The old man walked, as I had come to expect from the terrafarmers, deliberately. His goal was a podium in the south corner of the square. He smiled and nodded at all the farmers he made eye contact with, but he never stopped or waited for conversation. His back was straight and he had gray hair. His skin was dark and wrinkled. His eyes were half lidded from years of squinting into the sun, but they were clear and lively underneath the lids. His hands were thick and his fingers were crooked like tree roots. He was clad in the loose fitting brown trousers and shirts of the martian farmer. The night breeze made ripples in his clothes . He appeared walking underwater, deliberate and fluid. Conversations naturally quieted as he walked by and people turned to follow him. A crowd gathered in front of the podium. David was behind the podium wiping down a violin with a cloth, standing beside a group of men doing the same to basses, violas and hand drums.

I stayed behind, Balthasar and and Cadmus looked back at me. The were unsure if they should leave me and move forward. I waived them on. They moved into the crowd. Dimitris was near the back, he was occupied with his enhanced arm. He was standing near a young woman, she was focused on the old terrafarmer. Edwin and Fairfax were slightly behind Dimitris, flanking him. They were hiding smiles in their cheeks. He was up to something. I made my way toward Dimitris. I overheard him say to the girl, "You have nice ankles." He was smirking and brushed his hair back. She looked at him, and turned back toward the podium. Dimitris shrugged his shoulders. Fairfax and Edwin looked down and smiled into their chests. They made me sick with their antics. I used to train with Fairfax in the first years. He had become hard and impressionable since then. I had only trained against Edwin. He was shifty and keen.

A breeze rustled through the crowd and slightly lifted the young woman's long skirt over her ankles. She absentmindedly smoothed it down and shifted her shoulders. Dimitris smiled and rolled his shoulders. I made my way beside Dimitris. My hand was tingling. I could hear my heartbeat. I hated being this close to him. It was unpleasant.
"Why don't you leave them alone, Dimitris."
"Oh, hello. Aaron. I didn't think you'd notice." Dimitris looked me up and down and leered. I heard Edwin and Fairfax chuckle.
"Just leave them alone."
"Why? They don't know what I'm doing. It's just the wind, right? It's not like I could mess with that. We're just having a little fun. This place is so," he looked around disdainfully, and then back at me, "dull." This time Fairfax and Edwin couldn't hold their mirth and laughed outright.
"We're here to protect them, not use them. This isn't a game."
"Please, spare me your ideals, Aaron. Your morality is just an excuse to cover up your shortcomings." I looked around. Balthasar and Cadmus were looking at me. They looked troubled. They were too far away to hear what we were saying, but they could see I was upset. It would be too disruptive for them to come over, they would look like they were preparing for a fight. I saw Cadmus shake his head. Balthasar hit him in the shoulder.
"Keep your tricks out of here, Dimitris."
"Or what, Aaron?"

I had no idea what. My face was red and I could feel the heat coming out of my cheeks. Dimitris was staring at me with a slight smirk on the right side of his lips. Fairfax and Edwin were staring in to the sky with their arms folded, whistling. I started to open my mouth when the old terrafarmer began his speech at the podium. Everyone turned to face him. I shut my mouth. Dimitris raised his eyebrows, smiled, shrugged his shoulders and turned to face the podium. I was stuck standing beside him. I couldn't move through the crowd to Balthasar and Cadmus without causing a stir. I clenched my fist.

"Good evening, brothers and sisters. Sons and daughters of mars. Let an old man say a few words before we begin our party."
The old man was standing beside the podium, his arm resting on it. Our general and Abbot, Daffyd, and Orestes were behind him in a semi-circle. Their uniforms were crisp and well-pressed. The crowd chuckled. Everyone was smiling. I was furious.