Timeline - October 11th | ( Night)

"Lower the decibels, Jasmine! Jesus."

Jasmine's complaints halted instantly, and she shot a glare at Evan, who towered over her as she lay sprawled on the ground, looking at her with a mix of irritation and concern.

"Seriously, Jaz, can't you watch where you're going?" he chided.

"Y-you're the one who ran into me!" she retorted, scrambling to her feet and balling her hands into fists. She was visibly irritated, her lack of sleep adding to her frustration. The other soldiers paused their training, their attention drawn to the heated exchange between the two.

Eko leaned towards Matthew, pointing at the tablet that displayed the statistics from the group's session compared to the last lot of soldiers. Earlier, she had found him showering in his office, a moment that caught them both off guard. It was then that she witnessed a rare, genuine smile spread across his face, a sight that had become scarce. The surprise encounter quickly escalated into an intense, passionate exchange of wild fucking. A much-needed release for both of them.

She had missed him as much as he had of her it seemed and consequently, they had run slightly behind schedule when the quick shower session had turned to being fucked in the walk-in closet breaking a few of the racking as clothes cascaded around them. The moment between them deepened, their laughter mingling with the growing intensity as she found herself pressed against the glass window in his bedroom, as she screamed his name from the high heavens.

Despite their attempts to stagger their arrival times to avoid drawing attention, which ultimately failed to escape their friends' notice, Eko settled into her seat beside him as the training session was already in its second hour. A part of Eko couldn't help but feel that their earlier delay was entirely justified, especially given the emotional distance that had recently grown between them.

This brought them to the current moment, where Eko had still sat beside him in the partially filled arena seats. She could hear the cadets and soldiers behind her selecting their specialties for the upcoming year, while another group of members of the fan club chattered incessantly, making inane comments in hopes of grabbing the Headmaster's attention.

With each passing moment, Eko's sense of protectiveness towards him deepened as he confided in her about the overwhelming burden of his duties. She understood that the fan club could never truly grasp the strain his role had placed on him. They couldn't comprehend how the immense pressure of a prestigious title could be suffocating, leaving one struggling for breath and feeling trapped in a relentless storm of anxiety.

At times, the heaviness of his pain and stress was almost too much for Eko to endure, which is why she had committed to alleviating his load in any way she could. That was the reason she had been by his side, collaborating on the tablet, channeling all her energy into backing him through the trials of his role. It was only when she gently touched his hand that she caught a glimpse of a smile on his face, a rare moment of lightness in the midst of the shit storm.

"Stop being cute," Matthew whispered.

"If you already think I'm cute sitting beside you, I think I'd be adorable moaning under you as you fuck me mercilessly again. I think you want me begging you to stop, hmm?"

Matthew's gaze remained fixed on her as she went on.

"Then, it gradually turns into that lovely sound you adore hearing from me, followed by the way you like me screaming your name."

Matthew's mischievous smile broadened as he studied the woman beside him, about to reply when suddenly, a clamor of screams erupted, jolting everyone in the stands.

"What's the matter with Jazzy?" Eko sighed, "Did she not get enough rest while she was with you all?"

"Something like that," Matthew replied, shaking his head as he handed the tablet to Eko and headed towards the commotion. Meanwhile, Eko's keen senses were alerted by the fan club elite behind her, who were shamelessly commenting on the physique of their headmaster.

Refocusing her attention on the tablet, Eko revisited the notes he had taken, striving to ignore the relentless babble of the girls behind her and the countless ways they had been with him. Breathe - she muttered to herself. Fucking breathe Eko.

Jasmine's voice rang out once more, "Why don't you try watching where you're going for a change? And I'm fine, thanks for asking. How thoughtful of you."

Evan replied in his characteristic drawl as he began to walk away, "Seriously, Jazzy, don't pin your clumsiness on me. You always end up in these messes. Just stop trying to flirt with me, and you'll be alright."

Jasmine's expression twisted into a scowl as she watched the towering figure retreat. "Just you wait, you ass of a jerk! Someday you'll get yours, and then you'll eat that shoe!" She shouted after him, but he only responded with a derisive snort.

"It's 'you'll eat your words'!" he called back, glancing over his shoulder with a smug look.

Jesse groaned as Toni shook his head in disapproval. Sawyer, Gracie, Mya, and several other soldiers observed the pair squabbling like children.

"Enough, children," Matthew interjected, putting a stop to the quarrel. "Eko, activate the defense four combat system in arena environment thirteen."

Eko grinned and began typing on the computer. The ground beneath them shifted, causing Matthew to step back as dirt and wind engulfed them, creating a perilous environment.

