#//this...got long and i blame kat and ria

[stones-x-bones]

Champlain Falling For You || Mina and Bex

TIMING: Current PARTIES: @drowningisinevitable and @inbextween SUMMARY: Mina takes Bex to the Champlain Falls and they have a nice trip. CONTENT: Domestic Abuse mentions, Soft Repressed Gays

While Champlain Falls was infamous for being a big “make out” or date spot, Bex was aware that there were many other things to do there, as well. It was a sight-seeing spot, after all. It didn't have to be about that. Plus, it was mostly high school kids that came up here for that, because it was here or Hanging Rock and people went missing here much less frequently. Not that they didn’t go missing here, but they usually turned up somewhere else, and there wasn’t really any spot in White Crest where people didn’t go missing. But that wasn’t really the reason Bex was nervous today, as she sat in Mina’s car on the short drive up to the falls. Technically you couldn’t drive all the way up to them, you had to drive to the park entrance and hike from there, but the path was flat enough that she didn’t have to worry too much about not owning a pair of hiking boots. Or the fact that she didn’t have a pair of jeans. She put on some pants that were close enough, and her favorite sweater, since it did still get cooler at nights. And also because it could help cover up the bite on her neck-- she didn’t need Mina worrying about that. Now all she had to do was concentrate hard enough to keep thoughts of wolves and beef jerky out of her head, and everything would be just fine! 

When they pulled up, Bex glanced over at Mina. “You know, I’ve lived here almost all my life and I’ve never been up here. I”m kinda excited to see if it lives up to the hype.” She hopped out of the car and came around to meet Mina, smiling through a random thought that popped into her head that very much wasn’t her own. “Shall we?” Held out her hand.

It was always nice to get out and into nature, Mina always thought. She liked being out in the woods, especially if it meant that she got to be around water, even if she was always a little uncomfortable about that fact. It was just a part of who she was, and it did more harm than good to ignore it. She’d ventured out to Champlain Falls a few times, in her first months in White Crest, only to leave as quickly as she’d arrived. She could usually sense a lot of Fae around. She hoped that wasn’t the case, though, especially since they were going later in the evening, just before sunset. She should be allowed to be excited about this without worrying about something interrupting her and Bex hanging out. She’d had Morgan help her with a picnic, there was supposed to be a nice view of the stars, the weather was nice. She just wanted to enjoy this. 

After parking, Mina got out and went to grab her backpack from the back seat, her boots crunching a bit on old leaves. She took a breath of fresh air, feeling calm and relaxed even with the iron knife sheathed on the side of her thigh, tucked into her boot with her jeans. Slinging the backpack over her shoulders, she brushed down the front of one of her dad’s old flannels, making sure the buttons were done up properly, and gave Bex a smile. “I’ve almost hiked out here a few times, but it was always a bit crowded for my taste.” She took Bex’s hand. “I’m excited, too, though. If nothing else, it’s a nice day for a walk.”

As Mina grabbed her bag and adjusted her shirt, Bex took a moment to take her in. She looked good in a flannel, even if it was a little wrinkled and one side of the collar was flipped up. Bex didn’t own many flannels, and the ones she did own were hidden in the back of her closet. Today she had on some leggings, a turtleneck sweater, and her short pants denim overalls. She hadn’t had a pair of boots, so she’d borrowed a pair of Deirdre’s and they looked clunky on her feet. Not that she minded too much. She squeezed Mina’s hand back, but before they headed out, she reached over and flattened her collar down. “You look nice in this shirt,” she smiled, “I don’t think I’ve seen you wear a flannel before. You should do it more often.” She didn’t know the way up there, and let Mina take the lead as they headed down the path. She could already hear the falls already, as they echoed through the tall trees around them. The air smelled fresh out here, too, and Bex made a mental note to herself that she really needed to get out more. Maybe now that she had someone to go places with it would be easier. Being alone in the forest seemed frightening to her. “You know, I heard people go swimming up here a lot, too. I’d probably only do that if there was like, no one else around, though. I wonder if we’ll see anyone jumping off the cliffs.”

“Has my collar been like that this entire time?” Mina muttered, trying not to appear mortified. “I thought it was fine when we left. Still, I, ah, I appreciate that. I mean, I wear it sometimes. You just usually see me when I’m at school or dressed down in sweats.” She did make a note to maybe start wearing a few more of her flannels, though. There was no telling how many she owned, at this point. She couldn’t help but grin as she looked at Bex, tugging at one of the straps of her overalls to make sure it was firmly in place on the younger girl’s shoulder. “I like your outfit, too. It’s cute.” She started them down the trail, picking out the sounds of water. It was almost a bit like a call, like her body trying to push her in a direction to find a new home. Morgan and Deirdre’s pool was nice. It was fine. It healed her, and it was a place to lay her head and breathe. But it wasn’t a home. Her body wanted nature, not just water but rock and dirt and life. She had to remind herself that wants were not necessities and that she was doing fine, really. “I’ve heard that, too. I’ve thought about coming here for that, cliff diving.” Not around Bex, though. Not when there was the possibility she wouldn’t be able to control herself, even though she was doing better about not going scaly when they stuck their feet in the pool. “It’s a bit cold for swimming, though, for now at least.”

“Not the whole time, probably just when you put your bag on,” Bex grinned. “Fair. Just saying, you could stand to wear it more.” She leaned into Mina as she tugged on her shoulder strap and bumped her shoulder gently. “Why, how sweet of you. I appreciate the compliment,” she said with a wink, stretching out the word appreciate with a hand gesture to go along with it. People always said the appeal of nature was the quietness that came with it, but Bex had never found nature to be that quiet. Maybe it was because there wasn’t enough stuff going on around for her to concentrate on, so, instead, she heard a million and one thoughts inside her own head, instead. “Wait, you wanna try cliff diving? Doesn’t that, like, scare you? I’d be way too afraid to hit a rock, or land wrong on the water and smack something. I don’t know if I could watch you do that.” She winced a little, but looked back over at Mina with a grin. “Oh, yeah, definitely too cold. I get cold really easily anyway. And,” she finished, waggling a finger, “we came here for other things. As long as we make it by sunset, I think we should be okay. I brought my camera, too. For pictures of the waterfall. Don’t worry, I won’t take any of you.” She grinned. “Probably.”

“Well, okay, that makes it a little better.” Mina rolled her eyes. “I try to look semi-professional when I’m teaching a class, you know. But I’ll consider wearing flannels more, if you think they look nice.” She scrunched up her nose a bit as she attempted to hide a smile. “Laying that one on a bit thick, aren’t you?” She pulled her backpack straps up a bit tighter with one hand, the other still holding Bex’s. She felt nice. Happy, even. She wanted this to be something good for both of them, getting out of the house and off campus. “Bex, I’ve been cliff diving before. Quite a lot, actually. Usually if my dad and I would travel to places where there were any sort of waterfalls or steep cliffs, I would jump off. It’s not so scary after the first few times.” It even became something exhilarating, a willingness to let go of control, if only for a moment, and to just exist in the air as she plummeted before she hit the water. There was relief there. “You do get cold pretty easy. Don’t worry. We’re going to make it before sunset.” She looked at Bex, her eyes narrowed a bit. “Probably?” She stuck out her tongue.

“Somehow, I don’t think your students will think any less of you if you wear a flannel to teach,” Bex teased, “because I do think they look nice. Glad to know my opinion means more than your need to impress people like two years younger than you.” She just gave a chagrined smile but didn’t answer the tease. Spending time with Mina felt nice, no matter where they were, but she had to admit, being somewhere that wasn’t Morgan’s felt really nice. She leaned against Mina a little as they walked. “Okay, well, how I was supposed to know, little miss daredevil? Cliff diving is, objectively, frightening. And dangerous. And those are not things you’re allowed to argue with. Knowing my luck, I’d slip right as I went to--” Bex stopped mid sentence as a string of thoughts ricocheted in her head and she frowned. Shut up, Kyle! “Um...what was I saying? Sorry. Jump! Right as I went to jump. Have I mentioned I’m extremely clumsy?” Bex took a moment to glance away, taking in their surroundings. They must’ve been close by now, the water was getting louder and it almost sounded like wind rustling leaves. “Yes, probably. I know you said you hate pictures, but I wanna make memories. Things I can look at again.” Things that could make her happy when it felt like she never could be. “How cold do you think the water is right now?”

“They probably won’t, especially since they’ve watched me stumble in wearing sweatpants and a rather wrinkled shirt from a bar in Berlin after accidentally falling asleep at my desk again a few weeks ago, but still.” Mina didn’t mention that it was one of the nights she’d been scared to go back, afraid that someone was going to tell her that Bex’s sleeping condition had gotten worse. “I do try to maintain some level of professionalism. Flannel shirts scream ‘peer,’ not ‘girl that I should listen to because she’s the one that grades my quizzes.’ But your opinion does mean a great deal to me.” She snorted. “Doesn’t everything about me just scream that I’m a daredevil in all things?” She wasn’t. Mina was a coward. She kept trying to explain that, but it didn’t seem to click. She shot Bex a worried look. Sure, the younger girl tended to ramble (even if Mina would never call it that; besides, she did it, too), but she never spaced out in the middle of a sentence. Mina squeezed her hand to bring her back to the present. “I wouldn’t let you fall, you know. If you ever wanted to do it.” She could smell the water in addition to hearing it, clear and clean and nice. And, thankfully, she couldn’t sense other Fae. This could end up being a nice day, afterall. “Taking pictures of the falls would be memories enough?” she asked hopefully. “I might not even show up on camera, any. You don’t know.” She grinned cheekily, though. “Oh, it’s far too cold for you. I mean, I would be fine, but it’s pretty cold.”

