“My baby’s so big now!” Sadeen gushed as she whirled Yuriko around.

“Seventy inches tall,” Kiyo remarked. “About your height now, coz.”

“Ehehehehe!” Mum kept spinning her around and Yuriko was starting to get dizzy.

“Mum!” she gasped, but that was a mistake since Sadeen kept squeezing and now, Yuriko couldn’t catch her breath. Thankfully, Mum finished squeeing over her and put her back down.

Yuriko clung to Sadeen, gasping for breath. But more than anything else, she wanted to keep hugging. Tears seeped out of the corner of her eyes and it was all she could do not to cry.

Mum patted her back and murmured comforting, but meaningless words. Well, she babbled too, but most of her words didn’t really register.

“... there there, you’re safe now. Mummy’s here. She’ll punish everyone that hurt you…”

It had been more than a year. One year in solitude, or surrounded by strangers who definitely didn’t have Yuriko’s best interests in mind. A year of bloodshed, of tears, of pain, and of violence. Loneliness weighed down on Yuriko’s mind, even after she met with her relatives from the Davar side.

She didn’t know them, not really. Sure, she spent the next few weeks with them on the Ebon Horizon and found that they weren’t that much different from her brothers. Aunt Layla was a different sort of manic but was still quite endearing anyway.

But that didn’t change the fact that they were practically strangers to her.

Now…she was in the arms of her Mum. Sadeen had only left a few years ago and returned to Rumiga biennially, for a couple of weeks before the Celestial Refraction. She spent most of that time with Da but she spared what she could for her children.

“Duty compels me to remain in Realmheart,” was what Mum always said.

The first years she was gone, Yuriko hated the word. What was so good about duty to make a mother leave her children for two years at a time? But Da convinced her otherwise.

“Duty is the glue that holds the empire together. It is what makes us strong, and what makes us safe.” Virgil smiled whenever he said that, but he couldn’t hide the wistful look in his eye. “Be proud, because even though your Mum could as easily have left us, me, for the sake of duty, she doesn’t. Her duty is to her family, too. Just that we aren’t the only family she has.”

He refused to speak further, but Yuriko thought she understood.

Sadeen’s embrace was a solid bedrock that Yuriko could lay on. Tears and snot covered her face now, and she had been sobbing for what felt like hours. Some time ago, Mum carried her in her arms and brought her to a room, her quarters, and plopped her down on the bed. She offered her lap for Yuriko’s comfort, but the spate of sobbing had run its course. Exhausted, she fell asleep cuddled up next to Mum.

When she woke up, the lights in the room were dim, though they brightened to an acceptable level as soon as she got up.

The room was much larger than the decontamination room by at least half. The bed was wide enough that if she lay in the middle and rolled over twice, she would still be on the bed. The mattress was…too soft. Or maybe she’d been too used to sleeping on the hard ground lately?

There was a dresser along the side and a window beside it.

Window?

Yuriko got up to peer into it and saw a pastoral scene beyond. Rolling hills with wildflowers in bloom. Blue skies with white fluffy clouds. That…can’t be right. But no, the grass and flowers moved with the wind. The clouds cast flitting shadows that raced down the hillsides, and if she tried hard enough, she could hear birdsong.

Her hand pressed up against the glass, and it was then that she realised that her initial thought was correct. It wasn’t real. She couldn’t feel the Radiant Sun despite seeing it in the sky. So what was this? A projection?

Shaking her head, she looked for, and found, an ensuite bathroom where she did her ablutions: washed her face and lingered over a steamy shower, then came back into the room wearing a robe that was barely long enough to cover her bottom. She found a fresh set of clothes, nearly identical to what Kiyo gave her, spread out across the bed.

“Anyone there?” she asked out loud, but no answer was forthcoming.

Shrugging to herself, she got dressed then tried the door, finding it unlocked. It opened to a small hallway that led straight to another door just a few paces away.

When she opened that door, she fully expected to find herself back in the decontamination room. Instead, she found herself in a chamber that looked much like a tea room, complete with floor to ceiling windows, decorative fountains, ornate metal work tables and chairs, and a wait staff clad in formal clothing.

