They spent an entire day cleaning and making the Naliir home livable and welcoming. Pretty much the entire household was involved in some shape or form. Even Hana, in the midst of her pregnancy, found ways to be useful. The only exceptions were Gyren, who was far too venerable to be performing hard labour, and Lochlan, who managed to convince everyone that his time would be better spent helping the other refugees.

The next morning was spent relaxing and getting to know each other for the most part. This, of course, included Tel'Riel, the tiny Tamarin Fox cub who had imprinted on Tehri. It helped that everyone found her to be absolutely adorable. They were still careful with her, however. Even ignoring her nature as a Tamarin Fox, they didn't know what had happened to her or why she was alone at such a young age. When they added her nature back into the equation, they had to wonder if they were doing the right thing. Even so, Rowan could see Tehri felt a kinship with her.

Besides Tel'Riel, Rowan appreciated having the chance to speak to the Kaafasts in a more relaxed, familial setting. She had already accepted them as Tehri's guardians, but she wanted to know them on a more personal level. As such, she refrained from asking them directly about Tehri, instead focusing on questions centred on them and Hana's pregnancy.

The high point of her conversation with Hana and Byrden came when she asked them if they knew what they were going to call the baby when they were born.

“Do we ever!” Hana beamed in response.

“Hana is exaggerating slightly, but we've known what we're calling them if they're a girl,” Byrden added with a more reserved, but equally wholesome, smile.

“Oh?” Rowan asked.

“Before we knew Tehri's name, we called her Sindri for being so incredibly brave and surviving the rapids,” Byrden explained. “Once we learned Tehri's name, we agreed that our first daughter would inherit the name Sindri.”

“And it's even more fitting now that we all survived the flood.”

“I'm guessing you are less prepared for the possibility of them being a boy then? With regards to naming them, that is.”

Technically, they could use Sindri as a boy's name as well, but there was no denying the fact that names ending in vowels were seen as being more feminine in Midiran, so it was unlikely. It was also much less Resonant than it would be for their first daughter. Granted, the Resonance alone was enough for Rowan to be ninety percent sure the child would be born a girl regardless, but she was still curious.

“We have a few options, but none we're set on,” Hana admitted.

“I like Heiden as a name,” Byrden opined.

“We're not naming our son after a fusion of you and my father, Byrden!”

“Why not?” Rowan asked. “It sounds like a perfectly fine name to me.”

Hana sighed enthusiastically. “For most people, it would be, but for as much as I love him, I don't want to evoke my father's name with any of our children. It would be like giving birth to a miniature version of him.”

Rowan pictured herself being in the same position and giving birth to a son. The image that followed of her father was mildly horrifying, to say the least.

“I'm going to forget I just pictured that possibility and join Hana in saying no to Heiden.”

“I wanted to use Hana's name instead, but it doesn't pair up particularly well with mine,” Byrden admitted with a note of embarrassment that Rowan didn't expect of him.

Hana rolled her eyes with the same level of dramatic enthusiasm she had employed previously. “We don't need to come up with a combined name, Byrden. They can work for some people, but not us.”

Hana and Byrden continued exchanging potential names, whereas Rowan shifted her focus away from the conversation, instead choosing to consider their options. After a few solid minutes of brainstorming, she had an idea.

“How about Aran? It's not exactly a common name, but it could be a nice way of honouring your past whilst looking to the future.”

“It's perfect, Rowan!” Hana exclaimed. “If I wasn't so damn comfy, I'd get up and hug you.”

“That's okay, Hana,” Rowan smiled. “I accept spirit hugs.”

“Well, in that case, take double.”

*****

Following on from their fairly relaxed morning, Rowan and Seres spent the afternoon helping Tehri get back into painting. They could have gotten away with just providing Tehri with some new supplies, but Rowan had no intention of being passive in her role as big sister. The tears in Tehri's eyes and the brilliant smile across her lips when Rowan suggested they paint together were enough to convince her that it was the right choice a thousand times over.

Even so, Rowan wasn’t quite sure of what to expect as they entered Tehri's revitalised art studio. She had seen Tehri drawing and painting before, but it had never been something they did together. It just didn't interest her as much as her other creative endeavours and she wasn't particularly great at it either.

Now that she was older and more experienced, she realised that even if she wasn't big on painting, she could have found joy in just spending time with Tehri. With such realisations in mind, she was determined to make the most of the afternoon.

She still didn't expect the face full of paint when she turned around from closing the door. The laughter that followed, however, was less surprising.

“I told you forest green would compliment her hair,” Tehri giggled.

“I'm sorry I doubted you,” Seres replied, also laughing.

Rowan wiped away paint from her eyes and lips. It tasted weirdly like fresh pine leaves and roasted chestnut. “How long have you been planning this?”

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“Since you talked with Hana and Byrden earlier,” Tehri replied.

Seres smiled mischievously. Her eyes twinkled. “I was telling Tehri and Kamran about the Ball, and the topic of fashion arose. One offhand comment regarding strange colour combinations and an entire conversation later, and here we are.”

“The ball?” Rowan replied back. “You didnae tell them anything about you know what, did you?”

“You mean about how you made the entire dance floor swoon or how you kept an entire wing of the palace awake with your exploits?” Tehri teased with a look of mock retribution. This was her vengeance for Rowan teasing her and Kamran.

“I didn’t say it like that,” Seres protested.

“You didn’t need to. I can read between the lines.”

Rowan sighed dramatically. “I guess there’s nothing stopping me from revealing what my Gift is telling me about you and Kamran, is there, my dear Tehri?”

Tehri’s soft, muted laughter transitioned into deafening silence. With a horrified cry, she half-shouted, “You wouldn’t!”

