"Hey, Edda! Where are we going to order lunch tomorrow?" I asked, casually leaning against the table. I turned around my upper body to see Eddda standing behind me, laughing when her face turned into a grim look.
"You're doing this on purpose, don't you?" she asked.
I shrugged and gave her a wink. "Just wanted to test the waters to see if you're still going to attack me, or if you have lost interest already."
The grumbling noise from Eddda's mouth caused the others inside the lab to look up shortly, but they quickly returned their attention to their work. "You know, I should punch you for that last comment alone."
"Then do it", I countered. I watched Eddda expectantly while she kept polishing her arm prosthetic, but I swallowed down the other teasing comments when I saw there was no further reaction from her side. "So, lunch? Tomorrow? Where?"
"Skritt-brain!" Kekk called out, flinging an oil-covered rug flying through the air. He had been watching our verbal spat for quite a while and shook his head. "Why do we never order lunch from Bromm anyway?"
I caught the rug and tossed it back to him. "Someone else would have to get the food with Eddda tomorrow then" I explained, restraining a cough. While I ignored the surprised looks from the others, I felt my face turn red as soon as Eddda started to laugh. For a while now, I had tried not to face Bromm, and I wanted to continue that for some while longer.
"Heh, you couldn't possibly have lost your heart to the handsome, unapproachable cook from next door, will you?" she asked.
"Nah, that's not it. It is… complicated", I explained.
Right. He allowed you to stay for the night after you almost drank yourself into a stupor, and you messed up because you're simply not smart enough for such a good-looking Asura.
Varnas' eyes grew big as she turned around on her chair. "Was there something going on between you two!?"
I could see Eddda wanted to reply about the matter, and I frantically searched for a quick way to change the subject.
Ronnée suddenly intervened. And for the first time I was glad for her meddling.
"Is this the progeny-cradle or what? You should be able to behave reasonably effective inside this laboratory", she leered.
I tried not to feel insulted by the shady glance she was throwing towards Eddda and myself.
Ronnée continued. "We will get lunch at Bromm's tomorrow and Eddda and I will go and grab it. That is all there is to it."
When Ronnée continued to stare at me, I soundlessly formed a 'thank you' with my lips. She turned around again and focused on the programming of our new communicator prototype. In the same moment, I felt a strong fist punch my shoulder.
Eddda stood right behind me with a huge grin on her face, and she was so close that I nearly jumped in surprise.
"We'll talk about this matter later", she whispered so faintly that only I could have heard it.
I shoved her aside with another grin. Eddda wouldn't leave this be for sure until she knew the reason for my reluctance, and I was glad that she didn't force me to tell it in front of the whole krewe.
Kekk handed me one of the prosthetics still in its individual components and tasked me to screw it together as best as I could. Even though I had no idea what most of the parts were for, at least I had learned where to fix certain components. It felt good to be useful in one way or another.
The krewe wouldn't mind if I busied myself around the lab talking to them, just as long as I didn't destroy anything. But I had felt entirely useless during these last weeks, and the prospect of possibly becoming a part of the Cybernetics-Krewe was a huge motivation for me.
I would probably never become a great prosthetics builder like Kekk or Ronnée, but at least I could use the knowledge gained here if I eventually wanted to apply to one of the colleges.
Although it had gone quiet inside the lab, Eddda didn't stop sneaking looks at me while I tried to focus on my work. Only the omnipresent hum of the machinery and the clicking of the prosthetics filled the air, which was a combination of sounds that was already familiar and soothing to me.
The krewe had achieved steady progress when it came to our communicator. The first prototype had been quite successful on short distances, but the quality had dropped quickly with longer distances. Not only that, but there had been no image yet.
Meppo had come up with the groundbreaking idea that I still didn't understand, but it managed to increase the range quite a bit. And thanks to Ronnée's programming skills, the new prototype would even be stable enough to transfer an image at the same time. Though we still didn't know what quality it would be and how long the result could be maintained.
