"Jason, can I talk to Riyala… in private?"

This is a bad idea. Jason didn't know why this thought suddenly popped into his head, but he couldn't deny that it was his innermost male instinct speaking to him! Jason wasn't a Casanova who had been with multiple women, but he had dealt with many women who were interested in him in the past, and the one thing he learned from this was that women were the most unpredictable creatures you could ever encounter! Jason had no idea how the female mind really worked, and even now, he couldn't tell if Gina was still angry about what happened. Gina's face looked calm and her voice sounded calm, but there was every possibility that she was seething on the inside! Jason decided to try speaking to Gina through their mental link again.

'Is everything alright, babe? Talk to me.'

Gina still didn't say anything in response to Jason, and she just shook her head and waited for him to give her a response to her question. Jason sighed to the side as he realised that Gina was serious about having this talk with Riyala first, so he nodded and spoke.

"Fine, you can take her. I'll be waiting in the room."

"Eeh!"

Riyala cried out in surprise when she heard Jason say that Gina could take her, and Jason almost smiled when he saw Gina grab Riyala's hand and begin dragging her away like a prisoner! Riyala looked back at him with pleading eyes, and he just gave her a smile and a nod to reassure her that she would be fine. Gina was intense, but she wasn't a murderer… right?

'Maybe I should send a phantom to make sure things don't turn violent. Hey, you, go with them, but stay far enough so you can't hear anything they're talking about. If things go south, then tell me immediately.'

Jason quickly sent a phantom after the two girls, and he sighed as he watched it go. Jason was exhausted already, so he just left to return to his bedroom. He would figure out what it was they were talking about some other time.

…

"Uh, Gina. Where are we going? Gina, won't you talk to me? I promise I won't try to run, you can stop pulling me… please?"

Riyala tried to get Gina to listen to her, but it was almost impossible to make Gina slow down. Gina dragged Riyala all the way to the other side of the castle, and Riyala was surprised when Gina pulled her into a large empty room and closed the door behind her. Riyala was finally released, and she rubbed her wrist with a slight frown. The room that they had entered was a large resting room with some couches and a large table for various events at one side, and Gina walked to the center of the room and stood calmly. The light coming from the roof shone down and illuminated Gina's face in a refined way, and it only served to make her look more intimidating as she spoke to Riyala.

"Tell me why you did it."

Gina's question was straight to the point, and Riyala felt strangely guilty when she saw the accusation in Gina's eyes. Riyala didn't feel guilty because she kissed Jason; instead, she felt bad for going behind Gina's back like this. But Riyala knew that the feeling of guilt wasn't that strong, and Riyala could find her confidence coming back to her when she realised that this was her chance to explain things to Gina. Riyala took in a breath and sighed before speaking.

"There are many reasons why I kissed him, and I could tell you the full story about what happened to me in the Ashen Valley forest, but instead, I am just going to give you the only reason that matters. I love Jason. I love him with every fiber of my being. With every bit of my heart, I love him. And I want to be with him."

Riyala stared Gina right in the eye, and Gina could see the utter seriousness in Riyala's gaze. There was an unwavering resolve in there, and Gina knew that this wasn't just some physical attraction like what she would normally see in the eyes of many women. This was the same thing that Gina felt for Jason. This was love. True love. But Gina still didn't understand all of what happened, and she spoke.

"I heard from some of the staff that you became the Priestess of Fire, the highest authority in this world. It gave you power, but it also made you lose all your emotional attachments to the people around you. Is this true?"

Riyala's face squeezed slightly as Gina laid out her situation in such a simple manner, but she eventually nodded. It was better to be truthful since Gina was asking genuinely. But Riyala was shocked by Gina's next question.

"Does that mean you also lost our friendship? All the times we spent together and everything we did. Is that gone as well?"

Riyala felt even worse when she heard this question. Riyala tried hard to bring up any form of emotion when she heard about their friendship! Guilt! Love! Happiness! Sadness! None of these emotions even registered to Riyala at all, and Riyala almost wept for what she had lost. But Riyala couldn't cry. She chose this path, so there was no way she would regret it. Riyala looked right at Gina, and she nodded once to tell her that those emotions were all gone, and she saw Gina's face fall in sadness. The two of them had been very close back on Earth, and Riyala knew that Gina was the one who had convinced Jason to make her stay in the first place. Without Gina, Riyala might not have ever gotten to know Jason so well. It was very painful to have lost what they had.

"But that doesn't mean we can't be friends again, Gina. I… I love the dragon gods, and I love Jason. I want to protect my people and make sure that all dragons and dragonborn thrive for as long as I live. Nothing will take a higher place in my heart than these things. But that doesn't mean I can't have friends, or sisters. I… I want to be your sister, Gina. I want to support you and Jason for the rest of my life. So please…"

Gina's eyes widened in surprise when she saw Riyala go down to her knees. Riyala joined her hands on the floor and bowed her head down into her hands before speaking in an emotional voice.

"...I know things are different on Earth, and it is unkind of me to ask this. You are the one who holds the key to his heart, and he will never fully accept me if it will hurt you, so I beg you to accept me into your relationship. I can never love anyone as much as I love him, and my life will be meaningless without him in it. Please, let us become sisters again. Please."

It was the most humble thing that Gina had ever seen anyone do in her life. Here she was, a simple woman from Earth, and the highest authority from another world was on her knees pleading with her for her acceptance. Was this really how much she loved Jason? Was Riyala so desperate to be with Jason that she would throw away all her pride just for the chance to have Gina's acceptance? Gina closed her eyes, and a small sigh escaped her lips before her mind went back to the conversation that she had with Hadjar and the other old women around the bonfire. Gina had been shocked when the women told her that they were all married to the same man, and Gina had asked the women how they managed to handle things so well. The answer that the women gave Gina was a simple one, but it resonated with Gina. The women told Gina that a relationship between one man and multiple women depended entirely on the relationship between the women. If all the women were not on the same page about their relationship, then there would be issues at every moment.

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