Rodoreamon stood at her window, watching the horizon beyond. The sun was beginning to set, and she would soon put aside her paperwork to visit Neviril. She had returned home shortly after the attack, bringing Aaeru and Neviril with her. The night before they had left the orphanage had been a long one. Aaeru had been in critical condition, and the nursemaids attending to her did not possess the knowledge or skill to care for her. This time, Rodoreamon had made sure contact was made in the village and passage arranged for the three of them. Her contacts had helped to transport the three of them without being noticed by public eye.

Once home, she took charge of the situation, ordering the finest surgeons she could hire secretly to care for the fallen maiden. Others were sent to the orphanage to take care of the Simoun. She trusted her built network to follow her given instructions and then some. As Home Secretary, she'd learned a few tricks of the trade, and wasn't afraid to use them to her advantage when it direly counted.

While she had taken care of that, Paraietta had worked to make sure the children were properly cared for after the attack. Once again, no one was harmed, but she still had to make sure. Laeni had been found wandering toward the orphanage in a daze. She had collapsed in Paraietta's arms and passed out. When the girl finally awoke and spoke to Paraietta, everyone had been shocked to learn of the farmer's death. It had thrown a twist into everything else.

A knock at her door interrupted her thoughts. "Yes?"

One of her servants entered, bowing before her. "I'm sorry to interrupt but this message was just received. I'm delivering it per your request."

"Leave it on my desk." She did not turn to address the servant or move to take the letter when she heard it placed upon her desk. "Is that all?"

"Yes ma'am." He bowed once more to Rodoreamon's backside before exiting the room.

Rodoreamon waited until the door had closed behind her before she turned around. She picked up the sealed manila envelope and looked it over. There was no sign of a sender's signature on the front. She flipped it over and, taking a letter opener, broke the seal. She slid the enclosed paper from the envelope. Studying the handwriting, she knew at once it was from Paraietta. She had written to inform Rodoreamon of an update regarding the orphanage and how things had progressed since she had left. No further attacks had been made, and no further information was to be gathered from Laeni. The girl appeared to be too traumatized by what she had seen, but they had discovered the remains of the farmer nearby, just as she had mentioned. Paraietta asked that Rodoreamon see about getting information on the Ri Majon used when she could so that perhaps they could look into it and discover if it had ever been used somewhere in the history of Simulacrum. She had signed her name, and added a post script at the very end that stated not to overwork herself.

Smiling, Rodoreamon placed the letter inside the middle desk drawer, tucking it beneath some other personal mementos. She would reread it again later. Knowing that she wouldn't finish any more paperwork for today, she straightened up her desk, organizing the papers by the attention they required. Tomorrow was another day, after all. She had other important matters to attend to before the night was over.

Her footsteps echoed down the empty hallway as she made her way to the living quarters upstairs. Many rooms lined the hall, but she sought out the room next to her own. She had requested that Aaeru be placed here instead of in the room that served as a temporary infirmary. It was stark and unfriendly compared to a guest room. Rodoreamon knocked softly; she felt it rude to enter without the occupants within knowing. Deep down, she hoped that there had been some change in Aaeru, that maybe she had woken up.

She was bidden to enter and slowly pushed open the door. Neviril sat on the edge of Aaeru's bed, eyes focused on the girl. Rodoreamon knew that if anything happened to Aaeru, Neviril would have difficulty recovering. She recalled what it was like for the girl to recover from Amuria's death. "How is she?" she asked softly.

"She's not woken up. I thought she was going to a few times, but she merely groaned. The doctor says she's stable, but he's not sure if this coma she's slipped into will last for long. I thought the groaning might be a sign that she'd wake soon." Neviril spoke calmly, never taking her eyes off her love.

"Aaeru's strong willed. She wouldn't die like this, not so easily." Rodoreamon feared she wasn't very good with offering condolences.

Neviril looked at her, a sad smile on her face. "Aaeru told me that once." She didn't offer any further explanation, and Rodoreamon didn't press for any.

Rodoraemon glanced to the bedside table where a tray of bread and soup rested, untouched. "Have you eaten much?"

"I haven't felt like eating."

