Cire had fallen asleep after the four recovered from their group activity. She stirred after a while, finding Lily’s head resting on her shoulder. The twins below her had found bedding and pillows to snuggle up in. She slowly picked up Lily a her o the sleeping girls. She made sure none of them were stirring before she moved to the driver’s window.

  Outside, Jasmine was watg the road idly. Her eyes were out of focus as she nearly zohe world out entirely. She didn’t even stir when the panel eg to the coach ened. Her eyes only left the road when Cire’s head popped out from the coabsp; Cire shuffled onto the seat o her, her grey eyes watg as Cire sat. She felt Cire’s arms around her, feeling the warmth of her touch. She didn’t even realize how cold she felt until Cire’s embrace started to warm her. She took a deep breath, taking in Cire’s smell and warmth before she finally rexed.

  Her stoicism finally broke with tears f in her eyes again. She moved her hand to wipe them, only to be stopped by Cire. “Let them flow…” Cire whispered. She tightened her embrace around Jasmine and leaned her head on Jasmine’s shoulder.

  Jasmine silently sobbed as Cire watched the road for her. Her hand grabbed the reins as well, letting Jasmine sob as much as she needed. Iween sobs Jasmiried to get her words out. “I just… I looked forward… for once”

  Cire shifted, her left hand on the reins and her right rubbing Jasmine’s back. She patiently waited as Jasmi her words together. Her hand rubbed in a circle trying to calm her.

  “I-I actually looked forward to it.” Jasmine said through her sobs, her voice crag. Cire set the reins down before using her sleeve to wipe Jasmiears.

  “Shhh… I get it.” Cire whispered.

  “I felt so flicted when I saw that you got me pregnant. It happened so fast… then it was gone.” Jasmine choked out. Cire tio rub her back, letting her vent. “It’s irrational but… for a moment”

  “It’s not irrational. Jasmine, look at me.” Cire pulled Jasmine’s face to her. “You have every right to feel upset. “

  “No! I almost sacrificed the mission. I even dragged Lily along!” Her tears had stopped flowing, her frustration rising. She spped her forehead with her hand. “I-I let my emotions take over… I took Lily in her workshop and then vinced her to join. I wasn’t thinking and lo-”

  Cire interrupted her with a kiss, stopping her from finishihoughts. She held Jasmine in the kiss, not letting her finish her train of thought. She departed from the kiss and pushed her forehead into Jasmine’s. “It’s okay Jaz. Lily seems to be enjoying it so far.”

  That got Jasmio giggle, her frustration on pause as she ughed. “I heard. She’s quite the moaner.”

  “Yeah she was. Made me want to make her louder.” Cire whispered back. Her eyes returo the road, sing the surroundings.

  “But she doesn’t o be here. This is a monster hunting expedition.” Jasmied, her frustration growing again.

  “Sure, but I want her here.” Cire responded.

  “Yeah but-” Jasmiried.

  “But nothing.” Cire interrupted her. “I’m teically the leader. I wao be here, so she stays.”

  She felt Jasmine’s eyes on her but she kept looking to the horizon. Sure, Lily wasn’t adding to the party’s monster sying capabilities, but she was ara pair of eyes and she had expertise that the other members didn’t. With her workbench, she could make more of the potions they needed. Plus, there lenty of room in the carriage.

  Cire felt Jasmine’s hands snake around her waist, she adjusted her right arm to around Jasmine’s shoulders, as Jasmied on Cire’s shoulder. The pair sat in silence for a while, the afternoon sun bearing down ohe cool fall air caused them to pull in closer. For a long while, the two sat in sileg the sery pass them by.

  No oirred in the carriage, so the two were left alone. Cire soaked in Jasmine’s warmth as she held her, her tears long siopped. Her chest felt warm, not the intense heat she felt earlier, but a warming fire. As the sun slowly moved towards the horizon, Jasmine finally spoke up.

  “What would you have hem?” she whispered quietly, Cire could barely hear her.

  “Huh?” She said before thinking. Her brain caught up and she shifted to look at Jasmine. “I haven’t thought about it.”

  Jasmine giggled softly, before responding. ”I figured… I have.” Cire watched her eyes looked towards the ground as she spoke. Cire moved her hand to Jasmine’s , bringing her eyes back to her.

