Unspoken

Chapter Two

"Ah, so you're the one who brought this cold chill in, then?"
I gave the young boy before me a dismissive look. I almost couldn't believe I'd thought someone 'dangerous' had entered Extorris when I'd heard such a fit of yelling and screaming earlier. Even more amusingly, I'd even made sure to leave Adara behind and came alone as a precaution. If I didn't return for a certain amount of time, she'd know something was wrong and go for help.

Well, clearly that was unnecessary.
Indeed, instead of face-to-face with a threat of some sort I found my eyes met with those of a helpless kid. Why would I describe him like that? Because he was currently battling the thorns of a bramble bush.
Right away I could tell he hailed from Amarin, what with his pale and almost snow-like skin tone—his cheeks flushed a rose color, like how you'd look when out in the cold. Then there was his tousled, unevenly cut cobalt-blue hair. Some pieces hung in front of his eyes, some stuck out in random places.

I suppose that's no surprise. He is a teenage boy, after all. I've seldom met one who didn't have such a... 'Ruffian-esque' appearance.
But what really stood out to me were those eyes of his; they carried a sweet sort of bitterness in them... Irises a shade of blue so pale I would have believed they were coated in a sheet of ice.
When the boy paused his struggling to give a response, he sounded innocent... Certainly a lot less intimidating than the chill in the air felt.
"Please, just.... Just h-help... Me-!"
I crouched down to his level to get a closer view of the situation he was in. Just how had he managed to get tangled this badly? I mean yes, it was a large patch of bushes, but...

Still, it's almost unbelievable. It's like he tried to get himself into this mess!
I sighed, pinning him with a dulled, unamused stare. "First, tell me something... Are you clumsy? Do you have unimaginably bad luck... Or are you just fool-headed?"
"I'm n-not... Not going to answer any of that, okay?" The boy muttered, gaining a slight edge to his tone.

Ah, so you do have some fight in you. I wonder if you're really that brave or if just putting up a front.
"Hmm," I murmured as my left hand became ignited in soft, calm flames—light orange in color. "I wonder, snowflake, how much do you think it would hurt you if I set this bush on fire?"
"Well, I-I-I..." He paused from his stammering, as if actually thinking the question over. "I don't know!"
I noticed something this time; his tone had a hint of fear to it, but I could sense it wasn't directed at me. So, what, then?

Perhaps he's afraid of getting hurt?
No, it certainly wasn't that. During his struggles against the thorns, he'd received more than his fair share of scrapes and scratches. I'd noticed that every time this happened the wound would ice over and draw every bit of the blood back in, sealing the wound away and thus making it disappear.

Clearly that's how Amarinians heal... Well, it doesn't matter, let's just get this over with.
"Don't worry, I'm not actually going to burn you," I muttered. "So get over that little concern."
I found it amusing to mess with him, but a part of me felt guilty for the teasing. Then again it was simply instinct for an Aridoran like me to want to get as far away from an Amarinian as possible. This was just my outlet, my way of dealing with it. I mean, our clans had been at war with each other (off and on) for what? Centuries... Millennia, even? The notion made me wonder even further as to why he seemed so nonreactive. It should have been expected for him to fear crossing paths with me, especially being in a vulnerable situation like this, but he didn't seem to.

Surely you aren't gullible? You know not to trust me, someone from a clan with so much bad blood.
"You have your shield, yes?" I asked, setting my curiosity aside for now. "I want you to activate it, and then I'm going to burn the branches around you. My flames will not touch you."
"H-how do you expect me to trust you?" The boy retorted, a defensive look flashing to his eyes.