James thought he was the first one awake, but when he woke up to an empty sleeping mat, he frowned. With a small pulse of his soul, he found Luna nearly a mile away. Amber was with her, and when they felt him, they both sent back that they didn't want to be bothered.

Shrugging it off, he started moving around the clearing and grabbed the various tubs. All of them had been retrofitted with the new water systems for their future use.

Next, he watched the sun rise just the smallest amount. The clouds were tinged orange and pink as he pulled his clothes off the laundry line that was strung up. Jamie joined him partway through his organizing, yawning before taking her clothes as well.

"They're off talking again," Jamie said softly.

"Yup. Can you feel them from here?" he asked with raised brows.

"Somewhat. It's fuzzy," she admitted. "I'm getting better though."

With a soft smile, he ruffled her hair. "You're growing far faster than I did. Pretty soon you'll be a master."

"Well…" she started. "I am better than you at everything."

Laughing, he gently pushed her away. "Jerk."

Giggling, she went willingly back to her sleeping mat. Rolling it up, she added it to her ring before changing clothes. Instead of cultivator robes that she would normally wear to the city, she went with tight black pants and shirt. Slipping into her combat boots, she made sure they were tight. Once she was ready, yawned again and nudged her brother awake.

Linda was starting to stir, waking Bronson in the process. The large oni grumbled a few times before she smacked him. With a grunt, he opened his eyes and found his girlfriend glaring at him.

Brakin and Boris woke up afterwards and promptly started breaking down camp. It wasn't until James rolled up Luna's and Amber's sleeping rolls that the girls returned. Luna's soul felt like she had been sucker punched. Amber was demure for only a moment before meeting his gaze. Running over, she wrapped her arms around his side and started sniffing his neck.

"Am I a drug?" he joked.

"Yes," she purred.

Shaking the cat off, he walked over to Luna as she added her sleeping roll to her ring. "I was surprised you didn't wake up with me."

Shrugging, she gave him a small smile. "Needed some girl time."

"Anything I can help with?"

"No," she said right away. "Amber is helping me figure a few things out. Ready to head out?"

Letting her change subject, he panned his gaze over the clearing. "I believe we are. Only a few miles left to go before we reach the city."

"How are we getting in?"

Jamie answered for everyone. "We are going over the wall. With our cultivation, jumping the wall will be easy."

Clapping his hands together, James took charge. "Jamie is right. She'll take the lead and we'll go over one by one. Once we reach the inner walls, we'll make our way to the inn and settle into rooms. From there, we'll split up."

"Understood," everyone said.

With one last deep breath, James walked with Jamie as they headed to the city. They had nearly twenty miles to pass, and with their pace it would only take a few minutes. They weren't casually walking, but using their cultivation to cover the miles quickly.

Once they reached the wall, James watched Jamie jump over. She stopped on the top and looked back down on him. With a thumbs up, she signaled they were good to go.

Mender went next, promptly hopping down to the other side. The Elson brothers went with Linda, leaving Luna and Amber to go next. Luna flashed James a small smile before jumping up. Amber sighed next to him.

"I'm sorry, James," Amber whispered.

"For what?" he asked.

"That you are clueless when it comes to social norms. If you weren't, you would understand more."

Frowning, he bumped her with his shoulder. "Isn't that what I have you for?"

"Yeah, well, today you might not want to be around me…"

Before he could question her further, she jumped up, leaving him alone. His panther walked out of the forest before he could join them. The large cat had filled out with lean muscle over the last few weeks. His soul was also stronger, but nearly where it should be. When James was in the Forsaken city, the panther couldn't grow with his help. And now he was entering another city and his panther would have to wait again.

James rubbed the cat's head before spreading out his soul lightly. He felt the turmoil and sorrow in Amber as she walked with Luna. His wife felt even worse and he finally understood what was happening. Amber may have been right that he didn't understand people, but he wasn't an idiot. Each time he leveled up, Luna had felt off about him. With this latest jump in power, she had actively been afraid of him and pushing him away. He knew what came next. It seemed Amber knew as well.

Rubbing his eyes, he found them wet. His nose was starting to run and Jamie jumped back down to join him.

"You finally figured it out," she whispered.

