Familial ties

Cautioned by a distance kept

Bonded by a team

Essex took her time heading to the team’s dorm, holding an envelope, just as a few teams passed by, talking about what they were planning to do in the upcoming semester break.

Essex chose not to listen in and rounded the corner to the team’s room, as she opened the door and found Julia and Harley on the couch, watching whatever was on.

“Cali.” She greeted, as Julia sat up.

“Hey. Was there anything in our mailbox?” She asked, before Essex held up the envelope in her hands.

“Only a correspondence from the Segaru Clan.” Essex replied, grabbing Harley’s attention, as she shot up off the couch in excitement.

“So old-school. They actually sent a letter? Like, with paper and everything?” Harley asked, as Essex opened it.

“No. It would appear to just be the paper.” Essex flatly replied, before taking time to read over the message. “…it seems one of our members has recently passed.”

“Oh. Sorry to hear that, Essex.” Julia said, now getting up from the couch. “Did you know them?”

Essex shook her head. “They had left the clan a few years ago, but news of their passing must have travelled back. We will be celebrating another Boncala Day in a month’s time to honour them.”

Julia looked confused. “What’s Boncala Day?”

Harley quickly went to answer. “It’s this entire day spen-“

Harley stopped herself and turned to Essex, before clearing her throat. “Sorry, you should explain it.”

Essex nodded back to her. “It is a Segaru Clan tradition for those that have passed. We spend a day indulging in what we normally abstain from to show the lingering spirit that life will continue on without them.”

Essex pointed back to the letter. “I have never experienced one myself, but the clan will be gathered in the Aishanara Forest for this, so I’ll be able to attend.”

“They’re that close?” Harley realised. “Great! That can fit in with my idea!”

“Idea? What idea?” Julia asked, just as the door opened to Wess and Sola coming in, catching Harley setting up.

“Whatcha up to, babe?” Sola asked, as Harley tried to talk with a marker in her mouth.

“Jus a segond!”

“Julia, is it alright if I discuss something with the team?” Wess asked, catching Julia’s attention briefly. “It has t-”

“Done!” Harley exclaimed, pointing to the calendar. “I’ve got a suggestion for the upcoming semester break.”

The team all looked at each other, as Julia indicated to Wess. “Actually, Wess had some news, s-”

“Hold on.” Wess said, staring over Harley’s plans, before resettling herself. “Harley, explain yourself.”

“Alright, I know we were all planning on going back home for the upcoming break in two weeks, just like last year…” Harley prefaced. “…but what if, instead, we all visit each other’s homes on a cross-country trip?”

Julia blinked, Wess massaged her forehead, Sola vibrated with excitement, and Essex barely registered an emotion, as Julia broke the silence. “In just two weeks?”

“Yeah.” Harley said, mapping it out. “We’ll spend a couple days at each home and just hop around between them on the Flash-Rail. When’s your Boncala Day, Essex?”

“One month’s time.” Essex reiterated.

“Perfect! That’s, like, right at the end of the break!” Harley exclaimed, writing it all down. “We can start at Julia’s place, since she’s the closest, then head down to Denilee, back up to Mareau, travel all the way to Mykonori, then finally head back and meet the clan in the Aishanara Forest.”

“I-I dunno…I don’t really i-invite a lot of people over…” Julia admitted.

“And in case you’re forgetting, my parents would be the last people to host Venators in their home.” Wess pointed out.

“Plus, that’s a lot of travel for just two weeks.” Sola said, shuddering now that she gave it more thought. “And a lot of trains…”

“Well, we can’t help that it’s two weeks of travel.” Harley acknowledged, joining the team’s sides. “But wouldn’t it be great to see our hometowns together? I want you guys to finally meet my dads! And Wess keeps bragging about Mareau, AND I still haven’t seen the Colossus of Mykos.”

Harley pointed to Essex. “Also, we get the rare chance to witness a Segaru Clan tradition in person. How many opportunities are we gonna get like that?”

“…you know what, I like this idea.” Wess intervened. “I’ve been stuck in either Mareau or Detu City my whole life, and gosh darn it, the spirit of adventure’s calling me. I want to see more of Daysend.”

“…it’s been a while since I’ve left Detu City.” Julia admitted. “And it won’t be too weird having you guys over. I mean, Essex stayed over last year.”

“It was a pleasant experience.” Essex said, turning to Harley. “This idea sounds beneficial to our team collectiveness. I hope the clan is to your liking.”

“And Mykonori! I’ve barely even seen most of it myself.” Sola confessed. “I’ll have to call my parents and tell them we’re staying over.”

“Oh, right! I should clear it with my dad too.” Julia realised, pulling out her tablet, as Harley continued to mark things on the calendar.

“This is gonna be so fun. In just a fortnight’s time, we’ll be travelling all around Daysend.” She said to herself, before Essex joined her side. “You reckon this’ll be what it’s like once we graduate?”

“…possibly. Venator work requires travel, doesn’t it?” Essex asked, getting a nod from Harley.

“Yes, hello Graham.” Wess said into her tablet, wandering around the room while avoiding Julia and Sola on their own calls. “I was hoping to talk to father about something. I doubt he’ll even hear me out, but I…oh, hello father.”

She stopped in the middle of the room. “My team and I were hoping to visit Mareau on an upcoming trip, and…what’s that?...oh, I…of course…that’s…that’s understandable. Lo reme.”

Wess took her tablet down, as the room focused on her.

“Well then.” Wess said. “He said yes.”

“We can stay over?” Julia asked, getting a quick head nod from Wess, before she heard her dad’s voice coming from her tablet. “Hey, dad? Yeah, my team had this idea for the break…”

“If it’s a bit awkward, we can just get a hotel room.” Harley offered, as Wess raised her hand.

