Sonja POV-

"Girl, you have been staring at that hallway for days, a hallway mind you, that leads to nowhere. Now, you could be insane, or there is something there I'm not seeing" she said to her best friend Jordan.

That girl had been spending as much time as home as she could staring at a hallway longingly like it was a canteen of water in the middle of the desert.

When Sonja came by during breakfast yesterday, Jordan was sitting in the dark hallway crosslegged talking to no one.

Sonja assumed the short brown haired girl was just lost in thought, or perhaps thinking of making visual changes to the place, but no, she just stared at it for a long while after as if expecting a reply.

When asked about it, Jordan said she needed to clear her mind and talking to herself was the best way to do it.

Thats when she knew it was a lie.

Jordan had been acting strange since the day the mob fighting gang (Tucker, the priest, Rupert, and herself) had caught her sleeping on the same bed as Tom and the captain of the pirates.

None of them had woken them up, but Sonja suspected that Tucker mentioned something to Capsize cause the pirate had kept his distance from her boyfriend since.

Tucker hunting him down like a blood hound.

Meanwhile she had been waiting for the opportunity to tease her best friend about it, probably would mention how poor Declan nearly fainted at the sight of the three of them in a bed. For some reason that sight had really shaken him up.

Sonja knew Declan wasn't jealous or had any feelings towards Jordan but it sure seemed like it that day. They did spend a lot of time together....nah.

Tucker had wanted to question Jordan and yell at her for a few hours today, so being Jordan's best friend, she decided to save her from that overbearing father-like anger. Sonja claimed her and Jordan already had a girls day planned and that if he ruined it, he would suffer her wrath.

Of course Tucker saw through her intentions but loved her enough to give Jordan one more day of peace.

When she showed up at the door to hang out, Jordan didn't even question it and was just glad to spend a day with her.

With the pirates settling down and Sonja's god mysteriously disappearing, Sonja was glad to get away from all that weirdness.

"Hey! Jordan! You're doing it again" Sonja said, snapping her fingers right up in her best friends face. "It's like its your lover or something, the longing in your stare is suffocating"

"It's not a lover, just an empty hallway. Really, it's not a big deal" Jordan said while taking a sip of her drink.

Not alcohol of course, though rare, the few times they managed to purchase some from the villagers, Jordan never wanted any. Jordan said she was afraid of what secrets she could spill while under the influence. Good thing too, gods only know what that girl would be like drunk.

"What? Did you and the pirate almost make out there too?" she teased

Jordan set down her cup and ran a hand through her hair nervously as her face turned beet red.

Busted.

Oh she had been waiting for this. Maybe giving her a heads up about Tucker's fatherly speech tomorrow would help. She just loved seeing her friend flustered.

Jordan actually thought Sonja would forget about what she saw her and the pirate doing a few days ago in the closet, poor child. As soon as she had opened that closet door she knew a jackpot had been hit.

"We aren't like that, and no, nothing happened with him in that hallway"she replied

"Oh, is that so? Then how come he has been coming over every other day to hang out? Both o you sneaking out who knows where. Tom has been ranting earfuls about it to Tucker. I think he's even staring to hear Tom's rants in his dreams" Sonja said

Jordan set aside the blanket she had on and picked up a piece of bread from the little table before them. They had been relaxing in her living room for the past two hours while the boys went on a pranking spree. Sonja loved a good prank as much as the next person, but it was nice to hang out and talk every now and then.

Once settled back into her side of the couch in front of Sonja, Jordan took a slow bite of her food before clearing her throat.

"Tom needs to stop being a busybody" her best friend said

"You think?" she said sarcastically and both girls threw a fit of laughter.

"Me and Captain Capsize are just friends, we are both Ianitees. We have Ianitee things to do."

"Like what?" she asked

"You know I love you Sonja and I trust you but I'm not at liberty to say. I swear its nothing bad" her best friend added

Odd. Now she was keeping secrets with a pirate. Maybe it was an Ianite thing. Sonja didn't blame her, they all had secrets to keep, missions from their respective gods that could not be mentioned.

