Chapter 98: Omake#5

The downpour is getting unbearable.

I should be used to this by now but I'm not. The rain has away of getting everywhere, even when covered.

I've got on a black leather cloak and hood on, everyone here does, but I don't think it's doing them any good.

"Here." A voice calls out.

"Huh?" Looking up I find the person ahead of me on the line, he's holding a box, a crate with vegetables, seeds and all sorts of raw foods. "Right." I step out of my reverie and grab the box out of his hand and pass it down to the person behind me.

"You seem lost in thought there, Kaylin." He mutters, or perhaps he says so normally and his voice is simply drowned out by the heavy sound of water raining from the sky.

"It's nothing."

He passes another crate my way and I do the same, repeating the same action over and over again. It'd be hard not to get lost in thought with such stagnate and monotonous movement.

"You sure? You look…gloomy." He shrugs, "That could just be the rain but…still, are you okay?"

He has on that familiar soft smile on his lips again. Shaking my head, I find my face is soaked with water, the rain has a way of getting everywhere.

It was on a rainy day like this that I met him for the first time, looking for a place to hide, frantic and desperate to find cover from the flatfoots. 

It's no wonder I met him here too, he never changed or wanted to, mother knew that and she scolded me for believing otherwise.

Perhaps her scolding's weren't enough, after all, I'm far more involved in this revolution business than he is. Of course, he doesn't get to know that.

"I'm fine, shouldn't you be worrying about yourself? You're still stuck in this business, even after everything."

He shrugs, "I'm not stuck, I'm moving up-"

"Up to where exactly? That's the same thing you said so many years ago and now look at you? You're back here, I really thought you'd stick to your Alchemy, Kelv."

He falls silent for a bit, simply pushing the crates and boxes down the line. Just as I begin to wonder if I should say something to break this awkward silence, he speaks, "I've been with the Elven North for longer than you think, they're the ones who helped me open my store in the first strata, if it weren't for them, I wouldn't have anything and I'd really be stuck then."

"So…ever since we broke up then. Ever since I said not to."

He shakes his head like he's trying to get something off of it, I can tell he's getting upset, "Kaylin, you're not one to talk either, you're here too, right behind me and I'm guessing mother doesn't approve."

"Don't call her mother."

He sighs, pursing his lips, "Maylin certainly doesn't approve, you know why you're here and so do I. We all have our reasons and convictions, although I wish you found yours earlier."

"Are you trying to call me a hypocrite?" I nearly yell, almost dropping one of the rather expensive crates of eggs I purchased with Asher's money.

He looks shocked, stricken even, as if I'd just spat the most hurtful insult, I could ever throw at him, "Of course not! Why would you think that?"

Now people are wondering what's wrong with the both of us. He looks around cautiously and lowers his voice, "I just wish we could be together again, that's all Kaylin."

I can't help the snort that comes out of me, it's hilarious really. Us? Together? I don't think he'll want that if he knows what I've really been up to.

"You're a hypocrite though." I say just as he's about passing the next crate to me. He freezes in place, the crate just an inch away. Grabbing it out of his hand I pass it to the back and act like nothing was said.

"What…what do you mean." He stutters, no longer interested in the line of crates, effectively putting a stop to all productivity. "How am I a hypocrite, Kaylin?"

I look over his shoulder, or rather, his side since he's insanely tall, "The line, Kelv, keep passing the crates."

He looks behind him, frowns and grabs me by the arm, dragging me out of the line and out into the settlements and into an alley.

"Let go." I warn, gently heating up the part of my arm he grabbed, it doesn't take much before he recoils.

"You and your magic."

"You and your alchemy."

His face is marred by a deep frown, he huffs and repeats the question, "Why do you think so, Kaylin? What exactly am I doing that counts me as a hypocrite? If anything-"

"If anything, I'm the hypocrite, right?" I complete the sentence for him, he has on that insulted look again and I scoff, "You realize that all those things coming into the Elven North now, its because of that human. 

