It had been a little quiet since Vadei asked me to stay, she had not spoken up once the door closed. Nor did I really feel like prodding it from her or getting it out in general. I was quite fine to just sit here for the moment. But, when she showed signs of wanting to talk, I looked on over at her, intent on listening.

"Earlier... When... Um... Earlier you said I had an advantage over you... Why did you say that?" Vadei asked me as she looked on over at me with a sad expression. Why she had this expression could have been for any number of reasons. And I was confident it was likely related to her dead parent. Her mood has been consistently foul since that day, after all.

"Because I know you're not fond of me. So I brought it up with the idea it would put you at ease." I tell her with a slight shrug. Having long since lost my care for her anger and rage towards me. It was just sort of expected at this point. How quiet she went when I said this, however, was not expected.

And I was left a little baffled at how quiet she was now, her expression said a lot. It did, however, not say anything I thought it would. She was regretful and uneasy and more than just her face made that clear. So I sort of leaned closer, just in case I was about to mishear what she was about to say.

"That's not true... I don't hate you at all..." she admitted as her chest started to convulse as she also started crying. I was a little shocked by this reaction and behaviour, but, I still tried to do something. So I scooted a little closer and put my claw on her shoulder. Only for her to suddenly launch at my lap before she continued sobbing.

"Sending different messengers to me, you are!" I said lightheartedly, hoping the lighter tone would calm her. But, she was far too serious at the moment for jokes or teasing.

"It's true! I don't... You just... Always seem to remind me of the bad things..." she told me as she shivered against me.

"I remind a lot of people about bad things." I tell her with a sigh, looking briefly at my left claw as it was the first sign of problems. This was the limb after all that turned into that of a bug's first. It was the arm I tried to ignore all throughout my stay with Rose at her flower.

"For what it is worth Nin... I'm sorry... First it was you being from Tob-" she started to say before she cut it short as my body tensed up, "Then everything with Dad happened... I just don't know what to do..."

"Sometimes, a lot of us don't know what to do. I certainly didn't when I first got here. I most certainly didn't when all this happened." I say to her as I thought about my arrival to this land as well as my transformation. Both were stressful events that still affect me to this day in a borderline brutal fashion. One changed my understanding of the world while another changed the perspective I was looked at by most.

"I know, but... I just started taking it all out on you when you had done nothing..." Vadei said with a whimper as she moved her head along my upper leg. It was almost like she was nuzzling me.

"It was probably for the best, I mean, look at how I've turned out. I put this damn thing back on of all things." I said to her with a loud, boisterous, and, most importantly, forced laugh. And when I was done forcing out this false joy, I sighed out my misery.

"Yeah, I've noticed." Vadei comments as she moves one of her dry hands near it. Watching as she plays with it for a bit before she moves off of me. She doesn't get out of her bed, but she does sit up in it. She sits up and just stares at the other end of the room.

"So why did you want me to stay in here anyway? You have your mum to talk to now." I ask Vadei after turning to look at the far end as well. I also looked at her face every now and then, hoping to see a smile. Yet, there was never a smile for me to see whenever I looked over. It was always the same expression.

"She wouldn't get most of it... But, you would as you were there for quite a bit of it..." she mutters as her hands open up before her.

"Then why not take the time to detail it out to her?" I asked the tailed woman.

"You can only fill her in on so much... It would just be easier to speak to you about most of it seen as Vapooliar and Dandy are not here." Vadei answers with a sigh.

"Dandy is the aelenvari with the sore throat, isn't she?" I jokingly asked in an effort to get a smile. But, still, none came and I was left wondering about my crush. How could Larishazza muster the willpower to exert a smile from someone? I was struggling here with someone I was familiar with!

"She has some bad neck and throat injuries, yeah." Vadei says as she slowly nods in confirmation. And, even though I had not done much with her since before my first death. I still liked to know that she was okay.

"Do you happen to remember that race we had back at the aelenvari flower?" I suddenly brought up.

"The one where your other half nearly killed me?" Vadei bluntly put it as her gaze shifted over to a crack in the wall. And, interestingly enough, the coat of fur on her back began to stick up.

"Yeah, but, as we know, I saved you. But, that isn't what I wanted to talk about, really. I wanted to talk about why I helped Dandy as you call her." I say, getting her attention and confusion in equal measure.

"She did mention a human had helped her get away from Rose when we were still travelling to Suhurlodst."

"That would have been me, and do you know why I did it? Purely to spite your ungrateful backside." I try to laugh out to the confused oxfuine.

"I... I don't follow."

"You spoke about how what I did wasn't saving someone because I was just sorting out my own mistakes. And, to get back to something more recent. I want to prove you wrong once again, I want to save you like how I was once saved."

"Prove me wrong...?"

"The most recent reason you said you hated me. Your dad... I want to save you from whatever it is you are going through, I don't want to see my friend like this. Especially when I know what it is like."

"And how do you know what it is like?" Vadei asked rather stupidly before I took her hand.

But, I did not want to chastise someone who was so tender at the moment, "Trust me, Vadei. If you want my help, you just need to ask. It doesn't even have to be a polite request, you can demand if you want." I say to her before I slowly stand up. It was about time she got back to resting, surely?

"W-W-Where're you going!?" she asked me with a distraught tone that made me freeze.

"To leave you to get some well-earned rest." I answer as I kneel before her with as soft an expression I could.

"Can... Can you stay with me until I can get back to sleep? I don't want to sleep on my own anymore..." she said at first with whimpers before she just let it all out into more tears. And, I would smile as I took her squeezed-up hands into my claws.

