Saving Neba

𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐈: For The Sake Of All That Is Good

Tevessa's words wafted across my mind while my mind provided many different interpretations and inferences from his words. I didn't want him to think I was pondering on his words so instead, I let out, "If you ask me a question and I answer, would you let me ask a question in return?"

He swam around to keep his legs from staying in a place. Tevessa was a hairy person, his legs, arms, and chest. I could only see his back, his legs moving around. "Ah. Like a back-and-forth?"

"Yes. Will you?"

He swam to me and stood as if thinking. "As long as you're swimming."

"Uh... Okay." I moved around slowly at first, then swam in a circle and returned to my former position. The Nesylone Waters was beautiful and did look mysterious. "How far does this water go?"

"It's like asking where the end of the earth is." He swam around. "Do you have friends on Earth?"

Truly, I didn't know he took my first question as a question. I was just wondering. I didn't mention it, however. It didn't matter, pretty much.

His question felt like an insult, and with the way he was beaming his coral lips, I felt he was expecting an answer in the negative, "Yes," I answered. "Two, three, I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"It's my turn to ask a question, Tevessa," I pouted because his statement made me want to do it around him more often. "Why are the Asterions hiding? Why aren't you helping them prepare for the war with the Zadios?"

Tevessa's body went tense and he calmed down immediately. It had happened so fast that if I had blinked at that particular time, I would have missed it. "You asked two questions," he said instead. "Do we call it null or. . .?"

"You have to answer them both because you just asked a question and it wasn't your turn. You weren't also swimming."

"Ah. Emery Valimenati is trying to be logical." His lips rolled up to a grin.

"I'm not your wife," I snickered.

"I didn't say you were. Except if you want to be, of course."

I rolled my eyes, "Do you not support the Neymens in this battle?"

He sighed. "It's not a thing of support, Emery. The Royals think they have power over all. If we were out there, they would snap a finger and force us all to fight for them, just because we are Asterions. Because we're Nebans fighters. Our people die in the process; it's happened before. We die fighting battles for the Royals, battles that we do not know their instigation. Battles that erupted because the Royals would prefer making profits than settling feuds with opposition or other Cirile countries in a professional royal-like manner."

"They don't seem like those kinds of people." I bobbed around meeting Tevessa's eyes before going into the water and coming out again.  I felt unreservedly calm, nothing sounded shocking, not while I was in Nesylone.

"Your friends, what are their names?" Tevessa asked while swimming around and away from me. I followed him; he had successfully changed the subject, being analytical.

But I wasn't going to give up.

"There's Sandra Khaling. There's King Isnaul, pretty much. Emily Aniah, Griffin Greenwood, but they're more of people I just know. I know a lot of people, truly, but I'm close to a few." I stood in front of Tevessa and he stopped and faced him.

I moved my hands around the water. "When did you start hiding, all of you?"

"After our last battle, the one that got Bihak's father killed." I could tell the thought stung him, but Tevessa didn't blink or tear or whimper. He swam in an encircling form around me. "How close are your friends to you?"