Last filler chapter before a huge hectic storm of craziness in the next one... :D :D
Responses:
CherryMountain: You enjoyed the blood? I must say I sort of did too. Does that make us gore buddies? As for how many more chapters, I don't think I'll have as many as Breaking Faith has, total. Meaning I've got less than 10 more give or take, depending on how long I make them. That's sad and exciting at the same time. :P
Connet: Hahaha I snort-cackled at that review. I sort of pictured like.. Lucian saying that in an embarrassed, hushed tone. Hahahaa.
Zarabethe: Story update jinx! That was so awesome haha. I got the FanFiction email and was like, "whoa, no way someone reviewed that fast after i just published that chapter.." and I was right! It was a Scepter update, which pretty much made my day. 8D
Noriana26: *Mega Ultra Kermit Flail* is so intense it blew my socks off. When I read that review I almost spit my tea in surprise at all the caps lock... It was so great. :D
Lady Pixi: Oh noooo! You're not allowed to die! Neither is Unaril! So you two are a package deal: one dies, the other does too?! WHAAAT?
Nyteknight: I know, and it was so close together too. It's like we planned it. xD If only this had been chapter 30 also, that'd be weiiiird. Maybe if I can write fast enough we'll do it again with 31 or 32. xD And ohhh yeah, if Lucian knew about that, that punch would be a pat on the back in comparison.
Gamer Girlfriend: Hahaa she's pregnant, and her hormones are making her emotions go haywire! She can't help it ;D As for the parents not being protective enough, I thought about that too, but at the same time I sort of thought that Nyela's her own adult, and them going crazy over something like that would probably be a bit juvenile. It's weird to think like both a parent and a daughter though. Like... Noriv/Lucian have a "what's done is done, make the best of it" mindset at this point. :P
Runicpower of Azeroth: Thankyou! :D As for how long it's going to be, we're actually getting close to the end. I don't think it'll have more chapters than Breaking Faith does, but word-wise it will have more words. I mean I hit 200k now, and Breaking Faith has about 210k. So who knows. :P
Jysshio: Hahaha awwwnoooo! You got killed to death! D: That's quite an entertaining reading experience. I must say I laughed at the thought. xD And Sarielaril is actually a kinda cool name. Like I could use that in-game... Hmmmm...
Kirara-sama Bakinha x3: I almost did that, but then I was like, "Nah, Raphael still has a part to play and if Lucian mauls him, he'll never come back..." x) And about Norivana, yeah I think so, too! One hundred years, plus kids and family and helping run an entire tribe, can help one mature. :D
Nyela stared at her mother like she'd grown two extra heads, and, at a complete loss of what else to do, she simply burst into nervous laughter at the same time as both Lucian's and Unaril's eyes fell on her. Lucian's expression was one of surprise and confusion (his jaw had literally dropped open) and Unaril's was…well, Nyela couldn't quite place what exactly that was.
His gaze didn't leave hers, searching, imploring, incredibly serious and yet at the same time holding an odd, innocent touch to it. His eyes were subtly wider, and he kept his mouth shut, just staring at her, brows lifted slightly with a hopeful-yet-mildly-terrified look in his eyes.
Nyela, still giggling uncertainly (this wasn't at all funny, but she couldn't help herself), gave her mom a funny look.
"No. No way," she half-giggled, "It's... No." She hesitated, still giggling, "What?" A second paused, and she quieted as it finally hit her: her mom actually had a point. She stared at Norivana, eyes widening. "Seriously? Pregnant? Me?"
Norivana tugged at her wrist again out the door. "We'll need to check to be sure."
The last thing Nyela saw before being tugged out of the room was Unaril's face, the man still staring at her as if he had ten thousand thoughts swirling through his mind all at once.
With news like this, though, he probably actually did. Not to mention her father, who she was sort of afraid of confronting about this now. She smirked to herself at how weird it probably was right now: Lucian and Unaril standing there in the room alone, neither of them wanting to say anything, both of them probably shocked out of their own britches at the bomb that'd just been dropped on them. She wasn't sure whose face she wanted to see more.
