"Xinn!" Aley straightened when she saw the general approaching. She had been leaning against the outside of the hut, chatting idly with Jirn. She had enjoyed their talk, but she was desperate to know what had dragged him away so quickly. "Is everything okay?"

He nodded Jirn. "Thank you for watching the savioress. You are dismissed." Jirn exposed his neck to both of them before scurrying away. Xinn turned his attention back to Aley. "All is well. The council requested that I put together a small crew to attempt to rescue your sister."

Her heart fluttered. "Really? Why aren't you out there then?"

The corner of his mouth tilted up. "The general can't exactly just leave to endeavor at a rescue mission. But I sent a specialized unit to get her. They'll do whatever it takes."

Tears pricked her eyes. She flung herself into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she said, burying her face in his neck to hide her tears.

He closed his arms around her, holding her tightly. "Of course. We'll get her back."

"When will you know?"

He was quiet for a moment. "Tomorrow morning, I would guess."

She sighed. "That's forever away."

"I know." He rubbed his hand up and down her back.

"You'll let me know when you know?" she asked, leaning back to look him in the face. Even with all his alien features, she still found herself slightly lost in how handsome he was up close.

"I'll make sure you know by tomorrow morning," he said agreeably.

"Good." She let him go and took a step back. "So, what do we do for the rest of the day?"

#

Aley paced around her hut, humming tunelessly to herself as she waited for Xinn to come with his report. Yesterday had passed in an unremarkable fashion, giving way eventually to a night that held no sleep for her. When the sun finally peeked its crown into the forest, she got up to wait. Xinn had shown her how to make the warm tea-like drink he called opfer, so she made some of that to wash down the dry biscuits she had for breakfast.

She found nothing else to occupy her besides occasionally pestering Rohk who knew about as much as she did regarding the rescue, so she continued to pace.

I wonder how long it would take to wear a groove in the floor. Or at the very least, leave a mark.

Rohk opened the front door and poke his head in. "The general is coming," he said, a slight smirk on his face. "Figure you might like to know as you have been asking about him all morning."

"Haha, very funny," she said, scurrying to the door. "I'm just a little stir-crazy is all." She shooed him out of the doorway so she could stand outside and watch Xinn's approach. He was walking, but at a quick, marching pace, eyes locked on the hut, then on her. She waved. "Good morning. Or is it afternoon now?" she teased.

He didn't smile. "Rohk, gather the rest of our unit and meet me at the Protection Site, quickly. Aley, come with me." He scooped a hand behind her back and gently pushed her along down a path.

"Hey! Where are we going?" She almost had to trot to keep up with his pace.

"The Protection Site."

"Why?"

His jaw clenched. "I'll explain when we get there."

She tried to read his expression, but she could only see the tightness in his face, not the reason. "Is something wrong?" She gasped. "You were supposed to tell me about the rescue mission. What happened? Is Rocki okay?"

He pushed her ahead as her steps faltered from trying to stop and get answers. "I'll explain everything once we're in a safe place."

Something happened. Something is wrong. What's wrong? Aley picked at her nails as the Protection Site came into view. I hope it's not Rocki. Please don't let it be Rocki. She has to be okay.

She was so lost in her worried thoughts that she didn't notice where they were going until the door closed them into a room. A familiar room.

"Wait, is this my cell?" She spun to stare at Xinn.

He sighed, letting his tense shoulders drop. "Yes. One of our villages found valicara scouts spying on them. The council is concerned that they are planning an attack to come for you."

"So you put me back here?" Her wings flared a quarter way open.

"Aley, please understand," he said. "We must keep you safe. It's vital to our survival."

She glanced away from him, struggling to find words. On one hand, she understood; he was doing what was best for his people. But on the other hand, she was sick of being treated like a prisoner.

When is it going to end? "I hate it in here."

His voice was soft, regretful. "I know."

"How long do I have to stay?"

He hesitated. When she finally looked at him, he wouldn't look into her eyes for more than a moment. "I don't know, I'm afraid. I'll ensure someone keeps us updated." He reached forward and took her hand slowly, as if he was afraid she would pull away. "I'm sorry. I'll do my best to make this pleasant for you."

"Not much pleasant about being in a cell," she muttered, but let him keep holding her hand.

"I know. That's why I'm going to stay with you as much as I can. I'll bring you whatever food you like, and I'll make sure you can bathe regularly, and whatever company you would like I will bring to you. This won't be like last time, I swear."

She studied his eyes. They were earnest, and worried. He was doing his best, trying to follow orders and keep her happy.

With a sigh, she squeezed his hand. "Okay. Thank you. I... appreciate that you're trying to help."

He squeezed back, holding her gaze. "Of course. Do you want anything right now? Are you hungry?"

She shrugged. "I could eat."

He let her go to stick his head out the door and talk to someone in the sariun language. When he closed the door again, he used his thumb to point back at it. "One of the guards is fetching something for breakfast."

"Thanks." She wandered in a circle around the room. "So... are you going to tell me what happened with Rocki or not?"

Xinn took in a breath. "Ah. Yes. We were... unsuccessful. The unit happened to be scouting when she was out flying. They attempted to grab her, but she was startled and screamed, alerting her guards." He crossed his arms, clearly frustrated. "One of our men was killed in the clash and the other two were forced to flee. I'm sorry. I..." He hesitated. "You should know: One of the men said that from what he could see, the savioress had a few bandages on her. It appeared she was trying to fly away from her guard when Qain went to rescue her. But she still looked healthy, they haven't been starving her nor did it appear her guard was particularly rough with her."