"Sure, that's fine. Do you want me to read you a bedtime story too?" I said to her with sincerity before I undercut it with a little teasing. But, she actually started to nod in agreement. She did, in fact, want to hear a story...

"Yes, please..." she mumbled quietly as she slowly moved under her quilt again while keeping her top up. Then, when I had moved around to her head, she dropped it down on me after planting her pillow on my lap. And I understood very well that I was sort of stuck here now. If the goal was to get her to sleep, then, I would not be getting out when it was met.

"Alright, so, what kind of story do you want to hear? I'll admit, I don't actually have many stories of my own making. And, I'm not too sure that you'd want to hear about the tales of how the gods did their thing way back when." I explain to her before she starts fiddling with my bracelet.

"Why not tell me about how the gods actually are?" she requests before snuggling into her altered bed. One of her large, open ears even turned so it was more in line with my mouth. At first, I prodded it a little and played with it. But, same as with all prior teasing, I got nothing from her beyond annoyed reactions.

"Well, I guess I can do that. So, let us start with the day I died. You know pretty much all the details for that. We were going to leave, you, me, Vapooliar, Dandy and Seed-"

"Seed? Oh, right... Her son..." Vadei interrupted before she went quiet again.

"But, yeah, it was us five, ready to go, but, there was a catch I wasn't too comfortable with."

"You had to bribe them with... Sex... Didn't you?" Vadei inquired before I sighed and nodded.

"I guess you can call it that, but, unlucky for everyone involved. Incredibly so for me, the interrupted transformation I was going through had finally finished. I became an osibindah freak and since then I was always one. Well, not while I was a soul, at least, I still had my old body then."

"The one you had before you died?"

"Technically, yes, it was one I had before I died. But, I'm talking about my old body, the one I had before Heiya shot me with that gun of hers for the first time." I told Vadei as my tone became more mumbly and annoyed towards the end.

"So what was Undwote like?"

"About what you'd expect, really. Friendly god, very kind. But, I saw a side of him I did not expect. Because his dad, the Equilibrium, likes to have his children have the body of children. With a few notable exceptions."

"The oldest being in history likes to see his children look like children...?"

"He does, to the annoyance of Undwote, for example, who spent all his time as a child. So I only ever really saw him like that."

"Were the Pack of Seven pups, then?" Vadei asked me as she started to move up. But, I would ease her back down as that defeated the point of going back to sleep.

"No, they stayed the same. There were some who were a lot smaller than the others. And, they'd only ever go to you if you said their full name as well. That was something Undwote mentioned."

"Did you only really meet Undwote?"

"No, I easily met a dozen over the week I was there on that ship. Oh, yeah, they all lived on this ship that clung on to the walls of this tunnel with magic lightning or something." I suddenly added on as I remembered the ship... Vightorhian, that was its name. And I was slightly surprised to remember it given how it was probably only mentioned once. Maybe a god was reading my thoughts right now and helped me...?

"Did any of them stand out to you? Like... I know it might be a silly question but..." Vadei asked before she mumbled herself into an embarrassed state. It was almost as if she was expecting me to insult her over it. Well, I wasn't, because, well, some actually did stand out!

"Probably the usual ones, Thurnmourer, Waionr and the like. Motrtha also kept my attention for quite a bit too. Oh, and then there was Ihtuntar purely because, well, didn't expect to see him."

"The God of the Sun is alive...?" Vadei rightfully asked in confusion as she moved to reach for something. But, as she needed to be getting to sleep, I reached over her and got it instead. Turns out, it was a book on the gods, which I only knew because it was sort of written in the wind language. And, I say sort of because it also seemed to be fused with another language I could not read.

Vadei, however, seemed to read it just fine, "Yeah, I know, books and that say otherwise. But, no, Ihtuntar is alive. He's just... Odd."

"How so?"

"He was always in the form of a nervous child when I saw him. And, going by what the gods told me, he's been like that since the, you know. Moon problem."

"I'm a bit confused as to how he is alive..." Vadei mumbled before closing the book and setting it aside. I guess she only wanted it just to reaffirm what she knew about the Betrayed Artist.

"Don't think much on it, he's a god. He works completely different to us. Speaking of that, though, they are also quite similar in a lot of ways. Particularly at dinner."

"You tasted their cooking?" Vadei nearly drooled out as her barren stomach exploded with rumbles.

"I did, and I miss it every day. Rose did too, only a single dish, however."

"How did she try it...?" Vadei asked as she began to get annoyed at what I just told her.

"Motrtha gave me a goodbye present, the best-tasting desert I will ever have in my life! One of many, as you are aware." I say as I move my wrist about. I even drooled slightly at the memory of that blackberry tart. Gods I missed Motrtha's cooking...

"Did you get along with Motrtha? Or was she just being herself?"

"Believe it or not, I think she had a thing for me. Got a few kisses on the lips from her." I sighed out dreamily as I tried to remember the quality of her mouth and touch. But, it made me a little miserable too, because there was no way for me to remember such quality well. Even if it stuck to the forefront of my mind so much every now and then...

"Now you're just lying." Vadei says to me which led to me looking down at her with an offended expression.

"You weren't there, you don't get to call me a liar."

"I do when you start saying rubbish like that..." Vadei mumbles as she begins to properly fall asleep.

"Sure you do. Still want me to carry on, Sleepyhead?" I then asked her as she opened her jaw wide to yawn.

"No, I'm... Fine..." she answers as she goes to sleep once again. But, with her head on my lap, I was left unable to do anything.