"Aaeru wouldn't like it if you didn't take care of yourself. Come. I want you to eat and wash up properly." She reached for Neviril's arm, taking hold of it gently. When she felt hesitation, she added, "It's what she'd want you to do. She needs you to be strong for her."

She led the girl to the dining room and sat her down. Dinner would be served soon, and they could both eat. Until then, they had time between them. Rodoreamon wanted to ask about the Ri Majon, but didn't. It wouldn't be right to just yet. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" she stated softly. "The last we saw of you two seems so long ago, but it's only been five years."

"Time passes differently for Aaeru and I. After we completed the Emerald, we started going from world to world. We had no control over where we went at first, but we can control it sometimes now. I can't say how long it's been since we did the Emerald that very first time. It's simply been a long time."

"So it's possible to control such a powerful Ri Majon?"

"It is, but it takes a lot of focus. It seems like Aaeru and I think as one when we complete it. The times when we choose when to leave a place have increased."

"What's it like seeing all the worlds? Are there really others out there?" Rodoreamon found herself full of questions. There was so much she wanted to know, and yet, only so much she could ask.

"We've seen worlds like our own, and worlds that are very different. Some have very advanced technology I've never seen before. Others lack even the basic technology we have in Simulacrum. We've even been to earlier times in Simulacrum. We—"

It was at that moment that dinner was brought to the two women by the servants. Silence grew between them as they each settled in for the meal. Neviril had at least been willing to easily talk about where the two had been. Rodoreamon hoped there would be a time where she could ask about the Ri Majon. She whispered a prayer of thanks for the food before beginning her meal. As she ate, she kept an eye on Neviril, who slowly picked at her food. She at least ate, which relieved Rodoreamon.

An interesting thought came to mind as she ate. If Neviril and Aaeru didn't always choose when they left a place, was there a chance they would disappear before Aaeru was healed completely? This was troubling, and she tucked the thought away, keeping it as information to tell Paraietta. With everything else that had gone on, she had forgotten that the effects of the Emerald were just as unknown.

Neviril was more than happy to return to Aaeru's bedside after the meal was finished. Rodoreamon watched her go, knowing that she wanted to be there in case the girl woke up. It was definitely a far cry from the interaction between the two when Aaeru had first joined Chor Tempest. Rodoreamon sat for a few moments at the table as the servants cleared the meal around her.

It wasn't long before she rose to her feet, and began walking softly down the hallway. She climbed the spiral staircase that would take her to the uppermost floor. It was on this floor that the private collections and documents were kept for her family. She pulled a brass key from her pocket, and inserted it into the keyhole of the door at the top of the stairs. With a half-turn the lock clicked open, and she slipped inside, locking the door behind her.

She crossed through the first two rooms, as they were not of concern on this night. It was the third room, the largest one, that she sought. This was the family library, containing books from many generations of her family. She wasn't quite sure how far it dated back; her father had never told her a specific date. The library wasn't a place that she'd often browsed as a child. The books had not interested her, though she was privately tutored in matters of Simulacran history. Her interest in books had not occurred until after she had trained at the academy.

Access to the family library had been something she had inherited upon returning home. The Lord and Lady had retired from such a large residence and chosen to move to a smaller, yet still quite elaborate, location. Rodoreamon had moved her duties as Home Secretary into the manor, and chosen to care for the family estate as those who came before her had.

Making her way across the tiled floor, she sought out the large oaken table in the center of the room. Upon it was a pile of books she'd pulled from the section that held the earliest set of books collected. Books in the library were organized by time period, and then by author, if known. There was no way to search by subject, and this made her task all the more difficult. She would have to search blindly to find the information she sought, if it was nestled in the library at all. Until she was able to speak with Neviril and Aaeru, this would have to do.

As she sat down, she ran her fingers over the leather tomes she had already piled on the table. With a glance, some were easily to dismiss as being unusable in her search. Things such as the tome on flora and fauna or gardening techniques in the southern region of the country were no help. Her finger idly moved to turn on the lamp, and she settled in to research.

