth of his breath sending a slight shiver down your spine.

You were about to give a polite but firm response when you saw it—the way Ridoc had moved.

He hadn’t said a word, but you felt his presence behind you before you even saw him. The shift in the air was immediate. His body was rigid, his posture tense, his eyes narrowed in a way that made the air feel suddenly thick.