Raya stopped and peered down the road, trying to find the source of the noise she had just heard. A few seconds later, a bird flew out of a nearby tree and Raya groaned in frustration. She resumed pacing across the width of the road, still alert for any noises or movements. There was a small rut forming in the path where she was walking, tamped down by the footprints she had been leaving for the last hour or so. She had attempted to work with Virana this morning but had eventually been dismissed when it became clear she wouldn't be able to focus on anything else until Benja and Namaari arrived.

She caught a glimpse of something moving out of the corner of her vision and looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun as she squinted further down the road. A huge grin spread across her face after she identified the figures moving toward the city and took off running toward them.

Benja was at the head of the group, and he held open his arms when he saw Raya approaching. She jumped the last few feet and he caught her, pulling her into a crushing hug. "Dewdrop!" he said, kissing the side of her head. "It's so good to see you."

Raya hugged him back just as fiercely, laughing as his scruff tickled her ear. "It's good to see you, too, Ba." She looked over his shoulder and saw Namaari at the back of the group, watching both of them with a smile on her face.

Raya tensed and Benja immediately set her down, turning back to look at Namaari. He walked over to Namaaari and took her bag from her, smiling as he paused to ruffle her hair. Namaari made a face at him that quickly turned into a smile as she tried to push his hand away. Benja laughed and moved back toward Raya, winking at her as he passed. "I'll catch up with you two later," he said, and signaled the two guards who had accompanied them to follow him to the city.

Raya watched the group until they reached the bridge, then turned back to Namaari. She flushed when she saw the way Namaari was looking at her, unable to stop herself from matching her huge smile. Then Namaari took a step forward and Raya moved back, raising her hands with her palms facing forward.

Namaari froze, the smile falling from her face. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"I'm just…" Raya trailed off, gesturing to the space between them. "Nervous."

Namaari tilted her head to the side, the corners of her mouth tilting up slightly. "About what?"

Raya exhaled heavily and used both of her hands to brush the hair out of her face. "What if we still can't be around each other? I know you've been working really hard, but what if I didn't do enough? I don't want you to get hurt because of me and—"

"Raya," Namaari said softly and something in her voice stopped Raya's stumbling speech. "It'll be okay. We can do this." She took a step forward, the smile returning to her face when Raya didn't move back again.

Raya waited as Namaari walked toward her, heart pounding in her chest. Namaari stopped about two feet away and extended her hand. Wincing slightly, Raya moved her hand to meet hers, turning her head away as she braced herself. Namaari laced their fingers together and Raya chanced a look back, almost pulling away when she saw the blue light of their magic start to glow around their hands. The light crept down their wrists and up their arms, slowly spreading to cover their whole bodies in a thin layer of blue light. Raya gasped and looked down at herself, flipping her free hand over several times to inspect the light. She raised her head again just as Namaari lunged forward to hug her. She stiffened for half a second before relaxing and wrapping her arms around Namaari just as tightly.

They stayed like this for a moment until Raya heard Namaari sniffle. "Are you crying, dep la?" she asked, half laughing. She tried to step out of the embrace, but Namaari just hugged her closer.

"I really missed you," Namaari said, burying her face in Raya's neck.

Raya felt heat radiating from the spot where Namaari's face was touching her, but she moved to return the hug again. "I missed you, too."

After a few seconds, Namaari pulled back enough so that she could see Raya's face while still keeping her arms around her. Her gentle expression left Raya feeling breathless, and she almost gasped when Namaari reached up to tuck a strand of hair back behind her ear.

"You look good, dep la," Namaari said before lowering her hand. The tips of her fingers trailed along Raya's cheek, making Raya flush all the way to her ears.

"You, uh…" Raya cleared her throat and looked down at the ground. "You do, too." She was suddenly very aware that Namaari was still holding her close, and her face somehow became even redder. "We should get you settled in," she said, moving one of her hands to gesture behind her toward the city.

Namaari nodded and finally released her so they could walk toward the bridge. Raya let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, but only had about a second to relax before Namaari took her hand, moving close enough that their shoulders touched. Raya felt like she was about to combust, but she could see from the corner of her eye that Namaari seemed completely at ease. She forced herself to take a deep breath as Namaari brushed against her again. "What's the first thing you want to do now that you're back in Fang?" she asked, hoping that Namaari wouldn't notice the squeak in her voice.

Namaari thought for a moment before answering. "I should probably see my mother first. And I haven't done my meditation yet for the day, so I'd like to do that afterwards. Do you want to join me for that?"

Raya shrugged. "Sure. I've never meditated before, but I can give it a try." She almost tripped over her own feet when Namaari turned her head to smile at her from just inches away.

Namaari squeezed Raya's hand gently, still beaming at her. "I'd like to see what you've been working on with Atitāya, too. Can you show me?"

Raya frowned, letting go of Namaari's hand to fidget with the hem of her shirt. "I can, but I'm not sure Atitāya will want to be there. We got into an argument a few days ago and I don't really know where things stand with her."

"What was the fight about?" Namaari asked, her brow furrowing.

Raya let out a long exhale, looking at the gate above them as they passed into the main courtyard of the palace. "She wanted to send soldiers to those villages that used to be a part of Fang but have Heart citizens living in them now."

