"What do you suggest I do?" Nalrond asked.
"To live up a little." Friya took a delicious-smelling cheesecake out of her amulet. "Let's enjoy our dessert and then take a swim. The night is beautiful and with the curfew nearing, no one will bother us."
Nalrond choked on his food, but not because he wasn't used to eating as a Rezar. Or better, it wasn't the only reason. On Mogar there were no swimsuits and people usually swam naked.
"Don't get your hopes up, pretty boy." Friya chuckled as the Rezar struggled to fit his snout into the glass and drink some water.
"I don't go anywhere without my Featherwalker armor and Dad guaranteed me that it's waterproof."
Her blouse and pants shapeshifted into a silvery diving suit that left only her head exposed but also stuck to her like a second skin. Nalrond felt hot as if he was under the scorching sun of the Desert instead of the pale light of the moon, yet it didn't bother him.
Despite all the awkward and embarrassing moments of that night, he had finally learned the difference between surviving and living.
***
Village of Lutia, outside Protector's home.
The Hydra wasn't the only one who had eaten to her heart's content. Protector and the kids had gone all-out, knowing that the meal wouldn't burden the family budget. They had all left Haug's establishment so full that they could barely walk.
Lith, on the other hand, was now lighter than when he had walked through the tavern's door. The weight of ten silver coins had moved from his pockets to Haug's. The Awakened cook rarely made so much from a single table so Lith's request for a family discount fell on deaf ears.
Selia even took several dishes as takeaway before leaving, to not be bothered with cooking for the next few days. Lith snorted at her "foresight" but his old mentor had been shameless even back when she was way better off than him.
"I must eat for two. Maybe three." Selia touched her womb, playing the pregnancy card. "Feel free to take it out on Ryman, but leave his hands and feet intact. He needs them to work."
"Thank you, Uncle Lith. It was all delicious." Lilia and Leran gave him a bow out of gratitude, but the movement triggered a majestic burp that echoed through the night, alerting night animals and Queen's Corps alike.
Once the happy family closed the door, Lith opened a Warp Steps leading to Faluel's lair.
"No need. I can use a walk and the moon is beautiful tonight." Faluel took Lith's arm and blazer to find some protection against the chilly spring air.
They walked in silence until they reached the Trawn woods
"This is the moment when you are supposed to say: not as beautiful as you." She said after a while with mock indignation.
"I would say it if we had this walk after a date instead of a life lesson." Lith replied. "I'll be honest, watching you eat didn't turn me off."
"It didn't?" Faluel said with surprise.
"Not as much as the tab." Lith said with a smug grin.
"I can't believe I walked into that one." She said with a chuckle. "And you are a jackass for fooling a lady."
"And who might that be?" Lith furrowed his brows, feigning curiosity. "I know no lady that would take my jacket without even asking."
"Jackass." Faluel laughed.
Once they reached the entrance of her lair, Lith put his hands on her shoulders to retrieve the blazer and she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.
Her lips were soft and sweet, yet he remained stiff. It had been a peck, but only because Faluel noticed he wasn't returning the kiss.
"How did it feel?" She asked.
"It felt wonderful, but also wrong. Almost like I was cheating." Lith replied.
"It's a good sign. It means that you already have an emotional connection and aren't interested in something you consider as a mere fling." If Faluel was offended, it didn't show. "Say hi to Solus for me.
"If you two come up with a crazy plan to fix your life force, you can always count on my help."
She walked toward the stone wall that opened and closed so quickly that it looked like a mirage.
"Wait a second." He said.
"No second thoughts allowed." She said with a chuckle.
"What about my jacket?"
"Jackass!" Her enraged voice came with a powerful gust of wind that sent the blazer against Lith's face.
"Thanks. It's part of a suit that cost me-" A Warping array moved him in front of the tower, cutting him short.
Lith knocked on the door, still puzzled by both the unexpected turn of the night and by his own reaction.
'I'd better tell Solus what I learned about my life force and then call it a night. I bet she'll laugh her ass off once she hears about the "date". I only need to skip the part about the kiss.'
"Welcome back." Solus said with a smile that didn't extend to her eyes. "I see you had a lot of fun but there was no reason to rush here to share the details."
"What do you mean?"
Solus floated high enough to look him in the eyes without getting neck pain and then passed her thumb on his lips. The motion was slow and sensual, yet the fire in her eyes had nothing romantic about it.
"I mean this…" She put her finger, red with lipstick, under his nose. "And this."
A mirror appeared in front of Lith, showing him that the gust of wind that had returned his blazer had also thoroughly crumpled his clothes. They looked like either he had gone through a storm or they had been savagely taken off before being worn again.
"Oh shit! I can explain-"
"There's no need to. You and Faluel are both adults and what you do in your free time is none of my business." Her voice was calm yet the door slammed behind him so hard that the tower trembled.
Solus turned around and walked toward the kitchen, ignoring every word that came out of Lith's mouth.
'Kamila I can understand, but Faluel? With everything that is happening does he really have the time for a new relationship?' The answer that logically came to her mind was yes, but it just fueled her rage.
'Not only does Lith still have to bring me somewhere nice, but he even had the gall to come here and banter about his latest adventure.' Solus stormed into the kitchen and prepared a bowl of ice cream so big that it would prolong her diet for months.
Since the cat was already out of the bag and had been painted like a tiger there was no point in holding back anything. Lith activated a partial mind fusion and shared with her everything that had happened since he had left.
"Oh." Solus' rage burst like a soap bubble, leaving her mind empty and her hands full of ice cream.
"Oh, indeed! Can we please talk now?" Lith would have liked to call her out on her lack of trust and the bad eating habits but he preferred to gloss over.
