"Huh." Hak glanced around his surroundings, his expression blank and unimpressed. "This is not where we thought we'd find you guys."

The group found themselves on the outskirts of Sensui, in the seediest part of town. When Kija had started leading the group in the direction of the dilapidated old shed where they eventually found Jaeha and Yona, Ezra had almost began to doubt his dragon radar. If it wasn't for Shinah following without hesitation, Ezra may have protested their direction.

She glanced up at the gap-riddled wooden roof above her head and was rewarded by a drop of water landing directly on her face with a distinct plop. Why on earth had Jaeha and Yona chosen to reside in this musty, leaky shed? "Not gonna lie, this isn't the welcome we were hoping for."

"We were attacked by some of Hiyou's assassins on the way over," Jaeha said, his face grim.

Ezra's discomfort in the cold and wet conditions immediately faded to the back of her mind. "What?" Her eyes swept her companions for injuries; they seemed unharmed, if a bit chilled and shaken.

"I thought it would be too dangerous to look for an inn with Hiyou after us," Jaeha said. "This was the best I could do to find shelter while avoiding attention."

Ezra clenched her fist. "I knew I shouldn't have let that madman get away. Damn it!"

"It's fine, Ez," Yona said, her teeth clattering together with the cold. "We'll find him."

"We wouldn't have to find him if I'd just-" Ezra was interrupted by a loud, high-pitched scream coming from outside the building. Immediately everyone's attention snapped towards the entrance. "What was that?"

Jaeha leaped up and raced outside. Ezra followed him in time to witness the Ryokuryu kick a man away from a cowering woman with his dragon leg. As Jaeha stood over the woman's attacker to make sure he didn't rise, Ezra approached the frightened girl.

"Are you hurt?" she asked, softly touching the girl's arm.

"N-no," she stuttered, eyes wide and blank with shock.

"What happened?"

The girl shook her head as if trying to clear it. "I don't know! That man just grabbed me, saying something about red hair..."

Ezra's face froze. She whipped her head towards Jaeha. "Did you hear that?"

Jaeha's purple eyes were stormy. "Yes."

Ezra returned her attention to the girl. "Where do you live? Can I walk you home?"

"Y-yes please," she stammered.

"Tell the others what happened," Ezra ordered Jaeha. "I'll make sure she gets home safely before rejoining you."

Jaeha nodded, and they parted ways.

~~~

A few hours later, the rain had stopped. When Ezra made her way back towards the shed, she found her companions huddled outside around a small, crackling fire.

"Warmth!" she cried, jumping from the roof to land beside Yun and thrusting her hands towards the fire. She startled the poor boy out of his skin when she suddenly appeared beside him.

"What the hell!" Yun spluttered. "Where'd you come from?"

"Up there," Ezra said, pointing.

"Where have you been?" Yona demanded. "Jaeha said you were just walking a woman home!"

"I did walk her home," Ezra said frankly. "And then I decided to do some scouting."

"You should've told us--"

"What'd you find?" Hak asked, interrupting the princess before she could launch fully into lecture mode.

"The situation here is even more dire than it was in Shisen," Ezra said, the playful glint in her eyes fading away. "Hiyou's got his claws deep in this town. The fact that he's sent assassins after Yona in broad daylight shows how much influence he has here."

"How was the girl after you walked her home?" Jaeha asked.

"Oh, she's completely fine," Ezra told him with a roll of her eyes. "She wanted me to thank you for saving her. She told me she was actually disappointed that I was the one to walk her home rather than you."

Hak snorted.

Ezra sighed. "In any case, this wasn't an isolated event. She told me that she had a friend who was assaulted earlier today, again with the mention of red hair. It's my best guess that they're looking for Yona."

"So." Yona's voice was deep, and very, very angry. "Hiyou is harming innocent people while going after me.

Kija stared at her, his brow furrowing with concern. "I don't like it when you make that face," he said worriedly.

"The miss is determined!" Zeno quipped.

Yona's jaw clenched. "Everyone, will you lend me your strength?"

The group glanced around at each other in confusion.

"Um, yeah?" Ezra said, the tone of her voice turning the statement into a question. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I kinda thought that was what we were doing here already."

"Then let's go wild. Let's show him that the red-haired woman is here."

"Ooooh," Ezra intoned, her lavender eyes gleaming. "This will be fun."

~~~

As the group prepared for battle, Shinah found Ezra sharpening the blades of her knives at the edge of their makeshift camp. She felt his presence as he approached and glanced up at him, surprised.

"What is it, Shinah?" she asked, her hands not stilling as she worked to hone her blade.

"Tell me," he said quietly, his jaw stiff.

Ezra's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "What would you like me to tell you?"

"When you go off on your own."

Her hands stopped moving. "Did I worry you?"

His lips thinned. Was he angry? "Yes."

"Sorry. I'll be sure to let you know next time."

Ezra returned her attention to her weapons, exchanging her newly sharpened knife for one that she hadn't yet worked on. Even after a few minutes had passed Shinah didn't move.

Ezra let out a sigh, setting her work aside. "Sit with me."

He did, sitting jerkily beside her on the ground.

"You have to stop doing this to me, Shinah," she told him sternly, gazing directly at his mask. Even though she couldn't see his eyes, he could see hers, and she wanted him to know that she was deadly serious. "You can't only talk to me when you think I'm in danger."

His jaw dropped. He opened and closed his mouth a few times as if he couldn't figure out how to respond to her. Finally, he mustered a quiet, "Sorry."

She shook her head. "I know that you don't mean to avoid me, but, even so, it hurts when you refuse to talk to me. I realize that I must have said something that made you uncomfortable, but I need you to do one of two things for me."

Shinah stared at her, his gaze questioning.

"You either need to tell me what it is I said..." She trailed off, gauging his reaction. His cheeks grew red and his jaw clenched. Thought so. "Or I need you to put it behind you. Forget about it. I don't like it when you don't speak to me, Shinah; I miss you."

His blush deepened, and still he said nothing.

"Can you do that for me?" she probed, holding his gaze. "Can we please be friends again, like normal?"

For a few moments they sat in silence, staring at each other. Finally, Shinah nodded.

She smiled that blinding smile of hers that never failed to steal his breath away. "Thank you." She returned to working on her knives. Shinah remained beside her, reveling at how quickly their easy companionship returned. Was that really all it took?

"One more thing."

Shinah glanced at her in askance.

"Whenever you're ready, please talk to me about what I said. It's driving me crazy, not knowing."

He flushed bright red once more.

"Fine, fine," she laughed. "I'll wait as long as you need."