Steam rose up to her face and Ivelis sighed in content. She had been in the bathing chambers since sunset, lounging in the bubbling warm waters while tending to her sore feet. The chambers were warm and comforting in the middle of winter, shielding her from the unforgiving frost.

Water droplets trickled down her chin then dropped into the pool. A sound she very much enjoyed.

A painful hiss slipped out of her mouth when she mindlessly rubbed her right foot a little too hard.

She groaned, perhaps running barefoot on rocks was not a good idea after all.

A noise in the hallway piqued her interest when it neared the entrance of the bathing chambers. Her pointy ears were able to hear footsteps that indicated more than one person was outside. The footsteps halted followed by hushed whispers and then a familiar voice called out.

"Miss Ecawil, you have a guest."

The sentence was clicked. Formal and straightforward. It was also unusual and off.

Ivelis frowned.

Gianne did not waste any time, barging right into the chambers. Her hands were on her hips as a hardened expression took form on her almond face. The gestures were usually playful and Ivelis almost teased her for being so posh had she not met her cousin's stare.

"What?" she mouthed.

The woman only inclined her head towards the door, her eyes never leaving Ivelis' wary face.

The ice green pair of eyes held a silent warning and a sense of unfamiliarity. Whoever was this "guest", she was clearly not going to take chances if Gianne was wary of the stranger. She gave a nod as her reply, refusing to speak a word.

There was a chance that the guest had never heard her voice before and she intended to hold that to her advantage for as long as possible.

She stepped out of the pool, immediately missing the smooth texture of liquid wrapped around her. The chilly air bit at her skin as Ivelis made her way to her private quarters.

A lilac evening gown hugged her slim figure as she brushed her hair. There was a small pressure on her chest about the possible identities of the person expecting her, an unknown being sitting just a few rooms away. Before Gianne had left, it was a silent request that she had indicated for the guest to wait in the library. Frankly, the request was a mere tactical movement to ensure that should the "guest" overstay their welcome, their life line would be in her hands.

The reflection on her mirror stared back at her. Her breath went in. And out.

She was ready.

Ivelis took a shortcut to the library and did not look back. As she came face to face with the library door, she paused.

Dysphoria began to pool in her heart.

There was a faint scent of a creature that she absolutely disliked. A creature she had come to learn was selfish and cold. History had often portrayed them as magnificent beings.

But she knew better than to trust them.

She should've detected it sooner. Could she be wrong?

A loose breath escaped as her hand was upon the doorknob, and turned to loose a last shaft at them. The scent hit like a brick and she immediately regretted the decision of meeting with the stranger.

She was right. It was a human.