Amal left plenty of safe distance between herself and Ethan when she followed suit and leaned up against the wall next to him.  She pulled her knees towards her chest and wrapped both arms around them before looking back to where Chiron and Harris still waited in line.  Chiron she’d known the longest out of their group but never once had she thought to ask him about his tattoos; it hadn’t felt polite.  Biting back a smile, she considered he was probably one of the best if he had so many accomplishments.  Not to mention, he must have been relatively humble.<br/><br/>She glanced sideways, scrunching up her nose when Ethan told her chocobos smelled terrible.  As he’d suggested, she hadn’t expected it, but she felt grateful he had warned her before she’d had the opportunity to meet one for the first time.  At the mental image of Ethan chasing a chocobo, Amal brought her hand to cover her mouth and laughed openly.  She had no idea what the Mi’ihen Al Bhed Agency looked like but imagined it was probably where the dragoons kept the chocobos.<br/><br/>“It serves you right,” she teased, looking up at him with narrowed eyes.  When he didn’t seem to get her meaning immediately, Amal clarified, “Keeping a chocobo locked up like that… I can’t imagine anyone would like being held against their will.”<br/><br/>As she finished her thought, the smile melted from her face, and she turned quickly to look down at her dark boots.  Agustin hadn’t kept her anywhere against her will, not exactly, but the memory of all the times she’d asked him to take her back to the temple in Bevelle instead of leaving her, once again, with the evil mage who had trained her in black magic surfaced unexpectedly.  She was never prepared in those days for him to tell her no.<br/><br/>Agustin only ever told her no; then and since.<br/><br/>Her chest constricted when she remembered what it had felt like to watch him walking away down the narrow alleyway and back to the main street every time he’d leave.  Amal brought both of her hands over her heart and leaned forward away from the wall. Shaking her head, she banished the thought.  She could have left at any time; she tried to tell herself.  But she knew it was a lie…<br/><br/>This journey, ill-fated as it had somehow become, was the most free she’d ever felt in all her life.  Away from the suffocating history of a religion she only believed for her brother’s pride, the fear it would have just been a matter of time before Agustin found a way to bargain something terrible for what little lie of freedom he’d have her believe…<br/><br/>Laughing again, she shivered and tucked her bangs behind her ear, “I never did dry off after that first water flan; if the sun goes down, well… Brr!”<br/><br/>Amal wrapped her arms around herself and exaggerated the idea she was warming herself up.  In truth, it was still warm.  Maybe plain hot.  She held her hand out in front of her and summoned a small flame to the center of her palm.  It was warm, too hot and she closed her eyes for the feeling of the light against her skin.  Silently, she accepted Ethan probably hadn’t bought a word of her terrible attempt at an excuse.<br/><br/>“Um, excuse me?”<br/><br/>Amal opened her eyes to find a young woman with brown hair kneeling down in front of herself and Ethan.<br/><br/>“Your summoner, um, if you don’t know white magic.”<br/><br/>“Yuna,” the black mage said.  Her voice seemed to calm the young white mage.<br/><br/>“I’d like to offer to heal your summoner.”<br/><br/>Amal raised an eyebrow at Lulu.  Why should this Yuna have asked for her permission to heal Ethan’s wounds?  Wait, did Ethan still have injuries?  Turning to look at the priest, she gave him a quick once-over before looking back to the black mage.<br/><br/>As though the other mage could read her mind, Lulu clarified, “The village is anxious to see the sending performed.  Preferably before nightfall.”<br/><br/>Frowning, Amal looked back at Chiron and Harris who were just now being served.  Shaking her head, the black mage turned towards the survivors and smiled sadly when she noticed how quickly all of them looked away from her when they seemed to see her notice them.  Sighing, Amal said, “I hope you can eat fast, Ethan.”