“Oh, wow,” Bex couldn’t help the laugh that came out. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but picturing you in that, sleep-deprived and standing in front of a bunch of also sleep-deprived kids, is probably one of the funniest things I’ve seen this week. Or, heard. But yes, I’m sure that was very professional of you. What, you don’t wanna be the cool teacher? The one all kids are buds with?” She liked this, this banter between them. She didn’t often feel relaxed or good enough around other people to be this way, but it almost came naturally with Mina. She was just...nice to be around. She chuckled again. “Good to know where I stand, then.” She put her hand up, level with her face. “Your students--” raised her hand above both their heads, “me.” Her boots scraped along the forest floor and she stumbled a little, squeezing Mina’s hand back. “Dammit, see? This is what I get for trying to make jokes. And you are, at least, to me. There’s many things you say you do that would make my heart stop, probably. Cliff diving included. I’d probably only jump if you jumped with me.” Bex rolled her eyes a little. “Oh, ha ha. I know you’re not a vampire-- I know what vampires are like. I’ve seen you in the sunlight.” She poked her in the arm. “What, are you an ice swimmer, too, now? If I would freeze to death, you would, too.” The trees began to part and Bex squinted through the waning light. “Oh! We’re close!” She tugged on Mina’s hand as she took off in a job, dragging the other girl with her. She kind of almost hoped there weren’t too many other people around, it would be nice to just enjoy some time alone with Mina.

“It’s not that funny,” Mina said, but she huffed out a laugh as well. “I was five minutes late and let the class out five minutes early. I couldn’t stop yawning. It was a bad morning. But I don’t really care about being a cool teacher. I think I’m a bit of a mess, really, but no one’s complained, and the students I tutor pass their classes. I’m not trying to be cool, just helpful.” Really, Mina was probably very much not cool. Anti-cool, even. She laughed. “Should you really be surprised that I rate you higher than a bunch of freshmen frat boys?” She steadied Bex subconsciously. “Careful. You know, I don’t think I have the, ah, street cred? That, I don’t think I have enough of that to be fully considered a daredevil. Most of this was all just stuff we all did. The other kids my age. Some of the adults, too, even. My dad preferred to just watch. We didn’t get a lot off days to just enjoy things. If we had a group together and there was a bit of down time, and we were in a nice spot, they took advantage. I didn’t play a lot of games, though.” She nodded, thinking about it. It would be dangerous for Bex, but, if she was there, then Mina could ensure that things went smoothly. “I’d jump with you. And you can’t possibly be certain I’m not a vampire. Maybe I’m a special vampire. Some of them can walk in the sun, you know.” Sometimes, Mina got dangerously close to revealing too much of herself, despite all of her fears that revealing herself would be exactly what she did. She played a dangerous game. Maybe she was a daredevil. “The temperature of the water isn’t the problem, it’s getting out.” She allowed Bex to drag her up, laughing a bit. “Be careful, please! I’d hate for you to actually fall.”

“It’s pretty funny,” Bex pointed out, “but only because I do know how much you usually care about being presentable. And, you know, you might be a mess, but at least you’re a cute mess. That’s a lot more than most of those kids can say. Especially the freshmen frat boys.” She let Mina steady her, let the smile on her face stay bright. Barring anything outrageous, Bex had a good feeling about today. There wasn’t much that could ruin this, even the annoying boy in her head. She thought another shut up, please, for just like, one night. A few hours, even. At him before focusing back on Mina. And stop asking who Mina is! “Street cred is overrated. You’re a daredevil to me, and that’s really all that should matter.” She tilted her head. “Did you run into a lot of other families like you and your dad? That’s, I mean, kinda nice, right? The only time I got to hang out with kids my age was during dinner parties or big meetings where all the parents only wanted to pay one babysitter. I actually met Frank at a dinner party, technically. There wasn’t a lot of time for games when I was a kid, either. Not for um, the same reasons as you, obviously. But I guess my parents thought other things were more important.” She glanced back at Mina. “Oh, no. I wasn’t actually serious. I am not brave enough for that, even if you’re with me.” With her arms around her, holding her. Bex felt her cheeks burn and looked away. “And I do know you’re not a vampire, because you haven’t tried to eat me yet.” She subconsciously scratched at the scabs on her neck. “Can they? Is that a real thing? I’m being careful, I’m always caref--” As if right on cue, the dirt beneath Bex’s foot shifted downhill and she yelped, grabbing for Mina. When she was standing up straight again, she cleared her throat. “Well, I’m usually careful. What was that thing about water temperature you were saying?”

“You’re mocking my pain,” Mina said dramatically, maybe playing up the situation a little. She didn’t get a lot of chances to do things like this, be lighthearted, and she always felt uncomfortable when she tried, but doing this with Bex was easy. Too easy, really, concerningly easy if she thought about it for too long. “Well, in that case, I suppose being a cute mess isn’t that bad.” And if her cheeks were turning a bit red at that, then it was probably because of the weather. “Oh, so your opinion is of the highest order, then? I’ll keep that in mind.” She tried to keep the smile on her face, though it was a bit harder than she would have liked as she shrugged nonchalantly. “We sometimes... the right term is hunted, really, with other families. There’s safety in numbers. But I didn’t fit in too well, so I was kind of odd woman out a lot of the time.” When she was really young, there was a lot of distrust around Mina, especially after she’d almost drowned someone. As she’d gotten older and better trained, she was just disliked on principle, most of the time. It was fine. She was used to it. “Did you like going to dinner parties?” She didn’t want to talk about her childhood anymore. “I think you’re very brave when you put your mind to it.” Mina let her expression turn serious, one eyebrow raised. “How do you know I’m not toying with you? The long game is always more fun. But, yes, some vampires can, though they’re more prone to bloodlust and-- that wasn’t particularly careful!” Briefly, Mina worried if this was a good idea. “I mean, water temperature isn’t that bad for me. Just, getting out when it’s cold. That’s rough.”

“So what if I am?” Bex chided. Somehow, she knew Mina didn’t mind. “My opinion is the most important, actually. You would do well to remember that, you know.” Bex was rarely, if ever, this confident. But Mina just made her feel overwhelmingly so. She could tell, though, that the subject of childhood was wearing on Mina. It was heavy on her, too. “I’d rather be the odd one out than the same carbon copy as everyone else, if I’m being honest.” She shrugged, almost a mirror to Mina’s previous motion. “Not really. They were so boring. All we ever did was sit around and be pretty and act good. As kids, we weren’t supposed to engage in the conversations. I kinda felt like...a decoration.” She scuffed her shoe along the ground and kicked a rock, watching it roll down the hill. Glanced over at Mina, quirking a brow. “Me? Brave? Just cause I didn’t run away from a giant chicken one time does not make me brave. I am ecstatically a coward and relatively okay with it, if it keeps me from being eaten.” It was mostly a truth. She was a coward who could not stand up to her parents, who could not ever reach for what she wanted versus what other people wanted from her, and she most certainly wasn’t someone who ran towards danger to protect other people. Those times had just been flukes. And pure curiosity. “Because you said you’d never lie to me,” Bex answered Mina simply, stopping at the bottom of the hill. The falls were just around the corner, according to the sign. She wanted to take her time in seeing them, to share the experience with Mina. “And so I trust you enough to have told me, if you were.” It was a simple fact. Bex trusted Mina would tell her if she was something like that, something different. She smiled and pointed at the sign. “Anyway, enough of all that. We’re close! Are you ready?”

“Someone could say that it’s cruel, what you’re doing, you know,” Mina said, hand over her heart, but she was laughing. “Oh, of course, your opinion is incredibly important to me. I’ll never forget that.” Wistfully, she added, “I’d really have preferred to fit in, honestly.” She’d really have liked to just be human and treated human, if only for a moment, by the people that she’d grown up with and admired for so long. And feared. And loved. And wished she didn’t. “Well, you’re far more than a decoration. That was silly, of them to treat you like one. And, yes, you. Brave. There’s more to bravery than standing stubbornly in front of a charging creature.” Which was really the only kind of bravery that Mina was capable of, at this point. “There are other types of bravery. And you seem to have no trouble in poking fun at me. That’s an awfully brave thing to do against someone that you’re really not sure isn’t a vampire.” She was smiling, but it turned serious pretty quick. “No, I won’t lie to you.” There was a knot forming in her stomach at Bex’s words, though. She should tell Bex. She should. But the fear that Bex would look at her in fear and disgust and run away from her was too much for even contemplate it. Instead, she squeezed Bex’s hand and looked at the sign. “Absolutely ready. Are you?”

“Some, yes. But you wouldn’t,” Bex pointed out, calling Mina’s bluff. The laugh helped a lot. “Yeah, me too. People just say that to make you feel better. Doesn’t really work, though, does it?” She squeezed Mina’s hand reassuringly, trying to keep her smile from fading to that sad, plastic version of itself. What is a child, but a decoration for their parents? She’d heard her mother say that once before. “I know,” she answered, “I’m a person.” Even if she didn’t feel like one at times. “Well, if you are a vampire, then fine, I’ll accept that I’m brave, laughing in the face of danger. Ha, ha, ha!” she mocked, giving her best Simba from the Lion King impression. It was pretty bad, but she didn’t much care. Mina made her not care about things like that. But enough of those conversations, Bex was ready to find the falls and see if they were as wonderful as people made them out to be. The sun was still peaking just through the trees and it was nearly the perfect angle. “Absolutely,” she agreed, tugging Mina’s hand as she raced around the corner. The roar of the water was so loud at first, Bex wondered if they were somehow in the wrong place. But as they came around the trees, and the falls came into view, she knew absolutely that they were. It almost didn’t look real. It looked magical. Bex swallowed the word down. The water was sparkling with the trickling sunlight, and there was a cloud of mist at the bottom of the falls that almost looked as if it were changing colors. Red to orange to blue and back. The entire grove was surrounded by trees, and shiny rocks, wet from the falls. Suddenly, she understood why people came here to make out. It was kind of a really romantic atmosphere. Her face flushed at the thought as she remembered her hand in Mina’s, glancing at the other girl for a moment, wondering if the sunlight was reflecting as sweetly off her hair as it did the water. “Wow,” she muttered, “to think something like this was hidden in White Crest.”

