For My Lady, The Queen Chapter 3
(AO3 Link) (Chapter 1) (Chapter 2) (Chapter 3)
When Kanan wakes up the next morning, she feels unbelievably refreshed. Her muscles aren’t sore, she doesn’t feel groggy, and her wounds don’t even hurt. In fact, when she peels off the cloth pressed up to her wound to soak up the blood, she’s shocked to see that the wound has almost completely healed. There’s a mass of scar tissue, sure, but the incisions have become only shallow pinpricks, and from the feeling of it the torn muscle fibres have regrown as well.
Sitting up, Kanan pulls up her tunic and gazes at her almost flawlessly healed abdomen in wonder, then goes to touch her shoulder. The same thing happened there; the bite marks have healed over, replaced by scarred but otherwise completely healthy tissue.
“Mari?” Kanan calls, looking around. She’s not in the tent, so Kanan tentatively steps off of the raised floor of the tent, poking her head outside. There Mari is, sitting by a campfire and roasting something or another. “Hey.”
Mari glances in Kanan’s direction, before looking back at the fire.
Kanan steps out into the cool morning air. “Mari?” She asks again, walking up to the woman.
Mari sighs irritably and looks at Kanan. “Aren’t you going to go on your heroic quest now?” She asks snappily.
Kanan pauses. “I, er, just woke up,” she says hesitantly. “The thing you gave me last night really worked.”
Mari looks Kanan up and down, her gaze softening slightly. “Well, good,” she says, inching over to give Kanan access to the fire.
Kanan gingerly sits down, unwrapping a slice of hard bread and toasting it slightly with the campfire.
She eyes Mari uneasily, and clears her throat. “Thank you for patching me up,” she says.
“Well, I couldn’t leave you there to bleed out and die, could I?” Mari mutters.
“Still,” Kanan scratches the back of her head. “I owe you.”
“In that case, do me a favour and don’t get hurt again,” Mari says. She glances at Kanan, eyeing her scarred shoulder. “You’re not much use to your precious liege as a cripple.”
Kanan flinches slightly at Mari’s scathing remark. “I was trying to protect you.”
“If you sacrificed yourself for every girl you pick up off the road you’ll never make it to Dia, you know?”
“That’s…” Kanan opens her mouth to argue, but finds herself at a loss for words. Mari is right. Her loyalties are to Dia first and the people second. Eventually she just weakly says, “Well, I couldn’t just stand by and watch you get hurt.”
“I know you can’t.” Mari sighs. She stands up, meandering towards Dolphine. Strangely enough the horse seems to have forgotten its fear of Mari, allowing her to pat the horse on the muzzle. “That’s what makes it so frustrating to see you try.”
The last part seems to be aimed for at herself rather than for it to be heard by Kanan. After a pause in which Mari just pensively pets Dolphine, she eventually clears her throat. “Come on, once you’re done with breakfast we should get moving. You want to catch up to Dia, right?”
“You’re not going to tell me to take it easy?” Kanan asks.
Mari shakes her head, smiling wryly. “And distract you from your chivalrous goal? You’ve shown me last night that you’ll do anything to protect Dia. Who am I to get in the way of that?”
She clambers onto the back of the cart. “Now, put your big muscles to use and pack up camp. I’ll be taking a nap in the meantime.”
Kanan raises an eyebrow. “Aren’t you going to help pack up?”
“Did I or did I not just spend the whole night awake keeping your wounded ass alive? You do it.” Mari waves a hand from where she’s laid out on the cart.
Kanan sighs, but acknowledging her point, she goes up to the tent and starts dismantling the setup.
* * * * *
“Y’know, last night, when the wolves attacked, you were just out in the open,” Kanan mentions as Dolphine continues to canter over the beaten track. They’ve made it out of the woodlands a little after morning, and the landscape has gradually transitioned to wide tracts of rolling plains and low undulating hills over the course of a few hours. It makes Dolphine’s job easier, though, and it makes for a much less bumpy ride for Mari. “Why didn’t you wake me up immediately?”
Mari glances at Kanan from behind the cart as it rumbles along the flattened grass and dusty earth. “I was going to.”
“Really? Because it looked like you were going to, I don’t know, engage the feral dire wolves in fisticuffs instead,” Kanan says. She glances at Mari, and after a few moments of no response, she continues slowly. “Look, I already know you’re more than meets the eye. There’s no way a simple woodsman’s daughter would be so eager to embark on this journey. I may be a royal knight, but I’m no paladin. I’m not going to persecute you just because you have witch or druidic blood or something like that.”