She did note, though, how her dad had been taking mostly everything in surprisingly cool stride lately. Of course, she was an adult—and now, apparently, had a family of her own—so it's not like he had much of a say in things. Not to mention she knew he had a soft spot for Unaril more than anyone else, but still. Lucian was letting the guy get away with so much: secretly marrying his daughter, fathering her child(maybe)... All these things that would normally put her dad in a rage, but he was remaining calm. Honestly it was scarier like this. Maybe, though, it was because he was giving her a chance at starting her own life. He'd always let her be pretty independent, so maybe this was the nudge he needed in order to set her free. But that was a little too much wishful thinking wasn't it?
Maybe he's letting it slide because he knows Unaril is going to die anyway. Nyela thought this to herself before she could catch it and swallowed fearfully. No, that couldn't be it. She wouldn't allow herself to think this.
Either her parents had seen so much they were immune to something like this, she decided, or they were under such an intense level of stress already that this was nothing. It wasn't because being mad at Unaril was a lost cause, seeing as he was going to die.
Back on topic, though, her mind whirled. Pregnancy? Marriage? After knowing the man for less than a year? For elves' standards, that was extremely fast. For Nyela, though, it was even faster.
With all these thoughts clouding her head, Nyela cleared her throat as her mom practically dragged her down the stairs. "So that's why you don't want Unaril to…die?" She was still having issues saying that stupid word. "Because you think I might be pregnant?"
"Your child—if you're having a child—must have a father," Norivana replied. Hearing the words 'your child' sent a weird shock down Nyela's spine. "Not to mention, you'll need someone to help you. Heavens only know where I'd be if I hadn't had Lucian with me. I wouldn't want you to be in a position like that."
Nyela quieted for a moment as Norivana led her out the front door of the inn. "And it doesn't upset you? Me being…" she swallowed, trying to let it sink in still. She couldn't quite accept it. "Pregnant?"
Norivana slowed, and then stopped, turning fully back to Nyela. The two of them were just standing in the middle of the Darnassus street.
Her mom gave her a thoughtful look, then simply coaxed her to keep walking. "By the time I was your age, I'd been through so much already. Of course, I wasn't having a child, but…" she shook her head. "No. It doesn't upset me, not really. I do think it was reckless of you, of course,—both of you—to risk something so big, especially when simple contraceptives are everywhere. But the two of you are married. You're together. You're not a girl anymore, Nyela, you're your own adult who can make her own choices and start her own life. Pregnancy is just a further step than would be expected right now. But... to be entirely honest, I would be hypocritical in shaming you for it right now."
"Hypocritical? How?" Nyela asked as they reached a small-ish building, and Norivana lifted her shoulders slightly in response.
"We're here," she didn't answer her question but just led her into the building. The building was much like every other one here in that it had no doors, rather it had large, open archways, so they walked right in. A woman who'd been lounging in a chair lifted her head as they entered, catching sight of Norivana.
"Back so soon?" she asked serenely, standing up and walking over to them as she spoke. "Wasn't it just recently you were here? Or was that a different Blood Elf?"
Nyela blinked, and Norivana laughed. "No, that was me. But it's not me we're here about, it's her…for the same reason, strangely enough."
The elf, who sported dark hair and medium-toned blue skin, lifted her brows sharply. "Both of you? Really? Two elves in such a short amount of time? I usually get two pregnancies a year, not per month!"
Nyela widened her eyes, turning her stare over to her mom. "Both?"
Norivana was trying and failing to bite back a smile. "You know the news I wanted to tell you when you showed up?"
"Oh my goodness!" Nyela almost squeaked, unable to contain herself. Norivana was pregnant? The irony, not to mention coincidence, was so strong it was hard for Nyela to believe it. She was still having trouble believing that she herself could be, and now her mom, too?!
