Senna sat in her armchair, reading while flames crackled in the fireplace, but after an hour or so of staring at the same page, she gave up and set her book aside.

'What am I even doing..?'

A knock came at her door and when she went to answer it, she paused when she heard Sting's voice.

"Senna, it's me."

Her hand hovered over the doorknob for a moment before she opened the door and peeked out at the Dragonslayer. "What is it?"

Sting presented a bottle of wine and a fancy-looking tin. "A peace offering, if you will. Minerva recommended this wine and I heard that it goes really well with candied nuts. I thought maybe we could try it out together and talk?"

Senna had to smile at that. "I do like candied nuts. What kind of wine is that?"

"Uh," Sting looked at the label, "Irula Peorlin?"

"Ooo, I heard that's a good one. Let me guess, X745?"

Sting looked at the year and nodded. "Yeah, actually. Wow, impressive."

"Peorlin is my favorite kind of wine and the X745 vintages are bubbly and sweet," Senna commented, stepping aside and opening the door. "Come on in, I'll get the glasses."

Sting stepped inside and set the bottle and tin on the coffee table. "So about earlier..."

Senna brought over the wine glasses and shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I know you were just trying to be a good friend and I appreciate that."

"I just feel like I overstepped somewhere or messed up somehow, so I just wanted to apologize and make sure we were good."

Senna popped the cork and poured him a glass. "We're good, you never have to worry about that."

Sting took the glass as she offered it to him and caught the sweet aroma of the Irula fruit and a hint of something floral. "That's good to know."

Senna poured herself a glass, then took a seat on the couch and patted the spot next to her. "So what'd you want to talk about?"

Sting sat at the opposite end of the couch and turned towards her. "I know you said you were fine, but I can't help but worry. So, I was hoping to lend an ear if you needed to get something off your chest." He took a sip of the wine, then continued. "And if not, then I wanted to keep you company for a bit."

"Just the two of us? Been a while since we've done that."

"Too long, if you ask me." He took another sip and looked away, hoping that he was able to hide the blush creeping over his cheeks. "T-This is really good wine, I can see why you like it."

Senna chuckled and pulled her legs to her chest, leaning back against the arm of the couch as she enjoyed her glass. "Minerva has good taste in wine; I'm glad she recommended it to you." She watched him for a moment, lightly tapping on the stem of her glass. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything."

"Why do you care so much, Sting?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we haven't been friends that long but you care as though we've been friends for years."

"And why wouldn't I? I like you, Senna, I think you're a great person. I also think that we're a good fit as friends, like how Rogue and I are."

"That's all, huh..?" Senna mumbled, sipping her wine.

Sting eyed her over the edge of his glass, having barely caught her words. "You're kind, caring, smart, good with people, you're compassionate, empathetic, gentle, and good-natured."

Senna looked at him, taking in the sincerity of his words like a breath of fresh air. "That's sweet of you to say."

"I mean it, Senna. You're such an amazing person and I never thought I'd ever have a friend like you."

'Right, we're just friends...' Senna offered him a smile, then gestured to the bottle. "Ready for more?"

"Sure." Sting could sense that something was still bothering her. "So about earlier..."

"Sting, I already told you it's fine," Senna said as she poured more for herself and for him.

"No, I mean before that," Sting sighed and downed the glass before pouring himself some more.

"OK? What happened before?"

"I came to check on you before the kitchen bit and overheard part of your conversation with Amelia..." Sting looked up at her and put a hand up in defense. "I-I didn't mean to or anything, it just... sort of happened..."

"Oh..." Senna's chest tightened. She knew it would have come up eventually, but she didn't think this soon. "It's fine, it was bound to come up sooner or later."

"Is... it something you don't want to talk about?"

"No, it's fine," Senna nodded toward the bottle. "We're probably going to finish that bottle pretty quickly, though."

Sting chuckled at that. "That bad, huh?"

"Ya, in fact, why don't I grab something a little stronger instead? I feel like it'd be a waste of good wine when we could save it for something more special."

"Alright, sure, whatcha got?"

"You a fan of honey wine at all?"

"Can't say I've tried it before." Sting watched Senna stand and go to one of the cabinets in her little kitchen. "Sounds interesting, though; didn't know you could make wine from honey."

"It's an alcohol that comes from the northern continent, Guiltia, and has been around for centuries. It's made by fermenting honey with water and a variety of other ingredients including fruits, spices, and grains. My favorite kind uses apples, but I also like this one." Senna brought over a bottle that was shorter and wider than the bottle of Irula Peorlin. She pushed the cork back into the bottle and placed it in the cooler, then came to sit back on the couch. "This one is called Culerra."

Sting caught a whiff of rich honey mixed with a pine-like aroma as Senna popped the cap off the bottle and poured them a glass each. "Smells good."

"It is strong, though, so just a heads-up."

Sting took a sip and coughed a bit, surprised by the slight bitterness behind the sweet honey. "Wow, that's different."

Senna giggled. "It's smooth, right?" She took a sip and sat back, taking a moment to savor it.

"I can see why you like it," Sting commented, sniffing it again.

Senna watched him enjoying the new drink for a moment, but her smile faded as her mind was pulled back to their previous conversation. "Sorry... I didn't mean to deflect the conversation..."

Sting could see her smile fade in the glow of the fireplace. "Hey, it's alright. If you'd rather not talk about it, I won't force you. But, if you do want to talk about it, I'm here to listen."

"Thanks, Sting," Senna smiled at that, then took a deep breath, "I don't even know where to begin."

"What was your childhood like?"