In the most shocking turn of events Emilia had ever experienced, they were, once again, stopped at Rayleenâs behest. Even more shockinglyânotâVern and the woman were once again bickering. It continued to be impressive and concerning.
âSeriously, does he usually take this badly to people within moments of meeting them?â
Emilia asked, leaning in to whisper in Jerrialâs ear.
At the very least, they were apparently only two streets away from the holding cellsâalthough who knew if Rayleen had a plan to get them into the building, and then to the cells themselves, or not. For someone who was not only helping them but claiming it as some sort of mission bestowed onto them by the aether itself, the woman really was quite secretive. Early in their journey, before it had become clear that anytime anyone spoke Vern and Rayleen would end up hissing at one another, Emilia had asked why she wasnât giving them more information.
The answer Rayleen had given was essentially that them knowing the plan might affect their reactions to what they were doing; therefore, they would only be given information as needed. Emilia supposed that made sense, if one were inclined to believe that the woman was actually communing with the aether, and that while the aether had an idea of what lay in the future, that future only existed assuming no one altered it through purposeful intent⊠or accident? Emilia really hoped that, if the aether really did have some idea of the future, it wasnât a set of inescapable events, each a game piece set to be played in a predetermined path. What a depressing thought that wasâthis idea that there was no free will, and that instead, they were all walking a set line with no escape. Hopefully, it was something more along the lines of the aether having an understanding of everything occurring within it, that knowledge leading to it understanding what was
most likely?
Again, assuming one believed in such things, which Emilia⊠wasnât sure she did, wasnât sure she didnât.
Emilia would have asked whether Rayleen thought there was an inescapable, inalterable future they were moving towardsâalthough her implication that them knowing their potential future could change it seemed to imply that at the very least those who knew the potential path of the future could alter itâexcept she and Vern had begun to argue, and then, they had continued arguing in what was all but an unbroken stream of negativity.
It was painful, and she was quite done listening to them. Seriously, the combination of the negativity was worse than Leerin! And Emilia couldnât even think of the last time her friend had said something positive, unprompted!
Honestly, after this much arguing, Emilia had no idea what they were even talking about anymore. Jerrial also seemed quite done with them, and after muttering something about how Vern had always been a little quick to dislike people, but this was impressive, the pair of them ditched their hissy companions to wander into a nearby shopâRayleen had only said they couldnât enter the next street yet, not that they couldnât backtrack and get a quick treat.
In a turn of events that seemed both hilarious and a set-up to making their companions return to their previous argument about a fruit conspiring to ruin LĂŒshanâs national unity, the store they popped into had the mythical, nation-ruining drink. She and Jerrial, of course, spent exactly ten seconds staring into one anotherâs eyes, neither of them saying a thing, before ordering one for each of them, along with some ball-shaped confections that went down smooth and fast, even Jerrialâs vanishing in a more normal amount of time while they waited for their drinks.
âThis is so⊠normal,â
Emilia commented as they leaned against the wall, waiting for their drinks and watching as the workers prepared the various food and drink requested of them.
It was a nice little shopâcute in a way that seemed to be popular with younger LĂŒshanians, the occasional older person who entered the shop wrinkling their nose at the colourful decor and fancy drinks before asking if they had anything
normal
and then complaining about
young people importing in new aesthetics and foods.
âThe store?â
Jerrial asked, eyes shifting around as he tugged at his new sweater, which Emilia had quickly zipped into a store to buy, along with stuff for Vern, soon after running into Rayleen, who had insisted they couldnât be wandering around in such a state.
The pair still looked⊠not quite homeless, but definitely rough, but it was a step up from the disaster they had been when sheâd found them. Had Jerrial tried to enter this sort of place looking as he had before, he would have been turned awayâworse, the workers might have called the Drinarna to have him removed. As much as the worker had given him a wary look when theyâd ordered, the fact that Emilia looked put together and had been able to pay had settled them enough to now be ignoring them.
âWell, according to that old granny, the store is anything but normal,â
she laughed, the old granny in question turning to glare at her. Emilia waved happily back, then leaned in to practically plaster herself to Jerrial, suppressing a giggle when the woman looked very affrontedâthe audacity to show physical affection in public!âand huffed away to sit farther from them.
âFunny how, no matter how open a culture is with public affection, silverstrains are always treated like a little hug is going to end with them on their knees giving a public blowjob.â
âI wouldnât recommend it.â
âHm? Recommend what?â
Jerrialâs eyes were glittering with mirth when she looked away from the glaring granny to meet his gaze.
âGiving me a blowjob. Iâm afraid it
'
s been some time since Iâve had a proper shower, so I canât imagine it would be particularly pleasant for you.â
Giving her a once over and noting that her knees were bare, he also told her the tiled floor wasnât ideal for such things either.
âWhat Iâm hearing,â
Emilia said slowly, glaring up at her companion who was quickly turning into a friend,
âis that you arenât opposed to the blowjob, just a blowjob before you shower and weâre in a place where my knees wonât be in pain.â
The man shrugged, telling her he was into both men and women and had always wondered what being with a silverstrain would be like.
âFrĂ€thk had a few around who were⊠free to be used by whoever, whenever,â
he said, voice sharp and icy enough that the granny finally looked away, although his voice was definitely quiet enough that she couldnât have heard exactly what he said.