I examined the prosthetic thoroughly while assembling one of the connecting pieces. It would become a hand prosthetic, and it was so delicate that the applicant could only be a woman. The metal on the finger pieces was partly colored in a way that resembled blood red patterns covering the mostly grey material; such a filigreed work that it had taken Varna hours to finish.
With a smirk, I wondered how it would be to wear such a prosthetic. How would it feel to work with it? How could someone perform accurate movements with a machine that was linked to the body's nerve tract, and partly even more precise than with a hand made of flesh?
"Hand this over to me, will you?" Eddda asked just as soon as I had finished assembling the prosthetic. Eddda herself would never be able to wear it as the construct was way too delicate for such a buff woman like her. But to my full surprise, Eddda clashed the prosthetic against one of the tables with all her might – and then bit on one of the connecting pieces!
Luckily the construct was strong enough, and with a satisfying nod, Eddda finally handed the prosthetic over to Kekk. He inserted some sort of chip as the last step, and carefully wrapped it up before labeling the package.
Meppo would deliver all the prosthetics we managed to finish today to their customers, and until then all packages were stored under Kekk's work table where they would be safe from likely explosions or other blowups. He allowed me to take over the errands on some days when the lab closed early enough, as it gave me more than enough time before my work started.
But this would not be the case today, as I only had less than an hour remaining and it didn't look like the Krewe members would come to an end soon.
It was exhausting to spend most days in Zojja's lab or with the Krewe and then also manage to get to my waitress job or train with Aidan afterward. But it was a welcomed distraction, as my brain was still plagued with the question of how I was going to return home – and if it was even possible at all. The later became more and more unlikely to me and I preferred to build the basics as much as possible in this new world.
The lab door was pushed open and Meppo charged in, the few hairs on his head ruffled and a worried expression on his face. Varna put her work down to give him a hand with the heavy bag he had been carrying – new orders and their prepayments, as well as return deliveries.
It had taken me way too long to realize that those two Asura were actually married. They didn't show any signs of affection inside the lab atop other emotional connections, but I also learned that asuran marriages were rarely based on true emotion.
In the case of Varna and Meppo, it had been the Krewe and the inventions they worked on together that had caused them to consociate. I still didn't know how they thought about having children, but I was sure that the marriage wouldn't last after the Krewe winded up some day.
Though this was unlikely to happen soon, Meppo gave Varna a thankful nod while dropping down onto one of the chairs. None of us dared to break the silence, and after Meppo had taken some deep breaths to calm down, he started to report by himself.
"I've just been to Hoelbrak… it's unbelievable", he shook his head and snorted. "All the streets are overfilled with refugees from the Shiverpeaks. As far as I heard, the situation in the Citadel is no different either. Scarlet is about to destroy the whole area with her alliance and the main cities don't know where to put the homeless anymore. Hoelbrak fears to be the next victim of Scarlet's alliance soon. At this rate, Lion's Arch will be overrun by refugees next. If that's already not the case."
He snorted again and got up to wander up and down the lab aimlessly. "Someone has to finally put an end to this madness. She will otherwise destroy all of Tyria without a reason."
Ronnée stared at Meppo with a raised brow. "This woman graduated from all colleges with outstanding degrees. You really don't think she bothers to create all this mess without a plan, do you?" she asked, turning on her chair to face the console again before tapping the keyboard of the display while talking to us.
"Believe me, she does have her motives. And judging by the whole alliance and the facilities she's building, she likely intends to rob the next bank in Lion's Arch. While I can't connect all the dots so far, it already causes me a headache. If someone is working with so much effort… it has to mean that there is something behind the motive that is going to affect all of us. But unless I am mistaken, commander Tippa has already started to gather people to look further into all this. Tippa has managed to kill a dragon – she should be able to stop a maddened genius without much of a problem."
What Ronnée said definitely made sense, but it was the first time since knowing her that I noticed she sounded completely confident about her own words. And that had to mean something for sure, as I rarely knew any other person who was as narcissistic and self-opinionated as Ronnée.
But there was something else still bothering me. The headache had returned during the conversation, and the barrier inside my head seemed to pulsate as though it wanted to hide the information that would have been useful right now.
