Raven lay down on his back in his tent, staring up blankly. He didn't feel like "socializing" with the others, no matter how much Lucius insisted. Wil had almost started a conversation with him, but he managed to maneuver around it by saying that he needed to sleep. So here he was now. He wasn't tired at all, considering that they had only walked all day today (the lords said that they should reach their destination tomorrow) and found that the best way to pass the time was to just relax. He hadn't relaxed like this in a very, very long time.

And it didn't last long either. Lucius walked into the tent, saying a little "Oh!" as he saw Raven lying on the ground. Raven grunted a little. So much for getting some peace and quiet.

"Did I awake you?" Lucius asked softly.

"The candle's still on, Lucius; what do you think?"

Lucius smiled a little as he stepped inside. "I guess not. L…Raven, do you mind if we have somebody else bunk with us tonight?"

"Yes," Raven grumbled, "but it doesn't matter anyways, does it?"

"I won't come in if you don't want me to."

Raven's eyes narrowed at the head that popped in through the tent opening.

"Then don't bother because I don't want you here."

"Raven!" Lucius admonished. "We have plenty of room here, and we're going to let Sir Mark stay."

Raven merely scowled in response. But of course, the ever so generous and kind Mark said,

"I don't want to be a burden to anybody. Thank you for the offer, Lucius, but perhaps I will just see if Jasmine—"

"Fine. Stay."

Lucius raised an eyebrow slightly and Mark looked surprised. Then his expression changed to one that Raven found irritating because he didn't quite understand it—it had a certain slyness to it, a certain amused slyness.

"Alright, then. If you so insist." He came into the tent, lugging his blankets with him. "It's been getting chilly lately, hasn't it?"

"Yes, it has," Lucius agreed. Raven said nothing, only continuing to scowl.

"Lucius!" whined a voice that could only belong to Serra. Lucius jumped a little, excused himself, and scurried out of the tent, shouting, "Yes?"

The tent was left in silence. Mark set his blankets out and Raven resumed his activity of staring up at the tent ceiling.

"So," Mark said after a moment, "you're quite close with Jasmine, aren't you?"

Raven raised an eyebrow as he looked at the green cloaked man. "No."

Mark smiled a little. He looked at Raven as if he had just told him a miserable joke. "Well, you two only talked for half the day today."

"We argued," Raven corrected. "You're the one who talked with her half of the day."

"I'm only here for a short time," he pointed out. "And, yes, I do suppose you're correct; you two argued, not talked." He paused. "I'd appreciate it if you were kinder to Jasmine."

Raven sat up and arched an eyebrow. "What?"

"She's been through enough in her life, and it doesn't help to be rude and hurtful. I've heard the things you said; they weren't very nice."

"And neither is eavesdropping on people's conversations," he mumbled quietly but loud enough for Mark to hear. He raised an eyebrow.

"We're not talking about me," Mark said, his voice losing a little bit of its calmness and being replaced by testiness. Then he took a deep breath. "Though you are right; I shouldn't have been eavesdropping."

"No, you shouldn't have."

Again, he was showing some irritation. "It's not my fault you two were shouting at each other loud enough for everybody to hear."

"Then maybe you should discuss the problem with her, not me. You know her much better than you know me, after all."

Mark was silent for a moment. Then he said, "But I want you to be kinder to her. If you were kinder to her, I'm certain that she would return the favor."

Raven snorted. "She would never be nice to me. It's just not possible."

"She's a very nice girl. You just need to give her a chance."

"I'm sticking to my ways," Raven snapped. "What's it to you, anyway? It's none of your business. This is between me and her, not you."

"No, it's not my business, but I care about Jasmine and I want her to have healthy relationships with her peers."

Raven rolled his eyes. "What gives you the right to dictate Jasmine and what she decides to do with her 'peers'?" He sneered the word 'peers' mockingly. Who did this man think he was? A noble?

