That night, the town held yet another party for the pirates who had liberated Awa. Yona insisted on dancing with everyone despite Hak and Yun's protests that doing so would only aggravate her injured ankle. Ezra found herself surrounded by pirates asking her about the bruises on her face and the bandages that covered her from head to toe. She told them her stories as dramatically as she could, painting the night with tales of hers, Yun's, and Yona's heroic acts. Before long she had them gaping at her in awe, and she smirked in satisfaction.

Hak had found a secluded corner off by himself and sat, occasionally sipping his drink while deep in thought. Kija ended up surrounded by tipsy girls, asking to marry him. He protested marriage the entire time, insisting that he couldn't possibly due to his duty as a dragon. It seemed the girls weren't the only ones who'd drank too much. Shinah sat by the fire, munching at the delicious food being offered to him continuously as he watched the partiers mingle and relax.

Only Jaeha stood apart from the others, playing his erhu on an isolated cliff.

~~~

Hours after the party had long since ended, a few stubborn pirates tried to hang on to their last threads of consciousness. Ezra walked up to them, startled to find Jaeha among their ranks. She hadn't seen him since the day before, when Yun was treating his injuries. The Ryokuryu had been drowning under a tidal wave of insults to his intelligence as the pretty boy genius dressed his wounds.

"Don't play that song, Jaeha," one of the pirates mumbled sleepily. "You'll put us all to sleep!"

"What's wrong with that?" Jaeha asked quietly, drawing his bow across the strings. It produced a lovely melody that lulled even the more alert Ezra towards sleep.

"We haven't had enough to drink yet!" one of them protested.

Jaeha's bow moved again, drawing the pirates ever closer to the edge of consciousness.

"Stop it, damn you!" one of them growled, slamming his fist on the ground. "I don't want to sleep!"

"Why not?" Jaeha asked curiously.

"If we go to sleep, our dreams will end..." the man muttered. "Our dreams as pirates. We'll wake up ordinary fishermen..."

"You idiots," Jaeha said quietly. "Even if you're no longer pirates, not everything will change."

"But you're leaving us!" the man said loudly, tears gathering in his eyes. "You're going with that red-haired princess!"

Jaeha sighed. "Lullaby," he said quietly, drawing his bow across the strings. Almost immediately, all the men closed their eyes and slumped over, snoring.

"I'll kill you... droopy eyes..." the man muttered, his eyes sliding closed.

"That's a pretty impressive power you've got there," Ezra said, yawning. "Is that also part of being a dragon?"

Jaeha glanced at her. "Oh? It didn't work on you?"

"My willpower is a bit stronger than most," Ezra said frankly, sitting down and leaning back. She glanced around at the pirates that Jaeha had put to sleep with his lovely music. "You really care about them, don't you?"

Jaeha smiled softly. "It's quite annoying. But yes."

She could see the love in his eyes as he gazed at where they lay sleeping on the floor. She stood, brushing off her clothes. "Well, I hope he was wrong about one thing."

"What's that?" Jaeha asked curiously.

She glanced back at him. "I hope you're not joining Yona. It'd be a pain to deal with you all the time." Then she turned and walked away.

Jaeha grinned to himself. "Never a dull moment with you, is there?" he murmured, before softly playing another verse of his lullaby.

~~~

The next morning, a crowd of pirates and citizens of Awa gathered around Yona and her group as they prepared to leave. Shinah stood apart from the rest of the group, uncomfortable with the crowds.

"Yona, you're leaving?" one of the pirates complained.

A large man pounded Yun on the back. "Come back soon, eh?"

"Maybe... if... you... stop... hitting me!" Yun gasped after each hit.

Everyone laughed.

Only Yona seemed unaffected by their humor as her violet eyes swept over the crowd, searching.

"Who're you looking for, Yona?" Ezra asked.

Yona frowned. "Jaeha isn't here," she said, sounding disappointed. "I wanted to thank him..."

"Who cares about that Droopy Eyes?" Hak muttered under his breath.

"I care!" Yona snapped at him. "I can't just leave him like this."

"Jaeha, huh?" Gigan said, taking a drag of her pipe. A gleam entered her eye. "You'll see him if you ever come back."

"Alright," Yona sighed.

"If you ever need a boat, come find me," Gigan told her. "I'll keep one ready for you."

Yona smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

Gigan's eyes softened. "Your face is still a bit swollen. You aren't the frail little girl you used to be."

Yona frowned. "'Frail little girl'?" she repeated, displeased.

"You can't even cook, clean, or do laundry properly. These are all parts of being a woman, so you should learn soon."

Ezra snorted, and Yona shot her a glare.

Gigan continued as if nothing she was saying was out of the ordinary or offensive. "Nobody wants to marry a girl who is nothing but reckless."

"That's none of your business!" Yona complained.

Ezra laughed outright.

"That won't be a problem," Hak deadpanned. "Just find yourself a husband who will wash your clothes while you cut grasses in the mountains or something."

"You hush, Hak!" Yona retorted.

"Hey, if you can't find a husband, come marry me!" one of the pirates said. Everyone burst out laughing as Yona's face grew red with embarrassment.

"I'm not marrying you!" she said petulantly. "You're all so rude."

Ezra had to wipe the tears of laughter from her eyes as she slung an arm around Yona's small shoulders. "Don't worry about it, Yona. I'm sure you have some redeeming qualities that would make someone want to marry you."

"You too, Ez?" Yona cried, taken aback. By then, everyone was doubled over in laughter, Hak included. Yona's face softened as she turned. "Well, then I'm leaving!"

"Wait," Gigan called. Yona faced her, confused, as Gigan held out a small bag in the palm of her hand. "Take this."

"More senjuso!" Yun cried, springing forward.

"This is too much," Yona protested.

Gigan pat her head, and Yona's eyes widened as she stared at the older woman that she had come to think of as a mother. "Don't catch a cold," Gigan said softly, smiling.

"Thank you," Yona breathed as Yun greedily pocketed the medicinal herb.

Then they all turned to leave. Shinah stood from the ground, rejoining the group.

"Take care! Come see us again! Goodbye!" The parting words from the crowd echoed as they began to walk away.

Suddenly Yona halted in her tracks, and Ezra was stunned to see tears in her eyes.

"Yona...?" she asked, as Yona turned with a small sob and sprinted back to the citizens of Awa. She threw herself into Gigan's arms and buried her face in the older woman's clothes. Gigan looked surprised for a moment before her face softened, and she reached up a hand to stroke Yona's bright red hair. Ezra watched the scene with a smile and discreetly wiped at a tear that threatened to fall from her eye.

Hak smirked at her. "I'm not crying!" she snapped with a hiccup. 

***

Hi guys!

I just wanted to say thank you so much for reading. If you're reading this far, then I hope it means you're liking my story, and I appreciate you more than words can express. You're the best!

I hope you're liking Ezra so far, because in the next few chapters I'm going to reveal a bit more about her character and her backstory. Please look forward to it!

--Veratia0011