"Yeah…"

Wrapping her arms around him, she pressed her face into his chest. "She'll have her reasons for it, I'm sure. But it'll always go back to one thing."

"Fear," he stated.

"Yes. You've always scared her and that will never change. I'm sorry, James. If it helps, she really does love you. She just can't be with you any longer."

Hugging Jamie back, he released the emotions he was feeling. She gently guided him to the wall and sat down with him, resting his head on her shoulder. He wasn't alright and he didn't know when he would be again.

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***

James was the last to reach the inner wall. He could feel the emotions rolling through Luna's soul and Amber was not much better. Jamie stayed by his side, helping him over the wall and into the city itself. It was clear that Luna knew that he knew. He wasn't the only one with Soul Senses.

Meeting up with everyone, he calmed himself and put on a blank expression. He felt empty, drained, and like the day wasn't real. He took the lead into the demi-human district of the city, using his soul to map out the people.

Many of them were curious why a human was walking among them, but they quickly noticed Luna and the others and accepted them. The river that the sect was known for split the city into its two districts. The humans were on the west side of the river, and the demi-humans and slums on the east. The mountain and sect were north and from a distance, he could tell the elevator was moving steadily.

James kept his soul pulled in tight, shutting off his emotions from everyone. He didn't disturb the air, nor did he scare people away. Only the few demi-humans that met his gaze quickly put distance between them. Dressed in a plain shirt and pants, he didn't slow until they reached a market.

The large open square held stalls and booths manned by the various races. Taverns and inns were around the edges, taking up large sections of the blocks. The scent of ale and piss was ripe, and he made the decision to find rooms in the largest of the inns.

Stepping inside, he was met with a glare from a rabbit demi-human. The woman clearly didn't want to help him until Amber joined his side and took his arm. The rest of his party fell in next to him, showing their various races. Only Jamie and Mender looked out of place.

They had gold from Settling Stone, but they didn't know if it would work in Running River. Either way, he approached the counter.

"I need rooms for my party." He almost winced when he found his voice devoid of any warmth. Pulling out a bag of gold, he set it down. It was easily a thousand coins.

Eyes wide, the rabbit took the bag. "How many rooms?"

Counting quickly, he said, "nine."

Amber shook her head. "Bronson is going to share with Linda."

Nodding, James corrected the order. "Eight will do. We'll be here for a while." Scanning the place, he found that it didn't have a bar, unlike their last inn, but it did have a restaurant.

"Umm…Yes!" the woman chirped. Turning, she grabbed eight keys off the rack behind her and laid them out. "They aren't all on the same floor, but the numbers are on the keys."

James took the lone room on the fourth floor and handed the rest of them out. He wanted to be away from his party for a while. With a glance at Luna, he handed her a key to the second floor.

Letting out a slow breath, she nodded and took it.

Turning back to the receptionist, he asked, "do you have baths here?"

"Yes," she said slowly. "But you'll have to pull water from the well out back."

"Do the tubs drain well?"

Frowning, she nodded. "Yes. Why?"

Turning to Jamie, he nodded. "It's your lucky day. We are upgrading your baths."

"Huh?" the rabbit gawked at him.

Jamie rolled her eyes. "Dear brother, you are confusing her." Walking up to the counter, she asked, "where are the baths?"

"First floor." Pointing to the left wing, the rabbit added, "no one is in there right now. I only have two hours left for people to claim."

"We'll need a full hour," James stated. "How many tubs do you have?"

Frown growing, the rabbit held up a single finger. "Just the one. But it's large enough for people to share. We have mixed bathing here."

Nodding, James started walking away. Jamie sighed behind him. "We'll be taking the first hour. We plan on setting up an enchanted pump for the bath. I'll show you how to use it after we are done."

Ignoring whatever the receptionist said after that, James turned the corner and found the bathing room. Stepping inside, he looked over the dismal setup. A few coarse bars of soap were on the ledge of a stone basin large enough for three people. The stone was cracked, but not enough to leak. Studying the drain, he found that it would hold water well and the pipes didn't look broken. Instead of having a separate wash area, everyone was expected to clean themselves in the large bath. He had nothing against that, but knew that the human side would be set up differently.