“It should be fine. The fact that he’s allowing us all to stay is quite out of character, so maybe he’ll continue that behaviour for our trip and act like a complete gentleman?” Wess remarked. “Don’t worry. It’s technically my manor too. I won’t let my parents disrespect you while you’re there.”

“Oh. Thanks, Wess.” Harley said, just as Sola gave her a thumbs up, letting her mark off more on the calendar.

“My dad said he’s cool to play host.” Julia called out, as she leaned over to Wess. “What was it you were going to tell us earlier?”

“I think it’s best if I hold that until we’re off campus.” Wess clarified. “Let’s focus on our trip for now.”

“That settles it.” Harley announced, jotting down the last of her details, before she dynamically put her marker down. “In two weeks, we start our journey around Daysend.”

———

And just like that, two weeks passed in an instant.

After a fortnight of classes and preparations, the team were packed and ready with their suitcases, as they huddled around the Flash-Rail station somewhat early in the morning, which only really affected Sola and Wess.

“…are we…at Julia’s…” Sola tried, barely managing to stand, as Harley helped her stay upright.

“Yes, let’s hurry this up…I’m worried that once we arrive, your father’s impression of me will be ‘Julia’s friend who immediately collapsed on my couch.’” Wess expressed, rubbing some sleep from her eye.

“Don’t worry. My dad’s pretty chill.” Julia excused, grabbing her suitcases. “If you want to collapse on the couch, be my guest.”

“You’re too kind.” Wess remarked, hopping onto the Flash-Rail with her suitcases, as the others did the same, storing what they could in the overhead compartment and taking their seats.

“There’re a few snacks packed if anyone’s hungry. It’ll be a bit until we arrive.” Julia encouraged.

“I would guess this will become familiar to us over the next two weeks.” Essex said, indicating to the train.

“Hopefully, Sola can get over her fear of them.” Harley said, letting Sola lie down and sleep on her lap. “Let’s just be lucky she’s asleep for now.”

After a few more minutes, the train shot down the track toward Detu City, passing by numerous skyscrapers, the Gold Lelvow Bank, and the HyperMall, before opening out into the suburban surrounding area, dotted with streets and houses built for the common folk. It was noticeably less developed than the rest of Detu City, but if anything, it made it feel much homier.

“So, before we get there, just a heads up…” Julia prefaced. “My dad’s a bit dorky.”

“…yeah.” Harley replied. “They all are. That’s basically a job requirement.”

“Is he the one who gave us that bottle of wine?” Wess asked, getting a nod from Julia. “Well then, I should think that speaks well to his character.”

“I was not under the impression that he was dorky when we last met.” Essex said.

Julia laughed a little. “Maybe I’ve got nothing to worry about then…”

The Flash-Rail pulled into the station, just a few minutes away from Julia’s house, as they exited the compartment, before feeling a set of eyes on them from behind.

“Surprise!”

Everyone jumped back suddenly, save for Essex, as they turned around and spotted Julia’s dad behind them with his arms out.

“I’m up! I’m up!” Sola let out, now suddenly very alert.

“Dad!” Julia cried. “Don’t do that!”

He rested his hands on his hips, before looking to the unprovoked Essex. “Aw man, you were the one I was trying to get.”

Milo was noticeably taller than Julia, dressed in what was clearly lounge wear that was only just passable for being out in public. He already had a couple grey streaks in his hair, but showed a breadth of energy that was immediately engaging.

“Calias, Milo.” Essex greeted with a bow, as Milo bowed back.

“Calias as well.” Milo said unsurely, before turning to the others. “So, this is the team!”

He quickly went around to each member and gave them a welcoming handshake, proudly smiling toward them. “Great to meetcha! Really respect the work you do!”

“You don’t need to treat them like colleagues.” Julia pointed out. “Come on, let’s go home. I think Sola’s about to fall over.”

“N-No…no…” Sola assured, already falling backwards and landing right in front of Milo.

“Oh shit.” He let out, lifting her up with Harley’s help. “Not a morning person, huh?”

“What are you gonna do?” Harley remarked, as the group carried themselves off to Julia and Milo’s house, with Julia leading the pack and using her key.

“Whoa!” Harley exclaimed, nearly dropping Sola once she saw the cosy suburban interior. “It’s so cute!”

“And awfully quaint.” Wess muttered, before realising their group was one short.

She spun around and noticed Essex bowing in front of the house with her scythe out, confusing the rest of the team, before Milo snapped his fingers.

“Right! You’re allowed to stay here.” He declared, as she stood back up.

“Grelo.” She thanked, grabbing her things and heading inside.

“She needs permission before she can stay somewhere.” Julia explained to Harley and Wess, as Milo stood proudly in the centre of the room.

“Make yourselves at home. I’ll try to be as accommodating as possible.” Milo announced, as Julia went to make a point, before being interrupted. “And before you ask, yes, I’m taking the next few days off of work, and YES, I don’t need your permission since I’m the adult here.”

“But I’m twenty…” Julia said, as Harley dropped Sola onto the couch.

“Can we see Julia’s room?” Harley asked immediately.

“Yeah, it’s right there.” Milo pointed.

“Dad!” Julia let out, as Harley was already peeking inside.

“What? Essex already stayed in there last time. And I moved that pool table out for you guys.” He said, indicating to Essex following behind Harley, as Julia hurried over to try and stop them, before Milo noticed Wess watching on. “Aren’t you curious?”

“I’ll wait for a more opportune time.” Wess explained, as Milo nodded to himself.

“You’re Wess, right?” He asked. “Julia’s mentioned you before. How’d you like the wine?”

“It was surprisingly tasteful.” Wess absentmindedly mentioned, before clearing her throat. “I-I mean it was a lovely gift.”

