The person that stepped out of the shadow was not the critter that Max had assumed inhabited said shadow when she noticed they were creatures and not just her retinas being weird or some fucked-up magic side effect she was unaware of.

First off, they were a person. Or a least person-shaped. Humanoid and as “human” as she was. Max did not expect that.

Second off, they were jaw-droppingly beautiful. And not in a "Wow, I'd like to ride them like a clown-themed merry-go-round" way... more like candlelight reflecting off of stained glass in a hushed, ancient cathedral kinda way.

They knelt on the floor and lowered their head as if they were a knightly courtier addressing a court. One knee down on the ground, one bent. One fist held to their side, one held to their chest.

Their long black hair floated to the ground and pointed ears peeked through the top. Their face would make a choir of angels weep, and Max was still unsure of their gender. Their skin was light but pearlescent gray that would, on anyone else, make them look sick. This person made it work. Their features were delicate and dainty, with sooty eyelashes kissing pointy, defined cheeks as they looked down at the floor. Their arms and legs were of the exact right proportions to be both pleasing to the eye and to convey a sense of physical power. Their clothes were well-made, tailored immaculately, and all in dark shades of gray and black. All taken in together, absolutely beautiful.

Even if they were absolutely weighed down with an arsenal of deadly-looking bladed weapons.

Max was at a loss. She had bathed and pissed and changed her clothes with the shadows in the room. If her traumatic cycling of deaths and landings hadn't annihilated her sex drive, she probably would have rocked the man in the boat with them in the room and not thought twice about it. She trusted that they were harmless and let them hang around her and the kids like she would a pet, and not like the now-obvious threats they were.

She disregarded all of them as mildly sentient shadows that gave her a good vibe. At most, she assumed they were like some of the mildly magical, borderline sapient creatures she had been given hundreds of quests to clean out of barns, spaceports, and basements before.

Damn, have I lost the right to think Puppy is dumb? A few feel-good vibes and apparently I don’t ask questions that I should really, really ask. Gods and monsters, I'm too old to make such dumb mistakes. She thought about how Puppy signed his life and the kids' lives away to a stranger and didn't read the contract. Nah, maybe we are just both dumb.

“I have been designated as the voice for us, if it pleases you, Lady. You may call me Rigel. Would that be permissible to you?" His voice, she assumed he was a he now that he'd said something, was full of bass and resonance.

She snapped out of her gawking and tried to pull her shit together. She sent an SOS in GodChat for Miles to help her navigate what the smart thing to do would be. Because she didn't trust herself to do that anymore. Feel good vibes, it seemed, fried her higher reasoning abilities and made her a dumbass.

"Why the formalities? You've been in my residence for a month and have seen my interactions with Miles, Green, and in the past few days, the children. You should know I don't hold to courtly manners. You can speak freely if you want to." For shit’s sake, you’ve seen me take a piss, she added silently.

To make it feel less formal, she flopped down on her crafting bench stool.

"We cannot hear the Golden One speak, and the children are The Children of your House. Lord Greenleaf holds the head of a different court entirely. We would not presume to be in equal standing with any of them as it pertains to this conversation.”

"Okay, that's fair." She waved her hand in the air. "Please stop kneeling though. I'm not one to kneel to. It’s making me uncomfortable."

He stood with his hands clasped behind his back and with his head demurely angled to the floor.

"The offer to join your House is welcome, but we are not the only ones of our people. Our king would also rejoice to hear of it. Would you extend the offer to the rest of them?"

Ah, shit. "How many people are we talking about? I don’t wish nor want to shelter a nation. I could eventually make room for it, but in all honesty, I don't want to be entangled in anyone's politics or schemes. Surely, you've heard me say that I am trying to live a small life here."

"You would be sheltering the last of us. We are eleven in total.” He paused for the span of a handful of heartbeats and added, “Four are children and need healing; they are in sleeping pods. We believe that you can heal their injuries after seeing the mercy you granted the one you named Dipshit Number 2. None of our healers survived the evacuation. This world does not have the technology or magic to fix them.”

