Ohhhh, so Til wasn’t a full wood elf? Yeah, okay, there were plenty of signs of that along the way, so I probably shouldn't really be too surprised by that. I guess it totally explains why he looks so much burlier than all the other male elves I’ve seen before. Oh, and also why he could use so much more magic than wood elves are supposed to be able to as well, right? And I guess why his name sounded a bit different than all the other wood elves’  that I met earlier too?

 

=Okay, that makes sense. So what, are you mixed with like a human or something?=

 

Is that why the Elders thought I would have treated Til like an intruder and eaten him? It would certainly explain why I thought Til’s blood was extra-specially delicious if that were the case.

 

Til stopped walking and shot me an incredulous look.

 

“...Do I look like I’m striped like a human?”

 

…Huh?

 

=What the heck are you talking about?=

 

“I certainly don’t have any spots or striations on me either, so what exactly would make you think I look like a human in any way?”

 

=Well I don’t know! You’re pretty muscly, and the only muscly things I’ve seen so far have been huma- No, wait! Are you saying humans have stripes and all that other stuff on them?!=

 

Til’s face scrunched up for a moment, and he moved closer to me, looking me over like he didn’t believe what he’d heard me say.

 

“Of course they do. Haven’t you said you’ve seen plenty of humans before?”

 

=Yeah, I’ve seen tons of humans! But not one of them had any of the stuff you just said!=

 

In anything, all of the humans I’ve stumbled across so far have been pretty paper-y white or gray I’d say! I’ve seen plenty of different hair colors, but I guess it’s kind of strange that there hasn’t really been very much differentiation in their skin colors at all. So far I’ve always been just writing it off as a regional thing, and thinking that I’d only managed to see one race and would find others when I went far enough away. But now, with Til saying these things…

 

Til looked at me suspiciously for a while, but then he shook his head, supposedly deeming that the current conversation could wait, and backtracking to what we were originally talking about.

 

“I don’t have any human in me; I look like this because my mother was a fire elf.”

 

Oooh, a fire elf! How fancy! Haven’t managed to see any of those around yet, although I guess you wouldn’t really find any in the Spirit of the Forest’s territory, now would you?

 

=Neat! So the fire elves are big and burly like you?=

 

Til did his best to annoyedly knock away the tentacles that I’d unconsciously sent crawling all over him in my excitement while I spoke. His face grew more and more uncomfortable as he replied.

 

“Yes... And although I’m quite a bit lighter, I also have the same skin color as them as well.”

 

…Huh? Again I say, huh???

 

=...But you have the same color as the wood elves do, though?=

 

Not just the wood elves, if I had to say it, he’s basically colored like all the humans that I’ve seen so far as well. Yeah, now that I think of it, this is definitely weird!!!

 

“...What?”

 

Til stopped smacking away my now frozen tentacles and made his way closer, grabbing onto my shoulders with a serious face and looking me directly in my non-functioning eyes, which made me want to panic for a second.

 

“Tell me, L’Lan’e’frea, what colors can you see on me?!”

 

=Ummm, you have dirty blonde hair, green eyes, and green nails?=

 

Til’s eyes shook for a short while like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but soon enough he was grabbing me even harder and even tried to shake me a little bit.

 

“Then… Then what colors do you see on my grandma?! No, on all the other elves?!”

 

Okay, now I’m starting to get kind of worried. Have I been seeing things wrong this whole time or something? I know my weird magical vision can act a little funky sometimes, but I wouldn’t like it if it was messing with even the colors I was seeing, too.

 

=Erm… W-well, I’m sure they all had blonde hair, right? Instead of dirty blonde like yours? But besides that, there’s not really, uh… Did I miss something, maybe…?=

 

Til stared hard at me until I started to wriggle my tentacles in worry. With how quiet and pensive he’d suddenly gotten, I was sure I must have said something to hurt him. Actually, now that I’m thinking back on it, I can think of a ton of times that I accidentally said something insensitive to him because I couldn’t see what he was hinting about! Aaaah, no wonder he was randomly getting so pissy at me sometimes; It wasn’t actually random at all!

