Ja'far

(Y/n) stands in the doorway, holding a fuzzy bundle of feathers in her hands. "Where did you get that?" I ask. "Masrur found it under a tree. We decided to take turns taking care of it," she explains. I sigh before grabbing a spare box and a few pieces of soft cloth.

"I've taken care of baby birds before so I know what to do," I say. (Y/n) blinks at me before placing the bird into the cloth-lined box.

After only an hour of work, we finished about a quarter of the paperwork on my desk (including the ones Sinbad was too lazy to do).

Crap! I forgot to deliver some documents to that foreign noble visiting Sindria. And he's leaving today! (Y/n) raised an eyebrow, peering over my shoulder at the documents. She hands me my bag. "Come on. If we run, we might be able to deliver these in time right?" she says.

"I think you'd better bring that bird with you. A cat might eat it if you leave it here," I comment. She replies with her usual firm "Hai" and tucks the bird safely into her pocket.

We weave through the kingdom, hurrying through crowded marketplaces and lively homes. (Y/n) pulled me to the side just in time before the water from someone's chamber pot could hit me. "Where does this official live?" she asks, calming down the bird twittering frantically in her pocket. "In a mansion overlooking some cove. Don't worry, we're almost there," I say.

Finally, we arrive at the mansion. The official sure was staying in one of the best places in Sindria. It looked like a much smaller version of the palace and had a great view of a private cove. "I'm sorry for delivering these so late," I blurt, handing the documents to the official. "Huh. I was just about to leave," he says.

I bow respectfully to him and turn to leave. Just then, I notice that (y/n) isn't following me. She is standing by the window and staring at the cove. "(Y/n)," I call. My breath catches when she turns to me. There it is again. Just a glimpse of that look. The same look she had when she stared at the harbor on the first errand we ran together.

"It's fine. You two can enjoy the view for a while. Thank you for the documents. I have to go now before the ship departs without me," the official said, stepping out the door.

(Y/n) held the bird in her hand, stroking it gently. "Are you okay?" I ask. A surprised look crosses over her face. "Hai. Let's go buy some food for the bird on our way back," she says. I raise my eyebrow. What is she covering her mouth for?

A flock of birds flew across the blue-green waters of the cove. The baby bird in her hand hops around. Suddenly, it jumps away, flaps its wings...and falls down towards the cove. I yelp as it falls into the water with a minute splash. Leaning out of the window, (y/n) and I scan the cove. "Look! I can see its head!" I exclaim, pointing.

I barely had time to blink before (y/n) takes off her shoes and jumps out of the window and splashes into the water.

Crap. I can't see the bird anymore. Or (y/n). I wait anxiously for her head to break the still, glass-like surface of the water, but with every passing second, the thought about her drowning gnaws harder at my mind. "When I find her, I'm going to kill her for this," I mutter before taking a deep breath and jumping out of the window. I land in the water with a splash just as (y/n) resurfaces, holding the bird in her hand.

"Are you crazy?" I shout, shaking her shoulders. "I got the bird," is all she says. Suddenly, I can feel myself sinking in the water and start flailing my arms. (Y/n) grabs me. "Don't worry. There's a shallow part over there. You should've taken off your robe first," she says. I let her lead me towards the shallow part of the water, blushing furiously.

I take off my drenched keffiyeh and robe and wring them, half-wishing that they were (y/n)'s neck instead. What the heck was she thinking?

I jump away when a wave rolls towards me and blush when I catch her looking at me. "It's not that I'm scared of water okay? I just don't want to get soaked again," I shout. (Y/n) covers her mouth again, but not fast enough to hide her smile.

She freezes for a second when I splash her with water. Not bothering to hide her smirk, she splashes me back. "Why you," I mutter. The baby bird calmly preens its feathers while watching the water fight ensue.

After a while, we were both out of breath and drenched head to toe in seawater. I look up when I hear (y/n) laughing. Not just giggling. Laughing the kind of laugh that made her hold her stomach and lit up not just her face, but her entire body. A beautiful laugh.

Huh? What the heck am I thinking? "Come on. Let's head back. It's getting late," I say.

"Hai," she replies, still smiling.