Chapter 121: Cat Girls
Nox, Serian, and Mela are standing in a field. The sun is out, the birds are probably singing, and the air doesn’t smell like death for the first time in days. And Nox, our moody hero, has just thrown his arms around both girls like they’re his best pals on the last day of summer camp.
Let’s be real, it was awkward.
Serian just kind of froze, a surprised little "oh" on her face. Mela, on the other hand, looked like he’d just tried to hug her with hands made of angry wasps.
He pulled away just as fast, clearing his throat and trying to look like he hadn’t just done the most out-of-character thing in his entire life. He rustled around in his pack and pulled out the pouch of trail mix.
"So, uh... snacks?"
Mela just stared at him, her expression a perfect ten on the ’I am so done with this’ scale. She snatched the pouch, shoved a handful of nuts and dried fruit in her mouth, and started walking without another word.
Serian laughed, a real, happy sound. She took the pouch from him, their fingers brushing for a split second. "Thank you, Nox."
’Crap.’ There it was again. That stupid, warm, flipping-stomach thing. He just grunted and started walking, making sure to put a little space between them.
The next hour was spent in a weirdly comfortable silence. Mela was still stomping ahead, probably plotting his murder, but Serian was humming a little tune he’d never heard before. It was... nice. Way too nice. It was starting to freak him out.
He needed a distraction, something familiar. He needed the one voice in his head that didn’t make him feel like his brain was short-circuiting.