Draven looked at Hannah's smiling face.
*I never thought she could smile.*
"It turns out you can smile too," he said.
Hearing that, Hannah blushed.
*She never showed any emotion. I was starting to think she might actually be emotionless.*
Draven looked at her and smiled.
"You should smile more. You look good when you smile."
Hannah's face turned even redder, and she quickly looked down to hide it.
Seeing her blush, Draven thought,
*She can also be shy. Not as emotionless as I thought.*
"Hey."
Hannah raised her head and looked at him.
"We should probably head back," Draven continued. "I've already learned the basics of wielding a bow. As long as I keep practicing, I'll get better at it."
Hannah nodded, then glanced at the bow in her hands.
She began pouring mana into it, and the bow transformed back into a bracelet around her wrist.
Draven watched the transformation closely.
*Damn that thing really is convenient. One moment it's a bow, and the next it's a bracelet. You don't have to carry a weapon around everywhere.*
He glanced at his own bow, then at the black glove covering his hand.
*I wonder if I can do something similar with mine.*
He briefly considered it before shaking his head.
*No, forget it. If I start learning every convenient little trick I come across, I'll end up spending all my time training.*
*And that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid.*
He looked at Hannah again.
*Besides, I've already learned how to use a bow. That's enough for today.*
"Let's go."
Hannah nodded and followed him.
They walked through the garden, the sounds of the birthday celebration growing fainter behind them. Draven carried his bow in one hand while Hannah walked beside him, her bracelet resting quietly on her wrist.
For a while, neither of them said anything.
Draven glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
*We've been walking in silence since earlier.*
He looked ahead, then back at her.
*Is she really unable to speak, or does she just don't wanna?*
He remembered how she had spent the entire time at the party without saying a single word. Even when he had asked her questions, she had only responded with nods and shakes of her head.
At first, he had assumed she was simply shy.
But after spending some time with her, he wasn't so sure anymore.
She could smile. She could blush. And judging by the way she'd reacted when he teased her, she certainly wasn't emotionless.
*Maybe she's just the quiet type.*
He tilted his head slightly.
*Still, going around communicating with nothing but nods and shaking head must be damn inconvenient.*
"Hey," Draven said. "I wonder, are you unable to speak, or do you just not want to speak?"
Hannah looked at him, her face completely expressionless.
Draven waited for a response.
A second passed.
Then another.
Hannah said nothing.
Draven blinked.
*Well, that didn't help.*
He scratched his cheek with his free hand.
"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," Draven said.
He didn't want to make her uncomfortable by pushing the subject. If she didn't want to speak, that was her business.
Besides, he had something else he was curious about.
He looked at her again.
"I also wonder, how old are you?"
Hannah continued walking beside him.
Draven studied her face for a moment.
*She looks about ten years old. But then again, this is an Elven we're talking about.*
He remembered how Alex looked like a teenager despite being thirty-nine.
*For all I know, this girl could be older than me.*
That thought made him grin.
*Now that would be interesting.*
He moved a little closer to Hannah, wearing the sort of smile that usually meant he was about to cause trouble.
"If I'm older than you, you'll have to show me some respect and start calling me Big Bro from now on."
Hannah turned her head and looked at him.
Draven maintained his smile.
"Come on, it's only fair, right? If I'm older, you should call me Big Bro. That's how it works."
Hannah stared at him.
No response.
Draven raised an eyebrow.
"Well?"
She continued staring.
He clicked his tongue.
"You're not even going to give me a nod this time?"
Hannah's expression remained unchanged.
Draven sighed dramatically.
*What a difficult kid.*
He folded his arms, though he still had to keep his bow in one hand.
"Fine, you don't have to answer right now. But you should know that if I'm older than you, I'm not letting you get away with calling me by my name."
He grinned.
"Imagine it. You walking around calling me Big Bro Draven. Sounds pretty damn nice, doesn't it?"
Hannah stopped walking.
Draven took another step before realizing she was no longer beside him.
He turned around.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
Hannah stared at him for another moment.
Then she raised her hand toward her wrist.
A dim light suddenly shone.
Draven was still smiling as he turned toward her.
"Right, if I'm older than you—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Hannah was holding her bow, with a mana arrow pointed directly at his face.
Draven's smile immediately became nervous.
Sweat began pouring down his face.
"Hey Kid, why don't you calm down and let's talk?" he said.
Hannah shifted the bow even closer to his face.
Draven's nervous smile twitched.
*Damn. I said that out loud.*