A young man, wearing a server’s outfit, black vest under a white coat that fit tightly over his lean frame, and black trousers that showed off the shape of his calves, gave her a low bow and gestured towards a table where Sadeen and Kiyo were taking their meal. Mum noticed her immediately and waved. Kiyo paused midword, turned around, and grinned at her.

“Good morning?”

“Who knows when we're in the Chaos Sea,” Kiyo snorted a laugh, “but it’s actually afternoon tea, according to ship time.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Oh.”

Mum had changed out of her battle clothes, of course. She wore a light green sundress that kept her shoulders and arms bare. The hem fell just at her knees, though sitting down, it rode up nearly to mid thigh. Kiyo, on the other hand, had changed out of her laboratory clothes and into a yellow sundress.

The server brought her a fresh pot of tea, with tea cakes, finger sandwiches, and fruity tarts. Yuriko snatched the sweet confection and plopped them in her mouth, moaning in pleasure as it melted on her tongue. The tea was a fragrant delight, too.

“Well, you always did have a sweet tooth,” Mum chuckled.

“Like you don’t have a massive one.” Kiyo snarked.

“I’m not denying it,” Sadeen chuckled. She leaned over and kissed Yuriko’s cheek. “Ah, I really missed you last Refraction. Oh! Marron, Kato, and Rami are fine. I had to comfort them a bit, but it all turned out well in the end.” Then a dark cloud crossed her face for a brief moment. “No sign of your father though.”

“You don’t know?” Yuriko gasped. “How did you find me then?”

Sadeen nodded. “A complex tale.” She shot Kiyo a glare and the other woman gave a nervous chuckle and averted her eyes. “Why don’t we start with what happened to you? Kiyo here only saw the Chaos spring that sucked you out of Rumiga, since she couldn’t keep her panties on.”

“Ehehehe.”

Now that they sat together, Yuriko could see the resemblance. They both had slightly upturned eyes and the same heart-shaped face. Both were slender and had modest bosoms.

“Yuri?”

“Ah, yes.” Yuriko cleared her throat then began her tale with what happened during her internship in Fort Aegermonth. She got to the duel with the Seeker of Delights before Mum interrupted.

“A Chaos Lord that used your form? Well, that’s somewhat a common occurrence. When one of them is defeated in single combat, if the creature survives, they become obsessed to such an extent that they would recreate their enemies’ bodies to find out their strengths and weaknesses. But the first time you won against her…?

“I don’t think I did,” Yuriko protested. “I don’t even know how. The last thing I remember before waking up in Faron’s Crossing was getting really angry at the Seeker, and then…nothing.”

“Hmm.” Sadeen waved for her to continue after muttering about culling the barbarians under her breath.

It was only when she mentioned how Fri’Avgi tore open a hole in the fabric of Rumiga that both women exclaimed.

“That was you?” Kiyo yelped, “I thought that was a natural occurrence! Damage from the repeated Chaos storm, or something like it!”

“That does put a grave light on things,” Mum said. “But no matter. Fri’Avgi is bound to you and nobody in the Empire will take it from you. That said, a Chaos spring. Ah, that is trouble. I suppose I’ll go to that spot and try to close it. Well, it shouldn’t be that urgent. Springs grow slowly and it would be a decade or so before it becomes dangerous. So what happened then?”

Damien’s name was on Yuriko’s tongue and she was about to spill that secret to her Mum but she found herself unable to even say his name. Frowning, she paused and took a sip of the tea. It wasn’t honeyed or had milk stirred in. The aroma had subtle fruity notes, and with a start, she realised it wasn’t really something she noticed in tea. This was made from a common Imperial leaf, and she had tasted it before. Her ability to distinguish scents had grown.

This time, neither Sadeen nor Kiyo interrupted her while she lost herself in thought. Why is Damien still trying to hide? She was among family now. Surely, it would be safe to let her Mum know about him? After all, he was probably Mum’s Ancestor, too.