"No defense moves, only offensive stats," Matthew directed the soldiers, who all nodded in agreement.

As the Headmaster exited the arena, Evan smirked at Jasmine and whispered, "You can't even get your overused clichés right, can you?"

"Just you wait," Jasmine issued a menacing warning to him, her eyes filled with malice. The system had already commenced, and the two of them were engrossed in irritating each other. But then, unexpectedly, someone approached them unnoticed.

There was a loud clang, followed by a thud.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, Evan!" Gracie cried out in a high-pitched voice, her curvaceous figure on full display as she swung her sword around and accidentally hit him on the head. The impact caused Evan to collapse on the floor, holding his head in agony.

The soldiers halted their activities, and Eko paused the program, making it disappear. Everyone's attention turned to the groaning young man, now spewing a stream of curses. Eko rose from her seat, as did the rest of the spectators in the arena.

"Are you okay, Evan? Do you need a doctor?" Gracie knelt in front of Evan, examining him.

"He's fine," Jasmine reassured her, skipping over to the group gathered around Evan with a wide grin. "It hit him in the head, so I doubt it did any serious damage."

"Jazzy," Jesse scolded, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

"Guys, back up. Evan needs some space," Matthew commanded, approaching and causing the crowd around Evan to disperse.

Evan groaned and slowly sat up, rubbing the growing lump on his temple. He froze when he saw Jasmine crouched before him, arms wrapped around her knees and sword in hand, staring at him with an expression of pure innocence.

He braced himself for what he knew was about to come.

So," she exclaimed brightly, giving him a sweet smile. "Just how does that size seven taste?" With those parting words, she jumped to her feet and turned, laughing wickedly.

"Come on, mate," Luke chuckled, helping one of his best friends to his feet. "They don't need you out there anyway." Evan allowed himself to be guided back to the sidelines, where Eko was waiting with a tablet in hand.

"You got knocked out by a girl, huh?" she giggled as Luke and Evan approached her, leaving the headmaster and his soldiers to discuss the program.

Evan shook his head as he headed to the stands, which left Luke standing with Eko, the same man who flashed her one hell of a smile.

"Dinner was nice last night," Luke started with a flirtatious tone.

"You joined me in the cafeteria," she chuckled, "and to be honest, the food was pretty awful. Did John just get lazy?"

"I really enjoyed your company, though," he shot back smoothly.

"Stop," she laughed, shaking her head at his forwardness. "You're laying it on pretty thick."

"Just trying to make you smile," he said with a grin.

Eko shook her head, still laughing at the charming fool beside her, clutching the tablet to her chest. Her laughter seemed to draw attention, because when Richie joined the group to give instructions, Matthew subtly turned his head.

"What's he doing with her?" Matthew inquired.

"He's definitely into her, you realize that, right?" Richie commented, observing a slight twitch in someone's eye at his words. Mya's rumor hit the mark, and she even raised the stakes, wagering Richie three new pairs of Louboutin shoes that he couldn't coax Matthew into confessing his feelings. Richie was eager to accept the challenge, as keeping Mya engaged in conversation was worth any bet.

"Hmm," Matthew responded, tilting his chin upwards. The sight of Eko laughing and the distraction it caused forced him to turn back to the cadets. "Everyone, ready for the next round! Eko. Arena thirteen," he called out, needing to divert her attention from Luke.

"Right!" Eko responded, and Matthew nodded to the soldiers in front of him before stepping away from the arena as it took shape. He turned on his heel, and Richie followed him as they headed towards Eko, who had a broad smile on her face.

"Since Klutz over there is out," she said, looking up at Matthew sweetly and offering the tablet, "mind if I join?"

"Can you play fair?" Matthew teased, raising an eyebrow even though Luke had already handed her his training sword.

"Wouldn't peg you as the fair type?" Luke smirked at Eko, following up on Matthew's question. Richie bit his lip, anticipating with glee the potential explosion of World War Three if Matthew couldn't keep his jealousy in check at this moment.

Come on, come onnnnn. Lose your shit.... come on! ... After a brief pause, Richie chimed in with a smirk, "How about a few rounds?"

Eko nodded enthusiastically, accepting the sword and giving the three men a playful wink before heading towards the arena where Jesse and Jasmine were ready. Matthew, on the other hand, kept his gaze fixed on Luke, who shifted his attention from Eko back to his friend.

With a smug look, Luke addressed Matthew with an antagonizing, "headmaster," in a tone that was clearly meant to provoke, before distancing himself from both Matthew and Richie. Richie, struggling to keep his amusement under wraps, eagerly awaited with anticipation to see Matthew lose his shit.