Now that she knew Norivana was too, though, she began to think maybe her mom had diagnosed her pregnancy out of wishful thinking. The idea was already on her mind, so she could've easily mistakenly concluded Nyela was, too. That was a possibility, right?
Norivana beamed. "I must say it was a bit of a surprise, but no less a blessing. I think we're both cursed with terrible timing, though. We really couldn't have done this at a worse time."
"So that's what you meant about being hypocritical. You did it too," Nyela laughed. She shook her head in disbelief. "Though, I honestly am having trouble believing you…about both of us."
"Oh, she's telling the truth!" the Priestess defended lightheartedly. "On my honor, she is. About herself, at least. And you? We'll have to find out."
The Priestess gave Nyela a once-over, and she then piped up happily, "Oh, yes you do have that glow about you." She spoke cheerfully, reaching out and placing a hand on Nyela's forehead, which Nyela almost flinched at, but she just blinked, sending her mom a confused glance.
The Priestess seemed perfectly fine with invading Nyela's space, inspecting her, but then finally spoke to her like a normal person, stepping back.
"I'll need to run a perceptive check, a spell that will help me see any abnormalities or anomalies if present, not to mention I'll be testing for pregnancy itself obviously. I'll need you to come back here and lie down; that makes it easier."
Nyela was a little hesitant to speak as she walked over past a curtain to a clean, white-sheeted bed. As she lay down, she sniffed. "So what…is this place exactly?"
"It's a clinic! Sort of. More of an apothecary than anything else, but specifically, I'm a healer. We almost never have pregnancies here, but it is such a joy to see them come through. And such a treat to have two of you!" she repeated excitedly, actually clapping her hands together.
Nyela smiled and sent Norivana a sideways look. She was still dazed with all this.
The Priestess's hands began to glow a golden-white, and her eyes did the same as she began to hover her hands over Nyela, pausing over her abdomen. The spell gave off a subtle heat and could be heard as a constant, low hum.
A few full minutes passed. Maybe more, Nyela couldn't be entirely sure, because her mind was still whirling. She became so engrossed in her own thoughts that when the Priestess next spoke, it startled her.
"Aha!" the Priestess exclaimed in excitement. "There. It. Is!"
Nyela's heart began to pound.
Still smiling, the Priestess looked at Nyela knowingly. "Looks like you're gonna be a mommy."
Nyela felt her heart drop into her stomach. This was real. Up until now she'd practically just been humoring herself with the idea, not actually believing it was…possible. The air in her chest constricted.
Was she ready for something like this? No, of course not! How could she ever be ready to take on something so incredibly monumental as raising a child?! She wasn't all that great with children; she'd never really been around them much. Julian was only a few years younger than her, so they'd grown up together. She wasn't around young ones often, and she knew that had surely affected her readiness to raise one of her own. She couldn't raise a child, could she..?
She thought about all this frantically. She had other options: she didn't have to go through with this. She wasn't sure she could handle this responsibility. She had no idea where she'd be by the end of this pregnancy, where she'd be living or who would still be with her. It was a long way from now, and she had so much going on right now she honestly had no idea what could happen. At the same time, though, it was so not a long time, and she felt herself panic.
She wasn't ready for this.
Another thought hit her, though: This wasn't just any child. This was her child. ...Unaril's child.
Boy or girl, she was already picturing the baby looking just like him, and it immediately warmed her up. Not a lot, but enough to where she wasn't about to panic and take off screaming and pulling her hair out in clumps. The two of them, together, were creating another person. That had to count for something.
She swallowed and felt Norivana's hand grip hers. She looked at her mom.
"I don't know if I can—" she gulped, a frightened expression planting itself on her face. "I'm not ready for this."
Norivana studied her. "No one ever essentially is, Nyela. I'm not going to lie, it's going to be hard. It will change your life. But the moment you commit to this, it will be your life… And it will be wonderful." She waited a moment, squeezing her hand before letting go. "You need to talk to Unaril about it though, first things first. He needs to know what's going on. The two of you can make your decision on whether or not you're going to go through with this. It is a big decision."
