Chapter 266: Final Goodbyes

XENOIS   Lyn burst out laughing, the sound bright and unexpected in the morning quiet. "He's not wrong, Zade. You did spend an impressive amount of time being emotionally constipated about the whole thing."   "Emotionally constipated," Zade repeated, looking at his mate with mock offense. "You're taking his side?"   "I'm taking the side of objective reality," Lyn replied, still grinning. "Which happened to align with Xenois's assessment in this particular instance."   I felt some of the tension in my shoulders ease. This----the easy camaraderie, the ability to joke about past mistakes----this was what I'd needed. Proof that people could move forward from terrible situations without losing themselves entirely.   "Honestly, I'm excited to leave," I announced, probably with more vehemence than was strictly polite. "Before you people turn my mate gay and she ends up liking Lynn instead of me."   Lynn, who'd been approaching with the last bag, stopped dead and stared at me. "Excuse me?"   "