"You said you'd never accept generosity or pity or sympathy from human, that you loathe them and wish them all dead." 

"You embraced your elven side and cast out the human in you, you're disgusted at he very thought that there is a single drop of human blood in you and you act like everything you do for the elves is because you're trying to repent on behalf of the human in you."

I can't help shaking my head, disappointed that he doesn't see this himself, "And yet, here you are, taking in their generosity, where's that pride you so flouted?"

He's been shaking his head all this time, like he's trying to tear it off via force alone, "This isn't generosity! This is a bribe, one of them finally knows to repent, finally knows to bow a knee and beg for forgiveness!" He slams his fists on the alley wall. 

"Even more disgusting of you then! I thought you'd be the first one to shout out, to scream at the top of your lungs that their filth shouldn't be let in! But you're the very one letting it through!"

"And what about you!" He pants, he's raging now, "What about you Kaylin? Why are you letting it in? Why?"

"Because I haven't lost my reason. I've always told you that the elves can't rise on their own, I've always told you to stop provoking the humans, stop looking for more punishment and be humble for the sake of the elves if you truly want to help us. I thought you'd thrown away all that useless pride when you started that Alchemy store but when you attacked my friends that day, I suspected something was still wrong."

"And now you're telling me you were with the Elven North all along?"

Again, the rain finds a way of getting everywhere, because even under the shade of two buildings and my hood, my face is still stained with a drop of water.

He calms down…his hand on my cheek and his anger melting away as he stares into my eyes and wipes away that troublesome rain water from my eyes.

"Why are you so…why are you?"

"Because…Asher won't let you stand in his way."

He looks confused, of course he would, I'm not even as understanding of Asher as I should be, but I know enough to know he won't let setbacks keep him away from his goal, whatever that looks like in his mind.

"What are you talking about Kaylin? Who won't let me stand in his way? Are you in danger?"

I shake my head, I've said too much, his name shouldn't have even been uttered, "Just be sure where you stand, Kelv, if you're humble for the sake of the elves, keep at it, lose your pride, lose your hatred because it'll consume you. And as you can see and hear, the human who sent all this to the Elven North is already on the good side of most of the elves here and even outside."

"He's even questioning the Mayor's competent with a large operation like this, he's also got humans on his side, all of them wondering what his plans are and who he is."

He shakes his head again, this time in confusion, "What are you trying to say, Kaylin?"

"Don't fight back. Don't fight the humans, Kelv, especially not this one. You won't win and you won't just lose a battle, you'll lose your life."

Asher's been gone for about four days now; he should be fighting or has fought the fourth cultist. His power has grown, perhaps even more than one should reasonably expect.

I don't know if I'll be able to intervene if Kelv picks a fight when all is revealed to the public, when Asher, a human, asks elves to fight for him.

No, I don't even want to be put in such a predicament.

"Kelv, if it comes to that…I won't help you…my convictions, that's where they lie."

His eyes become saucer as I attempt to leave, he grabs me by my arm again and spins me around, he's glaring daggers at me, "With humans? Why are you so afraid of them? You're more powerful than any of them, your mother could level this entire city if she wanted! And in time, so could you!"

He breathes heavily, I can feel the heat of his breath even in these cold winds, "This is just the starting, the Council of Five have gotten a human to bow down to us and give us what we need to fight our war, they are of no significance, they're just a tool! There's nothing to be afraid of!"

I rip my arm away from his grip and stagger out into the rain. I pull off my hood and let the rain get all around as it wishes. 

"Don't stand in the way, Kelv!" I scream, my throat hurts, my chest feels tight and…I can't breathe properly. "You've been warned."

He stares at me, still shocked and stricken. He doesn't understand but he doesn't have to, he just has to stay clear of Asher.

Turning away I head out of the North, leaving Kelv, my half-elf ex-boyfriend standing in an alley with a head full of questions.

It ought to be better this way…it has to.