Nyela nodded and sat up, sending the Priestess a grateful look. "Thank you," she said quietly, and the woman nodded at her genially.
"Anything you need, we're here, free of charge for checkups." She placed a hand on Nyela's shoulder. "Good luck," she smiled, then sent Norivana a smile as well. "Both of you."
Nyela stood and made her way out the door in a dazed stupor, stumbling slightly and feeling her nausea grip her in a strong wave, stronger than it'd been before. Her stomach had been fighting her all morning, and with this news and the stress dropped on her, she broke under it. Shakily, she stumbled over behind the side of the building and let her stomach empty its contents (nothing but what she'd had to drink that morning) into the grass. She stayed stooped there for a moment and felt Norivana scooping up her hair from the sides of her face.
Nyela let out a quiet grunt of pain. "How come you aren't throwing up? You're pregnant too." To herself she sounded almost resentful, or at least a little jealous.
"I've got a pretty strong stomach," Norivana chuckled. "Even in pregnancy. I've only ever had bad morning sickness when I was pregnant with you, really. Julian was so much easier than with you. It should get better. Hopefully."
Nyela sniffed, wiping her mouth with her arm, and shuddered. For a moment she felt like she was going to heave again but kept the urge down, and stood up, gritting her teeth. She needed to find Unaril and give him the news. Though, whether it was good or bad, she still wasn't so sure.
After she'd gotten a fresh drink of water and had washed the bad taste out of her mouth and freshened up, she found Unaril where she'd left him, both him and Lucian. Unaril was sitting on the edge of the large bed, and Lucian was sitting in a chair across from him. The two looked like they'd been having a pretty serious conversation, and she didn't have to guess what it was about.
Nyela walked in, and looked at her dad. He gave her an expectant stare, and she bit her lip to keep it from trembling and cleared her throat.
"I need to speak to Unaril alone, if that's alright."
Lucian gave her a look of ambivalence but stood up, nodding once, and made his way out the room, closing the door behind him.
Nyela stared at Unaril for a few seconds, and he returned her look, his eyes flicking between hers, questioning, worried, and anxious. She stood there, sort of frozen, and swallowed down a lump that kept trying to form in her throat. Her heart began to pump faster as she opened her mouth to speak. How would he react to this? Would he even want to keep the child? It terrified her to think of him not wanting to, and it terrified her to think of him wanting to. There was no plus side here.
She took in a breath. "We went to a healer and she tested to be sure."
She saw him also breathe in slowly. "And..?" he asked quietly, hesitantly.
She bit her lip hard. Her eyes stung, and she finally nodded jerkily. "It's true."
He let out his breath in one large whoosh, brows arching in bewilderment, and blinked a few times, looking away, eyes searching the room unseeing, as if looking into his own thoughts. She wished he'd just say something.
"I..." he finally said, pausing, at a loss for words. "I don't know what to say, Nyela."
Nyela swallowed painfully. "I understand if you're angry; we can fix it, I promise," she said, her voice wavering.
He jerked his head back toward her. "Angry?" he asked incredulously, baffled, and he stood from the bed and went to her immediately, drawing her in close. "Nyela, angry is the last thing I am feeling right now," he murmured quietly, pressing his lips to the top of her head before pulling back from the hug, lightly gracing the side of her face with his palm. He gave her an intense look, so many emotions all at once, and leaned down and kissed her lips softly. She blinked back tears and leaned into his gentle kiss.
He pulled away, still appearing a bit bewildered.
"Who are we to be parents?" he asked her after a moment, beginning to smile. "If that kid is anything like me or anything like you, we're going to have our hands full."
Nyela felt both relief and fear hit her. So he did want to keep it. He hadn't even mentioned otherwise.
"Does this mean you won't let yourself die?" she asked him quietly.
He sobered and broke eye contact, glancing to the side.
"Really?" Nyela tightened her brows. "Even after you know you're going to be a father, you'll still consider abandoning me? Us?" she began to feel anger rising.
