Victorique stared at the ring Kujo had given her. The ring that had come from her mother. The ring was small a barely noticeable weight as it rested in her palm. The small purple stone seemed to glow faintly, even in the darkness that was only faintly illuminated by the light outside of her window.
She'd meant only to the think of the ring, to wonder at the special significance of her mother finally sending her something, the joy of having something again from her mother. But as she stared at the ring her thoughts drifted, to when she and Kujo had been at the front of the train and she'd needed to shoot the bomb.
She closed her eyes and remembered how she'd trembled, she's put on a strong face for Kujo, pretended that she could do anything, but she hadn't actually felt like she could until Kujo had stood so close behind her, close enough she could feel his breath as his chest moved against her back and his arms had wrapped around her, guiding and stabilizing her hands, as she prepared to shoot.
Her eyes snapped open again. The gem winked innocently at her in the dim light.
She sighed. If only safety were always so easy to find.