"How've you been kiddo? Mama's missed you a lot!"

"I missed you a lot too, Mama!"

Hatsumi was struggling to keep her voice in check from her excitement, squeezing Kiyomi with one final hug before releasing her. She hadn't anticipated being this elated at reuniting with her daughter, so she was doing her best to keep her emotions in check given the events the passed over the course of the week. Callum, his brother Stannis, and Chessa were not far behind; walking up just as the mother-daughter duo broke apart.

"Hey kid, we're back!" 

Callum waved, most of the group now visible; illuminated by a closeby lamp post as they approached.

"Welcome back Uncle Cal! Uncle Stan! Auntie Ches!"

Kiyomi chimed back as cheerfully as she could.

"That's the first time I've been called 'Stan', I almost feel hurt if 'uncle' wasn't at the front end."

Stannis said in an exhausted tone, a horse coming into view just behind him, trailing the older of the group by a lead.

"Ah-Sorry, I-"

Kiyomi attempted to apologize before Stannis's hand planted on her head, ruffling the hair between her horns. 

"Don't sweat it Kiyomi, I like it."

Stannis kept walking as he responded, Chessa, and the horse continuing to follow as they approached the gate.

"We'll see you in Lorn's office, Hatsumi."

The Elf in the group turned around, walking in reverse as she marked their departure from the other two of the party.

"I'll link up with you all if anything comes up."

Callum replied, dropping a bag to his side as they continued further away. Under his breath, a restrained complaint was uttered to himself.

"Still gonna ignore the kid, Chessa?"

Callum brushed himself off lightly before grabbing Kiyomi's attention from her mother. 

"So, kid, where's my hug?"

Callum knelt to make it easier for Kiyomi to come in for an embrace but was met with an uninterested eye roll. Callum feigned his disappointment before feeling Kiyomi's weight slam into him and making him stagger. 

"I'm glad you're all back, safe and sound, Uncle-Cal~."

Looking over the small demon, she was almost unchanged from the time they'd set out.

"Well, your mother asked you a question, kid. How've you been?"

Callum and Hatsumi both expected Kiyomi to light up as if she'd had all manner of tales, details, or questions to ask. The last thing the pair ever expected was for her to shrink away from Callum with a crooked frown. 

"Miss Maria..."

Kiyomi looked to the maid rather than her mother nor Callum, to their surprise.

"Kiyomi?" 

Hatsumi's ears tilted ever so slightly as her confusion mounted slightly as her daughter suddenly avoided eye contact with her.

"Lady Kiyomi, I'm sure you're still tired after today. Allow myself and Lady Sophia to explain what we can, you go join your friends."

With Maria's words, Kiyomi back away before turning and running back to the tent she'd just exited; catching Vaughn off guard and dragging him back inside alongside her. 

"Maria? What's the issue? I thought she'd be attached to my hip."

Hatsumi looked to Maria with her brows furrowed in concern, Callum moving to her side as he also awaited a response. Shaking her head, Maria waved for the two to follow after giving a fatigued sigh.

"Lady Hatsumi, it's best you hear it from Mistress Lorn... but for now, we'll have to do."

Maria led Hatsumi and Callum into the tent she'd initially taken leave from for some air, greeting Sophia and announcing the guest's arrival.

"Miss Sophia, Lady Hatsumi, and Sir Callum have arrived."

Maria moved immediately to a simmering pot, taking a wooden spoon from a table and continuing work she'd set aside. 

"Evening, Hatsumi, I wished your next visit wouldn't have been under such circumstances."

Sophia slowly turned to face her guests, placing cutlery back on the surface of the makeshift counter she had been using. 

"Please, take a seat. You'll need it."

The tip of Sophia's tail pushed at the leg of a chair, next to a small table. Taking the seat, Hatsumi thought through a number of things that could have happened for them to reach this kind of atmosphere. 

"Is Cressida okay?"

Sophia raised a brow in confusion at Hatsumi's words, shaking her head to bring her back to the moment. 

"How much have you told them?"

Looking at Maria, the others in the room were simply met with a shaking head and Maria making a zero with her hand. 

"Great, that means you're still going to still see Lorn after this. To answer your question, yes, Cressida is fine. This is an entirely different matter."

Sophia seated herself next to the table, tapping at its surface for a moment, evidently thinking over her words before speaking. 

"No chair for me?"

Callum awkwardly looked around the room for any other form of seating. 

"For the man that felt the need to threaten my daughter in his attempt to be overprotective?"

