Timeline - September 28th | (5 days later)

"Myaaaa, what about this one...I like this dress!" the whine came Jasmine through the library's study nook that where she, Mya and Eko were held up in that afternoon.

She showed the girls a tablet with a picture of a dress from one of the boutique shops she planned to visit on her next day off.

"I need something that screams 'I'm here,' 'I'm fabulous,' 'take me now'," Jasmine exclaimed as she collapsed onto a chair, eyeing them curiously. "I don't want green, and I've already worn red. I was thinking lilac this time. Maybe we could add some tulle for extra flair?"

"Uh, what's this dress for anyway, do you have a date with someone?" Eko's eyebrow raised with a smirk.

"Date, no, not yet," Jasmine waved Eko off laughing, "I'm planning to dazzle him at the graduation ceremony on Saturday!"

Jasmine reclined in her chair and let out another sigh, while Mya shook her head, Jesse's gaze shifted back and forth between Jasmine and Eko, who seemed completely lost.

"What's going on?" Eko asked with a bewildered expression, "what did I miss?"

"Kristoff will be there," Jasmine ignoring the brunette's question announced almost once again, "and he's the one. I need him to understand how amazing we are together!"

"Weren't you seeing Caleb, last week?" Mya interjected, turning to Jasmine.

Eko, who was struggling to keep up with the conversation, chimed in, "But I saw you with Evan yesterday, balls deep-"

"Jasmine!" Jesse scolded, "what the hell?"

"Did you see his ass?" Mya joked, prompting more laughter. Eko nodded with a cheeky grin as she winked at the woman.

Eko played along, "yeah, very cute! Very toned and apple shaped."

Mya roared even louder then before, Jasmine, however, shot Eko a dangerous look and leaned in closer, brandishing her tablet pen. "And I saw you with Matthew coming out of the aquatic centre together," she said accusingly.

Mya and Jesse both turned their heads towards Eko, her mouth hanging open as if she was caught off guard.

"W-what," she managed to spurt out, "we bumped into each other, everyone uses the aquatic centre."

"Yes," Jasmine sneered knowing Eko was caught out now, "but he locked the whole centre out, and the screams I heard from in there. Jesus Christ!"

"Eko!" Jesse turned to the woman beside her, eyes wide as Eko's open was hung open.

"T-there were no screams," Eko stammered "your imagining stuff, delirious! Besides it was like three o'clock in the morning. I'm sure you were sleep deprived! There were no screams!"

Jasmine then decided to re-enact the sounds she had heard from Eko, moaning loudly as she touched herself all over. "Fuck me harder, Matthew... harder! Oh God, please! Right there! Hmm, Oh godddd, come. Come!"

Eko lunged across the table, her hand flying against Jasmine's mouth, as Jesse and Mya cracked up in laughter.

"Don't worry," Jasmine said, swatting Eko's hands away. "Your secret is safe with us." And she watched as Mya pulled the disheveled Eko back from the table.

Jesse smirked nodding, knowing that whatever was happening between her best friend and the woman before her, was not anything typical, and she wondered how long it would take the two idiots to actually realize that for themselves.

"Anyway," Mya offered, watching Eko breathless and a bright shade of red as Jasmine grinned at the woman. "As you know, the cadets are graduating after the war games at the end of the week, and that's what this whole dress debacle is about."

"Yes, and Kristoff will be there. I could use some moral support. He's the one!" Jasmine declared firmly.

"You've always got our support," Jesse laughed "now, the tulle apricot is more your style," and she passed the tablet towards Jasmine. "I don't think you've worn this outfit before."

Jasmine scanned the tablet, "Oh, this is very pretty. I remember it being on Harper's list of dresses for the year. Seraphina wore this."

Eko's interest was piqued, and she tilted her head as Jasmine showed the dress to the girls. Looking at the image of the dress, Eko was almost taken back to an event last year when she had worn that exact dress.

Harper's editorial piece was quite lovely compared to other critical reviews that had written about the event. Publishing houses could be downright ruthless, and as a princess, Eko had to hold her tongue or so Madison had told her.

"It's not as comfortable as it looks," Eko began absentmindedly.

Jasmine tilted her head, and Eko's eyes lit up a fraction as Mya and Jesse stared at her. "I meant..." Eko laughed, pointing at the dress. "When we helped Seraphina in that dress, she complained all night about the corset in the bodice digging into her ribs."

"Oh," Jasmine's face scrunched up, "not a fan of that," she shook her head, and continued scrolling through the options of dresses. "Oh hey, then we should head into Isadora this afternoon to shop," she decided, putting the tablet down and looking at the three heads that popped up to her. "Are you guys in?"