"Now what do I do!?" I mouthed in frustration at the fact I couldn't just leave now. She was sleeping right on my lap! Moving would just wake her up again! But, some options did exist.

And I took one of them up nearly instantly, and her head soon felt it. The steady, rhythmic stroking of her reddish-brown hair that started over again when I found a knot. If she was awake, I might have forced my way through the knots. But a sleeping Vadei would be pissed if I did that.

But, I had something to do at the very least...

.

.

.

"How's the cleaning coming along, Larishazza?" Wastla asked as she sighed out a mixture of frustrations after she slammed down a basket full of dirty clothes.

"Slower than I expected it to go." I tell her with a firm gaze carved into my features. And, in my hands, a black pot that I was scratching the insides of just to clean it. My water wasn't enough it seems to get rid of some of this very old dinner.

"You can use the fireplace, you know, boil the water."

"But that would take too long!" I complained, much to her bemusement.

"You don't have to watch the bubbles form!" she says back to me as she starts to move some wood into the filthy pit. A short-lived cloud filled with specks of black even came out towards us when the new wood was put in.

"Alright, does anything else need cleaning?"

"This whole house does, but, some of it will just have to wait while my Little Va sleeps..." Wastla tells me before she sends a glare in the direction of Vadei's room. She even began to aggressively snort in that direction. And I knew perfectly well why, but, I did not bring it up. Even if it bothered me that she viewed Nin like that.

"What can be done, then?" I asked as I leaned away from the metal pot. I kept one hand in to fill it with water before then pulling it out. Then, I flicked it dry. All because I liked the limpness the motion put into my fingers.

Wastla lit the fire with a match before she looked up at me, "Laundry, mopping, and, while it is not really a priority... I would like to see my flower garden glowing with colour again." she tells me before taking on a distant tone as she looked outside.

"Putting new doors in is too noisy, I take it then?" I joked with a wide smile as my eyes looked down at the broken wood. It was in a sort-of neat pile now, but it was all still in the house.

"Hammers and nails do make a lot of noise, yes." Wastla informs me with a steady nod.

"I dunno... Can't we just push them in?" I ask her as I emphasize it by pushing some dents out of her kitchenware. Thankfully, I didn't just poke the dents outwards and break them further. I was actually able to fix them to some extent!

"No, I can't do that. Besides, there are other parts of town that need your strength." she tells me before she lets out another sigh.

"Where do you even keep your tools and that? If you don't have any, I have no problem filling in for them." I ask then say.

"They're in a chest under the house... My, Husband... He kept them hidden from our little ones so they didn't get any ideas in the forest."

"Is the forest back there particularly dangerous? Well, before the current bug problem." I ask before adding on a little clarification. It was probably not needed, but who knows. Who knows indeed.

"It was never a bad one, no. You had the occasional bit of wildlife, but, this small bit of land has always been quiet, really. Perks of it being reasonably settled, I suppose."

"Were you never concerned about your daughters getting lost in there? Even from here, it looks like it gets dark quite quickly as you go in." I ask as I lean to the side a little and using my enhanced eyesight to see how deep I can go.

"It's quite a loose forest, what are you on about?" Wastla asks me which makes me realise I was using too much magic in my eyes. So I stopped and started laughing at the fact I had tricked myself into seeing a different situation.

"Sorry... I was looking too deep into it!" I joked as my laughter came back in force.

She laughed a little too, but, her tone did not really change, "But, no. We never really worried for them getting lost. We could always smell them and find them. And, did you know, we oxfuinei have such a good sense of smell that we can tell if a family member is injured on the outside?"

"Eh?" I let out as I find out about this fact.

"It's true, we get very intimate with the smell of our pups after they're born. So, when they start smelling off, we can tell when something is wrong." she explains further.

"But, wouldn't you mistake her just playing in the mud or something?"

"No, because mud and trees and that, they are smells we learn to ignore as we know them. But, when smells we don't know are near our pups..." she explains furthermore as she starts to glare in Nin's direction.

"So, do you prefer your daughters to smell like themselves or do you prefer them to have perfume or something?" I then ask her as I looked at some stored away herbs and roots. They were all wilted and dull, but, I had no idea if that was meant to be the case. If not, I guess we might go spice hunting at some point!

"I don't mind them testing their boundaries, but, of course, figuring out how much to use is the issue." she says with a smile.

"They tended to just dump it over themselves?"

"Once or twice, but, even then, with how good our noses are, anything but the smallest drops might seem like that." she tells me as she playfully brushes a hand near her nose.

"Then, does this cause issues when cooking then? There are quite a few pungent smells out there."

"No, when it comes to the kitchen. That is when we just let the smells just fill the air. You can always tell it is dinner time or that the men are coming home from work at a certain time of day." she explains with a blissful sigh. Her mind was likely filled with old memories and her growing distraught might have indicated that. She was probably thinking of her husband once again, I mean, how couldn't she? They loved each other, clearly!

Maybe I should try and shift the topic away from it, then? I wasn't too fond of sitting near someone as they silently grieved. I wanted to help them however I could, but, sometimes I don't know how. Just getting a smile to come wasn't enough sometimes.

Yet, I still wanted to try, "I know it is an obvious thing, but... You miss him a lot, don't you?" I ask her quietly. Watching with a growing frown as she starts to tear up and nod.

"I... I don't know what to do without him... We'd been together with those two since day one and now..." she whimpered as she likely looked about at his stuff.

"Of course you do! Just... Maybe thinking about it like a long days work will work? You've raised and nurtured those two on your own, right?"