”You evacuated your world?”

”Yes, Lady.”

"Was it a system world?"

"Yes, Lady. Although, when the gods fell, the voice of the world went silent."

"Damn. What attacked?"

"Ender beasts led by a Dark Lord."

"Oh, shit. And there are only eleven of you in total who survived?”

"No, Lady. We were a hundred that came through the portal, but now we are greatly diminished. This world has not been kind to us."

That [Dark Lord] knew his shit. Ender beasts are wickedly brutal but hard to control to a victory condition, and he got them to kill both a pantheon and a system? That's a great run. Almost a flawless victory, except for a hundred survivors.

Max replaced what she was sure was a shocked-but-impressed look on her face with a properly sympathetic look. “That sucks.”

”As you say.”

Max: What do you think?

Miles: Green is gonna die laughing. You told him YESTERDAY —and with great feeling, I might add— that you weren't adding people to your house.

"I'm not sure how I feel about this. Give me a second."

After an argument and apologies in GodChat, Max decided to let her golden, arachnid Jiminy Cricket lead the way to what the right thing to do would be. She was at a loss and not trusting herself with the feel-goods going around.

"Okay. I can do eleven asylum seekers, I guess? I could do some quick and dirty [Earth Shaping] and add a visitor's quarters in the greenhouse... and it would have to be away from the apartment and the bunker… how would I loop the wards to allow...” Max started to make plans on how to shelter everyone when her brain caught up with her. "Wait. You said you still have a king?"

"Yes, Lady."

"And you think he will want the rest of you to join my house? He would negotiate that?"

"Yes, Lady."

Miles: Open an invitation for negotiations to the king and get the wounded children healed.

Miles: I know you wanted to avoid anything like diplomacy, but it's the right thing to do, even if they don't pan out as kin.

Miles: And we could always use more numbers to grow your demesne. There's also safety in them, so I'm told. If you want more platitudes, it takes a village to raise a child. And you have three.

Max: Fuck.

Although she didn't have the exact context for these or any other 'eternal species' cultures, Max was pretty sure of what was going on. She hated it, but she was the one who opened the box when she invited the children to be kin. She would just have to deal with the consequences.

Fucking flags. I'm never talking to anything I think of as a harmless critter ever again. Next thing I know, a contingent of squirrels will ask to be my handmaidens. And Miles will fucking insist I allow it.

"Okay. Here's what we'll do. I'll issue my invitation to your King, a King's Guard, and the four kids in stasis to come here and talk it over. No promises for anything, other than healing. On my honor and the honor of my house, no one will come to harm unless harm is offered to us first." She said, "I’m offering to freely heal the children who are injured, simply because it's the right thing to do. We can discuss all other matters after aid has been rendered.”

Max: You wanna bet they are the Light and Dark Elf enclave? I still haven't read those books I got with my class, but the ears gave them away.

Miles: No bet. The census matches the numbers you saw for them on the world status screen. I'm surprised it took them this long to approach you.

Max: Well, technically, they got here weeks ago. I just didn't realize who or what they were.

After he had a silent conversation with the other two shadows consisting of mostly body language and head nods, Rigel responded. "Yes, Lady. It will be done. One of us will stay and the other two will fetch the king." He pointed at the smallest shadow. "She would like to join your House immediately if you choose to allow her to, and without the leave of the King, but will still provide honor guard if you decline. With her attendance as a diplomatic hostage in your court, you are assured of our return. Depending on the king's acquiescence and alacrity, we should return within the hour."

One of the wonky shadows that Max had come to love in her own way disappeared into nothingness. The man stepped back into his own shadow and then faded from view. Only one shadow was left.

"Okay?" Now, it was her turn to look like a baffled, stupid puppy. She addressed the remaining suspected Dark Elf. "An hour doesn't give me time to prepare, you know. Just sayin'."

A feminine voice made of bells and soothing darkness whispered back. "Apologies, my Lady."

Miles: I can't wait to hear Green absolutely roast the shit out of you.

Max: I know I wanted to stop using the "F" word, but ... this is a flag, right?

