5 - ...Jin?

Jin turned, unfastening the sleeves at his wrists.

"Ah… if you prefer the traditional bedding, I can have tatami brought up…"

"No!" Saera replied quickly, not wanting him to think she was displeased. Though the room was different from the traditional style, it was large and spacious, and not unpleasant in the least. "No, I'm happy with what you have…"

Jin finally looked at her, a full, open look. She met his eyes confidently, searching for some hint as to his thoughts, but he flushed and turned away as if shy, completely confusing her.

"Jin…" it was late, and she was fatigued, but they had barely had the chance to speak. She pondered over what to say. "Thank you for the welcome."

"Of course." He turned away from her, unwrapping his jacket and laying it over the back of a chair. She tried not to stare openly at his thin undershirt, for his shoulders were stronger and wider than she had first judged, his waist slim, and his legs muscled. Despite her resolve to dislike him, the aura emanating from Jin was warm and non - threatening. What will he do now?

Jin noticed her staring at him and gave her a hesitant smile. His smile was undeniably sweet, warming his entire face. "We can just… sleep now," he said, laughing a little.

Still hesitant, Saera chewed on her lip. She approached the other side of the bed and took a seat.

"Jin, I… well, I suppose we've already been told quite a bit about each other…"

The tips of his ears reddened, and he looked down at the sheets in his hand. It seemed everything she did flustered him, as if he was the one afraid of her.

Saera floundered. She had prepared herself for a haughty man, an chauvinistic one, a man who would take her on the first night. She hadn't thought of how to handle a man who was sweet, polite, and shy.

For the first time, Saera considered that maybe her resentment was misplaced.

"I'm sorry if I make you uncomfortable," he murmured.

"No, I…" Taken aback, Saera struggled to respond. A silence fell between them.

The marriage had been haggled over like a business transaction, with little consideration for Saera's feelings, and she had been resentful of this. She had been certain she was the victim here, traded by her family for an economic partnership, but Jin's shy, wounded manner was making her uncertain.

"I can take you to tour the grounds tomorrow, if you'd like." Jin did his best to sound happy and inviting. He tried again to meet her faze but faltered, her beauty and suspicion making him shy.

"…Alright."

"I'm sorry we didn't speak much during the meal… I was traveling previously, you see, so I had lots to discuss with my family…"

"I see."

" Do you need anything else before you sleep…?

"…No, thank you."

"Alright…" Awkwardly, Jin stepped behind a dressing screen to change his clothing and then left to the wet room. Saera did the same. When Jin returned, he extinguished the lamp, but not before Saera took another long, hard look at him. The loose, light sleeping clothing made him look younger, but it couldn't hide the strong line of his shoulders.

Jin ran a hand through his hair and sat on the bed, only a single candle illuminating the room. Saera realized he was waiting for her to get in bed. She hesitated, but it was unavoidable, and she slowly slipped under the covers.

Saera watched Jin carefully. If he decided to take her now, she knew she would have no choice but to let him. She felt unprotected in her thin silk sleeping garment and tugged the blankets up to her chin.

Jin gave her a small smile. "Sleep well…"

He extinguished the candle, got into bed and turned on his side, facing away from her.

Saera sat for a moment longer in the near darkness before slowly sliding down into the bed. She lay on her back, glancing furtively at the man beside her, but he didn't stir. A weight seemed to lift off of her chest, and she let out a breath and closed her eyes.

The poor quality of their first meeting weighed on her mind. [He seems almost afraid of me, but he still acts sweet. And he's handsome and strong, but so shy!] She glanced over again, but Jin didn't stir. [Is he really sleeping? We spoke barely a few sentences to one another!] She had imagined many scenarios in the two months leading up to her departure, but this wasn't one of them. Her musings continued late into the night, the new surroundings cold and unfamiliar.

-

Jin barely slept that night.

He lay awake for the most part, listening to the slow, regular breathing of the girl beside him. He felt confused and uncertain of how to speak to her, for as lovely as she seemed, he knew she had been forced into the marriage against her will, and both had been pushed so abruptly into each other's personal space. He wondered if she was scared or displeased, and he dealt with his shyness by speaking to her little, using sleep or family as an excuse to avoid her. The shame of the morning's events only made him feel worse.

He had not, however, expected to find her so pretty.

Uncomfortable with a stranger next to him, Jin dozed in and out of sleep, before finally giving up and slipping out of bed at the crack of dawn. He suspected that Saera had also been uncomfortable throughout the night, but her breathing was finally in the slow, regular rhythm of sleep. He moved quietly across the room and headed towards the door, hoping to escape without notice.

"…Jin?"

Her voice took him by surprise, more vulnerable than she'd sounded the night before. The soft tone of her murmur, muddled with sleep, triggered something deep inside of him. He promptly forced the unruly feeling down and away. It felt foreign when he turned to look at her, not yet used to the sight of a beautiful woman in his bed.

"It's still early. We don't have to be up for hours yet. Go back to sleep."

She sighed and hugged a pillow close to her. "I… alright." He heard the question in her voice, the unspoken uncertainty. She was in a new place, Jin reminded himself.

Still wearing his sleeping clothes, Jin made his way down through the halls onto a lower level. It was so early that only a few staff members bustled about, quietly making preparations for the day. He headed towards an inner courtyard, calling out softly as he walked. Two cats emerged from the shadows to greet him, purring happily as he bent to scratch them under the chin with a gentle touch.

Jin let the cats into the garden, watching them stretch with the morning sun and prance about. Two younger cats chased a rodent through the foliage. A third cat, sleek and dark, appeared and took a seat calmly at his side, swishing its tail back and forth. The cat purred when he stroked its head. Here, he could think clearly, and try to untangle his thoughts.