"Then what about you and Tom. Something tells me he still has a thing for you." she said, changing the subject to something more fun

Jordan laughed.

"Remember what happened last time you said that? We are best friends, everybody needs to stop thinking our relationship different" she said "it creates unnecessary problems"

"Like what? having to choose between the pirate or Tom?" Sonja teased

"Now you need to stop being busybody" Jordan said, not visibly upset at her comments but with something on her mind.

"I'm your best friend, its practically in the job description"

It was in moments like those that she was glad to have a girl friend. Sure, she loved to spend time with Tucker and Tom, but sometimes a little girl talk was needed. Girl talk she didn't have since her mom died.

Sometimes she wondered what her parents would think of her and Tucker being together. They would probably be beyond themselves that she had found happiness but she wished her mother could talk to her about it.

If one day her and Tucker decided to get married, her parents would never be there to witness it. Dianite had taken so much from her already, but when he took Jordan a few days back, she thought....

Sonja thought she would lose someone again.

She grew strong to make sure that never happened again, to protect Tucker and those villagers who couldn't protect themselves because she knew what a broken village looked like.

If anything, she should be grateful her friend was unharmed.

At times she forgot they were around the same age being so used to seeing Jordan as the weak confused little girl from when she fell from the sky.

That little girl was long gone, and it was partly due to her and the boys.

The more Jordan opened about her life on her planet, the more Sonja realized how much they had changed her. People like them would be considered criminals of the highest rank, monsters even, in her world.

Jordan never said it like that, but Sonja could see it in her brown eyes, the fear of herself.

Sonja saw that flash of fear and regret during the purges too and didn't think much of it. After all, you had to get used to the killing, it was always hard to deal with in the beginning. But the killing was necessary for her to be able to survive.

Still, even in the last purge, when her friend killed, there was a hesitation in her eyes. Not as bad as before though.

In the first purges she would sit by the river and stare at the blood covering her clothes and body like it was a nether dragon. Pure fear.

Sonja hadn't thought much of the blood on her hands, not until she heard the stories of Jordan's lands and saw how much killing affected her.

In some ways, Sonja became conflicted herself. Though all children of Mianite knew how to kill since a young age, no one seemed bothered by it. She has killed Tucker so many times already within the compounds of the World communicator that it took half a thought to make that killing blow.

Sonja had never even consider the fact that outside the barrier, one of those moves could end him forever. When Jordan died, thats when it had hit her.

It all just seemed like a fun game till then.

That didn't mean she would stop purging or just killing and pranking in general, but it did leave her thinking...

Jordan never showed any sort of sign that the death had affected her. She won purges and showed no fear in dying.

But she heard her talk about it to the hallway yesterday. The strain of killing, the monster she was afraid to become, the slight fear to ever leave the compounds of the world communicator.

Now, as her friend went on about a tale of her childhood, Sonja realized that perhaps they should have focused on protecting her instead of forcing their way of life on her.

Jordan might be around their age, but only because she aged in the void. In reality, she was still much younger.

Sonja knew what it was like to have to grow up quickly, to kill and survive from a young age. If it hadn't been for Tucker being with her throughout the whole way, she probably would have let the guilt and pain consume her.

But as she heard the tale of playing in the snowy mountains with family, watching lights in the sky, and living a normal peaceful life.....thats what she had wanted so long ago. The life she hadn't thought to have with Tucker.

She always envisioned their life as it was now, serving their god, killing, surviving. That life sounded less appealing the more Jordan spoke.

Then her voice stopped.

"Did you hear that?" Jordan said suddenly, throwing back the blankets and lunging for her sword. Sonja did the same and quietly rushed to her friend's side.

There was a noise coming from the hallway.

*****

Claire POV-

Sword drawn, she walked towards the dark hallway.

It could be the guy. Stefan.