Gods, she must be made of money. Milo said, noticing her appearance. Is Julia really keeping this kind of company?

“Hey, just out of curiosity…how’s Julia back at the academy?” Milo asked, as Wess watched the tussling match between Julia, Harley and Essex, before turning to him.

“Everything you’d want from a leader, really.” Wess explained, as the trio had visibly tired each other out and collapsed to the floor. “Excuse me.”

Wess used the opportunity to step around them and head inside Julia’s room, as Milo watched Julia on the ground, wondering if Wess hadn’t just been blowing smoke.

Wess was immediately struck with how…Julia the room was, for lack of a better term. Partly, it was organised, and partly, it was a bit of a mess. A clear love of Venators was shown across the board, with posters and figures and a few movie cases, on top of several board games, posters for shows she loved, and a few ticket stubs for the local gun range. Frankly, the room looked big enough to hold two beds, but Julia seemed to make good use of the space.

Which was explained by the sheer state that was her wardrobe.

“And I thought your Team Spectrum memorabilia at the academy was excessive.” Wess remarked, digging through Julia’s wardrobe. “Is this a mock weapon?”

Julia suddenly sprung to life and jumped to intercept Wess, as she grabbed the foam rifle from her. “Y-Yes. It’s X-Ray’s Prism Rifle.”

“I thought Infra had the rifle.” Harley brought up, getting up again and planting herself onto Julia’s bed.

“They both did, but X-Ray’s reflected his Whil. Infra’s was a proper sniper rifle that he used with his Heat Signature Whi-“ Julia clarified, only for Harley to start digging under her bed halfway through. “D-Don’t do that! Th-There’s private stuff there!”

“Well, now I’m even more curious!” Harley let out, checking more vigorously, before finding nothing of note except for an old, framed photo with a thick layer of dust covering it.

She wiped it off as best she could, before realising it was a photo of Julia standing next to another girl.

“Who’s that?” Harley asked, before Julia ripped the photo away from her.

“Just a…f-friend from high school.” Julia stammered, as Essex finally came in as well, which caused Julia to give up stopping them all together. “Fine, just dig through my stuff…”

“And who might this be?” Wess asked playfully, as she held up a photo album with pictures of baby Julia. “Aww…”

“Dad!” Julia called out, as he peeked in from around the door, before shrugging his shoulders.

“Hey, I had to use your room as storage. Sorry…” He said, before noticing the pictures again. “Aww…you were so cute…”

Julia quickly got up and closed the door in his face, before noticing Wess flip through a couple more pages.

“Who’s this other girl beside you?” Wess asked, as Julia joined her side.

“That’s my sister, Bell.” Julia said, reminiscing on the origin of some of the photos. “It was a bit of a tradition when we were younger…she always hated getting her picture taken, though.”

Harley leaned over to them and laughed at a photo of Bell in a dress far too big for her, holding up a few papers on a seemingly makeshift stage.

“Oh yeah…Bell took one of mum’s dresses to put on a play for me.” Julia said, chuckling a little at the memory. “Man, mum was angry about that. But then Bell showed her some of the play and warmed her up to it.”

“Aww…I wanna meet her now.” Harley expressed, before a gentle knock came from Julia’s door.

She sighed out and opened it again, as Milo raised his eyebrows.

“Can I talk now?”

“…okay.” Julia said, as Milo rolled his eyes.

“Alright, there’s only room for a few of you in here, so two of you are going to need to sleep on the couches.” Milo explained, pointing to Sola still asleep on the couch. “…well, that makes it pretty easy. Who’s joining her?”

“It would only be fair that I do.” Essex offered. “I have already occupied Julia’s room for a time.”

“Oh, look at you. Julia, your friends are really polite.” Milo praised, as Julia tried to hide her blush away.

“…yeah…th-thanks…” Julia let out, as Harley and Wess finally left her room, only to grab their bags to bring in. “...I think so too...”

———

“I just have to ask.”

“She is doing very well in her classes.”

“Right, but like, how’s she holding up? I know her grades are fine, but I’m sure the missions are a lot for her to handle.”

“She has handled them with tact and confidence. While her skill with firearms is remarkable, her leadership abilities are especially impressive.” Essex explained, as Milo rested his head on the kitchen counter.

“See, that just doesn’t make sense to me. Since when did she get so…I dunno, self-assured?” Milo wondered. “My daughter’s a lot of wonderful things, but being a leader feels like it would bottom the list.”

Essex rested her mug on the counter as well. “I did not know Julia before attending the academy, but, if you’ll allow me to assume, I think she’s…”

Essex raised her hands to do air quotes. “In her element.”

“No kidding…” Milo said, watching his drink swirl in his own mug, before Julia’s bedroom door opened up to reveal her in her pyjamas. “Hi girls. How was your sleep?”

“Uhh…p-pretty standard.” She remarked, as Wess quickly followed behind her.

“Harley insisted on changing out in the open, giving us quite the interesting awakening.” Wess mentioned, yawning loudly. “You set that alarm far too early, Julia.”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“O-Oh…okay then.” Milo said, refusing to let them elaborate. “It wasn’t too stuffy?”

“Nope.” Julia replied, as Harley exited last, looking at Julia and Wess while stretching.

“Come on, it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.” Harley pointed out, smiling back at them, before heading over to a still sleeping Sola. “Hey, boo.”

“…huh?” Sola managed, finally waking up, before noticing where she was and just how many people were around her. “…oh yeah, I forgot we were already here.”

“You were out like a light.” Julia said, sitting on top of the couch. “Do you want something to drink?”

“Oh, hold on, I’ve got something.” Milo insisted, grabbing a hot chocolate he’d already made and handing it to her, before sitting on the opposite couch. “I’m Julia’s dad, in case you need a reminder.”