"He always came back on those days... But, now..." she sobbed further as it became clear that way of thinking about it did not help her.

"They're both grown up, though, Wastla. The burden is not as heavy anymore."

"Just because they're older doesn't mean I'm just going to let them go at it... Vadei may be a woman now but she is still my Little Va... And Conquei is still my frustrating Conqy Bonk..." she says to me as she wipes her arms against her eyes.

"Maybe it is best then to just let them go? To free yourself up for more than just being a mother?"

"Only... Only someone who has never been a mother would say that... You don't get it." I get told by her before she goes outside. Still sobbing loudly until a loud bang is heard as she is soon screaming into the air. But, as I still wanted to help, I got up and followed her to see what I could do.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Listen, Wastla, I know I am not a mother. I probably will never be at the rate I am going, but just give it a go? It might help. Just think, they've both been on a long adventure without you. They'll do just fine."

"One of them spent months away from me as a personal toy for some obese human while the other had to claw her way back to us just to save us..." she spits at me as her mind fixates on what might've been too casual a use of the word 'adventure.' Yet, I was willing to stick by it. It was an adventure for one of them at least!

"And in that time, they both went through hardships without you, they're both still here! One is turning into the daughter you always wanted her to be while the other has become so very strong. She's learned new magic, she can pilot that! You can rest easy knowing you don't need to keep being there for them." I say with as much enthusiasm as I can. Only to quieten down as Wastla slowly approached me with a blank expression.

She then sighed and trembled before me, "I can't rest easy, not while one is using her grief to kill herself while the other doesn't so much as say a word to anyone anymore... I need to be strong for them. They need me... My Little Va, my Conqy Bonk, they need their mummy to be there for them." she says as the tears come back in force and a hand covers her mouth.

I look at her uncomfortably at first before I approach her, only to get lanced at and hugged, "It's going to be alright. You don't have to worry. There are people here to help." I say in as soothing a tone I can while returning the hug.

"No... I need to focus on my daughters..." she moans back despite how ravenously she was seeking affection.

"And if you keep going like this, you won't be able to help them at all. Give them some space, let them handle a little bit on their own. Let me and my friends handle some more, and, of course, you can take on what is left or as much as you can."

"Okay... I'll trust you lot with this..." she mutters as she starts to wipe her eyes clean again. And, when she is done, I smile at her until she returns it. Then, when she lets go of me, we start to head back to the house. But, I catch her attention again when I start watering the flowers on the way back in.

"There, there." I say to the messy flowerbeds as I gently sprinkle water over them.

"I'd be careful with that, if you get Vadei's flowerbed wet, she'll get annoyed." she lightly scolds me with a small smile as I keep flicking more water out of my fingers. Looking back at her with a growing sense of curiosity as well.

"Oh? Which one is hers?" I let out with a subtle devilishness. Moving my gaze about rapidly until a raised finger and its finely filed nail pointed me in the right direction. And, I was a little surprised to see it. Mostly because it was clearly intended to be an outline of something.

"She spent quite a lot of time working on it. I think she was nearly done with it as well before we..." Wastla explains before she goes quiet at the end.

"Well, I am impatient and I don't want to wait for her to explain it. So, let me see what a bit of life-giving magic water can do!" I enthusiastically cheer as I began to fill the dried earth before me with fresh, potent liquid.

Then, Wastla began to tear up a little again, "So it is what I thought it was." she lets out as the flowers start coming to life again. Revealing a portrait of their family in the process. And, I could only assume it was based on an older photo as what seemed to be Vadei was quite young. Her sister as well was wrapped up in the arms of Wastla, so it must be quite old.

"There's a lot of talent here I can't really describe..." I let out in awe as I stared at the well-planned flowerbed.

"She's spent years on it. And, see, if you look about, you might be able to catch a glimpse of other, out-of-use flower patches." she points out as her hand goes about the open area behind her. And, to see if I could see them all, I hopped up into the sky and gasped as I saw them. But, I did not land with a splash as that would have been very rude. The door was also still, obviously, open, so I did not want to soak their house.

"Even then, with having just seen how many there are. I'm still impressed by the planning involved with this. Are all the flowers local to here?" I praise loudly before moving on to more questions. I quite liked some of these flowers, so, maybe, I can raise a few of my own. And, if we can convince her... She can make more of these with us being shown off at Suhurlodst...

"Some are not, no. She used to save up all her pocket money just to buy flower batches from the travelling florists on the way to the cities. She'd then cut them open with the precision of a surgeon just to get their seeds. Or, as she got older, she'd plant them separately." Wastla tells me before her gaze stops at a small wooden item out in the garden. She then walks on over to it and taps it, only to frown.

"What's that?" I ask after skipping up to her new position.

"It's the house my husband built for all the bees Vadei's flower project was attracting. But, it seems they died off or moved on." she explains with a sigh after she opens it up to reveal dark patches of flaking honeycomb. A few dozen bee corpses also fell down as she pulled it out.

"Well, here's to hoping you can get the bees to come back!" I say as she puts the piece back into the greater structure. And I loved the smile she gave me as the thought crossed her mind.

"The bees will, unfortunately, have to wait, we have more important things to deal with." Wastla says as she then goes back inside of the house with me following. I then sat back down with a quiet thud and looked down at the pot we left to boil.

"See! I told you it takes too long!" I complained as we both saw the lack of bubbles in the large black pot.

"No worries, there's still plenty to do." I get told as she carefully dips some towels into the heated water. She even throws in a few utensils and other small tools before she hands me one of the towels.

"What do you want cleaning?" I asked as she began to just start rubbing down parts of the house with the wet towel.

