Besides the fact that they hadn't been given permission, Maizah decided she really didn't want to stay the extra day, anymore. After the confrontation with Olden Rivers— Violetta, her mind kept correcting spitefully— she'd gone straight back to the inn and made a beeline for her own room separate from her siblings. She couldn't bear the thought of looking into Kamaria's eyes, right now. She knew she'd have a thousand questions, all of which Maizah would have the incorrect answers to.

She laid in bed, simmering in her bad mood, until she realized if they were going to leave today, it'd be best to set out as early as possible. Maybe they could even stay a day or two in another more welcoming omen's inn. Explore their city without feeling like a monstrous imposter that so many clearly thought they were.

She rolled to her feet, starting to gather the few things she'd taken out of her pack when a tiny knock sounded at the door. She straightened immediately, debating whether or not she should announce her presence when the unplanned visitor spoke.

"Maizah?" Issa asked, voice tiny and a little blurry with what must have been sleep. "Are you there?"

Maizah breathed out slowly, her shoulders falling and her nerves relaxing. "Yeah, Issa. Come in."

Issa entered the room warily, glancing briefly at Maizah before he moved to sit at the edge of the bed. He didn't immediately speak, so Maizah didn't either. She went back to packing, content with the silence but also slightly unnerved. Issa was almost never quiet. Not unless he was in deep thought about something and trying to figure out how to voice it.

Maizah resigned herself to patience, but it didn't take long before Issa seemed to come to a conclusion.

"Are we leaving today?" he asked.

She felt a small pang in her chest, already certain of where the conversation was headed. Nevertheless, she answered, "yeah."

"Why?"

Because we're not welcome here, she could have said. Because it won't take long for you to see the hatred in their eyes and it'll break your heart.

Instead, she forced a smile and said, "we have to get back home. Don't you miss Devlin?"

"Yeah," Issa huffed, "but my feet hurt. And we've never been here before. I wanted to see stuff."

"Not much to see."

"There has to be!"

Maizah looked away from him, hiding her face as her eyes shut and she sucked in a breath. When she looked back at him, she hoped her expression was in check even if her smile had fallen. 

"We came to say goodbye to Jacinth," she said, voice quieter than it'd been before. "The Rivers have allowed us a single night here for that purpose. We can't afford another, Issa. I'm sorry."

Issa's eyes were wide and hopeful and a part of Maizah hated to see it. 

"But Jacinth's Teio! She can—"

"Jacinth doesn't have any real power here," Maizah said, slightly harsher than she meant. She'd been trying to forget what'd happened at Tempest. Trying to pretend she hadn't been there and she hadn't heard what she'd heard. That everything was perfectly fine and she had nothing to worry about. She knew it was all one big pathetic lie. "It's not like in Firelight."

That was another unpleasant thought. Especially since, despite all of her efforts, it seemed Issa had noticed the difference in how Jacinth was treated compared to the rest of them. To make it worse, he didn't seem to realize what a problem that was. 

"But..." Issa huffed again, blatantly pouting. "I didn't get to say bye."

"You will," she promised even though she wasn't entirely sure. "At the gates. Now go get your stuff together. We need to be leaving sooner than later."

"We'll come back again, right?" he asked, hopping to the floor and coming over to grab her wrist. The hope in his eyes persisted, bright and beautiful like the dance of a fire. Maizah felt her stomach twist and tried to ignore it. "To see Jacinth, I mean?"

Maizah nodded, stretching her hand out to squeeze his wrist back. "Of course. And we can sightsee all over Ataraxia, then."

Never mind all the looks and glares. She could shield them from all of it if she tried hard enough. She had protected her siblings all her life.

What was one day?

Not even a full hour later, Olden Z. Rivers came around again. She smiled, soft and polite with such a false kindness Maizah didn't know what to do with it.

"I was given the impression you might be leaving soon," she said. "Didn't want to miss you on the way out."

That sounded suspiciously like a suggestion rather than an inquiry. Maizah had to wonder who exactly had given Zinnia that impression in the first place. She wondered, but not for long, and then she had to fight with everything in her to keep from scowling.

"Yeah," she said and hoped it didn't sound as clipped to Zinnia as it did to her own ears. Judging by the look of concern she saw Kamaria send her from the corner of her eye, wishing was fruitless. She smiled, a little wider than necessary to make up for it. "Long journey and everything. The inn was nice. Thank you for being so generous."

"Of course," Zinnia said with a small nod. "If all of your things are in order, I was wondering if you would like an escort?"

Because we can't be trusted to leave on our own? Maizah thought uncharitably but nodded her assent all the same. Olden Z. Rivers had been nothing but kind since she'd met her. It was her sister who had looked at them as if they were nothing more than pests and treated them much the same. Zinnia didn't deserve her ire and, even if she did, it was a bad look for Maizah of the Furoa Omen to so willingly give it out. 

"Wonderful," Zinnia said before turning to leave. The Sterlings followed closely behind.

When they got to the gates, Jacinth was already there. Maizah let out a sigh of relief to realize she was the only one there. She watched as Issa sprinted over to hug her as hard as his short arms could manage around the waist. She returned the embrace loosely, staring over at Maizah.

She looked better than she had at Tempest, but Maizah could still see... something in her eyes. It could have been excitement, anger, or sadness. Maizah had never been great at reading her, and Jacinth had always been amazing at concealing her feelings. Still, after she had hugged Kamaria as well and murmured something in her ear, Maizah closed the distance between them to give her a hug of her own.

"Hey, listen to me," Maizah said, tone lowered and unfamiliarly serious even to herself. Jacinth did as she asked if only because she didn't really have a choice. "Never show your anger. You are you; never what other people may attempt to make you out to be."

She could see the corner of Jacinth's lips pull up a little from her peripheral. A twitch of a movement that seemed uncontrolled. "I'm not... Furoan. I don't have to worry about that."

Maizah almost flinched but managed to refrain at the last second. Jacinth had always been like this. Her words— her tone— were nothing new. There was nothing to worry about. Nothing to fear. Still...

"I'm just saying," Maizah said. "You grew up in Firelight. People will set conjectures for you before they even meet you. You won't have a say."

"But—"

"Just do good," Maizah interrupted and pulled away from her abruptly. She gathered Issa and Kamaria around her just as quickly and started away. It felt weird to swallow. Even weirder to speak like a large ball had settled in her throat. Her eyes darted from Zinnia standing at a polite distance just beside the open gates, to Jacinth standing tall and proud, to the dirt roads that would mark the beginning of their journey home. "Thank you, Olden Rivers. Good luck, little sis. See you!"

Maizah didn't spare her sister another glance. A part of her wished she had because she hadn't returned her goodbye. She didn't quip or snort or laugh. Silence clung to her back like a parasite. Still, she couldn't bring herself to turn, afraid the image she'd see wouldn't be the one she'd painted in her memory. 

She didn't really notice it when Issa poked at her hand, but she felt it when he curled his hand in her own. A few seconds later, Kamaria wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned the tiniest bit against her shoulder from her other side. 

That was her own mistake; her mood wasn't meant to escape the prison of her mind. It wasn't meant to affect her siblings.

"Long trip ahead, huh?" she said, smiling a smile as bright as the sun. 

"Too long," Issa whined. He squeezed her hand.

She squeezed back.

"We'll be home, soon."