Callum came to, the night terror fading. The fact that he was calm showed how very used he was getting to them, now. This latest iteration had featured a grave, a wedding ring and a shambling, ruined corpse.
Opening his eyes, he realised that morning was breaking outside, a soft blue shimmer breaking through the fabric of his and Rayla's tent.
Turning to his left to look at her face, he found a foot. Confused, he sat up.
Stifling a laugh at her tangled, chaotic posture, he leaned over to pet her. She was out like a candle in a storm, her chest rising and falling evenly. She was wearing her furry winter coat over her nightwear. It had been cold yesterday night, so maybe she'd decided to put it on but then gotten too hot, kicking herself out of her sleeping bag. The morning was still cool but not freezing, the warm winds picking up again.
She blinked sleepily and sat up, rubbing her eyes.
"Mmhr", she went and Callum assumed that was her morning greeting.
"Morning to you, too. Do you want some breakfast?"
She nodded with her eyes closed.
"Rough night?"
She nodded again. "I hate this place this time of year. I'm either too warm or too cold. Woke up a lot."
"Ah well, just go back to sleep for a bit. I'll wake you when food's ready"
He crawled out of the tent.
Honsa was sitting in front of the still burning fire, turned away from him.
"Good morning", Callum said.
"Ya", she said without looking at him. She sounded like she was trying her hardest to suppress a powerful upset, "I… made breakfast. I hope you like it."
Rayla poked her head out of their tent.
"Breakfast. Breakfast is good. Be right there."
Honsa was caressing Zym, who snoozed in her lap.
They sat with her, Callum seating himself in Rayla's lap. His girlfriend seemed content with this, if a little surprised.
There were rings under the ocean elf's eyes, a dark shade of her normal green skin tone. Had she been up all night, stoking the fire?
"Guys", she said sadly, looking between them, "I really think I need to be getting back to aunty. I have no clue what happened to her. It's starting to really mess me up."
Rayla placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you goin' to be alright ridin' back on your own?"
The ocean elf shrugged. "I think so. The better question is; are you guys okay to go on without me? Especially after yesterday?"
Callum shrugged. He did not want her to go, but he also acknowledged that she had to. "Yesterday was really hard", he said, "But… I feel a lot better about everything now. Burying her… felt right. Thanks for all your help."
Honsa gave a small smile. "Nah, it was all you. I'm just a springboard.", her face became serious, "Draw that spell for me, the one you used to kill her."
Callum swallowed, hard. "A-are you sure?"
"Yes. Please try."
He lifted a shaking finger, drawing fulminis. It still did not work, the form and intent too imprecise.
Honsa shook her head, sighing. "I don't think I can leave yet. Not until that works again."
"No, it's fine", Callum said, "I don't think I'll use it again until I know how to control it better, anyway"
The counselor studied his face. "Ya seem honest enough, bub", she smiled, "Wanna get rid of me, eh?"
"No, actually. I'd like it if you stayed longer. I learnt a lot about myself while you were around. But I feel like you need to go. I can't ask you to hurt yourself to help me."
Honsa studied him for a moment, then sighed deeply. "Thank you. That means a lot to me, brah. Ocean elves are really calm by nature and a lot of times, haoles mistake that for us not being emotional. Boy, do I have a bunch of feelings right now."
"You're gonna need some sort of food for your doe, Honsa", Rayla said, "otherwise you probably won't make it back. Hungry rides follow their stomachs, not the reins."
"I think there's a field of corn, maybe half a day's travel from here, upstream", Callum said, "I saw it while hopping over the river yesterday."
"We should check it out", Rayla said, ruffling his hair, "but this time we're takin' precautions."
"What do you mean?"
She tapped his neck. "You're sorta not an elf. If we're gettin' close to a settlement or whatnot, we'll need to give you a disguise. Anything out here is for sure too small to have a guest house. Mid-day is enterin' the danger zone of bein' invited to stay - and turnin' people down is hurtful."
