"You look at the direction you're about to attack every time!"
Aurelia stopped running at him. She was so tired.
"It's obvious what you will do."
Aurelia groaned as she stopped and panted. "Give me a second..."
"Oh, alright," Xander sighed. A familiar scent caught his nose, and he blinked. "Nyx?"
The door opened just as Aurelia looked up.
Nyx cleared her throat. "Xander... and Aurelia... I'm here to talk to you."
"Huh? About what?" Aurelia said in surprise.
Nyx stood at the door, her hands clasped.
"I'm sorry," she said after a moment of hesitation.
Aurelia's eyes widened as she gaped at Nyx, speechless.
"I'm sorry," Nyx repeated. "I... I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I can't... control my mouth. I'll... I can't promise, but I'll try not to do it again. Sorry," she repeated stiffly, "Aurelia."
Xander broke into a smile. "Looks like my sister's all grown up now, huh..."
Nyx turned her head until she couldn't see him. "Stop, you're making this harder."
"...sorry."
"Uhm," Aurelia started, "Nyx, it's fine. I was thinking that maybe I'd, erm, done something wrong, but it seems I haven't. I'm... relieved. And also I don't blame you. I'm... a clueless human...? So... uh..."
"Wh - of course not, you've done nothing wrong," Nyx said. "Really. It's just... me."
"I can't watch this," Xander said tonelessly. "Why are you both so bad at communicating."
"Shut up."
Xander shrugged as he plopped down on the floor. "Tell me when you're done."
Nyx and Aurelia stared at each other for a second. Then both kicked Xander.
"Ow - hey - why are you hitting me?! What have I done wrong!" Xander cried in a fetal position on the floor.
"Actually." Nyx cleared her throat. "We're... Laura and I, we're going to visit June today."
Xander stilled. "Oh. You, uh, are?"
Nyx nodded. "You can come...?"
"Of course, we'll go."
Nyx nodded again and left the room, footsteps making no noise. "Let's go, then."
"Just a moment," Aurelia called, and she looked at Xander.
"What?" Xander asked as he stood.
"Who's June?"
"Oh - that's..." He hesitated. "She's... a friend," he said finally with a soft smile.
Aurelia stopped for a second, then she bit her tongue and nodded. He didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't make him.
She stepped towards the door. "Well," she said as she turned her head, "are we going?"
"Ah, of course." Xander hurried after her.
♤
"So... where does June live?" Aurelia asked as they went out of the house.
Laurelyn looked at her, noticing she'd taken to calling her June as well.
"Pack territory," Nyx answered when her sister didn't, with a wry smile.
"...Silver Fall?" Aurelia gaped at her.
Xander sighed. "Since my sisters have decided to take the risk, I suppose so."
"But won't they... smell us?"
"It's raining," Laurelyn pointed out.
"...how do you know how long the rain will last?"
"We don't. We'll have to be fast."
"That's..."
"Come on!"
They ran after her.
♤
"Here we are," Nyx breathed a sigh.
"Wait... but..." Aurelia's green eyes darted around.
It was a cemetery.
She bit her lip as she realized what they'd meant by "visiting June". "I'm sorry."
"Not your fault," Laurelyn murmured in a low voice.
Awkwardly, Aurelia stood there, watching as each sibling paid their respects, murmuring to the person who lay six feet under.
"Would you like to...?" Xander hesitated.
Aurelia nodded, frowning a little, and stepped away from the huge umbrella they were all sharing. She knelt by the grave. She'd never known their friend, but she did have the right to feel bad for them, right?
That's what got you all fooled, a little voice whispered to her. He pulled the wool over your eyes and you were too blind to see it.
Aurelia gritted her teeth. She wasn't going to succumb to her own self like that again. Not here. Not now. Not ever.
“We need to buy chopsticks,” Xander said to his sisters. “I've looked and Aurelia's house does not have any.”
“I don't think Aurelia uses them,” Laurelyn answered.
“I need them.”
“You don't even know how to hold them properly.”
“You don't either!”
“We're wasting money.”
“Please?”
I don't know who you are, Aurelia told the grave silently. But I can tell they must have cared about you a lot. It's pretty stupid that I'm talking to you, I mean, you're dead and all... but, please, give me strength, from wherever you are. Please watch over me and your friends. I think we're going to need it...
♤
“This is terrible, Xander.” Laurelyn raised a piece of something with her chopsticks. It was black and charred, burnt beyond recognition.
Xander winced. “Look - ”
Something fell to the floor with a clatter. Aurelia had dropped her bowl.
“Oh frick - I'm so sorry,” Aurelia said as she dropped down to the floor. She reached out for a shard of the bowl.
“DON'T!”
She flinched and her hand touched the sharp edge. Within seconds, blood was dripping from her hand.
Laurelyn swore. Multiple times.
“Where are the bandages?!” Xander yelled, panicking.
Aurelia stared at her bleeding fingers, all the while wondering - weren't these people war veterans? Why were they so... uncalm about it?
“AURELIA?!” Xander yelled.
She snapped her head up, looking at him.
“WHERE ARE THE BANDAGES?!” he asked.
“You don't need to shout, I can hear you.” Aurelia frowned. “If I remember right they should be in that drawer.” She gestured with her non-bleeding hand.
He ran there and knelt, practically yanking the drawer out of the frame. “I found them!” he shrieked.
Nyx pursed her lips and frowned, seeming a little more calm than her siblings. “Xander,” she said, “would you please stop yelling? It's hurting my ears.”
“I'm sorry it's just - ” Xander stood and walked back to them - “Aurelia isn't like us. She isn't used to all the injuries and stuff and I - we - were worried - well, I don't know.”
“She seems calmer than you.”
Aurelia shrugged. “It's just a little blood...”
“Interesting,” Laurelyn murmured.
“Elaborate on that?” Aurelia raised am eyebrow.
Laurelyn's mouth quirked up. “Maybe I'd prefer not to, princess.”
“Guys. Guys.” Xander waved the packet bandages in the air wildly.
“Right.” Aurelia sighed and stood. “I'm going to go sterilize it first, okay?”
She got to the washroom and realized the three of them had followed her. She turned frowning.
“Look - ” Xander raised his hands in surrender, whacking Laurelyn's shoulder - “oh sorry.”
“Sorry?” Laurelyn smiled.
“No wait - no - don't hurt me - ”
Bam.