I agreed with Ronnée on all terms: Scarlet was planning something big. Something that none of us were able to oversee at this point.
A sudden memory popped up in my mind: Aidan, Arrhakesh and I sitting in our favorite restaurant in Lion's Arch. The conversation about Zhaitan's fall and what would come next. I had been so convinced that Mordremoth would be the next dragon to cause problems, even though he was deep asleep still. Was there a connection? What made me so sure that it wouldn't be Jormag attacking next, since they were already showing clear signs of activity?
I tried to chase away the thoughts by shaking my head. Silence had fallen over the lab as everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Only the jingling of coins could be heard as Varna counted them and put them into the safe, and now there was the sound of rustling parchment as she sorted through the orders.
Kekk tried to lift the mood several times by starting some small talk conversations, but he gave up on this after only receiving awkward silence in return.
I felt pretty useless since there was nothing more for me to do at that moment. Meppo finished one more prosthetic that I had already screwed on earlier and sent Eddda to field development with it to test its suitability. This one had been less delicate, allowing Eddda to fix it on her own prosthetic. I could read in her face that she was excited to finally be able to work on something practical again.
Instead of watching the others being productive, I figured I could prepare for the evening since I wanted to meet with Aidan again for my training. The Krewe would close down for the day soon anyway, and since I wasn't officially hired (and without a paycheck yet), I could go and leave whenever I wanted to.
Thus, I said my goodbyes and shouldered my backpack with the few belongings I owned and headed towards the dorm rooms. It was hot, and the stiff air intensified the smells around me in an almost unbearable way.
The Cybernetics-lab was located on one of the lower layers of Rata Sum's cube, which was close to the slums as most people called them. In fact, they were nothing but just another level higher than the catacombs. Though they were far less clean and civilized than the other parts of the city.
The Asura living and working inside the slums were those who would have been called outcasts by the others, and things happened there that no one talked about on the cube's surface. I had never been there myself since it wasn't really a place for tourists, and there was nothing else attracting me to it.
But on such days like this one, where the air was almost crackling with heat, all the noises and sounds that the "civilized" people usually tried to ignore escaped from the slums to the surface: The clashing and bursting of metal, the reek of smoke and refuse that hadn't been disposed properly, and sometimes even shreds of loud discussions and fights.
I shuddered at the thoughts of what would happen if I entered the slums. Alone. Nothing good supposedly, and luckily it was not something I intended to do.
I quickened my pace towards the dorms, but suddenly I was confronted and held up by a golem that had been following me for a while. It was a small thing, with its round silver body reaching only to my belly. On every corner of its surface I could see colorful lights blinking and beeping. Atop of the round cap that was supposed to be the head was a display attached, on which my name flashed up in virulent lights.
A robotic voice started to beep at the same time: "S-Z-A-L-L-E-J-H. Tar-get i-den-ti-fied. Start trans-fer-ring mes-sage."
Slightly startled, I simply stared at the golem. Until that moment I hadn't received a message that day, and I wasn't quite sure how to accept it.
"Ehh… yes?" I answered, as it was the only thing that came out of my mouth. But it seemed to be enough for the golem. It resounded another beep and instead of my name, a message now appeared on the display. I curiously bent over the glowing letters to have a better read.
Dear Szallejh!
I hope you're been alright so far. The time I spent in Orr has been truly wonderful, and Trahearne will stay there even longer. But for me, it is time to return back home. Meet me in the Grove tomorrow! There is something I want to give you. And don't worry; I'll find you.
Your friend,
Nahraija
My heart bounced as I read those words. Nahraija was back in the Maguuma, and she was alright! With a huge grin on my face, I read the message a second time so I wouldn't oversee anything important. During her time in Orr, Nahraija had only sent me a single letter that had arrived after what seemed like an eternity, and it had been in a condition one couldn't describe as 'legible' anymore.
But knowing that she was back in my area brightened my mood quite a lot, and meeting her the next day was far better than any of my previous meetings today.
