Page 123 of To Fight and To Fold

"I really am alright, you know. Are you?"

"Of course," Thea said stubbornly.

Vaelen stared at her.

Thea lasted about ten seconds before she threw her hands up in the air and leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "Fine! I was just—worried. I saw you get hit and I… froze," Thea admitted. It flashed through her mind anew, and it made her entire body tense. "That's never happened before. And then Aaryn—" Her eyes slipped closed in frustration. "For a second I thought—I thought she was going to him. And that made me panic, too—not the fact that you'd literally been—" Thea's words got choked in her throat, and she swallowed sharply. "I feel so stupid. I'm not. I'm⁠—"

Her gaze skated over Vaelen’s, expecting to find blankness or frustration or pain. Instead, humor gleamed in the earthy rich depths of her eyes.

"In love?" Vaelen supplied, and Thea's mouth dropped open. "Makes it hard to think about anything else, doesn't it?"

"Who's—No one's in love," Thea said, voice pitched higher than intended. She cleared her throat, equal parts relieved and pleasantly annoyed by Vaelen's antics. Like usual.

It was comforting.

She drank her tea in the silence. It was too hot. She suffered anyway.

"It's okay to fear two bad things happening simultaneously. So stop feeling guilty about it," Vaelen drawled, all knowing and amused as she leaned back in her chair. It creaked beneath her weight. "Anyways, despite that, you seem… happier," Vaelen said finally. "That's all. It's a good look on you."

Thea's heart raced at the information and she tried to recall what might be so different about her. As if it weren't obvious.

"I've been sleeping better," Thea admitted, because that seemed safe. Safer than confessing it was because Aaryn made a delightful little weighted blanket.

"Is that so?"

Thea didn't answer. She'd walk into the barrier spell before she ever shared that she awoke nuzzling into Aaryn's pink hair.

"Speaking of Aaryn," Thea said. Vaelen failed to hide her smirk behind the lip of her chipped cup. "She wants to awaken her magic."

Now Vaelen finally let the teasing drop, leaning forward in interest, a gentle smile on her lips. "Good. She'll feel so relieved once it's done. Will you be there with her when she does it?"

Thea paused, because, well, she hadn't exactly spoken to Aaryn about it.

"I don't think she knows what exactly that… means. She wants to wait until things calm down a little," Thea supplied. "I thought about suggesting she spend some time with one of the Awakened."

"What for?" Vaelen asked.

"I don't know, to answer her questions? Maybe to show her a little bit of magic."

Vaelen pursed her lips at Thea.

"What?" Thea asked, defensive.

"You should be there with her. You know as well as any of the Awakened that it can be a stressful event. Having someone there that she trusts will be vital. And as for showing her a bit of magic? I think I know someone suited well enough for the job." Vaelen leaned across her desk. "Thea. Quit trying to find excuses not to spend time with her."

And Thea didn't know quite what to say to that. She stubbornly sipped her tea and ignored Vaelen's soft chuckle.

So what if Thea really wanted to be there when Aaryn awakened her connection with Starspark? To see magic glow within her eyes for the first time, feel it buzzing beneath her skin?

"You know… to welcome all the refugees, we'll be having a bonfire. Food and drink and hopefully fun. A distraction, I suppose some might call it."

Thea narrowed her eyes. "Okay. And?"

"Maybe you should ask Aaryn to go. With you."

Thea released a quiet breath and stared down into the pale honey of her tea. "Why would I do that?"

Vaelen rapped her knuckles on the desk. "It's been weeks. And before that—months. Just how long do you expect the two of you to dance around together? If it's my blessing you seek, well, consider it granted. I think Aaryn has proven herself well enough here. She saved me, after all. Stepped between my back and an arrow."