Page 59 of Escape from the Green

"How did you get here?" I asked, not moving away. He didn't either. We just stood there as though it was completely normal to have a conversation while embracing in the bathroom. Both of us, it seemed, were too starved for affection to care how it may have looked. Besides, no one was around to see.

"Smoky knew the way back to the veil. She was, essentially, a feral child, raised in the woods. She knows all the secrets. She even knew where my family land was when no one else has a clue. And so we started back, only to be intercepted by Sal who Smoky has a, ah, history of sorts with. He spent some time in the human realm when he was younger, so he knew a bit more than Smoky or I did about getting around, how to get here. We had to take a ferry," he said, testing out the word. "And hang around the city for a day and a half."

"You trust them?"

There was a short pause, the kind that didn't exactly instill confidence. "Enough," he decided. "Enough that I think we will all be safe on our way back."

"Are they getting something in turn?"

"Smoky is. Though she has yet to tell me what that is."

Risky.

That was a risky move.

You never had any idea what a fae may ask of you. Maybe just a solid meal, maybe to help overthrow one of the Courts.

But those were worries for another day. There were plenty to hold us over for this one.

"What about Sal?"

"Think he just wanted an excuse to spend some time with Smoky. She's a bit, ah..."

"Prickly?" I supplied.

"Yeah, that works. She is always looking for a way to push him away. So, this way, he gets to spend time with her without her being able to make him leave, or run off herself."

"That's... kind of sweet," I decided, maybe not letting him know exactly how sweet I thought it was, that it made my heart go a bit gooey for her. Even if hers was hardened, mine could feel for the situation, for the pang of unrequited love.

"Yeah, it is. She might not see it, might be too damaged to understand the concept of love, but it's nice to see. Haven't exactly witnessed much of that kinda thing in a long time. Good to know it still exists."

"If you don't stop pawing at me, so help you, I will slice your hand off," Smoky's voice yelled through the bathroom door, making both of us snort/laugh at her timing.

"In my defense," Drake said, pulling away slightly, "I said it was nice, not that she was nice."

"An important distinction," I agreed, smiling even if losing his arms from around me made a swirl of disappointment come over me.

"Is there anything in here you think you will need to grab?" he asked, looking around the small space.

"I don't think any of this will be able to cross the veil. I do have some extra blankets stored in the linen closet though; those might come in handy. Has the snow melted at all?"

"No," he told me, shrugging. "I think it will be a good, long while before we see any relief from it."

"It's a good thing I didn't get rid of my winter things then," I agreed, moving back as far as I could so he had room to move out of the way of the door, opening it, moving halfway out.

"It's not my fault there is no space to move around without brushing into you, Smoke," Sal's voice claimed, calm, unaffected, not at all pierced by her barbs.

I found the blankets I mentioned, grabbed the bags I had left The Green with as well before moving into the living space. "There are nuts above the fridge," I added. "And seeds," I told them, digging around in my small chest to find my two long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks, underthings, and a few pieces of clothing for the warmer months as well, not knowing if or when I would be able to get new supplies when living on Drake's ancestral land. I didn't have a lot of room left in the bag, but I stashed two books in anyway, figuring that with Smoky and Sal packing the food in other bags, I could spare the space for such an indulgence.

"Should I pack my human money?"

I'd used a big chunk of it getting the apartment, and the things I needed to put in it to make it feel like home. But I had been working. I had managed to replace a little bit of it. And, if I was leaving, the rent money I had set aside could be included in the lump sum as well.

Drake exchanged looks with his new friends. It was Sal who spoke. "It could be more valuable than most realize. In the lean months when food is hard to come by, a little human money could be invaluable for anyone willing to go out of the veil. I'm thinking dads with hungry kids would be willing to make the trek. And exchange other goods for it."

"Okay," I nodded, finding the few separate stashes of cash since I had yet to figure out how the whole banking situation worked, and pushing them to the bottom of my bag. "I think that is every..." My sentence was cut off by the sharp rapping at my door.

Everyone stiffened.