The display darkened and with another beep, the golem started to move again and disappeared back into the crowd without asking for another confirmation. I decided to ask her tomorrow just how exactly a sylvari had managed to send me a message via a golem. From what I knew, sylvari didn't make use of asura-technology in The Grove, did they?
I unlocked my door with a smirk and threw the bag into the corner before dropping down onto my bed. There was no need for me to take a shower right now, since it would definitely be a necessity after the training. But I was tired and had enough time left to nap for a while. I crossed my arms behind my head and allowed the buzzing of the air ventilation system lull me into a doze to dislodge the thoughts of Scarlet, alliances and dragons out of my mind for a bit.
When I woke up, the daylight-sensor that I had attached on the ceiling some time ago showed me that dusk was slowly setting. That meant that I hadn't slept longer than an hour or two; though it was hard to tell without a proper clock. But I had managed to develop a quite good inner clock during these last few weeks, and the daylight-sensor was also a huge help for a room without any windows or timers.
After stretching my tired bones, I got into the armor that Narru had gifted me earlier. She deserved another visit too in the near future, but right now I didn't know when or how. "One thing after another", I thought while I closed the straps on my arm protectors and put on my boots.
Considering the high temperatures, a long shower would be needed after the training for sure, even though it would have cooled notably in Lion's Arch by now. It meant there would still be unbearably high temperatures. And if I wanted to experience a proper winter feeling, I would have to go to Kryta or the Shiverpeaks. Neither Rata Sum nor Lion's Arch would get much snow supposedly.
Zojja had told me that Divinity's Reach held the most popular festivities during the year, and it held the highest regard for Wintersday. She hadn't seemed to be very excited about it, but I would definitely take a look once it was closer to the time for some festivities. And even though I wasn't a friend of the cold in general, some snow and festive mood could never be bad. There wouldn't be Christmas of course in Tyria, but there would be plenty of colorful decorations and gifts… which came close enough.
After getting something small to eat on the way, I headed towards the portal to Lion's Arch. Meppo's words ran through my head again as I took a bite off the sweet pastry.
If the main cities in Kryta and the Shiverpeaks got overrun by refugees, would Rata Sum be next? Unlikely, but you could never tell… The Arcane Council would probably never allow the city being overrun by dull aggressive and desperate Bookahs.
Yeah, I was sure that this would be the explanation they'd give.
The area around the portals in Lion's Arch seemed to be more busy than usual, and I saw the same guy that I always saw whenever I travelled there. I wondered if he simply lacked a private life, since he seemed to be a lot grumpier today. Or maybe it was just my imagination, because of all that was going on with Scarlet?
The monitor let me pass after he scanned my tag, and I soon realized that the gloomy atmosphere hadn't just been imagination. I could sense the change as soon as I had stepped through the portal. While I descended the ramp, the tension and turmoil that could be felt in the vibrant air nearly struck me down. The streets were overflowing with refugees on every corner, some obviously hysterical while others were hopeless. They could be recognized by their dirtied clothes, bags, pouches and carts they carried with them.
It was exactly how Meppo had told us: Scarlet's War had caused thousands of people to lose their homes and if Lion's Arch seemed to be the only place left for them. At the view of all the Norn that were lingering around alone or in small groups, I couldn't help but worry about Aidan.
Had he been forced to give up his home too? Did he have a family he had to care for?
A sudden realization hit me just in that moment: I knew almost nothing about those people I called my friends.
Exhaling a sigh, I forced my feet to move towards Macha's Landing, where I usually met with Aidan for our training. Even though the sun was already setting, its last rays of light still burnt on the metal of my armor and had caused me to break out in sweat. But at this point, I was at least able to wear the weight over a couple hours without it bothering too much.
With a smirk, I thought about the day I had put on the armor for the very first time. I hadn't even been able to wear it longer than just a few minutes back then. And now, almost half a year later, my abilities had advanced a lot.
