Planet Omega

Chapter 23

It's nice being blissfully unaware of the danger looming over us as Mateo, Phin, Will, Emma, and I travel south to the Zenon-Naveh border. We all feel it, it's there at all times when we leave the safety of our domeward net, but being so close to the desert provides us with the illusion of security.

Then again, the illusion comes in the actual solid form of Nassanther, my mage demon. Should anything happen in the desert, Nassanther is sure to find us. She pushes in the back of my mind, like she senses we're closeby, but she chooses not to emerge from the sands she lives in. Emma mentions that it's better for the mage demon to stay hidden anyway, because a creature as large as she is will be detected much quicker than we ever will be.

Despite having spent the next several nights together after the first time, Emma and I don't talk about what it means for us, and I don't ask. The future is terrifying, and it's not certain. It's nice to dream about what happens when it's all over with the empire, but we know better than to delude ourselves into believing this fight won't span several generations.

For now, what we have is enough. We have each other. And Mateo's approval, apparently.

"So, you and Emma, huh?" Will asks in humanoid form, falling into pace with me when Mateo offers to carry Phin on his back for this stretch of the journey.

I look up to see who's listening, then flush that I even bothered. It's no secret. "What about us?"

They shrug but have a smile on their face. "It makes sense. Actually, I thought you two were together when I joined the team. You seemed to hate the idea of me shifting into Emma, like, ever."

Oh, good, the cliche continues. I apparently had been unaware of any chemistry between the two of us, which makes me the dumbest person alive at this point.

"Yeah, doesn't everyone hate the idea of some rando shifting into their friend?"

Will actually snickers. "No, they think it's hilarious. Not that I ever would have without her permission, of course."

I take a deep breath. We were all so...young-seeming, even though it's only been nearly half a year since Will asked to help us. So much has already changed since then, personalities, and opinions, and even loyalties. I can't imagine putting any one of the members on our team in any real danger without rushing into it myself. They're no longer casualties I'm willing to risk.

"I'm glad you two have each other," Will says thoughtfully. "The world kind of sucks. It's nice to feel that way about someone."

"You aren't talking about Phin, perchance, are you?" I ask in a teasing voice. "You're the only one she seems to tolerate."

"Oh, yeah," they answer casually, like it was a plot point they'd forgotten to explain. "I mean, we're cool, but it's not like that."

"Not like what?"

"You know, like you and Emma. Sexual."

It gives me some pause. I suppose it had been rather foolish of me to assume that anyone who likes someone else in a seemingly more intimate way means there's a sexual aspect involved. Maybe my mind is just in the gutter because I can't fathom sleeping so close to Emma anymore without wanting to kiss her.

"Are you two just like friends, then?" I ask, curious.

It shrugs. "It doesn't really matter to me what we are or who calls it what. I don't think about the physical stuff, and she doesn't care either way about it, so we're just...whatever that is. We care about one another, and that's all we want."

Honestly, not even caring what they may be with Phin sounds less stressful than constantly wondering. Whatever the two of them are doing is working for them and I'm a little jealous about it.