Elegy for a Star

“What?!” Tess shouted aloud, even if the intended recipient was in her mind. The thought was cut off by a scream from the other room. Tess tensed, rushing to the other room. She was angry to give Miri a pass on that statement she just made, but there were more important things. 

Bursting through the door, she saw Mairaela and Gwen both standing. Mairaela was naked, covering herself with a sheet, while Gwendolyn was dressed and on the opposite end of the room, her sword drawn. She was looking up at the ceiling, where the hole in the roof was.

“Something is there,” Gwendolyn barked, pointing up at the hole, “I saw it.”

Mairaela looked up, leaning from one side to the other. Her ears perked up as she listened closely and she replied to Gwendolyn with a bit of irritation in her tone, “Well, there’s nothing there now! Did you have to frighten me like that?”

Gwendolyn didn’t look so convinced, tightening the grip on her sword and watching the ceiling like a hawk. Mairaela gave a sigh and went to gather up her clothes. Tess gave her at least a modicum of privacy by turning toward Gwen.

“What was it, Gwendolyn?” Tess asked, glancing up at the ceiling.

“Not sure,” she replied, “Some… dark thing. A shadow, but not a shadow. Big, white holes for eyes.”

There was a touch of anxiety in Tess’ mind, but it must have been Miri’s. Was she afraid of the danger, too? Did she and Gwendolyn sense something that Tess and Mairaela couldn’t?

“Let’s pack up,” Gwendolyn said, slowly letting her blade of light dissipate into the air, moving instead to the rest of her clothes and armor and getting prepared. When Tess looked back to Mairaela, the Fey was mostly dressed. All she was missing was her high-collared cloak, which she whipped around her back and clasped to the neck of her shirt.

“Hey, um,” Tess started, approaching Mairaela, “Can we talk?” Mairaela averted her eyes, focusing instead on summoning that light bow of hers. She tested the bowstring, giving it a flick that let out a light, pretty resonance, like a harp.

Mairaela looked up at Tess. She didn’t look mad, like the day before. She didn’t look… well, however she looked last night. She looked calm and collected, “Talk about what?”

“Last night,” Tess responded simply.

Mairaela gave a soft smile, as though it were some fond, distant memory, “Don’t sweat it. Was nice to let off some steam, right?” Something about her responses seemed off to Tess, but she didn’t want to press it.

“I thought it was a dream. I don’t remember going back to my bed,” Tess replied.

Mairaela chuckled, “Well, I felt the evidence of it between my legs and all over my body when I woke up in the middle of the night. Sure as the hells, it wasn’t a dream.”

“Do you feel strange about it?”

“Strange how?”

“I don’t know,” Tess said, rubbing her forehead and pushing some hair behind her ear, “Do you think it was weird that we did that? Do you regret it?”

“What are you getting at, Tess?” Mairaela asked, planting her hands on her hips and watching her closely.

Tess opened her mouth to speak, but she hadn’t quite thought of how to phrase it yet. It took her a moment, and Mairaela waited patiently, her expression shifting from suspicion to curiosity and to concern. “We were manipulated,” Tess finally said under her breath.

Mairaela’s ears perked up and she asked, “Hey, you came into my room.”

“No, we were both manipulated,” Tess repeated a little louder. Gwendolyn either wasn’t interested or didn’t hear, as she went into Joyona’s room and closed the door behind her. “Miri did something to me,” Tess spoke softly, “She fucked with my inhibitions. I never would’ve-...”

Mairaela looked concerned, “You wouldn’t have-...?”

“I mean, I would. I would love to. I mean, we did. I just-... I thought you were mad at me. Thought I was evil. I thought-... I didn’t know if we were still friends, Mairaela,” Tess replied. She felt some pressure behind her eyes. Don’t cry, she told herself.

“No,” Mairaela said, shaking her head, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it there. I just-...” She paused, eyes searching around for the words, “Sorry.” With concern, she asked, “Miri can control you? Mess with your mind?”

“I think giving her control yesterday has bound us a little more tightly. I can feel what she feels, sometimes,” Tess explained, “But then she makes a good point that I can’t just keep her locked away all the time. She’s a part of this too. She’s as trapped as I am, if not more so.”

“Aw, babe. You’re so sweet,” Tess could hear Miri hum in her mind. She tried ignoring her and focusing on Mairaela’s words instead.

Mairaela frowned and said, “She’s a demon, Tess.”

“I don’t know if she is,” Tess whispered, as though Miri couldn’t hear her, “She won’t be up front with me.”

“And you won’t fuck me like you fucked her,” Miri groaned in retaliation, “Where’s the fairness in that?”

Tess struggled to keep her commentary to herself, not wanting Mairaela to mistake her irritation for something else.

Mairaela looked irritated enough on her own after that statement, “Tess, I fought against her. She’s a demon. And even if she wasn’t? Then she’s something worse.”

Miri was silent at that, which was telling, Tess thought. What if she was something worse than a demon? Why wouldn’t Miri just be straightforward? They were in this body together. Wouldn’t knowing more about the situation help Tess to rectify that?

“Maybe. Either way, she manipulated you, too,” Tess said softly.

Mairaela’s eyes went wide before narrowing angrily, “What did she do?”

“Messed with my-... fuck, what were they called? Phera-...”

Mairaela raised an eyebrow.

“The word doesn’t matter. She made me smell a certain way to you. Like an aphrodisiac, I think. Made you want to sleep with me,” Tess said, hoping that the Fey wouldn’t take this out on Tess, “I promise that I had nothing to do with it,” Tess said with a worried look.

Mairaela looked relieved, “Oh thank the gods.” She laughed, “I thought that I’d been such a spineless slut.”

Tess quirked a brow. She must’ve looked confused.

“There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. I mean, it’s custom for me to sleep with someone when out and about on the road each night, or… well, I suppose in here, too. So no shame in it. It’s just something we do to relax after a long day,” Mairaela explained, “But we usually won’t do it with someone we killed and then killed us that day. I’m just relieved to know I don’t have to process my wanton lust today. Thanks for letting me know.”

“You’re not mad?” Tess asked.

“Nah,” Mairaela said with a wave of her hand, “Look. I’m glad that we had that moment together. I think it allowed us to get some things out of our system and reconnect a bit. But it’s going to make things worse if you end up being-... well, what I really hope you aren’t.”

“I’m not,” Tess insisted.

Mairaela gave a soft, sad smile, “I really hope so too, Tess. I like being around you.”

“I like being around you, too, Mairaela.”