The White Snake's blue eyes shifted from the dead bandit to Ezra's smiling face. "Did you kill this man?" he asked.
Ezra shrugged. "Yep. He seemed to be going after you all, so I figured I'd do you a favor."
Hak frowned. "We could've handled him."
Ezra laughed. "Oh, I've no doubt."
The White Snake's eyes narrowed. "Was that sarcasm?" he asked.
Ezra tilted her head, peering at the silver-haired man. "Why would I be sarcastic?" she asked innocently.
This only seemed to confuse him. He frowned, not bothering to reply.
"Why were you in this area?" Hak asked her.
"I was wandering," she replied. "And then I saw your group, and I was curious about you. I was going to follow you for a while before making myself known, but..." she trailed off, glancing at the bandit she'd killed. "Well, that happened."
"You were wandering by yourself?" the girl asked, a crease appearing in her brow.
Ezra glanced at the girl, whose eyes were a darker shade of violet than hers, and nodded. "Yep!" she responded cheerfully.
"Why?" the girl asked.
Ezra held up her hands. "Hey, hey, I'm not asking why your friend over there has a claw for a hand or why your other companion is always wearing a mask. Sometimes, it's not nice to ask questions of someone you've just met."
The silver-haired man frowned at his claw, his fingers curling.
"Oh." The girl looked disappointed. "Well, I'm Yo--"
"Rina!" Hak interjected quickly, shooting his companion a look. "Her name's Rina."
Ezra quirked an eyebrow. "Rina, huh?"
Yo--Rina looked sheepish as she smiled. "Uh, yeah."
Ezra knew they were hiding something, but, true to her words, she refused to ask questions.
"This is Hak," Rina said, gesturing to the midnight-haired man, "and that's Kija." The man with the claw nodded in greeting.
"Lovely to meet you all," Ezra said. "Well, not so much you, Hak. I'd probably be happier with you if you hadn't pointed at me with your glaive."
Hak shrugged, not looking the least bit apologetic. "You are keeping us from our dinner, you know," he told her.
At the mention of dinner, Ezra's stomach growled. Loudly.
Ezra looked sheepish. "Uh, sorry."
"You're hungry, aren't you?" Rina's eyes sparkled with understanding. "Come on. We'll give you some food."
"No, you really don't have to--" Ezra protested, but Rina grabbed her hand and began towing her towards their camp.
"I insist!" Rina told her sternly. Ezra sighed and surrendered, following after the red-haired girl obediently. Hak and Kija fell into step behind them with a chuckle.
"Yun! We've brought a friend!" Rina called as they entered their camp.
The strawberry-blond boy Ezra had seen earlier turned his attention away from the delicious soup he was cooking, frowning at Ezra in distrust. "Who is this?" he asked.
"I'm Ezra," Ezra said, saluting smartly.
Yun's frown only deepened. He glanced at Rina. "Are you sure about this, Pr--"
"She's sure!" Hak announced loudly. "Rina couldn't turn her back on someone who needs a meal even if she tried."
Rina huddled on the ground as Yun handed her a bowl of soup, patting the ground next to her. Ezra sat, accepting the bowl Yun gave her with a blinding smile.
Yun didn't smile back.
"Don't pay any attention to him," Rina said to Ezra. "He has a hard time warming up to people, is all."
Ezra shrugged. She gestured with her chin towards where the masked man sat huddled in his fur with a bowl of soup held in his hands. "Who's that?"
Rina glanced his way, an emotion Ezra couldn't place in her eyes. "He's Seiryu."
Ezra frowned. "His name is Blue Dragon?"
Rina sighed. "No. He... well, he doesn't exactly have a name."
"Hmm," Ezra mumbled, sipping at her soup. That man had an interesting story, she was positive. She wondered idly what it was.
Hak sat down heavily across from the girls, setting his glaive on the ground. He accepted a bowl of soup from Yun before glancing across at Ezra. "So, can you actually use that sword you carry on your back, or is it just for show?"
Ezra shrugged. "Can you actually use your glaive, or is it always so easy for people to turn the tables on you?"
Rina snorted while across the camp, Kija couldn't suppress the smirk that spread over his face. Yun frowned at the newcomer, wondering if she'd truly gotten the jump on the Thunder Beast. If she had, she was either very dangerous, or a potential ally.
Hak leaned back, appearing impressed. "Point taken."
Yun looked at the ground, deep in thought.
