Do you think I would be a good theraphist?

   Sitting in the dim cage with the others, I kept my eyes on the surroundings, watching the way the trees passed beyond the iron bars, waiting for the right moment to give the signal. The air inside the cage felt heavy, filled with quiet tension—faint whispers, the occasional creak of the truck’s frame, and the dull rhythm of wheels turning along the uneven forest trail.

   The hooded girl squatted beside me without a sound, her cloak shifting slightly with the movement.

   “I hope everything will be fine,” she said softly, her voice carrying a hint of nervousness.

   I glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. “You do realize that quotes like that bring bad luck, right?”

   Her eyes widened under the shadow of her hood, and she stammered, “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t know.”

   “Calm down. I was just teasing you a little.”

   “I-I see…”

   She let out a small breath, settling down a bit.

   Wanting to shift her mind off the nerves, I tried to change the topic.

   “Don't worry. According to my calculations, the chances of success are about ninety-five percent. Unless something unexpected happens, everything should go fine.”

   She tilted her head a slightly, then asked. “Doesn’t saying things like that also bring bad luck?”

   I blinked. “…True.”

   She got me there.

   She giggled, the sound light and unexpected in the tension of the moment. It caught me off guard, but I didn’t say anything, letting her enjoy the brief moment of levity.

   When her laughter faded, she said suddenly. “You are truly amazing.”

   I frowned slightly, surprised by the sudden compliment. “Why so sudden?”

   “Despite being in such a terrible situation, you kept your composure and came up with a plan to get us out of here. And more than that… you convinced everyone to believe in it. We were all hopeless before, but now... there’s a bit of hope again. And that’s because of you. Thank you.”

   I stared at her for a moment, then shook my head. “I didn’t do anything praiseworthy,” I replied, my voice calm but firm. As I spoke, I reached down to stroke the puppy, who was curled up at my side. It shifted slightly, letting out a soft huff of contentment under my hand. “I did what was necessary. That’s all.”

   The girl didn’t argue. She simply smiled under her hood, with that kind of quiet, knowing smile that said, "If you say so…"

   I leaned back against the cage bars, stroking the puppy absentmindedly. Her words about my supposed brilliance hung in the air, but they didn’t sit right with me.

   Amazing, huh?

   That’s not what it felt like to me.

   The truth was, I hadn’t done anything amazing. I just got ahead with a heat of the moment. I interrupted that boy only because it pissed me that his behaviour was so similar to mine from that day. I’m not even sure why.

   Suddenly words started to come out of my mouth, and before I realized everyone was looking at me. I had a feeling that they might beat me up after slapping that wolf boy. Then, I thought I could use that situation for my advantage.

   I told them that I had an idea of how to escape from this cage. When in reality, I was coming with idea while talking. Luckily, I managed to come up with something before it was too late. That is why, I’m not really proud of this.

   If anyone deserves praise, it’s her.

   I let out a quiet sigh as the puppy shifted again under my hand.

   Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed her looking at him. Her expression softened a little, curiosity clear even with her face still mostly hidden.

   “Do you want to pet him?” I asked, breaking the silence.

   Her head jerked up a bit, surprised, but she nodded slowly. “M-May I?”

   “Go ahead.”

   She reached out carefully, her hand trembling just a little before it touched the puppy’s fur. He tilted his head slightly at the unfamiliar touch, but didn’t move away—his tail even wagged once, slow and steady.

   “So soft...,” she murmured. Her fingers brushed gently through his black fur. Her hood shifted slightly, but her face stayed mostly in shadow. “It’s… nice. What is his name?”

   I blinked.

   Name, huh?

   I stared at the puppy for a second. Somehow, through all this, I hadn’t thought about that.

   “I… haven’t given him one yet. Any ideas?”

   She tilted her head, thinking. After a moment, she said quietly, “...Bell.”

   “Bell?” 

   She nodded, though a little hesitantly. “His ears… their shape kind of reminds me of small bells.”

   Then she looked away quickly. “Ah—but maybe that’s a stupid name. I’m sorry—”

   Before she could finish, the puppy barked.

   Just once. Loud enough to cut her off.

   I looked at him, then smiled. “Seems like he likes it.”

   She glanced back up at me. I couldn’t see much under the hood, but I think she was smiling too.

   I watched her quietly as she continued stroking Bell’s fur. Her movements were slow, almost cautious at first, but soon they grew more natural, like she was beginning to relax. She didn’t say anything, and neither did I for a while.

   Then I broke the silence. “I’m really grateful to you.”

   She tilted her head slightly, looking toward me.

   “If it wasn’t for the fact that you decided to support my plan, the others would probably have continued to hesitate.”

   Her hand froze for a moment, and she tilted her head as if considering my words.

   “You said you’d only been at that village for a few days, but even so, everyone treats you like someone they can trust. That’s not something just anyone can do. That’s... kind of amazing.”

   She tensed. Her fingers stopped moving. Then her voice came, quiet and a little shaky.

   “T-that’s not possible. After all, I am—”

   “A dark elf, right?”

   She froze.

   Her hand withdrew from Bell’s fur, her shoulders stiff, her voice barely a whisper. “H-how do you know?”

   “Your accent. Elves have a unique way of speaking. You’ve tried to hide it, but some words come out a little too... polished. That’s when I started getting suspicious.”

   I glanced briefly at her hands, folded in her lap.

   “You’re hiding your skin, your hair, your body. You’ve been keeping yourself covered this whole time. Like you’re ashamed of something. Then there are your hands—dark-skinned, delicate, careful.”

   I looked her in the eyes, or at least the place where I assumed her eyes were. “It wasn’t hard to put it together.”

   She didn’t say anything at first. Just sat there, hands folded tightly.

   “I see,” she said at last, her voice flat.

   Dark elf, huh?

   I remembered something I’d read once. Dark elves are an extremely rare variant of elf, born once every few thousand births. Many elves think of themselves as a personification of purity, and at the same time dark elves are believed to be the symbol of impurity. There are legends in which the birth of a dark elf signifies a harbinger of disaster. Other legends say that dark elves are born as the results of taking over their parents' grave sins. This is why elves in general look upon them with disgust. However, this is not the worst of it. Zephyra once told me that in rural villages dark elves are used as a sacrifice. Apparently it is believed that burning a dark elf guarantees protection for the village from any form of misfortune for 100 years.   

   It would be fine if she was from the city, since there those superstitions had largely faded, but for her that's probably not the case... 

   I don't even want to imagine what she must have gone through.

   Trying to ease the weight hanging over us, I said, “I don’t know what you went through, but I’ve read a few fantasy books before, and personally? I think dark elves are much more beautiful.”

   She turned toward me, and for the first time, her hood shifted enough that I could see her face.

   Her eyes were a deep, brilliant sapphire—like clear night skies. Her features were soft, almost fragile-looking, and her lips curved just slightly, uncertain but gentle.

   I take that back. "Beautiful" is not enough to describe her.

   She looked at me for a few seconds, as if trying to read me. Then, slowly, she let out a small giggle.

   “Even if you say that just to make me feel better... thank you.”

   I blinked. "I really meant it though", I thought, but I didn’t say anything.

   Instead, I leaned back, watching her posture relax just a little. The tension that had been in her shoulders was gone now.

   Bell yawned and shifted on my lap, resting his head again.

   Then, from near the bars, one of the rabbit-eared women perked up. Her ears twitched once. She leaned closer to the bars and said.

   “Target is here.”

   That was what I was waiting for. I stood up.

   “Everyone in standby position!” I ordered.