"Floors, walls, anything really. If the towel gets too dry or cold, just come back to the pot." she explains before she lets some frustrations out on the mess she was near. I, however, took this opportunity to go back to Einervaene so I could speak to her. And I smiled back at her when she had a smile come to her face as I came by.

"I take it she's feeling better?" Einervaene asks me while looking past me and at the other active cleaner.

"I've managed to help with her mood a little, but, this will be a long affair. One that I'll have to be very dutiful about." I tell her as I start prodding at her lower half with the edges of the wet towel. Grinning slightly at each little annoying nudge I managed to get in against her.

"You were sure not to make too many promises, right? We're only going to be here for so long." Einervaene reminds me as I came to a stop with the teasing and cleaning.

"We're going to be here a while, though, aren't we? This place is a mess."

Einervaene then sighed, "I know we said we'd help, but we do have an academy to get back to."

"So what if we lose our spots in the Academy? There are people who need our help!"

"If we stopped somewhere because people needed our help, we'd be failing everyone and getting nowhere." she says to me rather cynically as she looks down at her hands and knees.

"And I'm not saying we should despite how fun that would be. I'm saying it because our friend won't come with us if we don't." I whisper into Einervaene's ear. I was also fairly sure Wastla heard that as I heard her suddenly stop in the other room.

"You're still thinking about that then?" Einervaene asks me as she frowns when the memory goes through her mind. Back when Vadei called us all to the bridge to explain her new destination. She also made it quite clear she did not want to travel anymore. She just wanted to stay at her home village.

"How could I not? I didn't know Vadei very well before all this, but, I feel like we've learned to get along quite well since I ran after them as they left Suhurlodst on that airship."

"We all did. We were the only company either of us had for weeks and then when the wyvern attacked, we had to rely on each other a lot more." Einervaene explains to me. It may have only been a trip on an airship, but it was the trip we all learned to be great friends on. And in my case, I learned how to be a better friend to Einervaene here.

"It still surprises me how eventful it's all been so far. All we did was sneak out of school!" I laughed as I leaned back onto my hands. I even created enough distance to start teasing Einervaene with my tapping feet, as well.

"Where would the fun be if it lacked events? Sure, I nearly died in one of them, but I achieved so much when I defied those odds!" Einervaene said with pride before I began to rub her head.

"Yeah, you really did go above and beyond that day." I tell her as I ruffle her hair.

She started laughing and swatting as I did so, "Stop that!" she complained half-heartedly before she went quiet.

"Oh, I hope I'm not interrupting." Wastla says nervously as she approaches us.

"Not at all! In fact, I could start speaking about the part your daughter played as well!" Einervaene said which hooked Wastla into it instantly. Her ears just shot up into an attentive stance with so little effort!

"Please do!" she says excitedly as her hand moved under her breast and went near her heart.

"Well, see, when we were travelling on the airship, before we found you lot. This is where all the damage came from as well, by the way." Einervaene began to explain.

"So, yeah, we were flying along, having fun, then, boom!" I let out as Einervaene laughed through her nose.

"Yeah, it was a simple day at first. Just us lot trying to pass the time by messing about, but, then came along a bunch of wyverns. A very powerful one as well which snatched Nin down to the valley below." my friend explained as Wastla's gaze took on a disinterested look.

"And my daughter?" she asked as she tried to nudge the talk towards her child.

"I... I don't remember what she did." Einervaene said with a shrug.

"Isn't that when she learned how to fly the airship? I sent you two inside, didn't I?"

"Oh, yeah! She was on the bridge in her chair and one of the slavers did something that gave her that large scar on her palm and backhand." Einervaene explained once the memories came back to her.

"She was injured by those fiends!?" Wastla let out in a shocked tone.

"No, the airship did it. It has something to do with the technology used to build it..." Einervaene explained nervously as her gloved hand started rubbing her neck.

"The builders of that vile machine best hope I don't find them then..." Vadei's Mother snorted out as she lifted her gaze up at the idea of them.

"Don't be too hard on them, Wastla, they did build the airship that allowed your daughter to save you, after all."

"I couldn't care less, their machine tore open my Little Va's hand! Surely they could've made something that did not need to do that..." she mumbled in annoyance before I gestured for Einervaene to carry on.

"But, yeah, Nin was fighting the lead wyvern while Larishazza fought off the lesser ones. I dealt with one or two and Vadei was now piloting the airship through the battle. It stayed like that for a little as well. But then..." she said before she looked at me as a sore point in our history came up. I would not have gone so far as to admit I was wrong... But, what I did was unacceptable either way you put it.

"Don't worry, you can mention it." I say calmly as I accepted the fact I allowed myself to be scared at that moment. I let fear cloud my judgement when a friend was taken...

"We came to realise how powerful the lead wyvern was, and Nin got taken away by it because he did something to it that impressed it or something." Einervaene says, completely avoiding the thing I said she could talk about.

"And, Vadei here helped Einervaene track down where our friend had been taken so Einervaene could then beat it!" I finished off in a cheery voice while shaking Einervaene about. Smiling even more as she began to get embarrassed by the praise.

Wastla, however, was left distraught by that, "My... My Little Va helped save that thing's life...?" she questioned in disbelief before she just left. She also did not go into another part of the house either. From what I could hear, she ran off outside.

"Should we?" Einervaene asked as she began to get up.

"I don't know, Nin has helped her daughter so much yet she still can't trust him..." I mutter as I tap my fingers against the floor. The prior joy and pride that filled the air were now gone. And it wasn't likely to come back in the near future. Maybe we would just have to give it time.