Maybe he found a way to communicate with her again!

No, she shouldn't get her hopes up.

"Sonja, maybe you should go" Jordan whispered to her trailing friend.

"Are you insane! what if it's Dianite!" Sonja said, inching closer

It couldn't possibly be Dianite. Then again he had come through the barrier that time Tom summoned him.

But she had been keeping an eye on Tom lately, dropping hints not to summon Dianite again.

That didn't mean he would listen, he was unpredictable like that.

If by some chance it was Dianite, Jordan definitely didn't want Sonja there.

Just as she was about to pester her friend to leave, a noise came from above them.

Like someone was crawling, nails scraping against wood in the darkness of her high sealing.

Both girls raised their swords defensively above themselves when a blob of darkness began ts descent towards them.

A spider.

It was one of those giant Mianite spiders that Jordan hated with all her being.

Avoided them like the plague when she could.

Luckily she didn't have to kill it, Sonja pushed her feet off the wall and lunged for the spider expertly. They met half way in the air and with one swift movement, Sonja landed before her, sword dark red, then a body, then a head.

In seconds, the decapitated creature faded into black ashes, its body gone, but a dew drops of blood covering one of her carpets remaining.

Didn't matter as long as the spider was dead.

She should really light up the hallway.

"Thanks" Jordan said, putting her sword down and taking a big breath she didn't know she needed.

Sonja laughed, the furry orange ears above her head wiggling around in amusement.

"Is everything ok? I heard screaming" A voice said from around the corner.

Capsize.

Once he made it to the hallway, he scanned the area. He must have deemed it safe enough because he turned toward them, relief in his eyes.

"Just a spider" Jordan said casually

Sonja laughed and walked towards the mouth of the hall towards the front door.

"Where are you going" Jordan asked

"Oh I'm going back home to give you two some privacy, I'm sure Tom will show up soon enough and I don't want to see you guys in bed again"Sonja said, smiling broadly towards Capsize

What was she talking...ohhhhh

"It's nothing like that!!!!" Jordan said, running past Ezra towards her friend.

"I will warn you though, Tucker is pissed. Have fun dealing with that tomorrow" she said.

Jordan stopped...

"Bye love! Remember you're coming over for breakfast tomorrow and I want details this time" she said before shutting the front door. Though Jordan could still hear her friend laughing behind it.

Well that would be awkward. It must have looked....

Oh well.

"You really need to put a lock on your door or something. Tucker, Sonja, and my sister all walked right in and saw us" he said, clearly trying to conceal a smile.

Glad to see her embarrassment was amusing.

"Your sister too!!!! Why didn't you tell me! Oh god, is that why she had been avoiding me?" Jordan asked

"No, she is just busy planning things, getting our base in order" he said, walking over to her.

He looked different today. Usually Ezra wore his whole 'pirate outfit' as she liked to call it. Today it was just his black pants, a loose long sleeved white shirt, sword and sword belt attacked to his hips, black boots, and slightly messy hair as if he had been running his hands through it carelessly.

It was a good look. He seemed more relaxed in it too. Not the captain of a crew.

"Maybe I should" she said, looking away from him once she realized she had been staring at his appearance too long.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Jordan said, not looking back at her companion as she placed a spare sword between the handles of her door. It wasn't a lock, but it would do.

"I came to see you. You've been locked up in here for days, I thought maybe we could go fishing or something" he said, settling down on the couch.

"Fishing?"

Jordan made her way over and retrieved the blanket she had discarded earlier, placed it over her legs, and leaned back to rest.

"It's my turn to get food today, I thought you could join me since you seem pretty low on supplies yourself" he said

She was running low on food...but what if the guy showed up, what if she missed him?

He hadn't shown up for the past few days, what were the odds of him doing it now?

"Ok. Let me just grab my pack. I might need to grab a few supplies from the community farm on my way back" she said, rushing to the cabinets by her door.

Once her small backpack was concealed under her red cape, she stood by the door and waited for Ezra to join her.

