warmth. || Sinbad x OC

hidden.

"Wait. You guys traveled during the day?" Shirin asked.

The four men looked at her in confusion, which was expected because why wouldn't they travel during the day? "It that a bad thing here?" Mystras spoke up.

"No, no!" Shirin responded, shaking her head. "It's common knowledge here that if you're traveling southeast in the desert, you would travel during night since it gets so hot. If you leave at the right time, you'll arrive at an oasis that people usually stay at when the day is it's hottest." She explained.

"So I suffered in that for nothing!" Hinahoho exclaimed.

"Wouldn't it be dangerous to travel at night? Shouldn't there be bandits or something?" Mystras questioned.

"No, it's rare to get attacked by bandits so far east. Even so, I assume you could all handle ourselves?" Shirin responded, getting nods from around the table. "Actually, if we want to avoid the heat then we should leave soon." She was surprised at how much they listened to her, feeling very content since she was usually overlooked in conversations.

They decided it was best to leave now, since it would only take a day of travel when Hinahoho isn't dragging behind the group because of the heat. They gathered the small amount of belongings they had, bought some food from the market, and set out on their journey to the capital of Aramea.

It was much colder now, which much more tolerable to the group. Shirin found this journey through the desert much more enjoyable this time through, as she wasn't being followed and wasn't on the verge of passing out. Not only did she feel safe with the men, for some reason, but their talking and jokes made it fun. She listened to their stories about visiting Sasan and Artemyra right before coming to Aramea.

"Oh I never asked you about your magic! What is it?" Sinbad enthused, facing Shirin as they walked.

"I'm not sure... I think it's a form of magoi manipulation but I wasn't able to do it before." Shirin answered, the group suddenly becoming interested. "Only when I got my djinn was I able to..."

"Soooo.... how does it work?" Sinbad asked, a little confused as he earlier that day he watched her revitalize a tree, and he assumed it was life magic.

"I think it's like a give or take away thing..." She trailed off, thinking they were getting bored. "Here I'll show you," she said and reached out, signaling for him to give her his hand. He put his hand in hers and for a second was surprised how soft her hand was, yet was met with pain in his hand. Sinbad yelped out once he felt the pain in his hand, but the pain didn't last long. He was met with a warm feeling coming from Shirin's hand.

"You took away my magoi? And then gave it back?" Sinbad questioned.

"I think so." Shirin continued, "I don't know much about it yet, as I haven't been able to use it for long and have only used it for plants and... extreme measures." She looked away from the group, focusing on the bright moon that seemed to be following them.

"What about your djinn?" Sinbad asked.

"What about her?"

"Do you know how to djinn equip?"

"No? I dont know anything about the djinn or metal vessel." Shirin admitted.

"It's amazing what you can do with a djinn!" Sinbad exclaimed, grabbing Shirin's hands, "Maybe I could teach you how to use your djinn?" Sinbad stared at her with a big smile on his face. Shirin stops, embarrassed at how forward the man was, but quickly nods and pulls her hands away from Sinbad.

It felt like a very long trip to Shirin. Not only was she worried about how her family would react to her being back in the palace, but she was confused on what she was feeling towards Sinbad. Why did she feel like that? She never felt that way towards any man. Why did she feel so safe with him and the other men as well? Shirin, being her distant self, couldn't help but be suspicious of the situation she was now in. Why did she even agree to go with them?