PENUMBRA (how the flowers grow)

13. Blood

Honeywallow is decidedly not as terrible as Ilsted. It's not as busy, though still crowded. The buildings are painted in soft yellow tones. In the town square, a group of musicians are playing string and woodwind instruments. The music drifts throughout the streets and carries to Sabina's ears. A few pink butterflies flutter around, seeking out the flowers in the windowsills of buildings.

This isn't so bad, she concludes.

She and Tuluvey have stopped for lunch in a secluded corner of the square. She has a steaming mug of mint tea before her that she sips on periodically. Mint leaves float around in the light, soothing green color of the tea.

That's sort of the shade of Tuluvey's skin, she thinks absently, staring into the cup.

She takes another sip and picks another piece of chicken off her salad to eat. Across the way, Tuluvey is playing cards with a group of travelers, none of which are human. Sabina has noticed the closer to Valdent they get, the less humans there are.

Tuluvey bats his eyelashes at a comely demon girl with vibrant yellow skin, twirling a strand of his hair around a slender finger, no doubt distracting them while he cheats. Sabina's played enough games of hot pot with him to know he does not play fairly and if you don't consistently call him out on his shit, he will unfailingly warp the rules. Tuluvey's not a fan of rules, but she thinks that may be more of a fae thing than it is a Tuluvey thing.

Tuluvey looks completely at ease among the strangers in a way that Sabina could never be. Tuluvey had invited her over, but she refused the offer. She doesn't mind sitting alone, especially not when she has a warm cup of mint tea in hand. Even amid all the people, half of her feels like she could fall asleep. Yeah, coming here was worth it even if they got lost on the way and it took them way longer than it should have to get here.

Sabina finishes her tea and food and wanders over to Tuluvey and his new group of friends. He smiles brightly at her and she perches on the wooden arm of his chair since there aren't any open seats. A few pink butterflies have landed on him to suck nectar from his flowers.

"I'm winning," Tuluvey informs her proudly.

"I figured as much," she says. "You cheat."

The rabbit shift nods solemnly, floppy ears flicking. "I knew it."

"Rules are suggestions," Tuluvey says. "You're still going to owe us drinks all night. You're lucky neither of us plan to get wasted. Maybe we should, just out of spite."

"My coin purse is screaming," the faun says with a laugh. "She's not even playing, though."

"I play for the two of us."

The fae with the wild, curly blond hair smiles and coos. "Aww, you two are together. You didn't say that."

Tuluvey meets her eyes and winks. Sabina flushes red and rolls her eyes skyward. She doesn't think it worthwhile enough to correct the fae, so she just lets them make their assumption.

"Cute!" the demon girl exclaims. "You look like a strawberry."

"It's a defense mechanism," the faun says sagely.

"Not really," Sabina says and earns laughs in response. She's strangely proud of that, even though her face is practically on fire. She's always found it weird how obsessed Tuluvey is with her blushing and is just as bewildered to learn it extends to other inhumans.