Namaari sighed and shook her head. "I'm not surprised that it turned into an argument. Atitāya and my mother have been fighting about that for years."

"That's what Virana told me afterwards." Raya's eyes dropped to the ground and her voice became quiet. "I think I really upset Atitāya though. She said she blamed me for bringing the Druun back."

Namaari paused a few feet beyond the gate, her expression clouding for a second before she gave Raya an understanding look. "I'm sorry. I don't think she really meant it, if that helps at all. Have you tried talking to her since it happened?"

"Honestly, I've been trying to avoid her. Virana said she would sort things out with Atitāya but she hasn't mentioned anything about it to me either."

"I can ask her about it when I see her. We can—"

Namaari was cut off as a bright blue blur collided with both of them, almost knocking them over. It took a moment for Raya to register that it was Sisu hugging them both, wrapping her tail around them as well as her talons.

"Raya! Namaari! It's so good to see you again," Sisu said, getting grunts from them both when she squeezed them even tighter. After a moment, she stepped back, her eyes growing wide when she saw the blue glow that was still surrounding their bodies. "Hey, you're both glowing! And not exploding! This is great, I knew you could do it." Then her expression became concerned as she leaned closer to Raya, studying her face. "Wait, Raya, you're really red, too. Are you okay?"

"Yep, I'm fine, I'm good," Raya said, laughing nervously. "I'm just…still not used to Fang's humidity. Since someone never gave me any tips on dealing with it." She gently elbowed Namaari's side before looking back at Sisu. "It's nice to see you, too."

Namaari opened her mouth like she was going to respond but stopped when she caught sight of Virana and Atitāya waiting a few feet behind Sisu. Raya noticed them at the same moment, fighting to keep her face neutral when Atitāya met her eyes. Namaari took half a step toward Virana, then hesitated.

Virana smiled, closing the distance between them and raising her hand to rest on Namaari's cheek. "I'm glad you got here safely, kitten. We all missed you while you were gone." She ran her thumb over Namaari's cheek, which was still wreathed in a soft blue glow. "Is this the magic you and Raya have together?" she asked, her smile growing after Namaari nodded. "It looks strong, like you've been doing good work. I can't wait to hear all about it."

"She's made a lot of progress," Raya said quickly, putting her hand on Namaari's shoulder. "Chief Benja thinks so, too."

Sisu scoffed and gestured toward Namaari with one of her talons. "Obviously she's been working hard, look at that glow!"

Virana laughed softly and lowered her hand from Namaari's face. "Raya, Atitāya, and I have been busy, too. We'll need to get you back up to speed as soon as possible."

"I'd like that," Namaari said, giving Raya a grateful look before turning back to the rest of the group. "I was hoping Atitāya, Raya, and I could do a walk between the new villages so I can see everything you've been working on."

Raya saw Virana's and Atitāya's eyes dart to one another for a brief second, both of their expressions hardening. Then Atitāya looked back to Namaari, bowing stiffly before she answered. "Of course. And I think Chief Benja should join us as well, so he can see everything his daughter has accomplished."

Anger flickered across Virana's features, so quickly that Raya almost missed it. Then Virana nodded, her lips pressing into a thin line for a second before she spoke. "I'm sure Chief Benja would love to go with you," she said, giving Atitāya a rather forced smile. "Speaking of which, Atitāya, you and I need to find Chief Benja. There is a lot we need to discuss with him." She turned and walked toward the palace, Atitāya following her with just a hint of smugness on her face.

Sisu waited until they were out of earshot before letting out a heavy exhale. "Yikes, those two are intense. Are they always like that?"

Raya shook her head, worrying her lower lip between her teeth as she watched Virana and Atitāya walk into the palace. "They usually get along pretty well. But I got into an argument with Atitāya a few days ago and messed everything up."

Namaari stepped closer to Raya as she took her hand again. "It's not your fault. Like I said, it's been a difficult subject for them for years. But they've moved past it every time. This won't be any different." She squeezed Raya's hand, waiting to speak until Raya met her eyes. "It'll work out, dep la, I promise."

Raya nodded, trying her best to ignore the blush that started creeping up her neck. "You're right. It's not like this is the first time they've ever disagreed."

"Exactly," Namaari said, beaming at Raya. "I need to go unpack, but then I can come find you for mediation afterwards. We can talk more about Atitāya, too, if that would help." She hesitated for half a second, then leaned forward to plant a kiss on Raya's cheek before hurrying toward the palace.

Raya blinked as she watched Namaari walk away, feeling dazed as she rubbed the spot on her cheek that Namaari's lips had touched. She snapped back to attention when she registered Sisu waving a talon in front of her face.

"Looks like your glow leaves when you're not close to Namaari," Sisu said, tapping Raya's shoulder as the blue light around her faded. "Are you okay though? You're getting all red again."

"Yep, I'm fine," Raya said too quickly, giving Sisu a forced smile as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Totally fine over here."

Sisu raised an eyebrow at Raya's rapidly reddening face. "Right. If you say so. Anyway, you need to help me find some food. I am so hungry, but I can't figure out where anything is in the kitchen."

"Great, let's go to that," Raya said, grabbing Sisu's talon and almost running into the palace. She made sure to stay in front as she led Sisu through the hallways, taking the long way to the kitchen so she would have time to calm down before Sisu could see her face again.