 

Eventually I couldn’t take the quiet, the awkwardness, and the guilt anymore. I absolutely had to do something! So, unable to think of anything else, I wrapped all my tentacles around him and gave Til a good firm hug.

 

=I’m sorry if I hurt you somehow, Til. If it helps, you’re still by far my favorite elf!=

 

I guess Til finally woke up from whatever thinking session he was having, because he started squirming to get free from my tight hold, and flinched whenever my tentacles (gently, I swear) patted him on the back. His voice still sounded a bit self-deprecating as he talked, but I could tell that something that used to be there before was missing from it. Maybe it sounded lighter now than it used to all the other times in the past that I'd heard him speak?

 

“Even though I’m a dirty mixed breed?”

 

=You keep saying that even though you know you all look the same to me… No matter what you’ve told me, my vision can only see you as a wood elf.=

 

Til stopped moving once again and trembled a bit in my embrace. Maybe I’ve had my gripes with my vision (including this most recent frustrating realization!), but I’m glad it still let me see the small smile he was making, even in this position. I hugged him just a little bit closer, feeling the warmth that radiated through his shirt.

 

“...Thank you, L’la-”

 

=Oh, but there is one big difference though!=

 

“...Yes?”

 

I put a small bit of distance between the two of us, moving one of my tentacles in front of my ‘mouth’ to mimic a wide smile while I sent another one to gently slap against his chest.

 

=You’re way more stacked than all those other elves! You should totally let me hug you more often~!=

 

Yup yup, and with that, the sweet little smile that grew on his face was now com-pl-ete-ly gone!

 

I’m happy I could make him feel better and everything after all this time that I must have been hurting him. Really, truly I don’t want Til to feel bad over something as simple and unchangeable as skin color. But still, what’s he complaining about! I mean, at least he has skin! I’m over here running around with these stupid faux-skin leaves, and here he is acting all pitiful with his real-boy skin!

 

My tentacle that had been patting his chest came up to point at him right in front of his nose.

 

=Listen, Til. Who cares what kind of elf you are? Boohoo, you have characteristics of both.=

 

Til’s face, previously looking at me like he couldn’t believe my antics, took a turn for the hostile. His hand tried to swat my tentacle that was in front of his face away, but I was too quick for him to even touch it.

 

“You’re really going to say-”

 

=Maybe I haven’t met any fire elves yet, but do you know what I know for sure, Til?=

 

“L’Lan’e’frea, cease th-”

 

=I know that you’re way better than any of ‘em! So stop acting like you’re not!=

 

Til’s mouth closed. He looked very surprised to hear my words. And honestly? I like this dumbfounded look that he gives me sometimes. Feels like I finally know something he doesn’t, you know?

 

While he was stunned I took my opportunity. My tentacles reached out and slithered around him, and even my many roots laced around him. Firmly tied against him so that his struggles no longer meant a thing, I put my face right in front of his.

 

=You know, Til, if you have to be some kind of elf, then why don’t you just be mine?=

 

“What? I’ve already told you-”

 

=If the forest can accept elves in and make them wood elves, then why can’t I accept you and make you my own personal L’Lan’e’frea elf?=

 

Til, who’d given up resisting against my tentacles since he’d already learned time and time again that it wouldn’t work, was simply narrowing his eyes at me like he thought I’d gone mad.

 

“You and I both know that that isn’t how it works, L’Lan’e’frea.”

 

=Yeah yeah, I know~. Jeez Til, you’re no fun!=

 

I loosened my hold on him, and he immediately began to tug and pull his way out of my tangled tendrils. Just before he was successful, though, I suddenly put my strength back into them, locking him back in place.

 

=You know what though, Til? If it was possible, would you have accepted? Because I for one think that you totally would have.=

 

Til froze himself completely still after hearing my words, and this time when I eased up my hold on him, he didn’t even try to remove himself. Instead he just stood there, looking like he’d just been woken up from something. It was another look of his that I could add to my collection, and I was very pleased with myself for managing to get it out of him.

 

=See? That right there, that’s what makes you so much better than the rest of them, Til.=

 

Now I was really going to have to find a way to turn that ‘what if’ into a reality.