Chapter 16:

Love Talk

The Serpent and The Dove


“No way! You can’t be serious!” Tetra leaned in, wide-eyed.

“That really is how it happened!” Mari insisted, bouncing in her seat. The two women were at a table in the hotel’s tearoom, catching up over tea and sweets. Mari had just completed her narration of everything that had happened from the start of the war in Ibis until the previous night.

“Dang.” Tetra leaned back in her chair, her chin resting thoughtfully on her arm. “ I’m jealous! Nothing interesting has happened on my trips in a while. All people want to read about lately is places that anyone can travel to.” She sighed while Mari grinned playfully and shoveled more strawberry cake in her mouth.

“I’m surprised, though. I never expected you to fall in love with a human. And a mercenary at that.” Tetra raised an eyebrow. “You may be free spirited, but you aren’t dumb. That’s something crazy, even for you.”

Mari looked down into her untouched tea. "Yeah, I wasn’t expecting it either but...” The image of Azreal’s tear-streaked yet softly smiling face while he pet her mane loomed in her mind. That vulnerability, the same vulnerability he’d shown the other night....

“His heart is pure, and his mind is innocent. I don’t know how that can be possible with the life he’s lived, but it’s real. Truly virtuous humans are rare, but to be so good that you can perceive a unicorn’s true form...! Not even many clergy members or saints have been capable of that.” She stared out the window at the birds that passed by.

“This world was created to be good, but it’s messed up and hurting. I’ve never despised humans the way other unicorns do, but when you’ve been alive long enough to see the sorts of things humanity can do...” Mari smiled wistfully. “When I saw how pure Azreal’s spirit was, even though he lives on the dark-side of the world and does work that is considered corrupt and cruel even by soldiers... I couldn’t help it. When you find deep, true goodness in others, you can’t help but feel attracted to it. How could I not fall in love with him?” She looked back to Tetra. “I’m not saying he’s an absolute angel. He has killed, and he has issues, but he’s still a very good person.”

“Hmm, I get it. Your kind is attracted to faith and purity of the soul. It makes sense that that would be your standard for romance.” Tetra nodded.

“I think it’s more the fact that Azreal intentionally wants to be good and righteous. He tries so hard, even though he’d have every excuse to give up. People who choose to be good despite every reason otherwise have strong hearts.”

“I didn’t realize you were such a romantic, Mari.” Tetra teased as she sipped her tea. Mari sputtered..

“H-hey! I just wanna be with the person I love and admire! Is that such a weird thing?”

Tetra laughed. “I’m just kidding. Seriously though,” She looked Mari up and down and smiled warmly. “You look happy and content. It’s like you’ve finally found yourself. Regardless of where your relationship stands, I think your boyfriend and your new family have been good for you. Your mind and soul seem...healthier somehow.”

“Oh?” Mari casually shrugged but couldn’t help but think Tetra was right. ‘ I don’t feel so restless or empty anymore. I still remember things about my family, but the guilt and bad memories aren’t eating away at me the way they used to when I was alone. I’m doing things solely to enjoy them, not to try and shut up my mind.

The two snacked in silence for a few moments before a mischievous look came across Tetra’s eyes. “So...I’m assuming he’s a virgin then?”

“Tetra! No, just no, you absolute creep!” Mari facepalmed in embarrassment as she hoped that no one overheard them.

Where most elves were serious, graceful and refined, Tetra was playful and easy-going. Like Unicorns, Elves typically stayed among their own kind. With their immortality and superior wisdom and magic, elves looked down on mankind, as well. Though, in Mari’s experience, elves were far more genteel about their anti-human biases. Tetra was famous as ‘the traveling elf’, due to her books and articles written on her travels and experiences. Most elves who lived outside of the Elven kingdoms worked for magicians or in royal courts. An elf living intermingled with other species by choice was practically unheard of. Tetra’s aristocratic family had high hopes for her becoming a professor but were horrified at her choice to “throw away” her intelligence on such a frivolous endeavor as wandering the earth as a travel writer. Tetra didn’t care. Her personal philosophy was ‘if we’re going to live forever, then we should see everything instead of hiding for eternity’. That’s how the two girls had become best friends centuries ago; they were both unusual creatures who desired adventure. On the surface, Tetra could pass as being more refined and mature than Mari, until she let the act up.

‘Somethings never change.’ Mari thought in embarrassment. I know that she likes to joke about that because of the stringent standards for who can see divine beings. It’s harmless but...the inside joke is far less funny when we’re talking in public!

Tetra lost it with laughter. “Oh my God, your face! Totally worth it!” she cackled.

Mari rolled her eyes. “Har-har. Funny. But if you really wanna know I’m pretty sure he is. He loves God and is shockingly innocent so...” She shrugged noncommittally.

The elf coughed. “Sorry. I already know the religious and ethical standards we share when it comes to...romantic relationships... so I was just messing with you like normal. I wasn’t trying to be demeaning of your boyfriend. Apologizes for crossing the line.” Tetra knew she could be out of line with her humor. She was frequently irreverent and put people off, but she always meant it in jest. In her opinion, God made sentient beings to have a sense of humor, so people shouldn’t be so overly sensitive. But that didn’t mean she had the right to steamroll over everyone else's feelings. She noticed that Mari suddenly looked serious. “Are you mad?”

