When Lara woke, Tristan and Destiny were still sleeping. What little she remembered of the prior evening came to her in the form of Tristan tripping over the minor imperfections of the carpet as he returned to the room. Destiny had always been a heavy sleeper—which was a part of why she was often late to classes back in Venicia—and so she slept through Tristan’s bumbling.

No sooner than she had sat up did Wind come to her with a wide grin.

“Have I got some juicy information for you!” Wind said.

Lara blinked and yawned. “Okay. Hold on,” she whispered, throwing the blankets over. Afterward, she dangled her legs over the edge and stepped out onto the carpet carefully to avoid waking Destiny or Tristan.

The nightgown provided by the attendants was comfortable and downright luxurious. Dyed a faded pink, the dress of extravagant silk rested over her shoulders and stopped just above her knees. It was the cutest thing she’d worn since who knew how long.

Tiptoeing her way over to the door, it squeaked slightly as she opened it, clicking behind her as she closed it.

“Took you long enough!” Wind barked.

Lara flinched. “What’s going on?” She yawned again, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

“Let’s just say that Ravyn might be making a weird decision today.” Wind fluttered around Lara’s head, sprinkling faint luminescent dust around her. Lara was never quite sure what the dust was. The last time she asked, Wind said that it was her ‘beauty’ or ‘myana.’ The latter sounded more likely.

“What kind of decision?” Lara’s mind was still waking up, and she could hear Earth and Fire nearby, arguing as usual.

“She might not be tagging along anymore.”

Lara frowned. “But didn’t Cailu—”

“She doesn’t care!”

“I know that, but Tristan—”

“Oh! Here she comes now!”

Lara turned her head toward the hallway to her right to see a pensive Ravyn strolling through the hall, bizarrely absent of her familiar. Dressed in her [Civilian Mode] outfit, the fiery redhead had her arms crossed and her head bowed slightly. She stopped a few paces away, looked up, then frowned and turned around to leave.

“Wait, where are you going?” Lara asked, walking over to her.

Ravyn clicked her tongue. “Geh. Does it matter? I have a lot to think about and don’t have time for your antics.”

Lara blinked, unsure of what she meant by that. “Are you going to leave our group?”

Ravyn glanced at her over her shoulder. “Who told you that?”

“Wind did. She said you might be leaving.”

“Deny it! I dare you!” Wind said, cackling.

Ravyn’s posture relaxed, and then she sighed. “I think it would be best if I stayed at the estate for a while.”

“But what about Tristan and Matt and—”

“My sister needs me,” Ravyn interrupted. “And I can do more to help here than parade around Shulan.” Averting her gaze, she lowered her voice. “Besides, I need to help my mother get her affairs in order. She might only have a year or two left.”

Lara bowed her head. “I’m sorry, Ravyn.”

“It’s fine.” Ravyn had deep bags under her eyes, now that Lara was looking closer. “We still have to wait until Tristan’s done with his training, anyhow, so you’re stuck with me for a little longer.”

Lara smiled and cupped one hand over the other in her lap. “Anything else on your mind? I know what it’s like to have a lot going on.”

“Are you saying that I’m a burden?” Wind balked.

“N-no, Wind, I’m just saying—”

The little sprite clicked her tongue and vanished in a puff of green smoke.

Ravyn sighed. “We can talk more once Tristan’s awake. I don’t want to talk to my mother more than I have to without him.”

“Why is that?”

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“Because, even if he isn’t from this island, the cunt put him in charge. As much as I loathe to say it, we have to play the same fucking game with her as she does with us.” She shook her head. “Having Tristan there might make her a bit more forthcoming with information.”

“Would she really lie to you, though?”

The corner of Ravyn’s mouth rose into a sneer. “You don’t know my mother.”

“W-well, no. I guess not. But I would think any mother would want to tell their daughter the truth. I know mine would.” Lara smiled as she reminisced on an old memory of her and Destiny chasing one another through a field of wheat. On the hot summer days, they were a welcome reprieve from the sun and made for great hiding spots. Her mother’s face was becoming more difficult to picture. She hated that. “That’s why I—”

Ravyn was turning the corner down another corridor to her left by the time Lara came out of her reverie.

“Hey!” Lara cried as she started down the hallway. “I was still talking!”

When she caught up, Ravyn rolled her head with a sigh. “I’m hungry.”

“So am I!” Lara said excitedly. “Why don’t we get breakfast together?”

Ravyn didn’t say anything until she opened the doors to the guest room. A pair of attendants dressed in casual San Island attire were sitting at a table near the back, and they shot to their feet when Ravyn entered. “We’re hungry.”