"I actually need some shoes," Jesse offered. "I'm in, but after three, I need to do these reports for Matthew and Cid."

"Yes!" Jasmine squealed, and then her attention turned to Mya.

"Lord, if I don't go today, I won't have any time. Mac is with Richie tonight," going through her own calendar in her mind. "I should be ready by three as well."

"Eko?" she had been the last person to answer them.

"I,-uh," Eko chuckled lightly. "Pass. It's okay." She returned to her own tablet, reading over the section on a tactical strategy that Matthew had offered that she read about during her spare time.

"Pass, doing what?" Jasmine raised an eyebrow. "Matthew won't be back for a few more days."

Eko continued staring at the words on the tablet, as she muttered her frustrations under her breath. The truth was, she had a major problem and not one that she ever had experienced before.

The problem was, money. The lack of it would prevent her from attending the graduation ceremony, and the thought deflated her slightly.

"What was that mutter?" Jesse snatched her tablet. "Speak up."

Eko rolled her eyes, exhaling in annoyance. "I can't go because I have no money. Everything I had is gone since I'm no longer part of the moon. Ergo, I cannot afford a dress." She moved her hands back and forth, indicating the flow of her argument. "It's a knock-on effect, you see."

"Well," Mya scoffed. "That's easy. We have money. We give you money, ergo. Problem solved!"

"No, no, no," Eko waved her hands.

"It's fine," Jesse interrupted. "Besides, with the mercenary contracts we have, you'll earn money from that. How else do you think we soldiers have money here?"

Eko's mouth dropped slightly, realizing the logic in Jesse's words. How else would the soldiers earn and spend money in this place?

"Good. That's settled." Jasmine resumed the conversation. "Make sure you're ready by three so we can leave on time. And don't worry, you'll meet more people than just Matthew."

"I'm not seeing him," Eko protested. Who she was trying to convince was beyond her, but she knew what she was entering into, and it was only going to be a matter of time before it ended, especially with someone like him. They both knew what they were doing in this, and he for one wasn't that way inclined with her.

"Of course," Jasmine laughed. "He doesn't date."

"Just fucks." Mya added with a grin, looking at Eko's crestfallen expression, which she tried hard to hide.

"Precisely." Eko nodded. "Just fucks."

"Though," Jesse interjected again with her I-know-something-you-don't-know grin. "word is, he hasn't been with any of the fan club girls since the attack on the palace. I don't think any of them have actually slept with him in weeks now."

Eko's eyebrow raised, and she looked from Mya to Jesse who nodded, feeling a flutter in her stomach.

"I heard that," Jasmine chimed in, reiterating what the girls knew, a smile forming on Eko's frazzled and confused face.

"And here's another fun fact," Jasmine neatly pulled her long purple hair over her shoulder. "I know he's told Kelly when she rocked up the other night that he's got a lot going on, reason why he's been a space cadet, and his taking a break. Broke her heart but he took her to dinner to cheer her up. Then Michaela tried and  found him in the library like last week that he had meetings, and they were high demanding of him and then brushed her off all flustered and stuff."

"I'm not high demanding." Eko folded her arms, pouting. "Have you seen how often he texts me?"

"And your nose is stuck to your device replying back." Mya grinned earning a scowling look from Eko.

"Ladies!" Jasmine clicked her fingers, "back to the facts I'm presenting. So then Janice was walking the halls, like the night before and she said that she saw him fall out of a closet laughing to himself, and when she asked him what he was doing, he said he was cleaning." Jasmine had her mouth half open in annoyance as she retold the story, especially since Janice was gullible enough to believe that excuse.

"Really? Cleaning, that was his best excuse." Jesse squinted.

"Oh, it gets better!" Jasmine pointed at the group, "the dumbass Janice forgot to investigate because he distracted her. Apparently, he was half-naked and being his self absorbed pervert self. So he dazzled her as he does best, meaning she didn't see what or who was in the closet."

Mya grinned at Eko. "That was you in the closet, wasn't it? Your little sexcapades and all? Can't keep your hands off each other, hmm?"

"Janice," Eko raised an eyebrow, now knowing the woman's name. "Do you know how long I was locked in there for?" tilting her head, "she's dumber than a pile of unscented hand soaps."

Mya tried to suppress her laughter, raising the tablet to her face to cover herself up, while Jesse's face dropped. Jesse now knew that this was happening far more often than what she originally thought, perhaps even more than what Matthew had been telling Toni.

And now it all made sense when Matthew had then given Jesse a bizarre over the top lecture before he left, instructing her to solely keep an eye on both her and Madison.