He walked over, opened the door (while laughing at her poor attempt of a lock) and let her pass first.

"What a gentleman" she teased

Ezra just smiled and closed the door behind them.

Once on the boat, they fell into a comfortable silence while fishing, admiring the sight of the sun at its highest peak.

Fishing had been a new experience to her only a few months ago, Tom had shown her how to do it and in a short amount of time it became a mundane task.

She hated the smell of the fish and couldn't bear to gut them herself, so Tom always cooked all the fish she brought. It was one of the only meals he couldn't mess up.

"Any word from Ianite?" Ezra said. His sudden voice startling her a bit that the boat swayed with her movements.

"None, but my nightmares are still absent so his power is active" she said, regaining her balance.

"I see. Well, um..." Ezra began, turning away momentarily from her

"What is it?" she asked

"Nothing, just thinking about Amy's birthday" he said

"Really! When is it?" Jordan asked

"Tomorrow. I just feel bad because we still don't have enough resources for me to afford a necklace she had her eye on at the villagers market. I was thinking that perhaps I should go mining all night and with enough luck I could afford it" he said, his eyes on the water.

"You should be going down to the mines more than you have too. We still haven't secured all the nether portals from attack despite all our night outings. In fact, no one should be mining these days remember?" she said

Declan had given the others a convincing excuse not to go mining for a few days, claiming there was some mystical mumbo jumbo or something.

It was enough for everyone to avoid any underground area for a while.

"Just take some of my gold and buy it with that. I have a lot of gold from the purges and mining for months. I don't think I've ever used it for anything. Though I did try to make jewelry once, didn't go so well" she said

In reality, she almost burned her hand off.

"You would do that?" he asked, now turning to face her

"Of course. I care for your sister, she deserves a good gift" Jordan said, glad to be able to help the pirates in some way.

Ezra smiled and leaned closer to her side of the boat, one of his hands reaching behind him while the other still held the fishing rod.

He took out a blooming red rose, more beautiful than any she had ever seen. Surely it had been tampered with magic, it perfection was unbelievable.

"Then at least let me give you this, for your kindness" he said, handing it over.

When she reached for it, his warm fingers brushed hers briefly as he handed it over. She let go of her wooden fishing rod and ran her fingers on the soft pedals of the flower, entranced by their symmetry and bright color.

"You don't owe me a thing" she said, looking back up at him.

"But I do. You have been helping us get settled and now you offer to buy my sister a gift. It is thanks to you that we are returning to normality, building a peaceful life here." he said

Ezra then grabbed the rose and carefully placed it in her hair, held in place by her ear. He admired his work and then suppressed her by running his warm kind hands down her cheek as he had done once.

Whenever she was around him, she felt no discomfort, his touch soothing away her pain.

It was selfish, to want him near, spending time with him when she would likely go back home when Stefan came for her.

Yet, she found herself leaning into that touch while the back of her head screamed at her.

Selfish. Selfish. Fool.

"Thank you" she said, opening her eyes.

He was sitting in the middle of the boat, had gotten closer without her noticing.

Now they sat, mere inches between them.

She should have flinched away, gone back to tending to her forgotten fishing rod, but she just sat there, looking into his beautiful brown eyes, the kindness in them.

"It was the best rose I could find, though it still pales in comparison to your own beauty. Inside and out" he said in a whisper.

Jordan felt her cheeks blush. It always happened when she was complemented, her body and mind not knowing how to react to that. She had always been the quiet science nerd no one paid attention too.

The fact that he would even bother to complement her made her dizzy in a very unusual way.

No. She knew better. He could never like a monster like her, one that had made so many mistakes.

She was going to go home, trusted Stefan enough to know he could figure it out even though she didn't know him at all.

So she backed away and turned back to the water.

"Once we get home you can go get the gold while I make lunch. The markets should still be open by the time we're finished" she said, too afraid to look back at him.

He was a friend. An ally. An Ianitee.