“Wouldn’t I?” Mina said, sticking her tongue out. She wasn’t even particularly bothered that Bex was calling her out. With anyone else, she’d be a bit worried that someone was picking up on her phrasings, the way she didn’t specify things or responded to questions with more questions. She didn’t mind, though, that Bex seemed to figure her out. “You are a person. A nice and good and kind person that I happen to enjoy spending time with, so, yes. You’re a person.” She poked Bex lightly in the ribs.”It’s rude to laugh at vampires, you know. And, honestly, do I have to be a vampire to be dangerous? I think I’m pretty dangerous.” That came with the territory, with having claws and fangs and an inhuman disposition. Not that she would say that. And, instead of lingering on that thought, she allowed Bex to drag her down the hill, the sound and smell of water filling her head. She was in awe when they finally rounded on the falls. Dark Score Lake was pretty, when it wasn’t a glass filled hole. There was always something dangerous about it, though, something that anyone could feel. Champlain Falls was deceptive, though. Pretty and calm despite the roar of the water. She could see why other Fae were attracted to this place, the way the light shimmered and shifted. She wanted to jump in and just stay there. She heard Bex speak, and she turned to look. Then, she was perfectly fine with where she was. “This is incredible,” she said, looking at Bex. “Remind me to thank Nell for mentioning this place to me.”

Bex had to look away from Mina, because for some reason, she almost felt compelled to close the distance between them and that just wasn’t something she could-- or should-- do. She cleared her throat. “Wait-- Nell told you about this place? Huh.” She wondered why Nell would’ve told Mina to take her here, but she wasn’t going to question it too much. Nell was always telling her to take time off and relax. This must’ve been what she meant. She tugged Mina’s hand. “I wanna go see how cold the water is before we find a place to sit,” she said, eager to look down into the spring and see how far down it really went. To see how crystal clear the water would be. As they headed towards the shore, she looked back at Mina, to their intertwined hands, then back up at her face. “You might be dangerous, but I’m not afraid of you. Even if you are a vampire,” she stated simply, turning to face forward again. “I know you’d never hurt me.” It was, in fact, Bex who would probably end up hurting Mina. Either with magic, or because, eventually, she’d have to return to her normal life. And Mina wasn’t a part of that life, was she? Her hand subconsciously squeezed Mina’s. Maybe she could find a way to hold onto her, maybe she could find a way to hold on to what she’d built outside of that life. She finally let go of Mina’s hand once she reached the edge of the lake and bent down, sticking her hand out to graze the surface. Here, away from the falls, it was smooth and still as glass, rippling out when her fingers broke the illusion. It felt near freezing, but she kept her fingers in, leaning down a little farther to get her entire hand wet. She could see it perfectly under the surface, and the rocks beneath it sitting at the bottom. “I think it might be too cold to stick our feet in,” she said, finally looking back at Mina with a smile, “we’ll have to stick with the pool for now.”

“Yeah, she-- she said it would be a nice place for a picnic,” Mina said. And a nice place to make out. Mina refrained from mentioning that or the tightness it caused in her chest, just like she refused to answer when Nell asked if she wanted to kiss Bex. She did. Want that. Very much so. She tried not to dwell on that fact too much. It wasn’t going to happen. She just didn’t see it happening. She followed Bex to the water and couldn’t help but want to dive in, never come up. The water was clear, and, when she brushed her fingers against the surface, cool, comfortable, to her, really, but all water tended to be comfortable when it wasn’t composed of salt. She swallowed tightly. She could just slip in and stay. Champlain Falls wasn’t a good, permanent place. It was too open, and too many people visited, but it was pretty, and she liked it, and she could acknowledge that she liked it. Again, she would have jumped in if Bex wasn’t there. Instead, she looked at Bex and flicked a bit of water at her. “Too cold for you.” But she took Bex’s hand and pulled her up, moving away from the water. She didn’t even think she wanted to stay, now that another option had presented itself. “I’m fine with that, actually. It’s nice enough to look at, and I packed dinner, so. Maybe another time.” Maybe she could come by herself one night and just stay, just for a bit.

Bex had grown accustomed to understanding the minute expressions people had and what that meant for their mood, their emotions-- with an eye for anger-- and when she looked at Mina it almost seemed as if she felt...a longing. For what, Bex couldn’t be sure, but it had something to do with the water, with the falls. With this place. She shook her head and frowned teasingly when Mina flicked water at her, though, and decided to stow that thought for later. She flicked water back at Mina before taking her hand and standing back up. She brushed her wet hand off on her overalls. “Another time, then,” Bex agreed, stepping in towards Mina as she moved away from the lake and back towards the trail. She paused to look around for what might be a good spot. “Hey, it looks like there’s a trail that goes to the top of the falls. Wanna check it out? We could set up dinner up there, watch the sunset from above?” It seemed like the best possible situation, really. No better spot. “C’mon, it’ll be perfect!” She said excitedly, tugging on both of Mina’s hands as she led them up to the trail that climbed back around the falls and to the top. It was maybe a little steeper than she’d prepared for, but it would be worth it, she decided, to make it up there with Mina. After all, the brochures said there was no spot more beautiful than the top of Champlain Falls in White Crest. She needed to see for herself.

“I’m following you. Carefully, please,” Mina said as she allowed Bex to drag her from the water, up the path, towards the trail. She seemed to do that a lot, let Bex lead her around. There it was again, that tightness, like the knowledge that she knew that she wanted to kiss Bex and knew that she couldn’t have it. So, she decided, she’d settle for this. Really, Mina would take what she could get. She’d never been close to anyone, and certainly not like this. “I think it’s going to be nice,” she added, making sure her footsteps were sure as the pathway got steeper, shifting the weight of her body so that her backpack didn’t attempt to topple her over. The view would be nice, she knew. It would be something enjoyable, and she was doing this with someone whose company she enjoyed, and it was just calming. She felt at peace. She didn’t think she was going to feel at peace anytime this week, not after Frank, not after things constantly seeming to get tense and uncomfortable around every turn. She didn’t know how to talk about things. That was the moral of the story. Mina Fitzroy had a bit of a communication problem. “It’s getting much steeper up here, Ms. Extremely Clumsy. Watch your step.”

“I’m being careful!” Bex said back to Mina, chancing a look. It was silly of her to risk it, but she felt like it was worth it. “And besides, if I fall, I’ve got you to catch me.” Smiled wide at her before she turned back around, intertwining their fingers for a better grip. There was that strange warmth growing inside of her again, pulsing in her veins. She wasn’t all too familiar with it, but it felt a little bit like a feeling she knew despite never, well, knowing. It was how she was supposed to feel towards Frank, how he wanted her to feel, but she knew she couldn’t. She knew it wasn’t possible. She just didn’t want to admit to either of those statements. That she didn’t like Frank and that she did like Mina. Blinking, she shook the thoughts away and slowed her pace so that she was standing beside Mina instead of walking ahead of her. She liked it better here. She could admit that much. That Mina made her feel comfortable and safe. She didn’t feel that way often. Maybe that’s all it was. “I think I...need to go hiking more often,” she huffed out, realizing her breathing was a bit labored. “Can we take a little break? I just need a minute.”

“I will catch you, but let’s not tempt fate, okay?” Mina asked, already worried that she might once again have to save the younger girl from a near fall. But, really, their fingers were laced so tightly together that, if Bex fell, Mina was likely going down right after her. Then, she’d have to figure out a way to make sure Bex didn’t get hurt on the way down. It was fine. It would be fine. She notice a place to sit on the side of the trail and tugged Bex’s hand gently in that direction. “Yeah, we can take a break. I could use a second, too. It’s been awhile since I’ve done a trail this steep. I usually just go a little bit into the woods for a workout.” She moved over to a fallen log and stretched out the leg that had been mauled from the wolf attack, rubbing at her ankle a bit. The bones still hurt, sometimes. If she thought about it too much, the scars felt raw, too. But that was only when she thought about it. She was healed. It was slow, some things were still wrong, but she was healed. It was better than being dead. “You’re welcome to join me when I start back running. I’ll probably do a few laps around Morgan and Deirdre’s neighborhood when I’m there. I used to run a lap around Dark Score every morning before school.”

“Why not? Are you worried?” Bex asked, raising a brow. But she kind of knew she was, weren't they both always? She followed Mina over to the log gratefully and sat down beside her, watching her stretch her leg out. She remembered Mina mentioning she’d been attacked by an animal that had messed up her leg, but Bex suddenly wondered if it wasn’t an animal at all, but, rather, an “animal”. She didn’t feel like bringing that up right now, though. It might ruin the calm happy that had seemed to settle over them. “Depends on what time you go. I have to be in class by 8am, but I usually go to the office for a few hours before class starts. Or, well…” she paused, “I used to.” The sun was beginning to set beyond the hills, but it didn’t really matter. They’d get up there in time. She gently prodded her hand away from Mina’s and dug her camera out of her pocket, turning it on. Aimed down the capture and took a picture of the falls in the distance. She then turned to Mina. “Say cheese?” she asked, giving her her best puppy eyes in hopes the other girl would agree to at least one photo.