He finally looked back at her, eyes flashing in a sudden resolute determination. "No. I won't. We're a family. I'll do everything in my power not to break that."
She exhaled sharply. An intense wave of relief hit her so hard that she actually let out a happy cry, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. He hugged her back, and relieved tears escaped her eyes. She pulled away and craned up, kissing him devotedly, joyfully, and he picked her up as he was beginning to have a habit of doing. She felt his grin through his kiss, and he pulled away, speaking against her lips.
"Is it a boy or girl?" he asked her humorously.
"I don't know," she grinned, feeling happiness begin to swell as held her there. She cocked her head. "For some reason I keep thinking girl."
He smirked. "Can I choose the name?"
Nyela could tell he had mischief lacing his voice, and she squinted at him. "Like what?"
"We could name her something cool. Like... Bilford."
"No!" she burst out laughing, "What kind of name is Bilford?" Just saying it aloud made her crack up even more.
He grinned at her. "But Bilford would be so adorable. Sweet baby Bilford. It's a family name." She could tell he was full of crap.
"Who in your entire family was ever named Bilford?!"
"Maybe it's Sarion's real name," he snickered, and she laughed, slapping her hand against his shoulder playfully.
"No it's not."
"It'll be the start of a legacy."
"We are not naming our daughter Bilford, you big doofus."
"Ooh, or there's a name, too! Doofus Dawnstar," he grinned at her. "It has a ring to it."
She slapped his shoulder again. "No!" she couldn't stop laughing now. "I take it back, you can't name the poor child."
He laughed too, pulling her back in for a kiss.
She let her arms fall behind his neck and smiled. Maybe this was a blessing after all.
Nyela sat by the trunk of a massive forest tree out in the Teldrassil woods next to Fenris, sharpening one of her arrows. He munched on a freshly-caught deer, a doe that'd been unfortunate enough to draw Fenris's attention while they had been out in the woods.
This was the third day in a row Nyela had taken her wolf hunting out here. They'd been staying in Darnassus for six days now as Unaril and Lucian worked to find an alternate solution. Both men were now dead-set on not letting Unaril die, all because of the fact that Nyela was pregnant. She had to admit it was a huge relief. They'd find another way, she knew it.
When Lucian had found out she really was pregnant, he'd hugged her pretty tightly and told both her and Unaril they were in for a mess of excitement. He was happy for the two of them, if not a little disappointed with the timing. "Now we'll have two fiery, stubborn, hormonal pregnant women," he'd complained teasingly, "and I was already trying to muster the courage to take on one."
He'd received a playful, if not-so-playful, slap from Norivana for that one.
Smirking at that memory, Nyela put her arrow back in the quiver. She was so happy she wasn't going to go through this whole thing solo. With her mom going through the same sort of things at practically the same time (she was only a few weeks ahead), Nyela was glad to have a 'pregnancy pal'. At least, that's how Norivana had put it.
She looked over at Fenris and his gory mess, which surprisingly today didn't make her feel sick to look at. The day before, the smell and sight of the blood from one of Fenris's kills had made her actually throw up, and the day before hadn't been any different. But today she could handle it, surprisingly. That was a relief, to say the least. She didn't want to be kept from taking her wolf hunting; it was one of his favorite things in the world.
After a good fifteen minutes of just enjoying the location, Nyela and her wolf went back into the city. It was late evening now, meaning Unaril would be back soon, and she wanted to know if they'd made any progress. She was planning on heading back to Stormwind in the morning and finding a way to contact Raphael to see if he was ready yet or not to pull the heist, but she hadn't told her dad that. He didn't need to know everything, especially if it was her doing something he'd begged her not to.
The two reached the inn and Nyela went up to the room she and Unaril had set up in. She found Unaril in there, to her own happy surprise, and she greeted him with a warm smile and a quick kiss.
"There's my gorgeous Hunter," he winked at her, taking her bow from her and her quiver and hanging them up. "So I have good-ish news."
