-Crypto-

I was very flustered.

I bumped into Natalie, and she kept stuttering. Meanwhile, my heart had been beating so loudly, that I wondered if she could hear it. I wondered if my act of normalcy had failed and if it wasn't so normal at all. I wondered if that was the reason why she was stuttering and had seemed nervous.

I was, like I told her, going to Bloodhound's room. Now, however, as I stood right outside their door, I wondered if it was such a good idea.

Eliott was supposed to help me, yes, but I knew Bloodhound was good at giving advice. I knew Bloodhound wouldn't laugh, and I knew they would listen.

So I made up my mind. I took one more step and put my right hand into a fist, raising it up to the wooden door to knock.

Three times and the door opened. Bloodhound was on the other side of it.

"Come in," they said, motioning with their hand.

I followed them into the room. The ceiling was a standard white like all the other legends' rooms and the walls were a bluish-gray. The sofa was a sort of cream color. There was an ax with a black raven head on the back of it. It was leaning against a light cream-colored nightstand.

"What brings you here?" they asked.

I hesitated, wondering if this was a good idea at all. "Advice," I finally answered.

"With what?"

I thought of my wording. "It's about Natalie," I said simply, "I-I think I might like her."

"Like her, or love her?" they asked.

"Love her," I said, correcting myself.

They stayed silent for a moment. "Why did you think I would have advice for you on that matter?"

I silently cursed myself. I hadn't thought about whether Bloodhound had advice for this specific predicament. I just thought about how they always have good advice when we fight together or on certain outside matters.

"I hadn't thought of that," I said truthfully, "I just thought about everything else you would give advice for and went here."

They nodded, then spoke more, "I do have advice for you on this matter."

That was slightly surprising. "How?" I asked, interested.

"I had a significant other once," they recounted, "His name was Boone. His death had been dishonorable."

I didn't know what it meant to die a dishonorable death. I had other questions that were remaining unanswered, however, so I held back from asking about it.

"What is it that troubles you so much about this relationship?" they asked.

"She said she liked Octavio," I answered. I felt as if my voice was going to break while saying that, but I pushed it down.

"Hmm, that seems unlikely to be real," they said, thinking aloud.

"How unlikely," I asked before I could stop myself.

"Very," they replied, "if you watch their interactions, you may see that she answers to him as she would to any other legend. She does not get nervous. How does she act around you?"

I thought about our brief meeting in the hallway. "When we ran into each other around the corner," I started slowly, "she kept stuttering and seemed very nervous."

"That is something that does not happen with Octavio," they stated.

"But why would she make up liking Octavio?"

"She is afraid," they stated coolly, "afraid of rejection from you. You would not reject her, were she to tell you about her love, but she does not know that."

"How do I tell her that I won't reject her?" I asked, but I already knew the answer.

"Come to the celebration of the anniversary tonight," they suggested, "come and tell her that you love her there and ask if she loves you in another, quieter place away from the noise. Tell her exactly how much you love her, and ask how much she loves you."

It was exactly what I thought they would say, and while I walked out the door and thanked Bloodhound, I thought over what they said and decided what to do.

I would tell her. I would tell her of the extent of my love and feelings for her.