Jasmine pondered the flask while she sat in the driver's seat; beside her, Claire was paying attention to the road. Jasmine filled Claire in on everything that Victoria had talked to or hinted about, leaving the two in a pondering silence. Behind them, Lily and Ana were dutifully tending to Samira, who was still passed out.
"Lot less room with her here," Hannah joked. She truly didn't mind since Toni was currently in her lap. "Great excuse to keep each other close, though."
Toni wiggled in her lap. He could feel her erection pressing against his butt. It had been a little while since any of them had any fun. "It's necessary. We need to accommodate our guest."
"I get that," Hannah traced her finger along his inner thigh. "But, Elsie and Ursa may not be the best to pair up."
Both glanced at the pair. Elsie was awkwardly situated in Ursa's lap. While the two had been getting closer, there was still a bit of tension. It was more like watching two teens awkwardly trying to interact with one another. It was quite cute.
"Maybe not," Toni reached back and pulled the back of Hannah's head. "But it will help with their cohesion, I think."
"Mhmm," Hannah whispered in his ear. Her fingers were getting dangerously close to the tent in his skirt. "I know something that will really help our cohesion."
Toni shifted to look his knight in the eyes. There was a brief, lust-filled moment. They were so close that their lips were nearly touching. Then, their little bubble burst.
"Jolder!" Samira shot up with her arm outstretched. She looked around, confused and panicked. Her tail latched onto the first thing it could in Ursa's leg. It coiled around it until the woman growled.
"Oy!" Ursa shouted at Samira. "Let go."
Samira blinked. She vaguely remembered both the white-haired woman and the small blond in her lap. She glanced to the side, seeing the same blond woman. She tilted her head and glanced between the two.
"Oh right, twins…" Samira grabbed her forehead. She was struggling to remember what had happened for the past month. Most of it was vague, but it was all slowly coming back.
"My leg," Ursa repeated in a more threatening tone.
"Sorry," Samira waved her hand. She let go of the tanned woman's leg, leaving a red mark. "I panicked."
"Good thing you grabbed Ursa," Hannah chuckled softly. "I doubt any of the others here could have endured that."
Ursa rubbed the red mark on her shin. She had to admit that it was quite painful. Elsie slid off her lap and helped soothe the woman's pain. It was an unexpected moment of tenderness between the two that no one noticed.
"Samira," Lily tugged on her arm. "Do you remember us?"
Samira narrowed her eyes. She could feel a nagging itch when looking at Lily. She recognized the woman, her glasses, and the striking purple eyes. Just not her name. "I-I think so?"
"That's better than nothing," Ana reassured Lily. "G-give her time."
Lily nodded. "It could be linked to the trauma she endured. She remembers her mother, at least."
Samira's shoulders sank. Hearing the word 'mother' set her mind into a spiral. She remembered the pain and control she put her family through. Tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Why did you save me?" Samira slumped against the door. "I should be dead."
"No!" Lily shouted. She didn't mean to, but it came out louder than she wanted. "Samira. We're here to help you. We think we can do something about your magic."
Samira remembered more about what had happened only hours ago. Her conversation with the sneaky woman and the people she'd never seen before. Something about purifying her magic? It was all so vague.
"Samira," Lily grabbed her hand. "We can help you. We can even return you to your family. So please, don't beg for death."
Ana grabbed her other hand. "Th-they miss you. It was clear from the moment they noticed you left."
Samira shook her head. Her vision was blurring, and her mouth was dry. She could only hear herself breathing and her own heartbeat. She couldn't think, she couldn't see, and the walls were closing in on her.
Ursa stood up and walked over to the panicking snake. She pushed the two aside and out of the way. "Samira. You're panicking."
"I-I-I-I can't," Samira's tail flicked. Hannah moved Toni behind her, then pushed past the three women. She caught the tail and wrestled for control. "Please. Just let me out."
"Samira," Ursa said in a commanding tone. "Listen to me."
Ursa was trying her best to mimic Claire's tone and inflection. It helped her when she was losing herself. But it was ineffective in calming Samira down. Her tail began to thrash and Hannah could barely hold it back.
"Claire!" Hannah called out. "Stop!"
There was a jolt forward as Hannah continued to wrestle with her tail. She struggled to contain the writhing tail as it wrapped around her body. The carriage came to a stop and Jasmine slid through the driver's window. She joined Hannah in trying to pin down Samira's tail. And, pull it off of Hannah.
Claire came in soon after. Ursa gestured for her to come over, then pushed her into Samira. She gestured with her hand for Claire to start, but Claire was confused. She tilted her head at Ursa.
"Like with me." Ursa insisted.
"Huh?"
"Commands. You know, like when I transform." Ursa insisted further.
"How will that help?" Claire glanced back at Samira. She shook her head and gave it a shot. She took a deep breath and spoke. "Samira. Look at me."
The woman's body clenched for a moment, causing Hannah pain. The tail locked around her waist and squeezed her. Then, it relaxed. Samira stared blankly at Claire while Claire was baffled that it worked.
"See."
"How…?" Claire mumbled to herself before continuing. "You are safe now. Just calm down and let go of Hannah."
"W-who?" Samira whispered.
"Me!" Hannah groaned as she struggled against the tail.
"Oh," Samira lowered her head. The tail loosened around Hannah's waist and allowed her to escape. "I apologize."
"It's okay," Claire whispered. She pulled Samira's gaze back towards her. "You've been through so much. It's okay to panic."
Samira couldn't hold the gaze. She glanced downwards. Claire's intense green eyes felt like they were bearing into her soul. But she did feel calmer, somehow. There was a new panic quickly taking over within her. She felt her chest tighten and her face warm up against Claire's touch.
Hannah stepped out of Samira's grasp and rubbed her sides. Toni attended to her while they let Claire take care of the lamia. Jasmine and Lily slowly approached Claire and Samira. Ursa gestured for them to stay back while Claire kept calming Samira.
"Sorry, sorry," Samira repeated. She tried to pull away from Claire, but Claire pulled her back. "I didn't mean to…"
"It's okay," Claire pulled her attention back. She didn't notice Samira's reddening face. "We don't blame you. Right, Hannah?"
"Huh?" Hannah called out. Toni elbowed her and whispered an answer. "Oh, yeah! I'm tougher than that."
"See?" Claire smiled. "She's okay. You're okay."
Samira's eyes were shaking under Claire's gaze. She felt a weird mix between being calm and nervous. It was a weird feeling she didn't truly understand.
Lily approached slowly and joined Claire. "No one blames you, Samira. We just want to help you."
"Lily?" Samira asked. It felt like the first true clarity she had for a long while. "Right? That was your name."
"It is," Lily smiled. "And this is-"
"Claire," Samira glanced at the redhead. Then, she pointed to the rest of the people she knew. "Jazz? Ana? Elsie?"
"Actually, it's Jasmine," Claire clarified. "But yes. Then this is Ursa."
"Right," Samira blinked. "I remember more now. H-how are the villagers?"
"They're good," Lily explained. "We took over that stronghold. It's where they will reside until spring."
"Good," Samira relaxed completely. She fell into Claire's arms and could feel how weak her body was. "Why…?"
"Why what?" Claire whispered.
"Why do you smell so good?"