Kanan touches a hand to her waist, feeling the scarred marks under her armor. “I don’t know much about you, but I do know that you’re a good person. I’m not going to judge you just for being different.”
The wheels go over a stone, and the cart rattles.
“A good person…” Mari smiles sadly. “I’m just a selfish girl who likes to meddle, Kanan.”
“Maybe so, but at least I don’t think you’re a bad person,” Kanan says, scratching her cheek. “I’m not going to press for an answer. I just want you to know that I’m not going to judge you for what you are, so you don’t have to hide who you are from me.”
She thinks for a moment, and then adds hastily, “I mean, if you want to, that is”
Mari looks at Kanan for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip. “Thank you,” Mari says. She pauses, and tilts her head mischievously. “Are you this kind to any girl you met or just me?”
Kanan sits up straighter, looking straight ahead. “I want to trust you,” Kanan says, slightly shyly. “I enjoy your company, and I want to know more about you. That’s not unusual, is it?”
“Well, no, but…” Mari breathes out slowly. “How about this? Any relationship involves give and take. You be honest with me, and I’ll be honest with you. I answer a question, and you answer a question. How does that sound?”
Kanan nods. “Sounds fair.”
“In that case…” Mari licks her lips. “How do you feel about Dia, really?”
“You’re not pulling your punches, huh?” Kanan smiles wryly. “Well, I… admire her. And respect her. She’s the most incredible person I’ve met in my life. She is my liege. She gives my life meaning and purpose. I love her.”
She glances back at Mari. “My turn. Is your name really Ohara Mari?”
“Ohara is a false name, but Mari is real. I don’t have a last name,” Mari says smoothly. “What do you plan to do once you’ve rescued Dia?”
“Well… I’ll bring her back to the estate, of course. And then… She’ll ascend the throne.”
“Do you really want that to happen?”
Kanan bites her lip.
“I want her to be successful. I’ll support her no matter what,” she says quietly. “Why did you volunteer to come with me, knowing the risks?”
“You seem like an interesting person. The world doesn’t have enough of those to spare so I wanted to keep you alive,” Mari says. “Well, initially anyway. But now I just like you, so I don’t want you dying on me.”
She thinks for a moment. “Are you going to support Dia in spite of your feelings for her? You know that if she becomes queen you’ll have lost any chance of being romantically involved with her.”
Kanan grimaces slightly. “I never had a chance to begin with. I am her knight. That’s all I need to be to her.” She glances at Mari. “Why are you asking me questions like these?”
“Is that your question for me?” Mari smirks.
“Well… yeah, I guess.” Kanan says.
Mari hums, and says, “I want you to be happy. If I’m going to be honest, when I saw you I thought you were the most miserable person I’ve ever seen. You were tense and anxious and had all kinds of repressed feelings. Generally humans are happier if they’re being honest with themselves.”
Kanan wants to comment on how Mari said human like she’s not one, but the rest of her statement catches Kanan off guard.
Is she miserable? Kanan has never considered that possibility before. Sure, her life isn’t exactly the most exciting, but surely she isn’t miserable.
“I’m not—” Kanan starts to say, before Mari interrupts her.
“When was the last time you were happy? Like, truly happy. Not just amused, or entertained, but happy.” Mari asks.
Kanan thinks. Her mind combs through her memories of the past month, then the past few months, then the past few years, and comes up with the disturbing realization that the last time she was happy might’ve been years ago when she was still a squire.
“I… can’t remember clearly.” Kanan admits. “It might’ve been when I was first introduced to Dia and Ruby.”
“That long ago, huh?” Mari says.
Kanan shakes her head. “My work is not the most interesting or exciting. I may not be happy, but I’m satisfied simply supporting Dia and Ruby in their duties.”
Mari sighs. “Living life like an automaton is not living at all, Kanan… Can’t you put aside your duties to enjoy life for once?”
“Is that a question, Mari?” Kanan asks quietly.
“Well… let’s say it is.”
“No.” Kanan says firmly. “No, I cannot.”
Mari lets out a long sigh, and rolls over in the cart. “I know.” She says glumly.
