Characters: Iris Ash; Sara

The scene opens on a motel room. Sara is seated on one of the beds with a thoughtful expression on her face, staring off into the distance and rubbing one of the bandages wrapped around her wrists absentmindedly. All of her wounds have been similarly attended to.

Iris is in the kitchenette, grabbing two beer cans. She walks over to stand in front of her best friend and silently offer her one of the drinks. Sara accepts it, cracks it open, and takes a swig. Iris searches her face for a few seconds before speaking.

IRIS: [gently] Are you doing okay?

Sara offers her a weak smile and takes another sip of the beer.

SARA: [wearily, unconvincingly] Fine.

Iris sits beside her, staring down at her beer can without drinking it. Finally, she gets an expression on her face that clearly says she has made up her mind about something. She looks at her friend.

IRIS: [seriously] No, you're not.

SARA: [confused, using more verbal force] Iris, I'm fine.

IRIS: I know that they...hurt you, Sara. You don't have to talk about exactly what happened, but I don't want you to lie about what you're actually feeling, either.

Sara nods slowly, smiling slightly and then suddenly frowning in a way that suggests she is forcing back tears.

SARA: [quietly] I really don't want to think about it - any of it - right now. Please, Iris. Just...let me be fine.

Iris nods, biting her lip and staring at the wall across from the bed. Sara takes a deep breath as if to calm herself.

SARA: [briskly] Besides, we need to focus on defeating Odrithin. We have no idea where he is and he's sure as hell not going to stop with his insane plans.

Iris still looks reluctant to finish the previous conversation, but drops it - for now.

IRIS: You're right. I have no idea how to find him, though.

SARA: [looking slightly confused] Iris, I've been meaning to ask. How did you manage to find me? Our location was completely hidden.

IRIS: [choppily] Whenever you...thought of me...I felt it. And I could tell where the thoughts...were coming from.

Sara is shocked into silence for a few seconds before nodding slowly.

SARA: Odrithin thought maybe that was it. Well, at least now I know what to do if...if something similar happens again.

Iris nods as well.

SARA: Have you always had that...power?

Iris thinks for a moment.

IRIS: [slowly] I'm not sure. There have been moments where maybe...[sighes] but no situation was as tense as this one. I don't think either of us have ever been as scared.

Sara's brow furrows.

SARA: [confused] Wait, why were you so scared?

Iris stares at her disbelievingly.

IRIS: [with growing anger] You're kidding me, right? Sara, you are the most important person in my life. How could I not be terrified?

SARA: [uncertainly defensive] I - I don't know. I just didn't think you really...

Iris stares furiously at her, not willing to help her friend explain herself.

SARA: [quietly] I just didn't think you cared about me that much.

Iris stares at Sara for a moment before swiftly moving forward and kissing her. Iris almost instantly pulls back, however, raising a hand to her own lips.

Sara grabs that same hand, looking into her eyes. Then, she slowly leans forward, this time initiating the kiss.

The kiss is slow, sweet, and drawn-out. Slowly, they pull apart. Sara has a rather shocked expression on her face.

SARA: [slightly high-pitched] Oh.

Iris is staring at the bed, eyes wide. Sara stares at her for a moment before leaning back into the kiss. The view slowly pans away, the scene fading out.

The next scene dawns on a bright morning filtering in through the dirty hotel window. Iris and Sara are in the motel bed, the latter curled in the former's arms, both of them peacefully asleep.

Iris raises slowly, with a yawn. Sara's eyes sleepily open and she doesn't get up as Iris swings herself out of bed. Iris doesn't look back at Sara - it seems very deliberate.

SARA: [somewhat teasingly] Iris...

Iris glances over her shoulder fleetingly, almost guiltily, before pulling a button-up over her plain white tank top and beginning to speak as she buttons it.

IRIS: [brusque] We should get an early start so we can track down my father faster. He has a huge head start -

SARA: [interrupting angrily] So we're just not going to talk about last night?

Iris turns around hesitantly, unwillingly.

SARA: [sarcastically angry] We do have to talk about it at some point. You know that, right?

Iris nods, just as slowly as her previous movements.

SARA: [softly, pleadingly] Iris, please.

Silence.

SARA: [angrily] Did you even really mean that?

IRIS: [immediately, even angrier] Don't say that! Of course I did!

SARA: [with rising anger] Then why won't you just talk to me about it?

IRIS: [shouting] Because it terrifies me, Sara!

Both women are silent for a moment at this raw outburst of emotion.

IRIS: [quieter, as if drained] My whole life, I have been trained to hate rather than love. To...to kill rather than communicate. What if...what if I hurt someone I loved - what if I hurt you - because I don't know how to control myself in a situation? I wouldn't be able to live with myself. That's...that's why I never let people get close.

Sara's brow furrows.

SARA: But what about Sashique?

IRIS: Sashique became my mother when she slaughtered my biological one - [dryly humorous] well, I guess my biological mother wasn't really biological, anyway. From the moment I was born, my life was either kill or be killed. [quietly] At some point you have to wonder what that does to a person's subconscious.

Sara thinks about this for a moment before sighing.

SARA: Look, this [gestures between her and Iris] is new to me, too. I've only recently began coming to terms with the fact that I'm...gay. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't...try this, just because we're scared. Iris, all I'm asking is that you give this - us - a chance. [humorously] And try acting your age instead of being such a child.

Iris smiles slightly.

IRIS: [happily] Okay.

Sara springs to her feet.

SARA: [confidently] Now let's go kill your father!

The scene changes. Iris and Sara are walking quickly down the street. Sara is obviously struggling to keep up.

SARA: [slightly out of breath] Do you think that if Odrithin thinks of you, you'll be able to feel him?

Iris shakes her head slowly.

IRIS: He must have thought of me a lot while...while you were with him.

Sara nods, instantly looking uncomfortable.

IRIS: Plus, I don't know how to properly work this power. If I got this from him, he definitely knows how to block it.

The women walk in silence for a moment.

SARA: [hesitantly] Does...does part of you wish that you had agreed to work with him? So you could learn the full extent of your powers?

Iris ponders this.

IRIS: [with certainty] No. It's not worth the price humanity would have paid.

They fall silent again.

SARA: [hesitantly] What he said - about you not being human -

Iris tenses.

SARA: [fiercely] He was wrong. You're more human than most people, Iris, for better or worse.

Her hand slips into Iris's and the latter gives her a thankful smile.

The rest of the trip to the bus station is spent in comfortable silence.