The Blessed and the Pure┃🖋

Chapter Μ

"Status update."

Taryn swept her eyes up and down the street, arms loosely folded across her chest and a bored expression on her face.

"No sign of Kirphis, yet," she said, directing her voice to the large potted plant beside her. "No sign of Cenus or suspicious personnel either."

"Good."

Ele shifted behind the plant. "Status update."

"No sign of Kirphis, yet. No sign of Cenus or suspicious personnel either. The shopkeeper's looking at me weird, though."

"Ryn!" Ele hissed. "That's suspicious personnel! Did they see me?"

Taryn cursed under her breath and moved to cover up Ele's small frame from the shopkeeper's view. She sent them a heinous glare for good measure.

"No swearing!"

"Sorry, not sorry."

The shopkeeper sent her an odd look before returning to the confinement of their store.

Ele ignored Taryn's response and the shopkeeper's look. "Ryn! You told me you would be a good lookout!"

Ele yelling intimidated no one. Taryn, for one, found it entertaining, but her whisper-yelling was on a whole other level of entertainment potential. She wouldn't admit that out loud, though. Then, Ele's face would scrunch up, and she'd whisper-yell more. Taryn didn't think her lungs could take it.

She shook her head. "Sorry, I'll do better next time, Ele."

"There may not be a 'next time'! That shopkeeper will report back to Cenus, and this will all be over!"

"You're right." Taryn cracked her knuckles. "Should I take them out?"

"No!"

"Alright, fine. Jeez."

Ele buried herself back into the shadows of the plant.

A beat of silence.

"Status update."

"Kirphis is in view. Cenus and suspicious personnel aren't."

"Excellent." Ele leaned out from behind the plant and squinted in the sunlight. "Did you tell him I'm coming?"

"Nah, couldn't risk word getting back to your brother, but I'm sure he'll expect it."

Kirphis closed the distance between him and Taryn with a final boost, forehead light with sweat and cheeks tinged pink.

He came to a stop. "Sorry that I'm late."

"You're fifteen minutes late," Taryn said, crossing her arms.

Ele came out from behind the plant and clucked her tongue. "That's not even fashionably."

Kirphis rubbed his neck. His poor posture made Taryn want to tie him to a metal pole. "Sorry again. I got a little held up."

Taryn raised an eyebrow. "By your father?"

He flushed and righted his posture. A pity. There was a respectable art store a few blocks back. It also made wind chimes. "Yes, in fact, it was my father. I couldn't exactly tell him what we're about to do. It's creepy-"

"Not if you have that attitude."

"-and I know he wouldn't approve. I had to bend over backward to sell my story."

Ele perked up and leaned forward. "What was your story? Spill the tea."

"I told him we were hanging out at the library."