The quality of silence that followed made Cass look up. Riot was staring at him with an expression that seemed equal parts horrified and fascinated.
“You’re born Elysian,” Riot observed, and there was something dangerous in his voice again.
Cass’s hands started shaking harder. “Is that... is that bad? Did I say something wrong?”
“Princess.” Riot’s voice was very careful now. “Do you know what Elysian Dynamics actually does?”
“Of course,” Cass said, searching his mind for the answer he was taught to give. “We help people achieve spiritual evolution through guided community growth and harmony-based living.” The words came out in a rush, practiced but not quite smooth.
“And how’s that working out for you?” Riot asked, his tone deceptively mild.
“Not very well,” Cass admitted, fresh tears threatening to blur his vision. “People here seem very resistant to guidance. I thinkmaybe I’m not explaining it correctly. The words are confusing and I keep forgetting the right way to say things.”
“Or maybe,” Riot began, his voice gentle in a way that made Cass’s chest feel warm, “they know exactly what you’re trying to explain.”
He looked up, confused by the tone. “I don’t understand.”
“No,” Riot said, and something almost like sadness crossed his features. “I don’t think you do.”
“I’m sorry I don’t understand. Are you upset with me for being Elysian?” Cass asked in a small voice. “Because I can go away if you want. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t bleeding anymore.”
Riot studied his face, then sighed. “I’m not upset with you. Finish the bandages.”
He completed the first aid in tense silence, trying not to think about how the Berserker’s mood shifted because he’d talked too much again. His hands trembled as he worked, partly from nerves, partly from the strange warmth that bloomed in his chest every time he glanced up and saw Riot staring at him. “All done,” he said, biting his lower lip to keep himself from saying anything else that might be off-putting.
I should have paid more attention to communication lessons. Maybe people wouldn’t get mad at me if I’d focused on that instead of gardening and harmonious movements.
The Berserker grabbed his wrist and Cass froze, his breath catching. Those hands could snap his bones without effort, but they were being careful with him.
“What happened here?” Riot asked, tracing the edges of the cut. “This needs to be cleaned and bandaged.”
Cass’s pulse jumped under Riot’s touch. The man could kill him, but instead he was... worried? About Cass’s little cut?
“Oh, it’s fine,” Cass said, trying to pull his arm back. “Really, it’s not that bad.”
Riot’s grip tightened slightly. “You’re bleeding.”
“But not very much,” Cass protested, his stomach fluttering at the concern in that deep voice. “And I have recruitment quotas to meet. I can’t waste too much medical supplies on myself when someone else might need them more.”
Without warning, Riot grabbed the hem of his own shirt and ripped off a strip of fabric.
“What are you doing?”
“Making a bandage,” Riot said flatly, beginning to wrap the torn cloth around Cass’s cut with devastating gentleness. “Since you apparently think your own medical supplies are too good for you.”
The careful attention made Cass feel funny. When was the last time someone had fussed over him like this? When had anyone ever torn their own clothes to take care of him?
“That’s not—I didn’t mean—” Cass stammered, hyperaware of every brush of Riot’s fingers against his skin as he secured the makeshift bandage.
“There. Now tell me what happened.”
“Someone didn’t want my help,” Cass said, wiping his eyes. “They said I hurt their sister, but I’ve never met their sister. I think maybe they were confused. I mean, it’s possible their sister visited an Elysian community and didn’t find it helpful… Not everyone is ready for spiritual evolution. Sometimes people aren’t prepared for the changes that growth requires. That’s what Brother Matthias says.”
“What kind of changes?”
“Well, trans-send-dance means leaving behind patterns that no longer serve your highest good,” Cass recited, concentrating on the pronunciation. “Sometimes that means releasing attachments to previous identities or relationships that were holding you back from authentic self-expression.”
“And if someone doesn’t want to release those attachments?”
