(Y/n)

I twirl a blade of grass absentmindedly in my fingers, the gurgling voice of the stream at my feet a background for my churning thoughts. "Brother..." I whisper. He would've loved this firefly field. I wonder where he is now? Is Al Thamen still using him, or have they gotten tired of him and disposed of him like they tried to dispose me?

"Not trying to run away, are you?" I smile at the sound of Ja'far's familiar voice. "Why would I?" I answer. "I thought you'd be resting after a whole day of helping rebuild the palace," he says, sitting down next to me. He's right. It has been a long day. Not only does every muscle in my body ache from carrying away debris and carrying back bricks, Ja'far also explained everything to us. He told us about how Judal put a spell in him, about how he planned to use him to kill King Sinbad. Still, there seems to be something else he wants to say to me.

"Thank you for saving me back there," he says. Ah, there it is. "And sorry." I sit in silence, still playing with the grass.

"You should be." The grass snaps between my fingers and I turn to look Ja'far in the eye for the first time since he's arrived.

"I was scared! We were all scared! We didn't know what was happening! I didn't know for sure if my plan was going to work. You're lucky it did, I was really just following my instincts. I know you were distancing yourself when you started feeling the symptoms of Judal's spell, and I don't mind that. I don't mind if there are things you have to deal with by yourself!"

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, calming myself down before continuing, "But if you ever need help for anything, or if you just want to talk...when you're ready to trust me, you can come to me."

Ja'far looks surprised when I utter the same words he said to me the first time he found me in this firefly field. Hurriedly, I add," Or you can talk to our other friends, too." Nervously (and probably still processing my sudden outburst), he nods. Crossing my arms I give him a last warning, "You'd better not scare us like that again." But my anger is already ebbing away from me, and I bet Ja'far can see that. Somehow, we end up talking and laughing and teasing until the dawn cracks apart the onyx night.

Judal

I watch the sky as it grows brighter, tracing the red crescent mark on my chest. "Looks like we'll be meeting again soon, sister."