I went back to sleep eventually and when I woke up, Aaron and Az were gone and so was the necklace which they took with them so they could deliver it to our customer. I wondered how long they would be gone this time. It seemed like yesterday when I first met them. Now, despite how little we interacted, it was strange to not have them around. Neither of the twins was very talkative, Az especially, but they had an undeniable presence about them. And they were part of the group. With the possible rogue uprising in the air, it made me uneasy to think we weren't all together.
My mind was still stuck on Connor's story and his words about peace. It was hard to face the truth behind what he said. I still wasn't sure what to make of it all. How to feel. But there was a consolation in all of that too. Hearing him call me his sister was something I didn't expect. Especially not from him. But really from any of them. Yes, Nolan and I were close now, but other than him and Devan, I was still often unsure of my place in the group.
"Let's celebrate today!" Lucia exclaimed just as I walked out of the shower after my daily training routine.
"What are we celebrating?" Nolan asked, his mouth full of steak he had for lunch.
"Freya's first successful heist of course!" The redhead looked at my boyfriend like this was something he should have known without saying.
"Cool, what are we doing?" Connor jumped down from the bedroom floor all excited and miles away from the guy I spoke to on the roof just hours ago. In the meantime, I just stood there, watching them all, unsure of what just happened.
"The only place we can go for such an occasion, hot springs!" Lucia was way too excited about this whole thing, I knew that much already.
"Hot springs?" I asked, the idea of such a thing in this place sounding absolutely heavenly.
"Oh yes, you're gonna love it! Let's go!" Lucia left no room for argument as she basically pushed us all out of the door including Nolan, who seemed quite unhappy with the idea of his unfinished meal.
"Shouldn't we get like a swimsuit or something?" I became increasingly more confused at what was happening.
"What for?" Lucia looked at me like my question made absolutely no sense to her. Concerned about what exactly did she sign us all up for, I decided to just keep quiet and wait for what happens.
We crossed into yet another part of the town I haven't had a chance to visit before. A reminder that Duskfall was a much bigger town than I thought, when I first came here. In front of us was a large complex of wooden cabins with a big sign 'Duskfall Hot Springs' above the entrance gate. There were surprisingly few people around when we reached the reception. Maybe it was the hour since it was an early afternoon, but I wasn't going to complain. Especially since I was quite anxious about the lack of swimsuits.
"So, I got us the southern section. The lady said there is nobody there scheduled for another three hours or so, which means we'll have the place all to ourselves! Let's go!" Lucia ran to us with a set of keys and proceeded to push us all towards one of the doors down the corridor.
"Uhm are there no separate changing rooms?" I asked awkwardly when we all walked inside a small room with a few shelves and a pile of neatly folded towels on the bench in the corner.
"No, what for?" Demi asked me, completely oblivious as she began to take her clothes off and the rest followed.
"Are you not...?" My words have left me as I watched the five people in front of me casually strip to nothing without a care in the world.
"Freya, we see each other naked all the time. Are you southerners that shy?" Connor chuckled, clearly enjoying how flustered I was facing him completely naked.
"We aren't shy. We are just private," I said, trying not to sound childish but somehow I failed completely, making everyone laugh.
"Sweetheart, we all sleep in one bed. We shift in front of each other all the time. You really don't have anything we haven't seen already," Nolan said as he slowly approached me.
"I just... it's just..." I wanted to be casual as they were. I lived with them for months now and I've seen how comfortable everyone was with each other. There was never anything inappropriate in the way they treated each other. It was simply the comfort and trust of their friendship. And I wanted to be part of it, I wanted to be this comfortable with them. Yet, all I could think of when nudity came into picture was the laugh of my classmates, the odd looks of Moonvalley residents, all those cruel words they sent my way when those blasted photos made their rounds.
"Hey, it's okay, we'll go ahead and you take your time, what do you say?" Nolan noticed my sudden freakout first and rushed everyone out before I could respond. The next thing I heard was them laughing in the shower before they left outside for the actual hot springs. I felt sad and jealous. And ashamed. Not of my nudity, but about the fact that I simply couldn't let go of my issues which seemed so insignificant here. They were my friends. One of them was my boyfriend. I should be able to trust them. I should feel safe with them. Yet I couldn't. And not because of who they were or who people of this land were, but because of someone, who was long lost in the past I would never face again anyway.
I walked out shortly after, trying to play cool as I did my best to remain casual while I dropped my towel and joined them all in the small lake filled with hot water. They knew I was there, but either they didn't care to look or they purposefully didn't after my little outburst earlier. Either way, I was grateful as I joined their circle, finding a spot to sit right next to Nolan who immediately threw his arm around my shoulder and gave me a wink and I gave him an unsure, but grateful smile in return.
The hot water was doing wonders for my sore muscles as I sat there, leaning against Nolan, enjoying the calm quiet environment surrounding us. We were all silent, content in each other's presence. I even began to feel a little more at ease with being completely naked under the water surface.
"I needed this. Such a good idea, my love," Demi mumbled into the silence and pulled Lucia in for a kiss. The stars were shining bright up in the sky and the two women looked like at that very moment nothing else but the two of them existed. And I couldn't help but wonder what it was like to have a mate. It was the ultimate dream for any wolf. To find our other half, our true love. Yet it wasn't necessarily all that common. Especially not amongst young wolves. Majority of those who did find their mates were in their thirties or even forties. With our lifespans anywhere between 150 and 200 years, finding someone at a young age was rare. And I, if I had such a person out there somewhere, would likely never meet them. My life was back in the Summerlands. If Moon Goddess was generous enough to grant me such a blessing, he was likely there too. And my heart was breaking for that person. That man I would never get to meet.