Shady

Jerica hesitated. Was she overreacting? She was probably overreacting. She forced herself to take a deep breath and calm herself before she replied. “…I never knew mine. They died when ...

Her expression darkened even further as she glowered at him. She’d meant to go cold and withdrawn. But now he was out here trying to liken her parents to the ...

She glanced over at him coldly. “No.” She shouldn’t have made the crack about her father. It opened up a line of questioning she wasn’t interested in having.

“Mm.” She didn’t run ahead, but she also didn’t wait for him. Bastard. Apparently he wasn’t above mocking her bastardization. Fine. Fuck him. See if she cared. He was hardly ...

“ Good. ” she didn’t want one of those. “I also have no father.” She turned and started down the hall. “I’d rather have one of those.”

Jerica glared at him. “You don’t have to be a jerk about it.”

“So extra my business.”

“It clearly is, if it involves me. Which apparently it does.”

(Ayy cool! I’ve got work until 2:30 but I should be able to hop on around 3 or so — maybe earlier if my boss takes pity and sends me ...

“What tension?” Something fucky was definitely going on. “Is it about Ky?”

Jerica was pleasantly surprised that he backed down. Maybe being a herald for Strithr would be fun after all — then she could be the one to pull rank on ...

“You’re not gonna get them on your side by pissing them off,” Jerica argued. “I don’t want people in my face the moment I wake up; what makes you think ...

“It means we’re not supposed to go til Them tells us to. Don’t piss off the war god.”

“Not yet.” Jerica shook her head. “No one is supposed to go yet.”

“…I have no idea.” She looked at him, perplexed. “You believe me?”