True, his suspicions held merit about thinking that Madison could actually be the princess. But, as Jesse now discovered, the reason he told her to keep an eye on Eko, was because the idiot was really starting to like her, though Toni had bet her a new pair of shoes that the he was falling in love with her.

"So, what does this mean?" Jesse sat forward staring at her friend who squirmed in her chair.

"Uh, nothing," Eko stared nervously at Jesse's glare. "You said he doesn't date or do those things, so he's probably just going through a phase. I don't know. Maybe he finds it fun with me, his clearly trying to keep up with me, but when like, he'll just move on when his bored. Let's try not to overthink this guys, come on. It's not that big of a deal!"

"You really think that?" Mya was sceptical, and so were the others at the table with their frowned looks.

"Urm well, shouldn't we think that?" Eko narrowed.

"You know him best?" Jasmine pointed at Jesse, "what do you think?"

"I know what I think, but I want to know what Eko thinks," she cocked her head to the brunette that flushed under her gaze. "What is it that you want?"

"He's not looking for a relationship," Eko said defensively, hating that she been put on the spot with her 'feelings'. She doesn't even barely know how to process them herself, let alone admitting it to anyone.

"Says who, the fan club?" Jesse laughed scolding the idea. "Jasmine here?"

Jasmine raised her hands in defence, "just saying."

"He doesn't have feelings. No way- right?" Eko laughed half-heartedly, "no, no, no way, everyone needs to just ... calm the fuck down with this."

Her eyebrows furrowed rejecting the idea, hoping her statement was met with the girls agreeing, but they stared at her unconvinced and it forced Eko to keep further defend the situation. "Besides, we both knew that from the start. It's just sex."

"And when was that," Mya point out. "Going back six weeks now? Two months? Things change Eko- a lot has happened, and he doesn't go out of his way with how he does with you."

That's when her phone pinged again, and her eyes diverted downwards before looking up at the table at the grinning faces of the girls .

Eko scoffed, "this is classic playboy material." She downright refused to believe anything else but that solid fact. "He's like this with all the fan club girls. His so overly cocky and confident. Everything is just a classic, textbook... you know... like... this is him. This is what he does."  Pointing at her phone as though it was her prime example.

Jasmine tilted her head, smirking. "But," she began, scrunching her nose as though knowing best in her wise wisdom of men, "it's not what he does. We all know he's different with you"

Eko chook her head, "Ahhh, no he's not."

Jesse frowned, "how would you know?" and then interrogated harsher than usual, "I've known him the longest Eko, his literally like my older brother, and I know for a fact that he does not behave how he does with you with anyone else. Never has."

Mya observed Eko fidgeting in her seat, curious to see her reaction to the upcoming information, since she remained in denial about her feelings to the man and vice versa.

"Let's assume Matthew isn't interested in you romantically or whatsoever," Mya planted the seed, catching Jesse and Jasmine off guard. "And you're not into him like that, I know for a fact someone else totally is keen on you."

Eko was surprised, "What?" feeling lost in the sudden turn of events.

"Luke's got a thing for you as well. Tall guy, 6'3, tattoo sleeve and leg, bald." Mya reminded her.

"I know who he is, but I'm not his type," Eko snapped.

"He seems to think otherwise," Mya said with a smirk.

"Luke!?" Jesse asked. "Wait, how do you know this?"

"Medic bio class," Mya smugly began. "And importantly he is going to ask you to the ceremony. He finds you utterly insatiable, I think the words were."

"Luke, huh?" Jasmine leaned back, grinning. "I heard he's very, very-"

"Jazzy!" Jesse scolded. "Shh! Not everything is about the size of a guy's fucken package."

Jesse's statement is met with giggles from Jesse that indicated with her hands the length of Luke's member to the girls before her. It was the only thing on Jasmine's mind, and they all knew that while staring at her.

Eko tuned out as she continued with the rest of the gossip that she knew about the man. The brunette twirled the ends of her hair having felt her chest tighten...what was going on at this moment. "Yea, no. This is not happening." she announced firmly.

But Mya was insistent. "It is, and that solves it," she said. "If you and Matthew aren't a thing, and it's purely just sex. Go to the ceremony with Luke. Honestly, his super sweet, give him a shot. It can't hurt."

Eko rolled her eyes sceptically, glancing down at her tablet to hide the flush in her cheeks. "I doubt that," she muttered.

Jesse couldn't resist teasing her. "Why, because my best friend is your type?" she smirked.

"Stop it," Eko groaned, mortified. "You guys are the worst!"

And yet the three girls cracked up into laughter at the woman's predicament, for she was certain that her entire body was asking her not to run from the things that now gave her a pulse, but why does she fear the things that also make her feel?