* * * * *
Night on the plains is quiet. Unlike camping in the woods, where the forest life can be even louder than during daytime, all that can be heard is the rustling grass in the cool night breeze. The campfire crackles quietly as it slowly fades into embers, casting a faint orange glow around the campsite.
Kanan and Mari lie back to back in the tent, a canvas sheet drawn up over them as a makeshift blanket. Neither of them speak - even though they’re both well awake, there’s a heaviness in the air that prompts both of them to be silent.
Kanan has a lot to think about. She thinks about Dia, where she might be, what she might be doing. She thinks about home, if Ruby’s handling the estate alright, if the servants have managed to clean up the mess left behind by the fire. She thinks about Mari, and her strange prying questions that seem to cut straight into the doubts Kanan harbours in her heart.
Her duty is to serve Dia, and yet she loves Dia. Her oath decides their relationship, and yet she wants to be more than just a simple knight. After she goes to save Dia, no doubt Dia will ascend the throne post haste to avoid further complications, and what’ll happen after that? Kanan will no longer be her only knight. As queen, Dia will command all the royal knights of the land, and Kanan’s not even one of the more prominent knights.
“Having trouble sleeping?”
Kanan turns slightly to look over her shoulder. Mari isn’t looking at her, but she can tell Mari has her eyes open as well. She breathes out slowly, and turns back to face her side of the tent. “Not really,” Kanan says. “Just... thinking.”
“A dangerous new pastime,” Mari says. “What about?”
Kanan licks her lips. “…Not much. Nothing important.”
Mari snorts. She turns over, glancing at Kanan’s back. “You’re a terrible liar,” She says wryly, sitting up. “I assume you don’t want to talk about it?”
“You know me so well,” Kanan mutters.
“I’m sorry if I’m being pushy,” Mari says suddenly, causing Kanan to raise an eyebrow to herself in surprise. “As I said, I just want you to be happy.”
“I know,” Kanan sighs. “But my relationship with Dia is… not so simple.”
Mari is silent for a long while.
“…Mari?” Kanan asks tentatively. She turns around, and sits up as well. Mari is sitting with her knees tucked up to her chest, her back to Kanan. “Is something the matter?”
“I—” Mari almost bites her tongue trying to stop herself. She breathes out slowly, seeming to mull over her words. “Does it have to be with Dia?”
Kanan tilts her head. “…What do you mean?”
“You say that you can’t be together with Dia… at least not in the way that you want.” Mari says slowly, looking down at the ground. She traces a finger through the earth, and in the dim light Kanan doesn’t catch sight of a single sharpened fingernail scratching a deep line into the packed earth of the plains. “You haven’t been with anyone else, have you? Aren’t you curious if you could be happy with someone else?”
“Well I… haven’t ever thought about it,” Kanan admits. She thinks for a moment. “I’ve been told to focus on Dia all my life. My life has always revolved around her. Everyone else was either a subordinate, or an enemy.”
“All about your duty, eh? Sounds like you,” Mari sighs.
“I can’t keep Dia and Ruby safe if I’m focused on someone else,” Kanan shrugs. It’s true - she’s always had something to do that she just hasn’t had the time to consider such things. Ruby and Dia always comes before her own life.
“Well, I’m neither a subordinate, or an enemy.” Mari says.
Kanan looks sharply over at Mari. “What are you saying?” She asks. Surely she’s not suggesting…?
But Kanan’s suspicions are confirmed when Mari turns around, leaning forward so she’s on all fours. “I’m saying, why not be with me instead?” She says, prowling closer to Kanan with an alluring feline grace. Kanan feels her cheeks warm up slightly as she notices Mari’s tunic hang loosely over her ample form - from where she’s sitting, she has a pretty good angle to look down the neck of Mari’s tunic.
Before Kanan can formulate a response, Mari is already in front of her, fixing Kanan with this sultry, smouldering look that makes Kanan feel hot under the collar. She leans in close, just an inch shy of pressing up against Kanan. “If Dia’s never going to reciprocate your feelings, then it’s fine, right? Even if it’s only tonight. Even if it doesn’t mean anything more than a night of passion.”
Kanan’s mouth feels dry as she watches Mari’s advance. “I- Mari, I…” She tries to think of something to say, but it’s like a switch has been flipped in her mind - it’s all blank save for Mari’s hypnotic golden eyes and luscious lips and rosy flushed cheeks.
