R U [ I ] N E D

Romance Is Not a Team Sport...

"Don't be. You did what a good brother should." She didn't expect him to break Callan's trust for her sake. It was a miracle itself that the child had grown to like her at all given she'd tried to kill him when they'd first met. Yet there he was, comforting her. Upset that he'd played a part in a guiltless deception. How someone who'd been through what he had could have such a pure heart, Phoena couldn't begin to fathom. But Sachi did, and if anyone ought to have been feeling bad, it was her for all the grief she'd given him and Callan. She offered the boy a weak smile and slipped her hands away. Tucking them behind her back, she wove her fingers to keep from strumming them impatiently as they awaited both of their runaway Runeholders. "Thank you all the same."

Sachi nodded, taking that as cue to leave Phoe to her own devices. 

"They'll be back soon enough." Numerous eyes turned to Brady at that declaration, and the telepath shrugged sheepishly. "I'm not listening, not really. Just enough to figure out that he and Sol crossed paths. It's more the presence of their thoughts rather than the actual substance that I'm sensing." 

Erzia snickered at that, playfully ribbing her fellow telepath. "Aww, look who's all grown up and sharpening his skill set!" Which earned her a bashful grumble from Braedyn. Perhaps getting under people's skin was innate for their kind, but it was somewhat soothing to the blonde to see Brady riled.

Phoe wasn't quite sure what to say to that, so she opted for nothing, mulling Brady's discovery over in her head. It was for the best, she imagined, disheartening as it was to her. Sol's positivity and radiance would comfort Callan in a way that she couldn't. They'd sort it out, and once they did, they'd come back, and the group could proceed with their quest. Phoena was most thankful that doing so would give her a life-or-death matter to focus on, as jealousy wasn't becoming on her. 

They spent that time waiting for the others with idle conversation. Erzia spoke with Dala and Merritt about the colony and what Adalin's upcoming memorial would entail. Brady had taken a seat beside Nimanuhn, his medicinal background making the research done by the Manabe's parents that much more fascinating to him, Nim offering further insight here and there as the telepath examined the documents. Phoe and Sachi, meanwhile, stood together in as comfortable a silence as their shared anxieties could muster, neither daring to tear their eyes away from the entrance to the tent. Not for a single second, as they both sought out the same familiar face. 

Phoena wasn't quite sure how long it took. It could have been a few measly minutes, but to her, it felt like an eternity before the flap at the front of the tent rustled. Her shoulders tensed, and she blinked a few times to be sure her mind hadn't crafted the noise from nothingness to make a fool of her. But she wasn't imagining things as Soleil slipped into the commons with a quick wave. A sigh of relief fell unbidden from Phoe's lips as Cal followed soon after. Not soon enough to keep the blonde from fretting, but he'd returned, and his presence alone was enough to pacify her nerves. 

Not entirely, but she wouldn't feel at peace until they talked. She glanced Sachi's way, giving the boy's shoulder a squeeze before she started in his brother's direction. She felt Callan's eyes on her, and she was nearly upon him in the few seconds that Cal had to distance himself from the door. This time, she would be the one to instigate a much needed conversation, and like him, she had zero intention of taking 'no' for an answer. At least he didn't have to worry about being in an indecent state... She batted that mortifying memory away and dug her heels into the dirt as she came to an abrupt stop before  him. "We need to talk."

Whatever the shapeshifter had been expecting, it hadn't been that. The way his head tilted in question and the conviction he'd projected upon returning with Soliel deflated into uncertainty. Sol took one look between the two and scampered off to rejoin the rest of the group. It wasn't a private moment by any means, but the others were doing their best to keep out of it. Cal lowered his gaze to his feet, his voice soft as could be to keep this matter between the two of them. "We do. Look, I know you're angry, but please—"