Pulling out the plumping system that they had created the night before, James walked to the back of the room. The door opened behind him and he said, "Jamie, I'm going to need your help sinking the pipe into the stone."

"I can't help with that," Luna said softly.

Sighing, he set down his pipe. "Are you here to finally talk to me?"

"Can you at least face me?" The hurt in her voice made him turn.

When he met her gaze, he found tears dripping down her face. Sniffing, she stepped forward and hugged him. "You know why I have to do this."

"I do," he admitted. Hugging her back, he pressed his nose into her hair. "Why couldn't things be different? Did I not try hard enough?"

"No!" she stated quickly. "You did everything right, James. But we shouldn't have rushed our relationship. We were both in bad places when we met and looking back, I took advantage of you. But I know that I'm not the one meant for you. There's someone out there that will love you more than I ever can. You just have to give her a chance."

"Do I know this person?" he asked softly.

"You do." Breaking down further, Luna sobbed against him. "Just give it at least a day!"

"Are you staying with the party?" he questioned.

"If you'll have me," she whispered. "I promised that I would help you figure out the truths of the world. I want to travel. I want to be your friend."

Sniffling, he nodded. "That sounds really nice."

Pulling away, she wiped her eyes. "I have a market to set up in. I'll find you tonight to report anything I learn."

"Okay." Wiping his eyes as well, he started to turn away when Luna grabbed him. Hugging him one last time, she let out a shaky breath. Letting him go, she left the room.

Sitting on the edge of the tub, he rested his face in his hands. He didn't hear the door when it opened a moment later. He startled when someone started gently rubbing his shoulders. Before he could look up, the cork on a bottle popped and the heavy aroma of rum filled the air.

"Drink," Amber said softly.

Taking the bottle, he took a long drink, pulling more than he should have. His body protested against the liquid, but he snarled and drank anyway.

A tail wrapped around his back as Amber took the bottle back. Drinking some herself, she kept her other arm wrapped around his back. "I'm glad you figured it out."

"It hurts," he whispered. "I had rings for the two of us. I was supposed to enchant them when I got better."

Passing the bottle back to him, she let out a slow breath. "I can't make the pain go away, but I can at least talk with you. I know what you are going through."

Downing more of the bottle, he set it down. "We have work to do. I think I need to be busy right now."

"Okay." Nodding, Amber rested her hand against his cheek. "Promise me that you'll stay with Jamie today. Don't go off on your own."

Wiping his eyes one last time, he gave her a weak smile. "I promise. We can talk tonight?"

"As long as you need to." Leaning in, she kissed his cheek. "I have to go learn a thing or two about the city. I'll try to only kill one or two people."

Despite the moment, he chuckled.

With a gentle smile, she stood. "Remember, James. There are a few of us that are not afraid of you growing stronger. You're our castle. Our walls that keep us safe. The more you grow, the better we feel. You just have to let us inside."

"I think I understand," he whispered.

Patting her cheeks, she put on a serious expression before leaving. He didn't have to wait longer than a few seconds before Jamie joined him. Grabbing the pipe, she moved to the back wall and started setting it up. She didn't talk, nor hug him in any way. Instead, her soul pushed love and assurance toward him and that helped more than anyone talking to him.

When she was finished, she plugged the drain and started the water. The flow was perfect and filled the tub steadily. The gold water reflected the low light coming in through the window as steam started to fill the room.

Taking off her clothes, she slipped into the tub and patted the spot by her side. "Join me."

Those were the only words that were said as he pulled off his clothes and slipped into the warm water with her. She continued to use her soul to touch his and assure him everything would be okay as they sat side by side. The rest of their party had left the inn to start their days. It was just him and Jamie, taking in the calm moment.

When they were done, Jamie passed him a towel and they dried off. It wasn't until they left the bathing room that she started talking again.

"I'm going to show the staff how to use the new plumbing. Will you wait for me?"

Nodding, he walked with her to the entrance and claimed a chair in a small lounge. His thoughts kept drifting back to the last night he shared with Luna. How long had she been feeling bad about their relationship? Was it before or after she talked about kids? Did she adjust to him while they were in the Forsaken city because the monster suppressed his soul? He didn't know, but he could only move forward. He was just going to need some time to adjust.

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