It was probably all we could do regarding Nin's current situation...

.

.

.

"Morning..." I said quietly as I slowly shuffled into the main room of my home. Just as slowly moving down onto my rear while tightly clutching my quilt. Then, I just sort of stared at the firepit and the pot on it.

"Morning, Sleepyhead! Dinner isn't ready yet." Mom told me with a smile after she kissed my forehead.

"Dinner...?" I repeated in confusion while watching her face.

She smiled at me and giggled, "No, it's still morning, my Little Va didn't sleep in that much." Mom clarified as she came down next to me. She then gave me a big hug that pulled me in close enough to knock me down. And, when she let go, she had to push me back up as she brought me that far down.

"Where are the others?" I then asked as I looked about. I was surprised to not see Nin as I know I fell asleep on him. I intentionally did so because I did not want to be alone. So I was very confused as to why I did not sense him leave.

"They left a while ago." Mom tells me happily as she goes about doing chores of varying kinds. But, when my stomach made a booming complaint, she changed her priorities. And I was given a warm bowl of her special breakfast stew.

"Thank you." I say as I take the bowl into my hands. Letting its warmth spread through me and leaving the spoon alone as steam wafted into my face.

"Now, it doesn't have what I usually use in it, but, I hope you enjoy it either way." Mom informs me as she strokes one of my ears before she goes back to work.

"I don't think I'd notice anyway." I point out as I carefully began to eat the hot meal. Prodding the spoonful I had against my tongue and mouth just to make sure it wasn't too hot. And, when it had cooled down just enough, I scoffed what I could from my bowl before slowing down. It may have been a meal with a hot broth, but I still wanted something else to drink with it.

So I picked up the glass of creamy milk Mom had set aside on a nearby table. At first, however, I hovered my hand near the glass in question until Mom confirmed I could have it. And she did so by shaking a half-empty glass at me. I would probably have to snatch hers, though, because mine was also pretty much gone in a moment.

I missed having glasses of creamy milk in the mornings, I really did. I had tried to replicate it before at Suhurlodst, but the milk wind-people use tastes funny. It's sour and thick while this stuff was runny and warm when done right. But, having a glass of creamy milk made me curious about something.

"Is the ranch still open, then?" I asked as I wondered about its state considering recent events.

"No, none of the shops are. Barely any of the houses too. That was from our drinks cellar." Mom answered as she put a claw to her lips and pondered something.

"Wondering how no rodents got to it?" I asked while cautiously looking at what was left in my glass. Not that there was much point as any icky bits are now likely in my stomach...

"I am, in fact, I'm surprised I haven't found any little pests about the house. I guess that means someone has been looking after the place?"

"Why would they leave our house like this then?" I asked as I turned my gaze towards the broken front doors.

"Someone does not mean a person always." Mom told me with a smile as she brought a jug over and filled my glass again. Then, with a sweet smile on her face, she left a little white trail in my stew.

"Thank you." I say before eating up more of my breakfast. Looking up once again when I was nearly done as I heard someone.

"Finally awake, are we? I'd stay in bed, to be honest." Larishazza joked as she flew into the house. A loud thud also announced her arrival when her bottom hit the floor. Then, shortly after she came in, a lightning bolt turned into a woman in the distance. The smell of smoke also came over into our noses and caught Mom's attention.

"Maybe I should create a gravel patch for you if that is how you move about." Mom commented as Einervaene walked in with a growing redness in her cheeks.

"Sorry... I'm trying to be careful." she muttered as she played with her hair.

Mom, however, just giggled at it, "As long as you don't start any fires, it's fine. We have to sort our garden out at some point anyway and you're sort of helping with the grass." she says as all of us looked at the long grass in our garden. Then, we looked at a little bird as it hopped out of the grass before flying off.

"I've noticed that this morning, birds are easier to spot now." Einervaene said as she kept her gaze on the disappearing animal.

"Yeah, osibindah tend to scare off most wildlife." I explain before putting down my empty bowl. And, at first, I just stared at it before I then suddenly filled it up again. Then, I just repeated the steps I performed before I kept it flowing into my belly.

"Smells a little bland." Larishazza comments as she sniffs the big pot before me and her.

"You're a human, don't start commenting on the smells of my cooking." Mom said with a huff as she went on past us with a basket full of freshly cleaned clothes.

Larishazza then pouted, "I'm just saying..." she mumbled before giggling.

"So how are you anyway, Vadei? It's nice to see that you're eating again." Einervaene asked as she shuffled a little closer to me. Mom also stopped what she was doing to look at me as I chewed on a soggy plant in the stew. Normally I don't like the veggies in stews, but, as I was so hungry, I did not care this time around.

I stopped eating and sighed before I made any answers, "I don't know..." was all I really had to say. And it was true, I really did not know what to say about how I felt. Clearly, I felt better as I was willing to eat now. But I still did not know.

"Well, don't scare us like that again, do you hear me?" Einervaene jokingly threatened as she nudged me through the quilt that kept me warm. I would, however, snarl at her for that as she burst my bubble of warm air. The brief cold sensation I then had to put up with was very annoying.

"Oh, and when are you going to be ready to pilot the airship again?" Larishazza then asked me as she carelessly leaned over the pot. She was not even bothered by the heat as she touched it!

"Larishazza!" Einervaene snapped at her as she pulled her back.

"Sorry." Larishazza mumbled as she fell backwards onto her back. Until she began to bring herself back up onto her hands.