Half a year… I shook my head in disbelief. It felt so unreal that I had arrived in this strange world so long ago – and I still didn't know how to get back. And I wondered what would happen to my human body? Would it just disappear until I returned? Or did another soul take over my place?
I leant against the white concrete of the Landing which was pleasingly cool compared to the hot sun. Strange. There had been no training session in all those previous weeks where Aidan had arrived later than me. Time continued to pass by without any sign of him.
Watching the turmoil around the harbor helped eliminate some of the time. Children were playing at the shore, trying to catch some fish, or were playfully splashing each other with water. Some wandered restlessly along the pathway. A few of the harbor workers conversed with refugees while unloading one of the ships that had put in just recently.
Most of the conversations I could overhear centered around Scarlet. The fear of how far her war would still go and many times the question was asked it Lion's Arch was still a safe place.
And suddenly, as if this question had been a key word, I got captured in some kind of inner movie; a vision that felt completely real. While it happened, I knew that the blockage inside my head had slightly opened and it brought forth information to light that was supposed to stay hidden.
But what I saw frightened me to the highest degree of fear, and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't stop it.
I was running.
My feet barely touched the ground, raised sand behind them…
Sand?
A sense of foreboding overcame me, as I thought to recognize my always recurring nightmare. But the ground under my feet was dry; no water kept on rising, no pain shattered my body. Only my lungs burnt like fire, as if I had already run a marathon three times from Maguuma to Ascalon and back again.
I opened my eyes. Radiant light dazzled me, but my legs carried me onwards. Piece by piece, I started to recognize my surroundings, green hills with windmills, mountains in the distance with such a beautiful sight that it should have been able to calm me down – and still I could hear alarm bells ring inside my mind. I wasn't alone, as shadows that seemed to be Tyria's inhabitants ran next to me and the air was filled with blatant panic.
With might and determination, I forced my feet to stay still and looked around. A flaming inferno extended down the hill, the heat burning on my face while billions of sparks ascended to the sky.
It was a city that was burning, causing its people to flee in droves from the debilitating flames. Dread filled every part of me as the screams of the dying reached my ears.
Who would be capable of doing something like that?
While fear and shock paralyzed me, another voice mingled with the sea of sorrows. A twisted laughter beyond all rationality, whose voice belonged to someone who had lost every part of their sanity already a very long time ago.
Scarlet Briar.
I awoke from the daydream, gasping for air. It had been so clear just the blink of an eye ago, but now with one heartbeat later, the images inside my head were already blurred and the more I tried to remember them, the more obscure they became. I knew that feeling, and I hated it.
Something was about to happen, something bad, and I should know about it. But my memory was blocked once more, and it was only after those images became reality, that I'd be able to gain access to my memory again.
While I rubbed at my forehead to try and eliminate the familiar headache, a familiar voice sounded in my ear that I could identify as Aidan's. Relieved to see that he was alright, I turned around to the direction where the voice came from, and my eyes opened wide.
Instead of seeing Aidan alone and in fighting gear as usual, he approached me now with a huge jute sack thrown over his shoulder. Furthermore, he was in the company of what had to be his family.
A woman walked beside him, as tall as Aidan and judging from her muscles she was as strong as a bear. Faint white hair was held off her forehead by a golden headband, and it fell down her back in a thick braid. Her clothes were made of dark leather that had been decorated with fur garnishments, and the parts thats of skin which were uncovered showed delicate tattoos. The only sign of age were the wrinkles in her face, as her white eyes shone with the wit of a hundred years and the soulfulness of a child at the same time.
She and Aiden made a wonderful picture, with a total of five children scampering around them. The oldest of them was a girl of maybe thirteen years, and she was carrying the youngest boy who likely had only reached his second summer on her shoulders. Next to them were two more boys, obviously twins, who didn't leave each other's side. Lastly, was a girl that was just old enough to walk on her tiny shaky legs.
Aidan's face brightened at the sight of me and he hurried towards me, smirking at the surprised look in my face. "Hey, tiny mouse! How nice to see you. I completely forgot to cancel the training for today, but now that you're here, you can just as well say hi to my family!"
