A few days passed by and Ivory was greeted by Honor and Birdie, who gave the younger woman big hugs. They were ecstatic to see her and to help her plan the wedding; Blue requested that they come by to keep Ivory company and to help her pick out everything. Blue told them that he and Red would join them later once they finished burying Hawks' and Lucky's bodies, which Ivory found weird since they usually cremated cadavers, though she didn't question it as Blue always moved with purpose.
"We are so excited for you, Ivory!" Birdie squealed as Honor passed out their lattes. "Gosh, you, married? I love that for you!"
Ivory chuckled awkwardly. "Well, it didn't happen in the way I had imagined it, though at least I had a roof over my head. You know?"
Honor nodded. "You're the boss' soon-to-be-wife; you'll hold a lot of power. Just remember that that makes you more or a target, which explains all of the insane rules in the marriage contract." Honor turned to Birdie, "When do you suppose they'll be here?"
Biride shrugged. "All Blue told us was that he and Red would be here when they finished. Who knows how long that'll take."
Honor clapped and rubbed her hands together, reaching into a reusable bag and pulling out tons of wedding catalogs: dresses, colors, venues, and food. "Let's get to work, ladies! We have a lot of planning to get done!"
As the three women got to work, Ivory couldn't stop thinking of Lily and how she wanted to reunite with her best friend. She liked Birdie and Honor; they were kind, mature, rational, and empathetic; however, Ivory knew they gave Blue their dying loyalty, and would never do anything to betray him. She knew they would kill anymore for him; she was second to him. Ivory was a little more cautious because she knew she was being watched, and wasn't entirely sure if Birdie and Honor weren't updating Blue on their private conversations.
Ivory quietly glanced at the men guarding the hallways; black suits and guns. They were buff and held terrorizing expressions. Ivory knew that they were there to protect her -- she just didn't feel comfortable with them. She didn't think she could ever get used to tall and muscular men who held guns being her body guards.
"Ivory, what about this color?" Birdie pointed to periwinkle. "This is a cute color for the bridesmaids dresses!"
"I agree, and your eye makeup can be this color so that you match us subtly."
"I like that idea," Ivory smiled. "What about the venue? I'm thinking lavender or a light blue to match with the periwinkle."
Honor and Birdie nodded in agreement.
"Okay, the easy part is done; now," Honor leaned in, "we must decide the food! We have to consider allergies, intolerances, and preferences!"
"Well, you know Blue will want Icelandic food since he is Icelandic," Birdie replied.
Icelandic?" Ivory thought to herself. It explained his blue eyes.
"Wait, what about Icelandic skincare as party favors?" Honor asked.
"Oh, they have such good skincare there! Write that down!" Birdie replied cheerfully, her apple shaped cheeks sticking out like they were ready to pop at any moment.
"Ivory, any allergies or intolerances?" Honor asked.
"I'm lactose intolerant; Lily can't have nuts. I'm pretty sure Red can't have shellfish," Ivory thought for a moment with a finger to her chin.
"Who likes shells in their fish?" a voice said and Birdie and Honor burst out laughing as Red walked past the guard, patting Ivory on the shoulder and sitting next to Honor.
Blue's intimidating presence filled the room; everything moved in slow motion as Ivory watched him plant himself next to her. Honor and Birdie were chatting and laughing, not noticing Blue's evil aura. Ivory figured they either didn't pay that much attention or were used to Blue's oddness and didn't question it.
Ivory scanned the room, seeing the guards staring at them and the hallway, their eyes alert and ready to defend at any moment; Red reviewed the notepad and nodded, and seemed to like what the girls had decided thus far.
Once it was decided that there would be Icelandic and mediterranean food, everyone but Ivory began hanging out and just talking.
Blue turned to Ivory and placed a hand on her knee. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she replied, "I'm just listening."
Blue turned away and pulled her closer to him, an arm around her waist. She felt embarrassed; however, noticed that the others didn't seem to care or notice. Ivory took a deep breath and observed her new life now.
Dusk came quickly, and before Ivory knew it, Honor, Birdie, and Red were gone. Ivory had gotten ready for bed a little while ago and was watching a movie on her laptop, trying to find anything to distract her from the overwhelming fear she had about marrying Blue and being forced to have a kid with him.
She remembered the conversation she had with Hawks a year ago and wondered if his comment about having a family was connected to Blue; Blue sent Hawks to spy on her, so he had to have known something.
Dusk became a dark sky, and before Ivory realized it, it was her bedtime.
Suddenly, the air got denser, and the room colder. Ivory felt a strong presence next to her, so she slowly looked up to see Blue staring down at her. She pushed her laptop to the middle of the bed, and asked him if he was okay.
Suddenly, he jumped on top of her and she felt aggressive biting on one side. It all happened unexpectedly; one minute he's standing and peering at her, the next, his larger frame is on her smaller one, and he's attacking her neck.
Ivory couldn't move, though she didn't fight off Blue or cry out, even though she was confused and freaked out by his sudden change in demeanor. Her hand went to his shoulder, and he lifted his head and stared into her eyes, and that's when Ivory noticed it.
She didn't know how to describe it, thought to her, his iris seemed to shape shift; when he exposed his eyes to her after his unusual change in personality, they shifted from oval to the usual round iris that everyone had.
Ivory blinked, and knew that she didn't imagine it.
Blue then got off her, took her laptop and placed it on his dresser, turned off the lights while leering at her, and made his way under the covers. Ivory joined him and turned the other way, unsure of what had just happened to Blue's eyes and what to make of it.
The Blue Dragons gang was strange, though, today, Ivory realized that Blue was the anomaly here, and if she was going to be married to him, she needed to know what and who he really was before it was too late.