Jaemin gave him a daunting smile that reminded him of Taemin, and Sehun had the urge to smack him but he didn’t. Jeno on the other hand had no problems reprimanding his friend. Sehun allowed his thoughts to drift for a moment. His plans to not get involved with Anri clearly were derailed now. She hadn’t looked excited to be their guide as well so maybe it was possible to keep a professional relationship, if she wouldn’t climb into his room again. The scent of waves and apricot was faint. She wasn’t around, since she had gone after her brother. That Lance disliked them was no secret and they had to been careful around him now. He would surely try to get them out of Tír na nóg as fast as possible. If they wouldn’t be able to clear the young ones’ names, they would be doomed.

Suddenly Taemin walked a bit slower and Sehun adjusted to his pace. “What is it?” he asked the Sanguera general. “Can you tell me why the princess’ scent it on you?” Taemin tapped his nose with slight smile. Just for a moment Sehun thought to tell a lie but then he answered truthfully. Taemin’s smile widened to a grin. “What?” Sehun asked irritated. “Well, she clearly showed interest in you, don’t you think? She was watching your every word. It was cute. Also, I finally have an explanation of why you were staring at her so much.”

If someone would have noticed the subtle glances then it would have been Taemin. He was such a perceptive bastard. 

“It’s not going to happen again,” Sehun muttered. He wasn’t sure if he needed to say those words to Taemin or rather to himself. They couldn’t allow themselves any distractions. “You sure?” Taemin dodged the hit with a laugh. His laugh drew the attention of the young ones, who stopped to wait for them. They were curious, despite their own grandstanding it showed from time to time how insecure and young they were. “How are you guys faring?” 

Niamh’s display of power must had shaken them up. “We are doing okay, I guess?” Jeno tilted his head towards his friends who nodded in agreement. “We are just faithful that you guys will get us out of here alive,” Jaemin smiled while patting Sehun on the shoulder. It was a bit awkward, and if Changmin would have been here he would have scolded Jaemin to no end. 

“You are awfully trusting towards strangers,” Chanyeol muttered. “Well, you guys stood in for us when no one wanted to believe us. Why shouldn’t we trust you guys?” Lucas agreed with his friends. His shoulder seemed completely fine now but Sehun would tell Taemin to take a look at it again. They couldn’t be sure if there wasn’t hidden poison or if the elven weapons had a special effect on Vampires. For now they would replenish and feed for a bit before they would search for someone who could take him to the port side.

Lucas devoured his blood package while Chanyeol and Sehun shared one. Taemin inspected the now healed wound and he couldn’t see anything. He was no Lay, who could have inspected the wound properly but it would do. During his life time Taemin had seen a lot of injuries and he had enough experience to see if it would need proper treatment. He slapped Lucas on the back and gave him a nod. “You will be fine.”

Sehun was about to empty the bag of blood when Anri’s scent hit his nose. She was close, and if he could smell it  then Taemin and probably Chanyeol could smell it as well. Taemin wiggled with his brows but Sehun didn’t give him the satisfaction of a reaction this time. He left the room, and leaned against a tree a bit further away. Taemin and the others could probably still hear them but he hoped that they would not spy on them. A hint of red could be seen from afar and Anri approached fast, her feet nearly floating over the ground. She had changed clothes and now wore a dark blue tunic and gray pants, paired with brown boots. Her hair was open and moved along with every step she took. A frown appeared on Sehun’s face as he saw that her eyes were a bit red. She had cried.

Her scent also has changed, subtle, but noticeable, now that she was so close again. She smelled like the stormy sea, the undertones of apricots now gone. Her eyes were still of a brilliant blue, but the shade was darker now. “What happened?” he asked her, slight worry rising up inside him. She stopped abruptly at his question. For a moment she opened as if to say something but then she closed it again. Taking a deep breath, she just shook her head. “Nothing.” It was such a bad lie that Sehun raised his brow at her. 

Anri suddenly stepped closer, hands closing around Sehun’s arms to keep him in place with extraordinary strength. For a female elf she seemed just shy of average height - she just reached his shoulders, so she had to tip toe to take a close look at his eyes. A deep frown appeared on her face and she came even closer. Their noses nearly touched. Just for a moment Sehun contemplated to move away but there was that curiosity again so he stayed. Up close her blue eyes were breathtaking. There wasn’t any other colour in it, just shades of blue. 

“Your eyes are red.” It was not a question. “How?”

Sehun raised the blood package so that it was right between them. She let go of his hands and grabbed the package, sniffing it suspiciously. Her nose crinkled in a cute way. “It’s just blood,” she said but then she dipped her pinky into the blood and tasted it. As she made a face when she spat the blood out, Sehun had to hold back his laugh. “You sure it tastes great?” She stepped away from him, blood bag still in her hands. The sudden waning of body heat made Sehun sad, which irritated him at the same time. “Does taste good to me. Not high quality blood but it will do its part and not let me die.”

When he held his hand out to her, she gave him the blood bag back. Her fingers lingered a bit in his palm but then she pulled away. “Then… drink?” The last word was a tentative ask. “We call it feeding.”

Sehun turned away for her and drank the rest of the blood. Anri tried nevertheless to sneak around him to take a look at his fangs. Of course she didn’t succeed and she pouted again. Atleast she didn’t seem sad or upset anymore even if she hadn’t answered his previous question. “If you want to see fangs then you can always ask one of the others.” Chanyeol especially was very uncomplicated when it came to things like that. “But I want to see your fangs.” It was a silent admission and it made her ears blush when she realized what she said. “Maybe you will get lucky in the future then.”

Her face lit up and Sehun’s breath stopped. He had to remind himself that he promised not to involve himself with her. He turned his head away for a moment, not seeing that her smile disappeared. 

“Our plan was to go to the port side immediately. Not sure what we might pick up but maybe we will see find something that you guys have overlooked.” 

She switched modes from being the playful woman to the princess real quick. Her expression was stern as she nodded. “Right. But it would be better if you change into something more practical. That shirt is suited for the court, not for field work. Besides, that pale green doesn’t suit you anyways.”

He chuckled at her words, which seemed to surprise her. Anri stared a whole while at Sehun’s back when he walked towards his tree apartment. She followed him but stopped when Chanyeol stepped out of the other apartment. He bowed slightly towards her while saying “Your majesty.”

In the meanwhile Sehun changed into something more practical. A darker green wool shirt and his own black jeans would do. He would need to contact Hana or Luhan to send them clothes over somehow. Just as he left his apartment, he saw Chanyeol open his mouth towards Anri, who stood in front of him with that adorable frown on her face. Chanyeol had flashed his fangs carefully and she just inspected them. Anri took a startled step back as she noticed Sehun right behind her. “Put your fangs away Chanyeol, you are scaring the trees,” he said with a dry voice but Chanyeol only stuck his tongue out. “You are just jealous that my fangs are shinier than yours.”

“Sure, my friend, whatever you say.”

Anri turned around to him, her ears slightly red. “You said that I could ask the others,” she explained herself, nervously fiddling with her fingers a bit. “I did. So, what’s your thought?” She tilted her head a bit. “Well, they look like what others had told me, and I did see the young one’s from afar at the court. I am still interested in your fangs.”

Her ears turned dark red and but she didn’t look away. Her blue eyes captured him and he had the urge to run his fingers through her hair. “Hey, you two. If you want to flirt go somewhere else. There are children here.”

Jaemin, Jeno and Lucas protested in unison. Sehun and Anri turned away from each other while Taemin just had his usually cheeky grin on his face. Chanyeol just sighed, feeling a bit embarrass