6: Must Have Been A Virus

When Evan arrives home, again his parents are waiting for him with Vor. They are expecting him to be deep in luxste' and unable to deny Vor. They are shocked to see him walk in smiling, no shivers or sweats, smiling. He even greets Vor.

"[Good to see you, Vor. You look well this evening,]" smiling so broadly Vor doesn't even respond. She gets up and leaves. It's obvious he's not suffering luxste'. And the smiling, Evan's people are serious and restrained. Smiling is for children and Evan is no child.

Evan eats leftovers from the evening meal he missed. He bids his parents goodnight and retires to his sleeping area. His parents go outside to talk. They're embarrassed to have made such a mistake. It must have been a virus. But they will continue to watch him because the luxste' could start anytime during his young adulthood. They make apologies to Vor and mostly to her parents for the mix up. Everant says he should have known his son wasn't in luxste'. He's sure Evan would have told him and will tell him when it begins.

7: Give Her Space

Eve arrives at her home shortly before Evan reaches his. She is all smiles when she arrives home, the previous night's disturbance forgotten. She hugs, kisses and tells each family member she loves him or her. Her sister, Erin, thinks she ate a fermented fruit on the way home.

Eve's mother saved her a dinner plate. She eats quickly, anxious to read her baby brother, Nate, a bedtime story and spend some quality time with him. After spending time with Nate, she goes straight to bed. She and Evan did take a nap around midday. Yet, exhaustion sends her straight to sleep.

Eve's parents have root tea as they sit talking at the table. They decide that Erin is correct on this matter. They will give Eve her space and let nature take its course. Ben will have a talk with John Phillips about not pressuring Eve and waiting for her to come around on her own when she's ready. Ben has also decided to talk with Adam about no longer following Eve around and also about the accidental breast touch he's been bragging about. Ben believes the right man for his daughter will respect her, and it's obvious to Ben that Adam doesn't respect Eve.

8: Happy

The next several weeks fly by for Eve and Evan. They go about their everyday lives in their villages in a happier manner. Eve is more social and seems less distant to her family and fellow villagers. She no longer goes out of her way to avoid John and Adam, but it's clear she's still not interested in either. She's made sure to spend more quality time with Nate and Erin, to Erin's dismay.

Evan's happier manner has people in his village talking, especially when he gets caught grinning from ear-to-ear. Malyon's don't gossip, but they do discuss. Evan is being discussed. His mastery of the human language shows that he could be valuable if they ever had to negotiate with the humans on the other side of the river; although, both sides have managed to avoid each other for over twenty years. But to avoid public scrutiny, he volunteers to care for the handful of young children in the village and spends more time with his little sister, Evma. He can't get in trouble for smiling when working with children. Vor is convinced he's losing his mind. How could her parents want her to be life-mates with a man who refuses to where his hair a proper length and has such odd behavior.