Mari practically drapes herself over Kanan, arms resting daintily over her shoulders, her legs comfortably straddling Kanan. Because of the dark, Kanan only realizes now that Mari isn’t wearing her skirt - just her tunic. She swallows, hoping her cheeks aren’t as red as they feel.
Mari leans in, her lips just barely brushing Kanan’s ears, sending a tingle down her spine. “Dia doesn’t know what she’s missing out on,” She whispers, her voice low and husky. “I’ll show you what a real woman’s like.”
She’s right. If Kanan can never be with Dia, then… then it’s okay to be with someone else, right? And Kanan has to admit at this point that she’s attracted to Mari, definitely on a physical level but also on an emotional one as well. And it’s so much simpler, what she feels for Mari. There’s none of the complications that plagues Kanan’s feelings for Dia. It’s attraction, raw and simple.
Mari cups Kanan’s cheeks with her hands, and leans in. She’s less than an inch away, all Kanan can see is Mari, her golden eyes rippling with desire but also this tenderness that catches Kanan off guard. “Is this okay?” She asks.
Kanan nods, and Mari closes the distance between them, pressing their lips together. Kanan closes her eyes, savouring the sensation. Mari is warm, her whole body’s warm, but her lips in particular almost seem hot. She leans into the kiss, her arms automatically looping around Mari’s back to pull her closer.
Mari’s way better than her at kissing. It doesn’t help that it’s more or less Kanan’s first romantic kiss, she’s lucky Mari doesn’t mind that much. Mari pulls back a little after the initial kiss runs its course, giving Kanan a sultry smile. She teases at Kanan’s bottom lip with her tongue, a tiny serpentine flick that’s almost electrifying to the senses. Kanan takes the cue and opens her mouth, allowing Mari to deepen the kiss.
Mari hums as she leans in, joyful vibrations spreading throughout her body and into Kanan’s as well. Their tongues touch, and it’s a heart stopping sensation and Kanan just wants to keep going. It’s terrifying how easily Kanan forgets about everything else in the heat of the moment.
Mari’s hands wander all over Kanan’s body, but she lets out a little whine of dissatisfaction at the chainmail still encasing Kanan’s form. Breaking off the kiss, she gives Kanan a moment to breathe before instructing her, “Take it off.”
Kanan doesn’t need to be told twice, shrugging off the mail like a snake shedding skin. She’s never felt like she needed something this badly before, and Mari’s eyes on her makes her skin feel like it’s burning.
“If we’re going to,” Kanan pauses, letting the word go unsaid. "I… don’t really know how it goes.”
“Oh, don’t you worry,” Mari purrs, pushing forward. She’s surprisingly strong, and Kanan finds herself pinned against the bottom of the tent. She leans close to Kanan again, and says seductively, “I know exactly how it goes.”
Kanan swallows, nervous, but also eager.
It’s going to be a long night.
* * * * *
“Lady Ruby…”
Ruby was just walking down a hallway from a visit to the chapel when she feels a hand on her shoulder. She squeaks, and whirls around in alarm, though she relaxes slightly when she sees the person behind her. “Oh, Archibald! You surprised me.”
“My apologies, Lady Ruby.” The old chamberlain bows deeply, laying a gloved hand over his chest. He rises back up, giving Ruby a kindly smile. “I suppose everyone is rather tense these days, aren’t they?”
Ruby nods slightly. Archibald is like a father to her, in the absence of a more conventional father figure due to her own parents being so busy with their work. She allows herself to lower her guard, and breathes out shakily. “It’s been… difficult, Archibald,” Ruby admits. She taps her index fingers together. “I… I’ve been speaking to Hanamaru, and she says I shouldn’t worry because it’s Kanan we’re talking about, but… I’m still worried.”
“It’s only natural, my lady,” Archibald says comfortingly. “Lady Dia is important to all of us in the Kurosawa estate. Not to mention the kingdom as a whole. And she’s your sister, after all.” He pats Ruby gently on the head, continuing to reassure her, “Besides, Dame Matsuura is out looking for her. If anyone can keep her safe, it’s her. Kanan may not be an inhuman questing machine like some of the first class knights, but she’s tough, and she’s resourceful. Most of all she’s determined. She’ll find Lady Dia.”
