"And when she smiles back?" Rymar asked. "What are the pair of you going to do then?"

"What will you do?" I countered.

"Be. Her. Friend." He overly enunciated every word. "See, before Ayla can become anyone's girlfriend, lover, wife - or anything else - she needs to become Ayla."

"Yeah," I agreed.

"And that's not going to be easy for her," he went on. "Just look at this shit! She's supposed to hide away? Hell, she saw two men kissing and was shocked because it was loving. Not men. Not in public. What surprised her was they looked as if they wanted to kiss! She is having to rip apart everything the Moles have taught her, but you know what? She's doing it. Over and over and over again, she is doing it."

"And she wants to come out a warrior," I finished for him.

But that made his head twitch. "Huh?"

"Ayla," I clarified. "What she wants is to be a warrior. She wants to be able to defend herself and protect others. She wants to be like Zasen, Ry. That girl was raised on stories of hellfire and brimstone. She only knows of a vengeful god, so she's working hard to become something close."

"Shit..." Rymar breathed. "No, I think you're right. I also think she's doing it because her friends can't. She talks about them still, you know. Meri and Callah. She once told me she wants to save them."

"And Zasen told her he wanted to help, but here's the problem." So I told him about the repercussions of us stopping the Moles the next time they showed up.

Because if they didn't have food, it sounded like the women - mainly the girls - would go hungry first. If the men failed at their hunting, they would definitely lash out at their wives to make themselves feel stronger, better, or more manly. Whatever crap they'd tell themselves.

And Ayla's friends would be right in the middle of it.

"Shit," Rymar muttered when I was done. "And we can't get in there. We can't get those girls out. So what are we going to do?!"

"I don't know," I told him. "I just know this is a big deal for Ayla. From the sounds of it, those two girls are the only 'family' she's ever had. I can't help but think her friendship with them is what gave her the spine to push back. To get herself kicked out."

"Okay," Rymar said. "So, sounds like we need to stop thinking about defeating all Moles and start thinking about the women as something different. Not Moles, I mean."

"And how's that going to help?" I asked.

He turned down a side aisle, still leading me towards the candy seller. "I don't know, but if nothing else, it will change opinions about Ayla."

Which was where we had to start. As much as I hated it, I couldn't stop her friends from dying. She also might never know. From the sounds of it, what happened inside the compound stayed there, and no women ever came out - except Ayla.

But Reekay, the tailless man who owned the Sweet Shoppe, noticed us heading towards him. "Morning, Deputy Mayor. Kanik. What can I get for you two today?"

"Chocolate," Rymar said. "I have a woman in serious need of it."

"You?" The man laughed. "I guess this one is special, hm?"

"Our little refugee," I told him. "So, yeah. We happen to think so."

His hands paused. "The Mole girl?"

"The same," Rymar said. "She's just starting to realize we won't abuse her like the Moles did."

"Heard she killed some," Reekay said as he began to make up a box of sweets.

"A few," I agreed. "She didn't understand why they were here. When she found out, it sounds like she was pissed."

He added a few more pieces. "Well, for those of us on the south side, you make sure she knows we appreciate it." He folded up the little box and set it to the side. "My wife said she was protecting Saveah's boy?"

"She was," Rymar agreed. "And she helped sew up the injured afterwards. Sounds like she's almost as good at it as Zasen."

"So a healer too!" He nodded. "How does she like the food up here?"

"She loves it," I said. "She also refused to eat meat unless she was beaten. Before she got out, I mean."

"Vegetables, fungus, tubers, and meat," Rymar said. "That's all they eat. No types of food, no candy, nothing."

So Reekay began filling another box. "Well, women love my pastries. These are filled with fruit and cheese, so you see if she likes them." Then he reached for something else. "I've got a sampler bag over here too. Has some sour candy in it, some hard candy, and a few other things."

"I'll take it all," Rymar assured him as he dug out his money.

But Reekay just set the boxes before us and reached for a small paper bag so we could carry it all. "No, sir. You do not understand. No charge today. See, not all of us think she's a bad thing. And there's been rumors Drozel is preparing for the day they attack! Maybe I'm taking that wrong..."

"You're not," I assured him. "Ayla found out when they'll be here. She might be off by a day, but she thinks she knows, because she knows their hunting pattern. She just never knew what they were hunting. So now she wants to help us stop them for good."

"So you give her that candy," Reekay told us. "Then you find out which ones she likes, and we'll make more. If we can guess even close to when they're coming, it will save so many lives! After losing my boy, my cousin, and her entire family..."

"I can't guarantee she'll be right, though," Rymar admitted.

Reekay just waved that off. "She's trying. My wife said she heard your girl was hurt bad down there. Said the Moles are abusive to their women. Well, the way I see it, if she's willing to help us to get revenge, then I'm willing to give her some candy to make sure she keeps doing it."

"Thank you," I said, lifting the bag.

"And I'm not the only one who thinks that," Reekay added. "A few of us have been talking, and she's not so orin anymore."

"Like who?" Rymar asked.

Reekay listed off some other shop owners. Rymar nodded, taking note of them. "Perfect, because today we're buying our guest a few things of her own, and now I know whose stalls to visit first," he said. "Thank you, Reekay, and we'll make sure Ayla knows you gave these to her."

"Thank you, sir!" Reekay said, grinning at Rymar like he was a celebrity. "And tell the Wyvern to keep that lady safe."

"Oh, he will," I promised. "He says what's in her mind is a treasure. Might be the only hope we have to finally end this."

"And fuck up the Moles while we're at it," Rymar said as he turned for the next shop. "And maybe even to make her a Dragon."

Sixty-SixAyla

That night, I headed to bed early. Mostly, I just wanted to curl around the water bottle Kanik had bought for me. It and the pills made my cramps hurt less. The panties were more comfortable than even the pads Zasen had given me. But while all of that was great, being alone meant I didn't have to pretend to not be nervous.

The guys had insisted menstruation, as they called it, was fine. Saveah had even brought Tamin over to practice the bow with me. When I'd taken a break, she'd whispered that Zasen had borrowed the "pads" from her, which meant she was willing to answer any questions I had.

And I had a few. It made me feel like a child again, confused about what was going on with my body, but I was now mature enough to ask another woman. Maybe not the men - or at least not without blushing and stammering. But a woman was easy to talk to about women's things.

Which had led to a discussion about all of it. The things the men had bought for me, the way I was expected to act, and even how it was okay for them to know. Saveah laughed as she told me about her husband buying feminine products for her, and how he always came home all puffed up like he'd just saved her or something.