"Enriki will understand that you give up on him. Put me there, I'll manage to defend him."
"And what about me?!"
"Your eyes are okay and you'll have Squint-Eye, like before."
"No. Never."
"If Enriki is with Vil and you're with me, where will you put Squint-Eye?"
"With Asa."
"What an allocation! He'll kill her himself not to meddle."
"What should I do then?"
"Replace everyone. Enriki-Vil. Lis-Squint-Eye. Asa-Tol."
"They will be mad! Though…" Orel mused. "There is something in it. No, Lis and Squint-Eye is a shitty pair… very shitty. Wait, Nik, you want to set up Lis? You're cunning!"
"Is it 'setting up'? Squint-Eye fights much better than Tol."
"Yes, but Squint-Eye doesn't like Lis."
"If you put him to stand by Lis, Lis will find a way to make Squint-Eye love him, believe me."
"It stinks, Nik."
"With this allocation there will be one wounded. Vil won't let himself be wounded and he won't risk. With the present allocation you'll have two wounded."
"So, in the first case there will be two wounded, and one of them not important, but that way we'll have two important warriors wounded. What should I do? Enriki will take Squint-Eye down with him, that's for sure!"
"The pair Enriki-Squint-Eye fucked up once. I ask you again, put me with Enriki."
"No!" Orel nearly screamed. "You're right, there shouldn't be irreplaceable men. Apart from me, everyone is replaceable in my team. Let Enriki show what he can do. I'm giving up on him – I hope he won't get killed, and if he gets wounded, he'll calm down for a while and will handle my affairs. I'll take Dick Nedwill in his place as a warrior. He and Vil will make a good pair."
"And now try to explain it to the others."
"Let's go downstairs." Orel got up. "I can even vote for it. You and Vil will be for me, Enriki, I'm sure, will not vote against it either. Four against three. Shit, Vil is convenient, after all, I can always be sure he'll vote just like me. Am I right?"
"Yes," Nikto smirked.
"Just don't express your wish to pair with Enriki, okay? Otherwise everyone will seize this opportunity and there will be no changes, and we need them."
"You said 'no', I got it. But it will be a difficult conversation."
"It is my problem, just keep silent."
"I always keep silent," Nikto said.
* * *
"Wait, there is one more thing before we have dinner."
They looked at him questioningly, silently, waiting what he'd say.
"My order is," Orel started slowly, lowering his head slightly. He saw them tense. "…I'm changing pairs," he said at last.
Everyone froze as if not quite understanding what he said. Lis was the first to regain composure.
"Who are you going to replace?"
"Everyone," Orel said. "I'm going to change ALL the pairs."
"And yours, too?" Lis's voice stayed calm but it was a pretense.
"No. I'm staying with Nikto."
"Ah," Lis said knowingly.
"Arel, changing pairs before an important fight is unreasonable," Squint-Eye interfered.
"Which way do you want to change the pairs?" Tol asked anxiously.
"Squint-Eye will stand by Lis, Vil by Enriki, you by Asa."
Tol really started back; he tried to say something but managed only a few hoarse sounds.
"Fuck you! You're completely insane!" Squint-Eye yelled. "It's nonsense!"
"Arel, why are you doing it? Why?" Lis asked tiredly.
"No objections!" Orel shouted. "That's it! I have decided, and it will be this way!"
"But can you at least explain us why?"
"It will be better this way. Is it enough for an explanation?"
"No, it is not enough." Squint-Eye nervously pushed his hair away from his face. "Changing pairs before a fight! Do you want to kill us? Do you want to ruin everything? At the very last moment? We fucked with this Bey for so long! We nearly lost everything! And now, when we have a real chance to end it, when we finally have a really good plan, you start fooling around! Arel, the fights will be hard, won't it be better to keep us the way we are used to, at least for a while? After that you can replace us, you can put me with Asa, can put Vil with Lis – whatever you want but after the fight!"
"No. Now," Orel said firmly.
Squint-Eye waved his hand hopelessly.
"No one changes pairs before a fight," Tol interfered. "I remember it from school."
"Shit! You were going to school?!" Orel yelled, unable to stand it any longer. Tol decided it was safer to keep silent. "I'm tired of your displeasure," Orel continued, and by his voice they felt they had got to him. "You always dislike everything! Whatever I do! Whatever I suggest! In reply I always hear: 'Arel, it's stupid! Arel, it's dangerous! Arel, it's wrong!' I'm not sure any more if you need me at all! Maybe you'll lock me in the dungeon and go on with your business as you feel like?!"
"Don't exaggerate," Enriki, who had been silent till now, said at last. "I don't mind if you change our places."
"You have nothing else left!" Lis snorted.
"Fine, maybe," Enriki shook his head jerkily. "Arel does everything right," he said as calmly as he could but his voice betrayed him, ringing with resentment.
"You're washed to the gutter, Rik, congratulations!" Squint-Eye said. He lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply, and leaned against the back of the chair.
Enriki raised his eyes to the ceiling, looking at the blackened girders. Lis turned to Squint-Eye and slowly, for him to see, flicked him on his eye-patch. Squint-Eye, who was used to such treatment, turned his head with dignity.
"What?" he asked looking at Lis; his eye was narrowed against smoke.
"Congratulations to you, too," Lis said. "You're not 'washed to the gutter'!" He smirked wickedly.
Enriki regained control.
"What are you talking about? I'm even happy with this new allocation! It will be easier for me to prove you that I'm worth something!"
"Enriki, you can rely on me," Vil said gingerly. Enriki didn't answer. "I'll also prove what I'm worth!" But no one listened to Vil.
"Basically, if to be honest," Lis continued, "it is a good allocation… good – if you don't care about interests and feelings of people," he paused, "people who are interconnected with friendly, close, important relations. If to forget about it, this allocation is not bad. But it is too stiff and straightforward, you don't take into account our feelings and ties, as if they are not there at all. And it is not right! If it rude towards Enriki – first of all, it's simply a betrayal, let's call a spade a spade. And I'll also say you couldn't come up with it, Arel."
"What do you mean?"
"It is not your idea! You wouldn't change our places, you would have thought it risky and unprofitable but you would have left us as we are. I know you and your style. You believe in luck. What you're doing now is not your style, Arel."
"Lis, I don't understand you. Do you mean the plan is good? Or is it bad?"
"It isn't good or bad, it isn't yours. It is not yours," he repeated slowly, nearly in syllables.
"Do you want to say that I cannot come up with anything?"