Mark raised his eyebrows. He was quiet for a moment. Then, with a clear of his throat, he said, "I don't try to dictate her; I just want her to make the right choices."

"But it's none of your damn business, is it?"

"I just said that it's not but—"

"Then stay out of it."

Mark bristled. "And what gives you to the right to dictate me?"

Raven raised his eyebrows. If he wasn't annoyed, he might've been amused at the way Mark was losing his patience. "The same right you have to dictate Jasmine; none."

This silenced the cloaked man. Raven, thinking he'd won the battle, smirked slightly. But then Mark softly said,

"I want you to understand that I don't want to rule Jasmine's life. She's human too. She can make her own decisions."

"Then quit trying to make them for her."

"I'm not!" Mark snapped, and Raven was starting to feel thoroughly amused. If only the others could see the 'sweet and kind gentleman' now. "Look, I know Jasmine better than you do, and probably better than anybody in this army." Something about this irked Raven and made him glare at Mark. "And I know that all she needs is some kindness from the world."

"No." Raven shook his head much to Mark's shock. "What she needs is get out of her comfort zone and experience new things. And you're not helping."

He laughed a little. "I'm holding her back is what you're saying?"

"Congratulations, you officially have the mind capacity of a five year old."

"Well, Mr. I-don't-look-on-the-bright-side"—Raven scowled darkly—"You think that you're helping her out by being rude and destroying her self-esteem?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, and I don't care. But it's a new experience, isn't it?"

Mark did not respond to this. Instead, he said, "Jasmine's had numerous experiences here, and I will admit that you did let her experience something new, though it wasn't your behavior…"

Raven's eyebrows furrowed. He couldn't remember teaching Jasmine anything new. In fact, he'd saved her life so many times he wondered if she would ever learn how to be aware of her surroundings. "What would that be?"

Mark actually smirked. It was a sly, playful smirk, one that females wore when gossiping with their friends about future husbands. Raven didn't like it. "Feelings."

Raven's eyebrow arched so high that his forehead actually hurt. "What?"

Mark's response was to continue smirking. He curled up in his bed, but Raven stayed out of his bed, suddenly very interested in what Mark had to say.

"What do you mean by that, huh? Are you saying that she's never hated someone as much as hates me? Hey…hey!"

"She doesn't hate you," Mark replied calmly. Raven could still hear that smirk in his voice. "She probably doesn't even realize it herself, though…"

Before Raven could demand answers from Mark, Lucius walked into the tent. He was slightly pink in the face and had numerous twigs in his hair. The appearance was enough to throw Raven off.

"Lucius…what were you doing?"

Lucius immediately understand the look Raven gave him. He turned as red as a tomato and gasped scandalously. "Lo…Raven!" he admonished, face still beet red, "Don't you think such things!"

Raven couldn't help but smirk at the reaction. "What else am I supposed to think?"

"You're supposed to think that Serra and I were practicing our magic when…well, we had a little accident." He smiled sheepishly. That was when Raven realized that Lucius hadn't referred to Serra as 'Sister Serra'.

"Ah, I see," Raven said, deciding not to comment on his observation. He glanced back at over at Mark, who rolled over on his side. Lucius also looked at him.

"Is he asleep?"

Mark said nothing, so Raven said, "I guess so." But he knew that the tactician was faking it; nobody could fall asleep so quickly.

"I suppose we ought to get some sleep too," Lucius said with a yawn. He slipped under his covers. "Good night."

Raven was silent as he blew out the candle. He curled up in his blankets. He stayed there, eyes open blankly and unblinkingly. Then, feeling restless and annoyed, he stood up.

Lucius tiredly murmured, "Is something the matter?"

"I need some fresh air," Raven replied. "I'll be back in a bit."

As soon as he stepped outside, he went back in, debated on whether or not to stay and left again, dragging his blanket along with him.

He wrapped his blanket around him as the cold bit against his cheeks. His overwhelming thoughts slowly eased as he trudged along the grass. The moon was large and yellow tonight, and the stars were shining specks amongst the vast and never-ending black blanket above.