"But, yes, that is one thing we will have to discuss later." Einervaene sighed before she muttered something incoherent at Larishazza.

"I was piloting my airship while starving myself. I can work it at any time I want." I told them which got them eager and ready to go.

"So I can just bolt us up and get everyone off of it?"

"No." is what I told the lightning-user as I ate another spoonful.

"Why not?" she asked me back, confusion all over her face as she did so.

"Because I know what happens to my gut when I do that spell with you." I say as I protectively hold my bowl. Not that anything would happen to it, of course. It was just to give emphasis to my point, really.

"That's fair..." Einervaene says while trying to hide the slight tint in her cheeks.

"So, what'll we do until then? Sit and talk?" Larishazza asked as she began to hop between hands.

"Looking about the village will probably be best." I say as I think about the state of my home. If animals such as birds were coming back then the osibindah were gone. Be they on the move or all dead, it didn't really matter. It just meant my home was safe for now.

"Yeah, that is fine. Maybe I can find some fabric to work with." Einervaene comments which has Mom come running in.

"I do hope you have your priorities in order regarding something like that." she knowingly grins at my friend as her hands clutch a small pile of papers. Einervaene smiles and giggles a little while nodding at it as well.

"Of course, if I am able, I'll do as promised."

"What did you promise?" I ask warily as I began to grow increasingly suspicious of the two.

"I might have-" Einervaene began to mumble.

"I'm going to be playing dress-up with my Little Va again!" Mom said in a rather patronising tone as she pinched my ear gently and wiggled it. And that left me sighing and groaning as my fear had come to life. The thing I had been dreading since Mom first found those drawings on the airship...

"Don't worry, I'll let you in on it more than her." Einervaene pointlessly whispered to me from across the room. Mom made no signs of acknowledging it, however. Not that it filled me with any relief regarding it.

"Where is my jacket, though?" I then asked as I rubbed my arms from inside the quilt cloak I was wearing.

"I put it in for wash, as it was quite dirty. But, admittedly, I don't know how to wash something like that." Mom answered me with as she disappeared briefly. And then she came back with it and it was completely fine. But, that was probably because it was made up in the mountains. So its magic is probably greater than any sponge here.

"Give it." I demanded as I thrust my arm out into the biting cold of the outside. Holding my arm up with dogged determination before shooting it back into my quilt cloak when I got it back. And soon, I dropped the quilt as my fluffy captain's jacket was back on me. I was cold at first, but, it warmed me up quickly.

However, rather than going outside once I was done eating, I slowly went back to my room. Mom had put me into pyjamas at some point and I couldn't go outside like this. So I dug about for a pair of leggings and a long skirt before then getting them on. And, then I just waited until I was warm again.

Finally revealing myself again when I was no longer cold, "Alright, let's go have a look around." I yawned. Initially, I struggled to move far as I still felt quite weak. But, with the help of my friends and a conveniently placed stick, I was able to get out of the house.

"Are you likely going to be back for lunch?" Mom asked me in a tone that seemed to imply I was going around a friend's house. I did not like how it sounded, but, I missed Mom very much. So I put up with it as it had been so long since I had heard her even do stuff like that.

"Maybe." I answered back with uncertainty as I wasn't really sure what the time was anyway. Besides, I had a lot I wanted to go and see in our village's modest market square. And, before I left, I also got a hug from Mom and was waving as I slowly disappeared down the road. And I meant slowly because the other two were getting bemused at how long Mom was waving back.

"Alright, this is too slow, I'm going to carry you." Larishazza complained as she tried to weave her arms around me. Yet, all it took for her to stop was a single unamused moan.

"Larishazza, if you're bored, you can just run on ahead." Einervaene offered to our hyperactive friend. Who, did not like the suggestion at all and she became all stroppy.

"Run on ahead!? Run on ahead!? Ahead!? On my own!?" she loudly and dramatically responded with as a hand went to her near-bare chest.

"How're you not cold?" I asked as I hunched my body closer together. I even moved my tail around to my front so I could snuggle into its fur. But, that just made me realise how badly I have been looking after it because it was very prickly. It was not soft and that annoyed me as it was too bothersome to keep warm with.

"Because it is nice and bright out?" Larishazza replied back with as if I was going insane. And all I really could do was look at her in confusion.

"It is quite warm, Vadei, I think you're just a little bit ill." Einervaene then put forth as she tenderly touched my closest arm.

"Heh, a little bit." Larishazza chuckled out when she heard it.

"So... Have either of you two seen Nin today?" I asked in an effort to change the topic. And, to see why he wasn't there when I woke up.

"He's up on the airship, I took him up there last night." Einervaene answered.

"That long ago? I must've slept very heavily." I let out with some surprise as I thought I would've woken up at such a time.

"You've been in bed from the early evening to the late morning, so yes." Larishazza informed me as she skipped up onto a fence. And, seeking some entertainment, I tried to push her off of it.

"That long?" I say with more surprise.

"You've been avoiding sleep and food. I'm surprised you haven't started a famine through sheer desperate gluttony!" Einervaene said humorously as we turned a corner and made it onto the main village road. Follow it and it'll take you all the way through the village and right back out towards another one if you kept on going. Sometimes, we did that when we were younger. Just sneak off down the main road to another village or town.

Of course, Mom and Dad did not like us doing that when we were younger. And now, Mom would scream bloody murder if we went down that road. If it was the osibindah or her paranoia that would drive it more, however, was up for debate. Not that it mattered, Conquei was still on the airship and I was too weak to do much of anything.

