Her ears perked up. "Oh? If it’s to pay to stay here, no need. You can stay for as long as you want, for free."
"As long as you keep it clean, that is."
Uriel shook his head, but just as he was about to continue, his eyes widened as he rembered.
"Oh! Thank god you’re reminding , how much do I owe you for the pills again? I totally forgot." He spoke apologetically, his mark flashing, ready to take out as many aether crystals as needed.
Ayah waved a hand dismissively. "There’s no need. Your... sacrifice paid back more than I could have ever given."
The air tensed for the briefest mont at the ntion of Uriel’s Death Advent, but he himself didn’t seem to mind, acting as though he hadn’t heard her.
"Well, anyway," he said, setting his elbows on the table and leaning forward slightly, "that wasn’t what I was going to propose, though I can’t thank you enough for this."
"I don’t really like sleeping in my dinsional space. Alone."
He paused for a mont, tongue sliding across his polished teeth.
"At the end of the grace period, once the settlent barrier is put down, we’re gonna be leaving, and we have a plan."
He threw Enoch a glance. "Most likely."
His gaze returned to Ayah.
"Would you like to co with us? I don’t really see anyone else around here, or across the settlent, that you’re close with, and I don’t think it’d be a good idea for you to be left alone."
"As strong as you may or may not be, it’s always better to be accompanied." He smiled. "Plus, though I’m not there yet, the bastard beside is strong enough to cradle the both of us. He owes at least this much."
Enoch clicked his tongue in annoyance but didn’t interrupt.
Ayah, who seed shaken by his words, remained silent as well, intently looking at Uriel, her azure eyes imperceptibly narrowed.
Seeing the hesitation on her face, Uriel didn’t panic.
"Even if you don’t truly trust us, purely from a point of survival, I think we’re your highest odds."
He flicked a hand, and a spell circle appeared atop his palm, slowly spinning as aether gathered into it, turning into droplets of water that danced in the air.
Enoch’s gaze didn’t budge, but internally he was shocked, finding it hard to believe Uriel had beco so comfortable with spellcasting so quickly.
Ayah, too, was shocked, aware that Uriel himself hadn’t even truly begun cultivating and evolving.
"In a few days, once I consolidate all I’ve gained and go through all my rewards, I should be able to defend myself, and he already knows how to." He nodded slightly toward Enoch. "But he should also get stronger in the coming days."
His palm trembled, and the droplets of water turned to ice.
"And if we invest the common resources we have into you, and you focus on training, I think you can get as strong as, or even stronger than, us."
"Together, I think our odds of survival are quite high."
Ayah exhaled slowly. "And... what do you gain from this?"
She didn’t understand where this sudden request was coming from. As friendly as she was with the two, the truth was that she’d only t them a week and so days ago.
Though she trusted them, for her own reasons, it didn’t make sense for them to trust her.
She was confused, especially considering she’d displayed no special ability that could entice them in terms of survivability.
It made no sense.
Uriel tilted his head. "A teammate. We gain a teammate."
"I’m a good judge of character, which is why he isn’t protesting. And either way, I don’t think either of us loses anything."
DING! DING! DING!
A series of bells echoed throughout the house.
Ayah looked up, frowning, then closed her palm into a fist, the bells stopping. "I have to go to work."
Uriel nodded. "That’s fine. Take your ti. We’ll be here until the barrier settles, so there’s no rush."
...
Ayah headed upstairs to the third floor, getting ready to leave as her shift at the Emporium began.
Enoch and Uriel were left alone at the table, the latter still eating.
"Where did this suddenly confident and charismatic persona co from?" Enoch asked.
"We’ve only really ever interacted while I was massively sleep-deprived, or fresh out of a deadly encounter. Plus, I like Ayah, so I’m comfortable around her."
Enoch raised a brow. "You ’like’ Ayah?"
"You don’t?" Uriel asked back, dubitative.
"I do, but—you know what I an."
Uriel shrugged. "No, not really. She’s a kind lady who gave pills while I was on the verge of death, took into her house for free, and just fed a buffet."
"Plus, she sohow let you stay here as well. She also showed us how to use our marks, among other things. She also loves furniture."
"What’s there not to like about a friend like her?"
Enoch sighed, massaging his forehead. "You can’t just trust any and all people because they’re nice. You don’t marry a lady at a brothel just because she gave you a kiss on the cheek."
Uriel frowned. "What about her is comparable to a brothel lady? You’re being ungrateful."
"Also, why are we even having this conversation? She quite literally cannot bear any ill intent toward us without knowing."
"But that’s not how the human heart works," Enoch lanted. "She may be full of love today, but what about tomorrow?"
"Will you be able to trust her when your life is on the line? When you fall on the battlefield, are you sure she’ll co pick you up? That she won’t just run?"
Uriel didn’t answer imdiately.
He set his cutlery down, exhaled, and leaned back in his chair.
"No, but I choose to trust nonetheless. You threw to my death because you trusted I’d survive. And inversely, the only reason I’m not shattering your core right now is because I trust you’ll have an explanation I’ll like once she’s gone."
Enoch’s eyes widened, suddenly feeling all the natal aether in his core shake, the reins that controlled it torn away and falling into Uriel’s hands.
"And you trust that I won’t kill you right now because you’ve known for years," Uriel continued with a smile. "But at so point, you didn’t."
"Trust has to start sowhere."
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