Flower Falls and Crystal Calls

Back to the Hunt

Chapter 38

It took Elle another two weeks before she was given the all-clear to go back out on patrols with the rest, though she felt it would have been alright after just one. She still didn't complain. She had been reprimanded too many times by too many people for her pride to even bring it up most days.

The only other caveat she was given on her release was from Caius. He still didn't speak to her much, but he had gone back to being professional, at least. He gave her the stipulation that if she were to need to fly with Bahamut again, after her first stunt, that she always had at least one other person with her in the air.

His order irritated her to no end. It wasn't that she didn't have room, or that Bahamut couldn't handle it. No, she was pretty sure she could take the whole team with no issue in case of an emergency, but it was Caius' high-handed tone. It was an order, not a suggestion. Or maybe she was just irritated with him in general.

His attitude toward her since he had become Guardian was wearing on her, and it had barely been more than a month. Other than the day she had been brought in injured, he barely spoke to her, and when he did, it usually ended with her walking away pissed off. She knew part of her anger was to cover her hurt at his continued distance, but she couldn't stop it. She had hoped that even if he pushed her away as a lover, that they could have at least been adults and retained their friendship, but that was not the case. Even when she visited with Yeul, he would either stand stiffly on the other side of the room to 'give them privacy' or stand outside the door altogether. It was infuriating.

Elle tried not to think about the man as she headed out with Laer after her month of being out of the field. He was still her escort on most days, even though she had agreed to have Ingens accompany them when he wasn't busy. There was a bit of compromise reached in the end. Since Laer was still assigned to Mirus' hunting team, when Elle finally got to go back out, it was decided that with both Mirus and Laer there, it would not be necessary for Ingens to go as well. Especially since he led his own team of hunters.

Things were quiet between the two of them as they headed out to meet up with the rest of the team, at least at first. They had almost made it to the city outskirts before Laer finally spoke. "Are you sure you're up for this?"

She looked over at him with a frown. "I was ready to get the hell out of there a month ago. Why would I not take the first chance I got?"

Laer's eyes flashed with concern for just a moment before he hid it once more, and he smirked. "If you say so, just don't complain to me if you have a hard time keeping up. It has been a while since you've had a proper workout."

She rolled her eyes at him, and he smirked. "Tell you what, if you are set on this, and we make it back in one piece, I'll go with you, and we can get you set up like a real hunter."

She gave him a curious look. "What is that supposed to mean? I kind of thought I already was."

He chuckled. "In actions, but you don't look the part. We need to get you the beads and feathers that mark your place in the tribe."

Elle froze at his words. That was something that Caius had never brought up, and she had been too awkward to ask about, but she wasn't opposed to the idea. "Would that be okay? I mean, I'm not technically part of the tribe."

He stopped and looked at her for several seconds before he shrugged and kept going. "You might as well be. As far as the hunters are concerned, you are."

Elle wasn't sure how to take what he said. He smirked back at her as she gave him a nod. She wanted to add more, but by that time, they had reached the rest of the team. Elle was glad to see the rest of the team wave with smiles. She had worked with them all at one point or another over the last seven months, so it was no surprise that they greeted her like a friend. Once the rest were done congratulating her on her victory and teasing her about being down for three weeks afterward, Mirus finally stepped up with a smirk.