Page 81 of Emerald

Joy. Zha feels joy when zha sees me.

“You left the hoard?” zha asks in the human language, tone incredulous.

“I... well… yes. I did,” I admit, though my skin is twitching to get back to it and make sure it's still intact.

Add to it. Fluff it. The desire ripples along my segments, but I don’t give in.

I resist, eyes roving over zha’s skin as the orange glows even brighter, then I suddenly realize there is something else new about zha.

“Your eyes…” I trail off, somehow more stunned to see zhasie eyes than the patches of orange.

“Right,” zha says briskly. “Well, thanks to them I have a newfound appreciation for what you see in the hoard, but I still want to leave it.”

I grind my tusks. “Why, again? I am not saying no… but why? We have a hoard. It could just be two of us. I was taught that one is better than two, and you are no zhannel to make up the exception to that… but we could be two, regardless. You could help add to the hoard, even.”

Zha’s skin flashes pink again. “It’s funny, actually. Not that long ago I would have agreed with you. I would have reveled in the idea of hiding myself away, though not to gather treasures, that still makes no sense… but to just… it doesn’t matter, actually. You taught me that I couldn’t hide away anymore. That I do, in fact, need people. Even if they are confusing and I don’t think I’ll ever fit in. I need more than just one. More than two, even, Kroaicho.”

I’m not sure how to respond and the silence stretches on.

The tension between us is thick, but I have grown accustomed to it, grown accustomed to zha. For a species so small and fragile, zha is resilient, determined even, despite my constant objections. But what I feel now… this new emotion stirring within me is not something I'm familiar with.

A glance down and I see the orange and pink mixing with green and I know how to identify it.

When I look back to zha, Olivia is signaling again… but not with just the green hair or eyes. Zha’s skin is glowing that unmistakable green. And I feel my own spikes twitch, a response to something deep within me, something primal.

I narrow my eyes, studying the soft green flicker playing along zha’s skin. It's more vibrant now, almost as though zha's emotions—whatever they are—are strengthening with each passing second.

"I thought it was just another way we miscommunicate," I say, my voice lower than I intend, deep in thought. "But you are signaling again."

Olivia startles, blinking up at me. A soft blue now mingles with zha’s green, a blend of curiosity and bewilderment. "Signaling what?"

My spikes stiffen as I search for the correct way to explain it, but the direct path seems the most honest. "You want to mate."

Zha's face flushes a bright red—an odd contrast to the green that still glows faintly. I tilt my head slightly, noticing how zha breathing picks up, zha's heart rate quickening. Zhasie species have many ways of expressing emotions, but red mixed with green? Fascinating.

My spikes twitch, and I blink at Olivia. "You are red," I observe, feeling the shift of blue creeping into my own glow. "Have I frightened you?"

"No, no." Zha rubs the back of zha's neck. "I'm just… human skin turns red when we're embarrassed. Anger, too, but I'm not angry. Just…" zha trails off with cheeks darkening even more.

I narrow my eyes. "That is inconveniently contradictory."

A soft laugh escapes zha, the tension breaking slightly. "Yes. Tell me about it."

Yet, despite zha's oddly red embarrassment, the green glow remains, pulsing softly in rhythm with zha’s emotions. There's a deep hum resonating through me now, and my own body reacts instinctively. The soft, internal heat I've been ignoring flares, and I notice a strange sensation creeping across my own skin—something unexpected, something familiar.

I blink and glance down at my arms. Definitely green. The same green that pulses from zha’s skin still blooms across mine, steadily becoming stronger.

"You want a mate too?" Olivia asks with a quiet voice, almost teasing, but I hear the undercurrent of genuine curiosity.

I stiffen, unsure how to respond. This… this was not something I had anticipated. Zha’s tone, the way zha is laying there, staring up at me with that strange color mixture of confusion and interest—it stirs something in me that feels entirely unfamiliar, yet undeniable.

"It is not something I am opposed to," I murmur, feeling the weight of my own words, surprised I utter them.

I do not understand how this has escalated so quickly, how zha’s presence has stirred a reaction in me that I've never experienced before. Zha is fascinating in ways I hadn't fully acknowledged until now.

Zha’s lips quirk and the green on zha’s skin seems to brighten as zha gets up and steps closer. "You don't seem too shocked by it, though."

"No," I admit it without hesitation, though I am unsure of what to do with this new information. My glow deepens, and I catch a flicker of something else across zha’s face—something playful. The interaction is strange, the energy between us shifting into something almost… charged.

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