Page 240 of A Soul to Embrace

Raewyn’s lips tightened. “That’s true.”

“But...” Mayumi continued, letting out a sigh as she looked up at the feline Mavka’s skull. “We will try our hardest to keep how we feel to ourselves.”

“Just know that if he turns on us, it will not bode well,” Faunus stated with a quiet growl.

“He won’t,” Zylah stated confidently.

“We don’t want you to feel uncomfortable,” Delora said as she looked at her beseechingly. “None of us hold anything negative towards you, and we’ve all been wanting to see you and meet you as you are now.”

“Please don’t let what’s happened stop you from speaking with us,” Reia added. “We really are sorry. We just... we weren’t expecting it, and we weren’t prepared.”

“I don’t want him near Kevin,” Orpheus grumbled as he folded his arms and let out a huff through his nose hole.

“No, but I think we have to accept that for today,” Reia said with a broken smile.

“At least you only have one to keep an eye on,” Faunus stated, rolling his head to the side. “Bitey likes to run off now that they’re bigger.”

“Would you like to meet them properly?” Mayumi offered to Zylah, although she shot Delora a wary look. “Every Duskwalker we’ve met has been curious about seeing what they looked like when they were babies.”

“Maybe I can show you around my home,” Delora interjected with a hopeful smile. “There will be a lot of us shortly, and we can talk and get to know each other better before everyone arrives.”

“That’d allow me to go home and get changed,” Reia stated as she looked down at her dress. “It won’t take me long. We’ll probably be around fifteen or so minutes if Orpheus runs really fast. I can bring some food over for lunch as well, and maybe some lemon for tea?”

“I’m fine how I am,” Mayumi said, throwing her arms to the side. “I can talk to Raewyn outside so you can speak privately. I’m interested in learning about Elves and what your world is like.”

Zylah’s muscles eased at the change of energy and conversation, and the cold, aching twist in her chest unwound. Even her orbs reverted to their normal teal as she drifted her gaze over them all. It did appear like they really weretrying, and that was all she could ask for.

They didn’t have to like him. All they had to do was just quietly accept his presence for her sake. If they could do that, then Zylah could try her hardest as well.

“I do have one request, though,” Reia stated with her lips pouting as she glanced up at the brightening sky with a devious look. “And it’ll require the use of my sword, although I think he’s fast enough to not get hurt.”

“If you’re thinking what I think you are, then I want in on it,” Mayumi said with a mischievous grin curling her lips. “It’d be fun to play with Jabez a little, and it’ll let us know if he truly is harmless.”

Zylah rumbled out a half-hearted growl before it immediately died.

So long as it wouldn’t hurt him, she knew anything they did or threatened would only make him chuckle. He’d likely tauntthem. She’d seen him do this to the councilmembers on the odd occasion she went with him, and even if she didn’t understand a word they said, she knew when his grin was mean and cheeky.

“If you tell me what it is, I’ll consider it,” Zylah stated with a sigh.

If it makes them hate him less...

And... he did say he didn’t care what they did or thought of him.

“I think it might be best if I hang back for this one,” Jabez stated, as he lifted a low-hanging branch to duck underneath its bushy leaves.

With Merikh to his left and walking directly next to the steaming pools of natural hot springs, Jabez was forced to evade the foliage and low branches to their right. There was a slightly sulphuric smell in the air, but it was light, as if there wasn’t a lot of the mineral in the earth and water.

Not too far away, the large pink dome belonging to the bat-skulled Mavka glittered.

They had to walk to it, as he hadn’t known exactly where to take them, just the general area itself since he’d been all over Austrális. Jabez’s ability to teleport and the fact that he had a deep understanding of the geography was the reason Merikh was utilising him. Merikh hadn’t even known these hot springs existed.

Then again, they were within the borders of the southlands and the wide, protective wall that cut off this part of the continent from the rest of it. It was an additional layer of defencewhich protected the many villages and towns inside it, and they had also erected individual fortifications. Traversing on this side of the wall was arduous and long, with many human towns to contend with.

Funnily enough, he’d been able to see the top of this very mountain from the much smaller one he and Zylah had set up as their cave. Their temporary home had been outside the southland’s wall, though.

“Why should you hang back?” Merikh asked with a scoff. “Are you scared or something?”

Jabez rolled his eyes so hard his vision blurred momentarily afterwards. “Well, considering one of these Mavka did die because of me, and the other one’s bride blew me up, I don’t think it’ll go over well that I’m with you.”

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