“Hi, Julia’s dad.” Sola replied, still half asleep, before taking a sip of the hot chocolate and immediately springing to life. “This is so good!”

“Thank you.” Milo replied, looking a bit smug. “I’m kind of a wiz in the kitchen.”

“That’s weird. I remember making all my own meals in high school…” Julia remarked, as Milo looked back at her and pulled her into a friendly noogie.

“I made you some! You were just too good at it!” Milo insisted, as Julia laughed to herself, trying to pry herself away. “You’re the one who figured out that stirring trick with your Whil!”

“Finished!” Sola announced, showing off the mug proudly, before studying it a bit more. “Hey, this is a pretty nice mug…”

Wess rustled herself up some breakfast with Essex, as Harley sat against the couch with the others, looking to Milo. “Hey, I’m curious. Do you have a Whil too?”

Milo finally let go of Julia. “Yeah, I’ve got one. I just never use it.” Milo admitted, before getting an idea. “Hey, Sola, can you chuck me the mug?”

Sola held it up, as Milo stared at it intently, before she threw it to him, only for it to go flying into his face, smacking his nose.

“Shit!” He let out, grabbing for his nose and getting a laugh from Harley, as Julia tried to check on him. “I was gonna slow it down…”

“Dad’s basically got the same Whil as me. He changes velocity with his thoughts, while I direct it through my hands.” Julia explained. “I’m just lucky I don’t have to stare at stuff like he does.”

“Yeah, you won the genetic lottery there.” Milo remarked, pulling out his tablet to look at the state of his nose. “Bell can do it too, but just like me, she hasn’t really trained it.”

“And yet, you still call yourself a wiz in the kitchen…” Julia joked, which only let Milo noogie her again, getting a silent groan from Wess in the kitchen.

“They’re acting awfully chummy.” Wess said, staring as Julia couldn’t help herself but laugh. “Well, good for them.”

“Are you jealous?” Essex asked, surprising Wess, who tried to play it off.

“Of whom?”

Essex blinked. “Julia. The way you described your parents suggests they wouldn’t act like this.”

Wess grabbed at her forehead. “Essex, it’s too early in the morning for this…”

Almost to accompany her headache, the doorbell rang out suddenly, as Milo jumped to attention and got up, hurrying over to the door.

“Who’s that?” Julia asked, as Milo tried to hide a playful smirk.

“I was gonna tell you before you showed up, but I figured I’d surprise you.” Milo prefaced, before opening the door. “Surprise!”

Nothing followed Milo saying that, as he stood by the door awkwardly, waiting patiently, only for Bell to slowly step through, wondering if she was meant to accompany his theatrics, before waving.

Julia blinked. “B-Bell?”

“O-Oh, Julia.” Bell realised, before turning to Milo. “So, you didn’t tell either of us?”

Milo realised it as well and blushed. “I…guess I didn’t.”

Bell shook her head in frustration, before turning back around, only to now notice the plethora of other people occupying the lounge room in their pyjamas, looking at her curiously.

“Is this your sister?” Harley asked, as Julia nodded politely. She looked just like an older Julia, save for shorter hair and a bit less energy in her eyes. Her maturity was definitely on display, but as Julia stood next to her, this was only made more apparent.

“A-Apologies. If my father had bothered to inform me you were here, I wouldn’t have interrupted you so early.” Bell remarked, turning to Milo, who tried to not look guilty.

Bell gave her attention back to Julia. “It’s actually good you’re here. Mum wanted to talk to you whenever you were around.”

Julia shrunk back a little, as her team noticed her demeanour change. “I-In person?”

Bell nodded. “When you have time, of course. How long are you staying?”

“Just a few days.” Wess noted, as Julia started to sweat.

“I-I-It’s fine, I-I can just see her another time.” Julia tried to play off, only for Milo to sigh out.

“Now, come on, Julia. I know you want to stay here with your team, but you never really visit her.” Milo pointed out. “And you’ve yet to see her since you started at the academy.”

“Y-Yeah, I know…” Julia muttered, as Milo rolled his eyes.

“Tell you what. I need to get some groceries later today, so I’ll drive you there. And don’t worry about your team, they can stay here with Bell.”

Bell turned suddenly. “Huh?”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get along. Julia makes good friends.” Milo assured, as Bell glanced around her at the house’s current occupants.

I hope you meant that…

———

After a few well spent hours hanging out and chatting at Julia’s house, the inevitable grocery shop came around, meaning Julia was to be whisked away from it and into the thralls of her mother.

Julia looked out of the car window quietly, as Milo stared at her from the driver’s seat, starting to get flashbacks to her in high school.

“It’s only mum.” Milo pointed out. “She’s plenty of fun to be around.”

Julia nodded to him. “Yeah.”

She turned back to the window, as Milo tried his best to pay attention to the road.

“Hey, if Bell’s any indication, she’s probably mellowed out.” Milo assured her. “I know you two are pretty different, but so’s your team. And you seem to get along great with them.”

“Dad, can we not have this conversation right now?” Julia asked with a certain finality, as Milo closed his mouth and simply nodded, focusing back on the road, with Julia doing the same.

It was a little while until they reached her house, due to it being on the other side of Detu City, but eventually they found their way into her driveway.

“Have fun. I’ll be back in a few hours.” Milo called out, as Julia nodded back to him. “And engage with her! Do your best to chat!”

Julia rolled her eyes and nodded again, insisting he finally go until he ended up doing so. She climbed up the main path toward the entrance, before reaching the door and holding her finger over the doorbell.

She let out a sigh, before going to press it.

“Give me your money!”

Julia jumped back in shock, grabbing at her chest, as Madelyn chuckled to herself.

“Gotcha.” She snickered. “I’m still just as wily as ever.”

