Nox, Serian, and la are standing in a field. The sun is out, the birds are probably singing, and the air doesn’t sll like death for the first ti in days. And Nox, our moody hero, has just thrown his arms around both girls like they’re his best pals on the last day of sumr camp.
Let’s be real, it was awkward.
Serian just kind of froze, a surprised little "oh" on her face. la, on the other hand, looked like he’d just tried to hug her with hands made of angry wasps.
He pulled away just as fast, clearing his throat and trying to look like he hadn’t just done the most out-of-character thing in his entire life. He rustled around in his pack and pulled out the pouch of trail mix.
"So, uh... snacks?"
la just stared at him, her expression a perfect ten on the ’I am so done with this’ scale. She snatched the pouch, shoved a handful of nuts and dried fruit in her mouth, and started walking without another word.
Serian laughed, a real, happy sound. She took the pouch from him, their fingers brushing for a split second. "Thank you, Nox."
’Crap.’ There it was again. That stupid, warm, flipping-stomach thing. He just grunted and started walking, making sure to put a little space between them.
The next hour was spent in a weirdly comfortable silence. la was still stomping ahead, probably plotting his murder, but Serian was humming a little tune he’d never heard before. It was... nice. Way too nice. It was starting to freak him out.
He needed a distraction, sothing familiar. He needed the one voice in his head that didn’t make him feel like his brain was short-circuiting.
’Auraelia? You there?’
A blue chat window instantly popped into his vision, so bright and cheerful it almost hurt his eyes.
[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] Nox! Hi! I was wondering when you’d call! That race was SO CUTE! I was cheering for you the whole ti! 📣
He almost tripped over his own feet. ’It wasn’t cute, it was a high-speed tactical retreat.’
[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] Right, right, a "tactical retreat" where you threw mud at the princess. Very tactical! 😉 But you were smiling! A real smile! It was so nice to see!
’I wasn’t smiling.’ He was totally smiling. ’Whatever. I need to ask you sothing important.’
[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] Ooh, important? Ask away! I am SO ready to be helpful! 💖
He took a ntal breath, trying to phrase the question without sounding like a complete idiot. ’This whole rge thing... you said my world and so fantasy world got slamd together, right? So, what else is out there? Is it just humans and a bunch of different pointy-eared elves?’
The response was a tidal wave of pure, unadulterated enthusiasm.
[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] Oh, Nox, you have NO idea! It’s not just elves! It’s everything! We’re talking majestic, scale-covered Dragonkin who can breathe freaking fire! You’ve got sturdy Dwarves who live in mountains and craft the most amazing weapons! There are fierce Beastn, like lion-people and wolf-people and all that cool stuff! And, and, AND...!
The text paused for dramatic effect.
[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] ...there are totally cat girls. 🐾
He almost tripped over his own feet. He actually stopped walking for a second, his brain short-circuiting.
’Cat girls? Are you serious?’
[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] Super serious! And fox girls! And bunny people! And orcs, and goblins, and a thousand other races you’ve probably only ever seen in gas! Your little planet just beca the biggest, most chaotic, most aweso fantasy lting pot in this entire celestial sector! It’s amazing! 🎉
He just stood there for a second, letting that information wash over him. Dragonkin. Dwarves. Cat girls. His old life, his boring, miserable, gray-sky world, was so far gone it might as well have been a dream. This new reality was loud, dangerous, and completely, certifiably insane.
And honestly? It sounded kinda aweso.
"Nox? Did you fall asleep standing up?"
la’s sharp voice cut through his thoughts. He looked up. She and Serian were staring at him, their expressions a mix of annoyance and concern.
"Just thinking," he mumbled, starting to walk again.
"About what?" la asked.
"Don’t worry about it. You just need to worry on making food since you lost."
"You’re worried about dinner? We don’t have any food."
"Then it looks like you’re on hunting duty, pointy-ears," he shot back with a grin, not missing a beat. "Since you’re so good with a vines and all. Unless you want to eat my trail mix for the next month."
"I am not a bloody cook!"
Serian just laughed. "He’s right, la. You lost. A deal’s a deal."
la sputtered, her face turning a shade of red that clashed horribly with her dark elven complexion. "I did not lose! I was... pacing myself! For the inevitable ambush by Elder Theron’s assassins!"
"Uh-huh," Nox said, dragging the sound out. "And I’m the King of England. Co on, we’re burning daylight, and I’m genuinely curious to see what an angry elf cooks like."
He turned and started walking north, the argunt already forgotten. la glared at his back for a solid ten seconds, probably imagining all the different kinds of rare, untraceable poisons she could slip into his food, before stomping after him.
They walked for another hour before la finally cracked and started hunting for dinner. She disappeared into a small grove of trees, muttering sothing about "showing that arrogant human what real skill looks like."
Nox and Serian kept walking, the silence between them comfortable in a way that was starting to make him nervous. Every now and then, she’d point out sothing interesting - a weird-looking bird, a flower that apparently glowed at night, stuff like that. He found himself actually listening, which was weird.
’When did I start caring about glowing flowers?’
"So," he said, trying to distract himself from whatever was happening in his brain. "These sisters of yours. What are they like?"
Serian’s face lit up.
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