We walked into the smithy together, and noticed that Ciara's mom and Mr. Darius weren't back yet. We were a bit surprised, as it had been an hour or two since we left, and they only said they were going for a drink, which I didn't think would take that long.
'So how long do you think they'll be?' I looked over to Ciara. She just shrugged.
'Do you just wanna sit here until they get back?' We walked over to a bench, and sat down.
'I don't see what else we could do right now. We had enough fun for the day already, I think.' She giggled a bit, and we leaned into each other.
'What about a short nap? I'm feeling pretty tired after all the excitement today, and I know we'll be fine in here until they return. So?' I yawned, and laid back a bit.
'That does sound nice. And it's so comfortable here with you. I'm already starting to drift off.' And like that, we fell asleep, sitting on a bench in the warm smithy.
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I woke up to someone laughing. I opened my eyes a little, and saw Ciara's mom doubled over, and Mr. Darius to the side with a slightly grumpy look on his face, like he'd just lost a bet or something.
"I told you it'd happen before we left town. How could you not see this coming? I mean, you saw how they were acting before they left. This was inevitable. Look at them, sleeping on each other, wearing matching dresses. It's adorable!" She calmed down a bit, and stopped laughing after a minute.
'They're back. Do you wanna get up?'
'Not really. But I probably should anyways.'
We opened our eyes, apparently too close to the same time, because it caused them to both jump a bit.
"Welcome back, Master Darius, Mrs. Irina. How long have we been asleep?"
"Not too sure, we've only been here for a couple minutes. So how was your time on the town?" Mr. Darius was really bad at hiding how he felt at times like these.
"It was fun, but why do you look so upset?" I seemed to hit a sore spot, because he winced as I said it.
"Well, I think it'd be better for Mrs. Irina to explain really. It'll make more sense coming out of her mouth than mine, I think." He passed the question off to Ciara's mom to explain, which means I was probably right about him losing some sort of bet.
"Well, you see, we saw how well you two were getting along when we had you leave that we just had to make a wager on how long it'd be before you looked like a little couple. Mr. Darius here thought it would take at least a few weeks or months, during which time Ciara and I would be in and out of town sporadically due to our profession. I, however, bet it would be done before the week was out. And I was clearly right." She looked pretty smugly at Mr. Darius.
"Speaking of, there's something we should probably tell you." Ciara's voice was a little shaky, but I was scared too. I was really hoping she'd let us stay together.
'You look like you're going to pass out, Amara.'
'I didn't think it was that bad. I'm just wondering, do you think she'll approve of me?' I furrowed my brows, and looked at Ciara.
She giggled at me. 'You've got nothing to worry about. It feels like she expected this to happen. I wonder if she could tell you've got similar levels and stats to mine?'
"So, what is it, darling? You said you had something to say, and just sat there and giggled. Is it important?" Her mom was a little confused.
"Right, sorry. So, um. It turns out Amara and I are soulmates, according to the system. We thought it was important to let you and her parents know." Ciara blew through it pretty quickly.
"Uh. Hm. Wait, soulmates? I feel like I've heard something about that. How did you find out?" She glared at me suspiciously.
"Well, we were walking back from the boutique and Ciara said something that kinda made me blank out, and the next thing I knew, there was a {System} message in front of us, and she was holding her cheek." I looked around, hoping she bought it.
"Hmm. Let's say I believe you, for now. If I remember right, the {System} only let's you know if someone is your soulmate if you have stat totals within a certain range of each other, are mentally old enough to understand the feelings it describes, and also if you share a kiss. Now, I'm no expert, but I don't think a kiss on the cheek would normally count. It almost seems like something interfered to make sure you knew before splitting up when we get back to working."
She started pacing and glancing at me every once in a while.. "If we assume that the other requirements are both correct, and also not tampered with, that means that you had a similar experience to my Ciara when it comes to stats and experience. Which I would probably say is absurd, because boy, do I know how it went for us." She stopped in front of me and put her hand on my head.
"Either way, it seems the best thing to say in this situation is: Congratulations to the two of you. And Amara, regardless of anything else, I can tell you're a good girl. Welcome to the family." She looked at me with a genuine smile on her face, and I began to tear up.
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A lot of emotions rushed through me, one of the main ones being relief. Another, overwhelming joy. I couldn't believe it was so easy to get her approval, but it felt so incredible as well. I began to cry, and Ciara hugged my side.
"I knew she'd like you. I'm so glad you're this happy." She snuggled my side, and her mother brought us both into a warm hug.
"Thank you. Thank you so much for letting us stay together. Thank you." I was still lightly crying into her chest, as we sat together for a while.
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I finally calmed down and realized something important. "What do I call you now? Mrs. Irina seems so formal. What would you prefer?"
"Oh, that's a good question, dear. I did say you're part of the family now, so what about something closer to 'Mother'? Obviously not the same thing you call yours, of course." She was patting my head, and stroking my hair, calming me down further.
"I can call you Mother, then. It's far enough from my Mama's name, so it works I think. " I was very relaxed, and felt like I'd be purring like a cat if this went on long enough. "What do you call her Ciara?"
"I just call mom 'mom'. Its simple and feels right. What do you think your mom would want me to call her?" She turned her head to me.
