Rafiel tossed and turned in his bed. Thoughts of his run in with Hetzel plagued his mind and left him restless. Nailah and Volug slept quietly in the same room. They seemed to have no trouble dozing off. He didn't care to wake them just to sulk about his life. Instead he quietly crept out of the room. Maybe a walk would do him some good?

Once in the hallway he noticed candlelight moving at the end of the hall. Someone else was up too. He decided to follow whoever it was. When he turned the corner he saw that it was Vika. They had talked once before in passing, nothing of importance, but he could sense hurt in her heart. She had a troubled past. Rafiel enjoyed helping others so this was a great opportunity to get his mind off his own problems.

He followed her as she went from room to room. She seemed to be looking for something or someone. It wasn't her two companions because they were in the room next to his. She finally found what she was looking for because she disappeared into a room and didn't come back out. Rafiel slid against the wall and quietly crept up to the door. He peered in and blushed when he saw her stripping out of her clothes.

He flung himself back and cursed himself at his perversion. He wondered what she was doing. Why would she be getting naked in a room by herself?

He took in a deep breath and looked in again. It clicked when he saw that she was wearing an outfit from the closet and looking at herself in the mirror. She picked out another shirt and a robe and twirled with it in front of the mirror. It made Rafiel smile to see such a happy moment for her. He could sense joy emanating from her heart.

The door creaked open a little more and Vika turned at the noise. Rafiel was not fast enough and she gasped.

"What are you doing! Were you watching me, you pervert!"

Rafiel panicked and held up his hands. "No no no no. I'm so sorry. I didn't see anything. I couldn't get to sleep so I thought I would take a walk and I saw the light from your candle and and and…."

"So you thought you would spy on me huh? To think a heron would be lecherous. Aren't you supposed to be pure?"

Rafiel kept shaking his head. "You don't understand. It isn't like that. I mean, yes you're beautiful, but I would never do something so indecent."

Vika laughed. "Beautiful huh? I'm giving you a hard time. I knew you would freak out. To be honest it doesn't really matter to me if you saw anything."

Rafiel's jaw dropped. "You are too cruel. You were playing with my emotions?"

Vika ignored him and started to take off the clothes to try another outfit on. Rafiel turned away blushing again.

"What do you think? You can turn around now."

Rafiel gazed at her in the candlelight. She looked great with the clothes she normally wore but these were breathtaking. The flowing red robes looked great on her, but honestly she would look good in anything. Her dark hair fell perfectly on her shoulders and her blue eyes shone in the light. Her beauty could not be denied.

"You look very pretty….but."

"But?" She looked questioningly at him.

"Why the interest in clothes? Laguz wear clothes for function or special occasion only. How we look doesn't really matter."

Vika turned back to the mirror and took a long hard look at herself.

"You're right…..it was silly of me to think I could behave like a beorc."

"Vika….that's not what I…"

"No it's fine. My mother used to make clothes for our master. That was her job as a slave. I remember how scarred her hands were from the needles. They would keep her up days at a time trying to finish quotas and it was hard sewing with no sleep."

Tears formed as she told the story. "I remember wishing so badly that I could wear one of those dresses like the beorc women. One day our master caught me trying one on. My mother was beaten when she stepped in the way to defend me. I hated myself for what I did and I hadn't tried on a dress since then until tonight."

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that. I've experienced it too and I understand your feelings."

"Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be a beorc? We wouldn't have to live in fear of being captured or hunted. I want to live in world where we aren't judged and I can be me."

Rafiel gave her a reassuring smile. "That's what we're trying to do. Yune wants a world in which that can be realized. For now let's see some more clothes."

"Heheehehe. Thanks, Rafiel. I think I misjudged you."

"What do you mean?"

"Your strength isn't easy to spot at first but in this moment I can see how truly strong you are. Could you stay near me from now on?"

"I would very much like that, Vika."