The rain came and went. Elina waited to leave until it stopped again, albeit getting as far as the door before someone interrupted her.

“Where are you going?”

She paused, but kept her hand on the doorknob. She glanced back at Father as she replied.

“We still need that girl.”

“Leave her be.”

Elina frowned. “The last time you said that, twelve years passed and nothing got done. I recall you being the one who always reminded Leo and I of how long its been since progress was made.”

“I’ve given up seeing it in my lifetime,” Father replied, shrugging a bit.

“Don’t act like you’ll be dying anytime soon.” Elina lowered her hand and fully turned towards him. “Leo won’t let you; he has a hard time with me leaving temporarily, and he would fight tooth and nail to keep everyone here.”

Leo wasn’t suited to being alone; he was nothing if not quiet. He was the only person she couldn’t bear to see frown, because for a time the two were inseparable.

“Is that your excuse for why you’re still here?” Father asked coldly. “You are the first Dazuz to have control of land for centuries. You’re wasting that power by staying in San Asari.”

“I don’t see why it matters,” Elina admitted. “We’ll have land in the new nation; we’re taking everything of value with us. As soon as we get that girl back and find some other omyn to start the process, we’ll be free of Dakari.”

“Spoken like one who doesn’t know the true extent of creating a nation. This isn’t as easy as getting the right people and telling them what to do. It will take years—sacrifice.”

“That’s the first I heard of it.” She gave her father a curious but unkind look. With a kind of childish tone, she asked, “Is there more to the story I should hear, Father? Did you finish reading the storybook—can you tell me how to they got to the happy ending?”

Father sighed in response, turning away and waving her off.

“You can’t handle it.”

She took that personally, taking a step towards him.

“You trusted me with territory,” Elina pointed out. “You trusted me with the girl—with bringing her back, putting her away, managing who took care of her.”

“And you failed on both accounts,” Father shot back, only slightly glancing at her over his shoulder. “You need to learn your place before trying to take a spot next to mine. You’re too old to pretend like you’re above the rest.”

Elina tried to muster a protest, but he walked away before she could say anything else. She stared at the spot he was for a moment, then turned back towards the door with a kind of defiance.

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He could keep his secrets. Whether or not he told her himself, she would figure out what they were.

——

Adelinde sighed while Rene cleaned up dishes from dinner. Rene actually thought she went back to their room for the night.

“Something’s bothering you?” Rene guessed, glancing back at Adelinde with a little reassuring smile.

“I’m worried about Tara,” Adelinde admitted. She waited until Rene finished—she didn’t have much left to go—to continue. “Has she told you…anything, lately?”

Rene shook her head, turning around and leaning on the counter. She reached for her ring and slipped it back on. “Nothing out of the usual. Did something happen earlier?”

“Not necessarily, but…” She paused, then shook her head. “It might be better if you ask her. She’s not telling me something—and I don’t think it’s just the rain. Since Elina came, maybe even a bit before that… She’s more withdrawn than usual, isn’t she?”

Rene considered it, and couldn’t deny that Tara has been talking less. She assumed it was because of the rain, but she wouldn’t be surprised if she overlooked something. She didn’t consider herself the best parent, even if both kids insisted she was better than most.

“When she came home,” Adelinde continued, watching Rene as she came closer to the table, “It started raining. I had to pull her inside.”

“That’s about normal,” Rene noted. She sat down across from Adelinde, offering another kind look. Adelinde gave a small smile in response, but it fell as she continued.

“She went upstairs once she came inside,” she said. Her expression turned into a worried frown. “It kept raining. Tara didn’t come back down until I came to get her.”

That…was not normal. She understood Adelinde’s concern now, at least.

“Was she asleep?” Rene asked.

Adelinde shook her head. “She was just…sitting in the corner. She still looked terrified, but oddly firm in something. She followed me back to the music room without talking to me.”

“She went to the conservatory today, right? Maybe someone said something to her.”

“She usually tells one of us if something comes up. Right when she came home, she…”

Adelinde took a little breath. Rene prepared to listen and provide as much input as she could; she couldn’t do much else. Adelinde’s fear for herself and her son shifted to fear for both children and her wife in situations like these—situations where Rene could only really let her explain it all and hope she could help.

“She asked me if it was normal to be scared of things that couldn’t hurt you; I told her it was,” Adelinde said, frowning. “She still looked bothered, but claimed she was fine. That’s when she went up to her room.”

“You let her know she can talk to us?”

“I would rather repeat it until they listen than not say it at all.”

Rene nodded. She understood most of how Adelinde’s thoughts went when it came to the kids.

“Want me to try?” Rene offered.

“Yes, please—she’s more likely to tell you than me.” Adelinde glanced around a bit, sighing. “I’m just…concerned for her. She already doesn’t leave the house very often—she’ll go outside or to the conservatory, but she doesn’t have friends like Matteo does. Between this and whatever’s made the Dazuz family decide they needed to come to our door, if something’s bothering her, I’m not sure if she will go out and wander around.”

Rene murmured some understanding, standing up and walking over to give Adelinde a light kiss.

“I’ll see if she’ll say what’s wrong,” Rene promised. “We can help her from there.”

Adelinde stood up and nodded, pushing her chair in as she did so.

“Thank you. That…does encourage me.”

Rene gave her a smile, and Adelinde returned it. If nothing else, Rene had enough experience to help Adelinde work through her anxieties.