  “Now I want to know. What did you e up with?” Cire said, her hand holding Jasmine’s .

  Jasmine paused and did something she doesn't often do. Her face reddened as she looked into Cire’s eyes. The embrad topic led to her face burning up. “Uh, if it were a girl… I’d want to name her after my birth mother. A boy, I liked Luke.”

  Cire pulled her closer by her . “You old me about your mothers.”

  “Yeah… It’s not a fun topic.” Jasmine replied. “Her name was Eine.”

  “Want to talk about it?” Cire asked, her hands moving to hug Jasmine. She pulled her into the hug by her waist, her watg the road now.

  “I think it’s time. Daphne doesn’t remember them, but I do. I remember the days we lived together ba a hunting a couple miles from Restol. I remember when my mother introduced me to baby Daphne…” Jasmiarted, her voice choking as she said it. Cire let her talk, huggiightly. “One day, bandits found our home. They burned our house… I saw my mom beheaded and my birth mother taken away.”

  Cire kissed her forehead, reassuring her as best she could. “I still see them in my dreams. My mother’s lifeless body… her head…” Jasmiook a deep breath, holding back her tears. “Elizabeth found us, took us in and raised us with her wife. I spent 12 years seething and wanting reve led me dowh of an Assassin.”

  Cire vaguely remembers her before they were teacher and students, she never engaged when they would talk to her. She seemed so different from Daphne, cold and distant. Barely smiled, even Ryley couldn’t get her to smile.

  “I found my birth mom a year after leaving, well her grave… She had been sold to svery and worked to death.” Jasmine tinued, her voice being more and more serious. “I acted out of anger in the following months. I remember killing anyone ected. My party members…”

  She stopped, her voice catg as she spoke. “They were noble born. I joihem after meeting one of the members at a bar.. She was my… my lover the it off and she brought me in and added me to their party. For a time, I began tet about my revenge.”

  Cire could feel her tense up as her emotions came back. Fury mixed with sadness. Cire began to rub her back, trying to rex her. Jasmine’s voice broke as she tinued. “I thought they were so kind and g to me… but… they had sves. They all had sves. One of them even owned my mother before her death.”

  Silence fell over the two as Jasmiopped speaking. Her silent sobs into Cire’s shoulder as Cire looked back to the road. She rocessing what Jasmine was saying. Her sobs grew as she cried into Cire’s shoulder. Cire held her as tight as she could, feeling a pit iomach. “Did you…?”

  Jasmine shook her head. “I couldn’t. They were my friends. How could I have killed them?” Her voice cracked as she spoke. “But I found out what they really thought. I was eai. A poor try bumpkin looking for revehe butt of their jokes. They ughed at me behind my back, mocked my anger… Even the girl I thought loved me…” Jasmine paused again as she took a deep breath. Her voice cracked as she spoke. Cire felt her chest tighten as she listened. Her own anger ahy fring on Jasmine’s behalf.

  “My anger. It needed an outlet. I had their families held hostage… I saw red afterwards and barely remember anything, but I avenged my parents. I tracked down every sver, every bandit and ehem… Some had even given up that life… I didn’t know what to do with myself anymore” Jasmine tinued.

  Cire heard her party members stirring. She closed the window behind her letting them keep their privacy. She didn’t even have to ask. “That expins why you returned.”

  “Yeah. Elizabeth took me in agaie us both thinking those noble families would retaliate… I heard about Ryley and it was like I was looking at myself. You were so broken.” She tinued, her voializing. ”Elizabeth thought it’d help us both, so she had me train you… and she was right.”

  She took another deep breath, taking in Cire’s aroma. She shimmied her hands up from Cire’s waist and ed her tightly. “I think I finally found something else. Something besides a mission or revenge. Something I thought I had with my old party.” She kissed Cire briefly, before pulling back. “Earlier just brought out so maions, I’m sorry for throwing Lily on you. But, she was right. The goddess showed me the endgame to all this.”

  Cire smiled, ”Thank you for sharing this with me, I ’t even imagine how hard that must have been. And, I like Ei’s very beautiful.” Cire added, wanting to cheer her up. ”We’ll talk about the boy’s name.”

  AnnouHappy New Year's!