The night became still after the brothers had laid down to their makeshift bed, their snores echoing lightly across the cave.
After Blank assured his brother, the older man didn't bother to doubt his words.
Rukiyo doubted him though.
What could he possibly want for not snitching on her? What could he possibly achieve by covering up the fact that she's staying inside the cave with them?
She frowned, her teeth trapping her bottom lip between them.
No matter how much she asked herself the same questions over and over again, no answer that came from herself would be able to satisfy her curiosity.
But it's not like she can march over to Blank and demand answers, no?
This sucks. Rukiyo thought, eyebrow twitching in frustration as she shifted in her spot, making herself comfortable against her little corner.
She leaned back against the wall, bringing her knees up to her chest.
She can't afford to worry about what Blank wanted from her and forced herself instead to think of a way on how to get out of the cave without waking them up.
"Walking past them is out of the question." She mumbled to herself, voice lower than a whisper and let out a sigh. "Should I fly past them..? But I don't know if these wings will make a sound or not.."
Her head rolled to the side, her eyes glued to the corner where Blank had disappeared into a few hours ago.
She doesn't know how many hours had passed, but she could tell that it was past midnight at how cold the temperature of the cave is, which caused her to wrap her arms around herself to keep herself a little warm.
As far as she's concerned, dragons can handle the cold, so why is she experiencing the cold chill of the air?
Whatever.. It doesn't matter. Rukiyo told herself and shook her head to get rid of the thought.
She relaxed against the wall— or tried to, not that she could anyway.. It was a little colder than she preferred, but still, she had no choice so she sucked it up and curled against herself, letting her tail and wings cover her curled body.
Speaking of which, her tail is big.
She didn't pay much attention to it earlier, but now that she has nothing to do, she can't stop herself from looking at her own tail and admiring it.
It's not fluffy like a cat's, dog's, wolf's, or a fox's.
The dimness of her little corner made it hard to discern its exact color, but the details are unmistakable.
It's smooth, almost scaled, reaching to the pointed tip. She flicked it, testing and watching as it moved, like it's always been a part of her and there's a strange elegance to it, an elegance she couldn't quite explain.
She exhaled softly before running her fingers along the length of her tail, studying its texture.
It resembled a crocodile's tail, alright— powerful, heavy, built for propulsion, but the scales aren't nearly as rough as one.
Instead, it's actually smooth, sleek, and soft with a faint iridescent sheen when it catched what little light filtered through the corner of the cave and the sight of it had her mesmerized.
She gave her tail an experimental flick again, watching how effortlessly it moves.
It's strange how natural it feels, as if her body had always been built this way, but she knew better than to accept it as is.
Rukiyo let out a long sigh and tucked her tail securely against her stomach.
Her wings that wrapped around her like a blanket tightened even more to provide both warmth and concealment in the dark.
It's going to be a long night, is what she believed.
But when Rukiyo's gaze slowly fell to the cave floor, her thoughts were hazy and unfocused, something caught her attention— or more specifically, the shadows in front of her.
They're shifting, reshaping, and forming into something.. Someone.
The sight of the shadow forming a silhouette made her go very still, her breath catching in her throat because the goddamn silhouette is undeniably humanoid, its shape becoming more defined as it slowly advanced closer to her hiding spot.
Rukiyo's heart hammered in her chest as the shadowy figure stalked closer, their steps eerily quiet— almost as if sliding across the cave floor.
A million thoughts race through her mind in an instant.
If this figure isn't Blank, then I have no choice, but to defend myself. She thought and held her breath, her body tense.
When the shadowy figure finally reached her corner, Rukiyo tensed even more, her heart racing.
She held her breath, every muscle taut with anticipation, but when the figure peaked around the corner, her eyes widened in surprise and relief.
It's Blank— the man who didn't rat out her hiding spot.
The tension in Rukiyo's body abruptly melted away, replaced by a wave of relief, but surprisingly enough, Blank went perfectly still, his gaze locking onto her.
Even with his bangs covering half of his features, Rukiyo can tell that he had spotted her and despite herself, she felt a shiver run down her spine under that piercing stare.
For a long moment, they simply stare at each other in silence.
Blank's expression is unreadable behind the curtain of his bangs, leaving Rukiyo to guess at what he's thinking, but she didn't have the chance to actually guess.
Blank took a step forward and the sight of it made Rukiyo flinch, her heart lurching in her chest.
But the moment she reacted to his movement, Blank stopped almost immediately, his stance freezing in place.
He stood still for a moment, silently watching her, and Rukiyo felt the weight of that unseen gaze.
What is this guy's problem? Rukiyo thought, her hands curling into fists under her wings and doing her best to keep herself still.
Blank exhaled, the noise barely registering to her brain.
He slowly lifted his hands in a deliberately nonthreatening gesture— almost in a surrendering manner, before taking a careful step back, like he's trying not to startle a cornered animal.
Rukiyo watched him with wide eyes, pulse still racing, but the tension in her shoulders loosened slightly.
Then, with a nod of his head, Blank turned around and walked away without another sound, melting back into the cave's shadows as if he was never there at all.
Rukiyo stared at the spot where he was standing, baffled. ".. What the hell was that?"