Her genuine confusion was a relief to Jigano, and he relaxed a little as she waved off his initial suspicion that Zariah had ordered her to do something to him that she was afraid of disobeying. The mystery of it all still had him on edge, but his smile returned with a little quirk of his lips as he looked on his young friend with fond exasperation. "I'm glad to hear that, but I'd still like to know what that idea is," he reminded her gently. "Your cousin's reign had the unfortunate side effect of making people - myself especially - more than a little paranoid about any surprises. Hopefully yours will soothe some of that... but it will still take a little time to gain back that optimism. Especially when it sounds like you're going to hand things back to her when she returns. Please, Edy, what is it that you want to do?" Specifically to him - and not just sex stuff, either.
He wanted to trust her as he had before, when the world was still dangerous but at least less complicated. Times had changed, though, and they couldn't go back. They could still go forward... but it was trust that they would have to build each day, so long as the threat of Zariah's rule hung over the uneasy rebels of the Settlement.
He wanted to trust her as he had before, when the world was still dangerous but at least less complicated. Times had changed, though, and they couldn't go back. They could still go forward... but it was trust that they would have to build each day, so long as the threat of Zariah's rule hung over the uneasy rebels of the Settlement.
