93 The flower

With a few deliberate coughs, Orion readied himself to ask the question that had been weighing on his mind since the tree nymph appeared before them. "May we know your name?" he finally inquired, his voice as steady as he could manage.

As his words hung in the air, Orion's gaze was fixed on the tree nymph's face, waiting for her response. In a sudden flash, her eyes flew open, a look of confusion creasing her delicate features. "My name?" she murmured, clearly taken aback by the request. "Why do you want to know my name?" Her bluish brows furrowed together as she scrutinized Orion, suspicion flickering in her eyes.

As Orion observed the tree nymph's reaction to his question, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over him. 'At least she didn't completely ignore me,' he thought.