Storms of the Sky

slice of life - LIII

TW: mention of animal h.rm

--Bastet--

"Lady Sorrel said as long as I can recruit kids, I can teach," Avery says, messing with her shoe. She kicks it off, halfway across the room. We have Ixora to ourselves currently.

"This is all so weird," I say. Avery looks at me.

"What do you mean?" She asks. I sigh.

"This is all so," I wave my hand in front of my face. "slice-of-life. Don't you think?"

"Like the genre?" Avery asks me, kicking off her other shoe. I nod. She cocks her head lazily before sighing.

"I guess. I have not really thought about it. Everything seems to be going well, do you not think so?"

"Yeah that's exactly why I'm bringing it up. When has anything even gone good? And like we were okay?" I point out. Avery shakes her head.

"Maybe we have found what we are meant to do," She says hopefully. I sigh. Since when was Avery so flowery?

Avery stands, stretching her arms above her head.

"But you are right," She says. "We should not get too comfortable. We do not know when someone will come get us, like Thorn." I can feel heat beneath my face. Oh no.

I'm definitely not telling Avery anything. I wouldn't dare. But...does Avery really think Thorn is that dangerous?

Avery side-eyes me before she reaches under our bunk and grabs her sword.

"But now that you brought it up, I feel like I should mention something," Avery says, shifting her sword in her hands.

"Secretive?" I say. Avery rolls her eyes.

"No, it is just...I do not trust Lady Sorrel." I sit back. I didn't expect that.

"Wha...? Why?"

"Like you said, secretive. I have seen her trunks of files. What are they? Why does she keep them? And she is being strange around me. Like I will talk to her about something and she will only give a half answer. And..." Avery looks to the side, hesitant. "I heard her talking about you."

"WHAT?" I say. Why would Lady Sorrel talk about me behind my back? What did she say? To whom?

"I did not catch most of it, but what I did hear was that she was talking about your fight with the Felidae." I groan. This keeps on slapping me in the face. "Shut up. I heard her talking to someone. I do not know who. But she said you were dangerous to the Meadow. She said she was going to try to keep you on her side."

I blink, taking in the information.

"What?" It was all I could think of. I stare at Avery's legs for a moment, everything rushing in. "Her side? From whose side? What side?"

"I have no idea. But I have not told Quarry yet. I think he might know something though. He seems to know Thorn somehow....He might know something about this."

I open my mouth to say something but stop. She's right...Lady Sorrel has been skittish around me and my friends. Compared to everyone else...Avery's treated like she's a ghost. I'm treated oddly too. Even Quarry.

I look back up at Avery. She looks back, her arms crossed.

One word bounces around in my head: side.