Aley pushed her teeth together, closing her eyes. She's alive. At least she's alive. She ran her hands over her face, allowing them to cover her mouth.

Xinn's large hands warmed her arms. "We haven't given up yet. We'll save her."

She rested her head on the top of his shoulder silently.

He sighed softly and wrapped her in his arms. She could practically hear his brain turning around and around, looking for something to say. But there really was nothing he could do to make her feel better. Her sister was imprisoned and probably being tortured by evil aliens. It didn't get much weirder and worse than that.

Her hands slowly made her way around his neck and clung tightly as his shoulder absorbed a few stray tears. Xinn was comfortable to hug. His arms were strong, his body warm, and his breathing was steady. Despite all the horrible things happening, she relaxed, almost ready to just fall asleep in his embrace.

After a long while, there was a knock on the door. Aley started a little, but, as usual, nothing scared Xinn. He gave her a squeeze, then released her to walk over and open the door. She wrapped her arms around herself as he conversed with the other sariun and took the plate from him.

He smiled at her when he turned around. "Look, someone went to the trouble of making a warm meal for you."

Her stomach growled at the smell of the food. She forgot that she had never eaten breakfast. "That was nice. I'm actually really hungry so..." She gestured for him to bring it over, her stomach crying again when the delicious smell got stronger.

She dropped onto the floor as he approached, stared at the tray hungrily until he finally set it down in front of her. There were two bowls of a thick porridge as well as a plate heaped with meat slices. She grabbed a bowl, using her fingers to eat it like she used to when she was a kid, and had three scoops in before Xinn even sat down.

"Oh my gosh this is so good," she mumbled, grabbing a slice of meat as she swallowed. Xinn's amused expression caught her eye. "Stop staring at me. Eat your food."

He chuckled, picking up his bowl. "I should have asked Rohk to make sure you ate earlier. I didn't realize you would be this hungry."

"Mm," she nodded vaguely, stuffing more food in her mouth.

He shook his head, laughing again, but let her eat in peace. When she finally slowed down, he spoke again. "Are you feeling better?"

She sighed. "I mean, I'm still really worried about Rocki. Every time I think about her I want to puke. But the breakfast is helping physically."

"Is... there anything I can do to take your mind off it?"

She tilted her chin up. "Yeah, tell me why you bit me the other night. Typically, the men I meet don't just bite girls on the neck all of a sudden." Especially when he made it seem like he was going to kiss me.

His brow wrinkled curiously. "You don't nip where you're from?"

She shook her head. "Not really. I mean, yeah, sometimes people bite each other, but not in that kind of situation."

"I see." He cleared his throat, staring at his food. "I probably shouldn't have done that then."

After wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Aley shook her head. "It's fine. I was just kinda curious what it meant in your culture. Is it like the wrist thing you do when you make promises? Or like, for reassurance?"

He kept looking at his porridge but still didn't eat it. "Ah, not exactly."

Oh my gosh, he's embarrassed. She bit back a smile. "I mean, you don't have to tell me if it's weird for you. Don't worry about it." She downed another slice of meat.

"No, no. You should know," he said, scratching his arm. He huffed, then met her eyes. "It's how sariun express a close connection with each other. The neck is a delicate spot, easily ripped by teeth or blade." He made his point by showing her his fangs. "To let someone so close to it is to show trust. And to be close is a privilege. Typically the only ones that are allowed to nip are family, romantic companions, or potential companions."

She blinked. "Romantic companion? As in...?"

"Those who are married, intend to be, or are considering marriage."

She stared at him. Considering marriage? Like dating? Oh my gosh it's their version of kissing, isn't it? He basically just confessed to kissing me! No wonder he was so flustered. And if he's pretty much kissing me that means that he's interested. Yes! "So, you're... interested in me?"

His gaze wavered between her eyes and the floor before he finally forced it to lock on her. "Yes. But as this is a strange time for you, I don't expect any reciprocation."

She laughed. "It's a bit late for that."

"I don't understand."

"I'm interested in you too, although I guess I'm not nearly as bold as I thought I was. I thought I was being a little much for you with my flirting, but here you are pretty much kissing me without much thought." She shoved some porridge in her mouth to keep her giggling from going overboard.

Xinn tipped his head slightly. "What is kissing?"

"Oh, uh..." Now it was her turned to be flustered. "It's how you show a person that you love them, or at least like them pretty well."

"So the humans nip each other too?"

"Not exactly, but it's got kinda the same meaning." Her heart began to pick up the pace. Why am I so nervous? I guess I've never really talked about kissing before but I've kissed guys before so it shouldn't be a big deal. "Do you... want me to show you?"

His eyes widened slightly. "I shouldn't have been so forward, I apologize. I didn't mean to make you feel obligated toward anything. I—"

He was cut off by her laughter. "Don't be silly. I honestly thought you were going to kiss me the other night and I was kind of disappointed when you didn't." She pushed the tray of food aside and scootched closer to him. "And you wouldn't want to disappoint a savioress, would you?"

Xinn stared at her as she leaned in. "I... suppose not."

"Good," she whispered, looking into his eyes for one more moment. She closed the space between them and gently placed her lips over his.

He jerked back as if she had cut him. "Avan abar! What are you doing?"