Sophia was sharp in her response, her ponderous tapping ceasing as she gave Callum a sour glare. Callum swallowed, realising he had been particularly demanding as a guest. After a moment of tension, Sophia sighed, motioning to the tent entrance. 

"Behind the wagon, there's a stack of foldout chairs. Grab one."

Callum nodded, making his way out of the tent. With the initial distraction out of the way, the tapping resumed until it slowly died down, then ceased entirely. 

"I'll give you what we know, Lorn will answer any questions you have later."

 

The following recollection that Sophia and Maria gave was but a fraction of the whole story, yet its weight was clearly conveyed. Hatsumi's usual active behavior even as she was seated, died away as the story progressed. The gaps were evident, but the most they had to go on was what Kiyomi told them, and what Vaughn spouted about as they'd cared for Beryl. 

"That's nonsense! If this is your idea of a joke, it's a very poor one."

Hatsumi spat defiantly, attempting to call whatever bluff she thought Sophia to have. However, she was greeted by an all too serious glare. One that looked as if she had just taken an insult to the chin.

"Lorn will recollect everything just the same and more. So will Kiyomi, and Vaughn. Beryl as well, given the time she wakes up. Lorn's account should be entirely sufficient regardless though."

Sophia placed an elbow on the table, resting her chin on her palm as she did so. 

"I can't expect you to believe it outright, I didn't. That was until I looked into your daughter's eyes and saw she was being as truthful as she could. Lorn was the only one to accept the account through and through as if she'd seen the same event before. That elf still illudes me... her eyes are like a fog... I can't see anything."

Maria finished her trailed rambling, looking to the simmering pot that Maria was still tending. 

"It should be done, Maria. We should all eat and see you and the children off to bed."

Maria stopped her stirring, moving to set a hand full of plates from the side. 

"Hatsumi-"

Callum nudged Hatsumi's foot with his own. Looking to him, Callum had his arms crossed and his expression was deathly serious. It was clear he had secondary thoughts but was choosing to withhold them for the moment.

By Solah... Kiyomi, I should have been here.

The next moment, Hatsumi stood, then left the tent. 

"Be sure to bring them back for dinner."

Were the words that capped off the interaction.

 

---

 

"You think they'll still want to let us be adventurers after all this?"

Vaughn broke the silence that had been weighing down since I'd re-entered the tent. 

"I'm- I'm not sure."

I responded, unable to just give Vaughn an answer. 

"Mama's worried, I've seen it before. It'll only be worse after Lorn talks to them as well."

Vaughn shrugged at my response, standing and stretching soon after.

"I think she'll double down."

Vaughn let out his own thought on the situation.

If you THINK, then why ask me MY thoughts... on it... 

I held my tongue from giving a spiteful reply.

He's asking my thoughts, appreciate it you ass.

"I'm worried about how Beryl will recover more than anything."

Recalling her use of magic, roasting the Bulette alive, hitting me partially as I shielded Vaughn. Beryl was already guilt-ridden from the training with the chicken to the point we have a pet because of it. I could only imagine how sick with worry she'd been, especially given her and Vaughn's past. Vaughn did not respond, all he did was breathe out. 

"Kid's?"

Mother's voice crept through the walls of the tent, proceeding the appearance of the beast-kin as she poked her head through the entrance. With her cat-ears flicking as her full head came into view, Hatsumi pressed forward through the tent entirely. 

"Mama."

I looked to Mother as she entered, expecting a flurry of questions to follow. Instead, Mother was silent as she walked up to Vaughn and myself, knelt, then embraced me. 

"I'm so glad you're okay."

Hatsumi's words came out labored, a shuddered rise and fall felt coming from her chest. 

"The one time I wasn't here, Kiyomi- I -"

Her words trembling as she kept herself from breaking apart any further.

It seems I wasn't the only one deathly worried...

I could feel warm droplets fall onto one of my shoulders through my clothes.

As far as she knows, she nearly lost her daughter again... 

I could feel my heart twisting, hearing her silent and restrained sobs. 

This isn't the time for me to wail and whine in her arms... now is not the time.

"Mama-"

I hugged Mother back, my hand rubbing across her back.

"I'm okay, we're okay. La-"

I held my tongue for a moment, hesitant at the content of my words.

"-Lady Solah helped us."

Hatsumi nuzzled into the side of my head for a moment before bringing her lips to one of my horns and picking it.

"So I heard-"

Wiping her eyes with her sleeve, Mother reigned her emotions in.

"I was told Beryl would be fine. How's she doing?"

