Thanks to my awesome beta for checking this for me! And to my reviewers as well! This chapter is a bit short, but I think it captures the mood well. Enjoy!

Autumn Nights

A cool breeze blew through Nashira as the day started to wind down The air was filled with the sound of villagers calling out to each other; fishermen coming in with the day's catch, mothers calling out to their children for supper.

"Hey Gibari! See ya tomorrow!" Gibari waved back to show that he had heard. Putting his hand on the doorknob, he was about to open the door when it swung open.

"Oh. You're home," Savyna looked at him, blinking. "I was about to go see if you were late again." she said, letting him in.

"Sorry 'bout that. I had to untangle the nets. Took a bit longer than expected." he replied, walking into the bedroom and changing out of his salt-stained clothes.

"Did you see Junon and Numa today? The came by looking for you." Savyna asked.

"Yup. They were a big help today." Gibari sat down at the table as Savyna put the bowls down in front of them. Brief conversations puncuated the calm atmosphere.

"It's getting cooler."

"Mm. Autumn's coming." Savyna nodded in response. They finished the rest of the meal in content silence.

Savyna sat down on the front steps. The autumn night was cool, surrounding her senses with a cool silk veil of comfort, instead of the smothering hot blanket of summer. The cool night reminded her of the Nihal Desert, and Operation Sweep. The days were fiercely hot, but as night fell, so did the temperature. She and Azdar used to talk, sitting around the fire, long after everyone else had gone to sleep. Azdar was a good man, one of the few people who truly understood her.

"You out here?" Savyna smiled. And here was the other person who knew her.

"Yes." she called out to Gibari, who appeared moments later with a blanket and two mugs of green tea. He sat down next to Savyna, spread the blanket around them and handed her a mug of green tea.

"Thank you." She took it and carefully wrapped her hands around it.

"What'cha thinking about?" Gibari always knew when she was deep in thought.

"Nihal Desert. Operation Sweep." Savyna answered. She would always regret what she did there, but there was no point. The best thing she could do was to live and repent.

"You okay?" Gibari knew not to pry too deep into Operation Sweep, but he wasn't about to let her wallow in self-guilt.

"Yeah. Just thinking." They sat for a while, and Savyna leaned her head against Gibari's shoulder. The stars twinkled in the sky, each brighter and more vibrant than their counterparts on the Star Map. Savyna was starting to doze off when Gibari's voice woke her.

"Wanna go inside? It's getting late," he asked softly.

"Mm. Sure." she slowly stood up, the blanket draped around her shoulders. Gibari grabbed both their tea mugs, and opened the door again. The warm air of the house flowed out, comfortable and familiar, but not nearly as sharp and cool as the autumn night air left behind.