(Rayla is a little... torn. Half of her just wants to focus on getting Zym back to Zubeia, but the other half wants to be a little more than 'best friends' with the goofy human who's helping her. Mainly fluff, but there is a little angst. Word count: 932)
"Aspiro," muttered the mage. A large cyclone of wind spiraled from his lips. Rayla watched Callum practice his magic, smiling as he chuckled at his own power. Zym hopped around Callum and chirped happily. Rayla focused on the delicate blade in her hands. She picked up a whetstone from beside her. Shwing. Shwing. Shwing. She had a lot on her mind. A lot of... feelings. Things she had never felt before. They had entered Xadia only a few days ago. She had already confronted the Sun King and protested that Callum was... her best friend. But one thought troubled her; what if she wanted to be more?
Callum sat beside her. "You done practicing now? Can we go?" she asked. He nodded, slightly winded from the spells. She chuckled. "Alright, then. Let's get this little guy back to his mom." She stood, hoping to escape the strange and unusual feeling. Noticing how tense Rayla was, Callum caught up and asked, "You okay?" She turned away from him. "I'm fine," she whispered harshly. Callum backed up a bit. "Okay..."
She sighed. Damn it. Why am I like this? Rayla turned to face him. "Okay, fine. Maybe... maybe I'm not. Well, I mean, I'm fine, but..." Callum grew a little concerned. Rayla kicked a rock and scuffed her boots on the hard packed ground. She decided to take a different approach. "Do you still have feelings for Claudia?" Callum was taken by surprise. "Of course not! She betrayed us!" Rayla smiled slightly at the response. "Why?" Callum wondered. Rayla's face turned a bit red. "No reason! Just, uh... wondering."
Callum turned away. "Okay." Strange. Why does she... wait... Does she... like me? No. No, that's not Rayla. Rayla just wants to get Zym home. She told me herself. "My heart for Xadia!" How could I forget? But Callum was not wrong. Rayla did, indeed, like him. And he didn't even know it. Funny how the world works.
Rayla stared into the blue sky. The clouds above reminded her of him. She turned her gaze downward. The grass reminded her of his forest green eyes. God damn it! Why is it do hard to talk to him?! She turned toward him. He wasn't looking at her. He was smiling down at the Dragon Prince. Zym hopped playfully around the two. Finally, he caught her staring at him. She turned a cherry red and turned away. Callum arched an eyebrow. She's acting... a little weird. She turned her head to face forward and pressed on, seemingly angry about something. "Hmm. Whatever."
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Rayla rubbed the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger. The crackling fire seemed so alive. As if it could stand up and speak. Rayla sighed. At least she had found a distraction from Callum. The human snored peacefully a few feet away. Her expression softened looking at him. This strange, goofy human mage. Why did he seem so... She quickly pushed down the word she had almost used to describe him. No. But the more she looked at him, the more true it seemed. Adorable.
Zym chirped quietly next to her. Rayla scratched his head. "Oh, Zym. What do I do? If only Ez were here. He'd understand how I feel, right?" Callum stirred from the noise, but Rayla didn't notice. Finally, he opened his eyes. "Why does he have to be so cute?" Callum's eyes widened. She's talking about Zym, right? "That stupid human mage." Oh, joy. She's not. That complicates things.
Rayla buried her face in her arms. Callum turned over, squinting to make sure she thought he was asleep. Seeing that she wasn't paying attention, Callum sat up. Rayla lifted her face and froze. Finally, after what felt like hours, she asked, "How long have you been awake?" He shrugged. "Couple minutes," he responded, attempting to seem casual. Shit, Rayla thought. "Sooo... You heard what I said?" she asked, dread clutching at her stomach. Callum nodded. Rayla turned a deep scarlet.
Callum stood, walked over to her, and sat next to her. She turned away. Callum placed his hand on Rayla's shoulder, causing her to turn and face him. "Rayla-" She pushed him away. "Save it. You're just gonna try to make me feel better about humiliating myself." Callum smiled slightly. "I humiliate myself literally all the time." She shook her head. "You’re a mess. But somehow I'm worse." Callum wrapped his arms around her. "Don’t be so harsh on yourself." Rayla blushed. Callum buried his face in her shoulder, taking in the scent of moonberries.
Rayla still couldn't move. Somehow, this felt so strange, yet so right. Callum squeezed his best friend with a reassurance that soothed her. She hadn’t felt this relaxed in so long. She leaned back in his arms. She finally relaxed. Callum again reassured her, "You are the most smart, funny, loyal person I know. You're..." He took a moment to find the right word. "You're amazing," he finally whispered. When he released her, Rayla turned to look at him. She had a warm smile on her face.
Callum's face grew slightly closer to hers. She blinked in the moonlight. Finally, she decided she had waited too long. She sighed and pulled him in by his scarf. He looked genuinely scared for a moment. She smiled and, finally, kissed him. Callum was awestruck. But he definitely wasn't opposed to it. Eventually, he melted into the kiss. The feeling of her soft lips against his felt so strange. So... exotic. But it felt as if it were drawing him in.
Just another Xadian wonder.