Miles: Oh, yes. This is a total flag. 100%. But let's see where it goes. I'm having fun.

Miles: Mostly at your expense.

Merrick: Uh, guys? Hello?

Max: Ah, shit. Forgot about Puppy.

Merrick: Yeah, I can see these words and it's fucking weird but... There's a guy in the store who wants to talk to the brewer and he has a badge and says we are breaking the law.

Max: Well, fuck. I guess I issued a challenge to the universe and now it obliges.

Max: Be right there. Don't eat him yet.

Merrick: Yet?

---

 

After a month of searching for clues of what came through a demolished portal and coming up wanting, the leader of the last of his people was relieved when two of his three shadows returned with news. He was shocked when the one known as Rigel uncloaked from his shadow and approached the king's makeshift throne in his makeshift cabin outside of a small city on a coast, mostly filled with humans. He was even more shocked when Rigel spoke. The king had not heard any of the shadows speak since the portal from their home was destroyed.

"We have found the being who arrived through the wards on God's Fall Cavern. We observed her cloaked these past few weeks. I have returned to report." The shadow waited to speak until the leader nodded for him to continue. "She seems to be either a goddess or a godling, although she has not announced her divinity. She has shining blood, but a mostly elven heritage." He continued, "She has invited our people to join her court. It appears she is planting her fae mound in the city with the blessing and guidance of the Shining King. The Lady said she will heal our injured without recompense because," he cleared his throat, "it is the right thing to do." He paused for a beat then continued. "She invited you and one guard to parley, but suggested sending the sleepers immediately," the shadow spoke his report as if the words he was saying weren't weighty enough to shatter through a king's complete desolation.

"What shade of elven heritage? We don't want you to feed us to a shadow god, darkling." The leader's last soldier barked, intruding into the news of deliverance to flavor it with hatred, and having the audacity to use a royal "We." She did not have leave to speak with his authority. The leader was the leader of less than a dozen, but he was still the king.

"Enough," the leader said.

The shadow elf's throat cleared. "Be forewarned. The Lady does not abide hatred based on species or breed in her fledgling court," Rigel spoke softly but pointedly. "She corrected one of her own Children about it today. If it were to come from a petitioner, it may close doors the last remaining elves wish to pass through. I would hate to see our chances of gaining a new patron deity or at least, access to the magics we have lost, be dashed by the sharp but careless words of a lowly palace foot soldier." The shadow lifted his head and addressed the soldier. "But to answer your burning question, it appears she is both."

"So, your godling is an abomination," she growled.

The shadow turned his head back to the floor to readdress the king. "The Lady felt like balance to me, my king, and not like those that were cursed from before. She has the same aura as the Halls of the High Court." He said dreamily. "From what I have witnessed, she has the knowledge, temperament, and power to destroy anyone who would directly challenge her. Her mound is alive with magic and it is less than a month old. You may want to carefully consider your choice of the guard to accompany you." Rigel, the shadow, gathered his next words carefully. He started to say something that was probably scathing to his soldier but stopped. Instead, he said, "She is waiting."

"Well, let's go see your abomination of a godling, then." His soldier was out of line. Had been out of line for centuries, probably.

The leader, the King, turned to his soldier. "Please gather the sleeper's pods and tell Cora she is to accompany me."

"But, sir..."

The leader had had enough. Enough waiting for salvation or utter defeat. Enough hopelessness. And enough from his soon-to-be-reprimanded soldier.

"Tell me, Ines... have we fallen so far from what we were that you think you can question my orders? Are you challenging me for a lost throne? Or do you think that your hurts from wars fought in ages past, in other lands, on another world, override any salvation we might find here? Is your disgust worth never waking the sleepers?" His gaze and ire arrowed into his soldier and hit their mark.

"No, sir." The soldier looked like she finally realized just how far she had overstepped.

"I will return with news. You should hope that you are wrong. If you are, it changes everything. If you aren't, and this godling is the abomination and the scourge you think she is, this world will probably end like the last one."

