Air Touched - A Dragon Tribe Origin

Chapter Twenty - Min

Once again, Min was trying to do homework, and once again she wasn't able to focus. This time, her mind kept drifting back to the strange Oceina guy from campus. Did he want to meet with slayers? Sure, she said she wasn't going to get involved. That was the smart course to take. Pretend she never met him and let it go. Did she have a moral obligation to report him to the officials, though? What if another dragon was murdered because she didn't put a stop to it? Everyone knows No Clouds Saloon is one of the slayer hangouts. The proper authorities are already watching. Hopefully, Alex heeded her warning. What she especially wanted to know was why he hated dragons.

Min herself was indifferent to them. They were holy creatures, yes, but not any more holy than any of the other animals God had blessed the earth with. Just because they had magic did not make them more precious than a human. Aero slayers made that message loud and clear. Dragons would not overpower their homeland. When she was around four, at least one dragon fell a month. She remembered, and the only reason she did was because it'd be all over the news. Shrines were made down the street to honor the great lizards. After a year and a half, the regular slayings stopped. They still occurred sporadically. One would happen, a few years would pass, then another. Only in recent years were the killings picking up speed. The city's inhabitants reacted a lot less. No one was building shrines anymore.

Alex and the dragons are not my problem. What's Ijn doing? I'm sure it's not anything important. There's bound to be a new drama I can help with. Might as well do at least one productive thing for the day. Her sister sat on the lower bunk, sketching in a book. She hadn't done that in a long time. Usually, it meant she was in a good mood.

"Have you set up your second date yet?" Min asked.

Ijn continued to draw for a few more seconds. The sound of her pencil scratching across the paper stopped. "I've decided on a location and told father. He's yet to tell me the day and time for it to occur."

"Oh." Min felt relief, and she wasn't quite sure why. Perhaps because they were putting off the inevitable moment when she and Jae would fall in love—truly and deeply in love.

Her sister got off of the bunk and gazed up at her. She leaned forward, resting against the railing of Min's bunk. "Keep being patient. Soon, it'll be your turn. You won't have to turn down all of your date proposals any longer."

"I don't get many of those, believe it or not."

Giggling, Ijn winked at her. "Sure you don't."

"I did have something interesting happen today," Min said, wanting to get off the topic of her lack of love life. "At the library today, I met a guy from Oceina." While she didn't want to talk about Alex in depth, he was male and men were on the list of Ijn's acceptable topics.

"A foreigner! Was he as tall and dreamy as the pictures make Oceina boys look?" Ijn's eyes went wide. "Not like I think an Oceina boy is better looking than my darling, Jae. There's just something about those bright blue eyes, don't you think?"

"Yes, his eyes were especially blue," Min murmured, remembering just how captivating Alex's gaze had been. Everything about him was so different than the Aero. In all her life, Min had only seen one other Oceina, but she had been female. The women were close to the same size as those in Aero, though her eyes too had been startling. It took some time for Min to get used to seeing such a vibrant color. Most Aero had grey, silver, or black eyes. A connection to the wind magic of their native dragon species.

Another giggle. "What did he want?"

"Directions to a bar," Min said. She wouldn't tell her sister which one.

"Did he ask for you to join him?"

Min couldn't answer. Lying was growing tiresome, and it was time for her to start getting more practiced in telling the truth instead. Still, if she admitted he did invite her, Ijn would never shut up about it. Unfortunately, her silence was too telling.

Ijn clapped her hands together, stepping back and twirling around the room. "How romantic! Why didn't you go?"

"A bar is not romantic." Especially not the one he was going to. "I didn't go because he's a stranger and I'm sure he has a lot of other people he'd rather be spending time with than me."

"Which is why he asked you to go, right?" Ijn folded her arms in front of her. "I understand the dating world is new and scary for you, but that's no reason to hide at home."

Excuse me? Did she really just say that? Min balled up her comforter in her hands, using it as a way to distract from snapping off verbally. "When I'm done with my finals, I'll be more than capable of figuring out my first dating adventure. School is my priority right now. Guys are always going to be around."

"But less interested in you if you keep getting older."

"We're twenty."

"Exactly."

"Twenty isn't old. In Oceina and Terran, they get married a lot older than we do here." Why did Min have to justify herself, anyway? And why did Ijn care so much?

"Which is why you're perfect for this Oceina guy!"

Min pinched the bridge of her nose. "We had one conversation that lasted for less than a minute. I don't have any plans on seeing him again. He was only visiting for, like, a day."

"Oh." Her sister frowned. "I just want you to have what Jae and I have."

Is she for real? "You've had one date."

"And a kiss!"

"Could never forget that part," she said, trying her best to keep the sarcasm at bay.

Ijn gazed up at her again. The expression in her eyes was hard to decipher. Usually, Ijn was open and easy to read. When she wasn't, that was when Min worried the most. "You don't understand how I'm positive we have one true love so soon. The world has taught you to be skeptical and not believe in destiny anymore. You're relying too much on logic. Don't pretend just to make me happy. It's exhausting. I can tell you're holding back, and I know it's because you're jealous of me and what we have."

Wow, she actually hit the nail on the head. That was probably going to be the only time Ijn said anything resembling truth for a while. And that is why I hold myself back. There's no point in trying to engage her in a discussion of reason when she doesn't have any. I'd rather argue with a brick wall, at least then my feelings wouldn't be targeted by her verbal assault. "You're right, I'm skeptical about how you're positive he's magically in love with you. Don't get me wrong, he's definitely interested, but I wouldn't call what he's expressing love. What I'm not sure on is if I should be impressed or disgusted by the way you play into his lust like you are."

"Impressed. I think it's pretty smart." Ijn smirked.

"Sexual desire isn't love, though."

"No, but it can lead to that! There is no such thing as love at first sight. How else am I supposed to grab his attention initially? Besides, I can only be pleasing in so many ways at a time," Ijn said. "The trick is to hone in on the most carnal, basic, needs of a person before showing the other layers of your personality. It helps them feel secure."

Min winced. "I'm not so sure on that one. Wouldn't a person feel more secure if they have intellectual and emotional security before diving into all of the physical aspects of a relationship? It's one of the biggest complaints I hear around school: getting used. Don't walk on that line, Ijn. One of you might end up hurt." And I'm more afraid of it being him than you.

"You're talking like I'm going to have sex with him!" Ijn gasped. "All I'm saying is I want him to be looking forward to the wedding night—a lot. Once he's captivated by me, he'll be more interested in getting to know me."

"Okay, whatever you say, just be careful. I love you," Min whispered the last words. And I could fall in love with him if I was allowed, and if you break his heart I'll never forgive you for it.