Damien didn’t speak to her though Yuriko got the sense that he simply didn’t want others to know. Not yet, anyway. When could she reveal him then? Once she was an Ancestor herself? No more feelings came from within, and she felt the restriction loosen. Still, she could always tell them later.

She continued with her tale and talked about waking up in a sandbar. She spoke of the Seasons she spent in Kogasi and of what she found there. What she brought from there, too.

“Ambrosia?” Kiyo’s and Mum’s eyebrows raised almost to their scalp. “How do you even know what it is?” Mum continued.

“Er, the Avos of the Obsidian shard told me?”

Sadeen’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “You’re not telling the truth.”

“Eh, uhm.”

“There’s no denying that Yuri. You can’t lie to save your life. Hmph! Something we have to train you for. Ancestors! What kind of trouble will you get into if you can’t even dissemble properly?”

Yuriko looked down on her cup and mumbled, “Sorry.”

“Hey, don’t be like that, coz,” Kiyo interrupted. “I find it quite funny and cute when she tries to lie. Hie hie!”

“It’s not good, Kiyo.” Sadeen sighed. “But anyway, go on. You didn’t drink all of it, did you?”

“Ah! That must be how her reserves got topped up!” Kiyo exclaimed.

“I drank some. To sustain myself, when I didn't have food,” Yuriko admitted, “but I still have several canisters of it left.”

“Canisters! Where?”

“Ah, I left it in the Ebon Horizon, in my backpack. In my quarters there.”

“Ancestors!” Sadeen yelped, “Kiyo!”

“I’m on it!” Yuriko’s aunt sprang to her feet and dashed out of the parlour.

“Continue.”

Yuriko nodded, then spoke of how she spent several days under the spire, how she met Masa and when she encountered the snakekin.

“Chaos twisted.”

“They said they were born that way and one of their ambassadors told me that their Animus control technique changed them to resemble their Geist. And then they changed throughout the generations.”

“Geists.” Sadeen snorted derisively. “Such an inferior way to strengthen the Anima.”

Yuriko got as far as reaching the surface before Kiyo returned. And from the look on her face, it was bad news.

“Very few personal effects were brought out of their ship.” Kiyo grunted. “I don’t suppose we could circle back and pick it up, right?”

“Too dangerous,” Sadeen sighed. “A pity.”

“I still have a canister inside my hip satchel.” Yuriko said.

“Oh, good!” Sadeen smiled. She gestured at their server and murmured instructions to bring it here from her quarters. Yuriko didn’t know where Kiyo stashed her satchel since she didn’t see it in Mum’s room.

A few minutes later, while Yuriko regaled them with the battles and the war on Bella, and while the server replaced the tea settings for dinner things, another attendant, also a handsome young man with wavy brown hair, bronzed skin, and broad shoulders, and clad in the same tight uniform the server wore, came into the room with Yuriko’s beaten up hip satchel carried reverently in both hands. He bowed over it and placed it on a side table. He spun on his heels when Mum dismissed him with a casual wave, but he glanced back at Yuriko with a smouldering gaze and an enticing smile.

“Well, well,” Sadeen smirked while Yuriko rolled her eyes. “With three beautiful women here, he chose to make eyes at you.”

“Familiarity,” Kiyo said offhandedly. “Most of the crew has already had their fill of you and I, but little Yuri here is fresh.”

Heat slowly crept up her cheeks, which Yuriko promptly ignored in favour of retrieving the last canister of Ambrosia she had left. She was somewhat regretful of losing nearly a dozen canisters of the stuff, but well, that was how things went. It wasn’t as if she could always carry her things with her.

Sadeen and Kiyo examined the bamboo canister closely, before Mum popped the lid and let a single drop of the liquid into a silver teaspoon. The amber liquid took in the light and gleamed, sometimes throwing off different hues like a rainbow.

“That’s Ambrosia alright,” Sadeen sighed. “It looks like we’ll have to aim for Bella and Kogasi.” She returned the droplet back inside the canister and gave it back to Yuriko. “Take very good care of this. Just like your artefact, people may try to kill you for it.”