Gavin listened to him talk about the two camps that lived here and nodded. “Sounds like Cordon, almost,” he said. “I can do that.” He had no objection to avoiding magic for the meantime to rest, truly rest. “Thank you.” He almost laughed when the elf said he wouldn’t be paid. Nobody had ever really paid him justly—or at all—for his labor, and none of them gave him the courtesy of informing him about it beforehand. “For as long as I don’t get a beating after, that would be enough,” he said, in an attempt at humor, but it sounded too sincere to be taken as a joke. “I haven’t done a lot of other work ever since Cordon, but I used to do it before that. I’m rusty, but I can work at it.”
And there it is. Gavin was still waiting for that, and when it came, he bowed his head, nodding, forgetting for a moment that the elf couldn’t see it. The only thing that he didn’t expect was Envy’s concern not only for who might be affected by blood magic, but for him. His wellbeing was never a factor during his captivity, working Ikegai’s magic on others. And yet, the fear was there, of what it would do to his body and soul. It was clear enough with Ikegai. “I give you my word,” he said out loud. “No blood magic for as long as I stay here. Never again.”
Afterwards, he went back to exploring the mountains, going further than he had earlier. He found the camp Envy had mentioned, but he didn’t approach, not feeling up to speaking to more strangers just yet. When he came back, Kire was up from her nap, sipping coffee while having lunch. She spotted him and beckoned for him to join her. “Sleeping and eating is probably all I’ll do for the rest of the day and tomorrow, until the ribs heal completely,” she explained. Gavin said nothing, nodding along. They sat in silence opposite each other. “How are you finding it here?”
“It’s—I like it,” Gavin replied, not looking at her. “Envy’s doing all he can to make me feel included. He’s been successful.”
“He’s very good at that,” Kire agreed in between sips. “I heard some of what you told him about your life. Did you always know you were a Gemini? Have you known any other home apart from this place?” she gestured around them vaguely.
Gavin shook his head. “If you’re asking if I came from Amria, no. As far as I know, I was born here. If I did come from Amria, I was probably too young to remember. I barely remember my mother. All she told me was that she fled from her home, and that this was a family heirloom.” Here he dug into his pocket and took out the brooch. Kire frowned at it.
“That’s the Gemini family insignia.” Kire gestured at the knife she had given him. “The dragon—specifically the Wyvern, is ours. Our families have had a long-standing rivalry. Did Ikegai tell you anything about this?”
“He said you were monsters that would hunt down anybody with Gemini blood,” he replied, though more matter-of-factly than angrily.
“Mm. Well.” Kire tapped the cup she was drinking from. “It’s…complicated.”
She told him about their families, and about Amria, or at least enough information for him to get a picture of her home and the long history between their families. She mentioned the Black Storm, and the usurpation six months ago, but not in detail. “After the Black Storm, I did something I’m not proud of. I was around—hmm, your age, or a little younger, even. I did your house a grievous wrong, and this, all this, I thought was revenge for that, too. Partly maybe. We’ve come after each other in turns for generations, it’s ultimately hard to determine who owes what at a given time. We’ve been raised in this conflict, and I can’t promise you that if you do go to Amria that it would be an easy time.” She looked steadily at him. “Do you still want to go?”
Gavin was silent for a while. “Someday, I do,” he said at length. “I have questions, too. And going to another world…” He unfocused for a bit, imagining it. “But Ikegai had dangled this idea in front of me so many times, I’m not sure where my wish to see it ends and where his planted idea begins. I think I’ll stay here, at least until I know for sure what I want to do.” He sighed heavily. “I have to figure myself out first before I cross over.”
Kire nodded. “Understood.” They spent the rest of lunch silent, though it was more contemplative than tense, Kire reckoning with how unprecedented it was to sit with any Gemini in relative peace this way, Gavin absorbing what had just been told to him and being at peace with the decision he told Kire. “How are you feeling?” he asked, once.
“Better, thank you. And you?”
Gavin smiled. “Loads better.”
Kire smiled.