“I see no reason why I shouldn’t,” Rowan replied, making sure to emphasise the playfulness in her tone. She didn’t want to give Tehri the wrong impression, after all.

Of course, Seres saw right through her. “It’s okay, Tehri. Not even a Paramour could know for sure if you and Kamran have even held hands, let alone anything else, from looks alone. Rowan’s exploits, however, have all been verified by multiple witnesses. I could tell you about the time she introduced herself and her girlfriend to your brother’s wife if you want.”

“Hey now,” Rowan panicked, a touch of pink waving from behind the forest green paint on her face, “let’s not be hasty here.”

“What’s the problem, Rowan? I thought you wanted to share all the juicy details?”

“Not about me!”

Seres was an absolute menace; a wild card in the deck of sibling dynamics. She was also making a wild card out of Tehri, and Rowan refused to be the odd one out. In a whirlwind of motion typical of her and fuelled by boundless joy, she hugged both siblings with unmatched enthusiasm. The cries of surprise that followed as a large bead of paint landed on them from seemingly out of nowhere made it all worth it.

“And now we’re matching,” Rowan laughed. The girls had jumped out of her hug, and she was now watching the thick blue paint roll down their brows and onto their cheeks. It was significantly more viscous than the green Tehri had used on her.

“When did you?” Tehri asked.

“Wasn’t it obvious?” Rowan replied, her tone returning to a playful teasing.

Seres’ expression, on the other hand, was one of incredulity tempered by cautious contemplation. After giving it some clear consideration, she asked, “Is this Elvarin Blue?”

“It is,” Tehri answered proudly.

Fearing she may have accidentally done something catastrophically wrong, Rowan started sweating slightly. “That’s not going to cause any problems, is it?” she asked.

“That depends,” Seres answered. “On the one hand, Elvarin Blue is an incredibly rare and expensive pigment prized for its vibrancy and lustrous hue. On the other hand, it can be quite toxic when exposed to flesh.”

Rowan’s fear turned to dread, but Tehri just laughed. “It’s only toxic to bugs like silverfish and booklice,” she explained. “And it isn’t that expensive. Pound for pound, the forest green is worth more. And now I’m going to stop speaking so that I don’t end up regretting it tomorrow.”

The relief Rowan felt on hearing Tehri’s explanation was palpable. “That sounds like a good idea. But what do we do now? Throwing paint at each other wasnae quite what I had in mind when I suggested painting together.”

True to her word, Tehri didn’t speak. Instead, she liberally dipped one of her fingers into the blue paint that was now down to her chin before writing down her answer. “Considering we’re already covered in paint, we may as well continue. We could even use our hands to do the painting.”

“It does sound like fun,” Seres smiled.

“And here I was thinking art was serious business,” Rowan teased.

Tehri responded with the speed of an Ardent, painting two simple words on Rowan’s forehead.

“It is.”

*****

By the time they finished cleaning up after themselves, Rowan was exhausted. They managed to get paint everywhere, even in places Rowan thought were completely covered, like the back of her legs. It was completely and utterly ridiculous. The entire length of Seres’ tail and the lower half of her back had been a veritable rainbow of colour at the end, whereas Tehri seemed to be sneezing a mixture of pink and aquamarine. For Rowan, she was convinced that she’d be finding paint on random parts of her body for at least a fortnight, despite spending over two hours in the bathroom.

It was worth it. Tehri was smiling. She was happy. Rowan hadn’t failed. Not this time.

The next morning, she was ready to leave. They couldn’t wait any longer, even if Rowan wanted to. Captain Dralik was also waiting for them. Even with the storm, they were originally meant to arrive in Tærin City on the first Linden of the month; the day Tehri Awakened. They were late.

Rowan and Seres tried to be quiet as they made their way downstairs. They had said their goodbyes before going to bed as they knew they’d be leaving early. Tehri was waiting for them. As were Hana and Byrden.

“You’re not leaving until I get a proper goodbye hug,” Tehri announced.

Rowan dropped her packs and opened her arms so that Tehri could pounce. “Did snuggling with you until you fell asleep not count?”

“Nope.”

“Well, I guess I’ll have to hug you some more then. Perhaps if I do it enough, you’ll know I’m still here even when I’m not.”

“Not if I hug you more!”

“How about this? I’ll hug you with everything I have so that a part of me stays with you and you do the same for me. That way, we’ll never be truly alone.”

“Deal.”

There was so much more to their farewell than the rekindled love of two sisters reunited. It was pure and honest. They were Ardents, and they spoke to the heart. Their feelings embraced even as they did.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“I know.”

When they released their holds on each other, they were smiling. Rowan could feel the light of Tehri’s love in her heart, and she knew Tehri felt the same.

“Before I leave, I’ve got something for you,” Rowan said, reaching into her packs. She pulled out three bound stacks of paper. “These are my notes on my experiences as an Ardent so far. I’d have preferred to help you more directly, but this will have to do for now.”

“She was up all night writing them,” Seres smiled sleepily.

“All three stacks?” Tehri asked.

“Aye,” Rowan answered. “They’re for Master Idyr and Doctor Bræn.”

“I’ll make sure they get them.”

“Thank you.”

Rowan then shook Byrden’s hand and hugged Hana gently.

“And thank you to both of you for saving Tehri and looking after her. I wish you the very best and good luck with the baby.”

“We look forward to introducing you to them,” Hana beamed.

“Safe travels, Rowan. Mandra guide you.”

“I hope not,” Rowan laughed. “Mandra make for terrible guides.”

“Is that why the Mandra you killed was more intent on eating us as opposed to pointing us in the right direction?”

“Probably. I’m not fluent in Mandra.”

“Well, in that case, may the Goddess light your path.”

“Thank you.”

Rowan hugged Tehri one last time, and then they left.