During the long hours on the road, John considered saying something to Mindi, but there was a sense of uncertainty in his mind. He was uncertain regarding what verbal route to take when discussing the event with her. He did not want to apologize for doing what he chose to do. She earned her reprimand. There could be no backtalk allowed from unruly subordinates. Useful suggestions were one thing, but insubordination was not to be tolerated.

She was just an animal, but he wasn't completely heartless. People often felt a strange sort of affection for pets. Such a realization left his reason in conflict with the strange sensation in his stomach. She was not a favored pet. Quite frankly, he considered her to be one step above useless at this point. Willful disobedience on top of that opinion did not cause him to feel great concern for her well-being.

John continued driving for a time then a thought occurred to him. She was certainly not fond of him, she still chose to ride in the front. She might be afraid to say no, but he did not ask her to do anything. She had been given a choice, and upon being given that choice she chose the option that put her into closer proximity to him.

The man glanced over at her and caught her quickly looking away. Something was obviously up with her beyond the anger that she felt. He had only lightly tamed her once. It was a glorious moment that ended within a few minutes and left both of them annoyed. He sincerely doubted that she developed even a basic bond with him through those means. He was not exactly empathetic toward the Demi-Human species in general, and she was openly hostile toward him on top of that fact.

He allowed himself to consider the events of the last few days. With a fresh perspective undiluted by anger and fear he was able to utilize his training in memory recall, a necessity for all mages, to take a new look at her reactions.

John drove along in silence while he replayed the events of the last few days through his mind. He began to wonder about something. His mind began to piece together bits of the puzzle that was her emotional state. He was never one to consider such things before, but he knew of them. He'd studied psychology even if it was a baffling mystery most of the time. Humanity was a complex organism filled with illogical idiosyncrasies. Demi-humans were worse as their sense of logic and reason could be incredibly warped even in comparison to a mentally ill human being.

After taking the better part of an hour to finally come to a conclusion, he took a stab in the dark. John said evenly, "There is nothing wrong with being afraid. What happened today could get to anyone."

Mindi blinked, but did not answer for a time. When her answer finally came it was in the form of a soft half-choked sob elicited a brief instant before she turned back to look out the window. The strange sensation in his stomach intensified. John's eyes narrowed and his hands gripped the wheel tighter. Did he analyze the situation incorrectly? She refused to speak, and he found that he did not wish to force the conversation.

The rest of her turn in the front passed in silence as they drove along. When John stopped at a roadside rest stop he checked the back to see how Kara and Tera had fared. Tera was still asleep, and probably would be for some time.

"Do you want to take a turn up front Kara?" asked her master while he stretched his legs. It was her choice since Tera was still unconscious.

The Steel Valkyrie shook her head. "No, master. I will continue to guard our passage."

He nodded at her in turn and asked if anyone wanted a drink or snack. He was going into the rest area and it seemed appropriate to ask.

Neither girl was particularly interested in a snack or beverage so he went inside alone. This left Kara and Mindi alone for the first time that day.

The Steel Valkyrie glanced down at the Kraken as she lightly scuffed her bare foot along the cold asphalt pavement. Finally, unable to contain herself further she asked "What the hell is wrong with you anyway?"

Mindi looked up at her with tear stained eyes and shook her head. "Nothing."

Kara snorted at her and turned away. What a useless creature. She wouldn't follow orders and he stood around crying instead of making amends.

The jellyfish Demi-Human sighed deeply and turned away toward the entrance of the rest stop. Her sudden motion caused her perky breasts to wobble their way into a soft jiggle.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Kara.

Mindi ignored her question and continued on into the rest stop to the annoyance of the other girl. Inside she quickly located her master. John sat in a booth and stared out of one of the back windows. There was no one else in the area, but she knew there had to be someone around if for no other reason than to watch for wild Demi-Humans. Even so, the rest stop gave off the sensation that they were alone together.

She took a deep breath and walked toward him with a little more confidence than she truly felt. He glanced up at her then quirked an eyebrow when she stopped and squared her shoulders.

"I-I hate you," she said with a quaver in her voice that she clearly did not intend.

John considered responding but saw that she was not done and opted to wait for her to finish. Perhaps she would provide a clue to the true nature of the strange sensation rising up within him? Maybe she'd come to some sort of profound personal epiphany? Either way, he was not one to turn down new knowledge.

"You're a jerk! You treat us like shit! You let that bitch shoot my tentacle, and you didn't give a fuck about Tera being poisoned!" railed the girl as her eyes threatened to unleash hot bitter tears once again.

He listened politely as she rattled off several more shortcomings and failings that he possessed as a tamer. One of which might have rankled slightly had he not known that he was actually slightly larger than the average for the male members of the human species. He had taken several anatomy courses, and knew the intimate details of the reproductive system after all.

By the time Mindi was done ranting she was crying heatedly. Her chest heaved in and out almost desperately while she tried to draw in enough air. John took it all in stride then stood up and looked down at her from his slight height advantage.

For a full minute they stared at each other before she finally averted her eyes and allowed her eyebrows to knit together in frustration. Now that she spoke what she'd repressed for the last several days, it was hard to look at the source of her emotional turmoil.

"Yes," was al that John said in response to her accusations.

"Yes?" she asked with a confused blink. What was he saying yes to? Why did one simple word confuse her so much?

John nodded slowly, and then repeated himself. "Yes."

She was about to ask him another question but he moved to walk toward the door distracting her. She slipped sideways unintentionally blocking his movements. This accidental movement caused the two of them to come within mere inches of each other.

The Kraken looked up at him with her defiant outrage still warm on her cheeks and her confusion burning in her eyes. John looked down at her with sincerity still etched on his features.

Mindi's confusion turned into a biological imperative. Her eyes closed slightly as she thrust her chest upward in a barely perceptible way. Her lips parted in uncomprehending anticipation.

Had this been the typical telenovela, or tamer drama, this scene might well have moved into mature audiences only territory. However, John's response to her sudden change in demeanor was not what she felt was coming due to the signals generated during their heated exchange.

"Move," he stated with neither heat nor passion. Mindi's eyes opened wide. Without conscious thought, she moved slightly to the side, and in so doing she set him free from the tender prison that her lips represented. After he walked past her and left the rest stop she blinked twice.

Slowly, her confused ardor turned to anger once again. Hatred turned her beautiful visage into an angry mask of malformed rage a split-second before she lashed out with her tentacles. She gripped a napkin dispenser and sent it hurtling into a nearby wall just before the words, "You bastard!" echoed through the area.