Uncomfortable Conversations

The fae call to men.

Lure them with their songs.

Seduce them with their unrivaled beauty.

Then send them on their way.

Sakura observed the fae as she doted on the devil. The girl’s hands sweeping across his face, the tipping of her toes, the pressing of her body, enticing him to her lips.

Again.

And again.

Fae find men to bring back to Summerland where they keep them until they have no more use for them. Then they send them back.

Insane.

Desperate for more.

A new man every time.

A human.

She studied the boy: the downward tilt of his head, his fingers curved around her hips, the softness of his eyes, how he met her.

Again.

And again.

But he wasn’t human. He was a devil and an angel.

An anomaly.

He was both.

But unlike either.

The fae use magic that don’t affect devils.

And yet he heard her call.

Followed it.

Sakura regarded both of them. The way they came together. Their bodies. Their eyes.

There was no magic or seduction.

It wasn’t merely love.

The girl and the boy…

They worshiped each other.

And it was getting to be a little much.

Sakura sighed and tapped her foot against the ground, her patience wearing ever thin. “Sometime today!” she barked from the path at the tree line.

Ivy startled, her body seizing in abashment before quickly kissing Zero once more and romping over to the woman who was waiting on her. “Are you ready?” her voice perky as she hooked her arm through the demon’s and pulled her along.

The woman rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah. I’m ready. You know you can stay, right? You don’t have to go to the village with me.”

“I want to,” the girl insisted. “It’s easier if two of us go, and I want to spend time with you that doesn’t involve us working.” Her voice lowered, a secret between the two of them. “And to be honest, if I have to listen to Zero and Ren talk about the construction of this cabin for a minute longer, I’m going to cry. I don’t care how they set the logs or place the stone or form the chimney. I just want it done. I need a break.” Their life had become a monotonous repetition of gathering materials for the cabin: digging and removing dirt, gathering stones, chopping down trees. Everyday felt almost the same, but the progress on the home was proof that each day was different— worthwhile.

Sakura tightened her hold on the girl, her feet moving with more urgency. “Good, me too. Let’s get out of here before they want us to do something else.”

They made their way down the path, chattering and giggling and spinning each other around. Ivy gushed over how many stunning stones she had pulled from the creek that morning for the floor in the cabin while Sakura griped about how Ren still hadn’t taken her back into the mountains to slay the snow dweller whose eye she had already stolen but lost. They strolled into the village, the woman holding the door to the shop open as the girl skipped inside and began exploring the new arrivals.

“When can we go to town?” Ivy asked as she looked over the limited selection of soap.

“You just want new boots, don’t you?”

The woman knew her well and the girl hid her smile. “Just one more pair,” she claimed innocently.

She snorted. “More like four. I don’t care if you spend all of Ren’s coin, but you’re not shoving all that shit in my house. You can wait to do it to your own.”

Ivy huffed as she picked a soap bar. She would just have to talk to Ren. He would be much more understanding.

They spoke with Torg as Okag was out running errands. He measured out the rice, beans, and oats they had requested while telling them he had gotten confirmation that the order for the pipe for plumbing had been received.

“You’ll be the only one with plumbing in all the north,” he boomed and laughed as Sakura failed to mask her contempt and Ivy beamed at the prospect of being in possession of such indulgence. It wouldn’t be like in the cities, but it would be hers.

The two women gathered their purchases and exited the shop, saying their good-byes. They began down the road, having only taken a few steps away from the door.

“Sakura?”

The fox stopped and turned to find a woman with auburn hair, her belly swollen and a little boy around three years of age holding her hand. She was older now, but the demon still recognized her as one of the girls in the group who would talk with her while she worked in the shop when she was younger. “Kindra.” She smiled politely. “How are you?”

“Good.” Kindra returned the smile, her gray eyes warm and friendly. “How have you been? It’s been so long. I heard that you and Ren have come back, and you brought along others.”

Sakura smoothed the timid girl’s hair. “Yeah, this is Ivy.”

“Ivy, well aren’t you just the loveliest thing. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She picked up the child who had begun to get antsy, pulling impatiently at his mother’s hand. “How’s Ren? And that boy… I forget his name?”

“Zero.”

“That’s right. Zero. I haven’t seen them since you’ve come back, but I ran into them a couple of years ago at the shop and got to talking with Ren.” She laughed lightly as she adjusted the child on her hip. “You know, I always thought that Ren was the most handsome man I’d ever seen until I saw Zero. My goodness, he’s absolutely stunning, isn’t he? It’s hard to imagine that Ren found him in the mountains and rescued him from that horrible clan. That poor, sweet boy. I just couldn’t believe it! But after seeing his red eyes, I mean, what other explanation could there be for them to be that color? After all, he’s certainly no devil.”

Sakura forced a tight, uncomfortable smile, having no idea what the woman was talking about and uncertain if she really wanted to know. “Yeah… it’s... crazy.”

“It is, but I don’t want to gossip.”

“No... of course not.”

“So, how are you and Ren? I know you always denied it, but it was obvious that you two were crazy about each other. And I guess I was right.” Kindra glanced at the demon’s shoulder, only slightly concealed by the thin straps of her baby blue dress. She used her free hand to sweep across her own collar bone. “When did all this finally happen?”