Julia let herself focus on breathing, as Madelyn locked eyes with her.

“I just happened to be in the driveway when you came in. I’ll be honest, I was expecting you to put off visiting for a lot longer.” Madelyn remarked, as Julia did her best to clean herself up, before staring at Madelyn. “What? I wanted to greet you in a fun way.”

Madelyn quickly opened up the door for them, before walking around Julia and heading to the kitchen.

“…y-you could have been quieter about it.” Julia finally said, as Madelyn laid out her hand.

“There we go. I guess they’re not teaching you manners at that Venator school.” Madelyn remarked, before noting Julia’s offended expression. “I’m kidding. Come, sit.”

Julia tentatively followed her to the kitchen and pulled up a stool by the counter.

“What do you want?” She asked, as she grabbed a bottle of wine and poured herself a glass.

“Uhh…isn’t it a bit early for that?” Julia pointed out, as Madelyn turned to face her.

“Geez, I thought I was your mother.” Madelyn said, taking a drink and pointing to the fridge. “Mmm…go on, tell me while I’m up.”

“…just a…water.” Julia said, as Madelyn rolled her eyes.

“Fine.” She said, grabbing her a glass. “One water.”

Madelyn started pouring Julia her cup, before speaking up. “So, how’re things on your end?”

Julia felt a bit thrown off by the question, as she looked down at her lap. “Do you…mean at the Venator Academy?”

“Well, partly. It’s been a couple years since you were last here, so it’s the least you could talk about.” Madelyn said, spinning around and placing the glass down, before pulling out her tablet. “I saw your teammates on Activ.”

Julia broke a sweat. “H-Huh?”

“I swear, it’s the only reason I’ve ever used the app.” Madelyn said, pulling up Team Valiant’s profile. “They’re pretty cute. Especially that one with the big eyebrows.”

“M-Mum!” Julia cried out, trying to take the tablet away, as Madelyn held it just out of reach.

“And who’s the blonde one? She kinda reminds me o-“ Madelyn teased, before Julia got a hold of it, frustrating Madelyn. “Alright, fine, I guess I don’t get to hear about them.”

“D-Don’t go looking through this stuff. I-I’ll tell you about them when I’m ready…” Julia admitted, as Madelyn casually leaned against the counter, before shrugging her shoulders.

“You can hardly blame me. Your father never tells me anything either…” Madelyn expressed, turning her back to Julia. “The first time I heard you were going to that academy was when it was being attacked by that thing last year…”

“B-Behemoth Wailing…” Julia corrected.

“Right. Behemoth.” Madelyn said. “Milo called to assure me you were safe, but I didn’t even know you were there. I just saw on the news that the Venator school had been torn a new one…”

Madelyn raised a finger. “Then it got attacked again, and I saw this team on there talking about their fearless leader ‘Julia Alpine.’”

Madelyn faced Julia again. “I had half a mind to call you myself and ask what the hell was going on.”

Julia hid her face and ever-increasing blush, as Madelyn lay against the other countertop.

“…they look like they’ve got your back.” Madelyn admitted. “I mean, you’re still here. We can all be thankful for that.”

Julia nodded along, as Madelyn leaned over and tapped her shoulder. “You know a conversation’s more interesting if both parties talk, right?”

“S-Sorry…i-it’s just been a while since I’ve been over…and a lot’s changed…” Julia confessed, as Madelyn swirled around her wine.

“…hey, did you hear Bell got a new gig?” Madelyn mentioned, grabbing Julia’s interest. “In that show you and your father like.”

Julia blinked. “The Beggar’s Heart?”

“Didn’t she tell you?” Madelyn asked, as Julia shook her head. “She’s playing some…doctory thing, I dunno. Really hitting the big time now.”

“Why didn’t she tell me?” Julia mumbled to herself, as Madelyn noticed the still full glass.

“Hey. Finish your water.” She said. “I prepared that lovingly. Don’t let it go to waste.”

“O-Oh, sorry…” Julia said, as Madelyn used to opportunity to grab her tablet back and scroll through Activ again.

“You went to Kaju?” Madelyn asked, as Julia flailed at her in an attempt to get it back. “Did you go to that mining museum?”

“Mum!”

“Alright, alright, no more teasing.” Madelyn forfeited. “Geez. No wonder you’re so high-strung…”

———

Bell cautiously looked over what was apparently Julia’s Venator team, sprawled out over the lounge room. Now that she was properly alone with them, she had no idea what to say or do. She barely even knew what to make of them, save for Essex, who she was at least familiar with.

Is Julia friends with them? Bell wondered, as they looked back at her as well. The blonde one looks way too intimidating, and the short one’s…

Actually, she couldn’t get a great read on Sola, but despite Julia’s very limited friend group growing up, Bell knew that Sola was pretty out of the ordinary for her.

And what’s with her? Bell thought, turning to Wess, who’s piercing stare managed to send a shiver down her spine. She’s like a gargoyle in human form…

In all this time, Bell had just been silently staring at Team Valiant, who all looked at each other in confusion, wondering if this was normal behaviour for Julia’s sister.

Harley was the first to lean forward, as she waved her hand in front of Bell’s face. “You good?”

Bell snapped out of her studying trance and stepped back. “O-Oh, sorry. I-I wasn’t expecting you to have multiplied.”

“Multiplied?” Sola asked, leaning over the back of the couch, as Bell fumbled again.

“I-I meant since last time. I didn’t know Julia was bringing her whole…Venator…team home.” Bell managed, sighing afterwards.

“Well, to be fair, we didn’t give you much warning of our arrival.” Wess reasoned, leaning against the wall. “I’m Wess Delacroix Nouvel.”

“Harley.” Harley added.

“And Sola!” Sola cheered, before pointing to Essex. “And you already know Essex.”

