SECRETS OF EXOCLYUS

15: GEARED UP

  Three days past by faster than Stella expected.

  Within those three days she had no chance to speak to Koma. He took his meals separate from everyone else and when he seemed free he went to the backyard to work out by himself.

  When Usgard joined a session the two had a sparring match that Ferrus separated because their aggression climbed mid-fight and they were causing too much of a commotion for him to work in the forge.

  Stella had her own sparring match with Pheruss, who had borrowed a few of her throwing knives to use as her form of attack. The fight was intense, but at one point Stella started to slip up because her mind kept travelling to distant thoughts.

  Mainly how Koma had been avoiding her entirely. She thought that what happened in the room would be a sign that he was ready to open up a bit, but after the whispers possessed him he has kept to himself.

  Last night was a full moon, and while Pheruss was snoozing in the bed they shared Stella waited by the window until she saw Koma watching the house from behind the trees that lined out behind Ferrus' backyard.

  One golden eye.  Its glow was so exonerating she wanted to hop out and approach him so she could stare straight into it, but as if he was aware of her thoughts Koma turned and vanished deeper into the woods.

Then morning came, he walked into the house, right past her, and into the room he was given because Ferrus decided he couldn't share one with Usgard otherwise he would be cleaning blood off the floorboards.

  Now she was making slight mistakes in the combat training, she had fazed out once resulting Pheruss getting the jump on her, but when she fazed out the second time Pheruss stopped fighting.

  "Why are you stopping?" Stella demanded.

  "Because you're not really here."  Pheruss answered as she retracted the throwing knives back to her belt. "So why is that?"

  "I'm fully here." Stella argued.

  "No you're not." Pheruss said. "I could have killed you thrice by now." 

  "That's bullshit."

  Pheruss proved her statement right when Stella felt a sudden poke against her side and looked down to see one of the throwing knives pressed against her abdomen.

  "Now." Pheruss pulled the last knife back to the belt. "Tell me what's wrong?"

  Stella threw her sword in the ground and sighed. "Koma is being an asshole."

  Pheruss rolled her eyes at Stella's dramatic prancing. "Honey, Koma is going through a lot of things. That possession at the table probably has him confused or scared."

  "He doesn't show it." Stella complained.

  "He's almost as hard headed as Usgard." Pheruss said. "They both don't express themselves properly, but I've seen the way he steals glances at you when you're not looking. He cares."

  "Then he can talk to me." Stella groaned. "What happened scared me too, but if he's going to deal with it he needs to confide in us."

  "Mostly you I'm guessing." Pheruss chuckled.

  Stella sighed, she didn't really want to admit this part but since they were having a girls talk it seemed appropriate. "And I think...I think I like him?"

  "You think you like Koma?" Pheruss repeated, just to be certain of what she heard. "You think you're having feelings for the guy you're saying doesn't share his feelings."