The woman had tossed and turned within her sleep. Evening was finally here, but she had yet to awake. Beads of sweat dotted her body as she panted, her small hands clinching tightly to the sheet beneath her.

Ciaran had been woken by her groaning earlier. He felt helpless as he watched his friend. The shifter knew some of the woman’s past, but with her it was hard to tell if she was trapped within one of her own nightmares or if she was seeing things one should never witness. Gentle he used a wash cloth to wipe away the sweat. “Rei, it’s ok. I’m here.” His voice was soft and velvety as he tried to coax Midori from whatever nightmare she was trapped within.

Her body convulsed for a moment before she screamed, sitting straight up with her eyes wide open. With dull lavender eyes she stared at the wall of her tent. Tears streamed freely down the fortuneteller’s cheeks, her petite body shaking as she wrapped her arms around herself. Midori’s breathing was ragged as she did her best to force herself to catch it and calm. When Ciaran’s arms wrapped around her as he moved to sit behind her she flinched. “Don’t,” she breathed. The woman wanted to do this on her own instead of relying on him.

“I am your familiar, your friend. Let me help you Rei. You don’t have to suffer alone.” The man wouldn’t hear her protests. Gently he pulled her against his chest and rubbed her arms. “I don’t know what you seen, but it is ok now. No one is going to hurt you anymore.” He had gathered from some of what she mumbled while sleeping she was dreaming of her past. The shifter continued to comfort the woman until she calmed.

What only took ten to twenty minutes felt like it took hours to Midori. It was hard, but she forced herself to relax within the male’s arms, let him comfort her. This time was better than how it used to be. When they had first met when she had nightmares especially ones of her past she would end up kick and punching Ciaran to get away from him. Or she would just end up sitting there unmoving like she was nothing more than a husk. “Thank you Cia and I’m sorry.” Gently she pulled away from him, embarrassed by her own weakness. It seemed that the woman still had a way to go. She sighed before facing him, a smile now on her lips. “Everyone else is up already. Plus we have a special guest joining us today. Why don’t you go on? I’m sure you want to practice with Chance before the show.” She moved about the tent gather what she needed to get ready for the night.

“Not a problem and there is no need for you to apologize.” Ciaran watched her. “You sure you’ll be ok?” He didn’t sound convinced that Midori was fine just yet. Despite his protests she made it clear she wanted to be alone. Shaking his head he moved to the door of the tent. “Fine, I’ll leave. Be sure to get some breakfast. I’ll see you later.” Reluctantly he left to go to the animal tent.

With Ciaran gone she went about getting ready. Once finished she used the spell she normally used to hide the scars that littered her body. Dressed within her normal attire she left to head to the main tent. She knew that their guest had already arrived. This gave her something to keep her mind off the dream she had. Entering the tent she smiled. “Morning everyone. Hello Rosie, nice to meet you hun.” She moved to stand by Meili and Adira.