Ezra let out a laugh. "Yes, I can use all the weapons I have on me. Quite well, I might add."
Hak nodded, accepting her answer. "How many weapons do you have on you?" he asked curiously.
Ezra quirked an eyebrow. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she said, smirking devilishly.
Hak laughed. "I think you and I are going to get along."
"Great," Yun muttered to himself. "Another wild beast." The Thunder Beast already seemed to trust this girl; how was that possible?
"Were you wandering to anywhere in particular, Ezra?" Rina asked.
Ezra shook her head, her raven hair falling around her face. "Not at all."
Kija frowned. "You had no destination in mind, whatsoever?"
"Nope," she quipped, finishing off her bowl. "That soup was delicious, Yun."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," the boy muttered, swiping the bowl from her hands.
Rina was frowning at Ezra, looking like she was desperately trying to figure the other girl out. "Where are you from, Ezra?"
Ezra shrugged. "Small Fire Tribe village."
At that, Yun glanced up. "Which one?"
Ezra waved her hand dismissively. "One in the south, by the Southern Mountains." She looked at Yun, her amethyst eyes calculating. She scrutinized the boy from head to toe. "You are also from the Fire Tribe," she concluded.
Yun's blue eyes went wide. "How'd you know?"
Ezra shrugged. "From your reaction just now."
Yun let out a breath, shaking his head. "You got me," he admitted, displeased that she'd read him so easily. He gathered the rest of the bowls. "I'm gonna go wash these. Don't destroy the camp while I'm away, you wild beasts." With that, he turned on his heel and headed in the direction of the stream.
Rina stood, brushing off her cloak, before making her way over to the man known only as Seiryu. "Are you cold, Seiryu?" she asked. "Do you want my cloak?"
He shivered. "Thank you, Rina. I'm fine." His voice was very quiet, like he didn't want to disturb the world around him with his words.
"I'm going to go gather some firewood. Would you like to come?"
"S-sure." He grabbed his still slightly damp clothes before heading into the woods to change. When he returned, they went off in search of firewood. Hak joined them, spouting something about having to protect Rina.
Ezra looked to Kija. "I don't bite, you know," she told him playfully.
Kija smiled nervously. Ezra could tell he didn't trust her, and she didn't at all blame him. "Why are you wandering with no destination, Ezra?" he asked.
She gave a small smile. "Because I've got nothing better to do. What about you guys?"
"We... have a destination," he admitted vaguely.
Ezra nodded. "I assumed."
A silence hung in the air. Kija seemed hesitant to reveal to her their group's intentions, just as she wasn't willing to explain her circumstances. It was a stalemate; neither of them were willing to give in.
Ezra wrapped her arms around her knees and hugged them to her chest, feeling full and content for the first time in weeks. Game had been scarce lately; she hadn't been eating as much as she should. Kija's expression softened as he saw the genuine happiness in her amethyst eyes.
The silence between them stretched on, but it grew to be very comfortable.
When Seiryu, Rina, and Hak returned, Ezra had almost fallen asleep with her head on her knees. She glanced up, blinking sleepily.
"Seiryu has a name!" Rina announced, smiling happily. "His name is Shinah."
"Moonlight?" Yun asked, returning from washing out their dishes. He gave Shinah an approving glance. "It suits him."
Ezra watched Shinah sit, trying to figure out the story behind that odd mask. It didn't seem to have any holes for his eyes; how could he see out of it?
Suddenly the man tilted his head, as if he were studying her just as surely as she was studying him. She blushed and looked away when she realized that he probably could see her, and she had spent the last few minutes staring at him like a fool.
"I have a question to ask you all," Ezra blurted. Everyone turned to her with matching quizzical expressions.
Well, Ezra thought nervously. No turning back now.
"Would you mind if I traveled with you on your journey for a bit? I have nowhere to go, and traveling with you promises to be more entertaining than it would be if I was on my own."
Rina smiled brightly, her violet eyes sparkling in the light of the crackling fire. "It would be great to have another girl with us!"
Hak grinned mischievously. "So long as you're not all talk, and can actually use those weapons like you claim."
Ezra rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him.
"I see no problem with it," Kija said hesitantly, almost as if he could see a problem, but was too shy to bring it up to everyone.
Shinah just nodded silently.
All eyes fell on Yun. The strawberry-blond's shoulders slumped under the weight of their stares, and he let out a sigh through his nose. "Fine," he muttered.
Ezra smiled genuinely. "Thanks for having me," she said.