"She mumbles from time to time. She calmed down after seeing both Vaughn and myself."

Hatsumi borderline stared at Beryl before speaking up again.

"How about we take a few weeks off of training, hm?"

Hatsumi proposed, looking at Vaughn and I. 

"That's- we would like to spend time with Beryl."

I took advantage of the proposed time off. It had already been a week, but Beryl's condition did not make for good concentration.

"The food is ready, both of you should join us."

"Okay."

"Yes'm."

Both I and Vaughn looked to each other before deciding this was a good point to leave Beryl be. With that, we agreed and followed Mother from the tent, going with the flow as the night went on.

 

---

 

"So... they were targeted by Orion, aided by Solah, blessed with a free skill each, and managed to kill a Bulette. To top that off, the goddess directly addressed Kiyomi in the skill descriptor."

Hatsumi recounted a dumbed-down version of what Lorn had told her, dropping her head back to rest on the sofa she was seated in. After their small meal with Sophia, Hatsumi and the others returned home, Kiyomi in tow. The girl was surprisingly exhausted by the time they'd returned. It had come to the point that Hatsumi simply seated herself on the sofa upon arrival, her daughter's head resting in her lap as the girl slept. 

"That's the short of it."

Lorn replied, looking on towards the huge skull that now adorned the fireplace. Hatsumi herself had spent nearly the whole recollection staring at the thing in surprise but was keener on not disturbing the child's sleep. Sitting with her legs crossed in a chair ladened with pelts, Lorn was content to spend her time well into the morning answering Hatsumi's questions. 

"So she's more than just a target of politics or some raving zealots. She's a target of the god, isn't she?"

Hatsumi was slowly brushing Kiyomi's hair as she began questioning Lorn.

"Her ancestral home, razed to the ground. Her family, all but extinct save for her... as far as we know. And now directly attacked by a beast sicked on her by a god... I'd say there's something more than her being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Lorn bounced her leg planted on the floor and brought her temple to rest on her knuckles. 

"The girl's lineage... I have the name."

Hatsumi's head perked up, looking at Lorn as she awaited further elaboration. 

"Jormanr... Lead clan of Va-ren."

Lorn shifted her position, now locking eyes with Hatsumi.

"They have direct favor from Solah... they're her tie to this world... same as the Great tree used to be for Tyr."

Lorn brought her gaze to the sleeping Kiyomi.

"Solah's ability to manifest is tied to her?"

Now both of them were staring at the child, Hatsumi doing so as if she would somehow endanger Kiyomi by looking away. Lorn shrugged, ceasing the bounce of her leg. 

"Moreso her family- or at least something to do with her family."

The two fell silent, the sound of the crackling fireplace and distant speech emanating through the walls.

"What-what do we do? Should we speak to the Baron? He'd undoubtedly give us protection- I could re-enter the court- I-"

"Be calm, Hatsumi."

Lorn raised her voice temporarily, clasping at Hatsumi's attention before she speculated too far.

"Things will stay the course, this is a God's spat. If Orion wanted her dead badly enough, he could simply flatten everything within my reach."

Lorn sighed as her mood settled.

"The best we can do for her is continue as we have been... that will keep her alive the longest. Same for her friends."

Hatsumi continued staring at the face of her daughter who slept soundly, doing her best to encapture the peaceful moment within her mind. With the fire glowing against Kiyomi's skin, Hatsumi could only think back to what she'd promised herself when she committed to her actions. 

I'll be damned if that fucking Buzzard takes my girl.

The night ended on a somber note as the two moved on, speaking of lesson plans, plans for the city, and how they'd teach the children from that point forth. 

 

---

 

"Tch, distasteful."

The woman who looked over the world in front of her; taking her eyes from it, she glared at the burning cinder that clung to her fingertip. 

"To have to snuff something out directly- That rat was dead before the light found its way into it. The fact that it kept pushing forward... Orion."

Grimacing, she snuffed it out between her fingers.

"She is alone, yet you keep yourself so far away. Why?"

A young man asked, standing to the woman's side.

"This is her journey... and that fool's dying wish. I could shake heaven and shatter earth, yet none of that would lead her to her own conclusion... It would violate our pact, as well."

The two looked to each other, knowing already the needless nature of their back and forth conversation. It was simply ritual, to keep them grounded in their thoughts.

"I am content to continue lending aid... but please... I beg of you to ensure this is the CORRECT path for HER and not some facade that you've gone along with, Solah."

"I have, many times over... Tyr."