Honsa clapped her hands, startling the whelp in her lap. She now seemed a bit too awake. "Makeover!"
They both frowned at her.
"What? I have makeup. Do I look like I don't wear makeup?", she grabbed at her face, "Oh no, I look terrible, don't I? I've been sitting here all night, bawling. Sorry. Oversharing!", she laughed painfully, "No but, really, I have some indigo base we can use to give him a nice moon elf tinge. It's not bright enough to make him look like sky."
"Yeah, that's nice and all but I don't have horns", he said, pointing at both of theirs.
"No problem", Honsa said, "I've a pair of scabbards you can use."
"Thingemawhats now?"
She held up a finger, scooted the dragon out of her lap and got up to rummage in her tent.
Zym shook himself, walked in a circle for a bit, then sat back down, a frustrated expression on his face. Nobody was petting him, now. Life wasn't fair.
Coming back to the fire, Honsa pulled several items from her bag.
The first was a case of differently colored tubs of makeup and the various applicators one would expect.
The second was a smaller case containing two ornate, silver items. They were shaped like Honsa's horns, apparently meant to go over top of them.
"Ohhh! Yatenede Otane wore some of those!", Callum said, turning one fake horn in his hands.
"Who?", Rayla asked.
"The leader of the legion", Honsa answered.
"When did you meet him?", the moonshadow inquired.
"He taught me more sky magic while you were sleeping."
He placed the scabbards on his head. "How's that look?"
His girlfriend smirked. "Passable. How are we gonna fasten them though?"
"I have a headband we can use", Honsa said, then her face lit up, "Oh! Ohhh! Rayla, come with me!"
Confused, Callum got up to let Rayla go with her. They vanished in Honsa's tent.
Callum looked at the materials set out for him; Turning the brushes in his hands. Honsa had not worn any makeup that had been obvious to him so far. Then again, her reaction indicated that she had.
Mulling it over, he decided that he was going to watch a while longer before revealing his ignorance.
He heard Rayla gasp, saying "No way! You did that for me?", then Honsa shushed her and spoke in a quiet whisper.
His ears burned. Secrets! Again! Guh!
Honsa stepped outside, giving him an expectant, meaningful glance he didn't know how to interpret.
"Here", she said, handing him a headband that had two holes for horns, "I figure we can fasten the scabbards on there."
"Do male elves wear headbands?"
She chortled at the question. "Sure; But lemme guess, next you're gonna ask if dey wear dresses, hm? Have you seen the guys from Rayla's homeland? Traditional dress there is a plaid skirt. That's in your future, brah. Dey can be breezy, lemme tell ya."
He shrugged sheepishly.
Rayla's naked foot appeared in Honsa's tent flap. As she lightly stepped outside, his mouth fell open like someone had attached a long ton of steel to it.
She was wearing a slimmed down, fitted version of the explosive, coral-red dress Honsa had worn when they had first absconded from Lessa's camp. The ocean elf had apparently removed most of the frills and all of the ruffle. The dress clung to Rayla's athletic body all the way from the shoulders to her hips. There, the dress split into four hanging parts. They covered her front, back and sides while allowing her a full range of motion. To complete the picture, she was wearing a pair of black leggins.
"Wow", Callum gasped, the word getting caught in his throat.
"You like it?", Rayla beamed, "Well so do I! This is the second dress I've ever worn and lemme tell you; the first didn't fit anythin' like this! Honsa, yer a clean genius!"
She twirled and struck a few aggressive poses, the dress getting out of the way smoothly.
"It has holsters!", Rayla said enthusiastically, lifting the dress to expose her folded blades, strapped to her hips.
Callum flushed searing hot. She was dead cute, but still menacing. The dress was perfect for her. She was no damsel and deserved a dress that worked as well as her uniform.
"And hidden pockets!", Honsa said, proudly.