Ruby closes her eyes slightly as she’s being petted, almost like a small animal, and a surge of protectiveness rises in Archibald’s old, withered heart. Ruby has that effect on people. It’s why she’s so popular, even amongst the common rabble. But – Archibald has to remind himself that Ruby is quickly growing up. She’s not a child anymore, needing to bear the Kurosawa name.
“But that reminds me…” Archibald clears his throat. “With everything going on, I hate to put this on you, Lady Ruby, but the nobles of the Court have assembled to speak to you.”
“Are they going to ask for an update on Dia’s situation?” Ruby asks weakly, her mood brought further down at the thought of having to speak to the nobles.
“I know it’s intimidating, my lady, but you’re the only one who has the authority to talk to them, with Lord and Lady Kurosawa on tour.” Archibald puts a hand on Ruby’s shoulder, squeezes gently. “You have Kurosawa blood in you, Lady Ruby. The strength is there. You just need a little confidence.”
“I’ll try my best,” Ruby sniffs, before straightening up a little. “I’ll do my rubesty!”
“Atta girl,” Archibald smiles. He gives her a gentle push, changing course towards the foyer of the estate. “There is a carriage outside to take you to the palace. Shall I escort you as well?”
Ruby shakes her head, though she still gives Archibald a grateful smile. “It’s okay. I’ll go with the personal guard Kanan set for me. You’re needed here to coordinate the staff. The place is still a bit of a mess.”
“A wise decision, milady,” Archibald bows formally, though when he rises back up he has a twinkle in his eyes, like a parent watching their child who’s grown up. “All we need is a little more time. Convince them to wait a few more days before sending a search party. It’s all we need. This doesn’t need to be any bigger than necessary.”
Ruby nods. Right now, the only people who know about Dia’s disappearance are those in the estate, Kanan, and the Court. If the other noble houses knew of Dia’s kidnapping, they’d descend on the family like vultures. The Kurosawas have clout, but not so much that they can fend off the political machinations of the twenty other noble houses presiding over the kingdom.
“I’ll convince them,” Ruby promises. “I’ll make Dia proud.”
Giving Archibald a curt nod, Ruby heads back to her room to get dressed, maids-in-waiting already poised to help her change into a proper gown.
Ruby feels a pit in her stomach, but also a wild confidence borne of desperation. With Dia and her parents away, she’s the only one left to uphold the Kurosawa name.
It’s just a meeting with six of the most powerful and influential nobles in the kingdom of Ura. No sweat, right?
* * * * *
Mari watches Kanan as she sleeps. Kanan looks so peaceful like that, snoring quietly.
She snores. That’s adorable. Mari cracks a smile, but it quickly fades away when she remembers what she must do. She wants to stay there with Kanan, but she knows what needs to be done. She sits up, carefully extracting herself from Kanan’s embrace. It’s not hard with her asleep, and Mari’s own strength.
Kanan has a stray hair that droops onto her face, and Mari sighs, brushing it out of her face. She leans close, kissing Kanan on the forehead. “I’m sorry it has to be this way,” She says wistfully. She means it, too. Even now she feels that deep, primal attraction towards the knight. Mari wants Kanan. She wants Kanan so badly. To keep her close and never let her go.
But - she has to go. She needs to stop it before it’s too late. Sleeping with Kanan was bad enough, she can’t let it get any worse.
Standing up, she looks around for a moment and pulls Kanan’s map out from her belt pouch, discarded to one side during their heated moment. Scanning the map, her eyes settles on a spot along the Eoland range, and she places a finger on the spot, the tip of the finger glowing faintly. When she lifts it, a mark is seared into the paper. With a few more deft strokes, she scratches out a message on the margin of the map, before setting it down on the floor beside the sleeping Kanan.
With that done, she breathes out slowly, crawling out of the tent and stretching out in the cool night air. Across the plains, the horizon has only just begun to turn from dark blue to faint purple. Sun’s still a good few hours away, which gives Mari plenty of time to move.
She turns around, looking back into the tent. Kanan is still slumbering away, with no signs of waking any time soon. Her gaze lingers on Kanan for a moment, allowing herself to be tempted one last time before inevitably turning away and facing the horizon.
“I’m sorry,” she murmurs. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”
She breathes in, focusing for a moment.
There’s a hurricane burst of wind, in her place is a great golden beast, with wings stretching from horizon to horizon and its head in the clouds. With a single flap of its mighty wings, it takes flight, vanishing into the skyline and leaving the campsite almost completely undisturbed despite the commotion.
