Paula stared at the flames from one of the many campfires the group had started. It was strangely comforting to hear the crackling of the fire.
"Helloooo?"
A hand waved wildly in front of Paula's face. Jewel was sitting beside her. She had probably been there awhile too. Paula was in her own world sometimes. She smiled and turned to Jewel.
"Hey, Jewel. I was out of it. How are you holding up?"
Jewel huffed. "You are so uptight. Is this any way to talk to your old friend? We've been through more together than most of the people in this group."
Jewel was right. They had been close at one point in their lives. Nothing brought you closer than fighting a war together. Jewel had saved her many times and Paula had returned the favor just as many times.
"I'm sorry. I know it may sound silly but I have to get used to being around humans again. The pressure to stay away is….great."
Paula must have sounded somber because Jewel's mood changed.
"Yeah…we live on the same island and I hadn't seen you in all that time."
She sounded hurt and she had every right to be. Paula wished things were different. Many tears had been shed wishing for a world where elves and humans could coexist. Wishes were for children. Action and hard work was the solution.
Paula reached for Jewel's hand and held it tight. "Now who's the one being uptight?" They both chuckled at that. "I am sorry, Jewel. I hope you know how much I wanted to see you. We have so much to catch up on. Can you forgive me?"
Jewel smiled brightly and gave her a thumbs up. "Of course! Only if you promise to make up for lost time. Now first on our agenda is to talk about the boys in our little group. Have you seen Andarc without his glasses? I think he's pretty cute."
Paula burst into laughter and Jewel pointed at her. "Don't try avoiding the question. Is he cute or not!?"
"Oh Jewel, some things never change."