Sebastian lunged forward again, using his greater bulk to force her back several feet.
"Fine. Sheesh, so sensitive." Brisa yelled. "I apologize."
Sebastian withdrew.Good, because next time I won't be so nice.
Brisa sat upright, trying and failing to project a sense of dignity. "You should be thanking me. I was right. If you'd listened, you would have had some more pebbles."
That isn't the point.
"Then what is?"
You were playing on my behalf. It doesn’t matter if you won if in the doing you lie about my wishes. You know how the Kyren feel about our allies misrepresenting our words.
Eva could understand Sebastian’s frustration. The Kyren were hampered by having to rely on third parties to communicate with humans. If those third parties act in a way counter to what they desired, they had little way of making themselves understood.
Sebastian curled his lip.Eva, I’m going to scout ahead. I find my current company lacking. I’ll be back in a little while.
Sebastian reared, his wings spreading as he launched himself into the air.
"And there goes the Kyren," Eva muttered.
It was impressive how easily Brisa was able to drive him off simply by being herself. If Eva didn't know better, she'd say Ajari manipulated the girl into staying with her as a way to sabotage Eva.
Only she didn't think anyone could have predicted this course of events.
Warin tossed the cards down. "Where'shegoing?"
Brisa ignored the question, focused on scooping up the stones and tucking them into a pouch at her waist.
Warin stared. "Wait. Where are you going?"
Brisa finished securing the stones and fixed Warin with a look. "Haven't you heard? We don't play with liars."
She stalked away, not leaving him a chance to retort.
"Hey! What about winning my stones back? You said I could!" Warin shouted at her back.
Brisa's face brightened as she caught sight of Eva, already having forgotten the humans behind her. She skipped Eva's way, her wings giving her that odd gliding motion. "You're finally here! I've been waiting forever."
"Is that what you call this?"
Brisa's grin was impertinent. "No, that's just a little bit of fun."
"Fun, my ass," Jason muttered. "I told you she was a menace."
Yes, he did. Many times. Unfortunately for him, most of those Eva found in her orbit could be considered the same—including him under the right circumstances. She could no more drive Brisa from their circle for being a pain in the ass than she could Ajari or Sebastian.
At least Brisa didn't reference small rodents when referring to humans. It was a small win, but Eva would take what she could get.
A devilish look entered Brisa's eyes. "You can't blame me for this. What else did I have to occupy myself with when a certain someone decided to chase me away?"
Jason bristled. "You kept harrying the horses. They don't like when big birds swoop at their heads."
Brisa acted insulted. "I'm not a bird. I'm a Tenrin."
Eva's eyebrows twitched. That wasn't what she'd claimed earlier when Eva had tried to get her off the top of a tent.
"I was trying to herd them. Isn't that what you humans call it when you make animals go in a direction they don't want to go?"
