Clueless

Kael spends a while longer training, though alone this time. The burning of his muscles feels good, but he notices something odd. The solitude, something he used to crave, isn’t comforting any more. His mind wanders, thoughts of Evie creeping in. It’s not a distraction, in fact it seems to help him focus even more, somehow.

Eventually, though, he’s done as much as he can. Kael wishes that Ria had stuck around rather than leaving so abruptly. Very strange, her actions, as normally she’s happy to spend time training with him. Kael sighs, wiping his face with a towel. He’ll have to worry about that another day. For now, time to head home. Soon he’ll be back to his regular routine, as it’s clear he’s healing well.

Walking back home, he finds his pace faster than usual. Without even noticing, he seems to be rushing a bit, like he subconsciously wants to hurry. It takes him less time than usual to arrive at his door, and when he steps inside, he’s greeted by a smiling Evie.

“Hello, master! You’re home!”

Without waiting for an answer, Evie hugs him. Kael is surprised for a moment, but then hugs her back, a smile appearing on his face as well. Evie sighs, resting her head against his chest as he rubs her back.

Kael chuckles. “You know, I think I could get used to this kind of greeting.”

Evie looks up at him, still smiling. “Well I’ll be sure to continue, master! Did your training go well?”

Kael nods. “It did. It was…interesting.”

Releasing him, Evie steps back and regards him curiously. “What do you mean, master?”

Kael tells her about his encounter with Ria. This leads to more questions, and he goes into explaining about his history with his fellow champion. Evie listens intently, absorbing every word.

When he finishes, she looks at him with an odd expression. “Master, is she…pretty?”

Kael shrugs, then nods. “Yeah, I’d say so. It’s a different kind of pretty than you, but yeah.”

Evie smiles. “Well, I’d like to meet her someday, master. You said you invited her over for dinner sometime?”

Kael chuckles. “I did. You really want to meet her?”

She nods. “I do. So, shall I get your bath ready, master?”

Kael is startled by the sudden topic change. “Yes, that would be great. Thank you, Evie.”

A smile on her face, Evie bounces up on her toes to kiss him on the lips. With a giggle, she hurries away, off to run the bath. Kael watches the elf woman walk away, curious about what’s going on in her mind. She seems especially curious about Ria, and almost…excited to meet her? Kael sighs, shaking his head. Having the power to read minds would be extremely useful.

Finally, he shrugs. Things will be as they will be. So far, it all seems good, so no reason to worry. He heads off to the bedroom to get ready for his bath.