It was a good funeral. Poor Mr. Volkanon couldn't stop crying, and everyone showed up to tell Venti good bye again. Sir Arthur really came through... And everyone else who helped too. I think she would have liked it, but knowing Venti, she might have complained that it wasn't fancy enough.

I'm feeling better now. Not so lost or helpless any more. I have people to lean on now, and even if Venti's gone, Leo and Darling are right. I have to keep believing in her. And even more, I have to keep going. I still... I still miss her a lot, but I understand now.

I'm not alone.

It wasn't an amazingly elaborate funeral, but it was pretty impressive. Illuminata had donated the flowers from her shop, and Porcoline had been more than ready to feed everyone. Of course, with Porco it meant fending him off from the food as well... Margaret was good at that, at least.

Everyone who could made a short speech about Venti, each speaking of how the Elder Dragon had touched all of them in some form or fashion. It helped lift Reesa's heart to know just how much her friend had done for the town and its people. Even Doug got up to try and say something, but he turned red and couldn't get anything out. Fortunately, no one laughed at him, and he eventually managed to spit out an apology, not just to Ventuswill, but to the whole town.

Reesa had decided to save her little speech for last, and it was getting late by the time her turn arrived. Fortunately, no one seemed terribly impatient. Timidly she cleared her voice and the attention of the townspeople turned to her.

"Uhm..."

Reesa fidgeted nervously; she'd never had this many people staring at her before, and it made her nervous. She scanned the crowd for a minute, trying to compose herself, and saw several people giving her encouraging looks. Leon even went so far as to give her a discreet thumbs up and a cheesy wink that helped.

"When I first came here I didn't... know anything. I knew my name, and that was really it. Venti... Venti saved me, in more ways than one. She was my friend. And sort of my mother too. And I'm never going to be able to forget her, or repay her kindness... but I can keep her memory in my heart, and from that, I can take strength."

It was a shorter speech than she'd meant to make, but it said all that she wanted to say, and like several of the other villagers—most notably the former Guardians—she was fighting back tears from even saying that much.

With her speech, the funeral was officially over, but no one seemed terribly inclined to leave. Instead everyone was sharing quiet stories about the dragon and how she'd always been there and how it wasn't the same, but maybe it was okay to continue on with life again. Slowly, one by one, Dolce, Amber, Dylas and Leon slid through the crowd to Reesa.

"So, so, are ewe going to go to Porco's for our own thing?" Amber asked.

"Well..." Reesa felt herself blushing, and ducked her head a little shyly. "A-actually I thought we could all hang out in my room."

"Oooo! I get to see Reesa's room!" Amber chirped, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"You had it expanded recently, didn't you?" Leon asked, a tiny smirk crossing his face. "Made a little dining area?"

Reesa blushed, and glanced shyly at Dolce.

"I don't mind," the elf said quietly.

"Did you do all the cooking?" Pico piped up.

"Ah, n-no... Dylas helped me with some of it," Reesa admitted, giving him a tiny smile. Dylas blushed a little and looked away, much to Leon's amusement.

"Well, let's go then, before someone comes to say we should do something else," the fox-eared man suggested. "You girls can go through the main entrance, Dylas and I will come around through the back~"

Reesa blushed, ducking her head shyly. She heard Dolce sigh, and then a little thump, followed by Leon's laughing protest.

"Come on, I wanna taste Reesa's food!" Amber chirped.

"O-okay, well, come on then," Reesa said, flustered.

Amber and Dolce both followed Reesa while, as suggested, the two men went out the back way. The princess could only hope that no one noticed... She had told Arthur about it because it had felt wrong to not include him, but she did appreciate the fact that all he did was drop a little kiss on her cheek as she passed him by. Of course, it only made her blush harder, which brought amused giggles from both Amber and Pico. Dolce, at least, seemed inclined to be sympathetic, and Reesa felt the lightest touch of her hand as they exited the gathering and stepped into her room.

Reesa sighed a little, and shook herself slightly, willing the blush away fiercely.

"Ooooh, that's such a cute chipsqueak!" Amber squealed, darting across the room to jump on the bed where the plush toy was resting. "Wow, and it's so soft too!"

"Ah, y-yeah. I got it because it was a chipsqueak that showed me how to place the Rune Spheres," Reesa smiled a little at the memory. "I always wanted to thank the little guy..."

"So you got a plush toy to cuddle on, right?" Amber grinned as Reesa nodded. "That's so cute! I wanna do something like that!"

"How about you do it tomorrow?" Leon suggested as he and Dylas stepped into the room. "It is kind of late, after all."

"Oh, right!"

Dolce shook her head a little, but Reesa found herself smiling.

"Come on, the kitchen is back here," she said, and lead the way through to the small area that she had arranged as a kitchen and dining spot. "I tried to make something for everyone..."

For Leon she had made some grilled salmon and salted rainbow trout, while for Dylas there was some sashimi and milk porridge. Amber had some raw, sliced fruits and honey, while for Dole she'd made some flan and cake. And of course there were other things that they had all mentioned liking, some raw vegetable, a few fruit drinks, and some relax tea.

"Wooooow," Pico said as everyone settled in at the table. "It almost makes me wish I could eat some too!"

"If you could, then you would probably be quiet for a while."

Reesa stifled a giggle at Docle's blunt comment, but the round of snickers told her that she didn't need to worry about being so circumspect.

"This is really good," Amber said after a minute. "You grew all of these yourself, huh?"

"Mmhm. I'm really glad that Venti told me I had to work the fields too, even though I think she made it up just because she thought I was an Earthmate."

"That sounds like Venti," Leon chuckled. "Making someone else do the work to test out her hypothesis."

"Yeah," Amber giggled. "And being all roundabout too!"

"She's as difficult to get a straightforward answer as Dolly is," Pico chimed in. Then yelped as Dolce briefly swatted her with a talisman.

"She definitely care about this town, though," Dylas commented. "So adamant about it being her place, and her home to guard." Then he smiled a little. "Kind of like you, Reesa."

Reesa blushed, and laughed a little sheepishly.

"No, I'm not like Venti..."

"You are," Dolce said quietly. "You're both that same sort of stubborn. And protective."

"And fun to tease," Leon put in with a grin.

"And fun to talk to!" Amber chirped.

"And you don't have to keep everything in," Dylas said. "We understand."

Reesa sniffled, and wiped at her eyes, which head teared up.

"You are really some of the best friends I've ever had," she said, smiling shyly. "Thanks..."

"We wouldn't be here without you," Dylas pointed out, giving her shoulder a light push. "So don't worry about it."

"Yeah! We'll make every day good, cause we're all together!" Amber said.

"No matter the weather, no matter the mood," Leon chuckled a little, reaching over to ruffle Reesa's hair. She squeaked, and batted at his hand with a pout, which only made him grin. "We'll figure it out."

Dolce nodded, a tiny smile on her face. That more than anything else helped Reesa to beat back the tears and give them all a smile.

' "You're right. I'm not alone. And neither is anyone else."