Location

09 | tempe, arizona.

Temperance had been driving for about 7 hours when the girl had woken up, opening her eyes slowly and visibly brightening when she saw the red head. Brief introductions were made- her name was Shyira, she was originally from Iran, and she was so grateful for Temperance.

They had crossed the Utah border over an hour prior, stopping for gas, and Shyira was now sipping a herbal tea in the passenger's seat.

It had been a split second decision to take the girl, but Temperance didn't regret it in the least. It was obvious how afraid Shyira had been of the man, and she would've never forgiven herself if she had left.

Though, she wasn't quite sure what to do with her now. She herself didn't have a home other than the van, and so asking Lorelai to take care of her was sounding better and better. It had been almost 13 years since she'd last seen the middle-aged woman, and all she had to guide her was an address on a scrap of paper from the facility.

She glanced at the girl as they came to a stop. Sure, she was extremely curious about her background, but didn't want to pry. Instead, she opted to talk about simpler things.

"So, Shyira- do you uh- want anything?"

The other shook her head meekly, content with her tea.

Handing the girl her phone, she continued. "Here- can you find restaurants near here? We'll stop in a bit."

The girl scrolled through the listings for a little while, before settling on one. "This one's called the River Rock Roasting Company, it looks nice."

Temperance input the address into the GPS, immediately making a sharp left to follow the directions.

They arrived at the restaurant a few minutes later and were seated quickly. Temperance ordered a chickpea salad sandwich and espresso, and Shyira a veggie delight with Jasmine green tea.

As the two ate, conversation began to bubble up between them. It started slow, but by the time Shyira finished her veggie delight, they were engrossed in a conversation about nothing, and yet everything.

They continued on like this until they had no more food to eat, and no reason to buy more.