 

---

 

Max was regretting the sleepless night she spent scheming as she walked into the shop, flipping her phone closed after a call with Green, telling him she was being busted for ... drug peddling? Unauthorized use of calligraphy? Having a business with no customers? What laws could they have possibly broken when they had yet to make a single sale?

Puppy stood behind the counter and looked extremely uncomfortable. The supposed man with the supposed badge was peppering him with questions.

"I don't know, sir, but the owner is on the way." Puppy said.

"Where did he source his materials? Where did he learn his craft?" The man was losing his patience that Puppy wasn't answering to his authority. Max would have found it hilarious that a human was trying to use techniques to establish dominance over a void wolf, and the void wolf couldn't answer any questions if he wanted to anyway due to the few [Bargain]s he had agreed to. Instead, she was just pissed off that the uppity dickhead was making Puppy feel unsafe and uncomfortable in his own home.

"Can I help you, sir?" The man spun around away from the counter and Puppy and toward Max. Miles was again pretending to be a harmless necklace. Max's shadow did not fall or move the way it should have.

"Yes, you can, little lady. The man who brewed these potions. Can you go get him?"

Max sighed as hard and as long as her plus gajillion con lungs would let her. She rolled her eyes so hard that if it were possible, she'd get a good view of her brain. After another deep breath, she fixed her face into the dumbest expression she could make on the fly and grinned like a dumpster fire at the man. She pitched her voice to be as vapid and irritating as she possibly could. "I'm the brewer and owner, sir. How can I help you?"

The better-than-average dressed man, who Max would consider as not unpleasant looking had he portrayed himself in a better light from the beginning, quickly readjusted his face and his expectations of Max and took a moment to respond.

"As I was telling your muscle over there, the law in Central City says that any magic items, potions, or trinkets human-forged must be regulated and reviewed by the magic university before the point of sale. Where is your license to do business in the city limits? Do you have the appropriate documentation that your products were properly vetted as safe for consumption?" He waved a badge around that may or may not be a valid identification.

Oh, for fuck's sake. Save me from bureaucrats with a minuscule minutia of power.

"My license is displayed behind the counter, sir. In the frame. As the law says it should be." Max looked at the man as he was preparing to intimidate who he thought was a helpless citizen, with what was probably going to be the law bent in a way to paint her into a corner she wouldn't like to be in. "You are being unruly in my place of business and causing a scene. Should I notify the constables? My lawyer, Mr. Green, from Greenleaf Law, is also en route, as I suspect you aren't here for a licensing issue and are probably here to make vague threats or ask for protection money like the other criminal elements in the city."

"Criminal elements?" The shark puffed up as if her insulting him by calling him a criminal was grounds for him to argue louder than he already had been.

"Yes, like the scoundrels who broke my windows and demanded protection payments. Are you with them? Or are you saying you're one of the constables? Why hasn't anyone come by to take my statement? I called in a report of vandals days ago!"

"No! I'm from the University!" The pompous university shark said.

Max nodded as if she agreed. "Okay. What's that got to do with us? And my potion shop?" She pointed her finger around.

He took a moment like he was deducing an intricate puzzle. "You said Greenleaf Law?"

She nodded her head like the man was slow. "I do believe that is what I just said, yes."

"So you're not a human-run business at all, then?" The university shark's expression fell.

"I never said we were, sir." She looked over at Puppy, who was enjoying the verbal victory over someone who, not five minutes ago, thought he had the upper hand and used it to throw his weight around against a helpless teenager trapped in the role of customer service.

At that moment, Mr. Green walked through the front door, jingle jingle. The man spun around, saw him, and paled.

"Ah, Milton! Good to see you, old chap! I see you've met my cousin, Ms. Traveller?" He waved his hand to the man like they were old acquaintances, and the man looked like he wanted to be somewhere, anywhere else.

"Cousin?" He squeaked.

"Yep, cousin." Green grinned a smile with too many teeth while coming to stand just a hair too close to Max's side. Proprietary.