“Y-Yes, I do.” Bell said, before noticing the silence and realising what she should do. “O-Oh, right! My name’s Bell Vale. Julia’s sister, aspiri…working actor and…actually, that’s…kind of it.”

Bell left it there, as Harley plonked herself on the couch and patted the spot beside her.

“You might as well tell us a little bit more.” Harley encouraged, as Bell took the offer, mostly so she could get off her feet.

“Okay. Yeah. Sure.” Bell said, noticing everyone looking at her. “What do you want to know?”

“Oh! Oh! Milo said you had a Whil!” Sola asked excitedly. “What’s it like? Have you used it at all?”

“Well, I’ve used it once.” Bell said, holding up a finger. “I accidentally tripped a few days before an audition and tried to slow my fall, but ended up speeding up instead. I had to go in with a broken nose after that.”

“Did you…get the part?” Harley asked, as Bell shook her head slowly.

“No, it was for a nasal spray, so they didn’t think…” Bell started, before waving her hands. “I-It doesn’t really matter. The point is, I don’t have a good reason to use it.”

“That is understandable.” Essex reasoned, turning to her spot on the couch. “While my knowledge on acting is limited, I would imagine manipulating velocity wouldn’t factor in very often.”

“On that point.” Wess said, still standing against the wall behind Bell. “Are there any performances we might know you from?”

“Uhh, in short, no.” Bell admitted. “I’m not as prolific as some of my peers. Most of my training is in stage acting, but there isn’t much work here for that. There is up north, but I just can’t stand the Northern Wayside.”

Wess felt a twitch coming to her eye, as Bell quickly noticed and waved her hands.

“I-It’s nothing personal! I-It’s just the cold climate. It doesn’t agree with me.” Bell insisted, easing Wess somewhat. “I’ve always wanted to go to the Juslue theatre. B-But I don’t think I’m ready yet. And I’ll keep comparing myself to all the other actors there out of habit…”

“Maybe we can take you. We’ll be travelling around a lot once we become Venators.” Harley insisted. “We’ll pick you up and drive you down with us.”

Bell hid herself. “...thank you, but that wouldn’t sit right with me…like, at all…”

“How so?” Essex asked, as Bell tried not to look at anyone.

“It’s…I don’t really…get…Venators…” Bell admitted, surprising the team with her brazenness. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate the work you put in. I do. I just don’t understand the frenzy…or the warrior-for-hire thing…”

Bell sat up a little suddenly. “Like, that’s weird, right? You get hired to kill giant monsters, meanwhile other folks are working eight-hour desk shifts just to make ends me-sorry, I’m rambling. I’ll stop now.”

“But Julia’s becoming one.” Sola pointed out, as Bell leaned over to her.

“I know, but I’m not about to tell her it’s wrong or something.” Bell argued. “Just because I don’t understand it doesn’t mean I have to take that away from her…she seems really happy these days…”

Bell glanced around her, before leaning into the team. “…I know I just said what I just said…but I really want to thank you for being there for Julia. We didn’t spend enough time together when she was in high school, cause of the…so I wasn’t…”

Bell shook her head. “But even just talking to her, I can tell she’s much better off. And…even though I don’t know you guys very well…just knowing that you’ve been taking care of her really puts me at ease…”

“We do what we can.” Harley grinned, patting Bell’s back a little too hard. “She’s been an awesome leader for us.”

Feeling a bit more at ease, Bell let herself take up more room on the couch, before raising her head. “…can I…ask you guys a question now?” Bell asked, getting a nod from the team.

She sighed out, before looking around at them. “Did she bring that fox plushie from when she was a kid with her? I think it was called Maxie.”

Essex nodded silently, as Bell shrank back down.

“I was worried she had…”

———

Milo drove into Madelyn’s driveway again, honking the horn a couple times, just as Julia emerged from the house to join him, slowly followed by Madelyn.

She waved a hand as she leaned on the doorway, as Milo waved back to her, before opening the door for Julia.

“I hope you had a good time.” Milo asked, as Julia sighed to herself.

“She can be a lot…” Julia admitted. “…but I think it’s good we caught up.”

Milo took what comfort that gave and drove off, heading back home, which despite being the same distance felt significantly shorter than the last drive.

They reached their home and quickly grabbed the groceries from the car, as Julia helped with the front door, only to spot her team and Bell all on the floor, fiddling with an open box and game pieces.

“Uhh, hey guys.” Julia greeted, putting the bags in the kitchen. “Having fun?”

Bell popped her head up, before realising Julia wasn’t in on what they were doing. “Right. This probably looks weird.”

“We’re playing Goldstar LP!” Sola announced, holding up the box happily, as Julia looked even more confused.

“But I left my set at the academy?” Julia wondered, causing Bell to blush.

“Actually, since you mentioned it last time you were here…I bought another set. It’s just been sitting in my car.” Bell explained, avoiding eye contact. “I figured since we’re all here, it’d be kinda fun.”

“And Bell’s assured us that she knows the rules, so we can actually play this time.” Harley clarified, giving a big thumbs up, as Julia laughed a little to herself.

“Julia, you had the frozens!” Milo yelled out from the car, as Julia jumped to attention and hurried back to the kitchen to pack them.

Milo stepped into the house and looked to Bell, before putting the bags down. “Why didn’t you tell us you’re in The Beggar’s Heart?”

Bell blushed all over again, as she stood up suddenly, grabbing the attention of Team Valiant with her. “W-Where did you hear that?”

“Madelyn told Julia, and then she told me in the car.” Milo answered, resting his hands on his hips. “I can’t believe you got such a big role and didn’t even tell us.”

Bell looked away, as she touched her fingers together. “Th-That’s just mum…joking around. You know how she likes to…do that…”

“I wish I did.” Milo remarked, before joining her in the lounge room and grabbing the remote.