“Oh, I’m not upset. It’s just got me thinking.” Mari leaned her chin on her hands. “Azreal’s...he’s not technically my boyfriend yet. I don’t even know if he loves me back...” Mari had knownthat she’d have to build a relationship with Az and that they wouldn’t be a couple right away, but she didn’t feel like she was making much progress.

“I’m scared he won’t.” She admitted to Tetra. “Yes, friendship is the first thing necessary to form a relationship but...what if I’m too annoying? I’m a divine being with supernatural power and immortality. What if he’s scared of me?” She’d already told Tetra about the two's early miscommunication and squabbles.

“I know Nanny thinks we’ll end up together and getting married, and that’s what I want, but...am I really capable of being loved?”

There, she’d said it. She’d been dancing around the worries in her head but, at her core, Mari was worried that no one would ever be able to love her and that she was undeserving of being loved. Other than her niece Amui, no one had ever treated her like she was anything but a nuisance and a burden. Despite proudly declaring herself to be a ‘abnormal unicorn’, deep down, she’d spent years wondering if she actually had been born wrong. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t act like the rest of her species or earn her tribe's acceptance. ‘If my own kind rejects me, if not even my family can accept me, then can a human love me? Can anyone love me?’

Tetra reached across the table and grasped Mari’s hand firmly. “Mari, I’ve known you for hundreds of years. Just because you are different does not mean that there is anything wrong with you. Just because other people were mean doesn't mean that you deserved it. Even if the entire world hated your guts, if you weren’t doing anything evil, you still wouldn’t be responsible for their feelings and actions.” She smiled in assurance at Mari. “I don’t know Azreal or his family, But I can tell that you are already incredibly loved by all of them just by the way you talk about them. You deserve to be loved and happy just as much as anyone, so don’t you ever say that you don’t. Relationships take time. You may have fallen in love with Azreal at first sight, but you are a far more emotional and easily attached person that he is. He’s been through trauma and struggles to trust others; of course, it will take a while for him to develop feelings for you! It has nothing to do you with you as a person.”

Mari looked at her. “Yeah, I knew all along that I’d have to be patient with Az but...” She trailed off, too scared to say anything else.

“Mari, if you know Azreal’s been hurt and are still willing to love him and be patient with him, then shouldn’t you extend that same grace to yourself?” Mari stared in confusion. “Think about it.” The elf prompted gently. “You’re so patient with Azreal because you have empathy for him and care about his well-being. I know you struggle to admit how much you’ve been hurt by your family and how depressed you’ve really been, but you should still have that same empathy and patience for your own pain. A healthy relationship and trust between two people taking time to build is normal. You’re not a failure.”

“Y-your right.” Mari realized hesitantly, squeezing Tetra’s hand. “I have been enjoying myself. I don’t care how long it takes Azreal to return my feelings. If he never returns them, then that would be painful, but I’d still want to be around him because he makes me happy. Despite that, I’ve been acting like our relationship solely reflects on me and my value as a person. And that’s stupid. That’s not love, or how relationships work, and Az would be horrified at me thinking that way.”

Tetra squeezed Mari’s hand in return. “You’re my friend, Mari, and it kills me to see you not only doubt yourself but be oblivious to your own pain and emotions. I want you to be happy, but that can’t happen if you don’t deal with your own pain.” She smiled brightly. “Don’t worry. If you ever need to be reminded how amazing you are and how much you deserve to be loved, I’ll always be here to slap some sense into you. I’m jealous that you’re the one who got a boyfriend first, but I’ll be cheering you on and always be here to give advice!”

“But you just said you never had a boyfriend, so how much can you really help me?” Mari smirked. Tetra snorted and gently flicked her on the side of her head.

“There she is! The bubbly Mari that I know!”

Mari giggled. She was glad that she’d run into her old friend again. It was just what she needed to stop subconsciously feeling anxious and sorry for herself.

Tetra poured herself some more tea. “So, now that we’ve talked about your love life, it’s my turn!” the elf gushed. “I’ve heard stories that you wouldn’t believe, but I’ve had no one to share them with!” She tossed her hair as she stirred her tea. “The noblewomen and socialites that invite me to their gatherings are so boring! All they want to do is fawn over me or talk about gossip and clothes! They never want to talk about current events or what sort rumors are going around about dark magic activity! What sort of sad life are human women living?”

Mari leaned in. “Ooh! Magic rumors! Is it more panic about cults again?” Tetra gestured wildly. “Seriously! The kind of stuff humanity is actually scared of! If any of those cults were real, the holy nights would have been deployed ages ago! But this junk just spreads even more as the claims get more bizarre!”

“Tell me!” Mari said, clapping her hands together in excitement to hear about human foolishness.

“So, it started going around that-”

As the sun blazed overhead, the two abnormal creatures spent a pleasant afternoon trading rumors like school children.