“Only a bit,” Mina said, but she had a small smile on her face. She rolled her shoulder blades, adjusting the bag again so that it was comfortable. “I used to go around six. I like early mornings; they’re calmer, usually, and it’s nice to watch as things wake up, teem with life. It was always a good start to the day.” She noticed Bex’s hesitation, and a part of her didn’t want Bex to go back to the office, to her house, to her family. Mina… didn’t know what happened, not really. She was always a bit too scared to ask. What would she do? What could she do? “I can’t believe you got 8 am classes. I thought most undergraduates tried to find ways around those.” She looked a little lost, staring at the camera hesitantly. “Okay,” she said, quietly, before she sat up a bit straighter, her hands folding themselves in her lap. She looked at Bex, then at the camera lens, giving it an unsure smile.

“Liar,” Bex teased. She tilted her head in contemplation as she tapped the top of her camera. “Six isn’t a bad time. I could probably make that work. Most days. Plus,” she looked down at her camera to adjust the settings back to portrait mode instead of landscape, taking her time, “it’d be nice to spend that time with you.” Not that they didn’t spend a lot of time together already. But like now, running around the neighborhood would give them time away from Morgan and Deirdre’s. She lifted the camera again, looking through the aperture, before deciding on a different angle. She turned it around so that the lens faced her and scooted next to Mina. “Selfie,” she grinned, ready to push the button. But right before she pushed it, she turned her head and pressed a kiss to Mina’s cheek. Click. And then she was standing up again, swinging her camera by the string. “Ready to keep going?”

Snorting, Mina said, “Hardly.” She kept shifting, adjusting her hands, crossing and uncrossing her legs. She didn’t like just sitting like this. At one point, after she realized that the camera wasn’t going off, she glared at it for a bit. “I mean, I’m going to have to work myself back up to doing most days, so that’s fine.” She looked away from the camera to Bex, smiling genuinely. “I think that’d be nice, too.” She wouldn’t have asked, otherwise. She’d grown used to doing things like this in a solitary way for over a year, but she wouldn’t mind doing it with Bex. Actually, there was a lot of things that she wouldn’t mind doing with Bex. Maybe that was the scariest part of all of this. She hadn’t expected Bex to turn the camera around, and she hadn’t expected Bex to move closer, and she hadn’t expected Bex to kiss her cheek. Her eyes widened, and she stopped thinking for a moment as she attempted to process what just happened. She couldn’t imagine how embarrassing she must have looked in that picture. How mortifying. “I--” She looked up at Bex, blinking for a second, before she stood. “Right. Ready.”

This time as they walked, Bex would pause every few moments to take a photo. There wasn’t much left to say at this point, but she also didn’t mind the silence. She’d read once that being able to sit in silence with a person was the true sign of comfort. She glanced back at Mina as they approached the top, and the trail began to even out. Finally, she turned to face her fully, putting her arms out in a T-pose. “See? I made it all the way up the trail without falling once! Carefully,” she pointed out, grinning widely. They were just in time, too. The sun was at the perfect angle sitting atop the tree tips, the water was rushing below them, and it was even more peaceful and quiet up here than it had been down at the base. She waited at the top of the hill for Mina to catch up, before holding up her camera. “Go stand by the river,” she instructed with a wave. Her lips were still tingling from when they’d been pressed to Mina’s cheeks, but she chalked it up to the chill setting in.

Mina spent the rest of the walk taking a few deep breaths, holding them, letting them out. She usually did this in the water after a long day, when she needed time to collect her thoughts and figure out her mind, and that was kind of what she was doing, now. Every now and then the clicks of the camera would draw her back to the present, force her to make sure that Bex wasn’t at risk of falling, but she seemed to be holding her own. She grinned as they made it to the top, watching Bex spread her arms wide. “I’m impressed, truly.” She stopped for a bit and just looked. This reminded her of a river in the Black Forest that she’d briefly stayed in, the sound of rushing water, the way that everything seemed peaceful in spite of the noise. She breathed deeply, held it, let it out, her lungs grateful for the wetness of the air filling them. Finally, she walked over to Bex before she was motioned toward the river. “Really?” she asked, but she wasn’t actually complaining. She stuffed her hands into her back pockets and turned to face Bex, an eyebrow raised. “You know, you’re missing the actual sunset pointing that at me.”

“I’m actually kind of impressive,” Bex beamed, holding her camera up to her chest, before backing up a bit and glancing through the focus again. “Really.” She waved Mina so that she was standing in better lighting, glancing back at her. “Sunsets happen every day,” she said dismissively as she clicked the camera a few times. “This--” she put the camera down, gestured between the two of them, then the surroundings, “--this doesn’t.” Finally, she clicked her camera to rest mode and came back over to Mina. “I wanna look over the edge,” she declared, “will you hold me to make sure I don’t fall?” She knew enough of what she was doing, of the things she was asking. She knew what it meant that she’d kissed Mina’s cheek, and she knew well enough what the warm feeling in her stomach was. But she wasn’t ready, yet, to declare those things real. To say they were true. Maybe she just wanted to have a nice time with a friend. A close friend. She held her hand out to Mina. “Please?”

“You are, totally. One hundred percent.” Mina moved like she was told to, only feeling a bit awkward. Or, at least, only a bit more awkward than usual. Still a lot of awkward, but not as much as she was expecting. “Yeah, okay, but you see me just about every day. And this is a special sunset.” But she’d take however many pictures Bex wanted with only minor complaining, at this point. Really, she would, even though it made her horribly uncomfortable and self-conscious. “Yeah, I can do that. Just let me put my bag down away from the edge. Don’t want us to fall and end up losing it. Here, give me your camera unless you want to take pictures.” She moved their stuff over a few feet away to a spot that would be nice to set up when they got done, and walked over to Bex, immediately taking her hand when it was offered. Her eyes innocent, she asked, “Just to make sure, we’re not jumping this time, right? I mean, I would assume not because we’re both a little ill-prepared, clothing wise, but I thought I’d check just in case.”

“Wow, you agreed to that very quickly,” Bex chuckled, watching Mina move about as she set their stuff aside. Bex just smiled at her. “I’d take you over a sunset any day,” was all she said. Held out the camera when Mina offered to put it with the other stuff. She would have considered taking a photo had the idea not totally freaked her out. It was going to be woozy enough just looking, but she wanted to be brave today. She wanted to show Mina that she could be brave. Once Mina took her hand, Bex intertwined their fingers again, holding tightly. It felt as if her hand simply fit there. She met Mina’s gaze. “Oh, god, no. Definitely not jumping today. I already told you I’m way too afraid to do that. I think just looking over the edge is enough. I mostly just wanna be able to say I stood at the top of a waterfall. Bragging rights, really,” she teased, walking slowly over towards the ledge, making sure to keep an even footing the entire time, despite the amount of rocks that were in the way. Finally, she reached the ledge and paused, subconsciously squeezing Mina’s hand tighter as she leaned over. She could see the pool at the bottom from here, but she wanted to see more. She leaned out a little farther and the bottom came into view. Rainbow lights seemed to dance at the bottom of the falls, where they met the lake. Splashing up, flickering in and out. She even swore she saw what looked like a sky beneath it, rippling in the waves underneath. She tilted her head, entranced. Leaned a little farther. She almost wanted to touch it. It was compelling. Maybe there was another world on the other side of it. A place that was less cruel than this one. She hadn’t even realized her foot was nearly over the edge, she didn’t need to worry. Mina would catch her. Mina would pull her back if she was going to fall. She was her safety net.

Instead of answering, Mina stuck her tongue out at Bex. So what if she’d answered fast? There was that tightness again. She was beginning to worry that it might be a permanent thing. She was beginning to worry that this was something that she would want and want and want, and she couldn’t want it because what was she going to do if it was taken from her? She took Bex’s hand and walked over to the edge, and there was something that was comforting about Bex’s hand in hers, and, okay, maybe that was worrying, too. There was no voicing that, though. Instead, she grinned and said, “Bragging rights, of course. Not everyone can say they’ve stood on top of a waterfall.” She bumped her shoulder with Bex’s. “But not everyone can say they’ve jumped from a waterfall, either. Just something to think about.” When they made it to the edge, Mina planted herself firmly. In all honesty, she didn’t particularly like heights. She liked the rush that came from jumping from great heights, but the height itself was dizzying. Still, she looked over the edge a bit, taking in everything. There’s a moment where she just wanted to freeze there, and there’s a moment where she just wanted to let go and fall in, and she thought about it hard, about diving into water so clear she could see the sky. The sky? That was strange. Mina felt Bex tug forward, and she looked down at the younger girl’s foot barely on the edge. “Bex!” She jerked them back from the edge, stumbling and tripping and ending up on her back, the wind knocked out of her and Bex on top of her. Dazedly, she said, “You looked like you were about to fall.”

Mina calling her name made Bex snap from her trance. She turned to look at Mina, but she was already being jerked forward. It felt like it happened in slow motion, really. Mina stumbled, eyes wide, and Bex watched her foot catch on a rock. Her eyes then went to their intertwined hands as she was also pulled down, landing on top of Mina with a soft oof as she did. She had just enough time to put her one hand out and brace herself against the muddy ground so her head didn’t snap forward and smack into Mina’s. Instead, her face was mere inches from Mina’s and her eyes were staring wide and her breath felt like it was stuck in her chest. Ironic, she thought as she looked down at Mina, that after all her slips, Mina was the one to trip. She should get up, really. It looked a little like it might have hurt, or at least winded the poor girl underneath her. But her body was frozen, it would not listen to her when she tried to tell it to move. “Uh huh,” was all she said she stared down at Mina. Why couldn’t she move? There was another impulse in her head, overwriting everything else, all logic. An impulse Bex hadn’t felt in quite a long time. Not since she’d come back to White Crest. She was so entranced with Mina she hardly noticed that the collar of her sweater had shifted down and the scabs she’d been trying to hide were slightly exposed. Or the voice in her head that was shouting JUST KISS HER. She wasn’t even sure if it was her own or Kyle’s. She didn’t really care.

