19 The Portrai (1/2)

He went to Zuna's contact, he was excited to see her again tomorrow. He was excited to see Eirik as well, but Eirik wasn't much fun.

”It's kind of early, but are you asleep?” He texted her. It was only about 8:30, but Dante had the body of a child, so of course he was already asleep.

She didn't respond for awhile. ”No, why?”

”Just curious.”

”Then can I ask something?” She went ahead and asked without a response. ”Do you want to die?”

Arius paused in thought at that question. He was in fact only curious about the phyrraium, but he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't kill himself with it. ”Do you?”

”No.” Her answer made him wonder if she was upset that he dodged the question, but that thought was replaced by another after her next text. ”I'm not afraid of living.”

”Are you afraid to die?” It was something he often wondered about himself.

”I could say no, but it'd still flinch in the face of death.” What she said made him think about all the times he's welcomed death, only for it to be so far out of his reach.

”What I would give to be able to flinch.” Is what he typed, but didn't send. He deleted it and wrote, ”I've died before.”

”I know, I've watched you die.” She smiled on the other end, but Arius wouldn't know that.

”Right, but I never really died, my heart stops but I always wake up.”

”Don't jinx it, one day you won't wake up.” Oh, how great it would be to never wake up again.

”I hope not, I still have so many stories to tell you.”

”Tell me one now.” She made him smile.