I trailed Lloyd, who had agreed, albeit begrudgingly, to show me where I was to be staying while I was assisting the warriors. He shuffled ahead of me down in the ship and opened a door to a small room. Meekly, I slid inside, the old wooden planks creaking under my feet. Lloyd watched me from the doorway, his eyes narrowed and gaze harsh. With a sigh, I sat myself on the bed and took my straw hat off to comb out my unruly hair with my fingers. "Is this someone's room? I do not want to impede them staying here, too."

Lloyd frowned and took a step into the room, casting his eyes about. His posture grew tense and he let out a harsh breath. "It was my fathers, but he won't be needing it."

"Oh." My gaze fell to my hands. "When will he be returning?" I ventured, hoping to make friends with him. If I was going to stay here for a while, I'd like to make friends.

"He's not." Lloyd snapped and immediately my hopes were stomped on. "He's never coming back so what does it matter that this was his room?"

I opened my mouth to say something but was cut off before I even could start as he stomped out and slammed the door behind him.

An hour later, antsy and bored as my hands had nothing to do, I ventured out of the room and into the kitchen after peeking in several of the windows to ensure I was entering the right place. My heart warmed as I found a tea plant growing in the window sill of the kitchen, green leaves poking out towards the rays of sun coming through the glass. Delicately and gently, I plucked a few leaves from the base of the plant and rubbed them between my fingers, a soft hum forming in my chest.

As I rubbed the leaves together, I reached up into a cupboard and snagged a cup, standing on my tiptoes. My movements fell into a swift grace as my hands worked to make the tea, boiling the water. The hum grew louder as I worked and soon I placed the now purple leaves into the tea to steep. The cup warmed my hands as I slid down onto the floor, breathing in its aroma.

A sip and I was instantly calmed, worries and fears dissolving into nothingness. In an instant, I stood again as Jay pranced into the room, his stride practically a dance. I held the cup close to me and offered him a gently smile and averted my eyes from him. He seemed to notice and hopped up to sit on the counter next to me. With a hand, he patted the cold stone next to him and I frowned, confused.

"Why are you on the counter? That is not sanitary."

In return, he rolled his eyes at me and beckoned me once again, with a chuckle. "So? Sensei doesn't mind." He took my cup from me as I ventured onto the counter to sit beside him. His eyes found my drink and he stared at it, holding onto the cup when I held my hands out for it I be returned. "Where did you get purple tea?"

Once the cup was returned to me, I turned and pointed to the tea plant. "It seems you grow your own tea plant. Although it is just the typical variety that can be purchased almost anywhere." I took another sip from my drink and my humming began again as the tea slowed my thoughts.

"Yeah, that's swell and all, but that plant has green leaves." He stopped to poke the plant and I quickly pulled his hand away from the plant. He then frowned at my cup, eyes narrowed. "And that is definitely purple. Unless I've gone color blind." He gasped and eyes went wide as the moon. "Oh man!"

I shook my head and pulled a leaf from the plant again, rubbing it between my fingers. His eyes found mine as they shone purple and I placed the leaf in his hand, which was now a soft purple intertwined with green. "Oni have the ability to change form in differing ways. My mother can change her own form whilst I am able to change the form of some things around me." His hand closed around the leaf and he smiled at me. "Such as tea leaves. This tea I have changed to soothe ones nerves and be far more calming than ordinary tea." I swished the liquid around in my cup before finishing it off.

"That is... so cool!" He shouted as I placed the cup in the sink. I winced and hopped down from the counter.

"Jay, I am a little lost." I mumbled, hands clenched together in front of me.

His blue eyes tore away from the leaf and meet mine. I looked away. "Shoot, Miss wizard."

A frown crossed my face, but I ignored his odd and not understood comment. "Lloyd seems to be extremely wary of me, yet he is Oni as well." A deep breath in, and I continued. "I do not understand."

Jay laughed and slipped off the counter as well. "Lloyd has... girl problems. Plus, since the Oni turned his dad, he's been super untrusting for a while." I stumbled to the side as he elbowed me with a wink.

"I am not sure I understand...."

"Look, he's gone through a lot. All you need to know is just be kind to him. He'll warm up."

I nodded, eyes drilling holes into the floor. Jay's face popped up in front of mine as he leaned down to make eye contact with me. I flinched.

"Also, if you want to stop looking less suspicious to him, you should start looking people in the eye." He stood again, and I made every effort in the world to look up and meet his eyes.

"Okay."

"Hey, Jay! We need you in the bridge. Zane's falcon spotted something odd just outside the city." Lloyd popped his head around the corner and I met his eyes. His flashed green and he looked away. "You too, Y/n."