If Mina was asked if she’d like to kiss Bex, in that moment, she would be compelled to tell the truth. Yes, actually, she’d like that very much, please. And she had to force herself to look anywhere but at Bex’s lips. She focused on her eyes, her nose, the strands of hair in her face, her neck. Her neck. There were… Mina sat them up, her hands going to Bex’s collar and shifting it a bit to look at the scabs that were distinctly bite marks, and any thoughts of kissing were completely out of Mina’s mind as dread pooled in her stomach. “What happened? Where did you get those? What did that?” They looked like fangs, so it was unlikely to be a zombie bite, but there were so many creatures that bit and maimed and hurt and killed, and Mina felt absolutely sick to her stomach thinking about all of the possibilities that might have happened, and the look that she gave Bex was pure panic. 

For a moment, Bex was confused. What was what? What did what? Her mind was still trying to catch up to herself. Mina sat them up, tugged at her collar, and that’s when Bex remembered. She stiffened, swatted Mina’s hand away and backed up off her lap. “It’s nothing,” she said quickly, “it’s fine. It was just--” her mind still reeled a little when she thought about it. She was still trying to grasp the fact that vampires were real and that Dani had killed one right in front of her. She swallowed, putting her hand over the marks before readjusting her collar to cover them. The look she gave Mina was one of matching panic, but for a purely different reason. “I-I didn’t wanna worry you. Or Morgan, o-or anyone. Really, though, I’m fine! It happened so quickly, so i-it wasn’t anything bad. Plus there was someone there who helped me. L-like you. A hunter. She saved me.”

Mina pulled her hand back to her chest as if she’d been shocked before she moved away, sitting up properly. “Bex.” It didn’t look like nothing. “Nothing” was a blase term that one didn’t use to describe things as significant as bitemarks. But she swallowed and listened as Bex talked, the stress building up behind her eyes dulling a bit. Bex was fine. Bex was saved by a hunter. The chances of whatever biting Bex being something that was contagious diminished with her mentioning the hunter. Mina knew that it would be unlikely that a hunter would have let Bex walk away if it had been a werewolf bite or a zombie bite. She swallowed and buried that thought deep, deep down. “I’m still worried. I still worry. I’m sure Morgan would worry, too. I think that’s just a general thing at this point.” She started to reach out but thought against it, instead putting her hands in her lap. “I’m glad you’re safe, and that you were helped, and that it’s not--” she choked on the words, “--not anything bad. I just--” would like to know what happened so that I can possibly insure that it never happens again and warn you about things that do this type of thing and give you something to protect yourself and possibly never let you out of my sight again. Deep breath. In. Hold. Out. She was working herself into a state of panic that she could tell, if she didn’t calm down, the stress was going to get to her. “Will you please tell me what happened?”

“Well I don’t need people to worry about me all the time,” Bex snapped back immediately, then bit her tongue. “Sorry, I-- sorry. I just-- I’m not some, like, defenseless little girl.” Like everyone thought she was. “But everyone keeps treating me like I am and I’m not. I’m not.” She wasn’t. She hated the way people looked at her bruises, hated the way people made her feel like she could never understand this world even though she was very obviously a part of it. She settled back on the ground, shoulders slumped. “It was a vampire,” she mumbled finally, “I-- stayed late on campus, in the library, one night last week. She was-- waiting for me outside, I guess. She just jumped me. I was--” Lucky Dani had been there. Had she not been, would Bex be dead right now? Or a vampire, too? Her chest seized. “How was I supposed to know vampires existed if no one tells me anything?” She looked over at Mina, at the sun setting behind her. She scooted closer. “I just didn’t want anyone to worry more than they already do.”

Sometimes, Mina snapped, lashing out with her words. Not a lot, though. She didn’t like to. She was taught to have more control than that. And she could have snapped at Bex, could have told the younger girl that she was going to worry about her regardless, and, maybe, if she didn’t go about getting herself into dangerous situations, then she wouldn’t be treated like a child. Instead, she said, “Okay. You don’t have to apologize. I know you’re not a child.” A vampire. Okay, and it was how long ago? Deep breath. In. Hold. Out. Lovely. She would have turned by this point. And what would Mina have done? Did she even have to ask herself this question? One of her dearest friends was a bloody zombie, for crying out loud. “Right. Vampires. I’m… glad it wasn’t worse. I’ll tell you about vampires. What I know, at least, which isn’t a lot. My dad and I didn’t go after vampires often, unless he thought it was worth it.” She sighed, rubbing at her eyes. “I’m afraid people are going to worry regardless, Bex. If you wait to tell them things, it only gets worse.”

Bex let out a really long breath. She didn’t wanna be talking about this. She wanted to enjoy this evening with Mina and she wanted to watch the sunset with her and she wanted to kiss her, maybe. Maybe. Her heart pumped in her chest again, but instead of answering, she just flopped back on the ground and let her arms splay out. She stared up at the sky, watching as it changed colors, and remembered the sky she’d seen sparkling at the bottom of the waterfall. She wanted to tumble into that world, where maybe things didn’t have to be complicated and magic wasn’t real and Mina didn’t have to suffer. “I don’t need to know about them anymore. The girl who helped me told me about them.” She stayed laying on the ground, but turned her head enough to look at Mina. She could see the worry in her eyes, the strange panic that had been there but was fading. When had they come to care about each other so much? Bex couldn’t remember. Maybe it was after the cockatrice. Maybe it was forever. “Hypocrite,” she said quietly. She looked back up at the sky. “Telling people wouldn’t have changed anything. I still would have been attacked, the vampire still would’ve died, and I still would just feel helpless.” She squinted a little. “Does that cloud look like a dragon to you?”

Instead of moving to lay down, Mina pulled her legs up and sat cross-legged. She put her elbows on her knees and then her head in her hands and just tried to calm down. There was nothing she could do. There was just nothing she could do, and she kept reminding herself about that even though it was rather difficult to remember, especially in that moment. Thinking about their earlier conversation, she blurted out, “I’m not a vampire, I promise.” Granted, at this point, it was pretty obvious that she wasn’t, but still. Sheisse, Bex had been attacked by a vampire. And she’d been joking about that earlier. “That’s-- It’s good you know. Go for the heart if you encounter another one. Or show them holy symbols.” She was explaining anyway, talking too much, even though Bex might already know this. “They don’t like those. And wood is preferable, actually. And if they don’t turn to ash, they’re not dead.” She took a shuddering breath. Calm down, please, just calm down. Be calm. “Sorry. I--” Where was the lie? She was a hypocrite. An actual damn hypocrite. “I know.” She craned her neck up, looking at the sky. “Actually, it looks like-- like a wolpertinger. A-- a rabbit, with a squirrel tail and wings and fangs.” 

“Mina,” Bex said, sitting up finally. There was dirt and leaves in her hair but she didn’t really mind, her ponytail kept most of it away from her face. “I’m fine.” She put her arms out, turned them over then back. “You can check my pulse, if you want.” She scooted a little closer and held her wrist out to Mina, pulling the sleeve up. There were little scabs on her palms from where she’d hit the pavement, healing up, and little white scars dotting her forearm. “I know you’re not a vampire. You don’t have to promise that.” She didn’t really know what else to do. How else to convince Mina she was okay. She wondered if that was even possible right now. “Next time something happens, I’ll tell you, okay? Right away. I promise. I’ll tell you if something happens or even if something almost happens, or if I’m scared something might happen. If that’s what you want. I promise.”

Mina focused on breathing again. “I know you’re not a vampire.” I don’t think the hunter would have let you live. “I would have noticed if you’d gone missing. Turning isn’t instantaneous.” But she took Bex’s hand anyway, rubbing her thumb across Bex’s pulse before lacing their fingers. She needed to calm down. Why was she so upset about something that she couldn’t change? She knew there wasn’t anything that she could do, but she was still so damn upset because she cared. She cared. A lot. Her eyes snapped up to Bex’s as she said “promise.” I release you from those promises. It was on her tongue. It was her immediate response. She hesitated. She hated how bad that made her feel. “No. I release you from those promises. I can’t-- I can’t ask you to do that, not if you don’t want to. I don’t want you to be obligated to tell me something if you don’t want to.”

“Missing?” Bex asked, raising a brow. She hadn’t asked Dani how, exactly, one becomes a vampire, but the idea that turning wasn’t instantaneous made her skin crawl a little. She definitely did not want to become a vampire. Or something else. This world was already trying so hard to change her, she didn’t need a physical change to happen, too. “But I do want to,” she answered, confused by the wording. Why would Mina need to release her from her promise? She knew that they were dangerous. There was still so much she didn’t know. The roar of the falls behind them snapped her back to the present and she looked down at Mina’s hand grasping her own, as if it were a lifeline. “You mean a lot to me, Mina. If-- if there’s something I can do to make you less…” she gestured limply at her, knowing that she was still wrought with panic, “...upset, then I wanna do it. I didn’t know you’d be so upset. I didn’t think...it mattered what happened.” Absently, she put her free hand back over the scabs. “I was...really scared and I didn’t want to think about it again. And I was stupid, again. I didn’t run. I should’ve just run.” 

“We talk and see each other just about every day, and-- and it’s a long process, becoming a vampire,” Mina said. “If I didn’t notice, someone else would. We also wouldn’t have been able to do today.” She was calming down. It was taking her a bit, but she was coming down. She shook her head. “I don’t want you to have to tell me something, even if it gets to the point that you don’t want to. Don’t-- don’t make promises, especially not with me, especially if you’re not one hundred percent sure that you’ll keep it. Otherwise, it’s dangerous.” She rested her forehead against her knee. “I-- I’m not upset? I’m--” scared “I care about you a lot, and I don’t want something to happen to you. That frightens me. I’m not used to-- I’m not good with losing people.” She looked up and tried to smile weakly, but she couldn’t make the muscles work properly. “I’m really not good with losing people, or the prospect of it.” Running wouldn’t have helped this, but Mina didn’t have it in her to say that. “You’re not stupid.”

