COF 3: The Fallen Dynasty

11 | Trick (I)

2412 Iclis 09, Kindreth

Xanthy woke up with pins and needles on her arm. She groaned and sat up, cradling her throbbing limb. There's no one with her in the room with the mattress they laid on were empty except for her. Her stomach clenched. They didn't leave without her, did they?

The door to her left swung open and June's head poked through. He looked fresh, having replaced his clothes with a new set. He didn't have his cloak on. Understandable. They were indoors. He looked different without it, though. More...open, if Xanthy could say freely.

He smiled when their gazes locked. "Hey," he whispered. "Mind if I come in? I didn't want to wake you earlier."

Xanthy scooted over to give June some room. He grunted as he settled beside her. The scent of forest breeze heavy in his hair wafted in the air and filled Xanthy's nose. Gods, that smelled so good.

Then, Xanthy's eyes widened. She just woke up. Her hair was probably worse than a cleret's nest with her breath comparable to Pidmena's realm. Blood rushed to her face. June's smile widened when he noticed her distress. "Someone's having a bad morning," he chuckled.

Xanthy crossed her arms. "It's just the nerves," she waved her hand in front of her face. Her eyes flew to her supplies satchel where her skin of water sat. "I'm just thinking about our trek to Edgerift later on."

"Come here," June said. With just those words, magical strings pulled at Xanthy's limbs and drew her closer to June. He didn't stop smiling as he shoved his fingers into her hair. Xanthy pursed her lips, the memory of when he first did that in Carleon vivid in her mind.

June slid his fingers down and up again, combing her hair into a decent flow. Xanthy resisted humming to herself like a flower child. The city beyond the window had long ago woken up with their daily bustling. Silence reigned in the room, though, with the wind blowing through the open window in their room their only companion.

Finally, June produced a twine from his trouser pocket and gathered her hair in a bunch. "You know," he secured her hair in a low ponytail. "You're not a very good liar."

One of us definitely is. Xanthy bit back that retort. That's not going to help their case. Instead, she snorted and leaned into him. "Yeah?" she stared at the taupe wall to avoid June's eyes. "How can you be so sure?"

June's arm snaked around her waist, steadying her against him. "Your nose wrinkles up and your lips purse when you're uncomfortable," he leaned his cheek against her scalp. "And you lie when you're uncomfortable."

Xanthy exhaled. What did June look like whenever he lies? How come June seemed to know even the small things about her while she hardly knew anything about him? She shook her head and massaged her temples. It's the same paranoia she had yesterday. Whether she liked it or not, it's bound to destroy what little they had.

"I feel cheated, that's all," Xanthy blurted after a minute of silence.

"What?"

Xanthy sighed, burying her face into his neck. "Yesterday," she began. "I'm sorry for the way I acted yesterday. It's completely out of line."