The fox hesitated, unsure of how she should respond with the unpleasant answer. “Seven years ago.”

Pretty or not, it was the truth.

Her eyes went wide, not having expected that response. “Oh, wow! Really? That long ago? That young?”

Sakura didn’t want to get into it. It would only lead to more questions that she wouldn’t want to answer. “Yeah. So, you’re looking great. How far along are you?” the demon asked, nodding at her stomach. The best way to change the subject was to get the other person to talk about themselves.

“Not far enough,” Kindra huffed as her hand found its way to the bump. “This one's a lot harder than he was.” She bounced the boy on her hip. “How about you? How many children do you and Ren have?”

The vixen did not set that one up to her benefit. “We don’t have any.”

“Oh!” Her face showed her surprise before the disconcertment slowly set in. “Well, these things happen in their own time.”

“They sure do.” She was well aware of what the woman was thinking, the pity in her eyes almost loud enough to hear. But Kindra was wrong. It wasn’t that she struggled to have a child. She had never tried, not even close. And after admitting to having been bound to Ren for the last seven years, it seemed like a much more uncomfortable confession to reveal. “I don’t want to keep you any longer. We have to head back, and I’m sure you’re busy as well. It was good seeing you!” She kept her tone chipper all while feeling on edge and ready to make an escape as quickly as possible.

She nodded, giving the demon a sympathetic turn of her lips. “It was good seeing you, too. I’m sure we’ll run into each other again. Give Ren and Zero my regards.”

Ivy glanced up at the woman as they turned and continued towards home, leaving Kinda behind to her own errands. Though Sakura had smiled and been friendly, the girl knew her well enough to know how excruciating that exchange was for her. The demon was physical, not emotional, and although she dove headfirst into everything she could put her hands on, she avoided all which she couldn’t. The girl didn’t know what to say, but she could ask. “Are you okay? That was kind of… awkward.”

The fox stared forward, chewing on her cheek. “Yeah, it was. I forgot how uncomfortable it could be talking to her. She did always love to pry.”

Ivy frowned. “I think it’s only uncomfortable because you make it that way. I thought she seemed nice.”

“I guess I do,” she sighed. “Kindra is nice, always has been. Her friends were, too. They used to come talk to me when I was younger, gossip and tell me all sorts of things. Always talking about whatever boy they were running around with. Always poking around, asking about Ren. I never minded listening, I actually learned a lot from them, but I’m not really good at talking about those sorts of things. Feelings and such.” She looked down at the girl who was seemingly always so open and honest with her emotions. “Not like you. I don’t know how you do it. You’ve always been so expressive and affectionate and upfront. You even have Zero opening up.” The vixen thought about the normally stoic devil. “Well, with you at least.”

“I don’t think it’s fair to compare.” Her violet eyes peered up gently at the woman. “Everyone’s different, and we all need and want different things. This is just what works for us. It won’t be the same for everyone. Honestly, I can’t imagine you and Ren acting like us, and Zero and me acting like the two of you.”

A small groan rumbled from Sakura’s throat. “I don’t think anyone needs to act like Ren and me.”

The girl giggled, “That’s probably true. I think you need to do what’s best for you and what’s best for Ren. It’s between you two. You have to do what works.” She hesitated. “Can I say what I really think?”

“Go ahead.”

“I think you’re afraid.”

“Afraid?” It wasn’t an answer that the woman had expected to hear. “Afraid of what?”

“Of Ren.”

She huffed at the absurd idea. “I’m not afraid of Ren!”

“You are,” Ivy argued, finding the courage to push forward and not back down. “Not necessarily because of who he is or what he can do, but you’re afraid to be vulnerable and intimate with him.”

Sakura faced forward, wishing she could go back and just stay home that day. Dragging logs suddenly didn’t sound so awful. “That’s ridiculous. I don’t even know what that means.”

The girl was on a roll and wasn’t going to let her go that easy. “It means opening up to someone even if they could hurt you but trusting that they won’t. Ren opens up to you, maybe a little too much… definitely too much, and I think that you want to as well. But for whatever reason, you always just skirt around it.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I have eyes and ears and a brain in my head.”

It really was hard arguing with that logic. “Okay,” the woman sighed, quietly admitting defeat. “So, how would I do that? Be vulnerable and intimate.”

“Hmmm… well, it doesn’t have to be anything drastic at first. Not everything has to be all or nothing.” Ivy shot the vixen a quick, accusing glance. “You could start a conversation about something that only pertains to the two of you. Zero and I often talk about our hopes and dreams and how we feel about certain things. We talk about our future and what that looks like. About the things we want for ourselves and from each other. You could do the same. Tell Ren what you want and ask what he wants.”

“I could probably do that. It doesn’t seem too hard.”

“It’s not, especially as you get used to it. The more you talk and open up to him, the easier it’ll get.”

“Well, look at you.” The demon smiled, proud of the shy fae. “Giving advice like a big girl.”

Ivy beamed, pleased to be of help. “Was it good advice?”

“I think so.”

It really was.

And it would probably be wise for her to take it.