She felt his arms slide around her, remembering what it felt like to embrace him. There had only been one other time – at the Dey’s house – that she had been compelled to do so. His situation, from the start, had broken something inside of her. Elisabeth would be hard-pressed to name one other person that provoked such a strong emotional response within her. Having long thought about the matter, she finally alighted on one component of it – need. Elisabeth absolutely felt that he needed her. What that need was, wasn’t her place to say, but she felt it, and surprisingly enough, returned it. She needed him too and was much clearer on the reason why. 

Ezner had known the truest form of the young woman. Having met just after she arrived in the city, he had befriended her, and even though her situation had paled in comparison to his, he had been like a rock, considering her thoughts and feelings. It had been, at that point, a new experience for her but what it translated into was, for her, stability. Of course, his disappearance had upended all that, and yet as she stood there with him, she felt relief that a foundation anchor of who she was now had safely returned.
 
Finally releasing him, she noticed his tears, streaking down his dirty face. Slender hands gently slipped to his cheeks, wiping away the tears that fell. Sapphire eyes took in everything about him, trying to gauge if she could note any clues as to what had happened in the three seasons since their last encounter. He had gained some sorely needed weight – that was obvious. Ezner looked much healthier, and that was a good thing.

Mustering up as much discipline as she could, a soft smile played about her lips, whispering gently. [b]“I think, you have had an adventure that I need to hear about.”[/b] Tangling her fingers through his, she gently led him back to the porch, picking up the dropped book and setting it aside while she retook her seat. Taking a deep breath, she let her eyes search his, curious about what story he was about to tell her.