“I think if I had turned into a vampire, I would’ve had to tell you, anyway,” Bex mused. Mina was curling in on herself and Bex recognized the behavior as something she often did herself. Bex scooted closer still, until she was right in front of Mina, knees touching shins, and prodded her to uncurl, at least a little bit. “But I do know. One hundred percent. And, besides, you said it was only dangerous if the person wanted to use it against me. I know you would never do that. I won’t...say it again, but I’ll keep to myself.” She grabbed both of Mina’s hands and squeezed. “You’re not gonna lose me. Okay? You’re not. I’m not going anywhere. I just got here. And, besides, where else would I go?” At least, not anytime soon. Maybe, though. One day. She’d have to go back home. She’d have to. She wondered what life would be like then. Could she still be Mina’s friend? Could she still feel this way for her? Bex cleared her throat. “I’m a little stupid,” she teased, smiling back at her. She tugged on her hands. “C’mon, the sun is setting soon, and I wanna see what you brought for our picnic.” 

“It might have been just a bit difficult to keep a secret, that’s true.” But Mina was managing to keep the fact that she was completely inhuman a secret pretty well, so who was to say they both weren’t completely oblivious? “It’s dangerous when it can’t be kept, too. Words have a way of hurting people if they aren’t taken seriously, or if someone doesn’t want to keep them, or can’t keep them. That’s why I… released you.” She moved her head up and looked at Bex. “But, no, I wouldn’t do that.” Never. She’d promise to never hurt Bex if she thought she could get away with it. Somehow, she didn’t think she’d be allowed to make that one. She squeezed Bex’s hands back, even if she didn’t really believe the words. If Bex found out what she was, Mina didn’t think Bex would want to stick around. She smiled, small but real. “You’re not… Morgan helped me pack. It’s supposed to all be kosher.”

“Even if that’s true,” Bex started, “It’s worth the risk.” You’re worth the risk. The actual words stuck in her mouth, dry like sandpaper on her tongue. She swallowed them back and went back to pretending that this was somehow normal. “But okay. I won’t promise that then.” She’d just keep the promise to herself. She never wanted to see Mina look at her like that again-- that worry, that fear, that panic-- and she’d do whatever it took to make sure it didn’t. Bex let out a slow breath, then, before standing up and wiping the dirt off her pants as much as she could, before reaching down to grab Mina’s arm and tug her up as well. “I hope you brought a blanket in that bag. No picnic’s complete without one and I’d rather not continue sitting in the mud, as nice as it was.” She’d have stayed there all night if Mina had wanted her to. She came back over to their stuff and picked her camera back up, dusting it off. “All kosher, huh? Do you even know what foods are kosher?” It was nice, though, that MIna had put enough thought into a meal to remember Bex kept kosher. She turned her camera on and flipped to the picture of Mina standing by the falls. Then the one of the two of them on the log. She looked back over to the spot where they’d fallen just a few moments ago and wished she could have rewound time to just before it happened. Remind herself to cover the scabs on her neck. Pretend like they hadn’t been interrupted. She looked back at Mina and just smiled, gentle and soft, pinching at the edges of her eyes. “I’m glad we came up here,” she finally said, “despite...everything else.”

“It is true because I don’t lie, and, no, it’s not worth the risk,” Mina said, simply. “I’m grateful that you won’t. I don’t want you to be bound to something like that.” She didn’t know if Bex understood that she would have to tell Mina if something happened or even if she was just afraid. She would have to, and she wouldn’t be able to keep things to herself, and as much as Mina wanted to know she wasn’t going to take that agency away from Bex. She let herself be pulled up and tried to pull the leaves out of her hair, brush the dirt off her back. “Yes, I packed a blanket.” She’d been informed to pack a blanket. “I also brought one of those battery operated lanterns? Because it is going to get dark soon.” She went over to her bag and started pulling things out: the blanket, the tupperware, the lantern. There was a panel in the back of the bag that, if she needed, there was a much longer, much sharper knife than the one in her boot waiting in case she needed it. “I had to ask what was and wasn’t kosher,” she admitted. “But it should all be right. And vegetarian. Well, yours.” Mina just couldn’t do a completely vegetarian diet. She looked up at Bex and actually smiled. “I’m glad, too. I’m-- I wish I hadn’t freaked out. And tripped. But it’s still been nice.”

Sometimes the language Mina used confused Bex, but so far, she’d tried not to question it too much. It made more sense, now, why she was always so vague and wishy washy about some things, but Bex was finding herself more and more begging to ask the questions she didn’t think Mina wanted to answer. She’d stay quiet for now, though, because the evening had already been interrupted once, and if she did that again, then they’d miss the sunset. So, instead, she helped Mina set up their little picnic, pulling out the lantern and flicking it on, setting it next to the blanket as Mina laid it out. She crawled onto the blanket and started setting up the tupperware, grabbing the silverware and little plastic plates, before settling down next to Mina and handing her one. “And vegetarian? Aww, you remembered.” It was nice to feel remembered. She smiled back at Mina. “I can teach how to tell if something’s kosher, if you want. It’s not hard.” At least, she didn’t think it was. She’d just been raised that way, though. “You know,” she said idly as she scooped some food onto her plate, “I don’t think I minded the fall too much. I do think it’s funny that, after all your warnings about me being careful, you were the one that slipped.” Then, a little quieter, “I also don’t think I...minded that, either. It’s nice to know someone cares enough. To freak out like that.”

“Of course I remembered?” Was Mina expected to forget? “You mentioned it, and I know things like that are important, and I wouldn’t want someone to try and give me something that I couldn’t eat, so I didn’t think you’d enjoy that, either.” She started grabbing her own food, crossing her legs but sitting up straight, no longer attempting to cave in on herself. “Okay, it might not be hard for you to tell if something’s kosher, but I… might have a more difficult time with it, you know. I’m not used to these sorts of things.” She wasn’t used to most sorts of things. It’s fine. She snorted, rolling her eyes a bit. “It’s not funny. You were close to the edge, and I was just trying to make sure you didn’t fall.” And, really, that was something that Mina could affect. That was something that she could control and affect because she was here, and she could make sure that Bex didn’t fall off the edge, even if she couldn’t make sure that a vampire didn’t attack her. “Still. You can-- I was overreacting. You don’t have to tell me anything that happens to you. I’d like to know, but you don’t have to. And I’d worry anyway, but…” But she couldn’t stand the thought of losing someone, couldn’t stand the thought of losing Bex and not knowing what happened. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“You’d be surprised how many parents at birthday parties for all the neighborhood kids would forget,” Bex pointed out, “I ate a lot of bread at birthday parties.” She closed her eyes for a moment in a solemn nod. Opened them again to look over at Mina and grin, full faced and kinda sleepy. “I’ll teach you. You’ll be a pro in no time.” It made sense that someone who ate a mostly pescetarian diet wouldn’t really know the ins and outs of kosher foods. In fact, most people with normal diets didn’t even know. “It was kind of funny. Admit it.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “I wasn’t worried. I knew you’d never let me fall. Or, if I did, you’d come with me.” It really was that simple, wasn’t it? Bex chewed thoughtfully, before swallowing to answer Mina’s next question. Or statement. All of it just felt so...simple to her. Everything with Mina was simple, except the way she made Bex feel. “I know I don’t have to, but I want to.” She crossed her legs like Mina had, setting her tupperware in her lap. “That’s what friends do, right? They tell each other stuff. And I kinda get the feeling you’ll worry even if I do tell you stuff. So, might as well at least take out the guesswork, right?” She reached out to brush her fingers against one of Mina’s hands, playing idly with her fingers, lifting her hand enough to intertwine them. “But maybe...if I have to stay late at school, just for a bit, you could stay with me?”

“Yes, well, clearly they were stupid to not remember something as easy as knowing that you’re vegetarian,” Mina said. Looking at Bex with her sleepy eyes, she wondered if she needed to get the younger girl back, but she also just… wasn’t ready to leave, not yet. She’d like to still take things in and enjoy it, despite the slight hiccup in that. “I’d like that. No, no, it-- well, okay. Maybe a little funny.” Mina only admitted it because her body was still processing the stress from before, and any attempt to lie at the moment would end poorly. “You really trust me,” she said, not a question, even though there was quite a bit of surprise in her voice. She wasn’t used to that, being trusted so inexplicably. Especially when she just didn’t think she deserved it. Especially when there was so much that she herself wasn’t saying, that she should say, that she didn’t know how to. She felt guilty, but she just sighed and smiled at Bex. “I’m… probably going to worry regardless, yes. I’m afraid that might just be a given, at this point.” Bex touched her so much. It felt like they were always touching, always holding hands or bumping into each other or touching, and Mina was trying to get used to it, and it helped that sometimes Morgan was so touchy feely, but sometimes there was just an impulse to jerk back and prepare to fight that Mina was beginning to realize probably wasn’t a natural thing. Holding Bex’s hand felt natural, though, and she squeezed the younger girl’s hand. “Yeah, I can do that. Of course I can do that.”

