Later that night, the newly expanded group sat around the campfire with food, complimentary of Yun and Yona, in their hands.

Ezra dug into the meat ferociously, moaning in bliss when the delicious food hit her stomach. "Yona, Yun, you're the best," she hummed, taking another bite. "This is the best rabbit I've ever had in my life."

Yona shrugged. "I just caught it. Yun did the cooking."

Yun grinned. "I just did the cooking. Yona caught it."

Then they stared at each other and burst into laughter.

"Regardless of who's to thank for this meal, it truly is delicious," Jaeha agreed wholeheartedly, patting his stomach.

Yona smiled. "You guys are too sweet. But really, I didn't do anything."

Ezra rolled her eyes. "I promise, Yona, you both contributed to this amazing meal."

Hak frowned at the sentence. "You promise?"

Ezra's expression immediately darkened. "W-well, I--"

Hak's eyes narrowed at her. "I've got a bone to pick with you, Ezra," he commented, sitting up with his glaive resting against his shoulder.

Ezra's eyes darted around, realizing that everyone was looking at her. "Are we doing this now?" she snapped.

"I think we all want to know," Hak told her.

"Want to know what?" Ezra asked sharply, her jaw clenched.

"Ez..." Ezra glanced at Yona, who was watching her with softness in her violet eyes. "We've all realized that you have a... a problem, with the word 'promise'."

Ezra leaned back on her hands, her face tight. "I've got nothing against the word itself," she said defensively.

"Why are you so careful with your promises, Ezra?" Hak asked softly, refusing to acknowledge her attempts at deflecting the subject. "I don't think I've ever heard you make any promises except just now, and you refuse any we try to make to you."

"Can't you guess?" Ezra snapped harshly. "I feel like it should be rather obvious. Long ago, someone made me a promise they couldn't keep. That's all there is to it."

She suddenly felt Shinah's eyes on her, cooling her anger like a soothing balm. She glanced over to where he sat up against a tree with his arms folded over his chest and a frown on his lips. When he noticed her watching him, his mouth tipped up in a shy smile and he offered her a small nod. She wasn't sure if he was encouraging her to go on or assuring her that she didn't need to talk if she didn't want to. Either way, she took a deep breath to steady herself before she began.

"I don't think I ever told you guys this, but I have an older brother. His name is Noah." Their eyes widened, and she forged on before they could ask any questions about the sibling that nobody (save Shinah) knew she had. "He's two years older than me. When we were kids, we used to get into loads of trouble; we were always mocking officials, committing petty thievery, mouthing off to figures of authority. We'd get caught quite often, and when we did I always feared that Noah would get taken away from us. He promised me, swore it on our grandmother's grave, that he would stay by my side, always. Needless to say, he didn't keep that promise." Her amethyst eyes flashed. "They took him when he was fourteen, two years before boys are normally taken to the capital for training as a soldier."

"Ez..." Yona murmured, sympathy on her face.

Ezra grit her teeth. "I was young and naive. I believed him with all my heart when he told me that he would never leave me or our mother on our own. I should've known better; I should've known that keeping that promise was beyond his abilities." She sighed. "Now, I refuse to make any promises that I know I can't keep, and I refuse to accept any that might let me down. If a promise is dependent on outside circumstances, then it's a no-go." She clenched her jaw so tightly she was afraid her teeth might crack. "If I promise you something, you'd better believe it. My word means more to me than my life."

Hak's expression was stricken. "Ezra..." he whispered.

She held up a hand. "Don't look at me like that," she snapped. "I'm the same person I've been since I joined you. Don't start treating me differently just because you know some of my pathetic past."

This isn't even the worst of it. How are they going to react when my real demons come to light? Ezra shoved the thought away before it could fester in her brain.

"I understand," Yona said quietly. "We're sorry for bringing it up, Ez."

Ezra shrugged. "I guess it is a strange quirk, to be so hung up on something as simple as a promise. Promises are made and broken every minute. But they mean more to me than just words. My brother breaking his promise to me as kids changed the very essence of who I was. I was so young, so naive and trusting. After he was taken, I made a vow to myself that I would never again be so affected by something like that, because I would never again accept an empty promise." She sighed. "I grew up a lot after that. It was quite a shame, really."

She felt Shinah's eyes studying her, but she sensed no pity in his gaze. His glance carried more understanding and acceptance than sympathy, and she was grateful for it.

"So there. Now you know my strange thing with promises," she concluded.

Jaeha gave her a soft smile. "I feel like we know and understand you a lot better now," he commented, his purple eyes gleaming underneath his green bangs.

She shivered. From anybody else, that would've been a nice sentiment. Somehow Jaeha managed to make it sound suggestive. "Not sure that's such a great thing coming from you, pervert."

Jaeha placed a hand over his heart, feigning injury. "How your incorrect accusations wound me, Ezra!"

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Ryokuryu." Then, under her breath; "Incorrect. What a joke."

Yun and Kija just gave her soft, understanding smiles while Yona and Hak glanced around them, looking at anything but her.

She let out a breath. "Yona, Hak, you don't have to avoid me." She leaned her head back and pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger in exasperation. "Damn it, this is exactly why I hate talking about things like this! It does nothing but make me feel awkward."

Yona smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Ez."

"I'm fine, guys," she told them, smiling softly. "Believe it or not, I've been dealing with this for a long time. The only difference is that now you know about it. This little conversation changes nothing." She dug back into her meat. "So good," she moaned. "Thanks again, Yona and Yun."

"No problem!" Yun said cheerfully as Yona smiled bashfully.

Soon after, the conversation turned to lighter topics, and Ezra's problems with promises faded to the backs of everyone's minds.

Except for Shinah. Apart from the rest of the group, he pondered her words late into the night, trying to use them to understand the mystery that is Ezra a little bit better.