Samara
If Aryan could feel my mortification, he showed no sign of knowing it. I couldn't quite meet his eyes, and yet, rather unabashedly, I still took his hand and relished in it. Though, the only thing I wanted to do with my hands in this moment was cover my face! I was of two minds on it, and both felt strangely wrong but also... completely right.
What was I thinking!? I scolded myself. Why did I have to kiss him to give him air?? I could have made him an air bubble, but...
But when I saw him drowning—saw the way his face contorted as he held on to his final burning breath, I just... reacted. And on top of that, I was insistent on it!
Aryan must think... Actually, I don't know what he thinks. His thoughts are sometimes hard to follow. He would normally scowl at me or scold me for doing something unnecessary, but now that I think of it...
I watched our clasped hands as we neared the bright entrance that led out of the Oasis. If he minded so much, would he grab hold of me so nonchalantly? I wondered, a spark of joy coursing through me.
"Get ready." He called, not looking back as he spoke. "We're entering the Pastel Desert."
And I was. Ready. It was time to help another goddess, but just before we were to exit, I thought I heard the sound of water splashing behind us. We both froze. We looked down the dark stairway, but couldn't see anything. We heard some slight mumbling, like someone was whispering commands.
The grimace on Aryan's face told me all I needed to know. Soren's soldiers were close behind us. I never imagined they would actually dive into the Oasis, but they were of the determined sort. So, I suppose I should have expected this.
This time, I pulled Aryan out into the desert, and as I scanned the alternating turquoise, coral, orange and yellow sand. It swirled slightly, and as I looked at our surroundings, I realized that there was nowhere to hide. Soren's soldiers were surprisingly swift. And if we could see them from a distance then they could see us.
Aryan seemed ready to bolt, but I released his hand, and took a breath. I could only think of one thing to deter them. I focused, moving my hands left and right as I raised the sand of the entrance to the Oasis. I packed it down, covering the entrance with a sand dune, and hoping that this would give us enough time to make our way to Zephyr.
My companion smirked before gesturing for us to get going. "Smart." He commented. "But it won't hold them for long. They did originate from the ground after all."
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We traveled well into the night, and while I knew Aryan would have kept going, I could not. The night air was freezing now that the sun had set, and my legs were aching between all the swimming, climbing, and running we had done to put distance between us and the Mineral Guard.
From what I could see, it looks like my little trap set them back. So, I stopped, and sat on the beachy sand.
I could hear some amusement in Aryan's voice as he said, "If you needed to rest, you should have said so."
I chuckled a bit as I patted the sand beside me. "I need to rest."
He shrugged off his backpack, beginning to take out our water bottles. He passed mine to me before taking a swig from his own canteen. The water was refreshing despite being a little warm. After a moment of silence, he passed me the last apple we had.
"Eat it. You need your strength." He insisted.
I held the red fruit carefully to my lips, took a handful of bites before passing it back to him. "Let's share. Eat the rest." I smiled.
Aryan hesitated for a moment and then took the apple. He side-eyed me as he said, "You're not going to let this go, are you?"
I grinned, shaking my head silently. Then, watched as he polished off the apple and buried the core in the sand. I was still hungry but drank a little more water to squash the craving.
Despite the sand's cool feel, I laid against it. I stared up at the stars. I've never seen a sky so clear and perfect. I've certainly never seen it in Curio. I sighed, as I gazed at a shooting star streaming across the night. I was thankful that the wind was gentle. I would rather not have another sandstorm ruin such an amazing view.
I heard Aryan rustling through the bag and pulling out the tent that was stuffed on the bottom. He laid it out, setting it up, but I wasn't ready to go inside yet. I was exhausted but wanted to admire the scenery for a while longer.
Aryan seemed to sense my desire. So, after tossing the remainder of our things inside, he laid down beside me.
"You know," I began. "I never thought I would ever be here. Admiring such beauty."
"What's the big deal?" my familiar queried nonchalantly. "You act like you didn't have a sky in Curio."
I laughed a little, knowing him well enough that he really was wondering and not chastising. "Life in Curio was... difficult. I didn't have much, and sometimes, that included time to just admire what was around me. I did my best, but for a long time I just had to worry about surviving."
"Nobody helped you?" he asked, and I could see his mind absorbing every word I said so attentively.
"Well, if you remember, my family left me when I was five. And I think others could sense that I was... different. Many people stood away from me. Shunned me..." I stared back up at the stars, silent for a moment as I recalled being called: freak, orphan, loser. I remembered the way other children would just throw scraps at me, and having no choice, I would take them home shameless and hungry, causing them to torment me further.
I could feel Aryan shaking with anger. "Ridiculous. It's no wonder the people of Curio couldn't stick it out in Arcanum. They don't even know how to treat a goddess."
I squeezed his hand momentarily, feeling that his normal warmth was chilled. "Don't get me wrong. There were a few people who were kind to me." I smiled, heating up my body to keep us both warm as I pressed my arm against his. "Ms. Lynn was the local librarian in town. She taught me to read and helped me get every book in my library. She taught me everything I know." I felt so grateful as I recalled the person that was essentially my mother. "She even showed me how to plant, and eventually, I could trade what I grew with the people at our local farmers' market. They were apprehensive at first, but with Ms. Lynn's support, they eventually came to look out for too."
"Why not just live with her?" Aryan asked, curious. "It seems like she's not a completely shitty person."
I laughed, surprised. "You really think poorly of Curio people, don't you?"
"I haven't seen evidence otherwise." I could feel the eyeroll without having to look away from the sky.
"I think it doesn't matter what side of the Veil you live on." I started. "Some beings are cruel, and some are wonderful. Ms. Lynn was the latter." I smiled, thinking of my mentor fondly. "But I couldn't live with her. She was terminally ill. And she knew it. So, instead, she taught me the skills I needed to live."
I closed my eyes, perfectly envisioning her mess of dark curls and those bright eyes that cared for me so delicately.
"Good." I heard Aryan shifting in the sand as he spoke. "Someone had to. Though, she could have given you a greater sense of self-preservation."
I turned to look at him, feeling a smirk on my lips, but suddenly, Aryan secured me in his arms—one hand under my knees while the other supported my upper body. The blood rushed to my cheeks instantly. "Aryan, what are you—"
His voice was deep as he laughed while his eyebrows rose by my reaction. "That's new." Aryan half-smiled at me—one cheek revealing his rare dimples. "Time to sleep. I can feel your exhaustion. It's exasperating. Don't push yourself. Otherwise, I'll have to carry you all the way to Zephyr, and that'd be a pain."
His words were harsh, but I could hear the playfulness in them, which only made me blush harder. Finding that I couldn't counter effectively, I let him place me down cautiously in the tent. I sat up, pouting a bit while I watched him zip our campsite.
Something has definitely shifted between us. Perhaps it was just that we've really become good friends, but even my naivete was chiding me. Though I didn't mind our closeness, I was shocked that Aryan seemed to have loosened up a bit too. He laid down, arms under his head as he closed his eyes. Despite the darkness of the tent, I could see Aryan shiver.
Feeling a spark of courage, I raised my body temperature more, and wrapped my arms around him, hoping this could help relieve Aryan's chill. Afterall, I learned after our first meeting that he didn't care for the cold. It was probably because he was a dragon. But he also served the goddess of flames and retribution. I suppose you couldn't have a delicate constitution when it came to heat.
He stiffened beneath me, and I was delighted by the reaction after the way he surprised me moments ago. Feeling content, and suddenly, unable to move another inch, I was lulled to sleep—listening to Aryan's steady breathing.