22

Thanks," says Flynn. "That's good to hear."

Flynn turns to you. "One final question," he says. "Would you be so good as to show me the sights tomorrow? Maybe bring me to meet this other human?"

Suddenly Tephra bursts in, alone. You stiffen at her sudden arrival, but your stress morphs into pity as you see her poor state: sallow skin, flaking scales, even her blue hair is tangled. She doesn't look like the warrior you know her to be. Or at least, she looks like a warrior preparing for a different battle as she narrows her eyes at you. "Kavitha," she says. "Introducing yourself to Flynn, I see." She defensively sidles up against him. "I know what you're thinking, because everyone else is thinking it too. But I thought that you, of all people, wouldn't be judging me. That maybe you'd understand."

You feel a twinge of guilt. You did make the same judgment against her. A little bit. Of course there's nothing wrong with falling for a human, but she was specifically chosen because she had been so strict in her approach to leaving the land up where it belonged. Because she had been so judgmental herself.