That hit harder than Edith would have liked and her grip tightened on the blanket.
“I…” she started, then stopped, she didn’t have an argument, she had hidden every detail, deliberately and carefully, hoping no one would ever find out.
Jessica leaned forward slightly, her voice quieter now, her hands on her lap, fingers interlinked “Why?” she asked. “Why did you think I’d turn you away?”
Edith’s chest tightened. “I didn’t think…” Edith admitted.
Jessica shook her head. “Don’t,” she said. “Don’t brush it off. I need to understand this, Edith.”
Her voice cracked slightly on the name, and it was that that did it. Edith’s carefully held composure fractured.
“I was scared!” she blurted out. The words came out almost raw and yet honest for the first time in a long while as Edithsucked in a shaky breath, her eyes stinging. “I was scared you’d look at me differently,” she continued, her voice softer now but no less intense. “That it would change things. That I wouldn’t be… just Edith anymore.”
Jessica’s expression shifted, something pained flickering through it. “You are just Edith,” she answered immediately.
“But I’m not,” Edith whispered, and the words hung there. “I’m not just some random little dragon you found,” she said, her voice trembling now. “I’m not harmless. I’m not simple. I come with…” she gestured vaguely, frustration building, “All ofthis. A past. A family. Problems that don’t stay neatly tucked away where I left them.” Her breathing hitched and she almost hiccupped. “And if they found me, if anyone found out, then it wouldn’t just be me at risk. It would beyou. All of you.”
Jessica’s eyes softened. “Edith…”
“No,” Edith shook her head, tears slipping free now, despite her best efforts. “You don’t understand. The people I ran from don’t justasknicely. They take. They decide. They don’t care who gets hurt in the process.” Her voice broke. “I couldn’t let that touch this place,” she whispered. “I couldn’t let it touch you.”
Jessica’s expression crumpled slightly at that. “Hey,” she said softly, reaching out instinctively.
Edith flinched at first, then stilled. Jessica’s hand rested gently on her arm, her palm warm and her presence steadying.
“You don’t get to make that choice alone,” Jessica said quietly. “You don’t get to decide that I wouldn’t stand with you.”
Edith let out a small, broken laugh. “I know that now,” she said. “But I didn’t then.”
Silence stretched between them, and Jessica squeezed her arm slightly.
“You should have told me,” she said, not accusing, just sad.
“I know,” Edith whispered as another tear slipped down her cheek. “I just.” she swallowed hard. “I finally had something good. Something that wasmine. And I didn’t want to risk losing it.”
Jessica’s eyes filled then. “You wouldn’t have lost it,” she said.
“You don’t know that,” Edith replied softly.
“I do.” Jessica pulled her into a hug. Edith froze for half a second and then slowly melted into it.
Because apparently, even in human form, she was still very much a creature who needed to be held when everything got too much. They both cried, a gentle release of pent up emotions that had been a long time coming. Just a quiet mess of tears as the weight of everything settled between them.
After a while, Jessica pulled back slightly, wiping at her face. “Okay,” she said, voice a little steadier. “You need to start from the beginning. Tell me everything.”
Edith let out a long breath. “Alright.” She shifted slightly, still clutching the blanket, grounding herself. “I’m not just a dragon,” she began. “I’m a dragon shifter. From the Smokeclaw clan.”
Jessica’s eyes widened slightly, her knowledge of creatures from throughout the world meant she knew that name.
“Of course you are,” she murmured.
Edith huffed weakly. “Yes. Very on-brand, I know.” Then her expression sobered. “My father is… not a good person,” she said carefully. “He runs the clan like a war strategy. Everything is about power. Alliances. Control.”
Jessica’s jaw tightened. “And you?” she asked.
“I was useful,” Edith said simply. The bluntness of it hung in the air.
“They arranged a marriage,” she continued. “Another clan. Stronger position. More influence. The usual.”