He paused and furrowed his brows when he noticed somebody sitting by the riverside. It was a particular somebody with curly hair. He hesitated. Should he leave her alone or should he…?

Slowly he walked toward her, until he was a yard or two away. He paused. She was hunched, her arms wrapped around her legs. He was about to turn and leave to give her some privacy when she said,

"Up for a midnight stroll?" Her voice was a little shaky, and there was a forced playfulness to her tone.

"I'm surprised you heard me."

"I've been trying to improve my attention skills." He could hear the small smile in her voice.

"Oh? Good. You can use that improvement."

"I know. I decided that I got sick of you saving my life."

He smirked slightly. "Does this mean that I don't have to save your life anymore?"

"Hopefully." She paused. "Will you…keep me some company?" Softly, she added, "Please?"

Shocked that she would even ask in the first place and would even add a polite little please, he walked over to her and sat down beside her, pulling his blankets around him.

He looked at her. She was sweaty and pale, as if sick. Her breathing was loud and ragged, and although she offered him a small smile, it shook. He wondered if she'd been crying, but remembered the one time she told him that she simply didn't cry.

"Are you sick?"

She shook her head. "No…though I can't say I'm feeling well."

That was when he noticed that she was only wearing a nightgown and a green cloak (he wondered if Mark had given her that, and pushed the annoying thought away).

"You are going to get sick wearing just that." He took off his own blanket and offered it to her. Her eyes widened and she shook her head viciously.

"I'm fine. I like the cold. It's refreshing."

He gave her a doubting look. "You'll freeze."

She shook her head again. She smiled up a little at him, and it was more genuine this time. "I'm Ilian, remember? This is nothing."

"And I'm not Ilian. I say this temperature is enough for somebody to get a cold, and what're we going to do tomorrow with a sick tactician?"

"It's not like I'd be much help anyway, right?" She looked at him, expecting him to agree.

"It looks like somebody's finally starting to accept the truth," he replied softly as he got up and wrapped his blanket around her shoulders. She looked at him as if he'd grown another head.

"I said I don't need this." She pulled at the blanket.

"And I said you do."

"But I don't need it! I'm wearing a cloak, after all!"

"But I say you do need it."

"Do you have any idea how stubborn you are?"

"Not as stubborn as you."

She scowled a little, but despite the fact that Raven was now shivering, it felt nice to have her return to her usual self.

"You'll get sick," she said, noting his shivers. "Here, I'll be fine."

She offered him his blanket. He refused to take it. She sighed.

"And what will we do when we're down one mercenary in battle? If I get sick, Mark can just take over."

Raven stopped shivering. He stiffened and scowled at the mention of the name.

"Whoa, you okay? Did your circulation stop or something? Here."

Raven felt the blanket envelope him and immediately tried to shake it off, but found that he couldn't; Jasmine was holding it down! She laughed a little when he struggled more, but she firmly kept her arms around him.

"There!" she said all too happily. "Now you're all nice and snug."

"Jasmine—"

"I'll be fine," she said, sounding exasperated. "Besides, I'm actually getting a little warm from your body heat." Indeed she was, considering the fact that she was up against his back with her hands tied around him to keep the blanket down. "It's probably because you're so hot-headed."

"Get off me," Raven snarled, shaking her off. She laughed and released her grip on him.

"You're just mad because you know it's true."

His response was a glare. She giggled. He stared at her for a moment.

"Why are you up so late?"

The smile slipped off her face. "I just needed some refreshing air. What about yourself?"

"I needed to think. And your buddy Mark was starting to stink up the place."

She raised an eyebrow. "Mark's bunking with you guys?" Apparently she didn't pay attention to the minor insult Raven had said.

"Yes. And you should get him out as soon as you can."

"I wonder why he decided to bunk with you, of all people…" she murmured, mostly to herself. "Lucius, I understand…but if I had to spend a night with you too, I might just lose my mind."