The two women bowed at the waist. “Our apologies, miss,” the one on the left—a girl with short black hair tied into quarter braids—said. “Is there anything you would like in particular?”

“No. Whatever’s available,” Ravyn said. She gestured to a table on their left, and Lara took the seat closest to the wall.

“Of course!” the two women said before disappearing into the other room.

Ravyn took the seat across from Lara, leaning on one elbow and perching her chin atop her palm. “Go on. Say it.”

Lara blinked. “So, if we talked to Fire—”

“Not that!” Ravyn pounded both of her forearms on the table, eliciting a yelp from Lara. “Ugh. Forget it.”

Lara tried to put herself in Ravyn’s shoes. She wondered what made Ravyn such a snappy and angry person. Wind would pass her information from time to time, but Wind could only ever hear what anyone else could. Ravyn’s mind was her own, and if she didn’t wish to speak it, then Lara would never hear it.

“Umm. Sorry. I’m not very good at this,” Lara said, tucking her hands between her legs. “Would you lie to your daughter?” When Ravyn furrowed her brow, Lara clarified, “I mean, if you ever had one.”

Ravyn paused. “Probably, if it suited my needs.”

Lara returned her frown. “Why? Do you not think you’d make a good mom?”

Ravyn visibly swallowed. “Mou ii, why are we even talking about this?”

Lara responded with a shaky laugh. “Well, I thought we might pass the time. Especially since Earth and Wind are strangely quiet today.” Seeing Ravyn’s expression made her think that she was being pitied. “I really can talk to them, you know. The Elements.”

Ravyn resumed her prior position and leaned into her palm. “You’re crazy. No one can talk to the Elements.”

“But I can! Really! So can Sophia!”

“Look, can we just change the subject?”

Lara’s bravado deflated, and her shoulders slumped. “Okay. Umm. So…why wouldn’t you make a good mom?”

Ravyn’s lips formed a thin line, and her gaze fell to the table. “You’re making an assumption. I never said that I wouldn’t make a good mom.” Lara felt that Ravyn had more to say, so she waited as the seconds passed by. “I ran away with San Island’s prior man. He and I wanted to start a family the same way they did where he came from. He told me that where he’s from, men were just as plentiful as women, and when you found someone you cared about, you made a family. I was captured and rehabilitated. We never got the chance to try.”

Ravyn had Lara’s rapt attention, and so she leaned closer to hear her better, ears perked up.

“I’m back!” Wind said as she fluttered around Lara’s head.

“Not now, Wind,” Lara snapped. “Ravyn is talking to me.”

“Well, fine! See if I care!” The little sprite disappeared again, and Lara sighed. She hoped her snippy reaction wouldn’t come back to bite her later.

Ravyn raised a brow. “Anyway. Finn told me you could marry someone.”

“What does that mean?”

Ravyn’s eye twitched. “As it was explained to me, it’s when a man and a woman vow to love one another, and only one another, until death…do you part.” Ravyn sucked in her lips. “It sounded romantic to me. I wanted that. So, I broke Saoirse’s decree and ran away with him. I abandoned my friend when she needed me most, my mother, the whole of Nyarlea.” She sniffed. “I named four of my future daughters.” She quickly wiped a tear away from the corner of her eye. “Mattaku. I’ve said too much. Satisfied?”

Lara bowed her head and allowed Ravyn’s words to land on her. Visages of her mother returned, and with them, her mother’s face. Stronger than ever before.

“I see,” Lara said, scared of offending her with anything more. She was never good with talks like these. Most of her day was spent concentrating on the voices in her head, after all. Now that Wind and the other Elements weren’t around to bother her, she had a moment to reflect on the story she’d been told. “I’m sorry, Ravyn.”

“It’s fine.” Ravyn massaged her temples. “I don’t know why I’m telling you all this, anyway.”

Tristan and Destiny came into the room shortly after the attendants returned with Lara and Ravyn’s breakfast. Tristan seemed absolutely beside himself while Destiny gave him gentle words of encouragement. Ravyn returned to her usual self, barking orders when it suited her and detailing the day’s tasks. Yanni joined them soon after, and the room was bustling with conversation.

Lara listened, as she usually did, while the others carried much of the conversation in the room. Wind returned, and Earth with her. Voices bombarded her, but with a full belly, she managed to keep up with much of what was said.

Color returned to Ravyn’s eyes and skin, and Lara watched her for a time. Despite Ravyn’s brashness, she went out of her way to assist Tristan where she could. She cared about her sister, traveled across the islands with a man, and wanted to ensure that her mother’s business was taken care of.

Lara smiled.

I think you would make a wonderful mother.

image [https://i.imgur.com/rX3XWFw.png]