"Halon?"
Lohan turned slowly, looking a little uncertain.
Standing at the entrance to the Silver Crucible, bathed in sunlight, was Aeliana. Her long blonde hair fell softly over her shoulders, and she held a scroll bearing the seal of the Tower of Yrneha against her chest, but the usual sparkle in her blue eyes was noticeably and painfully dimmed.
Upon seeing Lohan, the elf froze, and Lohan felt a pang of guilt knowing that the reason she was like this was because of him.
The last time they’d seen each other, he’d jumped out of her lap abruptly, leaving her alone and confused in the middle of the city so he could run after Lisa.
He felt like a scoundrel for having treated the first friend he’d made in Elysium that way, even if it was to explain himself to his best friend and companion, after all, Aeliana wasn’t to blame for anything.
Beside him, Lisa tensed her muscles. Her two white tails stopped swaying, and her golden eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at the elf.Inside, Isabella felt a whirlwind of emotions; she felt deeply ashamed of the impulsive display of jealousy that had caused that misunderstanding.
However, seeing Aeliana, who was undeniably beautiful, affectionate, and had a "long-standing" connection with Halon, set off all her warning bells.
"Halon? I didn’t expect to find you here... again," Aeliana said, her voice wavering, laden with anticipation and a hint of reluctance that cut through the air. She avoided looking directly at Lisa, focusing only on the Slime.
Lohan realized he needed to act fast. He didn’t want to push Aeliana away; she had treated him with pure kindness ever since he was just a little blue ball digesting grass, she who had helped him in his early development, giving him Mana Stones for free, hidden from her own master, just because she wanted what was best for him.
He liked Lisa, but that didn’t mean he should erase the other friendships he’d built.
"Aeliana! Hello," Lohan transmitted through the mental link, using the gentlest, most sincere tone he could muster. "I... I really wanted to meet you so we could talk."
Aeliana pressed the scroll against her body and took a step to the side, trying to maintain a distance that hadn’t existed before. "I just came to buy some supplies and reagents for my master, Yrneha," she explained, referring to the Archmage. "She’s angry about the delay in some deliveries. I’m just going to talk to Intervar and then I’ll leave... I don’t want to interrupt your outing again."
Those last words were like an icy thorn in Lohan’s heart.
He rolled forward, stopping just inches from Aeliana’s feet, and formed a small blue hand that lightly touched her leather boot.
"Aeliana, please, listen to me," Lohan said, his mental voice heavy with an honesty that made the elf stop. "I’m sorry for leaving you like that the other day. It was a mistake; I acted on impulse and didn’t consider your feelings.
You were the first person to treat me like a real person in this world, and I never, under any circumstances, wanted to hurt you or make you feel disposable."
Lisa watched the scene in silence, maintaining the mental connection between Lohan and the elf even though she didn’t feel comfortable with their closeness, a blush of shame rising up her neck. She wanted to intervene, perhaps apologize as well, but pride and shyness kept her frozen in place, opting for stoicism because she didn’t know what to do.
Aeliana looked at the small, jelly-like hand and then at Lohan’s pulsating core.
She sighed, a long sound that carried the weight of the heartache of the past few days. "It’s okay, Halon... I accept your apology," she said hesitantly, though her expression remained serious. "But I want you to know that I felt really bad. I thought we were real friends, but you left me there without saying a word, as if I were just an obstacle. It was... it was humiliating."
Lohan vibrated his mass, trying to convey as much calm as possible through the link. "I know, and I promise that will never happen again. You’re important to me, Aeliana; my heart will always have a place for you, whether as an ally or just as the friend who gave me the best sweets in Thalendor."
Aeliana finally allowed a subtle smile to surface, though there was still a hint of caution in her gaze.
Lohan, sensing the elf’s vibration through the touch of her small, jelly-like hand, realized that the atmosphere was finally beginning to clear, but he knew that the weakest link in that reconciliation was still Lisa’s silence.
Lohan caught a faint glimpse of Lisa’s whirlwind of emotions through the mental link, a dense mix of guilt, shame, and the stubbornness she’d been raised to have, which she’d inherited from her life as an heiress.
To him, Lisa wasn’t the untouchable heiress of the Vance Group that everyone feared; she was just the fox girl, his combat partner, and his best friend, who sometimes acted irrationally because she didn’t know how to deal with normal human feelings.
"Lisa..." Lohan transmitted through the private link, with an encouraging gentleness that made the fox shiver. "I’m not the only one who owes an explanation here, right? Aeliana risked her life for us by bringing those Mana Stones, and she doesn’t deserve to carry this resentment because of a misunderstanding between the two of us."
Lisa tensed her hind legs, and Lohan noticed that the blush of shame on her neck was becoming even more pronounced.
She hated being vulnerable; she hated having to admit that her impulsive jealousy had caused pain to a girl in this world whom Lohan considered important. However, under the fixed, expressive gaze of Lohan’s artificial eyes, Lisa realized that, to him, sincerity was worth far more than any pretense of prestige she might put on.
Walking with an elegance, yet hesitantly, the white fox took a step forward, stopping beside Lohan. She avoided looking directly at Aeliana at first, but then lifted her head, allowing her golden eyes to meet the elf’s blue ones, who finally looked at her as well.
"Aeliana..." Lisa’s telepathic voice rang in the elf’s mind, but this time there was none of the cutting coldness from before. There was a very human hesitation. "Halon is right. I... I acted in a way that doesn’t befit the position of an ally. That day, I allowed irrational impulses to cloud my judgment. I’m sorry for causing that discomfort and for making you feel humiliated. It wasn’t out of malice, it was because I didn’t know how to react when I saw Halon so close to someone else he knew before me."
Aeliana’s eyes widened.
To her, this little Spirit Fox had always been a creature with a commanding aura, an "Ice Queen" who exuded an almost divine authority. Seeing that legendary and proud beast let her guard down and apologize so sincerely and shamefully was a cultural and emotional shock.
The elf looked at Lohan, who gave a small thumbs-up with his bluish hand, and then refocused on Lisa. The resentment Aeliana had been harboring began to dissipate, replaced by the realization that the fox was just as "human" in her mistakes as she herself was.
"It’s okay, Lisa... I accept it," Aeliana replied, her voice finally regaining its usual sweet, melodious tone. "To be honest, I was also a little scared by your reaction, but Halon has always spoken very highly of you... and if he says you’re a team, I believe him. I just hope that next time, you’ll join the outing instead of running away!"
Lisa let out a sigh of relief so deep that her white tails swayed involuntarily. The weight crushing her chest vanished, and surprise washed over her upon hearing Aeliana’s invitation, causing a small smile to form on her face as she nodded in agreement to the girl’s proposal.
Lohan, satisfied with the emotional connection he had just restored, vibrated his body and leaped onto Lisa’s back, who didn’t protest.
"It’s good that we’re all on the same page now," Lohan conveyed, feeling reinvigorated. "Now, Aeliana, we have a long day of hunting ahead of us, but if you’re free, how about the three of us have some fun eating some sweets tonight?"
Aeliana laughed, hugging Lohan and Lisa simultaneously in a gesture that, by some miracle, Lisa allowed without trying to incinerate anyone. "Yess!!"