Rodoreamon's eyes grew heavy as she closed the last book in her stack. She'd lost track of time, but knew it must be getting quite late by now. Once again, her search had not turned up anything of value. She had thought she might have found something when she discovered a book on the first Simoun and their mechanical workings, but nothing was ever mentioned about a Ri Majon from what she could tell.

Once more she descended the stairs, locking the door behind her. She listened to the silence in the hallway, treading softly. The large clock that stood nearby told her it was nearly midnight, and that she should be getting to bed if she were to rise early tomorrow.

"Lady Rodoreamon," called a soft voice behind her. She it was one of the servants, based on how he addressed her.

"Yes?" she asked, turning around.

"Your guest was searching for you earlier."

Had Aaeru woken up? "Did she say why?"

"No m'Lady." He shook his head to emphasize his point.

"Thank you. I'll go see her now." Without another word, she headed toward Aaeru's room. Her pace had hastened a bit, anxious to know what Neviril had wanted.

She knocked softly, but heard no reply. When no reply came after a second knock, she opened the door quietly. The room was dark, save for the moonlight that streamed in through the open window. Neviril was curled up on Aaeru's left side, where she'd been least injured. The girl appeared to be shivering slightly and Rodoreamon moved to the foot of the bed, removing a spare blanket from atop the chest. She covered Neviril lightly with it, and that was when she noticed the dried tears and red splotches upon her face.

"Be strong, Neviril. She'll pull through for you," whispered Rodoreamon before she turned and left.

Preparing for bed, Rodoreamon released the ribbon that held the bun together atop her head. Her hair cascaded across her shoulders, and she began to brush it, letting the repetitive motion relax her. The key to knowing where to begin with the Ri Majon lay within those two. She sighed, knowing that she should still be worried about the Argentine soldiers. There hadn't been word of another attack from her contacts, but there was always the possibility she wouldn't be informed in time.

And on top of all this, there were still her regular duties as Home Secretary to perform. Perhaps it wasn't the wisest of decisions to stretch her mind and body in so many directions, but it seemed to her to be the right decision. No one ever said that the right decision was always wise. She would trust her gut instinct and pray that Tempus Spatium would guide her in the right direction.

She sat nervously in Paraietta's office, waiting for the woman to appear. One of the nursemaids had told her she was to meet with the head of the orphanage as soon as the lunch hour was over. She had kept to herself since the attack and since… he was killed. She didn't want to talk about it, no matter who asked her. She refused to play with the younger children, and simply walked away. Was she going to be reprimanded for that?

Behind her, the door opened and closed. She heard the shuffling of papers and caught sight of Paraietta out of the corner of her eye. The woman smiled softly at her, but Laeni looked down at her lap instead. Sighing, Paraietta sat across from her, placing the folder in front of her. "You're not in any trouble, Laeni. That's not what I've called you in here for."

A sigh of relief crossed her lips. At least she didn't have to talk about the events. "What then?"

Paraietta looked down at the papers in her hand. "According to the data given to us when you were brought here, tomorrow is your seventeenth birthday. Under Simulacran law, you are to journey to the Spring to choose your gender. After doing so, you are able to stay with us for one more month. This allows you to find a suitable place to live and a job. You'll be given a small allowance upon your departure to help you out financially, but I'm afraid you cannot stay here any longer than that."

Laeni looked up, knowing that Paraietta was citing the speech from memory. She'd forgotten about her birthday being so close. It had been the least of her worries recently. Now, she would have to choose and soon. Anger built inside her of. "But!"

"I'm sorry Laeni. It's the law, and that's not something I can change. I would love to let you stay longer, but you must choose. The only exception would have been Sibyllae in a time of war. Everyone else must choose." She could see the bit of anger in the girl's eyes. "You'll leave for the Spring tomorrow. One of the nursemaids will accompany you."

Without another word, Laeni stood and walked out. The door slammed behind her, and Paraietta didn't blame her. She only hoped that the girl would be rational this time, and not run away again. She was certain that Laeni would not make the same mistake twice.

"I'm just making a cameo appearance in this here video to appease my freakishly over-obsessed fanbase, mmmkay?"

"I'd be mighty thankful if ya'll didn't talk about the doctor like that 'cause the doctor's my MOTHER, mmmkay?"