A Haunting Melody: The Golden Lyre

07 | Nu

The symbol Nu (ν) gives the Hunter the ability to know when anyone is being untruthful to them. This works via a system of energy pulses. When the energy pulses quicken, the Hunter becomes aware that lies are being told. Hunters receive this mark when they kill a Siren who is still transitioning. Transitioning Sirens are usually undetectable as they can still be considered humans until they feed on a human heart.

***

"Am I taking you back to Mist?" Chris asked carefully, glancing over at Astrid as she sat in the passenger seat with her arms crossed.

"Yes please," she muttered.

"Alright. Well, since I still have a few minutes to talk, that's what I'm going to do," he smirked.

"What are you gonna talk about?" Astrid asked, staring ahead.

"The important things in life," he replied.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Like, what's your favourite food, for example?" he asked proudly.

Astrid paused as she processed his question. She supposed this would be a lot easier to talk about than her parents.

She lifted her soft serve slightly and gestured towards it, before giving it another lick.

"Really? Ice cream? That's not food!" he remarked cheekily, letting out a chuckle.

"It most certainly is food! It's my favourite! It's nice and cold on a hot day, yet you can eat it in winter as well, and the number of flavours that you get is amazing!" Astrid said defensively, letting out a small smile.

"Whatever you say," he shrugged, smiling to himself.

It was the first time Astrid had noticed that he only lifted one side of his mouth when he smiled. It was endearing.

"What about your favourite food?" she asked.

"Mine? Oh, my favourite food has to be macaroni and cheese," he grinned.

"Boring!" Astrid groaned into her hands, which she had formed around her mouth to create a loudspeaker.

She couldn't believe that he had just been arguing with her about ice cream when his favourite food was something so ridiculously simple.

He let out another chuckle. For a while, they just spoke about simple things, which Astrid was grateful for. She wished things could always be this simple.

"So where do you stand in the great dogs vs cats debate?" he asked.

"Oh I'm definitely pro-dogs," she smiled, chewing the last piece of her ice cream cone.

"Why? Cats are great. They have actual personalities whereas dogs just follow their masters. Also, they're a lot smarter than dogs," Chris protested.

"Dogs have personalities. They show a lot more love than cats do," Astrid replied calmly.

"Cats are better because they are. I win!" he bellowed, giving Astrid an obnoxious grin.

Astrid rolled her eyes, "You'll never convince me."

"Well, regardless of that, we've arrived. I guess this is where I say goodbye," he gave her a disappointed smile.

"Thanks for the ice cream. I had a nice time," she smiled back, getting out of the car.

"Nice. Ah, I'll have to aim for higher praise next time," he winked.

Astrid rolled her eyes again, "Good night, Chris."