I do not know why this appeared in my mind, but I liked it.
I have been too afraid to ask him to do this, though. It’s an intimate ceremony—an adornment I was stripped of when I wasbanished, and I don’t know if I have the strength to hear him tell me it means nothing to him.
I would not survive that.
I barely survived being stripped of everything I had earned, and the feeling of it now is crushing. My grief is never gone, but it has felt smaller lately. Until now.
Suddenly, the walls of his apartment seem too close, and I need to breathe fresh air—as fresh as Earth can be with the pollution rotting their skies. I put on my pink coat and make my way outside, unsure where to go.
Dante’s shop is across the street. I can see it from where I stand, but I do not wish to burden him with my pain. He has done enough for me already, and I can tell he is just as tired as I am. The other option is the gym, which sounds a lot better than wandering aimlessly or rotting away on Dante’s couch. The walk is long, and perhaps by the time I arrive, my head will feel clear.
And I do have friends there. They said they come often, and that I am always welcome to join them.
And maybe this time, Prince Quilliyn will be there as well.
As soon as I reach the building of the gym and slip inside, I see Quilliyn behind the counter, and I feel something unknot in my chest. I do not mind humans, but having a connection to Erethar, being able to use my language, eases some of that ache inside me that sits heavy in my gut.
He grins at me and greets me in Eretharian. “Nice to see you. Breanna told me you stopped by yesterday, looking for me.”
“Yes.” I bow my head slightly, but a noise from Quilliyn’s throat has me peering up.
“No deference, remember. Here I am, just another Vyastil.”
I don’t know how he can think that, but I obey all the same.
“Are you here to speak to me?” he asks. “Or to meet your new friends?”
My ears flutter. I did not realize he knew about them. “They were kind to me.”
“Most humans are.” He glances down at my painted nails, and his lips turn up in a wide smile. “I like that color on you. It suits you.”
I feel my skin heating, and I bow my head once more.
“Come on. I’ll walk you over to them. They’re on the court playing basketball.” That last word is not Eretharian, so it is foreign to my tongue.
“Beeesketbuhllll.”
“Yes. It is an odd human sport.” He nods at a few humans who are working on the heavy machines.
“Tell me the rules of the game,” I say, and he nods.
“Well, there are two tall nets fixed high in the air, like the Seymosi nests. And the humans must feed them an orange orb—a ball they call it. They do this by repeatedly striking it against the ground. It does not harm the orb, though when I first saw this game, I was worried.” He taps his lips and then adds, “The humans divide themselves into two opposing packs, and they take turns putting the orb through the nest. Running is allowed, but holding the orb too long causes distress.”
“What is the point of the game?” I ask as we approach two double doors.
Quilliyn shrugs. “There is no point, really. It is for fun, but as a Vyastil observer, it seems to be all about jumping high and trusting the orb to come back when it is thrown.”
I nod as he pushes the doors open, and it’s there that I see Brody, Tyler, and Chadwick running around the court with Zane. He’s Everest’s friend who does not like the Vyastil, so it makes me nervous that maybe he’s turned my new friends against me.
When they see us, they stop, the ball held in Zane’s hand. Brody waves, and Chadwick and Tyler do the same.
But my eyes are focused on the orange ball, my mind harkening back to the words Quilliyn just told me. He is holding it too long. It will cause too much distress. I must feed the orb to the nest.
Without a word, I take off toward Zane. He shrinks back as I approach, almost as if he is going to run, which is not allowed. So I take the ball from him and turn, bouncing it on the slick ground before throwing it toward the nest. My aim is always accurate, and the orb is fed into the net without any issue.
I watch as it hits the ground with a loud bounce, my ears fluttering in relief.
There, Everest’s friend will not be distressed now.
