The Vigilant Yaksha

Chapter 11

His expression had been so.... soft.

Vena was thinking back on it the next morning as she took her medicine with a hot cup of tea that Aether had brought for her before they headed out on their next mission.

She'd wished them good luck, and tried her best to ignore the urge to go with them anyway, knowing she'd just slow them down with the condition she was in.

If I would have just been taking the medicine every day like I was supposed to, maybe I'd be better by now.

Shaking her head, the girl got up to stretch after she'd finished her tea, wondering what she was going to do in the mean time.

Who knows how long they would take to get back.

A walk sounds nice, and it wouldn't be too much on my body.

Putting on her shoes, the girl walked with a pep in her step all the way down to the bottom floor of the Inn, going right back over to those beautiful silk flowers she had seen the first time she'd gone on a walk around here.

Their smell filled her mind with ease, calming her even more than the first time.

Why was nature so peaceful and calming for her? She really never understood it.

She walked along the bridge, listening to the water in the river below flow calmly, the noise tranquil music to her ears.

Not planning to go far, she simply went to the gate, planning to go back when the sound of the leaves crunching behind her caught her attention, causing her to turn around to investigate.

Surely it wouldn't be trouble this close to the Inn...

Locking eyes with that familiar golden hue, she smiled without a second thought.

"Hi, Xiao."

As always, he simply crossed his arms, staring her down with a sharp look in his eye.

"You seem... angry today." Vena laughed lightly, taking note of how one day, he can actually be a little nice, but the next, he can go right back to being as sharp as a knife.

"What are you doing out here?" His tone almost stung, irritation clear in how ridged his body was as he spoke.

Her eyes widened, realizing that now he probably felt responsible for her too, seeing as how Aether was the one who requested him personally to help her.

"I was bored, so I wanted to take a walk." Vena shrugged her shoulders lightly, raising a hand to now scratch her cheek awkwardly as she adverted her gaze to the trees around them.

"Go be bored inside the Inn."

That came out more harsh that he'd meant it to.

The girl flinched as if the words actually physically pained her, but she just gave a quick nod, hugging her arms to her chest as she turned back to walk towards the Inn without another sound.

Silently cursing himself, Xiao brought his hand to his face in frustration, sighing in annoyance at himself as the girl's foot steps faded away behind him.

————————————————————

Don't be so sensitive. Toughen up. Don't be soft.

The girl kept repeating the words over and over in her head as she was back in the Inn's kitchen, having the chef whip her up some warm comfort food.

It was cloudy and looked like it was going to rain anyway.

Surprisingly, she actually felt noticeably better. The medicine from that doctor actually wasn't half bad, Vena had just been so stubborn about it and so upset by everything that she couldn't care enough to take care of herself.