Propelled forward by its powerful wings, the glittering serpent crosses the sky, spanning the length of plains and forests in only a few wingbeats. Below it the world blurs, melding together. The dragon closes its eyes for a moment, feeling the wind beating against its face.
But soon enough it is brought out of its stupor as it approaches its destination. Landing at the foot of an impressive mountain range, in front of a cave carved into the face of a cliff, the beast exhales a breath of smoke and ash that blots out the sky like a storm cloud. When the smoke dissipates, the dragon’s body is gone, replaced once again by the form of Mari, stepping out of the steam and haze into the open.
She waits a moment for all the smoke to clear, before closing her eyes and heaving a deep sigh.
“Dia,” she calls out, stepping into the cave. It’s dark, but her golden eyes pierce through the darkness as easily as daylight, and she sees clearly the young woman sitting on the most ridiculously elaborate, gold-gilded king-sized bed look up.
“Mari,” Dia folds her arms. “So you’ve finally come back.”
Mari nods glumly, uncharacteristically quiet. Dia notices this, and her stern expression softens slightly. “Did something happen?”
“It’s…” Mari breathes out slowly, “It’s nothing. Have you given what we talked about some thought?”
Dia shakes her head, and Mari’s expression sours even more. “Mari, I’ve told you this again and again. My country needs me. The kingdom needs a ruler, and Ruby isn’t ready to take up that level of responsibility. I’m duty bound to take the throne.”
“Duty,” Mari snarls under her breath, before staring disapprovingly at Dia. “Not you, too? Tied down by ‘duty’ and ‘responsibility’, why can’t you see that it’s killing you on the inside? People are supposed to live free, not under slavery.”
“Slavery—?” Dia stops for a moment, shaking her head in exasperation. “Mari, to take the throne is an honour! It’s a heavy weight to bear, sure, but there’s no calling in life more worthy than this. It’s what I’ve been training to do all my life. How could I look at myself and be proud of what I’ve done if I stop now?”
Mari stares at Dia for a long moment, staying completely silent for a few seconds. She then breathes out lightly, and starts to walk deeper into the cave. When she’s walked past Dia, she pauses for a moment, not looking at Dia as she speaks up. “…Your knight is coming to pick you up. She should arrive before the week is up.”
“K-Kanan? She’s coming?” Dia says, alarmed.
“Don’t worry, she’s just doing her job,” Mari says bitterly, continuing to head into the cave. “She’s not aware of your feelings for her.”
Dia’s jaw tightens, and she runs after Mari. “Wait, what do you mean? You’ve talked to Kanan, right? What did you tell her?”
“I didn’t tell her anything,” Mari says, looking straight ahead. “But you do realize how she feels about you, right?”
Dia cringes, her cheeks turning red. “You… that’s not fair, Mari. You know that I can’t…”
“Yes, you can’t respond to her feelings, right? Because of your duty.” Mari’s nostrils flare for a moment, sparks dancing in the air, before her shoulders slacken slightly. “I just want you to be happy…” She murmurs, almost too quiet for Dia to hear.
Almost.
Dia purses her lips, not sure how to reply. “Mari… Kanan and I, we… it’s not that simple. If we were to pursue a relationship, she’d become a weakness. A weakness that other nobles can exploit. I can’t… I can’t afford that to happen to her.” She takes a deep breath. “But… even if we don’t get into a relationship, just having her by my side will be enough. I won’t be sad, Mari. It’ll just be the same as it always has been. I can bear with it.”
Looking at Mari, Dia realizes Mari is shaking slightly. “I just… I just wanted to do something to help…” She mutters. “You’re the first mortal that I’ve felt this way towards, why won’t you let me help you?”
“Mari… just the thought of wanting to help is enough for me,” Dia says, almost pleadingly. “You’re a dragon. I’m a human. Our worlds aren’t meant to intersect.”
Mari’s head drops, and she sighs. “You’re right. They’re not.”
Sprouting golden wings from her back, she launches herself into the air, disappearing into the shadows of the ceiling of the cave, out of Dia’s sight.
The woman sighs, staring up where Mari had hidden herself.
“It’s not as simple as dropping everything and leaving, Mari,” Dia says. “I can’t do that. Not while I still have options.”
Shaking her head, she goes to sit back down on the bed that Mari had generously prepared for her, lost in thought.