Unknown L (Book 1)

~~ Actions And Reactions ~~

"Yes, she is my sister. Sorry, I should have told you sooner, but Emilia likes her privacy. I didn't think you two would actually meet until now. That way, I could formally introduce you."

Emilia shook her head. She seemed thoroughly amused and moved forward to join the circle that was now forming. She greeted Gart and Lort with a bow and a smile, then looked to L again.

"I do like my privacy, away from the prying eyes of those who want to stick their noses into my life. Those who try to tell me how to live and what I should or should not be doing with my daughter... but not from guests."

L's confusion must have been showing because Bryce attempted to explain.

"Elves have rules and strict traditions that most of our kind live to the letter... whereas Emilia and I decided a long time ago to live by our own rules. It was widely frowned upon by the high and mighty, and that's why we don't seem to act like the other Elves you might have seen or met."

He shrugged carelessly and bit into his sandwich, grinning mischievously around it. Emilia just smiled softly at her brother before looking back to L.

"In Elf culture, we have very outdated customs that are still enforced. Things like arranged marriages, penalties for who we are allowed to talk to, how to conduct ourselves in certain societies, and how to talk to others of different classes and species. It's a very oppressive society and we did not want to live like that, so from a very young age we made it known that we wouldn't follow those ways."

Her words shocked L. She hadn't considered the background or cultures of the Supernatural beings around her. It simultaneously concerned and fascinated her.

"Is that why Bryce doesn't use his full name? Wait, but wouldn't they just throw you out or banish you, or whatever, if you acted out like that?"

Emilia smiled the same soft smile she had given Bryce. "He prefers to shorten it, but I can not commit myself to using it. But in answer to your second question, no, that would be far worse than anything we had ever done. They would never banish th-"

But Emilia was cut off when something moved loudly behind her. Everyone turned to see a small man walking out of the trees. He was almost smothered by the grass, and he hacked away at it with what looked like a small but equally menacing sword.

"Blasted grass is getting in my mouth and up my nose! Of all the stupid places to meet! Why in Terra's name are we meeting here?"

He gradually made his way to their groupd where the grass had been trampled enough for him to stand clear of it. L guessed that he was a Dwarf from some distinctive markers.

He looked a lot like Tern, the Dwarf member of the Council, but his hair was lighter, almost blonde, and it was wilder looking. He had plaits in his beard that ended with stone beads; they each had carvings on, but L couldn't make out what they were without getting too close. He looked angry, and his voice sounded like gravel being trampled on.

Bryce snorted, followed by a laugh and sat up straighter.

"Because nobody comes out here except for Gart and Lort, it's a great place to meet discreetly. Sorry, I didn't think about the grass, Folen."

Folen gave the Ogre brothers a curt nod when their names were mentioned, then looked straight back to Bryce.

"Yes, well, next time I'm picking the bloody meeting grounds."

Bryce laughed quietly and nodded, "Agreed, if we have to do something like this again, then you can. But back to this meeting, Folen, I would like you to meet L, and I think you remember my sister, Emilia."

Folen looked like he'd only just noticed them both, and his annoyance faded to be replaced by a reddened face. He smiled, and L saw that his teeth were thick and all the same level.

"My apologies, ladies, for my earlier bad language, I did not expect everyone to be here already."

His voice was less gravelly now. L didn't think she had ever focused on someone's voice so much before coming to this forest.

She smiled in response, and Emilia bowed her head to him.

"It is quite alright, Folen. I have heard much worse in my time and used a little of my own as well."

Emilia chuckled, and L felt like she was inside a music box.

Folen smiled back at her, and Bryce shuffled onto his knees.

"I would like to get started, but we're waiting on one more, and she's taking a little longer than expected."

L was curious as she peered over to the trees and back to the group. Who else could they be waiting for? This seemed like a pretty varied and talented group. L thought back through all the other species that she'd heard of or met while staying in the forest. She silently hoped that it wasn't a Vampire. They might only drink animal blood, but they creeped her out.

"Who else are we waiting for?" Folen asked.

Bryce moved to dig through the bag again, pulling out some objects this time, including a very expensive looking mobile phone, which he set aside.

"Hallie. She said she might be late. She was gathering something for me, but I was expecting her a lot sooner than this."

They all seemed to know who he meant except for L, and they didn't seem to feel like explaining.

She was getting ready to ask when she saw everyone's heads turn towards the trees, and she followed their gaze. She couldn't see or hear anything, at first, until something fluttered a few feet away. It took a few more seconds until L realised that something was floating towards them.