"Hm, still quiet." Larishazza pointed out as we went past a few abandoned buildings. The temple, however, was being swarmed as it looked like a riot was going on. And, it made me upset to see it in such a state. Because it reminded me a lot of yesterday's talk with Nin...

"I can't say I'm surprised, we still have half the village on board, don't we?" Einervaene pointed out as we went by a shop that was actually open. But, I was probably stretching the definition of it being open as the place was a mess. Walls had been smashed and the shelves had been broken into dozens of smaller segments.

"I don't think all of them are from here." I said as I remembered the initial period when I saved everyone. I like to think I got familiar with quite a few people here, from the farmers to the various grocers. But, when I loaded up the airship after I broke them out, so many were unfamiliar. Some were obvious with their regional colours being different, others made it clear by the groups they made.

"So we'll have to take them home then, no?" Einervaene asked me. But, I shook my head at that as I had a plan in mind.

"No, once I'm... Never mind, forget it, I'll explain later." I started off at first before I moved on and changed the topic.

"Ah, hello, Vadei, here for some flowers?" Mrs Sweetfur greeted as we went near her shop. It wasn't her actual name, it was just a nickname we gave her because she always smelled so sweet. Not today, though, she smelled very earthy today. And I didn't need to ponder why she smelled that way.

I sniffed the air idly as my mind went blank, "Maybe another time..." I told her sadly as I looked back at the temple.

"Oh, don't worry, Dear. I'll make sure there's enough for everyone. You won't have to worry about any greed either." she told me with a smile as she tried to keep her shop tidy. So much stuff had been damaged that she was finding new things that had broken. Hangers were snapping, pots were cracking...

"How bad did it get after the slavers came?" I then decided to ask her as I looked at how some of the buildings weren't broken into. They were just genuinely abandoned. Boards and all.

"About as bad as you'd think it would get, really. Children lost their parents and vice versa. Workers were gone, some shops were completely gone and the same with entire households. After that, many just moved on elsewhere. So, if you were to go down the main road when it is safe again, you'd probably find some old neighbours if you're lucky."

"So are we not likely to recover now that the osibindah have been by?" I asked the older woman. Frowning as she sighed and held onto her face.

"I don't think anyone could really answer that. I'd like to say we're a stubborn town, but, so many have been broken this past year. The sudden shock of those slavers coming by, then, the stay in that hole in the ground. Push comes to shove one more time and this village just won't be a thing anymore." she explains as her eyes get a little watery.

"Is there nothing that can be done to help out?" Larishazza asked as she slowly moved closer. And, she managed to surprise Mrs Sweetfur by doing so.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I wasn't expecting our saviours to still be here. I was under the impression you two would've gone off."

Larishazza smiled, "Did we not say that we'd stay and look after you?"

"Again, sorry... I've been a bit preoccupied." she said just as something fell down and smashed from within the shop. And just like that, her smile was gone and she collapsed against the wall and started to sob. Then, before I could do anything, she went inside and closed the door. That decorative sign that so welcomingly said 'Open' got switched around as well.

"Einervaene, I want to go back to the airship now." I then told my friend after I finished looking at the state of my home. I did not want to see my home fall apart. It deserved some happiness to be brought to it now...

"Are you sure? It hasn't been that long since you ate." she asked me as she gripped my hand softly.

"I can always eat more later." I said to her, trying to sound brave about it but still dreading the pain I would feel. And the moment I rematerialised, I felt that pain and I was forced to see my desperately needed food before me.

"You alright?" my friend asked me as she rubbed my back as I finished vomiting what I had so recently eaten.

"Where's Larishazza?" I asked before I spat out some of the bitter bile left in my mouth.

"Hold on!" Einervaene let out quickly as she quickly disappeared and reappeared.

"Water please." I asked the moaning water user as she managed to keep her stomach contents inside.

"Sure..." she said with an out of it tone as she held a hand near my mouth. At first, I only used it to swish my mouth clean before I spat it out as I had with the bile. The next lot, however, I swallowed just so I could fill out my stomach some.

"Thank you." I mumbled in appreciation as I started to move towards my chair. Slowly, I sat down in it and looked at Nin as he relaxed in front of me with that red friend of his. He gave me a wave before he was then forced to keep his attention on that red creature he found.

"So you're going to bring us down?" Nin then asked as he kept the body on top of him still with gentle affection.

"Yeah... You two!" I answered Nin before calling out to my other friends.

"What is up, Captain?" Larishazza asked in a peculiar tone as she swaggered on over before she leaned on my equipment. Einervaene had to pull her off, but, so long as those three were all here.

"I'm going to reiterate myself just so we're all clear... Once we land this airship, it'll be the last time I ever fly it. I'm staying here from now on. I've done what I need to do." I start to say as some tears come to my eyes. But, I couldn't say why they had come...

"Don't worry about it! We'll just come and visit when we can!" Larishazza says to me as she reassures me with a soothing arm rub.

"I'll remove any locks I put on, so you idiots should be able to figure out how to go about it... You can all go back to Suhurlodst then and finish your magic education." I said to them with a sniffle.

"That'll be good, I can finally do more with this thing." a voice said from Nin's direction.

"Liadanann, quiet." Nin said as he moved her off of him and moved closer to me. He then smiled and kneeled before me.

"I mean it... You lot can go whenever you want..." I told them as tears went down my cheeks. Tears I tried to hide with my tail that Nin would not let cover my face.

"We know, but we want to stay a little. Make sure our friend is alright." he tells me as his hand goes on top of mine. The other two even moved in closer and tried to get in their own gestures of affection.

"Okay..." was all I could really let out before I sobbed some more.