Gentle Green

Chapter Fifteen

The two moons rose above the Alolan landscape, one leading the other along the usual path they took.

Legend has it that a god created these moons in memory of a familiar who passed away. The first orb stood for their familiar, while the second represented themselves. In other words, where one would go, the other would follow.

Sua sighed as she looked at the celestial sight outside her window. She played with the fake scale-shaped pendant hanging around her neck. A gift from Batani as a token of their friendship—and to symbolize her friend's blessing over her and Gin's growing relationship.

It had been a few days since they'd defeated Binasa. A few days since she arrived back at Tamisna Inn, to the sight of her rejuvenated and tearful mother. And forever since she'd bid goodbye to Gin.

She wished more than ever that she could go to where the god was, but it was impossible. She was a human familiar whose soul would always be tied to the mortal realm. The best she could hope for was to spend as many moments as possible with Sa Gin before her time ran out.

She moved away from the window she was wiping down. She took a seat at the guest bedroom's writing desk and thought hard about what she wanted to do. Unbeknownst to her, Ubi had spotted her through the open doorway.

"Sua, are you still up?" Her younger sister peeked into the room. "Are you done cleaning?"

As soon as she returned to the inn, Pina fetched Ubi from Guyaba's house. Although her younger sister loved her friend, the child was excited to return home. With a bunch of presents and borrowed storybooks from her minder, of course.

"Mhm. Everything's all sparkly clean in here," she said.

"Then why are you still inside?" Ubi asked. "It's almost bedtime. Aren't you sleepy?"

"I don't feel like sleeping just yet, Ubi." Her heart and mind were too busy yearning for Gin to feel tired. "You go ahead and get ready for bed, though."

"Do you miss Mister Gin?"

Sua blinked.

"H-how did you—"

"You look like Mama when she talks about Papa," her younger sister said. Apparently, Ubi was more perceptive than she thought.

"I do miss him," Sua replied, realizing that this was one of the truths she could safely divulge to her younger sister.

"Then why don't you talk to him?" Ubi tilted her head, as if puzzling over why someone usually so straightforward and sensible hadn't thought of the idea before. "He's your friend, right? I don't think he'll mind if you're friends."

She blushed as she listened to her sister. At the moment, she felt like she was the child, whereas Ubi was a wizened old woman in the body of a little girl. She realized that she was simply dallying because she could hardly deal with the fact that the man she liked was a god.

But she had to deal with it at some point, and there was no better time to do that than now.

"I'll consider it. Thank you, Ubi."

"You're welcome." Her sister yawned after replying. That's when their mother called from the other end of the hall to let them know that it was bedtime.

Ubi went ahead, her sleepy, shuffling steps making light brush-like sounds against the hardwood floor.

"In a minute, Mama," Sua responded. As per her sister's advice, she had to talk to someone first. "You go too, Po. I know you've been trying to stay awake for my sake."

The antula, who'd been curled up on the desk while she was cleaning, twittered merrily before jumping down and scuttling after her sister.

Once she was alone, Sua closed the door and took a deep breath. Then she lit a second candelabrum to make sure that she could see Sa Gin clearly once they started talking. As much as she loved her family, this was an exchange she wished to keep between herself and her god.