“W-What’re you doing?”

“Well, we were going to watch the new episode anyway.” Milo pointed out, turning on the TV. “So, whether you’re in it or not, we’ll just have to see.”

Bell went to argue as he sat down. “…alright, okay, fine, I’m in it, but…it’s not a noteworthy role by any means. I just need to build up my resume to find any decent work…”

“Hey, hey, work is work. If you truly want to be an actor, then you’ll put your heart into all your roles.” Milo pointed out, watching the screen intently. “My girl’s on TV…”

“Isn’t that the soap opera Julia likes?” Harley whispered to the others, as they continued to set up the game. “Lucky break.”

“Is it on yet?” Julia called out from the kitchen.

“Just a few minutes!” Milo yelled back, before turning to Bell happily. “I can’t believe it! You’re gonna be on the big screen!”

“He knows that means movies, right?” Wess commented, as Julia hurried into the room to catch the new episode.

Julia, Milo and Bell sat down and watched together, with Julia and Milo in quiet excitement, as Bell worried about when her scene would inevitably arrive. Meanwhile, the rest of Team Valiant worked on setting up the game of Goldstar LP, writing up character sheets and occasionally catching moments of the episode out of context.

After a very sudden betrayal, followed by a chase out of a burning building and a confrontational Wailing fight, the action seemed to die down a bit, as the episode continued on.

“When’s your scene?” Milo asked, as Julia shooshed him, leaning into her seat, just as it cut to a hospital scene.

“How is he, doctor?” A young man asked, as the doctor shook her head.

“I’m…sorry. There’s only so much we could do.” The doctor said. “He suffered a major spinal injury, but he may be able to recover after a few mon…”

Just as she said that, the patient rose up from his hospital bed, slowly removing the bandages from his face.

“Could it be?” The doctor said, as the bandages fell to the floor.

“But how?” The young man asked, before it cut back to the patient.

“I’m Ricky Rick Ricardo.” He declared, dynamically standing from his bed. “Now where the hell is my mansion?”

“Do you have any idea what’s going on?” Harley whispered to Essex, who shrugged aimlessly.

“He’s back! No way, he’s actually back this time!” Milo cried, as Julia shooshed him again, pointing to the screen, and embarrassing Bell immediately.

“Where’s my bodyguard?” Ricky demanded. “I’ll be the son of a Wailing if she doesn’t get here soon.”

Just then, the on-call nurse, played by Bell, walked onto the scene, holding a clipboard to her chest in a hurried manner.

“Doctor?” She asked, as Ricky started putting on his suit.

“Nurse, get me my car. I need to pay a visit to my…son in law. He needs to know the truth.” Ricky explained, as the nurse nodded frantically, running off to supposedly do that, before it cut to a seemingly unrelated school play.

Julia and Milo turned to Bell in shock, as she shied away from them.

“I told you it wasn’t a big role…” Bell excused. “I figured you wouldn’t even notice a one-off nurse i-“

“You did great!” Julia cheered, hugging her sister. “You only had one line and you killed it!”

“My daughter got to be a part of Ricky coming back!” Milo exclaimed, joining in their hug. “You’ve come so far, dear.”

Bell was still balancing between sheer embarrassment and elation, while trying not to let it show as she was sandwiched into the hug. The team watched the family embrace, just as the credits for the episode rolled on screen.

“Alright, guys, I think we’re done here.” Harley announced, pointing to the set-up game. “You feel like playing while we eat dinner?”

Milo broke the hug and went to agree, before realising the obvious. “Shit. I got so wrapped up in the episode that I forgot to start making it…”

He quickly got up and rushed to the kitchen. “You girls play without me. Sorry, dinner might be a while longer.”

“That’s fine. We can just get started!” Sola exclaimed, holding up a stack of detailed papers to Julia and Bell. “We made a bunch of character sheets to help speed things up!”

“I believe you offered to lead the game.” Essex said, as Bell remembered her promise and joined their makeshift circle with Julia.

“That’s right. I did.” Bell said, still coming off her recent high, as Julia rested a hand on her shoulder warmly, while Sola went around and passed out character sheets.

“This is Wess’ handwriting, for sure.” Harley grinned, showing off the page. “I’m some kind of Gospel Cleric.”

Wess glanced down at her page, before looking to Essex knowingly, who just looked confusedly back.

“Vonodo?” Essex asked.

“Their name is Bessex.” Wess remarked, as Essex blushed a little. “It’s a true mystery who wrote this.”

“…I-I am still not very creatively inclined.” Essex admitted, taking her sheet sheepishly, as Sola handed one to Julia and sat down with hers.

Julia noticed the player guide on the ground and picked it up with a sense of nostalgia. “Is this the module we’re playing?”

Bell nodded back. “I thought it would be best since they’re beginners to the game.”

I mean, technically. Julia thought, before Bell cleared her throat.

“So, just to clarify, you’ve all been hired by the King of Metal to raid one of Outune’s fortresses.” Bell explained, setting out the pieces. “I’ll do my best just to ease you in, but…take it at your own pace.”

Bell took a deep sigh, looking over the team in front of her, curious as to how she saw them as anything but pleasant by the start of the day. It hadn’t been long with them, but it was time well spent, enough that she knew Julia was…

…going to be okay.

Bell took a steadier sigh now, before standing up in front of all of them and miming a microphone in hand, ready to belt out.

“GET READY FOR THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME!!!!!”

The team was blown away as Bell shouted into her hand, taking on the sheer presence of a rock god, as Milo hurried into the room to make sure nothing was wrong.

“OUTUNE’S OUT OF HIS MIND!!! SO LET’S SEE WHAT WE FIND!!!” Bell continued, playing up the character of the ‘King of Metal’ with everything she had. “TIME TO RAID THAT FORTRESS WHILE WE STILL HAVE THE TIME!!!!!”