âI obviously wouldnât do anything like that to someone unwilling, although I know they sometimes picked a little bug to pursue of their own volitionâa way to control at least some of their life, I suppose.â
âNot you, though?â
âI never really made a secret of having someone waiting for me, if I ever managed to get out of that place.â
âVern?â
Emilia asked, thinking back to the way she had seen the two look at each other with clear love. At the same time, she had seen very little physical affection between the two, only looks of clear adoration.
Jerrial was quiet for a long time, the sound of the shopâs ancient machines mixing this or that drink swimming around them. Through the smoky windows, Vern and Rayleen were still standing tucked together in a nearby alleyway, arguingâalways arguing. Other people who were arguing? Baylor and Halen.
Taelor was sending her and Valor ongoing updates on the pair, who were sniping at each other over their many moments of arousal since having Halenâs version of her stalking function installed. Neither of the boys were admitting to
why
they had been feeling aroused during their trek to LĂŒshanâher; she was the reasonâbut they were still poking at one another over it. Apparently, it was inappropriate, yet, as they had both done it, they couldnât exactly say that. Instead, they were just bickering, Taelor supplying a photo of Baylor tucked into his chest while unaware of how Halen had been watching them.
Emilia, cruel child that she was, decided that creating an image of a triplets-plus-Halen-and-Emilia sandwich was a wonderful idea. Obviously, she forwarded this to Halen, who, after several seconds of nothing, experienced such a spike in his arousal that Taelor had to message her individually to reprimand her. Simeon also reprimanded her⊠and then Codeth
and
Coral.
Since when were so many people in possession of information that could lead them to think that
she
was the cause of his arousal!? Less than a day ago, she had been sure he didnât like her and that meeting again would be entirely her doing and he would hate it!
Clearly, she was missing somethingâespecially given Codeth and Coral had immediately known she had done something. Who knew what Taelor thoughtâpossibly just that she had sent him porn to mess with himâwhile Simeon had needed to watch Halenâs memories of the previous day to choose a willbrand for Olivier and could have easily figured out that there was
something
there. For Codeth and Coral, Halenâs closest friends, to immediately know she was cause, however⊠Maybe Halen had just told them about the day before, but maybe, she was really just an idiot, missing signs of
something
existing under all of the animosity the pair of them had wrapped their relationship up in.
That was⊠weird. Emilia didnât know what to do with the idea that Halen might have felt something
more
for her for long enough that his friends would automatically assume that a spike in arousal was due to herânot to mention be confident enough to message her about it.
âOnce, I thought⊠maybe,â
Jerrial cut into her growing panic that she was an idiotâalthough, that wasnât exactly new; sheâd been an idiot most of her life.
âWe were friends, long ago. Perhaps, if I hadnât been takenâŠâ
Shaking his head, Jerrial let the rest of his words go unspoken. It didnât matterâEmilia could hear them clear across her soul, this implication that being taken had changed him, perhaps even both of them, in a way that made them fit not quite right, even if they still clearly loved one another. Who knew if they ever would have fit, if they had only ever been a
maybe
in Jerrialâs mind, but maybe they would have. Maybe, if given enough timeâif the pair of them worked at itâthey might come to a place where they fit once moreâassuming that was something Jerrial even wanted.
âHe loves you.â
It felt cruel to point out, but Emilia had toâit was an important thing to acknowledge as they were minutes away from reaching FrĂ€thk's building. Vern, with his love of this man who clearly loved him in return, but may never be able to love him back in
the right way
, might let that love set his path for him. There were so many people that she herself would die forâwould risk everything for, no questions asked. That was possibly how Vern was as well: willing to do this stupid mission and more, all for a love of Jerrial.
âI know,â
the man whispered into the world, barely audible over the din of the store, which seemed oddly not filled with criminals for how close it was to FrĂ€thkâs holding cells.
He was spared from saying more by the call of their drinks being ready for them. Quickly, he scurried forward, slipping between customers who didnât have the sense not to wait right in front of the counter for their order to be up. Several seconds later, he reappeared, drinks in hand, Emilia moving to push the door open for him while accepting her drink.
One sip, and she was in love. The sort of drink that could bring down a nation, indeed! She would go to war if someone attempted to outlaw this delicious concoction from her life! She was definitely going to be looking into importing the mysterious fruit that powered its glory into Baalphoriaâor at least to the Bridge, some chef there surely willing to let themself be convinced to procure the ingredients for this drink.
âI donât think Iâm capable of loving him the way he deserves.â
Jerrialâs voice shattered through her plans of world domination via delicious drink. That was⊠just too sadâdefinitely too sad for someone who was once seemingly capable of love and was still so young. While she had no clear idea of the sorts of things that Jerrial had experienced while with FrĂ€thk, she didnât want to think it something so terrible that his ability to love Vern the way he clearly wanted had been brokenâand certainly, she had never gotten the impression he had a traumatic black knot, corrupting his ability to love
right
. Something else affecting his knots, perhaps? Or just sadness, leaching through his life and relationships until no hope remained? Well, the guy had easily brushed aside Emiliaâs attempts to convince him that there might be a treatment to be found yet for his olthagri, so, it probably shouldnât surprise her that he was inclined to give up on his ability to love Vern
like his deserved
as well.
So, getting Olivier, keeping Jerrial from dying, and then figuring out if he really couldnât love Vern the way he deserved or if he just needed lots and lots of therapy. Just what her to-do list needed, another item!