“I sort of think they just didn’t care,” Bex shrugged, “but there were lots of people to keep track of, too.” She picked at her food idly, finding herself not entirely too hungry for some reason. She probably should have been, she hadn’t eaten lunch that day-- but her stomach felt as if it were doing circus tricks. She looked over at Mina. “I really do,” she confirmed, the statement as simple as that. She really did. It was the truth and that’s all there was to it. She could count the number of people she truly trusted on one hand, and Mina was most certainly one of them. “Well, I’ll try my best to make you worry less. Just know the feeling is mutual, though. You worry me.” If Mina’s sense of duty to protect people was anything like Dani’s or Adam’s, that meant she was in danger of getting hurt, just like Dani when the vampire had stomped on her, or how she’d thrown herself at the cockatrice. She squeezed her hand back. “You can be like, my personal bodyguard. I’ll pay you in...good company?”

“Again. Stupid,” Mina said. She couldn’t imagine anyone not caring about Bex. But, really, maybe she was just a little biased. Maybe. Probably. Definitely. All the words that ended in -ly. And Bex trusted her, and the thought of that made her sick, just a little, because there was nothing she’d done to earn that trust, not that she could think of. She didn’t deserve it, she didn’t think. “I trust you, too,” she said, quietly, and she did. She trusted Bex so much. Mina just… didn’t trust herself, and, in the end, she was too afraid that she wouldn’t actually be worth it. “I don’t know if that’s going to work, Ms. Clumsy. And now I’m going to be looking for vampires under every rock I see.” She smiled at Bex. “I’m all good, though, really. I’m--” It was hard to explain why Bex shouldn’t be worried about her, that she was fine, that she was used to things happening. “I hope you don’t worry about me a lot.” It was bad enough knowing that people worried about her and rectifying that fact with the knowledge that it wasn’t because they thought she was incapable. They just… worried. “You do need a bodyguard, I think. If only to keep you from falling off of waterfalls. This is adequate payment, though.”

“Please don’t go looking for vampires,” Bex said with an over exaggerated sigh. “And I will wear that name proudly. Call me Ms. Clumsy all you want, you were the one that fell over.” She gave a triumphant smile. She set her container of food aside and turned herself to face Mina fully, keeping their hands intertwined still. “I think worrying is one of my base personality traits. I don’t have a lot of friends, so I kinda worry a lot about the ones I do have. And you kinda fall in that category, so I guess we’ll just both have to agree to worry about each other. But, like...in a good way.” She huffed and gave a pout. “I don’t need a bodyguard, but it would be nice to have one. Only if it’s you, though. I’m not sure I could stand anyone else.” She looked back over her shoulder at the treeline, where the sun was beginning to set. Eagerly, she tugged on Mina’s hand, urging her to set aside her bowl as well. “Here,” she scooted next to her so they were facing the same way and pointed up at the skyline. “Lay down with me. We can watch the sunset together. My favorite thing is watching the sky change colors.”

“I won’t go looking for them, but it never hurts to be prepared, you know.” Mina was teasing, but she did make a legitimate mental note to add a stake to her backpack. Just in case. Not because she expected to have to use it, but also because she definitely feared she might have to use it. She narrowed her eyes a bit. “I tripped making sure you didn’t topple over the edge. Your foot was literally over the edge!” Maybe she’d jerked back too quickly or maybe she should have just paid better attention, but Mina was not the clumsy one in this situation. Even if she was the one to trip. “Then I guess we’ll just have to worry about each other. And I think you do need a bodyguard, but I’m willing to take the job. Do you need any credentials? I have… over ten years of experience dealing with these things.” It was closer to twenty, but she didn’t want to point that out; it might be odd. Mina set aside her stuff and leaned back, looking at the sky before turning her face to Bex. “Just to be clear, we’re not watching the sunset? We’re watching the rest of the sky as the sun sets?”

“If it makes you feel better, the girl that helped me gave me a flask full of holy water. I keep it in my backpack now,” Bex explained. And she had started wearing her Star of David again. Her mother would’ve been so happy to know that. She swallowed the thought down. “Oh, was it?” she asked, blinking, genuinely unaware. “I didn’t even notice. I just kept looking into the water and it was like, I dunno, entrancing. I even thought I saw like, another sky in the reflection. It was kinda weird. Almost made me wanna jump…” she trailed off, laying back to gaze up at the sky. They were at a slight angle, but the sunset was at their feet, below the tree lines anyway. “I get jumped one time and suddenly I need a bodyguard? Sheesh. Fine, I accept your credentials. You start tomorrow morning. Think you can manage?” Turned her face to look at Mina, and they were so close again. Only a few inches between their faces, shoulders touching. “We can’t see the sunset, anyway, it’s behind the trees. Plus,” she turned away, feeling a heat in her cheeks that hadn’t been there before. Must be the cold setting in. “Look how pretty the clouds are.” She lifted a hand to point. “It looks like a painting.” 

Nodding, Mina said, “That’s good, that’s really good. Sharp wood is also nice to have on you.” Though, she didn’t know if she wanted Bex near a stake. That might actually be a really bad idea. “Maybe actually stick to the holy water.” She shot Bex a worried look. “It was. I wouldn’t have grabbed you otherwise. I… It was really pretty. I kept wanting to dive in, too. But you did say no jumping, so.” She’d thought she had seen the sky as well, but she hadn’t thought much of it. Now she was concerned, but it could wait. “One time is far too many. But, yes, I can start tomorrow. I know I can manage. Well… maybe. I think you’ll be the most difficult person I’ve ever looked after.” She couldn’t help but study Bex’s face, her eyes, her lips. Oh no. She felt a tightness in her chest. Instead of paying it any mind, though, instead of dwelling on it and letting it take over, she turned her head to fully face the sky. But her eyes flickered back and forth, glancing at the sky and then at Bex and then back at the sky. “It’s lovely.”

Bex was too fixated on the sky to notice Mina’s eyes flicking between her and the painting they were laying under. “Yeah, she mentioned that, too. Wood and garlic, I guess.” What a strange weakness to have, garlic. Then again, Bex had food weaknesses. She wondered if it was like that, like allergies. She watched a cloud drift into shadow and the colors of its base change from yellow to orange to a deep red, almost purple. Sometimes she wished she could just float away like clouds, drifting on the wind. “Calling me difficult actually takes away from your credentials, you know.” But there was an airyness to her voice, lofty and quiet. “Isn’t it?” She hadn’t felt this free in ages. If it were up to her, they’d stay here all night, looking up at the sky. Watch the cloud turn to stars, and the stars turn to dawn’s light. Without much prompting, she unfurled her fingers from Mina’s, lifting her arm, and scooted her way over, until her head was resting on Mina’s shoulder, and she wrapped her arm around her. “I’m glad Nell suggested this to you,” she finally said, “I think I really needed this.”

“Yeah, garlic’s good, too. I always forget about garlic. It just irritates them, really.” At least, that’s what Mina had learned. Her dad wasn’t a slayer, she most definitely wasn’t a slayer, they rarely went after vampires, so she’d only learned the most important information: holy water burns, holy symbols hurt, and stakes kill. What else was there to know about vampires? “I’m just being truthful. That’s actually one of my skill sets: complete truthfulness to any questions asked.” When Bex pulled away, she lifted her head, a bit confused, but settled back pretty easily when she figured out what Bex was doing. Again with all of the touching. Not that she minded. She didn’t mind, but it was so confusing. It was so nice, and comforting, and, really, she wasn’t used to feeling comforted, so maybe that was why it was so confusing. She swallowed back some of that tightness and rested her head against Bex’s. She didn’t want to think about that right now. She wanted to just stay there and look at the sky. It really was pretty. “Yeah, I’m glad she did, too.” Even if Nell wouldn’t stop bothering her with questions. “I needed it, too.”

“Do you think it’s weird?” Bex asked, settling into the nook of Mina’s shoulder. “That, like, movies and popular media stuff got so much of it right? Do you think it’s because that stuff is written by people in the know?” She’d wondered that for a bit now, ever since Dani joked about how she should’ve known it was a vampire simply because of movies. “OH, ha ha. Very funny. You know, just for that, I might actually make it even more difficult for you to watch after me. I don’t know how yet, but I’ll figure something out.” From the outside, someone might have assumed Bex was really an affectionate person, especially with the way she acted around Mina. But that was far from the truth. Somehow, though, all she wanted to do was be touching Mina, in whatever way possible. Shoulders, hands, arms. Anything would do. She made her feel safe. Comfortable. Warm. Like the shades of the setting sky, fading from blue to purple to orange, to pink. White clouds dotting the canvas. Bex reached up and took Mina’s hand again, playing with her fingers. “Hey, Mina?” she asked quietly.

“I don’t really know how much movies and popular media got right? I mean, from what I know, The Mummy was a terrible depiction of reanimated corpses.” Mina had to think about it for a moment, what she knew about that counted as popular media. “And… some of the stuff that we read in Morgan’s class is… close? I don’t really know, though. I mean, someone wrote down something accurate at some point and distributed it, and now here we are.” She shrugged before she narrowed her eyes at the side of Bex’s head, even knowing that the younger girl couldn’t see her. “I’d rather you didn’t make things difficult, please,” she said, but, really, did she expect any different? She settled back, catching Bex’s hand with her own and rubbing the palm of Bex’s hand with her thumb. “Yeah?”

“Okay, well, the Mummy doesn’t count cause it didn’t get anything right, technically,” Bex huffed. “But things like Dracula get scary close to the real thing. From what I know.” Stakes, garlic, holy symbols. She should’ve paid more attention in High School English. She nestled a little further into Mina, feeling her chest both seize up and somehow relax. Her entire body felt relaxed, and yet her heart was pounding. She’d felt like this once before. “Okay,” she conceded without much fight, “I won’t.” Her eyes wandered back up to the sky, and she watched as all the warm colors began to fade. Clouds began to blend in with the sky, disappearing into nighttime. They should probably start heading back, before it got too dark, too dangerous, but Bex just wanted to stay here. All night. Maybe even all day tomorrow. The waterfalls were still echoing around everywhere, wind rustling leaves, the quiet hum of insects chirping for the nightfall. Bex somehow felt at peace, out here, like this place was a haven. “I’m glad I met you,” she finally answered. 