“Tear it up, Bell! Woooo!!!” Sola cheered, emboldened by her performance, as Bell pointed back down at them.

“IT’S TIME TO ROOoooOOOoooOOOLL FOR INITIATIVE!!!!!” ‘The King of Metal’ announced, pointing back down at the board, as everyone excitedly rolled right after, already on board for the game.

Milo watched from the sidelines, taking a break from cooking just to appreciate seeing his daughters sharing in one of their favourite hobbies again. It had been a while since he’d seen this expression on their faces.

And he knew it might be a while until next time.

But I think they have it handled for now…

———

“It felt so short!” Harley announced, stretching out. “I wanna stay in your house longer.”

“We might be able to next year.” Julia offered, tugging at her suitcases. “If dad doesn’t accidentally burn the place down.”

“Hey, give me some credit. I haven’t done it yet.” Milo complained, turning his back to Julia. “With talk like that, I might not let you stay anyway.”

“Aww, but I wanna come back too!” Sola added, letting go of her bags. “It was really nice meeting you, Mr Alpine.”

“Likewise.” Milo said, shaking Sola’s hand again, as Wess grabbed their attention.

“The Flash-Rail’s to Denilee’s here.” Wess announced, stepping onto it with Essex, as Julia took one last chance to hug her dad before leaving.

“Hey, kid.” Milo said, leaning down to meet her height while taking on a more serious tone. “You’ve...you’ve been really impressive, you know? I know…it was hard for us…a-after the divorce. And I know I could have been a better dad in…a lot of ways, but…”

He tried not to tear up, before he brought Julia in again.

“I’m so proud of how you turned out…”

Julia tried to keep her composure as well, as she took her time to enjoy the embrace before breaking it. “Thanks…I’m doing my best…”

“Of course you are.” Milo smiled, tussling her hair, while cleaning himself up. “You better get a move on. I don’t want to hold you up.”

Julia took her suitcases and joined her team in the compartment, before waving to her dad through the window, just as the Flash-Rail shot down the track, leaving Milo with a comfort he hadn’t felt when she first left for the academy.

“Keep her safe, you guys.” Milo muttered to himself, before leaving proper.

“I’d say part one of our trip went over pretty well.” Harley declared, getting approval from the others, before bumping Julia’s shoulder. “And it was fun to meet your family.”

“Yeah…” Julia said, as she found herself smiling. “It really was.”

“Thank you for hosting us, Julia.” Wess insisted, before sighing out. “And now that we finally have some proper free time...I have some news.”

The team drew their attention to Wess, as she prepared herself.

“It’s regarding Faller.” Wess admitted. “...I don’t believe he can be trusted.”

“Why’s that?” Sola asked curiously.

“Well, I conducted our investigation of him while he was in Detu City.” Wess explained. “Since you were all caught up in Harley and Sola’s relationship drama, I had to have Lenin accompany me while we looked him over.”

“Sorry about that.” Harley apologised, before double-taking. “Wait, does that mean Lenin knows about Wicker now?”

“Yes, but that was unavoidable.” Wess confessed, before sighing out. “However, while sharing a meal with Faller...he made remarks about ending the Wailing Conflict by any means necessary. He also spoke unkindly toward Venators and thought the industry wasn’t pulling its weight.”

“He said this toward you?” Essex asked, as Wess nodded back. “This is troubling...”

“So, wait...” Julia said. “If he’s really ‘Wicker,’ who planned the attacks on the academy, and he’s talking about ending the Wailing Conflict no matter what...”

“...then he might be trying to destroy the Venator industry.” Wess finally said, shocking everyone with the realisation.

“There’s no way!” Harley let out. “He’s the principal of the academy! Why would he want to destroy the industry he’s in?”

“That’d be the dumbest thing he could do!” Sola added, backing her up.

“Maybe he only became the principal to gain the power to do so?” Julia wondered aloud. “This changes everything...”

“You can see why I wanted to wait until we were out of the academy walls to tell you this. Considering the listening devices from last year, it’s not exactly a private environment.” Wess cleared up. “Unfortunately, I don’t know where to go from here...”

The team stayed silent, as Wess’ chance meeting with Faller was the only opportunity they’d had for months to learn more about what was going on.

“...we can worry about that when we get back.” Julia decided. “The whole point of this break is to wind down after the semester. No Wailing, no Venator training...”

“Yeah! There’s no point stressing about it when we can’t do anything!” Sola encouraged. “We’ll just get back to the academy antsy and paranoid.”

“...once we return, we must do what we can to bring ‘Wicker’ to justice.” Essex insisted, before turning to Harley. “But for now, Denilee.”

“Denilee, here we come!” Sola yelled out, pumping up the rest of the team, before a slight bump in the Flash-Rail shot nerves through her body, landing her firmly in Harley’s lap. “S-Soon, hopefully…”

“I just hope your dads aren’t too much.” Wess commented, drawing a glare from Harley. “If they’re anything like you, we might be in for quite the trip.”

Julia just kept to herself, as she watched Detu City pass by in the window with a smile across her face that she couldn’t quite get rid of.

And one she didn’t want to.

———

“...son of a...”

Due to her eyes being pressed to her binoculars for so long, Rosalind pulled herself away to avoid any further strain. She dropped them back onto her car, just as she spotted Team Valiant entering their Flash-Rail and watched as it headed southward.

“...alright then.” She said, quickly hopping into her car and starting it up, popping a lollipop into her mouth while she drove. She caught up to the Flash-Rail and followed the road running below it, making sure to keep it in eyesight.

Rosalind started to get comfortable, before smirking to herself.

“You never should have left the academy…”