The determination and focus became unparalleled as the weight of the packs Emelri and Pepin carried felt lighter with each day. They spent their time doing nothing but going into jump after jump with the occasional break. 

During these breaks, Emelri practiced using the new and improved Broyeur. It looked the same as before except there was a glowing energy crystal resting in the spot the ruby used to be. This became troublesome at night—the bright light piercing through her eyelids while she slept—so the beloved weapon was exiled under heaps of clothes and the rest of their belongings. She did bring it outside for midnight bathroom breaks however, which was both helpful and a good means of defense when venturing out alone at night.

By the seventh day since Adrian’s departure, the two found themselves outside a boathouse at the edge of the west side of the main island in Border Town.

“Let me try teleporting us to Fligjorn,” Pepin insisted, taking her shoulder.

“Pep, no.” She pulled out of his grip as his eyes began to light up. “Are you crazy? I know you’re getting better at jumping but Fligjorn is still a day’s journey from the main island. We’ll end up in the ocean if you’re not careful.”

He folded his arms. “It’s the fastest way.”

“Not if we’re stuck treading water in the middle of nowhere after you’re too exhausted to keep jumping then we drown after fighting off sharks.”

“That’s a bit dramatic but I see your point.”

“We’ll canoe over, okay?”

He nodded, walking towards the boathouse. “Probably for the best. I’m getting pretty tired anyway. I think using all this magic is starting to take a toll on me.”

“You have been teleporting non-stop.”

“We’re getting so close and Toulou only has a few days left if we’re assuming they haven’t found an antidote yet, and let’s face it, knowing how stubborn they are, I’d say that’s highly likely.”

“True.” She looked ahead at the softly rippling body of water. “Let’s not waste any more time then.”

 

❀❀❀

 

Early morning of the eighth day, the couple arrived in an Alchemist town on the next island; the last one they’d encounter this far west.

“I didn’t think Alchemists lived up this far,” Pepin said as they walked through the small street in broad daylight.

“I believe it’s more of a monastery than anything else,” she responded by his side. “A religious haven if you will. Must be because the location is so remote. I think we should stay the night here before making it to Fort Blood tomorrow. It’s the safest option.”

“I agree. It isn’t so close to the Spiller stronghold to be an issue, also we should make it to our destination tomorrow in three jumps.”

“That’s a lot, Pep, especially considering how much distance you’ve been covering lately with just one jump.”

He shook his head. “It’ll be fine. We’re definitely ahead of Toulou at this point by quite a lot and we’ll cut them off tomorrow before they get too close to the stronghold. We should look for an Inn. You haven’t slept much the last few days, Emi.”

“You haven’t either. Also, we’ll have to camp tonight instead.”

“Huh? How come?”

“Since you’re not an Alchemist, they won’t allow you into any Inn. There’s a strict policy in my culture that non-Alchemists may not sleep on Alchemist land. I’m sorry, Pep, but it looks like we’re camping again.”

“Oh, that’s alright.”

Something caught his attention then as they walked, and she turned her head curiously only to realize in horror that he was looking at a Navleni parlor.

Flushing, she said quickly, “O-oh hey, I’ve been meaning to say, but Mevlo’s workers restored your mother’s necklace so nicely.” She thanked Ziluria when the green eyes came away from the taboo location to flick down at the black pendant around his neck. If the little switch on the side was activated, the cracked green crystal underneath would be revealed.

“I’m glad he did. In a way, it feels like I’m honoring her memory as well as moving on from the incident.”

“I’m glad.”

“Me too. Well,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “we should find where we want to camp tonight, don’t you think?”

“Agreed. It’s still early in the day, so I was hoping to maybe catch a nap soon. We should have everything prepared for tomorrow.”

He nodded. “Let’s find a spot in the forest then.” Placing a hand on her arm, she was about to speak when they were jumping, and her head was spinning out of control.

Pepin held her upright as they landed on the cool, forest floor in a secluded spot. 

“Pep, what the hell!” She punched his arm while he chuckled sheepishly. “Warn me next time.”

“Sorry. But hey, watch this.” There was a flash of light, and she realized her pack was off her back, unpacked, and the tent already rolled out. “Why don’t you nap while I get us something to eat in town?” There was another flash, and the tent was up in an instant. “I saw some rice pockets back there...”

