Hera

I dragged my suitcase downstairs. I wanted to be ready before Carlos arrived and blasted his horn.

Nothing unusual. Until I reached the reception and saw him sitting on the couch, his eyes closed.

I thought he had dozed off. The moment I walked towards reception, he opened his eyes and waved.

I waved back.

"Zale."

"Hera."

"We don't have any classes today."

I was elated that he was here, though.

"I had some free time and tagged along with Draco."

"Oh, why not try a painting class while you are here?"

"Not interested." He didn't hesitate. Then I remembered Draco coughing and dropping stuff; maybe he was looking after Draco.

"How are you going back home today?"

"My brother will pick me up."

I looked at the clock; still ten minutes before Carlos would arrive.

I sat down at the reception counter. I tried to distract myself with anything but him.

A failed mission, of course, with all those butterflies having a field day in my stomach.

"Hera," I looked towards the door.

"Orion," He waved. He was carrying what looked like a brush bag.

"Today is your first lesson?"

"Yes."

"You are late. Someone is going to be livid." I looked towards Fleur's class.

Suddenly Orion stopped moving, the moment he saw Zale. The easygoing Orion stood upright, then took a deep bow.

"Elder."

Zale merely nodded.

I started wondering how high Zale's position is.

Orion stood up again.

"The class is there." I pointed towards Fleur's class. He left quickly.

"Do you have a lot of Yin-ra students?" Zale suddenly asked.

"Fleur did have a few students before," I said. "You are the very first Yin-ra to take a pottery class, though."

He smiled, and I started to feel the butterflies going at it again.

"But we do have visiting artists. There is that stained glass assembly instructor who rents a room for his class. He did bring some Yin-ra students with him." I was rambling. "You met him, the one at the artisan bazaar, Arthur."

He was listening attentively while I was just flustered.

Maeve then came in through the door, followed by Nebula.

Nebula carried in a massive green oak log. As she stepped through the door, the log blocked my entire view of the outside. Nebula was already inside the house. However, the log had a longer journey before fully making it into the villa. How long was that log?

The whole log made it inside; then Nebula started moving towards one of the classrooms.

She suddenly stopped, put the log down, and took a deep bow towards Zale.

"Good morning, Elder."

He just nodded again.

Deja vu much.

Seriously, how high was this man in the command chain that every Yin-Ra I met bowed to him?

Nebula picked the log up again. She moved toward an empty classroom with no difficulty at all.

I looked at Maeve.

"The wood carving class." She shrugged.

"At least this could have been halved."

"Nebula said it was okay."

I shook my head.

"I don't think Mark will appreciate this?"

The wood carving instructor won't really like this. Leaving a huge raw log for his class didn't seem nice.

"Fleur is trying to get on his nerves after he lectured her last time," Maeve explained.

"You didn't stop her?"

"Well, the man is a pain; he had it coming." I pinched my nose.

I didn't like the man either, but this was a whole new level of nonsense.

My phone started ringing.

Carlos′ name lit up.

"Carlos is outside. I will be going."

I just stood up. Zale was suddenly beside my suitcase. I forgot how terrifyingly fast these people could be, something I realized after having Nebula around.

He carried the suitcase with one hand. You might have thought he was carrying a book.

"Zale, I can do it."

"It is okay, I have got nothing to do anyway. "

He waited for me to leave the villa, then followed. He is embarrassingly cute.

Carlos glanced at me once, then back to the steering wheel.

I ignored him and went to the car trunk. I opened it, and Zale put the suitcase inside.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome."

I walked towards the passenger seat.

"Have a safe trip. See you tomorrow."

"Take care, Zale."

My cheeks were becoming hot.

"What was that just now?" Carlos asked the moment I sank into the seat.

"What do you mean?"

"Your eyes are literally shining, Hera." He looked at Zale as he moved towards the villa.

I didn't answer.

"So who was that?" He wouldn't let it go, would he?

Zale

I thought I would be able to take her back home today. When she said her brother would pick her up, it would have been disrespectful if I said otherwise.

After her brother drove away, I didn't wait for Draco and headed to the office.