[evabellasworld]

Death of Mandalore

Chapter 8

AO3 Link | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

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Summary:  After murdering Chancellor Palpatine of the Galactic Republic, Vanya Doyvesky joined leagues with both Death Watch and Darth Maul, hoping to reclaim her Mandalorian warrior heritage. But with broken promises and betrayal against Death Watch and Maul’s crime syndicate, the former Mandalorian Jedi had to choose the right path not only for her but for Clan Doyvesky as well.

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Sitting inside a cubicle cell together, Vanya could only stare blankly at the  Royal Prison corridors, with her dishevelled hair and her cracked lips, wearing whatever was left underneath her Mandalorian armour. Katrina and Maria, on the other hand, were pacing back and forth as they were having a conversation, which Vanya didn’t bother to listen to.

“Those fucking bitches,” Maria expressed her frustrations, fanning herself. “I fucking can’t believe they have the audacity to throw us in a fucking dungeon. I mean, who was the one who had to wrangle those thugs for them? They certainly didn’t fight their own self, you know.”

“To be fair, though, we were questioning their horrendous actions against innocent people,” Katrina brought it up, raising her index finger. “I’m not even surprised that they figured it out so soon.”

“Okay, yeah, that’s true,” Maria lifted her shoulders, nodding her head. “They heard us discussing which side to choose from, though to be fair, Death Watch was going to betray Maul in the first place and yet, they were so surprised when we haven’t even made a single fucking decision on whether to remain in Death Watch or fight for Maul’s criminal empire.”

“Well, at least now we know that Death Watch is the worst, though I wish that it didn’t have to come down to this.”

Maria exhaled as she gaped at the floor, her nose sniffling. “You know, it was foolish for Vasilia to say something at Vizsla,” she stated her opinion, blinking. “I mean, it was brave of her to call him a hypocrite and a weakling, but did she really think that she would make it out alive after what she said to him?”

Katrina’s eyes narrowed towards her younger sister, her jaws hanging low. “Maria, how could you speak ill towards Vasilia, after what she has done for us?”

“Well it’s true,” she raised her hands in mid-air. “What was she thinking? Like woman, if you want to speak up against Vizsla, might as well save that for later. Her words were the reason why the three of us are stuck here in the first place.”

“Bruh,” snapped Katrina, her thumbs stuck together with her four fingers. “Vas was trying to save us from getting killed. They were going to end all of us but instead, she ended up taking the bullet just for the three of us. And the fact that you would rather blame her for getting shot at instead is just ridiculous.”

“Hey, I blamed Death Watch too,” Maria retaliated. “I mean, Bo Karen there literally preached on how Vanya is betraying us when she herself had overthrown her older sister from the Mandalorian throne. Hypocritical, am I right?”

“You are so selfish sometimes,” she complained. “You always pointed out someone else’s flaw and yet you’re all bark and no bite. You never think whatever that comes out from that potty mouth of yours, and we have to suffer the consequences.”

“Well, I said what I said, Kat. You, on the other hand, are a coward.”

“Say that again, I fucking dare you!” accursed Katrina, grabbing Maria by the collar of her shirt.

“Okay then,” Maria’s lips widened. “You are a coward and you rather keep your mouth shut than speaking out the truth.”

Jabbing her with her fist, the youngest Doyvesky sister’s head landed on the floor, causing Vanya to sprung out from her seat and shrieked from the top of the lung. “What is the meaning of this?” she demanded, holding both of them with her arms. “You two are fighting like small brats you are.”

She huffed and puffed as Katrina and Maria eyeballed their older sister, their mouths straightened. “Goodness, Vasilia just got stabbed by Pre fucking Vizsla and you two are fighting with each other like Maul and our so-called ‘hero’ of Mandalore. Do Mama and Papa teach you both anything about common decency or what? What are they going to think when they see you both like this?”

Maria wagged her head as she buried her face between her knees, leaving Vanya’s head hanging low. “Maria,” her voice lowered, as she bent down on the floor, wrapping her arms around her shoulder. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean every word I said, really.”

The grey-haired girl looked at her sister as she wiped her snot off her nose, before leaning her head against Vanya’s chest. “I miss Vas so much, I really do” sobbed Maria.

“I know you do, Ria,” Vanya gently brushed her hair with her fingers. “And I know you didn’t mean every word you said about Vas.

“I can’t believe that Vizsla fucking killed her and called her a fucking traitor. After all she did to help him take back Mandalore, he just decided to get rid of her.”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect that too. I knew that they were trying to get rid of us one way or another, but I didn’t think it would be like this.”

Katrina joined in as she hugged Maria from behind, wiping the tears off her cheeks. “Hey, sorry for your face,” she regretted, examining the red mark below her eyes. “I didn’t mean to call you selfish. I should have known that you were in denial and I should have helped you instead of giving you a bruise.”

“It’s fine, I deserve it anyways,” Maria whimpered. “I’m sorry for talking ill about Vas. She was always putting us before herself, and I appreciated whatever she has done for all of us here.”

“You know what, I miss her too,” Katrina spoke. “I miss her nagging, and I miss her giving advice to me when I needed it the most.”

“I just wish I could say goodbye to Vas for one last time,” Vanya gave a small smile. “I always thought that I would be there for her all the time, but now she’s gone, and there’s nothing I can do about it to bring her back.”

The Doyvesky sisters bleakly sat there as they held hands and closed their eyes, humming soft prayers for Vasilia Doyvesky, when they heard an ear-piercing scream from the hallway, along with the glass shattering and electricity crackling. “What the fuck was that?” the youngest exclaimed.

Vanya stood up and glanced at the glass window, only to find Darth Maul and Savage Opress walking side-by-side. Having escaped from their cell, she took a step backward as the brothers passed by their cell, noticing their presence. “Vanya Doyvesky,” he murmured, smiling. “I see you and your sisters have outlived your abilities in Death Watch, is that true?”

“What do you want from me?” the former Jedi sneered, crossing her arms.

“I was aware that your sister was one of Vizsla’s right-hand men, am I wrong, Master Jedi?”

“She was, until they decided to kill her right in front of me.”

“My condolences for Vasilia Doyvesky,” Maul pitied, placing his hand on his chest. “She was one of the bravest warriors Death Watch has, and it was too bad Vizsla doesn’t see her that way.”

“She was also caring towards everyone she meets, and she doesn’t deserve to die that way,” Vanya cried. “I hated Vizsla, and I wish karma would be inflicted upon him and Bo and the rest of Death Watch.”

The Sith Lord exchanged a brief glance with Savage and smirked, before shifting his focus towards Vanya. “Well, what if I told you that you could avenge your sister’s death?”

Her eyebrows raised, as Katrina and Maria squinted their eyes towards him. “What are you saying, Maul?”

“I could kill him for you and take the throne away from Vizsla,” he offered. “I know that’s what your sister would have wanted for her family.”

“You’re wrong,” Maria barked. “Vas doesn’t give a shit about power. All she wanted was to protect us, that’s all.”

“Am I, though? I’m not the one who sided with Death Watch in the first place.”

“And yet, you and Vizsla worked together to overthrow the Duchess,” attested Vanya.

“Oh, I was only using him not only to have my revenge against Kenobi, but to rule over the Underworld. If only I could use some help with this.”

“Do you really think I could trust you, after what you’ve made me do?”

“I could avenge your sister’s death,” he reasserted, releasing them from their cells. “Vizsla took something for you, so let me take something back from him. Your parents would be proud of you, and so will she.”

Her brows furrowed as her thoughts wandered. No matter what happens to Vanya, Vasilia always has her back. She lost count on how many times she went back-and-forth just to save her younger sister, even though she has her own family to worry about. She also couldn't remember how often Vasilia had to soothe her emotional pain, despite having a husband who was neurotypical.

Maul is right, Vanya hoved, as she gazed at him. “How do I know I could trust you?”

“If you and your sisters helped me in defeating Vizsla, I guarantee all three of you will be given fair treatment and a bit of power towards my underling. Will that be alright for you, Master Jedi?”

Before she could shake on it, Katrina grabbed her arms. “Don't do it, Vanya,” she pleaded. “He's only using you for his own personal gain.”

“What other choice do I have, Rina?” she grimaced. “Vasilia's killer is still on the throne, and we need to get even with him.”

“We could just go home instead and see Mama and Papa again,” Maria called up. “We've been away from Mandalore for too long, Vanya. It's been years and we really miss them so much.”

“Vasilia promised us that we would return home once we're done with Death Watch,” added Katrina. “Please don’t do this, Vanya.”

“This is so confusing,” Vanya scratched the back of her head. “I don't know what to do right now.”

“You could either live as a warrior who fought with honour and pride, or you could choose to live as a disgraced Mandalorian who ran away from a fight,” Maul swayed, offering his hand. “It's your choice, Master Jedi.”

For a moment, she looked at her sisters, who were counting on her to make a decision that could change the date of their clan. Vanya loves her family and would do anything to be with them as long as she wants. But at the same time, she remembered her oath that she made in front of Mama and Papa before she was taken to the Jedi Temple. Once a Mandalorian, always a Mandalorian.

“Vas has done so much for all of us,” Vanya said, as she shook hands with Maul. “I think it's time we give something back to her. She would have wanted us to avenge her death in the first place.”

“You have made the right decision, Vanya,” he was pleased with her decision. “And I'm sorry for your sister's death.”

Katrina and Maria could only contemplate as their older sister followed Maul and Savage through the hallway, taking down the guards in the prison. “I’m not going to like the ending of this,” the former lamented, clasping her hand with Maria.