“Ooo, yes! Are you sure you don’t want a nap too, Pep? You must be exhausted.”

“I am, but I’ll wait until nighttime. Don’t worry about me. Now rest.” 

A final flash of light and Emelri blinked around the inside of the tent, looking down to see she was laying on her back on an already rolled out mat. Pepin popped his head into the tent, gave her a short wink, and left.

She exhaled, unable to prevent her face from heating up.

 

❀❀❀

 

When Emelri awoke, for a moment, she wasn’t sure where she was or what day it was. Her body was sluggish as she stood and walked over to the tent flap to lift it. She stared in disbelief, seeing that the sun was only a few hours from setting. She’d been much more tired than expected.

A head of black curls and bright, green eyes met her from beside a firepit. “You’re finally awake.” He patted the spot beside him. “I saved you something to eat.”

She came over and sat. “How long was I asleep?”

“Long enough your food got cold.” Taking out the wrapped rice pocket, Pepin set it in a small pan over the fire. “You were really tired apparently.”

Considering the little smirk for a moment, she nudged his arm. “Guess I was. Did you manage to sleep too?” He shook his head and that’s when she noticed his chest was glowing. “Oh, Pep, what happened? Are you injured?”

He glanced down then back up, and she was confused to see red in his cheeks. “It’s nothing. I just fell while gathering mushrooms. Cut myself, but it’ll be healed soon so don’t worry.”

“Oh, must be pretty bad if it’s taking more than a few seconds to heal. Can I look at it?”

“No!” She blinked at the raised voice, and Pepin flushed further, adding quietly, “er, no thank you. Really, it’s fine. Oh look, your food is ready. Here.”

“Uh, thanks.” There was an awkward silence as she ate the heated rice pocket. Swallowing, she considered him for a moment, taking in the soft lines of his copper cheeks and the emerald eyes that flicked up to meet her. What was he hiding?

“What is it?” he finally asked, and she realized she’d been staring.

“Huh? Nothing. Was just… admiring you.” She blinked away shyly.

“Oh.”

“S-sorry…”

He took her hand, forcing her to look up at him again. “Well, look all you want. No harm in it.”

“Oh. Well, okay.” Searching his face for a moment, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

“What was that for?” he whispered after they’d parted, his thumb coming up to graze over her cheek.

“Do I need a reason?”

Making a little, “Hm,” sound, he began the next kiss, his hand snaking around her waist.

Gripping the front of the white cotton shirt, she pulled herself closer. He exhaled softly in reply before deepening the kiss, and time escaped them both as they became lost in each other’s touch.

By the time they were pulling apart, she was in his lap, straddling him with his face in her hands. A gentle smile spread over his face that she returned. “We haven’t had a chance to relax in so long,” she said softly between labored breaths. “We’ve barely touched these past few days.”

“We have the whole rest of today,” he murmured. “We can touch all you want.”

She gave a small gasp when his mouth went to her neck. “P-Pep... Can... can we move to the tent?”

“Huh?” He pulled back and searched her face with wide eyes. “What are... You’re saying you want to...”

She glanced to the side ashamedly, her face heating up. “Only if you also want to...”

He considered her for a moment, then his lashes lowered as he whispered softly in her ear, “I want to.”

 

 

Pepin hovered over her with nothing on but the undergarment that bound his still healing chest which she was currently unlacing while they kissed.

She was also missing her bottoms, though her top was fully dressed. Pepin’s fingers found the edges of her shirt and pulled up, then he halted. “Emi, may I? I’ll see your Navleni if I keep going.”

A real and intense fear struck her heart. “Oh, right. Yes. That. I...”

“We can stop, if you want.” He went to remove his hands when she seized one of his wrists.

“N-no, it’s alright. I’m ready to show you, it’s just... ugly.”

“That can’t be—”

“No, it is, but it’s alright. I’m okay. I’ve come to terms with it over the years.”

“Did you pick out a design you didn’t like or something? What happened?”

She searched his face nervously, then sighed. “No, I picked out a nice design. It was supposed to be pink Plumeria flowers with little black swirl patterns coming out of it. It was a pretty popular design, at least, that’s what they told me since I’ve never seen anyone else’s, but something went wrong. During the inking, the red bled out of the pink under my skin and mixed with the black and stained the rest of the design. I asked them to fix it, but the damage was permanent.”