"Maybe call her the same as I do, 'Mama'. Or something else you think feels better. It's up to you on that one. Speaking of, we should probably head over to my home to talk with them soon. Don't wanna put it off for too long." I was almost more nervous to introduce Ciara to my parents than I was for the other way around.
"Do you wanna come with us, Mr. Darius? Or is it just gonna be the three of us? Honestly, I can't wait to meet the mother of this little treasure. She must be one amazing woman, yeah?" She looked between me and Mr. Darius, with a sly smile on her face.
"I think I'll stay here. Don't wanna be there for whatever Valerie might do with this news. Have a good night, you three. I'll take my leave." He walked out of the room we were in and started doing some work.
We got up, and started going towards my home. I took the lead, and a little while later, we arrived. I knocked on the door, checking to see if anyone was home.
"Hello? You here, Mama?"
"Amara? Why are you home so early? Did something happen at the smithy?" She opened the door and saw me there, hand in hand with Ciara, blushing a little.
"Yeah, you could say something happened, I guess. Mama, this is Ciara, and her mother, Irina. We should go inside, there's something I need to tell you." My blush only got deeper.
She ushered us into the living room, and we all sat down. Ciara never left my side, and mama definitely took notice of that.
"So, what's going on here? You two are awful close, how long have you known each other?" She was a bit critical, looking right at us with a pretty strong glare.
"Well, Ciara here is the one I'm making the new sword for. We met this morning, but a lot has happened since then." Mama seemed a bit surprised that we only met today.
"Only a few hours together and you're already wearing matching clothes? What could have possibly happened for you to be this close already?" Mama was getting more and more confused.
"I had pretty much the same reaction when they came back from their little outing earlier. But you have to admit, it's adorable, right?" Mother Irina jumped in at this point, and Mama couldn't help but nod in agreement.
"Well, to make a long story short, we really got along well while I was doing all the measurements and stuff for the sword, then Mr. Darius and Mother Irina said I should show Ciara around town a bit. We went to try on some clothes at a boutique, and ended up wearing these outfits at the end. Ciara called me pretty, and I couldn't handle it, so I kissed her on the cheek, and the {System} suddenly said we were soulmates."
"Okay, that 'short' story left me with a lot of questions. First, Mother Irina? What's that about? Second, the {System} said you were soulmates? Third, what's a soulmate? And finally, why did you call her Mother Irina?" Mama looked a bit annoyed and confused, but I did my best to explain what I could.
"Well, apparently, the {System} will let you know when you are close enough in stats and levels that the person you kissed is the one meant to be with you, I guess. I think that's the best way to put it. And I called her Mother Irina because we're basically family now, and calling her miss is Mrs. feels wrong." I fidgety around, hoping Mama would accept the explanation I gave.
'Did I miss anything important?' I wanted Ciara's input to make sure everything went well.
'Not that I noticed, but she still looks a bit confused. Should I say something?'
I nodded at her. 'she hasn't gotten to really know anything about you yet, so maybe introduce yourself? I'm sure she'll love you once she gets to know you better.'
She nodded to me, and looked to Mama very seriously. "It's nice to meet you, Mother. My name is Ciara, and I'm an adventurer. I was very lucky to meet Amara. I had a lot of fun in town with her today, and hope you'll let us stay together. Thank you for listening." She bowed to Mama and then sat back down with me.
"Well, how can I complain now?" Mama came over and gave us both a hug. "Oh sweetheart, I'm sorry if I was being harsh. This is just really sudden, okay? I just need a bit of time to process it. If it makes you happy, it's alright with me. Remember to always cherish each other, and always talk about any problems you might have. You've got me here, and I assume Mrs. Irina is willing to help as well. We just want you both to be happy, and if that's at each other's sides, then why should we stop you?"
"She's absolutely right about that. If it makes you happy, and you're not hurting anyone, why not? It's a great code to live by. So you have both of our blessings it seems. Anyone else we need to tell?" Mother Irina backed Mama up on what she said, and this time, it was Ciara's turn to cry tears of joy.
I did my best to comfort her before mentioning to Mother Irina that we'd need to tell Papa next.
"Well, he's kind of a pushover when it comes to you, so I doubt it'd be a problem." Mama made it sound like he'd never say no to me.
"I guess we'll see when he gets home then?" I was tired from all the crying and explaining. "Do you think we have time for a short nap?"
"Sure. He'll be a while, and I'd like to get to know Ciara's mother a bit better as well. Why don't you two go lie down?" Mama helped us up and we went to my room.
'Papa gets home closer to dinner, so let's stay in my room until then, okay?'
Ciara nodded to me, and we laid down on my bed, snuggled together.
'I'm so happy I met you. I've never felt so peaceful before, and this helps me relax after adventuring and fighting beasts for so long. Mom and I have been on the road for months now, just doing work in towns along the road to get by and progress my training. It seems so peaceful here, you must love it.'
'It is peaceful, but we have our own stresses. Though, if you want, it can be your home from now until you want to move on. I'll always be here, and we can always talk, no matter what. If you ever feel tired or scared or anything else, let me know so I can help you out, yeah?'
'That sounds wonderful. Thank you.' We drifted off to sleep, more comfortable this time than that old bench in the smithy, and so it was expected that we'd wake up much later, as Papa got home and dinner was ready.