The university man's shoulders fell and his puffed-up chest deflated. "Oh, dang. I thought I caught an unregistered potion savant and I wanted to usher them under the university's wing. Instead, she's a ... well, she's one of you."

Green chuckled. "You mean, you wanted to indenture a talented individual into a university lab using laws that only you understand. But no, Ms. Traveller is a known entity. She is of us." He caressed her face with his eyes. Max wasn't sure if she loved it or if she was ambivalent.

Upon consideration, almost all of her reactions had been off since she and Miles had landed here. Maybe they were before? Or was it the classes? The godhood? She wasn't sure of anything anymore.

Max: Miles, are you a mind-controlling spider?

Miles: No? I don't know. You made me. Am I? Now I'm questioning myself. Maybe I'm so good, I'm doing it to myself, too?

"Why does she not have a court emblem and a look-away effect like the rest of your people?" University man asked. "I thought we bartered for this in the city's by-laws."

"Because she's new and has to discover the rules on her own. If anyone told her, it would be considered a favor and she would be indebted." Green answered like it wasn't the shittiest thing he had ever said. "And also, you bartered with me. You did not barter with her. She's her own court."

"All you native magic-borns have very confusing rules," Milton said sadly.

Ha! At least it's not just me and Puppy with the dumb look today!

"Indeed. It keeps us from getting stale." Green grinned at the man again and then made a gesture toward the door to let him know he had been dismissed.

"Well, I guess I'll..." The man started walking toward the shop's front door when it opened unexpectedly from the outside. Jingle, jingle.

Rigel the shadow guy, and two others walked in. Her shop was seeing more action than it ever had, although they still had yet to make a single sale.

Green disguised a gasp as a small, sharp inhale, and looked at her questioningly. "Ms. Traveller, dear cousin, why is the king of elves walking into your court entrance?"

"Court entrance!" The university scum exclaimed loudly and started breathing weirdly. Max started to worry he was going to have a heart attack on her clean floor.

"Because I invited him? He's early. I thought I had an hour, sheesh." How am I supposed to prepare to heal people and interview potential family members when they show up in record time? I'm not a godsdamned emergency room or police station! And what about guest quarters? Are they all going to stay? I haven't made them rooms yet!

"Okay. And why would you invite him?"

"Because he wants to join my house." Max looked at the university shark. "Could you get me any documentation you have on what would make an identifying emblem that you would look for? I'd like to look over my style options and see if I can design something that will work well with my motif." She thought for a moment. Fuck it. "I also want to never meet anyone like you again. No offense meant, but you're kinda a creep. If you or any of your ilk come back, I will consider not killing you or them a favor and you personally will have to pay it. You should generally be nicer to retail workers. You don't know who their families are."

The shark was looking around and had a panicked expression. "I'm in a fairy mound?!" He looked at Max and blurted, "Certainly. I'll just... go. I appreciate you letting me... go. Yes." He scuttled to the door and was gone as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Welcome to my shop!" Max smiled and welcomed the new arrivals, and mentally dismissed the little retreating weasel as soon as he left her eyesight.

Rigel approached her and didn't acknowledge Mr. Green was present. He bowed to her at the waist. "Lady. I have returned. I have brought those you requested."

"I see that, Rig. Good work." He walked back over to his entourage, who had not left from in front of the door, and stood at their side. Max realized the group was giving her a chance to finish her conversation with Mr. Green in a semblance of privacy.

Max looked at Mr. Green. "I will of course pay extra for the immediate response. Your legal expertise is appreciated and valued. Do you want to stay for the meeting, or...?"

"I'd like to stay for the conversation between you and the elf lord, yes. If he and his people do end up in your house, you will move from a small major house to a significant major house. Just so you are aware. You will gain attention."

"Well, fuck."

"Yes."

"That's okay. It's fine. It's all fine. I have plans for that, anyway. Refresh me on the laws of the kin. I am not limited in the size of my demesne as long as it doesn't spill outside, am I right? And I can boobytrap the shit out of the anchor, right?"

"No limitations except for the ones your magic ties you to."

"Okay. I'm about to do something probably eyebrow-raising magically. And probably politically, too, so be aware."