"Elder, didn't you have plans to help someone move out?"

I looked towards Vaxar. He just had to remind me about this.

"Didn't go as planned," I stated.

"Elder, there is someone in this world other than the Goddess who can deter your plans."

"My pottery teacher."

Vaxar looked confused, then bewildered.

"Elder, have you been tricked by someone?"

I shook my head. The unfinished star bond on my left hand hummed peacefully. I squeezed it a bit.

He followed me into my office.

"Elder, I heard you and Draco took some art classes."

"And?"

"I want to try."

"Find another art studio."

"Elder, why?" Vaxar started arguing. "Draco said the people there are nice."

"There are plenty of other studios."

"Elder, this is obvious discrimination. Why does Draco get to have all the fun?"

I ignored him and sat at my desk.

I started reading the reports. It took an hour. Vaxar was slacking off, scrolling through his phone. When did this one even work?

"Vaxar, have you prepared for today's meeting with the human government?"

"Yes, elder, all ready."

"When will the misunderstanding about the bond be resolved then?"

"I think they are also struggling with the fact that humans are rejecting the Yin-Ra help in any way possible." Vaxar thought for a moment. "I think they will help clear the misunderstanding soon."

"Vaxar, this time it should be made crystal clear. I don't doubt that you explained it to the humans 20 years ago."

"I understand, Elder. The bond doesn't have to be romantic. It is just a soul having a deep connection with another soul. They could be friends, family, or lovers. The bond will help humans regain fertility regardless of the relationship name."

"Humans' life spans are very short. Twenty years ago, their leaders introduced the bond as a romantic one to lessen the human fears. Their leaders changed. The truth contorted further, and the misunderstandings deepened." I reminded him.

"Understood, Elder, I will make sure this issue is fixed." He bowed.

He was about to leave the room when Draco entered. His clothes were covered in paint.

"Draco, what is the meaning of this?" Vaxar scolded.

He looked down at his clothes. He looked back at us.

He knelt.

"Elders, I need to go back to Yin-Ra for two days. Please approve my request."

"Why?" Vaxar sat down again.

"My mental health needs a break."

"This is not a valid reason for an Elder." Vaxar raised his eyebrows.

I didn't know what to make of this scene.

"Elder Zale. I have seen something that I have never been trained for."

"..."

"Orion is Fleur's star bond."

Okay, this was an unexpected turn of events

"Did she reject him?"

"No, Elder"

"Then what could have happened?" I asked.

"She threw paint on him after lecturing him about arriving late, bringing bad brushes, and finally introducing himself as her star bond in the most casual way." He pointed at his clothes. "I was literally collateral damage."

"She stood on her toes after she threw the paint and told him: Is this how you present yourself to your soulmate, disappointing," He changed his voice into something more feminine for the last sentence.

"So is she rejecting him or not?" Vaxar suddenly got too invested. He didn't even know who Orion or Fleur were.

"No, she told him before she left the room that they will have a hangout tomorrow."

"She just set a hangout?" Vaxar was dumbfounded.

I was not surprised. After you spend enough time around Hera and her friends, it becomes an everyday occurrence. So why was Draco this worked up?

"Elder Zale, please, even Nebula, one of our best-trained military personnel, looked at Orion disapprovingly."

"Wait, Nebula is doing what again at an art studio?" Vaxar asked again.

"Carrying logs," I answered.

His star lines started pulsing erratically. I looked at Draco, waiting for him to go on.

"Nebula told Orion that he deserved it." Draco's color turned a deep shade of yellow.

"Elder, if I stay one more day on Earth, I will lose my mind just as Nebula did."

"Two days' vacation approved," I announced.

He vanished from the room.

"Vaxar, I believe you have an important meeting to go to."

Author's Note 💫

Okay, I need to know what you guys think about this chapter! 👀

Hera is clearly losing her composure around Zale, Zale is finding more and more reasons to stay around her, and Draco… poor Draco. 😂

And then we have Nebula casually carrying an entire log into the studio. 

Who was your favorite moment in this chapter? Tell me in the comments!