He placed the jute sack on the ground and laid one of his massive arms around his likewise bulky wife. "This is the charming Henriette. Henna is mute, but there's no one I'd prefer to discuss things." Aidan looked at his wife and his eyes were filled with nothing but fondness.
But then I met the glance of Henriette's colorless eyes, and my blood froze to ice.
She gave me a friendly smile and the kindness even reached her eyes, but as soon as our eyes met, it seemed as if she would inhale every piece of information about me in just one heartbeat. Those eyes almost scream: Say no more. I know. About you; what you are.
I stared at her spellbound until Aidan got me out of my trance by clearing his throat. Could it be possible that this woman was one of us?
Aidan introduced me to his children, who were obviously not happy with having to stand still for so long at least until their mother shooed them away with a move of her hand. She was still smiling and whenever her eyes met mine, I was flooded with a wave of thoughts. A whisper that repeated itself like a mantra: I know who you are.
I forced myself to look away and focused on Aidan instead. "Why did you want to cancel the training for today? And what leads you here – I mean, all of you?"
Aidan's face darkened a bit. "Scarlet", he murmured. "We had no other choice but to leave our home. To my advantage, I have a friend living a bit outside the city and he has offered us to stay with him until this war is over. You can accompany us there if you like."
"Oh", was all I could say, as I was too busy staring at the jute sack next to Aidan's feet. Such a big family and this bag of belongings was all they had taken with them? Would they ever be able to return to their home, or would Scarlet destroy it too like so many others before?
But now that I was in Lion's Arch, I had no other plans for the rest of the evening and I decided that I could join them as well, so I nodded. It was never a bad thing to meet new people, and Aidan had a good intuition for nice people as far as I knew.
We started to move, and the children followed behind with some distance while they were playing. Aidan led us out of the city gate and over the great bridge, then past the river where most of our training sessions had taken place. We eventually arrived at a huge estate that was surrounded by elaborately cut trees, whose owner would with no doubt be part of the richest and most powerful people in Lion's Arch.
I could hardly begin to believe that such a snot had been friends with Aidan, but I figured my first impression was just mistaken.
Arrhakesh had been an example of that, as I had been profoundly convinced that she would eat me during our first meeting. But she turned out to be quite the nice, huge cat in the end, even though she was still completely mad.
We entered a path that was laid out with smooth and shiny stones that led to an enormous entrance door, and not even the smallest piece of weed could be seen on either side. Whoever was taking care of this garden, had made a precise job.
Just as Aidan lifted his hand to knock with the huge door knocker in the form of a Lion, the door was opened reveal a servant dressed in plain black clothes, depicting the perfect image of a butler.
He was small, full of wrinkles, had a clumsy nose and a half-bald head, but he seemed to be friendly and forthcoming. The only thing missing was a white cloth thrown over his arm. He greeted every single one of us with a polite nod and invited us in. "The sir is already waiting for you."
The elderly man who introduced himself as Bernard, led us into a huge atrium that was lit by dozens of scones. Already this front room of the manor seemed to be bigger than an average house. The ceiling was taller than two floors and was completely covered in pieces of art; paintings of men who, judging after their look and posture, cared more for themselves than for the whole rest of the world. And those paintings were exact copies of the humans that lived inside this estate.
I shook my head while we passed countless doors interrupting the immaculate white walls in regular intervals. The tiles beneath my feet were polished so flawlessly that the ceiling mirrored itself in them almost as though the floor was painted itself.
Bernard opened a winged door that was almost as big as the entrance door, and we found ourselves inside of a room that could have depicted the equivalent to a noble doctor's office. The walls inside this room were painted a pearl white color too, and there was a huge window inside the ceiling that showed us the already darkening evening sky. Some lonely stars mirrored themselves in the tiles when Bernard requested for us to take a seat in a row of huge lounge chairs. We were told to wait until one of the two doors that were placed on each side of the wall would open.
After Bernard had offered us some tea and cookies before leaving the room, Aidan's oldest daughter exhaled a sigh and put down her sibling so he could scramble around the room.
