Galaxy of Hyperion: Mystic Heir

Chapter Thirty: Blood Bound

The end of the fight left Lex to sigh as she turned to face Zelda. Her heart was still pounding in her chest, a sign that she was still beyond stressed. "I guess that's that," she commented with a hollow laugh that showed how anxious she truly was about the battle. Lex forced herself to focus on breathing so that she didn't look like an idiot. 

However, Lex's anxiety only returned tenfold when she remembered that Zelda had told her that she wanted to talk to her. She still didn't know what it could have been about, and her nerves certainly were not getting any better. When Zelda's gaze met her own, Lex only became more anxious, and her stomach began to feel as if it was churning. She could tell that whatever it was that Zelda wanted to discuss was serious, and they were going to have to go elsewhere to make sure that they weren't disturbed. Somehow, that only made Lex feel worse, and she looked away from Zelda solely so that she didn't have to think about the situation that she had found herself in. 

"Come on," Zelda told her as she turned on her heel and gestured for Lex to follow her. She didn't hesitate, and the blonde Clan Leader understood that she had to go with Zelda if she was going to find the answer to all of this. She did her best to shove aside the anxious feeling that came with all of this as she walked after Zelda, focusing on the way that her footsteps clicked against the ground below instead of how ungodly nervous she was. 

~~~~~

With the conclusion of the battle, Jay turned to face Jayler. "We should be alright to relax for the time being," she told him. She opened her mouth to say something else, but she was cut off when Jayler rushed forward.

He threw his arms around her quickly, consuming Jay in an embrace. She stumbled one step backwards from her shock before she remembered what was happening. It had been a while since she and Jayler were truly able to enjoy one another's company, and Jay had been hiding her face all along. This was the first time that she and her brother had actually been able to see eye to eye, and since it had been sullied by the battle at first, it only made sense that Jayler was excited with the fight over. 

Jay smiled to herself before she slowly returned the favor, and something in her stomach came to life with her happiness to see her brother once again. She didn't think that she would ever be able to confess it openly, but she was glad to be able to spend time with him once more. Jay hadn't ever been particularly good with emotions, but she didn't think that she had to be. Jayler understood everything that she could have wanted to say and then some. Jay supposed that it was part of what it meant to be siblings. 

"There's so much that we have to catch up on!" Jayler cried out as he pulled away, reaching for her hand with excitement on the verge of making him explode. "I can show you around the castle and introduce you to the people here. I'm sure that could be nice. Or we could just catch up on everything that's been happening. I swear, I've been looking forward to this for so long, and I really want to hear about what you've been up to."

Jay stood perfectly still and watched him, trying to keep from completely falling apart under his blatant acts of affection. She didn't know what kind of reaction she had been expecting from him, but this certainly wasn't it. Jay swallowed anxiously before nodding. "Yeah... I... Um... I guess that we should do that," she murmured, not bothering to tell him that she knew her way around the castle and who all the people inside were. She hadn't felt so loved in a long time, not since she was last with her brother all those weeks ago, and it felt nice to embrace that sensation once again after finishing her other mission. With her previous obligations taken care of, she would finally be able to enjoy her time with him, and Jay couldn't wait for that despite her difficulties with articulating it. 

Jayler began to lead Jay deeper into the castle, but they were both cut off by the sound of clicking shoes on the floor below. From the darkness, Tuila appeared, and Jay felt the moment that her stomach dropped into her feet. She had been sure that she would need to speak with Tuila as soon as she returned. It was part of the other woman's nature, to be this endlessly stubborn, but that didn't mean that she had to like it. In fact, Jay didn't want to confront it despite understanding that she had no choice.