Bleeding Heart 50 How Did I Get This Job?

You have no idea. The thought flitted through Lowks's mind but he just sighed, "A bit, yeah. Can you fix her up that way I can scold her?"

"…. Yeah, just sit her down that way I can look."

He did so and stepped back. He watched in fascination as the rather pretty young priestess began to heal his foolish friend. It always amazed him to watch divine magic work.

Jarenkul was not as religious as some of their allies, but they still had some temples and priests. Just with their crime rate not everyone was all that concerned with it. Lowks himself did have some religious tendencies and often dragged Vixen to services as he figured it was good for her. His sister was actually fairly religious though she was quiet about it.

But when you witnessed something like this it could not help but make belief just a little stronger. Xi'eli might have once granted even stronger powers but even now these acts of healing were still pretty amazing.

At least that was what Lowks always thought. He watched in fascination as Vixen's gaze grew a little clearer and she was deemed by Miria to be fit for scolding. He thanked the priestess with a smile then fixed a cold stare on Vixen.

"C'mon troublemaker." He grasped her wrist and pulled her up.

"Um… Lowks." She sounded nervous.

"What? Do you know just how much worry you put Tira through?" He rolled his eyes, "Of course, I must get on to you. Tira does not need to have to worry over your clumsiness."

He was already leading her away as he spoke. He cast around in his mind for a good way of getting the point he needed across. When she was younger it would have been easy. A simple scolding would bring tears to her eyes as she felt sorry for doing wrong. But now, she was in her rebellious years and it took more than a simple scolding to make her think.

He heard her clear her throat, "I can handle myself just fine. I don't need you lecturing me all the time."

"Oh, really now?" He snorted in derision.

"Yeah! I am a full-grown woman, you know?" She straightened her spine and gave her best indignant look.

It was really not all that great of an attempt to make him leave it. He did release her wrist as he turned and looked her dead in the eye. He almost snapped at her but then paused and decided to change his tune just a little. "Be that as it may… Vixen. You need to be more careful."

He hoped that not calling her a kid might help. She seemed to be a bit upset by him treating her like a kid so…

"What does it matter?" He was alarmed at her shrug and nonchalant att.i.tude. "It's just a bit of pain. Worst thing is it slows us down, right? Other than that it is solely my problem. Nothing to do with you."

"You…" He stopped puzzled and then shook his head. He was not sure how to handle this. Tira had never acted this rebelliously. "Stop acting like a…just, look, Vixen. Please. You never used to act like this. Don't push us away –"

"I don't like being treated like some child you feel obligated to correct. I am a grown-up. Why do you always nag me so much?"

Her eyes were snappish as she looked at him. Lowks had a feeling that he should choose his words carefully.

He took a deep breath, "Vixen. I know you are fully grown." He tried his best to tread lightly. However had he managed to land himself this job? "But you do keep having these accidents and so I worry about you. You need to curb your rashfulness. You are not invincible and you need to be more careful. That's all I ask."

She paused and he could see on her face that she knew she was in the wrong. But still she grumbled, "Still, stop treating me like a kid. You are not all that much older than me anyway…"

"Eleven years." He smiled, glad to be past that danger zone.

"For a half-elf that is not all that much older than against a measly human such as myself. Especially at our ages." There was a superior note in her voice and he realized that she felt the need to win an argument after losing one.

So, he sighed, "Yes, yes. Of course, you are right. Let's leave it."

He was done talking like this with her. Lowks was not all that fond of actually verbally acknowledging that he cared about people. He preferred showing it in his actions.

But Vixen must have misread him as just being a busybody. But how could she not realize that he did care about her safety. After all, he had always taken care of her when she was a child. Kissing away her boo-boos, chasing away anyone who wanted to bully her. Not many kids would mess with someone who was much bigger than them and he had been bigger than the kids her age, at least till she was about fifteen.