Suri

Padric shifted uncomfortably on top of the undergrowth they had set up camp at. He dropped a bundle of dry sticks onto the ground not far away from where Nightingale was resting. He watched her mumble to herself in her sleep, tormented by recent events no doubt. The girl looked so much like Shayliss that he caught himself seeing his old friend's face when Nightingale was in the corner of his peripheral. He squatted down beside the sticks, fumbling with a few bundles of moss and smaller twigs and got the fire going.

“What is your purpose here exactly?” Suri had floated nearby, her translucent nude figure a little too close for Padric’s comfort.

“Just trying to repay a friend.” Padric said. The fire spilled warmth across him and he setup to boil some water.

Suri didn’t seem convinced. “An old debt? You must owe someone a lot to be risking your life like this.” She squinted her eyes. “Perhaps lots of money?”

Padric couldn’t help but smile at the strange girl’s naivety. “No.” he said shaking his head. “Not money, more like love I suppose.”

“Love?” Suri showed a wicked grin. “For the princess here?”

“No... not her.” Padric waved Suri out of his way and moved to the other side of the fire to sit. “Her sister. She means a lot to me. We went to the Institute together. Even adventured for many years.”

“Like this?” Suri asked looking around. “Leaving danger and death in your wake?”

“Not exactly. We found ourselves getting into more innocent trouble.” Padric knew that was a lie, and his look must have showed it because Suri whirled in excitement.

“I doubt that’s true. You must tell me these stories sometime. Stories of love, and...” She paused with a smirk, “innocent adventure.”

Padric let out a soft laugh. “How about you Suri? A girl from a forbidden realm, helping a man she’s forbidden to see, star crossed lo-” Suri cut him off.

“I do not love him! Such silly words from a human. Illogical emotions stemming from such weak character are below my kind.” She snapped out of existence and returned, blinking behind the fire light. “Rook is simply an academic project for me. A dangerous one I will admit, but nothing more than that.”

A long moment passed and Padric poured hot water into a metal cup to let tea steep. “Wanting something you can’t have isn’t a good idea anyway. If you’re not careful it will easily consume you, leaving you unable to be happy with anything else.”

“Really?” Suri’s eyes went wide with concern. “What is this illness called? What are its symptoms?” Suri began inspecting herself, and at first Padric thought she was joking, but she kept looking at him with an intense look expecting him to tell her.

“Academic interest you say?” Padric offered the metal cup towards her. “Tea?”

She just stared back with a look of disapproval. “I will not take your tea or your trickery! There is no such disease that causes this kind of permanent longing is there?”

Padric shrugged and saw Nightingale move out of the corner of his eyes. “Oh, I don’t know about that.”