With a self-assured stride, Luke headed towards the stands, positioning himself beside Evan, who was stationed not far from Matthew's entourage of fan club admirers. The men observed as the arena sprang to life before them.

At the base of the stands, Matthew found himself clenching his tablet, his patience wearing thin, nearly at the point of snapping the device in his grasp. The commotion of the arena recaptured his focus, prompting him to turn, with Richie in tow, to face the soldiers arrayed before them.

"So, Luke?" Richie couldn't resist smirking at Matthew's visibly irritated reaction to Luke's provocation. Matthew redirected his attention to his tablet, diligently marking off sections and scrutinizing the soldiers' techniques with unwavering concentration.

Frustrated with Luke's behavior, Matthew grumbled under his breath, "I swear I'll fucking deck him if he thinks he can keep pushing me like this. He can go live on Atura for all I care right now. Freeze his fucking balls off out there."

Sensing that Matthew was teetering on the edge, Richie decided to drop a bombshell. "You know," he began, knowing full well that his next words might push Matthew over the edge, but now was as good a time as any. He could almost feel the thousands of dollars Mya would owe him after this.

"I heard through the grapevine that Luke has been asking about Eko. Apparently, after the ceremony and everything, and with the past few days we've been away from Allegiant, they've been having dinner together. Very cozy and all."

With his teeth clenched, Matthew snarled, "You're deliberately fucking irritating me." His previously calm gaze turned into a piercing glare, and Richie could see the tension in his grip on the tablet intensify.

"Maybe, but I'm not the one hitting on your girl, am I?" Richie retorted, nudging Matthew's shoulder and highlighting the omission he had noticed.

"He's fucking unbelievable," Matthew muttered under his breath, visibly trying to keep his emotions in check. Richie watched as he closed his eyes momentarily, taking a deep, almost comical breath and counting to ten, as though trying to quell his rising anger.

"I'll take that as confirmation that she's gotten under your skin," Richie remarked with a knowing smirk.

"Your point?" Matthew snapped, clearly annoyed, and started counting down slowly from ten once more.

"Jesse's little count-to-ten tactic can only hold up for so long."

"It's working for now," Matthew retorted irritably as he looked back down at his tablet, marking off some soldiers before briefly glancing back up.

"Hmm," Richie mused, "alright, I'll drop it. But he's going for your girl."

"She's not mine," Matthew countered.

"Mate, that's because you haven't asked her," Richie teased.

"She doesn't want that."

"They all want that with you," Richie smirked, "Eko's just been the first girl you've fallen in love with."

"Doesn't matter. She doesn't want it. She's here to have fun, and clearly, she's over fucking me. So what the fuck do you want me to do?"

Richie let out a snort, "she's in love with you too, you know."

"I've got six more groups to sort out. Can we focus on that? Let's forget about Eko and... just drop it."

"Alright," Richie said with a casual shrug, watching his best friend teeter on the edge of losing his composure. "Let's focus on getting Jaz and Mya prepared before things escalate with Ezra. Having them ready gives us a stronger front. Once we've dealt with that, we can start thinking about what peace might mean for us."

Matthew turned his gaze to Richie, understanding his friend's desire for an end to the conflict. He longed to leave behind a life filled with pain and suffering. Yet, he knew he was the one actively ensuring that no more lives were needlessly lost in this war. The thought of losing anyone else didn't sit well with him.

"That's the plan," Matthew agreed, hoping to reassure Richie. Despite the ache in his heart, he knew this was just the beginning. There was still much to be done in this fucked up war.

Their discussion paused as the systems powered down before them. The arena transformed back to its original state, and the soldiers on the field relaxed.

Jesse was the first to exit the stage and approach Matthew and Richie, who were engaged in a quiet conversation while examining the tablet. Toni made his way over, as the rest of the group congregated, awaiting the next set of directives from their Headmaster.

As Luke made his way across the room, his steps quickened with determination. Mya and Eko were immersed in their conversation, their laughter filling the air. Eko, especially, caught his attention with her infectious laughter and lively gestures. There was a magnetic quality about her that drew him in, captivating his thoughts and senses.

With each step closer, Luke's heart beat faster with a mix of excitement and nervousness. He imagined the moment he would ask Eko out, picturing her smile and the way her eyes would light up. He was certain she was the one he wanted and he was determined to make her his.

As he finally reached them, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Today was the day he would ask her out, the beginning of a new chapter in his life. With a confident smile, he greeted them, ready to take the plunge and make his intentions clear.