“Oh.”

“At the time, I was already going through such a hard time living with my mother, trying to be my own person, and staying above everything while she tore me down. This was supposed to be an exciting rite of passage for me, but it never felt that way. Nothing about my childhood felt the way it’s supposed to. Well, a few weeks after getting the mark, my mother caught sight of it when she walked in on me changing. Of course, one of the few things I could keep secret from her, she now knew about, and I wasn’t to hear the end of how ugly and useless the Navleni was, just like me, for the rest of my days living with her.”

“Emi, you’re not ugly or useless—”

“I... I know that, in theory. My Navleni just feels so indicative of what my life is and always has been. A broken, unfixable mess. Fuck, I hate it so much, Pep.” A tear slid down her face. “Any time I think I’m finally healing from what she did to me, I see the mark and I’m reminded that this scar will be with me the rest of my life. It’s so shameful. I just want to live a life free of her voice and her presence, but sometimes I feel so completely overwhelmed by it, all I can do is wait for it to pass. It’s just... a never healing wound.”

“Hey.” She blinked through the tears at the compassionate green eyes that had nothing but love in them. “Your wounds are what make you, you, Emi. Whatever your Navleni looks like, it’ll be beautiful, because it’s on you, because you’re a beautiful person despite everything that’s happened to you.” He stroked her face, then laid a kiss to her lips. “Don’t worry about what I think. I will love you no matter what.”

Lip trembling, she wrapped her arms around his neck and burrowed her nose into his shoulder. “I love you so much, Pep. I’m scared of allowing myself to feel this intimate with you. I... I don’t know if I have the strength to show it to you.”

“And that’s okay. Can I at least show you mine?”

“Hm?” Wiping her nose, she pulled back in confusion, watching as Pepin released the last of the ribbons from his binder and slipped it off.

Her eyes instantly fell over the fresh tattoo that still glowed green from the healing effects. Colored palm leaves spread under his breasts like wings with intricate black ink swirls weaving in and out of them.

“If you can love my body, then I can do the same for you.”

She stared, mouth agape. “When did you... That’s what you’ve been healing?”

He nodded shyly. “I got it in town earlier when you were asleep. It doesn’t really hurt anymore.”

“But... but...” She shook her head slightly. “W-why? Why get it?”

He took her hand and pressed the palm to his lips. “In case we ever got closer, though, I wasn’t expecting that to happen this soon.” He exhaled a laugh. “I didn’t want you to feel alone if you ever revealed your Navleni to me, so I got my own.”

“Oh, Pep...”

“Do you like it?”

If her stuttering and blushing face wasn’t answer enough, she whispered a soft, “Yes,” as she extended her hand and stroked a gentle finger over the palm leaves on one side, making his breath hitch. “Will... will you turn around?”

“Huh? Emi, are you sure?”

A timid smile crossed her face. “I’m sure. Now turn around already!” She pushed his shoulder, and he sat up, turning from her.

Eyes trailing over the back of his head down to the naked torso, she hesitantly lifted her shirt over her head then worked on the structured undergarments. After a moment, she tapped him on the shoulder, muttering, “R-ready.”

“You’re certain?”

“Mm hm.”

The moment his gaze fell over her right arm, a shot of panic coursed through her. She couldn’t even look at him as he came closer, feeling rather than seeing as he pulled her into his arms, a gentle peck grazing her cheek.

As she hugged him back, the dreaded Navleni caught her eye, the mark spreading from the top of her built shoulder down the muscular upper arm. Without closer inspection, it could easily be mistaken for an open wound. The original flower shape was marred and flooded with red splotches, and drips of black and red ink ran over the whole of it like blood. 

They pulled out of the embrace, and a deep blush set in. “I-I told you it looks awful. Like it’s bleeding or someth—” Her words cut off when his lips were over her right shoulder, right on top of the Navleni. 

He kissed his way over it, making her shiver uncontrollably. “It’s beautiful,” he murmured, his mouth wandering to her collarbone and slowly downward.

“P-Pep...”

He pushed her onto her back and her hands wove into his curls. Fingertips brushed over her bare thighs, and tears began to slide down the side of her face. “I... love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too.”

One of his copper-colored hands came up, resting over the marred tattoo as he continued his trail of kisses, and for once in her life, Emelri thought she was very beautiful then, mark and all.