I watched as she restlessly wandered around the room, and it was obvious by her actions that she didn't seem to be comfortable in this house at all. To be honest, I completely shared those thoughts.
I didn't like snots at all, and even less when they were flaunting their wealth and influence like this. But now that I was here, retreat wasn't possible anymore. Instead I went to the silver tray that the butler had left behind for us and took one of the cookies to have something to busy myself with.
The girl stood still next to me and examined me and the plate with cookies curiously. She was already taller than me, but as an Asura you quickly got used to always being the smallest person in the room, even though the others were just children.
While I ate my cookie, I held out the still well-stocked plate to the girl. She hesitated at first, but then decided to take a piece of pastry and nodded thankfully.
Aidan giggled, causing both the girl and me to stare at him with surprise.
"Alvenn doesn't speak, just like her mother, you know? One could almost assume that she's a mute as well, but she can talk actually. She just doesn't want to", he explained.
My eyes wandered back to the girl, but she quickly grabbed another cookie without looking at me and then continued to wander around.
I did the same and placed the plate back on the tray. While I didn't like this place, the pastry was marvelous. No sooner than I had finished the second cookie, the door to my left opened and a man in his thirties entered, dressed in a splendid gown and covered in an almost awkwardly strong cloud of perfume.
But whatever personable impression this man wanted to make on others, he couldn't hide the fact that his face was ugly through and through. His body was adorned with blotchy skin and a beaked nose that looked to be too long. He had unhealthy and thin lips that revealed a gap-toothed and awry grin.
I was sure that he had plucked his eyebrows as they were so thin that they were barely recognizable anymore. His eyes were not only too small for the face, but they were surrounded by huge dark eye rings encircling them. The conclusion of this image was made by his black hair, cut short in a military style, but with an impure vermiculated pattern shaved inside it.
He gave every single one of us a short look, and then he noticed the boy scrambling around on the floor and spreading leftovers all over the tiles. At first, I figured that he would scold the boy for dirtying the room. But instead, he lifted the boy high up in the air and spun him around while tickling his belly. On top of that, the boy seemed to enjoy every bit of it!
I stared at him dumbfoundedly, as this man was most likely the ugliest person I had ever seen. But I already knew that I wouldn't like him, no matter how much he loved Aidan's family. The only one who seemed to share my point of view was Alvenn, as she had fled to the opposite corner of the room and was now watching the man with skeptic eyes.
Aidan got up, grinning from ear to ear while he held out his hand. "Connor, what a pleasure!"
Connor put the boy down on his shoulders so he could shake the Norn's hand and then turned to properly greet Henna. She was smiling happily too, and shook the hand of the ugly man who was also a lot smaller than her.
Then his eyes fell upon me and I was glad that he didn't reach out his hand, but merely gave me a nod. "An Asura, I see! I didn't know that you called one of those your friends, Aidan", he mocked. I snorted at the condescending tone in his voice as I didn't like it at all.
But I seemed to be the only one recognizing his behavior, because Aidan just laughed as though it had been a joke, grabbed some pastries and spoke. "She's my trainee. Also a very good one at that! And since I had to deny her today's training, I made her the offer to come here with us. Szallejh, this is Connor Letho. He is the friend I have told you about."
A doubtful hum was the only answer I got from the snot. At least it was good to know that the aversion was mutual. And this time I was sure that the tables couldn't be turned as easily as with Kesh. The charr's kindness was at least honest, and I could forgive her for the fact that she would've wanted to eat me or use my body for experiments.
But this human?
I glanced over to Alvenn, who looked just as unhappy as I. But when she recognized my look, she gave me a grin and I knew exactly what she was thinking at that moment. With a nod towards Connor, I rolled my eyes, which caused the girl to laugh out loud. And when Connor moved his attention towards the twins, she stuck out her tongue for just a moment so I was the only one to see it.
This would probably be a long, long evening. But thanks to Alvenn, there would at least be some entertainment at the cost of some obviously arrogant snot.
And that alone would be worth a reason for staying.