Grey wasn’t releasing any clear pressure, but Alvin felt like he was frozen in place. There was something in those eyes that seemed to reflect bloody murder, a look that seemed to tap into something visceral and guttural that the man couldn’t explain.
At that moment, Grey suddenly felt a hand slip into his.
He looked to the side to find Mauve had taken his palm.
"Babe, we can figure all of this out later. Amunet will surely be at the tournament, and we can settle scores with Alvin when that time comes as well. Then people will know the truth and there won’t be anyone to accuse you of being a loose cannon."
Grey looked down at his hand. ’Damn, her hand is soft.’
Grey laughed. "Alright. I’m sure that’s the case, too. Let’s go, then."
For the time being, Grey decided to let it go. Considering how fast Alvin got here, if Amunet was here or willing to show herself, she would have already come too.
Grey’s senses couldn’t quite cover the whole of the hub, only about 40% of it or so. It could be said that it was quite large, but that only made sense given how many people had to commune here.
If she was here, she could probably still hide from him, especially considering there was apparently more than one that "looked" like her. And if she wasn’t here, well... she would be here soon.
They walked away while Brad and Stella quickly followed after.
Brad’s eyes couldn’t help but linger on where their hands met, but he lowered his head in the end, not saying anything.
**
Soon, Mauve had led Grey into a small tent. Well, compared to the usual size of tents, it was actually quite decent. You could stand to your full height in it, and it could seat a six person dining table. But compared to some of the tents that Grey had seen in other spaces, it was small.
Mauve pulled him in and then let go of his hand.
"I’m sorry," she said. "I didn’t explain the situation well enough."
Grey laughed. "It’s not your fault. You explained it well enough, I just didn’t care because I decided that I wanted to do what I wanted to do. That’s just how I always am. Even if you made it any clearer it wouldn’t have changed anything."
Mauve sighed. She felt that Grey wasn’t lying. He really was someone who marched to the beat of his own drum.
"I’m also sorry about taking your hand, I hope that wasn’t too much. I know what it looks like, but..."
Mauve’s voice trailed off. It obviously looked like a power play. Grey had just introduced himself as something powerful and then she came out and tried to make it seem like she was his woman when they clearly didn’t have that sort of relationship yet.
For a man as sharp as Grey, he could easily feel a bad taste in his mouth as a result of it, but Grey didn’t seem to mind it at all.
It was hard to tell, though, if that was because he really didn’t care, or if it was because he was just that confident in himself and the sort of man that he was.
Grey was just too hard to read and it was impossible to make the choices that needed to be made. She had thought that he was the murderous sort, then she thought he was the simple sort, now she wasn’t even sure what "sort" he was.
What she knew for sure was that there was a lot more going on in his head than he let on.
Grey chuckled. "I don’t care that much. What do I lose by people thinking a pretty girl is with me? The lads call that aura."
Mauve’s lip twitched again and Grey couldn’t help but start laughing. Luckily for her, Brad and Stella came in swiftly afterward to save her from more teen slang.
The two of them looked a bit uncomfortable, not sure what to do with their hands or where exactly to look. For a moment, Grey couldn’t help but wonder if these were the same three people who were constantly trying to kill him.
But he guessed that maybe this was the way the world worked. They saw the worst in him, and he had likewise seen the worst in them. Of course, that was because they had actually tried to kill him, but if he was being charitable, at least they "thought" they had good reason.
"What do you guys know about those shadow people?" Grey asked.
"If you want to ask about the Amunet you mentioned, we have never heard about her," Mauve said.
Grey nodded. "It’s hard to tell who’s who when they shroud themselves like they do. I guess they’re using that tactic on purpose?"
"It seems so." Brad said with a nod. "We only know that there are 15 of them and they represent their First to Fifth Rankers, that and the fact their First Ranker is someone named ’J Dog’."
Grey laughed. "What? Is he a rapper or something?"
Brad gave a smile and shrugged.
Grey shook his head. "Unless this J Dog is a real gangster, there is absolutely zero chance he’s really their First Ranker. The Instance I helped Amunet to clear wasn’t a normal one. She’d have to be a real incompetent idiot to end up weaker than someone in her own team. She is definitely their First Ranker even if she didn’t start off that way."
"What do you want to do about it, then?" Mauve asked.
There seemed to be a hint of worry in her voice like she thought Grey might fly off the handle and go hunting right now.
"We can let it slide for now," Grey said with a chuckle. "It’s been a while since I’ve had a nap that didn’t come from me being knocked out first. Wake me up when the tournament starts."
Grey moved to the side, found a nice little cot to lay in, then cursed himself for not spending money on something that could help with this.
In less than half a minute, he was snoring, his face becoming magically covered in his Helm Frame.