Ja'far

Where. The. Heck. Did. She. Go?

I search the whole palace alone. I don't want to bother anyone else with the search. I take a break on the rooftops. I've searched basically everywhere...except for that one place. Behind the palace is a small stable that hasn't been used in some time. No one has bothered to take it down yet.

The place is almost unrecognisable. Weeds have sprung up in so many places that you can barely see the wood of the structure that had once housed horses. Vines crawl up a stone wall. The sound of water trickles through the quiet night. Wait...water?

I run my hands along the leafy wall until I feel something near the bottom. It is a gap just big enough for an average-sized person to crawl through. I manage to squeeze through to the other side.

It is the field where people used to go horse riding. My eyes widen as I take in the field before me. Small yellow lights twinkle everywhere - from amongst the grass to the air - like tangible stars that have fallen to the earth. And by a stream stands a single figure holding a paper lantern.

She puts the lantern in the water and lets it float down the stream while she kneels and prays. I remember reading about how people in Kou pray for the souls of the departed. Is that what she is doing now?

She gets up and I can tell that she knows that I am there. "Ah! Sorry," I apologise, flustered all of a sudden. "Sorry for interrupting. I was supposed to find you...though you are still in the palace grounds." I say hurriedly before adding," You know that lantern won't make it out of the palace area, right? There are guards posted where this stream leaves the palace gates."

She stands there with her back to me silently as the sky begins to grow lighter. Is the sun rising already? I realise suddenly that she has removed the bandages covering part of her face.

"Are your wounds better already?" I ask. "I, um, haven't thanked you yet for helping me today. During that incident with the man and the kid with the apple," I add.

What would Sin do at this point? Probably make an acceptance speech and welcome her to his group. But I'm not the type of person who makes those kinds of speeches!

"I'll make you a deal!" I blurt. "If you stop making me chase you all over the place every night, I'll give you more tasks to do." What the heck am I saying? She still stands by the stream with no reply.

"What I'm trying to say is, I don't know you. I have no idea what your goals or intentions are. The only thing I know is that you've been surprisingly cooperative since your capture besides running away in the middle of the night. I don't know what it is that you're hiding. But...once you're ready to trust us, and once we're ready to trust you, you can come to us."

"So stop making me run all over the place at night!" I exclaim, pointing at her. That's the only untrustworthy thing that you've done so far to be honest, I think quietly.

The sky brightens and the first light of dawn illuminates the girl standing in the now firefly-less field.

"(Y/n)," she says.

"Huh?"

She turns to face me and my breath catches.

"My name is (y/n)," she says. With the bandages gone, I can see two things: both of her (e/c) eyes, and her hesitant but soft smile.