Weeks ago, Han took Lotus to the Festival of Leaves. They stayed longer than she meant to. Couldn’t we attend a tea ceremony, just the two of us? Oh, have you ever seen so many wonderful snacks, ever eaten anything so lovely? Would it be alright, just one more thing, this play, the poster looked [i]so[/i] lovely, can’t we? Can’t we? Time and again, those sparkling eyes turned to her, and time and again, Han of the Highlands relented to the growling ache of her heart. It would be long, long hours before she was finally satisfied.

A few days later, she slept, and the last thing she recalled was not the mesmerizing song of a treacherous flute, but the warmth, the delicate [i]weight[/i] of Lotus, perched snug upon her lap. And she slept. And she was satisfied.

The first day was the hardest. There is a scar in those woods, just off the main road, where the trees are shattered at the trunk, and the undergrowth is torn up by the roots, and ugly, ashen gouges rend the earth. Some still hiss, and steam, in the rain. She ran, not to find help. Not to find civilization. She ran to cast anger, sorrow, guilt heavier than mountains, everything she had into a blazing engine of motion. Consume it all. Make it stop. Make it stop. Make it [i]stop.[/i]

The second day was easier than the first. The third, easier than the second. The steady current of time did what the will of dragons could not. The gasping, aching emptiness inside passed from her awareness, the novelty eroded away until it was little more than the constant patter of rain. Wake up. Run. Eat. Run. Sleep. Repeat. Find a witch. Find her. And she needed nothing else.

A week ago, Lotus kissed her.

A lot’s happened since then. 

Lotus was torn screaming from her back, lashed by a thunderbolt that was meant for her. The both of them were bound, chained, and made to march. She never got a chance to see if she was badly hurt. She hardly got a chance to see her at all; they blindfolded her the second time she took a swipe at the soldiers.

They spent a week on a barge. Never together. Never alone. Always under the watchful care of soldiers, of slave girls, of the Red Wolf herself. Reduced to glances across tables, gasps of conversation in passing. Lots of time alone. Waiting for traps to spring. Wondering why thoughts always turned to her, her, [i]her.[/i] And she remembered the emptiness in her heart.

Until Lotus kissed her again. 

A lot’s happened since then. 

They, they kissed the same girl. Watched, kissing. Sort of. Accidentally. Then, they tied her up. Properly. Which was. Educational. Then, hand in hand, darting away in the cover of darkness. Flitting silently through the ship. Swimming, running across the waters, escaping in the nick of time, then-!

Close enough to touch. Nobody around for miles. Side by side, in the waning light of evening, walking the roads together. Standing apart. In silence. For [i]hours.[/i] And her reward is ruin. Lotus will leave her. Lotus will go. Lotus will never look at her the same way again. And the first day will be the hardest yet.

Until Lotus works a miracle.

They’ve left the lobby. They’re in a strange, small room. They are alone, somehow. It isn’t important. Lotus holds her face in her soft, warm hands. Lotus shines care and concern over her through sparkling, shining eyes. Lotus pours worry, and fear, and the shadows of her heart out, in a voice that sounds so much prettier when she’s laughing.

The scent of sweet flowers surrounds her.

“Bud. Look at me.” And she’s got her head in her hands, and she won’t _let_ her look away. Her fingers absently toy with her hair. “She was looking for some rogue spirit named Zhaogoon. And even if she was looking for you, I sure as hell wouldn’t rat you out to [i]her.[/i]”

She doesn’t realize the fire she puts in the word. Unmistakably, she knows this priestess. They have history, they do.

“Now. I want you to sit your pretty little butt down and tell me every damn thing you want from this trip. I don’t care if it takes us all night. Nobody’s taking you [i]anywhere[/i] until you get it all. Got it?!”

Lotus may have to use her words. Those strong hands squeeze her cheeks so firmly, she may not even be able to nod. And Han dares not let her go.

For it will be long, long hours before she is satisfied.

[Rolling to offer [b]Emotional Support[/b]: 6 + 2 + 1 = [b]9[/b]]