She looked at him, brows raised, waiting for him to go on.
"We finally got an audience with Malfurion again. Long story short, the spell might be as simple as using the staff and returning a life to the grove. Not my life, just a life. That's a step up, right?"
Nyela almost squeaked with relief, but then froze. "So who would have to die?"
"We haven't gotten to that part yet," Unaril said slowly, "but... Malfurion said we may even be able to go to a morgue or something. As long as it's a fresh enough death, it may work."
"That's so morbid," Nyela said, making a face. "Why does it have to be all about dying? We're trying to bring the grove back to life."
He smirked. "It's all about dying because it started with me cheating death in the first place."
"And it's not going to run full-circle, either." She stated. "You're not gonna die again."
"I may, but as a last resort," he corrected her, becoming slightly more serious. "But we do have to acknowledge that things have already come to a point where we can't spend any more time searching for alternatives. Hopefully this one will work, but it's our last hope." He paused at the expression she gave him, and spoke softly. "Have you...seen Julian?"
"I have, but I haven't really seen him. I just caught a glimpse. Why?"
"He's in bad shape, Nyela." Unaril said quietly. "Priests give him two weeks tops. They're doing everything in their power, but he's slipping through their fingers."
Her eyes widened. "Two weeks? I thought he was doing okay!"
"At maximum two," Unaril replied. "We have to act quickly. Meaning we've got to get that staff, and we have to try what we can, or he's not going to make it."
"Oh gods," Nyela let herself sink down onto the bed.
Unaril sat down beside her, looking at her imploringly. "We need to contact Raphael soon to let him know we can't wait much longer."
She nodded. "I was actually planning on doing that in the morning anyways."
"Good. Then we'll leave first thing."
She let herself flop back into the covers, staring up at the ceiling. Unaril blew out the lamp, so that the only light was a very cool glow coming in through an arched window, and then joined her side. She let her mind begin to wander, and turned toward Unaril as they both lay there in the covers.
"Unaril," she said quietly, and he turned his head to face her.
"Mm?"
"How do you think Sarion is doing lately?"
She saw him blink a few times thoughtfully before he spoke. "Lucian talked to me about him. Said he's not himself. He's got fel energy blanketing every emotion to where it's not allowing him to really...feel anything, at least not normally. So the way he was treating you last time you saw him, that was all fel-corrupted Sarion, not real Sarion."
Nyela sighed loudly, though she was both relieved and upset at hearing this. "I'm so tired of this fel crap. I just want old Sarion back. I'm glad he's not himself though. I'd lost hope in him."
Unaril stayed quiet a while. "Me, too." Another silence. "I miss him so much."
Nyela allowed herself to brush through some of her fondest memories of her time spent with the dark-haired twin. She hadn't allowed herself to think about him much at all, because it hurt too much. She missed him, just like Unaril said. She missed spending time with the two of them. Since Sarion had left, Unaril hadn't been even remotely as goofy or cheerful as he tended to be when paired with his other half. She missed that side of Unaril. She missed the fun times with the two, but most of all she just missed Sarion. Everything about him. An empty ache in her heart tugged at her at the mere thought of him.
Another thought hit her too, and after a moment she realized she voiced it aloud to the man beside her. "I still love him."
A long silence passed, and Unaril rolled over toward her, and wrapped her in close to him, his hand resting over her tummy. She had no baby bump and wouldn't for a while, but for some reason he'd already gotten into that mindset, which she found pretty funny.
His tone was understanding when he finally spoke. "I know."
Nyela sighed and closed her eyes, trying to keep her mind off of the other twin, but now that she'd opened it up, now that she'd allowed herself to think about him, her dreams were filled with fond, if not quite saddening, memories.
Nyela and Unaril managed to get up, get ready, get packed, eat breakfast, and leave in a matter of less than an hour. She'd said a cryptic goodbye to her parents, just let them know that they were going back to Stormwind without any details, but thankfully none were asked of them.