"You raise my eyebrows daily."

"...okay?" Was she blushing? Her stupid grin was back on her stupid face. She did not give it permission to be up there.

What the shit, Max. Pull it together.

She cleared her throat and ignored it. "Are you good to step back into the greenhouse?" A thought struck her. He'd never actually been back there, and he pretty much pretended it didn't exist when he came over to visit. This might be like showing him her underwear drawer. "You have my invitation to do so once, at this time, with this company."

"Oh, you are getting good at the qualifiers. Yes, cousin. I'll come with you. I'll even give pertinent advice in payment for allowing me to witness this." He was smiling like the cat who devoured the bird.

"Okay? Sure." Max thought about it. "It just occurred to me to ask, but-- we are allies, are we not? I consider you a friend, and definitely my lawyer, but I know in the great game of politics, that doesn't count. Should you and I define our relationship outside of the professional one so that we can protect each other from ourselves?"

He chuckled. "It's like watching a child grow up within a day. You are getting less new by the minute. Good work, cousin." He patted her forearm and his hand trailed away slowly. Like a caress. "Yes, I'd like to ally with you for more than kinship, if you would allow it."

"Um. And. For whatever you're about to see or discover, I'd like to have it covered by client confidentiality. I'm not sure what is about to be said and I'd like to not... I don't want our relationship to be impacted by anything you may learn if that's alright."

"We can manage that, Ms. Traveler."

Max nodded at Green and finally acknowledged Rigel's entourage. "Hello. You may call me Max. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Holy fuckballs, these people are beautiful. What the ever-loving shit. And they feel, ungh. Like coming home. Like a hug from Mom. Like reading on a lazy afternoon. Like a good meal. Unnngh. I thought Rig was the pinnacle of pretty, but holy shit. If anything, he's the ugly one. Keep it together, you thirsty fucking bitch.

"Hello, Lady Max. You may call me Aren. This is my guard, Cora. We have hoped for centuries you would come."

"...okay? No pressure, right? Ha, ha." Goddammit Max, get your shit sorted. Fuck the vibes. What is WRONG with you? Stop being an awkward dumbass. "Anyway, this is my kin and friend, Mr. Green, and behind the counter is a Child of my House and my eldest scion, who you can call Puppy."

Merrick: Please, no...

"We have made the Lord Green's acquaintance before." He gave no hint of whether it was a good thing or not. Oh well. Whatever. "A pleasure to meet you, Lord Puppy." The group of three, one who was a king, bowed at the waist to the child that was lost and homeless a week before.

Puppy squeaked.

Max dismissed the notification.

"Did you bring your wounded so that I can heal them? Aside from anything else that happens today, they are the most important. I was told they are children?"

The king gave her a soft look. A look that said he wasn't expecting her to care and was relieved that she did."Yes, Lady Max."

"Fantastic." She gave them a sedate grin. "Follow me into my greenhouse and we can get started." She gestured to the door that led out into her wild, uncontrolled green space.

Aren nodded and Rigel brought up the rear, shoulder to shoulder with a delicate-looking guard. I'll eat my own underwear if that guard knows the first thing about physical protection. She's probably a mage of some sort.

She turned to Puppy and told him, "Lock the door and flip the sign. It's time you learned just what being an Assistant Manager in Training means."

"I'll be right behind you, Lady."

The thought that, yes, he would be right behind her from now on put a small smile on her face. No matter what happens, his place was sorted. His place just happened to be at her back, in her pack, and as a member of her family. These good vibes are better than the ones rolling off of the too-pretty elves, any day.

She led the motley crew of three elves, a fae, a void wolf, a hidden war golem, and a wonky shadow into her newly established court's heart.

Miles: Should I make an appearance?

Max: Only after they've joined our house if it's gonna happen, and after I have a [Bargain] in place with Green. I just realized how much trust I've put in him and how utterly fucked we'd be if he decided to complicate things.

Miles: So you did a Puppy thing.

Max: I did a Puppy thing.

Merrick: That's not very nice, guys.