"Shut up," he growled. She grinned at him. They stared at each other in silence, the wind playing with their hair.

"You know why I'm really out here, Raven?" Jasmine asked softly, turning the other way to look out at the river.

"No."

"I had a nightmare."

He raised his eyebrows; he hadn't expected her to actually tell him. "Oh?"

"Yeah…" She laughed softly, as if to reassure him that it was nothing. But Raven saw right through her. "It wasn't very fun…"

"…Are you alright?"

She turned to him with a look of surprise. Although she was surprised that Raven seemed even the slightest bit concerned for her, she didn't comment on it. Instead, she said, "I'm better now that you're here." She didn't realize how that sounded until she said it. To hide her embarrassment, she hastily added, "Because your annoying behavior can distract me."

He scowled slightly, much to her relief. She almost had an urge to laugh at herself for feeling relieved. Perhaps she really had gotten far too used to his presence.

"At least I can be of some use," he grumbled. She smiled a little.

"Yes, for once you can."

"That nightmare must've been really bad if you're willing to keep me as your company."

"It was," she admitted. And she left it at that. He was silent, watching her movements.

"...How do you know Mark?" he asked after a few moments of silence. She turned to him, surprised.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'd like to know why a complete stranger is sleeping in my tent."

She hesitated and broke eye contact. "He's my friend."

"He must be a really close friend to be willing to give up his plans to spend his time with you." Something about his tone was off, and Jasmine caught it.

"Is that supposed to mean something?"

He shrugged. "It just makes me wonder if you're more than just friends."

She gasped. "Raven! That's disgusting! Why do you always jump to such conclusions?"

"Through my observations," he snapped. "You practically worship the man!"

"I do not!"

"He's treated as a god around these parts!" he shouted. She jumped. "I don't even know what makes him so special but I'm already sick of hearing his name, sick of hearing what a wonderful gentleman he is. Sick of it! If only you all knew what he said to me—"

"What did he say to you?" Her tone was sharp, almost protective.

He didn't respond.

"What did he say to you?" she asked louder. Again, he didn't respond. She let out an irritated huff. "Fine. I'll just go ask him then." She made a move to get up.

"Fine, fine," he spat. She stopped and sat back down. "He told me to be nicer to you."

She raised an eyebrow. "That's it? You're getting all worked up over that?"

He glared at her. "Yeah, that's it. Doesn't it annoy you that he's trying to control your life?"

"He's not trying to control my life," she said, genuinely surprised. "He's just helping me."

"And you can't make your decisions on your own? He's not your dad or anything"—She stiffened—"you can make decisions for yourself."

"Well," she said softly, relaxing slightly, "he has done a lot for me, you know. He saved me when I had nowhere to go and nobody to turn to."

"Of course," he grumbled. "He's just the greatest guy around, isn't he?"

"He is a great guy, but he's not the greatest guy around."

He looked at her. She smiled and took his hand, gently squeezing it. He raised his eyebrows. They stared at each other. The unspoken words spoke louder than the spoken ones.

"You know what made my nightmare so scary?" she asked quietly. She stared out at the river. "It wasn't really a nightmare. It was a reality. Well, a past reality, anyways. Something that I've already experienced…when I woke up, I thought that it was real, that I was actually there, that it was actually happening…but then I saw Priscilla sleeping and I remembered. I remembered where I was and who I am. That I am not the person I once used to be." She spoke bravely at the end, straightening her shoulders and tightening her jaw. They were silent once more.

"The past can come back to haunt us," Raven murmured as the wind picked up his fiery hair. "Even in our dreams…"

She looked at him. "Yeah…but the only thing we can do is to pick ourselves up and move on, right?"

"Yes…move on," he echoed. They stared at the constantly moving river. If destruction were to hit, the river would falter momentarily, only to continue on its path again.