Lucian had re-summoned the long-lasting portal so it was up and ready to go when they needed it. Nyela let Fenris go first, and the couple then followed. When they reached the orchard, Nyela was shocked. Just one week without Lucian there to tend to the forest and they'd nearly lost the entire thing. The only forest left over was thankfully where they'd set up tents. Most of the pools, streams, trees and ground had all been corrupted and killed. No wonder Julian was going so quickly now; the forest was dying faster, too.
She and Unaril went to their tents to drop off some of their things and put on their armor and backpacks, and afterward decided the best place to look for Raphael would be to contact Tiberius first; Tiberius tended to know where to find people. She told Fenris to stay back at the orchard, since he didn't really like the city much and that's where she'd be all day.
As Unaril and Nyela had started off toward the city, they ironically and to their surprise saw their target of interest coming straight for them, along with others Nyela hadn't expected to see. Tiberius, she wouldn't have recognized if not for knowing his face already; his hair was short and brown, just like Sebastian, who was with him. Nyela felt her heart leap when she saw who else was with them: Sarion. She had to remind herself this wasn't actually truly him, it wasn't his normal self, but still, it was surprisingly good to see him, despite their rocky split. She felt her heart tug as she saw the somewhat blank look in his eyes and did her best to resist not running up to him and hugging him or something.
There was one more with them, and Nyela couldn't really believe what she was seeing as the four people approached her and Unaril. A dark-haired woman with slanted, dark eyes and pale skin walked beside Sebastian, her stride matching his. Tiana Raine.
"Tiana?" Nyela almost squeaked as the four reached them. Tiana smiled at her, and Nyela just blinked a few times. "Where have you been?!"
"It's a long story. I'll have to tell you when I have time," Tiana said, and Nyela just shook her head, still in disbelief. Nyela looked at how Sebastian was around her; he seemed actually somewhat content, and he sort of leaned toward her subconsciously, which was weird. Last Nyela knew, he hated the woman.
Still in dumb shock of seeing Tiana, Nyela turned her attention to Sarion, noticing how his hair had grown even longer and how he seemed normal, other than that she now noticed his eyes were sort of dim; now that she knew his energy was off, it was noticeable. Even so, words couldn't describe how much she'd missed him, how badly she'd needed to at least see him. She'd spent so much time with him and then had suddenly cut off all contact.
She couldn't help herself, now. She took one look at him and then closed their distance, wrapping her arms around him in a much-needed hug. She felt him tense up, but she just tightened her hug. He still smelled like her Sarion, felt like her Sarion. As long as he kept from speaking or saying anything rude, she could relish this moment and maybe even trick herself into believing for a short few seconds that it was real.
"Don't. Talk." She snapped out two words before he could say anything and kept hugging him.
He shockingly did what she said, just stayed quiet as she finally pulled away. He sent her a single raised brow, then looked at Unaril.
"Long time no see," Sarion said, and Unaril let out a weak laugh.
"You know I'd do the same as her, but then it'd just get weird," Unaril snickered, and to Nyela's surprise, one corner of Sarion's mouth twitched at a smirk.
"Raphael sent us," he announced simply.
"We were actually trying to find him," Nyela replied. "We need to get that crest soon. Time is of the essence."
"You're in luck. He sent us to get you." Sarion beckoned them to follow.
"Where are we going?" she asked as they all fell into step back toward the city.
"To our temp house in Old Town," Tiberius piped up. "Raphael has taken care of what he needs to. It's all ready to go."
"To go get the crest you mean?"
"Yep," he laughed. "By tomorrow, that staff will be complete, and you just may have your brother back. And your home."
Nyela's heart fluttered at the thought, and she laced her fingers into Unaril's. She kept sending slight glances over at Tiana, still bewildered as to where she'd come from or where she'd been all this time.
The six of them, the whole crew back together, set off toward Old Town.
So... The next chapter. Depending on how I write it, it might end up as one of my longest ones yet, plus it has so much freaking action it makes up for how little I've had in these past chapters. xD
