We hadn't gone far when Elias spoke again.
"What were you doing back there?" he asked casually, as if he hadn't already guessed.
I glanced at him. "Helping a young girl."
He slowed a little. "Where is she?"
"She ran away."
That earned a soft chuckle from him. Not mocking. Almost fond.
"That isn't surprising."
I stopped walking.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
He stopped too, turning fully toward me. His expression was calm, unreadable in that way of his that always made me feel like he was seeing more than he said.
"You look scary," he replied evenly. "It's natural people would run."
The words landed harder than I expected.
I blinked. "…I'm scary?"
He nodded once, as if confirming the weather. "Yes."
Silence stretched between us.
[Oh. Ouch,] Nero said. [Straight to the soul. No sugar coating. Bold choice.]
I stared at Elias, waiting for him to laugh. To soften it. To say he was joking.
He didn't.
"Look in a mirror," he added calmly.