"Because it's not the past that makes us who we are," she said firmly, talking more to herself to remind and assure herself, "But the decisions we make today, to move on or to remain back with our past, that makes us who we are."

He stared at her. Those words hit him hard, struck him hard as if he'd been struck in battle. It took him a few moments to regain his composure. Unconsciously his fingers tightened around hers so tightly that it was as if he was clenching onto them for dear life. Finally, he asked, "Who told you that? Mark?"

"I thought you were sick of hearing about him," she smirked. He scowled, loosening his grip on his fingers but still leaving them entwined, and she laughed. "But yes, he did. Maybe it sounds cheesy to you, but it's helped me…a lot."

Raven didn't respond. He looked up at the stars.

"So, are you my new star-gazing buddy now? I don't think Sain will be very pleased."

He smirked. "I'd do anything to wipe that smile off of his face."

"You just don't like him because he talks to Priscilla all the time."

"Actually, I just don't like him because he's an annoying, narcissistic lout."

"He's none of those things. Though I can't quite say the same about you."

"Shut up."

She laughed and stretched her arms, falling to the grass. He raised an eyebrow at him. She grinned.

"It feels nice down here. You should lie down too."

"No."

"Aw, c'mon!"

"I said n—AH!"

Jasmine tugged on Raven and he fell at an awkward angle. He fell to the ground face-flat, causing Jasmine to burst out into peals of laughter.

"Are you okay?" she asked between giggles.

He glared at her, rubbing his reddening forehead. "Was that necessary?"

"Yes. I didn't mean for you get hurt, though. I have to admit that much."

"You might not have meant to, but you certainly are glad you did."

She grinned.

"Hey, on the bright side, the view is beautiful from here." She pointed up to the sky. He looked up at the twinkling stars and shining moon. He reached a hand out and closed it into a fist, swallowing the moon. "Hey! Don't squish the moon!"

He gave her an exasperated look. She laughed. He stared at her, letting his hand drop back to his hand. He was surprised to find that he actually was enjoying this; lying on the ground, next to the tactician. It was actually quite…comforting.

"I told you it's nice," Jasmine smirked. He rolled his eyes.

"Not unlike you."

"Should you really be talking?"

He glared at her and she giggled. She looked back up to the sky and smiled to herself. Raven stared at her for a moment. He realized that she'd never put her guard down around him the way she did now. This was a different side of her, a different side of her that he'd only ever seen once, when she was sleeping. And Raven was certain he wouldn't see this side of her again for quite some time.

For a brief moment Raven wondered which one he liked more: the peaceful Jasmine or the snappy one. Then he told himself that he actually liked neither. And that this peaceful one was very stupid for wearing a nightgown in such weather.

So he removed the blanket from himself and placed it on top of her with surprising tenderness. She looked at him with raised eyebrows.

And for the first time in many, many years, Raven smiled. It was a small smile, admittedly, but a smile nonetheless.

Jasmine's eyebrows disappeared under the mass of curls and her mouth opened slightly. After her shock, she smiled and said, "You have a really nice smile, Raven."

His smile disappeared and he said nothing. She pursed her lips.

"That was a compliment, you know."

"And since when do you compliment me?"

She paused. "Since tonight. And since when do you smile?"

He paused. "Since I was a kid, though I suppose I haven't smiled in a while."

She raised an eyebrow. "In a while? I've never seen you smile once."

"Actually, you have."

"No. When?"

"Just now."

She opened and then closed her mouth. She seemed to be thinking of some form of comeback, but finally decided upon just smiling at him. "You're right. And hopefully I'll see more of it."

"That's like me wishing that you'd shut up; it's never really going to happen."

"Jerk." She scowled and he smirked. "Now, I thought we were going to star gaze?"

He raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. She grinned and turned up to the sky.

"Do you see that cluster of stars over there? Don't they look like an upside down pot?"

"No, they look like…"

And so for the rest of the night they watched the stars, arguing over which ones looked like what, until sleep took them under its spell.